Greetings from Charlotte,
This year we held the Feast of Tabernacles at 50 sites in 33 countries and positive uplifting reports are coming in from around the world. Dr. Meredith attended in San Diego where he gave two sermons. Mr. Ames attended in Charlotte and Mt. Snow, Vermont, where the latter received a bit of snow. He then took a few well-deserved days off to attend his 1954 High School Class Reunion and visit with family in New England. Mr. Peter Nathan spent the Feast in Kenya and is scheduled to be in South Africa this weekend. Mr. Dexter Wakefield was in Argentina. Dr. Winnail visited and spoke at three sites while I attended the first half in Panama City and finished in Charlotte. About 200 members attended the Feast in Charlotte and it turned out to be one of the best ever, in spite of the short organizing time. Due to the cancellation at Hilton Head, Mr. Michael Desimone and others had only three-and-a-half days to organize and set up the site. Finding a suitable hall was the most challenging, but in the end the location was exactly the right size for the number attending and all the activities came off wonderfully. It is also interesting to note that some 35-40 members were able to attend in Charlotte instead of staying home due to distance to Hilton Head because of age and infirmities. Most of our international Regional Directors split their time with more than one Festival site: Mr. Adam West in Great Malvern, UK and in Carry-le-Rouet, France and Mr. Stuart Wachowicz in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and Rockland, Ontario in Canada. We are now preparing for the next Council of Elders meetings, which are scheduled for November 14-16.—GEW
Church Administration
Kansas City Family Weekend—December 30-January 1—Repeat Announcement
Save the date! The Kansas City Family Weekend will be the weekend of December 30 through January 1. We have reserved the Airport Embassy Suites this year and will host our Bible Studies, services, and Saturday evening entertainment there. On Sunday, we'll kick off the day with our Family Games contest, then continue with sports and leisure activities for all ages, including basketball, volleyball, backyard games, and children's games. You can even go ga-ga for Ga-Ga Ball. Registration will open shortly but mark your calendars now!—Michael Keesee
Living Youth Program
Friday Evening Teen Bible Studies Resume November 4
The Friday evening online Teen Bible Studies are scheduled to resume on Friday evening, November 4. The topic of that study will be Lesson 22 of the Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course: "What Is God's Purpose for Mankind?" Instructions for joining the Bible Studies are available through the Living Youth Web site at http://www.livingyouth.org.—Sheldon Monson
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 (Revelation 3:7-11). According to the Scriptures, that mission involves preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to this world and especially to the Israelite nations (Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 10:1-7), warning the world about 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, the name "Philadelphia" means "brotherly love," which indicates that true Philadelphians will also strive to follow Jesus' admonition to "love one another" (John 15:12-17). They understand that showing unselfish, outgoing concern for others (instead of sitting in judgment of others) is one of the distinguishing marks of a real Philadelphia Christian (John 13:34-35). As we look forward to the coming year, let's all look for ways to show more "brotherly love" to others so we can be real Philadelphia Christians.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail