Greetings from Charlotte,
Members of the Council of Elders have arrived for meetings that will be held today and Friday. Dr. Meredith will open the meetings and we will discuss a number of doctrinal and administrative issues as well as strategic plans for the future of the Work. This week we are also finishing up the Spring semester of Living University. During the Pastors Conference next week, we plan to have a graduation ceremony for two of the six students who have qualified to receive certificates in New Testament Studies. Earlier this week, Mr. Rod King taped two Tomorrow's World television programs. We will also be taping a number of sermons for the Feast of Tabernacles in the coming week. Your prayers will be appreciated for the Council of Elders meetings as well as for the Pastors Conference next week.
Please note that The World Ahead will NOT be published next week because of the ministerial meetings. The next issue will appear on May 29.
Church Administration
Myanmar Update
News has reached us indirectly that our brethren in Sakhangyi were protected from Cyclone Nargis, as were members of other Church of God groups in the Yangon area. We are very thankful to God for His protection on His people. Mr. Bruce Tyler reports, "We have received a second-hand or third-hand report from one of our members in the Delta region of Myanmar indicating that all our members were basically unaffected by the initial devastation caused from tropical cyclone Nargis. The following is a newspaper article sent by Mr. Rajan Moses, our elder in Malaysia, indicating how the region where our brethren live was spared. However, with more rains on the way and the lack of humanitarian aid, more difficulties seem to be on the horizon. The article mentions Myaung Mya, the town near where our brethren live. Sakhan Gyi is basically an outer suburb of Myaung Mya:
'The shops are shutting early in the town of Myaung Mya and people are talking of being mugged after dark as more and hungrier and desperate cyclone refugees pour in from the devastated Irrawaddy delta. Everyday small groups of bedraggled survivors of cyclone Nargis drift in by lorry and boat, stretching this bustling town of 100,000 people to its limits. "How many more days are we going to be able to feed them?" one businessman said yesterday in the town about 70km north of the coastline and out of the storm's direct path when it hit. People here can barely afford to feed themselves. It is more than a week now since the cyclone's 190kph winds ripped into the southwestern delta of the military-ruled and impoverished nation, churning up 3.5-metre wall of water that swept through coastal villages. As many as 100,000 people were feared killed and 1.5 million people in need of shelter and water and food, according to the United Nations.
'Myaung Mya was largely unscathed. Wooden shutters rattled and timbers creaked but none of its buildings lost their roofs and walls, as happened in the worst hit villages and towns. Now, its school, monasteries and public halls are crammed with thousands of survivors, the refugees of the storm. Residents of the town fear the refugees will turn to looting if conditions do not improve (New Sunday Times, May 11, 2008).'
"I pray for the Sakhangyi brethren and hope they are safe. It appears our brethren survived the cyclone, but what may now follow as a result of the lack of food, water and hygiene may be just as devastating. We will keep you posted as we are able. Mr. Moses is applying for a visa to visit Burma in June. We hope that by then the Burmese government will lift its tight visa restrictions. We may have to evaluate the health and disease situation as we get closer to the proposed travel time, if indeed a visa is even granted."
Public Lecture in Okemos, Michigan
Mr. Daniel Friz reports on his successful public Bible lecture last Sabbath, May 10, in the Lansing, Michigan, area: "Twenty of our people from the Lansing congregation attended, as well as five new people. One man came from fifty miles away. All five were very interested in more study and literature. Two inquired about attending services in Lansing. Two others indicated that they may attend after more study. All of the attendees had been watching the telecast for a number of years—ranging from four to eight years."
Dramatic Healing
This week we received the following report of the miraculous healing of a member's wife. He wrote, "She was first diagnosed with cancer just prior to the Feast of Tabernacles in 2007….I had requested Mr. Reynolds anoint my wife and also made a request that the brethren pray for her. I committed the matter entirely into God's hands…. A few days after making the request an anointing cloth had arrived in the mail with instructions as to what to do, and my wife had agreed to be anointed for healing…. My wife made an appointment to talk with the doctor…. [The doctor] agreed to a full body scan to show her if there was improvement or worsening of her cancer. The Radiologist was puzzled by what he didn't see on this new scan. The tumors in her back did not show up on the scan. The next week, April 17, 2008… after leaving [the doctor's] office, she called me at work and told me that the doctors said 'No Cancer' and 'No Spots Anywhere.' [The doctor] told her she was in 'Total Remission.' They could not see any cancer anywhere. [The doctor] also said that the radiologist called to ask how she was cured of fourth stage bone cancer without any chemotherapy. Thank God and all of God's faithful from around the world for their prayers. Our loving Father truly answers prayers."
Living Youth Camp: Missouri Pre-Teen Camp
The Missouri Pre-Teen Camp is in need of additional adult volunteers, including—but not limited to—the vital position of camp nurse. Anyone who could help out is encouraged to log in to http://lyc.lcg.org and fill out an application. The number of campers we can accept depends on how many adult staff we have, so please consider applying.
On the other hand, we have an overabundance of teen staff applications, many of which still have incomplete recommendations. While limitations prevent us from accepting all High School staff applications, we are striving to finalize the acceptance process and you should hear soon, one way or another. Thanks for your patience!
Feast of Tabernacles 2008
Thank you to all who have registered for the Feast on the MyLCG website! In the United States and Canada, we have 1,982 brethren registered, with an additional 1,128 waiting for transfer approval—this is 75% of all our brethren in North America. Including other international areas, we now have 2,756 brethren registered. If you have not yet registered, please do so right away. Festival Advisors, please remind those who need help with computers to relay their registration information to you right away.
For those of you who are awaiting transfer approval, we will be processing transfer requests beginning Sunday, May 18. Thank you for your patience.
Festival (Second Tithe) Assistance Requests—USA Only (Repeat Announcement)
Attention USA Pastors: The deadline to submit Festival Assistance Request forms to the Church Administration Department is Tuesday, July 15. All forms should be properly completed by the members requesting second tithe assistance to attend the Feast this year, and Area Pastors should write their recommendations/comments on the forms before submitting them to CAD.
This week's international Feast site featured in The World Ahead is Trinidad and Tobago.
Crown Point, Tobago
The Feast of Tabernacles in Tobago will be held at The Trim's Meeting Hall, Crown Point, Tobago. The Meeting Hall is situated within walking distance of the airport. Tobago basks in sunshine and tranquility, just 22 miles off Trinidad's northeastern tip. This is Robinson Crusoe's desert island (Tobago was the inspiration for the book)—a land of swaying palms, deserted beaches and secluded half-moon bays sheltered by coral reefs resplendent with underwater gardens.
Tobago is fast becoming one of the most sought-after scuba diving destinations in the Caribbean, with diving to suit all qualifications and specialty interests. You will find a number of excellent and reasonably-priced restaurants on the island. The delicious seafood, combined with the way the food is seasoned, make the cuisine "out of this world"—simply the best local food that you will find anywhere in the Caribbean. For more information about this Feast site, and for a list of hotels, contact Mr. Fitzroy Greeman by phone at 868-672-5251 or 868-672-5033, by fax at 868-672-9654, or by email at [email protected].
Comments
Age of Skeptics: The Apostle Peter warned us that in the last days "scoffers will come" who would ridicule biblical ideas such as Jesus' promise to return (2 Peter 3:3-4). Today these skeptics are publishing books that refer to people who believe in God and the Bible as people who believe in "The God Delusion," and openly claim that "God is not Great." These modern skeptics have nurtured an attitude of disrespect for authority figures such as parents, teachers, government officials, policemen and even religious figures. We need to be careful that these critical and skeptical attitudes in society do not spill over into the Church of God and affect our attitudes toward the leaders and members of the body of Christ. Peter also warned that false teachers would come who would "despise authority" because they will be presumptuous and self-willed and determined to do their own thing (2 Peter 2:1, 10). The Apostle Paul urged Christians to respect authority and be subject to governments because God is the Author of structure and organization (Romans 13:1-2). Questioning, criticizing, disrespecting and ignoring authority only leads to confusion and chaos—and God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). We need to be aware of the fruits that flow from the age of skeptics.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—May 15, 2008
Turning Power over to the Beast. The UK government is fully behind a plan that was recently revealed, where EU officials have revised a map that effectively "wipes out" Britain and the English Channel. "Under the programme, known as INTER-REG, counties along England's south coast form the 'Manche Region' along with northern France. The Atlantic Region takes in western England, along with Ireland, Wales and parts of Portugal, Spain, France and Scotland. Meanwhile eastern England is part of the North Sea Region, which covers areas of Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Norway and the Netherlands. The UK Government is fully behind the project, even though the words 'England' and 'Britain' are left off official maps of each area and the Manche Region renames the English Channel The Channel Sea." Each region will have its own budget which is already set (Daily Mail, April 23, 2008). God prophesied a long time ago about the far-reaching power of the coming Beast power. In addition, He also foretold of a time when the Israelite-descended nations would be taken into captivity (Deuteronomy 28:25, 33, 36-37, 47-52). Might some of this prophesied captivity even occur "within" the borders of the Israelite-descended nations? It appears that the once "Great" Britain will soon be totally under the government and power of a centralized European government.
Is "Mother Nature" Going Haywire? Two weeks ago a terrible cyclone hit southern Myanmar. It has killed between 69,000-128,000 people so far and is impacting the lives of two million people. The military government, in an effort to maintain total control, has almost completely prevented rescue efforts by other nations. Sources within Myanmar say that food aid is not reaching the people or, when it does, it is rotten because government troops take all the best food. Another cyclone may be forming in the Indian Ocean as this piece is being written (Yahoonews.com, May 14, 2008; Associated Press, May 12, 2008). Meanwhile, China experienced a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Monday, centered in Sichuan Province. As of Wednesday night, the death toll was almost 15,000. Although the epicenter was nearly 29 miles underground, the powerful quake wreaked destruction hundreds of miles away. The earthquake even rattled buildings in Beijing, almost 1,000 miles to the north (ChinaDaily.com, May 12 and 14, 2008; Associated Press, May 12, 2008). God prophesied that these horrible "natural disasters" would increase as we approach the end of the age. "And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven" (Luke 21:11). The Greek word for "earthquake" can mean either a storm of the air or of the ground, so it can include great storms (cyclones) as well.
The Evolution of the Theory of Evolution. Scientists want so badly to believe in the Theory of Evolution, but modern research constantly forces scientists to modify their imperfect theory. Animal genes were thought to have evolved from the simple to the complex but, recently, scientists discovered that the genes of vertebrate animals have remained in a very complex state for billions of years (ScienceDaily.com, November 25, 2005). It almost sounds like they may have "started out" in a complex state… but scientists will not dare speculate in a direction that might suggest a creation and a Creator. Very recent study of the highly complex comb jelly fish showed that it could not have evolved from the sponge as once thought, because it apparently "pre-dated" the sponge. This finding throws the base of the "evolutionary tree" into a tizzy. This jelly fish apparently also "evolved" simultaneously with other jelly fish, not before or after them. Study leader, Dr. Dunn, commented, "This was a complete shocker… So shocking that we initially thought something had gone very wrong." (ScienceDaily.com, April 11, 2008). God states that even His foolishness is wiser than man (1 Corinthians 1:25). In turn, arrogant humans think that God's revelation is foolishness (1 Corinthians 2:14). Secular scholars will be surprised when they eventually "discover" that all life was created.—Scott Winnail