Greetings from Charlotte,
Many today sense things are not right in the world. Winds of war are stirring again in Europe. Millions of migrants are fleeing strife-torn countries and heading to northern Europe and North America. Corruption plagues the governments of this world. Meanwhile here in the USA, droughts and floods and political maneuvering are damaging and dividing the country—foreshadowing the end of an age. Here in Charlotte, Dr. Meredith has been writing and holding meetings. He attended a reception for new and returning LU students on Tuesday evening. Mr. Ames has just finished a co-worker letter that will be mailed to about 14,500 people. He and Mr. Wallace Smith will tape new Tomorrow's World programs this week. Mr. Hernandez is in Toronto to tape television programs this week. Feast planning is moving ahead on schedule. Mr. Rick Stafford has returned from visits in the Caribbean. The LYC Teen Camp in Belgium has gone well and will wind up this weekend. We are encouraged to see that just over 190 students have enrolled in Living University classes this semester. This weekend, I will be in Fayetteville, Arkansas and Joplin, Missouri where we will hold a Regional Conference on Sunday. Please pray that God will continue to guide and direct His Work and His people.—DSW
Church Administration
The Spanish Work Moves Forward
Thank God for the joy of being able to say that we are rapidly fulfilling one of the main goals set by Mr. Mario Hernandez during the Spanish Work Conference in March: Preaching the Gospel to all Spanish-speaking countries. On Sabbath, August 1, we began broadcasting in the second most important city in Ecuador, Guayaquil, on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays through the radio stations Buenas Nuevas and Radio Eiffel. We are working on broadcasting from Ecuador's capital city, Quito. Also, for the first time in its history, we began preaching the Gospel in Manizales on Sunday, August 16, through Radio Manizales. The station has a large audience and it is heard in the entire city and several surrounding towns. That leaves only two Spanish-speaking countries in all of South America, Uruguay and Paraguay, where we are not both broadcasting the Gospel through radio or television and preaching over the Internet. This week Elder Aaron Bravo traveled to Uruguay to meet with several radio station owners and to visit some people who are interested in having contact with the Church.
Great support from the members in the local congregations, who know the importance of fulfilling the commandment of preaching the Gospel, has helped make this possible. Both adults and teens have expressed interest in helping handling responses, preparing and distributing correspondence, monitoring transmissions, editing programs and managing cash donations. They feel an urgency to carry out the commission to freely preach the Gospel while El Mundo de Mañana is able to be broadcast. We are especially thankful for the brethren's prayers for God to keep on opening doors, and providing co-workers and resources to carry His message to all nations as a testimony, by which He will call whom He wants to be part of His people.—Armando Orrego
Letter from New Prospective Member in Cuba
"Your visit and prayers gave me the push to begin keeping my first weekly Sabbath. It seems that in my house they should have given me a day of rest… I was calm and I kept to myself where I was able to pray, remembering other things that I know, seeing some new details and resting when I needed it… I am waiting on the Bible Study Course and will see if that speeds my baptism, although I was baptized [before] by Baptists… I did not know the true Christ, and I need to be baptized now…."—subscriber in Cuba who was recently visited by Mr. and Mrs. Schaubeck
Feast of Tabernacles
Local Church Services on the Day of Atonement and the Sabbath Before the Feast
Pastors: You should have received an e-mail today requesting information about Sabbath Services on the Day of Atonement (September 23) and the Sabbath immediately preceding the Feast (September 26). Please respond to that e-mail by next Wednesday, August 26, so that we can compile the information and make it available to brethren who are traveling to and from the Feast sites.
Activity Payment Deadlines
Many of our coordinators are trying to finalize numbers for the planned activities. Please note the instructions—including deadlines and methods of payment—for the Feast where you will be attending. This information can be found on the Web site for each Feast site (check www.lcg.org for more information). Everyone's attention to this will greatly facilitate final plans falling into place!
PayPal Payments Deadline September 18
Online PayPal pre-payments for Festival activities for U.S. sites must be made by Friday, September 18. This will give the Accounting Department at Headquarters time to disburse funds to the U.S. sites. After September 18, brethren attending U.S. sites should wait until the Feast to pay for any additional activities. Please check with your local Festival site coordinator for details of payment methods accepted at the Feast. For international sites, please check with your Festival site coordinator for more information.
Feast Speaking Schedules
Speaking schedules for the Feast of Tabernacles are now being sent out to all those who will have speaking assignments at the Feast. Those who are on the speaking schedule are encouraged to put in the time, prayer and preparation now to bring messages that are inspiring, stimulating, and that focus on the wonderful message of Christ's reign on this earth! We thank all of those who will be preparing to bring spiritual nourishment to God's Church during this highlight of the year.—Festival Office
Finance
Festival Assistance—Repeat Announcement
Festival Assistance checks were mailed to members last Friday. Local pastors were also contacted to let them know who was approved (or not approved) for Festival assistance this year. Anyone who was not able to be approved was mailed a letter that included instructions on how to obtain the sermons for each day of the Feast, either on CD or over the Internet.
Hall Rentals—Repeat Announcement
October Sabbath hall rentals should be sent in to the Accounting Department on or before September 15 to ensure that we can process the request before the Festival break.
Comments
The Importance of Doctrine: Ideas about doctrine (teachings of the Church) can unify or divide people, families and congregations. This is why the Apostle Paul urged the members in Corinth to be of "the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Corinthians 1:10). He commended Christians in Rome because they "obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you" (Romans 6:17, KJV), and Luke records the Bereans verified Paul's teachings from the Scriptures (Acts 17:11). This approach to doctrine promotes unity and harmony. However, Jesus warned that doctrinal deception would be widespread at the end of the age (Matthew 24:3-5). The Apostle Paul warned that "in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy" (1 Timothy 4:1-3), and that one-time believers would "have itching ears" and depart from the faith, because they would "not endure sound doctrine" and choose to believe fables (2 Timothy 4:3-4). To avoid being deceived by false doctrines, we need to make sure that our beliefs are solidly based on Scripture (1 Thessalonians 5:21) and that we exercise spiritual discernment that comes from nourishing and using the gift of God's Spirit (2 Timothy 1:6-7).
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—August 20, 2015
Human Rights Organization Approves Prostitution: "After days of emotional debates and intense lobbying, delegates from Amnesty International voted on Tuesday to support a policy that calls for decriminalization of the sex trade, including prostitution, payment for sex and brothel ownership… After two years of research and consultation with its members, Amnesty says it concluded that decriminalization is the best way to reduce risks for prostitutes… 'Sex workers are one of the most marginalized groups in the world who in most instances face constant risk of discrimination, violence and abuse'" (New York Times, August 11, 2015). However, Sweden's foreign minister, Margot Wallstrom, commented: "They mixed all these arguments, and that worries me… It is a myth about the happy prostitute who does this as a free choice" (ibid.). Many see this new policy as protection of business owners who exploit women and force them into the sex trade through kidnapping. The Bible clearly labels prostitution a wicked sin (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 19:29; 20:10; 21:9; Revelation 21:8)! It is sobering to see that an organization long opposed to the sex trade is now condoning it. This perspective-reversal is a symptom of what God prophesied would happen at the end of the age, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness…" (Isaiah 5:20). How sad that organizations once viewed as protectors now support exploitation. To learn about a better way, view our telecast, "Why the Ten Commandments?"
Another War in Europe? A recent report by the European Leadership Network, concerning military exercises in the Baltic and Poland, stated: "Russian and NATO military exercises are starting to look more and more like preparations for war" (The Moscow Times, August 16, 2015). Over the past 18 months, relations have soured between Russia and NATO, and it appears both are "actively preparing for war with one another amid the greatest build up of military tension in Europe since the end of the Cold War" (The Telegraph, August 12, 2015). These large-scale, live-fire activities are testing the readiness of both NATO and Russian troops, and are directed specifically against each other! "The Russian maneuvers saw soldiers wake up on 16 March to orders which eventually drew in 80,000 servicemen… simulated an invasion of Latvia supported by attack helicopters and artillery… On the NATO side, four separate drills involved 15,000 troops from 19 member states…simulated operations against the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad… One of these exercises saw the first-ever deployment of NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, a new unit designed to deter Russian aggression, in Poland" (EU Observer, August 12, 2015). Jesus warned that before His return there would be "wars and rumors of wars" (Matthew 24:6-7). One of the culminating events before Christ's return will be a large-scale military engagement between Europe and superpowers to the East (Daniel 11:44; Revelation 9; 16:12-16). The stage is being set to fulfill these future prophecies. For more on this increasingly timely topic, read "Coming End-Time Conflicts."
Growing UK Job Troubles: In the UK, the "number of people in work was 63,000 lower in second quarter and nearly 75% of employment growth was among non-UK nationals" (The Guardian, August 12, 2015). "Employment opportunities in Britain's stalling labour market are largely going to workers from the rest of the European Union, according to the latest official data showing a second monthly increase in the number of people out of work. Highlighting the impact of the enlargement of the EU since the turn of the millennium to include former Soviet bloc countries, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said almost three-quarters of the employment growth in the past year was accounted for by non-UK citizens" (ibid.). Additionally, "During that period, employment fell by 146,000 among UK nationals and rose by 91,000 among workers from overseas" (ibid.). This growing disparity in employment was prophesied long ago when God warned that, due to the sins of the Israelite nations, "The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower" (Deuteronomy 28:43). This is happening today in Britain and in other Israelite nations around the world. As this trend continues, it will foster increased ethnic strife in these nations. For more on this sobering topic, read our article on "Britain's Religious Demise."—Scott Winnail, Justin Ridgeway, Francine Prater and Chris Sookdeo