Greetings from Charlotte,
This past Wednesday we held an online Conference for all ministers around the world. I discussed the need for confidentiality, and caution when putting anything online. Mr. Ames gave an encouraging report on the work of the Television Department as well as plans for new booklets and DVDs that are in the pipeline. Dr. Winnail highlighted the credibility problem regarding vaccines and mandates. Be sure to read Mr. Wallace Smith’s lead article—“The Credibility Crisis”—in the February 2022 Tomorrow’s World magazine. You should be receiving it soon. I finished the conference by mentioning that we are planning in-person Council of Elders meetings, as well as regional in-person ministerial conferences this year. Several follow-up Tomorrow’s World Presentations are scheduled for this Sabbath and Sunday. Please take note of the Canadian truckers’ protest taking place this Saturday in Ottawa, mentioned in my video update for this week.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Tomorrow’s World Presentations in Texas and North Carolina
The weekend of January 22–23 saw several TWPs. Initial presentations were given in Big Sandy and Tyler, Texas, by Mr. Jonathan McNair to a combined total of 28 guests, as reported by Area Pastor Gary Stein. A presentation was also scheduled for Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, given by Mr. Wallace Smith, but it was hampered by a winter storm with a mix of ice and snow, so only three guests showed up. However, Area Pastor Wyatt Ciesielka reports that eight others who got the invitations have had phone contact with him and seem interested in coming to the follow-up. Follow-up presentations are planned in all three cities.
Follow-up presentations were also conducted last week in Jacksonville and Ocala, Florida; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and El Paso, Texas, with a combined total of 25 guests attending. Please continue praying for these important live events!
Passover 2022—Repeat Announcement
Important Notice to All Pastors: In 2022, the Passover Service will be observed on Thursday evening, April 14. 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). Passover Service recordings for 2022 were made by Mr. John Strain in English and by by Mr. Yvon Brochu, translating into French a 2021 Passover service by Mr. Rod McNair. To ensure timely delivery and to save on shipping costs, we need this information before Friday, January 28 for international congregations and by March 18 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, and whether they will need a CD or a DVD. International requests should be received before Friday, January 28 and U.S. requests before March 18. Please direct your requests to the Church Administration Department at [email protected] as soon as possible. These dates take into consideration the slowdown of mail service in some places because of the pandemic.
Living Education
Men’s Training Camp Near Houston, Texas
The newest addition to our Men’s Training Camps roster is being planned for the weekend of March 18–20 at Camp Cho-Yeh near Houston, Texas! The program will begin on the evening of Friday, March 18, and conclude by midday on Sunday, March 20. Men from 16 years old and up are welcome to be part of this first-ever MTC in Texas, led by Mr. Rick Stafford and Mr. Donald Stevens, with Mr. Jonathan McNair as guest. More information will be announced very shortly!
Spring Holy Day 2022 Virtual Choir
With our song selected and rehearsal tracks now being prepared, we are gearing up for the most powerful Worldwide Virtual Choir yet! If you would like to participate, listen carefully for announcements in the very near future about how to be involved.—Jonathan McNair
Television Department
Your Input About the Telecast—Repeat Announcement
If you have been attending Sabbath Services with the Living Church of God for less than 18 months and regularly watched the Tomorrow’s World telecast prior to attending services, we would like to ask about your experience of watching our program. We are working to make improvements to the telecast and would appreciate your feedback. If you are able to help us, please email Deborah Stephenson at [email protected] or call her at 704-708-2263 and she will set up a convenient time.—Mike DeSimone
Living Youth Program
Living Youth Camp 2022—Registration Open
2021 was a challenging year for LYC, with COVID-19 abruptly ending our program early. Despite that, comments received from campers and staff have been overwhelmingly positive, and a number have mentioned that even though it was cut short, it was still the best LYC they had ever attended. We are excited to be able to continue that tradition this year and can announce that registration is now open for Teen Camp 2022 in Athens, Texas! The camp will run from Tuesday, July 12 through Monday, July 25. We will be accepting campers ages 13 through 17, High School Staff ages 17 and 18 years old, and Staff ages 19 and above.
For Staff positions, we seek adults whose example reflects Godly values and who possess skills and experience that will add to the quality and excellence of the camp program. Some serve as counselors or work with campers in various activities and others serve in a variety of additional roles, such as First Aid, Kitchen, Laundry, etc. High School Staff are older teens who serve in supporting roles for the Staff and are selected for their positive example, skills, and leadership potential. Camp gives them valuable training and prepares them to take on more responsibility in the future.
Our list of activities for this year tentatively includes Archery, Aquatics, Basketball, Canoeing, Dance, Horseback Riding, Life Roles, Media, Speech, Softball, Ultimate Frisbee and Volleyball, along with daily Christian Living Classes.
For all the details on arrival dates, activities, departure dates, deadlines for application, costs, etc., please see the camp information page at https://camp.livingyouth.org/camps/teen/, and when you’re ready to take the plunge and apply, you can do so at https://camp.livingyouth.org.
If you require any assistance with the registration process, please contact Jenny Penman at the LYC Office at [email protected] or 980-254-0132.
Registration for the Preteen and Adventure Camps will open in the near future.
Comments
Perseverance—A Vital Quality: Perseverance is one of the laws of success. The word is defined as tenacity, remaining steadfast under pressure, and staying on a chosen path in spite of difficulties and opposition. Solomon wrote, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small” (Proverbs 24:10). Jesus stressed, “he who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22; 24:13). The Parable of the Sower reveals there are consequences for compromising or being distracted (Matthew 13:18–22). The Apostle Paul warned, “let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9). The Apostle John encouraged Philadelphians, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world.… Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown” (Revelation 3:10–11). Let’s remember this advice to persevere… and never, never, never quit!
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—January 27, 2022
Eruption off Tonga Sends Tsunami: Two weeks ago, the eruption of an underwater volcano off the coast of Tonga sent ash tens of thousands of feet into the sky and tsunami waves across thousands of miles of the Pacific Ocean (New York Times, January 15, 2022). The eruption set off tsunami warnings around the Pacific Rim and along the entire west coast of the United States, where some residents were told to avoid low-lying coastal areas. The “boom” from the eruption was heard 1,430 miles away in New Zealand.
The tsunami wave that hit Tonga’s capital city of Nuku’alofa is estimated to have been four feet high. In Japan, some waves were nearly three meters, around nine feet, high (CNN, January 17, 2022). In California and Alaska waves were almost four feet high, and in Oregon and Washington they were about a foot high (Forbes, January 15, 2022). The ash cloud reached Australia in a day, preventing some flights from taking off. The volcanic eruption, although under water, was the largest recorded in 30 years. In Tonga, the situation is dire.
Yet, in some ways this eruption was relatively small in its impact compared to similar events in the past. The Sumatran earthquake in 2004 sent a 100-foot-high wave across the Indian Ocean, killing over 230,000 people. The potential damage that can be wrought by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis can be massive. Within hours, a tsunami multiple meters high could inundate tidal regions around the entire ring of the Pacific, killing millions. Bible prophecy foretells the coming of such events during “the Day of the Lord.” This one-year period of time just before the return of Jesus Christ will bring multiple disasters, including events at sea that will destroy a third of the ships in the ocean (Revelation 8:8–9). This recent eruption and subsequent tsunami provide insight into dramatically greater events that will occur just prior to Christ’s return. To learn more about those events, be sure to watch “The Mysterious Day of the Lord.”
Will Russia Push Europe to Unite? With Russia’s massing of 100,000 troops on the border of the Ukraine in Eastern Europe, European nations are worried about a possible invasion and a broader war (BBC, January 18, 2022). Sweden recently moved hundreds of troops to Gotland Island in the Baltic, and Denmark strengthened its troop presence in the region—reigniting the question of whether these nations should join NATO. Spain sent warships to the Black Sea and may send fighter jets (Reuters, January 20, 2022). However, the European Union as a body, with divided opinions about how to proceed, seems paralyzed to act.
Europe’s short-sighted energy agreements have made it dependent on Russia, leaving European citizens worried about heating their homes should Russia “turn off the lights,” so to speak. While the UK has sent military arms to the Ukraine, Europe is not sure whether they should help as well.
Earlier this year, Poland’s prime minster warned that the West needs to “wake up from its geopolitical slumber,” and another EU diplomat warned, “Europe is now closer to war than it has been since the breakup of former Yugoslavia.” French President Emmanuel Macron recently commented, “Europe today is confronted with escalating tension on our borders.… As Europeans, we need to collectively make our own demands and put ourselves in a position to enforce them” (Deutsche Welle, January 19, 2022). Yet, Europe’s divisions have held it back. The Russian threat at Europe’s borders could push EU leaders to finally act as a unified federal body. It will be interesting to see what actions Europe takes going forward, especially if Russia launches military actions against the Ukraine. Bible prophecy foretells that a centralized military/political power will arise in Europe, led by Germany. The events we are watching today could lead to the rise of this coming European superpower, known in the Bible as “the beast.” To learn more about Europe’s prophesied future, be sure to read “Growth of a Strong Man: Germany Rising Again.”—Scott Winnail, Francine Prater, and Chris Sookdeo