Greetings from Charlotte,
Dr. Meredith conducted a Living University assembly in his office on Thursday and shared with the students the importance of the history of God's Church. He recommended that they read Mr. Armstrong's autobiography, also The Marketing of Evil, The Incredible History of God's True Church, as well as our booklet God's Church Through the Ages. He emphasized to them during the assembly the importance of reading their Bibles on a daily basis because it is the most important book. Six Tomorrow's World Presentations were held last week with a total of 209 guests joining 168 members. Dr. Winnail held a Leadership Conference in Joplin, Missouri in which 115 ministers, deacons and wives participated. In the U.K. Mr. Simon Roberts is transferring to the London area to take up the Shepherd's Bush, Sevenoaks, and Hook congregations; and Mr. Adam West will then become the pastor of the Birmingham, Manchester, and Pontefract congregations. This switching of church circuits allows Mr. West more time to devote to his Regional Director responsibilities and will make it possible to give the faster growing London area the attention it needs. The timing of the change will depend on when the Roberts are able to work out the details of their move. Mr. Stuart Wachowicz is working with our team in Canada investigating new methods and producing new content in an effort to preach the Gospel online. On a personal note, Carol and I thank all of you who have sent cards, notes, and other forms of encouragement as we have taken up this new assignment. We have received cards from all over the world and appreciate them very much and thank you for your love and kindness shown toward us.—GEW
Mr. and Mrs. Kinnear Penman To Serve in Canada
We are pleased to announce that Mr. and Mrs. Kinnear Penman, who have served the Work in New Zealand and recently in the Philippines, will be transferred to serve as pastor of the congregations in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. Mr. Aitchison, who has served the area for many years, will continue to do so as a minister working with Mr. Penman. The Penmans were instrumental in helping to establish the Living Church of God in New Zealand and were transferred to Manila just over two years ago to help manage the growing churches in that area of the world. Mr. Penman and his wife Carolyn will be completing their assignment in the Philippines, then return to New Zealand to make preparation for their relocation to Canada. The exact date of their arrival is not known but will be early in 2017. Your prayers for their successful relocation would be much appreciated. We look forward to welcoming them in Canada.—Stuart Wachowicz
Tomorrow's World Presents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Merrill, Wisconsin
Mr. Rod McNair headed west to give two Tomorrow's World Presentations in the upper Midwest last weekend. The host congregations were Minneapolis and Merrill. Fifty-seven brethren and 56 visitors attended the Minneapolis session, with 16 brethren and 24 visitors in attendance for the Merrill TWP, held in nearby Weston. The messages were well-crafted and stirred a good deal of interest. Attendance did not change after the break, and many guests remained afterward to visit and ask questions, including a number of inquiries about Sabbath attendance. May God bless these efforts to preach the true Gospel message of the soon-coming Kingdom of God!—Mike Kreyer
Tomorrow's World Presents in Kingman, Arizona
On Sunday, September 11, an overflow crowd attended a Tomorrow's World Presentation given by Mr. Rodger Bardo in Kingman. Though the room normally holds 55 (with food tables), 62 people came, 39 of them visitors, and they were a good representation of the ethnic diversity of the area. Some of the guests were once a part of the large congregation that used to meet in Kingman and a number of them want to begin attending Sabbath services with us. Two of them are planning to attend the Feast of Tabernacles with us and two others said they had been waiting to be baptized by a true minister, meanwhile observing Feast days at home. Mr. Bardo mentioned that others said that they had interested family members who stayed home while they came "to check us out." The brethren from Prescott and some from Phoenix handled the details of sound, set-up, food, etc.
Internet Department
New "Wereld van More" Afrikaans Web Site Launched!—Repeat Announcement
We are pleased to announce the launch of an entirely new Afrikaans language "Tomorrow's World" Web site—Wereld van More (www.wvm.co.za)—a major upgrade to the old Web site. We thank our Afrikaans translators for all of their help, and we pray that God will use the new site to reach the Afrikaans-speaking people even more effectively. Even if you do not speak Afrikaans, you may want to take a quick look at the new Web site. You can also find a link to Wereld van More and to all of our major TW Web sites at the bottom of the TomorrowsWorld.org home page.—Wyatt Ciesielka
Feast of Tabernacles
Just Four Weeks Away!—Repeat Announcement
The Feast of Tabernacles is just over four weeks away! Excitement is building for this year's Feast, which will be conducted at 50 different sites in 33 countries around the world! We hope that your Festival preparations are coming along well in anticipation of this highlight of the year! More than 7,800 brethren are now successfully registered for the Feast, and many have already signed up and paid for activities. Be watching for e-mail communications from your Festival Site Coordinator. He will most likely send by e-mail any important information as the Feast draws near, and he may have already done so.
Speakers: Send in Titles for Messages
Most Feast speaking schedules have now been sent out. Speakers: Those who are on the speaking schedule should send the titles of their messages to their Festival Site Coordinator by Monday, September 26. Thank you to those who have already done so! Plan now to put in the time, prayer and preparation to bring messages that are inspiring, stimulating and that focus on the wonderful message of Christ's reign on this earth!
Activity Payment Deadlines
Many of our coordinators are trying to finalize numbers for the planned activities. Please note the instructions—including deadlines and methods of payment—for the Feast site you will be attending. This information can be found on the Web site for each Feast site (check www.lcg.org for more information). Everyone's attention to this will greatly facilitate final plans falling into place!
PayPal Payments Deadline October 4
Online PayPal pre-payments for Festival activities for U.S. sites must be made by Tuesday, October 4. This will give the Accounting Department at Headquarters time to disburse funds to the U.S. sites. After October 4, brethren attending U.S. sites should wait until the Feast to pay for any additional activities. Please check with your Festival Site Coordinator for details of payment methods accepted at the Feast. For international sites, please check with your Festival Site Coordinator for more information.
Tithe of the Second Tithe—Repeat Announcement
It would be greatly appreciated if those who are able to contribute a tithe of their second tithe would do so at this time (if it has not already been sent), to help defray the administrative expenses of the Festival season. The tithe of the second tithe is used to help brethren with limited funds attend the Feast of Tabernacles, as well as to pay for hall rentals and other expenses associated with arranging for the annual Festival observances.—Jerry Ruddlesden
Sabbath Times/Contact Information for the Day of Atonement and the Sabbath of October 15
A chart listing the places, contact information, and times for Living Church of God services on the Day of Atonement and on the Sabbath of October 15 is now posted on the MyLCG Web site. Log in to your MyLCG account at the following address to access the chart: www.cogl.org. We hope this information will be helpful for you as you plan your travel, especially so you can minimize travel on God's Sabbath. Pastors, thank you for sending these details in. If any of you have information yet to send us, please do so and we will update the chart.
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon CDs
Attention Pastors: The names of all brethren in the U.S. who will need to receive a set of the Feast of Tabernacles sermons on CD should already have been sent to HQ. Note: Feast sermons will also be uploaded (one per day) during the Feast at www.lcg.org for those who have Internet access. Note: We are also sending two extra sets of the Feast sermons on CD to all elders in the U.S. for any last-minute requests they may receive.
Living Youth Program
2014 and 2015 Camp Pictorials Have Been Shipped Out!—Repeat Announcement
The 2014 and 2015 Living Youth Program Camp Pictorials have been shipped out from Headquarters! We thank you all for your patience in waiting for them. We are sure you are going to love them. If you ordered an album, you should receive it within the next couple of weeks. If you do not, please contact us at [email protected].
Limited quantities of both these albums are still available. If you wish to order a copy, please contact us at the above e-mail address.—Josh Penman
Finance
Holy Day Offering Envelopes (U.S. Only)
Green Holy Day offering envelopes for the fall Feasts were mailed in the U.S. the week of August 15. If you have not received them by now, please contact [email protected] or call the office at 704-844-1970 and we will send you a new set. Please include your PIN (the 11-digit number above your name on mailings from Headquarters) on any correspondence. Using the pre-labeled HDO envelopes for your offerings greatly speeds up their processing, which saves the Work money. We also recommend that you place your envelopes with the things you take to services so you do not forget to bring them with you on the Holy Days.—Jerry Ruddlesden
Hall Rentals (U.S.): November Hall vouchers should be sent along with the October vouchers during September (if possible) to ensure payment by October 11.
Reimbursements (U.S.): Please note that our last scheduled day to print checks will be Tuesday, October 11. We will not be able to print any checks again until Thursday, October 27. Any invoices we receive before October 5 will be paid before the break. Any invoices we receive after October 5 may not be able to be paid until October 27. If you have any questions about specific invoices or payments, please contact Meagan Rand in the Accounts Payable Department at 704-708-2237 or Lanna Moluf at 704-708-2234. You can also e-mail [email protected].—Jerry Ruddlesden
Comments
Take Time To Think! The pace of life today continues to quicken. Daily commutes, deadlines, e-mails, cell phones, text messages, video games, iPods and headsets bombard us with noise and information that can totally occupy our minds and thoughts. Daniel warned that at the end of the age, "many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase" (Daniel 12:4). Jesus also warned that "the cares of the world" could "choke the word" and cause us to miss out on the Kingdom of God (Matthew 13:22). As the fall Holy Days approach, it is good to remember that one of the biggest challenges Christians face is the battle that goes on in our minds—what we think about—which then determines our actions. Solomon wrote, as a person "thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). David observed that a wicked person is proud, and "God is in none of his thoughts" (Psalm 10:4). Yet, David was a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22) because he meditated on God's law daily (Psalm 119:97). In Psalm 23 we read that God enabled David to "lie down in green pastures… beside the still waters." Such places are conducive to thinking and reflecting on the handiwork of God and His plan and purpose for our lives. If we want to grow and be prepared for the coming Kingdom of God, we need to take time to think and meditate on the word of God. Read a Psalm every morning or evening, and meditate on what is mentioned in Philippians 4:8. We can develop the mind of God—if we take time to think on these things!
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—September 15, 2016
European Union's Internal Struggles: While several EU nations are pushing for a stronger, more unified European military (EU Observer, September 12, 2016), others are pointing fingers and trying to remove other member states. "'The EU has to change, we have to reform it,' Beata Szydlo, the Polish Prime Minister told the European Council president, Donald Tusk, at a meeting in Warsaw designed to ensure that post-Brexit Europe could present a united front at a summit in Bratislava on Friday… [while]… European capitals descended into a round of bitter mutual recrimination over the future direction of the continent. The divisions in Warsaw were echoed by calls from the Luxembourg foreign minister for Hungary to be expelled from the European Union for its authoritarian stance on media freedoms and its decision to build fences to keep out refugees" (The Telegraph, September 13, 2016). Bible prophecy has long predicted the iron-and-clay nature of an end-time European beast power (Daniel 2:33, 41-43). The strong-and-weak nature of the European Union is very evident and will likely lead to the downsizing of the current 27-member EU. Scripture reveals that in the future, ten kings or leaders will give their power to a centralized beast power (Revelation 17:12-14), which suggests that the European beast will be smaller, more agile, and easier to direct than the overly-bureaucratic EU that we currently see. For more information on this coming European superpower, watch "The Beast of Revelation."
Is Society Toxic to Children? "Modern life is killing children with the number of youngsters diagnosed with cancer rising 40 per cent in the past 16 years because of air pollution, pesticides, poor diets and radiation, scientists have warned" (New Zealand Herald, September 4, 2016). According to a lead researcher, "air pollution was by far the biggest culprit, accounting for around 40 per cent of the rise, but other elements of modern lifestyles are also to blame. Among these are obesity, pesticides and solvents inhaled during pregnancy, circadian rhythm disruption through too much bright light at night, radiation from x-rays and CT scans, smoking during and after pregnancy, magnetic fields from power lines, gadgets in homes, and potentially, radiation from mobile phones" (ibid.). The Bible states, "the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God… because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption" (Romans 8:19-21), and our children are certainly suffering under the corruption of our modern society! Yet, a time is coming when the societies of the world will totally change. There will be no more cancer and people "will not say, 'I am sick'" (Isaiah 33:24). There will be no more tears and no more death (Isaiah 25:8). This will be a time of joy when children are no longer sick but joyfully play in the streets (Zechariah 8:5). For more about this wonderful time, read The World Ahead: What Will It Be Like?
World Languages Have Common Root? "Humans across the globe may be actually speaking the same language after scientists found that the sounds used to make the words of common objects and ideas are strikingly similar. The discovery challenges the fundamental principles of linguistics, which state that languages grow up independently of each other, with no intrinsic meaning in the noises which form words" (The Telegraph, September 12, 2016). "These sound symbolic patterns show up again and again across the world, independent of the geographical dispersal of humans and independent of language lineage… There does seem to be something about the human condition that leads to these patterns. We don't know what it is, but we know it's there," a Cornell University researcher stated. "The researchers don't know why humans tend to use the same sounds across languages to describe basic objects and ideas" (ibid.). Yet modern researchers refuse to acknowledge a key historical source—the Holy Bible. The Scriptures indicate that God created the first language and then "divided the languages" at Babel, thousands of years ago (Genesis 11:1-9). If all languages came from one original language, their commonality makes perfect sense. As the researchers point out, they are "most likely to have a common ancestor language in the past" (The Telegraph). It is sobering that the scholars of the world are "always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:7). For information on why God confused the languages at Babel, read "Will Mankind Become Obsolete?"—Scott Winnail, Deborah Lincoln-Strange, and Francine Prater