Warm greetings from Charlotte!
Mr. Meredith was very pleased with the Ministerial Conference. He mentioned that several ministers told him it was the best they had ever attended. I felt the same way. The meetings, fellowship, office tour and special banquet were among the factors that made it so. It was plain to see that God was guiding everything and poured out His special blessings on us. As far as we know, everyone is back home safely now and busy at work. A special thank you to all of you for your prayers.
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
Ministerial Transfers
There are two more ministerial transfers scheduled to take place in May/June. Mr. and Mrs. Ben Faulkner are moving to San Diego. Mr. Faulkner will pastor the San Diego and Palm Springs congregations, along with the Las Vegas video group.
Mr. and Mrs. Gary Ehman are moving to Charlotte. Mr. Ehman will work in Church Administation, concentrating on his Personal Correspondence responsibilities, as well as fulfilling elder duties that are growing here at Headquarters. Congratulations to the Faulkners and Ehmans on their new assignments!
Singles Web site
We are making plans to establish an official Living Church of God Singles Web site. This was discussed at the Council of Elders meetings and approved. Mr. Meredith has appointed Mr. Lambert Greer to coordinate this responsibility, working with CAD. We will have more information on this exciting development as preparations move along.
Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread
Undoubtedly everyone is now fully engaged in preparation for the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. With that in mind, I thought it would be helpful to cover a few Passover matters discussed at past Council of Elders conferences. It was reiterated, and all agreed, that only baptized members should participate in the Passover service, including the foot-washing. The foot-washing, the bread and the wine all go together and are all connected to the deep meaning of the Passover. Therefore, only baptized members of the Church, who have examined themselves and are prepared, should take part.
The question of unbaptized members attending the Passover, just to observe, was discussed as well. The conclusion was that this should not be done except for the rare exception. In such cases, it is left up to the Church pastor's discretion to make that decision, keeping in mind the quietness and privacy of this most important occasion.
Following are policy guidelines answering questions that have recently come in about the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread:
Passover
- Only ministers should conduct the Passover service. We have many fine deacons and leaders who can coordinate the service, if need be, and play the H.Q. Passover tape if the minister is unable to be there.
- All Passover services should follow the format and cover the material in the official ceremony from Headquarters. Please be diligent in starting on time and ending on time. We have had reports that some Passover services are running too long, which must be avoided. We don't want to rush through it, but we don't want to drag it out either. If we all follow the Passover ceremony closely, we will achieve the best results.
- The Passover service should not start before sunset.
Days of Unleavened Bread
- There is no biblical command to have two services on the first day of Unleavened Bread. The brethren are often together the evening before, for the Night to be Much Observed; therefore, it may be advisable to hold only one service on the first day of Unleavened Bread, depending on the situation in the local area. Each Area Pastor should make this decision for his area. Otherwise, as has been our practice, the Church should normally hold two services on the annual Holy Days, except for the Day of Atonement.
- Leviticus 23:6 states, "seven days you must eat unleavened bread." Among other things, the unleavened bread symbolizes Jesus Christ. In John 6:33-35 we are instructed to feed on Christ, which we should do every day, including the seven days of Unleavened Bread, not just when we decide to eat the bread. Our focus should be on becoming more like Christ. Eating unleavened bread every day and focusing on the meaning of that unleavened bread is what is really important. Therefore, during the Days of Unleavened Bread all members of the Church are instructed by Scripture to eat at least one piece of unleavened bread per day.
Projects for 2004
Here are several interesting projects in the works, for which we request your prayers:
- We plan to send out a printed copy of the Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs of the Living Church of God to every member household. Hopefully, it will be put in the mail next week.
- We hope to send the 2004 Festival Brochure to our membership before Pentecost. Thanks for your patience!
- A "photo album" of all the ministers and wives in the Living Church of God ministry is being put together to be sent out to Church members. Work is being done on this around other pressing deadlines, so this project might not be completed until summer.
- Plans are moving along very nicely on our own Church hymnals. We are trying to get them done before the Feast of Tabernacles this year. The hold up is funding. Everything else is almost in place and ready to go.
Your prayers and concern made a big difference in the recent success of the Ministerial Conference here in Charlotte. The same will be true regarding the plans and projects mentioned here. We sincerely ask and trust that you will ask God's blessing and guidance on all of these undertakings. Thank you!
COMMENTS
All of our brethren in Madrid, Spain, are doing well and none were hurt by today's terrorist attacks. One of our members had been planning to travel to Madrid today, on the train line that was bombed, but he changed his mind before the bombing. God undoubtedly protected him and his family. This is a clear example of why we need to be praying for one another daily, in this evil, rotten world.
Mr. Gerald Weston sends this note, showing that when God decides to lead someone to the Truth, nothing can stop that process!
The following very interesting recorded phone message came from a man in British Columbia. I have transcribed it below (leaving out his name and address):
"Hello my name is…I live at…And in regards to the book I found at the garbage dump there. It was only a partial book found there…I would like to get a copy of this, and the partial page said this book was not to be charged for, but if there is any shipping I would be glad to pay for that. Like I say there were only 2 or 3 pages left of the book that I found, but it was very, very interesting and I would like to get a copy of that. It would be much, much appreciated. My address again is…Thank you very much for your attention."
Have a happy Sabbath and keep up the good work!
Charles E. Bryce