Greetings from Charlotte,
I trust that those of you in the USA had an enjoyable and profitable Thanksgiving and that you took some time to reflect on what you have to be thankful for. Even though Thanksgiving is a worldly holiday—and is increasingly being commercialized for the sake of making money—it is still important to regularly take time to thank God for the blessings He bestows on us in so many ways, whether we live in the USA or in some other part of the world. Just knowing the Truth about God, His Plan and His Purpose for human life is an incredible blessing. Without that knowledge, life can be a pretty empty and daunting experience.
Mr. and Mrs. Meredith stayed in Charlotte with family during the Thanksgiving period. Mr. and Mrs. Ames visited family and churches in Arizona, Mr. and Mrs. Dibar Apartian visited their children in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Mr. and Mrs. Crockett visited family members and congregations in Arkansas. Mr. Crockett's report will follow.
In this issue of The World Ahead (page 4) we have included a News & Prophecy section that briefly summarizes events and trends that appear to be of prophetic significance. These news items can be read in their entirety or in part during the announcements period of services or at Bible studies. While some today want to label any reference to prophecy as "prediction addiction," Jesus instructed His disciples to "watch" world events to be able to recognize a specific series of events that would indicate that His return was near. If we are not conversant with specific end-time prophecies and we are not aware of world events and their significance, we are simply not following some very clear instructions that Jesus gave to His disciples (see Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, Luke 21, II Thessalonians 2, II Timothy 3-4, etc). As frequently as possible, in The World Ahead, we plan to include a section of news items that relate to prophecy.—Douglas Winnail
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
Church Visits – Russellville and Little Rock, Arkansas
Barbara and I visited our family in Arkansas for the Thanksgiving holiday. We also had the opportunity to visit the congregations in Russellville and Little Rock on the Sabbath of November 26. The attendance in Russellville was a record since the beginning of LCG, with 45 present for services and the covered-dish meal afterwards. Some new people have come as a result of the telecast, while others came to know about the Church due to the good example of our members. Especially meaningful is the fact that three veterans of the current Iraq War are now attending in Russellville—two are spouses of members and the other is the son of our elder there. My sermon was entitled, "Are You Truly Thankful?" On Sabbath afternoon we drove to Little Rock for services (attendance 75) and enjoyed delicious snacks and great fellowship.
As I considered the growth in numbers and the positive spiritual well-being of these congregations under the leadership of Charles Ogwyn, I could certainly relate to the Apostle Paul's comment, "We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure…" (II Thessalonians 1:3-4).
We are truly thankful for the faithful members who make up the Living Church of God in all our congregations around the world.—Davy Crockett
Australasian Update
Mr. Bruce Tyler reports from Colombo, Sri Lanka: I arrived here on Wednesday evening after spending a couple of days in London following the Council of Elders meetings that concluded just over a week ago in Charlotte. I spent an enjoyable Sabbath with our brethren at services in Radlett, just "around the corner" from the old Ambassador College in Bricket Wood. It's always nostalgic for me, going back to that area, as I have so many wonderful memories from the four years I spent there in the late 1960s. Of course, there is where I met my darling wife who's been my wonderful helpmeet for the past 35 years.
I've visited with several of the Sri Lankan brethren already and am looking forward to meeting the rest at Sabbath services.
Media in Australia: Mr. Michael Gill has had a positive conversation with the programming director of WIN television. WIN is the country or regional distributor for the NINE Network. A face-to-face meeting is scheduled for early in the new year so we request your prayers for another door to open for us to take the Gospel to the rest of the country. We'll keep you updated as we know more.
MEDIA
This has been a most exciting year for Tomorrow's World audience growth in North America.
According to the latest information we have seen from Nielsen Media Research, the organization famous for TV ratings, the weekly Tomorrow's World viewing audience has experienced a 25 percent jump over last year's group of viewers. We began the year with a total of 6.2 million TV households having viewed the telecast over the previous six years, and so far this year the viewership has zoomed to more than 7.8 million households, which is 25 percent above a year ago.
The increase was greatly helped by the addition of 29 TV stations across America, with the Inspiration Network being a major contributor. These stations connected the Tomorrow's World telecast to 38 million homes.
While only a fraction of American and Canadian viewers watch the telecast each week, our average weekly viewing audience has been growing steadily. The telecast has now been watched by more than six percent of all Americans and Canadians, or about one out of every 16 Americans and Canadians has viewed the Tomorrow's World program at least one time over the past seven years. As many as 400,000 TV households are viewing the telecast each week. We are very grateful for the marvelous doors Jesus Christ has opened to do His Work!—Wayne Pyle
COMMENTS
Dr. Winnail started this Update by reflecting upon Thanksgiving Day in the United States. How enjoyable and profitable it should be, particularly for us, God's people, who truly believe and understand God's marvelous Plan of salvation for all mankind. To my knowledge, except for Canada, no other nation has set aside a day to give thanks, although the Canadian way of celebrating is different from ours in the United States. All countries and/or religions, of course, have their own traditional ways of celebrating such an occasion. I remember my very first Thanksgiving dinner; it took place in Switzerland, many, many years ago. I was invited then by an American family to share with them Thanksgiving dinner. Before that time, I had never known what "Thanksgiving Day" was or the purpose of "Thanksgiving dinner." The dinner consisted of turkey and dressing, and of various delicious pies. Personally, I don't like pies very much, but I loved the turkey, especially the way the American family had prepared it. As years went by, I asked myself why Americans kill millions and millions of turkeys each year as a token of gratitude toward God! I haven't yet heard the figures for this year, but in 2002, according to the statistics, about 690 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the United States on Thanksgiving (that is about 34 million 20-pound turkeys). But now, here is my challenge to you, especially if you live in the United States. Do you know when and how this tradition began? Why do turkeys play such a major part in this celebration? Strange, isn't it? We often do things, or keep traditions, without knowing the reasons. Throughout the Bible, God exhorts us to examine all things. Don't you think it is time for you, if you don't know the answers to the questions I asked, to make an effort to find them out? I could, of course, give them to you, but if you make an effort to find them out yourself, you will not forget easily.
Have a nice Sabbath,
Dibar Apartian
NEWS & PROPHECY
Reviving Roman Catholic Europe: Old road will lead to Rome again. Romano Prodi, former head of the European Commission and leading candidate to become the next prime minister of Italy, "hopes to revive a pilgrim route that connected England to Italy…Canterbury…[in southeast England]…was once…the starting point for a medieval pilgrim route to Rome, which is to be revived after centuries of neglect …Signor Prodi also hopes to revive the Via Carolingia, by which Charlemagne journeyed from Aachen [in Germany] to Rome to be crowned by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day" in 800 A.D. Mr. Prodi is a devout Catholic and an enthusiastic proponent of the European Union. The plan also has the backing of the Council of Europe. (The Times, November 14, 2005). Pope John Paul II urged Europeans on numerous occasions to "rediscover" their Christian [Catholic] roots—and that is happening today. The Bible indicates a revival of a Rome-based religious power at the end of the age that is also linked with a revived political power in Europe (see Dan. 7:8, 20-25; Rev. 13).
Roman Catholic political influence: Vatican ready to end its 50-year feud with China. "The Vatican is preparing to break its ties with Taiwan and establish diplomatic relations with mainland China, ending more than 50 years of mutual hostility with Beijing…A Vatican official said that Cardinal Angelo Sodano was sending a deliberate signal this week when he said that the Vatican was ready to move its nuncio (ambassador) from Taiwan to Beijing immediately. The movement follows signs that Beijing is tacitly accepting the Pope's right to approve, if not appoint, bishops in China… 'It is not a question of whether the Vatican will reach a deal with Beijing but when,' a Vatican source said" (The Times, October 29, 2005). The apostle John had a vision of a great false church that would be intimately involved with the political leaders of the world at the end of the age (see Rev. 17:1-2).
Archeology confirms the Bible—again: Scientists find 'Goliath' inscribed on pottery: Reference from 950 B.C. lends credence to Bible tale, archeologists say. "Archeologists digging at the purported biblical home of Goliath [Gath] have unearthed a shard of pottery bearing an inscription of the Philistine's name, a find they claimed lends historical credence to the Bible's tale of David's battle with a giant…What this means is that at the time there were people there named Goliath…It shows us that David and Goliath's story reflects the cultural realty of the time…The shard dates back to around 950 B.C., within 70 years of when biblical chronology asserts David squared off against Goliath, making it the oldest Philistine inscription ever found" (Associated Press, November 10, 2005). While critics have claimed the story of David and Goliath is merely a fable and the product of Hebrew mythology, Jesus predicted, "For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and [nothing] hidden that will not be known" (Mt. 10:26; Mk. 4:21-25; Lk. 12:2). Archeological discoveries continue to validate the truth of the Scriptures.
Worst Year on Record: "The worst hurricane season in recorded history ends today on an appropriate note: another storm…Among the high-water marks set this year: 26 named storms (besting 1933's record of 21)…13 hurricanes (previous high was 12 in 1969)…Four major hurricanes hitting the United States (There were a record-tying three last year)…Three of the six strongest hurricanes on record (with Wilma taking the No. 1 spot)…In terms of sheer destruction and human suffering, 2005 also made its mark. Hurricane Katrina caused at least $80 billion in damage along the Gulf Coast—nearly double the cost of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Katrina also killed at least 1,300 people, the most in the United States since 1928" (Charlotte Observer, November 30, 2005). The Bible clearly predicted that increasingly severe weather and other unprecedented disasters that strike disobedient Israelite nations and other parts of the world will make news just before the return of Jesus Christ to this earth (Deut. 28:15-20; Mt. 24:7-8; Rev. 6:5-8). We appear to be living in very significant times.—Scott Winnail