Some things in Armstrongism never change! Well, maybe I should have said, Things NEVER change in Armstrongism.
All the 700 some splinter personalty cults of Armstrongism are only in existence because they poached ministers and members from other COG's. Not a single one of these men have ever had the balls to step out and do something original. Almost all worked behind the scenes in their respective COG's as they plotted and schemed to move into a reincarnated COG.
Bob Thiel is now doing the same thing. He admits that he has brought on board UCG ministers and others who have been scheming behind their own COG organizations back for the best time to leave and get paid by Bob Thiel.
As far as leaders new to the CCOG, after the conference, one of the attendees who asked for a meeting with myself and Pastor Ochieng, became one. This was John Owak. For the past ten years he had been a minister in the United Church of God (UCG). John Owak explained that he had been studying CCOG literature for some time (he had also contacted me in the past), and the conference convinced him he wanted to be part of CCOG. We discussed also differences in the governance, prophetic understandings, and the work between CCOG and UCG. He then asked if we would accept him as a volunteer (unpaid, and he did not ask for a salary) pastor of the CCOG in his geographic area, working under the direction of our Regional Pastor Evans Ochieng, myself, and ultimately Jesus Christ. Pastor Ochieng and I agreed and welcomed him into the CCOG.
Leaders once part of GCG, LCG, WCG, COGaIC, COGIT, COGTE, CG7, SDA, and/or VWCG, but now part of CCOG also attended. This was the first time I had been able to meet any of them in person (some had email contacts with me prior). CCOG has over 20 congregations in East Africa.