Greetings from Charlotte,
The northeastern portions of the United States and Canada are surveying the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. The devastation caused by this huge storm is described as "enormous… staggering… catastrophic… towns battered beyond recognition"—and the monetary cost could exceed $50 billion (U.S.)! Reports from our ministers in the affected areas indicate that our brethren fared pretty well during this disaster. Today we are seeing more and more events of truly biblical proportions! Here in Charlotte, Mr. Meredith has been writing. Mr. Ames is filming a new television program today. Mr. Hernandez has returned from an extended trip visiting brethren in seven Central and South American countries. Last week's Tomorrow's World program by Mr. Wallace Smith entitled "Doomsday in 2012?" is expected to draw more than 7,300 responses. The Tomorrow's World Special Presentations in Ontario, Minnesota, Iowa and East Texas were very encouraging and drew more than 220 visitors. Follow-up presentations are scheduled this coming weekend in Ontario, Minnesota and East Texas. Mr. Rod King reports that he is planning TWSPs in Ethiopia and Nigeria for the weekend of December 8-9 of this year. Your prayers will be appreciated for these presentations and for the people in areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy.—DSW
Church Administration
Tomorrow's World Special Presentations
Nairobi, Kenya: Mr. Rod King held a Tomorrow's World Special Presentation at the Nairobi Polytechnic University on October 13, the Sabbath after the Feast. His topic was "Africa in Prophecy" and 12 visitors attended, along with 29 members, for a total of 41. The following Sabbath, Mr. Simon Muthama gave a follow-up presentation on "Why Keep the Sabbath?" One of the 12 visitors at the first TWSP returned to hear his presentation, as well as five more new people, making a total of 17 new people attending the two events.—Rod King
Tyler and Lufkin, Texas: This past weekend, two successful TWSPs were given by Dr. Douglas Winnail in the Texas cities of Tyler and Lufkin. A combined total of 75 visitors (48 in Tyler and 27 in Lufkin) came to hear Dr. Winnail's presentation on "The Gathering Storm." The excellent presentation evoked a very positive response from our visitors. All seemed genuinely thankful and some were visibly shaken, with tears in their eyes, to hear the Truth. Most remained after the presentation to enjoy refreshments and fellowshipping with the brethren. Some commented that they plan to return for the follow-up presentation.—Dan Hall
Minneapolis, Minnesota: Seventy-two guests joined 57 members for a TWSP conducted by Mr. Rod McNair on Saturday, October 27 in Minneapolis. The topic, "The Gathering Storm," drew a number of individuals who were interested and excited to learn more concerning end-time events and what they can do now to prepare spiritually… We are grateful to God for blessing this first presentation. We look forward with anticipation and hope to the follow-up presentation and continuing conversations with those whose interest in the Work and the Church has deepened.
—Adam West
Dubuque and Davenport, Iowa: The follow-up TWSPs in these two Iowa cities were very well received by a total of 14 visitors. Mr. Irv Woelfle presented clear evidence from both the Bible and secular history for identifying the Church which Jesus Christ built. He also made it very clear that it really does matter which church a person attends. From their response, it is very likely that a few of the visitors will start to attend services.—Irv Woelfle
20th Anniversary Celebration in Charlotte
Online registration for this weekend of activities will be open sometime Friday, November 2! For more detailed information and to register, go to your MyLCG page on the www.cogl.org Web site. We need everyone planning on attending to register for the various activities they plan to participate in. At this time only online registration is available.
A special group rate of $89 has been negotiated at the host hotel, the Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotel, and this includes a full buffet breakfast for two adults. You may go ahead and make your reservations by using the hotel's Passkey Web site which is found at https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=10296231. It has been set up specifically for our group.
For those of you planning to play in the basketball or volleyball tournaments, please get your teams together now. We will have online registration for the teams in the next week or so. Please note that all teams must have a minimum of seven players, and we are limiting the basketball tournament 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. For more information and available updates, see our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LcgCharlotteWinterWeekend/events (not an official Church social media page). We hope many of you can join us for a "December to Remember"!—Jim Meredith
Kansas City Family Weekend
The Kansas City Family Weekend is less than two months away! The event Web site is filled with pertinent details of the weekend. Please visit http://lcgkc.org/kcweekend (*) to register for the weekend and view event and housing information. We are asking each person to pay $10 apiece up to $40 per family. Details for payment, including PayPal options, are on the Web site. If you cannot afford the cost, please come anyway!
The theme for this year's fun show and dance is "Through the Ages." Dress up in your favorite fashions of a decade in the 20th century. Please stay within the styles that would have been worn by CHURCH BRETHREN at the time, i.e. modest and tasteful, and do not wear the flashy or grungy clothing of the counter-culture.
For entertainment before the dance, the "Through the Ages" Radio Show will "broadcast" timeless songs, skits and fun for all ages. We are looking for participants for the radio show. If you can sing, play, or perform a skit from a period of the last 110 years, please visit the Web site http://lcgkc.org/kcweekend (*) and click "Fun Show" to sign up.
Details about Sunday's activities, including the basketball and volleyball tournaments, are forthcoming. Please begin thinking about who you'd like on your team. Final details and team registration will be available within the next week.
"Like" us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/lcgkcweekend (**) or request to follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lcgkcweekend (**) for more up-to-the-minute updates. If you do not have internet access and would like more information on the weekend, please call Michael Keesee at 816-847-5635. We look forward to seeing you soon! —Michael Keesee
* not an official Church Web site
** not an official Church social media page
Living Youth Programs
Teen Bible Study—Sunday Evening
This Sunday evening the topic is "Paul: Strength Through Weakness," presented by Mr. Phil Sena. 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 http://www.livingyouth.org.
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 now seeking applicants for on-site students to study full-time in Charlotte, beginning in the fall semester of 2013. We hope to have several new male and female students with us beginning in August! Applications can be initiated online through the university Web site. Additional details and requirements can also be found online, as can an estimate of costs associated with on-site study. We also plan to have housing available for on-site students this fall. With our on-site students, we are also looking for individuals who might have skills they can use to contribute to the Work or University, through part-time work study. We have work study opportunities available in several areas. If you are interested in on-site LU study and also have interests and/or skills, please contact us. At this time we can only accept on-site students from the U.S. Our hope is to expand this opportunity to international students in future years. Students interested should plan to have their applications completed and submitted by February 2013. Those with no previous college should submit college entrance test scores (GRE or SAT) along with other application materials and should plan to take that examination before the end of this year. You can find out more about these exams through a local high school guidance office or local community college or university testing service. If you have questions about on-site study or to find out more, please call or e-mail Dr. Scott Winnail at 704-708-2292 or [email protected].
Comments
Signs of the Times: When Jesus was asked by His disciples about what signs would indicate His return was near, He warned that in addition to spreading wars and violence, the world would see increasing reports of major natural disasters: famines, pestilences, earthquakes in various places, and "fearful sights" that will shock the sensibilities of modern peoples and build to a crescendo at the end of the age (see Matthew 24:3-7; Luke 21:7-11). The recent "monster storm"—Hurricane Sandy—that tore through the Caribbean and slammed into the heavily populated Eastern Seaboard of the United States fits the description of events that Jesus predicted would precede His return. The "record" fourteen-foot flood surge that inundated lower Manhattan, the devastated shorelines of New York and New Jersey and the millions left without electric power across the Northeastern United States and Canada are sobering witness to the catastrophic damage caused by just one storm. God warned that He would bring such devastating events—disaster after disaster—on His chosen people if they turned away from Him (see Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28, and especially Ezekiel 7). We are witnessing prophecies coming alive, and we need to be alert to the signs of the times!
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—November 1, 2012
Lessons from Hurricane Sandy: "Superstorm Sandy" roared through the Caribbean last week taking 68 lives and leaving food shortages in the island nation of Haiti (MSNBC.com and BBC.com, October 31, 2012). Sandy then plowed into the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S., killing dozens more and causing billions of dollars in damage. As a result of the storm, more than 8 million customers lost electric power and more than 15,000 airline flights were cancelled. Another 90,000 electric customers in Ontario and Quebec were left without power. Reflecting on the devastation across his state, New Jersey governor Chris Christie commented: "I never thought I'd see what I saw today… We will rebuild it. No question in my mind, we'll rebuild it…But for those of us who are my age, it won't be the same. It will be different because many of the iconic things that made it what it was are now gone and washed into the ocean" (CNN.com, October 30, 2012). The record fourteen-foot storm surge that inundated New York City filled subways with water. Over three feet of snow fell in the West Virginia mountains and major flooding is expected as it melts (Infowars.com, October 31, 2012). Hurricane Sandy is just one storm, but it's had a devastating impact on a major population center of the U.S. that is not accustomed to such weather. However, Bible prophecies indicate that Hurricane Sandy is just a "foretaste" of what is yet to come. Long ago, God warned that the cities of modern Israelite nations would be destroyed if these nations turned away from His laws (Leviticus 26:31)—which is what we are witnessing today! Hurricane Sandy illustrates the sobering scale of disasters that will become more frequent as we draw closer to the end of the age. Jesus Christ warned that major disasters will precede His second coming (Matthew 24:4-14). Thankfully, God will not destroy humanity. His desire is that human beings repent and begin to obey His laws. When this happens, disasters like this "superstorm" will recede into the pages of history and be no more (Leviticus 26:1-13). For more information about future world events, request our free booklet Prophecy Fulfilled: God's Hand in World Affairs.
Germany's Rising Influence: Germany's international influence is growing economically and militarily. With the United States reducing its foreign involvement in the Middle East and Africa, and the threat of Islam increasing by the day, Germany is emerging as a new force for peace on the world stage. Recently, German Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, led other EU foreign ministers in enforcing tough sanctions on Syria and Iran. "Following efforts in recent months to diffuse what diplomats see as a major threat to peace and stability in the Middle East—Iran's alleged possession of nuclear weapons—foreign ministers from the European Union agreed to adopt new financial and trade sanctions against the country" (Deutsche Welle, October 15, 2012). "European Union governments tightened sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad" due to his "government's violence against rebels, agreeing [to] new restrictions against the country's arms industry and other measures" (Reuters, October 15, 2012). The Germans have also increased their military presence in the Middle East, and Africa. They have more than 4500 combat troops in Afghanistan, and have multiple African Military Training Centers led by Germany and the EU to help African nations fight terrorism. One German-led mission is in Uganda, training Somalis to effectively fight against the Somali terror group Al-Shabaab. "Their mission is to give the Somali army a backbone. To that end, the European Union has sent them to Bihanga in the southwestern corner of Uganda, together with 65 fellow soldiers from 12 other European countries" (Der Spiegel, October 22, 2012). Bible prophecy reveals that at the end of the age, Germany will lead a European Beast power that will dominate the world economically and militarily (Isaiah 10:5-14; Revelation 13:1-4; 17:12-14). As we watch the United States slowly pull away from its world leadership role, we will see Germany forced to assume a bigger role on the world stage, without even seeking to do so (Isaiah 10:7). For more information about Germany's role in the future, read or request our reprint article, "Resurgent Germany: A Fourth Reich?"—Scott Winnail and Justin Ridgeway