My name is Steve Bruns. I was born in Bellingham, Washington, in 1946. My wife, Linda, and I were married in July 1969. We have four daughters; Verna, Kelley, Carolyn and Laura. We also have two granddaughters, Rebecca and Lelu. This I believe was a miracle, cosidering my wife was told she could not have children. We live in Moses Lake, Washington. We are on the east side of the mountains pretty close to the middle of the state. Seattle is about 200 miles to the west and Spokane is about 100 miles to the east.

Prior to WCG, I could not find a church, where every human being had a chance at salvation. Each church I attended had a group of people that they, not God, had decided were not good enough, for one reason or another.

We started attending WCG in January 1987. I had been receiving literature and watching Herbert W. Armstrong on television since sometime in 1984. I did not start because I thought WCG was the right Church. I started so that I could save my brother and my mother who were attending what I believed to be a CULT. Of course, after studying and trying to prove them wrong, I discovered the truth. I was baptized in January 1989 and my wife in October the same year.

We attended WCG until July 1994 when we realized WCG had started preaching a false God, changing other doctrines and lying about the changes that were taking place. I started a Global Video Group in my home when we left WCG. We started with 13 people. Most of the people in our area stayed with WCG until after the fall Feast that same year. I feel more people would have left if our minister would have spoken out boldly about what was going on. But instead he asked people not to leave WCG and made a covenant, with who I believe was head of the ministry at WCG headquarters, not to preach against WCG. He was then allowed to remain on the payroll. Many people looked to the "minister" instead of their Bibles to see what God would want them to do. Consequently they did not know what they should do and because of the "minister" telling them to stay, they stayed. When they knew the "minister" was going to join GCG about half the congregation left WCG and joined GCG. People who were following a man. There was a time when I was one of those who just accepted what the "minister" said, without going to my Bible to prove it right or wrong. But I did break from the idol worship of men. I now look to God as my Shepherd, realizing He does use some men to feed His people. But also understanding He expects me to do my part in prayer and study. To do my homework.

One of the blessings I was given after I left WCG, was to know what it was like to serve. Prior to leaving WCG, I had just kept the dust off a chair during services and did not and was not invited to serve in any real capacity or even asked to give an opening or closing prayer. I did not know what I was missing until I had the opportunity to serve in a GCG group. It made me feel a real part of the Church. It made me feel as if I truly belonged. After the Feast when the rest of the people (about half the WCG congregation) came along to GCG and half stayed in WCG.

During my time in GCG, I was the Church librarian and enjoyed being able to serve the brethren, not only locally, but where ever I could find someone who needed tapes or other materials. Through the internet I was able to find other brethren around the world to communicate with and share information with. My family would go early, open and setup. My wife handled most of the kitchen duties. It was indeed a true blessing.

Just before the spring Holy Days in 1997, I discovered the truth about Masonic Temples and Masons themselves. I discussed this truth with brethren after services. I went to the minister and asked him if he would meet in a Catholic Church building. He hesitated in giving an answer and I told him that I was trying to find out about the Masonic Temple (which I believe to be worse than a Catholic Church). He told me how the Catholic church was built east and west and had all of these pagan idols and graven images in it. He was also describing a Masonic Temple. He said that he would not have services in a Catholic church building. Then he stated, "if any one has a problem with a Masonic Temple, I don't care". After his remark, about people who had a problem with a Masonic Temple, we felt there was no reason to discuss it any further with him. From what I was told after we left, he had later denied saying that he would not meet in a Catholic church building and that he only said that he would just be uncomfortable there.

Once again, the people looked to a man, and asked the "minister" instead of seeing what God had to say about worshipping in a pagan temple. Because I had tried to find the truth of the matter, I was told by a brother that I was being contentious. We decided not to meet at a Masonic Temple any longer. We told our friends why we could no longer meet with them and that we were not leaving GCG but could not meet in what we perceived to be a pagan temple. We did not tell anyone else that they had to leave. We felt that was up to them. After we left we actually received hate mail from some of the people we thought to be our close friends.

I do count the way we were treated by some of the brethren and the "ministers" as a blessing. It helped us to see that GCG was not a proper place to be. Remember the buck stops at the top of the organizations. The upper leadership, by their own definition of their Church government, are responsible for the hirelings under them. Just before the fall feast of 1997, after we had made arrangements to go to the Feast in Canada, the GCG "minister" from this area sent me a letter telling me that "I had disfellowshipped myself from the Church." He even called the minister in Canada, on the Day of Atonement (must have known of our plans), to let him know that I should not be allowed at any of the functions at the GCG Feast site. We did have a very good Feast, in Canada, meeting with brethren of like minds. I have to say it was the best Feast I had ever attended, up until that time, because of the fellowship we experienced.

After observing the way of the organizations, I and my family along with others, decided we were better off without them. There is nothing they have to offer that God cannot provide through other means. God is not limited to organizations. He certainly does not approve of the power they try to have over you (incidently they have only the power you give them. God does not give them any power over you). Have you ever noticed, as I have, the organizations have always told us that numbers do not matter? Then they ask for all the money they can get from you to go after the numbers of people who do not matter. God is not limited to television or radio. If every true member of God's Church would have just one meaningful encounter with another individual, being called by our Father, the Church could double in size. Do you think that is too hard for God to do? Did you ever think that maybe God was not after a QUANTITY of people but was after a QUALITY IN people? God states in the Bible that you can know who His children are by the love they have for one another. I had a friend tell me that he felt as though he was not a brother to the "ministry" but more like a mistreated stepchild.

Even though the local "minister" cut us off from his tapes way back when. We are in contact with other brethren who have been scattered as God said we would be. God said He would shepherd His flock and take the flock away from those shepherds who have fed off from the flock, and not allow them to feed off from the flock anymore. That day is coming. And who do you think God is referring to? Those of us who have left and are accused of being the trouble makers are not the ones who are receiving your tithes. It seems to me that ones who are feeding off from you would have to be the ones who are collecting and spending your tithes and offerings. Should true servants of God be making considerably more than those they are serving? Is this the example given to us in the scriptures?

By the way, my personal belief is that God is having the flock scattered so that we each have to stand on our own two feet and do our own homework. If you do not do your own homework, depending on a minister to do it for you, you will NOT pass the FINAL test.

My family is doing just fine and we are being fed a proper diet from God through a number of sources. We do not have a leader of our group other than Christ. We consider all equal in the site of God. We do recognize those who God has given the gift of teaching . We glean truth from a number of places and people, using the scriptures to prove what is truth and what is not, as those from Berea did. We feel we have learned a lot more since we have not been limited by any "minister". We have learned to use tools for bible study, that were never shown to us before. We work together as brethren should, teaching and admonishing one another as God would have us do. Our eyes have been opened to so much since the restrictions and oppression of the organization have been lifted. We can talk openly with one another without worrying about who we might be offending. Discussing openly the truths of God.

I now consider only two criteria to determine who my brother or sister is. First, God tells us that you can tell who His people are by the LOVE they have for one another. Second, God also tells us that the Sabbath is a sign between He and His people. So my brethren have to be loving Sabbath keepers. But I do not, or at least try not, to judge the way they keep the Sabbath. That is God's job.

I do pray for the time when God will allow all peoples to see and understand His truth.

You can contact me at: steve@bruns.com

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