Greetings from Charlotte,
This has been a very busy week here in Charlotte. Mr. Ames, Dr. Winnail, and Mr. Wakefield are traveling to visit other congregations. Our workers in the office are striving to keep up with all the end-of-year chores that have to be done for the sake of government regulations and in-house responsibilities. On a personal level, I recorded a new telecast, participated in a podcast for our youth channel, and am preparing for the sermon this Sabbath. Others are finalizing preparations for a family weekend beginning with a Friday evening Bible Study. Elsewhere, the LYP summer camp is underway in South Africa and camps will begin this Sunday in Kenya and Benin. As reported in this week’s video update, we had our first baptism in Burkina Faso in West Africa, where Mr. Rees Ellis was catching up on 10 ministerial contact requests. The last two weeks have seen a positive spike in literature requests from our telecasts, averaging over 5,000 responses when including international responses. What a year 2023 has been. What will 2024 offer? Be sure to stay close to God and hang onto your seats as it will no doubt be exciting.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Tomorrow’s World Presentations—Year in Review
The 2023 TWP calendar year wrapped up with the Portmore, St. Catherine, presentation in Jamaica, garnering 11 guests. 2023 was a banner year for TWPs, particularly international presentations. There were 72 international presentations—our second largest year for international events—and in the United States we held 149. International presentations were held in the Philippines, Malaysia, Fiji, French Guiana, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, several countries in the Caribbean, Canada, and the UK. All told, these presentations drew a combined total of 2,584 guests. Still, the true success of TWPs is not measured by guests who attend the presentations, but those who begin attending services. In 2023, 95 individuals in the U.S. and approximately 35 individuals internationally began attending services as a result of the TWPs. As always, we are thankful for those who give their time and energy serving at these events, and more importantly, everyone who prays for the success of the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Winter Activities
While the world celebrates ancient pagan traditions this weekend, we in the Church have been able to take advantage of the fact that in many places many people have been given time off work and school. We can certainly use this time to fellowship and rejoice with our brethren. All around the world the Church has organized family weekends, camps, and campouts. Below is a list of the events happening at this time.
- LYP Kenya Preteen Camp
- LYP South Africa Teen Camp
- LYP Benin Teen Camp
- LYP Philippines Teen Camp
- Trinidad and Tobago Family Weekend
- Charlotte, North Carolina, Family Weekend
- Kansas City, Missouri, Family Weekend
- Big Sandy, Texas, Family Weekend
- Jacksonville, Florida, Family Campout Weekend
- Little Rock, Arkansas, Family Weekend (12/30–12/31)
Thank you to everyone who has worked to organize and run these events. Please remember to pray for the success of the activities and for the safe travel and health of the brethren attending.
Living Education
Living Education–Charlotte
Living Education–Charlotte is now in its sixth year and growing strong as we continue to help our young adults build a Godly foundation for life. Students build bonds of brotherhood together, as they study God’s word with the help of our staff in Charlotte. They also take part in twice-weekly forums given by leaders from around the world. To read summaries of these forums and more about the program, just go to www.lcgeducation.org/charlotte/.—Jonathan McNair
Living Education for Members—Repeat Announcement
You may be aware of our Living Education–Charlotte program, providing young adults in the Church an opportunity to build a solid foundation in God’s way of life. But did you know that Living Education also offers a selection of free online classes for our members? For example, you can listen to Mr. Gerald Weston’s instructional lectures on the section of the Bible referred to as the “General Epistles,” comprising the letters of James, Peter, John, and Jude. To listen to these lectures, just go to online.lcgeducation.org and click on “Library.” Now is a good time to learn more about this portion of the Bible!—Jonathan McNair
Living Youth Program
LYC Teen Camp 2024 Registration Opens
Registration for the Living Youth Teen Camp in Athens, Texas, opens this Sunday! Youth aged 13 to 17 can register to attend as campers, and those aged 17 and 18 can apply to be members of our High School Staff. Staff registration is also open for those 19 and older. Staff will need to arrive on July 7, and camper arrival is July 9. The departure date at the end of camp is July 22.
For more information about the camps, fees, and to begin registration, please visit https://camp.livingyouth.org. We hope to see all of you there! We strongly encourage people to register early for camp as it greatly helps us in planning for the camp. So don’t delay!
Registration for 2024 Preteen and Adventure Camps will begin at a future date.—Joshua Penman
Finance Department
Year-End Donations (U.S. only)
Please be reminded that all U.S. contributions dated in December and postmarked on or before December 31 will be counted as a donation for 2023 and may be tax deductible in 2023, even if we receive it in January 2024. For those who donate online, the deadline for online contributions is 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, December 31.
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 22, 2024.
As we close the calendar year for 2023, we want to extend a hearty thank you to all our members, co-workers, and donors 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 2024.
Comments
The Way to Peace: At this time of year, we hear a lot about “Peace on earth and goodwill toward men” yet the news is full of reports of war and suffering. The desire for peace is universal, but that hope has remained elusive for most human beings. While world leaders talk of peace, and religious leaders pray for peace, and the UN sends “peacekeepers” to trouble spots around the globe, the world simply does not know the way to peace (Isaiah 59:8). However, God’s word reveals that the way to peace is to learn to love and live by the laws of God and that way leads to peace and quietness (Psalm 119:165; Isaiah 32:17). The world will learn the way to peace when Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace returns to this earth and the laws of God are spread from Jerusalem by teachers who are in training now (Isaiah 9:6–7; 2:2–4; 30:20–21). Let’s prepare for that day.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—December 21, 2023
Declining Confidence in Western Democracies: In a recent poll, Europeans and Americans were asked if they were satisfied with their national democracies and the EU central government (Politico, December 11, 2023). Results show that nearly 70 percent of American respondents said the state of democracy had declined in recent years, while a similar number of polltakers in France shared the same opinion, and 60 percent of UK respondents felt their democracy was in decline. Sweden was the only country where more than half (58 percent) of respondents were satisfied with their democracy. When asked about the state of democracy within the EU government, most respondents were unsatisfied, even though they were supportive of the EU, in general.
Many are concerned about the declining respect for democracy in Western nations. For some, democracy is idolized as the best form of government. Yet, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill put such thoughts in perspective: “Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
All the governments of this world are using humanly devised forms of governance that have never been able to find the way to peace (Isaiah 59:8). Around 400 BC, the Greek philosopher Plato believed that governments follow cycles of decline, beginning with aristocracy, eventually to an oligarchy, then to democracy and accompanying anarchy, and finally to tyranny under a dictator. The Bible reveals that any such cycles will end when Jesus Christ returns to establish the Kingdom of God and the government of God, which will bring real peace to this earth (Isaiah 9:6–7). To learn more about this exciting future, read or listen to “Perfect Government Is Coming Soon!”
Computing with Lab-Produced Brains: For years, computer scientists have been experimenting with human cells, with the hope of improving computing power. Recently, scientists used human stem cells to grow a neurological brain-tissue mass known as an organoid (Nature.com, December 11, 2023). The brain tissue was connected to a computer with electrodes and electrical signals were delivered to the tissue and then interpreted by the computer. The intent is to increase the speed and energy efficiency of computers.
As advanced as computing is today, the “neural network” of the brain is far more effective for processing information, and scientists are working to use this lab-produced brain tissue to enhance the effectiveness of artificial intelligence. For this study, researchers attempted to train the AI software to recognize voices of eight different people. Using the human brain tissue, the computer was able to correctly discern between human voices 78 percent of the time. Keeping the brain tissue alive for longer periods of time presents a challenge to the research.
It is possible mankind will one day make remarkable achievements with such technology, fulfilling the description God made before scattering humanity at the Tower of Babel, that “nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them” (Genesis 11:6). Yet such experiments with brain tissue in a world where human life is not respected as a reflection of God’s own image (Genesis 1:26) is also cause for real concern. When scientists’ ethics are not guided by the laws of God and teachings of Jesus Christ, today’s wonders can too easily become tomorrow’s nightmares.
To learn more about the purpose of human life and its incredible potential, read or download the booklet What Is the Meaning of Life?—Scott Winnail, Francine Prater, and Dinah Winnail