Greetings from Charlotte,
Mr. Simon Muthama recently visited brethren in Tanzania, the first time he has had the chance to visit them since the start of the pandemic in 2020. He reports that the brethren are well spiritually but suffering a physical drought with no prospect of food. The government is distributing 20-kilogram sacks of grain to alleviate the situation. Lack of rain is also affecting much of central Kenya, leading to food shortages there. Considerable food price increases are the consequence, with no hope of increased income to match. Please remember our brethren in your prayers.
On November 17, the Spanish YouTube channel, El Mundo de Mañana, surpassed 60 million visits and has over 406,700 subscribers. Our top three Spanish language voiced-over videos have each surpassed 2 million visits. In addition, Mr. Ames’ “Who Changed the Sabbath to Sunday?” video presently has over 1.7 million visits.
Canada reported that they had seen a significant increase in requests for the first lesson of the Bible Study Course, with more than 750 during the first two weeks of November. They have also begun airing the Tomorrow’s World telecast at 8:00 a.m. Sundays over a small television station covering much of northern British Columbia.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Past and Upcoming Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last weekend, we held two follow-up Tomorrow’s World Presentations, in Croydon, England, UK; and Raleigh, North Carolina. These presentations had a combined total of eight guests. This weekend, we have one initial presentation in Christchurch, New Zealand; and one follow-up presentation in Reading, England, UK. Thank you all for your continued prayers for these presentations.
Family Weekends—Guests from Other Areas?
Final arrangements are being made for the first of this winter’s family weekends, now just one month away. Some have asked if they may attend family weekends that are not in their area. As noted before, these are not intended to be huge gatherings, but rather local events where brethren from surrounding congregations can come together to learn, grow, and fellowship in the mid-winter months. However, we understand that some brethren from areas not holding a family weekend may wish to travel to where one is being planned. If this fits your situation, contact the pastor below to find out if he has capacity for guests, and for information on how to sign up.
Family Weekends in Planning Process for December 24–25 (unless otherwise noted):
- Big Sandy, Texas (Mr. Gary Stein, [email protected])
- Charlotte, North Carolina (Mr. John Strain, [email protected])
- Kansas City, Missouri, December 23–25 (Mr. Rand Millich, [email protected])
- Montgomery, Alabama (Mr. Anthony Stroud, [email protected])
- Merrill, Wisconsin, February 24–26 (Mr. Mark Sandor, [email protected])
Living Youth Program
South Africa Teen and Preteen Camps 2022 – Bergkroon, Cape Town
The LYP South Africa Teen Camp and our first official Preteen Camp are scheduled for this December. They will be held in a campsite at the Bergkroon (Berg crown) Centre, Wellington, Western Cape, on the Bains Kloof Pass Road. This unique site offers panoramic views of the Paarl and Wellington valleys, backdropped by the towering Hawekwa Mountains.
Teen Camp will start on Tuesday evening, December 20, and end on Friday morning, December 30, and Preteen Camp will run from December 25–30. Staff will arrive on Sunday, December 18, for setup and staff orientation.
The camp schedule consists of a well-balanced program of Christian Living classes, leadership and teamwork activities, educational classes, and sports, including soccer, volleyball, netball, tag-rugby, water polo, swimming, dance, indoor noodle hockey, an obstacle course, and other games.
The theme for this year’s Christian Living classes is “What are you doing with your life?” The theme will focus on our young people and what they do now to build a foundation for a godly life in the face of challenging times. We look forward to an exciting camp.—Lawdi Ferreira
Comments
What Are You Thankful For? Today, we live in a world where many are obsessed with getting our rights—getting what we feel we are entitled to or what someone else owes us! Yet, the Scriptures emphasize the importance of being thankful for what God provides (Psalm 95:2). The Apostle Paul mentions being thankful “for all things” (Ephesians 5:20), for daily food (1 Timothy 4:3), for the gift of salvation (2 Corinthians 9:15), and for understanding of God’s plan and purpose (Romans 1:8). Paul writes that prayerful requests should be made with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6). James states that we should even be grateful for trials that help us grow (James 1:2–4). However, Paul warns that unthankfulness—especially for the opportunity to know the true God and His Truth—is a trait of unrighteousness (Romans 1:18–21). When was the last time you took time to make a list of what you have to be thankful for—and then expressed your thanks to your Creator? This Sabbath would be a good time to make a list of what you have to be thankful for!
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—November 23, 2022
EU Military Force Moves Ahead: Foreign and defense ministers in the European Union recently released a draft plan that details the development of a joint military force capable of rapid deployment (Reuters, November 16, 2022). The draft documents call for a force of up to 5,000 troops to be ready by 2025, composed of land, sea, and air components. Italy and France support the plan, and thanks to a push from the Ukraine situation, France is reorienting its military efforts to focus on Europe, according to Carnegie Europe (November 15, 2022). The most recent draft online (as of November 20, 2022) states, “We need more rapidity, robustness and flexibility to undertake the full range of military crisis management tasks. We need to be able to respond to imminent threats or quickly react to a crisis situation outside the Union at all stages of the conflict cycle.”
There are now 60 joint military projects in the EU related to weapons and other capabilities, counting the 14 projects just approved. Although the joint force has been more than twenty years in the making, “the draft strategy by the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is the most concrete effort to create a standalone military force that does not rely on U.S. assets.”
The nations of the EU have long had grand ideas for unified efforts in everything from finance to the military. However, these ideas seldom come to fruition due to the “iron and clay” nature of the nations involved (see Daniel 2:33–35, 41–44). Now, with a major war taking place in their own backyard, the nations of Europe are being forced to work together more closely. Bible prophecy foretells a group of European nations, led by Germany, will muster a powerful military force in the near future. To learn more about what is coming in Europe, be sure to read “European Union: Changes Ahead?”
The World Is Losing Patience! A recent U.S. study of over 1,900 people highlights what many already know about society today—people are becoming more and more impatient! Jay Baer, in cooperation with StatSocial, completed a national study titled “Time to Win: The 2022 Consumer Patience Study.” The study found consumers expect results quickly, and if they have to wait, they are increasingly disappointed.
The study found that older consumers were more patient than younger ones. While Baby Boomers had the lowest expectations for quick responses, those of Gen Z (born in the late 1990s to early 2000s) had the highest expectations that businesses would respond quickly. The survey also revealed that men are less patient with businesses than women, and 64 percent of respondents said speed and responsiveness is “as important” as price. According to the report author, “Despite companies investing in a lot of online and offline signage and mea culpas, pleading for patience, customers largely are unsympathetic to these delays. 83% of customers expect businesses to respond as fast or faster than before the pandemic.”
Growth of an “I want it now” attitude is very much in line with the selfish “me first” attitudes prophesied to exist at the end of the age (2 Timothy 3:1–5). In contrast to modern attitudes, the pages of the Bible consistently warn of the consequences of impatience and haste (Proverbs 14:29; 29:20) and highlight the importance of being patient (Ecclesiastes 7:8; James 5:7–8). As we begin to understand the prophetic significance of what is happening around us, we can move in a different direction and seek the benefits of patience. To learn more, read our commentary, “Wait for It… Patiently!” —Scott Winnail, Adrian Käfer, and Howard Woodard