Greetings from Charlotte,
Just as the ancient Roman Senate was hopelessly divided in the days before the downfall of the Republic, American lawmakers in Washington seem hopelessly locked in a major struggle over money that threatens the future of the American Republic. Elsewhere in the world, suffering continues. This week a major typhoon tore through the Philippines, killing hundreds and causing untold damage and suffering (see report below). In Egypt, attempts by the Muslim Brotherhood to take control of the country have led to violent confrontations between the government and large segments of the population. The so-called "Arab Spring" has launched important events that will probably lead to the emergence of the long-prophesied King of the South. Here in Charlotte, Mr. Meredith has held a number of meetings this week. Mr. Meredith's recent program entitled "What Happens after Death?" drew more than 6,235 responses. Mr. Ames' program last week, "Vital Keys to Bible Study," should draw more than 6,800 responses. Tomorrow's World Presentations last weekend in the Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania drew more than 200 visitors. This weekend, Mr. Rod King will make TWPs in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Lagos, Nigeria. Mr. Sheldon Monson will do a follow-up presentation in the Harrisburg area. Please pray that God will continue to bless these important efforts to preach the Gospel.—DSW
Church Administration
Tomorrow's World Presentations
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Last weekend, Dr. Douglas Winnail presented "The Gathering Storm" in Harrisburg, PA. A total of 61 were in attendance; 20 of those present were guests. Several had ties to the Church of God in the past, others were brand new. God has blessed us with a new congregation in Harrisburg, so to have 20 new guests was very encouraging! Our first meeting in Harrisburg was held in June, the second in July, and we began holding weekly Sabbath Services in August. The members of the Harrisburg congregation were delighted to see members from the Baltimore and Winchester congregations who traveled up to support this effort. The presentation went from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and those present enjoyed food and fellowship for at least another 2 hours! The follow-up presentation has been planned for this coming weekend on Sunday morning beginning at 10:00 a.m. The topic will be "Where Is the Church Christ Built?" —Sheldon Monson
Typhoon in the Philippines
For decades, we never had devastating storms in Davao and nearby areas, but yesterday Typhoon Pablo left tragedies beyond expectation and affected our brethren in Comval Province. Our member in Monkayo texted me yesterday morning that the wind was very strong, coupled with heavy rain. Minutes later, the roof of his house started to blow away, so he, his wife, and their three children quickly left the building and took shelter under a sturdy coconut tree. Soaked by the rain, they saw their house with all their belongings flattened to the ground by falling coconut trees. Another member in Compostela texted me that their house was completely destroyed by strong winds and rain. We have three homes of Church members totally destroyed, two buildings with damaged roofs and walls, and two homes leaning on their sides. As of now we are not aware of any casualties. Uprooted trees are strewn everywhere and block the roads. Bridges are smashed by the raging overflowing rivers and streams. According to the news reports, 95 percent of Comval Province experienced strong winds and inundations of water, damaging crops like bananas, rice and corn, and electricity is still completely out everywhere… We have prepared some foodstuffs, some clothing, and blankets or mats for the brethren there. Tomorrow at sunrise we will leave to go see them. We can assess the extent of damages and relate it to our Regional Pastor, and determine how we can help them clean up from the mess and give some comfort in their losses.—Felipe Casing
20th Anniversary Celebration in Charlotte—Must Read
The 20th Anniversary Celebration in Charlotte is now only two weeks away! To all who have registered, thank you very much! If you plan to attend and haven't registered, we really need you to do so as soon as possible. To register for the various activities and for activity payment instructions, go to your MyLCG page on the www.cogl.org Web site. If you do not have Internet access, your local Festival Advisor may register for you.
PLEASE NOTE: menus for the dinner dance are on the "Overview and Schedule" page. All adults already registered for the dinner need to go back into their registration and choose their entrée as soon as possible. Payment for the dinner and indoor climbing activity must be received by December 17.
A special group rate of $89 has been negotiated at the host hotel, the Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotel. This rate includes a full buffet breakfast for two adults. (Additional breakfasts are $14 plus tax for ages 13 and up and $7 plus tax for children ages 5-12. Children under 5 are free.) Reservations may be made at the hotel's Passkey Web site: https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=10296231. You may also make reservations by calling the hotel directly at 704-357-1414 and identifying yourself as being with the Living Church of God.
For those planning to play in the basketball or volleyball tournaments, please get your teams together and complete the online registration by this Monday, December 10. Please note that all teams must have a minimum of seven players and that the basketball tournament is being limited to a maximum of eight teams. There will be a fee of $25 per team (basketball only) to help pay for the referees. We will also have free play courts available for anyone not on a team. Please see our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LcgCharlotteWinterWeekend/events for more information and updates. If you are looking for teammates or roommates, you may post your request on the Facebook page.
For those of you planning to participate in the indoor climbing activity at Inner Peaks Climbing Center on Monday afternoon, you must complete their online liability waiver at http://innerpeaks.com/e-waiver as well as the Church's Participation Agreement, prior to the event. Those under 18 will need a parent or legal guardian's signature before they can participate. Please note: Those with bad backs or other similar injuries should not participate due to the strenuous and jarring nature of the activity.
We look forward to seeing you in Charlotte for a "December to Remember!"—Jim Meredith
Kansas City Family Weekend
Deadlines for the Kansas City Weekend are coming up soon! The deadline for reserving a hotel room at the Sleep Inn is next Saturday night, December 15. The deadline to register a sports team is the following Monday, December 17. Also, there is very limited space to stay with brethren at this point, so register soon! We appreciate all those who've signed up and paid their registration already. If you haven't already done so, please visit the event Web site at lcgkc.org/kcweekend (not an official Church Web site) to register for the weekend and to view event and housing information. We are asking each person to pay $10, or up to $40 per family. PayPal options are on the Web site. Or you can make a check out to "Local Church Activity Fund" and send it to: John Wells, 2329 Lake Breeze Ln., Lee's Summit, MO 64086. If you cannot afford the cost, please come anyway!
Services and all activities on Friday night and Saturday will be held at the Liberty Community Center in Liberty, MO: 1600 Withers Road. We will have a Friday night Bible Study beginning at 7:00 p.m. Services on Saturday will begin at 1:00 p.m. We will be serving taco salad with all the fixings for dinner after services. Or if you'd prefer, there are plenty of options for restaurants in the area. After the meal, we'll be having a fun show and dance.
The theme for this year's fun show and dance is "Through the Ages." Dress up in your favorite fashions of any decade in the 20th century. Remember, you don't have to dress in "church clothes," but the tasteful styles that might have been worn by Church brethren during a specific decade in the 1900s. Of course, casual wear, including jeans, is acceptable. For entertainment before the dance, the "Through the Ages" Radio Show will "broadcast" timeless songs, skits and fun for all ages. While we are starting to get a few acts in, we would love to add YOUR talents, too! If you care to share, please visit the Web site and click "Fun Show" to sign up. If you can perform or put a spin on a song, comedy routine, famous radio broadcasts or even commercials of the 1900s, please sign up.
On Sunday, all activities will be held at the Okun Fieldhouse in Shawnee, Kansas, where we've held them in the past: 20200 Johnson Drive. There will be basketball, volleyball and a fitness class as well as children's games and plenty of time and space for fellowshipping and other activities. Team sign-up is available on the Web site. You must be registered for the weekend to sign up for the Sunday activities. Every team is guaranteed to play a minimum of three games. Again, the deadline to sign up is December 17. The tournaments will follow similar formats as in the past. However, volleyball will be separated into two distinct tournaments: one will be for recreational teams—or casual play—and the other for those who play regularly—or competitive teams. The format of the basketball tournament will be determined by how many teams sign up. As we did last year, we are hiring referees, so we'll be charging a set fee to each basketball team to offset that cost.
For more up-to-the-minute updates, you can "Like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lcgkcweekend* or request to follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/lcgkcweekend*. If you do not have Internet access and would like more information about the weekend, please call Michael Keesee at 816-847-5635. We look forward to seeing you soon!—Michael Keesee
* not an official Church social media page
Attention Pastors and Online Attendance-Recorders
We are grateful for the attendance growth with which God is blessing the Living Church of God. Through October, worldwide Sabbath service attendance is up 4 percent in 2012 over the same ten-month period in 2011. In order to provide timely attendance reports for Dr. Meredith, it is important that attendance is recorded within one week after each weekly Sabbath or annual Holy Day service, as well as other Church-related events (preferably on or before the first working day after the service/event). For more information and instructions on inputting online attendance, please see an updated "Instructions for Reporting Attendance" found on the MyLCG Web site (www.cogl.org) under the "Church Attendance" link. Thank you for your service in this way.
Attention Pastors and DVD Video Recipients—Downloadable FTP Sermons
We are currently implementing a way to get sermons to local areas faster and also reduce shipping costs. This is a new, optional program whereby the Video Recipient can download the recorded sermons (in DVD and CD formats) from a secure Web site location. Then the sermon can be copied to DVD(s) or CD(s), or played from a computer. If any Video Recipients are interested in receiving HQ sermons this way, please contact your Area Pastor (or Regional Pastor, if in an international area) who will e-mail [email protected] to let the Mail Processing Department know. MPD will then send you an e-mail with instructions, password information, and a "download manager" suggestion that will speed up the download process, as well as help to manage the download process. Please note, the sermon videos are large files, so to utilize this service, you will need to have high-speed Internet access. Again, this is an optional service that should save the Church money, and should also let us get sermons out much more quickly (especially when shipping internationally). However, we only want you to try this new download option if it is convenient for you. Thank you to those who can do this, and thanks to all of you again, for giving of your time and energy to serve God's people.
Living Youth Programs
Teen Bible Study—Sunday Evening
This Sunday evening the topic is "Job: Learning To See God," presented by Mr. Rod McNair. The chat room is open at 6:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) and the Bible Study runs from 7:00-8:00 p.m. You can access this Bible Study at www.livingyouth.org.
Living University
Living University—Registration for Second Semester
Registration for second semester classes is now underway. Classes will begin January 16, 2013 and students may register anytime between now and January 16. For those who have never taken a Living University course, you will need to enroll in the University first, and then register for your selected course. The following are brief descriptions of several courses being offered next semester. A complete listing of "Spring Semester" courses (spring in the northern hemisphere), can also be viewed on the Living University Web site under the link "Spring 2013 Class Schedule." To make application to Living University, to register for courses, and to find out more, please visit the www.livinguniv.com Web site. For additional information, please contact Mrs. Michelle Broussard at [email protected] or 704-708-2294.
THL 226: Christian Leadership. This course deals with the principles of Christian leadership and service. It takes an in-depth look at important aspects of Christian character that God wants all His servants to develop and analyzes why God views these areas as essential for those whom He has called. Topics include foundations of leadership, leadership skills, challenges facing leaders and case studies of great leaders of the Bible and secular history. The course also draws conclusions about leadership from studying The Leadership Style of Jesus.
THL 250: Introduction to Biblical Doctrines. This foundational course taught by Mr. Richard F. Ames presents an overview of many of the basic doctrines taught by the Living Church of God. Through a review of Scripture as well as past and present Church literature, Evangelist Richard Ames gives students a broad and basic understanding of what the Church believes and why it believes as it does. Upon completion of the course, a student should be able to recognize fundamental biblical doctrines, demonstrate an understanding of those doctrines' implications for Christian belief and conduct, and show basic competence in explaining those doctrines. This is a critical course for all believers.
THL 344: Christian Women. This new course attends to the unique role in life that a Christian woman fills, with special emphasis on qualities relevant to the life and work of the Christian woman in the Church. Selected topics include the lives and examples of outstanding women of the Bible and the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual issues affecting all Christian women, including the practical and biblical methods of dealing with them.
Human Resources
Employment Opportunity: Please review and announce the following job opening.
TV Production Manager
Job Description
The TV Production Manager will have the following responsibilities:
- Manage various video productions, personnel, editing suites, and various audio / video related equipment and software for the Living Church of God
- Manage and produce televised productions, and manage related workflows and schedules
- Manage a TV studio and its related equipment and materials
Requirements
- Minimum of an Associate's Degree in Film / Video Production is required; a Bachelor's Degree or higher is preferred
- Several years of TV production management is required
- Demonstrated knowledge of video editing software is required (i.e. Avid Media Composer – PC)
- Demonstrated experience with digital video cameras and hardware is required; as well as experience filming and editing in HD for broadcast TV
- Demonstrated knowledge of Windows and Mac systems required
- Have knowledge and experience managing and producing televised productions—including specific knowledge of all aspects of audio / video production, including: filming, editing, Avid Unity media management, closed captioning, duplication, and various methods of distribution
- Have experience managing a TV studio, its personnel, and its related equipment and materials
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, NC. 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. Email: [email protected]; FAX: 704-844-1973.
Comments
Are You a Peacemaker? We live in a world that is torn by strife, jealousy and conflict, between individuals, within families and between nations. Yet, Jesus Christ emphasized a fundamental aspect of Christianity when He told His disciples, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matthew 5:9). The Apostle Paul advised brethren in Rome that Christians should do all they can to "live peaceably with all men" (Romans 12:17-21). Paul explained that we can become peacemakers by not seeking revenge, by not mistreating others when we are mistreated and by overcoming evil with good. Solomon wisely observed that gossip and griping generates strife—which ceases when gossip and complaining stop (Proverbs 26:20-22). Solomon also wrote, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" (Proverbs 15:1). Jesus warned that reacting with angry accusations to a brother or sister is the same as murder, because it breaks the spirit of the law (Matthew 5:21-26). One important lesson that we must learn as Christians is that peace comes when we follow and learn to apply the laws of God—as David wrote, "Great peace have those who love Your law" (Psalm 119:165).
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—December 6, 2012
Continuing Conflict Over Jerusalem: When the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, announced that the United Nations had upgraded the Palestinians to non-member observer status he asserted, "One day, a young Palestinian will raise the Palestinian flag over Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the state of Palestine" (israelnationalnews.com, December 2, 2012). However, within 24 hours of the U.N. decision, Israel announced it would begin construction of 3,000 new housing units in disputed areas around Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. From the Palestinian point of view, this announcement is seen as an "act of Israeli aggression" on the part of Israel. However, the Israelis counter that the announcement is just part of a "comprehensive settlement plan" and "according to Israel's strategic interests" (israelnationalnews.com, November 30, 2012 ). Bible prophecies have long warned that conflict over the Holy Land will erupt in its final form just before Jesus Christ returns to this earth. In fact, Jesus Himself warned, "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near... And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (Luke 21:7-24). We appear to be moving closer to that prophesied time. See our booklet, The Middle East in Prophecy for more details.
Bacteria in Pork Raises Concerns: Consumer Reports magazine recently tested pork from U.S. markets and farmers. In the study, "pork-chop and ground-pork samples from around the U.S. found that yersinia enterocolitica, a bacterium that can cause fever, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, was widespread. Some samples harbored other potentially harmful bacteria, including salmonella… Some of the bacteria we found in 198 samples proved to be resistant to antibiotics commonly used to treat people. The frequent use of low-dose antibiotics in pork farming may be accelerating the growth of drug-resistant 'superbugs' that threaten human health" (Consumer Reports, January, 2013). "When you give low-dose antibiotics for growth promotion or for prophylaxis of infection, you end up killing off the susceptible bacteria… And you continue to select for those bacteria that, through spontaneous mutations or transfer of genes from other resistant bacteria, allow them to be resistant to antibiotics" (ibid.). Long ago, God revealed health laws that separated the animals into "clean" (to be eaten) and "unclean" (not to be eaten) categories (Genesis 7:2; Leviticus 20:25). He labeled the pig as "unclean" and commanded that it not be eaten (Leviticus 11:7; Deuteronomy 14:8). God's laws benefit us and can prolong our lives (Deuteronomy 5:33). When His laws are broken, there is suffering (Job 4:8). Over time, science has revealed the importance of these laws and why they were given. For more information on this subject, see the article, "Do You Really Want to Eat That?"
EU Aims To Erase Gender Stereotypes: The European Parliament's Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality recently submitted a report calling for a ban on "Books which portray 'traditional' images of mothers caring for their children or fathers going out to work" (Mail Online, November 7, 2012). The "EU report claims that 'gender stereotyping' in schools influences the perception of the way boys and girls should behave and damages women's career opportunities in the future" (ibid.). Proponents of the report highlight the supposed injustices posed by children's exposure to gender stereotyped literature and TV shows. However, opponents claim such actions would result in the banning of much classic children's literature. Despite society's increasing outcry against traditional roles for males and females, the Bible clearly reveals that God designed gender roles for our benefit. God also warned that as the end of the age approaches, more people will condemn the traditional roles of parents: "In you they have made light of father and mother…" (Ezekiel 22:7). The Bible reveals that Satan "deceives the whole world" (Revelation 12:9) and people love to have it so (Jeremiah 5:31). Thankfully, Jesus Christ is going to return to the earth and establish His perfect Kingdom on this earth. At that time, He will restore all things (Acts 3:19-21), including the traditional family roles He created long ago. For more information concerning God's instructions about the family and gender, read our informative booklet, Successful Parenting: God's Way.—Scott Winnail, Adrian Käfer, and Justin Ridgeway