Greetings from Charlotte,
We are delighted to report that Mr. Meredith is making very good progress. Yesterday, at our executive meeting, he informed us with laughter that he even made a few dance steps with his wife at the Feast! Mr. Meredith has been given authorization by his neurologist to resume work a few hours a day.
Concerning the Feast of Tabernacles, we are receiving very positive reports from all the sites where the Feast was held around the world this year. God certainly inspired the messages and blessed the fellowship and the weather. While many were watching the world descend into financial chaos, it was encouraging to spend eight days at the Feast focusing on Tomorrow's World in millennial settings. As end-time prophecies come alive, we need to take seriously our opportunity to prepare to reign with Jesus Christ and to straighten out the problems facing mankind in the coming Kingdom of God. We appreciate the information that everyone provided on the Festival Feedback Forms—it will be helpful as we plan for next year's Feast.
Here in Charlotte, work has begun on the new television studio in the building that we acquired before the Feast. We are presently preparing for the Council of Elders meetings that will be held here on November 10 through 12. A Regional Pastors meeting will take place on Tuesday evening, November 11, as well. All of the members of the Council will be attending these meetings, including those residing abroad (Mr. Bruce Tyler from Australia, Mr. Rod King from the United Kingdom, and Mr. Gerald Weston from Canada). Thank you for your prayers for God's guidance on the meetings, as well as for the safe travels of our ministers.
A Few Feast of Tabernacles Reports
Approximately 6,800 brethren gathered at 44 sites across 30 countries to celebrate God's Feast of Tabernacles this year. Reports from all over the world express the joy that keeping this festival gives and deep gratitude for the knowledge of what it represents. We are very thankful to God for His protection and inspiration, for blessing the weather and for providing for our physical and spiritual needs. This year's Feast was very eventful in that we had among us many people who were attending the Feast for the very first time. Furthermore, at sites such as Kisii (Kenya), Malacca (Malaysia) and Wewak (Papua New Guinea), several baptisms took place, and in Evian (France) two ministerial ordinations were performed: Mr. Vincent Lardé, of the Brussels congregation, was ordained an elder. He will now be serving the Belgian congregation, as well as the much larger Paris congregation. Mr. Roland Lecocq, serving the Swiss congregations, was also ordained an elder.
The January-February 2009 edition of the Living Church News will include many Feast of Tabernacles site reviews. But we want to include in this issue of The World Ahead some memorable comments, especially from our international sites. Here are excerpts of some of those reports, among the many already received.
In Sunset Beach, North Carolina, "on the Last Great Day, brethren were delighted to hear from Dr. Meredith during the offertory message… Dr. Meredith gave a dynamic appeal to stay focused on supporting the Work, for the Gospel's sake and our own sake as well."
In Malaysia, "The hallmark of the festival was plain for all to see. It was the intense and heartfelt fellowship of the brethren… Many seemed to sense the seriousness of the times we live in and all are looking forward to the establishment of the Kingdom of God here on earth."
In Papua New Guinea, "the brethren commented that this Feast was truly inspiring and enjoyable because they learn new things from the messages given from the Church's DVDs and the 'Behind the Work' film."
In Wales, United Kingdom, "the sermons were a mixture of kind gentleness with an expansive view of the Kingdom of God."
In South Africa, the Feast "was characterized by warm fellowshipping, good meals and most important, spiritual edification…. The theme that was carried through most sermons and sermonettes was 'vision.'"
In Cameroon, "Peace, joy and happiness came together… everybody was present and in good health."
In Quebec, Canada, "God really manifested His loving presence in many ways…. A tangible joy, peace and harmony were felt all along the Feast."
In Barbados, "the Bajan brethren… go all out to make the Feast special for the transferring brethren… Attendance ranged from 125 to 147…. The hall was packed, and given the growth in the Barbados Church, we will probably have to find a new hotel for next year's Feast."
In France, "the 160 assembled brethren were a multilingual group, with translations… into four languages: French, English, Spanish and German… The Festival spiritual-family environment was another outstanding highlight of the Feast. All the brethren stayed together in the resort and enjoyed food and fellowship, three meals a day in the same dining area."
Behind the Work 2008 Film
We have received many requests for copies of this year's Behind the Work film: "The Big Picture." So our brethren can enjoy this film again, we will send DVD copies of it to all our congregations for placement in the local congregation libraries.—Richard Ames
Church Administration
French Update
Public Bible Lecture in Geneva: Evangelist Dibar Apartian held a public Bible lecture in Geneva, Switzerland, on October 11. Approximately 140 French-speaking subscribers from Switzerland and southeastern France were invited to hear him speak on the prophesied future. The lecture was attended by about 19 subscribers, some of whom have known Mr. Apartian for decades, and was followed by a 30-minute session of questions and answers. We hope some of those who attended will eventually become members of God's Church.
Internet Commentaries: Through the work of a group of dedicated men and women, the French website www.mondedemain.org will soon be featuring current events, prophetic, doctrinal and Christian living commentaries taken from the www.lcg.org website and translated into French. We are excited about this new component on our French-language website.
Spanish Update
Another booklet has been translated into Spanish. The Real God: Proofs and Promises is now available in Spanish with the title El Dios verdadero—pruebas y promosas. This brings to 12 the number of booklets now available in Spanish.
Finance Department
Everyone is back to work at Headquarters after the Feast of Tabernacles break. We returned to loads of work in Mail Processing with more than 8,200 booklet requests, which had come in from the telecast and Internet while we were away, waiting to be mailed out. In addition, more than 10,600 new subscribers were added to the Tomorrow's World subscription list while we were away. Those magazines are now being mailed out.
Our accounting department has been very busy processing the Holy Day Offerings. The offerings for Trumpets were up 8.3% over our budgeted amount, and 15.3% over last year's Trumpets offering. The offering for the Day of Atonement was up 3% over budget and 9.9% over the amount for last year. This is wonderful news, especially in these unsettled economic times. The offerings for the First Day of the Feast and the Last Great Day are still being processed. We will have the amounts for these offerings for The World Ahead next week.
The construction work on the renovation of our newly-acquired building that will house our television production crew is progressing rapidly, now that the Feast is behind us. It is exciting to see the plans come together. The new television set has been commissioned and will be ready for installation when the work on the building is completed. Then the process of moving the editing suites and other equipment, installing lighting, etc., will begin. We appreciate your prayers for the success of this and other aspects of the Work of which you are a valuable part.—Davy Crockett
Comments
God's Great Plan on Earth: Many professing Christians assume that God's purpose is simply to get people to believe in Jesus so they can go to heaven. However, the Scriptures and the history of the early Church reveal something quite different! God told Isaiah, "My counsel [plan, purpose] shall stand" (Isaiah 46:10). The Apostle Paul proclaimed the "whole counsel [plan, purpose] of God" during his ministry (Acts 20:27). Paul also explained that Christians are called to be part of God's great plan, "being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel [plan, purpose] of His will" (Ephesians 1:3-11). Paul reveals that this "eternal purpose" is a "mystery" that has been "hidden" from this world, but has been revealed to God's Church (Ephesians 3:8-11). The plan of God is outlined in the biblical Holy Days that we are commanded to observe every year to help us remember God's great plan of salvation for all mankind. We must never forget that it is God's Spirit that enables Christians to understand His plan and purpose (see John 14:15-17, 26; 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2), and that God gives His Spirit to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). Let's rejoice, be thankful and nourish that Spirit during the coming year so we can grow and be ready to rule with Jesus Christ to usher in the coming Kingdom of God.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—October 30, 2008
The Fall of America. Stern magazine, Germany's most popular monthly, just ran an editorial titled: "The Ruinator—in only eight years, George W. Bush has ruled the most powerful land of the world into the ground." The article provides an analysis of the Bush presidency and outlines numerous areas where the U.S. was far better off eight years ago, prior to the Bush presidency. The editorial provides a sobering perspective on the plummeting European respect for America while President Bush has been at the helm. One particularly sobering quote reads, "At the latest, when he takes seat in the Oval Office [the next U.S. president], he will realize that this is no longer the office of the most powerful man in the world. Rather it is the work room of an insolvency administrator! His predecessor George W. Bush has lead the brand 'America' to the border of bankruptcy. Economically, morally, and politically..." (Stern, October 23, 2008). Although sobering, the statements in the article were also prophesied by God against the Israelite-descended nations. God said that if His people failed to obey Him, they would go from being the "head" to being the "tail" among nations (Deuteronomy 28:13, 44). The US and British-descended peoples were once greatly respected worldwide. Now, their reputations are being tarnished beyond recognition. If only these nations would repent and return to their God, things COULD be different!
A Failing World Economy Ripens. "When the auto industry coughs, engineers, artisans and retailers all get pneumonia" one German economist remarked about the struggling German auto industry. "Unless the government steps in, up to 20 percent of auto suppliers will go bankrupt in the next two years, endangering 50,000 jobs," observed the director of the Center of Automotive Research. German auto industry woes could easily spread across all of Europe. Meanwhile, Europe is facing governmental struggles over the economy. French President Sarkozy is calling for a central "economic government," while the Germans say there is no need for such governmental intervention. Mr. Sarkozy's more extreme position is actually pushing some nations away. The Czech Republic, whose president is set to succeed France as the next EU President, is concerned that the French may try to hold onto the EU presidency in the heat of the current economic crisis (Deutsche Welle, October 28, 2008). As the world spirals toward economic chaos, we need to remember that Bible prophecies speak of a "beast" power that will come onto the world scene at the end of the age. Ten nations will give their power over to this beast power that will promote world trade for 3.5 years (see Revelation 13, 17-18). The world is ripe for a powerful nation or group of nations to take the helm of the world economy, just as God prophesied.
Jerusalem Is Everything. Commenting at a Peace and Security conference recently, Palestinian Spokesman Qureia noted, "How will the Palestinians agree on a [peace] deal without Jerusalem? No one can imagine this happening. Jerusalem is the key to peace... If the Israeli nation elects Netanyahu, we will accept it, the Palestinian negotiator said. There will not be peace without Jerusalem. Those who strive for peace must put Jerusalem on the table" (Ynetnews.com, October 27, 2008). Jerusalem has been a sought-after city for millennia, and today is no different. However, today the stakes are much higher and the weapons of war much more destructive. God warned, "I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples… a very heavy stone…" (Zechariah 12:2-3). Jerusalem has become and will remain that "very heavy stone" for any nations who seek to carry her. However, God also promised that after the destruction and mayhem has ceased, He will once again bring peace to this war-torn city (Isaiah 62:7). God is eagerly waiting for the time when peace will once again come to Jerusalem and His Son will establish His everlasting throne there. This coming peace for Jerusalem is God's wish and should be ours too! That is why we are commanded to "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem…" (Psalm 122:6).—Adrian Kaefer and Scott Winnail