Greetings from Charlotte,
This week, Mr. Meredith taped television program #315 entitled "The TRUTH About Divine Healing," which will air in the fall and offer the booklet Does God Heal Today? Mr. Ames taped program #314 entitled "Five Prophetic Signs for the Middle East," which will also air in the fall and offer the booklet The Middle East in Prophecy. This past weekend, I spoke in Tampa on the Sabbath and then conducted our third Regional Conference on Sunday and Monday in Sebring, Florida, for deacons, elders, other leaders in the Florida region and their wives. We covered topics including aspects of leadership, pastoring and doctrine. The meetings were very positive and provided an opportunity for both learning and fellowshipping.
Church Administration
We are very happy to report that Midwest USA Regional Pastor, Mr. Rand Millich, heart surgery on Tuesday, June 5, went very well. According to his daughter, Tiffany, her dad is recovering nicely from his heart ordeal, and the doctors say he has responded wonderfully. Mr. Millich is expected to make good recovery and to return home on Friday. His heart should be at 40% very soon, according to the doctors, and Mr. Millich can expect to be running two miles—at least—by September. Please continue to remember him in your prayers
Prayer Request: Gerald Dulaney, local elder in the Winchester, VA congregation, was diagnosed with cancer of the bladder. He requests the brethren's prayers for God's guidance and healing in this situation. Cards of encouragement may be sent to Mr. Dulaney at 801 Allen Drive, Winchester, VA 22601.
Australasia Update
Mr. Bruce Tyler reports from Adelaide: This week we have seen a fair amount of rain in various parts of the country. This doesn't mean the drought is over just yet. This has been the worst drought in over 100 years, and this past year saw farm production fall by a further 23 percent, according to the Federal Treasurer. Many people are seeing green for the first time in quite a while. In the meantime, God's Work presses on. We are still receiving responses to the semi-annual letter and good responses to the Tomorrow's World program.
From Thailand: Mr. Rajan Moses and Mr. Arius Nusantara arrived safely in Mae Sot on May 31, after an eight-hour, overnight bus ride from the Bangkok airport. It is encouraging to report that more new people from the Mae Sot area attended a Bible study on Saturday evening in Mr. Mehm Pho Saw's home, our local deacon.
Mr. Kinnear Penman reports from New Zealand: A major effort during May was the preparation and mailing of Mr. Meredith's semi-annual letter. In the last week of the month, 4,522 letters were mailed and responses are beginning to come in… Responses to the Tomorrow's World programme averaged 95 each week, 47 percent of them first-time callers, and a total of 183 subscribers were added to the mailing list during the month. We also carried out renewals for 150 TW subscribers and will do a larger number in June, which will result in a considerable improvement in the quality of our mailing list. NZ Post has increased postal rates for domestic mail by 11 percent.
Philippines Update
Mr. Felipe Casing, Area Pastor in Mindanao, reports on the situation of brethren in his area: If there are no attendance reports sent to Headquarters, it means that the brethren were unable to meet due to the weather and/or risky travel in places where there is insurgency movement. Places of sanctuary for rebels affect our brethren in Monkayo, Compostela and Nabunturan. Eleven families live where bullets fly anytime over their homes and property. We can ask them to get out, but where can they make a living? The brethren are all engaged in agriculture and have their own farmlands. So, they just trust in God for protection daily.
Spanish Update
Mr. Mario Hernandez reports that he had an exciting trip during the Pentecost weekend. On Friday, May 25, he visited our group in Monterrey, Mexico. He wrote, "The members there are managing our radio broadcast in Mexico, which has already received more than two hundred responses, coming from all over the country. This small group takes care of all the requests consisting of booklets, Bible Study Course lessons, CDs and audio cassettes. We ate together and had a Bible Study on Friday night. We also had Sabbath services the following morning.
"On Saturday evening, I flew to Mexico City to spend Pentecost with our congregation there. Antonio Mora came to Mexico City and assisted me in the ordination of Gabriel Ortega as a local elder. It was a very moving ceremony and the brethren were very happy. We were about ninety in attendance and we all ate together after services. I certainly appreciate the willingness of Mr. Mora to come all the way to Mexico to assist me in this ordination and to preach during the Pentecost weekend.
"On Sunday evening, I traveled about three hours north to Queretaro to visit a member of the Church. On Monday morning I returned to Mexico City, and from there we went to visit for the first time a family in a town near Cuernavaca. We started our visit about 8:00 p.m. on Monday, and continued in thrilling conversation, answering all of their questions from the Bible, until 3:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. It was certainly a productive trip."
Feast of Tabernacles 2007
Festival Registration
Our thanks to all those who registered for the Feast of Tabernacles on MyLCG on the www.cogl.org website last week! As of Thursday, June 7, more than 50 percent of our USA and Canadian brethren have registered, are approved, and are ready to make (or have made) housing reservations for the Feast! Our apologies if you experienced any glitches in the registration system or hotel reservations. We are working to resolve problems that have been reported to us. If you are still experiencing difficulty, please be sure to contact us by e-mailing [email protected] or calling 704-844-1960, ext. 212. If you did not register last week, please do so right away. Deadline for festival registration is July 15, 2007.
Transfers Encouraged to Winter Park, Colorado
Good news! There are ample seats left at our Snow Mountain Ranch Feast site near Winter Park, Colorado. Affordable and comfortable cabins, magnificent vistas, and great Western hospitality await feastgoers in the majestic Rocky Mountains! If you are interested, check out the site description on MyLCG on www.cogl.org, and register for Winter Park, CO.
Transfers Pending Approval to Newport, Oregon
Because of high demand, the Newport, Oregon, site is now closed to transfers pending Headquarters' approval. Those who would like to be on the waiting list for Newport may go through the online registration process, selecting Newport as first choice, and then awaiting final approval. Please do not make hotel reservations until you receive approval from the Festival Office for this site. You will be notified if your transfer request has been approved. We would like to encourage those assigned to Newport to transfer out if interested, as this would ease the swelling numbers at this site. If you are assigned to Newport and are planning to stay in Newport, please register right away, so that those awaiting transfer approval will know if there is room as soon as possible.
International Feast Sites
Correction to Philippines Sites
In last week's The World Ahead we announced that there would be a Feast of Tabernacles site in Tacloban, Philippines. This is incorrect. There will not be a Feast of Tabernacles site in Tacloban this year. The four Philippines sites will be: Baguio, Davao, Don Carlos and Maranding. Our apologies for this misinformation. Also, please note that Don Carlos and Maranding are separate sites, at quite a distance from each other.
Transfers Closed to Sierra de la Ventana, Argentina
Our Feast site in Sierra de la Ventana, Argentina, has reached capacity. No more transfers can be accepted at this moment. However, if you wish to be added to a waiting list in case some spaces are freed, please contact Madeleine Lincoln-Strange at [email protected].
Comments
Real Philadelphia Christians: The Scriptures reveal that Philadelphia Christians are dedicated to carrying out Christ's instructions to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15), warn the world (Matthew 24) and prepare a people to reign in the kingdom of God (Luke 1:17). However, as the name "Philadelphia" means "brotherly love," true Philadelphians will also strive to follow Jesus' admonition to "love one another" (John 15:12-17). They understand that showing unselfish, outgoing concern for others (versus sitting in judgment of others) is one of the distinguishing marks of a real Philadelphia Christian (John 13:34-35). Let's all look for ways to "show brotherly love" to others.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—June 7, 2007
Rumors of Wars… On the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Six Day War in modern-day Israel, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that his people were on the verge of a civil war—citing some of the worst infighting in 40 years (Associated Press, June 5, 2007). Meanwhile, Vatican officials have been meeting with friars in Bethlehem for a meeting entitled "Lord, What Do You Want Me to Do in the Holy Land?" (Zenit.org, June 5, 2007). Christ warned that one sign of the end of the age will be "nation rising against nation" (Matthew 24:7). The Greek word translated "nation" in verse 7 is "ethnos," from which we get our term ethnic group. So, Christ's reference was that ethnic group would rise against ethnic group at the end of the age—which is exactly what we are seeing in the Palestinian territory and elsewhere throughout the world. It is also interesting to note that the Vatican is meeting with its officials in the vicinity of the Holy Land to plan for the future. This is an area and a situation that warrants continued watching.
Plotting Terror. U.S. security officials foiled a Muslim terrorist plot on New York's JFK International Airport on Saturday—by breaking up a decade-old terrorist cell. The plot called for blowing up the airport and igniting jet fuel lines that transverse several of New York's boroughs—causing widespread devastation much greater than the 9-11 act of almost six years ago. "The devastation that would be caused had this plot succeeded is just unthinkable," U.S. Attorney Roslynn R. Mauskopf said at a news conference, calling it "one of the most chilling plots imaginable." The airport was targeted in order to attempt to symbolically kill President John F. Kennedy (JFK) a second time, according to one terrorist's statements. The mastermind behind the plot, once a JFK airport employee, has been planning the destruction for more than ten years (Associated Press, June 2, 2007). God warned that the British-descended nations would one day experience "terror" due to their rejection of Him (Leviticus 26:15-17). The British-descended nations need to be told about their sinful turn from God and encouraged to repent, thus reaping the blessings of obedience rather than the curses of disobedience, and it is our job to teach them of the need to repent (Ezekiel 3; 33).
Cyberspace Security Threatened. The world's economy could suffer billions of dollars in losses if enemies of the Western nations were to succeed in disabling the Internet. Business and tax revenues would plummet. Banks would close their doors and automated teller machines would run out of money as customers rushed to withdraw savings. Demand for coins and currency would outstrip availability, and commerce would grind to a halt as panic-stricken populations stopped spending in order to hoard scarce cash. Food riots could erupt as grocery stores were unable to replenish inventories. Travel would be disrupted as gas station credit cards stopped working and airline reservation systems ceased to function. Could such a dire scenario occur? Experts recently told London's Daily Mail newspaper that such attacks are not only possible but are likely in the near future (May 24, 2007). Recent Estonian riots over the removal of a Red Army war memorial escalated into a cyber-attack that disabled the websites of Estonian government ministries, banks, media outlets and political parties. The online attackers remotely hijacked access to computers to disrupt vital public services. "We're lucky to survive this," said an Estonian defense ministry spokesman. God warns in Deuteronomy 28:20 that He will send "cursing and confusion" on us because we have forsaken Him in our wickedness. Cyber-attacks could certainly be a partial fulfillment of this prophecy.—Don Davis, Scott Winnail