Greetings from Charlotte,
Mr. Ryan van der Watt and his wife recently visited the South African Regional Office in Harrismith to coordinate moving the office to Pretoria. Mr. Botha has been the office manager for many years, but he and his wife Rea are not as young as they once were, and he is turning over the office responsibilities to Mr. van der Watt. Mr. Botha will continue to serve five congregations, so he is not exactly retiring! Mr. Ames is back from Houston where he and Mrs. Ames spent Thanksgiving with family. The January/February Tomorrow’s World magazine is heavy on what is happening in the Middle East. We are literally seeing prophecy unfold before our eyes. Be sure to also watch what is happening in Germany, where leaders there recognize the need for a change in mentality as a result of the situation in Ukraine. Note this quote from German-Foreign-Policy.com: “The call for a change of mentality corresponds to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’ desire to see German society “prepared for war,” explicitly underlined by the new defense policy guidelines.” Now is no time to fall asleep!—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Successful Fiji Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Mr. Tyler reports that the Fiji TWPs were very successful. A cumulative total of 41 guests attended the four TWPs and one bonus Bible Study. Mr. Kearns writes, “Perhaps the most successful and moving part of the trip was meeting with Fijians who were once part of the Worldwide Church of God and have now reconnected to God’s Work and ministers.” As of last week, 35 individuals have made the decision to join with us in Fiji. We thank everyone for their continued prayers and support for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Travel and Winter Family Weekends
We encourage you to attend your regional winter family weekend; however, there may be a few reasons that you may attend another region’s family weekend. For example, your congregation may not be associated with a regional weekend, or you may have family you wish to visit in another region. If you do plan to attend a family weekend outside of your area, please contact the local pastor to let him know how many people to expect and plan for.
- Charlotte, NC - Mr. John Strain or Mr. James Populo; [email protected], [email protected]
- Kansas City, MO - Mr. Rand Millich; [email protected]
- Birmingham, AL - Mr. Anthony Stroud; [email protected]
- Big Sandy, TX - Mr. Gary Stein; [email protected]
- Jacksonville, FL - Mr. Joe Brown or Mr. Ryan Dawson; [email protected], [email protected]
- Little Rock, AR – Mr. Phil West; [email protected]
Comments
Beware of Satan’s Devices: The Bible reveals that Satan is our real enemy who works to deceive, divide, and destroy individuals, families, churches, and nations (1 Peter 5:8). His method of attack is not with claws and fangs, but by spreading rumors, gossip, and lies (John 8:44; Proverbs 13; 17:9) that foster dissention and division by stirring up fears, jealousy, misunderstandings, and hostile emotions among people (1 Corinthians 1:10-13). Satan will use anyone—friends, family, neighbors, members, or ministers—to sow doubts and discord to do his work (2 Corinthians 11:1-15). He will “zero in” on those who have doubts, hurts, and resentments and feel wronged or overlooked. He can use such individuals to accuse, undermine, or criticize others—which leads to discord and division. This is why the Apostle Paul urges us not to be ignorant of Satan’s devices (2 Corinthians 2:11) but to be able to recognize and resist the efforts of our very real adversary (1 Peter 5:9).
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—November 30, 2023
Global Increase in Weapon Manufacturing: Over the last 30 years, many of the world’s largest and most advanced nations have decreased their production capacity for weapons and ammunition. This was a result of a perceived decrease in the threat of war. However, the war in Ukraine has changed this scenario. As that war approaches its two-year anniversary, both Russia and Ukraine are running low on ammunition.
According to one source, Ukraine uses 6,000 to 8,000 shells per day (The Wall Street Journal, November 27, 2023). Ukraine cannot produce enough of its own munitions and relies primarily on NATO nations to supply its needs. However, this has greatly depleted munitions supplies throughout Europe. According to a report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, should the UK get into a “high intensity conflict,” it would exhaust its ammunition supplies in just eight days. Germany would fare far worse, exhausting its supplies in just a few hours to a few days! The European Union had promised to provide Ukraine with one million rounds of ammunition by March 2024, a goal it now says it will not meet, even with manufacturing efforts increasing by 20 to 30 percent.
Russia is in a similar situation. Even with the Russian military industrial complex churning out munitions at a wartime pace, sources have noticed major ammunition contributions from Iran and North Korea. Although selling munitions to other nations generates revenue and assists one’s allies, it also depletes stocks from the source nations. As leaders are learning, increasing weapons production takes time.
World conditions are pushing nations to increase their weapons production capacity. Bible prophecy speaks of a future time when the potential for global warfare will motivate nations to beat their plowshares into swords and their pruning hooks into spears (Joel 3:10). As we watch the world prepare for war, we must remember that Jesus Christ will eventually return to bring an end to war and show us the way to global peace (Isaiah 9:6–7)! To learn more about the conflicts to come, read or listen to Armageddon and Beyond.
Visit Those in Need: James 1:27 tells us that “pure and undefiled religion” involves visiting orphans and widows. There are probably multiple reasons why God commands such actions, but modern research points how important such service is to those who need it. Recent research from the University of Glasgow in Scotland highlights how, among over 400,000 study participants, those who did not receive regular visits from friends or family were at a 77 percent greater risk of death compared to those who did receive regular visits (The Guardian, November 10, 2023).
Scientists used a massive UK-wide database of 458,146 people who had been followed for an average of 12.6 years and “found that each form of social isolation, such as living alone, often feeling lonely, or infrequent visits from friends or family, was linked to a higher risk of dying.” Researchers point out that even a monthly visit has the potential to reduce overall risk of death.
The Bible outlines God’s way of life. That way of life is about serving and watching out for others, and it opposes the modern societal norms of focusing on ourselves. The Apostle Paul taught that we are to take advantage of opportunities to assemble together and to “stir up” each other “to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24–25). The more we look out for and make the time to visit others, the more they will benefit, and the more we will benefit, too. It is truly “more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). For more on this powerful biblical principle, be sure to read or listen to “Are You Using Your Gifts?”—Scott Winnail and Francine Prater