Greetings from Charlotte,
Dr. Meredith's funeral last Sunday gave a fitting tribute to a man to whom we all owe a great deal. It is so easy to take many events in life for granted, but we should never forget the contribution Dr. Meredith gave for each of us. It is true that if he had not stepped up to the plate at critical times over the last 25 years, that God would have worked through someone else to preserve His Work, but the fact is that Dr. Meredith was the one brave, bold, tenacious, and zealous enough for God to use in a special way. Guests for the funeral came from Australia and Belgium, as well as from all over the United States and Canada. There were visitors from various Church of God groups and some former Ambassador College students. A large high school auditorium was booked for the occasion and it turned out to be the perfect size, with most seats filled. A copy of the funeral is being produced for the Internet and in DVD format for member viewing. Last weekend was also a special singles activity in Charlotte. Over 60 singles from North America came for an annual event known as the BRiC weekend (Building Relationships in Christ). All reports indicate it was a huge success. Please pray that God will bless His Work and His people as we gather to worship Him in the coming Day of Pentecost. We certainly need His blessing and the guidance of His Holy Spirit at this time.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Thank You from the Meredith Family
The family of Dr. Roderick C. Meredith would like to express their thanks to all of the hundreds of brethren around the world who have sent cards, letters, e-mails and messages to Dad and the family. While Dad was still alive, he looked forward to receiving and reading each of these messages—they were a great encouragement to him each day throughout his final trial. We know that thousands of people all over the world were praying for him on a regular basis, and ultimately God did answer our prayers in that Dad did not have to suffer a lot of pain and died peacefully in his sleep. We look forward to seeing him at the seventh trump, but know that the Work must continue to move forward under Jesus Christ. Dad's life was the Work, and we continue to support it and do it—that is what Dad wanted.—Jim Meredith
Canadian Family Civic Weekend—Payment Deadline
Are you ready for an adventure involving dancing on a ship, cannon fire, taking a trip back in time to 1812 and spiritual lessons? Come enjoy the Canadian Family Civic Weekend! Calling all artists, artisans and bakers: we will have a silent auction and bake sale during the Game Night of the Canadian Family Civic Weekend. Come join the Canadian Family Civic Weekend. We'll have cookies. Deadline for payment is June 30. You can pay via Paypal on our website: https://cfcw.000webhostapp.com/ (not an official LCG website). For more information, please contact Timothy Dranov [email protected]. We look forward to seeing you all!
Health Issues at Sabbath Services—Must Read
Over the years, we have asked brethren not to come to Sabbath services with a contagious illness. This is based on the quarantine principle in Leviticus 13:21, 31, 46. If you are sick, please stay home until you are well, to avoid spreading illnesses to others. This is part of showing love and consideration for your neighbor (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39). While the Sabbath is a commanded assembly (Leviticus 23:3; Hebrews 10:24-25), and we should be at church under normal circumstances, it is not showing love if we expose others to illness. If you are sick, please contact your pastor or local elder to be anointed or, if necessary, to receive an anointed cloth. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.—Church Administration Department
Internet Department
Tomorrow's World Live Webcasts!
Many of you have commented on our new Tomorrow's World Live webcasts and we thank you for the constructive and positive feedback! This "live Internet" type broadcast is something that Dr. Meredith had been encouraging us to do for many months, and he was very happy to see this initiative get underway. As Mr. Weston mentioned previously, we are trying some different approaches and making adjustments as we learn what works best, and we are excited about some new ideas that we want to try soon, such as including people "remotely" from different parts of the world.
We are a couple months into this initiative, and without doing any paid advertising, so far our recent shows have produced a few thousand views each, as well as many hundreds of comments and questions from all around the world. This is encouraging. To serve our audience better, a few weeks ago we added a video archive playlist to our Tomorrow's World Facebook page (just click on the "videos" menu item on the left side of the page) and we also added the audio to our Tomorrow's World podcast page. Please remember: 3:00 p.m. Thursdays. And please consider sharing and liking the live show so that it can reach more and more people.—Wyatt Ciesielka
Living Youth Program
Camp Registrations and Deadline
All registration is closed for all summer camps in the U.S., except for the Texas Preteen Camp. Camper and staff Registration for the Texas Preteen Camp closes June 5.
Camp Attendee Application Photos
If you applied to any of the camps this summer and have not submitted a photograph of yourself yet, please submit one as soon as possible. We need them well in advance of camp in order to compile documentation for the counselors and department heads. Your assistance in this is vital and greatly appreciated! You can submit photos via e-mail to [email protected].
Texas Teen Camp 2017 (Please read so campers and staff can prepare for these events at summer camp)
Many of you have been asking what the themes will be for various events at the Texas Teen Camp in Athens, Texas, so that you can bring the appropriate attire. Please prepare for the themes listed below.
- Overall Camp Theme: Christian Living Classes will follow this theme: Hebrews 12:1-4 "… Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."
- Topics and Dance: Nautical Theme (Anchor of truth, etc.). Bring your best nautical attire for this event.
- First Saturday Night Dance: Country and Western: country-western attire, hats, boots, jeans, etc.
- Final Banquet and Dance: Theme: "Go for the Gold!" Bring your best formal attire (gold color for decorations, gold-colored dresses, etc.).—Sheldon Monson, Camp Director
Comments
Big Picture or Loose Bricks? Solomon wrote, "Where there is no vision, the people perish; but happy is he who keeps the law" (Proverbs 29:18, KJV and NKJV). Jesus told His disciples, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Jesus commissioned His disciples to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15), to warn the world and the nations of Israel about sobering events to come (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) and to prepare a people to rule with Him in the Kingdom (Luke 1:17; Revelation 5:10). To accomplish this mission today requires a team that is of one mind and can work together (1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:11-16), as each individual strives to exercise the fruits of God's Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26). This is the big picture that we need to keep our minds focused on. Yet, we can lose sight of this big picture if we begin to focus on details and issues not clearly defined in the Scriptures—the loose brick or doctrine that we feel the Church does not understand—and then sit in judgment of the Church that has been given the responsibility to do the Work and make decisions in these areas (1 Timothy 3:15; 2 Timothy 2:14-23). Jesus chided the Pharisees for their fixation on the minute details of the law, while not grasping the intent of the law (Matthew 23:23-24). The Apostle Paul repeatedly warned the New Testament Church not to be misled by different ideas about the gospel (Galatians 1:6-9), arguments over fables and genealogies (1Timothy 1:4; 4:1-6) and different views about the resurrection (2 Timothy 2:14-19). Let's all strive to stay focused on the big picture, and not be distracted by peripheral issues.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—June 1, 2017
Germany's Military Growing Quietly! Last week, Foreign Policy ran an article entitled "Germany Is Quietly Building a European Army Under Its Command" (May 22, 2017). For decades, German defense spending has been kept very low. However, under its Framework Nations Concept, Germany is working with small European nations like the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Romania. As the article reports, "For Germany, the idea is to share its resources with smaller countries in exchange for the use of their troops. For these smaller countries, the initiative is a way of getting Germany more involved in European security while sidestepping the tricky politics of [German] military expansion." Germany's approach appears to be working because "few people in Europe have objected to the integration of Dutch or Romanian units into German divisions, partly because they may not have noticed." The Bible tells of "ten kings" or kingdoms who give their power over to a European beast for a short period of time just prior to the return of Jesus Christ (Revelation 17:12-14). Exactly how they will give their power over to this military and political machine remains to be seen. However, the quiet way in which military power is being "handed over" to Germany by smaller nations lends insight into how this might happen. Prophecy is moving forward, and world events are occurring as prophesied. For more about the future of this beast, read The Beast of Revelation.
Will the King of the South Push Against the King of the North? Over 6.5 million asylum-seekers from the Middle East intend to enter Europe, according to a confidential German report (The Telegraph, May 25). Half of these people are waiting in Turkey. "Up to one million potential migrants were living in Egypt and in Libya and up to 720,000 in Jordan, the paper said. A further 430,000 migrants were in Algeria hoping to travel across the Mediterranean… This year more than 1,400 are thought to have died at sea on the route after sailing from North Africa, with the number making the crossing topping 50,000" (ibid.). This sad state of affairs exists because of war and famine in refugee home nations and the promise of a better life in Europe. Daniel 11:40-44 records that there will be a back-and-forth between Arab and European nations, culminating in the king of the South pushing against the king of the North and the king of the North retaliating with overwhelming force. The massive attempts at immigration combined with Muslim-inspired terrorist acts and the subsequent destabilization of Europe seem to be leading to the events described right there in Daniel 11! Students of the Bible should expect to see greater conflicts between Arab and European nations in the years ahead. For more insights and answers, read "Will Islam Transform Europe?"
Birds Are Dying! "The number of birds in Germany and Europe has dropped significantly over the past 30 years… In Germany, one-third of all bird species have seen 'significant population declines' since the end of the 1990s… Birds in agricultural areas are particularly threatened, with 300 million pairs of breeding birds living around farmland across the European Union disappearing between 1980 and 2010. That's a decrease of 57 percent" (Deutsche Welle, May 4, 2017). North America has also seen major drops in bird populations, especially in agricultural areas (Globe and Mail, September 14, 2016). Most of this drop (in both North America and Europe) is associated with conversion of natural habitat to farmland, and a significant drop in insect populations due to insecticides and fertilizers (ibid.). "Loss of habitat to urban sprawl, farming and forestry is arguably an even bigger driver of long-term decline in bird populations... Because of migration south, that is an international problem" (ibid.). The Bible has long foretold that, due to man's destructive actions and the violation of the laws of God, "the land will mourn; and everyone who dwells there will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea will be taken away" (Hosea 4:1-4). However, the Bible also reveals that when Jesus Christ returns, He will make a new covenant that will allow even birds and animals to thrive once again (Hosea 2:18). To learn more about this exciting future, read or listen to The World Ahead: What Will It Be Like?—Scott Winnail, Deborah Lincoln-Strange, Francine Prater, and Chris Sookdeo