Greetings from Charlotte,
It is sobering to see the political, military and economic turmoil in Europe and Asia, and to watch the Arab world tearing itself apart, while the leading nations of the free world—America and Britain—are increasingly focused on promoting gay rights and same-sex marriage. Yet, Jesus foretold the end of the age would be like the days of Noah when the whole earth was "corrupt before God, and… filled with violence" (Genesis 6:11-12; Matthew 24:37). Sadly, we are watching that happening today! Here in Charlotte, Dr. Meredith is working on another article for Tomorrow's World magazine and is holding meetings. On Monday, 21 students received degrees and certificates at the Living University Commencement. Also this week we initiated plans to air the Tomorrow's World program on a station in Kenya that covers much of East Africa with television and radio. Last weekend, 86 visitors attended the Tomorrow's World Presentations in Omaha, Nebraska and Des Moines, Iowa. This coming weekend, the Charlotte congregation will host the Carolina Singles Weekend, and a number of ministers from Charlotte will travel to other congregations for Pentecost.
Please pray that God will protect all those who will be traveling this weekend and that He will inspire the services and fellowship on the Sabbath and on Pentecost. We are deeply grateful for the prayers and support of all of our brethren around the world. Please pray, too, that God will bless the offering on the Holy Day so we can reach this world with the Good News of the coming Kingdom of God and a powerful warning message of what lies ahead. These Holy Day offerings will help us meet the needs of the Work and go through doors that will enable us to reach even larger audiences. It is exciting to realize that God has given each of us a part to play in His end-time Work. May this coming Holy Day be a rich blessing to each of you.—DSW
Church Administration
Tomorrow's World Presents in Omaha, Nebraska, and Des Moines, Iowa
Bellevue University was the site of a Tomorrow's World Presents in Omaha on May 16. Twenty-six guests and 55 brethren heard Midwest Regional Pastor Rand Millich give a stirring message about the times in which we live and what humanity can expect "After Armageddon." I gave the follow-up presentation on "The Mystery of God's Holy Days." The next day the same messages were given at the Valley West Inn in Des Moines, to 60 guests and 23 members. Many said that projecting the scriptures on a screen was very helpful and one of the guests commented that in all of the decades that she had been going to various churches, she had never heard most of these scriptures explained.—Brian Pomicter
Adirondack Canoe Trip—Last Chance to Register
We've had an excellent response for our Adirondack Canoe Trip 2015. We only have a few more spaces left, and only one more week to register. If you'd like to enjoy five days of camping and canoeing in the beautiful Adirondack Region, don't miss this activity! Our base camp will be located at Tioga Point, on scenic Racquette Lake. We'll have fun, fellowship, and sharpen our canoeing skills from July 1 through 5. This is a great way to learn to live and work together as family in the beauty of God's creation, and this very affordable activity is open to all ages, young and old. For more information and to register, just go to www.nelcg.org (not an official LCG Web site) and click on the "Adirondack Canoe Trip" tab in the middle the page. While you're there, check out our learning videos, with instruction on canoe safety, how to launch and paddle a canoe, and what to do in emergencies. There is also information about what to bring and what to expect for the activity. We've also provided some rather entertaining videos on preparing for the activity! Don't forget... the deadline for registration is June 1.—Jonathan McNair
Internet Department
Update on Social Media Engagement—Repeat Announcement
Audience engagement with Web site material (videos, articles, booklets) is becoming a much more important way to measure how effective our Internet efforts are. A recent study conducted by Duke University and the American Marketing Association revealed that from 2010 to 2014, the importance of how engaged your Internet audience is with your content as measured by social media "followers or friends" has nearly doubled. We are very encouraged by the fact that in recent years, we have been able to synchronize Tomorrow's World television, Internet, print and social media outreach in such a way that our online community has grown and become very engaged and we would like to share just a few of those important metrics:
- More than 4,830,000 YouTube views at our Tomorrow's World English-language channel and almost 1,600,000 YouTube views at our Tomorrow's World Spanish YouTube channel.
- More than 136,000 fans at our Tomorrow's World English Facebook page, often with 5,000 – 6,000 people "engaging" (talking about) Tomorrow's World material any given week, and with many telecasts and articles receiving thousands of likes and hundreds of shares.
- More than 115,000 fans at our Tomorrow's World French Facebook page (Monde Demain), also with a couple thousand people engaging with French Monde Demain content each week.
There are many other metrics we track which are also very encouraging. We would also like to thank those of you who are "liking" and "sharing" and talking about Tomorrow's World content, and also encourage our membership to continue to do so. We really appreciate our thousands of members, co-workers and subscribers who are "engaged" with Tomorrow's World content in this way, whether on Facebook, or sharing telecasts or webcasts on YouTube, or liking our Tomorrow's World apps, our Roku channel (now well within the top 10 percent of over 500 religious programs!), etc. God has blessed us with the privilege and responsibility of preaching the Gospel to the whole world, and we have a lot of work ahead of us. So again, thank you for being "engaged" with Tomorrow's World content! These are ways that each of you can make a direct and positive contribution to our efforts to reach the world with the true Gospel!—Wyatt Ciesielka
Feast of Tabernacles
Festival (Second Tithe) Assistance Requests—U.S. Only
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
Hawaii Feast Site Update
Important e-mails were sent out on April 30 to everyone registered to attend the Feast in Hawaii. So far, fewer than half of you have replied. If you did not receive that important message, please e-mail me at [email protected] and let me know that you didn't receive it.
The time sensitive question in that e-mail was whether or not you would attend a private luau/dinner/dance. Almost all who have responded have indicated that they want to attend, but we are still well short of the minimum we need to make it happen. I would appreciate the rest of you letting me know whether or not you would attend this activity. This is the first time we have had enough attendees at this site to have a private luau for Church members only, and it will be specifically tailored for our group. Please let me know as soon as possible if you will attend this Hawaiian luau. If we do not have sufficient numbers for the event by June 1, I will probably have to cancel the activity. Thank you to those who have already responded to let me know your plans.—Jim Meredith
Boerne, Texas, Closed to Transfers
The Boerne, TX, Feast site is now at capacity and closed to further transfers. For more information on other Feast sites available, check out the Festival Web site online. Go to www.lcg.org and click on "Feast of Tabernacles."
Other USA Feast sites which are closed are:
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- St. George, Utah
- Navarre, Florida
Spanish Translator Needed at Kimberley, British Columbia, Feast Site—Repeat Announcement
We are looking for someone to translate from English to Spanish at the Kimberley, British Columbia (Canada) Feast site this year. A new Spanish-speaking couple will be attending there, and because of their age, they are not able to travel all the way to a Spanish Feast site. If anyone could serve in this manner, please e-mail me at [email protected].—Marc Arseneault
Living Youth Program
Online Teen Bible Studies Suspended During Summer Months—Repeat Announcement
There will be no online Teen Bible Studies through the summer months, although the Bible Studies given at the Adventure Camp and Ohio Teen Camp, as well as at the Texas Pre-Teen Camp, will be posted during these camps. Also, archives of previous Living Youth Bible Studies can be found on the Living Youth Web site. The regular online Teen Bible Studies are scheduled to resume on Friday evening, September 11.
Deadline for Missouri Pre-Teen Camp—Repeat Announcement
May 29 is the last day to register for the Missouri Pre-Teen Camp, so please sign up as soon as possible at http://camp.livingyouth.org. We still have room for campers and staff, especially male staff and campers.—Gene Hilgenberg
Comments
God's Precious Truth: Today we live in a world where truth is obscured by "spin" and growing numbers of people distrust statements by leaders and so-called authorities. This should surprise no one, because this is Satan's world (2 Corinthians 4:4) and he is the "father" of lies (John 8:44). Long ago, God foretold the time would come when "truth is fallen in the street" and no one is "valiant for the truth on the earth" (Isaiah 59:14; Jeremiah 9:3-5). However, many people today simply want to know the "truth" about many issues. It is encouraging to know that the God of the Bible is a "God of truth" (Deuteronomy 32:4), and the word of God—Scripture—contains the "truth" (Psalm 119:151; John 17:17). Jesus said He would give the Holy Spirit to those who repent and are baptized and obey God's word (Acts 2:38; 5:32). The Holy Spirit would then "guide" believers "into all truth" (John 16:13), and that truth would set His disciples apart from the world (John 17:17). As we observe the day of Pentecost, let's rejoice in "the truth" that God has revealed in His word.
Have a profitable Sabbath and an inspiring Holy Day,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—May 21, 2015
Luxembourg Sets an Example? "Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel put himself in the history books on Friday (15 May) by becoming the first EU government leader to marry someone of the same sex. The marriage… symbolises how legal rights for gay citizens of the EU have advanced in the past years" (EU Observer, May 18, 2015). "'Luxembourg can set an example,' Bettel noted on his wedding day, which was attended by Belgian prime minister Charles Michel… In 2010, Johanna Sigurðardottir, then prime minister of Iceland, married her gay partner. The next country to take a position on the matter will be Ireland which is due to decide by referendum on Friday (22 May) whether it will legalise same-sex marriages" (ibid.). Luxembourg's Prime Minister has set an example of biblical proportions that will bring consequences. Long ago, the prophet Jeremiah upbraided the "leaders of Israel" for causing their people to sin by their godless example and reckless behavior (Jeremiah 23:1, 13, 32). The prophet warned that God "will bring disaster on them" because they have brought "wickedness" among God's people, and they "strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom… and… like Gomorrah" (Jeremiah 23:11-12, 14). Sadly, the Israelite-descended nations, including Luxembourg, have set a sinful example for the world by accepting and promoting perverted behaviors under the guise of diversity. The Bible clearly states that when Jesus Christ returns to rule in righteousness on this earth (2 Peter 3:13), the promotion and acceptance of same-sex marriage will be a thing of the past (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). To learn more about the future of the Israelite-descended nations, be sure to read The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.
Brits No Longer Look to God: "The extent of decline of religious faith is exposed in new research suggesting that British people no longer turn to God even in the face of death" (The Telegraph, May 18, 2015). "The findings emerge from research carried out by 'Dying Matters', a coalition of 16,000 hospices, charities, care homes and others working with people facing their end of life" (ibid.). "When asked to choose what would be the most important factor in ensuring they had a 'good death', from a list of options, only five per cent selected having their religious or spiritual needs met. By contrast 33 per cent said they would like to be "pain free" and 17 per cent said it was most important to have their friends and family with them… Strikingly, 60 per cent of those surveyed ranked religious or spiritual needs last of the six options they were given" (ibid.). As God becomes less important in the daily lives of people, it should be no surprise that He is also less important in death. At a time when the meaning of life should permeate the minds of the dying, it is sobering to see that cares of the flesh (comfort, having friends around) supersede the need to connect to God in a meaningful way (Mark 4:18-19). For greater insight into the real purpose of life, read our powerful booklet Your Ultimate Destiny.
General Persecuted for Belief in God: "An Air Force general who recently spoke about how God has guided his career should be court-martialed, a civil liberties group is saying. In a speech at a National Day of Prayer Task Force event on May 7, Maj. Gen. Craig Olson credits God for his accomplishments in the military, and refers to himself as a 'redeemed believer in Christ.' The Air Force Times reports that the Military Religious Freedom Foundation has taken issue with Olson's remarks, is calling for the two-star general to be court-martialed and 'aggressively and very visibly brought to justice for his unforgivable crimes and transgressions'" (Fox News, May 17, 2015). It is amazing to see the open expression of religious belief labeled as an "unforgivable crime"—especially in a nation that has openly proclaimed "In God We Trust." What modern news sources either do not understand or want to acknowledge is that Jesus Christ foretold these very events nearly 2,000 years ago. Jesus predicted that as the end of the age approaches, Christians "will be hated by all for My name's sake" (Matthew 10:22; 24:9). This is happening not only in the so-called "Christian" nations of the West, it is also happening in the Middle East, in Africa and Asian countries where hatred and animosity toward the God of the Bible and the name of Jesus Christ are emerging with a vengeance. To learn more about the fate of Christians at the end of the age, read "Are You Willing To Suffer for Jesus Christ?"—Scott Winnail, Deborah Lincoln-Strange, Chris Sookdeo and Francine Prater