Greetings from Charlotte,
Last weekend millions in the professing Christian world celebrated Easter to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is sad that many today are simply unaware of the pagan origin of Easter celebrations and customs and the fact that Jesus Christ is going to return to reign on this earth instead of carrying believers off to an eternity of bliss in heaven. One of the reasons that Jesus is coming back is to judge a world that has turned away from God—and that dramatic event is destined to occur in the years just ahead of us. From reports coming into Charlotte, the Spring Holy Days commemorating the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the need to eliminate sin from our lives have been instructive and inspiring for many. A number have mentioned that the visits of ministers from Charlotte to local congregations were much appreciated. Most of the traveling ministers will be arriving back in the office by this weekend. Last week's Tomorrow's World program by Mr. Meredith, entitled "Does God Heal Today?," has drawn over 4,100 responses so far. The program the previous week by Mr. Ames on "Modern Dangers of the Occult" drew 5,475 responses. Please remember that on-line registration for the 2013 Feast of Tabernacles begins this coming Sunday, April 7 at 12:00 noon (EST).—DSW
Church Administration
Second Passover
The Second Passover this year should be taken shortly after sunset on Tuesday, April 23. This Passover is for those baptized members who were unable to take the first Passover due to unavoidable circumstances. The biblical instructions regarding this ceremony are found in Numbers 9:1-14.
Caribbean Report
My visits to Guyana and Barbados have been successful and productive. I arrived in Georgetown with Mr. and Mrs. Fitzroy Greeman on Wednesday, March 27. Over the next few days, we visited a number of brethren in their homes. It was inspiring to see the faithfulness of long-time members, in spite of various trials they are facing. We also discussed the current problem of the lack of reliable postal service in receiving Church literature. We had 37 in attendance on the Sabbath, with me giving the sermon and Mr. Greeman giving the Bible study.
On Sunday, I flew to Barbados, and my wife joined me, coming from Charlotte. We had 102 on the Last Day of Unleavened Bread. Brethren were warm and friendly, but of course sobered by the recent death of little 3-year old Yden Skeete. During the trip we had a productive visit with Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Skeete, our Elder here in Barbados, and we were also able to have a helpful visit at the Church office. An estimated 225 people attended the funeral for Yden on Wednesday afternoon. It was a touching and meaningful service, and was encouraging to see the support of so many brethren for the parents, Allan and Patricia Skeete. The Skeetes also expressed their appreciation for the prayers over the last few months of so many of their brethren around the world.—Rod McNair
Visit to Australia and New Zealand
My visits to Australia and New Zealand are going well. The first leg of my three-week trip was to Australia, arriving March 21, and Mr. Bruce Tyler and the staff in Adelaide have been most hospitable and helpful. We are looking at ways to harmonize and simplify accounting and reporting in our worldwide offices. Currently, as each area has grown, it has developed its financial control system using different computer programs. For instance, while HQ in Charlotte uses "MS-GP," Australasia uses "BYOB," Canada uses "QuickBooks" and UK uses "Sage." All this has been in the natural process of growth, but these programs don't talk to each other. Smaller offices have developed their own reporting systems. Since the Work is growing around the world, it will be much easier to develop a coordinated system now rather than later. It will be a big project, and it will be important to take into account the needs and resources of the various offices. The first steps are proceeding well so far, but a lot more remains to be done. Also, it has been very interesting and helpful to get to know the staffs better and to better understand how they operate. The Australasia office has a dedicated and hardworking staff.
While in Adelaide, I received a warm and friendly welcome from the brethren and gave sermons on Sabbath and The First Day of Unleavened Bread. The Tylers and the Gills were kind to host me in their homes. And between work activities, I appreciated Mr. Tyler and Mr. Gill showing me around the Adelaide area.
I arrived in Auckland, New Zealand late Friday, March 29, which was the same day that Carolyn and Kinnear Penman returned from their trip to the Philippines. The Penmans and their new assistant, Paul and Lisa Kearns, met me at the airport. The Auckland Church provided a warm welcome, and I gave sermons on Sabbath and The Last Day of Unleavened Bread. The purpose of the trip here is to visit the brethren and learn more about the Work operations in New Zealand. Both the Penmans and Kearns have been hospitable and helpful, and I enjoyed a pleasant dinner at Mr. and Mrs. Penman's home with the Kearns after the Holy Day services. As I write this, I have two more days of activities planned for New Zealand and will begin the long trip back on Thursday, April 4.—Dexter Wakefield
Living Youth Programs
Online Teen Bible Study—Friday Evening
The Bible Study on Friday evening, April 12, will be on "The Mystery of Satan and the Demons" and will be 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 chat room is open at 7:30 p.m. (EST) and the Bible Study runs from 8:00-9:00 p.m. You can access this Bible Study at www.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, "The Mystery of Angels," can also be found on the Living Youth Web site.—Josh Penman
LYC Teen Camp 2013—Camp Lazarus, Delaware, Ohio
This camp is filling up fast! Please send in your applications as soon as possible if you would like to attend.—Sheldon Monson
LYC European Teen Summer Camp—Chevetogne, Belgium
The dates for this year's camp are arrival on Friday, August 16 and departure on Sunday, August 25. The cost for each person attending will be £120 sterling/€150 euros. Accommodation is in a dormitory where also Sabbath services, Bible Studies, meals and sing-alongs will take place. See http://www.domainedechevetogne.be/fr/new_maison_foret.php?style=stylebase, the resort Web site, for more information about the facility.
Schedule permitting, activities will include hiking/orienteering, water-skiing, leather work, music, Bible and Christian education, volleyball, football, badminton, basketball, nature discovery, PowerPoint Presentation skills, speech and initiative training. We have two Sabbaths for relaxation and spiritual instruction, and the week will culminate with a special Sabbath dinner followed by a sing-along.
Application Forms are available from the LCG office in the UK, [email protected], or from Mr. Rees Ellis in Belgium, [email protected]. Camper and staff applications are to be sent to the UK Office with a copy e-mailed to Mr. Rees Ellis.
Feast of Tabernacles 2013
2013 Registration begins Sunday!
Festival Registration for 2013 will begin this Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 12:00 noon (EDT). Please do not make housing reservations until you have been given confirmation of your acceptance to your requested Feast site. If you are registering for your assigned site, you will in most cases be given the "go-ahead" to make housing reservations right after completing registration. If you are transferring to another site, approval may take a little while longer. Thank you for your cooperation and your patience. For those without Internet access, please contact your Festival Advisor for assistance.
To access the Festival Web Site and register for a site, go to: www.fot2013.lcg.org. (You can also access it by going to the Living Church of God Web site (www.lcg.org) and clicking on "Feast of Tabernacles.")—Festival Office
Comments
Real Philadelphia Christians: The Book of Revelation describes Philadelphia Christians as having a strong desire to carry out the mission that Jesus Christ gave to His Church. According to the Scriptures, that mission involves preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to this world and especially to the Israelite nations (Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 10:1-7), warning the world about difficult times that will arise at the end of the age (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21), and preparing a people to reign with Jesus Christ in the coming government of God (Luke 1:17). However, as the name "Philadelphia" means "brotherly love," true Philadelphians will also strive to follow Jesus' admonition to "love one another" (John 15:12-17). They understand that showing unselfish, outgoing concern for others (instead of sitting in judgment of others) is one of the distinguishing marks of a real Philadelphia Christian (John 13:34-35). As we look forward to the Feast of Pentecost, let's all look for ways to show "brotherly love" to others so we can be real Philadelphia Christians.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail