Greetings from Charlotte
The Member and Coworker Letter for October will be going out this week, and the November Semi-annual letter has gone to the printer. We print, put in envelopes, and mail about half the Semi-annual letters and inserts from our Mail Processing Department. The other half must be outsourced. Even so, it takes one-to-two weeks to complete the task, along with all the other mailings: Coworker Letters, Tomorrow’s World Presentation invitations, fulfillment requests for booklets we have advertised, and more. Our small staff does an incredible job, as do our other departments. We have now processed all the packaged and online Holy Day offerings, except the residuals that trickle in. Thank you, dear brethren, for your generosity, even in these inflationary times. —Gerald E. Weston
Church Administration
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last week, we held two initial presentations and two online presentations. The initial presentations—one in Cape Town, South Africa and one in Calgary, Alberta, Canada—drew a total of 24 guests. The data for the online presentations is not yet available. This week, we will hold one online presentation to the Canadian subscriber base and a follow-up presentation in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Feast of Tabernacles
Festival Survey
If you have not yet filled out the Festival Survey, please do so by Sunday, October 18. We are asking all Feastgoers ages13 and up to fill out the survey. Your feedback is important and helps with planning future Festivals. You can access this survey at fotsurvey.lcg.org.
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God’s Perspective on Trials
When we encounter trials, it is not uncommon to wonder if God has forsaken us. However, we need to remember several important scriptures. Jesus told His disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). God has also promised never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). The Apostle Paul reminds us that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28) and that even in trials God will make a “way of escape” (1 Corinthians 10:13). James even admonished Christians to be thankful for trials, because they provide opportunities to build patience as we exercise faith in God and His promises—while we do our part to work through these challenges (James 1:2–4). Let’s strive to remember this godly perspective when we encounter trials. —Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy
Britain Lacks a Plan to Defend Itself
As tempers flare in Europe and European nations expand their military capabilities, Britain seems paralyzed. A recent article in the Telegraph observed, “Despite the wake-up call of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and warnings that the UK could be next in the Kremlin’s sights, the report claimed the country ‘lacks a plan for defending the homeland’” (October 6, 2026). As the conservative Tory leader noted in remarks prepared for a conference last week, “Cheap weapons can now threaten cities, military bases and critical infrastructure in ways that would have sounded like science fiction a generation ago…. If a missile or drone is launched at Britain, we do not get a second chance to wish we had prepared.”
Conservatives have pledged to spend £10 billion on a new “Britannia Shield” project, if they are reelected (BBC, October 6, 2026), to help protect against missiles and drones. However, such a project is only an idea at present.
Britain’s military defenses have dwindled—the nation that once had the strongest navy in the world and the military might to hold its own against the Nazi onslaught of World War II is now a shadow of its former self. God warned that if ancient Israel and its descendants turned their back on Him, “I will break the pride of your power” (Leviticus 26:19). At this point, if there remains any British pride in their past military glories, such nostalgia may soon be shattered by harsh new realities. To learn more about God’s warnings to the Israelite-descended peoples, including Great Britain, read or listen to The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.
Europeans Move Their Gold Closer to Home
The nations of the world are getting nervous about their money. As global trade moves away from the U.S. dollar and trust in America wanes, central banks are buying more gold (Deutsche Welle, September 12, 2026), which is seen as safer than the paper money or treasuries of any one nation. “A recent survey by the World Gold Council found that central banks have accumulated an average of 1,000 tonnes of gold over the past four years, up from the 500-tonne average over the preceding decade.” Gold prices have been driven to all-time highs.
Many nations have for decades stored much of their gold in U.S. vaults, but this is changing, and European nations are bringing their gold much closer to home. France has recently moved its remaining gold reserves in New York to European soil, and the Netherlands has moved 95 tons of gold from New York to London. “Several politicians in Germany and Italy—which hold the world’s second- and third-largest gold reserves, respectively—have called for their countries’ gold to be also taken out of the US.” European nations also want to be able to access their gold quickly should the need arise.
Trust in the decades-long order of the world is deteriorating. Paper and fiat currencies are increasingly distrusted, and nations today do not trust that their assets will be safe on foreign soil, even with others who have been long-time allies such as the United States, once considered one of the most secure and trustworthy partners of Europe. They still put their trust in riches in one way or another—yet that too will change. Bible prophecy indicates that the world will soon experience such dire straits that money, including gold and silver, will be useless (Ezekiel 7:19). As the saying goes, “You can’t eat gold.”
Thankfully, Jesus Christ will return and fix the global financial system, as the nations of the world learn that trust in Him is never misplaced! To learn more about this coming future world and the financial principles at the heart of its economics, read or listen to God’s People Tithe! —Scott Winnail, Chris Sookdeo, and Francine Prater