Greetings from Charlotte,
According to the reports coming in, this year's Feast of Tabernacles appears to be one of the best that many have ever experienced. Comments mention that powerful and inspiring sermons, warm fellowship and beautiful weather predominated at most of the festival sites. This is also what I sensed at the sites I visited here in the United States. Currently we are busy compiling reports from around the world and already well into planning for next year's Feast. Dr. Meredith, Mr. Ames, Dr. Germano and I are also focusing on completing our Living University classes for this semester and preparing classes for the spring semester. We would appreciate your prayers for these endeavors.
From the Presiding Evangelist
Dear fellow servants of Christ,
Greetings from Charlotte! As most of you know, all reports from all over the world indicate that we had an absolutely outstanding Feast of Tabernacles this year! Several older members commented to me that even going back twenty or thirty years, this was the "best Feast ever." So that is very encouraging and the warmth, the love and the zest of the brethren which I myself experienced indicates that we have a very strong and very loyal cadre of members at this time. So we can thank God for that.
Also, as I have commented verbally, quite a number of supernatural healings took place during the months just before the Feast. This was very encouraging—to say the least—and certainly indicates that our Church as a whole is drawing closer to God. As we pray fervently about this, I am sure that God will grant us more divine healings and—in due time—the "gifts" of the Holy Spirit to a much greater degree. This will indeed help additional thousands of people in the larger Church of God community and, gradually, more thousands of outsiders, realize where Christ is working and be willing to join with us in finishing His Work.
Another item I would like to comment on is the fact that we are now planning, here in Charlotte, a very special "15th Anniversary Celebration" for this continuous Work of the Global/Living Church of God. As you know, Mr. Don Davis, my wife and I incorporated this Work back in mid-December, 1992. We had our first "unofficial" Sabbath service in my home with 19 people in attendance on December 26, 1992. Then, on January 2, 1993, we had our first official Sabbath service with attendance of 42 people. That very autumn we had 1,500 people attending with us for the Feast of Tabernacles—held in two sites, Del Mar, CA and Pigeon Forge, TN. The following year, we doubled! That year—in the same locations—we had a total of 3,000 people in attendance. So the Work has kept growing—although more slowly than we planned. But God has been with us, and we are now doing a far more powerful Work around the world than we were a few years ago.
So it seemed fitting to me and others to have this special celebratory banquet/dance/activities weekend here in Charlotte to help our brethren rejoice at what Christ has been doing these past 15 years. We certainly want to honor Him in doing this, and will appreciate the prayers of all of you that God will guide us in planning and executing this. I am sure that it will encourage many of our brethren as they realize how long this Work has been underway and how much stability we have had—except for the "disruption" in 1998—during these past 15 years.
As Proverbs 28:2 tells us, "Because of the transgression of a land, many are its princes; but by a man of understanding and knowledge right will be prolonged." So we are indeed thankful for Christ giving us this stability and guiding us to help increase the effectiveness of our work in preparing for His Second Coming. Truly we have a great reward laid up in heaven as we show our Father in heaven and our living Head, Jesus Christ, that we are indeed loyal to His Government, loyal to doing His Work and getting His message out all over the world, and loyal in walking with Him and participating in the preaching and teaching of the "whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27).
Thank you, dear fellow ministers and brethren, for your help and your loyalty in accomplishing all of these goals. We can be thankful that Christ has been merciful to us and—in spite of our faults—has guided us to do an increasingly powerful Work to prepare the way for the King of kings. We give God great thanks.
Roderick C. Meredith
Church Administration
Council of Elders
We are planning to have a Council of Elders meeting that will begin on Monday, November 12, and run through Wednesday or Thursday. A preliminary agenda of topics to be discussed will be mailed shortly to all concerned.
The Feast of Tabernacles 2007
We had a total of 43 sites in 30 countries celebrating God's Feast of Tabernacles this year. Quite a few of our North American full-time ministers traveled abroad to serve the brethren. These included Mr. and Mrs. Dibar Apartian to France, assisted by Mr. and Mrs. Rodger Bardo, Mr. and Mrs. Yvon Brochu, and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Ogwyn. The enthusiastic Mr. and Mrs. Gaylyn Bonjour traveled to Malaysia, while Mr. and Mrs. Ken Frank went to Ireland. Messrs. Mario Hernandez and Tony Mora visited Mexico and Guatemala. Mr. Rick Stafford went to Tanzania, and Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Weston to South Africa.
From South Africa
Mr. Pieter van der Byl, Area Pastor, wrote, "It was a great blessing having Mr. and Mrs. Weston with us this year. We greatly benefited from their very caring presence, as well as from Mr. Weston's inspiring sermons."
Impressions From Malaysia
Mr. and Mrs. Gaylyn Bonjour, who were in Malaysia for the Day of Atonement as well as the Feast of Tabernacles, wrote: "We just returned from a great Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day in Melaka, Malaysia, with 63 enthusiastic brethren. Malaysia is a beautiful country of many contrasts. Its economy is on the rise and it is coping with the development of infrastructure and many construction projects: new roads, bridges, high rise buildings, modern shopping malls and even a complete new city called Putra Rajan, dedicated to be a center for government and corporate headquarters for multi-national companies. Yet, there are also small villages that withstand the new progress and cling to the old ways of the indigenous peoples.
"Three major cultures (Chinese, Malay and Indian) have come together with the idea of strength through harmony.
"The brethren there are loving and kind. They go the extra mile to make you feel welcome and to enhance your stay in their country. We came away impressed with our brethren's hospitality, warmth and zeal to serve God. Many friendships were forged."
From Paris, France
The Paris congregation was delightfully surprised to welcome an unexpected number of visitors on the Sabbath of October 6, the first weekly Sabbath after the Feast of Tabernacles. The local members had to look for chairs throughout the building to accommodate the 61 present. Paris has never known such an attendance since the "old days!" After services, we all enjoyed delicious finger foods and snacks including—"naturally"—cheese and wine. Visiting brethren came mostly from Canada, Holland, Martinique, the United Kingdom and the United States. In his sermonette, Mr. Wilner Pierre encouraged everyone to practice hospitality. Mr. Apartian's sermon topic was, Just What is True Christianity?
God's Work in South Africa
A recent administrative report submitted by Mr. Christo Botha, South Africa office manager, reveals that our current Tomorrow's World mailing list has grown to 6,423 subscribers, as of the July-August 2007 issue of the magazine. A total of 626 students are taking the Bible Study Course in English and 383 are taking it in Afrikaans. The Tomorrow's World telecast is also bearing good fruit, with 1,240 responses received during the last eleven months, of which approximately 63 percent came from new respondents.
Media
Excerpts from a report prepared by Mr. Wayne Pyle for the Feast of Tabernacles:
In the past 12 months, we have received 196,336 responses from our TV stations in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The total response is up by 8 percent over the previous year, which itself was up 30 percent! More than 100,000 of the Tomorrow's World respondents were brand new to the television program and the Living Church of God.
A total of 442,654 booklets, reprints, lessons, audio CDs and other publications were sent to requesters around the world, which is 15 percent above the previous year.
Since last year's Feast of Tabernacles, a total of 409 new members have come with the Living Church of God, including 209 newly baptized members. Some of these new members came from such far-flung countries as Botswana, Mauritius, Tanzania and Vanuatu—a total of 24 countries.
Comments
Goals for the Coming Year: In the book of Proverbs, Solomon advises, "Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil" (Proverbs 4:26-27). As we return from the Feast, inspired by the sermons and fellowship, it is a good time to think about setting goals for the coming year. What changes would you like to make or do you need to make in your life? In what areas would you like to grow? How can you serve God and others more effectively? It will be profitable to think and pray about these issues in the days just ahead. Jesus told His disciples that God is glorified when we "bear much fruit" (John 15:8). The Apostle Paul urged Christians to "walk circumspectly [carefully, diligently]" and to make the most of the time at our disposal (Ephesians 5:15-16). Peter exhorted his audience to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). What goals could you set and work towards in the coming year that will help you prepare for the kingdom of God?
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—October 18, 2007
Dividing Jerusalem. Despite Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's denial of plans to divide Jerusalem, his own Vice Premier suggested that some East Jerusalem neighborhoods should be given to Palestinians. While dividing Jerusalem may seem like a viable avenue to peace, "Benjamin Netanyahu said dividing the city would bring in an Iranian-backed terrorist threat that would make Jerusalem unlivable." Many Israeli citizens echo these same sentiments. Meanwhile, Palestinians are demanding East Jerusalem for their own capital city (CBN.com, October 9, 2007). As some leaders consider ways to divide Jerusalem, 40 mayors from around the globe met for the 25th Jerusalem conference this week. Visiting mayors met with Prime Minister Olmert, President Peres, and the Foreign Minister. Drumming up support for Israel, conference organizers commented that, "we hope to give them [the mayors] a fresh outlook of Jerusalem and a new understanding of Israel and its achievements" (IsraelNationalNews.com, October 16, 2007). Daniel prophesied that a treaty or covenant would be signed at the end of the age, ushering in relative peace to Jerusalem for 3.5 years (Daniel 9:26-27). God also warned that Jerusalem would be a "cup of trembling to all people" (Zechariah 12:2, KJV) and that half of the city would go into captivity (Zechariah 14:2). Plans to divide Jerusalem could lead to fulfillment of this prophecy.
Another War America Won't Win. The United States hasn't had a major military victory since World War II. The Korean "police action" ended in a stalemate; the Vietnam conflict was a decisive defeat. American forces were driven out of Lebanon and Somalia, and in the First Gulf War the "victory" was incomplete. Now the U.S. finds itself mired in a Middle East conflict with no way out. On Friday, October 12, the Associated Press reported that retired Lt. General Ricardo Sanchez, former commander of coalition troops, publicly stated that the U.S. mission in Iraq is a "nightmare with no end in sight." He blamed the mess on a misguided, disunited and uncoordinated Washington establishment. He criticized the State Department, the National Security Council, Congress, senior military leadership and White House policies. Gen. Sanchez also admitted making his own mistakes, and said he didn't always fully appreciate the side-effects of the military's actions. Sanchez said, "The American military finds itself in an intractable situation… America has no choice but to continue our efforts in Iraq." Though the U.S. has the ability, it lacks the will or unity to win. God warned long ago the result of failing to obey His laws, "if you do not obey… I will break the pride of your power" (Leviticus 26:18-19).
Bad Relationships Can Kill You—Literally! Marital strife and other bad relationships can raise your risk of heart disease, according to a study published this week in Archives of Internal Medicine. An Associated Press report (October 8, 2007) quotes the study's lead author, Roberto De Vogli, who found that people in bad relationships have a 34 percent greater risk of heart attacks or other heart problems than those living in less stressful situations. "Being married is, in general, good," De Vogli says, "but be careful about the kind of person you have married. The quality of the relationship matters." De Vogli found that men and women in bad relationships face equal risks. But James Coyne, a University of Pennsylvania psychology professor, points out that while these results "make intuitive sense," those in a bad relationship should not seek therapy "only to avoid a heart attack." God gives the solution for handling interpersonal problems—applying His laws, statutes and love can improve any relationship. "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!" (Galatians 5:14-15). Improving marriages and other relationships is good for everyone's health and happiness.—Don Davis, Scott Winnail