We have a number of positive reports to share this week. In July, Church attendance in the USA registered a 6.5% increase over July a year ago. In international areas, Church attendance registered a 3% increase for the same period. Mr. Rod McNair reports that about 90% of brethren have pre-registered for the Feast of Tabernacles at the 12 sites in the USA and Canada. This week in Charlotte, Mr. Meredith and Mr. Apartian presented a Forum and an Assembly for our on-site students. Mr. Meredith spoke about the purposes and parallels in the founding of Ambassador College and Living University. Mr. Apartian presented an overview of the International Work. Area Pastor Mr. Sheldon Monson was in Charlotte this week to discuss Living Church of God youth programs. Mr. Phil West reports positive results for the follow-up Tomorrow’s World Bible Lecture that was held in Chicago last weekend (see announcement below).

 

 

 

 

Thanks again to everyone for your prayers! The follow up lecture held on August 22in Chicago was a huge success! Forty-three visitors met with 33 members, primarily from the Chicago congregation, for a follow-up to Dr. Winnail’s presentation given on August 15. Visitors heard a message titled, “Where Is God’s Church Today?” Many visitors stayed long after the presentation for further discussion of the message and to ask additional Bible questions. The most popular question from our visitors, many attending for the second week was, “Where do you meet for services?” Several attendees expressed a desire to attend services this Sabbath. We are again thankful for God’s inspiration and intervention in the lecture.—Phil West 

 

 

Mr. Rod King reports: Mr. and Mrs. Rick Stafford’s belongings are all packed up and on their way to the U.K.  They will arrive here in a few weeks time, ready to take on their new responsibilities.  We have lots for them to do and we very much appreciate their willingness to come “home,” since Mrs. Stafford was born in London when Dr. Meredith (her father) was here in the late 1950s.  Please pray that their home in Arkansas will sell soon.

 

Next Sabbath we will be in Dublin for a Tomorrow’s World Bible Lecture.  Mr. and Mrs. Cooper and the Irish brethren have been working hard to set things up for what we hope will be a boost for the congregation in Dublin.  It has been good to prepare this lecture, as I am a bit of a fan of Irish history.

 

The Sabbath after that will have us in Paris, where Mr. Apartian has asked me to speak.  We look forward to meeting up with the members there.  I will be a visitor speaking and not the Pastor of Paris.  I am sure you got the pun.

 

 

 

Opening night is just five weeks away! We hope you are getting excited about this coming Festival, the highlight of the year!

 

Speakers at the Feast: If you are giving a sermon or sermonette at the Feast of Tabernacles, please submit to your Festival Coordinator the title(s) of the messages you plan to give at the Feast, by September 15. This “prod” and deadline is there for our good—to help all of us do the best we can to prepare the spiritual meat we will be offering at the Feast. It’s not too early to be working on our Holy Day messages now. Thank you in advance for your hard work and dedication to serving your brethren at the Feast!

 

Chemical Sensitivities: We want to remind everyone while at the Feast to be aware of the sensitivities to perfumes and colognes that some of our brethren have. For some of our brethren, because of serious allergies, walking by someone with a lot of perfume or cologne is not just uncomfortable but can send them to the Emergency Room. Let’s use extra care to show love to others in this way at the Feast—please use moderation.

 

Children’s Choir:  Parents with children age 4 and up who wish to sing with the children’s choir at Sunset Beach may contact Margie Dulaney for practice CDs or tapes.  You may contact her at 540-662-3696 or at dulaney717@cs.com.

 

Calling All Youth Volunteers!  Attention all young people age 13 and up. We need volunteers in Sunset Beach, NC.  If you can smile and enjoy serving and helping other people, we need you!  Please contact Mr. Steve Moody via e-mail at Steve@LCOG.net or via telephone at 828-393-0937.

Piano Players: We would like to know of any additional pianists attending the Feast in Sunset Beach.  If you are a pianist and would be willing to play for hymns, special music, or accompanying the chorale, please contact Mr. Rick Thomas at 305-725-3314 or at rthomas@npesystems.com.

Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

Musical Ensemble: A musical ensemble is being planned to accompany opening hymns at the Wisconsin Dells Feast site. Anyone, young or old, attending the Feast in Wisconsin Dells who plays a musical instrument and who would like to participate should contact Wanda Ross at wkr@smartbeans.net. Hymn music is available online at the Church’s “MyLCG” website at www.cogl.org . Bring your instruments to make a joyful noise to the Lord!—Sheldon Monson

 

Christ told His disciples that they are to be lights to the world, and that others would come to glorify God after coming into contact with their light (Matthew 5:14-16). Last year, 26% of those baptized in the LCG found out about the Church through their personal contact with a Church member.  Your words and example can have a powerful impact on others.

 

On the Internet, particularly through the use of social media, you can help preach the Gospel by recommending articles, commentaries, telecasts and other materials from our websites.  Simply by “re-tweeting” a message from www.twitter.com/lcginfo, you help expose your followers to the True Gospel.  By posting to your Facebook page a link to an article, telecast, booklet or other item from the Church websites, or by linking to Church material from your blog, your social network comes into greater contact with the Church. Please read the May-June LCN article entitled, Christian Communication in the Information Age,for helpful pointers on the effective use of this media. 

 

This world desperately needs to hear the warning trumpet that we are sounding, and to hear the good news that lies ahead in Christ’s return and the establishment of right government on this earth.  Those who turn many to righteousness shall shine like the stars forever and ever (Daniel 12:3).—J. Charles Ogwyn

 

 

Keys to Working Together: Jesus referred to His disciples as His “friends” and encouraged them to “love one another” (John 15:12-17). The Apostle Paul referred to those who assisted him in his ministry as “my fellow workers” (Romans 16:3) and “fellow workers for the kingdom of God” (Colossians 4:11). He also referred to members of God’s Church as “God’s fellow workers (1 Corinthians 3:9) and “workers together [co-workers] with Him” (2 Corinthians 6:1). It is an exciting and challenging opportunity to labor together in the Work of God, but that opportunity also carries a serious responsibility. The Scriptures provide important guidelines about how to work together smoothly and effectively (Ephesians 4:11-16). We are instructed to be “perfectly joined together in the same mind” and not let interpersonal issues divide us (1 Corinthians 1:10-13). We must learn to get along peaceably, avoid promoting our own ideas and agendas and avoid competition and seeking after positions (Romans 12:16-18; 1 Peter 5:1-6). If we can learn to “love one another” and treat each other respectfully and as “friends” we will be more effective “fellow workers for the kingdom of God.”

 

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail   

The United States Now the Caboose: Noted author and brokerage president Peter Schiff recently made some sobering observations regarding the state of the U.S. economy. Mr. Schiff stated, “the U.S. could see double-digit inflation within the next two to three years, and potential ‘Zimbabwe style’ hyperinflation within the next five to 10 years, depending on how the government reacts to high inflation.” He went on to discuss how “The theory that the world’s economies are linked like a train and that the United States is the engine is 180 degrees wrong… ‘I think the world represents the engine and the U.S. the caboose,’ he says. ‘The world has been spending a lot of energy dragging a caboose that consumes more than it produces and borrows more than it saves’” (MoneyNews.newsmax.com, August 18, 2009). Mr. Schiff’s observations are sobering indeed, when one considers that the U.S. was by far the leading economy of the developed world not long ago. God warned long ago what would happen if Israel failed to follow His sound economic principles. “The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail” (Deuteronomy 28:43-44). The U.S. is coming to resemble the tail, or “caboose,” just as God promised it would. God’s prophecies stand the test of time!

 

Is a Middle-Eastern Army Coming? Recently, Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei “called on Muslim nations around the world to unite militarily in response to the imminent coming of the Islamic Messiah or Savior—the Mahdi. Khamenei, through his spokesman Ali Saeedi, “specifically beckoned the nations of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan and Afghanistan to join together with Iran in preparation for the Mahdi’s soon coming,” and unite against the U.S. and Israel. Saeedi emphasized that “obedience to the Ayatollah is the same as obedience to the Mahdi or the ‘guided one’—who is the prophesied savior of Islam” (WorldNetDaily.com, August 19, 2009). Just who will “head” a united Arab group remains to be seen. However, the call to establish a united Arab army is sobering indeed. God revealed through the prophet Daniel that, at the time of the end, a militaristic king of the south would arise and push against its counterpart, the king of the north (see Daniel 11). A king of the north with military potential appears to be forming in Europe. Now signs are appearing that a king of the south may soon begin to form. Shia Muslims believe that they can “usher in” the return of their “Muslim Messiah,” or Mahdi, through violence and the spread of Islam throughout the world. The Ayatollah’s recent exhortation is motivated by his belief in this philosophy. Bible prophecies are coming to pass.

Shipping Industry Going Bust? The world shipping industry doubled its output from the year 2000 to 2008. During the same time, the cargo capacity of the world shipping fleet increased by more than 400%. Interestingly, “Germans own 35 percent of the container ships in operation worldwide, and close to 60 shipping banks and financiers are headquartered in Hamburg.” However, worldwide shipping is down 16% in 2009, from one year ago. Many large container ships are shipping “partially full” or not at all. For the “first time ever,” the shipping industry is shrinking. Some analysts suggest that much of the industry could go bankrupt. Most major shipping companies are now losing money on everything that they ship and hundreds of giant container ships—more than 10% of the world shipping fleet—are anchored in ports and bays around the globe. Ironically, the capacity of the world shipping fleet is forecasted to grow by another 50% in the next few years due to back-ordered ships (Der Spiegel, August 11, 2009). God warned that at the time of the end, the highways of the world would become desolate (Leviticus 26:22). Although this scripture is primarily referring to land-based areas of transit, it is interesting to ponder in light of the shipping highways—which Britain and the U.S. once used to dominate. What will become of the now empty portion of the world shipping fleet? How and when might it be used again in the future? Time will tell as prophecy marches on.—Scott Winnail, Ben Whitfield and Glenda Stephenson