Greetings from Charlotte,
Remarkable events are occurring around the world! One faction's recent proclamation of an Islamic Caliphate in the region of Syria and Western Iraq (which could lead to the emergence of the King of the South), the selection of EU leaders who want to push for a United States of Europe, and the declining influence of the Israelite nations—all point to the fulfillment of end-time prophecies. Last weekend, 174 visitors attended Tomorrow's World Presentations across the USA. Here in Charlotte, the TWP by Mr. Ames and Mr. Rod McNair drew 104 visitors; in Jackson and Hattiesburg, Mississippi we had 61 visitors, and in Syracuse, New York another nine visitors attended. A pre-teen Summer Camp is underway this week in Missouri and a Family Camp will convene next week in West Virginia. Mr. Hernandez will leave this week for Europe where he will meet Mr. Gerald Weston to make a number of personal and congregational visits. Mr. and Mrs. King have packed their belongings and will be heading back to Australia after serving eight years in the UK, Europe and Africa. The office in Charlotte will be closed this coming Thursday and Friday due to the July 4 holiday weekend here in the USA.—DSW
Church Administration
Tomorrow's World Presents in Charlotte!
On Sunday, July 29, for the first time since 2011, we conducted a Tomorrow's World presentation in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 104 visitors—some of whom had been to the 2011 presentation—listened to "Five Keys to End-Time Prophecy" by Mr. Richard Ames, and "The Mystery of the Holy Days" by Mr. Rod McNair. More than 120 of the local brethren showed their support by attending as well, with many of them ably assisting in serving at the information table, ushering, and otherwise welcoming the visitors. The atmosphere was electric, and many in the audience seemed moved by what they were hearing. Some expressed the desire to attend services and learn more—we're looking forward to seeing who responds further.
Tomorrow's World Presents in Jackson and Hattiesburg, Mississippi
The Jackson, Mississippi, congregation hosted a Tomorrow's World Presentation on Sabbath, June 28. We were pleased to have 46 new visitors, with 24 Church members for a total attendance of 70. Dr. Douglas Winnail gave an insightful presentation entitled "After Armageddon: Five Keys to End-Time Prophecy." After a short refreshment break, I followed up with the thought-provoking presentation on "The Mystery of God's Holy Days." After the presentations, most guests said that they appreciated the messages and a few inquired about attending Sabbath services in the area. One attendee commented that "I have not attended any seminar or conference in ten years that has given me this much understanding of God's word and the end times." The next day, Dr. Winnail and I were in Hattiesburg, again giving the presentations to 15 guests and 20 brethren, who came from the Laurel and Ocean Springs, Mississippi and New Orleans, Louisiana, congregations. Everyone present seemed to enjoy the presentations and the fellowship. We had six individuals who expressed interest in attending Sabbath services in Laurel.—Ed Breaux
Tomorrow's World Presents Tops 18,000 Visitors!
As we are at the half-way point in 2014, we thought you might be interested in what God has accomplished through the Tomorrow's World Presents program in the last nine years.
Since 2006, the Living Church of God has conducted 634 TWPs around the world—roughly 50 percent in the USA and 50 percent in international areas. Over 600,000 invitations have been sent in that time. These are personal invitations to subscribers of the Tomorrow's World magazine, inviting them to attend a local, live Tomorrow's World Presents event. Since 2006, over 18,000 visitors have responded and attended! So far this year (2014), we have conducted 28 TWPs that have drawn nearly 1,300 visitors.
We are grateful to see those of you who started attending as a result of this powerful program! Ours is a precious calling, as evidenced by the fact that only about 3 percent of those invited respond to the call (and a fraction of that begin attending). It's clear that God is not "trying to call the whole world" today. But as Jesus said, our job is not just to "bring people into the Church," but to take the gospel to the world as a warning and a witness. He said, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14).
Thank you to all of our brethren who have labored over these past nine years to make these events successful! We know many of you have served, preparing food, running the sound system, setting up and manning information tables, ushering and otherwise attending to the needs of the visitors—perhaps just being ready with a smile, shaking hands and saying hello! We are thrilled to see how God is using the Tomorrow's World Presents program as another vehicle to accomplish His Work. And we hope you are, too.—Rod McNair
Feast of Tabernacles
Festival (Second Tithe) Assistance Requests—U.S. Only—Repeat Announcement
Attention U.S. Pastors: The deadline to submit Festival Assistance Request forms to the Church Administration Department is Tuesday, July 15. All forms should be properly completed by the members requesting second tithe assistance to attend the Feast this year. Then, the Area Pastors should write their recommendations/comments on the forms before submitting them to CAD. Festival Assistance Request forms are available to ministers on the MyLCG Web site (www.cogl.org).—Festival Office
Living Youth Programs
LYC Adventure Camp—Trinidad—Repeat Announcement
We are pleased to announce our inaugural Adventure Camp Caribbean. This is an adventure for the young and young at heart—an opportunity to backpack along the trails of the northern coast of the island of Trinidad. It is a very scenic route even though much of the time is spent going through the forest—a trail not frequented by man. There are frequent views of the coastline through the trees and a regular supply of freshwater along the way. We propose to hike between the villages of Matelot and Blanchisseuse going from east to west. There are many beaches along the way that are accessible only by hiking or by boat. Our camp site will be at Madamas Bay at the mouth of the Madamas River where it empties into the Caribbean Sea.
The dates for this activity are Friday, August 29, to Sunday, August 31, 2014. We plan to depart on Friday, rest and rejoice on the Sabbath with a full Sabbath service. We will leave Madamas Sunday morning and head to Blanchisseuse to complete our adventure.
If you would like more information about the Adventure Camp Caribbean, please contact Mr. Damian Weekes at [email protected].
Adventure Trip 2014—Yellowstone National Park—Repeat Announcement
A revised "Packing List" and "Answers to the Most Commonly Asked Questions" have been posted on the Youth Web site. Anyone going on this trip is advised to review both. The "Trip Itinerary" for this camp was posted a couple of weeks ago. The itinerary notes what is planned for each day of this Adventure.—Sheldon Monson
Ohio Teen Living Youth Camp 2014—Repeat Announcement
The "Dress Code" for the following special events is as follows:
- Dress for Friday Evening Bible Study
Bible Study dress is nice casual. Boys are expected to wear a dress shirt, slacks, and dress shoes. No tie required. Girls are expected to wear skirts/dresses. No shorts or blue jeans or tennis shoes allowed.
- Dress for Sabbath Brunch and Dinner on the Sabbath (other than the final banquet)
Dress is the same as noted above for Friday evening Bible Study.
- Dress for Sabbath Services and the Final Banquet
These are dress-up occasions. Boys are expected to wear a dress shirt, coat and tie and dress shoes. (Coats may be removed if it is too hot.) Girls are expected to wear skirts/dresses and dress shoes or dressy sandals.
- Dress for Topics and Dance
Boys are expected to wear polo shirts, dress slacks and dress shoes. Girls are expected to wear sun-dresses (hats optional), and dressy sandals.
We have moved the "Topics and Dance" to the afternoon (2:00-5:30 p.m.). One boys' dorm and one girls' dorm are scheduled for each topics and dance session. Special cold beverages and appetizers will be served in a "Garden Party" type atmosphere. Each girls' dorm will be required to come up with decorations and a theme, and will have the morning to decorate and prepare for this special event.
The "Daily Activity Schedule" for the Teen Camp in Ohio is now posted on the Living Youth Site. All activity directors should check this schedule so that they can formulate their course outline and lesson plans and get them to each member of their staff as soon as possible. The "Evening Activity Schedule" and a revised "Staff Assignments List" have also been posted.—Sheldon Monson
Living University
Living University—Registration for First (Fall) Semester
Registration for fall semester classes is now underway. Classes will begin August 18 and students may register anytime between now and then. For those who have never taken a Living University course, you will need to enroll in the University first, and then register for your selected course. The following are brief descriptions of several courses being offered next semester. We plan to highlight a few more courses next week. A complete listing of "2014 Fall Semester Classes" (spring in the Southern hemisphere) can also be viewed on the Living University Web site. To make application to Living University, to register for courses, and to find out more, please visit www.livinguniv.com. For additional information, please contact Mrs. Michelle Broussard at [email protected] or 704-708-2294.
ENGL 111 – Written Expression. This course is extremely helpful for those with limited writing experience and who need to improve their abilities and written communication skills. It will also make future courses, where writing is a major component, easier. ENGL 111 is the required first course in a series of two designed to develop the ability to produce clear expository writing. Emphasis is on the writing process including audience analysis, topic selection, thesis support and development, editing, and revision. This course is required for our degree and diploma programs.
HPRO 114 – Health and Wellness. This course covers topics that are important for improving your personal health and wellbeing. It aims to filter the vast array of health-related knowledge available in the world today through sound biblical principles. Dr. Scott Winnail will emphasize lifestyle- related wellness, health promotion, and disease prevention within the context of a range of health topics. Focus will be placed on healthy decision-making, becoming a wise health consumer, healthy weight management, and other skills which will enable students to make health-enhancing choices and engage in actions to improve their own health and quality of life.
BUS 223 – Personal and Family Finance. This brand new course provides a study of money- management decisions in relation to personal and family finances. It emphasizes building useful skills in buying, budgeting, managing and tracking finances, increasing resources, saving, and coping with current economic conditions. This is designed to be a practical course that can easily be applied in one's life.
Comments
Watch and Be Ready! Jesus told His disciples to watch for the fulfillment of Bible prophecies that indicate the end of the age and His second coming are near (Matthew 24:42-44; 25:13). Yet, these same prophecies reveal that most people will be surprised by the climactic events that will erupt to mark the end of the age, because they do not understand the prophetic significance of world events they are seeing in the news. This is why God has given His Church a "more sure word of prophecy" so His Church can function as a watchman to proclaim the real significance of events that are making news today (2 Peter 1:19-20, KJV). The moral decay and declining influence of the Israelite nations (Leviticus 26:14-19; Deuteronomy 32:29), the resurgence of militant Islam in the Middle East (Daniel 11:40), and the movement toward a United States of Europe (Revelation 17:12-13) promoted by an ecumenically-oriented papacy (Isaiah 47:8; Revelation 17:1-5)—all point to end-time events outlined in Bible prophecies. As we see these prophecies coming alive today, we need to draw closer to God and continue to watch world events so we will not be caught by surprise when Jesus Christ returns (1 Thessalonians 5:1-6).
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—July 3, 2014
A New ISIS State: The Islamic militant group ISIS that recently took over cities in northern Iraq has "declared an Islamic 'caliphate' [state] in an area straddling Iraq and Syria" (The Guardian, June 30, 2014). One jihadist commented in a high tech video made to promote ISIS, "This is not the first border we will break, we will break other borders" (ibid.). "Later the fighter pledges that jihadists will free Palestine. 'We are not here to replace an Arab cahoot with a western cahoot. Rather our jihad is more lofty and higher. We are fighting to make the word of Allah the highest'… 'There is no army in the world that can withstand the soldiers of Islam,' he said" (ibid.). While some neighboring nations dismiss the legitimacy of the new ISIS caliphate, the audacity of ISIS, its recent uncontested conquests and its stated ambitions are generating concerns. Should such a group gain more support and attempt to erase many of the national boundaries in the Middle East, there will be much more turmoil. Bible prophecies indicate that before Christ's return, a European Beast power will surround Jerusalem with armies (Luke 21:20-24). Those European forces could be sent to the Holy Land initially to stabilize the region and protect the Israelis in Jerusalem. Bible prophecies also reveal that the Beast or King of the North will prevail over the Arab King of the South in the Holy Land (Daniel 11:40-43). Groups like ISIS may fade, but their actions could lead to the emergence of the King of the South and bring a greater European presence in the Holy Land. For more on these events, view our telecast "The Middle East in Prophecy."
Japan's Expanding Military Reach: Since the end of WWII, Japan's constitution has limited its military action to self-defense. However, "Japan's cabinet has approved a landmark change in security policy, paving the way for its military to fight overseas… a reinterpretation of the law will now allow 'collective self-defense'—using force to defend allies under attack" (BBC, July 1, 2014). The Japanese President assured "It will be strictly a defensive measure to defend our people. We will not resort to the use of force in order to defend foreign forces" (ibid.). Although the USA, a long-time ally of Japan, is in favor of this change, regional neighbors China and South Korea are not. China has accused Japan of "remilitarising" while South Korea says it will "not tolerate" the action (ibid.). Japan's recent actions could add to the rising tensions, while potentially distancing Japan from U.S. influence. These recent changes could also allow Japan to take the offensive in the future… even joining the great army of "kings from the east" that will descend on Jerusalem at the end of the age (Revelation 16:12). For more about Japan, read our commentary "Japan—and the United States and Great Britain in Prophecy."
Dangers of Transgender: The media, government agencies and even religious groups are attempting to normalize the "transgender" phenomenon. Last month, "a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services review board ruled that Medicare can pay for the 'reassignment' surgery sought by the transgendered" (Wall Street Journal, June 12, 2014). In a recent article, Dr. McHugh, a former psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins Medical Center discussed current research on the psychological pitfalls of "sex reassignment" surgery—something Johns Hopkins stopped performing 30 years ago due to its associated problems (ibid.). Dr. McHugh wrote "The transgendered suffer a disorder of 'assumption' like those in other disorders familiar to psychiatrists"—such as anorexia or bulimia nervosa (ibid.). He also stated, "Psychiatrists obviously must challenge the solipsistic concept that what is in the mind cannot be questioned. Disorders of consciousness, after all, represent psychiatry's domain; declaring them off-limits would eliminate the field" (ibid.). A recent long-term Swedish study revealed that "beginning about 10 years after having the surgery, the transgendered began to experience increasing mental difficulties. Most shockingly, their suicide mortality rose almost 20-fold above the comparable non-transgender population" (ibid.). Sadly, many human beings refuse to recognize that GOD made us male and female—it is not a personal choice (Genesis 1:27)! People look for a "quick fix" for their problems, instead of learning to be content with the way they were born (Philippians 4:11). Surgical mutilation of sex organs will not bring freedom from mental or emotional problems! For more about the human need to escape reality, read our article "Why Do We Get High?"—Scott Winnail, Justin Ridgeway and Deborah Lincoln-Strange