Greetings from Charlotte,
Weather aberrations continue to make news. While snowstorms are blanketing the central and northeastern portions of the USA, California—the source of much of the fruits and vegetables for America—is still in the grip of a severe, multi-year drought. In the Southern Hemisphere, São Paulo, Brazil, is suffering the worst drought in decades, and residents storing water in open containers have created ideal conditions for mosquitoes that are spreading dengue fever and chikungunya disease, while in Chile, a volcanic eruption has forced the evacuation of some 3,000 people. Here in Charlotte, Dr. Meredith has been holding meetings and has written a Spring Holy Day letter that is being mailed this week. Mr. Gerald Weston spent several days in the office here in Charlotte this week. The Tomorrow's World Presentations conducted last weekend in Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa, Florida by Mr. Rod McNair and Mr. John Strain drew a total of 312 guests. Also last weekend, Mr. Rees Ellis conducted a Bible Study in Cameroon in West Africa that drew a number of new people. Registration for the Feast of Tabernacles 2015 will begin this coming Sunday.—DSW
Church Administration
Passover 2015—Repeat Announcement
Important Notice to All Pastors: In 2015, the Passover Service will be observed on Thursday evening, April 2. If you haven't already done so, please let us know right away if any of the congregations you serve will need additional Passover Service supplies (bread trays and/or wine trays or glasses) or a copy of the Passover Service recording and letter instructions (available in English, French and Spanish). A new recording of the Passover service in English has been made this year. To ensure timely delivery and to save on shipping costs, we need this information by March 12 for U.S. congregations. Information for international congregations should already be here.
Also, please let us know of any scattered members who are unable to keep the Passover with a congregation and who need to receive the Passover Service recording and letter instructions for observing it at home. International requests should be here by now and U.S. requests should be here before March 12. Please direct your requests to the Church Administration Department at [email protected] as soon as possible.
Upstate South Carolina Spring Holy Day Weekend in Greenville, Friday-Sunday, April 3–5
The Anderson congregation invites you to join us for our eighth Upstate South Carolina Spring Holy Day Weekend from Friday, April 3 to Sunday, April 5, in Greenville.
Mr. Dexter Wakefield is scheduled to be our guest speaker from Headquarters. He and his wife plan to join us for this exciting annual event. The weekend promises to be filled with inspiring spiritual messages, uplifting fellowship, and fun activities. For full details about the event, prices of meals, and registration instructions, go to the event Web site: http://lcganderson.org/ (not an official LCG Web site). Or, you may contact me for further information at 864-638-7719 or by e-mail at [email protected].
Weekend events will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Greenville, South Carolina. We have secured a discounted room rate of $95 (plus tax) per night for guests staying at the Hyatt. This guaranteed rate expires March 13.
The deadline for receipt of payment for weekend events is March 27. Please register soon if you plan to attend.—Manuel Burdette
Carolina Singles Weekend—May 22-25—Repeat Announcement
Back by tradition and popular demand—Carolina Singles Weekend 2015! The Charlotte Singles group is excited to welcome you to another memorable weekend here in the Carolinas. Last year was a tremendous success and we'd love for you to share the experience with us—whether you are joining us for the first time or are returning.
This combined Pentecost and Memorial Day Weekend will offer a variety of spiritual messages and timely talks on specific issues facing us today. Supplementing these helpful and focused messages will be food, fellowship, dancing and more! (Really, we can't give it all away now, though!)
We look forward to seeing you here in Charlotte in May. Mark your calendars and begin making plans now. More details to follow.—Jonathan Bueno
Internet Department
Join Dr. Meredith for a powerful, live, online Tomorrow's World Presentation titled "The Power of Religion!" This live Internet event will be transmitted around the world, and is scheduled for Sunday, March 29, at 2:00 p.m. (EDT). Please also join us in praying that God will use this live Web event to inspire and to shake those whom He is witnessing to and calling as we approach the end of this age! As those in God's Church understand, Satan has for millennia used false religion to deceive the world, to cause pain and suffering and sin. And Satan will much more in the years ahead deceive and incite the masses to turn away from God and even to want to fight against Jesus Christ at His return. But we also know that God has promised that His true Church would persevere, would preach the true Gospel until the end, and would ultimately prevail! Mark your calendars and join us for this live event, March 29, at 2:00 p.m. (EDT).—Wyatt Ciesielka
Feast of Tabernacles
2015 Festival Registration Opens This Sunday, March 8!
Festival Registration is scheduled to open on Sunday, March 8, at 12:00 noon EDT (Eastern Daylight Time, USA). At that time, you will be able to register for the Feast site of your choice. You will also be able to indicate any volunteer service opportunities you would like to sign up for at your site. See new Feast site videos and find out information about each of the sites that are being planned for 2015 by going to the Festival Web site: fot2015.lcg.org. (You can also access it by going to the Living Church of God Web site, lcg.org, and clicking on "Feast of Tabernacles.")
If you do not have Internet access, please contact your Festival Advisor to print off information for any site(s) you are interested in attending. If you do not know who your Festival Advisor is, please check with your local pastor.
Pastors: In preparation for Festival Registration on March 8, please make sure that Headquarters has been notified about any changes in your local congregation rosters. For example, please let us know of any new people who need to be classified as PMs in order to register to attend the Feast. Any Church Youths (CY) who have turned 18 should also be reclassified as Prospective Members (PM). Please also let us know of any other changes in status of any brethren in your area (i.e. baptisms, etc.) or if any brethren have moved to another congregation. Send these status updates to [email protected].
All brethren: Please make sure your MyLCG account is working. This will be necessary for you to register online. To test it, go to www.cogl.org and sign in to MyLCG with your username and password. If you don't have one, you will have the option of creating one. If you have any problems logging into MyLCG, please e-mail [email protected].
Hawaiian site attendees: please note that even if you have applied to attend the Feast site in Hawaii and have been accepted, you must register again on the main registration site. If you have registered for Hawaii on the early registration site, but have not paid your registration fee, you will not receive an acceptance e-mail. Please go back to the Hawaii registration page and pay the fee; once it is received you will receive the final acceptance e-mail.
If you have not yet registered to attend the site in Hawaii, but would like to attend, you will need to register on both registration sites. Registration on the special Hawaii page (the green heading) will give you access to pay the necessary registration fee, and on the main site to register for activities and sign up for volunteer service opportunities. We are sorry if this seems a bit confusing, but both registrations are necessary. We do expect to approve all transfers made through these two registrations.—Festival Office
Festival Advisor Documents—Repeat Announcement
All Festival Advisors should have received an e-mail from their pastors with important links to registration and volunteer forms, and an information packet with detailed descriptions of each Feast site. These documents are necessary for you to print, copy, and distribute to brethren who need your assistance in registering. Festival Advisors: If you did not receive these links and documents from your pastor, please contact him right away. Reminder: Festival Registration begins Sunday, March 8.—Festival Office
Festival Advisor Assignments—Repeat Announcement
All pastors: If you have not confirmed your Festival Advisors yet, please do so right away. This is vital in preparing for Festival Registration on March 8. You have been sent an e-mail containing the link to complete this confirmation. Note: If any pastors did not receive the Festival Advisor e-mail, please contact Mark Smith at [email protected].
San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico—Repeat Announcement
The Mexican congregations extend a warm welcome to their brethren abroad to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in Mexico this year. The Feast will be held in one of Mexico's most beautiful and tranquil colonial towns, San Miguel de Allende (www.visitmexico.com), in the state of Guanajuato, 165 miles northeast of Mexico City (MEX international airport) and 60 miles from Guanajauto city (Leon-Bajío BJX international airport). San Miguel de Allende is located in Mexico's central highlands region and, thanks to its climate and geography, enjoys beautiful temperate weather year-round, clear blue skies, and striking sunrises and sunsets, making it an ideal location to contemplate the beauty of God's creation and meditate on the Millennium. San Miguel de Allende is known for its beautiful, well-preserved baroque and neo-gothic architecture. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008, it is a popular destination with American retirees for its artistic, cultural and safe ambiance, and delicious cuisine.
Accommodations and services will be at Hotel Real de Minas. Simultaneous translation into English will be provided during the Feast. Being a relatively small Feast site (usually less than 200), the Feast in Mexico allows for closer fellowship among brethren and provides a joyous family atmosphere. For more information about this site, visit the Feast of Tabernacles Web site (fot2015.lcg.org) or contact the Festival Site Coordinator, Mr. Antonio Mora, at [email protected] or +52-1-333-176-8322.
Living Youth Program
Online Teen Bible Study Friday Evening
The online Teen Bible Study on Friday evening, March 13, will be on "The Do's and Don'ts of Dating," presented by Mr. Sheldon Monson. If you haven't had the opportunity to join us for one of the online Bible Studies yet, we encourage you to do so. It is a wonderful way to start the Sabbath day.
The Bible Study runs from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. (Eastern time) and the chat room will be open for a half hour before and after the study. You can access this Bible Study at livingyouth.org. We hope as many of our youth as possible will join us for this wonderful opportunity for godly fellowship and learning. For those of you who are unable to make it to the study, archives of previous Living Youth Bible Studies, including last evening's on, "Basic Differences Between Men and Women," can also be found on the Living Youth Web site.
Youth Program Donations—Thank You!—Repeat Announcement
We would like to give a hearty thanks to everyone who sent donations to support our youth camp programs around the world! Your benevolence is moving and deeply appreciated. Your overwhelming response and support will further our efforts to run high quality camps designed to serve the young people in God's Church. May God richly bless you for your generosity!
Summer Camps 2015
Registration is underway for all summer camp programs in the United States and Europe. Register online and find more information for all these camps at our Youth Web site.
Making Travel Arrangements for the Texas Preteen Camp
There has been a tremendous flow of applications for the Texas preteen camp! Due to several factors, we are in the process of relocating the camp to another facility and are in contact with two possible facilities in central Texas. Because of this, it would be best to wait to make any travel arrangements, especially airline reservations, until we have settled on a camp facility for our use. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the camp director, Mr. Bob Rodzaj, at 505-209-1497 or [email protected].
LYC Family Camp—West Virginia—Repeat Announcement
The LYC Family Camp, located at the beautiful 325-acre Glenwood 4-H Camp near Princeton, West Virginia, will be offered for one more year! The purpose of this camp is to:
- Provide a Family Camp experience with special emphasis on our youth—mini-campers through teens
- Learn a deeper appreciation for God's creation and His way of life
- Encourage teamwork and build confidence, courage and leadership skills
- Provide a positive environment that stimulates bonding with others living God's way of life
- Help build a solid foundation for Teen Camp
- Motto: "Everyone's included—no one is left out"
Dates: Sunday, June 14 through Friday, June 19
Cost: Campers ages 7-13, $120; Parents, Workers, Children 4 and up, $60
Our new, earlier dates this year mean there will be no conflict with Teen Camp! Considering all the excitement generated so far, this promises to be our best year yet—with the popular Spark Plug program, A-Team, and a few surprises including a new state-of-the-art 18-hole Frisbee Golf Course.
Camp Directors: Mr. Paul Shumway, Camp Director; Dr. Scott Winnail, Assistant Director
Registration begins: Sunday, March 8 and runs through Friday, May 8
Adventure Camp 2015—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming—Closed to Further Applications
The Adventure Camp is closed to further applications.
Comments
The Importance of Humility: One of the biggest problems that can limit our effectiveness in serving God and His people is a lack of humility. Even though we may be gifted in certain areas, pride and vanity can become stumbling blocks that limit how God can use the talents that He has given us. Unfortunately, we seldom see these problems in ourselves. This is why the Bible repeatedly warns against pride and its consequences (see Proverbs 8:13; Daniel 4:37; Mark 7:21-23). God clearly spells out what He is looking for in all of us. He says through the prophet Isaiah, "on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word" (Isaiah 66:2). Jesus taught, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). If we are humble and teachable, willing to take direction and work as a team, God will use us in His time and in His way. However, without real humility, we cannot be very effective instruments in our Father's hands.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—March 5, 2015
Russia Pushes Europe to Militarize: In response to Russia's stepped-up air-defense training flights and the reopening of Russian military bases closed since the Cold War, "Norway's defence minister has said her country's armed forces will be restructured so they can respond faster to what she called increased Russian aggression" (The Guardian, February 25, 2015). Also in response to Russia's actions in the Ukraine, "Germany plans to activate a tank battalion that exists only on paper as it seeks to increase the country's military capability... already existing units would be equipped with more material and… the already close cooperation with the French, Polish and Dutch armies would be stepped up still further" (Deutsche Welle, February 27, 2015). "In the wake of Russia's actions in Ukraine, Lithuania on Tuesday said it would take steps to reinstate basic military conscription for the next five years" (EU Observer, February 25, 2015). God has long prophesied the establishment of a European "beast" power with a select group of 10 "kings" or nations (Daniel 11:40-43; Revelation 17:12-14). This "beast" will be a formidable military power that will use its military might (Daniel 11:31, 38-43). It is sobering to watch what may be the formation of this European beast and to see that Russia's actions may help it to form! For more on coming events in Europe, be sure to watch "The Beast of Revelation."
Children in Same-Sex Households at Higher Emotional Risk: "A new study published in a British journal shows that children raised in same-sex households are more prone to emotional and developmental problems. The study, released in the British Journal of Education, Society, and Behavioural Science, analyzes 512 children from same-sex households, and reports that the incidence of emotional difficulties among them is roughly twice that of children raised by male and female parents" (Catholic World News, February 10, 2015). The Bible reveals that God created males and females different, and for different purposes. We see this in Genesis 2:18 where God said it is "not good that man should be alone" (meaning "only one part of") and that He created a woman to be his "help-meet" or "counterpart." In addition, God gave different instructions to men and women about their responsibilities within marriage (Ephesians 5:22-33). Because God literally "wired" the brains of men and women differently (and this is clearly supported by modern research), the brains of children develop in part, in ways specific to their gender. When they are confused by the roles of same-sex parents, it is not surprising that they have greater emotional difficulty. When Jesus Christ returns, the world will be taught that marriage is designed for one male and one female. As tomorrow's children grow up in God-intended heterosexual marriages based on God's laws, their minds and hearts will be much safer and emotionally at peace! For more on this encouraging future, view our telecast on "The Soon-Coming Utopia."
London's Population to be 50 Percent "Foreign" by 2031: "The immigrant population of London has more than doubled since 1971 and is on course to account for over half of the capital's residents within 16 years, analysis by The Times has revealed" (The Times, January 26, 2015). A spokesperson for Migration Watch noted that "On current trends, the UK-born will be in a minority in their own capital within 20 years, despite strong public opposition to mass immigration" (ibid.). Bible prophecies reveal that England's rise to power and the blessings that the Israelite-descended nations have enjoyed were due to promises that God made to their ancestor Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 48:13-20). However, God warned the Israelite nations that if they turned away from Him, He would remove those blessings (Deuteronomy 4:23-28). The Bible also reveals that because the Israelite-descended nations will reject God at the end of the age, "the alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower" (Deuteronomy 28:43). Uncontrolled immigration into England and other Israelite countries is now creating many difficulties including changes to the fundamental religious and social values that have built these rich and powerful nations. These ancient Bible prophecies are literally coming to pass today! To learn more about why the Israelite nations were blessed by God and what their future holds, be sure to read The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.—Scott Winnail, Francine Prater and Daniel Bennett