Greetings,
I am happy to report that I need no longer be as "grouchy as an old bear"! My grandson (age 5) called to inform me that he had a new baby sister! My daughter Kathryn gave birth Tuesday, April 23, to April Mina, weighing 9 lbs 5 ounces.
MEDIA:
Dr. Meredith's newest booklet, "God's People Tithe!" has returned from the printer, and is being mailed to Church members this week.
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION:
Report from Dave Burson:
I want to thank everyone for their prayers and for fasting on my behalf. Each time that people fasted for me I improved dramatically by the next morning. We have been in Texas with my brother who has an organic farm and is very knowledgeable about natural healing and herbs. In the two weeks I have been here my cough has quit, the abdominal pain has stopped, my strength is growing each day and the swelling has begun to go down. My kidneys that had ceased to function have begun to work again—even though the doctors said that there was nothing that could be done for them! We will be going home next week.
I am very appreciative of God's intervention, people's prayers and the support of the Church.
Report from Gary Ehman:
Donald Turk, 77, an Elder serving the Palm Springs, CA area, died Tuesday, April 9th, 2002, after a lingering illness. A WWII veteran of the United States Navy, Mr. Turk was baptized in 1968 and ordained an elder in 1977. He was instrumental in organizing the current Palm Springs congregation in 1995, serving as assistant pastor until his death.
Don and his wife Rosalie, who survives him, served God's Church faithfully for many years.
Mr. Ben Whitfield submitted the following to Mr. Meredith after the graveside service for Mrs. Gay Berg, wife of Pastor Wilbur Berg of United Church of God.
Greetings Dr. Meredith,
Mary-Pat and I went to Mrs. Gay Berg's funeral today in Dubois, Wyoming. There were about 30 at the graveside service. Gusty winds buffeted the area as a cold front was moving across Wyoming, displacing warmer air. The winds were about 40 to 50 knots, at the cemetery.
Mr. Wilbur Berg wanted me to say a few words, as well as Larry Neff and Richard Pinelli who were there as well. Mr. Berg closed the ceremony with a few personal thoughts about his 50 years of married life with Gay. I gave some thoughts of my own from our long standing relationship spanning over 30 years, read some scriptures pertaining to the 2nd return of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and helped close the grave. It was a blustery day but we were thankful we could honor Gay and her family by our presence, on behalf of Living Church of God and ourselves.
The church's flowers arrived—a beautiful spring flower arrangement—and were placed with other plants and flowers. Afterwards we all assembled at the Berg home for a covered dish meal and fellowship. Mr. Berg commented to me and others that you had called and expressed your feelings of comfort recently. He greatly appreciated your call.
Warm regards,
Ben & Mary-Pat
From the Television Department:
The videotape for Pentecost, by Mr. Richard Ames, has a special addition that will be included at the end of ALL future sermons. Please let the tape play after the speaker concludes. It is a surprise, so don't ask!
COMMENTS:
We are growing older. As we in the ministry of God grow older, and as our friends and associates become disabled or deceased, it is appropriate to reflect on times past when we walked together in the Work of God. I have grieved deeply over the rupture of family and friendships due to the great apostasy we have experienced.
Ambassador College provided us with a common vision and a common goal. While we had strong leadership with vision and a focus on preaching the Kingdom of God to a sin-sick world, we were united and fulfilled.
When I entered the ministry of the Church, my salary was approximately one-third of what I was earning before entering Ambassador College—after four and one-half years of intense college work! My wife and I struggled hard to meet the cost of our rent, which at that time was only $5.00 less than one-half of my monthly salary. But God provided for our needs, and we were supremely happy.
I wonder, as I hear reports of some who curse the Church and College, why they feel abused while I have been so blessed—especially those who have been more greatly blessed with money and the things money can buy than I have been.
Perhaps the answer lies in the story of Jack Smythe's Gold Strike—as told by Paul Harvey in his book The Rest of The Story. Here is my recollection of his story.
Jack Smythe was a carpenter who made a good living at his trade. But in the 1800's gold was luring men from their fields and workplaces in America and in Australia.
Jack Smythe drifted from field to field, finding nothing. Too proud to return home broke, Jack settled in a little ghost town built around a worked-out gold mine, called Yambuk, Australia. Since no trees grew around Yambuk, Jack Smythe had to build his last house of mud.
Years later the Yambuk valley became flourishing farmland, and the farmer who took over Jack's land destroyed Jack's mud house that had become an encumberance, only to find that the mud bricks contained specks of gold in them. The clay which Jack (a carpenter) had dug out of the old mine shaft had been the beginning of another precious gold vein.
But Jack Smythe died of starvation—in a house worth its weight in gold.
I wonder how many, given so much by God through Ambassador College and the Church of God, have failed to recognize the precious treasure in their hands. As myopia is a defect in vision that causes one to fail to see distant objects clearly, spiritual myopia prevents some from seeing "the city," that is far off. May God be merciful to them!
Have a great Sabbath! Travel safely where ever you are.
Carl McNair