Greetings from Charlotte,
We are in the middle of the hot summer here in Charlotte—and I know someone (I won't tell you his name) who truly feels at home. Some of our Headquarters staff are now taking their vacation and are feeling the pain of high gasoline prices! However, we in the United States are still very privileged paying only around US$4 for a gallon of gasoline. Most people in Europe pay US$6 or more for their gas. Mr. Meredith finished writing the July co-worker letter yesterday, which is being mailed this week in the United States. Mr. Ames is currently preparing for the fall semester of Living University. Mr. Charles Ogwyn and Mr. Rod McNair are in Michigan serving in the Living Youth Camp, along with other field ministers. As for Dr. Doug Winnail, Mr. Meredith decided to send him to summer camp so that our teenagers can profit from his knowledge and experience. In spite of his rush to leave for camp, Dr. Winnail still found time to write this week's Comments.—Dibar Apartian
Church Administration
Europe Update
The following is a summary of a recent report by Mr. Rod King: "These past few days have been uplifting and encouraging. Two weeks ago I spent some time in Ireland visiting and counseling prospective baptism candidates. I spoke in Belfast and made plans for a Bible Lecture in late August. Since then, I have been able to visit Karlsruhe, Germany, where I also met a lady from Bavaria who traveled three hours to counsel for baptism. From Germany, I visited Budapest, capital of Hungary. I then met up with Shayne and Laura in Lisbon, Portugal, where Mr. Hernandez had organized a rendezvous with the Spanish and Portuguese members, as well as with some Spanish-speaking visitors from the U.S., Colombia and Switzerland."
Spanish Update
New Radio Station in Guatemala
Our Spanish radio program El Mundo de Mañana is tentatively scheduled to start airing, for the first time, in the Central American country of Guatemala. The radio station, Radio Calurosa, serving Coatepeque and Quetzaltenango, among other cities, will air our radio program for one hour on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, for a three-month trial period. Your prayers for the success of this open door are appreciated.
Visit to Europe
Mr. Mario Hernandez reports: I just returned from a very profitable trip to Europe. I had the privilege to speak to the brethren in London on the Sabbath of June 21. On June 26, accompanied by Mr. Antonio Mora who joined us in Paris, we were able to attend a session of the European Parliament in Brussels, where a representative of Poland spoke about the efforts to implement legislation towards complete unification and a representative of France spoke about the French financial contributions to achieve the goals of the European Union. We continue to witness a titanic human effort towards the seventh restoration of the Roman Empire. Nevertheless, we know that only the superhuman power of the False Prophet bringing fire down from heaven will finally bring about absolute political unity under one leader, also with superhuman power.
Finance Department
USA Income and Co-Worker Report
As we begin the second half of the calendar year of 2008, our income is running over 6.5% year-to-date. This is slightly below budget, but is holding up reasonably well considering the gloomy economic forecasts and the cascade of bad world news in the various media outlets. This support shows that God's people are focused and dedicated to supporting the Work.
A very positive trend is the increasing number of donors, defined as those who have contributed once, and co-workers, defined as those who have contributed multiple times, who are contributing to the support of spreading the Good News. For example, in the USA, as of June 2008 our donors numbered 3,503 and our co-workers numbered 3,766 for a total 7,269 non-member contributors. It is only recently that the total number of donors and co-workers in the USA have totaled more than our worldwide membership of about 7,000. This represents a 12% increase in donors and a 13% increase in co-workers in the USA. We are very thankful for this fine growth.—Davy Crockett
Worldwide Co-Worker Growth
We are also very encouraged by the growth we are seeing on our worldwide co-worker and donor files. To date, our worldwide co-worker count recorded on our Headquarters database has grown to more than 4,000—up to 4,067, which is up 12 percent over last year. Our donors, individuals who usually give widow's mites once a year or so, now number 3,561, which is up 3% over last year. Considering all of the financial woes expanding around this world, we are thankful to be experiencing increases. We need to keep up our prayers, to be continually praying to the "Lord of the harvest" for more laborers—members, co-workers and donors. During times of high inflation, when money is tight for everyone and expenses are skyrocketing, our prayers for more laborers are key for the Church moving ahead.—Wayne Pyle
Comments
Big Picture or Loose Bricks? Solomon wrote, "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but happy is he who keeps the law" (Proverbs 29:18, KJV and NKJV). Jesus told His disciples, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Jesus commissioned His disciples, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15), to warn the world and the nations of Israel about sobering events to come (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) and to prepare a people to rule with Him in the Kingdom (Luke 1:17; Revelation 5:10). To accomplish that mission today requires a team that is of one mind and that can work together smoothly (1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:11-16). This is the big picture that we need to keep our minds focused upon. It should be instructive that some today are losing sight of this big picture and want to focus instead on details and issues that are not clearly defined in the Scriptures, and then sit in judgment of the Church that has been given the responsibility to make decisions in these areas (1 Timothy 3:15; 2 Timothy 2:14-23) and is actively doing the Work of God. By contrast, Abraham was big-minded in his dealings with Lot (Genesis 13). David kept God's overall plan in mind when he was persecuted by Saul. Esther put the welfare of her people above her own, and Jesus kept His mind on the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33) as He dealt with nit-picking Pharisees. While Jesus saw the Pharisees' zeal for details, He admonished them for their lack of vision and their inability to see the big picture (Matthew 23:23-24). We need to stay focused on the big picture that is clearly spelled out in the Scriptures instead of looking for loose bricks and trying to figure out fuzzy doctrinal details.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—July 17, 2008
"Many Shall Come in My Name." "Vissarion" is the name of the Siberian man who identifies himself as the Messiah. Vissarion, meaning "He who gives new life," heads an "isolated religious commune deep in the birch forests of Russia. Members of the Church of the Last Testament (about 10,000 people worldwide) follow the laws of the self-proclaimed reincarnation of Jesus Christ, maintaining a largely vegan diet and skipping modern medicine to maintain harmony with nature. Five times a day, believers turn in prayer toward the mountaintop where Vissarion lives" (ABC News, June 23, 2008). In the last couple of years, a Puerto Rican-born man now living in Florida has identified himself as the returned Jesus Christ. Now, there is one claiming to be "Jesus Christ" living in Russia. Where will the next one appear? Christ Himself warned, "…Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many… For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand" (Matthew 24:4-5, 24-25). As more "false christs" appear on the scene in the years to come, we have yet one more sign that we are living at the end of the age.
Women and Children Rule Over You. "Quebec, Canada: After his 12-year-old daughter posted photos of herself on an online dating service, one Canadian father chose to ban his daughter from using the Internet. Then, after a related altercation with her step mother, the father prohibited his daughter from going on a school field trip. So… the daughter took her father to court and sued him. Thus, in this landmark decision, Justice Suzanne Tessier of the provincial superior court ruled that the father had dealt out 'excessive punishment' to his daughter and ruled in favor of the daughter. Even though the field trip was already completed at the time of the ruling, the court set a precedent by becoming involved in the internal affairs of family discipline. The father is appealing the case in order to prevent such an odd ruling from happening again in the future" (Globe and Mail, June 19, 2008). What perverted judgments will this case make way for in the future? God warned Israel and her descended nations of impending national difficulty because of rejecting His ways: "As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths" (Isaiah 3:12).
The Dominoes Keep Falling. While presidential candidates dispute whether or not the United States is formally in recession, the bad economic news keeps rolling in as business sectors struggle to stay afloat and workers fear job cuts (Safe Money Report, July 2008). Each sector of the United States economy depends closely on other sectors; when one falters, others are put at risk. Recent stock market declines have gutted U.S. economic strength. Because of skyrocketing fuel costs, automakers such as Ford and General Motors, and airlines including Continental, Delta and USAir, are losing money and running out of cash reserves, leaving them at the brink of bankruptcy. Struggling airlines mean big problems for aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing. Parts suppliers feel the pinch as manufacturing giants lose sales, close plants and lay off workers. Growing unemployment and the increasing cost of fuel and food means less money spent in the retail, tourism and entertainment sectors. Struggling businesses that could previously turn to banks for help now find financial institutions shaken by the growing volume of mortgage loans gone bad, which in turn causes commercial loans to falter. Several major U.S. regional banks are likely to face insolvency very soon. Foreign financial institutions that had trusted in the quality of U.S. mortgage-backed investments are also endangered. "Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire" (James 5:2-3).—Don Davis and Scott Winnail