Weekly Update

January 16th, 2025

Greetings from Charlotte,

South African members are excited by the results of e.tv, where Tomorrow’s World is now airing and garnering an average of more than 168 responses over the last three months.

Mr. Adam West announced last week to the congregations he serves in the Northeast that he will be moving to Charlotte sometime in the next few months. A year ago, we were saddened by the death of Mr. Tom Turner, who served for many years in our Legal and Risk Management Department. Mr. Dexter Wakefield volunteered to be moved into that position, thus opening the way for a younger man to become Office Manager. Mr. West is well qualified from his past work experience prior to being hired by the Church to fill that position, and we have asked him to do so. We will announce a replacement for Mr. West in the next few weeks. Mr. Wakefield will continue to serve as Treasurer.

This Sabbath is a voluntary day of fasting for the Living Church of God. We see a lot happening in our world—2025 is shaping up to be a critical year—and many members are experiencing serious personal trials. Several of us here in Charlotte, therefore, thought it would be good to call for a day of fasting and prayer, as we have not had one for some time. Please do spend extra time confessing your sins and earnestly asking God to show us what we need to do and to deliver those suffering severe trials. —Gerald Weston

Church Administration

Tomorrow’s World Presentations

This past week, we held four follow-up presentations and two initial presentations. These presentations drew a total of 51 guests. This week, we will hold two follow-up presentations in Florida, as well as initial presentations in Bristol, Virginia; Joplin, Missouri; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.

Merrill, Wisconsin, Family Weekend

Merrill, Wisconsin will once again be hosting the Family Weekend for the Upper Midwest area over President’s Day Weekend, February 14–16, 2025. Friday evening will begin with snacks at 6:00 p.m. and a Bible Study beginning at 7:00 p.m. Sabbath services will be held at 1:30 p.m., and will be followed by a smoked brisket dinner beginning at 6:00 p.m., after which there will be evening activities and a dance. On Sunday, a pancake breakfast will be served from 8:00–11:00 a.m., with more fellowshipping, sledding, and/or ice skating to follow (weather permitting). If you would like to attend, please register at www.lcguppermidwest.org/merrill2025. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

L4T 2025

Plans are in motion for this year’s L4T (Living for Tomorrow) event in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The activity will again be over the Memorial Day weekend. The dates are Friday, May 23, through Sunday, May 25. L4T involves a weekend of intensive focus on being successful young men and women today and in the future, and it is open to those aged 18–30. Mark your calendars for this event!

Feast of Tabernacles

2025 Feast of Tabernacles Registration: Sunday, May 4

General Feast of Tabernacles site registration is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, May 4. Please do not make housing reservations at this time—housing reservations should not be made until you receive approval of your Festival registration after registering on May 4, even if you plan on attending your assigned site. This list is for informational purposes only. This year’s U.S. Feast sites and coordinators are as follows:

The international sites will be announced at a later date.

Living Youth Program

Texas Preteen and Adventure Camp Registration Opening

We’re pleased to announce that registration for Adventure camp and Texas Preteen camp opens this Sunday. Registration also remains open for Teen camp.

The boundary waters of Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota will be the destination of Living Youth Adventure Camp 2025. Voyageurs offers much scenic beauty with lakes, wetlands, and forests. Campers and staff will explore the park by canoe and spend five nights in the wilderness. The camp will run Monday, June 23, through Monday, June 30. Ages 14–17 can register as campers, and staff positions will be available for those 18 or above.

Texas Preteen Camp will take place immediately after Teen camp in Athens, Texas. Arrival for Preteen camp is July 21, and departure is July 25. Campers can be aged 8–12, with adult staff positions available for those 18 or above.

For more information or to register, please visit https://camp.livingyouth.org.

Comments

We Must Draw Closer to God: We live in an increasingly godless, dangerous, and materialistic age. The head of the United Nations recently warned that humanity has “unleashed a modern-day Pandora’s box of ills” and the world is facing “grave uncertainty.” The Bible reveals that as we approach the end of the age, Satan will be actively involved in fomenting discord and division in the world and among God’s people wherever he can (Revelation 12:12–17). Many of God’s people are facing serious trials and Satan will seek to plant doubts and discouragement and stir up strife. We are also dealing with demonic forces that want to disrupt and silence God’s Work on earth. We need to remember that we are not just dealing with physical problems but are in a battle with spiritual forces and must stay close to God and heed His admonitions to get through these trials (Ephesians 6:10–18). Moses wrote that in the latter days, when we are in tribulation, if we turn to God and obey Him, we will find Him—if we seek him with all our hearts (Deuteronomy 4:27–30; see also 2 Chronicles 15:1–4 and Jeremiah 29:13). We also have the example of Daniel, who sought God with prayers, supplications, and fasting in a humble, respectful, and repentant attitude (Daniel 9:3–5). Jesus said that if we beseech God with prayer and fasting, miraculous things can happen (Matthew 17:21). As we fast together to draw closer to God, let’s do this with all our heart so we can be more effective instruments in God’s hands.

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail

News and Prophecy – January 16, 2025

Los Angeles Fires Blazing: Winter wildfires are nothing new to southern California and the Los Angeles basin. This area tends to be sunny and dry, attracting millions of people to make their homes in it—including many of the rich and famous, who have built luxurious homes in the hills. However, due in part to a very dry period and unusually high winds, this year’s fires are exceptionally destructive (BBC, January 7, 2025). While the statistics are constantly changing, at the time of this writing, power loss has affected hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the L.A. area (Los Angeles Times, January 9, 2025), at least 25 people have died, and 88,000 people remain under evacuation orders, with a similar number warned they may join them, as fires continue to rage (NBC News, January 11, 2025). Experts suggest this could be the most expensive fire in California’s history: “AccuWeather, a company that provides data on weather and its impact, puts the damage and economic losses at $250bn to $275bn” (The Guardian, January 13, 2025). To date, over 12,300 structures have been destroyed, with more to come (NBC News, January 16, 2025). California’s governor noted that fires are no longer restricted to one time in the year, saying, “There’s no fire season. It’s fire year” (BBC, January 14, 2025).

While the expense and destruction of these raging L.A. fires are tragic, Bible prophecies have long-warned Israelite-descended nations that forsake God, “Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire” (Isaiah 1:4–7), and “your land shall be desolate and your cities waste” (Leviticus 26:33). The sudden destruction we are witnessing in southern California could be a foretaste of even greater destruction that is going to come on a world that has turned its back on God. Thankfully, Jesus Christ is going to return and put an end to not only tragedies like what we are seeing today in the L.A. area, but also the behaviors that have contributed to these problems. To learn more about this sobering topic, read “Your Cities Are Burned with Fire.”

Abortion: Leading Cause of Death in 2024: The Christian Post reports that abortion was the leading cause of death worldwide in 2024, according to the online statistical aggregator Worldometer, with just over 45,000,000 of these “procedures” performed—dwarfing the next leading cause of death (January 4, 2025). Worldometer’s figures suggest that abortion “surpassed deaths caused by cancer (8.2 million), smoking (5 million), HIV/AIDS (1.7 million), traffic fatalities (1.35 million) and suicide (1.1 million).” In fact, abortion caused more than 40 percent of all human deaths on the planet last year, and “in the United States, abortion accounts for roughly one-third of all annual deaths.”

Although Worldometer uses figures from the United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO), the organization’s own reporting is even more sobering. According to the WHO, 60 percent of unintended pregnancies worldwide end in abortion (WHO, May 17, 2024), and a mind-numbing 73,000,000 abortions are performed worldwide every year. This is more than the population of Thailand, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Tanzania, or France. So, in a way, the world loses the population of a large nation to abortion every year!

In 2 Timothy 3:1–5, the Apostle Paul warned that society at the end of the age will be full of people who are brutal and despise what is good. God condemned the ancient Israelites for offering up their children as human sacrifices to pagan gods (Ezekiel 16:20–21). Are today’s abortions any different—people sacrificing their unborn children to the gods of selfishness and hedonism? God also warned that, because the Israelite-descended nations reject Him, their children will be cursed (Deuteronomy 28:18). Sadly, these unborn children are cursed by their own parents. As God looks down on the earth from Heaven and sees such disregard for the lives of the unborn, He is displeased. But there is a time coming when the lives of children will be protected—and they will know great peace (Isaiah 54:13). To learn more about this subject, read or listen to “Seven Lies About Abortion.” — Scott Winnail, Chris Sookdeo, and Francine Prater