Greetings from Charlotte,
Reports coming in indicate that the Day of Pentecost was a very inspiring and uplifting experience for Living Church of God members around the world! Mr. and Mrs. Meredith had a very encouraging visit with congregations in the area of Toronto and were able to tour the new Canadian office. Mr. and Mrs. Ames were in Gainesville, Georgia for a combined service. I appreciated the opportunity to share the Holy Day with congregations in the Washington, DC area (see reports below). Mr. and Mrs. Davy Crockett were in Asheville, North Carolina; Mr. Mario Hernandez was in Mexico City and Dr. Scott Winnail was in Guyana. Dr. and Mrs. Wilner Pierre had a very positive visit to Martinique. This week, Mr. Meredith has finished a co-worker letter that will be mailed out tomorrow. This weekend, I will head to Austin, Texas for services and a Tomorrow's World Special Presentation. Mr. Hernandez will also be giving Special Presentations in Mexico City this Saturday and Sunday. We also received encouraging news last week that Dr. and Mrs. Germano sold their home in the North Carolina mountains and will be moving to Charlotte in time for the beginning of the fall semester of Living University's fifth year of operation. Your prayers for the continued growth of God's Work are deeply appreciated.—DSW
Church Administration
Tomorrow's World Telecast Airs in Hong Kong and China
June 4 marked an exciting step forward for preaching the Gospel throughout the world. At 8:55 that morning, HKTVB Pearl broadcast the first Tomorrow's World program in Hong Kong, reaching a portion of China. Due to restrictive censorship laws, an entirely new program has been produced with Evangelist Gerald Weston serving as presenter. Some programs from the regular telecast featuring Mr. Richard Ames are being re-edited to fit the requirements for broadcasting in that region of the world.
"In Search of Success" brought 78 unique visitors to a Tomorrow's World site created specifically for Hong Kong and China. The second program, "Rethinking Darwin?" saw an increase to 91 unique visitors and has produced our first GOTO! One challenge facing the program is that we are only permitted to advertise the featured literature at the very end of the program which has a negative effect on the number of responses. However, we can know that those who have responded watched the program through to the end.
Several members have inquired about watching the Hong Kong version of the telecast. A page has been added to the Canadian website for this specific purpose—visit www.lcgCanada.org/hk.php. Please pray that God will continue to provide an increase in response, that He will provide good fruit through this program and that He will supply the means to serve any individuals He may call in that region of the world.—Michael Heykoop
Visit to Ontario, Canada
Brethren throughout the Province of Ontario offered a warm Canadian welcome to Dr. Roderick Meredith as he visited the Toronto area for weekly Sabbath services and Pentecost. Seven congregations combined for Pentecost with 258 members and guests present to learn from sermons delivered by Dr. Meredith and Canadian Regional Director Mr. Gerald Weston. On the Friday and Monday surrounding the Sabbaths, Dr. Meredith visited the new Canadian regional office, where he had lunch with the staff and conducted meetings with Mr. Weston. While there, he also reviewed the Tomorrow's World telecast specially made for China that is produced and edited in Canada and is now in its third week of airing in Hong Kong. The international visit was a true demonstration of how God's Work transcends borders and brings His people together in a Spirit of unity to fulfill His purpose.—James Ginn
Visit to Georgia, U.S.
Gainesville, Georgia was the location on the Day of Pentecost for the Braselton, Georgia, congregation to host the Anderson, South Carolina, and the Blairsville, Georgia, congregations, as well as some brethren from the Atlanta congregation. It was the first anniversary of the start of the Braselton congregation, to the day, on Pentecost, June 12. One hundred and thirty six joyful brethren met in the Gainesville Civic Center for a very inspiring Holy Day that included enthusiastic song services, an inspiring offertory message and offertory music, special music by the Braselton choir and other messages focused on the Feast. The afternoon service and the Holy Day were capped off by the main message by Mr. Richard Ames titled, "By My Spirit," in which he gave an overview of the meaning of the Day of Pentecost and 15 characteristics of God's Holy Spirit. The special opportunity for these congregations to meet provided God's Spirit a way to flow among those called to be firstfruits. Many expressed their hopes to combine again in the near future.—Ron Poole
Visit to Maryland
The Baltimore, Maryland; Washington, DC; and Winchester, Virginia, congregations would like to thank Dr. Douglas Winnail for his visit and messages over the Pentecost weekend. He spoke in Winchester on the Sabbath, and he gave the afternoon sermon titled, "Pentecost and the Power of God," on Pentecost in Frederick, Maryland. One hundred and eighty brethren attended the combined services that were held at the beautiful Ceresville Mansion. Brethren enjoyed a noon meal outside on the patio between services. One hundred and eighty one people were in attendance. The messages, music, and fellowship were outstanding!—Sheldon Monson
Visit to Martinique
Dr. and Mrs. Wilner Pierre arrived in Martinique on Thursday, June 9. On Friday evening, 30 brethren attended a Bible study given by Dr. Pierre. On June 11, 34 brethren attended Sabbath services. Following services, Dr. Pierre met with the leading men of the congregation to discuss the format for Sabbath services and also how to prepare and present sermonettes.
Thirty-nine brethren attended morning services on Pentecost. The sermon titled, "Pentecost and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit," was given by Dr. Pierre. A covered-dish meal was served between morning and afternoon services. There was plenty of laughter and excitement during lunch as the true meaning of Pentecost was felt by everyone. The brethren were deeply moved by the ordination of two local Church members, Mrs. Chantal Duval and Mrs. Jeanine Hodebar, as deaconesses. Both ladies have served the congregation faithfully with their husbands, who are both deacons, for several years. Mrs. Duval and Mrs. Hodebar are the first deaconess to be ordained in the French-speaking Caribbean since the beginning of the Living Church of God.
Feast of Tabernacles 2011
Feast Activity and Volunteer Registration Just One Week Away!
Don't forget! Activity and Volunteer Registration will begin on Sunday, June 26 at 12:00 noon Eastern Daylight Time. All brethren planning to attend the Feast of Tabernacles at LCG Feast sites in 2011 are encouraged to go back on the MyLCG website (www.cogl.org) on June 26 to sign up for activities and volunteer opportunities. This greatly helps the coordinators as they plan for the Feast. Festival Advisors are asked to assist those who do not have computers or Internet access. If you have any questions, please contact the Festival Office at [email protected].
Human Resources
Secretary/Clerk
The Office of Legal Affairs and Risk Management is looking for someone to provide secretarial and clerical support in a very busy administrative office. Duties include: research; organize, maintain and archive files, working-copy binders, and unique information databases; schedule and/or track events, deadlines and required filings (for multiple organizational entities); interface with and assist field personnel; track contractual agreements, and other documents; assembling and analyzing information or data; produce correspondence and otherwise relieve the administrative assistant and the administrator of minor to moderately complex administrative and business detail by performing a variety of tasks. Ideal candidate is very organized and detail-oriented; able to work under pressure with moderate supervision, has good communication skills and is familiar with standard business concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field, which could include: Business Management, Law, Banking, Insurance, Nonprofit Management, Property Management or Contract Administration. This is a position of trust and has a high level of confidentially and discretion involved. An ideal applicant has a college degree and/or equivalent work experience (a minimum high school diploma with 2-4 years of secretarial or administrative assistant experience in a field will be considered). Experience as a secretary or clerk would be helpful, but is not required. A more complete job description is available upon request.
Résumés / CVs may be sent to Human Resources via e-mail at [email protected], or by fax to 704-844-1973.
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 involved 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 the 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 15:17). They understand that showing unselfish, outgoing concern for others (versus sitting in judgment of others) is one of the distinguishing marks of a real Philadelphia Christian (John 13:34-35). The capacity to show real love to others is also one of the most important fruits that indicate that we have and are using God's Spirit (1 Corinthians 13; Galatians 5:22-25). Let's all look for ways to show "brotherly love" to others.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—June 16, 2011
Chinese Buying Up Europe. China's booming economy and massive population are looking for places to invest. Experts expect Chinese takeovers of European companies will greatly increase by 2020. From 2003-2005, Chinese investment in Europe totaled just $853 million. From 2008-2010 the number jumped to almost $40 billion. China now controls 118 European businesses, with the backing of the Chinese government. In the last seven years, the largest Chinese purchase in each "business sector" has been overwhelmingly in Israelite-descended nations in Europe. According to a Wall Street Journal chart, when 15 of the major business sector purchases were reviewed from 2004-2010, 12 out of the 15 top Chinese buyouts (80%) occurred in the Israelite-descended nations of the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France (The Wall Street Journal, June 7, 2011). Long ago, God warned the Israelites that if they chose to depart from His ways and commandments, "The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, a nation of fierce countenance… And they shall eat the increase of your livestock and the produce of your land, until you are destroyed… They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land…" (Deuteronomy 28:49-52). We are watching this happen today across the Israelite-descended nations of Europe. For more on this, see our booklet The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.
Britain and the Falkland Islands. Following President Obama's visit to Britain and his encouraging rhetoric that "Britain is America's closest ally," this week "Washington signed on to a draft declaration on the question of the Malvinas Islands [Falkland Islands] passed by unanimous consent by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) at its meeting in San Salvador. In doing so, the United States sided not only with Buenos Aires, but also with a number of anti-American regimes including Hugo Chavez's Venezuela and Daniel Ortega's Nicaragua." U.S. support for this resolution is not new. In 2010 U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held a joint press conference with her Argentine counterpart, calling for negotiations over the islands to commence. All this has happened while the U.S. is fully aware that its "closest ally" does not consider negotiation an issue of discussion (The Telegraph, June 8, 2011). What neither London nor Washington understand is that Bible prophecies foretold the fate of the Falkland Islands and other sea gates previously controlled by the U.S. and Britain. God promised Abraham that his descendants would "possess the gate of their enemies" (Genesis 22:17). At one time, the U.S. and Britain "possessed" virtually all the major world sea gates. However, God warned the Israelites, "if you do not obey the voice of the Lord… your enemy shall distress you at all your gates" (Deuteronomy 28:15, 55) and that the "glory" of Ephraim "shall fly away like a bird" (Hosea 9:11). Today, as these nations turn further away from God, only the Falklands and Gibraltar remain—and these, too, will likely go. Sadly, the glory of Britain is fading, along with her once vast, God-given empire.
EU Influence and the Caribbean. The EU, like other major world powers (the U.S., China, Britain, France), has interests in the Caribbean. Three years ago, the EU signed the Economic Partnership Agreement with the Caribbean Community and the Dominican Republic. Last week, the Trade and Development Committee from this joint group met in Barbados to discuss the future of trade in the region. The Caribbean Community nations have been working to create their own "Single Market and Economy," however, concern about the EU's strong involvement is working against this effort. One Caribbean economist commented that the EU is "not seriously interested in seeing the Caribbean Community Single Market and Economy completed," but is more interested in creating a strong area of trade (www.TrinidadExpress.com, June 7, 2011). Bible prophecy indicates that an end-time Beast power will dominate world trade and that the nations of the earth will be made rich "by her" (Revelation 18:11-15). The Beast will ultimately "control" buying and selling (Revelation 13:17). Just how the EU's influence will impact the Caribbean remains to be seen.—James Ginn and Scott Winnail