Weekly Update

January 23rd, 2025

Greetings from Charlotte,

On Monday, Mr. Wallace Smith recorded the May semiannual offer—a DVD titled The Millennial Reign of Christ. Mr. Rod McNair recorded a telecast today titled “The Red Horse of Revelation,” offering The Beast of Revelation. I am looking forward to being in Ocala, Florida, this weekend to give a Tomorrow’s World Presentation.

This coming week, Carol and I are scheduled to leave for the U.K., where we will visit the office in Kettering before going to London for Sabbath services. This will be our first trip back to the U.K. since we left eight years ago. We will then travel to Kenya on Sunday, along with Mr. Peter Nathan and Dr. Scott Winnail, where we will join Messrs. Rees Ellis and Dexter Wakefield, along with our African ministers, for our first-ever Living Church of God all-Africa ministerial conference. Your prayers for the health and well-being of everyone involved will be greatly appreciated. —Gerald Weston

Church Administration

Prayers Requested for Mr. Stuart Wachowicz

Mr. Stuart Wachowicz, Evangelist and Director of the Work in Canada, suffered a heart attack this morning while working at the Church Office in London, Ontario. He is currently at the hospital undergoing tests to determine whether or not he will need surgery. Please pray for his complete recovery.

Tomorrow’s World Presentations

Last week we held three initial presentations and two follow-up presentations that drew a total of 46 guests. This week, we will hold three initial events in Dublin, Ireland; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Ocala, Florida; one online presentation in Canada; and five follow-ups. Thank you all for your continued support of and prayers for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.

Men’s Training Camp – Blowing Rock, North Carolina

The deadline for registering for this unique training activity for men is coming quickly. MTC-Blowing Rock will feature interactive workshop-style classes, Sabbath services, and, of course, fellowship and food! The program begins at 6:00 p.m. on Friday evening, February 14, and concludes on Sunday, February 16, with lunch after the last session of the morning. To learn more and to register, just go to https://www.lcgeducation.org/mtc-blowing-rock-north-carolina, or go to lcgeducation.org and click on the “Men’s Training Camp” link at the top of the page! The deadline for registration is February 1. —Jonathan McNair

Feast of Tabernacles

2025 Feast of Tabernacles Registration: Sunday, May 4 (Repeat Announcement)

General Feast of Tabernacles site registration is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, May 4. Please do not make housing reservations at this time. Housing reservations should not be made until you register and are approved for your Festival site choice, on or after May 4—even if you plan on attending your assigned site. This list is for informational purposes only. This year’s U.S. Feast sites and coordinators are as follows:

The international sites will be announced at a later date.

Living Education

Living Education-Charlotte

Applications are being accepted for Living Education-Charlotte’s 2025–2026 academic year. But what is Living Education-Charlotte? Living Education-Charlotte is a nine-month training program sponsored by the Living Church of God, based on the philosophy that Mr. Herbert Armstrong emphasized when he established Ambassador College. He described how this world’s system of education may train young people how to earn a living, but not how to live. What Mr. Armstrong recognized, and what we emphasize today at Living Education, is the value of laying solid, biblical groundwork for how to live. This program challenges young people to deepen their knowledge of God’s word and strengthen their conviction in His way, better enabling them to become defenders of the faith and future leaders in the Work of God. To learn more about Living Education-Charlotte and how to make this experience part of your life, go to https://www.lcgeducation.org/charlotte. —Jonathan McNair

Comments

The Need for Wisdom: Solomon wrote that one of the most important goals in life is to gain wisdom and that the value of wisdom is greater than rubies or gold (Proverbs 4:7; 8:11; 16:16). The book of Proverbs was written to help others gain wisdom (1:1–6), and the key to gaining wisdom is a proper fear of God—having a sincere desire to follow God’s instructions (1:7; 9:10). Godly wisdom helps us discern between right and wrong thoughts and actions, and it leads to happiness and longer life (Proverbs 2:10–11; 3:13–16). As Jesus grew up, He “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52) because He sought after wisdom and treasured God’s commandments (Proverbs 2:1–5). Ask God for wisdom (James 1:5) and study the Scriptures, “which are able to make you wise” (2 Timothy 3:14–17). Set a goal of reading through the book of Proverbs several times a year—a chapter a day will take you through the book in about a month—so you can grow in wisdom.

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail

News and Prophecy – January 23, 2025

UK Girls Get Drunk at Record Levels: Excessive alcohol use is sadly quite normal in some European countries. For example, in Denmark, 43 percent of girls and 46 percent of boys admitted to “getting drunk repeatedly,” according to recent research (The Guardian, December 31, 2024). But something unusual is happening with British women and teen girls. “British women have the highest rate of binge drinking in the world, with more than a quarter consuming at least six alcoholic drinks in a single session at least once a month.” And teen girls “are outdrinking their male peers in the UK at a greater rate than in any other European country.” Experts do not know exactly why, but some speculate it may be related to the current marketing trends of alcoholic-beverage companies. Many companies target women with advertising that glamorizes alcohol consumption. Another factor could be the desire on the part of a growing number of depressed and unhappy women to escape. “Britain scored lowest for life satisfaction among teenagers in Europe in research published last year, with girls particularly affected.”

Sadly, many turn to alcohol as a refuge from life’s stresses. However, alcohol abuse carries with it serious negative consequences. It has long been said that drugs—like alcohol—are “people substitutes.” But they are also substitutes for God. In an increasingly godless world, people turn to addictive substances and behaviors instead of looking to their Creator for refuge and solace. Yet God is the true refuge (Psalm 9:9), and His way of life brings lasting peace and happiness (Psalm 119:165). To learn how to find true peace and happiness, read or listen to our encouraging free booklet The Ten Commandments.

Christianity in Europe Earlier than Previously Believed: In recent years, a silver amulet or phylactery was discovered in a grave in Germany (LiveScience,December 20, 2024). The grave dates to the middle of the third century AD—about 200 years after the death of Christ and about 100 years before Constantine converted to his own brand of paganized “Christianity.” Inside the amulet was a rolled scroll made of thin, silver foil, which was 3D-scanned to read the contents without damaging it. This revealed an inscription that clearly speaks of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, noting that “every knee bows” to Him. While historians know that it was dangerous to profess such biblical truths at that time in the Roman world, the authors of the article fail to recognize that what passes as modern Christianity was not codified until centuries after the original apostles lived—beginning with the efforts of the Roman Emperor Constantine in the fourth century AD—and that true biblical Christianity is very different! The Christianity apparently professed by the wearer of the phylactery predates the “Christianity” of Constantine, though little detail is revealed in the scroll. All this implies the presence of Christianity in the region much earlier than some previously believed. As the mayor of Frankfurt noted, “The history of Christianity in Frankfurt and far beyond will have to be turned back by around 50 to 100 years.” But why would a believer in Christ be found so far north and outside of the Roman Empire?

The Bible records the travels of true Christians all over the Middle East and into Asia Minor and points north and west. In many cases, they followed migration routes set down in earlier centuries by Israelitish people making their way across Europe and toward the British Isles. The recently discovered amulet lends credence to the extent of these migrations. To learn more about where the descendants of the Israelite people are today, read or listen to The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy. —Scott Winnail and Francine Prater