LCG World Ahead Weekly Update

Here in Charlotte, we have been preparing for a Council of Elders meeting on Thursday and Friday of this week and the Ministerial Conference next Monday through Wednesday. Mr. Meredith held a number of meetings this week. Mr. Mario Hernandez has returned from a very profitable trip to South America. Mr. Wayne Pyle reports that last week’s Tomorrow’s World program, “Prophecy and You,” presented by Mr. Rod King, should generate more than 5,100 responses. The Tomorrow’s World Special Presentation last Sunday in Harrison, Arkansas by Mr. Rod McNair drew 19 visitors. The TWSP that I made in Front Royal, Virginia drew 42 visitors on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Please pray for the safety of everyone traveling to and from Charlotte for the Council meetings and the Ministerial Conference. Also, pleas e pray for those who are in need of healing and God’s intervention in their lives.—DSW

Mr. Rod Reynolds will move from Louisiana to become the Area Pastor of congregations in St. Louis, Rolla and Columbia, Missouri. Mr. Dan Friz will move from Michigan to become the Area Pastor of congregations in northern Louisiana (Shreveport, Monroe and Ferriday). Mr. Glen Harrison will move from Georgia to become the Area Pastor of congregations in south Louisiana (Baton Rouge, Lafayette and New Orleans). Mr. Anthony Stroud will move from Kansas to Alabama to become the Area Pastor of congregations in Birmingham and Montgomery, and Columbus, Mississippi. Mr. Jason Fritts will move from Tennessee to become the Associate Pastor of congregations in Michigan and Indiana under Mr. Lambert Greer. These moves will take place this summer.

Front Royal, Virginia: In spite of a rainy day Sunday, April 22, 88 people gathered at the Holiday Inn near Front Royal to hear Dr. Douglas Winnail’s presentation titled, “The Gathering Storm.” The attendees included 42 visitors and 46 members from the congregations in Winchester and Fairfax, Virginia; and Baltimore, Maryland. The visitors focused intently on the message, and several

Mr. Mario Hernandez visited Lima, Peru from April 12-16. On the Last Day of Unleavened Bread, April 13, he spoke to the combined Lima, Cerro de Pasco, Trujillo and Huánuco congregations. The following day, the brethren shared breakfast and lunch together, and Mr. Hernandez gave a sermon on the fruits of the Spirit. After the Sabbath, a meeting to organize the Feast of Tabernacles was held. On Sunday, Mr. Hernandez held various family counseling sessions and the brethren were able to have many questions answered. The brethren from Cerro de Pasco, Huánuco and Trujillo departed for home joyfully after having enjoyed a spiritually enriching weekend. On Monday, April 16, Mr. Hernandez left Peru for Bolivia.

Discounted accommodations are available at both the Holiday Inn Express and the Quality Inn & Suites near the Headquarters building. Both are easily accessible to major highways. The rate at the Holiday Inn is $99 dollars a night and the rate at the Quality Inn is $79 dollars a night. To receive the discount, you must ask for the “fellowship” rate. This rate applies to weekdays and the weekend and is also available beyond the dates of the Singles Weekend, if you’d like to come in early or leave later.

Living Youth Camp (LYC) still has plenty of openings for campers at our pre-teen and teen summer camps. These camps are the highlight of the summer for many Church youth, and will leave memories that they will cherish for many years! If you would like your child to attend, apply to one (or more!) of our camps online at http://lyc.lcg.org.

To all Area Pastors: God’s Work continues to grow, and as a result the Media Operations Department needs a video editor to assist with the increased work load. Please review the job description below. If you know of an experienced video/media editor who is a Church member and can work well under deadline pressure, please e-mail me (rames@lcg.org). A successful candidate will be expected to relocate to Charlotte, and the Church will pay for reasonable moving expenses. Also, the candidate should submit a resume to Mrs. Suzanne Pyle, (hr@lcg.org), fax 704-844-1973, at the Human Resources Department here at Headquarters. We request that only those applicants who live and can legally work in the United States apply for this position. Thanks for your help.—Richard Ames, Director of Media Operations

The Editorial Department is looking for a Managing Editor to assist in the planning, editing, design and production of the Church’s periodicals (primarily the Tomorrow’s World magazine and the Living Church News). The ideal candidate will have good capability in layout and graphic art and will be comfortable using Adobe InDesign. Experience with MacOS X is also desirable.

Applicants should be truly dedicated to the Church and have an excellent grasp of Church doctrine. The right candidate will have an eye for detail, be comfortable working in a deadline-driven environment and be a “team player,” able to cooperate effectively with staff in all headquarters departments. A successful candidate will be expected to relocate to Charlotte, and the Church will pay for reasonable moving expenses. We request that only those applicants who live and can legally work in the United States apply for this position. If you are interested in this position, please send your resume to: Human Resources Department, Living Church of God, PO Box 3810, Charlotte, NC 28227-8010. Fax: 704-844-1973; e-mail: hr@lcg.org.

Beware of False Teachers: Jesus warned repeatedly that false teachers would come “in His name” and deceive many (Matthew 24:5). He also said, “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-20). The Apostle Paul warned that false teachers would rise up “from among yourselves… speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Acts 20:29-31). Isaiah provided an important key for recognizing false teachers when he wrote, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20). Paul also states that individuals who preach a different Gospel than Jesus and the apostles preached are “false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves int o apostles of Christ,” and that they are actually functioning as ministers of Satan (2 Corinthians 11:1-4, 13-15). These are strong words! In order to avoid being deceived by clever arguments and long-winded expositions (Mark 7:6-9), we need to diligently study the Scriptures so we can correctly understand the “word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

EU Super-President on the Way? In a recent meeting of the exclusive “EU Club” (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain), the group discussed merging the current positions of President of the European Council (Herman Van Rompuy) and President of the European Commission (José Manuel Barroso). Additional leadership roles by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton and the President of the Council of the EU (six-month rotating presidency currently held by Denmark), create a “messy” and confusing leadership structure. One senior EU official noted that the new super-president post “would have more power than either Herman Van Rompuy or Jose Manuel Barroso do today, but also more ‘dem ocratic legitimacy’ because he or she would be elected by MEPs” (EU Observer, April 20, 2012). Meanwhile, EU leaders are calling for more secrecy in their internal affairs (EU Observer, April 12, 2012). Streamlining the EU’s leadership structure makes sense from a practical and governance perspective, and it also fits with Bible prophecy. Revelation 13 and 17 describe a future European Beast power guided by a powerful political leader and an influential religious leader. Revelation 20:10 labels these two individuals as the “beast” and the “false prophet”. The political leader known as the “beast” has yet to clearly arise on the world scene. The move to create a single post for an “EU Super-President” could pave the way for this to happen. For more information on this intriguing topic, review our free booklet The Beast of Revelation.

Korean Peninsula Heats Up: Last week, North Korea celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of the nation’s founding president, Kim Il-Sung. The centerpiece of the celebrations was a rocket launch to put a satellite into orbit. However, the rocket disintegrated a few minutes after lift-off. South Korean president Lee criticized the launch, and “said the estimated $850 million cost of a rocket launch… could have bought 2.5 million tons of corn” for the starving, food-aid dependent nation. The South also unveiled a “new cruise missile said to be able to reach any target in the North.” In retaliation for what it called “defamation of its leadership,” “North Korea’s military Monday threatened ‘special actions’ soon to turn parts of the South Korean capital to ashes&hellip ; It said the actions ‘will reduce all... to ashes in three or four minutes... by unprecedented peculiar means and methods of our own style’” (Agence France-Presse, April 23, 2012). Whether tensions on the Korean peninsula escalate to the highest level remains to be seen. Bible prophecy indicates that at the time of the end, a 200-million-man Asiatic army will advance on Jerusalem from the East (Daniel 11:44; Revelation 9:13-19; 16:12). To support such an army, there must be a certain level of unity among Asiatic nations—including Russia and China—a situation that currently does not exist. We need to watch where the dynamic events in Asia are going to lead. For more information on end-time prophecy, review our booklet Revela tion: The Mystery Unveiled!

Sweden’s Gender Equality Push: In Sweden, “gender equality” begins in preschool. Sweden’s national preschool curriculum states, “Preschools should counteract traditional gender patterns and gender roles. In preschools, girls and boys should have the same opportunities to test and develop abilities and interests without being limited by stereotypical gender roles.” Gender neutrality proponents claim identifying girls and boys by their birth genders forces them into a role that will limit them. One preschool director noted, “Children ought to be allowed to be children, but we should not cement them in roles that we carry with us from the past.” Opponents state, “It is important to have your gender confirmed to you as a child. This does not limit children; it makes t hem confident about their identity…. Children ought to be allowed to mature slowly and naturally.” Said one author, in regard to those pushing gender neutrality, “… they clearly despise traditional people—that is, the... heterosexuals living in nuclear families” (Christian Science Monitor, April 7, 2012). The Bible instructs parents to rear their children in the “training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Older men are to be examples and older women are instructed to specifically instruct younger women in their gender-roles related to home and family (Titus 2:1-5). The Bible reveals that God “created [human beings] male and female” (Genesis 5:2), with roles designed to bring about true fulfillment—a truth that some today increasingly hate and reject.—Scott Winnail and Deborah Lincoln-Strange