Greetings from Charlotte,
The nation of Israel is taking the threat of attack from Iran seriously. The Israeli government this week began testing a new SMS (cell phone texting) early warning system, to alert the public in the event of a missile attack. Be sure to read Dr. Meredith's powerful co-worker letter—being sent out today to more than 11,000 co-workers—with more details about the growing threat of war in the Middle East. We are in momentous times! In the meantime, we must do our Father's Work, while we yet have time. At least 5,500 responses came in last week for the telecast by Dr. Meredith, entitled, "Answered Prayer." Two new Living University students arrived on campus this week, and have been getting to know the staff and settling in. Last week two Tomorrow's World Special Presentations were delivered, with a total of 48 visitors, and four are scheduled for this week. Dr. Douglas Winnail is visiting the Teen Camp in Ohio, along with Mr. and Mrs. Jim Meredith. The camp is going very well this year (see announcement below). Feast of Tabernacles speaking schedules are now being sent out, in preparation for the Feast of Tabernacles—which is just a little over six weeks away!—RMc
Church Administration
The Gilchrist family thanks all of you for your prayers, love and concern. Our dearly loved son and brother, Kyle, died Monday night, August 6. Please understand that we are struggling with the shock and reality of losing Kyle, so we may not be able to take every phone call, or answer every e-mail. We are deeply touched and comforted by the overwhelming expression of your love and prayers. We are so humbled that Kyle's life touched so many so positively.
The memorial service was held this past Sabbath in Dallas, with more than 200 attending.
Condolences can be sent to:
Gilchrist/Kemp
5700 Poole Drive
The Colony, TX 75056
Thank you from all of us,
Glen, Diane and Allison Gilchrist
Laurel, Ryan and Vivian Kemp
Tomorrow's World Special Presentation
Concord, New Hampshire: A Great Blessing for New England's "North Country!" For many years the northern part of New England, lovingly known as the "North Country," has had very small congregations of the Living Church of God. During the past year, however, God has been blessing us with good growth. This was evident last weekend, when Concord, New Hampshire, held its very first TWSP. Thirty-six guests, along with 21 members for a total of 57, arrived to hear Mr. Jonathan McNair give a very inspiring presentation that left the attendees extremely excited and asking many questions.
Six people were inspired to ask if they could start attending our local Sabbath services in New Hampshire. A family of three plans to attend our services across the border in Maine. Additionally, six others have invited me to visit them in their home over the next two weeks. Another family of three invited me to their home for dinner in order to learn more about our Church!
Many others wanted to attend our TWSP in Concord, but could not make it at this time. They are planning to attend our presentation in Bangor, Maine in November.—James Arnaldo
Spanish Update
Healing: We are happy to share the good news that one of our members in El Salvador, Irma Castro, was recently healed of an illness called "dry eye syndrome," from which she had been suffering for five years. She had requested prayers from the brethren a few days ago and Mr. Schaubeck anointed her last Sunday. Since then, she no longer has the problem. We are grateful to God for His intervention.
Mexico Youth Camp 2012: We thank the Creator of the Universe for the great blessing of having such a successful camp. For six days, 32 campers and six adults from different parts of the Mexican Republic enjoyed an inspiring summer camp. Mr. Mora directed the camp in San Joaquin, Queretaro, a little town in central Mexico where the economy is mostly based in apple and pine kernel farming. We stayed in a beautiful wooded area where our God blessed us with lovely weather.
We had daily Bible classes; practiced outdoor sports such as soccer, volleyball, and basketball; and had very helpful carpentry, recycling and crafts workshops. The campers were so joyful and enthusiastic that the staff had a hard time getting them out of the classrooms—they wanted to keep working on their projects! We had long walks during the day, and also at night, under the moonlight, and had the opportunity to see some wildlife—such as rattlesnakes! We visited an agrological zone and had a guided tour of the Herrera Caves. It was a beautiful and enriching experience. We returned home in peace and encouraged.—Erica Savon
Feast of Tabernacles 2012
Virginia Beach, Virginia: Children's Choir
Parents of children 4 years of age and older, if your children would like to sing in the children's choir, please contact Margie Dulaney at [email protected] or call 540-662-3696, and a practice CD will be mailed to you.—Gerald Dulaney
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon CDs (Repeat Announcement)
Attention Pastors: Please send Mrs. Dorothy McNair, at [email protected], the names of those in your congregation(s) who will be unable to attend the Feast and will need to receive the Feast of Tabernacles sermons on CD. The deadline to submit these requests is August 31 for recipients in the U.S. Note: Feast sermons will also be uploaded (one per day) during the Feast at www.lcg.org, for those who have Internet access.
Activity Payment (Repeat Announcement)
Feast of Tabernacles activity payment is now open for those Feast sites that are using the online payment system. Please go to www.LCG.org, click on the "Feast of Tabernacles" link and select your location. Click on the "Activities" tab and you will be prompted to log in to your MyLCG account. Once logged in, you can register and pay for activities of your choice.
Living Youth Programs
Living Youth Camp 2012—Teen Camp Ohio
A total of 228 campers and staff are enjoying their second week of camp at Camp Lazarus, Ohio. Last Sabbath, we opened services to the local congregations, and we had 289 in attendance. Highlights of the week included Christian Living classes, overnight canoe trips, topics and dance evenings, musical performances, Camper/Staff football, volleyball, and softball games, and a digital treasure hunt. Yesterday, we welcomed the arrival of Dr. Winnail and Mr. and Mrs. Jim Meredith. Campers' musical abilities will be showcased in this evening's talent show. Camp will conclude on Saturday evening with the Final Banquet and Dance. Pictures and videos of this year's camp can be seen on the Living Youth Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Living.Youth.Programs. We have already had more than 7,000 unique hits. Take a look and share in the fun of camp!
Mail Processing Department
Fall Holy Day Envelopes
We are mailing the green offering envelopes for the Fall Holy Days this week. We usually send envelopes to adult members/prospective members and to our Church youth separately. Children and teens receive only the green offering envelopes, while adults receive the offering letter and the Feast bumper stickers, in addition to the offering envelopes.
This year, however, we did not meet the United States Postal Service number requirement to do a bulk mailing to the youth, so we added them to the adult list. This means that the children and teens will receive the letter and stickers too! This was a curiosity to me, so we investigated why the youth file had shrunk. The good news is that the status of many of them had changed from Church Youth to Prospective Member. This is very encouraging because it shows that as our children and teens grow, they are remaining in the Truth. As time goes by, we will see more and more of the second and third generations carry on the Work. We hope that this is as encouraging to you as it is to us.—Gaylyn Bonjour
Comments
The Value of Counsel: One of the common pitfalls of life is trusting in our own judgment when we only see part of a picture. When we make decisions or take actions based on how we see a problem, the results can be costly to ourselves and to others. This is why Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:5, "lean not on your own understanding" and in Proverbs 3:7, "Do not be wise in your own eyes;" and again in Proverbs 28:26, "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool...." Solomon also warns in Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." To help us avoid making serious mistakes in life, God inspired Solomon to write in Proverbs 11:14, "Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety." And again in Proverbs 15:22, "Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established." We can obtain wise and valuable counsel from parents, the ministry, and from more experienced friends and associates who can be objective and help us see a bigger picture than we perceive on our own.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—August 16, 2012
Destructive Twin Earthquakes Hit Iran: Last Saturday, two powerful earthquakes struck Iran. The first was 6.4 magnitude and the second 6.3 (ITV News, August 12, 2012). They were both followed by many aftershocks. At least six villages were completely destroyed and dozens more experienced great damage. As of Monday, the search for survivors had been called off, with more than 300 dead and 3,000 injured (AP, August 13, 2012). More than 50,000 have taken temporary shelter (Reuters, August 14, 2012). All human beings are made in God's image (Genesis 1:26) and have the potential to become members of His family one day (1 John 3:2). All should be moved by devastation and loss of life no matter where it occurs (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus Christ predicted that "earthquakes in various places" would be one of the obvious signs of the end of the age (Matthew 24:7). As time and prophecy march on, we should expect to see more devastating earthquakes in a broader array of areas spanning the globe. These events should motivate true Christians to pray more fervently for Christ's second coming (Matthew 6:10) and also to be increasingly spiritually focused as time draws near. For more information on coming worldwide catastrophes prophesied in the Bible, review our booklet, Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ's Return.
Growing Concern the UK Will Leave the EU: In a recent interview, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the German Die Zeit newspaper that it was clear the eurozone crisis would lead to a "powerful political change of the EU," adding: "And on this point, I am deeply worried that Britain could decide by referendum to leave the whole process." (Fox Business News, August 8, 2012). Japanese bank Noruma leaked a strategy paper last week laying out contingency plans should Britain exit (being called "Brexit") the EU (EU Observer, August 10, 2012). Are we seeing the first cracks in Britain's long-standing relationship with the wider EU community? Talk of Britain leaving the EU was once far-fetched, but the eurozone debt crisis and the prospect of the currency bloc forging a closer political union have convinced some senior UK politicians it is time to demand a new relationship with Brussels. For years, God's Church has, based on Bible prophecy, predicted that the peoples of the British Isles would in some way be forced out, or might remove themselves from being entangled with a soon-coming powerful "United States of Europe." Scripture reveals a time when a powerful group of nations uniting as one will appear on the scene. A prerequisite of these nations combining is that they must be of one mind (Revelation 17:12-13) and, as time goes on, it will become more apparent that Britain will become further alienated from these final ten nations that give their power and strength to the Beast. Events in this part of the world are rapidly developing. We should be mindful of the Apostle Paul's instruction to "…not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thessalonians 5:6). For more information on the UK's role in end-time prophecy, review our free and highly informative booklet, The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.
Fires in Spain and Floods Elsewhere: In one of the worst forest fire seasons in recent history in Spain and Portugal, fires burn fiercely in Spain's Canary Islands. About 10 percent of the island La Gomera has burned, including a quarter of a UNESCO World Heritage nature preserve. Thousands have been evacuated (BBC, August 14, 2012). Forest fires have consumed three times as much area in Spain (January 1-August 5) as they did last year. In Portugal, fires have burned twice the area as last year (CTV News, August 14, 2012). A dry winter, hot temperatures and dry winds have combined to make this the worst fire season in years. Record temperatures and lack of rain have resulted in many comparing the central U.S. drought to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. In fact, July 2012 was the hottest month ever recorded in the "lower 48" states, since records began in 1895 (AP, August 9, 2012). Meanwhile, floods are devastating Nigeria (Daily Trust, August 14, 2012) and the Philippines (One News Now, August 14, 2012). Bible prophecies indicate that weather at the end of the age will be extreme, with flooding in certain cities, while others suffer from drought (Amos 4:7). Although these prophecies apply specifically to the Israelite-descended nations, weather events will very obviously impact the entire globe. For more information on upcoming extreme weather events prophesied in the Bible, be sure to review our eye-opening booklet entitled, Who Controls the Weather?—Scott Winnail and Michael Tyler