06/05/08
Greetings from Charlotte,
This has been a busy week as we prepare for the Feast of Pentecost. Mr. Meredith completed a co-worker letter and several other writing responsibilities before leaving with his wife on their trip to the West Coast. Mr. and Mrs. Ames leave today for Kansas City where he will also be doing a public lecture. Mr. Apartian and his wife will leave tomorrow for Canada and I will leave for Texas. Here in Charlotte, Mr. Rod McNair and the television production crew are hard at work on this year’s “Behind the Work” Feast film. Mr. Gary Ehman gave me another report showing that questions about the Church, the Work and the Bible coming into the Personal Correspondence Department are now setting records almost every month. It is exciting to see the momentum that is building in the Work at this time.
On a more sobering note, Mr. Kenneth Cargill, a long-time deacon in the Belfast congregation, died last Sunday after being in the hospital for a few days for internal problems—he was 73. Mr. King was in Belfast to do the funeral. I was able to spend many hours with Kenneth while I lived in Ireland, discussing and exploring Irish history. Kenneth is survived by his wife and six children. He will be missed very much; he enlivened and enriched the many lives he touched. In the resurrection, he will be glad to learn that the public lectures he often asked for will actually take place in the near future, when Mr. Rod King presents one in Belfast.
From the Presiding Evangelist
Dear Fellow Servants of Christ,
Greetings from Charlotte! Tomorrow morning (Thursday), my wife and I will be leaving for the West Coast to help conduct Sabbath and Pentecost services near Los Angeles and then weekly Sabbath services in San Diego on the following weekend. It will be good to see Mr. Harold Way and all my friends out there again as that was our home for so many years. A number of our other leading ministers are heading out for various places for the Pentecost weekend. Please pray for us—and for one another at this special time. As we draw closer to the end of this age, many of us, I am sure, can “feel” that we really are close to the time of Christ’s return! That is very encouraging. And as we draw closer to God, also, we can pray that each one of us—especially us in the ministry—can experience what Jesus said in John 7:38, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
I have found from my personal experience that if I really “bear down” and put my whole being into my prayers—and certainly into my Bible Study—God will always begin to hear and to answer—if it is within His will. We are getting many more answers recently. And God’s Work is truly growing in a wonderful way. Wayne Pyle recently reported to me that over the last several months we are now receiving more than 3,500 responses to the telecast each week here in the United States—plus hundreds more overseas! So we are very grateful for the impact we are beginning to have. Much more needs to be done—as I think we all realize. So please join with me in praying fervently for the upcoming Pentecost services and for the special offerings that will be taken on the Day of Pentecost. We deeply need these extra monies to go on new television stations that are being offered, and to employ a number of new ministers that are so needed in the field ministry right now! I am sure all of you realize this.
So let us who are in the ministry do our part with zeal, and let us pray that God will move upon the hearts of thousands of our brethren to give generously to His Work in these latter days. And we must all be praying that God will add tens of thousands of additional donors, co-workers and members in the years to come. This is certainly possible, brethren, and I feel that this will absolutely occur—if we do our part wholeheartedly!
Thank you, again, so much for your service and loyalty in Christ’s Work! I pray that all of you have a wonderful Pentecost and that God will draw all of us much closer to Him and to Jesus Christ in the weeks and months to come. Truly, we have much to be thankful for.
Your brother in Christ,
Roderick C. Meredith
Church Administration
Caribbean Update
Last Sabbath, Dr. Scott Winnail visited our brethren in Jamaica. Combined services were held in Kingston with 79 in attendance; 69 remained for Living Leadership Course lesson 11, “Developing a Godly Example and Reputation.” On Sunday, he travelled with some of our local leadership to the Sunset Jamaica Grande Hotel in Ocho Rios to make sure that our Feast plans are all secure. We will be adding a family picnic this year to provide another opportunity for our Jamaican and international brethren to bond even closer to each other.
A number of the roads in Jamaica are in need of repair. The French are financing a new section of a highway cutting directly through a mountain, which will save about 30% in travel time. It will be a toll road. The EU is making its presence felt in Jamaica. China is also becoming involved with plans to re-open an old airstrip to use as a “stop-off” point to the Caribbean. Dr. Scott Winnail had a very successful trip and thoroughly enjoyed being with the wonderful, dedicated Jamaican brethren!
Africa Update
Mr. Rod King writes: Mr. Simon Muthama reports on a profitable visit that he made to Tanzania and western Kenya. We have a growing number of people in those areas; it is good to see this, as they endured some difficult times at the beginning of the year. Mr. Christo Botha, our South African Office Manager, reported that a group of six members and several of their adult children in Swaziland have contacted us. They were cut off from God’s Church for many years, but saw our program on LoveWorld (South Africa) and contacted us. That channel only aired our program three times before cancelling us. The small group sent their tithes to us and requested a visit from a minister. Mr. Botha hopes to be with them for Pentecost.
German Web Site Update
Mr. Adrian Kaefer reports: “With the addition of Antigua and Barbuda, Indonesia, and Macedonia, the German Web site is now reaching into 100 countries and territories of all continents.”
Feast of Tabernacles 2008
Important Announcement for Transfers to Sunset Beach
If you have registered to transfer to Sunset Beach and have not yet received your e-mail approval, then you are on our “transfer waiting list.” Currently we have more than 170 brethren waiting to transfer into Sunset Beach. To our regret, we are nearing seating capacity and may not have room for everyone. If you have not yet been approved to transfer to Sunset Beach, please consider making plans to attend a different site. You may re-register for a different site at www.cogl.org (MyLCG). All approved transfers will be notified via e-mail. If you are assigned to Sunset Beach and have not yet registered, please do so immediately. We need to know how much space will be available for incoming transfers. Prescott, AZ; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and Llangollen, Wales, are closed to transfers; Newport, OR, and Sunset Beach, NC, are nearing capacity; most other sites still have plenty of room!
Festival Registration Update: Festival Advisors will help brethren who haven’t registered
We are nearing 90% registration of all our United States and Canadian brethren. But for planning purposes, we need the last remaining brethren to register as well! Festival Advisors have been sent a list of all brethren in their congregation who have not yet registered, and will be asking them to do so. If you have not yet registered and need help in accessing the MyLCG registration site, please see your Festival Advisor.
This week’s international Feast site featured in The World Ahead is Malaysia
Melaka, Malaysia
The Feast of Tabernacles 2008 will again be held in Legacy Melaka hotel in Melaka, Malaysia. The Legacy Melaka is a 15-story, four-star boutique hotel strategically located in the heart of Melaka. Melaka’s appeal lies in its rich and colorful past. Its 600 years of history are reflected in its ancient buildings, intriguing streets, delectable cuisine and unique cultural heritage. The Legacy Melaka is just one-and-one-half hours’ drive from Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Accommodation rates will be: RM150.00 net (US$46) per room with breakfast (Single/Twin), RM120.00 net (US$36) per room without breakfast (Single/Twin). Please note there will be three combined luncheons (on the Holy Days and one on the weekly Sabbath) for a charge of RM30.00 (US$9.90). For further information, please contact Mr. Rajan Moses by phone at +60-3-9200-8176, or by e-mail at rajende@streamyx.com or moseslcg@streamyx.com.
Comments
God’s Incredible Plan: Many professing Christians assume that God’s purpose is simply to get people to believe in Jesus so they can go to heaven. However, the Scriptures reveal something very different! Isaiah refers to the plan of God (Isaiah 46:9-10). The Apostle Paul mentions that we are called to be part of God’s great plan, “being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel [purpose] of His will” (Ephesians 1:3-11). Paul also explains in Ephesians 3 that this “eternal purpose” is a mystery to the world. However, God has revealed His purpose in the Holy Days. This coming Sunday we will observe the Feast of Pentecost, which pictures the outpouring of God’s Spirit—a gift God gives to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). We must never forget that it is God’s Spirit that has enabled His Church to understand the incredible plan of God (see John 14:15-17; 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2). Let’s rejoice, be thankful and nourish that Spirit—as we obey God and observe the day of Pentecost—so we can continue to be led by Him to do His Work.
Have a profitable Sabbath and Holy Day,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—June 5, 2008
Damascus Gears Up. Syria has played an important role in Israel for millennia. Relations between Israel and Syria are continually strained. On May 21, 2008, as Israel and Syria confirmed peace talks, “a secret [Syrian] military purchasing delegation… was already in Moscow. With a $5 billion allocation in hand from Tehran, the delegation was bidding for the most advanced products of Russia’s munitions industry.” Military hardware to be purchased includes MiG-29 fighter jets and many other aircraft, hundreds of high-tech missiles and two submarines capable of launching cruise missiles. Syria aims to greatly strengthen its military to defend itself against Israel (DEBKA-net-Weekly, May 26, 2008). What does the future hold for Syria and its capital city Damascus? God prophesied, “‘Against Damascus…. they have heard bad news. They are fainthearted….Damascus has grown feeble; she turns to flee…. Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day;’ says the LORD of hosts… ‘I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces…” (Jeremiah 49:23-27). This bears watching.
Deadly Tornados in 2008. Every few days, newscasts show another American town devastated by a powerful tornado. Shocking videos of smashed homes, wrecked businesses, and trashed municipal infrastructure, record the power of nature gone wild. Even as storm deaths and injuries are rising, meteorologists are warning that more bad weather will come (Associated Press, May 27, 2008). This year is on track to be the deadliest tornado season in the U.S. since 1998. The National Weather Service reports that this year’s storms are unusually powerful. Over the last ten years, the U.S. has averaged 1,254 tornados per year, but after just five months the 2008 count had already topped 800, with 30 of the twisters causing 110 deaths. The tornado that demolished Parkersburg, Ohio, on May 24 was rated an EF-5—the most powerful to hit the state in 32 years—the first EF-5 in the U.S. since a tornado devastated Greensburg, Kansas, on May 4, 2007. Storms rated EF-5 on the new Enhanced Fujita scale have wind speeds ranging from 136 to 200 miles per hour. “Right now, we are on track to break all previous counts through the end of the year,” warns Greg Carbin of the Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma. Job observed, “Is it not destruction for the wicked, and disaster for the workers of iniquity?” (Job 31:3). Christ also prophesied that “great earthquakes” or great “commotions of the air” would be a sign of the end of the age (Luke 21:11).
New Intestinal Super-Bug! Hospitals and other inpatient facilities are fighting a life-threatening intestinal bacteria that caused nearly 150,000 infections in the U.S. in 2000, and caused nearly 300,000 hospitalizations in 2005, according to an Associated Press Medical report (May 28, 2008). The germ contributed to at least 5,500 deaths in 2004. Clostridium difficle (C-diff) infects the colon, leading to diarrhea and even to colitis. Spread by spores in feces, antibacterial soap has little effect against it, nor do most household cleaning compounds. The bacteria now resists several antibiotics. Once a victim’s bacterial balance is destroyed, the germ is free to grow uncontrolled. C-diff was rarely diagnosed until this century. “The nature of this infection is changing. It’s more severe,” observed Dr. L. Clifford McDonald of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Older and sicker patients are most at risk, along with those who have been overdosed with inappropriate quantities of antibiotics, according to University of Massachusetts researcher Dr. Marya Zilberberg. Hospitals in the U.S. are working with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology to find ways to effectively treat this dangerous new health threat. Long ago God warned, “if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God… all these curses will come upon you… the LORD will strike you [with diseases] from which you cannot be healed” (Deuteronomy 28:15, 27). Those prophetic warnings are coming to pass today.—Don Davis and Scott Winnail
COGwriter 2008