05/19/05
Warm greetings from Charlotte,
Mr. Roderick Meredith has completed another semi-annual letter, which will be sent out to the Tomorrow’s World mailing list. It could be read by as many as 250,000 people. In this letter he announces a new booklet he has written entitled, Where Is God’s True Church Today? This letter and this booklet are very important, so please ask God’s blessing and guidance on both of them and that rich fruit and wonderful things will be brought about in the lives of the many people who will be reading and studying this excellent material.
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION The Council of Elders conference is underway. All the members of the Council from around the world are here in Charlotte. As usual, many important plans and items will be discussed pertaining to the Church and the Work now and in the future. Please ask God’s guidance and wisdom as we convene and work together in unity and harmony in God’s service and in the service of our beloved brethren around the world. Mr. John Ogwyn is unable to attend this conference due to being seriously ill and will be participating via a telephone hookup. He is starting to improve now, but he still needs our fervent prayers for healing and a complete recovery.
Living Youth Camp (Grand Teton National Park) We are still accepting applications through the end of May for the Grand Teton Backpacking/Whitewater Rafting Trip. Please visit the LYC youth web site at www.youth-web.org for detailed information. If you would like to attend, we still have a few spots left. We have already received several completed applications. If you have not mailed in your application, please do so as soon as possible. We plan to begin mailing out acceptance letters in early June. The cost for this trip for staff and campers is $300. Camp applications are now available for the Grand Teton Backpacking/Whitewater Rafting trip. For camper or staff applications please contact: Sheldon Monson, 713 4th Street Hudson, WI 54016, (715) 386-6898 or by email at smonson@cogl.org--Sheldon Monson, Camp Director
Missouri Pre-Teen Camp (Repeat Announcement) Preparations for the Missouri Pre-Teen Camp were temporarily put on hold because of the sad loss of Mr. Randy Gregory. We have now asked Mr. Larry Solomon to serve as Camp Director in his place and Mr. Solomon has graciously accepted. Applications which have already been submitted will be forwarded to Mr. Solomon, but if you have not yet submitted your application for the Missouri Pre-Teen Camp, please do so right away as time is short. Also, if you were already accepted as a department head for this year, please contact Mr. Solomon to discuss what preparations have already been made. As you can understand, some changes may need to be made. Any questions concerning the Missouri Pre-Teen Camp should now be directed to Mr. Solomon by mail: 8712 E 170th Place S, Bixby, OK 74008; by phone 918-366-0611; or by e-mail lsolomon@cogl.org.
Texas Pre-Teen Camp (Repeat Announcement) The Texas Pre-Teen camp will be held from June 5-10 in Fort Parker State Park (near Mexia, 90 miles south of Dallas). Tuition for campers is $75 ($65 for the second camper from the same family and $55 for the third). Tuition for high school and adult staff is $20. High school workers must be 15 or older; young adult workers are those aged 19 to 24. You may request an application from Mr. John Ogwyn by mail, PO Box 478, Kilgore, TX 75662; by e-mail jogwyn@cogl.org; or by phone at 979-709-2712 (please ask for Lori Forrestier).
FEAST OF TABERNACLES 2005 (To Be Announced in All Services) By now, many of you should have received your Festival Planner 2005. Please read it carefully, and return the enclosed Pre-Registration/Transfer Form as soon as possible. When you read your Planner, you will notice that discounted housing arrangements have been made with several hotels and resorts convenient to the meeting halls.
At Myrtle Beach and Lake of the Ozarks, the Church will receive a discount on hall rental if enough brethren use the recommended lodging. The Festival Office has learned that some brethren made housing reservations before receiving the Planner, and are now disappointed to find that they will be staying many miles away from where they mistakenly assumed services would be held, or that they are paying higher prices than if they had waited for the rates offered in the Planner. Thankfully, for those who wish to reconsider their earlier decisions, those reservations may in most cases be cancelled with little or no penalty. If you plan to attend Myrtle Beach or Lake of the Ozarks, please prayerfully consider whether you may be able to use the recommended lodging. In most cases, the recommended facilities (Kingston Plantation and Tan-Tar-A) can offer higher quality and lower cost accommodations than the surrounding hotels, with the added advantage of proximity to services. By staying at these facilities, you can help save the Work from having to pay extra for hall rental. This will help CAD provide more generously for the widows and others who need Festival assistance. Thank you.
COMMENTS The CDs with hymn singing on them are about ready to be mailed out to all the congregations in the Living Church of God. Many people have gone above and beyond to get this project done, and we thank each and every one of them. This is not special music done by a chorale. This is congregational singing done by dedicated brethren here at Headquarters to assist any congregation that needs extra voices, as they sing before God each Sabbath. We hope this additional singing by our extended family here in Charlotte will help in honoring and praising our Great God on His holy Sabbath day every time they are used. It was indeed a great joy and pleasure to be able to serve in this way. This is all part and parcel of what we read in Isaiah 58:13-14 about honoring God on the Sabbath. It says, “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” We send our love and special greetings and hope all of you have a very pleasant Sabbath!
Charles E. Bryce