Greetings from Charlotte,
Severe weather continues to make headlines around the world. In the United States, the upper Midwest has seen record low temperatures and snowfalls, while in Argentina, a heat wave is scorching Buenos Aires and surrounding areas. In Australia, following the hottest year on record, extremely hot weather and lightning strikes have spawned hundreds of fires. Volcanic eruptions, flash floods and landslides in Indonesia have forced more than 40,000 people to flee their homes. Bible prophecies about end-time conditions seem to come alive almost daily. Here in Charlotte, Dr. Meredith has been conducting meetings and he preached a heartfelt sermon on the resurrection to the Headquarters congregation this past Sabbath. Mr. Ames has written a co-worker letter that was mailed to more than 12,000 recipients. Last Sabbath, Mr. Hernandez made a profitable visit to the Atlanta, Georgia congregation, and I conducted a Regional Conference in Tyler, Texas with Mr. Dan Hall (see write-up below). Living University classes began this week with a total enrollment of nearly 190 students. This coming weekend, Mr. and Mrs. Rod McNair will be in Barbados for a congregational visit. Mr. and Mrs. King will be in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this Sabbath for services on their way to South Africa, where we will conduct a Regional Conference next weekend.—DSW
Church Administration
Texas Regional Conference
On the weekend of January 11-12, more than 70 ministers, deacons, leaders and wives from all over Texas gathered at the Holiday Inn in Tyler for a Regional Conference. Dr. Douglas Winnail opened the conference on Saturday evening by focusing on the mission of the Living Church of God at the end of the age. He then gave an overview of the Work of God—encouraging us to keep our eyes on the Big Picture that Dr. Meredith mentions so often. Dr. Winnail urged us to keep our minds and messages and activities focused on the mission that God has for His Church. This set the tone and became the theme for an outstanding conference. Some of the topics covered on Sunday included: leadership and teamwork, doctrinal issues, avoiding deception, guidelines for services, courageous followers, qualities of great teachers, building a congregation, continuing education and personal growth. Everyone was inspired and rejuvenated by the presentations in addition to the warm and uplifting fellowship.—Dan Hall
Field Moves and Hires
Mr. Dan Hall will move to the Atlanta area to pastor congregations in Georgia and become the new Regional Pastor for the southeast region of the United States. Mr. Gary Stein will become the Area Pastor of congregations in Dallas, Midland and Abilene, Texas. Mr. Dan Friz will pastor Hawkins and Lufkin in addition to his current congregations. Mr. Rodger Bardo will become the new Regional Pastor for Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. These changes will take effect when Mr. Hall is able to move. Mr. Bill Long (Detroit, Michigan), Mr. Brandon Fall (Sacramento, California) and Mr. Damian Weekes (Trinidad) have been hired as Ministerial Trainees.
French Web Site Update
After a second semester of massive growth in 2012 (78 percent increase compared with 2011), the year 2013 was a year of stabilization for the French Web site, MondeDemain.org. Nevertheless, the figures continued to increase by 32 percent with 460,000 visitor-sessions, and the number of page views surpassed the million mark for the second year in a row. We have also received more than 2,600 literature requests and contact forms (57 percent increase compared with 2012). The most active countries were France (including overseas departments), Canada, Belgium, USA, Ivory Coast, Haiti, Switzerland and Cameroon. The publications on our Facebook page have been viewed more than 400,000 times and our Twitter account was followed by about 1,500 people on December 31, 2013.
In addition to the main Web site, 814 new students registered for the online Bible Study Course in 2013 and 82 of them completed the first test (lessons 1-4) while 13 finished the entire course (24 lessons) in one year. These new students along with those who registered in previous years represent more than 2,300 people who have been active in studying the online BSC in 2013, with an average visit length of 11 minutes.
Major news from 2013 is the beginning of the French telecasts by Mr. Yvon Brochu, produced in Canada. The first telecast, released on January 2, 2014 recorded more than 700 views during the first two weeks online. You can view this telecast "L'Apocalypse révélée" (Revelation Unveiled) at the following link: MondeDemain.org/tvc1.—VG Lardé
Young Adults Activities
Please note: there has not been much response to the announcement below thus far. If this is something you would like to participate in, please let us know as soon as possible. We must begin now to make reservations and plan for this activity.
As many are aware, our teen programs are growing in popularity and size, but once these young adults "graduate" from the LYC programs, we have not done much specifically targeting them. There is a need to help our young adults "grow in grace and knowledge," and also to provide some special programs to promote unity and give the opportunity to be together with other young Christians. While the Adventure Camp continues to be a very popular activity for the teens each year and many young adults have applied to go along as staff, due to the need to keep the camp small, we have had to deny many of these staff applications.
This summer we would like to have an Adventure Camp specifically for young adults between the ages of 20 and 35—this includes both singles and married couples. We have tentatively set the dates of June 29 to July 6 to have this camp in the area of Yellowstone Park or the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. If any of you young adults are interested in participating in this backpacking Adventure Camp and can afford the expense, time off work and are physically fit enough for this challenging trip, we want to hear from you. Please e-mail me at [email protected] by January 26. Eligible participants must be members or prospective members in good standing who attend with LCG full-time. This is not an actual registration for the camp, but rather a pre-registration to determine if there is enough interest that we should pursue planning for it. Our plan is to have at least one or two other special programs like this each year.
One of those that we are tentatively planning now for the young adults is a three-day trip to Snowshoe, West Virginia, after next year's Charlotte Family Weekend. Activities will include snow skiing, snowboarding, and/or sledding. The dates for the ski trip would be December 28, 2014 to January 1, 2015. If you think you would be interested in attending this activity, please let me know that as well.—Jim Meredith
Living Youth Programs
Online Teen Bible Study—Friday Evening
The online Teen Bible Study Friday evening, January 24, will be on "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse—The Pale Horse," 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 "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse—The Black Horse," can also be found on the Living Youth Web site.—Sheldon Monson
Human Resources
Employment Opportunity: TV Production Assistant—Repeat Announcement
The Headquarters Office is looking for a TV Production Assistant with experience in video editing and TV studio equipment. The successful candidate will enjoy video production and will have some experience in video editing software (such as Avid, Adobe Premiere or Final Cut). The right candidate for this position will be a "team player" able to produce results quickly in a fast-paced and deadline-driven environment. This job is in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Church will pay for reasonable moving expenses. Applicant must meet the legal requirements to work in the United States, and must be a Living Church of God adherent, in good standing, who is truly dedicated to the Work. If you are interested in this position, please send your résumé, along with a cover letter and a letter of reference from your Area Pastor, to: Human Resources Department, Living Church of God, 2301 Crown Centre Drive, Charlotte, NC 28227. E-mail: [email protected]; FAX: 704-844-1973.—Wyatt Ciesielka
Living University
Call for On-Site Study Applications (U.S. only at this time): For those seeking a unique and exciting learning opportunity, Living University is accepting applications for on-site students to study full-time in Charlotte beginning in the fall semester of 2014. We hope to have several new male and female students with us in August 2014! Requirements and more details can be found on the Living University Web site, as can a rough estimate of costs associated with on-site study. Housing will be available for on-site students. With our on-site students, we are also looking for individuals who might have skills to contribute to the Work or University through part-time work-study. Work-study opportunities are available in several areas. At this time we can only accept on-site students from the U.S. Our hope is to e xpand this opportunity to international students in future years. Interested students can apply online and should plan to complete their applications by the end of February 2014. Those with no previous college should submit college entrance test scores (ACT or SAT) along with other application materials. One of these college entrance exams should be taken as soon as possible. You can find out more about these exams through a local High School guidance office, local community college or a university testing service. If you are interested in on-site LU study and have questions, or just to find out more, please call or e-mail Dr. Scott Winnail at 704-708-2292 or [email protected].
Comments
The Dynamics of Friendships: The Scriptures reveal that if we want to have friends we must learn to be friendly, and that true friends are supportive during difficult times (Proverbs 17:17; 18:24). Friends are people in whom we can confide and share important thoughts and concerns (John 15:15). Real friends may not always agree with us, and sometimes they will tell us things about ourselves and our plans or actions that we need to hear, but may not want to hear (Proverbs 27:6, 17). The Bible cautions that we should choose our friends carefully, because we are influenced by the company we keep (Proverbs 12:26). Abraham chose to be a friend of God by choosing to obey God by leaving his former way of life (James 2:23; Genesis 12:4). Abraham also understood that friendship with the world and its ways would alienate him from God (James 4:4).&nb sp; We need to remember that the friends we choose can have a powerful influence on our lives and our future.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—January 16, 2014
May Elections and Europe's Future: Voters in the May 2014 Europe-wide elections could set the European Union on a course to reach its prophesied destiny. Currently, "anti-EU parties are leading the polls in France, the Netherlands and Greece" and many now assume that Britain will leave the Union (Telegraph, January 8, 2014). However, "In the run up to the springtime pan-European vote, the EU is gearing up to mount an unprecedented campaign for the hearts and minds of voters," directing them to vote in a way that will support the construction of a true "United States of Europe" (ibid.). Referring to the significance of the May elections, the European Commission's vice pres ident observed, "There is a lot at stake. The outcome of these elections will shape Europe for the years to come" (ibid.). Bible prophecies have long foretold the emergence in Europe of a political power composed of ten nations just before the return of Jesus Christ (Daniel 2:40-44; Revelation 17:12-14). This "beast" power will have recognizable links to the ancient Roman Empire, and it will attempt to centralize control over member nations. It will be aided in its rise by a powerful religious figure (Revelation 13). Watch to see if God will use the May elections to hasten the fulfillment of these ancient prophecies (Daniel 4:17). For more information on the coming European Beast power, read our informative booklet, The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor or Soon-Coming Reality?
Nigeria's New Anti-Homosexual Law: "Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan signed a bill on Monday that criminalises same-sex relationships... The bill, which contains penalties of up to 14 years in prison and bans gay marriage, same-sex 'amorous relationships' and membership of gay rights groups, was passed by the national assembly last May but Jonathan had delayed signing it into law" (The Guardian, January 13, 2014). This action drew harsh criticism from the U.S. Secretary of State and other Western nations that have threatened to cut aid to Nigeria (ibid.). However, Nigeria is an oil-rich nation in need of little international aid (ibid.). President Jonathan has made prayer and following bib lical principles central tenets of his presidency; yet, he has drawn strict criticism because of it—ironically from Western professing Christian nations that frequently pride themselves on the separation of church and state. However, Nigeria's president is trying to do what helped make the British Empire and America great—govern by biblical principles. God told ancient Israel that they would be blessed and become great if they obeyed His laws and statutes (Deuteronomy 4:5-10)—and when they followed God's laws, the promise was upheld. When Christ returns, world leaders and "Christian" religious figures will be surprised to learn that the government in the Kingdom of God will be built upon the Ten Commandments—that supposedly are no longer relevant! For more information on this God-centered government, view our exciting telecast entitled "The Soon-Coming Utopia."
Contaminated Sea Food: A large portion (86 percent) of America's seafood is imported, and about half comes from fish farms that raise shrimp, tilapia, Atlantic salmon, and shellfish (YahooNews.com, October 24, 2012). "In China, many fish farms reportedly use pig manure as feed, which contains salmonella and makes tilapia more susceptible to disease. In addition, 'shrimp farms in South and Southeast Asia are essentially factory farms, with all that implies—including antibiotic overuse'" (ibid.). Often shrimp are "farmed in ponds treated with a long list of chemicals: urea, superphosphate, diesel, pesticides, antibiotics (including ones that are banned in the U.S.), sodium tripolyphosphate ( a suspected neurotoxin), borax, and occasionally caustic soda... Due to the chemicals used to treat the ponds, the area nearby quickly turns into a dead zone for other types of animal life" (Economy in Crisis, December 24, 2013). Mass production of animals for food often results in serious health problems. Shelfish (shrimp, oysters, etc.) were designed by the Creator to filter out contaminants and store chemicals (heavy metals) in their flesh. The Bible has long warned against eating shellfish because they were not designed for human consumption (Leviticus 11:9-12; Deuteronomy 14:9-10). For more on these timeless instructions that promote health and prevent disease, read our thought-provoking article entitled "Do You Really Want To Eat That?"—Scott Winnail, John Meakin, Jonathan Bueno and Gerald Weston