Greetings y'all,
The outpouring of love has been truly heartwarming after Hurricane Katrina's devastation in Louisiana and Mississippi. The response to Mr. Meredith's appeal in last week's Update demonstrated the spirit of true Christianity within God's Church. Dozens of families and individuals opened their homes, and some even offered employment to the brethren affected. Headquarters forwarded these offers to Mr. Rod Reynolds and Mr. Dan Hall, who in turn will be coordinating their proper allocation as needed.
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
Expression of Love from South Africa Brethren
We are very sad to hear that some of our brethren and others in the Southern USA have suffered the effects of "Katrina." I have told our people for some time now that the time has come when we will have to sacrifice for one another. Therefore, we were very glad to get Dr. Meredith's views and advice on this matter to all of God's people in the last Weekly Update. Dr. Meredith has previously warned us that events, like the tsunami, would not only be confined to Southeast Asia, but that the Israelites and others in other parts of the world would also suffer likewise. There is no doubt in my mind that God is now beginning to speed up the momentum of events. With the blessing of having a TV program in South Africa as a witness to the Truth, things are speeding up here as well and we, too, have to be ready to cope and to finish God's Work.-Syd Hull
Shumways' Visit to Barbados
We flew out of Miami on Thursday, August 25, shortly before the airport was closed due to Hurricane Katrina. Since the TV was broken where we stayed in Barbados, and there was no radio, we received very little news from the United States. Needless to say, we were deeply saddened when we returned to Miami on August 31. Our trip to Barbados was very profitable. There are approximately 20 newer individuals wanting to be baptized. There were 54 in attendance on the Sabbath and I gave the sermon on "Faith Toward God" and a Bible study on baptism afterwards. We baptized two men and two women in the nearby ocean. I was very pleased with the zeal of many of our new brethren there. I was also able to visit our Feast site in Barbados and was pleased. It should be a very good Feast!-Paul Shumway
Lessons from Hurricane Katrina
Mr. Ben Whitfield, our minister in Wyoming, and his brother were in Mississippi, visiting family and friends when Hurricane Katrina begun its deadly destruction on that part of the country. He concluded his descriptive report by listing some of the lessons he learned. In this respect, we would like to remind our members of Mr. Meredith's essential and authoritative articles on this very subject, published in the Living Church News, May-June 2003, titled "Prepare for the Times Ahead", and his editorial article in the Tomorrow's World magazine, January-February 2005, titled "Are You Prepared?" Here are the lessons Mr. Whitfield mentioned in his report:
- Have an emergency plan.
- Have an emergency storage box full of basic necessities-flashlights, extra batteries, large candles, non-perishables food items to last a few days, can opener.
- Have an emergency cash fund because when disaster strikes, credit cards are of no value.
- Keep your automobile in working order and your fuel tanks full-especially when you know a storm is brewing-and above the half way mark all of the time.
- Have a few tools handy (i.e. saws, rakes, hammers, etc.) to rebuild even the basic structures or perform minor repairs. Have work gloves for everyone.
- Maintain emergency phone numbers and a plan to contact family or a third party in the event of a future disaster. Some cell phones worked, but others did not and the basic phone land lines were useless as they were down.
- Keep water, pure water, which is safe to drink. It's amazing how quickly you go through water. You will need enough safe drinking water for at least several days. Have a water purification devise on hand to filter water if need be.
- Have alternative fuel sources for cooking. If your home is all electric you are in trouble as to how you will cook your food.
- Be willing to leave it all quickly.
Appropriate Dress for Song Leading and Prayers
By Doug Winnail
Recently a question was asked about what is appropriate dress for song leaders and for those giving opening and closing prayers?
In the United States, it has been our policy for many years that men who perform duties in front of the congregation should wear a coat and tie-it might be somewhat different in places like the Philippines where customary dress is different. Our overall approach has been that when we come to Church on the Sabbath we are coming before God, and we want to show respect and honor to God in that situation. It would be like being invited to the White House to have dinner with the President-we would be expected to dress in formal attire. Most people would not argue with that-yet when it comes to dressing for Church, some find it easier to compromise and go along with the casual do-your-own-thing attitudes that prevail in our society today. Some don't want to follow any guidelines. One thing I have noticed about independent groups is that they often get rid of any formal dress recommendations or requirements. Their casual approach to dress is often reflected in their willingness to compromise and improvise on doctrine.
When someone is asked to lead songs or give a prayer, he is placed in a leadership position in front of the congregation. People will look to that person as an example of what is allowed or encouraged by the Church. Wearing a coat and tie for such occasions is not just a silly little rule-it has to do with maintaining standards (see Philippians 4:8-9). This has long been our policy, and is especially important today because we live in societies that are rapidly discarding any standards of dress and decency. Individuals who don't think these standards are necessary should not be given (and should not be asked to perform) duties in front of the congregation. The Bible clearly states that we should follow the traditions that we have been taught (II Thessalonians 3:6; Titus 1:9). We are also told that a person who is truly being led by the Holy Spirit will be "easily entreated" or "willing to yield" to guidelines and instruction (James 3:17). The response to this dress policy often reveals an underlying attitude.
It is not wrong to insist on certain reasonable standards. Our mission is to recapture true values (Matthew 17:11; Acts 3:19-21) and to lift up the standards of our membership and to encourage the values of quality and excellence. In matters such as dress-and in many other areas of life-little things mean a lot! We have been called to be firstfruits (James 1:18), God's own special people (I Peter 2:9-10), ambassadors of God's government (Ephesians 6:20) and lights to a darkened world (Matthew 5:14-16). We need to learn to think and function and dress with that in mind-not out of vanity, but with the understanding that we can serve by being an example in the matter of dress. Hopefully, we can all come to appreciate this more fully as we grow spiritually. The issue of appropriate dress for services and serving at Church should be mentioned periodically in sermons and sermonettes and discussed with Church leaders (deacons, deaconesses and elders) so that everyone understands why this policy has been established and why it should be maintained.
COMMENTS
I read with much interest Mr. Ben Whitfield's report about his experience with Hurricane Katrina-and the list of lessons he learned. It reminded me of my own experience in Switzerland, back in 1939. At that time, Europe was in turmoil. The Swiss government, anticipating the outbreak of full-scale war, warned all of us in Switzerland to take precautionary steps to be ready and prepared for any emergency. We were told to store food supplies, flashlights, batteries, etc., to last a few days. We were warned that in case of war all stores and restaurants would be closed. On September 3, 1939, the Allies declared war against Germany after its invasion of Poland, and all stores and restaurants were closed. Some did not heed. Some had even scoffed at the warning. As a result, they suffered the consequences. How about us, today? What is our attitude as we see dark clouds hovering over our heads? Recently, the United States, as well as the rest of the world, has gone through unparalleled calamities. How many more wake-up calls do we need before we heed and prepare for the calamities ahead? The Bible tells us, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise" (Proverbs 12:15).
Y'all have a nice Sabbath,
Dibar Apartian