Greetings from Charlotte,
This weekend, the leaders of the world's 20 major economies will meet in Toronto, Canada, to discuss the mounting problems facing the global economy. Meanwhile, oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico—the worst oil spill in the history of the USA, threatening the ecological and economic livelihood of that entire region. These headlines certainly reflect the content of the Tomorrow's World program by Mr. Meredith titled, "Seven Steps to Destruction," that aired last weekend and is expected to draw more than 4,800 responses. This week Mr. Meredith taped his Opening Night message for the Feast of Tabernacles 2010. Now is also a good time to think about taking a class with Living University (see the announcement below). The Pre-Teen Summer camp in Texas last week went very well, and the Pre-Teen Camp in Missouri has been underway this week. Mr. Gerald Weston and Mr. Mike Elertson will hold Tomorrow's World Special Presentations this week in Winnipeg, Canada. Mr. Charles Ogwyn, who directs our LCG Internet operations, and I will leave today for Belgium, where we will conduct Sabbath services and an Internet Conference on Sunday for our website operators in the UK and Europe. Your prayers for these activities are much appreciated.
Church Administration
Papua New Guinea Update
Mr. Bruce Tyler reports: Mr. Graeme Hemphill and I arrived in Wewak on Tuesday and received a warm welcome from Mr. and Mrs. Peter Devis. It has been more than two years since the brethren here have had a visit and it's gratifying to see the faithfulness of our brethren here and the leadership of Mr. Devis. We had the opportunity to meet and visit with several families already and are looking forward to meeting more today and the rest on the Sabbath.
Indonesia Update
Mr. Arius Nusantara reports: This month we finished printing our newest booklet in Indonesian, Successful Parenting, by Dr. Jeffrey Fall. Meanwhile, I am still revising the translation of our Bible Study Course Lesson 12 and I hope it will be finished in two weeks' time….. The upcoming booklet available in Indonesian will be Armageddon and Beyond by Mr. Richard F. Ames…. At the moment, we have 550 subscribers on our Indonesia database. They are mostly Indonesian and Malaysian. The average number of requests is 30 per month—15 to 20 are comments and four to seven are questions. The Feast of Pentecost was attended by 20 people, and we have received USD$30 for Holy Day offerings. The brethren were excited in listening to the sermon by Mr. Roderick McNair titled, "Preparing for the Spiritual Gifts." The services were followed by a covered-dish luncheon.
Living University
Fall Semester 2010 Registration
Registration for Fall semester courses (Spring in the southern hemisphere) will begin on July 1 and continue through the beginning of classes on August 16. This semester we plan to offer 16 different courses, including five new and exciting courses: Christian Marriage and Family, Teaching in the Christian Home, Working with Christian Youth, Codex Washingtonenius, and Contemporary World Religions. Each week as we approach the start of classes, we plan to highlight a couple of LU courses for your benefit. This week we will highlight THL 111, THL 114 and THL 135. For those planning to take advantage of the free THL 135 offer after having completed the Bible Study Course, instructions on how to register will be mailed in the next few weeks. For a complete list of all courses, visit the www.livinguniv.com website and click on the "2010 Fall Schedule of Classes" link.
THL 111 – Biblical Writing Basics
This course emphasizes writing theology research papers and for religious media to enable Christian teachers to develop the ability to produce clear expository prose. This course will be extremely helpful for those who have limited writing experience and who need to improve their abilities and written communication skills. Upon completion, students should be able to produce unified, coherent, well-developed essays using standard written English.
THL 114 – Biblical Principles of Health and Wellness
This course aims to filter the vast array of health-related knowledge available in the world today through sound biblical principles. Dr. Scott Winnail will emphasize lifestyle-related wellness, health promotion, and disease prevention within the context of a range of health topics. Focus will be placed on healthy decision-making, becoming a wise health consumer, healthy weight management, and other skills which will enable students to make health-enhancing choices and engage in actions to improve their own health and quality of life.
THL 135 – Life, Ministry, and Teachings of Jesus
This course covers the life, ministry, and teachings of Jesus Christ as presented in the four Gospels. It takes an in-depth look at each of the four Gospels in the context of the social, political, religious, and geographical conditions of the first century—adding greatly to the depth and meaning of Christ's teachings. In this course students will spend time learning from one of the Church's most experienced and knowledgeable lecturers, Dr. Roderick C. Meredith.
To register and for more information, go online to www.livinguniv.com or call Dr. Scott Winnail at +1-704-708-2292 or send him e-mail at [email protected].
Feast of Tabernacles 2010
Anchorage, Alaska
Plans for the Feast of Tabernacles in Alaska are moving forward and most of the activity information is now posted on the www.fotalaska.com website. If you plan to attend the Feast in Alaska, check this website regularly, as it has all of the information regarding Feast activities and schedules, as well as other helpful information. Earlier this week, I sent an e-mail to all households registered for the Alaska site, asking for them to reply to it so that I could verify that everyone was receiving e-mail from [email protected]. As of this morning, less then half of the recipients have responded. If you have not received any e-mails from [email protected], please check your spam or junk mail folders for e-mails from [email protected] and reply to them. Be sure to add [email protected] to your address book so that you will receive all future e-mails. This is important, since all correspondence for the Feast will be done via e-mail. We are looking forward to a great Feast in Alaska, so keep in touch by checking the www.alaska.com website.—James Meredith
Helen, Georgia
Some have inquired about space at the Helen, Georgia Feast site. There is no room for additional transfers at this site.
Panama City, Florida
The ongoing saga of the oil spill on the Gulf Coast is of concern to many people, including those registered to go to Panama City, Florida for the Feast of Tabernacles. News media have reported tar balls are coming ashore on Panama City Beach. While this is disturbing news, it turns out to be very minor at this point. Jason Koertge of PCB Daily reports, "The oil that has reached Panama City Beaches up to this point is in the form of 'Tar Balls' and has been insignificant, really. They have been easily cleaned up within a matter of 6 hours leaving no trace and at no inconvenience to our visitors."
Dan Rowe, Director of the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau stated on June 24, 2010, "The Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau is working in close contact with local, state and federal officials to ensure the fastest, safest and most effective clean-up of the local beaches and water impacted by the off-shore oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico."
If you are interested in monitoring this situation you can go to www.pcbdaily.com for the latest updates and live video feed from the beach. Please pray fervently that God will intervene so that our Feast site in Panama City and the Gulf Coast Feast sites of other Churches of God will not be damaged by the ongoing oil spill.—Davy Crockett
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. Then, the Area Pastors should write their recommendations/comments on the forms before submitting them to CAD. Festival Assistance Request forms are available to ministers on the MyLCG website (www.cogl.org).
Comments
Are You a Peacemaker? Jesus Christ explained a fundamental aspect of Christianity when He told His disciples, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God" (Matthew 5:9). The Apostle Paul advised brethren in Rome that Christians should do all they can to "live peaceably with all men" (Romans 12:17-21). Paul explained that we can become peacemakers by not seeking revenge, not mistreating others when we are mistreated, and by overcoming evil with good. Solomon wisely observed, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" (Proverbs 15:1). Solomon stated, "He who covers [overlooks and forgives] a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats [keeps talking about or won't let go of] a matter separates friends" (Proverbs 17:9). Jesus warned that reacting angrily or saying negative things about another person is the same as murder, because it breaks the spirit of the law (Matthew 5:21-26). Real peacemakers are willing to go to their brother or sister when problems arise and talk things over in a spirit of meekness (Matthew 18:15; James 3:17-18). One important lesson we must learn as Christians is that peace comes when we follow and learn to apply the laws of God—which is why David wrote, "Great peace have those who love Your law" (Psalm 119:165).
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—June 24, 2010
Drastic Solutions for EU Debt Crisis. European leaders are considering several drastic measures for dealing with the current European debt crisis. The first, and probably least viable, is to "kick" Greece out of the Eurozone. A second option is to create a two-tier system "within" the EU, where fiscally responsible nations would "move away" from nations they can no longer afford to bail out (Telegraph, June 19, 2010). A third option, recently highlighted in the British Spectator magazine, contemplates "a voluntary German departure" from the Eurozone. In fact, author Gerald Baker notes this might be the "least painful" way to avoid the foreseeable problems. He even suggests that if Germany would leave the Eurozone, it would likely revert to the Deutsche mark while the Euro would begin to lose value against the mark. In this scenario, the euro may live on. However, four other nations would likely join with Germany and the mark: Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg—nations that "are already more or less fully integrated within the greater German economy." France would then "face a difficult decision whether to stay with the southern and eastern Europeans or join the Germans" (The Spectator, June 16, 2010). Daniel's vision of ten toes of "iron and clay" is particularly interesting when viewed with this scenario (Daniel 2:33, 41-42). Should Mr. Baker be right, it will be interesting to see who the other five nations will be that will compose the final "toes" of the ten-king Beast power (Revelation 17:12-13).
Afghanistan Minerals and Prophecy. Recently released geological surveys of Afghanistan reveal that the country is very rich with minerals: gold, copper, iron, and lithium—a mineral crucial in the construction of laptop and cell phone batteries. Geologists suggest that Afghanistan could become the "Saudi Arabia of Minerals." As the Pentagon helps this tiny war-torn nation gear up for the sale of mineral contracts, China has already been attempting to buy up rights for a copper mine. Afghanistan's greatest mineral stores are iron and copper—two metals essential to a growing nation like China (New York Times, June 13, 2010). The European Union is also involved in Afganistan. If the United States pulls out of this country, will the EU sit by and watch China gobble up the rights to Afghanistan's mineral resources? Could the race for natural resources, including both oil and other vital minerals be part of the forces driving the fulfillment of end-time prophecies? Bible prophecies state that the Beast Power in Europe will be troubled by news from "the east and the north" and "shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many" (Daniel 11:44). Will competition from nations like China and Russia over access to resources eventually cause friction with the Beast Power in Europe? Time will make this clear.
Locust Plague in Australia? Based on recently observed egg-laying patterns, experts predict that this Spring's locust hatch in Australia could be the worst in 25 years. "Locusts are expected to hatch from August to October in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia," according to the Australia Plague Locust Commission. Tens of millions of dollars will be spent August through October to prevent billions of dollars in potential crop damage. Prior to the 1973-1974 locust infestation, the last major infestation was in 1934, prompting this coming situation to be called a "once in a lifetime event." When locusts swarm (50 or more locusts per square yard), they have been known to eat more than 18 tons of vegetation per day. Swarms frequently contain more than one million insects and it is not uncommon for them to migrate more than 120 miles overnight (St. Petersburg Times, June 13, 2010). Joel prophesied about coming locust plagues during the Great Tribulation (Joel 1:4). However, the plagues of today can give us an indication of what is to come: "In the not-too-distant future, the insect plagues some nations experience today will seem minor by comparison" (p. 29, Armageddon and Beyond, Living Church of God, 2008). God is warning nations with events He is now allowing. This is why His Church must powerfully preach the Gospel of the Kingdom and the Ezekiel Warning. Current traumatic events can act to motivate people to change, if they hear the Truth!—Scott Winnail, Dan Bennett, Adrian Kaefer, John Meakin and Ben Whitfield