Greetings from Charlotte,
Mr. Stuart Wachowicz, Regional Director for Canada and China, gave this interesting report on the effectiveness of the Viewpoint short videos produced in Canada: “I was taking a quick look at our Viewpoint channel this morning and was surprised to see the shift in overall views this last month. In the last 28 days we have had 219,000 views. But 71 percent (155,000) of the total views are from Singapore, Hong Kong, and mainland China. It is interesting that 14.3 percent (31,635) are from the mainland. This is without being on Chinese mainland platforms. Only 26 percent of views (despite Canadian-based advertising) were from Canada or the U.S. This is the first really strong evidence we have that we can penetrate a Chinese-speaking population. With this data we can now start devoting more serious funds and start carefully targeting topics and videos and TW programs to that demographic as of September.” In other news, Mr. Wallace Smith, Mr. Rod McNair, and I recorded a telecast on Wednesday titled “Richard Ames: Turning Many to Righteousness.” This program honored Mr. Ames and let our viewers know of his death.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last week we held three initial presentations—in Borehamwood, England; Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Grand Junction, Colorado. These drew a total of 53 guests. This week we will hold two initial events in Hook, England, and Swansea, Wales, in the United Kingdom, and two follow-up presentations in Borehamwood, England, and Bakersfield, California. Thank you to all for your continued prayers and support for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Note from Mrs. Ames
Dear Brethren,
After the death of my dear husband, Richard Ames, I have received many, many cards, each one bringing encouragement and comfort to me. Please know that I deeply appreciate your many expressions of love, your prayers, your cards, and your honoring the memory of Mr. Ames’ life, given in service to God’s Church and Work. We miss him very much and look forward to all meeting together again at Christ’s coming. Thank you so much.
Sincerely,
Kathryn Ames
Living Education
Do you have children? Have you checked out the “Life to Lessons” section of the Living Education website? If you haven’t seen the “Life to Lessons” part of the children’s area, you’re missing out! These short posts are designed to give you ideas to maximize the benefits of the time you spend teaching your children about the Bible. For example, the post titled “Think Aloud” walks you through a very effective technique to keep a child’s attention while reading the Bible. If you’d like to learn more, go to lcgeducation.org and click on the “Children” tab at the top. Or, to go directly to the “Think Aloud” post, go to https://www.lcgeducation.org/life-to-lessons-think-aloud.—Jonathan McNair
Feast of Tabernacles
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.
Activity Registration Is Open!—Repeat Announcement
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 some 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—Repeat Announcement
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].
Comments
The Real Keys to Spiritual Success: Many believe the key to success is who you know. Yet, God’s instructions are very different. Jesus stressed the importance of humility and teachability if we want to be in the Kingdom of God (Matthew 5:3–5). God was able to use Moses because he was humble and teachable (Numbers 12:3). The Scriptures record that “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6–10). Peter writes that God will exalt those who are humble and can submit to one another (1 Peter 5:5–6). Isaiah summarizes what God is looking for in those He will reward; “But on this one will I look: on him who is poor [humble] and of a contrite spirit [willing to change], and who trembles at My word [a person who is teachable by God]” (Isaiah 66:1–2). These scriptures provide us with the real keys to spiritual growth and success—and they point the way to the Kingdom of God. Let’s remember and use these important keys.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—August 29, 2024
The World's Economic Engine Is Slowing: As Europe’s manufacturing sector struggles, new German data is sobering. The Telegraph reports that German employment rates are falling at their fastest rate in four years, and manufacturing orders are being further cut (August 22, 2024). And now the service sector is starting to slow.
In a different article on the same day, the paper reports that America’s drastically revised non-farm payroll numbers paint a far different picture from what has been assumed. These are the worst numbers seen since the Lehman Brothers collapse in 2008. Economists now expect a series of interest rate cuts in the months ahead, as the U.S. Federal Reserve works to stave off recession—something Citigroup claims has already begun. The VIX, a measure of the S&P500’s volatility, recently hit an all-time intraday high—something only seen in “October 2008 and in March 2020, when Covid shut the economy and briefly broke the US Treasury market.”
While European and U.S. economies slow, news from China is worse as the nation sinks deeper into depression. New home starts, the engine of China’s economy for decades, have dropped by 63 percent from their high—a greater property bust than Japan experienced in the 1990s. This home-building collapse is the major reason iron ore prices have crashed. China is using global trade to generate more revenue, but as it undercuts global competitors, it is forcing factories out of business (Wall Street Journal, August 22, 2024). Some economists fear a new global trade war is coming, and many nations are investigating whether China is illegally selling products below their fair market value.
Many are concerned about the financial future of the world and wonder if there is a nation that could serve as an economic savior. The Bible foretells that a German-led European beast power may come to the globe’s rescue. The Apostle John prophesied that at the end of the age “the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury” (Revelation 18:3). Germany’s strength may be questionable now, but Bible prophecy indicates this will change! To learn more, read or listen to Germany in Prophecy.
“Nuclear War Is Much Closer Than We Dare Imagine” was the sobering title of an article in the Telegraph on August 21. The article outlines Russian, Chinese, and North Korean nuclear advances, and discusses Russia’s work on new nuclear-related space-based technologies about which few details are known. This long-term nuclear threat from space is something U.S. policymakers have been unable to slow. The author of the article points out several mistakes U.S. leaders have made in recent years that have likely added to the nuclear risk in the world, such as allowing China to increase its nuclear arsenal from 300 to 500 warheads—a number that is likely to double again by 2030.
Powerful nations are attuned to the risks of nuclear brinksmanship. Recently, both China and India put pressure on Russia to avoid the use of tactical nuclear weapons in its war with Ukraine. As the nuclear weapons technology of enemies of the West surges ahead, analysts are calling for Western nations to rebuild and modernize their own arsenals—and to do so as quickly as possible.
The nuclear game playing out among many nations today is a reminder that we live in an unprecedented period, with conditions that have never existed before. Jesus Christ foretold that if He does not return, “no flesh would be saved” (Matthew 24:22). The possibility of human annihilation did not exist until the advent of nuclear weapons, roughly 80 years ago. Without the hope of Christ’s intervention, this world appears to be headed toward oblivion. Yet, the Bible reveals that Jesus will return as the Savior of mankind (Acts 1:9–11; John 4:42). To learn what to look for before His return, read or listen to Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ’s Return.—Scott Winnail and Francine Prater