Greetings from Charlotte,
As world leaders struggle to deal with burgeoning problems, the Work of God continues to focus on the mission that God has given to His Church—to preach the Gospel in all the world. This week, Dr. Meredith and Mr. Ames have recorded new Tomorrow's World television programs. Last week, Mr. Ames, Mr. Weston and I conducted a two-day Regional Conference for the Canadian ministry in Mississauga, Ontario. Mr. Ames also taped three new programs in the Canadian TV studio while he was there. Also last weekend, Mr. Rod McNair and Mr. Dan Friz conducted two Tomorrow's World Presentations—in Monroe and Shreveport, Louisiana—that drew a total of 108 guests. Mr. Wyatt Ciesielka reports that the LCG YouTube site has been visited by more than two million viewers since the site was launched just over a year ago—which is very exciting news! This coming week, members of the Council of Elders will gather here in Charlotte for three days of meetings. We are also working on finalizing various details for the 2014 Feast of Tabernacles. Registration for Living University classes for next semester begins this coming Monday, November 11 (see announcement below). Your prayers for the Council meetings and our continuing efforts to do the Work of God are much appreciated.—DSW
Church Administration
Tomorrow's World Presentations in Monroe and Shreveport, Louisiana
Tomorrow's World Presentations were held on the weekend of November 2-3 in Monroe and Shreveport, Louisiana. In both cities, Mr. Rod McNair, Assistant Director of Church Administration, gave the first presentation and the Area Pastor, Mr. Daniel Friz, gave the second. Sixty-three people attended the Monroe presentation—29 members and 34 guests. Twenty-seven members and 74 visitors were present at the Shreveport presentation on Sunday, making a total attendance of 101. Several of the visitors, both in Monroe and in Shreveport, expressed interest in attending services.—Daniel Friz
Mr. Moses Visits Myanmar
On July 4, I flew from Kuala Lumpur to Yangon (Rangoon) and was met by Mr. Thomas Tial Hoe. Since many tourists from Europe and elsewhere are visiting Myanmar due to change of governmental policy, hotel rates have gone up. Myanmar is becoming more democratic and things are changing. The next day we hired a taxi at a very reasonable price. We then travelled on the same road as last year which was surprisingly much better. The following day we hired a motor boat and travelled about an hour to Sakhan Gyi village. All the brethren were very happy to see us again and we had the privilege to meet the late Pastor Saw Lay Beh's son, Davidson, and his family, who live in England. He gave the sermonette on the Sabbath of July 6, his family gave special music, and I gave the sermon on the Sabbath Controversy. On Sunday morning, July 7, we returned to Yangon and travelled the same road which took us approximately five hours. It was truly an unforgettable experience. We pray that God's Kingdom will come soon to solve all the problems mankind is facing.—Rajan Moses
Upstate South Carolina Spring Holy Day Weekend in Greenville, April 18 – 21, 2014
The Anderson, SC, congregation is pleased to announce that we will be hosting our seventh Upstate SC Spring Holy Day Weekend from Friday, April 18 to Monday, April 21, 2014.
Currently planned events include: a Friday night Bible Study, services on the Sabbath, a banquet and ball Saturday night, a picnic and recreational activities on Sunday, and Holy Day services on Monday. The Bible Study, Sabbath services, Holy Day services and the banquet and ball will be held at the Greenville Hyatt Regency in downtown Greenville, SC. Further details about the event and registration instructions will be announced in early January 2014. For further information, contact Manuel Burdette, at 864-638-7719 or by e-mail at [email protected].
We look forward to seeing you in Greenville for the best Spring Weekend ever!
Registration is now open for the 2013 Kansas City Family Weekend—Repeat Announcement
Registration is now open for the 2013 Kansas City Family Weekend, which will be Friday, December 27 through Sunday, December 29. Go to LCGKC.org (not an official Church Web site) and click on KC Weekend.
Hotel and meeting hall: This year, all Friday and Saturday activities will be at the Holiday Inn and CoCo Key Water Resort across from the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals stadium complex. The hotel is offering a $79 rate for Friday and Saturday nights but the deadline for these rates is November 27, which is earlier than in previous years. It is also giving our group a complimentary continental breakfast of Danish, muffins, coffee and juices as well as discounted prices to its water park. Please go to the KC Weekend Web site for more information and for the online registration code for the discounted rate. You may make your hotel reservations online or call 1-800-238-9938. Be sure to let them know that you are with the Living Church of God.
Activities: All of the Friday and Saturday activities will be held at the Holiday Inn. On Friday night, there will be a Bible Study at 7:00 p.m. Sabbath morning may include a seminar or Bible Study. Sabbath services will be in the afternoon. Check the KC weekend Web site for updates.
Saturday evening will include an Italian feast, catered by the Holiday Inn, for $10 per person (there is a small surcharge if you use PayPal). We do ask that all who sign up for the catered meal pay in advance via PayPal or by mailing a check. See our food section on the KC weekend Web site for what's included in the meal and for payment details. We'll have after-dinner entertainment followed by a dance. Or, if you prefer, head over to the water park. Tickets are $10 per person, which is a significant discount from the normal rates.
Sunday will include basketball, volleyball, children's activities and fellowship time, once again at the Okun Fieldhouse. Please begin assembling your volleyball or basketball teams now. Register your team or your activity online soon to help us in our planning.
We look forward to seeing you soon!—Michael Keesee
2013 Charlotte Winter Weekend—Must Read
Online registration for the Charlotte Winter Weekend will be open Friday, November 8! For more detailed information and to register, go to your MyLCG page on the www.cogl.org Web site. We need all who plan to attend to register for the various activities they are going to participate in. At this time, only online registration is available. A special group rate of $92 has been negotiated at the host hotel, the Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotel.This rate includes a full buffet breakfast for two adults. You may go ahead and make your reservations by using the hotel's Passkey Web site at https://resweb.passkey.com/go/LivingChurchOfGod2013 or call (877) 212-5752 and mention the Living Church of God to book your room. For those of you planning to play in the basketball or volleyball tournaments, please get your teams together now. We need all teams to register online as soon as possible. Please note that all teams must have a minimum of seven players and we are limiting the basketball tournament to a maximum of eight teams. There will be a fee of $25 per team (basketball only) to help pay for the hired referees. We will also have free play courts available for anyone not on a team. For more information and available updates, see https://www.facebook.com/LcgCharlotteWinterWeekend/events, our Facebook page. We hope many of you can join us for a weekend of spiritual rejuvenation, fun, food, and fellowship!—Jim Meredith
Living Youth Programs
Online Teen Bible Study—Friday Evening
The online Teen Bible Study Friday evening, November 15, will be on "Lazarus and the Rich Man" and will be presented by Mr. Sheldon Monson. If you haven't had the opportunity to join us for the online Bible Studies yet, I encourage you to do so. It is a wonderful way to start the Sabbath day.
The chat room is open at 7:30 p.m. (EST) and the Bible Study runs from 8:00-9:00 p.m. You can access this Bible Study at livingyouth.org. We hope as many of our youth as possible will join us for this wonderful opportunity for godly fellowship and learning. For those of you who are unable to make it to the study, archives of previous Living Youth Bible Studies, including last evening's on "Has Time Been Lost?," can be found on the Living Youth Web site.—Sheldon Monson
Living University
Registration for Second Semester
Registration for second semester classes begins on Monday, November 11. Classes will begin on Wednesday, January 15, 2014. New and existing students may register for the spring semester (fall in the Southern hemisphere) anytime between now and January 14. For those who have never taken a Living University course, you will need to enroll in the University first, and then register for your selected course. The following are brief descriptions of several courses being offered next semester. A complete listing of second semester courses can also be viewed on the Living University Web site under the link "2014 Spring Schedule." To make application to Living University, to register for courses, and to find out more, please visit the Web site www.livinguniv.com. For additional information, please contact Mrs. Michelle Broussard at [email protected] or 704-708-2294.
THL 110B – Bible Study Course. This version of the Bible Study Course (BSC) is online and includes lectures on related topics and additional readings. It is much more "in depth" than the pencil-paper or online version of the Bible Study Course and includes lectures, sermons, and other video aids to support the course content. The course is tuition-free to those who enroll—the only cost is the technology fee. This is the second of two courses, and serves as an introduction to the Bible, its message, and its implications for successful Christian life in today's world. Those completing THL 110 A and B are eligible to take THL 135 tuition-free.
THL 136 – Acts and the Writings of Paul. This class takes an in-depth look at the book of Acts and deals with Paul's life, times, and writings. It includes the background, purpose, message and themes of Paul's other letters, his personal life and character, his companions, and the chronology of the apostle's life. Emphasis is on the spiritual importance of Paul's writings and issues that Paul dealt with in the early New Testament Church. This course is required in order to take the Epistles of Paul courses. Dr. Roderick Meredith's lectures are featured in this course.
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 on the Old Testament as the background and foundation for understanding the New Testament. This course will begin with the book of Isaiah and move through the remaining books of the Old Testament. It is taught by evangelist Dr. Douglas Winnail.
Comments
Minding Your Thoughts: Have you ever heard yourself say, "Here's what I think…" and you then proceed to express your opinion on some topic? Yet, are we careful to check our opinions with what God reveals in the Scriptures? Some professing Christians think it is right to refuse to pay taxes, yet Jesus and Paul said that taxes should be paid (Matthew 22:15-22; Romans 13:5-7). Today people look for reasons to divorce, yet God says he hates divorce (Malachi 2:13-16). Many in our modern Satan-influenced society want to tolerate and promote behaviors that God says are an "abomination" (Leviticus 20:13-16). It is important to remember that the Scriptures actually state that God's thoughts are very different from our commonly accepted ideas and opinions (Isaiah 55:8-9). This is why we are advised to discipline our minds and bring every thought into subjection "to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). If we take time to learn the thoughts of God by regularly studying what God has revealed about specific subjects in His word, we will develop the mind of God (Philippians 2:5; 1 Corinthians 2:10-16). As we learn to mind our thoughts—to think like God about specific issues—we can avoid being caught up in misguided thoughts and actions that lead to regrettable consequences.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—November 7, 2013
Jews to Pray on the Temple Mount? "An Israeli parliamentary committee held a heated debate Monday on whether to begin allowing Jews to pray on what they call the Temple Mount, the compound housing [the] Al-Aqsa mosque" (Agence France-Presse, November 4, 2013). The meeting was repeatedly interrupted by Arabs and resulted in no progress. While Arab MPs warned that such an action could incite an intifada (a major rebellion), the committee chairperson observed "we don't want to go into Al Aqsa or prevent you (Muslims) from praying there, but want to enable Jews to pray on the compound as well" (ibid.). Bible prophecies indicate that in the near future, an agreement will permit the Jews to worship on the Temple Mount and even begin sacrifices again—however this arrangement will be short-lived (Daniel 9:27; 12:11). The current efforts by Jews to pray on the Temple Mount will no doubt continue until that right is temporarily granted. For more information on end-time events in Jerusalem, be sure to read our booklet The Middle East in Prophecy.
Whom Will France Support? As core nations in the EU seek to form a European military, Britain and France are formulating other plans. "Britain is forging ahead on military co-operation with France, while warning about EU 'interference' on defence. The two countries are the EU's leading military powers… They are also the most hawkish. They took the lead in wars in Libya and Mali and they were keen to join US strikes on Syria… 'As shown from our joint operations in Libya and Mali, the UK and France are natural partners and have a key role to play in leading and shaping the defence and security of Europe'" (EU Observer, September 19, 2013). However, Europe is seeking a more prominent role on the world stage. The Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski stated, "If the EU wants to become a superpower, and Poland supports this, then we must have the capability to exert influence in our neighborhood... Sometimes we must use force to back our diplomacy" (EU Observer, November 16, 2012). For decades the Church of God has taught that a European Beast power composed of 10 nations or kings will emerge at the end of the age and play a dominant role in the world (Revelation 17 and 18). Bible prophecies indicate that most Israelite nations will not be a part of this empire (Ezekiel 23:9, 22-27; Hosea 11:5-7; Amos 5:3). The question is, will France support Europe or join with "brother" England? For more information on end-time events, watch our telecast "Will the Beast Rise in Europe?"
U.K. Legal System Freed from Christianity: In a recent address to U.K. family lawyers, the Family Division's president commented "Happily for us, the days are past when the business of judges was the enforcement of morals or religious beliefs" (The Times, October 30, 2013). He stated, "Today judges had rightly abandoned their claims to be 'guardians of public morality'" (ibid.), and he advised lawyers that in an increasingly multicultural society, they should not weigh the faith of one religion against another in their rulings. He also stressed that "All [beliefs] are entitled to respect, so long as they are 'legally and socially acceptable' and not 'immoral or socially obnoxious' or 'pernicious'" (ibid.). Yet the question arises, who decides what is socially acceptable or immoral? Long ago, God warned that end-time leaders of Israelite nations would cause their people to err and be led astray (Isaiah 3:12). Today, political and judicial leaders of nations founded on biblical values have succumbed to the Satan-inspired doctrines of secularism and multiculturalism. For more on this subject, view our telecast "Who Is the Antichrist?"—Scott Winnail, Justin Ridgeway and Sue Bennett