Greetings from Charlotte,
From reports we have received, the Passover and the First Day of Unleavened Bread went very well. We had a number of new brethren join us in congregations around the world. Dr. Meredith led the services here in Charlotte, and he plans to be in Greenville, South Carolina for the services and activities this coming weekend. Mr. and Mrs. Ames were in Louisville, Kentucky for Passover and the First Day of UB. I was able to visit Columbus and Akron, Ohio for the same services. Mr. Rod McNair and Dr. Wilner Pierre report their trip through the Caribbean is going very well. Over this coming weekend, Mr. McNair and Mr. Fraser will conduct a Tomorrow's World Presentation in Montego Bay, Jamaica; Mr. Wyatt Ciesielka will make a TWP in Mountain Home, Arkansas; and Mr. King and Mr. Ellis will make a TWP in Karlsruhe, Germany. We also have a number of other ministers and wives who will be traveling for the Last Day of Unleavened Bread. Please pray that God will bless and protect His people during the Spring Holy Day Season.—DSW
Church Administration
Omaha, Nebraska, Visit to the Henry Doorly Zoo—June 22
Come to Omaha, Nebraska, for an inspiring and interesting weekend of fellowship and a visit to the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo, June 21-22. You are invited to join us on the Sabbath of June 21 for services at Ralston High School at 1:30 p.m., followed by a covered-dish meal. The following morning we will visit Omaha's renowned Henry Doorly Zoo and have an opportunity to tour all of the spectacular exhibits. More information will follow as the date approaches, so mark your calendars and plan to spend an exciting weekend with your brethren in the Midwest.—Brian Pomicter
Cincinnati "Creation Weekend" Update!
Everyone of all ages interested in science and God's Word is invited to Cincinnati's "Creation Weekend," this Memorial Day weekend, May 24-26! The final details are coming into place quickly, and we need you to register!
Our speakers—Evangelist Richard Ames, Mr. John Robinson, and Mr. Wallace Smith—will focus on educational and thought-provoking topics such as the age of the earth, the fall of the angels, dinosaurs, evolution, and supposed "ancient man" fossils. Much of our discussion will take place in the messages given on the Sabbath and Saturday evening, followed by a Sunday trip to the famed Creation Museum in Kentucky and a lively interactive discussion afterwards. Crafts and activities for our youngest attendees are planned as well, so all ages are welcome!
We need your help, so if you plan on coming please register as soon as you can on our local Web site: ohiolcg.org (not an official LCG Web site). There, on the "Creation Weekend" page, you can read all the details and register to ensure you have a spot. Details about housing possibilities and costs related to the weekend are available on the Web site, as well as a place for you to submit a question that you would like to see addressed at the weekend. Space may be limited, and some negotiated hotel discounts are time sensitive—all the more reason for you to register as soon as possible.
So, visit ohiolcg.org, register as soon as possible, and we'll see you and your family in Cincinnati on May 24! —Wallace Smith
Housing for Carolina Singles Weekend, May 23-26—Repeat Announcement
Registration is now underway and we hope to see both new and familiar faces at this special Memorial Day weekend. For those who have never been to the Carolina Singles Weekend, one of our traditions is for local brethren to open up their homes to "out-of-towners." This provides for a unique fellowship opportunity with our locals and it also greatly aids in defraying the cost of attending the weekend. If you are considering attending, please note that this option of staying with brethren is available and can be selected on the registration form. You can save a "chunk of change" by avoiding hotel expenses. To register, please visit charlottelcg.org (not an official Church Web site). Questions can be directed to Jonathan Bueno: [email protected]. Come out to Charlotte and join us for a memorable experience!—Jonathan Bueno
Feast of Tabernacles
Feast Registration Update
More than 5,200 brethren have successfully registered and received approval for their Feast site of choice. If you have not already registered, please do so as soon as possible. It will be especially helpful to us if those of you who definitely plan to attend your assigned site register right away. This will enable us to know how many more transfers we can take for the sites nearing capacity. To register, go to fot2014.lcg.org and sign in with your MyLCG log-in information.
As a reminder, the sites that are closed are: Myrtle Beach, SC; Navarre, FL; Gatlinburg, TN; Jamaica and Argentina.
2014 Israel Feast Tour
A few Feast sites are closed to further transfers but Israel still has room! A number of people have recently dropped out for health and other personal reasons, so we have some space on the Israel Tour. If spending the Feast of Tabernacles where Jesus, the Apostles, and many other of God's servants did sounds interesting to you, check out the itinerary and pricing on the fot2014.lcg.org Web site. If you are able to join this amazing Feast tour, please register on your MyLCG page as soon as possible.—Jim Meredith
Waiting Lists—Repeat Announcement
Thank you to everyone for your patience as we process the Feast transfer requests. Due to seating arrangements and hall capacities, we have a number of brethren on waiting lists for several sites. With some sites nearing capacity, we must make sure we are leaving enough room for brethren assigned to these sites before allowing more transfers in. If your application is "waiting for approval" and you are interested in attending a different site instead, feel free to re-register for another site.—Festival Office
Living Youth Programs
Online Teen Bible Study—Friday Evening
The online Teen Bible Study Friday evening, April 25, will be on "God's Seven-Thousand-Year Plan," presented by Mr. Sheldon Monson. If you haven't had the opportunity to join us for one the online Bible Studies yet, I encourage you to do so. It is a wonderful way to start the Sabbath day.
The Bible Study runs from 8:00-9:00 p.m. (EDT) 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 can also be found on the Living Youth Web site.—Sheldon Monson
Registration for LYC 2014 Camps
We are still accepting staff applicants for the Texas Pre-teen camp, as well as Staff and Campers for the Pre-teen camps in Missouri and West Virginia and for the Teen camp in Ohio. However, our Texas Pre-teen camp is now at capacity for campers. Any further camper applications for the Texas camp will be placed on a waitlist.—Sheldon Monson
Comments
Humility—Key to Unity: King David wrote, "How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" (Psalm 133:1). The Apostle Paul urged Christians to "walk worthy" of your calling "with all lowliness and gentleness… endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:1-3). He stated that the work of the ministry is to edify (build up) the body (the Church) "till we all come to the unity of the faith" (Ephesians 4:12-13). Paul told the contentious Corinthians that they should be "perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Corinthians 1:10). In order to grow together in unity, we need to understand what causes the contentions that disrupt unity. The Scriptures reveal that pride is an underlying cause of contentions (Proverbs 13:10) and that pride will contribute to a person's downfall (Proverbs 16:18). However, humility will eventually bring a person honor and success (Proverbs 15:33; 22:4) and humility helps promote peace and unity (James 3:17-18). Jesus Christ humbled Himself and followed His Father's instructions (Philippians 2:5-9). As Christians we must be willing to humble ourselves and respect authority (Romans 13:1-2). As we learn to exercise true Godly humility and treat each other with love and respect (Romans 12:9-16; 1 Peter 5:5-6), we will promote unity within the body of Christ.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail