Greetings from Charlotte,
The big news for most of us here in Charlotte this week was the last of the four United States Regional Ministerial Conferences (see below for more details). But the preaching of the Gospel to the whole world continued amidst this needed activity. The Work in the French language posted a new voiced-over telecast, “What Does God Want of Me?”; the Spanish El Mundo de Mañana magazine arrived for mailing; Editorial is putting the final edits into the October–November issue of Tomorrow’s World magazine; and I recorded a future telecast, “Would Jesus Choose Your Church?” Our small writing staff here and abroad continues to quietly research and write new articles, our Television Department edits and sends programs to stations, our social media staff prepares ads, and Mail Processing, Internet, Information Technologies, Record Information Services, and a host of other departments tirelessly do their jobs as we work together to fulfill God’s calling for His end-time Work. To a greater or lesser degree, this is also happening in our Regional Offices around the world. And, of course, there are all of you who pray and support this Work. We all have our part and every part is necessary. Thank you, to all of you.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
110 Ministers and Wives at Final U.S. Regional Ministerial Conference
Charlotte, North Carolina, was the host city for the fourth and final Regional Ministerial Conference held in the U.S. in 2022. The conference began on Sunday, August 28, and concluded on Tuesday, August 30. The 110 ministers and wives who attended came from the Eastern portion of the country. Mr. Gerald Weston and Dr. Douglas Winnail conducted the meetings, focusing on the purpose and mission of the Church, making disciples of all nations, developing leaders, and building a culture of counseling. Mr. Ames gave an update on the Work and covered other topics, and Mr. Rod McNair also gave helpful lectures. Regional Pastors Dan Hall and Lambert Greer spoke on the role of a minister’s wife and the importance of the body of Christ. Many expressed appreciation for the valuable training sessions as well as the opportunity to be together and grow as brothers and sisters—evidenced by the smiles, laughter, and warm embraces between friends old and new.
Recent and Upcoming Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last week, we held eight Tomorrow’s World Presentations—two initial presentations, in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada; and Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada; and five follow-up presentations in Fargo, North Dakota; St. Louis, Missouri; Cookeville, Tennessee; Blue Ridge, Georgia; and Springfield, Illinois. These presentations had a combined total of 68 guests. This week we have two follow-up presentations in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada; and Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. One initial presentation is scheduled this week in Southampton, England, United Kingdom. Thank you all for your continued prayers for these presentations.
Register with iGive.com for Your Online Purchases to Help the Living Church of God
Dr. Meredith in his 2016 Living Church News Personal asked us to pray that God would bless the Work financially. “Let us all beseech God to grant us in this Work at least half the financial increase that He gave Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong for about 35 years,” he wrote. In addition to prayers, offerings, and tithes, another method to contribute—and at no cost to members—is through iGive, a charity sharing program that enables online shoppers to donate to the charity of their choice. More than 2,000 online stores are enrolled in the iGive program, and a percentage of the purchase price is donated to one’s cause each time a purchase is made. There is no cost for becoming an iGive shopper, and sign-up is easy. Go to www.iGive.com to register and choose the Living Church of God, Charlotte, North Carolina, as your cause. Then install an iGive Button automatically connecting the store to the account or install an app to ensure the donation is applied. Going to iGive.com and finding a store is another method. The individual contributions are small, but if each supporter of the Living Church of God who shops online enrolls in this program, the dollars contributed to help God’s Work will mount up.
Living Education
If you are one of the 998 people who have enrolled in the Feast of Trumpets study course in our online library, now is a good time to review what you learned. If you haven’t taken the opportunity to review the material, just go to online.lcgeducation.org and click on “Feast Days: The Feast of Trumpets.” You can also access the classes by going to the Living Education website at lcgeducation.org and clicking on the “Online” tab in the menu at the top of the page.
Music
We will not have a virtual choir for the Feast of Tabernacles this year. However, if you are working with the special music in your congregation, you are welcome to review the music in the Roderick C. Meredith Memorial Library, hosted by the Church’s Living Education Department. Dozens of pieces of music are in our system. Just go to lcgeducation.org and navigate to the “Resources” tab on the menu at the top of the page. One of the resources that will appear is “Library.” Clicking on that link will put you in the library system. If you type “music” into the search bar and wait patiently, you will be rewarded with an index of music to peruse. For more help, just send an email to [email protected].
Feast of Tabernacles
Activity Registration Is Now Live!—Repeat Announcement
Activity registration is live and Living Church of God attendees and guests are now able to sign up for activities at the Feast.
How to register: Simply go to members.lcg.org, click on “MyLCG” at the bottom of the page, sign in, click on “Registration” on the right-hand side of the page, and click on “Activities Sign-up.” To pay for activities, please read and follow carefully the instructions provided by your Festival Site Coordinator—and, of course, never send cash in the mail. Note payment deadlines for your specific site—if you have questions, contact your Festival Site Coordinator.
Comments
Are You Thankful for the Truth? The Sabbath is a good time to thank God for the tremendous privilege we have been given to understand the Truth—that there is a real God who is guiding the course of history (Daniel 2:21; 4:17), there is a real purpose for life (1 John 3:1–3), and the true Gospel is that Jesus Christ is coming back to bring peace and justice to the earth in the Kingdom of God (John 14:3; Isaiah 9:6–7). Few today know that those who are called now to be saints will reign with Christ in the Kingdom of God and play a major role in changing the world in the years ahead (Daniel 7:27; Acts 3:19–21; Revelation 5:10). This capacity to understand the Truth is a gift that God is making available to only a few (1 Corinthians 1:26). However, Satan has blinded the rest of the world to these important and wonderful truths (2 Corinthians 4:3–4). Are you thankful for the opportunity to understand these Truths that have been hidden from the world?
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—September 1, 2022
Global Recession Worsening: Higher prices and slowing global economic growth caused August business activity to fall in Japan, Europe, and the United States, according to the Wall Street Journal (August 23, 2022). The U.S. economy has contracted for the last two quarters—technically signaling recession—and private sector activity in both Japan and Australia has fallen. European business activity has also declined for two months in a row.
Global manufacturing fell for three months in a row, and the global surplus in inventory suggests manufacturing will not resume in earnest anytime soon. Purchasing Managers’ Index numbers in Germany and France are at their lowest levels since the first quarter of the pandemic. The immediate future shows no signs of a real turnaround, according to the Wall Street Journal: “Economists at Barclays expect the eurozone economy to grow this quarter and then contract in the final three months of this year and the first quarter of 2023.”
With rising prices worldwide, the threat of energy shortages in Europe linked to the war in the Ukraine, and reduced energy output in the U.S. and Europe due to the ongoing drought, the financial future of the globe looks bleak. End-time Bible prophecy indicates that global finances may come to dire straits before a German-led economic powerhouse rises in Europe and leads the globe to a temporary time of economic prosperity (see Revelation 18). As our booklet, The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor, or Soon-Coming Reality?, notes, “A period of growing peace and prosperity will ensue. A great worldwide trading combine will seem to offer incredible profits to international cartels.” That “peace and prosperity” will then transform into worldwide conflict. The current and growing global recession could help set the stage for a global trade system introduced by the coming European “beast.” It is important to watch world events and follow Bible prophecy so that we are not caught unaware. To learn more, be sure to listen to or read the informative booklet mentioned above, right here at Tomorrow’s World.
EU Steps Up Pacific Presence: Until recently, Europe has avoided high levels of involvement in the Pacific. However, with China’s efforts to control more islands in the South China Sea and its threats regarding Hong Kong, Europe is preparing to act in the region (The Guardian, May 17, 2022). Back in May, an agreement was reached to allow European nations to coordinate defense spending across several nations (Politico, May 17, 2022). For the first time, Germany sent a contingent to participate in Australia’s biennial international air force exercise in August and September. Germany’s Air Force Chief observed with regard to putting fighter jets in the South Pacific in 24 hours from leaving their base in Germany, “We want to demonstrate that we can be in Asia within a day” (The Diplomat, August 19, 2022). This action not only enables Germany to project its power into the Asia-Pacific region, but it also suggests it could act as a “security guarantor” for the region. France has had an ongoing presence in the region, and their involvement in the exercises reinforces their commitment to the region.
Many analysts have noted that the balance of power in the Pacific is changing, and part of this change involves a greater European presence. Germany’s involvement is important to watch. As China flexes its political and military muscles in the region, other nations in the world are getting involved, as well, to counter that influence—tensions that can tie into end-time Bible prophecies. The Bible warns of an end-of-the-age conflict in which a future European “beast” power is alarmed by news concerning activity in the east (Daniel 11:40–45). We may be witnessing the start of a geopolitical struggle that will erupt in the years ahead between these western and eastern powers. To learn more about this coming confrontation, be sure to read or listen to our booklet Armageddon and Beyond.—Scott Winnail and Francine Prater