Greetings from Charlotte,
This week, Mr. Gerald Weston has been in Canada, where he recorded several episodes for the Canadian Tomorrow’s World program; and Dr. Douglas Winnail leaves for Florida, where he will spend this Sabbath with members in Lake City. Mr. Rod McNair recorded a new telecast titled “Raising Good Kids in Today’s World,” offering our DVD on the topic. Also, we eagerly await 70,000 copies of our new booklet Germany in Prophecy to arrive in the Mail Processing Department any moment now—hopefully having arrived by the time you hear these announcements. Concerning our Bible Study Course, we reached an exciting milestone this week. For the first time in the history of offering the course, we have surpassed 150,000 requests in one year for Lessons 1–4—with, of course, almost an entire month left before the end of the year. And applications for the 2023–2024 academic year of the on-campus Living Education program are off to a strong start, with eight applications already submitted.—Wallace Smith
Church Administration
Past and Upcoming Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last weekend, we held one follow-up Tomorrow’s World Presentation, an initial presentation in Christchurch, New Zealand. There were eight guests. This weekend, we have three events scheduled: two initial presentations in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; and one follow-up in Raleigh, North Carolina. Thank you all for your continued prayers for these presentations.
Alabama Family Weekend: December 23–25—Repeat Announcement
The Alabama Family Weekend will be held December 23–25 at the Embassy Suites at 2300 Woodcrest Place, Birmingham, AL 35209. There will be activities throughout Friday, December 23, ending with a 7:00 p.m. Bible Study. The next day, Sabbath services will be at 1:00 p.m. and a dinner and dance will begin at 5:30 p.m. On Sunday, December 25, activities and games will run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
There are two dinner options for Saturday night: filet mignon ($36.00 per person) or grilled chicken on the barbie ($33.00 per person). Both come with sides, dessert, and beverage. Room rates at the Embassy Suites are $119.00 for a king bed with queen sofa sleeper, and $139.00 for a double queen with queen sofa sleeper. Please contact Mrs. Barbara Hall by text (205-601-2224) or email ([email protected]), as we need to know how many are coming and which meal each person desires. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Kansas City Winter Weekend: December 23–25—Repeat Announcement
We are looking forward to seeing you all! The weekend starts off on Friday at noon with family gym time and moves on to a family Bible Study at 7:00 p.m. On Saturday we look forward to Sabbath services in the afternoon, followed by dinner and a formal dance in the evening. On Sunday morning there will be a seminar and the family Bible Olympics will begin. The weekend wraps up Sunday afternoon.
Please register soon, as we are in full swing getting things together for a very fun-filled weekend with all the fellowship you can handle! All the details are on the registration website: https://www.kclcg.org (not an official Living Church of God website).
Living Education
One of the resources we provide for parents is the Children’s Area on our website. Not only do we have dozens of children’s lessons, in English, French, and Spanish, but we also feature “Life to Lessons” (https://www.lcgeducation.org/parent-resources/), a series of articles sharing ideas about how to put Bible lessons to work. If you have children and would like to check out the resources we have available to support you as you teach them about the Bible, just go to https://www.lcgeducation.org/children/. In addition, if you have suggestions about activities, methods, or materials that you’ve found helpful in teaching kids about God’s way of life, please jump on the parent resource page (https://www.lcgeducation.org/parent-resources/), and scroll down to the “Share Your Ideas” link at the bottom of the page!—Jonathan McNair
Comments
The Importance of Working Together: Jesus called His disciples “friends” and encouraged them to “love one another” (John 15:12–17). The Apostle Paul referred to those who assisted him in his ministry as "my fellow workers" (Romans 16:3; Colossians 4:11), and Church members as "workers together" with God (2 Corinthians 6:1). These unique opportunities come with important responsibilities, and the Scriptures provide practical guidelines for working together. We are to be of the same mind and not let contentions divide us (1 Corinthians 1:10–13). We are advised to avoid being haughty, conceited, or ambitious for a position or recognition, but to work together peacefully and in harmony (Romans 12:16–18). We are reminded that repeating rumors disrupts friendships (Proverbs 17:9) and that a converted person is “easily entreated” (James 3:17, KJV). As we learn to “love one another” and treat each other as friends, we will be more effective “fellow workers” for the Kingdom of God.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—December 8, 2022
Decline of “Christianity” in England and Wales: According to a recent study from the UK Office for National Statistics, “For the first time in a census of England and Wales, less than half of the population (46.2%, 27.5 million people) described themselves as ‘Christian.’” This is a 13 percent drop since 2011. The next most common response category (37 percent) was “no religion.” This has prompted some to suggest that England is one of the least religious countries in the world (Telegraph, November 29, 2022)! While the percentage of those who identify as “Christian” has dropped precipitously since 2000, those who identify as Muslim and Hindu have increased. Also, according to the same study, Satanism and devil worship is also on the rise.
England and Wales are not alone. Similar declines in numbers of those claiming to be “Christian” are occurring in the United States, Australia, Canada, and many other Western nations—and this should be no surprise. As the people of these nations continue to move further and further away from the principles taught by God’s word, the result is a society in moral free fall.
Bible prophecy reveals that at the end of the age, Israelite-descended nations of the West will reject biblical morality and become utterly corrupt (Deuteronomy 31:29)—they will forget God and reap serious consequences as their own actions punish them (Hosea 4:6; Jeremiah 2:19.) For more insight into what is behind these anti-Christian social trends, be sure to read or listen to Who or What Is the Antichrist?
Definite Benefits of a Happy Marriage: While many Western societies are rejecting traditional marriage, science continues to prove its value. WebMD.com reported in November on a new study from the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut, that has demonstrated that, among those under age 55 who experience a heart attack, those with happy marriages had a better recovery, while “those who had the most stressful marriages were more likely to have more frequent chest pain or be readmitted to hospital in the year following their heart attack.” When compared to people in many other categories, those with unhappy marriages had the worst recovery from heart attack of any group. Those reporting moderate to severe marital stress were 67 percent more likely to report chest pain and nearly 50 percent more likely to be readmitted to the hospital (Independent, November 1, 2022).
Results from another recent study, this time from Michigan State University, discovered that the primarily female hormone oxytocin may actually help regenerate heart cells (Independent, September 30, 2022). Oxytocin, sometimes referred to as the “love chemical,” is produced when two people show affection towards each other. It is also released when a mother breastfeeds her baby and during labor. Scientists are learning that exposure to the chemical may increase healing after a heart attack—and this hormone is far more prevalent in those with happy marriages!
God is the author of marriage, and He designed it to bring physical and emotional blessings. Those blessings come when a husband and wife work together to have a godly, happy marriage. To learn how to have such a marriage and experience more of these blessings, be sure to read or listen to God’s Plan for Happy Marriage.—Scott Winnail, Chris Sookdeo, and Francine Prater