Dear Brethren,
Cyclone Pam—a Category 5 cyclone and one of the worst in Pacific history—slammed into Vanuatu last Saturday morning. Witnesses described some of the aftermath as "a nuclear bomb site." Communication throughout most of the 83 islands has been cut off. Mr. Graeme Hemphill, who pastors Vanuatu from Australia, has made phone contact with one of our members in Port Vila, on the island of Efate, where we have about 40 brethren. He reports that the brethren there are ok, though some have suffered property damage. While aid is reaching Port Vila, lack of food and lack of water may still become a problem there, because of the scope of the disaster. Commercial airline traffic is finally beginning to resume, and Mr. Hemphill has been able to book a flight for next Monday, to assess everyone's needs, and bring aid and support. According to Mr. Hemphill, our brethren in Port Vila are "very happy to hear that someone is coming over to offer support and to help them get back on their feet. They are all looking forward to relating their personal experiences during their time of terror. I believe we have all learnt some sobering lessons from this experience. Truly life and all we are familiar with is fragile and can be gone in an instant."
As for the other islands, where a majority of our brethren live, no communication has yet been possible. The Living Church of God has about 120 brethren in Vanuatu, who attend in three congregations on the islands of Malakula, Efate, and the southern island of Tanna. From news reports, Tanna appears to be the hardest hit, where the eye of the storm passed directly. Please be praying for the protection of our brethren all over Vanuatu, that God would provide them adequate food, drinking water, shelter and safety. (See "News and Prophecy" on page 8 for more on this disaster, and check the Living Church of God Facebook page for regular updates.)
Here in Charlotte, Dr. Meredith has been writing, holding meetings and staying in touch with our ministry regarding the Vanuatu cyclone. Mr. Ames worked on a telecast script, finished the March co-worker letter which was mailed out, and is preparing to travel to Baltimore to deliver a Tomorrow's World Presentation this weekend. Dr. Winnail departed on Tuesday with Messrs. Mario Hernandez and Cristian Orrego for South America. They will be making visits in Peru and conducting a leadership conference in Colombia for the whole Spanish-speaking ministry early next week. Last weekend, five TWPs were conducted with a total of 246 guests attending. This week, TWPs will be conducted in Raleigh and Greensboro, North Carolina, and in Baltimore, Maryland. Please continue praying for God's Work all over the world—and for His urgent, special protection for our brethren in Vanuatu.—RMc
Church Administration
Pre-Passover Must Play DVD by Dr. Meredith for all Congregations
Last Friday, the Mail Processing Department sent to all congregations a special Must Play DVD by Dr. Meredith. It is to be played before the Passover, on either March 21 or March 28. Each congregation should also have received a supplemental DVD with a message about the Night To Be Much Observed. Playing this DVD on the Night To Be Much Observed is optional. If any congregation did not receive these two DVDs, please let CAD know immediately, by e-mail at [email protected].
Tomorrow's World Presents in Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa, Florida
Sabbath, February 28, and Sunday, March 1, proved to be a very exciting weekend for the congregations in south Florida. We held a Tomorrow's World Presentation in Ft. Lauderdale on Sabbath afternoon. After a morning service in which Mr. Rod McNair gave the sermon, 110 brethren were thrilled in the afternoon to welcome 124 visitors for the TWP. Very heavy rainfall during the morning and early afternoon clearly affected the attendance, and several people have contacted us since then to express their disappointment at not being able to attend because of the severe weather. Mr. McNair's opening message on "Five Keys to End-Time Prophecy" was well received. After a short break for refreshments, I followed with a message on "The Mystery of God's Holy Days," explaining God's wonderful plan for mankind.
A TWP was held the following day in Tampa, during which 35 brethren were delighted to host 188 visitors to hear the same presentation. Personally participating in the work of preaching of the Gospel is spiritually energizing to the entire congregation.—John Strain
Tomorrow's World Presents in Miami, Oklahoma
On Thursday evening, March 12, a Tomorrow's World Presentation was given in the small city of Miami, Oklahoma, population 14,000, located about 30 miles southwest of Joplin. There were 21 guests and 26 members who attended. I gave the first part on end-time prophecy, and Mr. Shannon Christal, an Elder serving in the Joplin area, gave the second part on God's Holy Days. All visitors stayed for both messages and fellowshipped afterwards. One couple attended services the following Sabbath in Joplin. Guests came from a large area so there is the potential of adding to three congregations: Chanute, Kansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Joplin, Missouri.—Gene Hilgenberg
Tomorrow's World Presents in Jacksonville and Fayetteville, North Carolina
On Saturday, March 14, pouring rain and even a change in venue (necessitated by an unexpected number of responses) did not prevent 64 guests and 21 members from attending the most important and exciting event to come to Jacksonville, North Carolina in years—a Tomorrow's World Presentation! Mr. Rod McNair gave the opening message with a stirring "After Armageddon" presentation on "Five Keys to End-time Prophecy," which was followed by an inspiring second part on God's master plan—"The Mystery of God's Holy Days."
On Sunday, a Tomorrow's World Presentation came to the Holiday Inn in Fayetteville, North Carolina where 100 visitors were treated to messages that outlined the true Gospel of the coming Government of God. Of the 17 brethren serving, several were excited nearly to tears to see God's Work in action and have the opportunity to be an "up close and personal" part of it. While we do not presently have a congregation in Fayetteville, 34 guests signed up for a follow-up Bible Study planned for March 28 that will give them the keys to identify God's True Church!—James Sweat
Tomorrow's World Presents in St. Joseph, Missouri and Wichita, Kansas
St. Joseph, Missouri and Wichita, Kansas hosted another round of exciting TWPs on March 14 and 15! Together, the presentations brought in a total visitor attendance of 60 (27 in St. Joseph and 33 in Wichita). Several visitors in Wichita expressed interest in attending Sabbath services. The brethren from both congregations enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to have a direct involvement in these gospel efforts.—Report from James Wells, written by Jonathan Bueno
Passover 2015—Repeat Announcement
Important Notice to All Pastors: In 2015, the Passover Service will be observed on Thursday evening, April 2. If any of the congregations you serve will need additional Passover Service supplies (bread trays and/or wine trays or glasses) or a copy of the Passover Service recording and letter instructions (available in English, French and Spanish) and you have not yet sent the request in, please do so immediately.
Also, if any members will be unable to keep the Passover with a congregation, you can request for them to receive the Passover Service recording and letter instructions for observing it at home. Please direct your requests to the Church Administration Department at [email protected] immediately.
Carolina Singles Weekend 2015
Registration is now open for the Carolina Singles Weekend 2015! We look forward to what is shaping up to be another memorable Memorial Day as well as Pentecost weekend. Don't miss this opportunity to spend some time in Charlotte, North Carolina, with family and friends. Vital messages, fun activities and pleasant fellowship await you here.
For details about the weekend and information on how to register, please see the local Charlotte congregation Web site (charlottelcg.org) (not an official LCG Web site).—Jonathan Bueno
Television Department
Roku Advertising Launch!—Repeat Announcement
God has commissioned His Church to preach with power the Gospel of the Kingdom of God through all of the "doors" that He opens for us. We know that Mr. Armstrong went through the door of radio and then the door of television. We are very thankful for Dr. Meredith's leadership and continuing the powerful telecast that is broadcast around the world in multiple languages. We are also thankful that God has opened up new doors for the Gospel to be preached on various Internet TV platforms, such as Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Google TV, and our long-standing Roku channel. Now we are very excited to announce that we have begun a bold, worldwide advertising campaign on Roku—one of the first religious broadcasters to do so!
As many of you know, Roku is an inexpensive "Internet TV" box that connects to your home television. Preliminary 2015 statistics indicate that there are more than eight million active U.S. Roku users, and Roku is aggressively expanding its customer base in the UK, Europe and elsewhere. Sixty-two percent of Roku users are between 18 and 54 years of age, and 80 percent of Roku boxes are connected to the primary household TV. Roku users stream an average of approximately 14 hours of content a week. Indications are that our initial advertising campaign is producing results more than twice Roku's average. One of their ad managers wrote us that our advertising results are "WAY above normal." Please join all of us in praying for the success of this effort as we strive to fulfill the Great Commission (Mark 16:15). And if you have a Roku, please install the Tomorrow's World channel and give it a "five-star rating." This will further help our advertising efforts.—Wyatt Ciesielka
Internet Department
Tomorrow's World Presents: Dr. Meredith Online, March 29!—Repeat Announcement
Join Dr. Meredith for a powerful, live, online Tomorrow's World Presentation titled "The Power of Religion!" This live Internet event will be streamed around the world, and is scheduled for Sunday, March 29, at 2:00 p.m. (EDT). Please also join us in praying that God will use this live Web event to inspire and to shake those whom He is witnessing to and calling as we approach the end of this age! As those in God's Church understand, Satan has for millennia used false religion to deceive the world, to cause pain and suffering and sin. And Satan will much more in the years ahead deceive and incite the masses to turn away from God and even to want to fight against Jesus Christ at His return. But we also know that God has promised that His true Church would persevere, would preach the true Gospel until the end, and would ultimately prevail! Mark your calendars and join us for this live event, March 29, at 2:00 p.m. (EDT).—Wyatt Ciesielka
Feast of Tabernacles
Almost Half of FOT Attendees Registered and Approved
After ten days of Festival Registration, over 4,600 brethren and guests are now registered and approved for the Feast. If you have not yet registered, please do so as soon as possible. To find out information about each of the sites for 2015, go to the Festival Web site: fot2015.lcg.org. If you registered for one site and changed your mind and would like to register for a different one, simply go back on the Web site and re-register.
St. George, Utah
The St. George, Utah, Feast site is now closed for further transfers.
Navarre, Florida
The Navarre, Florida, Feast site is now closed for further transfers.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
The Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feast site is nearing capacity. We currently have more than 270 people on the waiting list for Myrtle Beach. We are working out the feasibility of having an overflow room. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
Traverse City, Michigan
Registration for the new Feast site in Traverse City, Michigan is now open! Everyone who was originally assigned to the Wisconsin Dells is now assigned to Traverse City and we have room for many transfers as well. The Festival site Web pages are also up and provide information on the Feast site and housing details. We are diligently working to provide lodging options to fit every budget at the Feast in Traverse City. Please be patient as we negotiate with the hotels in the area. In the meantime, check the "Accommodations" tab of the Traverse City Festival Web site for updates.
If you are registering for Traverse City, please carefully read the information on how to make reservations at the Great Wolf Lodge. If you have any trouble using the online system, you may call them at the number listed on the "Accommodations" tab of the Web site.
Hawaii
Hawaii Site Attendees: Please note that even if you have applied to attend the Feast site in Hawaii and have been accepted, you must register again on the main registration site. If you have registered for Hawaii on the early registration site, but have not paid your registration fee, you will not receive an acceptance e-mail. Please go back to the Hawaii registration page and pay the fee; once it is received you will receive the final acceptance e-mail.
If you have not yet registered to attend the site in Hawaii, but would like to attend, you will need to register on both registration sites. Registration on the special Hawaii page (the green heading) will give you access to pay the necessary registration fee, and on the main site to register for activities and sign up for volunteer service opportunities. We are sorry if this seems a bit confusing, but both registrations are necessary. We do expect to approve all transfers made through these two registrations.—Festival Office
Living Youth Program
Online Teen Bible Study Friday Evening
The online Teen Bible Study on Friday evening, March 27, will be on "Except You Be Converted," presented by Mr. Sheldon Monson. If you haven't had the opportunity to join us for one of the online Bible Studies yet, we encourage you to do so. It is a wonderful way to start the Sabbath day.
The Bible Study runs from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. (Eastern time) and the chat room will be open for a half hour before and after the study. 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, "Common Pitfalls in Marriage," can also be found on the Living Youth Web site.
Comments
Why Self-Examination? Jesus Christ urged His audiences to "Repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15) and strive to "be perfect" (Matthew 5:48). The Greek word for "repent" is metanoeo which means "to think differently, to turn with contrition and sorrow from a former course of action—to change your life." This is a major aspect of God's Plan of Salvation. The Apostle Paul states in the context of the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread that, as Christians, we need to "examine" ourselves to make sure we are walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 11:26-32). One way to examine ourselves is to review the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) during this time, and to consider both the letter and the spirit of those commands (see Matthew 5-7; Galatians 5:18-24). This process will help us walk more perfectly in the footsteps of Jesus and develop the very mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5-10). This is what the Spring Holy Day season is designed to help us do.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—March 19, 2015
Vatican Calls for Use of Force: Paving the Way for… "The Vatican's ambassador in Geneva has said the use of force will be necessary to protect minority groups from Islamic State [ISIS] aggression if a political solution cannot be achieved" (Jerusalem Post, March 15, 2015). The ambassador called for a coalition that would do "everything possible to achieve a political settlement without violence… but if that's not possible, then the use of force will be necessary" (ibid.). Apparently, the Vatican is now willing to endorse military action as a means to an end—an end that it deems to be right. This current stance is important in light of what the Bible prophesies as the future of the Catholic church. Scripture reveals that a great church (or "woman") will "ride" the end-time European beast. This church, metaphorically clothed in purple and scarlet (the colors of the church priesthood), will direct the political and military beast as it wages campaigns against the Islamic "south" and eventually the "kings from the east" (see Daniel 11; Revelation 16, 17). The Vatican is now showing it will call for the use of armies and war, if the situation and reasons are right! For more on this fascinating topic, read "Who Is the Harlot of Revelation 17?"
Cyclone Devastates Vanuatu: Cyclone Pam tore through the south Pacific island nation of Vanuatu last Friday and Saturday, packing winds of over 300 kph/180 mph. The Category 5 storm created so much damage that rescue crews from Australia and New Zealand are having difficulty reaching victims. "'We have no contact of any sort with the outer islands, the priority is to get communications up and running. It's very, very concerning that we haven't heard anything from the outlying islands,' Joe Lowry, a spokesman for International Organisation for Migration (ILM), told Reuters in Port Vila. 'If the devastation is as high as we think it is on those islands, there is a chance that the death toll will go up very significantly'" (Reuters, March 16, 2015). Tens of thousands have been displaced and many have been forced to drink sea water as they wait for aid to arrive (BBC, March 17, 2015). Due to the destruction of crops and fishing fleets, the need for food is dire (The Guardian, March 18, 2015). Jesus Christ warned that one of the signs of the end of the age would be "the sea and the waves roaring" (Luke 21:25). The devastation and suffering in Vanuatu right now should motivate any Christian who is aware to fervently pray for God's intervention. However, situations like the one in Vanuatu will only increase as Christ's return draws near. The world will need to reach a point where it cries out for Christ's return and the peace that He will usher in as King of kings. For more insight into powerful weather disasters and the encouraging future beyond them, be sure to read Who Controls the Weather?
The Power of Breastfeeding: As Christians clearly understand, the great God created the human body "fearfully and wonderfully" (Psalm 139:14). He created a woman's body to carry and develop "godly offspring" (Malachi 2:15). And He designed the woman's body to produce special milk that can completely sustain a developing infant for months. Science has discovered that this breast milk is actually designed to be perfectly compatible with each particular infant, and that breastfeeding actually reduces the mother's risk of developing breast cancer. Ironically, Satan's society has promoted several situations that have led to a drastic global reduction in breastfeeding over the last 70 years (e.g., infant formula, women in the workplace, and social mores against breastfeeding). However, new research from Brazil reemphasizes the powerful impact of this God-designed action. "Researchers in Brazil have followed nearly 6,000 babies from birth for the past three decades, enabling them for the first time to get an idea of the long-term effects of breastfeeding… Those who had been breastfed proved to be more intelligent, had spent longer at school and earned more than those who had not been. And the longer they were breastfed as a baby, the better they tended to be doing" (The Guardian, March 17, 2015). Study authors were quick to note that non-breastfed children can also develop high intellect and well-paying jobs. However, they also stressed the importance of encouraging all expecting mothers to breastfeed if possible (ibid.). For more on the incredible human body and the creation of human beings, read "The Wonder of Life in the Womb."—Scott Winnail, Francine Prater and Chris Sookdeo