Greetings from Charlotte,
The pace at which our world is changing is breathtaking. Australia recently reelected a left-leaning incumbent. As in Canada, this was a result of backlash against U.S. President Trump’s tariffs and comments, which seem to have inadvertently turned public opinion against the opposition. Germany, on the other hand, elected conservative Friedrich Merz as chancellor, and he is taking the country down a militaristic path as quickly as possible. Regional Director Peter Nathan reports that “Germany is constantly in the news with its move towards rearming. Spare industrial capacity is being turned over to military purposes to speed the process.” Mr. Rees Ellis reports that Luxembourg has been hit by a huge increase on postal costs (64–70 percent), and this affects the mailing of our French literature in Europe.
However, the Work continues to move forward. The last two telecasts, which offered the booklets Biblical Principles of Health and Does God Heal Today?, have produced strong results. Members of the Council of Elders are scheduled to be in Charlotte this coming week for meetings. Please be praying for their safe travels and for the meetings to produce good results.
—Gerald E. Weston
Church Administration
Ministerial Field Re-Assignments
The following ministers are scheduled to move this summer to their new ministerial assignments:
Adam West will complete his move to Charlotte to be the Headquarters Office Manager.
- Bob Rodzaj will move from Milwaukee to New York state to be U.S. Northeast Regional Pastor.
- Josh Lyons will move from Charlotte to Milwaukee to replace Bob Rodzaj.
- Yancy Taber will move from Indiana to the Bristol, Virginia, area, from where he will help the Personal Correspondence Department.
- Alex Pomicter will move from Charlotte to Indiana.
- Jeffrey Fall will move from Sacramento to Ohio (Cincinnati) to be the Regional Pastor for the U.S. Mideast Region.
The following ministerial adjustments will also be made this summer:
- Lambert Greer will no longer serve as Regional Pastor (due to health reasons) but will continue to pastor Louisville and Berea, Kentucky, and serve on the Council of Elders.
- Martin Fannin will become Pastor Emeritus.
- Jim Meredith will become Pastor for congregations previously served by Martin Fannin.
- Chet Carpenter will pastor congregations served by Jeffrey Fall.
- Brandon Fall will be the Regional Pastor for the U.S. Western Region.
- Wyatt Ciesielka will be the Regional Pastor for the new U.S. Mid-Atlantic Region.
- Phillip Johnson, from Baytown, Texas, will be a new Ministerial Trainee hire.
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last week, we held eight Tomorrow’s World Presentations. These presentations drew a total of 91 guests. Two presentations of note are Flint, Michigan, and Whangarei, New Zealand. In Flint, Michigan, we drew 37 guests—a 2.71 percent response rate, which is unusually high for the United States. In Whangarei, New Zealand, we drew 17 guests—a 7.26 percent response rate! This week, we will hold seven presentations. We will hold three initial presentations in Camrose, Alberta; Live Oak, Florida; and Williamsburg, Virginia; and four follow-up presentations in Des Moines, Iowa; Augusta, Georgia; Flint, Michigan; and Whangarei, New Zealand. Thank you all for your continued support and prayers for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Holy Day Offering Package Recipients: Disposing of Old FedEx Shipping Labels
If you have any remaining FedEx shipping labels from past Holy Day Offering packages, 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 would otherwise be avoided. If there is a need for a new shipping label, you can contact Headquarters for a replacement.
Living for Tomorrow 2025 – Blowing Rock, North Carolina
The registration deadline is quickly approaching! Don’t miss this chance to join the 40 young adults who have already registered to join this yearly event. The location is the Blowing Rock Conference Center, in the beautiful Smoky Mountains. The event will take place over Memorial Day weekend. Arrival is on Friday, May 23, and departure on Sunday, May 25. This is an opportunity to learn more about building a successful, godly life, with a focus on accomplishing this as a young adult. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a group of like-minded young men and women by signing up before Sunday, May 11. For more information, go to www.lcgeducation.org, hover over the “MTC/L4T” menu at the top of the page, and click on “L4T Blowing Rock 2025”—or go directly to https://www.lcgeducation.org/l4t-blowingrock-2025/. If you need assistance with transportation from the Charlotte airport to Blowing Rock, just let us know during your registration, along with any dietary restrictions you have.
Men’s Training Camps
Last weekend, two successful Men’s Training Camps were conducted. Mr. Gene Hilgenberg led the event in Wilburton, Oklahoma, with 35 men present. Mr. Jonathan McNair participated as a guest. The camp focused on challenges facing men today, drawing guidance from biblical principles as to how to confront them. In Weston, Oregon, Mr. Jonathan Bueno led the group, with 44 men present. Mr. Weston participated as a guest, encouraging the men to become the godly pillars we are challenged to be. Our next MTC will be in Alberta, Canada, over the weekend of June 13–15.
The Second Passover – Repeat Announcement
The Second Passover this year is on Monday, May 12, which means that it will be observed on Sunday evening, May 11, shortly after sunset. This Passover is for those baptized members who were unable to take the first Passover due to unavoidable circumstances, as instructed in Numbers 9:1–14. If you have any questions, please contact your pastor.
Feast of Tabernacles
As of this writing, more than 3,800 Living Church of God brethren and guests have successfully registered for the 2025 Feast of Tabernacles. This year, we have approximately 84 Feast sites around the world, with 14 in the United States and 70 in other nations. If you have not registered, please do so, even if you are going to your assigned site.
If you have requested a transfer and have not yet been notified by email of acceptance or denial, please be patient. A number of sites are nearing capacity: Bradenton, Florida; Branson, Missouri; Fernandina, Florida; Gulf Shores, Alabama; Madison, Indiana; South Padre Island, Texas; and Port Barcares, France. We may be able to accept more transfers to these sites in the future, but we cannot guarantee it. If you applied for transfer to one of these sites and have not been notified of your acceptance, please consider transferring to another site. You are welcome to stay on the waiting list; however, we cannot guarantee that your transfer will be accepted.
The following sites have ample space and are welcoming more transfers:
· Arroyo Grande, California
· Glens Falls, New York
· New Bern, North Carolina
· Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
· Spokane Valley, Washington
· St. George, Utah
If you have not yet registered for the Feast, please do so, even if you plan to attend your assigned site. Registering helps us know how much open space there is for those on waiting lists. To register, go to the Feast Registration system at fotreg.cogl.org (or visit members.lcg.org, hover over the “Member Resources” menu at the top of the page, then click on “Feast Registration”) and log in using your MyLCG credentials. For information about each Feast site, click “Feast Sites Information” at the bottom of the page.
Living Youth Program
West Virginia Preteen Camp – Repeat Announcement
We still have space for a few additional campers and adult staff at the Preteen Camp in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia, scheduled for July 27–August 1. If you are interested in joining us, please register as soon as possible.
Living Youth Teen Camp 2025
We have had a tremendous response of camper applications for Living Youth Teen Camp 2025. We are very near capacity at this point, so if you’re waiting to apply, now is the time! Camp is a great opportunity for young people in the Living Church of God to meet old friends and make new ones. Our program is highly organized fun, and our staff is oriented toward getting every camper involved in every activity, experiencing success in a positive, godly atmosphere. This year, we’ll be adding disc-golf and music to the line-up of activities, in addition to canoeing, basketball, volleyball, dance, ultimate frisbee, and more! To register, just go to https://camp.livingyouth.org/.
Comments
Are We Philadelphian Christians? The Bible describes Philadelphian Christians as having a strong desire to carry out the mission that Jesus Christ gave to His Church (Revelation 3:7–13). That mission involves preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world (Mark 1:14–15), warning the world—especially Israelite nations—of the consequences of disobedience to God’s law (Ezekiel 33:1–9), and preparing a people to reign with Jesus Christ in the coming Kingdom of God (Luke 1:17). Furthermore, the name “Philadelphia” means “brotherly love,” and true Philadelphians will strive to follow Jesus’ admonition to “love one another” (John 15:12–17). Showing concern for others is one of the distinguishing marks of a real Philadelphian Christian. Let’s all look for ways to do that in our increasingly self-centered world.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy – May 08, 2025
Dangers of the Abortion Pill to Mothers: For 25 years, mifepristone—the “abortion pill”—has been legal in the United States. The pill is deadly for the unborn child, of course, but what are its side effects for the mother?
If the drug’s manufacturer is to be believed, along with the U.S. FDA-reported statistics, less than 0.5 percent of women who take it experience severe side effects (Ethics and Public Policy Center, April 28, 2025). But a new study was recently completed analyzing health insurance claims involving 865,727 abortions from 2017 to 2023 in which mifepristone was prescribed—a study almost 28 times larger than the one completed by the manufacturer. The results show that nearly 11 percent of women who take the abortion pill experience severe side effects—22 times more side effects than reported on the drug’s labeling. As one study author noted, “This study is the statistical equivalent of a category 5 hurricane hitting the prevailing narrative of the abortion industry. It reveals, based on real-world data, the shocking number of women who suffer serious medical consequences because of the abortion pill.” These new findings show that the abortion pill presents a significant health risk for the mothers who take it.
When the FDA approved the abortion pill, it was hailed as a low risk, low-cost alternative to surgical abortion—a quick and easy way to terminate a pregnancy. It was also seen to reduce the guilt associated with ending an unborn life. Yet it appears that mankind’s sins are not so easily swept under the rug. The fact that God created human beings in His very own image (Genesis 1:26) indicates how important human life is to Him! To learn more, read or listen to “What Is the Value of Human Life?”
Will the Conflict Between India and Pakistan Go Nuclear? India and Pakistan’s Kashmir border has been disputed and fought over for decades. Today, both nations possess nuclear missiles, and many have long feared that heightened hostilities between the two could involve such weapons. These fears have escalated now that open conflict is taking place.
In late April, a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 civilians (The Guardian, April 27, 2025). In a muscle-flexing response, India “test-fired” a long-range missile to warn Pakistan of its capabilities. The prime minister also promised a “harsh response” to what he believes is Pakistan’s act of terror. In response, “Pakistan’s railway minister… warned over the weekend that the country’s nuclear arsenal of more than 130 missiles was ‘not kept as models’ and was aimed ‘only for India.’” Analysis of each nation’s defense strategies has raised alarms about the potential for conflict to quickly get out of control. Pakistani leaders believed last week that some sort of military operation by India was imminent, and such fears were realized as India launched multiple attacks this week at targets claimed to be terrorist hotspots (The Wall Street Journal, May 7, 2025). The government of Pakistan denies any involvement in the terrorist attack and has called for an independent investigation. Outside nations are calling for a de-escalation (Reuters, May 7, 2025).
While these two nations have a history of conflict, this current situation could be particularly consequential. Their last open war was in 1999, and the military capabilities of both nations have advanced greatly since then. Both nations possess nuclear weaponry. Last week, some informed sources suggested that India was building a case to attack Pakistan (New York Times, April 27, 2025), and such suspicions are proving accurate. At the time of this writing, Pakistan’s response has yet to be seen. Students of Bible prophecy should not be surprised to see a dramatic destabilization of world conditions as we approach the end of the age! To learn more, read or listen to Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ’s Return. —Scott Winnail, Chris Sookdeo, and Francine Prater