Greetings Everyone:
This week has been beautiful here. We have received some much-needed rain in southern California, and the temperatures have been "summer" perfect-that is in Montana!
Mr. Richard Ames has taken a few days off to visit his mother in Tucson this week. Things have gone very smoothly in the office-but don't assume any connection between the two statements! Mr. Ames is most cooperative and gracious to work with, as are all of the folks working in the office. Without total cooperation the volume of work being done by the headquarters staff would not happen. We really do have a spirit of service among our departments and staff. We are very thankful for the spirit evidenced in the office.
In our most recent employee meeting Dr. Meredith addressed the status of the Work and presented the first official operational chart of Living Church of God. The Church is structured (under Christ of course) with Dr. Meredith Presiding Evangelist and Chief Executive Officer. The Council of Elders responds to spiritual matters and the Board of Directors to civil matters, under Dr. Meredith's leadership.
Under the Executive authority, three operational directors manage the Work:
- Preaching the Gospel-Media Operations; Director Mr. Richard F. Ames
- Feeding the Flock-Church Administration; Director Carl McNair
- Administrative Support-Financial Affairs; Mr. Fred Dattolo (CFO)
The three operation managers report to Dr. Meredith. Each area of the Work is structured according to the inherent needs of the Work.
Since you are under Church Administration, we will focus on Church administration organization.
For the USA:
- Director of Church Administration (Carl McNair)
- Assistant Director of Church Administration (Dibar Apartian)
- Regional Director (Doug Winnail, John Ogwyn, Charles Bryce, Lambert Greer and Gerald Weston)
- Area Pastor
- Assistant Pastor (Church Elder designated by Area Pastor and approved by Regional Pastor and the Director of Church Administration. This is by appointment, not by ordination, and may change according to administrative need)
- Church Elder (office by ordination)
- Deacon/Deaconess (office by ordination)
- Helps-including Hosts and other assistants
The International Administration of the Church is as follows:
- Director of Church Administration (Carl McNair)
- Assistant Director of Church Administration (Dibar Apartian)
- Regional Director (five currently-Syd Hull, Bruce Tyler, Charles Bryce, Jonathan McNair and Roderick McNair) Soon, Dr. Winnail will be Regional Director of Europe and the UK.
- Area Pastor
- Assistant Pastor (Church Elder designated by Area Pastor and Regional Pastor and approved by the Director of Church Administration)
- Church Elder (office by ordination)
- Deacon/Deaconess (office by ordination)
- Helps-including Hosts and other assistants
I hope this representation of the organization of Living Church of God is helpful to you. I doubt that you find any conflicts or surprises with how things have functioned over the past year or more.
MEDIA:
By the time you read this many of you will already have received the February 2000 Living Church News. Yes, it has only been a month since the last Living Church News; the February issue is the first in the new schedule, staggered with Tomorrow's World. From now on, you will receive a Tomorrow's World in one month, and the Living Church News in the next. A reminder: from time to time, the binder may misassemble a newsletter or booklet; if you receive a defective publication, contact headquarters and a replacement will be sent.
INTERNATIONAL:
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA - Mr. Syd Hull reported this week on the current condition of the Work in South Africa. There is a window of opportunity to reach many in the community with the Truth in both Afrikaans and in English, and our brethren are exercising that opportunity.
In Mr. Hull's words that I have slightly edited for the update (faithful to the original I trust):
Let us start with the good news! In mid January I went to Port Elizabeth to visit 6 ex- members (of our former church affiliation) upon their request. These people had been receiving our tapes and videos. We had a question and answer session, which was very profitable.
We discussed concepts like doing the Work and preaching the Gospel. The result (of the visit) is that we have a core of enthusiastic and mature members in the eastern Cape. One of the members who joined us was a Local Elder (in our former association) and a member of the Xhosa speaking people of the Transkei. For the first time we will be keeping Passover and Unleavened Bread in the eastern cape! This is very encouraging for all of us.(Also) we have had 4 baptisms since the Feast, none of which were previously in any Church of God association.
About three years ago we started translating booklets and reprint articles into Afrikaans. Our members translate these booklets and articles. Currently 17 different booklets have been translated and fifty different articles. As each new booklet comes out it is translated and we are in the process of translating a further 20 articles.
The first lesson of the Bible Study Course has been translated into Afrikaans and we have already received 1000 copies back from the printers. These will mainly be absorbed by the responses from Dr Meredith's semi-annual letter. We have received a twenty percent response to Dr Meredith's semi annual letter which we sent to our mailing list!
At this time, we are broadcasting on two radio stations: Radio Christiana in the northwestern part of South Africa, broadcasting mainly to a rural community. Radio Christiana has been very effective in getting the Gospel out. The second radio station is radio Tygerberg near Cape Town, the audience of this radio station is mainly urban and responses have also been very good. The main source of requests for booklets has been from booklet ads from various radio stations and Tomorrow's World broadcasts on the above mentioned radio stations.
In Southern Africa we have a church on the southern tip of the African continent (Cape Town) pastored by Mr. Pieter van der Byl. In the centre of the country we have a church in Virginia (Free State) and in the north we have a Church in Johannesburg pastored by myself. We have video groups in Nelspruit in the far northeastern part of the country, Pretoria (the nation's capital) as well as Pietermaritzburg (Natal), Bloemfontein, (Free State) Klerskdorp (North West Province) and Port Elizabeth (Eastern Cape).
Keep safe and have a GREAT SABBATH and week-end!
Carl McNair