Greetings from Charlotte,
Some of you may have noticed that last week’s video update was not posted on time. Our apologies for it slipping through the cracks—it was recorded and edited, but not posted. It is now on the website, and a new one for this week is also posted. In this latest video update, I mention Mr. Mario Hernández’s upcoming trip to Spain and Portugal, a Men’s Training Camp in Mexico, flooding in Kenya and Ethiopia, and Mr. Simon Roberts’ visit to the island nation of Malta. Mr. Rod McNair recorded a telecast this week, “Three Keys to Stronger Faith,” advertising the booklet John 3:16: Hidden Truths of the Golden Verse.
We are now a week and a half away from Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. Please take time to prepare spiritually for these important observances that highlight significant milestones in God’s master plan of salvation. Some wonder about taking Passover if they have severe allergies, such as to gluten. If you are in this category, please let your pastor know well in advance. One solution would be for you to bring your own gluten-free Passover bread. Another is to purchase such. The Bible does not give every detail about ingredients. Some areas of the world use rice or flour from ground and dried root crops. Three matters need to be considered. 1) Is the small amount taken at Passover a real problem? 2) Have you consulted with your Pastor so he can bless and break the bread for you? 3) Any substitute bread should closely follow the general recipe given in the latest Living Church News. You can substitute another grain or ingredient for wheat, but the rest should be the same as much as possible. If you have any questions, please contact your pastor immediately so that he will have time to consult with those over him if need be.
—Gerald E. Weston
Church Administration
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last week, we held two online French presentations, two Presentation Series presentations, four follow-up presentations, and four initial presentations. These drew a total of 53 in-person guests; the online guest count is not available at this time. This week, we will hold nine presentations, listed below:
- Canada – Online
- Cape Girardeau, Missouri – Initial Presentation
- Poplar Bluff, Missouri – Initial Presentation
- Lafayette, Louisiana - Initial Presentation
- New Orleans, Louisiana - Initial Presentation
- Indianapolis, Indiana – Follow-up Presentation
- Terre Haute, Indiana – Follow-up Presentation
- Hammonton, New Jersey - Follow-up Presentation
- Greenwich, Connecticut - Follow-up Presentation
Pentecost Celebration in El Salvador
This year, as in recent years, the congregations of Central America will celebrate Pentecost in San Salvador, El Salvador, and brethren from other countries are welcome to attend. The sermons will be delivered by evangelists Mr. Mario Hernández and Mr. Wallace Smith, with simultaneous translation from Spanish into English and from English into Spanish. Those who are interested in attending should contact Mr. George Schaubeck at [email protected].
Living Youth Program
Living Youth Teen Camp—Athens, Texas
We are now just over three months away from another exciting Living Youth Camp experience at the Lone Star Camp in Athens, Texas. We currently have 99 campers applying to come. If you are one of those 99, look for your acceptance notification within the next few days! Once accepted, you’ll receive additional information about what to bring and how to prepare for camp. If you’d like to be part of camp but haven’t gotten around to applying, simply visit https://camp.livingyouth.org to make it happen. If you have friends or family members who might enjoy camp, feel free to share the link with them as well. See you at camp!
Comments
Prepare for Coming Holy Days: We will soon be observing the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. These annual Festivals are a memorial of the great sacrifice Jesus Christ made for our sins and the sins of the world, and they remind us that we need to recognize and eliminate sinful thoughts and actions from our lives so we can become more like our heavenly Father and our elder Brother Jesus Christ. For Passover to be meaningful and profitable—not just routine—we need to prepare to commemorate this important step in God’s plan of salvation. To put the Passover in proper perspective, review the gospel accounts of events that led up to the Passover, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. Placing our own self-examination within this biblical context can help us appreciate the tremendous significance of Jesus’ sacrifice. Spending time every day in prayerful study and reflection as we go through this Holy Day period can help us grow to be more like our Savior.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy
A Joint Arab Army? In retaliation against Israel and the United States, Iran is attacking European assets in the Middle East and even its Arab neighbors. As a result, Iran’s Arab neighbors seem to be considering tighter cooperation and even joint military action.
On March 8, a special emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers was held, including leaders from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain (Middle East Monitor, March 9, 2026). At the meeting, Egypt’s foreign minister noted that “Iranian attacks on its neighbours made it necessary to activate the concept of joint Arab action, including the creation of a force, to protect states and deal effectively with threats” (The National, March 10, 2026). While analysts doubt the feasibility of such an Arab army, they do foresee the likelihood of joint and coordinated military actions among certain Arab states. “What is practical and within reach is a military alliance that groups Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. They have held many war drills together, speak the same language and have mostly similar weapons.” More recent talks in Riyadh, discussing Iran’s attacks on Arab energy facilities, resulted in the assembled Arab nations emphasizing “the right of states to defend themselves” according to the United Nations Charter, but left vague just how far Iran could go before triggering a military response (Al Jazeera, March 19, 2026).
While there have been conflicts in the Middle East for millennia, events now taking place on the world stage are pushing nations into reconfiguring their alliances and agreements in new ways. When viewed through the lens of Bible prophecy, the ultimate arrangement of nations and powers becomes much clearer—as the end of the age approaches, we should expect to see the rise of a joint Arab federation identified with the “king of the South” in the book of Daniel. This group of nations will band together and ultimately fight against the European “beast” of Revelation. Events now occurring in the Middle East may be laying the foundation for this end-time Arab superpower. You can learn more by watching our video about “The Three End-Time Superpowers.”
Is Marijuana as Beneficial as People Think It Is? A review published in the internationally respected Journal of the American Medical Association analyzed 2,500 studies published within the past two decades on the risks and benefits of marijuana use (ScienceDaily.com, December 12, 2025). According to the paper’s lead author, “While many people turn to cannabis seeking relief, our review highlights significant gaps between public perception and scientific evidence regarding its effectiveness for most medical conditions.” Only pharmaceutical-grade cannabis approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was successful in treatments—and within only a very narrow group of conditions, “including HIV/AIDS-related appetite loss, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and severe pediatric seizure disorders such as Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.” For many other health problems for which marijuana is taken, the evidence of its effectiveness “remains uncertain or insufficient.”
Instead, there is increasing evidence of problems associated with cannabis. These include “higher rates of psychotic symptoms and generalized anxiety disorder” among adolescents who use it. Nearly a third of cannabis users “met the criteria for cannabis use disorder.” Daily marijuana use appears to “contribute to cardiovascular problems, including elevated risks of coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke.” The drug touted to be highly effective in treating a host of conditions and to have very few side effects appears to be minimally effective at treating a very small group of conditions and brings significant risks for those who use it—especially those who use it daily!
Many in society avoid the need to turn to God as their Rock and Fortress, instead turning to harmful substances like marijuana for help and escape. You can learn more about this misunderstood substance by reading or listening to Marijuana: What They Aren’t Telling You. —Scott Winnail, Brent Mitchell, and Richard Franz