Hello everyone!
We are making good progress, here at Headquarters, in tying up loose ends from 2003 and laying out strategic plans for 2004. Please remember to ask God to give us guidance and wisdom, as we endeavor to diligently be about our Father's business.
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
Ministerial Conference 2004
We hope all ministers have received their invitation, registration and transportation forms for the Conference by now. If you haven't, please contact us without delay so we can send you these documents as soon as possible. We appreciate, very much, all the responses we have received so far. Please remember that the deadline for returning your registration and transportation forms is January 5, 2004.
The World Ahead (Weekly Update) Mailing List
The World Ahead (Weekly Update) is primarily, as it says on the heading, a publication for the ministry. But since it is desirable to have it read in each congregation, each Sabbath, and a minister cannot be in all of his congregations every Sabbath, we have enlarged the mailing list so it is received by every congregation. We send it to all elders. If there is not an elder in a congregation, we send it to a deacon or video recipient. It is not our policy, at this time, to send it to every deacon. However, we are considering expanding the list to include them also.
South Africa Update—by Mr. Syd Hull
All is well in this part of the world regarding God's Work. South Africa is suffering from a very severe drought. It could very soon become critical unless it rains. It is obvious that prophecy is beginning to be fulfilled. All the more urgency for us to finish God's Work. There is still much to do and we do not want to be classed as being lackadaisical or listless and Laodicean about God's Work.
I mentioned in an e-mail to Mr Apartian that since returning from the COE conference we have baptised four people in Pretoria and have visited and counselled eight people who are now ready to be baptised. Six of them are attending the Port Elizabeth church and two are in Hartenbos, just outside of George, where we will have the 2004 FOT. All these people are from our mailing list. It definitely seems as if things are beginning to move in this area, for which we are very thankful.
The Living Youth News
We have mailed out a packet of the "Living Youth News" to congregations in the U.S. and Canada. Please pass it out to our youth. Feel free to print extra copies if you need to. We have not sent it to all congregations around the world, since this project is still in the development stage for now.
DVDs for Sermons—by Mr. Don Davis
Our pilot program for using DVDs instead of VHS tapes for distributing video sermons to LCG congregations around the world has brought mixed results. The DVD burner technology is still relatively new and not all DVDs will work on all players. Replicated DVDs will work on almost all players, but for the number of units we produce a month the cost is too high for the Church to buy that type of equipment or outsource the replication.
Blank CD and DVD disc costs are coming down and a savings in postage would eventually offset the Church's expense in buying a more powerful DVD/CD burner. Money has been earmarked in the 2004 budget to acquire the needed equipment. Our investigation into the right unit to buy is continuing. We have limited resources and we must make the right decision the first time about what machine we purchase.
We appreciate the enthusiasm that this program has generated in the field, and we thank everyone for the patience they have shown, as Headquarters works through the maze of technical information that is available on this project. DVD/CD technology is the wave of the future and the Church of God must keep up with it, if we are to continue to effectively carry out our two commissions of preaching the gospel to the world and feeding the flock.
COMMENTS
There will not be an update next week, due to several of us from here traveling to various destinations over the next few days. We are planning to send the next issue out the following week.
Have a safe and restful Sabbath!
Charles E. Bryce