Greetings from Charlotte,
This year, a number of significant events occurred on Pentecost. In Rome, Pope Francis chose the day of Pentecost to step into a new role on the world stage as a "spiritual diplomat" (see News and Prophecy). Here in Charlotte, reports from around the world indicate that Pentecost was a very positive and spiritually uplifting Holy Day for the Living Church of God, with many new faces appearing for services. Dr. Meredith appreciated the opportunity to visit with brethren in the Chicago area. Mr. and Mrs. Ames had a very encouraging visit with brethren in Kansas City, and I enjoyed visiting two congregations in south Florida. Mr. Rick Stafford, along with his wife, was able to make his initial visit to Jamaica as the Regional Pastor of the Caribbean. Dr. Wil Pierre spent Pentecost with brethren in Haiti. This week we are settling back into more routine duties. Dr. and Mrs. Richard Franz are spending time in the office this week as they prepare for their move to St. Louis. This coming weekend, Mr. Gerald Weston will be in Prince George, British Columbia for a Tomorrow's World Presentation. Your prayers for the moves that ministers are making this summer are greatly appreciated, and the moves appear to be going very well. Please keep the needs of all our brethren in your prayers.—DSW
Church Administration
Tomorrow's World Presentation in Mena, Arkansas
Rainy weather did not put a damper on the Tomorrow's World Presentation given on May 31 in Mena, Arkansas. Thirty-two sunny faces from area congregations and 28 smiling guests attended presentations given by Regional Pastor Rand Millich and Area Pastor Gene Hilgenberg.—Gene Hilgenberg
Northeast Outdoor Adventures
We have had two spots open up in our roster for our Adirondack Adventure. The program will run from July 2 through July 6. If you would like to participate, don't delay! See our Web link for details: http://northeastadventureclub.weebly.com/adirondack.html (not an official LCG Web site).
We're also opening registration for our Mount Katahdin Adventure in August. Mt. Katahdin is the centerpiece of the beautiful Baxter State Park, and also the finish line of the Appalachian Trail. At 5,270 feet, this mountain provides a challenging day hike with spectacular views of the Maine wilderness. Our trip will begin with Sabbath services in Freeport, Maine, on August 16. On Sunday, we'll travel to Baxter State Park, and we plan to summit Mount Katahdin on Monday. Return home is scheduled for Tuesday, August 19. If you'd like more information and to register, go to http://northeastadventureclub.weebly.com/katahdin.html (not an official LCG Web site).—Jonathan McNair
Denver Fourth of July Weekend
It's time to plan for what's becoming an annual event—the Denver Fourth of July Weekend! Here's what we have finalized thus far:
Thursday Night, July 3: Colorado Rockies Fireworks Game. There are only nine tickets left for what is sure to be a great activity! Tickets can be purchased on a first-come-first-served basis at a cost of $45 per ticket. Please call Shawn McMillin at 720-879-4804 or e-mail [email protected] to reserve your tickets. Payment needs to be received by June 15. Checks can be made payable to Ben Whitfield and can be sent to Mr. McMillin at 41479 Countryside Circle, Parker, CO 80138. Tickets will be disbursed soon after June 15.
Friday, July 4: Group Picnic at Cherry Creek State Park Swim Beach in Aurora, CO from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more details and to sign up, please e-mail Shawn McMillin ([email protected]).
Friday Evening Bible Study: Special guest Mr. Rand Millich will be conducting a Bible Study at 7:30 p.m. at the Littleton Hall.
Sabbath, July 5: We're still working out some of the details—but plan to have Mr. Rand Millich as our guest speaker, with services followed by fellowship, a Bible Bowl, pizza and possibly a movie night to round out the evening.
Sunday, July 6: Still in the planning phase.
We hope everyone will join us for a great wholesome weekend of fellowship and fun!—Ben Whitfield
Sixteenth Annual Saratoga Family Weekend
The 16th Annual Rocky Mountain Saratoga Family Weekend is scheduled for August 8-10! It will again be at the Riviera Lodge, 104 E. Saratoga Ave., Saratoga, WY 82331. Reservations can be made by calling 866-326-5651 or 307-326-5651.
Back by special request, this year's special guest speaker will be Mr. Rodger Bardo, long-time Pastor from the Southwest Region of the U.S. You won't want to miss his special presentations.
A Friday evening Bible Study at 7:30 p.m. will start the weekend.
Sabbath brunch at 10:00 a.m.
Sabbath services at 2:30 p.m. with a covered dish meal and steak cookout afterwards.
Saturday evening Bible Bowl.
A Sunday morning workshop will follow breakfast... then good old family recreational time on your own for the remainder of Sunday. Lunch at Alan and Sarah Williams' home will wrap up the morning and the weekend.
When making reservations at the Riviera Lodge in Saratoga, just mention that you are with the Living Church of God under Ben Whitfield's name. Book your room now before the summer reservations come in.
For those more hearty souls, there is camping for a nominal fee at the Saratoga Lake just a short distance from the Riviera Lodge... the fishing should be great!—Ben Whitfield
Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo Visit Invitation—Repeat Announcement
Join the Omaha, Nebraska congregation in visiting the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo. The Omaha congregation will be hosting a visit to the Zoo on June 22, 2014.
You are invited to join them for services and a covered dish meal on the Sabbath of June 21. Services will be held at Ralston High School at 1:30 p.m. The address for the high school is 8969 Park Drive, Omaha, NE 68127. A Bible Study is planned after services and before the evening's activities get underway. The following morning we will visit Omaha's renowned Henry Doorly Zoo and have an opportunity to tour all of the spectacular exhibits.
To register for the weekend's activities, contact us by e-mail at [email protected] or call Alex Pomicter at 402-250-7806 or Brian Pomicter at 402-650-1614. Please be sure to specify your housing need when you register.
So mark your calendars and plan to spend an exciting weekend with your brethren in the Midwest! —Brian Pomicter
Feast of Tabernacles
As summer approaches, plans for the Feast of Tabernacles continue to roll forward as well! On top of their many other duties, Festival Site Coordinators in the USA and around the world are formulating plans for Feast activities, to be posted on the Festival Web site (http://fot2014.lcg.org) toward the end of June. Activity registration will open soon after that.
If you have not yet registered for the Feast, please do so now to help with planning for the Feast.
2014 Israel Feast Tour—Repeat Announcement
There is still room for more brethren to spend the Feast of Tabernacles in Israel this year, and we would love to have anyone interested in this special tour join us. This will be the last time we will have a Feast in Israel in the foreseeable future, so don't miss out on the amazing trip. Your Bible will come to life as you visit places you have read about—enter Jerusalem; walk through Capernaum, Megiddo and Nazareth; stand by the Sea of Galilee; just to name a few. This is truly an experience you will never forget, but the deadline to register is fast approaching. If you would like to be a part of this special trip, please go to the MyLCG page and register as soon as possible. This site will officially be closed to further registration on June 15.—Jim Meredith
Festival (Second Tithe) Assistance Requests—U.S. Only—Repeat Announcement
Attention U.S. 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 Web site (www.cogl.org).—Festival Office
Living Youth Programs
West Virginia Family and Pre-Teen Camp 2014—Limited Time Left To Apply!
The deadline for campers and workers to sign up for the West Virginia Family and Pre-Teen Camp is Sunday, June 15. Camp dates are Sunday, July 13 through Friday, July 18. To register for this camp, or for more information, visit https://lyc.lcg.org.—Paul Shumway
Adventure Camp 2014—Yellowstone National Park
The trip itinerary is now posted on the Living Youth Web site. For anyone accepted to go on the Adventure Trip, please check the youth Web site for details.
Teen Camp Ohio 2014
We are no longer accepting applications for campers or staff for this camp. Anyone still wanting to apply should contact Jenny Penman at [email protected] or Sheldon Monson at [email protected]. Applicants will be placed on a waiting list and accepted only if room permits. The "staff assignments" have been posted on the Living Youth Web site. If you have been accepted as a staff member, please check the Web site to see where you have been assigned.—Sheldon Monson
Comments
Are You Filled with God's Spirit? In the Scriptures, we read of numerous people who were "filled" with God's Holy Spirit—John the Baptist, his mother Elizabeth and his father Zacharias (Luke 1:15, 41, 67). On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were "all filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:4). Later, Peter, Stephen and Paul are described as being "filled" with the Spirit (Acts 4:8; 6:5; 9:17; 13:9). Paul admonished members in Ephesus, "do not be drunk with wine… but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). But, how do we become filled with the Spirit? We are told in Scripture that if we repent and make a commitment at baptism and receive the laying on of hands, we are promised the "gift" of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). God gives His Holy Spirit to those who obey His commandments (see John 14:15; Acts 5:32). However, that Spirit must be nourished daily by regular prayer and Bible study if we are to be filled with the Spirit (2 Corinthians 4:16). Paul's admonition to Timothy to "stir up" the gift of God's Spirit indicates that there are things that we can and must do to become filled with the Spirit (2 Timothy 1:6-7). Let's make sure we are doing our part to nourish and exercise the fruits of the Holy Spirit so that we can be instruments in God's hands.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—June 12, 2014
Vatican and Germany Promote Peace Between Religions: On Pentecost Sunday, Pope Francis hosted an unprecedented "prayer meeting" with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres (CNN, June 9, 2014). This effort of "spiritual diplomacy" bringing together two leaders to pray, embrace and plant an olive tree "signaled a new role for [Pope] Francis" (Wall Street Journal, June 8, 2014). On the same day, an interfaith "prayer house" project was announced in Berlin. The $60 million project will be a combined effort between Christians, Jews and Muslims to construct a house of prayer on St. Peter's Square in the center of the German capital where all three religions can worship in the same building (Times of Israel, June 8, 2014). The effort is intended "not only to show the importance of multi-faith dialogue but to mirror multi-cultural Berlin" (ibid.). It also highlights how the Vatican and Germany are on the same political and religious page. Bible prophecies have long foretold that at the time of the end, a great world-church would "ride" or direct the final European Beast power (Revelation 13:11-14; Revelation 17). This Beast will broker a temporary peace in the Holy Land between Muslims, Jews and Christians (Psalm 83:5-8; Daniel 9:27; 11:29-39). Events in Rome, Berlin and the Holy Land appear to be moving toward the development of the prophesied short-lived "truce" between Christians, Jews and Muslims. To learn what the Bible reveals on this vital subject, watch our informative telecast "Jerusalem - World Capital?"
Another American Century? In a recent West Point commencement speech, "President Obama said that the U.S. will remain the one indispensable nation in the century to come… 'America must always lead on the world stage… If we don't, no one else will'" (Washington Post, May 30, 2014). However, "The Global Times, China's state-run nationalist-leaning newspaper, later published an editorial and challenged that view, asking, 'America wants to lead the world for another 100 years, but with what?'" (ibid.). "The editorial went on to say that America was not powerful enough to support its 'luxurious dream' of leading the world, arguing that America was 'greedy for all kinds of power' but lacks 'a big heart,' which is 'a key factor to be a leader.'" China clearly desires the spot as the world's leading nation (ibid.). But which nation will lead the world for the next 100 years—the U.S., China, Russia, Germany, or someone else? Bible prophecy shows that a European Beast power with links to the ancient Roman Empire—and likely led by Germany—will soon lead the world for a short period. It will dominate world trade (Revelation 18:1-13) as the U.S. quickly fades from the scene (Isaiah 9:13-14; 10:16-17; Jeremiah 6:26). But after 3½ years, Jesus Christ will return as "King of kings" to become the indisputable world leader (Daniel 2:44-45). Thankfully, this dream "is certain, and its interpretation is sure" (v. 45). For more about who will lead the next century, read our informative article, "Is This China's Century?"
Children Become Oppressors: Recently in Wisconsin, two twelve-year-old girls attacked and brutally stabbed their twelve-year-old friend 19 times (CNN, June 4, 2014). A cyclist found the victim and she is now in stable condition. The two suspects apparently planned the attack since February. They have been charged as adults (ibid.). Police told reporters that "Both suspects had a fascination with a fictitious character that often posted to websites dealing with stories about death and horror… One of the suspects told police that Slenderman is the site's supposed leader, and to climb into his realm, a user must kill someone" (ibid.). This shocking atrocity illustrates the insidious nature of the increasingly evil content on the Internet and its impact on young people. The prophet Isaiah foresaw the tragic state of society at the end of the age, "As for My people, children are their oppressors… Those who lead you cause you to err" (Isaiah 3:12). Partly as a result of misguided education and entertainment, many children today are no longer able to distinguish between good and evil or right and wrong (see our News and Prophecy piece on "Schools Destroy Morals"). These heart-breaking events certainly point to the need for the return of Jesus Christ to bring peace to this earth (Romans 8:19-23). For more information about Christ's return, be sure to read our booklet, Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ's Return.—Scott Winnail, Justin Ridgeway, Monica Cormier and Chris Sookdeo