Greetings from Charlotte,
The fall weather and autumn colors have been beautiful here in North Carolina. The American presidential election campaign is building to a crescendo while turmoil spreads in the Middle East, and Europe appears to be coming apart. Positive reports are still coming in about the Feast this year that was attended by more than 9,130 brethren at 50 sites in 32 countries around the world. Here in Charlotte, Mr. Meredith has written a semi-annual letter that will be mailed to more than 370,000 subscribers. He will also tape another new Tomorrow's World program. Mr. Wallace Smith is in Charlotte this week to tape new programs. Last week's Tomorrow's World television program by Mr. Ames, "Seven Keys to Answered Prayer," is expected to draw more than 7,400 responses. This weekend we have seven Tomorrow's World Special Presentations scheduled: in Mississauga, Ontario; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Tyler and Lufkin, Texas; and Dubuque and Davenport, Iowa. Your prayers for these efforts to preach the Gospel to a suffering world are needed and greatly appreciated.—DSW
Church Administration
Tomorrow's World Special Presentations
Dubuque and Davenport, Iowa: Last weekend, Tomorrow's World Special Presentations were given by Mr. Wallace Smith in these two cities. At the Dubuque presentation on the Sabbath, there were 11 visitors and 24 members present, some from the Wisconsin Dells congregation. The next day at Davenport, there were 15 visitors and 17 members present, including two from the Peoria, Illinois congregation. Mr. Smith gave very powerful presentations showing the conditions of this world, especially in this country. Those conditions are greatly caused by the actions of the people rather than the leadership. Choosing the "correct person" in the up-coming election is not going to fix our problems… The question is, now that we know about this, what are we going to do about it? Mr. Smith said that this is the topic of the presentation to be given next week by Mr. Woelfle, titled "Where Is the Church Christ Built?" Great interest was shown by many to come back next week, including at least four who want to come for Church services in Dubuque before the afternoon presentation. We are also expecting a few for the second presentation who were not able to attend the first one. We certainly appreciate the prayers of everyone for these presentations and others around the world!—Irv Woelfle
French-Caribbean Update
Haiti: The brethren in Haiti send warm greetings. On Saturday, September 23, I had the opportunity to conduct a Tomorrow's World Special Presentation in the city of l'Asile, in southern Haiti. There were 99 people in attendance. This group first came into contact with the Worldwide Church of God through Mr. Dibar Apartian's radio broadcast in French, Le Monde à Venir. Although they never attended Church services with our former association, after studying and reading the booklets written by Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, they began to keep the weekly Sabbath, the Passover, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
On Sunday, September 24, a total of 24 people from this group were baptized, and 20 more are presently studying and counseling for baptism. There are 120 people in this group who now attend LCG Sabbath services in l'Asile.
The members of the original congregation near Port-au-Prince are doing very well. They kept the Feast of Tabernacles in the city of Enery, in northern Haiti. A total of 35 were present there. Additionally, 180 from the group that attended the TWSP in Gros Morne last year kept the Feast this year, besides the new group in l'Asile. So a total of 335 people kept the Feast of Tabernacles 2012 in the Republic of Haiti! We are very grateful to God for this growth.
Martinique: The congregations of Martinique and Guadeloupe were deeply moved by the ordination of Mr. Etienne Duval as an elder during the 2012 Feast of Tabernacles in Martinique. Mr. Duval is a long-time member of the Church and has served as a deacon since April 2007.—Wilner Pierre
Dramatic Healings at Feast
Two sisters, Elmyra Cummins, of the Cincinnati, Ohio, congregation and Betsy Anderson, of the Louisville, Kentucky, congregation, experienced very inspirational healings during the Feast in Chattanooga. Both ladies have suffered for many years from Dystonia, which causes painful, unpredictable and uncontrollable muscle contractions. I have seen it happen many times, and the spasms are excruciating to watch, let alone endure. Medical science has not been able to offer these women any relief, and it has gone on for many, many years. However, after being anointed again at the Feast, both ladies were healed within 24 hours of each other—a fact made obvious at the Feast and since by their ability to move freely and dance in a manner that for years was impossible! Everyone in the Cincinnati congregation has been amazed at the obvious difference. There have been many tears of joy shed for these healings which have made such a dramatic difference in their lives. We are very thankful for the mercy that has been shown these ladies by our amazing God, and it has been very uplifting to all of us here in Ohio and Kentucky! Comments from Elmyra Cummins' husband, Jack, follow.—Wallace Smith
One morning when arriving at Chattanooga's Feast site, my wife wanted to be anointed… Mr. Franklin Frye anointed her some nine hours before the dinner dance. Mr. Lambert Greer had anointed Betsy just before the Feast started. My wife and I, and Betsy and her husband Charlie, attended the dinner dance. My wife and I agreed to try a slow dance that was very difficult in times past. Many times I would just hold her in place just to see if we could dance, but this night proved to be something different altogether. After our first slow dance, I realized that something was very different. My wife danced as if there was nothing ever wrong. It caught me off guard and I attributed this wonderful dance to her having a good evening… Charlie and Betsy also walked out onto the dance floor. For the first time in nine years these two were able to dance as husband and wife. Wow! We are talking about a woman that needed a walker all of the time and much medicine to control the pain… She now ran to tell me that my wife was dancing a fast dance with her girlfriend. I couldn't believe my eyes. After 20 years of this disease, my wife displayed incredible physical abilities that night.—Jack Cummins
Transfers: Mr. and Mrs. Rick Stafford will be returning from England to serve congregations in Houston and Beaumont, Texas. Mr. Stafford will replace Dr. Scott Winnail as the Regional Director for the Caribbean congregations. Mr. and Mrs. Adam West will move from the Minneapolis area to England to serve congregations pastored by Mr. Stafford. Mr. Rand Millich will become the pastor of the Minneapolis area congregations.
20th Anniversary Celebration in Charlotte
Plans are moving forward for a spectacular 20th Anniversary Celebration in Charlotte. Don't miss this full weekend of activities, so start your plans to attend now. We plan to have online registration for the activities open by late next week on the MyLCG page. A special group rate of $89 has been negotiated at the Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotel, and this includes a full buffet breakfast for 2 adults. You may go ahead and make your reservations either by telephone or by using the Passkey website set up at https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=10296231 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 also have online registration for the teams in the next week or so. Please note that all teams must have a minimum of 7 players, and we are limiting the basketball tournament to a maximum of 8 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. See our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LcgCharlotteWinterWeekend/events, for more information and available updates. We hope many of you can join us for a "December to Remember"!—Jim Meredith
Kansas City Family Weekend – Repeat Announcement
Mark your calendars! The Kansas City Family Weekend will be December 28-30. We will be hosting a Bible Study on Friday evening; services, meal, fun show and dance on Saturday; and sports and family games on Sunday. The theme this year is "Through the Ages."
If you would like updates on the details of the weekend as they become available, please "like" us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/lcgkcweekend (not an official Church social media page) or request to follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lcgkcweekend (not an official Church social media page).—Michael Keesee
"Down on the Farm Weekend" in Knox, Indiana
Put on those ole blue jeans and cowboy boots, and take a ride out to the country, where the Knox, Indiana congregation will be celebrating the "Down On The Farm Weekend" on November 9-11 with a Bible Study Friday evening; Sabbath services in the afternoon; and a good country dinner, hayrides, bon-fire and other activities Saturday night. There will be farm animals to enjoy, tractors to drive, and a tour of a peppermint distillery, where the mint oil is extracted from the mint plant. We hope you can attend and enjoy the country setting of the "Down On The Farm Weekend"! For more information you can contact Todd Lawrence by e-mail at [email protected], or by phone at 574-220-0929.—Todd Lawrence
Feast of Tabernacles 2012
2012 Festival Survey: Now that everyone is home from the Feast, we would like to remind brethren to fill out the online feedback form, if you have not already completed one. This information is invaluable for future festival planning. You can access the online form at http://fotsurvey.lcg.org. Thank you!—Festival Office
Living Youth Programs
Teen Bible Study—Sunday Evening
This Sunday evening the topic is "Abigail: A Woman of Wisdom and Beauty," presented by Mr. Sheldon Monson. 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.
Comments
Are you Positive or Negative? The Apostle Paul urged Christians to focus on the positive and to avoid grumbling and complaining (Philippians 2:14; 4:8). He also noted the tendency of the Israelites to murmur about their leaders (1 Corinthians 10:10; see Deuteronomy 1:27). When Moses sent 12 men to scout the Promised Land, only two gave positive reports that their mission was possible, while ten gave negative reports that it would be too difficult and could not be done—which discouraged the people (Numbers 13-14). Because the Israelites refused to trust God, they had to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. We need to remember that "with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26), and that it is Satan who "broadcasts" attitudes of doubt and discouragement (Ephesians 2:2; Matthew 14:28-31). To be positive, we need to trust God (John 14:1) and ask Him to guide us and strengthen our faith (Luke 17:5; James 1:2-8) so He can use us to accomplish His purposes and finish His Work!
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—October 25, 2012
Abandoning U.S. Dollar for China's Yuan: A growing number of nations want to replace the dollar as the world's reserve currency. "Every time there is an international economic summit, it seems that some Chinese mandarin reiterates the now familiar complaint that the greenback needs to be replaced as the world's de facto reserve currency" (Time, July 21, 2009). "Since the global financial crisis… more nations, especially emerging economies, see the yuan as the main reference currency when setting their exchange rate" (China Daily, October 24, 2012). Even Germany is interested: "Germany and China plan to conduct an increasing amount of their trade in euros and yuan…" (Reuters, August 30, 2012). The Royal Bank of Scotland "expects a growing number of foreign companies and governments to issue bonds in the Chinese currency as they become 'more confident' with the renminbi as an international currency" (Bloomberg, October 11, 2012). The dollar has been a blessing to the U.S. and the world, yet due to disobedience to God's laws, the "pride" of American power is being broken (Leviticus 26:19). Few connect the "falling" dollar with the promotion of homosexual marriage, abortion rights, sexual immorality, and other national sins. Yet the Bible warns, "God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Galatians 6:7). If the United States continues on its sinful course, God will bring the dollar "lower" and allow foreign currencies to rise "higher" (Deuteronomy 28:43)—what we see today as nations consider abandoning the dollar for the yuan. For more information on this vital topic, request our free booklet, The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.
A Hungrier World Looms: The UN warns that "World grain reserves are so dangerously low that severe weather in the United States or other food-exporting countries could trigger a major hunger crisis next year" (The Observer, October 13, 2012). "In a shocking new assessment of the prospects of meeting food needs, Lester Brown, president of the Earth policy research centre in Washington, says that the climate is no longer reliable and the demands for food are growing so fast that a breakdown is inevitable, unless urgent action is taken" (ibid.). "We are entering a new era of rising food prices and spreading hunger. Food supplies are tightening everywhere and land is becoming the most sought-after commodity as the world shifts from an age of food abundance to one of scarcity." "The geopolitics of food is fast overshadowing the geopolitics of oil." Brown continued, "We are beginning a new chapter. We will see food unrest in many more places" (ibid.). Although a billion people are hungry in the world, many still have plenty of food. This has lulled many into a false sense of security. The Bible has long predicted that famines and food shortages will precede the return of Jesus Christ to this earth (Matthew 24:7). Food will become so scarce that people will need a day's wages to buy a day's food (Revelation 6:5-6). Ultimately, this scarcity will lead to unprecedented, world-wide fatalities (v. 8). For more information on the fulfillment of Bible prophecies, be sure to review our free booklet, Revelation: The Mystery Unveiled!
Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage in New Zealand Almost Complete: The "Marriage Equality" bill that seeks to redefine marriage to include a union between two members of the same sex, overwhelmingly passed its first Parliamentary reading. NZ Prime Minister, John Key, one of the bill's supporters, described the result as exciting and told media sources that it was "a strong endorsement for the equality of rights" (New Zealand News, August 30, 2012). However, Mr. Key admitted that the debate will grow louder and "quite ferocious" as the bill progresses. Since a strong majority of Parliamentarians supports the bill, it will almost certainly get safely through its remaining stages and become law (ibid.). While many have labeled this bill as a positive initiative that leads to "equal rights," God does not mince words regarding what He thinks about homosexuality. He calls it "vile" and unnatural (Romans 1:26-27) and an "abomination" (Leviticus 18:22) because it totally corrupts what marriage pictures—the union between Jesus Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:22-32). Many do not understand the gravity of what they are promoting. Jesus Christ is going to return, and with the saints, will restore the knowledge of God's true way of life (see Isaiah 30:19-22; Acts 3:19-21). Read our booklet, The World Ahead: What Will It Be Like? to glimpse just how different the soon-coming World Ahead will be.—Scott Winnail, Justin Ridgeway, James Bennett and Paul Kearns