Dear Brethren,
Several family weekends are coming up, and I thought it would be good to address this subject with everyone. Some have thought that these get-togethers are akin to keeping Christmas and New Year’s, but nothing could be further from the truth. Business is much reduced during the last two weeks of December, meaning that people have time off from work and school. The Feasts of God are commanded assemblies for us, but that does not mean we cannot also share time together at other times of the year. Many congregations are small and have few children. They are isolated from other teens and children in the Church except for when they attend the Feast of Tabernacles and summer camps. Another reason for holding family weekends at this time of year is to get away from worldly family members and neighbors who buy into the “Christmas spirit.” We are, in fact, not trying to copy these holidays, but trying to avoid them. Sometimes our family weekends fall during Christmas and New Year’s—but, as is the case this year, our get-togethers often do not fall on those days. Here at Headquarters, as well as at our other offices around the world, Christmas and New Year’s are workdays.
In 2025, the Last Day of Unleavened Bread will fall on Friday night and Saturday. Some congregations will likely meet together and may have Saturday night and Sunday activities before going home. That Sunday is Easter—but so be it. Our family time has nothing to do with it. We cannot give up our opportunities for fellowship just because the world may be having their celebrations at the same time.
I understand that this explanation may not satisfy everyone, but I’m simply articulating the longstanding practices of the Church going back to the time of Mr. Herbert Armstrong. Brethren, let us not be self-righteous, but learn to judge righteously (John 7:23–24). Perhaps this is in part what Solomon meant in Ecclesiastes 7:16: “Do not be overly righteous, nor be overly wise: Why should you destroy yourself?” Over the years, I have seen members get hung up on this sort of thing—and before long, they leave the Church. Very often, they drift away from keeping the Sabbath and Holy Days. Does that make sense? Of course, it doesn’t. Again, let us not be self-righteous, but rather learn to make righteous judgments.
Sincerely, in Christ’s service,
Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Earthquake in Vanuatu
On Tuesday, a massive 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck 30 kms west of Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila. At least 14 people are dead, with many more missing, and the damage to roads and buildings has been immense. Mr. Paul Kearns has made contact with some of our 35 Church members in Port Vila, some of whom have experienced minor damage to their homes, but we have not been able to contact all members yet.
The country has been embroiled in political instability over the past few years with coalition governments falling every few months, and the current government is on the brink of collapse. Now with the recent earthquake, the foreseeable future in Vanuatu is going to be difficult. Prayers for our brethren in Vanuatu would be appreciated.
Tomorrow’s World Presentations Year-End Review
Last week, Mr. Weston gave an online Tomorrow’s World Presentation to the Canadian subscriber base. This presentation drew a total of 58 guest connections, with an estimated 77 guests. This is the last presentation to be held in the calendar year 2024. This past year, we have held a grand total of 198 presentations, 165 in the U.S. and 33 across the world. Australia, Canada, Fiji, Guyana, Barbados, South Africa, Kenya, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Trinidad all hosted TWPs. These events drew a total of 2,042 unique guests. Thank you for your prayers and support for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Holy Day Package Recipients: Disposing of Old FedEx Shipping Labels
If you have any remaining FedEx shipping labels from the Holy Day package, please dispose of them. This should be the standard practice after each Holy Day if your label was not used. They are not prepaid items, so this will not incur any cost to the Church. However, using them at a later date can lead to many complications and expenses that otherwise could have been avoided. If there is a need for a new shipping label, you can contact Headquarters and easily be sent a replacement. Thank you for serving in your local congregation.
Men’s Training Camp – Blowing Rock, NC
The Smoky Mountains will form the backdrop for our Men’s Training Camp at the Blowing Rock Conference Center, from February 14–16. Arrival is scheduled for Friday afternoon, February 14. After dinner, we’ll gather for our kickoff meeting at 7:30 p.m. Departure is at noon on Sunday. Between kickoff and departure, we’ll be learning, worshipping God, and getting to know each other better. For more information, go to LCGEducation.org and click on the MTC North Carolina tab under the “Men’s Training Camp” button at the top of the page. To register, contact Jonathan McNair at [email protected] or log in to your MyLCG account to find the registration link.
Finance
Year-End Donations (U.S. only)
Please be reminded that all U.S. contributions dated in December and postmarked on or before December 31 may be tax deductible in 2024, even if we receive it in January 2025. For those who donate online, the deadline for online contributions is 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31.
Also note that if you plan on taking a tax deduction for contributions, your tax return should not be filed until you receive your year-end receipt for donations. This donation receipt is one of the tax documents the Internal Revenue Service requires you to keep as backup to claim this deduction. We plan to issue year-end donation receipts on or about January 22, 2025.
As we close the calendar year for 2024, we want to extend a hearty thank you to all our members, co-workers, and donors for your generous financial support, and for your prayers for every aspect of the Work. The harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few, but collectively we are able to accomplish much through God’s blessing. Please continue to pray for God’s guidance in everything that we do at Headquarters and in the local congregations around the world as we begin 2025.
Living Youth Programs
Teen Camp Registration
Living Youth Camp is gearing up for LYC 2025! We are already in the planning stages for the exciting teen, preteen, and adventure camps to be held this upcoming summer. Registration for Teen Camp in Texas will open on January 1, when you can find more information and register by visiting Camp.LivingYouth.org.
Comments
The Importance of Truth: Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Yet, today, we face a global plague of conspiracy theories and misinformation that generates confusion and mistrust of governments and the media. The Bible reveals that Satan is the god of this world, that he is a liar, and that he is the real author of the confusion we see around us (2 Corinthians 4:4; John 8:44; 1 Corinthians 14:33). The biblical prophets foretold that the time would come when truth would perish and be suppressed (Isaiah 59:4, 14–15; Jeremiah 7:28; 9:3–5; Romans 1:18). However, when Jesus Christ returns, His capital in Jerusalem will be known as “the City of Truth,” and the liberating truth of His law will be spread around the world by His servants He is calling today (Zechariah 8:1–3; Psalm 119:142; Isaiah 2:2–4; 11:9; 1 John 3:19). This is your exciting future—if you discern and hold fast to the Truth (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy – December 19, 2024
Syria’s Uncertain Future: Syria’s Bashar al-Assad recently resigned as the nation’s leader and fled the country, ending the brutal 54-year family reign. Opposition forces brought the country’s 13-year civil war to an end by finally capturing major strongholds and Damascus itself. Al-Assad’s governmental collapse appears to coincide with declining support from Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah. In his absence, rival factions now seek power in the country. This division among would-be leaders may prevent future stability in Syria.
With the departure of former president al-Assad, many prisons have been opened and political prisoners freed (Al Jazeera , December 9, 2024). Many of these people had disappeared without a trace during al-Assad’s regime. Fighters and relief workers continue “to find prisoners left behind, open secret cells, and even find the locations of secret facilities.”
While European nations are cautiously optimistic about Syria’s future, several nations have also suspended Syrian asylum seekers’ applications as the situation settles (France24, December 9, 2024). Europe and the United States have turned their attention to preventing a leadership vacuum in the nation that might enable the return of the Islamic State to power and influence.
The reality of toppling a despotic regime in any region of the world is that tremendous work is required to prevent something even worse from rising to take its place—and there are no guarantees of success. This differs from the final replacement of world regimes that will occur with the return of Jesus Christ to the earth. He will return as King of kings and immediately set up the government of God, which will spread to cover the whole world and will never end. This will be done according to a plan that is guaranteed to succeed. To learn about this exciting future, be sure to watch “Blessings of Righteous Government.”
Explosion in the Netherlands: Arson and other attacks are on the rise across Europe and have been for years in the Netherlands. Recently, a major blast and fire occurred in The Hague, in an apartment building that is believed to have housed mainly elderly residents and families (Deutsche Welle , December 7, 2024). The explosion and fire destroyed five houses, and local authorities continue to search for the cause. Witnesses saw a small car speed away from the apartment complex near the time of the explosion. Recent attacks across the Netherlands are believed to be perpetrated by rival gangs. Earlier this year in Rotterdam, an illegal drug lab exploded in a residential neighborhood.
Many different factors contribute to the crumbling of the historically safe and stable societies of Western nations. The moral foundation of many of these nations is being discarded, moving them even further away from biblical values. The Bible predicts a time when Israelite-descended nations, like the Netherlands, will discard even more of the biblical values they once had. One of the consequences is that God “will even appoint terror over” them (Leviticus 26:16), and many other serious consequences will follow. Many of the troubles ahead will come as a direct result of sinful behavior (Jeremiah 2:19), and the purpose of the coming correction is to motivate the people of these nations to return to God (Isaiah 55:6–7). To learn more about what lies ahead for the Israelite-descended peoples, read or listen to The United States and Great Britian in Prophecy. – Scott Winnail and Francine Prater