Greetings,
Surprises never end. A day before his departure for Europe, Mr. Carl McNair told me not to forget the WEEKLY UPDATE. Not to forget? I was under the impression that he himself was working on it. But there is more. "Tell the ministers to contact you directly if they have questions or problems," he added. Problems? Whoever has heard of such a thing? Do ministers ever have problems?
Mr. Carl McNair's "schedule" (he will hear this word pronounced differently in England) is rather a heavy one. After arriving in England, he will proceed to Ireland to conduct a Bible Study on Friday evening and to preach on the Sabbath. During the next few days, he will chair a ministerial conference with the local men and direct a Board meeting, before flying to Johannesburg where he will spent Pentecost with our South African brethren. Finally, he and his wife will return to San Diego on Friday, May 24. Please pray for their safety, God's protection and the success of the entire trip.
NEWS FROM SOUTH AFRICA
Mr. Syd Hull, who is eagerly waiting the McNairs' visit, sent us the following uplifting news:
"The work is really beginning to yield good fruit. This last week we baptized two brand new people from our mailing list and a third one is to be baptized within the next few days. I will be traveling to the far Eastern Transvaal next week to visit seven families who have been studying our literature, and who are very keen for a visit from one of God's ministers. There are many other contacts throughout South Africa, who are showing definite signs that God is working with them. We are now being kept very busy. It is exciting and we are very thankful for the present and future growth. We have also received our first response from our advert in Mauritius."
MORE GOOD NEWS
We just received the following e-mail from Mr. Bruce Tyler: "We had 200 calls from the program and Kinnear Penman had about 140 in New Zealand. Our Melbourne Church is now 50 in total. That's up from about three, 18 months ago. Since Passover we've had an attendance increase of 31 in the country—21 adults and 10 children and teens. Of the adults, eight are totally brand new people."
MEDIA OPERATION
Mr. Richard Ames forwarded to us the Wednesday's (May 8th ) TV taping schedule:
- #143 - RCM - "Has Christianity FAILED?" (airs Oct. 6 – Lit. offer RAC)
- #144 - RCM - "Will Hydrogen Bombs DESTROY Our Cities?" (airs Oct. 13, Lit. offer GIW)
- #145 - RFA - "What Happens When You Die?" (airs Oct. 20, Lit. offer TVE040&043)
- #146 - RFA - "The White Throne Judgment" (airs Oct. 27, Lit. offer ODS)
LIVING YOUTH CAMP AT MICHIGAN
Mr. Gerald Weston reports: "Attention all teens! There are still a few openings for CAMPERS at the Living Youth Teen Camp in Michigan. However, Adult and High School Staff positions are full. If you would like to apply as a camper at Michigan LYC-2002, please see the March/April edition of the Living Church News for details. Time is rapidly running out!"
FEAST OF TABERNACLES INFORMATION
Festival Housing for Ministers
All ministers not employed by the Church should go ahead and make housing reservations at the site that was their first choice to attend. In a very few cases, some men may be asked to fill in at another location but plenty of notice will be given if it is necessary to ask someone to change their arrangements.
Full-time Ministry
Final assignments have not been completed for those ministers employed by the Work. Until Mr. McNair returns from his trip to South Africa we will not be able to finalize assignments.
Update on New Braunfels, TX Feast site
Mr. Keith Walden reports, for the benefit of the brethren interested in attending the Feast in New Braunfels, TX., that he has blocked rooms in the following places:
- Best Western Inn & Suites 1493 IH 35 North, New Braunfels, TX 78130
Tel. 830 625-7337 or 512-754-7557
Rooms blocked: 16 double rooms; 4 king rooms
- River Run Condos 500 N. Market, New Braunfels, TX 78130
Tel. 830-629-0077
Rooms blocked: 9 condos (2 rooms, 2 baths for $565.00). Mention you are with Living Church of God to receive the discount.
We have also blocked 9 double queen size rooms (available only from Sep. 21-28) in T- Bar M Ranch, where services will be held.
COMMENTS
"What's happening to France?" is the question many have been asking me lately. The reason is that, hardly a month ago, no one would have ever given Jean-Marie Le Pen (the extreme rightist), the slightest chance to figure on the final presidential runoff list. Jacques Chirac (the incumbent but increasingly unpopular candidate) and Lionel Jospin (the Socialist Prime Minister), were considered the only possible presidential candidates. Then came the earthquake, according to the French press. A political earthquake. The undesirable extreme rightist, Le Pen, knocked out Lionel Jospin in the first runoff to face Jacques Chirac in the second and final runoff. In the end, Le Pen lost with only 17.79% of the votes against Chirac's 82.21%, with nearly 8 million abstentions and 2 million votes cast out or nullified.
The irony in all this was in the voters' predicament. They were confronted with a puzzling alternative: in order to reject the objectionable Le Pen, they were forced to vote for the incumbent President they didn't really want! Consequently, the latter won the election by the widest margin in French history. Balzac would have called this, "The Human Comedy."
However, there is a better way of describing and explaining it. Men don't know how to govern themselves, because they don't observe God's laws or follow His teachings. We, in God's Church, know that Christ's Gospel is about world government. This teaching is a major part of our mission. We also know that upsetting events, similar to the one in France, will also occur time and again in other countries until the Kingdom of God, the Government of God, is established on earth. God's people are the citizens of that Government today. I suggest you read again, carefully, Mr. Meredith's article "How Would Jesus Vote for President?" (Tomorrow's World, November-December 2000). It will help you better understand the dilemma of the French presidential election!
Y'all have a wonderful Sabbath!
Dibar Apartian