In Europe, the Greek crisis has again prompted calls for a core group within the 28 EU nations to form a closer federation. While violence continues to spread in the Middle East and uncertainty plagues China and the global economic system, Americans seem focused on who wants to become the next President. Here in Charlotte, Dr. Meredith has been holding meetings and has written another co-worker letter that is being mailed out this week. Mr. Ames taped a new Tomorrow's World program, and Mr. Hernandez returned safely from a month-long trip to French and Spanish-speaking regions in Europe. Mr. Cristian Orrego is currently visiting congregations in Mexico City and Guatemala. We have had very positive Internet responses to articles by Dr. Meredith and telecasts by Mr. Ames and Mr. Weston (see announcement below). Mr. Jacques Secours would like to thank the brethren for their prayers and cards following his recent heart attack. He is resting and recuperating well. Last weekend I had very encouraging visits to congregations in Braselton and Atlanta, Georgia where Mr. Dan Hall and I conducted a one-day Area Conference on Monday. The LYC Teen Camp begins this Sunday in Ohio. Please pray that God will continue to guide His Work and bless the camp activities in the coming weeks.—DSW
Church Administration
Atlanta Area Conference
This past Sabbath we enjoyed Dr. Douglas Winnail's visit to Atlanta and appreciated his special presentation on Church history. Many have commented on the approach that was taken, which included a number of penetrating and thought-provoking questions. On Monday, Dr. Winnail conducted a conference for the local area ministry: Mr. and Mrs. James English, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Grimes, Mr. Ron Poole, Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Stewart and Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Stroud. We met at my home and had meetings before and after a barbeque chicken luncheon. Dr. Winnail covered topics including how to identify leaders, understanding major trends affecting modern Christianity and the effect on God's Church, and several doctrinal issues. The meeting concluded with a slide show of his trip to visit the brethren in Peru, and a question and answer session. Framed by warm fellowship, this was a delightful opportunity for the local ministry to spend time together and to receive instruction from the Director of Church Administration.—Dan Hall
Baltimore Church Campout
Seventeen campers anticipated enjoying the weekend of June 12-14 at Cunningham Falls State Park in Thurmont, Maryland. But as the first campers set up their tents on Friday, it began to rain. This turned out to be a blessing, however, as it cooled things off and cut down on the bugs! After an evening Bible study and fellowship, everyone settled down for the night. Sabbath morning the weather forecast was for afternoon thunderstorms so we moved services to 11:30 a.m. Mr. Ron Fitch led songs and gave the sermonette titled "Self-Control." I gave the announcements and the sermon on "Come Out of the World." After services, we cooked hamburgers and hot dogs and enjoyed the side dishes everyone contributed. Though we heard storms off in the distance, it never rained on us and we fellowshipped and relaxed for the rest of the day, and took a walk to the nearby waterfalls. In the evening, some played glow ball volleyball and ring toss. Sunday morning we breakfasted on pancakes, scrambled eggs and sausage and some cooked their sausage on a stick over the campfire. A boulder hill in the camp area provided a great "mountain" for the children to climb. Everyone had a great time—let's do it again next year!—Buzz Marvel
Television Department
Television in Kenya!
As announced previously, God recently opened a very big "door" for us to preach the Gospel over both television and radio throughout all of Kenya and most of central Africa. We recently went on "Family TV" and "Family Radio 316," and already scores of inquiries and requests for literature are coming in from all throughout Kenya. We have been very encouraged by both the quantity and the quality of the responses. We are also very thankful for the enthusiasm of our Kenyan brethren for this initiative, and for the labor and service from our South African office which is playing an important support role in this project. Please continue to pray that God blesses the telecast throughout Kenya and elsewhere in Africa. We are commissioned to preach the Gospel to all the world (Mark 16:15), and there are many millions in Africa that need to hear the Good News of the coming Kingdom of God! And please keep Mr. Muthama in your prayers as he follows up with these many requests. It is very exciting to see these inquiries come in from cities such as Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu, Mombasa and elsewhere!—Wyatt Ciesielka
Television En Español in Northern Mexico!
We are excited to announce that the Tomorrow's World telecast will soon be broadcast in Spanish "south of the border" throughout most of northern Mexico. Within the next few weeks, we will begin broadcasting Spanish telecasts recorded by Mr. Mario Hernandez over "Genesis Television" throughout northern Mexico, covering cities such as Reynosa, Nuevo Laredo, Tijuana, Mexicali and more! Please join us in praying for this and our many other initiatives to preach the Gospel as a witness to all the nations, before the return of Christ (Matthew 24:14)! Telecast broadcast times and channel information can be found at the Tomorrow's World Web site at www.TomorrowsWorld.org/tune-in.—Wyatt Ciesielka
Internet Department
"Most Talked About" Internet Content
Recently we began featuring the "most liked" and "most shared" Tomorrow's World content from the previous six months to a year (based on content type). It has been very encouraging to see the enthusiasm of our Web site visitors and to see many articles, booklets and telecasts being "liked" thousands of times and "shared" many hundreds of times. It was very interesting to see that two of Dr. Meredith's very powerful recent articles, "Do You Worship the True Christ?" (March-April, 2015 TW) and "Which Church Should You Attend?" (July-August, 2015 TW) both rapidly rose to be the top two "most talked about" articles on the Web site. Additionally, Mr. Ames' telecast "Your Glorious Destiny Beyond Death" is currently the most popular telecast based on "likes" and Mr. Weston's telecast "The Antichrist Is Coming" is the most popular telecast based on "shares." Check out this feature in the bottom middle of the www.TomorrowsWorld.org Web page. And thank you for sharing, liking and "talking about" Tomorrow's World articles, telecasts and other content on Social Media. Please continue to do so! This is a way that you can really make a difference in reaching even more people!—Wyatt Ciesielka
Feast of Tabernacles
Activity Registration and Payment Now Open—Repeat Announcement
All LCG members and guests attending the Feast of Tabernacles can now register and even pay for activities at their respective Feast sites, via their MyLCG account, through the Festival Web site. Just go to www.lcg.org, and click on the link "Feast of Tabernacles." Your activity registration is a great help to the Festival site coordinators because it gives them an estimate of how many people to prepare for at each activity.
Living Youth Program
2015 Adventure Trip – Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
All campers and members of the staff returned home safely from a life-changing adventure. While hiking at elevations of 10,000-plus feet, temperatures in the 30s with wind and rain made the first two days of this strenuous hike even more challenging! Check out the Youth Web site for more details.
Ohio Teen Camp 2015
The new boys' dorms and bunks have arrived! However, all boy campers and counselors should plan to bring a sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and a pillow as we will not have mattresses for all of the bunks this year. Members of the staff ages 18-20 should plan to bring the following clothing to wear when serving at the final banquet: Men – white dress shirt, black slacks, and black dress shoes. Women – white blouse or shirt, black skirt, dress shoes or sandals. Everyone is required to check in at the office upon arrival. See you soon!—Sheldon Monson, Camp Director
LYC Ohio Video Streaming
As in previous years, we plan to offer video streaming of LYC Ohio Bible Studies, Christian Living and other activities. Please check the LCG Youth Web site at www.livingyouth.org on Monday for details about how to access the stream, or just go to LCG.org and click on the "Youth Web site" menu item.
North Carolina Pre-Teen Camp
The inaugural year of the Living Youth Program's North Carolina Pre-Teen Camp was a wonderful success! Thirty-one campers, eight mini-campers and sibling campers and 47 staff members had a thrilling week of camp. This year's activities included camp standards such as canoeing and crafts, along with new favorites such as paddle-boarding and photography. We hope to post the campers' own photographs on Facebook for everyone to enjoy their budding talent!
The Christian Living theme this year was "Me and God," with campers being taught by Mr. Jason Fritts and me about their individual relationships with God, how God works with them in their families, and how He wants to add them to His own Family, forever.
God's blessing was evident on the camp, as nightly rains and shady skies protected us all from the heat of summer and kept temperatures wonderfully lower than the weather forecasts predicted. It was a remarkable way to begin this new camp God has added to the Living Youth Program! Our thanks go out to all of our selfless staff who put their love of the children and families of God's Church above their love of self, and to God and Jesus Christ for the blessings They poured out on Their camp.—Wallace Smith
Living University
Registration for First (Fall) Semester
Registration for first semester classes is now underway and classes will begin August 17. Students may register anytime before the start of classes. Those who have never taken a Living University course will need to enroll in the University first, and then register for selected courses. A complete listing of the "Fall 2015 Class Schedule" (Spring in the Southern hemisphere) can be viewed on the Living University Web site. To make application to Living University, to register for courses, and to find out more, please visit the www.livinguniv.com Web site. For additional information, please contact Mrs. Michelle Broussard at [email protected] or 704-708-2294. The following are brief descriptions of some of the 20 classes being offered next semester. As the new semester approaches, we are sharing an overview of our courses in The World Ahead, so be sure to watch for them.
THL 342—Christian Marriage and Family: This course is an excellent tool for those considering marriage, for engaged couples, for those recently married, and even for those married for years. It reviews a host of topics related to marriage and family, including: dating, preparation for marriage, successful home and family life, the adolescent, the young married adult, family management, and contemporary problems in marriage and family life.
THL 412—Epistles of Paul I: This course, the first of two, focuses on the Apostle Paul's life and writings including the background, message, purposes and theme of each of his epistles. Emphasis is upon Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Galatians. Note that THL 136 is a prerequisite for this course.
THL 421—History of Christianity I: This course deals with the history of Christianity from the first century to the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. It focuses on the growth and development of Christianity during the early centuries in the Mediterranean World as well as its expansion into Europe and the East. Students will find this course fascinating, as they come to better understand the context for the growth of God's Church through the ages.
Comments
Real Philadelphia Christians: The book of Revelation describes Philadelphia Christians as having a strong desire to carry out the mission that Jesus Christ gave to His Church. According to the Scriptures, that mission involves preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world and especially the Israelite nations (Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 10:1-7), warning the world about the difficult times that will arise at the end of the age (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21) and preparing a people to reign with Jesus Christ in the coming government of God (Luke 1:17). However, as the name "Philadelphia" means "brotherly love," true Philadelphians will also strive to follow Jesus' admonition to "love one another" (John 15:17). They understand that showing unselfish, outgoing concern for others (versus sitting in judgment of others) is one of the distinguishing marks of a true Philadelphia Christian (John 13:34-35). The capacity to show real love to others is also one of the most important fruits that indicate that we have and are using God's Spirit (1 Corinthians 13; Galatians 5:22-25). Let's look for ways to show "brotherly love" to others.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—July 23, 2015
France Wants "Vanguard" to Lead EU: "French president Francois Hollande has called for a stronger more harmonised eurozone following a politically turbulent few weeks in which crisis with Greece has exposed the fault-lines in how the single currency is managed... He called for a vanguard of countries that would lead the eurozone, which should have its own government, a 'specific budget' and its own parliament" (EU Observer, July 20, 2015). French prime minister Manuel Valls said "the vanguard should include the six founding countries of the EU: France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. He said France would prepare 'concrete proposals' in the coming weeks. 'We must learn the lessons and go much further,' he added, referring to the Greek crisis" (ibid.). The Bible has long prophesied of a final European beast power comprised of ten kings who give their power over to the beast for a short time (Revelation 17:11-14). As the EU continues to undergo changes, watch for the emergence of this final beast—with ten leaders or nations who willingly surrender their political and economic sovereignty to a single entity that the Bible calls a beast. This final configuration in Europe could come soon. For more on this topic, be sure to read The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor or Soon-Coming Reality?
"Why America is falling behind the rest of the world" is the title of a sobering new Time Magazine article (July 21, 2015). The article reviews twelve signs of the decline of America—the research findings of two faculty members at Brooklyn College and City University of New York. Their research illustrates that "Overall, America's per capita wealth, health and education measures are mediocre for a highly industrialized nation. Well-being metrics, perceptions of corruption, quality and cost of basic services, are sliding, too. Healthcare and education spending are funding bloated administrations even while human outcomes sink, the authors say" (ibid.). Americans now view their leaders as "somewhat corrupt," and "In a separate survey of American citizens, many said politicians don't serve the majority's interest, but are biased toward corporate lobbyists and the super-rich" (ibid.). The authors concluded, "If America's going to be great again, we've got to start fixing things" (ibid.)—something that Bible prophecies reveal will not occur until Christ returns to reign on the earth. As secular values and selfish ambitions have replaced biblical values, America and many other Israelite-descended nations continue their downward slide. The Bible has long predicted the "pride of their power" will be broken as God removes His blessings due to national disobedience at the end of the age (Leviticus 26:19). God also prophesied that misguided, self-serving secular and religious leaders will contribute to this societal decline (see Isaiah 3:12; Jeremiah 23; Ezekiel 34). Modern research continues to validate Bible prophecies of events that will precede the return of Jesus Christ! For more on this exciting topic, read Armageddon and Beyond.
Preaching the Gospel to Cuba? After 54 years of animosity, Cuba and the U.S. "formally restored diplomatic relations after an agreement struck last year putting aside decades of hostility came into force. Just after midnight local time [July 20, 2015], the diplomatic missions of each country became full embassies. The Cuban flag was raised on Monday at the newly opened embassy in Washington… Outside of the embassy, crowds of people cheered as the Cuban national anthem played and three Cuban soldiers stood at attention while the flag was raised" (BBC News, July 20, 2015). While many rejoice at this news, many are apprehensive and wonder what this geopolitical shift will bring. What many do not realize is that God is actively guiding the course of history according to His plan (see Daniel 4:17, 25, 35). Bible prophecies have long foretold that just before Jesus Christ returns, "this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world... and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). The true gospel is not about going to heaven (Acts 2:34; 13:36; John 3:13). It is about a coming world government that will be established by Jesus Christ at His return that will bring peace to this earth (Isaiah 9:6-7; Revelation 11:15-18). The opening of Cuba may open the door to that powerful message for a people in need of justice, righteousness, mercy and truth. To learn more about how God directly influences human affairs, read our informative booklet, Prophecy Fulfilled: God's Hand in World Affairs.—Scott Winnail, Deborah Lincoln-Strange, Francine Prater, Chris Sookdeo and Justin Ridgeway