Greetings from Charlotte,
Mr. Rod McNair returned home from El Salvador where he visited with members over Pentecost (see write-up below for more details). I returned home from Nevada and California where I spent last Sabbath and Pentecost. Forty men participated in a Men’s Training Camp in the Cape area of South Africa. Thanks to Mr. Lawdi Ferreira for envisaging and planning the event. A contract has been signed for the French-language radio broadcasts presented by Dr. Wilner Pierre to air daily in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Program airings will begin shortly. Beginning this Sunday, 34 backpackers and three base camp personnel will begin an adventure of a lifetime in the Eagle Cap Wilderness in northeastern Oregon. This popular backpacking destination is considered the “Swiss Alps of Oregon” and is a fitting location for this year’s Adventure Program. In the United States, we also have three preteen camps and the teen camp scheduled to begin in the next few weeks, plus a European teen camp. Please pray for the safety of all involved, and that these camps will open the eyes of our youth to a way of life that far exceeds artificial reality.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last week we held one follow-up presentation in St. Michael, Barbados, which drew a total of eleven guests. This week we have a full slate of presentations. We will hold eleven presentations, including two in North Dakota, two in Alabama, two in North Carolina, two in New York, two in South Africa, and one online presentation for all the Canadian subscribers. Thank you to everyone for your continued prayers and support for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Pentecost in Central America
On Pentecost weekend, the brethren in El Salvador hosted brethren from Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Puerto Rico, the United States, and one member from Guatemala, in the coastal town of La Union, about a three-hour drive from the capital city, San Salvador. Most brethren don’t see each other except once a year at the Feast, so combining on Pentecost, as they have done for the last several years, is really special. About 50 were present on the Sabbath and 75 on Pentecost.
Bad weather in south Florida disrupted flights to El Salvador. Mr. Rod McNair and Mrs. Kennell, who attended to help with translation, were able to get the last seats on different flights, but Mr. Mario Hernandez was not able to make the trip, so his absence was a disappointment to everyone.
The event was held in a remote and peaceful location surrounded by lush, green hills. Mr. Rod McNair and Mr. George Schaubeck gave a Friday night Bible Study and the Sabbath and Pentecost sermons. Mrs. Kennell, a certified and experienced interpreter, was extremely helpful and also worked with one of the young men from Costa Rica who is gaining experience as a Cambridge-certified translator. There was an abundance of warm fellowship, hugs, and laughter, as everyone enjoyed meals together throughout the weekend.
Feast of Tabernacles
Festival (Second Tithe) Assistance Requests—U.S. Only
Attention U.S. Pastors: The deadline to submit Festival Assistance Request forms to the Church Administration Department is Friday, August 2. All forms should be properly completed by the members requesting second tithe assistance to attend the Feast this year. Then, the Area Pastors should write their recommendations/comments on the forms before submitting them to CAD. The forms are available to ministers on the MyLCG website (www.cogl.org).—Festival Office
Service Need at Canaan Valley, West Virginia, Feast Site
The Feast site in Canaan Valley is looking for a certified nurse (RN/LPN) who is willing to serve with First Aid at the Feast. If you are willing to transfer to Canaan Valley to serve in this capacity, please contact the coordinator, Mr. Lenny Bower, at [email protected].
Living Youth Program
Camp Staff: Necessary Certifications for Some Positions—Repeat Announcement
First Aid/Lifeguard Certificates
If you have a current Certificate in First Aid/Lifeguarding, etc., and will be serving in this capacity at any of the USA camps in 2024, then please send a copy of your Certification to Jill Ewers ([email protected]). The Certificate must be current and valid through the entirety of the camp(s) where it will be used.
Food Handler Training Program
If you have received certification through an ANSI-accredited food safety program for the State of Texas as a Food Handler or Food Manager and will be attending Texas Teen Camp or Texas Preteen Camp in 2024, please send your certificate to Jill Ewers ([email protected]) and copy Joshua Penman ([email protected]).
TrainRight Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Training
All staff members who are 18 years old and up are required to participate in an online training program for awareness and prevention of child abuse: TrainRight Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Training Program. This is an online training course that takes about one hour to complete. Once you have been accepted as a staff member at one of the camps, you will receive an email from [email protected] titled “Invite – Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Training Program” with a link to register for and complete the training online. Note: The Certification for this TrainRight course is good for two years, the year it’s taken plus the next year. For example, if you took the course in 2022, the Certification was valid in 2022 and 2023. Therefore, you would have to retake the course in 2024 to receive your new Certification for 2024/2025.
If you have any questions, please contact Jill Ewers ([email protected]).
Comments
Stay Focused on Our Mission: The lessons of history show that mankind and God’s Chosen People have drifted off course again and again. Adam and Eve made wrong choices that sent human history off in a wrong direction—due to Satan’s influence. Ancient Israel turned away from God and reaped serious consequences. Modern Israelite nations are following the same path. Jesus called disciples and raised up His Church to preach the Gospel (Mark 1:14–15; 16:15), warn the world of consequences of sin, and announce events that indicate His return is near (Mark 13, Matthew 24). The mission of God’s Church also includes preparing individuals to reign with Jesus Christ in the Kingdom of God (Luke 1:17; Revelation 5:10). To obtain this challenging and exciting reward, we must avoid being distracted by the cares and temptations of this world and stay focused on our mission (Matthew 13:10–23).
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—June 20, 2024
German Involvement in the Holy Land: Bible prophecy indicates that a German-led European “beast” power will have a military presence in the Holy Land at the end of the age. In fact, the Bible prophesies that non-Israelite (Gentile) nations will “trample” Jerusalem shortly before Christ’s return (Luke 21:24). How might a German-led European force become directly involved with Israel and Jerusalem in the future? The Bible seldom provides all the details of exactly how its prophecies will come to pass. But, with America urging Europe to handle more of its own defense needs, Germany has more recently become receptive to embracing new roles, which bears watching.
In May of this year, the Arab League put forth the “Manama Declaration,” proposing that the United Nations lead a military protection and peace-keeping force in Gaza and the Palestinian Territories until a two-state solution can be established (China Daily Global, June 4, 2024). A couple of weeks later, Germany’s foreign minister Annalena Baerbock noted, “If an international protection force is now needed to ensure that we finally achieve peace, that is also our mission,” clearly supporting German involvement in any future UN military peace-keeping force in the Palestinian Territories. Should such a scenario come to pass, Germany would be better positioned to more easily fulfill key end-time prophecies related to the Holy Land and the biblical “beast” power that will control Jerusalem and, ultimately, the Temple Mount.
Not only should Bible students watch the Middle East, they should also watch for a larger role for Germany in the Holy Land. To learn more, be sure to watch “2024 in Bible Prophecy.”
Europe’s Shift to the Right: As predicted, the European parliamentary elections witnessed many liberals losing their positions and being replaced by more conservative leaders (Politico, June 10, 2024). As one source observed, “After five years during which Brussels made the Green Deal its signature issue, voters turned against ecologically minded parties and voted their representatives out of the Parliament.” And as many have observed, it seems voters also turned the parliamentary election into a referendum on their own national leaders.
While Italy’s far-right prime minister Giorgia Meloni maintained strong support, leaders in Spain and Germany lost support. French President Emmanuel Macron’s party was expected to lose seats but lost more than anticipated, moving him to call for a snap election in the next few months (BBC, June 10, 2024). While Mr. Macron had considered calling an election over the last year, he has now done so from a position of weakness. Once-powerful European leaders are floundering and risk being dismissed (Politico, June 13, 2024).
Conservatives now make up the second largest block in the European Parliament, and although not likely to unite given their myriad differences, their sheer numbers will move European politics to the right. The destabilizing effects of this election on national European governments could topple several leaders now in high levels of power—leaders from France, Spain, and even Germany.
A core of ten European nations or leaders must become more cohesive in order to reach a position where they are willing to collectively yield their power to a leader whose real character will become more evident once he wields that authority (Revelation 17:12–13). To learn more about prophesied events in Europe and the Middle East, read or listen to The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor, or Soon-Coming Reality?—Scott Winnail and Francine Prater