Greetings from Charlotte,
Last Sabbath a number of speakers traveled out of Charlotte. Mr. and Mrs. Meredith were in Atlanta, Georgia; Mr. and Mrs. Crockett were in Bristol, Virginia; and Mr. and Mrs. Rod McNair were in Raleigh, North Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Ehman and Mr. and Mrs. Bonjour made their usual trips to serve their respective congregations in Statesville and Asheboro, North Carolina. This week Dr. Germano spent several days here in Charlotte preparing for next semester's Living University classes. We are glad to report that Mrs. Germano has finished her cancer treatments and is gaining strength—and that your prayers have been and are very much appreciated. Headquarters' departments are currently involved with preparing budgets for 2008 and gearing up for the 15th Anniversary activities that are scheduled for next weekend. Please pray that God will bless the income for the remaining days of this year.
Fifteenth Anniversary
Payment for Activities: We deeply appreciate the wonderful response to our invitation to the 15th Anniversary celebration. It should be great fun for all and an exciting opportunity for fellowship with brethren from far and wide. There are costs attendant to this celebration and prepayment for the activities is important for our planning (the cost for the anniversary dinner is $25 for adults and $11 for children ages 3-12; the cost for the marriage seminar's buffet dinner is $10 per adult and $5 for children ages 3-12; the cost for the singles seminar is $6). If you have registered but have not paid for the events you have chosen to attend, please make payment online or by regular mail send to 2301 Crown Centre Drive, Charlotte, NC 28227, as soon as possible. If you are paying online write "Anniversary events" and your invoice number, if available, in the "donation designation" box. If you are paying by check, please remember to write on the check's memo line "Anniversary events," and include your invoice number. Thank you for your attention to this important detail.
Hotel Reservations: When making reservations at the hotels/motels listed in the MyLCG section of the www.cogl.org website, please remember to identify yourself as part of the Living Church of God. While we have no financial incentive in requesting this, the hotels/motels have a room block for us, and we need to let them know who is with our group.—Davy Crockett
Marriage Seminar Update
We are excited by the responses we have received for the 15th Anniversary weekend activities! As you may know, we are at maximum capacity for the December 28 marriage seminar, with 103 adults signed up. During the marriage seminar lectures, our staff will be taking the 15 teens whose parents are attending the seminar on a "Behind the Work" media activity here at the HQ building, as well as providing games and activities for the 45 children registered! The lectures on Friday, December 28, will begin at 1:00 p.m., and will be held at the LCG Headquarters building, at 2301 Crown Centre Dr., Charlotte, N.C., 28227. If you need further directions, call the HQ office (704-844-1970), or e-mail [email protected]. A buffet meal will be served at 5:30 pm, after the lectures, for the married couples and their children. If you will be attending, but have not yet paid for the meal, please do so right away ($10 per adult, $5 ages 3-12, infants free). We will see you at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, December 28!—Rod McNair
Media
Yesterday, Mr. Meredith and Mr. Ames recorded new Tomorrow's World television programs. Mr. Meredith recorded program #325, "A New Government Is Coming!" which will air in April 2008 and offer the booklet Prophecy Fulfilled: God's Hand in World Affairs. Mr. Ames recorded program #327, "Five Keys to Understanding Prophecy," which will air in April 2008 and offer the booklet The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.
Church Administration
Visit to Musoma and West Kenya
Mr. Simon Muthama, our deacon in Kenya, reports: I am back in Nairobi after a long trip to Musoma and West Kenya. I kept the Sabbath with the Kosele congregation. The attendance was 28 brethren of whom eight were new. I also visited Mbita… when I arrived, I found seven men and two women waiting for me and had a Bible study for about five hours. I will go back in May. I am planning to go back to Musoma on December 27 (for four days) to meet with the brethren. Pray for my safety.
French West Indies Update
Mr. Etienne Duval, our deacon in Martinique, reports on his visit to Guadeloupe: I went to Guadeloupe on December 15. Mr. Rome gave the sermonette and I gave the announcements based on the October-November Ministerial Bulletin in which Mr. Meredith exhorts us to prepare for emergencies. I had already presented the same information in Martinique in November 25, and on November 29 we had the earthquake. I had used the May-June 2003 Living Church News article that Mr. Meredith refers to in the Ministerial Bulletin, and adapted it to our local conditions. There were six persons present at services in Guadeloupe. Mr. Ginier is also in contact with a new lady in Guadeloupe who seems very interested, but was not present at services last Sabbath. Maybe the news of my visit didn't reach her in time.
Finance Department (Repeat Announcement)
As we begin December 2007, the income of the Work is slightly below budget. Nevertheless, we hope to end the calendar year with a surplus, as we plan for 2008.
For those who do year-end financial planning, any contributions received postmarked prior to and including December 31, 2007 will be included in your contribution receipt for 2007. Contributions made online by December 31 will also be included in your annual receipt for contributions to the Church.—Davy Crockett
Comments
The Importance of Patience: The Apostle Paul urged Christians to develop the mind of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:5). The Scriptures describe the patience of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:9), that God is patient (Romans 15:5), that patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and that true saints of God develop and exhibit this important quality of patience (Revelation 13:10). We are encouraged to be patient and persevere during trials (Romans 12:12; James 1:4) and to trust in God (Psalm 37:7) as we seek to build character and learn important lessons (Psalm 25:5). We are admonished to be patient and gentle in our dealings with others, so that we can truly reflect the mind and character of Jesus Christ and our Father. The Apostle Paul wrote, "Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness" (1 Timothy 6:11). He also wrote, "Now we exhort you, brethren… be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15). The Apostle Peter even stated, "when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God" (1 Peter 2:20). True Christians should not be impatient, impulsive, vindictive or seek to get even. If we have the mind of Jesus Christ, we will strive to develop this important quality of patience.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—December 20, 2007
A More Powerful European Union: Leaders from 27 EU countries recently signed the latest draft of the "Reform Treaty"—a euphemism for "EU Constitution." This treaty will have a major impact in Europe in future years. Some outcomes of this new treaty are: 1) it gives large nations more votes—Germany and France will have much more voting power than most nations, due to their larger populations; 2) it abolishes national vetoes in 68 additional areas, from transportation to self-protection, budget and immigration; 3) it increases the power of the Council of Ministers, allowing them to create European laws and policy "behind closed doors" (BrusselsJournal.com, December 12, 2007). With the signing of this treaty in Lisbon, Portugal, an unprecedented amount of additional power is being handed over to a central European government body that has frighteningly little oversight, yet has increasing control of nearly 500 million Europeans. Prophecy indicates that at the end of the age ten kings will be "of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast" (Revelation 17:13). We need to watch how this prophecy will play out.
Shaking Jerusalem: Scientists are predicting a major earthquake in the Holy Land any time in the next 50 years. Major earthquakes (magnitude 6.0 or greater) in this region occur on average every 80 years. The last quake took place in 1927 and killed 200-300 people. A similar quake, 7.0 on the Richter scale, occurred in 1837. According to many scientists, "the West Bank sits on top of one of the most sensitive fault lines in the world" and the Holy Land is surrounded by several major faults. "Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who saw Jerusalem fall to the invading Romans in 70 AD, also wrote that around 30,000 people perished in an earthquake whose epicenter was in the region of the Dead Sea in 31 BC" (Breitbart.com, December 17, 2007; AP, January 19, 2004). The Bible records that an earthquake split rocks and tore the Temple veil in Jerusalem at the time of Christ's death (Matthew 27:51). Bible prophecies also indicate that at the end of the age there will be "great earthquakes in various places (Luke 21:11) and that when Jesus Christ returns, His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives and it will divide in two (apparently as a result of an earthquake) making a very large valley in the midst of it (Zechariah 14:4). In light of these end-time prophecies, it is interesting that scientists are predicting another major earthquake for the Jerusalem region at some point in the next 50 years.
Who Can Read YOUR Mind? For years, many in God's Church have debated whether or not Satan can actually "read" our thoughts—we know God can (Psalm 44:21). We do not know for sure about Satan, but cutting-edge research may give us a clue. Earlier this year, a team of European scientists, using complex brain scans, discovered a way to read a person's "intention" to act in a certain way. One researcher commented, "…but what you can be absolutely sure of is that these [scientific advances] will continue to roll out and we will have more and more ability to probe people's intentions, minds, background thoughts, hopes and emotions." Some scientists suspect that, "More advanced versions [of the brain scans] may be able to read complex thoughts and even pick them up before the person is conscious of them." Scientists are now debating the "ethics" of using such a device (The Guardian, February 9, 2007). From a prophetic standpoint, how might such a tool be used by leaders, law enforcement agencies, and governments with selfish or wrong motivations? Additionally, if man, with his limited "human" capacity, is now developing the means to "read our thoughts," how much more might the prince of the power of the air, a master of using spirit, already be able to do so? What else would be possible for man if he is given enough time to discover it? (see Genesis 11:6).—Scott Winnail