Dear Brethren and Co-Workers with Christ,
Greetings again, from beautiful Charlotte, NC! This Work of the living God continues to boldly proclaim the real Truth of the purpose of human existence, of God’s righteous laws, and of the coming Great Tribulation upon our peoples. We must do all we can to train our own members and our youth to be able to withstand the secular assault on God and everything the Bible stands for. We also need increasing numbers of ministers and leaders in this Work of the Great God. As most of you know, God led us to develop a new institution of higher learning based on the model of Ambassador College as envisioned and founded by the late Herbert W. Armstrong. A number of us, including Richard Ames, Dibar Apartian, Doug Winnail, Mike Germano and I, spent many years working together as Ambassador College faculty members, teaching classes and serving in various administrative posts. Together, we joined to create Living University as a place where our brethren and co-workers with Christ and their families can receive a truly God-centered education.
Utilizing the incredible power and scope of the Internet, Living University in its first two years of operation has served more than 300 people worldwide in basic theology courses. Mr. Ames, Dr. Winnail and I, with Dr. Germano and other faculty members, plan to offer more than twenty-four theology courses in the 2009-2010 academic year, available worldwide through the LU Open Learning Program. All our faculty have professional experience in their teaching disciplines and hold the necessary academic degrees and credentials to provide meaningful, quality instruction. More importantly, each shares our commitment to fulfill the LU motto, “Recapture True Values.”
This fall, we are planning to welcome several “on site” students to our facility in Charlotte. These students will take classes online and assemble together for additional learning and social development opportunities. We also plan for them to be employed as part-time student workers within different departments of the Work—as was the practice in Ambassador College.
I have enclosed a small brochure with this letter to give you more details about the University. If you desire to learn more I suggest you look at the University Catalog. Written in a contemporary style, the catalog tells of the impetus and way of life we envision at Living University. You can view the catalog as well as the 2009 Fall Schedule of Classes on the University website at www.livinguniv.com. These informative online publications further describe the programs of Living University and invite you to take part.
Now I would like to request your assistance. You can make a difference at LU through your prayers and your gifts. Beginning a new university requires the commitment of resources. The Living Church of God has provided the startup funding to launch this important new tool for growing God’s Work, but it needs additional financial support to fully succeed. The Church plans to continue its commitment to help underwrite the University’s expenses. However, it will take more resources than the Church can provide at this time.
In order to grow the University into a fully operational, accredited institution, we invite and welcome your participation. Specifically, your financial support will enable Living University to acquire the necessary books, furniture, and resources for the library—a library that will contribute both to the University and to the greater needs of the Church. Your financial support will also help to provide scholarships for individuals who do not have sufficient means to pay for all their educational expenses, to meet university operating costs, and to enable the University to acquire the physical space necessary to accommodate its growing operations.
Living University is a not-for-profit (or charitable) organization that is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to Living University are tax deductible in the manner and to the extent provided by section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code. Please also know that contributions to Living University will help support the greater Work by offsetting some of the support that the Church provides the University. So I ask, together with the Living University board, administration, faculty, staff and students, for your gift to the University, no matter how modest. In this time of financial difficulty, I do recognize the challenge of what I am asking you to do. No one should feel they need to “go without” in order to support the University. But hopefully, with donations on a level that each of you can afford, Living University can be propelled powerfully forward. While your generous gift is needed, your prayerful participation is needed even more as it is a measure of your enthusiastic support.
Your support will help hundreds of people around the globe learn more deeply about God and His way of life. It will help ensure the transfer of precious biblical knowledge to future generations. And it will help build an even more solid foundation for future growth in the Work of God! Living University is a powerful tool that God is using and will use to help His Church grow! You can contribute online by selecting “Make an Online Donation” or “Giving to LU” at our website, www.livinguniv.com, or you can make your check out to the Living University Annual Fund and send it using the enclosed Living University return envelope. Please be sure to use that envelope when mailing your Living University donation.
This request is for a special donation, above and beyond your normal tithes and offerings, in support of an important educational facet of God’s Work. Thank you for your help! It is greatly appreciated. And beyond any financial help that you can provide at this time, please ask our Great God to continue to bless and prosper Living University, and to use it for His glory to assist in powerfully finishing His end-time Work.
Dear brethren and co-workers, in addition to developing Living University, we have been averaging about four thousand responses each week to our Tomorrow’s World telecast. Along with Tomorrow’s World magazine, other publications and the Internet, the impact of this Work continues to grow. We must proclaim the vital message of the soon-coming Kingdom or Government of God to a confused and suffering world! So please continue to back Christ’s Work with your regular tithes and offerings! Be as generous as you possibly can during this slow summer season. Keep your mind on the things God is doing now—and on the rapid fulfillment of the inspired prophecies in His Word. Learn to sincerely give your life to God as the end of this age approaches. Then, as the Apostle Paul wrote, “When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4).
Thank you, brethren, for your prayers and for your support and your faithfulness to the truth of God.
With Christian love,
Roderick C. Meredith
P.S. If your employer offers a “Matching Funds” program to augment your charitable donations, this can be a great way to increase, or even double, the effectiveness of your gift. So be sure to check with your employer on this!