Ambassador Youth Camp
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Another exciting advancement in the Church—that came with an intermediate step in 2007—has been the development of a special summer camp in a beautiful facility in Pennsylvania.
Sermons and Sermonettes:Directed from Headquarters, each Sabbath and Holy Day, brethren around the world are provided with spiritual food from God’s ministry.
Ministerial Conferences and Ambassador Youth Camp: At the annual Ministerial Conference, attendees hear informative, detailed lectures about working with brethren. Staff lectures are also heard, giving the Church’s ministry a view behind the Work. Teens and young adults in The Restored Church of God enjoy many different exciting activities. The first official camp for teens,Ambassador Youth Camp, was in 2007, and was the first step toward a full camp in 2008, continuing each year thereafter.
Tools: Pictured here are some of the additional tools produced by RCG. They aid in keeping all of God’s people informed, in developing leaders and in ensuring that ;all things be done decently and in order (I Cor. 14:40).
Some history: For a few years, RCG sponsored group trips of several days for teens in the Church. Over time, our number of teens increased. This brought a need to transition to a full summer camp.
Mr. Armstrong long taught and often reminded the Church that we serve a God of quality—of excellence. He made sure God’s people consistently saw this quality, always within reason, in everything that was done. Summer camp was no exception. We wanted to be sure that a full summer camp was done right, and designed—and fully prepared—to teach God’s youth that they were put on Earth to learn a way of life practiced by no one else. (We had been producing Bible lessons and other important tools all along for younger children, as well as certain other tools for the teens, but this camp filled a special need for young people in the teen years.)
We could only wish every teenager in every splinter could see and experience all that RCG does for its teenagers—and what children of all ages routinely enjoy here. The Church, with generosity from the members, is pleased to underwrite such a wonderful camp. A special, in-depth 20-minute ;camp video was prepared and posted for the Church.
It is never too late for more teenagers, whose parents have anointed their eyes, to attend!
Contents
Rising Income
As mentioned, our income (in all categories) continued rising so fast that all of the above ideas—and many more—came into view for God’s Work. Further, because this is the Work of God and not of any man, we have complete confidence that before the age is over God will supply miraculous ;superfunding to make much more possible. We are not naïve. We know it takes the ;mammon of this world to follow through on the programs described. All of this means God’s people have beenLEARNING TO SACRIFICE after the pattern under Mr. Armstrong.
There is not enough space in this book to report all that we have ;in the hopper—all that is at work in our thinking—in terms of how we can expand the Work of the living God. I was taught growing up that people are only limited by their imagination, and the close observer will recognize we are far and away the most imaginative organization one could find. We are never afraid to innovate. It is visible to all but the most blind that TREMENDOUS POWER from God has shot His Work infinitely beyond the big splinters—and all of their ;works collectively.
This introduces related understanding.
What Mr. Armstrong Told Me About Laodicea’s Work
I have explained elsewhere how I discussed many aspects of prophecy with Mr. Armstrong. On at least two occasions, I pointedly asked him to explain how he foresaw the future rise of Laodicea. These conversations were between 1978 and 1980, and in the wake of his having disfellowshipped his son from the Church in mid-1978. He was putting the Church back on track during this period and Laodicea was on his mind. He was also writing a great deal about Laodicean trends that had entered the Church in the 1970s.
First, recognize that Mr. Armstrong at least initially did believe the Laodicean era would formally appear at or just before the Tribulation. Some misunderstand why he thought this. The answer is simple: Believing at that time he would be permitted to live until Christ’s Return, he knew this final era, meaning the doctrinal part of the disastrouscondition of God’s people it represented—could not occur on his ;watch—that this would have been impossible. This is because he would have thundered against and blocked its development as he had in the late-1970s when the early liberals had taken root in the Church. Everyone who dates to Mr. Armstrong’s time knows he would never have permitted compromise with truth to occur while he was alive. Therefore, he believed it would have to appear after Philadelphia was taken to safety.
This background sets up our conversations. At least twice Mr. Armstrong answered in the same way—four distinct points:
(1) The Laodicean era will arise ;suddenly.
(2) ;It will come out of this Church (the WCG), his words.
(3) It will involve the dominant number of God’s people.
(4) It will do a small Work (or, he speculated, possibly no Work), but the ;open door for a big Work, the one that Christ would lead, would only be before Philadelphia. (Each of these points were almost his exact statements.)
How correct his words! Except for the timing, because of his death in 1986, every point was dead on. The collective work of the splinters—all human works of men—by now you understand will not begin to approach the Work that remains for THIS CHURCH! This is because only the Church led by Jesus Christ has before it the ;open door of Revelation 3:7-8!
Yet Another ;Church and ;Work
A short inset is important before the chapter concludes, because it illustrates how confused even top ministers in the splinters can become. In late 2006, a newer ;evangelist arose from a splinter (he had been ordained to this office in 1999 by Roderick C. Meredith) and declared that the Laodicean age had not yet arrived ;because Mr. Armstrong said it would not appear until the Church had been taken to safety—and that Mr. Armstrong had made a point of stating this era would appear ;after us, meaning after the WCG and his leadership.
This man literally could not see the Laodicean condition all around him—and that it has been here for decades! Such astonishing thinking takes the blindness foretold to afflict Laodicea to a new level! That this is stated by one who suddenly purported to be the leader of the only true Church—a tiny, unproductive sliver—makes this thinking more astonishing. He must believe the ;open door lies before what has to behis ;Philadelphian group, since there are not yet any Laodiceans. It has been sadly humorous to watch this fledgling organization attempt to ;do the Work starting so late and from scratch. They failed miserably.
Think carefully. Mr. Armstrong was correct when declaring what he did about Laodicea coming ;after us. This is exactly what happened!—and with its appearance did come a variety of ;works of men. The splinters (and two or three slivers) are doing their own ;work. They—the peopleand leaders, NOT CHRIST—head them!
Here is the point: Obviously, most who at all love the truth would remember Mr. Armstrong repeating, ;The Church must preach the gospel and do God’s Work. It should come as no surprise that most attend splinters doing ;works of various sizes and shapes. Frankly, it is this ;we-are-doing-something pattern of the big organizations that has served to lull thousands into believing they are continuing, and participating in, the Great Commission as Mr. Armstrong taught. They have not recognized themselves having fallen into various ;efforts of Laodicea—compromised, unempowered ;works that did come out of the WCG and ;after Mr. Armstrong’s leadership!
Only by Faith
Mr. Armstrong understood that everything the Worldwide Church of God accomplished was done by faith, and that everything achieved under his leadership was entirely ;a work of faith. His eyes were fixed constantly on the all-powerful living Christ, and His ability to perform miracles, open doors, coordinate events, arrange key contacts, work out matters of delicate timing, grant special favor, supply critical needs—and always right on time—and to provide the immense funding necessary for the size of Work that God intended.
We are no different. The plans you have seen described are very ambitious. We know this. Our enemies and critics scoff and sneer at what is presented here. We also know this. The idea that God will usethis Church to fulfill the colossal prophesied commissions it faces is beyond what most could ever believe. And we also know this.
But we do not care!
You are left with Christ’s giant, looming open question to all of God’s people alive in the final age of the Church before His Return. Here is what He asked the disciples—but was really posing as a question for us today: ;When the Son of man comes, shall He find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8). He will!—and it will be found in those who take God’s Word—great prophecies—at face value!
This is what we have done—and will continue to do. We have unwavering faith in Jesus Christ’s ability to do His part in His Church’s fulfillment of every element within the two commissions.
I repeat a final time for powerful emphasis in this context, the Work that will be completed by this Church will ultimately dwarf anything the splinters could imagine—or that the world has ever seen! This is already happening—and you can be part of it…
Now what will you do?
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