Greetings from Charlotte, 

Mr. Meredith and Mr. Ames have reported that their respective trips to the West Coast and to Europe have been profitable and are going well.  We continue to receive responses to Mr. Meredith’s semi-annual letter that offered the new booklet, The Bible: Fact or Fiction?  We have received the last pieces of the Living Leadership Course from the printers and the notebooks will be in the mail shortly to the ministry.  Reports from the L4T session for young singles in Michigan have been very positive.  Last Friday, I drove up through the Shenandoah Valley to spend the weekend with Mr. and Mrs. Ray Clore in the Washington, D.C., area and had a very enjoyable visit with the Baltimore, Maryland, congregation.  On Sunday, Mr. Clore and I made a short tour of the capital city before I headed home through the historic countryside of northern Virginia.   

CHURCH ADMINISTRATION 

U.S. Southeast Update

Mr. Charles Bryce reports: In June we had two baptisms and one deacon ordination; also an excellent Spokesman Club brunch meeting in Gladewater—23 in attendance with guests.  The pre-teen camp in Mexia, Texas, was a great success. Of the 71 in attendance, 36 were campers.  Our in-home visiting plan is now underway. We want to visit everyone in the area churches at home over the coming months.  Generally, everything is steady in this area and region. Nearly all of the brethren are settled and picking up momentum in their lives. 

United Kingdom Update 

Mr. Rod King reports: We had a most enjoyable visit with Mr. and Mrs. Ames who are now in Belgium, on their European tour.  Mr. Ames gave a fine sermon on holding on to God’s Truth, in which he emphasised the miracle that it is for us to receive the Truth.  We had a record, or close to record, attendance in Radlett and we were granted an extra half an hour of fellowship time as the room was buzzing with conversation. 

Canadian Update

Mr. Gerald Weston reports: We have definitely taken a leap forward in overall attendance this year. In Fredericton, NB, we have three new people attending as a result of the Public Bible Study given earlier this year.  Halifax and Trenton, NS, also have a few new people. Alberta continues to grow.  We have several who are attending as a result of the Public Bible Study held in Calgary earlier this year, and there are a good number of GOTO’s which keep Stuart Wachowicz very busy. A total of five people have started attending in Vancouver as a result of a Public Bible Study. On average, two to four new people start attending after each Public Bible Study.  This seems like a small number, but if we have ten studies each year this comes to 20-40 new people.  Income has slowed significantly since the first two months of the year. The price of gas and the trickle down effect on other commodities are no doubt having an impact on personal budgets.  Nevertheless, the finances for Canada are in very good shape and we only wish we had some more open doors for television, but Canadian content laws greatly limit our options. 

FEAST OF TABERNACLES 

Feast Registration. If you have not yet registered for the Feast, please do so without delay.  If you are unable to register yourself online, see your Festival Advisor for assistance.  If you cannot attend the Feast this year, let us know by registering as “Unable to Attend” on the online form, since this information will help us determine who needs FOT sermons sent to them at home. The registration deadline is July 30.  For questions e-mail: festival@lcg.org, or call 704-844-1970. 

Festival Assistance (USA only). Church Administration continues to receive Festival assistance requests. Those in need of Festival assistance to attend this year’s Feast of Tabernacles, should obtain a Festival Assistance form from their pastor, fill it out and return the form to him, as all forms need to be signed by the pastor and submitted to Headquarters by July 31, 2006.   

Oxnard, California 

Get-Acquainted Cruise (for teens and young singles, ages 13-30): Experience an unforgettable afternoon of sightseeing while cruising the Channel Islands National Park and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. You are likely to see marine wildlife and seabirds. You will definitely see island shorelines of stunning sheer cliffs, caves, arches, ledges, and rocky outcrops. The cost for this approximately three-hour cruise is $22 per sailor. You are invited to bring snacks and beverages.  The cruise is scheduled for Sunday, October 8. Those interested in taking the cruise should contact Robert Gomperts at 858-565-6460, or by e-mail at rgomp@sbcglobal.net, by August 18, 2006. 

Adult Choir and Ensemble: We are in need of additional male voices.  Three choir numbers are being planned.  An instrumental ensemble is also being planned.  If you play a string, woodwind, brass or percussion instrument, we would like to include you.  Please contact Mr. Chris Connelly at 909-389-9522 or e-mail him at Chris_Connelly@email.msn.com to serve in this area. 

Children’s Choir: Parents of children 2 years of age or older interested in having their children participate in the Children’s Choir are asked to contact the Children’s Choir Director, Mr. Chris Connelly, at 909-389-9522 or by e-mail at Chris_Connelly@email.msn.com. 

Paducah, Kentucky 

Instrumental Ensemble: To add to the inspiration of services, plans are underway to form an ensemble to accompany the hymns at the Feast. All instruments are appreciated, including flutes, trumpets, clarinets, etc.  If you are interested and would like to serve in this way, please contact Mr. Steve Scarborough.  His email address is steves@pars.net. You may also contact him by calling his home phone at 816-252-3060. 

Choir Director: Plans for a Festival Choir are underway for the Feast in Paducah, Kentucky.  Just lacking one minor detail—a Choir Director!  If you are planning to attend the Feast in Paducah and have experience leading a choir, please contact James Sweat at 423-870-4416 or by email at jwsweat@highstream.net. 

Poconos, Pennsylvania 

Children’s Choir: Please note that Mrs. Margie Dulaney’s, Poconos Children’s Choir Director, e-mail address announced last week was incorrect. Her correct e-mail address is margiedulaney717@cs.com. 

Ayr, Scotland 

Those attending the Feast in Ayr who would like to take advantage of the reduced room rates at the Ramada Jarvis Hotel should contact the hotel by July 31.  The room block that we have reserved will be released at that time.  The hotel phone number (dialing from the U.S.A.) is 011-44-1292-169-331.  Additional approvals for attending the site can be obtained from Mr. Rod King at:  rking@lcg.org.   

Sri Lanka 

Details for the Feast of Tabernacles site in Sri Lanka are now available at the Festival section of the Members website, www.cogl.org.  For more information, consult the Australasian Regional Office. 

MAIL PROCESSING DEPARTMENT 

To All Video Recipients: From time to time packages of sermon DVDs or other materials are returned to Headquarters at considerable cost to the Church, because the recipients are out of town and/or unable to be contacted.  If you normally receive the packages for your local congregation via private courier (i.e. FedEx or DHL) and are going to be out of town or unavailable, please call the local courier’s office to let them know and make arrangements with them to hold the packages for you until you can pick them up.  If your address or phone number has changed, please notify Headquarters as well. 

COMMENTS 

Foundations of Friendship:  We all want to have friends, yet sometimes we lack the skills to achieve this goal.  The Bible provides important guidelines for building real friendships.  Solomon advised that to have friends we must be friendly (Proverbs 18:24), we must treat people with kindness and have pure motives (Proverbs 22:11), and be supportive of others in their time of need (Proverbs 17:17).  True friends will tell you the truth and offer wise counsel; they will not use flattery or spread gossip (Proverbs 27:6, 9, 14, 17).  Real friends are gracious, hospitable and concerned about the needs of other people (Acts 27:3).  True friendship involves being willing to make personal sacrifices for others who have needs—Jesus Christ was willing to lay down His life for people He called His friends (John 15:13).  He said we can become His friends—if we will follow His instructions and His example (John 15:14-15).  This is how Abraham became a friend of God—by believing and obeying God (James 2:23).  As Christians, let’s strive to become kind, caring and friendly people.  

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail 

NEWS AND PROPHECY—July 20, 2006 

Fisheries in Peril!  During the Day of the Lord, all creatures in the ocean are prophesied to die, “Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every creature in the sea died” (Revelation 16:3).  However, the process of annihilating the ocean’s once teaming fish populations is already well underway, and a major source of humanity’s food supply is threatened.  The Canadian Department of Fisheries reports that commercially fished roundnose and onion-eyed grenadiers have declined 99.6% and 93.3% respectively in the last 26 years.  These species are now critically endangered and could be completely decimated in a few years.  Tuna and other fish harvested for food are also in steep decline—due to over-fishing.  Commercial fish farming is contributing to the collapse of the world’s fish stocks as weaker farm fish escape and pass on specially inbred genes to their ocean going kin.  North Atlantic Salmon are especially susceptible to this danger.  Fish farms also use large amounts of antibiotics in fish food which can lead to resistant strains of bacteria that infect fish and humans who eat them.  Long ago God warned that as a result of ignoring and violating His laws (including biological laws), “the land will mourn…even the fish of the sea will be taken away” (Hosea 4:1-6).  We are witnessing this happening today. 

Drought Cuts Wheat Harvest!  Wheat is an important cereal grain in the human food chain for many nations around the globe.  Yet, persistent and increasing droughts are threatening the supply of this vital commodity.  In Western Australia, drought conditions could cut the wheat harvest by half.  One grower states, “A significant percentage of the crop hasn’t been seeded [due to lack of rain].  We also know that of the crop that has been seeded a significant amount has not yet emerged from the ground” (Grain Council of Australia, July 8, 2006).  Reports from Wichita, Kansas, state “A paltry winter wheat harvest in the nation’s breadbasket has driven up the cost of flour for consumers” (Associated Press, July 10, 2006).  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency reports, “Drought conditions that have worsened recently, affecting parts of the northern Plains and the Upper Mississippi Valley, should continue and may expand across eastern Montana, Minnesota, the Dakotas and parts of Iowa” (Yahoo.com, July 8, 2006).  All these areas are big wheat growing areas.  God warned His chosen people not to disobey Him, “lest the Lord’s anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce” (Deuteronomy 11:17). 

No One Cries for Justice.  British courts are increasingly dismissing crimes and criminals.  Police are loathe to charge obvious criminals because extremely light sentences makes their efforts to prosecute a waste of time.  “Neither the police or courts are feared, except by those who are in any case law-abiding” says Dr. Dalrymple, a retired prison doctor.  Police and prisons are rewarded for decreasing jail time in order to reduce the load on the British prison system.  Dalrymple observed that it is “difficult to persuade the police even to record a crime, let alone do anything about it” (The Times, June 15, 2006).  Because many crimes are against the poor and underserved, they have little recourse in a system designed to fail them.  God prophesied such conditions in Israelite nations at the end of the age, “No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth…and there is no justice in their ways” (Isaiah 59:4, 8).—Don Davis, Scott Winnail, Sue Bennett

COGwriter 2006

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