Greetings from Charlotte,
The Council of Elders meetings this week here at the office have gone very well. Mr. Meredith addressed the opening session and presided over most of the meetings. We heard very encouraging reports from Regional Directors and Pastors, and very positive comments about the Feast of Tabernacles, Tomorrow's World Special Presentations, Living Youth Programs and Living University. We also discussed a number of doctrinal subjects as well as new opportunities for reaching different parts of the world with the Gospel. On Wednesday afternoon we held a Regional Pastors meeting to consider administrative issues that will help us better serve our field ministers and local congregations. Mr. Wayne Pyle reports that over the last two weekends, new Tomorrow's World programs by Mr. Meredith ("Your Ultimate Destiny") and Mr. Wallace Smith ("Diagnosis: Christianity") drew between 4,000 and 5,200 responses—which is very exciting to see. Please pray that God will continue to bless these programs.
Church Administration
Note from Mr. Apartian: "Dear brethren in Christ: Since the Feast of Tabernacles, my life has known many changes. Humanly speaking, one wonders if the hardship that follows is worth it. The answer is simple: God knows. He knows what every one of us goes through in life and how much we can each take. This has been my strength. Without such hope, life would be worthless. During the last few weeks, while lying in my bed, I have come to understand more and more that God is in control of everything. You and I are simple servants. We should do what He leads us to do. At times, all seems dark. But just like night and day, the light of the day overshadows the darkness of yesterday.
"I have learned much through this experience of mine and I want to say 'thank you' to every one of you who has been praying for me. Your prayers have helped me make it. Brethren, don't ever question God's wisdom. Don't ever question His love for you and for the Church. Don't ever question the wonderful future He has reserved for us—the children He has called to be with Him for all eternity. Let us remain faithful to Him. Let us be thankful and grateful for what He does and is doing. One day soon, we will be looking back and we will find ourselves in His presence in the World Tomorrow. This is our hope. This is our goal. This is our purpose for living. Thank you, brethren, for remaining strong, despite your trials. For trials are like clouds which dissipate when the sun shines with all its splendor.
"I love you very much, every one of you and say 'thank you.' We are companions in a battle we will never lose because Christ is our Captain. Thank you. I love you."
Charlotte Family Weekend
You are invited to a delightful weekend of activities being planned for December 24-26 in Charlotte. The weekend activities will begin with a Friday night Bible Study. Sabbath services will be held at the Hilton Charlotte University Plaza Hotel. That evening we will have a dinner and dance with music provided by a live band. On Sunday, there will be activities for all age groups in a local gymnasium. This will be an excellent opportunity for fun and fellowship. Rooms are available at the Hilton Charlotte University Place Hotel for a discounted rate of $69 (plus tax) per night. When making reservations, be sure to identify yourself as being with the Living Church of God. This discounted rate will be available from Friday, December 24 until Tuesday, December 28.
Location of Bible Study, Sabbath Services and Dinner-Dance:
Hilton Charlotte University Place
8629 JM Keynes Street
Charlotte, NC 28262
704-547-7444
800-HILTONS (800-445-8667)
Costs for the Saturday evening dinner/dance are below. Please download the Information/Payment form at www.charlottelcg.org and mail it with payment made out to the Charlotte Local Activity Fund by Friday, December 17. For additional information on the Charlotte Family Weekend, please contact Mrs. Dorothy McNair at 704-844-1960, ext. 2248, or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Please make checks out to the Charlotte Local Activity Fund and send it to the following address:
Living Church of God
Attention: Dorothy McNair
2301 Crown Centre Dr.
Charlotte, NC 28227
Cost for December 25, Saturday night Dinner (no charge for the dance only):
Plated Meal Options:
Herb Roasted CHICKEN topped with an Italian Herb Sauce: $20
Sliced Bistro Tenderloin of BEEF: $20
Included with both above options:
House Salad served with Chef's Choice of two Dressings
Chef's Choice of Vegetable
Chef's Choice of Potato
Rolls with Butter
Chef's Choice of Dessert
Coffee and Iced Tea
Children's (12 & under) Meal Options:
Plated Grilled CHICKEN STRIPS: $10
Included with above:
French Fries
Fresh Fruit Cup
Iced Tea
PIZZA Option: $12
Includes 8-slice cheese pizza (can be shared)
Iced Tea
Living for Tomorrow (L4T)—Winter Camp
Plan now to attend our winter L4T activity! Young singles, aged 18-25, are invited to take part in our new, exciting "Winter Camp." The location will be at Lutheridge, in the Asheville, North Carolina, area. Arrival will be on the evening of December 26 (after the Charlotte Family Weekend), with departure on December 30. In between will be three days packed with activities and fellowship. We will be taking a ski outing, as well as spending time previewing selected LU classes, and having other classes related to young adults. There will be fellowship, friendship and fun! For more information, including cost, registration and further details, contact Mr. Jonathan McNair at [email protected]. Registration will begin soon, and space may be limited.
Living University
Registration for next semester's classes is currently underway and will continue through mid-January when classes officially begin. This coming semester, we plan to offer the following fourteen courses: Biblically Based Literary Research, Acts and the Writings of Paul, Introduction to Biblical Communication, Old Testament Survey II, Christian Camp Leadership, Christian Leadership, Introduction to Biblical Doctrines, Epistles of Paul II, General Epistles and Revelation, History of Christianity II, Introduction to Biblical Theology, Historical Geography of the Bible Lands, Archaeology and the New Testament, and Ancient Egypt and the Biblical World. We plan to give you additional details about these courses in the weeks ahead. A listing of "Spring Semester" courses (Spring in the northern hemisphere), can also be viewed on the Living University website under the link "2011 Spring Schedule." To make application to Living University, to register for courses, and to find out more, please visit the www.livinguniv.com website. For additional information, please contact Dr. Scott Winnail at [email protected] or 704-708-2292.
THL 212: Old Testament Survey II. This course is the second in a sequence of two and deals with the Latter Prophets and the Writings, focusing on the background, content, structure, geography, teachings, and basic meaning of each book and outstanding people and events. Emphasis will be placed on the Old Testament as the background and foundation for understanding the New Testament. This course will essentially begin at the book of Song of Solomon and move through the remaining books of the Old Testament.
THL 226: Christian Leadership. This course deals with the principles of Christian leadership and service. It takes an in-depth look at important aspects of Christian character that God wants His servants to develop and analyzes "why" God views these areas as essential for those who He has called. Topics include foundations of leadership, leadership skills, challenges facing leaders and case studies of great leaders of the Bible and secular history.
THL 236: Camp Leadership. The Camp Leadership Course is designed to give instruction and provide training for leadership at our "summer camps." Many positions of leadership must be filled at our various camps now and in the future. The material covered in this class is intended to help train current and future leaders. This class will prepare students for service as a Christian camp counselor or activity leader. Emphasis is on techniques of Christian camp counseling and leadership, camp safety, activities and program development. Individuals wishing to serve at our summer camps in the future will definitely benefit from this course.
Comments
Value of the Old Testament: Jesus taught that Christians should live "by every word of God" (Luke 4:4). The Apostle Paul wrote, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). When these words were written and spoken, the primary Scriptures in existence were the books of the Old Testament—which are often discounted and ignored today by professing Christians. Many assume these Old Testament books have been superseded by the New Covenant and the New Testament. Yet, Paul wrote to Christians in Corinth about events recorded in the Old Testament, "Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come" (1 Corinthians 10:11). According to the Apostle Paul, there is much for us to glean from studying the Old Testament. If we can learn from the examples that have been recorded for us, there will be benefits both now and in the coming Kingdom of God—when we will be able to share these important lessons with all mankind.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—November 18, 2010
Germany Sees America in Decline. A German news magazine, Der Spiegel, recently headlined an article: A Superpower in Decline; Is the American Dream Over? Photos in the article of abandoned American factories, lines of unemployed citizens seeking jobs, houses in foreclosure, and unfinished housing developments project a dreary picture of life in the United States. The article claimed that "Americans have lived beyond their means for decades," and "everything was paid for (homes, cars, college tuition, etc.) with borrowed money—which has driven the total US household debt to almost $1 trillion, nearly 20 times the figure in 1970." The article blamed America's economic problems on the loss of 6 million jobs as the industrial base moved to other countries and on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that have cost the country over one trillion dollars and ballooned the government debt from 57% of GNP in 2000 to 83% in 2009. As a result of this "perfect storm" of job losses, collapsing real estate markets, spiraling debt, a $2 trillion trade imbalance with China and a widening gap between rich and poor, America appears to the German press as "a confused and fearful country" (Der Spiegel, November 1, 2010). Long ago, God warned the Israelite nations that if they disobeyed His commandments, "I will break the pride of your power" (Leviticus 26:19), you will "come down lower and lower" (Deuteronomy 28:43) and your allies will "despise" you and eventually seek to overthrow you (Jeremiah 4:30). We appear to be witnessing this prophesied demise!
The "Luck" of the Irish Is Running Out. Ireland is among the top third of European nations in per capita income. They have a debt ratio lower than that of France, Germany and the UK, but the Celtic Tiger sees major financial issues ahead. Ireland's banking sector is now at a point where the government cannot bail it out. "'Ireland is in the midst of a real estate bust that could trump even the ruinous downturns that transformed parts of southern California and Nevada into suburban ghost towns—with home-grown banks stoking it all. Now, those banks are trying to manage catastrophic losses… If the Irish banks go down, the Irish government also goes down,'" says economist Jacob Kirkegaard of the Peterson Institute for International Economics." The European Central Bank could bail out Ireland; however, Ireland does not want this because of the austerity measures that would be enforced, likely ending its business-friendly environment and high standard of living (USNews.com, November 16, 2010). Ireland is an Israelite nation that is experiencing the "pride of its power" being broken (Leviticus 26:19). Because of its Israelite heritage, Ireland is also going to reap the "curses" of disobedience that God outlined in Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26. As Europe buys the debt of nations like Greece, and likely Ireland, and possibly Portugal, Spain and Italy, more fiscal power will be centered in a federal Europe. All this bears watching in the light of Bible prophecies.
Germany Should "Use" Military Force. Speaking at a recent security conference in Berlin, German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg urged Germany to "be prepared to use its military to defend the country's economic interests." Baron Guttenberg noted that the competing demands of nations today for raw materials made it imperative that Germany—a nation whose export-driven economy is heavily dependent upon imported raw materials—should be prepared to use its military forces to secure trade routes for raw materials and exported goods. While his political opponents were quick to challenge these strong statements as contrary to the German constitution, the Defense Minister saw his position as only logical (Der Spiegel, November 10, 2010). Bible prophecies have long foretold the re-emergence of Germany (modern Assyria) as a major player on the world scene (see Isaiah 10:5-14). The words and actions of this popular German Defense Minister, who is also a lawyer and of Habsburg lineage, will be interesting to watch.—Ben Whitfield, Deborah Lincoln-Strange, Julius Hart, Scott Winnail