Greetings from Charlotte,
It is good to be back in Charlotte after several weeks of travel. It was really inspiring to see the young people and the program at Living Youth Camp in Michigan. It was also encouraging to visit our offices and brethren in growing congregations in the Caribbean. This past weekend I was able to visit several pastors in Tennessee and spend the Sabbath in Nashville where Mr. Lester Bowker, a member of the Church of God for 44 years, was presented with a plaque in remembrance of turning 100 years old! Mr. Meredith has been focusing on future plans for the Work. The new TV set is just about ready for filming and Mr. Ames is busy preparing new programs for the Fall TV season. Mr. & Mrs. Apartian will be returning Friday from visiting family in Charlottesville, Virginia.
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
Ministerial Assignments. The following assignments or adjustments have been made in ministerial field responsibilities: Keith Walden—Pastor, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Co-Pastor, Denver, Colorado; Rodger Bardo—Pastor, Arizona congregations; Bill Whitaker —Pastor, Walterboro, South Carolina.
Australasia Update
Mr. Bruce Tyler reports from Australia: Another milestone has been passed here in Australia, with the Australian mailing list now exceeding 15,000 subscribers… Last week we mailed Mr. Meredith's special "Middle East Crisis" letter to all our co-workers and donors offering the Middle East booklet… so far we have received a 20 percent response with requests still arriving in the mail. Twenty-seven percent of those responding have expressed their gratitude by including an offering to help further the Work, for which we are very thankful. I will be in Perth this Sabbath and then visiting new interested people on Sunday. On Monday, I fly to Sydney and will be there till the following Sunday, once again visiting mostly all new interested subscribers. This week, 194 responses were received from the Tomorrow's World program "Seven Satanic Deceptions," presented by Mr. Richard Ames, offering the booklet Satan's Counterfeit Christianity. The New Zealand office reported 179 responses. That's a total of 373. In July, the total response to the program in Australia was 789.
Mr. Thomas Tial Hoe reports from Myanmar: Unexpectedly, Mr. Liancung Thang
(Mr. John Vaikia's son) asked me to accompany him to attend his father-in-law's funeral service in Yangon. So we left Kyarinn for Yangon on 3rd July and returned home on 28th July. On 7th July, I was asked to have a short speech on behalf of the family, before some 350 people, including some Chin Baptist leaders in Yangon. After the service, they shook my hand as a sign of congratulation on my speech. On 12th July, I went to Sakhan Gyi and kept God's Sabbath (15th July) with our Karen members. They were very happy to see me again, unexpectedly, the third time in this year. They loved and respected me very much, in which I was very thankful to God. I anointed seven members and prayed for them.
United Kingdom Update
Mr. Rod King reports from England: We have just set up our office and it is good to be able to handle the myriad of tasks that need to be taken care of. We have had a great deal of help from our Scottish leaders who have been labouring hard to administer the Church's needs till now. We are in a transition phase of moving many of the manually handled tasks to computer so that we are in harmony with Charlotte. Just as I am writing, a delivery of office stationery, copying, fax and printing equipment has arrived and we will begin to set it up. Our house has a conservatory at the rear which we have used to set up the office… The number of new visit requests has increased and I need to travel long distances to visit these people. Yesterday [Monday, August 7] I drove four hours (two there, two back) to visit a man who used to receive The Plain Truth but saw that it had changed. He was walking past the TV and saw Tomorrow's World. He thought, "That sounds like 'The World Tomorrow, '" and began watching. He will begin attending soon.
FEAST OF TABERNACLES
Feast Registration—For Those Not Attending
"Thank you" to everyone who responded to our call, made on the July 20 issue of The World Ahead, for those not attending the Feast to register online as "Unable to Attend." We request that those who have not yet registered for the Feast to do so right away, even if they will be unable to attend. This is important because it will help us to have accurate attendance counts, as well as to prepare for sending Feast of Tabernacles sermons to those unable to attend. If you cannot register yourself online, see your Festival Advisor for assistance. For any questions, e-mail the Festival Department at [email protected], or call 704-844-1960, ext. 212.
New Braunfels, Texas
Change in Coordinator: Because of the recent ministerial transfers, the New Braunfels Festival Coordinator is now Phil Sena. If you have any questions regarding the site, you can contact Mr. Sena at 512-535-6771 or [email protected].
Sea World Tickets: Sea World of Texas, located one hour south of New Braunfels in San Antonio, is a world-class marine park with live family-based shows and other entertainment (www.seaworld.com/seaworld/tx/). Due to limited operating hours, Sunday, October 8, will be the only day during the Feast to visit the park. For the convenience of those interested in visiting Sea World, discounted group rate tickets are being arranged for Feastgoers. Tickets are $45.73 for adults and $35.99 for children ages 3-9 (prices include tax). To purchase tickets at this rate, please send a check or money order made payable to Wade Brown, 1331 Kilgore Lane, Waco, Texas 76705. Include a note stating the number of adult and/or children tickets you are purchasing, and your contact information. Payment must be received by Friday, September 22. Tickets will be available before and after services on Sunday, October 8. Please note that this is not a Church-sponsored activity, the Church is simply making a group rate available for your convenience. Transportation to and from the park will not be provided, and a $10 parking fee is not included in the price of the ticket. For further information, please contact Wade Brown at 254-366-7108 or, by e-mail, at [email protected].
Family Day: Many activities are being planned for an authentic Texan Family Day, including a chili cook-off, fun show, and square dancing. So bring your Crock-Pot and start rehearsing your act! No age groups will be left out of the fun. If you would like details, please contact Troy Riggs by e-mail at [email protected], or by phone
at 254-644-7964.
Copper Mountain, Colorado
Singles Activity: We are planning a singles activity for Sunday, October 8. This is the only Sunday during the Feast! We are planning on going to Six Flags Great America in Denver and would like to get a count of interested singles. We need a solid count ASAP to get group rates, and for charter bus information. The larger the group, the less the tickets cost. Regular price is $44.99 for park admission, but with pre-bought tickets the price goes down to $23 or LESS! I can buy group tickets before the Feast as long as enough people contact me (Kyle Gilchrist) ASAP at 505-379-4206 or, by e-mail, at [email protected].
Western Shore, Nova Scotia, Canada
Family Dinner-Dance: We are looking forward to having a wonderful Family Dinner and Dance at the Feast. Therefore, to help you prepare in advance for the evening, we want to inform you that the dress for this occasion will be Sabbath wear or better (i.e. formal attire). We are also planning to take family photos that night, as a special memento from the Feast.
Children's Choir and Special Music: We are also working on putting together a Children's Festival Choir. Therefore, if you have children between the ages of 3-12 who would like to participate in the choir; please contact Mrs. Roslyn Elertson by phone at 905-593-0218, or by e-mail at [email protected]. Finally, if you are interested in performing Special Music (vocal or instrumental) at the Feast, also contact Mrs. Roslyn Elertson. We look forward to seeing you at the Feast. Have a wonderful upcoming Festival season.
MEDIA
TV Responses. Mr. Pyle reports, "This was our biggest summer re-run weekend ever. Last year was the first time for a summer re-run to break the 3,000 mark. This week we are breaking the 4,000-mark for the first time for a summer re-run. We aired program #265, 'Seven Satanic Deceptions,' offering one of our newest booklets, Satan's Counterfeit Christianity. It seemed like our viewers could not phone in quick enough! From Thursday through Sunday, we received 3,409 phone calls, and we are expecting the weekly total to top out around 4,300. The calls this weekend pushed our year-to-date total for the United States and Canada over 100,000. This is the third year in a row to pass 100,000 in a year's time," but this is the earliest we have reached this figure. We have also received over 4,600 requests for the booklet The Middle East in Prophecy that was offered in a recent special mailing—these responses are just beginning to come in.
COMMENTS
Are You a Servant or an Office Seeker? In the world it is common for ambitious people to seek, lobby, plot and scheme to gain visibility and positions of authority. Regrettably, this even occurs in the Church. Jesus rebuked religious leaders for seeking the perks and symbols of ecclesiastical power (Matthew 23:5-6; Luke 11:43). Jesus also admonished His own disciples on several occasions for seeking high positions for themselves (Mark 9:33-34; 10:35-45). Philip rebuked Simon Magus for trying to buy an apostleship (Acts 8:18-21). John mentions that Diotrephes sought a preeminent position in a congregation (III John 9). What all these individuals did not understand was that God is able to determine our motives by looking into our hearts, and it is God who places us in His Church as it pleases Him—in His time and in His way (I Corinthians 12:18). This is why Jesus stressed that we should focus on becoming servants instead of seeking positions of authority (Matthew 20:26-28), and why He warned that those who seek to exalt themselves will be abased (Matthew 23:11-12). We need to remember the biblical admonitions about humility (Psalm 18:27), and avoid letting Satan fill our heart with grandiose ideas about how we should be recognized (Acts 8:21). As Solomon said, it is better to be invited to fill a position than to seek it and be demoted (Proverbs 25:6-7).
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
NEWS AND PROPHECY—August 17, 2006
Egypt: a Reemerging Power? In 1992, the world's oldest geologic map was rediscovered. It locates mineral rich areas in Egypt, including a Pharaonic gold mine about 350 miles (600 km) south of Cairo. This mine is set to reopen after nearly 50 years of dormancy. Interestingly, the entire region surrounding the gold mine is forecasted to become a mining province—something that "could revolutionize Egypt's economy" by adding up to 12 percent of Egypt's gross domestic product (GDP) and making gold the number one contributor to the Egyptian economy in the future (Egypt Today, August 2006). Several thousand years ago, God prophesied that in the last days the King of the North would "have power over the treasures of gold and silver and over all of the precious things of Egypt…" (Daniel 11:42-43). To this point, there are no "treasures of gold and silver" in Egypt—but these are apparently coming soon and may contribute greatly to the economy behind the coming King of the South.
Secret Realignment of UK Defense Policy. Researcher Dr. Richard North reports on "one of the most significant yet largely unreported political developments of recent years"—moves by the UK to integrate its armed forces with those of the EU (www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org, see Wrong Side of the Hill). This new integration "will make it increasingly hard for the UK either to fight independently or to co-operate militarily with the US" and could spell the end to the "special relationship" with the US that has been the "cornerstone of British defence policy" since WWII. In the last several years, British forces have been reorganized to mesh with EU forces, and military technology and equipment that will be incompatible with US technology and equipment is now being ordered from European suppliers. All this has been done behind the scenes and has been largely kept from the British public. Bible prophecies indicate this new realignment will increasingly isolate the US from Britain and its European allies, and it will bring unexpected negative consequences when these European allies (lovers) turn against the US and UK (see Hosea 8:9; Ezekiel 16:33, 37-41; 23:9-10, 22-35).
Toxic Algae, a Threat to Human and Animal Health. Klamath River reservoirs in Oregon are being choked with a potentially deadly toxin-producing algae, as water stagnates behind dams and in ponds. The record bloom of algae prompted state and federal officials to issue health warnings. "Concentrations of the algae Microcystis aeruginosa are so great that even breathing vapors caused by water skiing could cause illness, officials said, and swallowing even a few ounces of lake water could bring effects as severe as organ failure." (Sacramento Bee, August 15, 2006) The cleansing action of flowing water has been reduced, due to drought in the U.S. Northwest. In the UK, drought and heat have produced "carpets of toxic blue-green algae, some of which can kill dogs within half an hour… The toxicity of Microcystis aeruginosa is somewhere between cobra venom and puffer fish." Thousands of fish are dying due to lack of oxygen, and the reproduction cycles of frogs, wading birds and insects are being affected (The Guardian, August 10, 2006). God said the water would be in short supply in the last days (Ezekiel 12: 19, Amos 4:8).—Dan Bennett, Don Davis, Scott Winnail