Living Church of God World Ahead Weekly Update

Last Sunday afternoon, Mr. Meredith made the first Tomorrow’s World Special Presentation in Charlotte, North Carolina on the subject of “What’s Ahead for America?” He spoke to a very responsive audience of about 230 people that included 105 visitors (see announcement below). This coming Sunday, Mr. Ames will give the follow-up presentation entitled “Where Is God’s Church Today?” Last weekend’s Tomorrow’s World television program #395 by Mr. Meredith entitled, “How to Know When Christ Will Return!” is expected to draw more than 5,000 responses. This week Mr. Meredith has been involved in meetings and writing for publications. Mr. Mario Hernandez and I both had very profitable trips to different parts of Europe. We connected in Belgium where we met with about 80 brethren in Charleroi for services last Sabbath. This coming weekend I will be in Chattanooga and Nashville, Tennessee, to make Tomorrow’s World Special Presentations. Also this weekend, Mr. Gerald Weston and Mr. Norm Aitchison will make TWSPs in Aldergrove, Burnaby, Victoria and Coombs in British Columbia, Canada. Please pray for the success of these efforts to reach this world with God’s important end-time message!—DSW

Important Notice to All Pastors: This year the Passover Service will be observed on Sunday, April 17, a little less than six weeks from now. As communicated earlier this week, let us know as soon as possible if any of the congregations you serve will need additional Passover Service supplies (bread trays and/or wine trays or glasses) or a copy of the Passover Servicerecording (please note that this year we have a new recording of the Passover Service, given by Dr. Scott Winnail, available both in DVD and CD).

Additionally, let us know of any scattered members who need to receive the Passover Service recording and letter instructions to observe it at home. Please direct your requests to Dorothy McNair at the Church Administration Department by e-mail at dmcnair@lcg.org or by phone at 704-844-1960, ext. 2248, as soon as possible to ensure timely delivery. Please note that a copy of the new Passover Service DVD and CD will be sent automatically to all Area Pastors.

The first ever Tomorrow’s World Special Presentation in Charlotte was given by Dr. Meredith on Sunday, March 6, 2011, at Hilton Charlotte University Place. Despite the severe storms and a major wreck which shut down I-85 during mid-day, the presentation was an overwhelming success. Two hundred and thirty people came to experience the resounding message from Dr. Meredith, including 105 visitors. The brethren expressed that the level of energy that Dr. Meredith delivered his message was very inspiring. One visitor stated “he was on fire”! Several expressed interest in attending Church. Please continue to pray for our follow-up presentation this coming Sunday, March 13, which will be delivered by Mr. Richard Ames.—Bob League

Wayne Pyle thanks God for all the prayers! As many of you know, he was diagnosed with stage-4 colon cancer about seven months ago. Based on the aggressiveness of the cancer, he was given six months to live, as the cancer went from his colon into his liver and into both of his lungs. Well, thanks to all the prayers, the cancer is rapidly leaving. It is completely gone from his colon and both of his lungs. It is now about half gone from his liver, and he looks forward to his complete healing. He is grateful for his gradual healing over the past seven months, as he is learning invaluable lessons that he feels he might not have learned otherwise. He feels well and works in his office at Headquarters every day. He thanks everyone for their loving prayers. His oncologist describes his recovery as simply “REMARKABLE!”

From time to time, the Headquarters office receives requests from individuals asking for a copy of a particular sermon on DVD or CD from our archives. Regrettably, because of the press of the normal workload (1.3 million pieces of mail were processed last year) our Mail Processing Department and our Duplicating Department simply cannot service every individual request. If you would like a copy of a sermon produced by HQ, we ask you to please check it out from your local congregation library. Each congregation maintains a library of sermon DVDs and CDs produced at HQ for this purpose, and you are free to make your own personal copy of it (unedited, in its entirety). Please contact your Pastor if you have any questions. Many sermons are also available online at www.lcg.org.

Join the Living Church of God Arizona and New Mexico congregations for their annual Family Weekend, an event you will not soon forget! Weekend activities include an outdoor Renaissance Costume Ball on Saturday evening, April 23 (the Saturday between the spring Holy Days): gaze into God’s beautiful starlit Arizona desert skies, and dance under our lovely tent of lights, through the evening, as you enjoy the fellowship of brethren from near and far. The following day will be our Love, Marriage and Family “Brunch and Learn” Bible Study and Panel Discussion. There will be games and a family movie for children. This discussion will be suitable for both singles and married couples alike.

As of March 10, 4,188 brethren in the United States, Canada, and other International areas have successfully registered at MyLCG (www.cogl.org) for the Feast. In the past week, we have also been able to process many transfer requests. Thank you for your patience if you are still on a transfer waiting list—we are going through them with the coordinators as fast as we can!

Jamaica and Barbados are now closed and not accepting any more transfers. Regrettably, for sake of space, we have had to turn away more than 80 people from Jamaica. We apologize if this has caused any difficulty, but due to an uptick in interest Jamaica this year, and the limitation of the hall, we simply cannot accept everyone. We are also nearing capacity at Cobleskill, NY, Santa Maria, CA, and Chattanooga, TN. If you are trying to transfer to one of these three sites, we may not be able to accommodate your transfer. The other U.S. sites still have plenty of room!

The northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail is Baxter Peak (5,267 feet) on Katahdin, Maine’s highest mountain. Katahdin, along with the surrounding area, is part of Baxter State Park – a 209,501 acre wilderness sanctuary and forest preserve. This summer we will be backpacking in this spectacular Park! In addition, we will spend a day learning to kayak, and then spend time kayaking on the river. We will conclude the trip with whitewater rafting on the Penobscot and dinner at the famous “Pelletier Loggers Family Restaurant.” The Penobscot whitewater run between the 90-foot walls of Ripogenus Gorge gives way to breathtaking views of Mt. Katahdin and offers Class IV Rapids. This is a trip you won’t want to miss!

There is still room for a couple of additional students for on-campus study with Living University in Charlotte this Fall. For those interested in attending Living University in Charlotte and also working part-time while you study, please make application for our on-campus program as soon as possible. Application materials can be accessed via our website at www.livinguniv.com (be sure to complete the online application). Then click the Making Application link for more details on how to apply to attend LU in Charlotte. For specific questions please call 704-708-2292, or email Dr. Scott Winnail at swinnail@livinguniv.com.

If you have been following the daily news lately, you will know that the United States Post Office has been losing large amounts of revenue. Because of this, they have been consolidating their processes and rearranging how the mail flows to reverse their losses. This has impacted the USPS internally and has caused rather widespread delays in normal delivery, which, of course, directly impacts our mailings. We have no control of what happens after the mail passes from us to the USPS. We can however exercise patience, longsuffering and our ability to get on our knees and ask for help on high! Please pray that God would accomplish sending His Word to all those who are crying out for it!—Gaylyn Bonjour

Pride vs. Humility: Bible prophecies reveal that in the last days people will be proud, boastful, haughty and headstrong (2 Timothy 3:1-5), and that scoffers will ridicule the idea that a real God inspired the Scriptures (2 Peter 3:3-5). Many scoffers are unaware of what God reveals in His Word about pride and humility. The Bible states that “pride goes before… a fall” (Proverbs 16:18), and that humility is a prerequisite for honor in God’s sight (Proverbs 15:33; 29:23). God says that He looks on the humble (Isaiah 66:2), that He dwells with the humble (Isaiah 57:15), that He raises up the humble (Psalm 147:6) and that He gives grace [unmerited pardon] to the humble (Proverbs 3:34). Jesus said, “blessed” are the humble (Matthew 5:5). Peter urged Christians to “be clothed with humility” (1 Peter 5:5). The Scriptures reveal that God used Moses because he was humble (Numbers 12:3), and that Jesus Christ was exalted because He humbled himself by dying on “the cross” for our sins (Philippians 2:8-9). While many today doubt that God exists or wonder what His will is, the Bible clearly explains what God is looking for in each of us—“to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Revive the Mediterranean Union! The Mediterranean Union (UfM), first started with the major support of President Sarkozy of France, is now receiving renewed support by France and Germany. France’s new Foreign Minister, Alain Juppé, has called for the reinvigoration of the UfM as “more necessary than ever.” Angela Merkel of Germany, who initially criticized the UfM’s creation back in 2007, recently recognized the tremendous need for this Union to support the EU’s work in the Middle East and Mediterranean rim nations. She stated in a press conference with her Austrian counterpart: “The existence of the Union for the Mediterranean is a good thing. It gives us new opportunities to start to work together with the North-African countries… We think that we have to provide, at mid-term and long-term, our economic support and our ‘know how’ to help the growth in this area; not only for Libya, but also for the other countries in the area” (LeFigaro.fr, March 2, 2011). The Bible indicates that—for a time—Germany would ally itself with the Arab peoples of Moab, Edom, Philistia, Ammon, and even the Babylonians and Chaldeans (Psalm 83:5-8; Ezekiel 23:22-23). These ancient peoples represent modern nations in the Middle-Eastern region. This alignment-of-necessity will only last for a short time and then be broken as Germany and the European Beast power take the unrestrained lead (Daniel 11:40-43). Actions throughout the Middle East now, as well as in Europe, are falling in line with these prophecies.

The EU Must Lead in the Middle East. In a recent interview with the EU Observer, the Syrian ambassador to the EU made some very poignant and sobering comments. The ambassador, Mr. Mohamad Ayman Soussan, pointed out that the tide of civil unrest currently moving through the Middle East is due to the Arab-Israeli conflict and not other causes. He commented, “Our European friends have a responsibility here, because Europe is the principal economic partner of Israel. They have all the means at their disposal to make Israel reconsider its position vis-a-vis international law. Europe must assume this responsibility if it ever intends to take its rightful place in the international order” (EUObserver.com, February 17, 2011). So, the Syrian ambassador to the EU is calling on the EU to take a much larger “rightful place” in Middle East affairs. More than 2,600 years ago, Bible prophecy revealed this would happen , as Daniel foresaw an end-time Beast or King of the North moving into the Middle East (Daniel 11:40-43). Jesus Christ also prophesied of a time when Jerusalem would be surrounded by Gentile armies and the Beast power would set up the “abomination of desolation” there (Luke 21:20-24; Matthew 24:15-16). It is sobering to see world events fitting into these ancient prophecies! For more information on this exciting topic, read our free booklet The Middle East in Prophecy.

Agriculture and Future Hunger. Economists predict that unless there is an unusually large wheat harvest this year, world wheat prices will experience “wild price swings” over the next year. According to Keith Collins, former chief economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “The stage is set for very serious disruptions, should weather disasters happen… It seems clear to me that the chance of a more widespread global food crisis has increased.” The U.S. currently controls “55% of the world trade in corn, as well as 44% of the soybean trade, 41% of the trade in cotton and 28% of the wheat.” Also, because of global and economic demands on corn, by the time of the fall 2011 corn harvest the U.S. is expected to have only enough corn reserves to feed the nation for 18 days—a supply deficit seen only once since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. In addition, “many economists worry about what would happen to food prices if a long-overdue drought were to hit the Midwest’s corn-and-soybean-growing states this summer.” Even though global production has increased in recent years, the global demand for food is outpacing food production! A major natural disaster could result in a world hunger not seen before (The Wall Street Journal, March 7, 2011). Bible prophecies warn that “famines and pestilences” will be one of the signs of the end of the age (Luke 21:11), and that end-time scarcities would see a quart of wheat selling for a day’s wage (Revelation 6:6). Finally, God warned that the Israelite-descended nations would experience starvation due to their disobedience (Leviticus 26:19-20). The stage is being set for these devastating events.—VG Lardé, Gene Hilgenberg, Deborah Lincoln-Strange, Scott Winnail