Greetings from Charlotte,
This past Monday, January 16, was the 37th anniversary of Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong’s death. We are very thankful that God used this remarkable man to bring us to the Truth. Virtually all of us were called into the Truth either directly or indirectly through him. Of course, those who knew him best know that he recognized that it was God who did the Work and he was merely the instrument God chose.
Men and women who are involved in this Work of God in the French language met online this past week. You might be surprised to know the scope of our French-language efforts. Those connecting to the meeting were from the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Martinique, Belgium, Switzerland, Gabon, Ethiopia, and Australia. (Those in France and Burundi were, regrettably, not able to attend the meeting.) Discussion was translated into English and French in real time.
Mr. Ames recorded a telecast Wednesday titled “Evolution or Revelation,” offering The Real God: Proofs and Promises. And Mr. Simon Muthama is visiting brethren and GOTOs in Uganda this week.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Past and Upcoming Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last weekend, we held five Tomorrow’s World Presentations. We held three initial presentations: in Warner Robins and Columbus, Georgia; and St. Michael, Barbados; and follow-up presentations in Anniston, Alabama; and Gainesville, Florida. These presentations had a combined total of 72 guests. This weekend, we have eight events scheduled: four initial presentations, in San Fernando and St. Joseph, Trinidad; Jacksonville, North Carolina; and Fort Myers, Florida; and follow-up presentations in St. Michael, Barbados; Anniston, Alabama; and Warner Robins and Columbus, Georgia. Thank you all for your continued prayers for these presentations.
French-Language Update
We have exciting news concerning the whiteboard videos. This week another French whiteboard video, “The Model Prayer Explained,” published on May 10, 2022, surpassed the one million views mark on Facebook. We now have two whiteboard videos with over one million views on this network. On YouTube, the French telecast “2023 in Bible Prophecy” garnered us more than 4,500 new subscribers to our channel.
Passover 2023—Repeat Announcement
Important Notice to All Pastors: In 2023, the Passover Service will be observed on Tuesday evening, April 4. 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 physical copy of the Passover Service recording and letter instructions (available in English, French, and Spanish). Passover Service recordings for 2023 were made by Mr. John Strain in English and by Mr. Kenneth Frank (translated by Mr. Yvon Brochu) in French. To ensure timely delivery and to save on shipping costs, we need this information before January 27 for international congregations and by March 17 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 a physical copy of the Passover Service recording and letter instructions for observing it at home. International requests should be received before January 27 and U.S. requests before March 17. 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.
Note: As has been the case the last couple of years, the Passover Service recording will also be available digitally to pastors and video recipients via the FTP site. A private YouTube link will also be provided ahead of time.
Living Education
Living for Tomorrow: L4T Eagle Rock—“Journey of a Lifetime”
How can you prepare for the storms facing you in an increasingly chaotic world? What tools and skills will be necessary to avoid shipwreck and make for a meaningful and fulfilling journey of life? These questions and more will be the focus of discussion as we launch the first L4T (Living for Tomorrow) young adults’ weekend of 2023. It will be held in Eagle Rock, Missouri, with the theme, “Journey of a Lifetime.” Camp Eagle Rock is located west of Branson, Missouri, and is a beautiful site to join other young adults for an uplifting Sabbath, enjoyable activities, and focused presentations. It will be held on Presidents Day weekend, with activities beginning Friday evening, February 17, and departure Monday morning, February 20.
This event is open to young adults ages 18–30 and registration is open (log in to MyLCG for a link to register for the weekend). If you have any questions about registration or the weekend, please contact Mr. Rod McNair at [email protected] or Dr. Richard Franz at [email protected]. Sign up now and make that weekend a highlight of your winter!—Jonathan McNair
Living Youth Program
Camp Registration: Missouri and West Virginia Preteen Camps and Texas Teen Camp
Registration for the Missouri and West Virginia Preteen Camps opens on Sunday, January 22! Campers ages 8–12 and staff ages 15 to adult are welcome to apply. For more details and to register, please visit camp.livingyouth.org. Join your Church friends and make new ones as we focus on building godly friendships, developing new skills, having fun, and most importantly learning how God’s way works!
This year’s Missouri Preteen Camp will be held at the Lake of the Ozarks State Park near Kaiser, with arrival on Sunday, July 30, and departure on Friday, August 4.—Yancy Taber, Camp Director
The West Virginia Preteen Camp will be held at the Mercer County 4-H camp near Princeton. Camper arrival is Sunday afternoon, July 30, and departure is Friday morning, August 4.—Wyatt Ciesielka, Camp Director
Mr. Phil West is also planning a Texas Preteen Camp at the Lone Star Camp near Athens from Monday, July 24, to Friday, July 28. This is immediately after the Teen Camp there, and Teen Camp staff and campers may want to stay over to serve at the Preteen Camp. Registration for the Texas Preteen Camp will open soon.
Registration for Teen camp continues. You can register and find more information at camp.livingyouth.org.
Living Youth Adventure Camps for 2023
Our Midwest Adventure Camp will be a canoe trip down the Current River in southern Missouri from Sunday, June 4, through Friday, June 9. If canoeing down the Current River and sleeping under the stars (in tents) on sand bars or on the riverbank sound like a great time to you, then save the dates for this year’s Midwest Adventure Camp.—Bobby Jacques
Our Northwest Adventure Camp will take place in the North Coast section of the Olympic National Park from Sunday, June 25, through Thursday, June 29. This route features some of the most rugged and scenic coastal landscapes in the entire country, with a lot of breathtaking views. Please note that the trail is rated “difficult” and will include three to four days of backpacking.—Jonathan Bueno
Stay tuned for more information and registration opening soon!
Comments
What Really Motivates You? In today’s world, many are motivated by a personal quest for position, power, prestige, pleasure—or a paycheck. However, the failure to be acknowledged or acclaimed can be hard to deal with. At times, this can spill over into the Church and local congregations when individuals jostle for positions and seek to be noticed. Yet, Jesus rebuked religious leaders in His day for seeking prominent positions and public recognition (Matthew 23:1–12). In place of self-seeking motives, Jesus emphasized the importance of genuine humble service: “whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:26). The Apostles Paul and Peter urged Christians to avoid self-seeking motives and focus instead on looking for ways to serve other people (1 Timothy 6:3–5; 1 Peter 5:1–4). As we eliminate selfish motives and develop the genuine humility to serve others that Jesus exhibited, God can use us more effectively as instruments in His hands (Philippians 2:3–12).
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—January 19, 2023
The World Is In a “Slow-Motion Train Wreck”: So says famed economist and advisor to presidents, Nouriel Roubini (Newsweek, October 13, 2022). Nicknamed “Dr. Doom” by Wall Street, Dr. Roubini released a new book in October titled MegaThreats: Ten Dangerous Trends That Imperil Our Future, And How to Survive Them. Leading up to the book’s release, Dr. Roubini was interviewed by several news sources and commented to Newsweek that there are “mounting economic, monetary, social, political, geopolitical, environmental and technological threats and they’re building up” on a global scale. Many of these are threats that “did not exist before” (Business Insider, December 19, 2022). In his book, Roubini predicts a long, protracted global recession, not a short, relatively painless recession lasting only a few months—noteworthy because he is well known for accurately predicting the global recession of 2008.
Dr. Roubini also said that he “never before had to worry about wars among great powers, climate change, global pandemics, deglobalization or trade wars.” He was referring to the last 75 years which have been filled with relative peace and prosperity—a period Roubini describes as a geopolitical anomaly.
While Roubini’s predictions about the future may seem ominous, surveys of the public reveal that many share similar concerns about where the world is headed. However, few today are aware that Bible prophecies have long predicted that, as the end of the age approaches, the world will eventually experience a “train wreck” such as “Dr. Doom” predicts, but on a far greater scale than humanity has ever experienced before. Revelation 6 warns that the end-time ride of the “four horsemen of the Apocalypse” will bring religious deception and persecution, major wars, famines, disease, and death on an unprecedented scale. To learn more about these earth-shaking future events, be sure to watch “The Four Horsemen Ride!”
Israel’s Conservatives Create New Fight: Benjamin Netanyahu is once again Prime Minister of Israel after 20 months out of office. When Mr. Netanyahu failed to form a government in March 2021, many believed he stepped down due to charges of corruption. However, Mr. Netanyahu is again at Israel’s helm, backed up by what many consider Israel’s most conservative government yet (BBC, January 5, 2023). Recently, Israel’s new National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited the Temple Mount briefly and, in doing so, enraged Palestinian officials. Under the “status quo,” only Arabs are allowed to pray on the Temple Mount, though anyone is able to visit. Yet Ben-Gvir’s mere presence on the Temple Mount—without praying and within the limits of the “status quo”—caused a backlash.
In reaction to Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to the Mount, the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations petitioned the Security Council to censure Israel, but currently to no avail. While the Palestinians pressure fellow Arab states to push back against Israel, Gulf states UAE and Bahrain continue to work to maintain the Abraham Accords originally brokered by Netanyahu in his previous administration. They do this in part as a counter against Iran’s actions in the region, although Netanyahu has gone on the record as planning to maintain the Temple Mount status quo (Reuters, January 6, 2023).
The situation in the Holy Land and on the Temple Mount continues to be precarious, and Bible prophecies indicate that events in and around Jerusalem will soon profoundly impact the balance of power in the Middle East and Europe. To get a better picture of coming events in this volatile region of the world, be sure to watch “Five Prophetic Signs for the Middle East.”—Scott Winnail, Stephen Elliott, and Francine Prater