Greetings y'all,
Here is news about Mr. and Mrs. Meredith's trip, as reported by Mr. Richard Ames:
"Mr. and Mrs. Meredith's trip is going well. While in London (their first stop) they toured several historic areas, walking extensively. As a result, Mrs. Meredith is feeling stronger, for which we are very thankful. After Sabbath services in London, they flew to Vienna on Sunday and traveled by train to Strasbourg, France (where the European Parliament meets) on Wednesday. Mr. Meredith is scheduled to speak this Sabbath in Ireland; he will conduct Board meetings in Dublin and London before flying back to Charlotte on Thursday, August 7. Thank you for your continued prayers for the Merediths' safety and success."
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
Two Exciting Reports From the Philippines
From Rod McNair: "My Dad and I are having a successful and profitable trip. We arrived Tuesday evening late. A "super" typhoon was just exiting the country—we touched down to heavy rains and wind, but it soon subsided. This was supposedly the worst typhoon in 5 years. More than 20 deaths blamed on the flooding and in some cases fallen trees, especially up north. Thursday and Friday we spent in the office, having meetings with the office staff, discussing upgrading our mailing systems and other policies and issues. One thing we're working on here is investigating whether we can download TW programs and Church sermons from the website, burn them into DVD format, and thus save money on mailing from HQ. Sabbath we'll be with the brethren here in Manila, then on to Tacloban early Sunday morning for a Bible study, then departing Tuesday morning for the USA."
From Mr. Carl McNair: "Greetings from Rod and all in Manila. Rod and I have had a very productive visit thus far. We have had good meetings with the office staff and with the Church in Manila (120 Sabbath attendance) and in Tacloban (61) for a Bible study Sunday morning.
"The 'koudeta' (aka coup d'etat) created a bit of a stir. The location where the coup was staged was across the street from our hotel—at the shopping mall/hotel complex in Makati. The coup was launched at 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning, and we arose at 2:00 to prepare for departure to the airport for travel to Tacloban. We learned of the business across the street as we were departing the hotel. We had no problem getting to the airport as our cab driver took a back route and avoided the roadblocks. The coup ended Sunday night and we had no difficulty returning to Manila early Monday morning. All of the brethren send their love and prayers to Headquarters and our brethren in America and around the world. In spite of the current economic hardships in the Philippines they are forging ahead in growth.
Give our love to all."
Feast of Tabernacles
Llandudno, North Wales
What better way to serve at the Feast in beautiful Llandudno, known as the 'Queen of Welsh Resorts,' with all the charm of a Victorian town, than to contribute musically! If you are interested in participating in the Festival Music service at the Wales Feast site this year please contact: Rodger Bardo, 2301 Crown Centre Drive, Charlotte NC 28227, 704-844-1970 ext. 230 or via e-mail: [email protected]. We need you and all your talents, abilities, and enthusiasm! We also plan on doing several easy choral selections, including an old Welsh tune. If you like to sing, please sign up for the choir! In your reply, please indicate clearly your contact information, musical abilities and choral parts: S-A-T-B, if known.
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Choir: If you plan to attend in Eureka Springs and wish to participate in the Festival Choir, please contact the choir director, Mr. Jim King at 1326 So. 27th St, Omaha, NE 68105 or [email protected]. He will be sending out music, schedules, etc. soon.
Pianists: We need pianists. If you would like to play piano for hymns, choral performances, or special music, please contact Mr. Davy Crockett at 501-868-8760 or [email protected].
Housing: Additional information on housing at Eureka Springs has been added to the Feast of Tabernacles Web site. If you have questions or need assistance, call Mr. Crockett.
Volunteers: If you would like to volunteer to serve at the Feast in Eureka Springs contact Mr. Davy Crockett.
Myrtle Beach, SC
Many members planning to attend Myrtle Beach, SC, are wondering if they can visit the new Church Headquarters building in Charlotte, NC, and receive a tour of the property before or after the Feast of Tabernacles. The office will be closed during the Feast, so that the staff can travel to the various sites they will be attending. The last day the office will remain open before the Feast is Friday, October 3. The staff will return to work Wednesday, October 22. If anyone wishes to have a tour before or after these dates, please contact the Headquarters receptionist for an appointment by calling (704) 844-1970.
More About the DVD Sermons
We would like to clear up some confusion that has been reported to us in regards to the different television formats. In the July 10th Update we stated that we could only supply DVDs in the NTSC format and that the recipients of the video tapes in the PAL format would need a Multi-System DVD player to play the sermon DVDs. To clarify: NTSC is the television format for the U.S., Canada, and most of South America. The PAL television formats are used in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, most of Asia and Africa. So this is only a concern to those countries that use the PAL television format. We hope to be able to begin full-scale production of the DVD sermons soon after the Feast of Tabernacles—please get on the waiting list ASAP.
FINANCE OFFICE
The Finance Office can now accept tithes and offerings via wire transfers and/or direct "payment" options from your banking institution. Any member who would like to use these methods must contact the Church Finance Department to request this service. In the future we hope to be able to offer even more convenient (online) options, which we are considering, but at the moment we can offer this interim step to assist members and co-workers who have requested this service. To arrange these services please contact the Finance Office via e-mail at: [email protected]; or via fax at: 704-841-1922; or phone: 704-844-1970, ext. 230. Also keep in mind that for wire transfers additional fees may apply. Please consider a direct pay method when possible, which usually avoids any charges for either the Church or the sender. Thank you in advance! – R. Bardo
MEDIA
Television Studio
The Headquarters construction crew is progressing on the new TV studio, which is due for completion on Wednesday, August 20. Mr. Meredith has scheduled television taping sessions for August 27-28 and September 10, during which a total of 12 programs will be taped. Because of delays in studio construction, we are planning the new season to begin November 9. We appreciate your prayers for the successful completion of the studio and for an inspiring, effective new television season.
Windows Media Player Is Now Supported on Church Web Sites!
Sermons and Tomorrow's World telecasts on the http://www.lcg.org/ and http://www.tomorrowsworld.org/ Web sites are now available in Windows Media format! All the Tomorrow's World telecasts are now available in Windows Media format, as are most of the online sermons from June 2002 to the present. We are currently encoding the rest of the online sermons, and hope before long to make the entire online sermon library available in Windows Media format. We are not abandoning RealMedia format; it will continue to be available for all online content. The Commentary files will remain RealMedia—only for the time being, but these too will be available in Windows Media in the future.
List of "Must Play" Sermons Now Available Online!
In case you missed one of the "Must Play" sermons when it was shown in your congregation, or if you are not sure which sermons have been designated "Must Play," a list of the "Must Play" sermons is now available online at the Members' site, at URL: http://www.cogl.org/mustplay.htm.
COMMENTS
Last Sunday, the world applauded Lance Armstrong's fifth consecutive victory in the Tour de France bicycle race, one of the hardest competitions in any sport. I don't know much about his persona, except that he has proved himself to be an overcomer. Seven years ago, he fought against his cancer—and won. Since then, he has trained himself forcefully to be a champion, and he has succeeded. But just what does it take to be a champion, or to be an overcomer? First, you set a goal; then, you work hard, you exercise discipline, and you pursue your goal with courage, determination and perseverance.
As I was thinking of this, I saw outside my window a little boy about three years old, who was learning to ride on a small bicycle of his own. His dad was watching him from a short distance. The little boy fell off his bicycle each time he tried to get on it. I don't know how many times he fell (I couldn't even count) but he didn't give up. His two older brothers (probably 5 and 7 years old) were proudly circling around him with their own bicycles, showing him how good they were. The little boy seemed impressed, but he had to prove to them—and to himself—that he could also ride a bicycle. Finally, after countless falls, he succeeded in remaining on his bicycle and he pedaled for at least ten yards, before falling flat on his face. But that last fall didn't matter. He had won the battle. He was a champion in the making.
As Christians, we too are in a race—a spiritual race toward victory. The Apostle Paul explains, "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it" (I Corinthians 9:24). In our race, we face challenges and meet obstacles every day. We, too, fall time and again. But we must never despair, never turn back, never give up. We must stand up and resume our course with courage, determination, confidence and perseverance. Paul adds, "And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown." (verse 25).
As Christians, we are champions in the making—champions fighting for the imperishable crown.
Y'all have a wonderful Sabbath.
Dibar Apartian