Greetings from Charlotte,
We are expecting more than 3,000 responses to Mr. Meredith's telecast #293, "Satan's Attack on the Bible," which offered the booklet, The Bible: Fact of Fiction? This was the first time this booklet has been offered and the response was very good. Mr. Ames, Mr. Apartian, Mr. Ehman and I recorded sermons this week. We are receiving very positive responses from around the world asking for information about the new Living University. Additional information will be forthcoming. Last weekend I visited our congregation in Akron, Ohio, to give the sermon and do a Leadership Class. It was helpful and informative to visit with members and with our elder in Akron, Mr. Roger Hagmaier, and his wife. It was also interesting to visit Akron, the city where I was born, and to drive through Canfield, Ohio—the town where I grew up. Please ask for God's guidance on our Council of Elders' meeting that is scheduled for next Thursday, March 15.
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
From Barbados
On Wednesday evening, February 28, we had Bible study for about 40 brethren and covered the subject of examining ourselves in preparation for the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. On Friday afternoon, I was asked to anoint a member who had left work earlier with a severe fever, chills and stomach pains. Her co-workers expressed concern about her condition. After a brief Bible study on healing, I anointed her and mentioned that we would all be looking for her at services the next day. She woke up Sabbath morning with all her symptoms gone and she came to services. She looked radiant! When she returned to work on Monday, her co-workers were surprised to see her back so soon and looking so healthy. It was very inspiring to us all! We had a record 78 in attendance for Sabbath services.—Paul Shumway
Southwest Singles Weekend
You are invited to The Southwest Singles Weekend on April 7, 8 and 9 in Phoenix, Arizona. If you are 30 years and above, you are especially encouraged to plan on joining us for a memorable three days of warm fellowship and enjoyable activities, with all events concluding on the final day of Unleavened Bread. And it gets even better—as the Arizona congregations will also be hosting a Family Mexican Fiesta dinner-dance on Saturday evening, April 7, in Phoenix. You will feast on zesty Mexican cuisine and dance to great music. A "round robin" Bible study and forum will be conducted Sabbath afternoon before regular Sabbath services, to sharpen spiritual perspectives.
Amigos and amigas, this is one fandango you will not want to miss! There will be something for everyone. For further information and details regarding the singles activities, such as available housing and an activity agenda, maps, locations, and times, please contact Sheri Bruce at 541-973-7442 or [email protected].
FINANCE DEPARTMENT
As we analyze the first two months of 2007, we are greatly encouraged by the substantial growth in co-workers and donors. For example, as of the end of February, we have a combined total of 5,772 co-workers and donors. These numbers show that the Tomorrow's World program is having a positive impact on the lives of thousands of people, as they are being moved to contribute to the support of this Work. The income started out strong in January, but has slowed somewhat in February and so far in March. Nevertheless, we are currently showing an increase in income over the same period in 2006 of about 3 percent. This is not unusual for this time of year. Please pray that God will provide the increase in funds that we need to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and to "feed the flock" which are our primary missions.—Davy Crockett
MEDIA
Internet Update
In February, we had 55,931 visitors to the Tomorrow's World website. February has historically been one of the lower months in terms of visitors to our website. However, this February was higher than expected and represents a 30.4 percent growth rate from the previous 12 months. –J. Charles Ogwyn
COMMENTS
Preparing for Passover: In just under a month, we will be observing the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. These annual Festivals are a memorial of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for our sins, and a reminder that we need to recognize and eliminate sin and inappropriate aspects from our lives. For the Passover period to be meaningful and profitable—not just be a routine—we must do our part to prepare for this important phase in God's plan of salvation. To put the Passover into proper perspective, it would be very helpful to read several of the gospels to review the events in Jesus' life that led up to the Passover, the crucifixion and the resurrection. Placing our own period of self-examination within this biblical context will help us appreciate the tremendous significance of Christ's sacrifice—for us and for the world. Spending time preparing every day, between now and the Passover, will be a profitable investment of time.
Have a meaningful Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
NEWS AND PROPHECY—March 8, 2007
Iron and Clay… Don't Mix. The European aerospace giant Airbus, once viewed as a tool for promoting European unity and challenging U.S. aerospace giant Boeing, is in trouble. The deep-seated rivalry between Germany and France is at the core of Airbus' political and economic problems. Airbus is owned by France, Germany, Britain, Spain and other nations. It has a German and Frenchman sharing the CEO and Chairman of the Board positions. France and Germany also hold equal, majority shares in the company. Politics, a dysfunctional leadership structure, and centuries of nationalistic rivalry have plagued Airbus for decades and recently led to the loss of 10,000 jobs across Europe (The Economic Times, March 5, 2007). God prophesied that a future Beast power, the end-time revival of the Roman Empire, would be a conglomeration of loosely aligned nations—a mixture likened to "iron and clay" (Daniel 2:32-33). Common laws, a common currency and common ownership of corporations are no match for centuries of rivalry and distrust that bubble below the surface. Germany and France are just the "tip of the iceberg"—two of many European nations with antagonistic political and historical pasts.
Upside-Down Values. God tells the Israelite-descended nations, "Is it not for you to know justice? You who hate good and love evil" (Micah 3:1-2). Today, the new term for love is: Polyamory— an open, free, and non-confining relationship. Polyamorous couples are free to "hook up" with other couples. Singles are free to become trios, quads, or more. These relationships come from a self-centered belief that there is "more than one true love out there." One woman commented, "I feel that there is no one person out there who can meet all who I am." When asked what it was like to have two men around the house, she said, "It's sheer bliss and I feel so absolutely loved and adored." Polyamorists also advocate raising children in polyamorous homes because "there are multiple adults around to care for them" (St. Petersburg Times, February 18, 2007). God warned of a time when people would "call evil good and good evil; Who put darkness for light and light for darkness" (Isaiah 5:20). He also warned that "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 16:25). As society goes further in "its own direction," it slips further from God and His way. There will be difficult times ahead for nations that despise God's instructions (Leviticus 26:14-46).
Plague Looms as Global Threat. Pick your plague! While AIDS continues to ravage the earth, other plagues lurk on the horizon. Plague outbreaks, like earthquakes, are hard to predict precisely, yet once they begin they are almost uncontrollable until they run their course. Millions have died in ten pandemics and dozens of regional plagues that have struck in the last 300 years. The Spanish flu erupted in 1918, killing 3 percent of those infected—700,000 fatalities in the USA and 30 million in other nations. If H5N1 bird flu becomes transmissible between humans, the fatality rate could reach 50 percent of those infected. Air travel, an insignificant factor in 1918, can now spread a localized plague around the world in just weeks. The best protection against contagious disease is to avoid contact with carriers. When plagues spread there is widespread panic, hospitals are inundated with the sick and dying, and store shelves are emptied within hours, as we saw after Hurricane Katrina. Are you prepared, and to whom will you look for protection? ("Last Days on Earth," History Channel, December 26, 2006; "From Bird to Person," Wall Street Journal, February 8, 2007). God warns, "if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins" (Leviticus 26:21). We need to pray, "Thy kingdom come."—Scott Winnail, Don Davis, Fritz and Susan Winnail