Greetings y'all,
Here is a message from Mr. Roderick C. Meredith, Presiding Evangelist of the Living Church of God.
FROM THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE
Dear Fellow Ministers,
As we have predicted for many years, the great God is now powerfully intervening to humble our peoples and to get their attention. Hurricane Katrina is now being called "one of the worst natural disasters" ever to hit the United States. Apparently, the death toll will be far beyond a thousand people and the financial damages will mount up to the tens of billions. I am sure all of you have seen the television footage of the suffering, deprivation and the profound anxiety experienced by the tens of thousands of people involved in this tragedy.
As the Living Church of God, we need to show mercy and compassion at this time. Most of the people affected have no clear understanding about the God of the Bible. For they are not yet "called." But they need our compassion and our prayers. And we should demonstrate this in every way we can. Therefore, among many other things, we have established a Living Church of God Disaster Relief Fund to assist many of our brethren, co-workers and others who may have lost their homes, their jobs and are in genuine need of emergency assistance. Those wishing to contribute should make their donations payable to "Living Church of God" and label the check or other instrument "Disaster Relief." All funds received labeled "Disaster Relief" will be used to help people affected by this great disaster resulting from Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast of the United States of America.
In addition, I want to ask all of you to announce to the brethren living within a few hundred miles of the affected areas: "God has now given us the opportunity and responsibility to assist some of our own homeless or jobless brethren at this critical time. If you have the ability and willingness to take in one of our brethren or a small family for a few days or weeks, please let your Pastor or Elder know of this immediately! He can then relay this information to Charlotte Headquarters and we can carefully work out arrangements satisfactory to those involved. Also, if you, personally, or through your company could temporarily hire one of our own members who is temporarily out of work and help him or her through this dire emergency, please convey this information to your local Pastor or Elder."
Also, fellow ministers, please let us know if any of your brethren or prospective members need this type of emergency help. Please call or e-mail either Mr. Apartian or Mr. Davy Crockett and they will work together as a team to coordinate the needed assistance.
Remember, we are the "body" of Christ! We are to regard ourselves as "family." More and more, through this current crisis and the many others which will surely follow, God will "test" us to see if we truly love one another and are even willing to sacrifice—as Jesus did—to serve one another. God's word tells us, "But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually" (I Cor. 12:24-27).
Yes, we here in Charlotte will do all we can to continue to warn our peoples of the real meaning of these awful events and encourage them to genuinely repent! But, as a Church, we must also show true Christian love and compassion for those in need. Let us pray that God will give us the right balance in pursuing both of these objectives. And let us pray fervently for those right now suffering from one of the worst natural disasters in American history. Thank you for your zealous help and cooperation!
Your brother in Christ,
Roderick C. Meredith
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
Online Commentary
To shed light from the biblical perspective on this catastrophic event, Mr. Roderick Meredith also wrote an urgent commentary, titled Why Natural Disasters?, on Hurricane Katrina which authorities are now calling "one of the worst natural disasters" ever to hit the United States. You can read or download Mr. Meredith's commentary from our websites www.tomorrowsworld.org or www.lcg.org.
News from CAD—by Dibar Apartian
Words are powerless when describing sorrow, pain and agony. Disasters like Hurricane Katrina are reminders of this fact. "New Orleans will never be same," read the headlines. Nor will the United States of America. Indeed, many Americans had thought that, because of their relentless precautionary efforts, the events of 9/11 could never be surpassed. God is showing everyone that there is yet much more to come in prophecy. Yesterday morning, the authorities in Mississippi decided "to put off the search for the dead to save the living." Did they realize the prophetic meaning of their declaration? At the Headquarters of God's Church in Charlotte, we have been in close touch with our ministers in charge of our congregations in Louisiana and Mississippi. So far as they can determine, there has been no loss of life among our brethren, but some have suffered heavy material damages, even loss of their homes.
Mr. Rod Reynolds, our New Orleans pastor, e-mailed us, "We have approximately 17 members and prospective members who are residents of the New Orleans or southeast Louisiana areas. All Living Church of God brethren from the New Orleans area are safe and accounted for. Most left the area before the hurricane hit. The few who did not, have now left the city."
Mr. Dan Hall, our Mississippi pastor, confirmed this by stating, "The good news is that all of God's people in this area left prior to the storm for safer and higher ground. Though we are not able to contact everyone due to failed phone lines and ruined cell phone towers, we believe most, if not all, of God's people are safe!"
Other Countries Are Also Having Their Share
The media reports that severe rains and flooding have caused much damage in other parts of the world. In Europe, for instance, devastating floods have killed more than 40 people in Romania, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Slovenia. In the African city of Douala, in Cameroon, devastating floods and mud have prevented our members from holding Sabbath services for the past three weeks.
Dr. Winnail in Kenya
The CAD Director arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, after a smooth flight from London. He has already located a property that could function as an office, meeting place for services and living quarters for Mr. Muthama, our office manager in Nairobi. Yesterday, Wednesday, Dr. Winnail held a Bible study in Narobi and tomorrow, Friday, he will be traveling to western Kenya. He will hold Sabbath services in Ndhiwa. Please pray for the success of this trip, as well as for his safety and protection. He will arrive in Charlotte via London on September 9.
The Work in Peru
In May 2004, Mr. Jorge Schaubeck and his wife, along with our deacon from Chile and his wife, traveled to Lima, Peru, to visit prospective members. They were met at the airport by several families. They held Sabbath services with more than 40 in attendance. During this visit to Peru, Mr. Schaubeck baptized one person at a beach in Lima. Sometime later, a group of people in Cerro de Pasco, one of the highest cities in the world (14,288 ft above sea level), expressed interest in joining the Living Church of God. When in March 2005 Mr. Hernandez traveled to Peru, Mr. Schaubeck accompanied him. Mr. Hernandez visited many people and conducted Sabbath services for more than 40 who had come from Lima, Cerro de Pasco and Trujillo. His visit resulted in the baptism of several people.
Today, we have congregations in Lima and Cerro de Pasco, where we have also started broadcasting the Spanish radio program. Our Colombian elder, Armando Orrego, who conducted a public conference there on August 14, will be coordinating the Feast in "Merced de Chanchamayo"—located in the Peruvian jungle region. "We expect an approximate attendance of 60 for the Feast in Peru this year," reports Mr. Schaubeck.
MEDIA
Hurricane Katrina's Impact on TV Stations in New Orleans and Baton Rouge
Our new TV station in New Orleans, WHNO-TV, channel 20, aired the Tomorrow's World telecast at its regular scheduled time last Sunday morning. A fifth of the regular response came in as TV viewers by the hundreds of thousands were evacuating the area, before the blast of Hurricane Katrina. Our station in Baton Rouge, KZUP-TV, however, did not air the program on Sunday morning—the first preemption in three years. The staff very likely evacuated to get out of harm's way.
On the other hand, we are very pleased with the results coming from our nationwide coverage on the Inspiration Network, which airs the Tomorrow's World program Saturday mornings at 1:00 am Eastern Time or 10:00 pm Pacific Time. We are impressed with the response coming from the Charlotte area, which has about a half-million TV households connected to the Inspiration Network. Even though Charlotte airs at 1:00 am, it is drawing the highest response compared to all other cities. Our second highest response is coming from Asheville, North Carolina, followed by Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Norfolk, Virginia, and Savannah, Georgia. The Inspiration Network reaches 20.6 million TV households in the United States.—Wayne Pyle
FEAST OF TABERNACLES
Tours of Headquarters Building
Many people have expressed the desire to tour our Headquarters facility in Charlotte before and after the Feast. We are happy to announce that, this year, we will be able to accommodate all visitors. The building will be open for tours before the Feast on Friday, October 14, and after the Feast on Thursday, October 27. The tours will be conducted at 9:30 am, 10:30 am, 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm. Reservations are not necessary.—Davy Crockett
Choir Director for the Lake of the Ozarks
The Lake of the Ozarks Feast site needs a Choir Director. If you plan to attend there and are experienced, please contact Larry Solomon at [email protected] or by phone at 417-782-7768.
COMMENTS
For the last few days, Hurricane Katrina has been making the front pages of all newspapers in the U.S.A.—and in many other countries. Many are becoming perplexed and wondering what's really happening to this world? When will earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes end? When will wars and cruelty among human beings come to a halt? We, as God's people, know the answers but we must constantly be strong and vigilant to help others in the world turn to God, submit to His will, and observe His commandments. That's our mission. Are we doing our part—zealously? Are we ourselves submitting to God—totally? Hurricane Katrina is one of the wake-up calls, not only to Americans but to all mankind. The question is: Will mankind wake up? And will all of God's people around the world wake up? Each of us, individually, holds the answer. Remember Christ's words, "And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!" (Mark 13:37)
Y'all have an inspiring Sabbath,
Dibar Apartian