8/23/07
Greetings from Charlotte,
World events and Bible prophecies keep moving along—typhoons in China, hurricanes in the Caribbean, record droughts, floods and earthquakes—all overshadowed by growing concerns of more turmoil and violence in the Middle East. It has been encouraging to hear that our brethren in the Caribbean were largely protected from the ravages of Hurricane Dean. We need to be watching, praying, and growing spiritually. Last Sabbath, Mr. Meredith spoke in Atlanta and the next day he conducted the funeral for Area Pastor Mr. Carl Ponder. Mr. Meredith was encouraged by the faith of the brethren. Please keep the Ponder family in your prayers. We would also appreciate your prayers for the Regional Conference we will conduct in Washington State this weekend. This will be the final conference of nine that we have held this summer.
Please make the following announcement about Living University.
Living University
Registration Issues: Dr. Germano reports that we have completed handling the backload of applications. Students have been allowed to enroll in classes under the Open Learning Program while they are in the process of completing their applications for the degree or certificate programs. Class assignments dates have been extended in order to allow those whose enrollment was delayed to be able to complete class requirements. We had over 230 applications to process and have over 150 students enrolled in classes this semester.
Church Administration
We received the following note from the Ponder family: “Mrs. Ponder and family would like to express their sincere thanks to everyone for their prayers, cards, flowers, love and concern for the loss of a husband and father. He will be sorely missed by us all. We look forward to seeing him again in God’s soon-coming Kingdom. We are so grateful to have our Church brethren to lean on during this time. You all have been a real comfort to us.”
United Kingdom Update
Mr. Rod King reports: Shayne and I returned from Glasgow last night [August 20] and we are pleased with the results there of the final lecture of the season. Six new people attended the lecture. Over the last five weeks, we conducted five lectures in: Manchester, London, Cardiff and Glasgow. We sent more than 400 invitations and 67 of those invited attended. It appears that about 20 will attend with us regularly, though from experience we can expect some not to continue. We all know that the Christian life is not easy, and following God’s way involves “counting the cost.” It has been wonderful to follow the process from someone watching the TV program to attending the lectures to now attending Church. Just one story to close on: I recently baptised a man who first heard The World Tomorrow on Radio Luxembourg in 1956. He attended a lecture at Denison House in London in 1958 where he met Mr. Armstrong but then lost contact until just recently. After 50 years, this man finally woke up.
Hurricane Dean
As Hurricane Dean followed its path over the Caribbean and the Antilles, our brethren were protected and did not suffer any personal injuries.
Etienne Duval, our deacon in Martinique, reported, “We were forced to cancel Sabbath services on August 18. I have been able to visit all the brethren except two. Their properties suffered very little damage, overall, but must of us still don’t have water or electricity in our homes.”
From Haiti, our deacon Jove Jean-Pierre, reported, “Thanks to God, this natural disaster did not cause too much destruction in the capital. All the members of the Church in Port-au-Prince are safe.”
Reporting on Jamaica and Barbados, Mr. Shumway wrote, “Barbados was spared from the brunt of the storm. Trees were knocked down and there was some flooding. It appears that our members were not directly affected…. Thankfully, Hurricane Dean veered about 50 miles south of Jamaica, which prevented a direct hit. Power and water supply were disrupted nationwide. We have been able to contact most of our members and all are doing well. We were especially concerned about our members on Portland Point, the southernmost part of the island. One widow there commented about her home, ‘There wasn’t even a leak!’ Power was restored to our Jamaica office last night. Today is the first day the office has been able to operate since the hurricane. The Jamaica Grande Resort, our Feast site located to the north in Ocho Rios, was not adversely affected. We are deeply grateful to our Great God for His protection. The members in Jamaica thank all their brethren for their heartfelt prayers. God does certainly hear!”
Florida Update
Mr. Shumway reports: The last few Sabbaths in Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale have been very special. Last Sabbath in Tampa, Larry and Marie Rawson attended services for the first time in more than 13 months since Mr. Rawson was incapacitated by cancer! Everyone was elated to have them back. The previous Sabbath in Ft. Lauderdale was a very special one, too. During announcements, 16 young people were recognized for completing another year of Bible lessons. After services, the ladies served our famous “Gourmet Buffet.” Then, at the beginning of Living Leadership Class, our seven teens who attended LYC all gave short presentations, sharing lessons they learned at Camp. We also read letters from our Barbadian teens who attended LYC for the very first time. The parents were pleasantly surprised by the confidence and poise exhibited by their teens. All the young people commented on how much they enjoyed camp and hope to return.
Feast of Tabernacles 2007
Festival Activities Updated
As the Feast nears, final preparations for the Feast of Tabernacles 2007 are in high gear! The Festival Coordinators are hard at work organizing and preparing their teams for the upcoming Festival, and most speaking schedules have been distributed. For updated activity information, brethren should check the MyLCG website (www.cogl.org) periodically. Some activities have been added or updated recently. To check activities at your site, log in to your MyLCG account, click on “Update,” and then on the “Activity Attendance Information” category click “Edit.” You will be able to view any updates to the activities taking place at your Feast site.
Sabbath Services on October 6
Pastors, if you have not done so already, please send us a list of the congregations in your area which will have Sabbath services on October 6, and the contact person’s information. Send this information to Mrs. Genie Ogwyn at gogwyn@lcg.org. We are compiling a master list and appreciate your assistance in this matter.
Please note that there will be Sabbath services at Headquarters in Charlotte on Saturday, October 6, after the Feast. We welcome all those who are traveling through to visit us!
Feast of Tabernacles Sermons (Repeat Announcement)
Attention Pastors: Some of the brethren in your congregations will not be able to attend the Feast of Tabernacles for valid reasons. We will be glad to send them Feast of Tabernacles sermons on CD. Please send us their names and addresses by September 7, if you have not already done so—or if they haven’t registered yet as “unable to attend” on our online FOT registration system. The requests can be sent to us by e-mail at cad@lcg.org, or by phone at 704-844-1960, ext. 217, or by fax at 704-844-1975.
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Festival Choir. For those who have volunteered for the Feast Choir at Wisconsin Dells this year, sheet music as well as CDs or cassette tapes will be available for pre-Feast practice. If you wish to have these sent to you, please contact Pat LeVoir either by e-mail (dllevoir@hutchtel.net) or telephone (320-587-4793) and express your preference, and mailing address. The dress code for choir performances will be dark suits, white shirts and ties for the men, and dark (preferably black), below-the-knee or longer, skirts and white blouses/tops for the women. No short or split skirts.
Golf Tournament. We will be holding a best ball golf tournament for men and women ages 18 and over at the Feast in Wisconsin Dells. Anyone interested, please contact Tim Elertson at 920-206-7461 or, by email, at time@firstech.net. If you have a group of four, please submit all four names at the same time, otherwise we will assign you to a team.
Comments
The Value of Hope: Having a hope in the future—something positive to look forward to—is a vital aspect of life. Many have long understood that life without hope is empty. The Bible states, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12). But what is the real hope in life for a Christian? King David wrote, “You are my hope, O Lord God” and “I hope in Your word” (Psalm 71:5; 119:147). The Apostle Paul said under cross-examination before a Roman governor, “I have hope in God,” “believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets” including the promise of a resurrection and eternal life that he would receive at the return of Jesus Christ (Acts 24:15, 14; Titus 1:2; 2:13). We are urged as Christians “to lay hold of the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18) and to “purify ourselves” so we can become “children of God” (I John 3:1-3) and to be “ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (I Peter 3:15). Are we all motivated by this same hope today?
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—August 23, 2007
The Vatican’s Growing Influence. Although we live in an increasingly secular society, the Bible predicts an end-time religious re-awakening and that a mother church will wield unparalleled political influence. The July 21, 2007, issue of The Economist contained an article chronicling the rising political power and influence of the Catholic Church. The “Roman Catholic church, alone among faiths, is a diplomatic player. Over the past century—despite the march of secularism—the Vatican’s role in world affairs has expanded.” Pope John Paul II greatly expanded Catholic political influence and Pope Benedict XVI is following in his footsteps. The Roman Catholic Church currently has full diplomatic relations with 176 states. “It sits in on the deliberations of 16 inter-governmental bodies, including the United Nations, the African Union and the Organization of American States.” Although the Vatican is a sovereign state within the city of Rome, under a 1929 accord with Italy, “the pope’s diplomats represent the Holy See—not the Vatican state.” Although our society is becoming more secular, events are taking place behind the scenes that will ultimately culminate in a church wielding the great political power we read about in the Scriptures (see Revelation 17).
More Proof of the Bible. A tablet discovered in Bagdad was recently deciphered by Dr. Michael Jursa from Vienna, and is now being touted as the greatest archeological find in 100 years. The tablet, slightly smaller than a playing card, contained a record of the chief eunuch of King Nebuchadnezzar, Samgar-Nebo Sarsechim, depositing gold into a local temple in Babylon. The tablet identified the eunuch as the same one mentioned in Jeremiah 39:3. According to Dr. Jursa, “This is a fantastic discovery, a world-class find… If Nebo-Sarsekim existed, which other lesser figures in the Old Testament existed? A throwaway detail in the Old Testament turns out to be accurate and true. I think that it means that the whole of the narrative [of Jeremiah] takes on a new kind of power.” (The Telegraph, July 13, 2007). This small cuneiform tablet lends archeological and scientific credence to the historical accuracy not only of the book of Jeremiah, but also of the rest of the Old Testament—putting additional pressure on skeptics who doubt the validity of the Bible. Jesus prophesied of the end times: “For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light” (Mark 4:22). As we approach the end of this age, will God provide clear proofs to those who have “eyes to see and ears to hear” that He does exist and that the Bible is His inspired word (v. 23)? This recent discovery may be one more of these proofs!
World Food Prices Set to Rise. The global commodities market is booming, and prices are rising due to drought and famine, while nations like India and China demand more high protein food sources, such as dairy and meat. Also, world droughts have caused “panic buying” of wheat by grain-dependent nations like Egypt and Morocco, driving up global prices. Trickle-down effects are being felt in other food industries that rely on scarce products such as dairy and grain, including the candy industry and the poultry industry (which relies heavily on corn). Other critics blame the European Common Agriculture Policy for reduced availability of dairy products. Experts warn that food prices will soon follow the rise in the commodities market (Financial Times, August 8, 2007; CNN, August 7, 2007). God gives numerous warnings about food at the time of the end, including: famine and hyperinflation (Revelation 6:5-6), difficulty growing and harvesting crops (Deuteronomy 28:17-21, 23, 24), and the produce of the land being consumed by a nation you do not know (Deuteronomy 28:33). These prophetic events are coming to pass with increasing frequency and accuracy—indicating that the return of Christ is drawing near.—Don Davis, Charles Ogwyn, Scott Winnail
COGwriter 2007