THE PHILADELPHIA CHURCH OF GOD

The Philadelphia Church of God is a Christian church composed of several thousand members scattered all over the world. Church members live in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Ireland, Scotland, England, Germany, France, the Netherlands, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, India, Australia, New Zealand and dozens of other nations. The majority of the church’s congregations are small; some congregations, families or individuals are the only church members in their state, province, or country. In some countries, church members travel for hours to meet together each week for church services. There, they typically share Christian fellowship followed by a two-hour service consisting of hymns, announcements, special music and two messages from the Bible. Afterward, members often fellowship together for hours, conversing over snacks, later over dinner, and still later at each others’ homes or at social get-togethers. Ordained ministers are also scattered and travel longer distances to speak to, counsel with and fellowship among their fellow members and those interested in becoming members.

The Philadelphia Church of God is a non-denominational Christian church. The church bases its teachings on the New Testament teachings of Jesus Christ, including the weekly Sabbath and holy days established in the Old Testament. The church also believes that God will save the vast majority of mankind from its sins and the penalty for sin. The church teaches that Satan is the current ruler of this world, rather than God. It believes that those who lived before Christ, those who died never hearing of His teachings, devout atheists and warring religions—humanity as a whole—will have a chance to accept what Christ taught when He returns, after mankind has proven it does not know the way to peace and embroiled itself in catastrophic war.

The church categorizes its activities into two commissions. The first is to proclaim to the world the good news of the coming Kingdom of God, and to warn about the disasters Jesus Christ said will precede His return. The second is to care for the members of the church itself. In support of its message to the world and its members, the church trains and provides ministers and publishes literature based on the Bible. It produces a Bible correspondence course, a newsmagazine and three other periodicals, and over 70 books and booklets. The church translates its materials into nine languages, produces a television program and supports an archeological excavation in Jerusalem’s City of David.

Most of this work is done on the PCG’s headquarters campus in Edmond, Okla. The campus is also the home of Herbert W. Armstrong College, Philadelphia Youth Camp, Imperial Academy, and the offices the Armstrong International Cultural Foundation, which produces a concert series that will soon debut in a new venue: Armstrong Auditorium. Online, the church’s activities can be found on pcog.org, theTrumpet.com, KeyofDavid.com, HWAcollege.org, TrueEducation.org, and ArmstrongConcerts.org.
The Philadelphia Church of God was founded in 1989 by Gerald Flurry, who serves as its pastor general. Mr. Flurry has been an ordained minister for over 35 years and formally served as a pastor in the Worldwide Church of God under Herbert W. Armstrong

Philadelphia Church of God

December 7, 2008 marked the Philadelphia Church of God’s 19th anniversary. For nearly two decades, the church has been headquartered in Edmond, Oklahoma. During that time, it has grown from a mere handful of supporters in 1989 to a worldwide work that reaches millions of people.

Many of these people have become aware of the church because of its weekly Key of David television program, presented by the pastor general of the church, Gerald Flurry. Since its beginning on WGN in 1993, coverage has expanded to include over 200 other stations throughout the United States, Canada and Asia. The Key of David program has generated nearly 1 million viewer responses over the years and taped over 860 episodes.
The Philadelphia Church of God has also produced a storehouse of literature—hundreds of booklets, books, pamphlets and magazines. In 2008 it distributed nearly 4 million pieces of literature, and much of this material is also made available on its website. The church has distributed over 50 million pieces of literature since 1990, all of it free of charge.

The Philadelphia Church of God was once part of the Worldwide Church of God, led by Herbert W. Armstrong. Prior to his death in 1986, Mr. Armstrong was the world’s leading televangelist and one of the most prominent religious figures of the 20th century—watched, read and followed by millions worldwide. Regarding his 57-year ministry, President Ronald Reagan said, “Mr. Armstrong contributed to sharing the word of the Lord with his community and with people throughout the nation. You can take pride in his legacy.”

The church’s stated mission is to uphold that legacy. After Armstrong’s death in 1986, the new administration changed all of his teachings and many members were kicked out for holding fast to their beliefs. On Dec. 7, 1989, the Philadelphia Church of God began with just four families from Edmond, Okla.. Over time, the work prospered and the church’s headquarters operations multiplied. The church now operates from a 170-acre campus in North Edmond.
In 1997, the church began to print Armstrong’s books and booklets, since the Worldwide Church no longer wanted them. The WCG sued the PCG for copyright infringement in a stated effort to suppress those writings from the public. A six-year legal battle ensued for the right to make that material freely available to anyone who wanted it. Finally the WCG sold the PCG the publishing rights. Stephen Flurry, vice president of the PCG, has written extensively about this grueling, six-year lawsuit in his book Raising the Ruins.

The PCG’s liberal arts college is named after Herbert W. Armstrong. Since its inception in 2001, Herbert W. Armstrong College has admitted hundreds of students from all over the world, including India, the Philippines, Colombia, England, Australia and the Netherlands. It is largely through the college and its cultural arm, the Armstrong International Cultural Foundation, that the church continues Herbert W. Armstrong’s legacy in its local community and abroad. The foundation sponsors an archaeological dig in Israel and a series of concerts at its facility in Edmond. The concert series will move into its new home, Armstrong Auditorium, in early 2010.

Philadelphia Church of God

The Philadelphia Church of God is a non-denominational Christian church which traces it roots back to the Worldwide Church of God, founded by Herbert W. Armstrong in 1934.

Herbert W. Armstrong became recognized and respected by leaders in government, industry and education around the world. Until the time of his death in January 1986, he remained pastor general of the Worldwide Church of God and editor in chief of the Plain Truth magazine. He was a pioneer in religious broadcasting. Millions around the world heard his voice on The World Tomorrow radio and television program. In 1947, he founded Ambassador College in Pasadena, Calif. He was also founder and chairman of the Ambassador International Cultural Foundation, known for its cultural, charitable and humanitarian activities. Mr. Armstrong visited more than 70 countries proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and was highly honored by heads of state in such critical areas as Japan, China, Africa, Israel and Egypt. Even in his 90s, he continued to write, broadcast and preach the good news that God will intervene to save mankind in this generation. Among his many books are The United States and Britain in Prophecy and his final work, completed just months before his death, Mystery of the Ages.

When Herbert W. Armstrong died, the Worldwide Church of God posthumously denounced him as a heretic and rejected all of his teachings. As a result, church membership plummeted. More than 70 percent of his followers were driven out or excommunicated from the Worldwide Church of God due to sweeping doctrinal changes. Ambassador College, The World Tomorrow program and almost all of the Ambassador Foundation’s projects are now defunct. Gone also is the world-renown concert series held in the magnificent Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena. The Plain Truth magazine circulation, which topped 8 million free copies per month in the late 1980s, has shriveled to less than 100,000 paid subscriptions.

When these doctrinal changes were in their early stages, Gerald Flurry, an ordained WCG minister since 1973, became alarmed and plunged into an intensive study of the Bible to find the cause of the betrayal he was witnessing. The result of his studies was a book titled Malachi’s Message, which proves that the Worldwide Church of God’s falling away from the truth was actually prophesied millennia ago.

In December 1989, nearly four years after Mr. Armstrong’s death, Mr. Flurry was excommunicated from the WCG for continuing to believe and teach what Mr. Armstrong taught. Mr. Flurry was inspired to establish immediately the Philadelphia Church of God. It started humbly and small—with 12 members.

The original members of the PCG supported Mr. Flurry in completing the first mail-out of Malachi’s Message in January 1990. In the fall of that year, there were approximately 250 people in the Church worldwide. The Trumpet was in monthly circulation, though it was much smaller and of lower quality than today’s magazine.

In 1991, there was a tremendous increase in the quality and quantity of literature the Church was producing. The Trumpet circulation continued to grow and several new booklets were finished. Since that time, the PCG has released five books and nearly 50 booklets to support this warning message. The church does not ask for money for any of its materials. Over 50 million pieces of free literature have been distributed since 1990.

The Church’s first radio program aired in the summer of 1991. In late 1992, plans were being made to phase radio out and purchase television time in as many markets as possible. The PCG began broadcasting The Key of David over eight television stations on January 17, 1993.
A few weeks later, The Key of David was accepted on WGN, a U.S. nationwide cable station. That was followed with coverage in Canada and Europe. All this happened within a few short months. The television equipment was purchased in late November 1992—and by April 1993 the Key of David program had a potential audience of over 300 million people worldwide.
Today, the television program is available throughout the U.S. and Canada and in many other parts of the world. It can also be viewed at any time on the website www.keyofdavid.com.
Opened in 2001, Herbert W. Armstrong College helps to provide an educated ministry and trained personnel for the administrative needs of the church.

Philadelphia Church of God

The Philadelphia Church of God is a non-denominational Christian church whose members are an eclectic people, of every age, race, educational and economic background. Although its headquarters campus is in Edmond, Oklahoma, its congregations are many and scattered.

The church has thousands of members from 67 nations meeting in congregations around the world.The church undertakes activities to fulfill its stated two-fold mission to 1) preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God, as well as publish the Bible’s warning of the disasters that will precede Christ’s Second Coming because of mankind’s sins, and 2) feed its people spiritually, preparing them for service in the Kingdom of God.For its primary commission the church sponsors a weekly television program, the Key of David. Presented by church founder and pastor general, Gerald Flurry, the program focuses on how world events are fulfilling biblical prophecies leading to the imminent return of the Messiah, as well as a warning that many of God’s true people are going astray in this end time.

The PCG also publishes a news magazine, the Philadelphia Trumpet, which is produced 10 times a year and is sent free of charge to all who request it. The magazine is published in five languages and over 32 million free copies have been distributed worldwide since it began in 1990. As part of its witness about the Kingdom of God, the church established a humanitarian arm in 1996 which operates today as the Armstrong International Cultural Foundation. The foundation currently supports an archaeological dig in Jerusalem and hosts a concert series in Edmond. The series is scheduled to move into its new home, Armstrong Auditorium, in early 2010.To feed its people spiritually, the PCG provides several areas of assistance.

Congregations often sponsor social events such as family fun shows, public speaking clubs, campouts and fund-raisers. Members attend an annual seven-day festival called the Feast of Tabernacles at locations around the world, including Australia, India, Belgium, Kenya and the Philippines; this event focuses on building Church unity and strong families through spiritual instruction and wholesome recreational activities.

The PCG publishes Royal Vision, a Christian-living magazine (available free upon request). It also publishes over 60 books and booklets (also available free upon request); a newspaper for Church members; a newsletter for Church ministry; and a weekly synopsis of prophetically important global events.For the PCG youth, the Church sponsors annual youth camps, regional campouts, and talent exhibitions and publishes a youth magazine. Individual congregations hold regular teen Bible studies and grade-school-age Bible classes and host other youth-oriented events.

Qualified high school graduates can attend Herbert W. Armstrong College, a privately supported co-educational institution located at the headquarters campus in Edmond, Oklahoma. Here, young men and women take courses in theology, liberal arts, and applied arts and sciences in preparation for worthwhile lifelong service to God and humanity.Whether it is hosting a youth camp full of vibrant teens, a conference for ministers from around the world, or a special night of music for the public at large, the PCG’s headquarters campus bustles with activity year-round. Situated 9 miles north of Oklahoma City in north Edmond, the campus is close to the conveniences of the city, yet its 170 acres also offer many of the advantages of rural American life.

PCG congregations from Chicago to Chile and from Durban to Davao share much in common. All meet weekly for Sabbath services, consisting of biblical spiritual instruction and Christian fellowship. Brethren focus on the same unified, biblical body of beliefs and submit to God’s form of government outlined in the Bible. They are encouraged not to form their beliefs out of convenience or the words of men, but to prove each doctrine for themselves from the Bible itself. They pursue the same spiritual goals in an atmosphere of spiritual family.The learn more about the Philadelphia Church of God, visit www.pcog.org.