I used to think Ron REALLY believed all these lies he's been passing off as truths. I no longer believe that. I believe he is an OUTRIGHT con.

I would like you all to read some excerpts of e-mail exchanges between his church and a perspective member.
The original location and full letters are at Weinland Watch
First, it's been heavy on my mind, that Ron seems to teach the Gospel of Sabbath, rather than the Gospel of Jesus. It seems to me, he talks more about sabbath than Jesus. It appears Sabbath, Tithing and Baptism play an important role in Ron's retirement plan.

In the excerpts of the following e-mail exchange, we discover that Ron's church is actually a financial endeavor/a get-rich-quick scheme, (which is working out quite well for him and his family). We learn here that Tithing is a prerequisite to baptism!

Here is an excerpt with comments from Weinland Watch. Make note of the items that I, (As Bereans Did, blog, mark in RED) :

This was the second series of exchanges the prospective member had with the church.

Hello [name]
The meetings conducted by Ronald Weinland are for a Sabbath service and for those who are in the true Church of God or who are being called by God and have responded by turning to obedience in observing the seventh day Sabbath and are committed to keeping/obeying it as God has commanded. Only those who are observing the Sabbath and tithing can be invited to attend such services. If you are one of those people then you need to let us know if you have such commitment and how you are observing the Sabbath, and if you are doing so, we would be glad to extend an invitation to you.

Read this and reply back to this e-mail so we have a record of our conversations. We need contact information such as full address and phone numbers so a minister can contact you.

Sincerely
[Name of Evangelist #2]

the Church of God-PKG

The church’s form letter on baptism follows. You will note that the prospective member is required to divulge personal contact information. Meanwhile, two different evangelists have been in contact with the same member. There was no response to further inquiries from the same member until the following came through:

Hello [name]

I am trying to schedule you for baptism. We cannot locate the cashiers check you say you sent. Reply back to this e-mail telling us what name and date it was sent. I have to verify that it was applied properly.

thanks
[name of Evangelist #2]

The prospective member did not send any such check in, nor did the person say they sent any such check in. The evangelist was informed of this in the responding email. Additionally, the member requested to attend a baptism in their area, and was not given any permission. The prospective member then went on to request a receipt or a confirmation of their membership in the church before they would start sending money (and rightfully so). This person is now seriously questioning the motives behind the church.

Here was the church’s response to the prospective member’s request for information on tithing (they asked if it was 10% per annum or 10% per pay period).

Hello [name]

A tithe is that which involves a person’s obedience to God in giving God His tithe (10 percent) of income. This is a tithe of one’s net income (after taxes). The taxes are not in our control, but belong to the government to which we are all subject. We have no power over that portion of our income that is taken as taxes, and Jesus Christ said to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. We are responsible for what is under our control and management. God’s tithes are sent to Church of God-PKG, P.O. Box 14447, Cincinnati, OH 45250 U.S.A.

You can find more information in sermons on our website www.cog-pkg.org relating to the topic of Tithing. Feb 19th 2005 titled “A Relationship with God and Tithing”

Sincerely [name of Evangelist #2]
the Church of God-PKG

As the prospective member noted, they were initially requesting information on baptism, and then got manipulated into requesting information on tithing. This was the exchange that occurred after the prospective member requested the exact details of the baptismal location planned in their area for March 22:

This was the church’s response:

Hello [name]

A tithe is that which involves a person’s obedience to God in giving God His tithe (10 percent) of income. This is a tithe of one’s net income (after taxes). The taxes are not in our control, but belong to the government to which we are all subject. We have no power over that portion of our income that is taken as taxes, and Jesus Christ said to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. We are responsible for what is under our control and management. God’s tithes are sent to Church of God-PKG, P.O. Box 14447, Cincinnati, OH 45250 U.S.A.

You can find more information in sermons on our website www.cog-pkg.org relating to the topic of Tithing. Feb 19th 2005 titled “A Relationship with God and Tithing”
Sincerely [name of Evangelist #2]
the Church of God-PKG

A further request by the prospective member on whether or not they could attend the March 22 baptismal drive met with this response:

Hello [name]

Thank you for your e-mail. Can you help with this matter, as we cannot find a tithe record. I see you expected to mail the tithe in our past e-mails. Reply back to this e-mail as this is a prerequisite to baptism.
Sincerely
[name of Evangelist #2]

The prospective member then replied with an apology that they did not realize tithing was a prerequisite to baptism. The prospective member did not receive a reply to that email, and has not heard from the church since.