From the Presiding Evangelist
Greetings Brethren,
We have had a very positive Council of Elders meeting this week here in Charlotte. The reports presented by the Regional Directors and Regional Pastors have been very encouraging—especially the very inspiring comments on this year's Feast of Tabernacles, the positive attendance trends, several very generous special offerings and the strong levels of financial support we have received this year. It appears that God is preparing His Work to fulfill its mission of warning the world and preaching the exciting Gospel of the soon coming Kingdom of God. I was also very glad to be able to lead many of the meetings. In my absence on two afternoons, Mr. Ames and Dr. Winnail guided the meetings.
One of the issues we discussed that the Council and I felt we needed to review with everyone was the procedure that has been in place in case the Presiding Evangelist becomes incapacitated through some infirmity or death or becomes disqualified to serve in the office. We addressed this issue because of questions that we have received. If the Presiding Evangelist appoints a successor, he will inform the Council of his decision and no further action will be required. In the absence of an appointed successor, the Council of Elders will convene, and after prayer and fasting, will seek God's guidance to discern who He wants to be the successor to the Presiding Evangelist—based on the fruits of God's Spirit that are obvious in the life of the person designated to be the next Presiding Evangelist.
The discussions that we had on this issue and a number of other subjects have been very profitable. During the Council meetings we also discussed ways of doing the Work more effectively, the role of public lectures in reaching new people, financial aspects of the Work, manpower needs, the utilization of new technology, future plans for Living University and a number of doctrinal issues. While we were in the meetings, we were notified by Mr. Wayne Pyle that Mr. Ames' TV program last weekend entitled Seven Satanic Deceptions (that was shown for the sixth time) should receive over 5,900 responses—breaking all previous response records—and that is really encouraging!
I also want to let you know that I am continuing my rehabilitation program and slowly improving. My mind and speech are fine, but I have not yet regained the strength that I would like to have. Please keep me in your prayers, as I am looking to God to heal my body in His time and in His way. I really do appreciate the support and loyalty of the members of the Council during this unexpected trial, and their dedication to work together as a team to complete the mission that we have been given. Let's all remember that God has called us and given us an important job to reach this world with a message of hope as we approach the end of this age. We are in this great Work together, so let's continue to pray for each other as we learn to work together in harmony to achieve this goal.
Your Brother in Christ,
Roderick C. Meredith
Church Administration
Mr. Rod McNair left today for the Caribbean. He will be visiting our congregations in Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Puerto Rico over the next ten days. Mr. and Mrs. Dan Hall are in Charlotte as part of the Headquarters ministerial visiting program. Mr. Hall will be giving the sermonette here in Charlotte on the Sabbath.
Please note that the production of our "second" semi-annual letter, which usually comes out in November every year, has been postponed to the beginning of next year.
Public Appearances in 2008
Fourteen Public Lectures, or Public Appearances, have been conducted in the United States so far in 2008, and at least half a dozen in other countries. More than 20,000 subscribers in the United States have been invited this year to attend these presentations. Even though only about 1-2% of those invited usually attend (the rate of response in other countries is usually higher, about 13-15%), of those who attend, about 7-10% show serious interest in the Truth and go on to become members of God's Church.
This Saturday night, November 15, Mr. Daniel Friz will present a Public Bible Lecture in the Fort Wayne, Indiana, area. Approximately 500 subscribers were invited to hear him speak on the good news of the coming Kingdom of God. On December 13, Mr. Phil Sena and Mr. Wyatt Ciesielka will give a joint presentation in Austin titled "What's Ahead for America?—Prepare Now for the Future!". About 2,000 subscribers will be invited. Your prayers for this and other venues for preaching the Gospel as a witness are very important.
French Work Update
On June 12, we announced that we had been approached by a religious radio station located in Perpignan, in southeast France, interested in broadcasting our French program Le Monde de Demain, free of charge beginning January 2009. This week, the owner of the station called us to say that he would like to air our program five times a week—still free of charge! We thank God for this open door and we expect that it will bear good fruit!
New Congregations
Earlier this year, we broke the 300-mark in our number of official congregations worldwide. To date, we have 306 congregations in 44 countries. About half of them are located in the United States, and slightly more than half are located in other countries. Additionally, we have members scattered in several other countries, where no official congregations have been organized yet. Since part of our mission is "To feed the flock and to organize local Church congregations to provide for the spiritual and material needs of our members as God makes it possible (1 Peter 5:1-4; John 21:15-18)" (Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs), we are very happy to see that God is giving us growth and that more congregations are being organized as a result. Our newest congregation is located in Billings, Montana, where a group of about a dozen will be attending services.
Media
Mr. Wayne Pyle reports: "This weekend we aired program #265 ["Seven Satanic Deceptions"] for the sixth time! And it is breaking all response records!.... From Thursday through Monday, we received 4,937 phone calls. We are expecting another 400 calls by the end of the week, plus 600 responses through the Internet, office calls and mail replies. These numbers push the total response to over 5,900! And the first-time caller count set a new record with over 3,000 new viewers (52% of the total callers)… Program #265 is the first program to ever break the 5,000-mark—at 5,002—and this happened with #265's third airing in January 2007…. The 5,002-record held for over a year, until March 2008, when program #305, "Will the Dead Live Again?" brought in 2,025 responses. Six months later, program #318, "Overcoming Satan," generated 5,170 replies. Now, in less than three months, six-time repeat-program #265 has taken the top spot again."
Mr. Tom Baca also informs us that this week we started recording programs for the next Tomorrow's World television season. Mr. Rod King today taped a new program, titled "Is Christ in 'Christianity'?" It will offer the booklet Satan's Counterfeit Christianity. Mr. Wallace Smith, who arrived yesterday, will also be recording new television programs next week.
Comments
Let's Work Together: Jesus referred to His disciples as His "friends" and encouraged them to "love one another" (John 15:12-17). The Apostle Paul referred to those who assisted him in his ministry as "my fellow workers" (Romans 16:3) and "fellow workers for the kingdom of God" (Colossians 4:11). He referred to members of God's Church as "God's fellow workers" (1 Corinthians 3:9) and "workers together [co-workers] with Him" (2 Corinthians 6:1). This is an exciting opportunity that carries a big responsibility. The Scriptures provide important guidelines about how to work together. We are instructed to "be perfectly joined together in the same mind" and not let contentions divide us (1 Corinthians 1:10-13). We are also advised to get along and live in harmony, to avoid being haughty and conceited or ambitious for a position, but to be humble and do what is right—to live and work together peacefully (Romans 12:16-18). If we can learn to "love one another" and treat each other as friends—without judging one another—we will be more effective "fellow workers for the kingdom of God." This is one of the major challenges we face today as Christians.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—November 13, 2008
EU Desires to Lead the World Financially. "After last week's informal EU summit, European leaders stated that the EU would like to be a trail-blazer in overcoming the world's financial crisis… The days of the dollar's uncontested predominance are over, and it is about time that the Euro's growing importance is reflected in the rules of the world's financial exchanges, French President Sarkozy declared in the name of the EU… Berlin and Brussels are demanding that 'No financial institution, no market segment and no jurisdiction must escape proportionate and adequate regulation or at least oversight'" (German-Foreign-Policy.com, November 10, 2008). The World Financial Summit will be held this Saturday, November 15, in Washington. Analysts expect heated rhetoric and an EU push that opposes Washington's traditional stance on deregulation. Early in his presidency, Mr. Obama will likely face the decision to stand fast on traditional principles that have guaranteed American sovereignty, or to submit to European oversight in the name of world peace and prosperity. Mr. Obama's pre-election speeches strongly suggest that he will give into world pressure to submit to new international financial rules, possibly overseen by the EU, "for the good of the world." And, he will have the authority to change U.S. financial policy (Stratfor.com, November 5, 2008). As the U.S. falls deeper into the financial abyss, accentuated by its international debt, God's prophecy rings truer and truer, "the borrower is servant to the lender" (Proverbs 22:7).
Homosexual Rampage at Michigan Church. "Worshippers at a Bible-teaching [Protestant] church in Lansing, Mich., were stunned Sunday [November 9] when members of a pro-homosexual, pro-anarchy organization named Bash Back interrupted their service to fling propaganda and… [prophylactics] around the sanctuary, drape a profane banner from the balcony and feature two lesbians making out at the pulpit." One town newspaper was contacted ahead of time and provided a reporter, but chose not to notify the church of the demonstration. Members of the gay activist group marched down aisles shouting profanities. They pushed and shoved church members in attempt to get them to "push back." The demonstration quickly broke up when the sheriff arrived. A statement on Bash Back's website read, after the event, "Let it be known: So long as bigots kill us in the streets, this pack of wolves will continue to BASH BACK!" (WorldNetDaily.com, November 11, 2008). Difficult times are coming for those who hold fast to God's teachings. God warned the modern Israelite-descended nations, "The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways; they have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace" (Isaiah 59:1-8). However, there is a way to peace, and that way is spelled out in the laws of God (Psalm 119:165).
Catholic Church Decries Abortion and Same-Sex-Unions. "The Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, said last week that an understanding of marriage 'in which sexual differences do not play a role goes against not only Christian civilization but against practically all civilizations.'" Archbishop Martin Rabago of Leon in Mexico recently commented after Sunday Mass that, "even though abortion is legal, it is still a crime" (Catholic News Agency [CNA], November 10, 2008). In a recent interview with the Boston Globe, Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley criticized President-elect Obama's "deplorable record" on pro-life issues. Cardinal O'Malley went further to criticize Catholics who support abortion, stopping just short of calling for excommunication of such individuals (CNA, November 12, 2008). The Pope and the Catholic Church have long been known for their strong rhetoric against abortion and homosexuality. In a political climate where such rhetoric is seen as inflammatory, the Catholic Church appears to be "pouring it on stronger." Bible prophecy reveals that at the end of the age a "woman" will "ride the Beast"—the end-time political power emanating from Europe (see Revelation 17). Currently, the Catholic Church's stance on these politically "hot" topics goes against the liberal values of the western world. Will this strong stance attract Protestants, who are disenchanted with the liberal drift of their denominations, back to the "mother" church?—Phyllis Api and Scott Winnail