Greetings from Charlotte,
This has been a busy week here in Charlotte, with three days of meetings with our Council of Elders. It is always enjoyable to hear how things are going around the world. And it is stimulating to engage in discussions on how we can better spread the good news of Christ’s coming kingdom to all nations. We missed Mr. Ames’ presence, though he did call in at the beginning to wish us all to have profitable meetings. He has moved from Intensive Care, to a private room, and is now in a rehab facility where he told someone rather humorously, “They are going to make me do a lot of things I won’t want to do.” We look forward to his full recovery in the near future. As some of you may have noticed, there is no video update this week due to our heavy schedule with Council meetings. On a sober note, Mr. Eddie Breaux, our pastor in Mississippi and parts of Alabama and Florida died this past week after battling cancer. Mr. Bobby Jacques had already begun preparations to move from Kansas City to assist Mr. Breaux and will now take up his responsibilities. Please remember Connie Breaux in your prayers as she enters a major change in her life.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last week we held one initial presentation in Sydney, Australia, that drew a total of 46 guests, and two follow-up presentations in Minnesota and South Carolina that drew a combined total of 12 guests. This week we will hold four initial presentations, in North Carolina and New York, as well as two follow-up events in California and one in Sydney, Australia. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Second Passover—Repeat Announcement
The Second Passover this year is on Wednesday, May 22, which means that it will be observed on Tuesday evening, May 21, shortly after sunset. This Passover is for those baptized members who were unable to take the first Passover due to unavoidable circumstances, as instructed in Numbers 9:1–14. If you have any questions, please contact your pastor.
Feast of Pentecost in El Salvador—Repeat Announcement
The congregations of Costa Rica, Honduras, and El Salvador will celebrate the Feast of Pentecost together in Puerto de La Unión in El Salvador. The sermons will be given by Dr. Douglas Winnail and Mr. Mario Hernández, and we will have simultaneous translation to English and Spanish. Members who wish to attend from other countries must communicate with Mrs. Caterina Monti for reservations and payments. Her WhatsApp number is +503 7976 5379 and her email [email protected]. All welcome!—George Schaubeck
Living Education
Our Charlotte students have completed the final week of the year. We’ll take our traditional class trip, then conclude the year with the graduation ceremony on May 24. Thank you to all parents and members back home in local congregations who have cheered them on this year!
Living 4 Tomorrow
If you have registered for our upcoming L4T in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, you should have received a follow-up email this week with information regarding payment for the event. We’ve had an excellent response, and the weekend should be profitable and fun! If you have any questions regarding the event, email Jonathan McNair at [email protected].
Feast of Tabernacles
As of this writing, more than 3,400 Living Church of God brethren and guests have successfully registered for the 2024 Feast of Tabernacles. This year, we have approximately 95 Feast sites around the world, with 16 in the United States and 80 outside of the United States. If you have not registered, please do so, even if you are going to your assigned site.
If you are waiting for transfer approval…
If you have requested a transfer and have not yet been notified by email of acceptance (or denial), please be patient. A number of sites are nearing capacity: Branson, Missouri; Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; Gulf Shores, Alabama; Dubuque, Iowa; and Montego Bay, Jamaica.
We may be able to accept more transfers to these sites in the future, but we cannot guarantee it. If you applied for transfer to one of these sites and have not been notified of your acceptance, please consider transferring to another site. You are welcome to stay on the waiting list; however, we cannot guarantee that your transfer will be accepted.
The following sites have ample space and are welcoming more transfers:
- Arroyo Grande, California
- Canaan Valley, West Virginia
- Florence, Oregon
- New Bern, North Carolina
- Rockport–Fulton, Texas
- Tannersville, Pennsylvania
If you have not yet registered for the Feast, please do so, even if you plan to attend your assigned site. Registering helps us know how much open space there is for those on waiting lists.
To register, go to the Feast Registration system at fotreg.cogl.org (or visit the members.lcg.org website, click the “Member Resources” link, then click on “Feast Registration”) and log in using your MyLCG credentials. For information about each Feast site, click “Feast Sites Information” at the bottom of the page.
Living Youth Program
West Virginia Preteen Camp
Preparations for the West Virginia Preteen Camp are underway, and we are looking forward to an exciting summer! If you would like to apply for the WV Preteen Camp, June 2 is the deadline to register. More information is available at http://camp.livingyouth.org.—Michael Heykoop, Camp Director
Comments
The Importance of Truth: Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Yet today, more and more people, governments, and organizations do not tell the truth, and as a result we face a global plague of deception and misinformation. Few realize that the cause of this confusion is Satan the devil, who is a liar and the god or architect of this world (John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 4:4). We are living in a time foretold by the prophets when truth would be suppressed (Romans 1:18) and would ultimately perish (Isaiah 59:4, 12–15; Jeremiah 7:28; 9:1–6). The ancient prophets were describing the disintegration of civil society that we are witnessing today. However, when Jesus Christ returns, His capital in Jerusalem will be known as “the City of Truth” (Zechariah 8:1–3). The truth of God’s Law (Psalm 119:142) will be spread around the world from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:2–4; 11:9) by His servants who are being called today. This is the exciting future for those who prove and come to understand the importance of Truth (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—May 16, 2024
Gender-Affirming Therapies Are Ineffective and Unnecessary: The transgender movement is heavily backed by politicians, the media, and an aggressive collection of activists. Promoters claim that so-called “gender-affirming therapy” saves lives and makes people happier. However, a growing body of research suggests just the opposite. While European nations are moving away from such therapies for children and youth, America pushes ahead, ignoring research that does not agree with the current political and ideological trends.
The Washington Times reported last month, “A landmark Dutch study found that most adolescents ultimately outgrow their gender confusion” (April 8, 2024). The study followed more than 2,700 adolescents for 15 years. The findings revealed that while discomfort with one’s gender is not uncommon for some teens, most grow out of this condition as they age, and it “appears to be associated with a poorer self-concept and mental health throughout development.” Researchers warn doctors to avoid being quick to treat adolescent gender dysphoria medically, and to be sure to assess the developmental issues involved. One ethicist has noted, “Indeed, we can infer from the DSM 5 [2013] and other sources that as many as 88 percent of gender-dysphoric girls and as many as 98 percent of gender-dysphoric boys in previous generations desisted if allowed to go through natural puberty” (Daily Mail, April 5, 2024). In England, another landmark report was just published by the National Health Service (NHS). The Cass Review made 32 recommendations after an in-depth review of the research. Among the review’s findings, no strong scientific rationale was found to support the use of puberty blockers, and evidence of their benefits concerning gender dysphoria, mental, or psychosocial health was weak. The team noted the utter lack of long-term follow-up data regarding the impact of gender hormones on young patients, as well as the inability of doctors to determine which youth will simply grow out of their gender dysphoria and which will not. “For most young people,” the report concludes, “a medical pathway will not be the best way to manage their gender-related distress.” UK gender clinics stopped routinely prescribing puberty blockers in March 2024 due to a lack of evidence of their effectiveness (BBC, March 12, 2024).
While evidence supporting the success of gender-affirming treatments is lacking, evidence of their danger is mounting! Yet criticism of this current medical fad is often viewed as bigoted and misinformed, especially in the U.S. We live in a time when God’s warnings are very salient: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20), and “The whole head is sick” (Isaiah 1:5). God speed the day when Jesus Christ will restore all things that are good, right, and true (Acts 3:19–21). To learn more, request our free DVD, “The Truth About the Transgender Movement.”
China’s Military Potential: The Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) of the U.S. Department of Defense, is a repository for military engineering and research information. In 1998, the DTIC published a report titled “China’s Military Potential.” In the data-based report, Colonel Larry Wortzel postulated about China’s ability to “build a credible military force in the 21st century.” While the report may be more than 25 years old, some of its findings and estimates are sobering in light of the Bible’s descriptions of our future.
According to the 1998 report, China possessed the largest standing army in the world, with “2.8 million active soldiers in uniform… 1 million reservists and… 15 million militia.” China’s population at that time was 1.2 billion and has since grown to 1.4 billion. In its report, the DTIC estimated that “China also has a potential manpower base of another 200 million males fit for military service available at any time.” Although a military force this size is almost unimaginable, there is another source that speaks of an army this size. Bible prophecy warns that shortly before Christ’s return, an army of 200 million from the east will be unleashed and participate in a military exchange that will cause the deaths of a third of mankind (Revelation 9:13–21). While this prophesied army may not be comprised solely of Chinese troops, it is instructive to understand that China alone could possibly muster such a massive army. The Bible’s claims are not farfetched! World events and modern research continue to support the picture of our future painted by Bible prophecy. To learn more about the prophecies in the Book of Revelation, read or listen to Revelation: The Mystery Unveiled!—Scott Winnail, Francine Prater, and Dempsey Bruton