Warm greetings from Charlotte,
Our family has been away on a journey to east Texas for Thanksgiving. And what a trip it was! We had a truly bountiful time. It was most enjoyable watching the third generation of Bryces on the farm, wide-eyed and amazed at the tractor, chickens, newborn calves, horses and those interesting hay-filled barns! We were able to spend time with all of our children and grandchildren. We also kept a very enjoyable and encouraging Sabbath with the Houston congregation. As you might expect, they are caught up in doing their part in the Work of God. I hope all of you had a plentiful Thanksgiving also!
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
We are saddened to hear about the death of Mr. Raul Reyes, a minister and fellow servant of Jesus Christ. His Pastor, Dr. Jeff Fall, writes the following: Mr. Raul Reyes, one of our Elders in La Crescenta, happened to be visiting with family in Willcox, Arizona when he took a turn for the worse. His death was likely from the leukemia. There will be a memorial service for Mr. Reyes this coming Sunday.
Ministerial Conference 2004
This is to confirm that the next general Ministerial Conference will be held here in Charlotte March 1-3, 2004. There will be a Festival Coordinators Conference on March 4. All USA and Canadian Coordinators should plan to attend plus any Coordinators from the International areas approved to do so by their Regional Directors. On March 5thwe will have a conference of all International Regional Directors. We are also planning a two-day Council of Elders Conference on Feb 26-27, 2004, just before the general Conference. Mr. Meredith has finalized and approved all of these meetings. I hope this helps in your planning.
Living 4 Tomorrow--A Time 4 Young Singles
Mr. Gerald Weston writes: Fellows, do you want to know where the girls are? They are going to be at Living 4 Tomorrow -- A Time 4 Young Singles. That's right, and they are going to be very disappointed if you don't show up! We still have room for six men aged 18-30 to attend L4T in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri from December 31 to January 4. If you are interested, go to http://www.youth-web.org/ and download an application. It will take 2-3 minutes. Or, you may telephone Gerald Weston at: 905-814-1103, or contact him by e-mail at: [email protected]. The fee for Living 4 Tomorrow is $155 and this covers housing, food, and transportation to and from the airport.
Video Recipients
One of the items we discussed at the recent Council meetings was discontinuing the title "Host" in the congregations of the Living Church of God. As Mr. Carl McNair explained, we used the term "Host" in the beginning, because most of our groups were hosted in people's homes. However, as we have grown, we are meeting in rented halls more and more, hence we have outgrown the concept of "Host." Therefore, from now on we will refer to "Video Recipients," not Hosts in our congregations. The titles on our Monthly Church Report forms will be changed as well. We do deeply appreciate the service and hospitality all of our hosts have given to God and His people over the years, and we know we can continue to count on them to keep serving in whatever way they are needed.
COMMENTS
Several people have mentioned how they made sure this Thanksgiving to remember the spiritual blessings, which God has showered down on all of us. Tremendous blessings such as: our calling, forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, the Truth, our destiny, the true Church, growth in the Work, and on and on and on. They just keep coming! As Ephesians 1:3 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ."
As we continue to be very grateful for the incredible physical blessings poured out on us by our heavenly Father, let's be thankful even more so for the abundant spiritual blessings. When we focus more on the spiritual things of God, the physical needs and blessings will always follow. This attitude of thanksgiving is like a sweet smelling sacrifice to God. Hebrews 13:15-16: "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."
We hope this coming Sabbath is truly a delightful one for all of you.
Charles E. Bryce