Greetings from Charlotte,
As mentioned in my video update for this week, Mr. Peter Nathan was in town to touch base on several matters, and he gave us a most interesting presentation on the significant growth in the Work in Africa, especially in the French language. Messrs. Stuart Wachowicz, Michael Heykoop, and Gary Molnar made a quick trip to visit us from Canada to discuss a number of initiatives for preaching the Gospel to the world. We have tentatively scheduled 33 Tomorrow’s World Presentations (not including follow-ups) for the first three months of 2022 and will plan many more over the course of the year. In meetings this past week, I emphasized the need to be aggressive in scheduling TWPs, in Facebook advertising, and in all our efforts to reach the world. We do not know how much time we have, but it is evident that difficult times are ahead. There is a new chancellor in Germany, a massive Russian military buildup on the Ukrainian border, inflation, and an uncertain supply chain. This is to say nothing about natural disasters, civil unrest over vaccine mandates, and a host of other crises looming on the horizon. The year 2022 is going to be an interesting year!—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Report from Dr. Wilner Pierre, Area Pastor of French regions in the Caribbean and South America
Haiti: Despite civil disorder and violence, a gas crisis shutting down transportation and travel, and a recent earthquake, besides the pandemic, the Haitian brethren remain spiritually strong and determined to endure to the end. For three Sabbaths, when conditions in the country were particularly chaotic, brethren were able to remain in their homes and connect to livestreamed Sabbath services. They remember Mr. Armstrong warning of such prophesied conditions and look forward to rebuilding the nation under Jesus Christ. Their courage and strength of character in the face of these trials is an inspiring example.
Martinique/Guadeloupe: Since mid-November, pandemic-related protests have paralyzed the French territories of Guadeloupe and Martinique. The French government’s Minister for Overseas Territories came from Paris to help restore order, and roads were cleared under the protection of elite troops from France. Calm is slowly returning in Martinique and very slowly in Guadeloupe. The brethren have not been harmed nor suffered damage during the civil unrest, but they have been affected by the shortages in the stores and roadblocks. Services in Guadeloupe were cancelled for a few Sabbaths but are expected to resume this weekend. Martinique had to cancel services one Sabbath. There has been less disorder in St. Martin and it is also calming down. French Guiana, in South America, has remained calm through the recent turmoil. The brethren in these areas also felt God’s protection during the hurricane season, which brought them no damage, though a lack of rainfall means a difficult dry season ahead (February–June). COVID cases are increasing and expected to rise even more because of traditional public Christmas events, when restrictions tend to be “forgotten.” Please remember our brethren who live and work in these difficult circumstances.
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last weekend, four Tomorrow’s World Presentations were conducted in the following cities: Minneapolis, Minnesota; Wausau, Wisconsin; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Tampa, Florida (follow-up). A total of 39 guests attended. This Sabbath, Mr. Richard Ames will be the guest speaker for a TWP in Gaffney, South Carolina. A new congregation was established in Gaffney just a few weeks ago. Four follow-up presentations will also be conducted this weekend. Please pray that God would inspire the speaking at these events and inspire those whom He is calling to come and hear these important messages!
Living Education
Last week, we opened our new class “Business Relationships in the Church,” by Mr. Dexter Wakefield. There is a surprising amount of instruction given in the Bible about how to handle our money and our work in a way that will contribute to harmony between people, particularly when that involves brethren in the Church. Mr. Wakefield gives solid, practical advice based on the laws and statutes of the Bible. Already, 94 members have begun to listen to the lectures in this helpful course. To enroll, just go to lcgeducation.org.—Jonathan McNair
Finance Department
Please be reminded that all U.S. contributions dated in December and postmarked on or before Friday, December 31, will be counted as a donation for 2021 and may be tax-deductible in 2021, even if we receive it in January 2022. For those who donate online, the deadline for online contributions is 11:59 p.m. on December 31. Keep in mind that December 31 is a Friday this year, and sundown times will vary depending on your location.
Also note that if you plan on taking a tax deduction for contributions, your tax return should not be filed until you receive your year-end receipt for donations. This donation receipt is one of the tax documents the Internal Revenue Service requires you to keep as backup to claim this deduction. We plan to issue year-end donation receipts on or about January 20, 2022.
As we close the calendar year for 2021, we want to extend a hearty thank you to all our members and co-workers for your generous financial support, and for your prayers for every aspect of the Work. The harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few, but collectively we are able to accomplish much through God’s blessing. Please continue to pray for God’s guidance in everything that we do at Headquarters and in the local congregations around the world as we begin 2022.
Comments
Is the Old Testament Obsolete? Jesus said Christians are to live “by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). The Apostle Paul wrote that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16–17). When these words were written, the only Scriptures in existence were the books of the Old Testament. Yet, many have been told the Old Testament has been superseded by the New Covenant and the New Testament. However, when Jesus and the Apostles quoted Scripture, they quoted from the Old Testament. The Apostle Paul even told New Testament Christians in Corinth that the Old Testament examples “were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:11). The Old Testament with its instructions, lessons, and prophecies is not obsolete. We need to learn from what is recorded in both the Old and New Testaments, so we can share these divinely inspired instructions and examples with all mankind in the coming Kingdom of God.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—December 9, 2021
Hunger Rising in Latin America and Caribbean: According to the United Nations, “Tens of millions are going hungry in Latin America and the Caribbean as the Covid-19 pandemic sharpens a regional malnutrition crisis to its worst levels in decades” (CNN, November 30, 2021). From 2019 to 2020, rates of hunger in the region rose by 30 percent. Lockdowns and loss of jobs have limited the ability to obtain food, with women going hungry at greater rates than men. In Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, nearly half the population is in a state of food insecurity. A third of Argentina’s population is hungry, and analysts fear the impact of another round of hyperinflation. Sadly, the flip side of food insecurity is obesity. Lacking access to healthy foods, many hungry families turn to unhealthy alternatives with high amounts of added fat and sugar. Throughout the region, over 100 million people are obese, and the number is increasing.
The COVID-19 crisis is not the only reason for growing hunger. This crisis has been building for years due to many factors, including political instability (Bloomberg, November 30, 2021). In Latin America and the Caribbean, nearly 40 percent of the population—267 million people—experienced moderate to severe food insecurity in 2020 (Al Jazeera, November 30, 2021). Elsewhere in the world, hunger rates are even higher. According to a July 2021 report by Oxfam International, 11 people die every minute from hunger! And “the number of people facing famine-like conditions has increased by six times over the past year.”
These statistics should sober us! Today, many people live with excess even as many more are starving. Many world leaders vie for power and control while their citizens suffer. Thankfully, the Bible foretells a coming time when food insecurity and starvation will be a thing of the past—yet this will not come as a result of human efforts, but with the second coming of Jesus Christ. His return to set up the Kingdom of God on earth will bring an end to suffering. To learn more about this future time of peace and abundance, be sure to watch “Isaiah’s Prophecy of Peace.”
EU May Gain Powerful Trade Powers: The European Union has drafted a law that will allow “Brussels to impose economic pain—ranging from trade and investment restrictions to sanctions on intellectual property rights—on any country that has sought to economically blackmail the EU” (Politico, December 6, 2021). This law will be the EU’s biggest foreign policy advance in decades. It will provide the European Commission with power to enact trade sanctions without specific approval of EU member states—essentially giving the EU’s executive branch far greater autonomy and far less oversight by member states. Ultimately, it will reduce the power of member states and shift more power to the EU.
This new law is intended to be defensive in that the goal is to protect EU member states that may be attacked by trade sanctions from without. However, any defensive tool can also be used offensively, as illustrated by the actions of other major world powers throughout history. Other nations have used similar tools to throw their political and economic weight around.
What is the potential significance of this new EU law? Scripture provides unique insight. The Bible reveals that a European “beast” power will rise at the end of the age, wielding not only unstoppable military power, but also immense economic power (see Revelation 18). It enriches itself and enables other nations to become rich through trade—potentially by using trade-related tools like the currently proposed law. This law, should it pass, could aid the rise of this future European “beast” power. To learn more about coming events in Europe that will impact the world, watch “Who Is the Beast?”—Scott Winnail and Francine Prater