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Assemblies of Yahweh

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The Assemblies of Yahweh is a nonprofit religious organization founded by Jacob O. Meyer in 1969. Its international headquarters are in Bethel, Pennsylvania.[1][2][3][4] The organization developed from a radio ministry begun by Meyer in 1966.[1][5][6] The Assemblies of Yahweh is part of the Sacred Name movement, a collective term for organizations which use the Hebrew names of God and Jesus, such as Yahweh and Yahshua.[3][4][5][7]

Assemblies of Yahweh
AOYTabernacle
Assemblies of Yahweh headquarters in Bethel, Pennsylvania
ScriptureSacred Scriptures Bethel Edition
FounderJacob O. Meyer
Origin1969
Bethel, Berks County, Pennsylvania
Official websitehttps://assembliesofyahweh.com/

History

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Founder Jacob O. Meyer grew up in the Church of the Brethren, but left that church in the 1950s,[1] later attending an independent Sacred Name assembly meeting in Hamburg, Pennsylvania,[3] and attending seminaries in Idaho and Oregon.[1] While in Idaho he worked as an assistant editor of the Sacred Name Herald.[3] He returned to Bethel in 1964.[1] In 1966, he began a radio ministry, The Sacred Name Broadcaster, which broadcast from station in Baltimore.[1][3] Meyer began his own magazine, the Sacred Name Broadcaster, in 1968.[3] The Assemblies of Yahweh were founded in 1969,[1][3][7] and ten elders were ordained.[3] A second magazine exclusively for members of the Assemblies, the Narrow Way, began publishing in 1969.[3] The Assemblies of Yahweh's Statement of Doctrine states the organization was founded to provide "a framework of the sound doctrines that are contained in the inspired Scriptures" among the Sacred Name movement.[8]

In 1980, former elders of the Assemblies of Yahweh in Kansas formed a new organization called the Assemblies of Yahweh in Messiah.[3][5] The members who left the Assemblies of Yahweh did so over administrative rather than doctrinal issues.[3] In 1985, the new group was renamed Yahweh's Assembly in Messiah after a trademark infringement lawsuit.[3]

Beliefs

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The Assemblies of Yahweh believe it is necessary for believers to use the names Yahweh and Yahshua for God and Jesus.[1][3] The Assemblies of Yahweh states that the Old Testament is the basis of its faith,[3][8] following all Old Testament commandments except for those regarding ritual and annual animal sacrifice,[3][1] and keeping the seventh-day Sabbath.[1] The Assemblies of Yahweh are nontrinitarian,[3] stating that they find the Trinity to be "foreign to the inspired Scriptures".[8]

The Assemblies of Yahweh consider their faith to be somewhere between Christianity and Judaism,[9] and refers to members as Messianic Israelites,[1][10][2] or True Worshippers.[10] Men in the Assemblies of Yahweh wear beards,[1][2] and women wear modest dress and cover their heads for worship.[1][3] The Assemblies of Yahweh practices tithing, nonviolence and conscientious objection to war.[3]

In 1969 the Assemblies of Yahweh received its charter from Berks County, Pennsylvania. The core of this charter reads:

Our purpose is to teach and preach the word and sacred Name of our Heavenly Father and the truth of the inspired scriptures, to promote the interest of religion and the spread of spiritual holiness throughout the world.

— Assemblies of Yahweh mission statement[11]

Organizational structure

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Leadership consists of:

  • A "Directing Elder", responsible for the spiritual direction of the Assembly.
  • "Teaching Elders", ordained to serve as instructional leaders.
  • "Deacons", ordained to serve in the needs of the assemblies.
  • "Senior Missionaries", consecrated to serve Yahweh in local areas; many times used as local leader and (or) a new-inquirer contact point.
  • "Missionaries", consecrated to serve Yahweh in local areas to help spread their Faith.[3]

The Assemblies of Yahweh is led by a Directing Elder, originally Jacob O. Meyer. In accordance with his will and last testament, the Assemblies of Yahweh has since been led by two followers: Teaching Elder Jonathan S. Meyer and Deacon Nathaniel A. Meyer. They are assisted by a group of individuals called "the Work of the Ministry" who assist in practical matters and provide counsel on questions of doctrine.[citation needed]

Education

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The Assemblies of Yahweh has operates educational institutions located in Bethel, Pennsylvania, Obadiah School of the Bible[6][12] and Dalet School.[1][13]

Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition

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The Assemblies of Yahweh publishes its own Bible translation, the Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition.[14]

WMLK

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WMLK
Transmitter and information sign along westbound I-78/US 22
Frequencies
  • 9.275 MHz
  • 15.15 MHz
  • 17.525 MHz
Ownership
OwnerAssemblies of Yahweh
History
First air date
1981 (1981)
Call sign meaning
From the Hebrew word malak (“messenger”)
Technical information
Power300 kW
Links
Websitewww.wmlkradio.net

WMLK is a shortwave radio station licensed to Bethel, Pennsylvania, United States, and owned by the Assemblies of Yahweh. The station broadcasts internationally on 9.275 MHz, 15.15 MHz, and 17.525 MHz. Its call sign is derived from the Hebrew word malak (מַלְאָךְ), meaning “messenger.”[15]

The station’s origins date to 1966, when Elder Jacob O. Meyer began a radio ministry known as the Sacred Name Broadcast.[15] In 1981, the Assemblies of Yahweh acquired a 50,000-watt transmitter for shortwave use.[16] The installation and technical adaptation of the transmitter were carried out by members of the Assemblies of Yahweh, including Deacon Gary McAvin, who served as chief engineer and oversaw aspects of the station’s technical development for several decades.[17]

WMLK began shortwave broadcasting in 1985 using a modified RCA BTA-50G transmitter originally manufactured in 1947.[18] In 2017, the station acquired a new transmitter manufactured by Ampegon, rated at up to 450 kW. Installation required updated cooling and power systems.[18] Broadcasting resumed in June 2022 following completion of the upgrade.[18]

WMLK broadcasts recorded teachings by Jacob O. Meyer. Programming consists primarily of archived material.[18]

WMLK’s curtain antenna system was featured in ARRL's Small Antennas for Small Spaces (2011), which included a photograph and description of the station’s antenna installation near Interstate 78 in Pennsylvania.[19]

It says:

Amateur Radio operators dearly love antennas. To us, antennas are more than mere functional devices for radiating signals; they are beautiful works of engineering art. A gorgeous antenna system will stop us cold in our tracks, utterly transfixed by the wonder of its design. Hams are the people who nearly cause traffic accidents because they are gaping at awesome antennas when they should be paying attention to their driving. A few years ago I alarmed my family by swerving off Interstate 78 in eastern Pennsylvania, grabbing my camera and leaping from the car. The object of my insane desire was the spidery curtain antenna of shortwave broadcaster WMLK.

— ARRL's Small Antennas for Small Spaces

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 VanderMeulen, Rebecca. "Homegrown faith". Reading Eagle. p. A1. Archived from the original on 2007-03-02.
  2. 1 2 3 Pursell, Tricia (2009-09-20). "Religion in the Valley: Cult or calling?". The Daily Item. Retrieved 2026-10-30.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Melton, J. Gordon (1999). Encyclopedia of American religions (6th ed.). Detroit: Gale Research. pp. 553, 557. ISBN 0-8103-8417-5. ISSN 1066-1212. LCCN 00702484.
  4. 1 2 Chryssides, George D. (2011-11-25). Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. ISBN 978-0-8108-7967-6.
  5. 1 2 3 Kurian, George Thomas; Lamport, Mark A. (2016-11-10). Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States: 5 Volumes. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. pp. 2003–2004. ISBN 978-1-4422-4432-0.
  6. 1 2 History of Bethel and Tulpehocken Townships, p. 227. Published by Bethel and Tulpehocken Townships, Berks County PA, 1976, Boyer Printing Co., Lebanon PA
  7. 1 2 Chryssides, George (2006) [2004]. "Sacred Name Movement". In Clarke, Peter B. (ed.). Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. London: Routledge. p. 543. ISBN 0-203-48433-9. OCLC 920083797. The largest Sacred Name organization is the Assemblies of Yahweh, founded by Jacob O.Meyer in 1969. Meyer moved to Idaho in 1964, where he became Assistant Editor of the Sacred Name Herald. He was consecrated for ministry the following year, and began a radio ministry—'Sacred Name Broadcast'—in 1966. This was followed by a television ministry, 'Sacred Name Telecast'.
  8. 1 2 3 "Statement of Doctrine". Assemblies of Yahweh. Archived from the original on 18 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "Who We Are". Assemblies of Yahweh. Retrieved 2026-11-07.
  10. 1 2 The Sacred Name Broadcaster, September 2014
  11. ↑ "Assemblies of Yahweh". Archived from the original on 26 February 2003.
  12. ↑ "DNB Company Report on Dalet School".
  13. ↑ "Private Schools Report". Archived from the original on 2009-03-15. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  14. ↑ Unseth, Peter (2011-07-01). "Sacred Name Bible Translations in English: A Fast-Growing Phenomenon". The Bible Translator. 62 (3). SAGE Publications Ltd: 185–194. doi:10.1177/026009351106200306. ISSN 2051-6770.
  15. 1 2 Meyer, Jacob (May 2018). "Radio Station WMLK" (PDF). The Sacred Name Broadcaster. Bethel, PA: Assemblies of Yahweh. pp. 16–21. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  16. ↑ Meyer, Jacob. "Assemblies of Yahweh site (Proclaiming Yahweh's Truth To The World)". Assemblies of Yahweh. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Obituary for Gavin E. McAvin". Lamm & Witman Funeral Home. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Butera, Martin. "Shortwave Station WMLK". Radio Heritage. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  19. ↑ Ford, Steve (2011). "1". ARRL's Small Antennas for Small Spaces (1 ed.). American Radio Relay League. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-87259-839-3.
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