Greetings from Charlotte,
It is good to be home again after three weeks on the road. It was a privilege to spend the Passover and the first Holy Day with our congregation in Glasgow, Scotland—which has nearly doubled in size since the last time I was there. During the Days of Unleavened Bread I flew to Belgium to meet Mr. and Mrs. Franz Peeters, who manage our Dutch website, and we did some filming in France, Belgium and Germany for a future Internet project. Last weekend, Mr. Rod King and I conducted a Regional Conference in Wales for our deacons, elders and their wives in the UK, Ireland and parts of Europe. This week, Mr. Meredith has been working on a semi-annual letter and Mr. Ames is working on arrangements for a coming public lecture. We are also getting ready for a Council of Elders meeting next week and Pastors Conference the following week. Your prayers for these meetings will be greatly appreciated.
Second Passover (Repeat Announcement)
This year, the Second Passover should be taken shortly after sunset on Sunday, May 18. This Passover is for those baptized members who were unable to take the first Passover due to unforeseen circumstances. The biblical instructions guiding this ceremony are found in Numbers 9:1-14.
Myanmar Update
Mr. Bruce Tyler reports: Many have been asking about our brethren in Burma and wanting to know if we have had any news of them. Communication in and out of Burma, even in the best of times, is very difficult and unreliable. It is just about impossible now. Our next scheduled date to make contact with Mr. Thomas Tial Hoe is not until June 13. Unless he makes contact with us before then, we are not likely to hear anything. Mr. Hoe lives much further north from where the destruction and devastation has occurred and would not have been directly affected by the cyclone. He had planned to travel to Sakhangyi Township in about two weeks to visit the members and to conduct a wedding. It is most likely that we will not hear anything until after Mr. Hoe is able to visit our brethren, if indeed he is allowed or even able to travel to Sakhangyi. The roads are probably gone and the only other way to get to the members is by boat, and most of those have been destroyed.
In my estimation of the situation for our members, it appears that the eye of the cyclone would have passed within about 30 miles (48-50 kilometers) of Sakhangyi…. Being a little further inland, the approximate elevation of Sakhangyi is about 35 to 40 feet (11 meters). Hopefully, the tidal surge would have diminished before it reached that point.
However, for the survivors, there are still many other difficulties for everyone in the Irrawaddy delta to deal with. I am sure you have been seeing and hearing the grim accounts of what is happening. We have about 40 members, including family members who attend with us. The situation right now is very grim for everyone living in that area. I am sure we will need to assist our members there to get back on their feet as soon as possible. When I get any news, I will inform you all.
Caribbean Update
Mr. Paul Shumway reports: We had a wonderful trip to Barbados for Passover and the First Day of Unleavened Bread and could see God’s blessings on the entire trip! We counseled a number of individuals and baptized four—two before Passover and two afterwards. Forty-four took the Passover—not counting my wife and me—an increase of 17% over last year. That makes 26 baptisms in Barbados in the past three years. Mr. Fraser baptized another six in Jamaica. It’s exciting to see the growth our Great God is giving!
Living Youth Camp
Attention all LYC Campers and Staff: If you need assistance getting a ride to camp OR have room in your vehicle to bring someone, please visit the new transportation forum online: http://lyc.lcg.org/trans_forum/ (the space between “trans” and “forum” is an underscore). We have set up this forum to help connect people as they make travel plans to get to and from camp. Please note that you will have to register to use the transportation forum (Youth-Web forum credentials won’t work) but registration is VERY quick and painless. Once logged in, please read the “Instructions” post that is there to explain how it should all run. Again, if you need assistance getting to camp or have room to take someone, please visit http://lyc.lcg.org/trans_forum.
Souvenir Invitation to First Commencement Ceremony
To all ministers: On Monday, May 19, Living University will hold its first commencement exercises during the Pastors Conference. The University will confer the Certificate in New Testament Studies on six students. Two students plan to attend and four will receive their certificates in absentia. Recognizing that you might like to have a souvenir invitation, we plan to send a formal invitation to all elders. As we have quite limited seating, please understand that this is a souvenir only. We do not have the seating in the auditorium for more than graduates and their guests, Pastors Conference attendees and employees. Next year we plan to have graduation in a larger auditorium so we can facilitate expanded seating. If you have a special need, please contact Dr. Germano at 828-293-9797 or at docmpg@mchsi.com. Thank you for your understanding.
The international Feast site featured in this week’s The World Ahead is Barbados.
Christ Church, Barbados
The Feast of Tabernacles in Barbados will once again be held at the peaceful Barbados Beach Club on Maxwell Coast Road in Christ Church. Come share the beauty and tranquility of the island with the warm Barbadian brethren! Enjoy the fellowship and fun as we cruise the Caribbean Sea, swim with the turtles, visit spectacular Harrisons Cave or take a submarine tour to the bottom of the sea for an experience beyond your imagination. The all-inclusive hotel offers accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner and drinks throughout the day, double-occupancy at the rate of US$95 per person per night, single occupancy at US$165 per person per night. For reservations, call Deborah at 246-428-9900 or visit www.barbadosbeachclub.com. For more information on housing and the Feast in Barbados, please contact Mr. Paul Shumway by e-mail at pshumway@lcg.org or by phone at 813-910-7878.
The Value of Truth: America is in the midst of a presidential election campaign. Around the world other elections are taking place. During such times, candidates make all sorts of claims and counter-claims that lead many to question the credibility of the speakers. Sadly, we live in a world where truth is often obscured by “spin” and growing numbers of people distrust statements made by leaders. This should surprise no one, because this is Satan’s world (2 Corinthians 4:4) and he is the father of lies (John 8:44). God foretold that the time would come when “truth is fallen in the street… everyone will deceive his neighbor… they have taught their tongue to speak lies” (Isaiah 59:14; Jeremiah 9:5). God also reveals that there are serious consequences for lying (Jeremiah 9:7, 13-16) and that “all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire” (Revelation 21:8). The God of the Bible is “a God of truth” who desires truth “in the inward parts” (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 51:6). This is why we as Christians are commanded to “come out” of this world (2 Corinthians 6:17-18) and remember and follow the ninth commandment (Exodus 20:16). We must also gird ourselves with truth and learn to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 6:14; 4:15) if we want to be in the Kingdom of God (Psalm 15:1-2).
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
Euphrates River Drying Up. The fertile crescent of Arabia, known as the “Cradle of Civilization,” “is now under serious threat. Before the end of this century, the Middle East's legendary breadbasket could dry up as a result of global warming, to the extent that it is no longer suitable for traditional rain-fed agriculture—destroying its existence as an agrarian landscape.” This is according to research recently presented at the annual conference of the European Geosciences Union (copernicus.org/EGU) in Vienna in April. The lower end of the Euphrates runs right through the fertile crescent region. According to Israeli and Japanese scientists, one scenario has the region between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers losing two-thirds of its current rainfall. The water flow of the Euphrates river may also fall by more than 70% and the Jordan river could dry up, carrying just 2% of its original volume. Current water levels in the Euphrates river and the fertile crescent marshes are extremely low (DerSpiegel.com, April 16, 2008). God foretells that at the end of the Tribulation, a massive army comprised of “kings from the east” will invade the Holy Land and gather at Armageddon. They will cross over a “dried up” Euphrates river as they proceed to their destination (Revelation 16:12-16). Are we watching the early stages of this prophetic scenario begin to come to pass?
Targeted Messages From the Pope. In his recent visit to the U.S., the Pope made great efforts to “reach out” to all Americans, despite continuing to speak out against today’s prevalent sins. This Pope is making efforts to woo not only Americans in general, but also other faiths, religions, and nations. He is working to bring the “Eastern Church” back into step, while also expanding dialogue with Jews, Israel and the Muslim world (The Times, March 22, 2008). Meanwhile, the Pope periodically insists that Orthodox and other Christian denominations are deficient or false churches. He has also revived such traditional Catholic practices as the Latin Mass (MSNBC, July 10, 2007). While expanding the sphere of Catholic influence and drawing greater attention to his church, the Pope also pointedly reminds the world of the primacy of his universal church. God prophesied that at the end of the age, a great “mother church” will sit on many waters—many peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues (Revelation 17:1, 15). She is called “that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth” and will actually “ride” the beast power for a time (Revelation 17:3, 18). This great church is growing in power and influence and preparing for a more active world role.
World Bank Calls for Increased Food Aid. Nations must “put our money where our mouth is,” and feed hungry people, says World Bank president Robert Zoellick (Associated Press, April 13, 2008). Zoellick is asking governments to honor $500 million in previous commitments to the United Nations World Food Program and calling on additional governments to commit to funding food aid by May 1. Food riots around the globe, like those that brought down Haiti’s government earlier this month, have focused the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund on the seriousness of the crisis. Millions of people are on the brink of starvation because prices for wheat, corn, rice and cooking oil have doubled in the last three years. “This is not just a question of short term needs, as important as they are,” said Zoellick, “this is about ensuring that future generations don’t pay a price too.” Although governments have increased their contributions, donors and aid officials “need to redouble our efforts” and “reach into their pockets” to help the poorest people, said Agustin Carcens, head of the World Bank’s policy-setting Development Committee. Dominique Stauss-Kahn, head of the IMF, warned that if costs do not come down, “thousands, hundreds of thousands of people will be starving. Children will be suffering from malnutrition, with consequences for all their lives,” Stauss-Kahn said. The Bible has long predicted that widespread famines will be a fact of life at the end of the age (Matthew 24:7; Revelation 6:5-6). Those prophecies are coming to pass.—Don Davis, Daniel Bennett, Scott Winnail
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