From the Presiding Evangelist
Dear Brethren and Fellow Servants of God,
Here in the United States, as in some other areas of the world, governments are beginning to ease up on COVID-related restrictions. Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s directive to leave it up to each business to decide on what to require regarding face coverings has obviously put pressure on other states to do the same and several have followed suit.
Leaders here in Charlotte met with Texas pastors Gary Stein and Rick Stafford on March 4 to discuss what to do going forward. We had a free discussion, hearing all sides of the question, and decided it would be best to bring all U.S. Regional Pastors into the discussion. We held that meeting this past Wednesday, March 10.
I opened both meetings by reviewing how the Church, once we understood more about what we were dealing with, opened up for services everywhere we could. Where possible, we chose to continue with planned summer camps for our children. The Feast of Tabernacles was a success, in part due to decisions made early on that were not popular with all, but which, in retrospect, made it possible for the greatest number of brethren and families to attend a wonderful Feast. We have been in favor of opening up as much as we can, while still streaming services for individuals and areas where needed. We have left the decision to attend in person during this difficult time to the individual to make based on personal concerns and risk factors.
Most areas where we meet require social distancing, size-limited groups, and face coverings. Those requirements are being relaxed by some governments, but not necessarily by our meeting facilities. Whatever the requirements or lack thereof, our main concern is the health and well-being of our members. We have many elderly and others with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, heart issues, and obesity. In discussing our path forward with the Regional Pastors, we found that we have a variety of circumstances in the Church, but many of the men felt it was a little premature to drop our COVID-related protocols too quickly. While we are not aware of members getting sick from attending our live services, members and their extended families are still getting sick.
Let me add a personal comment here. My wife takes a 3½ mile walk most mornings with several ladies in the neighborhood and was exposed to the virus from one of them. Several days later, Carol did not feel well and tested positive for COVID. I was tested the next day and came back negative. Carol felt a little under the weather for about a week, but is now back to her long walks and doing well. Our neighbor who unknowingly exposed her is back to normal, but her husband is not doing well. It has been about 11 days since I was clearly exposed, and I have had no symptoms that would indicate a problem, other than what appeared to be my usual seasonal allergies.
Carol and I have self-quarantined for two Sabbaths and, unless I can get tested in time, will probably miss attending in person for one more Sabbath. I have not made this generally known until now as I did not wish to cause concern among any of you. While my wife and I are in a risk category due to age, God seems to have been merciful to both of us. The point I want to make is that COVID has not gone away just because a few government mandates have. Even now, new, more contagious strains are beginning to circulate and bear watching.
Yet, brethren, we cannot hole up in caves forever. We have over 200 members now meeting safely here in Charlotte, some with a variety of pre-existing conditions and risk factors. Not a one of us wants to wear a mask indefinitely, yet we must also keep in mind that our decisions affect others: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:3–5).
By the meeting’s end, we decided to meet again in three to four weeks, after the Days of Unleavened Bread, to consider modifying our current protocols, based on how things develop. In the meantime, we continue opening up areas for services wherever possible, planning for summer camps, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Thank you for your prayers and let us continue to stand together as we see this challenge through.
Sincerely, in Christ’s service,
Gerald E. Weston
Church Administration
Online Ministerial Conference
We are planning to hold an online conference for all ministers on Wednesday, March 17. The conference will be about an hour in length and will start at 3:00 p.m. (Charlotte time). An email was sent out earlier this week with log-in instructions. All LCG minsters, please plan to make time to attend (wives are invited to attend as well). The conference will be recorded and posted for those who cannot be available at that time.
Passover
The Passover is a commanded assembly for all baptized members of God’s Church. This solemn assembly commemorates the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, involving the footwashing service and taking the symbols of unleavened bread and of wine, following the example of Christ and His disciples at His final Passover. The Passover service this year will be observed on the evening of Friday, March 26, soon after sunset.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where we are able to have in-person Passover services, we will be taking additional precautions to protect the health of all who attend this service. Contact your pastor if you have any questions about the protocols that will be followed this year for Passover. All requests for the pre-recorded Passover service DVD and in-home instructions for scattered members who are unable to keep the Passover with a congregation should already have been sent to the Church Administration Department. (Pastors, for Passover protocol instructions, please see the Church Administration email of January 26, 2021.)
Night to Be Much Observed
The Night to Be Much Observed is a long-standing Scriptural practice of the Church (see Exodus 12:42). As many did last year, it is fine for brethren to keep the Night to Be Much Observed at home with members of their own household or, if mutually agreed upon, with a small group of other brethren. Some may want to connect households virtually over meeting apps to share in fellowship. If state, local, and venue regulations do not prohibit group meetings, your pastor may approve a larger group meeting for the Night to Be Much Observed dinner. Contact your pastor if you have any questions about protocols to be followed for any larger NTBO group meetings this year. Please note that extra care must be taken in such circumstances. Anyone who is not well should not participate, but rather self-quarantine. (Pastors, for NTBO protocol instructions, please see the Church Administration email of January 26, 2021.)
Timing of the Night to Be Much Observed Meal: There is no biblical command about exactly when to start dinner that evening. However, it is the “Night” to be observed, so unless there are unusual circumstances, the meal should begin and take place after sundown.
Night to Be Much Observed Video Message: A recorded message is available which explains the meaning of the Night to Be Much Observed. This video should be viewed by those observing the Night to Be Much Observed. This recording will be posted on MyLCG ahead of the date and will also be posted publicly on lcg.org on March 27. The recording may be played before sundown that evening, March 27.
First Day of Unleavened Bread Services Livestream
Services on the First Holy Day of Unleavened Bread, Sunday, March 28, will be livestreamed from Headquarters. The sermon will be given by Mr. Weston. There will also be an offertory sermonette given and the offering taken up (please see the Upcoming Holy Day Offerings announcement in this issue of The World Ahead for more information on the Holy Day Offerings).
All congregations are invited to tune in to this Holy Day service on March 28. Services will begin at 1:00 p.m., EDT, USA. For congregations where the time difference makes this impractical, or for those needing Spanish or French translation, a recorded and/or translated version will be available at a later time.
Log into your MyLCG account for information about how to access the stream.
Church Survey
Earlier this year, all Church pastors were sent membership listings of their congregations for conducting the periodic Church survey. This Church survey is needed from time to time to keep our files up to date. For example, the survey is vital to make sure all members receive their Church literature in the mail. We also need this information for Festival registration, to begin this year on May 2. Thank you to all members for helping your pastor collect your updated contact information!
Amazon Smile Donation Report
Amazon Smile recently sent us a donation of $1,383.85. That represents a small portion of purchases made on Amazon Smile by people who selected the Living Church of God as their preferred charity. If you already shop on Amazon, you may want to participate in this program, as there is no cost to shoppers and the Amazon mobile app was updated to include the Amazon Smile option.Over several years, participants in the Amazon Smile program have generated $15,124.35 in donations to the Living Church of God. Thank you!
Finance
Upcoming Holy Day Offerings: U.S. Churches Only
As we prepare for the upcoming spring Holy Days, we want to let the brethren know how we will be handling Holy Day offerings. For those who will not be able to attend services in person, we are encouraging online donations, if possible, just as we did for the fall Holy Days. This greatly cuts down on the time and work required to process checks sent by mail. With that said, congregations that hold in-person services on the Holy Days will have an offertory message and will collect an offering, as we have normally done. If you attend in person and choose to donate online, simply write “online” on your offering envelope collected at services.—Finance Department
Comments
The Importance of Forgiveness: As we approach the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, we are reminded of our need to be forgiven—and to forgive others. The Scriptures state that we have all sinned and that we can be forgiven because Jesus Christ suffered and died to pay the penalty for our sins (John 3:16; Romans 3:23–26; 6:23). To be forgiven requires that we must repent of our sins and change (Acts 2:37–38). However, Jesus also taught that we must be ready to forgive others who offend us—or God will not forgive us (Matthew 6:12–15). Forgiving others involves not holding grudges or harboring bitterness against others, not seeking to get even, and not gossiping or saying negative things about others who have made mistakes or hurt us in some way. This is not always easy, especially when memories, emotions, and personal pride are involved—but that is what we are admonished to do if we want to be Christians. Real Christians must learn to repent and to forgive—if we want to be forgiven. Forgiveness is a powerful tool that makes working together with other people possible—and enjoyable. If we remember that Jesus died so we can be forgiven, we should be able to forgive others.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—March 11, 2021
EU Call for Work-Free Sundays: According to Catholic bishops in the European Union, “Synchronised free time should be a priority in the EU social-policy agenda” (Vatican News, March 4, 2021). This is a message the bishops are sending to EU leaders, and the day most European nations traditionally observe this “free time” is Sunday. In their written statement, the bishops also cited the pressures brought about by COVID-19 as evidence for the importance of this “free time.”
During the pandemic, many more people than usual are working from home, and people need a weekly rest. A joint statement with the European Sunday Alliance notes that the erosion of boundaries between life and work creates a great deal of stress for workers, “affects their work-life balance,” and “compromises the health and wellbeing of workers, making them not only sick in the long run but also causing increasingly more often their absence from work due to psychosocial illness for sustained periods of time.” The group urged EU leadership to make this day of rest a high priority, citing the Council of Europe’s Social Charter which already recommends that a weekly day of rest from work “coincide with the day recognised by tradition or custom in the country or region concerned as a day of rest.”
The conference of bishops is biblically on-target with their recognition that everyone needs a weekly day of rest. However, they are biblically incorrect in calling for the day to be Sunday, when the Bible clearly denotes God’s commanded day of rest as the seventh day of the week—which is Saturday (see Exodus 20:8–11; Luke 4:16; Acts 17:2). We at Tomorrow’s World have also long proclaimed that the coming European “beast” power will eventually mandate Sunday worship for its citizens and even those who trade with her (Revelation 13:16–17). Such a coming law or mandate may help set the stage for the fulfillment of other end-time prophecies concerning Europe and the coming “beast.” For more insight into this current call by bishops of the EU for work-free Sundays, be sure to watch “The Mark of the Beast Is Here.”
Myth of the “Multiverse”: Some of the equations of modern physics have been used to suggest the possibility of many parallel or “companion” universes to our own. Atheists have highly publicized this rather radical concept and frequently lean on it for some of their explanations of the origin of life. The multiverse is openly speculated about in scientific circles and presented as fact in science fiction movies and even some non-fiction television programs. One rationale for this theory is that if the laws of physics differ from one universe to another, it increases the odds life could have evolved on its own in our universe.
But the multiverse theory is greatly flawed. Scientists break many fundamental principles of science and the scientific method in order to cling so strongly to such conclusions (Evolution News, March 2, 2021). Why would those claiming to do “good science” put so much confidence in a theory that is so unscientific? First, as science advances, the probability that complex life evolved anywhere in our universe—let alone on earth—is increasingly being shown to be miniscule to nonexistent! But, more importantly, the concept of a multiverse “frees atheists from real science,” as neuroscientist and evolution researcher Michael Egnor notes, “which is the only condition in which atheism can survive.”
In the pages of the Bible, God provides valuable insight into human nature and man’s need to justify himself. The Apostle Paul spoke about those who ignore the plain explanations presented by creation itself when he noted of the academics of his day, “Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22, cf. vv. 20–23). Whether it is the multiverse, supposed “missing links,” or dinosaurs evolving into birds, atheists and scientists who reject God go to great lengths to “support” their ideas so they do not have to obey the great One who created all things. To learn more about this important topic, be sure to read Evolution and Creation: What Both Sides Miss.—Scott Winnail, Chris Sookdeo, and Stuart Wachowicz