August 12, 2010

Greetings from Charlotte,

This week we conducted a Council of Elders phone meeting and a Living University Board meeting.  In the Council meeting, Mr. Meredith mentioned that Church attendance in the USA and International areas is 9-10% more than last year, the U.S. income is about 4% greater than last year, Tomorrow’s World Special Presentations are bearing good fruit and Tomorrow’s World television programs continue to draw between 3,000 to 6,000 responses per program.  We also discussed several doctrinal and policy matters.  In the Living University Board meeting, Dr. Germano reported that last year was a very positive year for LU with the addition of a new computer program for managing student information and a generous response to fund raising appeals.  The retention rate for students is currently more than 90% and more than 140 students will enroll in Fall semester classes.  We also had a very profitable discussion about the future of Living University.  In addition to conducting meetings, Mr. Meredith has been writing and preparing to tape another TW program next week.  Mr. Rod King and Mr. Mario Hernandez arrived safely here in Charlotte.  Mr. King reports that the Summer Camp in the UK went very well.  The Living Youth Camp in Pennsylvania is going well and will conclude tomorrow (see below).  Last weekend, 71 visitors attended the Tomorrow’s World Special Presentation in Knoxville, Tennessee (see below).  Mr. Martin Fannin will make a follow-up presentation this weekend titled, “The Return of Jesus Christ.”  This Sabbath and Sunday, I will be in Tulsa and Edmond, Oklahoma to make two TWSPs titled, “What’s Ahead for America?”  Your prayers for these presentations will be appreciated.   

Church Administration 

Prayer Request: Wayne Pyle 

Wayne Pyle, a long-time Deacon who has served in the Work for more than 40 years, and as our Media Coordinator for many years, has been diagnosed with Stage Four cancer.  Mr. Pyle has undergone successful surgery for removal of a cancerous tumor in his colon, but the cancer has spread to his liver. His oncologist has said that the prognosis is not good. Mr. and Mrs. Pyle request the fervent prayers of the Church for God’s intervention and healing on his behalf. 

Knoxville Tomorrow’s World Special Presentation 

On the Sabbath of August 7, the brethren in Knoxville, Tennessee hosted a Tomorrow’s World Special Presentation.  Seventy-one visitors joined 59 brethren to hear the lecture titled “What’s Ahead for America,” presented by Evangelist Douglas S. Winnail.  Afterwards, guests joined the brethren for refreshments and fellowship.  Many visitors commented on how interesting and insightful the presentation was.  They expressed a desire to return next Sabbath to hear a follow up lecture titled, “The Return of Jesus Christ,” which will be presented by Pastor Martin Fannin.  The Tomorrow’s World Special Presentations provide a unique opportunity to preach the Gospel message in a more direct and personal way to many prospective members. So, let’s continue to pray for the success of every one of these Special Presentations.—Marc Nicholson

Living University 

Fall Semester 2010 

We currently have more than 140 students enrolled in Living University classes this semester. Classes start on Monday, August 16. For those who have previously taken Living University courses and who would like to take a class this semester, you can still register over the weekend. Just be sure to order your textbooks immediately. For those wishing to take an LU course for the first time, you will need to wait until next semester. Registration for the next semester will begin in November—classes will start back in mid-January. If you have any questions, please visit our Living University website at www.livinguniv.com, or call or e-mail Dr. Scott Winnail (swinnail@livinguniv.com, 704-708-2292). 

Living Youth Camp 

Teen Camp—Pennsylvania

We are happy to report that LYC Pennsylvania 2010 has been a big success!  Campers and staff are concluding the camp with a final banquet this evening (Thursday), and preparing to travel home tomorrow (Friday). Big thanks to all the staff who so willingly gave their time and their effort to serve our young people.  For pictures and follow-up details about LYC Pennsylvania 2010, go to www.livingyouth.org. –Jonathan McNair 

 Finance Department 

Attention U.S. Ministers, Elders and Deacons: In preparing for the Feast of Tabernacles, the Finance Department requests that you please submit October hall rental vouchers by September 8, 2010. Thank you for your help.  

Feast of Tabernacles 2010 

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon CDs (Repeat Announcement) 

Reminder:  If you will be unable to attend the Feast this year, please ask your pastor to send in your name to receive a set of the Feast sermon CDs.  Note:  Feast sermons will also be uploaded (one per day) during the Feast at www.lcg.org, for those who have Internet access. 

Festival (Second Tithe) Assistance Notification Letters 

Some have asked about the status of their Festival (Second Tithe) Assistance request.  Please note that we have finished processing the Festival Assistance requests, and notification letters (regarding whether we have been able to provide assistance, and, if applicable, the amount) are being sent to those who requested assistance. 

Services Before and After the Feast of Tabernacles (Repeat Announcement)  

We will also be putting together a list of where Atonement services, and weekly Sabbath services after the Feast, will be conducted so, as you are travelling to and from the Feast, you will know where you can attend while on the road.  When we put this list together, we will post it on the MyLCG website (www.cogl.org).  Festival Coordinators are also determining whether or not they will have Sabbath services following the Feast at or near their Feast site—please contact your Festival Coordinator for more information. 

Speaking Schedules (Repeat Announcement) 

United States and Canada speaking schedules for the Feast of Tabernacles have now been sent.  Most international speaking schedules have also been sent.  If you are on the speaking schedule, please begin preparing now for your assignment(s), placing special emphasis on giving meat in due season (2 Timothy 4:2), specifically on the Good News of the return and wonderful reign of Jesus Christ on earth!  Sermonette and sermon speakers: please submit the title(s) of your message(s) to your festival coordinator by September 1.   

Comments 

The Importance of Prayer:  Numerous scriptures emphasize the importance of prayer.  We are told that David and Daniel prayed three times a day (Psalm 55:17; Daniel 6:10).  Jesus began His day with prayer (Mark 1:35), and even prayed all night before making important decisions (Luke 6:12-13).  Jesus also took time to teach His disciples how to pray and provided an outline of a model prayer so that they would not blindly follow the vain and repetitive prayers of other religious leaders (Luke 11:1-4; Matthew 6:5-15).  The Apostle Paul urged Christians to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  The New Testament reveals that the prayers of the saints are like sweet incense to God (Revelation 5:8), and that the ears of the Lord are open to the prayers of the righteous (1 Peter 3:12).  Peter also admonishes believers, “the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers” (1 Peter 4:7).  As we see the end of this age approaching, let’s follow these examples and heed God’s instructions about the importance of prayer. 

Have a profitable Sabbath,

News and Prophecy—August 12, 2010 

British Muslim Mourns for Britain. A British Muslim recently expressed her concerns about the increasing Talibanisation of young children in Britain (Mail Online, August 5, 2010).  Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, the head of British Muslims for Secular Democracy, expressed dismay at how Muslim children are punished for drawing stick-figures of people, playing with Teddy bears, taking music lessons and attending social events with “unbelievers.”  She notes these ideas stem from Wahabism—“the joyless and backward Saudi belief system followed by Al Qaeda” and other Islamic extremists.  She states that the brutal treatment of women by the Taliban in Afghanistan is emerging on British soil, and she expresses her dismay that “our politicians and Muslim ‘leaders’ here would allow their [the Taliban’s] twisted ideology to spread across Britain.”  She describes Muslim parents who try to protect their children from the moral decay in British society by sending them to Muslim schools, only to be exposed to the twisted ideas of Islamic radicals.  She asks, “Why are we fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan and indulging Taliban values here?”  She notes the attempts of British politicians to appease radical Islamists are only making the problem worse by allowing the radicals to spread their “distorted creed.”  She concludes, “The future is bleak for Muslims and the country.  Many of us British Muslims care deeply about both.”  Long ago, God warned the children of Israel, “if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments… the alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you” (Deuteronomy 28:15, 43).  We are witnessing the fulfillment of these prophecies today!

American Christianity Losing Believers.  In America today, millions of people are walking away from churches.  Growing numbers are “unaffiliated” with any particular church.  The reason is often the hypocrisy of self-proclaimed Christians.  Studies by evangelical George Barna reveal that born-again Christians divorce more frequently than atheists and agnostics.  Evangelical adolescents who claim to believe in abstaining from pre-marital sex are more likely to be sexually active than their peers in other religions.  According to Barna, “Every day, the church is becoming more like the world it allegedly seeks to change.”  One religious writer observed, “The hypocrisy between Christian beliefs and actions is driving Americans away from the institutional church in record numbers” (Charlotte Observer, August 11, 2010).  Jesus warned about the hypocrisy of professing believers, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (Mark 7:6-7), and He pronounced a curse on those who cause others to stumble (Matthew 18:6-7; Mark 9:42-43).  Professing Christians today should take note!

Controversial Judge Overturns California Homosexual Marriage Ban.  On Wednesday, August 4, a judge with a history of “pro-gray” rulings overturned a voter-approved amendment to the California Constitution that defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman.  His 136-page ruling that declared the amendment unconstitutional included “some of the most radical statements about marriage yet encountered” (Christianity Today, August 5, 2010).  In making the decision, the judge, widely identified as homosexual, accepted the claims put forth by proponents of same-sex marriage as rational, but he rejected the evidence and arguments of defenders of heterosexual marriage as irrational.  Within days, lawyers for the Governor and Attorney General of California urged the judge to implement his ruling without further delay—claiming this was in the “public interest” (OneNewsNow, August 7, 2010).  While this controversial decision by an activist California judge is now being appealed, it represents a “significant step toward the full normalization of homosexuality within the [American] culture.”  Many Americans have forgotten God’s warning, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20).—Douglas Winnail, Jim and Sue Bennett