Greetings from Charlotte,
Extreme weather continues to make news with rains and flooding in southern England, snow and ice blanketing eastern portions of the United States and soaring temperatures in Australia—countries once blessed by God that are turning more and more away from Him and His ways! Mr. Meredith spoke this past Sabbath in Houston, Texas and on Sunday; he and Pastor Rick Stafford saw 129 visitors attend their Tomorrow's World Presentation in Houston. This coming Sabbath, Mr. Meredith will speak to the congregation in Austin, Texas where he will also be visiting with family. Here in Charlotte, we have about 5-6 inches of snow that closed the office for several days. I will be in Phoenix this coming weekend for the Sabbath and a conference on Sunday.—DSW
Church Administration
Tomorrow's World Presentation in Houston
This past Sunday afternoon in the Houston Crowne Plaza Hotel the atmosphere was one of great excitement and enthusiasm. The meeting room filled to capacity as 129 Tomorrow's World guests, plus an additional 79 effervescent brethren waited expectantly for Mr. Meredith to begin his powerful presentation titled, "Will You Escape Armageddon?" After the applause died down, Mr. Meredith launched into the dramatic explanation of end-time events and biblical prophecies already being fulfilled. He showed from Scripture that there will be some Christians protected from the worst of these earth-shaking events. A sobered audience was then able to enjoy our ladies' delicious homemade cookies and coffee and tea, which was followed by Mr. Rick Stafford's explanation of the mystery of God's wonderful plan for all of mankind as pictured by the Holy Days. Many were surprised to learn that these same Holy Days have been a nd are being faithfully kept by God's Church as instructed by Christ and His Apostles. He reminded them of the end-time events Mr. Meredith showed are now beginning to come upon our peoples, and encouraged them to take these warnings seriously before it is too late. He urged them to return next Sabbath, at the "same time, same place" to learn more about "What Kind of Worship Does God Require?" Many were inspired to hear about our Father's awesome plan for all mankind and were encouraged to know they, too, could be part of this end-time Work to help preach the Gospel to all the world and, in brotherly love, warn others so they also have the chance to repent and be protected. How we wish that all of you, our brethren, could have also been with us there last Sabbath—please pray that God will bless the results of Mr. Meredith's powerful and inspiring presentation here in Houston.
Passover 2014—Repeat Announcement
Important Notice to All Pastors: This year the Passover Service will be observed on Sunday evening, April 13. Let us know as soon as possible 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. To ensure timely delivery and to save on shipping costs, please let us know this information before February 18 for international congregations, and by March 17 for U.S. congregations.
Also, 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 received before February 18. Please direct your requests to the Church Administration Department at [email protected] as soon as possible.
Feast of Tabernacles
U.S. sites: It appears we will not be able to have a Gulf Coast site this year.
Living Youth Programs
Online Teen Bible Study—Friday Evening
The online Teen Bible Study Friday evening, February 21, will be on "Is There a Place of Safety?," presented by Mr. Sheldon Monson. If you haven't had the opportunity to join us for one of 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. (EST) 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 "The Seven Last Plagues," can also be found on the Living Youth Web site.—Sheldon Monson
Summer Camps 2014—Please refer to this in all congregations—Repeat Announcement
Registration began Sunday, February 9, 2014 for all summer camp programs in the United States and Europe. For more information, or to register, please visit lyc.lcg.org. Sign up now!
Summer Camp programs in the United States consist of the following:
LYC Teen Camp at Camp Lazarus—Delaware, Ohio
Camp Director: Sheldon Monson
Dates: Staff Arrival – Sunday, July 27
Camper Arrival – Monday, July 28
Departure – Sunday, August 10
Location: Camp Lazarus (BSA)
4422 Columbus Pike (Route 23)
Delaware, Ohio 43015
Ages: Campers – ages 13-18
Staff – ages 18 and older
Tuition Cost: $250 (first camper), $200 (second camper), $150 (third camper or more)
New Activities: Water skiing and Life Roles (girls – jewelry making and baking; boys – tying fishing flies and making fishing jigs)
LYC Pre-Teen Camp—Missouri
Camp Director: Gene Hilgenberg
Dates: Sunday, June 29 – Friday, July 4
New Location: Knob Noster State Park
Camp Bob White
873 SE 10 Road
Knob Noster, Missouri (Approx. 50 miles South East of Kansas City, MO)
Ages: Campers – ages 7-12
High School Staff – ages 15-18
Adult Staff – ages 19 and older
Tuition Cost: $110 (first camper), $100 (second camper), $95 (third camper or more)
New Activities: Fishing and Swimming
LYC Pre-Teen Camp—Texas
Camp Director: Phil Sena
Dates: Sunday, June 15 – Friday, June 20
Location: Camp Whispering Cedars
6010 Whispering Cedar Drive,
Dallas, Texas 75236
Ages: Campers – ages 7-12
High School Staff – ages 15-18
Adult Staff – ages 19 and older
Tuition Cost: $110 (first camper), $100 (second camper), $95 (third camper or more), $110 (Sibling Campers 13-14 years of age)
LYC Family Camp—West Virginia
Camp Director: Paul Shumway
Dates: Sunday, July 13 – Friday, July 18, 2014
Location: Glenwood 4-H Camp – same as last year (Near Princeton, West Virginia)
Ages: Campers – ages 7-12
Staff – ages 13 and older (parents encouraged to attend)
Tuition Cost: $110 (first camper), $100 (for each successive camper), $55 (adults), $30 (mini-campers) $350 (maximum fee for families)
Camps will also be held in Europe (August) and South Africa (December 2014).
The European Summer Camp—Tonbridge, Kent, UK
Dates: Wednesday, August 13 – Friday, August 22
Location: Rock UK Carroty Wood Adventure Centre, just outside of Tonbridge, Kent.
Cost: £130.
LYC Camp in South Africa--Pretoria
Camp Director: Lawdi Ferreira
Dates: Monday, December 22 – Wednesday, December 31
Location: Camp Discovery Game Reserve, Pretoria, Gauteng
Ages: Campers – ages 12-18
Staff – age 19 and older
Cost: $250 per person
Deadline to apply: September 30
Anyone interested in attending the camp in Europe or the one in South Africa, as a camper or as a staff member (age 19 and older), or who has questions about them, is asked to contact Rees Ellis at [email protected] or Jamie Meakin at [email protected].
2014 LYC Adventure Trip—Yellowstone National Park—Wyoming/Montana/Idaho—Please read in all congregations—Repeat Announcement
If you are 13-20 years of age and are interested in backpacking and white-water rafting, register now for the 2014 Adventure Trip to Yellowstone National Park. Arrival is Tuesday, July 8 and the departure date is Thursday, July 17. This spectacular park contains more than 290 waterfalls, the majority of the world's geysers, and about 10,000 thermal features. They are the main reason this magnificent park was established as the first national park in the world in 1872, twenty years before Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming were granted statehood. Yellowstone Park experiences approximately 2,000 earthquakes a year, and is one of the planet's active super-volcanoes—and the only one to be located on land. This mountain wild-land has the largest concentration of free roaming wildlife in all of the lower 48 states. Home to grizzly bears, wolves, and herds of bison, elk, moose, big horn sheep, and many other animal species, this place is truly among the most beautiful places on the planet! The cost of tuition is an exceptional value at $450.00 per camper. If you are 21 or older, in great physical condition, good with young people, and wish to apply to serve as a member of the staff, sign up now as space is limited. Registration starts on Sunday, February 9, and ends Friday, February 21, for both campers and staff. You won't want to miss this incredible opportunity, so sign up now!—Sheldon Monson
Internet Department
Tomorrow's World Social Media Update!
2013 was a huge year for Tomorrow's World social media efforts, and our social media pages reached hundreds of millions of people who may not have found us through "classic" Internet searches or advertising. While we have a long way to go, we are thankful that the Tomorrow's World Facebook page now has well more than 72,000 "fans" and our wall posts and ads often reach tens of millions of individual Facebook users. Very encouragingly, our YouTube page at tomorrowsworldtv recently passed 3,000,000 views! This is extremely rapid growth and is quite an achievement considering that w e only started using YouTube as our primary telecast player a little more than a year ago. And, our Twitter account is followed by more than 45,000 people. While we maintain many additional, secondary social media pages, these statistics are not "combined numbers"—but are the individual statistics for individual pages. And, we would greatly appreciate your continued prayers because this year, God-willing, you will begin to notice major expansion of our social media efforts in the French and Spanish languages as well! God has been truly blessing our Internet and social media reach!—Wyatt Ciesielka
New Tomorrow's World Web site in final pre-launch stages!
The reviews have been outstanding! The Internet team greatly appreciates all of you who have been testing and commenting on the new Tomorrow's World Web site. The new TW Web site is optimized for all Internet devices—desktop PCs, Macs, all tablets and smartphones—and contains many new, advanced features that will make the Web site even more powerful and user-friendly (some of these new features are now available and a few will be rolled out over the coming weeks). As work wraps up on the new English-language TW Web site, plans are well under-way for upgrading our French and Spanish TW sites! January 2014 TW Web site traffic was up 20 percent over January 2013, so we look forward to seeing how the new Web site boosts our reach even more. Check out the new Web site beta at http://beta.tomorrowsworld.org. And, we thank you for your prayers and support as we use the Internet to reach the world with the true Gospel of the coming Kingdom of God! —Wyatt Ciesielka
Comments
The Church of God Today: Jesus said, "I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). Jesus' statement indicates that His Church would continue to exist down through the ages. That Church began on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and is referred to numerous times in the New Testament as the "church of God" (1 Corinthians 1:2; 10:32; 11:22; 15:9; Galatians 1:13). Some think the work of the Church of God ended with the death of Mr. Herbert Armstrong. However, Jesus commissioned His disciples to "go into all the world and preach the gospel" (Mark 16:15), and He promised, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). The work of God's Church continues today, preaching the Gospel of the coming Kingdom of God, warning the Israelite nations and nations of the world a bout the consequences of turning away from God, and preparing a people to rule with Jesus Christ in the coming Kingdom—using the modern means of television, Internet, print media, Tomorrow's World presentations, and Living University. The commission that Jesus gave to His disciples on Pentecost continues through the ever more powerful doors that God is opening to His Church today.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—February 13, 2014
Divided Swiss Push Against the EU: In a move to stem the flow of poor migrants into its nation, "Swiss voters on Sunday (9 February) backed a call to cap migration from EU countries" (EU Observer, February 10, 2014). The vote, backed by 50.3 percent of voters, goes directly against the four fundamental EU freedoms: "free movement of people, goods, capital and services" and has drawn criticism (ibid.). EU commission spokesman Olivier Bailly noted that "Freedom of circulation is non-negotiable. You cannot negotiate freedom. Either it is applied to all persons or to nobody" (ibid.). "German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble deplored the Swiss result. 'It will cause a lot of trouble for Switzerland,' he said" (ibid.). Switzerland's vote shows the growing divide between the EU and certain states, revealing the "iron and clay nature" of this unnatural, multinational entity (Daniel 2:40-41). It also suggests that the Israelite-descended nations at the end of the age—likely including Switzerland—will not be part of the final European Beast power, but could become subservient to it (Deuteronomy 28:47-50; Ezekiel 39:23, 28)! Watch for more changes in Europe before the final ten kings/nations of the Beast appear (Daniel 2:42; Revelation 17). For more on this timely subject, be sure to read our free booklet entitled, The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor or Soon-Coming Reality?
Selfish Mums Poisoning Unborn Babies: "ALARMING numbers of pregnant women are putting their unborn babies at serious risk of being born with alcohol poisoning. Shocking statistics have just uncovered an almost 50 per cent rise in Foetal Alcohol Syndrome in the past two years, with more than 300 children significantly affected last year" (Sunday Express, February 9, 2014). "Psychiatrist Dr Raja Mukherjee, a world specialist in foetal alcohol damage, estimates three per cent of the population is affected. He said: 'If there are official reports of 300 FAS cases, then, in reality, there are maybe 3,000 cases on the wider spectrum. These latest figures just show the tip of the iceberg'" (ibid.). Babies suffer from this syndrome because their moms were frequently drunk during pregnancy. End-time society is prophesied to be "without natural affection" (Romans 1:31, KJV) and "lovers of pleasure" (2 Timothy 3:4), instead of lovers of others. The Bible condemns such behavior and God warns: "Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor" (Habakkuk 2:15), "woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may follow intoxicating drink; who continue until night, till wine inflames them!" (Isaiah 5:11), and "woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower… to those who are overcome with wine!" (Isaiah 28:1). While drinking alcohol is not a sin, drunkenness is (1 Corinthians 6:10)—as it can destroy lives! For more on the future of the British-descended peoples as they continue to reject God, listen to our insightful sermon, "Ephraim's Gray Hair."