Greetings from Charlotte,
Earlier this year, Mr. Jacob Hall was transferred from our Charlotte office to London, Ontario, Canada, for further ministerial training. He had worked as our chief television editor for several years before becoming a ministerial trainee. Having completed his training at our Canadian office, he is now being relocated to the province of Alberta, where we are planning to move him prior to the Feast and prior to winter setting in. Much of the growth in Canada has been in Alberta, and there has been an increase in young families over the last few years. Therefore, they recently had a several-day family camp—the first of its type in Western Canada. The Halls are not only needed to help the ministerial workload there, but as a young family, they should fit in well. Mr. Alex Pomicter has moved from Omaha, Nebraska, where he served as a local elder, to Charlotte for about nine months of ministerial training before relocating to a new assignment. We are glad to have Mr. Pomicter and his family with us.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last week we held three follow-up presentations that drew a total of 15 guests. We also held an online presentation in Canada that drew an estimated 72 guests. This week Dr. Scott Winnail will hold an initial presentation in Borehamwood, England, and Mr. Rod McNair will hold initial presentations in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Grand Junction, Colorado. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Feast of Tabernacles
Sermonette and Songleaders’ Meeting Announcement
If you are assigned to lead hymns or give a sermonette at the Feast, we are holding a Sermonette and Songleaders’ meeting on Tuesday, August 27, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. You should have already received the link to the meeting in your email. If you did not receive it, please contact the Feast Coordinator for your site.
Activity Registration Is Open!
Activity registration is now open and Living Church of God attendees and guests can sign up for Feast activities.
How to register: Simply go to fotreg.cogl.org, sign in, select “Register for activities,” and follow the prompts. Once you have signed up for activities, you can pay by selecting “Payments.” If paying by check, please read and follow carefully the instructions provided by your Festival Site Coordinator—and, of course, never send cash in the mail. And please note: While it is perfectly fine to give Holy Day offerings online on the Holy Days, payments for Feast activities should, of course, not be made on a Sabbath. Note payment deadlines for your specific site. The general deadline to pay by check is September 26. If you have questions, contact your Festival Site Coordinator.
Note: There may still be certain activities at your site that are not yet open for registration. If you have any questions about the activities at your site, please contact your Festival Coordinator.
Pianist Needed in Branson
The Feast site in Branson, Missouri, is in need of an additional pianist to play hymns. If you are able to fill this role and are willing to transfer to Branson for the Feast, please contact the Feast Site Coordinator, Mr. Phil West at [email protected].
Feast Sermons for Those Unable to Attend in Person—Repeat Announcement
Attention Pastors: Because some members, for legitimate reasons, are unable to attend the Feast of Tabernacles in person, the Church provides access to Feast sermons by various means.
Many Feast sites will offer livestream or telephone connections to those assigned to that site. This is the preferred option. Though not a substitute for being present at the site, these connections give access to live Feast services, including prayers and hymns.
Pre-recorded Feast sermons will also be available for brethren who are unable to attend in person and for whom the livestream or telephone connections are not feasible. The pre-recorded sermons will be posted online (one per day) throughout the Feast:
- English-language Feast sermons will be posted at https://members.lcg.org
- French-language Feast sermons will be posted at www.eglisedieuvivant.org
Additionally, links to these pre-recorded Festival sermons will be emailed to pastors ahead of the Feast. You can forward that email before the Feast to the members in your areas who are not attending in person.
We request that as many as are able would please access the Feast sermons by livestream or telephone from their assigned site or view the pre-recorded sermons online. However, if there are brethren in your areas who cannot take advantage of these options, and need to receive physical sermon discs through the mail, please send us their names and addresses before the following deadlines:
- The deadline for international requests for pre-recorded Festival sermon discs is September 28. For those in regions with slow postal service, please send in your requests now or as early as possible in order for the sermons to arrive before the Feast.
- Requests for recipients in the U.S. must be received by October 10.
If possible, please do not wait until the deadline to send in your requests.
Comments
The Importance of Kindness: The Bible reveals that in the last days, people will be “unloving, unforgiving, slanderers… brutal” (2 Timothy 3:1–4). However, God wants Christians to develop godly qualities and become like He is, “gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness” (Nehemiah 9:17). David writes that God “has shown me His marvelous kindness” (Psalm 31:21). Solomon says of a virtuous woman: “on her tongue is the law of kindness” (Proverbs 31:26). Jesus said that God is even “kind to the unthankful” and we should be likewise (Luke 6:35). The Apostle Paul wrote that true Christian love “suffers long and is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4) because kindness is one of the fruits of God’s Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). If we hope to become like God and be in the Kingdom of God, we will strive to develop and exercise this important quality of kindness.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—August 22, 2024
Ants Tend to Each Other's Wounds: The author of the book of Proverbs tells us, “God to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise” (Proverbs 6:6). Indeed, much wisdom can be gleaned from the study of ants.
New research shows some ants care for their injured comrades by cleaning their wounds or amputating an injured limb (Reuters, July 2, 2024). Ants determine whether the injury requires cleaning or amputation based on its location, and consistently treat the wound accordingly. In the case of amputations, the survival rate for the injured ant increased from about 40 percent to 90 percent or higher! And wound cleaning increased the survival rate from 15 to 75 percent. In hopeless cases, ants ignore their injured comrades and allow them to die.
Entomologists recognize the benefit to the colony of such “medical care” and are quick to attribute the practice to evolutionary development. Yet, the ants’ leg amputations take from 40 minutes to three hours! As the lead research author noted, this level of care is “the most sophisticated in the animal kingdom, rivaled only by our own.” The idea that such an advanced system arose by natural selection acting on random mutation rightly strains credulity. However, the same God who instructed us to gain wisdom by observing ants also noted that His existence can be “clearly seen” in His creation (Romans 1:20). Is it more far-fetched to assume ants possess incredible foresight thanks to mindless evolutionary processes, or to suggest the involvement of an all-wise Designer? To learn more about the wisdom God built into the behaviors of these tiny insects, read our commentary “The Ant.”
Factory Farms Create Many Problems: Today, farmers are under pressure to produce greater and greater amounts of food, due in part to the large number of people who live in cities and are unable to produce their own food. Factory farming or “feedlots” is a common approach to provide meat for such vast populations while maximizing profits. But factory farming creates its own problems. When thousands of animals are forced into small spaces for prolonged periods of time, numerous problems arise.
One consequence of factory farming is manure pollution (EWG.org, March 19, 2024). All livestock produce manure, but thousands of animals packed together produce enormous quantities of such waste. This concentration of waste is washed into nearby rivers and lakes, creating serious pollution problems.
Disease is another consequence of factory farming. Due to cramped and unsanitary conditions, infections spread quickly, sometimes requiring the destruction of entire herds or flocks to prevent outbreaks of contagious diseases (TheHumaneLeague.org.uk, June 15, 2023). Recent bird flu outbreaks make this risk clear. To prevent destructive infections, factory farms often administer antibiotics to healthy animals. The antibiotics are then passed on to consumers through animal meat, and they are also transferred to surface and ground water supplies through animal waste and runoff. Some argue that antibiotics are required to maintain the factory farm model and keep animals healthy and protect profits. However, experts warn that the overuse of antibiotics in factory farms leads to greater antibiotic resistance.
The Bible actually provides clear solutions to these problems of modern civilization, revealing that the best situation for people and the environment is for smaller, family-based ownership of land, crops, and livestock (e.g., Micah 4:4)—eliminating the need for industrialized factory farms. This places animals in healthier conditions, and greatly reduces the risk of sickness. Jesus Christ and His saints will teach such principles to the world when He returns! To learn about this coming society, read or listen to The World Ahead: What Will It Be Like?—Scott Winnail and Francine Prater