Greetings from Charlotte,
The nineteen men on our Council of Elders gathered this week for three days of deliberations. The first day was mostly devoted to updates from the men regarding their areas of responsibilities, and the reports were overall very encouraging. One trend we notice is that people with a past Worldwide Church of God association are returning to the faith after being away from it for several decades. We are also seeing people who never had such association coming along and progressing toward baptism. We had lively discussions on how better to reach the world with the message of the Gospel and with a warning of where our world is heading. Much focus was on how to broaden our appeal to a larger demographic and how to cut through the clutter of information available today, while realizing that our message will be rejected by the majority, just as was the message of the prophets of old. Some very interesting ideas were presented, and I am truly grateful to have these men of wide experience to give good counsel going forward. Thank you for all your prayers regarding these meetings. Due to the time-consuming nature of these council meetings, there will be no video update this week.
—Gerald E. Weston
Church Administration
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last week we held seven Tomorrow’s World Presentations. These presentations drew a total of 54 guests. This week, we will hold six presentations in Live Oak and Summerville, Florida; Roanoke and Williamsburg, Virginia; and Poplar Bluff and Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Feast of Tabernacles
As of this writing, more than 5,400 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 yet registered for the Feast, please do so, even if you plan to attend 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; South Padre Island, Texas; and Port Barcarès, 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
· Dubuque, Iowa
· Glens Falls, New York
· Spokane Valley, Washington
· St. George, Utah
If you have not registered, please do so, even if you are going to 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
LYC Texas Registration Closing
We’re almost at capacity for our teen camp in Texas this summer, but we still have space for just a handful of campers. Registration is closing in just over a week, on Sunday, May 25. If your teens would like to attend—and they should, it’s going to be awesome—please have them apply right away! For information on the camp and to register, please visit https://camp.livingyouth.org.
Comments
Life’s Biggest Choice: Today, everyone is urged to do their own thing—whatever seems right in their own eyes (see Judges 21:25). However, the Bible gives us very different instructions. God gave Adam and Eve a choice between two ways of life, pictured by two trees in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:16–17). Moses instructed the Israelites to choose between good and evil, blessings and curses (Deuteronomy 30:15–19). Joshua challenged the Israelites to firmly decide whether they would obey the Creator or the “gods” of this world (Joshua 24:15–16). David described the results of these two different ways of life in Psalm 1. Jesus urged His disciples to enter the narrow gate that leads to life and avoid the wide gate that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13–14). Today, we each have the same choice to make about how we are going to live our lives—the most important choice we will ever make. The Bible urges us to choose life by obeying God.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy – May 15, 2025
Is Global Trade Shifting to Europe? For decades, the United States has been the most important trading partner in the world, due to its vast market for goods and the relative wealth of its more than 340 million consumers. However, with increasing tariff pressures from the U.S., its partners are being pushed away and are searching for other, more stable markets to trade with (Politico, April 22, 2025).
One group of countries that is looking for new trade relationships is the European Union. The EU is one of the largest trading blocs in the world and boasts a market of approximately 450 million people. In recent comments, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen observed, “In a more and more unpredictable global environment, countries are lining up to work with us.” President von der Leyen went on to suggest, “In the middle of the chaos, Europe stands firm, grounded in values, ready to shape what comes next.” The EU is currently in trade talks with Iceland, New Zealand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Canada, India, and the United Arab Emirates, and von der Leyen is said to be planning a trip to China.
Why is world trade shifting from the U.S. to Europe important? Bible prophecy reveals that at the end of this age, a European “beast” power, headed by Germany, will have a powerful influence on global trade and seek to lead the world economically. This financial juggernaut will dominate the world for a time. However, it will also quickly come to an end, and the nations made rich through trading with it will mourn its downfall (Revelation 18:9–20). We may now be witnessing the rise of this new economic superpower in Europe. To learn more about what is to come, you can read or listen to The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor, or Soon-Coming Reality?
Germany Invites Disgruntled U.S. Researchers to Come to Europe: A change of presidential administrations in the United States has resulted in dramatic changes to government-funded medical and scientific research priorities. After returning to the White House, President Trump’s administration has cut funding for certain areas of research, resulting in an abrupt end to the research projects of many scientists. And Europe clearly sees this as an opportunity.
The U.S. has long been the envy of the world in many scientific fields, and American researchers have produced many of the world’s most advanced technologies and breakthroughs. In a forward-thinking move, European nations are working to persuade newly disgruntled U.S. scientists to work in Europe. As Germany’s former Minister of Education and Research observed, Germany needs to become “an attractive destination country for those who can no longer work there [in the U.S.]” (German Foreign Policy, March 19, 2025). As a recent article in Politico stated, “From universities to cities, regions, countries and now the European Commission, the message is loud and clear—Europe welcomes U.S.-based talent and is pulling out all the stops to attract America’s best and brightest” (April 4, 2025). Independent European universities are offering millions of euros to incoming U.S. researchers and the EU has pledged 500 million euros for science and research funding (Deutsche Welle, May 5, 2025)—at a time when the economies of many EU nations are struggling. After World War II, scientists immigrating to the United States helped turn the nation into the scientific powerhouse it is today; in the years ahead, a reversal of this process could propel Europe to the top once again scientifically (Politico, April 17, 2025)—and even militarily and economically.
Europe may appear to be foundering, but its future will be world-altering. To learn more, you can watch our prescient telecast “America’s Fall and Europe’s Rise.” —Scott Winnail, Chris Sookdeo, and Francine Prater