Greetings from Charlotte,
We are getting ready for another semester of classes at Living University—classes begin next Wednesday, August 13. It is exciting to be able to offer biblically-based classes to students located all around the world. This week Mr. and Mrs. Wyatt Ciesielka are making a two-day visit to Charlotte. They are both graduates of Ambassador University in Big Sandy. Mr. Ciesielka has been hired to work as a ministerial trainee in the Austin and Houston areas of Texas. The Living Youth Camp Adventure Program began this week in Wyoming. The activity will take teens and adult staff on a back-packing trip through the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Your prayers for their safety and for favorable weather are appreciated.
Living University
Please read the following announcement at services on August 9.
Living University fall semester classes begin on Wednesday (August 13). At LU you can experience learning the way it was meant to be: enjoyable, meaningful, productive, fast and convenient. Take classes that fit your schedule. Registration is this coming Monday and Tuesday (August 11 and 12). Late Registration is Thursday through Friday. There is a charge for late registration, so please register right away. No registrations can be accepted after Friday.
Here is some good news: Online Orientation is now available on the university's website. We encourage all new and returning students to participate in this online orientation program. It should take you about fifteen minutes. If you are a student, a person thinking about enrolling at LU, or one simply interested in learning more about the university, do not miss this online presentation. Visit the university website at www.livinguniv.com and select "Online Orientation."
Also, please note that due to a website issue beyond our control, some of the applications for admissions to Living University may have been lost. If you have not heard from the admissions office, please resubmit your application. Registrations for specific classes have not been affected.
Church Administration
News from the Rocky Mountains
Mr. Ben Whitfield reports: Since the telecast began in Wyoming just over five years ago, there have been more than 4,695 responses from folks asking for literature, signing up for the Tomorrow's World magazine, the Bible Study Course, etc. We have had five baptisms and one is in the works. We are starting to get some interest in Utah and Colorado as well. In the last five years we have had more than 10 baptisms, with two pending. We had 24 at services in Layton, Utah, on August 2, and 38 the previous week in Denver, including brethren from Colorado Springs and Pueblo…. That's a total of 98 brethren being served in the central Rocky Mountains. God is richly blessing the area with moderate growth.
Chattanooga Public Lectures
Mr. James Sweat writes: The first of two Bible Lectures scheduled for Chattanooga, Tennessee, was positively a success. We had 49 subscribers in attendance, together with 53 members, listening attentively to Mr. Bob League's presentation on "Prophecy and the True Gospel." Most stayed after for refreshments, to fellowship with the brethren, to ask questions and to order literature. Several expressed their desire to attend Church services and to return for next week's follow-up lecture on the "True Christian Sabbath." Our members were delighted to be included in the team effort to carry out God's Work through these lectures.
Canadian Update
Mr. Gerald Weston will be presenting a Public Bible Lecture on Friday, August 8, in Toronto. More than 3,000 invitations have been sent and we are praying that God will provide an increase for the Scarborough congregation in that area. So far this year, Mr. Weston and Mr. Elertson have hosted nine lectures across the country, and we have 20 new regular attendees as a result. With two more lectures planned before the Feast, we are praying that God will continue to bless His Work north of the border.
Caribbean Update
Mr. Paul Shumway reports: Gloria and I just returned from our final trip to the Caribbean before our transfer. We had a Bible study in Trinidad on Thursday evening, with an attendance of about 60. The members put on a special presentation afterwards. It was very moving….
We then traveled to Barbados for services and a Living Leadership Course lesson. We had 85 in attendance. On Sunday we had one baptism…. On Monday evening the congregation hosted a beautiful going-away banquet with a fine Bajan meal and entertainment. My wife and I were deeply moved by the warmth and kindness of our wonderful brethren…
Last Sabbath we were in Jamaica for services and a Bible study. Attendance was 73. We ordained Roy Dyke and Delroy Palmer as deacons! On Sunday afternoon I conducted a song leader-sermonette workshop.
Visit to Malaysia
Mr. Rajan Moses reports on Mr. Bruce Tyler's recent visit to Malaysia: Mr. Tyler arrived in Kuala Lumpur on July 31. After working in our Kuala Lumpur office on Friday morning and afternoon, he had a relaxing Sabbath dinner with some of the Malaysian brethren…. On the Sabbath, Mr. Tyler and Mr. Moses visited both Malaysian congregations: Kuala Lumpur and Bahau.
On Sunday evening, August 3, our Indonesia elder, Mr. Arius Nusantara arrived in Kuala Lumpur to spend time with Mr. Tyler and Mr. Moses. Mr. Tyler held a mini ministerial conference on Monday, during which many plans were discussed for the development of God's Work in Asia.
On Tuesday, several men and women of the Kuala Lumpur and Bahau congregations were invited to attend the "Advanced Leadership Training Program." Mr. Tyler will hold a Bible Study with the Kuala Lumpur brethren before returning to Australia on Thursday.
United Kingdom Update
Mr. Rod King reports: Time is getting short and we have a great Work to do. Mr. Meredith and his team in Charlotte are working hard to warn modern-day Israel and he has asked that we pray for us to get back on television here in the U.K. We believe that Inspiration Network may allow us back, but we need God's favour for it to happen.
Our Bible lecture in Belfast is coming soon. On August 23, we hope to have about 25 subscribers come to a meeting room in Lisburn, a suburb of Belfast. We sent 1,113 invitations to our readers and the Belfast congregation did all the work of printing, inserting and mailing the invitations…
I will be traveling to southern Africa at the end of August, where I hope to meet with our new group in Swaziland. I will also teach the second lesson of the Advanced Leadership Training Programme in Johannesburg, before going on to Kenya to spend time with Mr. Simon Muthama and the Kenyan and Tanzanian brethren.
In closing, I want to share with you good news: Mrs. Tokkie Ferreira from Kimberley, South Africa, was miraculously healed of kidney and liver breakdown and associated problems. She was in ICU for two days with poor prospects, but God intervened for her.
Spanish Update
El Mundo de Mañana radio broadcast is now being aired on Radio Jerusalem 106.9 FM, a radio station located in a small agriculture town of some 2,000 inhabitants in the Pedro Luru province of Argentina, some 74 miles from Bahia Blanca. Our radio program is being transmitted every Saturday from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Two families have already requested our materials offered on the program.
Changes in Planned December Weekend in Charlotte
Attention Area Pastors: Considering the high cost of gasoline and other increased travel costs that impact our members, we have decided to change our plans for this December, which were announced several weeks ago. It seems that it will be less of a financial burden to our members and make it possible for more people to be involved in winter family weekend activities, if they are organized on a regional basis, rather than encouraging everyone to come to Charlotte. If the increased costs that we are all experiencing will abate, we can plan special activities in Charlotte at a future time. For now, please feel free to organize family weekend activities in your areas, coordinating them with your Regional Pastor.
Feast of Tabernacles 2008
United States Second Tithe Assistance Checks
Requests for Festival Assistance have been reviewed and are being processed. The checks for those who have been approved for assistance this year will be mailed out on or about September 1, 2008. The very few who were not approved for financial festival assistance this year are currently being notified.
Important Clarification Concerning the International Festival Assistance Fund
To clarify our last week's announcement, contribution checks intended for the International Festival Fund should be made to the order of the Living Church of God, with a mention on the memo line specifying that the check is for the International Festival Fund.
Comments
Importance of Prayer: Jesus urged His disciples to "watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation" (Matthew 26:41). David and Daniel prayed three times a day (Psalm 55:17; Daniel 6:10). Jesus prayed all night before making a major decision (Luke 6:12-13) and when He prayed, He prayed earnestly (Luke 22:31-32). When Jesus' disciples asked, "Lord, teach us to pray," He gave an outline of a model prayer (Luke 11:1-4). In this model prayer, the focus at the beginning and at the end of the prayer is on God and His coming Kingdom, and personal requests are sandwiched in between (Matthew 6:9-13). This helps us keep our personal issues in a proper perspective. It is also instructive that Jesus prayed for His disciples who were being called out of this world, but He did not pray for the world, because He knew that God is not trying to save the world now (John 17:8-11). Prayer is an essential tool for us to talk with God and to build a closer relationship with Him, so we can become more like our Father. The Scriptures reveal that our sincere and earnest prayers are like sweet incense to God (Revelation 5:8). This is why the Apostle Paul encouraged Christians to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—August 7, 2008
The Russian Bear Is on the Move Again. The Russian economy is booming, thanks to oil and gas, and Russia is investing heavily abroad. Russian firms now own stock in Air Berlin airline, shipyards in the Baltic ports of Wismar and Rostock, and even in Deutsche Bank. This year, some 1,300 Russian firms will do business in Germany—to the tune of nearly 200 billion Euros (Deutsche Welle, August 6, 2008). Due to an abundance of funds, Russia is also making her weight felt on the world scene. Now, because the Georgian government is interested in joining NATO, the southern province of Ossetia wants to break and become a separate nation, and is seeking Russian help to do so. Russia, of course, does not want a former satellite nation to become a NATO member and has threatened to take action against Georgia to prevent this. For decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia was considered a "non-player" in geopolitics. But now, with her new-found wealth, Russia has emerged as a powerhouse and nations are paying attention to her moves—including Europe and the United States (TimesOnline, August 6, 2008). Russia is greatly updating its military capabilities, building alliances with large Asian nations like China and India, and is again acting independently of the West. Bible prophecy warns that at the end of the age, a great army will arise to challenge the European Beast power (Daniel 11:44-45, Revelation 9:13-19). We may be watching the beginnings of a future confrontation between Russia and her European counterparts.
Religious Persecution in U.S. Universities. The "publically funded" University of California (UC) system, representing more than 220,000 students across ten campuses, decided last year against admitting students from Christian schools. Their rationale was: "that basic science, history, and literature textbooks by major Christian book publishers wouldn't qualify for core admissions requirements because of the inclusion of Christian perspectives." Interestingly, those attending private schools with a Jewish, Hindu, Muslim or other religious perspective were excluded from this discriminatory policy. Currently, one private Christian school is in a court battle with the UC system, claiming that the UC policy is unconstitutional (WorldNetDaily.com, July 19, 2008). The Apostle Paul's comments about the worldly society in which he lived certainly apply to our society today. "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting" (Romans 1:28). Jesus also warned that persecution would come because of His name (John 15:18-21). Today's leaders are increasingly operating on bias and personal opinion, and as they follow their hearts, their ideas, and their opinions, they WILL go further astray (Jeremiah 17:9).
Oceans of Acid? Just as the human body's health depends on a balance between acid and alkaline, so also do life forms in the world's oceans, lakes and rivers. When waters become too acid or alkaline, aquatic life will deteriorate and die. Everyone with an aquarium at home knows that fish will become sickly and die if the water's acid level is too high. In the July-August 2008 issue of Energy Times, author Patrick Dougherty pointed out the dangers posed by rising acid levels in our planet's seas and waterways. For the last hundred years, the ever-increasing use of carbon-based fuels to power modern industry has added to the acidity of oceans and lakes—a process that may have reached the "point of no return" and that could ultimately cause the death of every living sea creature! Acidic waters retard or prevent calcification, a vital function in aquatic ecosystems where corals, algae and mollusks rely on calcium carbonate to build their shells. As our waters become more acidic, shelled marine plankton and pteropods are less able to build the shell structures they need to survive. As these creatures at the base of the food chain die, this robs nutrition from fish such as herring, salmon and mackerel. This development further endangers the world's already depleted fisheries. The stage is being set for the death of the oceans: "… and every living creature in the sea died" (Revelation 16:3).—Don Davis, Ellis Noll and Scott Winnail