Hello everybody,
September is here already with three weeks to go until the Feast of Trumpets, then comes Atonement, then the Feast of Tabernacles in just five weeks. God's Way of Life certainly isn't boring or routine!
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
By now, the U.S. ministry should have received a member survey packet from Headquarters. This is a priority item and requires immediate attention. We need this information completed and returned to Headquarters by the stated deadline so we can update our database. Accurate and important mailings to member households depend on correct information in our files.
FEAST OF TABERNACLES
Hawaii Feast Site Dress Code
Several have asked about proper attire for the Hawaiian Feast site. Following are suggested guidelines:
1. During all Church services, Sabbath wear should be worn by speakers, song leaders, accompanists, those performing special music, and anointing elders. Please note that the auditorium is air-conditioned.
2. For the congregation, appropriate Aloha wear (dressy Hawaiian attire) will be optional: that is to say, nice Aloha shirts for men and modest Aloha dresses for females. Blue jeans, shorts or tank tops would be inappropriate. Appropriate footwear would be expected; for example, no flip flops or sandals.
INTERNATIONAL
Mr. Kinnear Penman sends this report on the Work in New Zealand and Vanuatu:
Responses to the Tomorrow's World telecast have continued to average just about 100 each week during August. We are now broadcasting repeat programmes. This will continue until we receive the first batch of programmes recorded in the new studio being completed in the Charlotte building.
We have now received responses from a total of over 10,200 individuals who have received a total of almost 50,000 items (magazines, booklets, tapes, lessons, letters, etc) from us.
Last Wednesday I returned from a very successful trip to Vanuatu. On the Sabbath we had 49 people in attendance at Orap village where we have a growing group of members. The Sunday following we had even more in attendance at a marriage I performed for Noel and Suzana Meten who have recently started attending with us. Their attendance entails a two hour, twelve kilometer trek through the jungle. Their village has no road access.
Four people in Vanuatu are being counseled for baptism. I look forward to continuing this at the Feast of Tabernacles. While in Vila I also located a room in which to hold services during the Feast. This is a fine facility and in future years we may make the Vanuatu site open to overseas visitors.
TELEVISION DEPARTMENT
Mr. Richard Ames reports,
"Tomorrow's World Telecast Receives 'Telly Award'
The 24th annual Telly Awards competition, held earlier this year, reviewed 13,000 television programs in categories including video production and non-network television programming. Instead of competing against each other, Telly Award entries 'compete against a high standard of excellence.'
Mr. Roderick C. Meredith and Mr. Richard Ames (Tomorrow's World producers/presenters), and Mr. Dick Quincer (Tomorrow's World director), received Telly Awards this year, for the Tomorrow's World program, 'Seven Proofs God Exists.'
Mr. Quincer wrote, 'I chose this particular program [for the Telly competition] as I felt it presented a very balanced approach to scripture and secular points with reasonable graphic coverage. The presentation of the subject matter resulted in a program that offered a good opportunity to receive a fair and objective judging by the panel while overcoming the strong biases that all judges carry into a competition.'
We appreciate Mr. Meredith's leadership in setting a high standard for Tomorrow's World. And we appreciate the extensive team that produces and distributes the telecast, and the brethren who support the preaching of the gospel."
Have an inspiring Sabbath and keep up the good work! We deeply appreciate your Christian service, sacrifice and encouragement.
Charles E. Bryce