Greetings from Charlotte,
Mr. Rees Ellis reports that the French-language youth camp in Benin successfully started this week. Mr. Peter Nathan has been in western Kenya coordinating Feast preparations over the last two weeks, and he will visit the Benin camp before its conclusion next week. Here in Charlotte, Living Education orientation is in full swing. The first three days of orientation for 14 Living Education students were held at a site in the mountains of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, culminating in what was reported as a “refreshing” whitewater rafting trip. The students include two members from outside the United States (Mexico and Canada). Orientation continued on Wednesday at the Headquarters office, with department heads introducing the students to what each department does and who works there. Today, staff joined the students for a get-to-know-you lunch. Mr. Weston and Dr. Winnail will be addressing the students later today, adding to the information they have been given by Living Education Director Jonathan McNair and other faculty members. We are excited to have the young people here!
—Rod McNair
Church Administration
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last week, we held nine Tomorrow’s World Presentations. These presentations drew a total of 102 guests. This week we will hold eleven TWPs, listed below:
- Online, Canada
- Initial – Denver, Colorado
- Initial – Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Initial – Jacksonville, Florida
- Initial – Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Initial – Tauranga, New Zealand
- Initial – Pontefract, England, United Kingdom
- Follow-up – St. Joseph Missouri
- Follow-up – Kansas City, Kansas
- Follow-up – Spokane, Washington
- Follow-up – Seattle, Washington
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Minneapolis Family Weekend – Repeat Announcement
The Minneapolis congregation is hosting a family weekend on Labor Day weekend. On the Sabbath of August 30 there will be a morning Bible Study and afternoon Sabbath services, and later, Saturday evening games and fellowship. Sunday, August 31, will feature softball, a picnic, and other activities at Grandview Park in Hudson, Wisconsin. Please contact Matt Lyons (843-909-8890, [email protected]) to register or if you have any questions.
Feast of Tabernacles
Approaching Deadlines to Request Mailed Sermons for Those Unable to Travel to the Feast
Attention Pastors: If there are brethren in your areas who need to receive physical Feast sermon discs through the mail, please send us their names and addresses before the following deadlines:
- The deadline for international requests is August 15. For those in regions with slow postal service, please send in your requests as early as possible in order for the sermons to arrive before the Feast.
- Requests for recipients in the U.S. must be received by August 29.
- If possible, please do not wait until the deadline to send in your requests.
Some members do have legitimate reasons to not travel to the Feast of Tabernacles, and we request that as many as are able access their assigned site’s Feast services by livestream or telephone or view the prerecorded sermons online. Though not a substitute for being present at the site, the Feast site direct connections give access to live Feast services, including prayers and hymns.
Prerecorded Feast sermons will be published online—one per day—throughout the Feast. English-language Feast sermons will be posted at https://members.lcg.org and French-language Feast sermons will be posted at www.eglisedieuvivant.org. Additionally, links to these prerecorded Festival sermons will be emailed to pastors in advance of the Feast. Before the Feast, you can forward that email to the members in your areas who cannot travel to the Feast.
Living Youth Program
Living Youth Teen and Preteen Camp – South Africa, 2025 – Repeat Announcement
We are excited to announce that the LYP South Africa Teen and Preteen Camp 2025 will be held in Wellington from Monday, December 22, 2025, to Thursday, January 1, 2026. Staff should arrive on Sunday, December 21, while teen campers should arrive on Monday, December 22. Preteens should plan to arrive on Friday, December 26. Departure for both teens and preteens will be on Thursday, January 1. The camp will feature a variety of activities, including daily Christian Living classes, dance, netball, tag rugby, indoor noodle hockey, handball, swimming, arts and crafts, life skills, volleyball, Bible literacy, speech class, leadership and teambuilding games, a cookout competition, soccer, and more. Stay connected for updates on the LYP South Africa Facebook page: Facebook.com/LYPSouthAfrica.
Applications are open! If you are interested in attending, please contact Mr. Lawdi Ferreira (email: [email protected]; WhatsApp: +27 721249018).
Comments
Humility—a Key to Unity: David wrote, “How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1). The Apostle Paul urged Christians to “walk worthy” of their calling “with all lowliness and gentleness… endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1–3). He also stated that the work of the ministry is to edify (build up) the body of Christ (the Church) “till we all come to the unity of the faith” (Ephesians 4:12–13). Yet the Scriptures reveal that pride causes contentions and disagreements (Proverbs 13:10) and that promoting our own ideas and passing on negative comments about others fosters division (Proverbs 16:28). However, humility and being willing to listen to reason will promote peace and unity (James 3:17–18). Let’s grow in humility and unity.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy
The Future of the Euro: The United States dollar has been the global reserve currency for decades, but its recent weaponization is moving nations to seek alternatives. One of the potential alternatives that is gaining world attention is the “unit” currency being considered by BRICS nations, though it remains in the theoretical stage. However, the European Union already has the euro, and some leaders are calling for efforts to raise its profile as an alternative global currency. In May 2025, the European Central Bank president, Christine Lagarde, suggested that “the euro could become a viable alternative to the dollar, earning the 20-nation bloc immense benefits, if governments could only strengthen the bloc’s financial and security architecture” (Reuters, May 26, 2025).
Nations and investors, concerned with the erratic nature of U.S. fiscal policy, have recently been moving out of the dollar and into gold. Lagarde, however, suggested that Europe must take advantage of the current situation: “The ongoing changes create the opening for a ‘global euro moment.’” She noted that such a situation will not arise by chance; it must be pursued. She also acknowledged that “any enhanced role for the euro must coincide with greater military strength that can back up partnerships.” And trust in the EU seems to be growing. A recent poll showed that more Europeans trust the EU than trust their own national governments (Reuters, May 28, 2025).
As volatile U.S. decisions propel Europe forward on the world scene, it is important to view these events through the lens of Bible prophecy. God’s word reveals that a future European “beast” power will also become a major global trade engine (see Revelation 17–18). This effort could be greatly enhanced if European currency becomes more widely used and trusted. You can learn more about Europe’s prophesied future by reading The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor, or Soon-Coming Reality?
The Echo Chambers of Social Media: Social media algorithms use accumulated data about user behavior and choices to decide what shows up in users’ feeds, pushing verified posts to the top, maximizing user engagement, and enabling targeted advertising. Models of this dynamic suggest that users are more likely to see and respond to opinions from a single side of an issue, often reinforcing the person’s existing beliefs (Social-Epistemology.com, April 14, 2025). Users hear mostly from those who agree with them, which creates “echo chambers”—spaces where diverse ideas rarely appear and disagreement becomes more extreme.
In the book of Proverbs, wise King Solomon explained an important dynamic in human relationships: “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” (Proverbs 27:17). He recognized that two people engaging in honest and sometimes challenging dialogue can lead to growth, refinement, and clarity. An echo chamber, by contrast, is a space where ideas are continually repeated without being challenged. Instead of being sharpened, people become dulled by sameness, surrounded by voices that only affirm their current views—right or wrong. Remarkably, Paul’s prophecy in 2 Timothy 4:3–4 also highlights this predicament. He warned of people who “will not endure sound doctrine,” but instead “heap up for themselves teachers” to reinforce what their “itching ears” want to hear. This describes precisely how the algorithms of social media function—providing content that confirms existing beliefs regardless of truth.
The Bible warns us not to take comfort in echo chambers. Instead, we should renew how we think by actively proving the truth (Romans 12:2). Instead of being deceived by algorithms, Paul instructs us to “test all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). The echo chamber effect is real and growing, but falling victim to it is not inevitable for those willing to “test all things” against facts that may disagree with them. You can learn more about whether you are living according to facts by reading “Can You Spot a Counterfeit?” —Scott Winnail, Francine Prater, and Richard Franz