Greetings from Charlotte,
Several disasters struck this last week and affected our members. Five of the six congregations in Colombia, South America, are in the region where a powerful earthquake struck. The members there must have thought the quake was going to go on forever, as it lasted for 40–60 harrowing seconds. There is a report on the earthquake below. In British Columbia, Canada, extremely fast-moving fires descended on residents living near Okanagan Lake between Kelowna and Penticton. Hardest hit was Summerland, where we have a congregation and most members live. About 20,000 people had to evacuate the area last Saturday night, including the area’s pastor Mr. Walker and his wife, as well as other members. The fire came up to the backyard fence of the Walkers before stopping, and they have not been able to return home and said it might be another week or more. Sadly, one of our members lost everything in the fire—she had to evacuate so quickly that all she had was the clothes on her back. Fifty-five other residents in the area had to be evacuated by helicopter. Other wildfires threaten many locations in the Western U.S. On a positive note, our Living Education–Charlotte students have arrived, and the three who were in Thailand for the summer have returned.
—Gerald E. Weston
Church Administration
Update on Earthquake in Colombia
On Monday, August 10, at 7:34 a.m., a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia, lasting between 40 and 60 seconds and causing significant damage in several cities across the country. The Church brethren in Colombia are doing well, and thankfully no injuries have been reported among them.
The most affected cities are Quibdó, where we do not have a congregation; Cali, where all our brethren are safe; and Pereira, where we have ten brethren. The brethren in Pereira are all safe and well, but they continue to experience difficulties with communication networks and report that their city has suffered extensive destruction and that the hospitals are overwhelmed. Although our brethren are safe, some sustained damage to their homes. Throughout the area, entire buildings have collapsed and many homes have been severely damaged. We sincerely appreciate your concern and your prayers for our brethren in Colombia. —Armando Orrego
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last week, we held two initial presentations and two follow-up presentations. These events drew a total of 14 guests. This week is a busy one for TWPs. We will hold three online presentations: Mr. Hernández will hold French presentations for the Eastern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere, and Mr. Heykoop will present in English to Canadian subscribers. There will also be six initial in-person presentations; Dr. Jeffrey Fall will present in Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; Dr. Scott Winnail will present in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom; Mr. Brandon Fall will present in the Bay Area and Salinas, California; and Mr. Stuart Wachowicz will present in Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada. There will also be two follow-up presentations in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, and Syracuse, New York. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Ministerial Moves
Mr. and Mrs. Lenny Bower have completed their relocation to eastern Virginia, where Mr. Bower will pastor the Winchester, Fredericksburg, Richmond, and Norfolk congregations. Mr. Yancy Taber is now pastoring the Bristol and Wytheville, Virginia, congregations, as well as the Charleston, West Virginia, congregation. We thank these men and their families for their service to God’s people.
Feast of Tabernacles
Special Music at the Feast – Assistance with Live Stream
Due to copyright restrictions, the live streaming of many music selections that we might use for special music is prohibited. However, we do have individuals who have composed their own original music for special music. Others would like to use the original music of another member, with their permission. That presents the question, Can music that falls into this category be live streamed?
The answer is yes—with a little preparation. In cases like this, live streaming is permitted if the proper documentation is submitted to our legal department here at headquarters. Just contact Mrs. Maranda Pirotte ([email protected]) in our legal department, and she’ll provide you with instructions as to how to proceed. You’ll need to provide a copy of your sheet music as part of the process. If you need help with transcribing your music into notation, just send an audio track of your music to [email protected], and we can transcribe it into sheet music, which can then be submitted to our legal department.
Activity Registration Is Now Open – Repeat Announcement
Activity registration is now open and Living Church of God attendees and guests can sign up for Feast activities. Simply go to fotreg.cogl.org, sign in, select “Register for Activities,” and follow the prompts. Once you have signed up for activities, you can pay by selecting “Pay for Activities.” If paying by check, please read and follow carefully the instructions provided by your Festival Site Coordinator—and, of course, never send cash in the mail. And please note that, while it is perfectly fine to give Holy Day offerings online on the Holy Days, payments for Feast activities should, of course, not be made on a Sabbath. Note payment deadlines for your specific site. The general deadline to pay by check is September 7. If you have questions, contact your Festival Site Coordinator. Note: There may still be some activities at your site that are not yet open for registration. If you have any questions about the activities at your site, please contact your Festival Coordinator.
Living Youth Program
South African L4T
The first South African Living for Tomorrow (L4T) event was held last weekend. The camp was conducted concurrently at two locations, connected by Zoom, and was attended by 28 adults between the ages of 19 and 35. The theme for the weekend was “A Map for Success,” and emphasized biblical principles pertaining to the challenges and decisions young adults face. The program also included recreational and fellowship activities such as Bible games, team-building activities, canoeing, volleyball, a dance class, and other opportunities for getting to know one another. The weekend was filled with learning, encouragement, laughter, and fellowship, and many are already looking forward to what is in store for L4T in 2027! —Lawdi Ferreira
Comments
Redeeming the Time: The Apostle Paul urged the brethren in Ephesus to live purposefully and make the most of every opportunity to grow and become more like Jesus Christ, “because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15–18). Ephesus was a bustling port city that was full of temptations for individuals trying to live a godly life. Jesus also warned against being sidetracked from our spiritual goals by being caught up in the “cares” of this world—social and political issues and personal concerns (Matthew 13:22). These admonitions are still important today! As our secular and materialistic world hurtles towards the climax of this age, we need to stay focused on our mission of preaching the Gospel and developing the wisdom and godly character needed to reign with Jesus Christ in the coming Kingdom of God so we can show the world a better way. Let’s make the most of the time we have to prepare for this exciting opportunity.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy
Setting the Stage for the King of the South: Saudi Arabia has announced a 14‑nation maritime defense coalition to secure the Bab al‑Mandeb, Red Sea, and Gulf of Aden, the corridor linking the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea (Al Jazeera, July 30, 2026). This union became necessary as Yemen’s Houthis have set up a maritime blockade at the Bab al-Mandeb strait, disrupting oil shipments rerouted to avoid the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. The Red Sea accounts for up to 30 percent of global shipping traffic and 5 percent of crude oil and refined petroleum products (Al Jazeera, July 30, 2026). These twin blockades have contributed to rising global energy prices, and crude prices jumped more than 30 percent in July alone (Financial Review, July 24, 2026).
Of the 14 countries involved in the Multinational Maritime Defence Alliance, only Turkey is geographically north of Jerusalem. This is relevant in that the “king of the South,” referenced in Daniel 11, will apparently be a confederation of nations south of Jerusalem. Notably, Egypt is one participant in this maritime alliance, after having suffered its first drone strike on Wednesday, July 29, at the Mediterranean port of Damietta. As of this writing, the attack is suspected to have been committed by Iran, but this has not yet been confirmed (CarnegieEndowment.org, August 3, 2026). The Damietta Port is of major significance in that it lies at the crossroads of international shipping lanes and regional energy networks.
The potential of these events must be understood against the backdrop of Daniel 11, which foretold, “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through” (v. 40). The king of the South has not yet been set up, but the events now occurring in the Middle East may be building to it. To learn more, watch “The Three End-Time Superpowers.”
Will AI Become Uncontrollable? Artificial Intelligence companies often test their AI models to see how they will operate in different settings and with different tasks. From these tests, companies can address vulnerabilities and unpredictable behavior and work to prevent AI models from causing problems. But sometimes things go awry, as they did recently with the company OpenAI, which reported that “an autonomous AI agent powered by its technology went rogue during a test, accessed the open web and hacked a prominent startup” (The Guardian, July 22, 2026), and it did so despite being told not to take such actions. OpenAI said it expects such incidents to increase as AI technology becomes more advanced.
The incident prompted the AI firm Anthropic to review tests of three of its own AI models, leading them to discover that they had hacked into three other companies months earlier (BBC, July 31, 2026). In a separate incident, Anthropic’s Mythos 5 model wrote harmful computer code and created false identities in order to trick a human administrator into accepting the code (Reuters, August 6, 2026). AI models have repeatedly shown their capacity to ignore restrictions and even lie to programmers in order to solve the problems given to them. “As models surpass human ability to craft escape routes, the challenge of containment becomes daunting” (Time, July 24, 2026). And as one employee of OpenAI warned, “It’s impossible to patch every single thing that a creative AI can do.”
Computer experts admit they are struggling to control the programs they create—yet they continue to create even more advanced programs. And as the systems on which society depends become more autonomous, increasing control will be granted to them. But it is not computers who seek to control as much of the world as possible—it is the “god of this age,” Satan the Devil (2 Corinthians 4:4). Thankfully, he will soon be removed and replaced by the returning King of kings (Revelation 12:12; 20:1–3). To learn more about why Jesus Christ must return soon, watch “No Flesh Would Be Saved…” —Scott Winnail, Richard Franz, Wyatt Ciesielka, and Francine Prater