Greetings from Charlotte,
A decade ago, we had a contact from the Mediterranean island of Malta. Mr. John Meakin counseled her by way of Skype or some other electronic means and she came to England for the Feast where she was baptized ten years ago this October by Mr. Simon Roberts and Mr. John Murphy. She has remained faithful all this time. Within the last six months, we added a second member who was married this month to a member in London. The wedding took place on Malta and was followed a few days later by our first live Living Church of God Sabbath service. Since the couple will reside in Malta, we will soon have three members there—Malta membership has tripled in size! That may be small in terms of actual numbers, but I find this very exciting as there is now opportunity for our faithful member to have fellowship with others of like mind. In a world where Satan roams about as a hungry lion seeking whom he may devour, I’m reminded of Ecclesiastes 4:12: “Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” As one who came into the Church in high school and living away from a local congregation, being in close contact with several other students that God was working with was most helpful in staying focused. Kudos to all of our faithful scattered brethren!—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last week we held six Tomorrow’s World Presentations. The online presentation given primarily to French-speaking subscribers in Canada and the Caribbean drew a total of 26 guest connections, and five in-person TWPs drew a total of 89 guests. This week we will hold an online presentation for the entire Canadian subscriber base, and three follow-up presentations. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Living Education
As we approach the fall Festival season, it’s a good time to review the wealth of material that we have available explaining the meaning and importance of these special days. In the Living Education unit covering the Feast of Trumpets for example, you’ll find a variety of resources explaining different aspects of this special day: a timeline overview of the use of trumpets in the Bible, an interview with Mr. Dylan King about his collection of shofars, a discussion of the difference between the “Rosh Hashanah” observance and the Biblical Feast of Trumpets, and more. At this point, over 1,200 members have registered and accessed the Feast of Trumpets course. If it has been a while since you visited this course, then take a few moments to come back and review. If you haven’t taken the opportunity to sign in and check us out, now is a good time! Just go to www.lcgeducation.org/online and click on the Feast of Trumpets course. For quicker access and to go directly to the course, just click here.—Jonathan McNair
Feast of Tabernacles
Opening Night, the First Holy Day, and the Last Great Day
The Opening Night service will take place on Wednesday evening, October 16. We should all make every effort to arrive at our Feast site in plenty of time to attend this opening service at the beginning of the Holy Day. As last year, there will be a special prerecorded welcome message from Mr. Weston during this service. Be sure to check your Feast website or ask your Feast Site Coordinator for the exact time of the Opening Night service at your Festival site.
The first Holy Day of the Feast is Thursday, October 17, and the Last Great Day, also a Holy Day, is Thursday, October 24. Please consider—the entire Last Great Day is a Holy Day! A special prerecorded message from Headquarters will be played on the afternoon of the Last Great Day. Everyone is encouraged to plan and make every effort to attend the Feast all the way to the end!
Holy Day Offerings if Transferring to a Different Country
If you are traveling internationally for the Feast, it is recommended that you leave your Holy Day offering in your home country. This will ensure that you receive proper documentation for a tax deduction (if your country allows it). You should make an additional offering at the international site you attend and can plan accordingly. Your attention to these instructions and your use of the preprinted Holy Day envelopes is greatly appreciated.
Deadlines Approaching: Feast Sermons for Those Unable to Attend in Person
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. 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. 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 and specify if they need DVDs (video) or CDs (audio only). We need these requests before the following deadlines:
- The deadline for international requests for pre-recorded Festival sermon discs is September 27. 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.
Port Barcarès, France: Device Requirements for Translation Needs
If you are attending the Feast in France and need translation (English, French, Dutch, or German), we ask that you bring a cell phone or tablet that can connect to Wi-Fi. Also bring wired headphones that can plug into your device.
Please download and install the VBAN Lite application on your device before the Festival. You can find instructions at this link: https://eglisedieuvivant.ddns.net:5001/fbsharing/QsRAeqme. If you need help with the final installation, please get in touch with us as soon as you arrive at the Festival site.
If you do not have a mobile device that can connect to Wi-Fi, we will provide you with a transmitter, but we hope you will have better sound quality using your own mobile device.
If you have any questions, please let me know at [email protected]. We look forward to seeing you soon in France!—Adrian Kaefer, Festival Site Coordinator
Green Holy Day Envelopes Have Been Mailed—U.S. Only—Repeat Announcement
Green Holy Day envelopes for the fall Holy Days were mailed out the week ending August 24. If you have not received yours and would like the personalized, pre-addressed offering envelopes, please contact [email protected] or call the office (704-844-1970) and we will mail you a set. If you choose to donate through the envelope system, using these pre-addressed envelopes greatly speeds up the counting and receipting process, which in turn saves valuable time and money. For those who will donate online, please use donations.lcg.org. Click on "Type of Donation," then choose "Holy Day Offering." A Holy Day drop-down menu will appear, and there you can select the applicable Holy Day.
Comments
Are You Teachable? The Bible reveals that God is looking for an important quality in Christians and future leaders in His Kingdom—teachability. Abraham listened to God’s instructions (Genesis 18:19). Moses was an extremely capable leader, but he was also humble and teachable (Numbers 12:3). David exhibited this same attitude when he wrote “Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes” (Psalm 119:33). Solomon asked God for wisdom and an “understanding heart” so he could learn to rule wisely (1 Kings 3:9). When Jesus said the “meek” and “poor in spirit” will be blessed, He emphasized the need to be teachable and willing to learn (Matthew 5:3–5). However, the Scriptures also reveal that when we harden our hearts to God’s instructions, we will reap serious consequences (Proverbs 28:14). Let’s strive to be teachable so we can avoid problems and gain an everlasting reward in the coming Kingdom of God.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—September 19, 2024
Will the EU Take Action in Gaza and Israel? The Israel-Hamas war is approaching its one-year anniversary, and there appears to be no end in sight. Initially supported by other nations horrified at the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023, the war is now stirring up animosity and frustration among many of Israel’s allies. While Israel appears to have no plans for how to bring the conflict to a conclusion, will other nations feel compelled to step in and take control if the situation does not improve?
Different nations are pressuring Israel and Hamas to sign a joint ceasefire agreement, yet there are increasing doubts about any such possibility, as neither side appears willing to see it happen (CNN, September 7, 2024). In response, Turkey’s president recently called for all Islamic nations to unite against what he called Israel’s “growing threat of expansionism” (Reuters, September 7, 2024). Turkey has also been deepening its relationship with both Syria and Egypt. Meanwhile, European leaders are growing frustrated with Israel’s lack of progress in reaching a ceasefire and the growing number of civilian deaths (The Guardian, August 25, 2024). In a recent meeting with the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi put pressure on the international community and the EU to push Israel into an agreement that will end the war (Ahram.org, September 9, 2024), and EU leadership recently placed sanctions on several Israeli leaders and entities, claiming they are connected to “serious and systematic human rights abuses” against Palestinians (Reuters, July 15, 2024).
How long will global powers sit by and watch the ongoing saga unravel in Gaza before a strong nation (or group of nations) steps in and attempts to stabilize the situation? Will a group of Arab or Muslim nations take dramatic action, or perhaps a group of European nations—and what would be the outcome of such an intervention? The Bible actually provides valuable insights concerning such possibilities. To gain more understanding of this tangled situation, be sure to read or listen to The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor, or Soon-Coming Reality?
Jerusalem’s Ancient Culture Validated: The Bible records many details related to life during the time periods described in its pages. While those small facts may sometimes appear unnecessary, they often provide information that can be used to validate both biblical events and the Bible itself.
Several years ago in Jerusalem, archaeologists digging in First Temple structures near the Temple Mount made an interesting discovery. The First Temple period dates to the time of the biblical kings of Israel, and archaeologists unearthed a seal from that time that belonged to a Jewish governor of Jerusalem (IsraelHayom.com, February 26, 2024). The seal would likely have been used to stamp important documents and was probably worn on a chain or string around an official’s neck. What is particularly relevant is that the seal supports two important claims. First, it validates the Bible’s description of governors over Jerusalem during the time of the ancient kingdom of Judah. The Bible refers to governors of Jerusalem serving under both kings Hezekiah and Josiah (see 2 Kings 23:8). Second, this find validates the history of the Israelites—not only as inhabitants of Judea, but also as rulers of Jerusalem over 2,500 years ago and across successive generations of Jewish kings.
Today, critics increasingly question the validity of the Bible and claim that the Jews are relative newcomers to the Holy Land. And social engineers of all stripes work tirelessly to distance the moral and historical document known as the Bible from public consciousness, slandering it as being an untrustworthy witness to human history. Yet, archaeology continues to unearth evidence that validates biblical claims. To learn more, watch “Proofs of the Bible.”—Scott Winnail and Francine Prater