Greetings from Charlotte,
Mr. Meredith and Mr. Ames both taped television programs this week. Mr. Meredith taped program #321 entitled, "2008 and Prophecy." Mr. Ames recorded program #319 entitled, "Should Christians Observe the Sabbath?" This past weekend, we held the last of nine Regional Conferences in Richland, Washington. We had 42 elders, deacons, deaconesses, other leaders and their wives in attendance at a very pleasant location on the Columbia River. It was very encouraging to meet and talk with those attending the conference. Feedback on the conference was very positive. Mr. Bob League will be conducting a Public Lecture this Sabbath in Nashville, Tennessee. Please keep this lecture in your prayers.
Church Administration
Canadian Update
Mr. Gerald Weston, Canadian Regional Director, reports: The Work in Canada continues to show steady growth. Earlier this year we hired Douglas and Mieke Lovell to serve as Business Manager and Receptionist respectively. Next week we will be adding a young man, Michael Heykoop, to fulfill a number of duties in the office, many of which are related to computer technologies. We had struggled with where to place him in the office, as our office space was already crowded. Two weeks ago, totally unexpectedly, the suite next to ours with a reception area and five offices became available beginning September 1. This adds five offices and a reception area exactly when we needed the added space! God does provide. We wasted no time in taking it.
So far this year we have had 29 baptisms with about the same number counseling for baptism; the majority of these people are brand new to the Church of God. Our average attendance is running around 510 every month. This reflects a 44 percent increase since 2001.
Perhaps the best news of all is that our elder in Ontario, Mr. Winston Gosse, has made a strong recovery from his ulcer and cancer which brought him down over the last two years. He has gained back about 25 pounds and is beginning to serve a two-congregation circuit once again. He is still waiting for the results on some tests, but at this time, everything looks very good and the prayers of all those who were praying for him are greatly appreciated.
Visit to Mauritius
Mr. Pieter van der Byl, South Africa Area Pastor, reports on his recent trip to the island of Mauritius, off the eastern coast of South Africa, wrote: "I was very pleased to have the opportunity to visit Mauritius this past weekend and hold a Bible Study in Quatre Bornes on the Sabbath the 25 August. We had an attendance of nine, including four new people. A couple more were planning to attend, but were not able to due to circumstances. Although we are only working with a few people at present, there is a slow but steady growth in interest as more individuals come into contact with the Truth. As our subscription list [in Mauritius] numbers only about one hundred, we are planning to advertise periodically through the local newspapers to gain more subscribers. But we are also pleased to note that some people are responding through referrals from our members as well. We look forward to development of local leadership, so that we can ultimately establish a video group in Mauritius.
Feast of Tabernacles 2007
Branson, Missouri
Choir, Special Music and Piano Accompaniment. If you would like to sing in the Festival Choir or to perform special music in Branson, please contact Mr. Dave Polosky at 828-883-8856 or at [email protected] without delay for music and information. We are also still in need of an accompanist for the choir. If you can serve in this way, please also contact him as soon as possible. Parents who wish to have their child sing in the children's choir should contact Mrs. Connie Sweat at 423-822-2970 or [email protected]. Furthermore, we are looking for someone willing to direct the children's choir. Contact Mrs. Sweat if you can help in this area.
Bushkill, Pennsylvania
Children's Choir. A children's choir is being planned for those four years and older. Music for practice may be obtained in advance from Mrs. Dulaney. She can be contacted at [email protected] or at 540-662-3696. Please feel free to leave her a message and specify your music recording preference (tape or CD).
Sabbath Services on October 6 (Repeat Announcement)
Pastors, if you have not done so already, please send us a list of the congregations in your area which will have Sabbath services on October 6, and the contact person's information. Send this information to Mrs. Genie Ogwyn at [email protected]. We are compiling a master list and appreciate your assistance in this matter.
Note that there will be Sabbath services at Headquarters in Charlotte on Saturday, October 6, after the Feast of Tabernacles. We welcome all those who are traveling through to visit us!
Feast of Tabernacles Sermons (Repeat Announcement)
Attention Pastors: Some of the brethren in your congregations will not be able to attend the Feast of Tabernacles for valid reasons. We will be glad to send them Feast of Tabernacles sermons on CD. Please send us their names and addresses by September 7, if you have not already done so—or if they haven't registered yet as "unable to attend" on our online FOT registration system. The requests can be sent to us by e-mail at [email protected], or by phone at 704-844-1960, ext. 217, or by fax at 704-844-1975.
Comments
Importance of Prayer: Numerous scriptures emphasize the importance of prayer. We are told that David and Daniel prayed three times a day (Psalm 55:17; Daniel 6:10). Jesus began His day with prayer (Mark 1:35), and even prayed all night before making important decisions (Luke 6:12-13). Jesus also took time to teach His disciples how to pray, and provided an outline of a model prayer so that they would not blindly follow the vain and repetitive prayers of others (Luke 11:1-4; Matthew 6:5-15). The Apostle Paul urged Christians to "pray without ceasing" (I Thessalonians 5:17). The New Testament reveals that the prayers of the saints are like sweet incense to God (Revelation 5:8), and that the ears of the Lord are open to the prayers of the righteous (I Peter 3:12). Peter admonished believers, "the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers" (I Peter 4:7). As we see the end of this age approaching, let's follow these examples and heed God's instructions about the importance of prayer.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—August 30, 2007
Islam: An Increasing Threat to Europe. According to the Pope's closest advisor, Private Secretary Monsignor Georg Ganswein, "Attempts to 'Islamise' Europe are threatening the Christian character of the continent… The danger for the identity of Europe that is connected with it should not be ignored out of a wrongly understood respectfulness" (The Times, July 27, 2007). In his comments, Ganswein also defended a previous speech by the Pope that linked the Islamic religion with violence—stating that his comments were an attempt to counter the naïveté that tolerance for Islam is the best course of action (Ibid). Pope Benedict XVI previously commented that Islam is incapable of reform and is incompatible with democracy (WorldNetDaily.com, January 24, 2006). In retaliation, a Muslim extremist in London called for the Pope's execution (thisislondon.co.uk, September 18, 2006). It will be important to watch the future impact of the Pope's and the Vatican's influence on Europe. Bible prophecy warns of a future major conflict between the European Beast power or King of the North and the Islam-dominated King of the South (see Daniel 11). This future conflict will likely involve the incompatibility of Islam with the more democratic structure of Europe and the core conflict between Islam and Christianity. Geopolitical forces appear headed for an inevitable and prophetic clash of civilizations.
Slimy Slugs Invading England. The grey field slug is threatening to devastate British crops and gardens, with nearly 15 billion of the pesky mollusks plaguing not only Britain's countryside, but also its towns and cities (The Times, August 22). Plentiful rain, warm temperatures and a shortage of summer sun have provided perfect munching conditions for the slimy creatures. "It's slug heaven this year," said Dr. Richard Meredith, slug specialist at Bayer CropScience, who reported an average of 61 slugs per square meter in field research this summer, up 50 percent from last spring. Meredith says the slug population explosion may cause serious damage to oilseed and cereal crops about to be planted, since slugs feed on seeds and seedlings and can devour a whole crop if not controlled. Some parts of Gloucestershire reported more than 1,000 slugs per square meter, according to London's Daily Mail (August 21). Cornwall farmer Jim Hosking, who grows cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage, said the slug population explosion is reaching plague proportions. "There are more slugs this year, they're bigger and there are going to be even more when they breed." This reminds us of Psalm 78:46. "He [God] also gave their crops to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust." Because of the sins of the Israelite-descended peoples, we will soon lose the abundant food supply that we have enjoyed for so many years.
The World's Fresh Water Tank Is Running Dry! An article published by the Earth Policy Institute on July 25, 2007, at the Environmental News Network website (enn.com), reports, "As the world's demand for water has tripled over the last half-century, and as the demand for hydroelectric power has grown even faster, dams and diversions of river water have drained many rivers dry. As water tables fall, the springs that feed rivers go dry, reducing river flows." To satisfy their growing water needs, the three major grain producers—China, India and the United States—are over-pumping aquifers. Many other nations are doing the same; more than half of the world's people live in countries where water tables are falling. The ENN article quotes a New Scientist report (February 25, 2006) that in the south Indian province of Tamil Nadu, where over-pumping has dried 95 percent of the wells owned by small farmers, the water table fell 20 feet in just one year. Pakistan's 158 million people are also over-mining underground water, and levels are dropping one to two meters annually. The same phenomenon is occurring in Saudi Arabia, Mexico, the U.S., China and many other nations around the globe. The Bible warns: "So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water, but they were not satisfied…" (Amos 4:8).—Don Davis, Daniel Bennett, Scott Winnail