Greetings everyone,
By next week, all of the Headquarters ministers will have returned from their Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread trips, and the HQ staff will no longer feel deserted! Mr. and Mrs. Ames arrived late last night from California. Mr. and Mrs. Meredith will be returning next Thursday, April 19, from China. By the way, Mr. Meredith's latest exciting co-worker letter is being mailed this week to all members and co-workers. Dr. Winnail called me yesterday afternoon from Germany saying that everything was progressing very well during his trip, and that he will return to Charlotte on Tuesday, April 17. Mr. and Mrs. Crockett will be home on Sunday, April 15. Undoubtedly, you will be hearing these ministers' reports in due time. As for our trip, my wife and I returned to Charlotte last Friday afternoon, on time for the weekly Sabbath and also for the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Please see my report below.
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
Second Passover
This year, the Second Passover should be taken shortly after sunset on Tuesday, May 1. This Passover is for those baptized members who were unable to take the first Passover due to unforeseen circumstances. The biblical instructions guiding this ceremony are found in Numbers 9:1-14.
French West Indies Trip
My wife and I spent the Passover and the first part of the Feast of Unleavened Bread in Martinique, where the temperature never went down below 70°F, even at night. However, upon our return to Charlotte, we were welcomed with out-of-season freezing temperatures! What a warm welcome!
Before arriving in Martinique, we stopped in Guadeloupe where I was offered a one-hour live radio interview during which 14 listeners called in with many challenging questions. I also conducted a public Bible lecture in Guadeloupe, attended by more than 30 new people. We plan to follow up with two public Bible studies this month that will be conducted by our Martinique ministry.
In Martinique, 22 brethren took the Passover. The next evening, we celebrated the Night to be Much Observed with a sumptuous dinner (French style, with wine and assorted cheeses, please!). On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, I ordained Mr. Etienne Duval, a long-time member of the Church of God, a deacon. On Wednesday, April 4, one day prior to our departure for Charlotte, I also gave a public lecture, with 41 new persons in attendance. The questions I was asked at the end of that lecture showed that the Church in Martinique can easily double its size, if we had more ministers. In these French islands, people still remember the many years of our broadcasts on Radio Caraïbes under the name Le Monde à Venir (The World to Come).—Dibar Apartian
Australasia Update
Mr. Bruce Tyler reports: Mr. Zig Svalbe, elder from Melbourne, and I returned to Australia on March 29 after visiting our brethren in Sri Lanka. I spent the previous week in Malaysia with our brethren in that country. Here is Mr. Svalbe's report of our trip to Sri Lanka:
"Mr. Tyler and I arrived in Sri Lanka late Wednesday evening, March 21, as part of a one-week visit primarily to meet the brethren, as well as to hold the required Annual General Meeting for the Church in this country… On this recent trip to Asia, Mr. Tyler first set foot in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to visit Mr. Rajan Moses and the brethren there. Mr. conducted Sabbath services with the brethren in Bahau, and then a Leadership Class with the Kuala Lumpur brethren…
"The brethren in Sri Lanka do not have a resident minister so the few visits they receive each year are greatly appreciated. Just recently, Mr. Tyler asked me to help oversee the Church in Sri Lanka, assist in the growth of the Work here and take up some of the considerable workload that has been placed on the shoulders of our Regional Director for this part of the world…
"For a number of years the Church has rented a home which has enabled the more than 40 brethren to meet each Sabbath and on Holy Days. Here services are held in the mornings, before the heat of the day, and most members remain to fellowship well after the Sabbath has ended. It is gratifying to see their zeal for God and His Truth…
"On Sunday morning we travelled with several of the leading men to the inland hill city of Kandy to visit a potential Feast site for this year's Feast of Tabernacles… The following morning the local newspapers reported that Tamil terrorists had targeted some Air Force facilities near the Colombo International Airport. Three people were killed and dozens injured. One of our members was visiting her daughter who lives only meters away and the family was wakened in the early hours of the morning with explosions, gun fire and explosive fallout landing on their house roof. The attackers escaped. As one result of this incident, Cathay Pacific, the airline on which our return flights were booked, cancelled all their flights to Sri Lanka. We acted on some timely advice to re-schedule our flights to another airline. I am sure God wanted us to return on time and we were able to secure the last few seats with a suitable connecting flight back to Singapore, and then on to home in Melbourne—at least for me. Travelling in this part of the world holds plenty of challenges."
FESTIVAL OFFICE
USA and Canadian Site and Registration
We will soon be announcing the USA and Canadian Feast sites, as well as the registration date. Those wishing to transfer to an international site that has already been announced may contact the coordinator of that site and make plans accordingly. They don't have to wait for the USA/Canada registration date to make plans for their transfer.
Festival Advisers and Registration
Attention USA and Canadian Pastors: You should start assigning Festival Advisors for your congregations now, as we gear up for the upcoming Festival registration. The registration process will be identical to last year's. Please communicate with your Festival Advisors for any questions you might have. We will be requesting from you the names of your Festival Advisors soon. If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected]. --Rod McNair
Arklow, Republic of Ireland
The Feast of Tabernacles site in Arklow, Republic of Ireland, has reached capacity; no more transfer requests can be accepted. However, other International sites, including the French and Spanish, still have openings.
MEDIA
Internet Update
In March of 2007 the www.TomorrowsWorld.org website set an all-time record of 62,757 unique visitors! The previous high was in January 2007, which recorded 58,947.
The Tomorrow's World Bible Study Course is now available online! The Bible Study Course has historically been a very powerful tool not only in bringing those new to the Truth into a fuller understanding, but also in strengthening the spiritual foundation of those already in the Church. The new online format will allow participants to take the course at their own pace. Those that began taking the print version of the Bible Study Course, but have not yet finished, can begin the online course at the point they left off in the print version, or they can choose to go back and review earlier material. The content of the online course is identical to the print version developed by the late Mr. John H. Ogwyn.—Charles Ogwyn
MAIL PROCESSING DEPARTMENT
We want to thank everyone who is participating in the "mail tracking" project, and encourage others to join in. The more data we have, the more able we are to see where the mail system problems occur.
To participate in the mail tracking system, whenever you receive a piece of literature from Headquarters in Charlotte:
- Go to www.cogl.org and click on the "MyLCG" link (located toward the top left side of the page).
- Log in to your "MyLCG" account by entering your username (which is usually your eleven-digit PIN, unless you have changed it to another username) and password. If you have not yet created your "MyLCG" account, click on the link to "create your online member account."
- Once you have logged into your MyLCG account, click on the "Go" button next to the label "literature tracking," which is in the box titled "date literature received."
- Fill in the appropriate date and check the appropriate item of literature that you received; then click "submit."
Each time you help track one of the mailings, you help us understand how to serve you in a more timely and efficient way, and we really appreciate that.—Gaylyn Bonjour
COMMENTS
One at a time… Contrary to what you may have assumed, the Feast of Unleavened Bread is not behind us, and we won't have to wait until next year to learn more of its lessons. It began for each baptized member at the moment God called him or her out of modern Babylon, just as the Exodus began the moment God called the Israelites out of Egypt, some 4,000 years ago. Our forefathers had thought that "they had it made" the moment they left Egypt. They did not realize nor did they understand that their journey would only end upon their arrival at the Promised Land, just as ours will only end when we enter the Kingdom of God. How much did you succeed in putting sin out of your life during this Feast of Unleavened Bread? How much did you succeed in overcoming this year your carnal ways of thinking and acting? A few days ago, as I saw a statue of Christopher Columbus in Guadeloupe, I was reminded of a story I was told years ago. Apparently, he had given one of his disciples a box of matches, asking him to break those matches. His disciple tried hard, very hard, without success. He told Christopher Columbus that he could not break the matches. To his surprise, he saw Christopher Columbus open the box, take the matches out and break them one at a time. "It isn't fair," objected his disciple. "You didn't tell me that I could take each match and break it separately." "No, I didn't tell you that," answered Christopher Columbus, "but I wanted to teach you a lesson. The only way to succeed in breaking a box of matches is to break one match at a time." Here is also a lesson for us all in God's Church: The best way of overcoming our bad habits and bad ways is to combat them one at a time.
Have a wonderful Sabbath,
Dibar Apartian
NEWS AND PROPHECY—April 12, 2007
Catholic Church Flexing Its Muscles. In a recent speech in Rome, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for relations with states of the Vatican Secretariat of State, made some powerful observations regarding the European Union: "During the last two legislatures of the European Parliament, the positions of the Catholic Church and the Vatican were attacked almost 30 times and unjustly accused of uncalled-for involvement in a European issue… It corresponds in first place to the Holy See, as well as to all Christians," Archbishop Mamberti said, "to remind this continent […] that it cannot betray its Christian values, just as a person cannot betray his reasons to live and have hope, without falling into a dramatic crisis." The Archbishop also warned of "neo-pagan ideologies" that can influence the state to take away the rights of its citizens (Zenit.org, March 26, 2007). The Catholic Church and its bishops are using increasingly strong rhetoric when advocating for the involvement of their church in the future of the EU. Revelation 17 warns of major involvement of a church in the future Beast power. The Archbishop's warnings about the EU government eroding individual human rights also play into prophecies about 10 nations of the Beast eventually "giving their power and authority over to it" (Revelation 17:13).
The British Hostage Situation in the Middle East. The recent capture of British troops by Iran resulted in Prime Minister Tony Blair threatening the dispute would "enter a different phase" if British troops were not released. Parliament further responded by cutting all business ties with Tehran (International Herald Tribune, March 28, 2007). Speaking for Europe, German Chancellor Merkel said that the EU gave its "absolute support and solidarity" for Britain (Khaleej Times online, March 28, 2007). Chancellor Merkel may also have been reacting to a recent verbal attack from the Taliban, threatening to target German forces in Afghanistan. A hard-line Pakistani politician also threatened Germany, telling Cicero that Germany was "as much of an enemy of true believers as the USA" (Deutsche Welle, March 28, 2007). This week, a Catholic and an Anglican bishop praised the Iranian release of the British troops as an act of "forgiveness and mercy," stated that Iran was acting within the "moral and spiritual tradition of their country." British politicians and the military reacted by labeling the bishops' comments as "naïve" and "wishful thinking" because they failed to recognize the illegality of Tehran's actions (Telegraph, April 9, 2007). Bible prophecy warns of the king of the South struggling against the king of the North (Daniel 11:5-15). Current actions by Iran and Afghanistan, and reactions by Britain and Europe, demonstrate the further polarization of Europe against the Arab world.
Great Lakes Fisheries Threatened. A deadly water-borne virus is killing many fish in the eastern Great Lakes, damaging the $1.5 billion sports and fishing industry in the USA and Canada. The virus, called the "Ebola for fish" because it causes fish to bleed and die, is migrating westward to Lake Superior. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune (March 20, 2007) reported that many fish, including muskies, walleyes, bass, perch and freshwater drum are infected. A retired Environmental Protection Agency chemist called the situation "a major disaster waiting to happen. Once it's established here, it will go up the inland waters and down the Mississippi." A Michigan Department of Natural Resources spokesman said, "We know we can't keep it out of Lake Michigan." The latest confirmed site of the virus is Lake Huron, just 20 miles from the locks leading into Lake Michigan. Experts believe the virus arrived in ships that discharged their ballast tanks into lake waters. Though the state of Michigan has imposed restrictions on the release of ballast water into lakes, this may be "too little, too late"—especially if other areas bordering the Great Lakes do not take similar action. Man appears to have increasing difficulty being responsible for his actions. "O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jeremiah 10:23).—Don Davis and Scott Winnail