Greetings from Charlotte,
The Bible has long warned the Israelite nations that if they turn away from His commandments and despise His statutes, "I will break the pride of your power" (Leviticus 26:19). In recent weeks the world has seen the Russians take over Crimea and threaten Ukraine in spite of objections from America and Europe. Just this week the Chinese Defense Minister openly castigated the U.S. Secretary of Defense for trying to contain China and its ambitions. As one observer has noted, we are seeing the demise of the West, and the rise of the rest—which Bible prophecy has long foretold. Here in Charlotte, Mr. Meredith has conducted a number of meetings and is planning a co-worker letter. Mr. and Mrs. Ames left today to spend the Sabbath in Indianapolis, Indiana and then observe the Passover and first Day of Unleavened Bread in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Germano and Dr. Scott Winnail were in Florida this week attending a conference related to accreditation for Living University. Mr. Rod McNair and Dr. Wilner Pierre report that 38 visitors attended the Tomorrow's World Presentation they conducted in St. Maarten, where they also had a live, one-hour radio interview. Last weekend, 186 visitors attended TWPs that Mr. Dan Hall and I conducted in Dallas and Hawkins, Texas. Please pray that God will watch over His people and bless the Passover and Spring Holy Days.—DSW
| Tomorrow's World Television Time Changes Our television airing time on BET has changed to Wednesdays at 7:30 a.m. EDT. WGN has moved our program to Sundays at 8:30 a.m. EDT. These times will be updated in the May-June TW and are already updated on the Web site. |
Church Administration
Tomorrow's World Presentations in Texas
The Dallas, Texas, congregation hosted a Tomorrow's World Presentation on Saturday, April 5. We were delighted to have 160 new visitors, and a total of 219 in attendance to hear the powerful and insightful presentation by Evangelist Douglas Winnail, entitled "After Armageddon: Five Keys to End-Time Prophecy." After a short intermission, South Central Regional Pastor Dan Hall gave a very positive and dynamic presentation on "The Mystery of God's Holy Days." Visitors enjoyed the finger foods, fellowship and taking home the folders and booklets that were available. Some also asked about attending our weekly Sabbath service in Dallas!
The Hawkins, Texas congregation hosted a Tomorrow's World Presentation on Sunday April 6, where we had 26 new visitors making a total of 53 who heard the meaningful and eye-opening presentations from Dr. Winnail and Mr. Hall. Visitors enjoyed the fellowship afterwards and picked up much of the literature materials that were provided. A number of visitors indicated that they wanted to attend services next Sabbath! Very positive comments were heard about the issues and contents addressed in these powerful presentations. These events were huge successes.—Gary Stein
Ordinations and Assignments
Last Sabbath, Mr. Marshall Moluf and Mr. Alex Celan were ordained as Elders and LaDonna Thomas was ordained as a Deaconess in Dallas, Texas by Dr. Douglas Winnail and Mr. Dan Hall. Mr. Cristian Orrego was ordained as an Elder in Baltimore, Maryland by Mr. Sheldon Monson. As a clarification to a previous announcement, Mr. Stephen Elliott will become the Associate Pastor, under Dr. Jeffrey Fall, of congregations in southern California as well as Las Vegas. Mr. Bob Rodzaj will become the Associate Pastor, under Mr. Rodger Bardo, of congregations in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. Mr. Gary Stein will pastor the Dallas, Abilene and Midland, Texas, congregations.
Miracle in Florida
Mr. Joseph Brown, pastor of the Ocala, Florida, congregation, reports that a member's grandson was born missing part of his large intestine. The grandmother, who is a member, requested prayers from the brethren. For three weeks the baby was fed through a tube and the doctors planned to operate. When they re-examined him before the operation, they could find no problem with the baby. The feeding tube was removed and the baby was sent home. "Our Great God healed Daniel... His grandmother telephoned me with tears of joy and thanksgiving!!! Wow! What a month."
Russian Work Update
Since August 2013, when we began airing the Tomorrow's World program on Russian television, we have had 173 pieces of either print or DVD materials requested from 14 different countries. Ukraine has shown the highest level of responses, the United States second and Russia third. Approximately 32 telecasts have been dubbed with Russian subtitles and have aired on our Russian television stations. They have also been viewed more than 2,200 times on the Zavtrashni Mir YouTube channel. While the responses may still be small and growing, God's witness and warning message is being proclaimed to Russia, the former Eastern Bloc nations of central and eastern Europe and beyond!—Adam West
Cincinnati "Creation Weekend" Is Still On!
The final details are almost settled for Cincinnati's big "Creation Weekend" planned for Memorial Day Weekend, May 23-26, and we are excited to announce that Mr. Richard Ames will be coming to the event as a guest speaker! Mr. John Robinson from Charlotte and Mr. Wallace Smith of Cincinnati will round out our speaking roster. We are planning enlightening and educational presentations about the age of the earth, presumed "ancient man" fossils, the dinosaurs, and other fascinating topics, as well as a group trip to the famous Creation Museum in North Kentucky. Registration will be open soon, so get ready! In the meantime, check out more information and watch an introductory video at our local Web site, ohiolcg.org (not an official LCG Web site).—Wallace Smith
Housing for Carolina Singles Weekend, May 23-26
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 towards 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 4,600 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.
Open Sites—Costa Rica
There are still plenty of sites with lots of room. In this issue of The World Ahead we will highlight Punta Leona, Costa Rica.
Punta Leona, Costa Rica: This year once again the Feast of Tabernacles in Costa Rica will take place in one of the finest facilities in Punta Leona, about an hour by car from the international airport (SJO). The complex is located near two of the safest Costa Rican beaches on the Pacific Ocean (golden and white sand beaches). There are two excellent restaurants, one located next to the meeting hall and offering buffet service. The complex has condos with a full kitchen and there is easy access to a small supermarket where you can find anything for your cooking or personal needs. The cost for a double room is $75.50 USD (per person) with breakfast, lunch and dinner included. More lodging options are available. Please contact Laura Ramirez at [email protected] or call +506-2587-1010. Feas t activities can range from deep-sea fishing, rafting, zip-lining with nine cables, hiking trails, a butterfly farm, a crocodile tour and sports fields for any type of activities. Transportation to the meeting hall inside the complex and to beaches is free and available. The air-conditioned meeting hall has a capacity of 277 people. Services will be held in English with simultaneous translation into Spanish. Join us for a wonderful Feast in Costa Rica! For more information, contact Miss Madeleine Lincoln-Strange at [email protected] or 704-844-1970. For Spanish inquiries, contact the Festival Coordinator, Mr. George Schaubeck at [email protected].
2014 Israel Feast Tour
Myrtle Beach, Gatlinburg, Navarre, Argentina and Jamaica may all be 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 still have 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
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
No Online Teen Bible Study on April 18
There will be no online Teen Bible Study Friday evening, April 18. However, archives of previous Living Youth Bible Studies, including last evening's on "The Resurrection Was Not on Sunday," can be found on the Living Youth Web site.—Sheldon Monson
Important Announcement for Employees of the Living Church of God—Repeat Announcement
All employees of the Church should register no later than Sunday, April 13, for any camps they wish to attend. Employees will be notified of acceptance or denial by April 22.—Sheldon Monson
Registration for LYC 2014 Camps—Repeat Announcement
We are still accepting applicants for all of our camps except the Adventure Camp.—Sheldon Monson
Comments
The Importance of Forgiveness: As we approach the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, we are reminded of our need to be forgiven—and to forgive others. The Scriptures state that we have all sinned and that we can be forgiven because Jesus Christ suffered and died to pay the penalty for our sins (John 3:16; Romans 3:23-26). However, Jesus also taught that we must be ready and willing to forgive others who offend us—or God will not forgive us (Matthew 6:12-15). Forgiving others involves not holding grudges or harboring bitterness aganst others, not seeking to get even, and not gossiping or saying negative or derogatory things about others who have made mistakes or hurt us in some way. This is not always easy, especially when memories, emotions and personal pride are involved—but that is what we are admonished to do if we want to be Christians. Re al Christians must learn to forgive. Forgiveness is a powerful tool that makes working together with other people possible—and enjoyable. If we remember that Jesus died so we can be forgiven, we should be able to forgive others.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—April 10, 2014
Ukraine Tensions Escalate: Tensions in the Ukraine have continued to rise as separatists stormed government offices in the nation's east—a location where Russia has amassed thousands of troops along the border (BBC, April 7, 2014). Several eastern cities in the Ukraine have a majority of Russian speakers (ibid.). With the situation deteriorating, the U.S. and Denmark have both recently sent additional F-16 fighters to the region, and "Germany has said its air force is ready to increase security on Nato's border with Russia, despite Moscow's promise not to escalate the crisis in Ukraine" (EU Observer, March 31, 2014). "Nato's Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has warned Russia that if it were to 'intervene further in Ukraine it would be a historic mistake with grave consequences for our relationship with Russia and it would further isolate Russia internationally'" (BBC, April 8, 2014). As this crisis continues, it is worth noting that Jesus Christ warned at "the end of the age… nation will rise against nation" (Matthew 24:3, 7). This is a prophecy about increasing ethnic strife with different ethnic groups fighting each other—which is happening in the Ukraine and around the globe. In addition, God warned thousands of years ago that a German-led European Beast power would dominate geopolitics at the end of the age (Isaiah 10:5-11; Revelation 13:1-4). The growing conflict with Russia in Eastern Europe appears to be galvanizing German and European resolve that will promote the development of a European army. For more on Germany's increasing role in Europe, read our insightful article, "The Return of Germany."
Powerful Earthquake in Chile: Last week, a powerful 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck a coastal town in northeast Chile. Remarkably, only six people were killed as buildings crumbled, landslides occurred, and power went out. The quake was felt 300 miles away (CBS, April 2, 2014). In 2010, an 8.8 quake struck the nation killing hundreds and destroying more than 200,000 homes. Experts predict that another massive quake of 8.8 or higher will strike the nation again sometime in the next 50 years. The Chilean quake and aftershocks last week remarkably caused very few deaths. However, Jesus Christ warned that "in the last days" there will be "earthquakes in various places"—and that these will be just "the beginning of sorrows" (Mat thew 24:7-8). The "big one," however, will result not just in the destruction of thousands of homes or the loss of thousands of lives; rather it will result in "every mountain and island [being] moved out of its place" (Revelation 6:14). God will use "natural" disasters to get the attention of our modern God-rejecting world. For more on this sobering topic, be sure to read our commentary entitled "Where Will You Be When the Next Big Quake Strikes?"
Anything… but God! British journalist Melanie Phillips recently commented, "Some time ago, Professor Richard Dawkins told me he was not averse to the idea that life on earth had been created by a governing intelligence—provided such an intelligence had arrived from another planet" (The Times, March 31, 2014). The notion of "directed panspermia" posits "that life may have been seeded by beings from another planet" billions of years ago using un-manned space craft—a belief held by a number of atheistic scientists and philosophers (ibid.). "Atheists are so determined that God is the ultimate irrational idea that they fail to realise the absurdity of their alternative theory… When people stop believing in Go d, they don't believe in nothing—they believe in anything" (ibid.). As atheists speculate about supernatural phenomena, psychic powers, parapsychology and astrology, it is ironic that they reject Christianity and an all-powerful God. However, King David observed, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God'" (Psalm 53:1). But is it the idea of an all-powerful God that mankind hates, or is it the morality this God expects? The Bible describes the human tendency to "abhor the one who speaks uprightly" (Amos 5:10). If atheists are intellectually honest, they must set aside their irrational fear of morality and own up to some powerful truths. For more information on this topic, read our insightful article "Seven Proofs of God's Existence."—Scott Winnail, Deborah Lincoln-Strange and Sue Bennett