Jacob O. Meyer

Meyer's sermons and literature are still used copiously within the ministry. His sermons are still broadcast on WMLK and streamed on Tunein.com. He died peacefully at age 75 in 2010; the ministry is now run by his faithful children.

Meyer would always preach the first message of the Feast of Tabernacles on love. The Assemblies of Yahweh believe they have got the definition of love correct because of John 14:15 and 1John 5:3, where it tells us love is the keeping of the commandments. Usually when preaching about love Meyer would concentrate on the terms agape and philadelphia (Φιλαδελφία) focusing more on the latter. Meyer did not believe in Christianity's concept of love. The Assemblies of Yahweh teaches that only by keeping the commandments of Yahweh can we comprehend what love truly is, as Yahweh's loving character is contained in the law. Also tied in to this subject is that of unity and how love engenders unity. Meyer taught how we are to show love to Yahweh through sermons like "Loving Yahweh from the heart" (2008) and "how to show love to our fellow men". The characteristics of the Philadelphia assembly is attained to by the Assemblies of Yahweh, the Philadelphia assembly being one which "did not deny the name" (Yahweh) and that has "good works" according to Revelation 3:8. Meyer would especially speak of the love of the brethren in the Narrow Way publications.

Meyer would often preach a weekly Sabbath sermon regarding end-time prophecy, comparing trends of the day with what is predicted in the Bible, proving from the Bible we are in the end times such as in the series "Age Ending Events Surveyed" (2006). This would be done by identifying the violations of the law in society and all around the world, especially those stories which had made news headlines, preaching strongly against the evil conduct of the age and calling for repentance.

Meyer was awarded a tribute on March 21, 2004, for over 40 years of dedication and fortitude, to send the message of the ministry out in to the world. Meyer served as board member of the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasting, and was nominated as township constable in Philadelphia, a position which he had not sought.

Most of the sermons preached by Meyer at least touched on the subject of faith, even in sermons preached, such as "Remembrance Brings Rejoicing". Meyer would recall his own faith and his unshakable belief in the authority and authenticity of the Bible, as well as the ability of Yahweh to do all things and the ministries ability to complete the Great Commission. Sometimes Meyer would devote whole sermons to the subject of faith such as in the sermon "Fear of Faith" (1993). Meyer would retell the miracles he had personally seen within the ministry in sermons preached regarding the history of the Assemblies of Yahweh.

As head ("directing elder") of the Assemblies of Yahweh, Meyer became a full-time minister in 1970. At some point in the 1970s he undertook a short part-time course leading to the award of an associate degree from Thomas Edison State College. The name "Assemblies of Yahweh" comes from the Hebrew name of the worshippers of Yahweh in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Quhal Yahweh. Deuteronomy 23:1–8 contains the phrase six times, while in other places the assembly is called the Edah Yahweh, translated as the "called out ones" by Christian groups (A Theology of the New Testament, page 107).

Their efforts to locate any such organization were unsuccessful, and therefore Meyer began to formulate a plan in which the Meyer family would isolate themselves from the world, save their tithes and finally send a "one time herald" message via a newspaper article or some other means. Meyer came to believe this was "not the will of Yahweh" and turned once again to seek other groups who were willing to help spread his message. Meyer stumbled across some Sacred Name groups, but believed their teachings contained doctrinal errors. Meyer helped to publish the Sacred Name Herald, after which he returned to Bethel in 1964. It was in 1965, when following a radio message, that Meyer was asked to begin an assembly type organisation, to which Meyer agreed "If it be Yahweh's will." At this point a 30-year-old Meyer was anointed with oil, and the Assemblies of Yahweh emerged. Meyer points out that this age was the time when priests were installed to do the work of Yahweh in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Meyer first learned about the Sacred Name in the late 1950s and taught by an ordained minister of a prominent denomination during a course in Biblical studies. Meyer decided to herald these truths to the world, refusing to keep the sacred Names hidden among Hebrew-speaking scholars. According to this teaching, the true name of God was Yahweh. Meyer and his wife began to look for religious groups who followed this belief, including Sacred Name groups.

Elder Jacob O. Meyer met Ruth Meyer on the first day of High School. Her family had moved from Lancaster County in 1945 and settled northeast of Bethel Both Elder Meyer and Ruth Meyer have always had an interest in the Bible, but that interest grew after they got married with the knowledge of the Sacred Names in 1962 and the importance of keeping all the commandments. At the beginning of the ministry it was just Elder Meyer, Ruth Meyer and their children. In 1965 Elder Meyer was anointed into the ministry, and he in turn anointed his wife and children. Ruth Meyer was instrumental in assisting both Elder Meyer and the Assemblies of Yahweh during the early days of the ministry, as well as throughout the ongoing years of the ministry. As mentioned in the Sacred Name Broadcaster of June 2018, Volume L, Number 3 issue, Ruth Meyer served as sound ‘recording technician, receptionist, secretary, typist, mail clerk and printing assistant, as well as his chief cook’. All of this was voluntary work that she put in to the ministry to assist the Assemblies of Yahweh. As well as this, Ruth Meyer served as an advisor to Elder Meyer and was consulted when initiating the project of the Sacred Name Broadcaster, as well as other major projects. It was Ruth Meyer that printed the original covers of the Sacred Name Broadcaster and delivered the first copy of the magazine to Elder Meyer in the Summer of 1968. Ruth Meyer also accompanied Elder Meyer to Israel to study over there. Ruth Meyer continues to serve as the Head Deaconess in the Assemblies of Yahweh and is praised for her many contributions and sacrifice to help forward the ministry. She also serves as overseer of the bread making process prior to the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Elder Jacob O. Meyer (November 11, 1934 – April 9, 2010) was the founder, president and directing elder of the Assemblies of Yahweh. Among his roles he was also a farmer, broadcaster, translator, preacher, counselor and writer and considered by the Assemblies of Yahweh to be a scholar, rabbi and spiritual leader. He taught classes at Dalet School and Obadiah School of the Bible, as well as pioneering and editing two monthly magazines, The Narrow Way and The Sacred Name Broadcaster.

Born in 1934, Meyer devoted his life to the study, language and life setting of the Bible. Meyer's family came from Germany in 1717, when Johannes Meyer came to inspect the prospects of the New World. After selling his possessions in Germany, he returned to the U.S with the entire family, settling 40 miles south of present-day Bethel and 40 miles west of Philadelphia, in Lancaster County. In 1732 he bought 500 acres of land, 10 miles west of Bethel at Fredericksburg, and moved onto the homestead about 1740. Meyers' grandfather came east to Berlin County, where he married a young girl from the area, and bought a farm two miles South of Bethel. It was here where Meyer was born.