Greetings from Charlotte,
This past weekend, Dr. and Mrs. Meredith visited the congregation in Kansas City, Missouri. Dr. Meredith spoke on the Feast of Trumpets and also on the Sabbath and then met with the leaders in the Kansas City congregation. There were 286 in attendance on Trumpets. Mr. and Mrs. Ames visited the Dallas, Texas, congregation on Trumpets then flew to Little Rock, Arkansas, for the Sabbath. Mr. and Mrs. Jim Meredith visited the Atlanta, Georgia, congregation on Trumpets and Dr. Douglas Winnail visited the Atlanta congregation on the Sabbath after Trumpets. Several other ministers from Headquarters were able to travel out to local congregations during the same time period. This coming Sabbath is the Day of Atonement, and next week many brethren will travel to nearly 50 Feast of Tabernacles sites around the world. It is truly a privilege to be called at this time to understand God's Great Plan of Salvation for mankind. As we see human governments grappling with seemingly insurmountable problems and secular leaders rejecting any semblance of biblical values, it is exciting and encouraging to know that Jesus Christ is going to return to this earth with His army of saints to restore the knowledge of God's True Way of Life for all people on this planet. Please pray that God will protect His people as they travel and that He will bless the Festival sites with inspiring messages, with warm fellowship and weather that is conducive to celebrating His Feast of Tabernacles.—DSW
Church Administration
Feast in Israel
Mr. Jim Meredith and his wife have arrived safely in Tel Aviv and are looking forward to having a very positive Feast in Israel with everyone.
WARNING: A person apparently from South America claiming to be Armando Orrego has called the New Zealand and Australian offices and also contacted some individuals in the UK. The person asks for money to assist him in traveling to Australia for personal reasons and claims he visited Charlotte and was counseled by "Brother Meredith" to contact various Regional Offices for financial help. This is a fraudulent attempt to contact individuals whose names are on Church-related Web sites. Please be alert to phone calls or e-mails of such a nature.
2013 Kansas City Family Weekend
The Kansas City congregation invites you to the 2013 annual Kansas City Family Weekend. It will be Friday, December 27 through Sunday, December 29. We have reserved the Holiday Inn and Coco Key Indoor Water Park for accommodations and all of Friday's and Saturday's events. Sports and children's games will be offered on Sunday. Look for more details and registration to come after the Feast.—Michael Keesee
2013 Charlotte Winter Weekend—Repeat Announcement
The Charlotte congregation will be hosting our annual winter weekend event in December. Activities for all ages are being planned. Arrival will be Friday, December 20 and departure will be Tuesday, December 24. Bible Studies, Sabbath services, a dinner-dance and seminars will once again be held at the Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotel. This hotel was very popular with everyone who attended last year and is an excellent value. A special group rate of $92, which includes breakfast, has been negotiated at this all-suite hotel. Plans are underway for a full day of sports tournaments and games, complete with a tasty lunch on Sunday. On Monday morning there will be various seminars for teens, singles, and married couples, followed by singles and youth activities in the afternoon. More details will be announced in the coming weeks. Please start planning now to join us for a weekend of spiritual rejuvenation, fun, food and fellowship!—Jim Meredith
Living Youth Programs
Online Teen Bible Studies to Resume on October 4
The online Teen Bible studies are scheduled to resume on Friday evening, October 4, with a Bible study given by Mr. Sheldon Monson on, "What Does the Bible Teach About 'Hell'?" In the meantime, archives of previous Living Youth Bible studies, including last week's, "How To Use Your Second Tithe," can be found on the Living Youth Web site.—Sheldon Monson
Feast of Tabernacles 2013
Feast of Tabernacles Services Live-Streams Available From Two Sites
Daily Live FOT Services from Palm Harbor, Florida, available on the Internet: We are pleased to announce that the Feast of Tabernacles services in Palm Harbor, Florida, will be accessible live via the Web this year. The Webcast will be live ten minutes before services until ten minutes after each service. The schedule for services (Eastern Daylight Time) is as follows:
Opening Night – 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Holy Days – 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Weekly Sabbath – 2:00 p.m.
Other Days – 10:30 a.m.
From the Living Church of God Web site, click on the "Feast of Tabernacles" link, or go directly to http://fot2013.lcg.org, and select the Palm Harbor festival site. Click the "LCG Member Login" button to log in. Then click the "Festival Resources" button on the right side of the page. That will take you to a page with the "Video Stream" link—click and enjoy. Each service will be recorded and the video will be archived so you can access it again the next day.—John Strain, coordinator
Daily Live FOT Services from Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, available via Internet, Roku and telephone: For anyone who is unable to attend Feast services this year, we will be offering three ways to watch or listen to daily live services from the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri!
1) From the Living Church of God Web site, click on the "Feast of Tabernacles" link, or go directly to http://fot2013.lcg.org, and select the Lake of the Ozarks festival site. Click the "LCG Member Login" button to log in. Then click the "Festival Resources" button on the right side of the page. That will take you to a page with the "Video Stream" link—click and enjoy. Each service will be recorded and the video will be archived so you can access it again the next day.
2) For those who would like to access services on your Roku device, follow the same steps as above and you will also find instructions for adding the private FOT channel to your Roku account.
3) For those without Internet access, you may access the daily service on your telephone by calling +1 (805) 309-2350. You can go to https://turbobridge.com/local_toll.html to find other available local numbers. After dialing any of the numbers, type in access code 220220 on your phone. Please be aware that long distance charges may apply for those calling from a landline, and cell phone minutes will count against most monthly cell phone plans.
Access will be available about 15 minutes before and after each service. Here is the schedule (Central Daylight Time):
• Opening Night – 7:30-9:00 p.m.
• Holy Days – 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
• Daily Service – 10:30 a.m.
• Bible Study, Friday, September 20 – 7:00 p.m.
• Sabbath, September 21 – 2:00 p.m.
This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the Feast with your brethren at the Lake of the Ozarks!—Wallace Smith, coordinator
Don't Forget the 2013 Festival Survey! Every year we have a survey taken to get valuable feedback from brethren attending the Feast. We will once again have the Festival Survey available online (as well as having paper forms handed out at the Feast). The Web address for filling out the Feast survey will be fotsurvey.lcg.org. We ask everyone at the Feast to be sure to fill out the survey form during the Feast, as it provides us with helpful information on festival planning for future years.
Hymnals Reminder! Brethren who don't have a personal hymnal are encouraged to bring a hymnal (one or two songbooks per household) from their local congregation's supply for use at the Feast. For those who do take a congregational (blue) hymnal, please be sure to bring the hymnal(s) back to your congregation after the Feast, so that the number of hymnals returned to each congregation is equal to the number of hymnals taken. Please make sure that all hymnals are clearly marked as to which congregation they belong.
Comments
Be Lights at the Feast! The Feast of Tabernacles is the highlight of God's sacred year. It pictures the coming Kingdom of God when the saints will rule with Jesus Christ and bring peace to this war-torn earth. It will truly be a joyous time! To keep us mindful of this major step in God's Great Plan of Salvation, we are commanded to "keep the feast of the LORD for seven days" and to "rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days… It shall be a statute forever" (Leviticus 23:39-44). The New Testament clearly indicates that Jesus kept the Feast and told His brothers, "You go up to this feast" (John 7:2-39). We also read in Zechariah 14:16 that "all the nations" will keep the Feast of Tabernacles in the coming Kingdom of God. As we rejoice at the Feast, we need to remember Jesus' instructions that we should be "lights" and examples to everyone we come in contact with (Matthew 5:13-16). How we conduct ourselves at the Feast and how we relate to everyone we meet—in services, in hotels, at restaurants—will reflect either positively or negatively on God's Church and His Way of Life. Let's strive to let our lights "shine" at the Feast as we serve our loving God as "ambassadors for Christ."
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—September 12, 2013
A Coming Shift in EU Governance? "German Chancellor Angela Merkel has become the latest EU leader to raise the prospect of shifting powers from Brussels back to national governments" (EU Observer, August 15, 2013). The EU is currently governed by non-elected officials in Brussels; however, more voices are calling for restructuring to create a real federal Europe. Some are looking at the independent-state model of Switzerland and the U.S., where states have more authority and there is a popularly elected president and parliament with real legislative powers (Foreign Affairs, July/August 2013). It will be interesting to watch the direction that the EU will move in the months ahead. Bible prophecy indicates that for a time, the individual nations of Europe will have sufficient autonomy to willingly "give their power and authority" to the Beast (Revelation 17:12-13). The EU appears to be moving in a direction that may make all this possible. For more information, watch our fascinating telecast, "What Is the Beast?"
Armenia Joins Eurasian Customs Union: "Armenia said Tuesday it has decided to join a customs union led by Russia as well as the proposed Eurasian Economic Union strongly promoted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Armenia will become the fourth member of the customs block made up of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan" (Wall Street Journal, September 3, 2013). President Putin envisions a Eurasian economic bloc to counter the European Union, and he is taking all necessary measures to accomplish his dream. "Russia's immediate aim is to hinder Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia from signing free trade agreements with the European Union… In July and August, Russia started a trade war against Ukraine… Moscow is threatening Kiev with severe trade sanctions if Ukraine signs its agreements with the EU" (The Moscow Times, September 9, 2013). But where could this Eurasian Economic Union lead? Bible prophecies speak of a massive 200-million-man military force that will come from "the East" (in response to a threat from Europe) and sweep across the Eurasian land mass and eventually battle a European Beast power around Jerusalem just before Christ's return (Daniel 11:44; Joel 2:1-11; Revelation 9:13-18; Revelation 16:12-14). History provides some interesting parallels to the future fulfillment of this prophecy. When Napoleon and Hitler invaded Russia from Europe, they encountered defeat. To learn more, watch our telecast, "Will Russia Attack Israel?"
Massive Pacific Volcano Discovered: "Scientists have made a surprising discovery in the Pacific Ocean about 1,000 miles east of Japan: Earth's largest volcano. Tamu Massif is a monster at 280 miles by 400 miles, or roughly the size of Arizona, and ranks among the largest such structures in our solar system" (Newser.com, September 8, 2013). Scientists now believe, based on the almost undetectable structure of the volcano, that even larger volcanos could exist under the sea (ibid.). Bible prophecy reveals that at the end of the age, massive earthquakes will occur in various places around the globe (Matthew 24:7). Also, during the final year before the return of Jesus Christ to this earth, a dramatic event identified as the Second Trumpet will cause the destruction of one third of the ocean-going ships in the world (Revelation 8:8-9). A massive underwater volcano like Tamu Massif could cause this incredible destruction. For more information on the events that will occur during the Day of the Lord, be sure to read our informative booklet, Revelation: The Mystery Unveiled!—Scott Winnail, Justin Ridgeway and Annette Wright