Greetings everyone:
Many of you have children or grandchildren at the Living Church of God Youth Camp in Michigan. Reports coming from the LYC are very good. Mr. Richard Ames left Wednesday to visit the camp and speak this Sabbath. He will return to San Diego next Tuesday, August 7th.
Mr. Meredith had hoped to attend the LYC this summer, but decided to forego the trip as he has a heavy load recording messages for the feast, preparing for the upcoming Television season and writing articles for the publications.
THE INTERNATIONAL WORK
Mr. Charles Bryce sent a copy of his latest newsletter to the Canadian and Northeastern Region Ministry and Hosts. Here is a portion of his report, excerpted (with my edits) on the state of the Work in Canada.
"The growth of the Tomorrow's World mailing list in Canada is very encouraging. Presently we have 15,167 subscribers, which is 61% above last year's subscriber count. Vision TV responses are running 27% above a year ago at this time. The recent change in time for the telecast, by Vision, has not lowered the number of responses. In fact, they have gone up a bit. Our total income for the year Jan - Jun, when compared to the same period last year, is running at a 14.3% increase. We have received an 11% return from Dr. Meredith's latest semi-annual letter, requesting our booklet about prayer—and responses are still coming in. Church attendance throughout Canada and the NE churches is stable and continues to gradually climb—48 more people attend with us now than in January of this year, when both Regions are combined."
"By the way, thank you very much for your prayers about the Toronto office having to change locations. Our landlord came to us recently and asked us to stay here for another year and without a rent increase. Also, I am very happy to report that the Canadian Work has received an unqualified audit of its books for last year thanks to Mr. Ross Abasolo, the office manager, and the office staff."
"A short while ago, Dr. Roderick C. Meredith called a fast for all of the ministers of the Living Church of God. Soon after that, he set a day of fasting for the whole membership of the Living Church."
A careful study of Matt. 24 shows that the Work of God must be done (v. 14), then all of Satan's fury will be unleashed upon mankind (v. 21-22). The Church is taken to "her place" of safety (v. 20). But who will be protected during this time? Those who have the Philadelphian attitude—those doing the Work of God (Rev. 3:7-11), having but little strength and a love of the Truth. They will be protected during "the hour of temptation," or tribulation that is upon the whole world (v. 10). Is this "fear religion" or a "save your own skin" mentality as some proclaim? If so, why does God hold out this benefit to those who have a long term personal relationship with Him, involving regular prayer, Bible study, and fasting often? Why does Jesus counsel "pray that your flight be not in winter neither on the Sabbath day" (Matt. 24:20)?
"On the other hand, if our lamps are running out of oil, we are in danger of losing our direction and our sense of urgency. (Matt. 25:1-9). Of all the times in all of history, now is the time we dare not lose faith! Rather we must be drawing closer and closer to Him and obeying Him wholeheartedly (James 4:7-10). This opens the way for Him to pour out more of the Holy Spirit on His Church and grant the gifts of the Spirit in more abundance. In a sense, it comes down to keeping the oil in our lamps "topped off" on a regular basis (Luke 11:13; Acts 5:32).
Finally, Mr. Bryce reported that Mr. Bruce Bird, Elder from Prince Albert, S.K. resigned his Eldership last Sabbath. "We appreciate their years of dedication and service to God's Church and His people, and we hope they will find fulfillment in the future."
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Mr. Douglas Winnail sent the following report from Dublin, Ireland:
"I just returned from a short, but informative trip to Belgium, the Netherlands and the western corner of Germany. The purpose of the trip was to gather material for an upcoming Tomorrow's World article, to visit with brethren in the Netherlands and to begin to get a feel for what is happening in Europe. I was able to tour the Dutch parliament buildings and the Peace Palace (site of the International Court of Justice) in the The Hague and spend several hours in Amsterdam. Over the weekend I stayed with our hosts in the Netherlands, Mr. & Mrs. Franz Peeters. We were able to discuss various aspects of the Work in the Netherlands. The Peeters have been helpful in registering the Church in the Netherlands, establishing a Dutch website, and they have begun translating literature. We held services on the Sabbath for the brethren in the Netherlands.
On Sunday, I traveled with the Peeters to Maastricht (Netherlands) and to nearby Aachen, in Germany. Both cities were established by the Romans and are rich in history. Aachen was the capital of Charlemagne's Frankish empire and was viewed as a "second Rome." Aachen was the focus every seventh year of a great pilgrimage, as many faithful would come to view and worship relics that were said to be Mary's robe, Christ's swaddling clothes and the garment worn by John the Baptist when he was beheaded. What is not mentioned is that the Aachen pilgrimages also provided a boost for the local economy. Commemorative medals were manufactured and sold, and food and lodging were made available for as many as 100,000 people. The pilgrimages still continue today. As you walk through the cathedrals and churches you begin to sense the powerful role the Church of Rome has played in the history and politics of Europe. It is also sobering to see how it is positioned to play a key role in the emerging United States of Europe and the fulfillment of Bible prophecies. What I am seeing over here only confirms what we have been teaching for decades. I hope to be able to share some of these experiences in a meaningful way in future articles and sermons. "
FESTIVAL INFORMATION
Festival Office
Tucson, AZ
The Inn Suites Hotel reports that they still have rooms available for this year's Feast of Tabernacles. It appears, however, that some people are calling the national reservation number instead of the hotel directly and are not receiving correct information regarding room availability.
For a room at Tucson Inn Suites, where the Feast is being held, call (800) 446-6589 and be sure to tell the Reservations Clerk that you are with the Living Church of God. If you just say "with the Church" that may not be sufficient to trigger the desired response.
Pigeon Forge, TN
The Smoky Mountains Resort Motels report that they too have a lot of rooms available for the Living Church of God. The number there is (877) 767-6338 or www.smokymoutainresorts.com.
Those wishing to stay an extra night may need to look elsewhere because another convention follows us immediately and their check-in will be the afternoon of the ninth.
CAD:
We are pleased to announce that Miss Deborah Lincoln-Strange, who recently graduated from UCSD (University of California, San Diego), has now joined our CAD staff. Debbie is a very capable person, and she is eager to serve you. She will relieve Dorothy (McNair) of many clerical duties in the department immediately, and she will develop and maintain systems and procedures to meet your needs in supplies, forms and manuals as time permits.
Debbie is fluent in Spanish and has some knowledge of French, which she will enhance as time permits. This should help us better serve our brethren in Latin America immediately.
Church Pastors and Elders may now begin corresponding through Debbie. Monthly Attendance Reports and other responses to headquarters should be channeled through Debbie at [email protected] with a copy to Dorothy McNair or other appropriate persons.
Conclusion:
Recently I received the following comment from the field:
"I have a question concerning your newsletter. Everyone here really appreciates the time you take to update us, for without your letter there would not be much for the announcement time during services on most Sabbaths. Every part of services is important and announcements not the least; my question is one you may have heard before, does the letter have to be posted on the Website before the Sabbath? A lot of people are on the Internet and pick the letter off on Friday, before we get to announcements everyone knows what is in your letter making it redundant to read it again."
I have wrestled with this problem for over two years. Our primary objective in publishing The World Ahead weekly is to provide accurate information about the Work in a timely way to the Ministry and Video Groups around the world. A secondary objective is to make relevant information available to scattered brethren who are unable to attend Sabbath services.
The vehicle for dissemination of the newsletter is first by e-mail to Ministers and Video recipients, secondly by posting on the Church Web site for those who are scattered.
Delayed posting on the Church Web site is a solution I have considered. But, before I implement any change I would like to hear from those who would be affected. What are the compelling factors? What constitutes the greater service? And what if The World Ahead is posted before the Sabbath on other unofficial sites, or is circulated to others by those who receive it via e-mail?
If any of you have personal thoughts on the matter please send them to me right away at [email protected]. I will consider them.
Have a great Sabbath. Please remember our brethren who live in Africa, Central America and elsewhere who are affected by the current drought there. God will provide if we ask.
Carl E. McNair