Greetings from Charlotte,
The past week has been very busy and eventful. Last weekend I flew to Kansas City to visit with our Regional Pastor Rand Millich, his wife and others in the area. Mr. Millich is making a fine recovery from his recent heart surgery. He gave a sermon the week before and is exercising on a regular basis to regain his strength. We had over 200 in attendance on the Sabbath. It was a very encouraging visit. Here in Charlotte we have had a number of important issues to address. We are changing a Feast site from Paducah, Kentucky, to Branson, Missouri. You can read about the reasons, and find out what to do if you are affected by that decision, in Mr. Crockett's announcement below, beginning on page 3. Today, we filmed segments for this year's Feast film. Tomorrow, Mr. and Mrs. Crockett and I will fly to Texas for the Sabbath and to conduct a Regional Conference on Sunday and Monday. We do appreciate your prayers for all these activities.
Please read the announcements about the Feast site change and about Living University, contained in this issue of The World Ahead, during services this Sabbath.
The following is an important and special message from Mr. Meredith to the ministry.
From The Presiding Evangelist
Greetings fellow ministers!
I am very grateful to God for the blessings that we have been receiving and thank you for all your help in making this possible. Today [this letter was written on July 24], the Work's income is up 7.3% and this is very unusual for this time of year. Normally, July and August are the lowest months of the year with a great deal more income, proportionally, coming in over the four autumn Holy Days and in December.
So with our fervent prayers and dedicated service to God continuing, perhaps He will grant us nine to twelve percent increase this year in the Work's income here in the U.S.! This would really be encouraging—and it is needed in order to help us continue to "grow" the Work, the Living University, our use of the Internet, etc. Also, we have been receiving outstanding responses for the telecast—especially during the normally "slow" summer season. Last week, we received over 4,000 responses for Mr. Ames' repeat telecast. This past weekend, we received over 3,000 responses to my repeat telecast—so the responses have held up remarkably for the summer season. In addition, our new features on the Internet site are constantly improving—and our total impact via the Internet should be increasing steadily over the next several months. So I feel that God is certainly positioning us for a great deal of growth over the next two or three years! This is exciting and encouraging. And we should all thank God for it, yet increase our fervent prayers and service in His Work.
My wife and I are leaving early tomorrow morning for the Living Youth Camp in Michigan. I will appreciate your prayers for us and especially for the campers and staff. We will be there the last three days, so let us pray that God will truly bless this effort to strengthen and inspire our young people.
Mr. Ames and others have encouraged me to exhort all of you to please consider writing articles and special boxes and bits of news for the Tomorrow's World magazine, the Living Church News, and—I might add—for our use on the Internet. Any of you feel free to send in a special news item or commentary you feel we could use on the Internet. We want more of your input and help. We need it! Although we will not promise to use every bit of material you send in for the magazine or the Internet, please send these items in, work with Mr. Ames and with Mr. Crockett or Charles Ogwyn on the Internet items, and let us all pray that God will help us to get a much better magazine, a much more powerful Internet site and have a far greater impact on this mixed-up world in the months to come!
On a more mundane item, I want to ask you to be sure to "check" your local Church library and remove any sermon tapes, Bible Studies or other material from those ministers who have left the Church through disloyalty, division, etc. And, of course, never play such sermons or Bible Studies for our brethren. Even though some of their material may have been okay at the time, it is certainly divisive and disconcerting to hear from these people who have now become disloyal and have caused division and confusion within the Living Church of God.
Again, fellow servants and wives, let us all pray earnestly for one another and for this Work which Christ has committed to our hands! Certainly, prophetic events do seem to be speeding up on quite a number of fronts—more than ever in any time during the last approximate 58 years I have been associated with the Church. It is exciting to me to realize this! So let us all get our personal houses in order more than ever, begin to sincerely fast and pray and hearfeltly "seek God" that He may help us truly "finish the Work" to the full extent that God wants us to do through this Work. Thank you for your help and loyalty!
With Christian love,
Roderick C. Meredith
Living University
Reminder: Registration for fall semester classes will remain open until August 14. Late registration will require a late fee. Students may register for a certificate, a degree or for individual classes under the Open Learning Program. Fall classes include: THL 135—Life, Ministry & Teachings of Jesus; THL 200—Principles of Christian Living; and THL 332—The Biblical Text.
Church Administration
Mr. Roland Travis, our elder serving in the Columbia, Missouri, area who recently suffered a heart attack, is now at home and doing better. Your continued prayers on his behalf for a complete recovery are greatly appreciated.
Mr. Gerald Dulaney, elder in Winchester, Virginia, would like to update the brethren on his health condition related to his bladder cancer. Originally, he was diagnosed with stage two (possibly stage three) bladder cancer; he was able to come home three days after his surgery on July 3. He reports, "The doctor seemed surprised that I took no pain medicine after going home. He said that I was doing very well, and he did not plan on using chemo or radiation. He is confident that all the cancer was removed. I feel God took care of many details as it could have been worse. It was only a partial bladder removal, not complete. Many thanks to the brethren for their prayers, concern, cards, phone calls and suggestions."
United Kingdom Update
Mr. Rod King reports: I have called our deacon in the area of the floods here in England. Jim Bennett tells me that no members are affected, including one prospective member who lives in Wocester on a hill out of town. We have our lectures in Cardiff, Wales, this Sunday. The flooding could affect the attendance there by just a few. However, Wales is hillier than England, so it is less likely to flood and about 80 percent of the attendees are Welsh… Our first London lecture will be on Saturday at Croydon in Surrey. We have sent out 150 invitations. We will see where God is working in the lives of these people.
Feast of Tabernacles 2007
Important Notice Regarding the Paducah, Kentucky, Festival Site
Recently, we learned that the J R's Executive Inn in Paducah, where we planned to keep the Feast this year, may be experiencing some setbacks. Inspection by our own people revealed a lack of maintenance, inadequate staff, and that the sales staff had resigned.
While the situation may improve, we are concerned that it may deteriorate even further. These circumstances make it unwise to keep the Feast at this location. There are no other venues in the same area to which we can move our meeting place. Therefore, after prayerful consideration and a multitude of counsel, the difficult decision has been made to move the Feast site from Paducah at this late date.
There is good news, however. In Branson, Missouri, a beautiful new convention facility is being completed and will be ready by Feast time. Our dates are available, and we have booked it for this year. The facility is operated by Hilton Hotels, which operates two hotels in conjunction with the Branson Convention Center, located one block from Branson Landing on Lake Taneycomo, a newly developed shopping and entertainment district. The hotels offer standard and deluxe rooms, suites and some condominiums.
Hilton Hotels will reserve a block of rooms for our attendees at discounted prices. We are under no obligation to rent these rooms, but we think that many Church members will desire to stay near the meeting hall. There is ample housing in the Branson area ranging from luxury to economy, including many condominiums.
Branson is known for family entertainment. It is a beautiful area with Lake Taneycomo, Table Rock Lake and Bull Shoals Lake nearby, along with several golf courses. There are also many other family-oriented attractions.
PLEASE NOTE: All those who had registered for the Feast in Paducah are now automatically registered for Branson, Missouri. If you do not want to attend the Feast in Branson, you may go to the www.cogl.org website, login to your "MyLCG" account, and register for one of our other sites. The only site in the USA and Canada that cannot accept any more transfers is Newport, Oregon. All other sites are still open for transfers.
Those who are not currently registered for Paducah, but who would like to go to Branson, may do so by going to the www.cogl.org website and registering to attend in Branson. The www.cogl.org website will be updated with detailed information on Branson, including housing information.
Regarding rooms currently booked at the J R Executive Inn, reservations being held on credit cards should be able to be cancelled without charge. Cash deposits for reservations may be difficult to recover because of the financial condition of the hotel. Those experiencing a problem with deposits should let their local Festival Advisor know the details, which can be submitted to the Festival Office at HQ for consideration.
We apologize for this last-minute change and the extra work and inconvenience it may cause, but we do think it is the right thing to do under the circumstances.—Davy Crockett, Director of Business Operations
Additional Details on Branson, Missouri
Branson promises to be a beautiful Feast site that will be enjoyed by Church members of all ages and financial means. Information about the beautiful new Branson Convention Center can be viewed online at www.bransonconvention.com. The convention center is owned by the city, and is managed by the Hilton Corporation. There is a new Hilton Hotel adjacent to the convention center. Another Hilton Hotel—the Hilton Promenade at Branson's Landing—is located less than a block away from the convention center, on the shore of beautiful Lake Taneycomo.
The city of Branson has an excellent website, www.explorebranson.com, which lists by category (hotel, condominium, cabin, bed and breakfast, etc.) all the lodging in the city.
The Festival Office has inspected several properties, which have agreed to give Feastgoers discounted rates for lodging on reservations made during the 14-day period between July 29 and August 11. The Church has made no reservation guarantees to these establishments, nor does the Church receive any rebate or compensation from them. All discounts are for the benefit of Living Church of God Feastgoers. Information on these properties will be on the "MyLCG" section of the www.cogl.org website by July 29.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Spanish Interpreter Needed. The Myrtle Beach Feast site is in need of a volunteer Spanish interpreter who is able to interpret Feast services simultaneously from English into Spanish. Members attending the Feast in Myrtle Beach capable of serving in this capacity, please contact site Coordinator Scott Winnail at [email protected] or by phone at 386-752-9679.
Weekly Sabbath Services will exceptionally be held on October 6 at the Kingston Plantation in Myrtle Beach for those who might wish to remain there for a few days after the Feast. More details will be announced during the Feast.
New Braunfels, Texas
Feast Website Now Open. A website for the New Braunfels Feast site is now open! Those who plan to attend the Feast in New Braunfels can obtain all the information they need to begin planning now for the Feast. You can see the schedule of events, learn more about each scheduled activity, and sign-up your children for the Children's Choir. Just point your web browser to www.fottexas.org to get all this information and more. For those not coming to Texas for the Feast, it's not too late to change your plans!
Newport, Oregon
Square Dance. We are considering having a Square Dance in Newport, Oregon, in addition to the Family Dance. We would like to see how much interest there might be in doing this type of activity. Therefore, if you are attending the Feast in Newport and would be interested in participating in a Square Dance, please send e-mail to Jan Long at [email protected].
Orford, Quebec
Change in Activities. Please take note that there have been a couple of changes in the Feast activities: First, the Family Day will now consist of a visit to a honey house. You will be able to observe the bees, extraction of honey and do some tasting. There is a gift shop on the premises, a playground for the little ones, farm animals and a sheltered picnic area. The cost for this activity will be CAN$4.50 per person. Second, the Singles and Teens Activity will consist of a golf lesson with a professional teacher, followed by practice time.
If you previously registered for the Family Day and/or the Singles and Teens activities and don not want to participate, or if you are now interested in these activities, please make your changes on your "MyLCG" account on the www.cogl.org website. This will allow us to better plan these activities.
Oxnard, California (Repeat Announcement)
Special Music and Piano Accompaniment. The Oxnard Feast site is in need of volunteers for special music, piano accompaniments, the children's choir and the adult choir. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Mr. Chris Connelly by e-mail at [email protected] (there is an underscore "_" between "Chris" and "Connelly") or by telephone at 909-389-9522 with the information appropriate to your area of interest. Please feel free to leave voice mail.
Family Night Fun Show. Volunteers are also needed as performers and/or as stage crew assistants. You will experience an evening you will not forget. To volunteer for the Fun Show, please contact Patti Forsness at [email protected] or by telephone at 406-442-4137.
Comments
Foundation of Friendships: We all want to have friends, yet sometimes we lack the skills to achieve this goal. The Bible provides important guidelines for building real friendships. Solomon advised that to have friends we must be friendly (Proverbs 18:24), we must treat people with kindness and have pure motives (Proverbs 22:11), and be supportive of others in their time of need (Proverbs 17:17). True friends will tell you the truth and offer wise counsel; they will not use flattery or spread gossip (Proverbs 27:6, 9, 14, 17). Real friends are gracious, hospitable and concerned about the needs of other people (Acts 27:3). True friendship involves being willing to make personal sacrifices for others who have needs—Jesus Christ was willing to lay down His life for people He called His friends (John 15:13). He said we can become His friends—if we will follow His instructions and His example (John 15:14-15). This is how Abraham became a friend of God—by believing and obeying God (James 2:23). As Christians, let's strive to become kind, caring and friendly people.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—July 26, 2007
Break-up of Great Britain. In a historic development three weeks ago, the British Labour party and Plaid Cymru agreed to form a government in Wales. This means that groups pursuing national independence will be in place in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. "The arrival in power of nationalist movements on the peripheries of the British Isles suggests one of two things. Either that it is only a matter of time before the United Kingdom collapses, or we are working our way to a new constitutional compromise" (Daily Mail, July 7, 2007). As the former parts of Great Britain distance themselves from London, a new study also reports that one in ten in Britain is foreign born, thanks to a surge of immigrants over the last several years—nearly half a million new immigrants enter Britain each year (The Times, June 26, 2007). God warned that at the time of the end, "a nation whom you have not known shall eat the fruit of your land and the produce of your labor…" (Deuteronomy 28:33). Jesus also predicted that sin the last days "nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom" (Matthew 24:7). Britain, this once-great nation, is fracturing along ancient ethnic lines… just as foretold.
And now, "Europe Empire": The President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, recently made a profound and prophetic announcement: "We are not the United States of Europe—we are unique in the history of mankind!... Now what we have is the first non-imperial empire… I believe it is a great construction and we should be proud of it." The British Shadow Europe Minister said, "The British public will be surprised to hear that we are now part of an EU empire. For the President of the Commission to say this is quite startling and anyone who thinks we have been exaggerating in calling for a referendum… only has to look at what Mr. Barroso has said to realize the scale of what is now being contemplated." In an emotional reaction to Mr. Barroso's comments, the UK Independence Party leader observed, "I would like Mr. Barroso to come to Britain and repeat those quotes and see what the reaction would be. Or maybe he would prefer to visit the Brussels colony of Britain?" (The Times, July 11, 2007). For decades, the Church of God, using the Bible as a guide (Daniel 2:41-45; Revelation 17:7-18), has been predicting the final revival of the Holy Roman Empire in Europe. Recent rhetoric, along with actions in Brussels and across Europe, indicates that these ancient prophecies are coming to pass right before our eyes.
Religious TV. "The flock of TV ministries is multiplying." There are an estimated 10,000 religious television programs across the U.S., and they are competing hard for viewers' money. "It's an expensive proposition to be on television on Sunday morning and obviously requires a lot of fundraising," said one program producer. Thousands of TV preachers use their airtime begging for money instead of preaching the Truth of God and they gain a large portion of their income selling products. At the "Technologies for Worship" booth at the 2007 National Association of Broadcasters convention, hundreds of TV ministries looked for new ways to "hook" viewers and increase profits (Charlotte Observer, July 21, 2007). Yet, the Bible states, "Buy the truth, and do not sell it" (Proverbs 23:23). Visitors to the TomorrowsWorld.org and lcg.org websites, and viewers of the Tomorrow's World telecast, know that this Work is different. In a box on page 2 of the TW magazine, you read, "Tomorrow's World has no subscription price. It is made possible by the tithes and offerings of Living Church of God members and others who have chosen to become co-workers in proclaiming Christ's true gospel to all nations." Our literature is provided free to those who ask. Donations are welcomed, but we want to obey God's word, and to share His truth and His warning message without charge. According to Phil Cooke, author of the book, Successful Christian Television, "Most Christian television that you see is very low quality… It's not very good, and a lot of people have issues with it." The TW telecast strives to present God's Truth with the quality it deserves, but we do it as a service to viewers, not as a money-making scheme. We trust in God to give us the resources to serve our members, website visitors, subscribers and viewers. That is why this Work is different—a truly unique work of faith (Matthew 24:14)!—Don Davis, Daniel Bennett, Scott Winnail