Dear Brethren and Co-Workers with Christ,
Greetings from Charlotte, NC! I would like to express a hearty “thank you” to all of you who have helped support this Work in recent years—and especially for the generous offerings at the end of 2006. This year is also off to a very strong start. For the living Christ has certainly blessed us greatly and I am very thankful for the increasing impact we are having. Jesus Christ Himself prophesied, “ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14).
Now the Tomorrow’s World television program is reaching more people than ever before! The results continue to encourage us and much more good news is on the horizon. Our Media Coordinator, Mr. Wayne Pyle, just reported, “For the first time ever for a Tomorrow’s World television program, last week’s program slipped past the 5,000-mark! Program #292, ‘Armageddon and Beyond,’ offering Revelation: The Mystery Unveiled!, brought in 4,997 phone calls and emails, but the count did not include any mail responses! We are expecting at least 100 letters to filter in over the next few weeks. Program #292 also brought in 2,928 first-time callers, which is the highest number of brand-new callers ever received from a single TV program…. Our new TV station in Boston, WBPX on channel 68, brought in 19 calls last week from its 7:00 am Wednesday airing. This was an excellent start for a brand new station, without even a hint of advertising.”
And, my friends, the response to our newest television network, the Word Network, is already producing excellent results even though we have only been on the network for a few weeks. Meanwhile, even with regular renewals, our Tomorrow’s World magazine subscription list is now running about 326,000 copies and many tens of thousands of our booklets are being sent out every year. Already, more than 37,700 requests have been received for our newest booklet, Prophecy Fulfilled: God’s Hand in World Affairs.
I heartily congratulate my dear friend and colleague, Mr. Richard Ames, for the record-breaking response to his television program on Armageddon. He does an excellent job as our top TV presenter and also joins Dr. Douglas Winnail and me in regularly writing most of the major articles in Tomorrow’s World magazine. He is a loving, kind and balanced Christian and God is using him mightily in helping finish the end-time Work of the living God.
For this Work is NOT a “one man” operation! As stated above, Dr. Winnail assists greatly in writing excellent and insightful articles for Tomorrow’s World magazine. Years ago, he received his Ph.D. in anatomy and preventive medicine with additional training in public health. He also taught in a number of colleges and universities before coming into this ministry. He also has a strong interest in history and international relations—as you can tell—and does a fine job in analyzing and explaining world news and prophetic events. He lived overseas for more than four years, and that certainly contributes to the depth of his understanding of what is actually going on in various countries.
Our newest television presenters are Mr. Wallace Smith, a young “Texan” whose programs are just beginning to be aired, and Mr. Rod King, an “Aussie” who is now living and serving in Britain. Mr. King is helping direct our entire Work in the UK, Ireland, Europe and parts of Africa. His first television program entitled, “America and Britain—A ‘Special Relationship’” will air on most of our stations on March 11. Both he and Mr. Smith are outstanding men with fine families and warm, loving personalities.
Many other outstanding Christian men and women assist in carrying on this Work. For it truly is the Work of the living Christ and in no way depends solely on me! As many of you know, many of our older ministers and employees assisted Mr. Herbert Armstrong in the Work Christ used him to carry on and—realizing and proving to themselves that we are carrying on that same Work—have come with us and are now serving on our loyal “team” of ministers and employees. I am very grateful for this and thank God for these men and women—and for their loyalty and their constant help. I thought it might encourage you to realize this and to understand a little about the “broadcasting team” which Christ is using in finishing His Work among human beings at the end of this age. I will write more about other dedicated men and women on our team in future letters.
For truly, brethren, we are a “team.” And we must all learn to love, serve and be loyal to one another as well as to Christ as part of God’s begotten “family” at the end of this age. Jesus Christ tells us through the Apostle Paul, “But God composed the body , having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually” (1 Cor. 12:24-27).
Truly, we are growing in a “family spirit” within God’s Church and His Work. We all need to truly “care” for one another—for the time is coming when we will suffer severe persecution for doing the Work and preaching the full Truth to a very mixed up world which does not always want to listen! As the Apostle Paul predicted, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:12-13).
Confused and misguided men and women will often impute wrong motives to us in this Work. We know that. Constantly, our words or actions are misinterpreted—and some people seem quick to want to latch on to the tiniest “loose brick” in order to attack this Work, or to attack us personally! Satan is always very active in stirring up this type of turmoil. For Satan the Devil hates those who are truly doing God’s Work. Yet, if you back off and truly think and pray and analyze about where the full Truth of the Bible is being more fully preached—and where the Gospel is being most fully proclaimed to “all the nations” through a group of dedicated men and women—you will have to look a long way to find another work which approaches this Work in the “fruits” which we are producing. For millions are now beginning to view our programs on television—and increasing tens of millions are also learning a bit of the message through the growing power of the Internet. As you know, we do not mince words. We are out on the “cutting edge” of preaching powerfully the real understanding of prophetic events and warning our Israelite-descended peoples as we are commanded to do in Ezekiel 33. There is truly no other Work which is doing this in the same way or to the same extent.
So we are grateful. And we gratefully acknowledge your help and we deeply appreciate your continued support, your prayers and your encouragement in every way. As events speed up, we need one another and the prayers and support of one another. And I hope all of us will go “all out” in getting behind the Work with all our hearts—trying to avoid the “nit picking” into which some people seem to fall—and focusing on the Big Picture of where Christ is truly working in a balanced way of proclaiming the Good News of the coming Kingdom of God and the true name of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:12; 28:30-31).
NEWS FLASH! After I completed this letter, Dr. Winnail just now came into my office and asked me to include a preliminary announcement to all of you about our plans to start the “Living University”—with classes beginning this coming autumn! As one who taught Ambassador College theology classes more than any other human—and one who assisted Mr. Armstrong as Second Vice President of Ambassador College for many years—I have a deep desire to educate our young people and members and give them the opportunity to participate in the proper type of educational setting in a truly Christian environment.
So please take note! The goal of this University will be to provide accredited degrees, as well as diplomas and certificates, through distance learning courses. We already have a dedicated faculty who have committed to this program with the necessary degrees and background to make it a resounding success. Along with my teaching many of the Bible classes, Dr. Douglas Winnail will also assist in overseeing this Living University—as well as Mr. Richard Ames who taught for years and has an M.A. from Stephen F. Austin University. The Chief Executive Officer of the University will be Dr. Michael Germano—holding earned doctorates from the University of Southern California and the University of La Verne. Dr. Germano served as Academic Vice President at Ambassador College in Pasadena, CA and as Academic Dean at Ambassador University in Big Sandy, TX. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Academic Services at Haywood Community College in Clyde, NC.
Living University, with administrative offices at Living Church of God Headquarters in Charlotte, NC, plans to begin with “all the world as its campus” and offer distance learning courses for undergraduate degrees, diplomas and certificates. Eventually, we hope to offer an on campus program for a limited number of students so they can interact with one another in a social way, in a Christian atmosphere. More information will be forthcoming within the next few weeks. All interested persons should contact us at our Headquarters address or on-line at [email protected].
Dear brethren and co-workers, this represents a wonderful step forward in our ability to serve all of you and especially our youth! And we have available quite a number of the senior professors who actually served with Mr. Armstrong and in major positions at Ambassador College in years past. So let us be inspired, again, in all that Christ is doing!
May God inspire and encourage all of you dear brethren and co-workers to move ahead in love, in faith and with increased zeal in His service. As I mentioned in the last co-worker letter, we are probably in for a “most violent spring time!” President Bush has now warned Iran: “It makes sense that if somebody is trying to harm our troops or stop us from achieving our goal, or killing innocent citizens in Iraq, that we will stop them.” And, under President Bush’s orders, a second aircraft carrier battle-group—led by the nuclear aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis—is steaming towards the Persian Gulf to take up positions off Iran’s coast. At the same time, two squadrons of Israeli pilots are also practicing bombing runs against Iran’s nuclear facilities. For the Israelis, keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of Iran—a country that’s pledged to wipe them off the face of the earth—is a matter of survival. So I think it’s odds-on that if the U.S. doesn’t attack Iran, Israel will. As we have warned for years, “watch” Jerusalem and “watch” the Middle East!
Dear brethren and co-workers, let us press ahead, with all the strength of our being, to finish the Work to which Christ has called us! May God inspire each of you to do your part and to continue to pray for one another and for this Work. Let us show our great God that we truly stand for something at the end of this age!
With Christian love,
Roderick C. Meredith