Greetings from Charlotte,
We had a couple very helpful meetings this week regarding how to improve our Tomorrow's World Presentations, enlisting the help of Mr. Jonathan McNair by teleconference, as he never lacks for good ideas and insight. Several of us, including two of our ladies who work on the front lines in data entry, visited Master Media to discuss how we can improve the data we receive from our call centers. Master Media has done an outstanding job as our call center for Canada so we plan to move some of our work over to them as a result of less than satisfactory service from our other North American call center. It is also a bonus that Master Media is only a half-hour drive from our Charlotte office, which makes it easier to deal with problems when they arise. A large number of openings for television have come about as a result of one of the larger televangelists retiring, but it looks as though we will only be able to pick up one or two stations because of tight income. Messrs. Rob Tyler and Graeme Hemphill are currently in Papua New Guinea. Please see their very interesting report below. We can thank God for men such as these who are willing to go to difficult places, and they certainly need our prayers as they do so. On a personal note, I sadly had to cancel my trip to the Living Youth Camp in Texas due to being diagnosed with pneumonia. However, I got a call from the clinic about 24 hours later with the news that the radiologist reviewed the x-rays and said I do not have pneumonia. Nevertheless, the decision to miss the camp was necessary, but I look forward to being there next year. Other than that, I'm doing fine and look forward to going to Louisiana for a couple of TWPs early next month.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Ministerial Visit to Papua New Guinea
Graeme Hemphill and I are in Papua New Guinea where we assessed a new venue to hold the Feast of Tabernacles, which I think will work fine! I also had the opportunity to do some baptism counselling, and tomorrow we plan to arrange for a newspaper ad for the John 3:16 booklet.
Locally here in PNG, the country recently held national elections, but the ballot counting process was only completed yesterday. Armed government soldiers oversaw the counting in many of the regional areas—they expected trouble. Not everyone was happy with the outcome, and supporters of some losing parliamentarians decided to express their anger by burning down three elementary schools and a new police station that had not yet opened. According to the national newspaper Post-Courier, July 20, "Disappointed supporters of Mr Zurenuoc started stoning public, police and private vehicles, showing the frustrations at their member's loss." The Police Commissioner's response was interesting: "After what has happened I will not see any renovation done and it [the police station] will remain burned and empty." He then said, "No police post will be built… let them deal with their own issues." In Papua New Guinea, it seems lawlessness is abounding. We are safe, but we don't walk the streets in Port Moresby in the late afternoon and after dark. Even the locals know better than to venture out after dark. Our accommodation has security guards, so we are safe and usually the brethren come here for counselling and Sabbath services. It's been a very profitable trip so far. We are heading back home on Sunday.— Rob Tyler
Ministerial Bulletin Index
Pastors and Elders: Please note that an updated Ministerial Bulletin index has been uploaded for ministers on the MyLCG website. You can access it by going to cogl.org.
Charlotte Family Weekend in December
We will once again be hosting the Charlotte Family Weekend this winter. Make sure you put December 22–25 on your calendar for this weekend of fellowship, food and uplifting instruction! We hope many of you will be able join us for an enjoyable and inspiring event!
Northeast Men's Training Camp 2017: "Following Christ"—Repeat Announcement
Everyone wants to lead. Why? Although we may have good intentions of helping, serving and benefiting others, "leading" also means we get to set the pace, make the decisions, command and control, and get our way! At least, so we think sometimes. But what is a leader without followers? Are we willing to let someone else lead? Will we let someone else set the pace, make the decisions, and get the credit? Can we put aside our agenda and support the priorities of someone else?
As husbands, we're commanded to be the "head" or leader of our family. Elders are given the duty of leading in their congregations. And as pillars in our Church and community, we're given the task of setting the pace, being examples, influencers, and leaders. Yet can we lead well without ever learning how to be a good follower?
Did you know that Christ was and continues to be the most powerful example of the perfect follower? Can you and I be followers like Christ?
These questions and challenges will be at the heart of our 2017 Men's Training Camp. Come prepared to wrestle with these real-life issues as we face the challenge of being better, more Godly men.
The location for our program is New Hope, Pennsylvania, just an hour north of Philadelphia. Men from throughout the Northeast Region are the primary attendees, but we gladly welcome guests from other regions. The program begins on Friday evening, August 18, and concludes at noon on Sunday, August 20. The cost is only $70.
For more information and to register, go to www.nelcg.org (not an official LCG site) and click on the "Activities" tab on the top of the page. Then click on the "Men's Training Camp 2017" in the menu. If you are reading this on-line, you can also go directly to http://nelcg.org/?page_id=28417 (not an official LCG site). The deadline to sign up and pay is August 7.—Jonathan McNair
Feast of Tabernacles
Attention U.S. Pastors: All Festival assistance requests should already have been submitted.
Feast of Tabernacles Sermons—Repeat Announcement
Attention Pastors: Please send the Church Administration Department ([email protected]) the names of those in your congregation(s) who will be unable to attend the Feast and wish to receive a set of the Feast of Tabernacles sermons on CD. (Sermons are available in English, French or Spanish.) The deadline to submit these requests is August 1 for international recipients and September 1 for recipients in the U.S. Note: Feast sermons will also be uploaded (one per day) during the Feast at www.lcg.org, for those who have Internet access. The French sermons will be uploaded to www.eglisedieuvivant.org.
Living University
Registration for First (Fall) Semester
As Living University prepares for its eleventh year of operation, registration for classes is underway. The semester will begin Wednesday, August 16. Students may register for classes and order textbooks anytime before the start of classes. Those who have never taken a Living University course will need to enroll in the University first, and then register for their selected course(s). Please note that Living University has lowered its tuition cost by nearly 30 percent for the 2017-2018 academic year. To make application to Living University, to register for courses, and to find out more, please visit the www.livinguniv.com website. For additional information, please contact Assistant Registrar Mrs. Michelle Broussard at [email protected] or 704-708-2294. Watch for LU course descriptions in future issues of The World Ahead. Below you will find examples of classes to be offered this coming semester. For a full list of classes, visit the "Fall 2017 Class Schedule" (Spring in the Southern Hemisphere) link on the Living University website.
THL 342 – Christian Marriage and Family: This course provides a biblical perspective on marriage and family relationships. Selected topics include dating and preparation for marriage, qualities for home and family life, the adolescent and young married adult, family management, and contemporary problems in marriage and family life. This is a helpful class for those planning for marriage and also for those who are already married.
ENG 261 – World Literature I: This is the first of two courses required for the Associate and Bachelor degree programs. This course introduces selected works from the Pacific, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, from their literary beginnings through the seventeenth century. The intent of this course is to help Bible students better understand Western civilization and other societies through the study of their formative literature.
HIST 111 – History of Western Civilization to 1648: This course is being offered again for the first time in several years. It deals with the ancient Near East, classical Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages, the Papacy, Renaissance and Reformation, early nation states and the Thirty Years' War. The class should help Bible students better understand the historical backdrop for some New Testament Bible events and the history of the Church of God through the year 1648.
Comments
Seeking God's Guidance: In the world today, it is common to want to "do our own thing." However, the Bible records numerous examples and the tragic results of this approach (Judges 21:25; Jeremiah 9:12-16). We are admonished in the Scriptures to "Seek the LORD while He may be found" (Isaiah 55:6). We are also told that God will look on those who are humble and teachable and "[tremble] at My word" (Isaiah 66:2). King David, a man after God's own heart, modeled the attitude that God is looking for when he wrote, "Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes… Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:33, 105). Jesus Christ emphasized this same theme when He quoted the scripture that we are to "live... by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). One of the important lessons of life is that if we desire to succeed in any endeavor, we must learn to seek God's guidance in decisions that we make—because that leads to lasting rewards.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—July 20, 2017
China's African Future: China is now Africa's largest trade partner. "The economic powerhouse has focused on securing the long-term energy supplies needed to sustain its industrialization, searching for secure access to oil supplies and other raw materials around the globe" (Council on Foreign Relations, July 12, 2017). A new report projects that Chinese investments in Africa could triple over the next eight years to over $440 billion. The report by McKinsey Africa surprisingly "found that there are already over 10,000 Chinese firms operating in Africa—four times the previous estimate. About 90 percent of these are private companies of all sizes and working in diverse sectors, with about a third in manufacturing" (Deutsche Welle, June 28, 2017). Chinese manufacturing in Africa now accounts for over 12 percent of all African manufacturing, and this number is rising. So what is China's future in Africa and globally? Will China lead the world economically or in other ways? Your Bible helps answer these questions. For more details on what to watch for, read or listen to "Is This China's Century?"
Japan and EU Free Trade: In a clearly expressed response to what has been called U.S. isolationism, "The European Union and Japan have formally agreed [on] an outline free-trade deal. The agreement paves the way for trading in goods without tariff barriers between two of the world's biggest economic areas… They also want to send a clear message internationally that the EU and Japan, highly-developed democracies, remain committed to a liberal, free-trading, rules-based world, and they will seek to shape it even if the U.S. won't" (BBC, July 6, 2017). Although details of the trade deal still remain to be drawn up, the process is underway. Bible prophecy indicates that at the end of the age, Israelite-descended nations like the USA will fall from their global leadership positions (Deuteronomy 28:15-20), as other nations, including those in a German-led Europe, will become more prominent on the world stage. World events indicate these ancient prophecies are moving toward fulfilment. For more on the future of Germany and other nations, be sure to read "A New World Order Is Coming."
Bright Screens, Sleep Disorders and More: According to a poll by the National Sleep Foundation, "95% of American citizens use some form of digital technology an hour before they go to bed," and 60 percent of Americans also experience sleep problems almost every night (zmescience.com, April 23, 2017). What many may not realize is that numerous studies have shown that the bright blue light emitted from the screens of laptops, iPads, smart phones, computers and even LED light bulbs—when that exposure is within an hour before bedtime—interrupts the production in the brain of a hormone (melatonin) that induces sleep (newsmax.com, January 7, 2014). This short wave blue light predominates in natural daylight hours, but when the sun goes down, the brain begins to produce melatonin that induces sleep. Numerous studies have linked disturbed sleep with lower levels of memory recall, depression, increased susceptibility to colds and other infectious diseases, diabetes, obesity and even cardiovascular disease. Younger teens appear to be especially susceptible to the negative effects of bright light from electronic devices (brown.edu, August 26, 2015). Solomon tells us, "A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished" (Proverbs 22:3). Based on scientific evidence and biblical advice, it would be wise to power down at least an hour before bedtime if we hope to sleep well and avoid the consequences that come from disrupted sleep.—Scott Winnail, Chris Sookdeo, and Francine Prater