Greetings from Charlotte,
Dr. Douglas Winnail flew to Cape Town, South Africa, on Tuesday, making visits there and to conduct a TWP in Cape Town on Sunday. He is to arrive back in Charlotte on Wednesday of next week. Meanwhile, Mr. Mario Hernandez returned from a productive visit to Spain, where, in addition to celebrating the Holy Days with brethren, he also visited eight prospective members.
Mr. Richard Ames taped a telecast Thursday titled “Why Are You Alive?,” offering What Is the Meaning of Life? I finalized the Semi-Annual letter which will be mailed to all Tomorrow’s World subscribers, offering Mr. Ames’ newest booklet, Understanding Bible Prophecy. We will begin mailing it in a week to ten days. Members do not need to order it as it will be sent to you automatically.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Tomorrow’s World Presentations are continuing with great momentum. Last weekend was a very successful TWP weekend, with ten presentations drawing a total of 179 guests! This weekend we have another ten presentations scheduled across four countries. These consist of three follow-up events and seven initial presentations. Thank you for your continued support and prayers for this particular effort of the Work.
Second Passover—Repeat Announcement
The Second Passover this year is on Friday, May 5, which means that it will be observed on Thursday evening, May 4, 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.
Living Education
Men’s Training Camp—Northeast
After a three-year hiatus due to COVID, the Northeast Region again hosted a Men’s Training Camp April 21–23, at the serene Deer Park Camp in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Led by Regional Pastor Adam West, the weekend focused on “Strategies for Problem-Solving Men,” and 33 attendees engaged in various breakout sessions, learning valuable problem-solving strategies and methods. The men put these skills into practice by participating in topical Q&As, group sessions addressing challenging doctrinal questions, and other activities. Outside the sessions, the men also bonded through fellowship, cooking, eating, and serving one another. The final session emphasized the application of the learned principles in serving others and “being part of the solution.” The camp concluded with the men energized and looking forward to participating in future Men’s Training Camps.—Brent Mitchell
L4T Activity for Young Adults—Repeat Announcement
L4T means “Living for Tomorrow.” It represents the challenge to the next generation of pillars in the Living Church of God—a challenge to establish a solid foundation in the doctrines and traditions of the Church of God, together with other like-minded young adults. Our next L4T activity is scheduled for June 2–4, at the Blowing Rock Conference Center in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. If you are a young adult between the ages of 18 and 30, this is your opportunity to see what L4T is all about! The cost is $125, including accommodation, food, fellowship, instruction, inspiration, and fun! Just go to members.lcg.org and log in to your MyLCG account for more information and the link to register. No payment is required now. This is just registration.
Feast of Tabernacles
Feast Registration Opens This Sunday, April 30!
This Sunday, April 30, at 12:00 noon (Eastern Daylight Time, USA), all Living Church of God brethren and approved guests are invited to register for the Feast of Tabernacles. 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.
Festival Activity Registration Will Open in Midsummer
April 30 begins Feast site registration only. When Activity Registration opens in midsummer, you will be able to register and pay for activities. Watch The World Ahead for announcements.
Status Updates Needed for Festival Registration—Repeat Announcement
Attention Pastors: Only those listed as “Member” or “Prospective Member” in the Headquarters database can register for the Feast. Please look over your area’s member lists and let us know if anyone’s status needs to be updated. This could especially apply to co-workers and subscribers who have started attending with us or are recently baptized. We need the pastor’s authorization to change anyone’s status. Please send any updates to [email protected]. An outdated status listing is one of the most common technical difficulties people have in registering for the Feast.
Living Youth Program
West Virginia Preteen Camp is at capacity so we have had to close registration. The Missouri and Texas Preteen Camps are still accepting applications.
Texas Teen Camp is still accepting camper applications, although staff registration has closed.
The Midwest Adventure Camp for this year has been cancelled because of the low number of participants.
All camp information can be found at http://camp.livingyouth.org.
Comments
Plan to Grow: The Scriptures reveal we are to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18), and to receive rewards in the Kingdom, we must all be “overcomers” (Revelation 2–3). But growing and overcoming requires a plan and persistence. In Matthew 5, 6, and 7, Jesus lists qualities He desires in His disciples: humility, compassion, mercy, a desire to learn God’s way, and the ability to be a peacemaker. Paul lists the spiritual fruits that God wants to see in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–25). Peter lists virtue, knowledge, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love—unselfish, outgoing concern (2 Peter 1:5–7). Put these lists together and then focus on one item each week so you can work to develop these important qualities. Plan to grow and make the effort to be a real overcomer!
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—April 27, 2023
Values Vanish in U.S. Culture: The Wall Street Journal found 43 percent of Americans now consider “money” a very important value, up from 31 percent in 1998. “Patriotism” declined from 70 to 38 percent; “having children” from 59 to 30 percent; and “religion” from 62 to 39 percent. “Tolerance for others, deemed very important by 80 percent of Americans as recently as four years ago, has fallen to 58 percent since then.”
It is said that we value what is important to us. As evidenced in the article, many people value themselves more than family, country, or God. The Apostle Paul’s description of the end times in 2 Timothy 3:2 (“men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money”) tells of a shift in values away from others to self. Considering such a shift, an observation in Psychology Today from back in 2013 is worth noting: “While feelings create temporary importance, values give enduring meaning and purpose to life. Feelings may forge committed relationships, but values sustain them. The power of love comes not from its feelings but its values.” A generation turning more to feelings than values will soon discover the impact such a shift has on their society. In fact, we are already seeing it.
Although the world lacks knowledge of God, His love, and His purpose, He loves humanity so much that He sent His Son to die for us (John 3:16). The Apostle John records these words of Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:12–14). In the gospel that bears his name, the Apostle reminds us that God the Father loved us so much that He voluntarily gave His Son to be our Friend—to empty Himself of His glory that we might escape death and have eternal life. Could there be any greater love in all the universe than what was expressed on that Passover Day nearly 2,000 years ago? To learn more, please read or listen to our free study guide titled John 3:16: Hidden Truths of the Golden Verse.
Fertility Researchers Play God: In a recent meeting at the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, scientists discussed the direction of fertility research. Current investigations are exploring the potential to improve fertility and treat fertility-related issues, but also darker and more troubling avenues. As a researcher from the University of Cape Town observed, “The search for a ‘perfect’ race, ‘perfect’ baby, ‘perfect generation’ is not science fiction” (USA Today, April 23, 2023).
We have long had the ability to change DNA in a cell as one edits a word in an online document. And scientists have now demonstrated that sperm and eggs are no longer necessary, having created healthy mouse offspring from the cells of two fathers. But ethicists are sounding the alarm that what we can do is now far ahead of our ability to understand what we should or should not do, and some fear fertility research turns what should be a sacred act of procreation into a mere assembly line. As a bioethicist from Arizona State University noted, “It is a perversion of the sanctity of procreation as a fundamental aspect of human life. It makes it into an industrial project that responds to and also inspires and cultivates the desires of their future customers.” Lacking parameters from the moral compass defined by the Bible, this line of research could lead to some very frightening outcomes.
In ancient times, God chose to slow down scientific and other advancements of mankind by introducing many different languages at Babel. Part of His concern was that mankind would have no restraint in achieving all they desire (Genesis 11:6). Humanity, through the common languages of science, computers, and mathematics, appears to have overcome that divine impediment, and it may be only a matter of time until nothing is impossible. Humanity needs a moral compass to guide advances and developments, or tremendous atrocities will occur in the name of scientific progress. For greater insights, be sure to watch “Who Decides Right and Wrong?”—Scott Winnail, Richard Franz, and Francine Prater