Greetings from Charlotte,
Dr. Meredith remains at home, where he is spending much of his time in Bible study and keeping up with world news and reports of the Work. He approved a new television station in San Diego, and we are looking at another one on the other side of the country. We are canceling unproductive stations and adding others that we believe will be more productive. Mr. Richard Ames' recent program, "Prayers and Promises," has brought in more than 3,000 responses and we expect it to be around 3,200. Mario Hernandez should be in Cuba for the Sabbath and will spend a few extra days visiting GOTO's there. We have several dozen seriously interested folks on the island, enough to make Cuba a Church of God Feast site for the first time in modern history. We are all very excited about what is happening there. Dr. Winnail and I gave presentations over the Internet to our ministers and wives in Australia, where Mr. Rob Tyler was hosting his first ministerial conference since being named Regional Director. Mr. Tyler was appreciative of the support he received from all the ministry. Australia is facing a number of challenges, mostly related to an aging ministry. Mr. Rod King and Mr. Mal Jennings are both suffering from prostate cancer and a couple others are slowing down due to age and general health. Please remember them in your prayers. Last weekend, Dr. Winnail and Mr. Hernandez conducted a meeting with our South American ministers in Costa Rica. I was originally going to make that trip but Dr. Meredith's condition meant it would be wise for me to stay behind. Mr. Ames spent the weekend with close to 300 brethren in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Mr. Rod McNair was in Merrill, Wisconsin, for a family weekend.—GEW
Church Administration
Church-Wide Fast on March 18
To all Living Church of God Congregations: Dr. Meredith called a Church-wide fast for March 18, 2017. As indicated in our original announcement, we see the world divided and spinning out of control, and recognize our need to draw close to God as we move closer to end-time events. The service on that day will be livestreamed and all LCG congregations and members are invited to watch this live service. Please note that our plan is to stream the entire Sabbath service (opening hymns, opening prayer, etc.) beginning at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time/1800 GMT. Simultaneous translation into French and Spanish will also be provided.
Although this Sabbath service will be streamed live and will be hosted from the headquarters studio, this will be a "regular" Sabbath service, and as such is a private, by-invitation assembly. To access the Internet broadcast, please visit www.lcg.org and click on the large "March 18 live Sabbath service" graphic that will be placed at the top of the page that day. Or, go to www.lcgwebcast.org. Under "Stream Site," select "March 18, 2017 Sermon," in English, French or Spanish. Enter the password (the password will be provided to the local ministers). If you are connecting for your local congregation, then please enter your congregation name and the number of people viewing. If you are connecting from home, then please enter your family name and the number of people viewing.
A DVD sermon is also being mailed out to those who will not be able to connect over the Internet and as a back-up in case of Internet difficulties. Each congregation should have in place a back-up plan.
Portuguese Translators Needed
Members proficient in the Portuguese language, who have translation skills and would like to volunteer occasionally with translations for the Work, are encouraged to contact their Area Pastors. Pastors, please forward the names of the volunteers in your areas to [email protected]. We are in need of skilled Portuguese translators to help us fulfill the commission of preaching the Gospel as a witness to all the world and make disciples of all nations.
Albuquerque, New Mexico, Outreach Project
Ten members of the Albuquerque congregation participated in an outreach project at the Joy Junction homeless shelter in Albuquerque on Sunday, January 29. Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest shelter, aims to provide a "hand up" to the homeless and hungry, not only with food, shelter and clothing, but also with a recovery program and life skills training, to empower men, women and families to break the cycle of homelessness. As many as 300 people rely on the shelter every day. The outreach project involved sorting, organizing and cleaning an entire building full of various types of donated items, from toys and books to craft supplies and school uniforms. Our members divided up into small groups to complete the project in about four hours. It was a great opportunity to work together and build bonds as we helped provide a more efficient and effective way for the shelter to distribute donated items to its residents. The project was intended to reflect the efforts of the Charlotte congregation and other Living Church of God congregations in actively reaching out to those in need in our communities (Galatians 6:9–10).—Bob Rodzaj
Midwest Family Race and Retreat Weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Last weekend, 289 brethren gathered in Fayetteville Arkansas for the third annual Northwest Arkansas Amazing Race Family Weekend. Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ames were our guests for the weekend, with Mr. Ames giving both the Bible Study ("Understanding End-Time Prophecy") and sermon ("Fearing God") on the Sabbath. On Sunday, seven teams of four participated in a rigorous, mind-challenging race through the Fayetteville area. Winning teams: Food Truck Competition, E squared (Pink Team) Gwen Jones, Faith Burson, Tammy West, Lori Haden, all from Kansas City. Amazing Race winners: The Comeback Tour (Blue Team) Marc Cooney, Jacob Wilson, Juli Oberlander, Doug Burson, from the Kansas City and Omaha congregations. All had a great time of spiritual growth and fellowship.—Gene Hilgenberg
Charlotte BRiC Weekend (Memorial Day Weekend)—An Opportunity for Singles
Plans are well underway for the upcoming Charlotte BRiC Weekend! Singles can begin making plans to join us in Charlotte during the Memorial Day Weekend (May 26 – 29). This opportunity to Build Relationships in Christ through fun-filled activities and spiritually focused messages will begin Friday evening—check-in starts at 5:30 p.m. Activities will include Bible Studies, BRiC talks, games, a bonfire, and more! Registration for the weekend will open soon. Upcoming announcements will provide more details. If you have any questions regarding the weekend, then please contact Jacob Hall ([email protected]) for more information.
Passover 2017—Repeat Announcement
Important Notice to All Pastors: In 2017, the Passover Service will be observed on Sunday evening, April 9. Please let us know as soon as possible 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). The Passover Service recording for 2017 has been made by Mr. Peter Nathan. To ensure timely delivery and to save on shipping costs, information for international congregations should already have been sent in, and we need this information before Monday, March 13 for U.S. congregations.
Also, please let us know of any scattered members who are unable to keep the Passover with a congregation and who need to receive the Passover Service recording and letter instructions for observing it at home. International requests should already be here and U.S. requests should be received before March 13. Please direct your requests to the Church Administration Department at [email protected] as soon as possible.
Ministerial Bulletin Index—Repeat Announcement
Pastors and Elders: Please note that an updated Ministerial Bulletin index has been uploaded on the MyLCG Web site. You can access it by going to cogl.org.
More Details for the Adirondack Family Cycling Adventure—Repeat Announcement
Last summer, we had an awesome trip canoeing and hiking. This year, we'll revisit the Adirondacks, but on two wheels instead of in canoes! We will be cycling approximately 300 miles through mountains, valleys, and beside beautiful lakes and forests. The trip will begin on June 25 and conclude on July 2. This activity is open to all who are up to cycling 300 miles. Those who would like to come along on the trip and support the cyclists by helping to set up, prepare meals, and provide first aid and maintenance are welcome as well. Together, we'll build bonds of brotherhood with brethren of all ages. Most importantly, we'll learn about God's word, applying the daily Bible lessons directly to the activities of the day. For more information and to register, just go to www.nelcg.org (not an official LCG Web site) and click on the "ADK Cycling Adventure" tab at the top of the page, or contact me at [email protected].—Jonathan McNair
Annual Saratoga Family Weekend, August 11-13—Repeat Announcement
It's official! You won't want to miss the annual Saratoga Family Weekend this coming summer. Dr. Douglas Winnail from our Church headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, will be our guest for the weekend, as well as our own Regional Pastor, Dr. Jeffrey Fall. Mark your calendars for August 11 to 13. Call now (307-326-5651 or 866-326-5651) to make your reservations at the Riviera Lodge in Saratoga, Wyoming, before the summer crowd books the hotel full. This venue is located a stone's throw from the beautiful North Platte River, at 104 E. Saratoga Ave., Saratoga, WY 82331. The Riviera Lodge Web site is at http://www.therivieralodge.com/. I can smell the steaks cooking!—Ben Whitfield
Internet Department
Tomorrow's World Facebook Update
Facebook is a huge platform, with an estimated more than 1.86 billion monthly active Facebook users and with about 510,000 comments posted every single minute! Approximately 30 percent of Facebook users are between the ages of 25 to 34. About half of 18-24-year-olds check Facebook the first thing every morning. Because Facebook is such a far-reaching tool, the Church has worked hard to develop great Facebook pages in multiple languages, including English, French, Spanish, Afrikaans, Dutch and more. You may be encouraged by some key activity information for our largest Facebook pages for the 2016 year:
Tomorrow's World English Facebook page (TomorrowsWorld)
- 16,781,153 total annual views. (This is a number that Facebook reports. A "view" may be very brief and does not mean that the person actually read the material or watched the video, only that they were exposed to it.)
- 2,266 average fan count per day. (This is another number that Facebook reports and is the average number of people who interacted with the page per day, perhaps by "liking" or "commenting" or another action.)
- More than 57,000 "shares," (content shared with friends on Facebook).
Tomorrow's World French Facebook page (LeMondeDeDemain)
- 1,991,566 total annual views.
- 244 average fan count per day.
- More than 5,200 "shares."
Tomorrow's World Spanish Facebook page (ElMundoDeMananaIDV)
- 3,827,192 total annual views.
- 475 average fan count per day.
- More than 16,200 "shares."
Additionally, while we encourage everyone to be careful to not spend too much time on social media, for those of you who do use Facebook, please consider occasionally liking and sharing Tomorrow's World content that is meaningful to you. We are thankful for the growth of our Facebook pages, and for the new people that they are reaching—including fairly regular questions and comments and even requests to attend Sabbath services.—Wyatt Ciesielka
Feast of Tabernacles
2017 Registration Opens on Sunday, March 12!—Repeat Announcement
Festival Registration is scheduled to open on Sunday, March 12, at 12:00 noon EDT (Eastern Daylight Time, USA). At that time, you will be able to register for the Feast site of your choice. You will also be able to indicate any volunteer service opportunities you would like to sign up for at your site. If you do not have Internet access, please contact your Festival Advisor to print off information for any site(s) you are interested in attending. If you do not know who your Festival Advisor is, please check with your local pastor. You can see a list of U.S. and International sites open to transfer below. Information on each Feast site can be found on the Festival Website by going to lcg.org and clicking on the Feast of Tabernacles link.
Please do not make housing reservations until you have registered and have been approved for your choice of site. Also, note that March 12 is the day when clocks in the Eastern Time Zone (USA) move forward by one hour to accommodate Daylight Savings Time.
Pastors: In preparation for Festival Registration on March 12, please make sure that Headquarters has been notified about any status changes in your local congregation rosters. For example, the Festival Registration system only accepts registrations from members and prospective members. Any new people who want to attend the Feast this year will need to be classified as PMs in order to register. Any Church Youths (CY) who have turned 18 should also be reclassified as Prospective Members (PM). Please also let us know of any other changes in status of any brethren in your area (i.e. baptisms, etc.) or if any brethren have moved to another congregation. Send these status updates to [email protected].
Festival Advisors: In preparation for Festival registration, all Festival Advisors will be able to access Registration and Volunteer Forms, as well as the Festival Site Guide 2017, which has detailed descriptions of each Feast site, on the MyLCG Web site (www.cogl.org). These documents are necessary for you to print, copy, and distribute to brethren who need your assistance in registering. Reminder: Festival Registration begins on Sunday, March 12.
All brethren: Please make sure your MyLCG account is working. This will be necessary for you to register online. To test it, go to www.cogl.org and sign in to MyLCG with your username and password. If you don't have one, you will have the option of creating one. If you have any problems logging into MyLCG, please e-mail [email protected].—Festival Office
As a reminder, here are the sites planned for 2017:
Anchorage, Alaska
San Diego, California
Snowmass, Colorado
Panama City, Florida
Northern Kentucky
Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
Seaside, Oregon
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Lake Conroe, Texas
Mount Snow, Vermont
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
International Sites (open to transfers):
Villa de Merlo, San Luis, Argentina
Nelson Bay, NSW, Australia
Christ Church, Barbados
Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada
Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Canada
Niagara, Ontario, Canada
Sorel, Quebec, Canada
Concon, Chile
Armenia, Colombia
Punta Leona, Costa Rica
Carry-le-Rouet, France
Antigua, Guatemala
Georgetown, Guyana
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Sainte Luce, Martinique
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Hanmer Springs, New Zealand
Baguio City, Philippines
Davao, Philippines
Port Shepstone, South Africa
Stillbaai, South Africa
Negombo, Sri Lanka
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Bon Accord, Tobago
Bournemouth, United Kingdom
Orap Village, Vanuatu
Living Youth Program
Friday Evening Online Teen Bible Study
The online Teen Bible Study on Friday evening, March 3, will be on "The Mystery of Angels and Evil Spirits." If you haven't had the opportunity to join us for one of the online Bible Studies, 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 find instructions for joining the Bible Study and also access it 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 "Who and What Is God?," can be found on the Living Youth Web site.—Sheldon Monson
LYC Europe—Chevetogne, Belgium—Repeat Announcement
Attention all teens! Camper and staff applications are being accepted for this year's summer camp to be held once more at Chevetogne, Belgium, about an hour south of Brussels in the beautiful Ardennes region. It will run from Friday, 4 August, to Sunday, 13 August. Check out the venue Web site at http://www.domainedechevetogne.be/fr/new_maison_foret.php?style=stylebase. The focal point of camp will be two adjacent chalet-style housing units, with comfortable bunkbeds, shower facilities, kitchen and dining hall, and space for all indoor activities. Once again, an exciting range of outside activities is in preparation. Come and enjoy an action-packed week of fun and fellowship where you'll make new friends, renew acquaintances, and expand your knowledge of God and His amazing creation.
- Application and tuition fees per camper (ages 12-19) total £130/€165.
- Application forms for campers and staff are available from the UK Office (Jamie Meakin, +44 (0)1536 520042, e-mail [email protected]).
- If you have questions, please contact Mr. John Meakin, Camp Director (Home: +44 (0)1460 54240, Mobile +44 (0)7795 814623, e-mail [email protected]), or Mr. Rees Ellis, Assistant Director (+32 475 276821, e-mail: [email protected]).
- More details will be available shortly on the Living Youth Web site, at livingyouth.org.
Comments
Seek God's Guidance: In our world today, it is common to want to "do our own thing." However, the Bible records numerous and tragic results of this approach (Judges 21:25; Jeremiah 9:12-16). Long ago, Solomon wrote, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12). In the Scriptures we are admonished, "Seek the LORD while He may be found" (Isaiah 55:6). We are also told that God will look to those who are humble and teachable and "tremble at My word" (Isaiah 66:2). King David, a man after God's own heart, modeled the attitude that God is looking for when he wrote, "Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes… Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:33, 105). Jesus emphasized this same theme when He instructed His disciples to "live... by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Jesus also taught, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6). One of the most important lessons of life is that if we desire to succeed in any endeavor, we must learn to seek God's guidance in the decisions we make—because that leads to lasting rewards.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—February 23, 2017
A Coming "Post-Western" Age? "The world is 'on the brink' of a 'post-Western age', a leading German think tank has warned" (EU Observer, February 14, 2017). The Munich Security Conference (MSC) report suggested that the age we may now be entering is "one in which non-Western actors are shaping international affairs"—a reference to nations such as China, Russia, and Turkey (ibid.). The MSC spokesman also observed "that if U.S. president Donald Trump made good on his promise to pursue 'a more unilateralist, maybe even nationalistic foreign policy' it could spell the end of the post-WWII era of Western solidarity" and that a deal between President Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin concerning the Ukraine "could also mean the end of a rules-based international order...." According to the report, "This could signal a new era of great powers determining the fate of smaller ones" (ibid.). Bible prophecies have long foretold that three primary powers will dominate the world stage at the end of the age just before the return of Jesus Christ. The Bible refers to the "king of the north" ultimately led by Germany, the "king of the south" comprised of Arab-Muslim states, and "kings from the east" likely including Russia, China, and other eastern nations (Daniel 2:40-44; 11:40-45). Absent from this end-time scenario are the Western powers of the U.S., Britain and other Israelite-descended nations. The current ideas about a coming "post-Western age" are certainly in keeping with these ancient Bible prophecies. For more information about this timely topic, listen to or read The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.
China's Future Impact: The 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) recently met in the Philippines and were "unanimous in their expression of concern about what they see as a militarization of the region" (Reuters, February 21, 2017). "Referring to China's manmade islands in the Spratly archipelago, Yasay [Philippine Foreign Secretary] said ASEAN countries had 'noticed, very unsettlingly, that China has installed weapons systems in these facilities that they have established, and they have expressed strong concern about this'" (ibid.). Many Asian-Pacific nations worry about China's increasing military buildup in the Pacific and the increased U.S. military presence in the region. Exactly how ASEAN may influence China's military efforts remains to be seen. However, China appears destined to play a key role in major end-time world events. Bible prophecies refer to a huge army from the East that will attack a European army that has moved into the Middle East (Revelation 9:13-18; 16:12). The current unrest among ASEAN nations may diminish as hostility toward the West helps them coalesce in a unified cause. For more on the future of China, read or listen to "Is This China's Century?"
Playing God Without His Wisdom: "E coli microbes have been modified to carry an expanded genetic code which researchers say will ultimately allow them to be programmed… Now, the first living organisms to thrive with an expanded genetic code have been made by researchers in work that paves the way for the creation and exploitation of entirely new life forms" (The Guardian, January, 24, 2017). Scientists hope the new bacteria will help create both new drugs and new materials, and they believe there are no risks of mutation (ibid.). God created mankind with incredible creative powers, and the ability to create new and non-existing genetic code is truly remarkable! Just as remarkable is the potential utility of the by-products of these new microorganisms. One of the reasons God confused the languages at the tower of Babel was to postpone man's ability to accomplish virtually everything we could imagine, for good or ill (Genesis 11:6-8). Today, scientific knowledge is expanding at an unbelievable rate. However, scientific knowledge is outpacing our understanding to wisely apply it. The book of Proverbs warns that both wisdom and understanding must be earnestly sought—not just knowledge (Proverbs 4:5, 7; 16:16)! As the history of science proves, there are often unexpected consequences of scientific experiments. Knowledge without understanding can lead to unforeseen problems—and these E. coli experiments may fit that same mold. For more on this topic, read "God and the Foundation of Science."—Scott Winnail, Chris Sookdeo, Deborah Lincoln-Strange, and Francine Prater