FROM THE PRESIDING EVANGELIST
Greetings Fellow Ministers,
All is well here at Headquarters and we are happy to have Dr. Winnail back with us from his trip to the Caribbean. Although the income is kind of dragging this time of year, we are very grateful for the wonderful growth that God has given us overall in responses to the television program and especially in the wonderful growth in prospective member visit requests.
The last few months have shown a lot more such requests than ever before in the history of the Global/Living Work! As I reported in the new co-worker letter which you will be receiving in the next week or two, "We had 106 such requests in June of 2005. With various ups and downs—but mainly up—the chart I have been given describing these responses now indicates that we reached 216 such responses in July of this year—with an even higher number, 269, in May of this year! So God, through this Work, is now bringing in twice the number of people wanting to actually act on God's Truth and become involved in living God's way of life and sharing this precious way by worshiping together with others who also understand. Thank God!"
Another bit of good news I would like to share with you is the selection of Mr. Wally Smith as our new television presenter. As many of you know, Wally is now pastoring our churches in St. Louis, Columbia and Rolla, MO, and is doing a fine job. He worked with Mr. Rand Millich full-time, and Rand gives him the highest recommendation. Wally has been in God's Church for many years and was highly recommended by Mr. John Ogwyn for the full-time ministry. Interestingly, he will be filling the very presenter slot Mr. Ogwyn had when he was still with us. So John Ogwyn is still serving and helping through his personal recommendation of my wonderful secretary, Monica, and now Mr. Wally Smith as a television presenter—plus a number of other key individuals that Mr. Ogwyn brought along through his fine teaching and example.
Wally Smith is a husband, and the father of four little boys. He has been an extremely dedicated and helpful member of the Church, and is an unusually intelligent young man. As we viewed the tapes of six different ministers who auditioned for the job of the next television presenter, it became extremely obvious that Wally Smith is a "natural" as far as being on television! Some of the women in our group said, "Wow!" when they first viewed him. He just seems to have an unusual knack of presenting himself on television and explaining world news and human situations in a very interesting and provocative way which will reach the carnal mind out there in "TV land." Our other young ministers all did a good job and are an extremely dedicated group. But we must pick the one most qualified for this particular responsibility, and it was obvious to all of us that, as I said, Wally Smith is a "natural."
So please pray for him and for his fine wife and family. He is a humble and dedicated fellow minister, and will need our prayers in the weeks and months ahead more than ever. We thank God for such a talented and personable young man to fill this slot, and pray that God's richest blessing will be upon him in this additional responsibility as he flies here to Charlotte three or four times a year to make television programs as the "third presenter." This gives us a fresh face and a younger presenter—hopefully reaching another section of our audience and especially the youth out there as our television program grows in its reach and impact.
Again, the Work is moving ahead, but the income is certainly somewhat lower than it should be—partly because we were late getting out the semi-annual letter and therefore didn't have a co-worker letter for two different months—first time in LCG history this has happened. So please encourage the brethren to pray fervently for the Work and to give generously as they are able. Thanks again for all of your love and support in the Work, fellow ministers. Please pray for us here and we will remember you regularly in our prayers that God will use you, guide you and protect and bless you and your families.—Roderick C. Meredith
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
According to Dr. Doug Winnail's latest report, the trip he and Mr. Paul Shumway took to the Caribbean was very successful. However, they barely made the plane on Tuesday night from Barbados to Trinidad due to many people leaving Barbados after a major festival—an inconvenience by far insignificant compared to what many are experiencing in the U.K. Speaking to reporters, U.K.'s Home Secretary John Reid declared, "We are involved in a long, wide and deep struggle against very evil people. It is not a case of one civilization or one people against each other."
New Zealand Update
Mr. Kinnear Penman reports: The repeat broadcasts of the Tomorrow's World programme brought an average of 116 responses each week during July. Of these, an average of 49 were from first-time callers. The Internet seems to be increasing as a means of initial contact. A higher number of responders via the Internet request subscriptions to the TW magazine, compared with phone callers who are sent a sample copy only at their first response. In early July semi-annual letters were mailed to all subscribers. At this time we have received 795 requests for "The Bible: Fact or Fiction?" booklet. This amounts to 25.23% acceptances which, is our highest ever acceptance rate. The booklets have been mailed. Those responders who had never received "The Middle East in Prophecy" were offered that by way of Mr Meredith's special letter, and requests for that booklet are now being received. A total of 3,914 mail items were dispatched during the month.
Feast of Tabernacles—Oxnard, California: The organizers would love to have you share laughs and an entertaining evening by participating in the Fun Show. Those interested, please contact Joe Rosignolo by e-mail at [email protected] or Patti Forsness at (406) 442-4137 or e-mail at [email protected].
LEGAL DEPARTMENT—For U.S. Only
Conscientious Objector Status. The U.S. military will be hard-pressed to provide the personnel needed to deal with any additional military commitments. The National Guard and Reserves are falling behind in recruitment goals because of long deployments overseas. A widening of the Middle East war may require America to return to the practice of drafting its young citizens to fill the ranks of the military. This time, it is likely that women may be included.
For several years, the Church has been encouraging its older teens and young men and women to register their conscientious objection to war and military service. Pastors and elders should be counseling the youth in their areas about the need to consider their commitment to God, His laws and His Church. The time for procrastination is over. It is much more difficult to prove a conscientious objection claim after a draft has been instituted, if an individual has not previously gone on record as holding a religious belief against serving in the armed forces.
To request an information packet and forms, an interested young person should contact the Legal Affairs Office here at Headquarters by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at (704) 844-1960 ext. 228. Time is of the essence; delaying may later cause untold grief to those who do not take action now.
COMMENTS
At times, all of us become angry. We may even lose our temper to the point of causing irreparable damage. We overlook God's warning not to let the sun go down on our wrath (Ephesians 4:26). Some people have ruined their future and completely shattered their dreams by being unable to control their temper. The Bible cites many such examples. For instance, Cain, because of jealousy, killed his brother in anger. Esau, in a moment of exhaustion and weakness, disdained his birthright and sold it for a bowl of lentils. His repentance, just like Cain's, came too late. (Hebrews 12:17)
A few weeks ago, during the World Cup's final watched by more than one billion spectators, the captain of the French soccer team, Zidane, a national hero playing his last game before retirement, lost his temper and broke the hopes of many. He and his team were on the verge of winning the Cup—and the whole nation was about to celebrate joyfully their victory as well as Zidane's well-deserved retirement. Unfortunately, he lost his temper—and his head! Whatever the extent of his opponent's provocation, Zidane acted like a loser, not like a winner. He retired in disgrace, jeopardizing the chances of his team's victory. Many were stunned, bewildered and horrified. How could such a national hero succumb to extreme anger? The Bible explains, "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city." The Contemporary English Version reads, "Controlling your temper is better than being a hero who captures a city." (Proverbs 16:32). As God's people, let us be led by His Holy Spirit, not by our human nature. Don't let the sun go down on your wrath.
Have a peaceful Sabbath,
Dibar Apartian
NEWS AND PROPHECY—August 10, 2006
Can The World Risk Placing Sanctions on Iran? Will Iran really turn off the oil, if the United Nations imposes sanctions? Speaking in Tehran, Ali Larijani, head of the Supreme National Security Council, said regarding cutting oil exports: "We do not want to use the oil weapon. It is them who would impose it upon us." (Guardian UK, August 7; Associated Press, August 8, 2006). Larijani stated that if the West does decide on sanctions, "we will react in a way that would be painful for them… Do not force us to do something that will make people shiver in the cold." If Iran fails to cease its enrichment of uranium by August 31, the U.N. Security Council is likely to take some kind of action against Tehran. Meanwhile, as the Iranian crisis is coming to a head, Alaska's Prudhoe Bay pipeline has been closed for repairs, reducing daily U.S. crude oil supplies by at least 2.6 percent. God warned that at the end of the age, scarcity of vital commodities would occur. "And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine" (Revelation 6:6).
If You Don't Like the Weather Now… "Although skeptics say our changing weather is just part of a natural cycle, many scientists say winter's diminished fury here is the most visible piece of evidence in the Midwest of global warming." (McClatchy Newspapers [Kansas City, MO], July 7, 2006) Plants are blooming weeks earlier than usual, migratory birds are off schedule and the heat and drought have reduced water levels in reservoirs, lakes and streams to the lowest point in years. "Heat stress can cause chickens to quit laying eggs, dairy cows to stop producing milk and beef cattle to lose hundreds of pounds, raising the cost of eggs, milk and beef." Leonard Krishtalka, director of the Natural History Museum at the University of Kansas, reported to the U.S. Congress that a broad review of studies indicated Earth has not been this warm in 400 years—and possibly for 2,000 years or much longer. As the soil heats up, the moisture in it will evaporate more quickly, reducing the benefit of precipitation. Because of our personal and national sins, God said, "And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. The LORD will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed" (Deuteronomy 28:23-24).
Germany Takes Lead in EU Military. Germany, for the first time since WWII, is leading a military force abroad. In the aftermath of WWII, Germany's military was limited both in size and scope. It was small and its sole focus was that of defense. In recent years, German troops have begun to play a role outside of Germany as part of larger "peace keeping" contingents alongside foreign soldiers and under foreign command. But at the European military base near Potsdam, "the focus of interest is Germany, which is providing not only the bulk of the EU contingent, but also its commander, Karlheinz Viereck— a first since the war." (The Economist, June 29, 2006) Germany's military rise has long been taught by the Church. The events now taking place are setting the stage for the emergence of the Beast Power as described in Daniel 2, 7 and Revelation 13, 17.—Don Davis, Charles Ogwyn