Greetings from Charlotte,
I finished another Living Church of God Weekly Member Update video this morning and I hope all of you will take time to watch it. You can find these videos for the Church by going to the lcg.org website. Go to the “Member’s Area” link in the upper right hand corner. That will bring up a page where you can click on the link at the top where it says “Learn more,” under “Daily Briefings and Member Updates.” I’m pleased to announce that we have a new, clean, and refreshing front page for our India webpage. It currently advertises the Bible Study Course in English, but we will be populating the site with more literature in both English and Hindi as we are able, going forward. South Africa is opening up a bit. Mr. Christo Botha wrote: “Since last week we are allowed to travel within the province where we live. We will, therefore, start this weekend to visit some brethren in the Free State to support them as well as to investigate some possible Feast Sites in the Free State.” We are holding a Council of Elders teleconference today to discuss a number of matters and will report on decisions made. The Adventure Camp is going well as far as we know (little information is coming out because they are in a wilderness area), but it will wrap up this weekend. Please be praying about the Feast, as governments and venues keep changing regulations and guidelines.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Special Livestreamed Sabbath Service on August 8 for U.S. and Canadian Congregations
This Sabbath, August 8, there will be a special Sabbath Service livestreamed from Headquarters. All U.S. and Canadian congregations are requested to tune in. Services will begin at 1:00 p.m., EDT, USA.
Video link information:
- Live stream: www.lcg.org/stream
- No password required
Phone call-in information:
- Phone call-in: +1-415-655-0001 U.S. Toll
- Phone access number: 160 510 3800
- For a list of call-in numbers outside the United States, click on the following link: Global call-in numbers (link)
Church-Wide Livestreamed Sabbath Service on August 15—Fast Day
Next Sabbath, August 15, designated as a Church-wide fast day, services will be livestreamed from Headquarters. Mr. Ames will give the sermon. All brethren from all LCG congregations should plan to tune in to the Charlotte service at 1:00 p.m., EDT, USA, on August 15. A phone number will also be available for those who do not have Internet access. For those who live in time zones where this is not feasible, or for those who need a translation of the message, a recording (and/or translation) will be available after August 15.
Note: The link to connect to this service and other access information will be made available next week.
We look forward to meeting virtually together!
August 29 Church-Wide Livestream Canceled
The Church-wide livestreamed Sabbath Service from Headquarters, previously scheduled for August 29, has been canceled. Each congregation will hold its regular local or regional service on that Sabbath.
Manpower Change—Statesville and Kannapolis, North Carolina
Dr. Scott Winnail has been appointed to replace Mr. Gary Ehman as the Pastor of the Statesville and Kannapolis, North Carolina, congregations. Mr. Ehman has served the brethren in this area for more than a decade. Mr. Ehman will continue to direct the Personal Correspondence Department here in Charlotte, where he will also work with Ministerial Trainees to familiarize them with the services and materials that PCD provides to ministers, members, and those who contact the Church. Mr. Ehman will also continue to work with members from this area who are in prison.
Living Education
Our third year of LivingEducation Charlotte begins this coming week with an Orientation Program for our students. Although the Covid-19 virus has forced us to modify some of our logistics, we’re excited by the opportunity to have another group of dedicated young adults in the classroom!
In LivingEducation Online, 439 members have enrolled in our “Prayer” unit, the first in our series titled “Tools for Christian Growth.” Any member or prospective member can enroll in any of our classes for free by simply going to www.lcgeducation.org/online/. All classes that have been advertised are now part of our library, accessible at any time.
Finally, almost 80 singers have uploaded their videos to our “Virtual Worldwide Chorus” for this year’s Feast of Tabernacles! The deadline is Friday, August 7. If you are reading this before the Sabbath and would like to join in, just go to https://www.lcgeducation.org/virtual-worldwide-chorus/ for more details, instructions, and to upload your recording!—Jonathan McNair, Director of Living Education
Feast of Tabernacles
Registration this Sunday, August 9!
This Sunday, August 9, at 12:00 noon (Eastern Daylight Time, USA) all Living Church of God brethren and guests are invited to register for the Feast of Tabernacles. To register, visit the lcg.org website, scroll down to find and click on the link “Feast of Tabernacles,” then follow the links to register. If you do not have access to the Internet, please contact the Festival Advisor for your congregation.
Manpower Needs at USA Sites
Some of our USA Festival Site Coordinators are asking for volunteers to transfer to their Feast sites to help fill service needs. If you are able and would like to serve in this way, please contact the Festival Coordinator below. Note: Please make sure that you contact the Site Coordinator of your assigned site first, to make sure he is not depending on you to fill a need in your home site, as well!
- Midway, Utah
Service area needs: Spanish translation, First Aid
Coordinator: Mr. Rodger Bardo ([email protected])
Comments
The Value of Counsel: One of the common pitfalls in life is trusting in our own judgment when we only see part of the picture. When we make decisions or take actions based on how we see a situation, the results can be costly to ourselves and to others. This is why Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:5, “lean not on your own understanding,” and in Proverbs 3:7, “Do not be wise in your own eyes,” and again, in Proverbs 28:26, “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool.” Solomon also warned in Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” These multiple warnings in Proverbs were recorded to alert us to a dangerous human tendency. To help us avoid making serious mistakes in life, Solomon advised in Proverbs 11:14, “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety,” and again in Proverbs 15:22, “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.” This is one of the reasons we have a Council of Elders in the Church of God. As individuals, we can obtain wise and valuable advice by prayerfully studying the book of Proverbs and by seeking counsel from parents, the ministry, and from more experienced friends and associates who can be objective and help us see a bigger picture that we perceive on our own.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—August 6, 2020
Germany Is World’s Favorite Global Power: According to a recent Gallup poll about global leadership, “Germany maintained its position as the most highly rated country in the world for a third year running in 2019, while the US approval ratings stayed well below those achieved under the last administration” (Deutsche Welle, July 27, 2020). The United States, a distant second to Germany, was followed closely by China and Russia respectively. “The disapproval of US leadership is strongest in Europe, where a record 61% of people are disenchanted with the current administration.” In Australia, 67 percent of people disapprove of American leadership. In Africa, once a strong source of support for the U.S., respect has fallen greatly!
Bible prophecy has long warned that disobedience to God’s laws on the part of Israelite-descended nations—such as the U.S., Britain, France, Canada, and others—would bring about their demise (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). In fact, Moses foretold these nations would “become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:25). The Bible also predicts the rise of the Assyrian-descended Germans, who will be used by God to punish these backsliding Israelite nations due to their rejection of God and His laws (Isaiah 10:5–6: Zechariah 10:9–10).
The future of the world we know is a sobering one. To better understand that future, we must understand the identity of modern nations in Bible prophecy. To learn why Germany has become the world’s favorite country and what the future holds for this powerful nation, read or listen to “Why Is Germany Rising?”
Why Will America’s “Lovers” Abandon Her? For much of the last century, the economic engine of America has helped fuel the economies of nations around the globe. Reuters reports that the economy of the United States accounts for 25 percent of the global gross domestic product and American consumers are among the primary buyers of global goods, but this leaves the world in a very vulnerable place: “Officials from Mexico to Japan are already on edge. Exports have taken a hit in Germany, and Canada looks south warily knowing that any further hit to U.S. growth will undoubtedly spill over” (July 20, 2020).
As the U.S. economy deteriorates under the weight of coronavirus restrictions, millions are out of work and the buying power of the average American continues to drop. As a consequence, goods produced around the globe intended for American markets are sitting still or are not being made at all, causing a trickle-down effect on international economies reliant on trade with the United States. American exports are also down by over 35 percent, and this has reduced U.S. revenue streams essential to the purchase of foreign goods and services. Yet many predict this economic downturn may last for years! Demonstrating this international financial interdependency, a former Bank of Japan official observed, “Japan’s recovery will be really delayed if the spreading of the coronavirus in the United States isn’t stopped and US-bound exports from various Asian countries don’t grow.”
With Bible prophecy as a guide, we can see that this economic crash could lead nations dependent on trade with the U.S. to look elsewhere for trading opportunities. In fact, God warned through the prophet Jeremiah, “All your lovers have forgotten you; they do not seek you; for I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins have increased” (Jeremiah 30:14). This warning certainly applies to the end-time descendants of the twelve tribes of Israel—including the United States. Eventually, these “lovers” will turn their affections to a German-led European “beast” power that makes the nations of the earth rich for a short period of time at the end of the age (Revelation 18:1–18). For more insights about this future global trading power that will sit at the very heart of the global economy, be sure to read or listen to our free booklet The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor or Soon-Coming Reality?—Scott Winnail, Bob Rodzaj, and Francine Prater