Greetings from Charlotte,
As mentioned in this week’s video update, Mr. Gaylyn Bonjour and Mr. Tom Turner were laid to rest on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Both men were longtime employees of the Church and this leaves a hole in the hearts of many of us here in Charlotte and wherever these men were known. Mr. Dexter Wakefield will be handling Legal and Risk matters for the time being. Last weekend Mr. Wallace Smith held a Tomorrow’s World presentation in Tallahassee, Florida. Follow-up TWPs were scheduled for Portland and Eugene, Oregon, but had to be cancelled due to snow and ice. Canadian Regional Director, Mr. Stuart Wachowicz, is expected to be in town next week to consult on a Living Education program, conduct some interviews for a potential hiring in Canada, do a Living Youth podcast, and give an update on the Work in Canada.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last week, Mr. Wallace Smith travelled to Tallahassee, Florida, to present “The Gathering Storm.” This presentation was attended by 31 guests. This week, Canada is holding an online-only TWP for its subscriber base; 24,757 Canadian subscribers were invited to view this presentation. Dr. Douglas Winnail will travel to Hollywood and Melbourne, Florida, to give initial presentations, and Mr. Ryan Dawson will give a follow-up presentation in Tallahassee, Florida. Thank you all for your prayers and support for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Northeast Regional Family Weekend
We are pleased to announce that the Northeast Region of the Living Church of God will hold a Family Weekend in Hancock, Massachusetts, from Friday, April 26, through Monday, April 29. This is during the second half of the Days of Unleavened Bread and Monday is the concluding Holy Day. There will be a variety of activities, including a progressive fellowship dinner, children’s activities, Bible lectures, games, and team-building activities. Join the members of the Northeast Region and our special guest from Headquarters, Mr. Wallace Smith, for four days of worshiping our Creator and strengthening our bonds of brotherhood! If you are interested and would like more details on how to sign up and reserve your space, please contact Mr. Michael Aviles either by email ([email protected]) or by phone (Log in to MyLCG). We hope to see you there!
Living Youth Program
Living Youth Camp Registration
Registration for our Teen Camp in Texas and Preteen camp in Missouri is underway. You can find out more information about both and start the registration process at https://camp.livingyouth.org. If you require any assistance with the registration process, please contact the LYC office at [email protected].
LYP Europe—Summer 2024—Repeat Announcement
We will once again this year hold a weeklong LYP Teen Camp in the Chevetogne region of central Belgium. Camp dates are Monday, 29 July, through Monday, 5 August. The summer camp is bilingual and will be conducted in English and French. Church youth ages 12–19 from Europe, the U.K., Africa, the USA, Canada, the Caribbean, and elsewhere are invited to attend. The tuition for camp is €170 for campers and €60 for staff, and includes lodging, meals, and camp t-shirts. Campers should plan to arrive by mid-day on Monday, 29 July, and we ask staff to plan to come earlier if possible. Campers and staff are responsible for their own transportation costs. Those flying into Belgium can fly into either Brussels or Charleroi (Brussels South) and we will arrange for airport pickup and return. For more details and to begin the registration process, please contact Camp Director Mr. Rees Ellis ([email protected]).
Comments
Is the Old Testament Obsolete? Jesus said that Christians are to live “by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). The Apostle Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16–17). When these words were spoken and written, the primary Scriptures in existence were the books of the Old Testament. Today, many have been told that the Old Testament has been superseded by the New Covenant and the New Testament. Yet, when Paul cited Old Testament passages to Christians in Corinth, he said, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:1–11). When Jesus and the Apostles quoted Scripture, they quoted from the Old Testament. King David wrote in Psalm 119:160 “The entirety of Your word is truth.” The Old Testament is not obsolete. The truth of God contained in the Scriptures will eventually fill the earth (Isaiah 11:9)—which is why we study the whole Bible today.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—January 18, 2024
U.S. Navy No Longer Elicits Fear: For decades, Britannia ruled the waves. Then, the baton was passed to the United States during World War II. But God warned that curses would come upon the Israelite-descended nations if they rejected Him, stating: “I will break the pride of your power” (Leviticus 26:19). One of the greatest evidences of British and American power has been their militaries—particularly their navies. Today, Britain’s navy is only a fraction of what it once was—and the pride in as well as the fear of America’s navy are beginning to disappear.
We see this decline playing out in real time in the Red Sea. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are targeting both commercial and military ships in the area, moving the U.S. to spearhead an allied naval coalition representing at least 20 nations to ensure safe passage of goods through the Red Sea (Defense News, December 19, 2023). But the Houthis are unfazed and have threatened to continue and even increase attacks—including targeting American naval ships. In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece last month, Jerry Hendrix, senior fellow at the Sagamore Institute, a military think tank, recently observed that the deterrent capacity of the U.S. navy is waning (December 19, 2023). The Houthi rebels’ leader commented in a televised speech just last week, “We, the Yemeni people, are not among those who are afraid of America. We are comfortable with a direct confrontation with the Americans” (New York Times, January 11, 2024). According to Mr. Hendrix, “America’s failure to expand and maintain its fleet, or stand by its word, may have already entirely eroded U.S. naval deterrence.” As the article’s online subhead noted, “America isn’t very scary anymore.” This failure to engender fear may be seen as a good thing by some, but with 80 percent of global trade moving by sea, the prospects are sobering. U.S. carrier strike groups used to instill fear into the hearts of rogue nations and potential enemies like the Houthis, but apparently no more.
For many the rapid decline of American naval power is surprising. But for students of Bible prophecy, it should not be. To understand why the modern Israelite nations, such as the U.S., rose to power and why they are facing troubles today, read or listen to The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.
The Impact of Traditional Families on Crime: The Bible may be an ancient text, but modern research continues to validate the values and principles taught within its pages. A recent report in the 2023 Institute for Family Studies entitled “Stronger Families, Safer Streets” highlighted a nationwide study of census and crime data from 613 U.S. cities with populations over 65,000. According to the report, overall crime rates in cities with high levels of single-parenthood were 48 percent higher than in cities with low levels of single-parenthood. For violence and homicide, cities with higher levels of single-parenthood had 118 percent higher rates of violence and 255 percent higher rates of homicide!
Census tract data from the city of Chicago were more shocking. The report noted that neighborhoods with high levels of single-parent households “face 137% higher total crime rates, 226% higher violent crime rates, and 436% higher homicide [murder] rates” when compared with neighborhoods with low levels of single-parent households. According to the report summary, “We find that cities are safer when two-parent families are dominant and more crime-ridden when family instability is common.” As the authors note, “Drawing on an interdisciplinary body of social science research, we theorize that this relationship is likely a byproduct of some mix of the heightened risk of family instability in the socialization of young children, and the role that father absence plays in providing less guidance and oversight for adolescent and young adult males.”
Although this information is not new, it is still profound. In Western nations, it is increasingly unacceptable to declare the positive impact on society of the traditional family. Yet, credible research clearly highlights the powerful benefit that the traditional family structure and the presence of fathers have on public safety. God revealed important guidelines for the family that would be a blessing to mankind. Today, societies suffer when they reject these God-given laws. For greater insight into the society-changing power of the biblical family, read our insightful article “Fatherless Families?”—Scott Winnail, Francine Prater, and Brent Mitchell