Living Church of God World Ahead Weekly Update

It’s camp season! Missouri Pre-Teen camp concluded successfully last weekend, with 50 pre-teen campers in attendance (see announcement below). Texas Pre-Teen camp has been running all this week with an exciting array of activities—even including introductory astronomy! (For information about all the youth camps, check out www.livingyouth.org.) Fifteen campers and ten staff participating in the Adventure Camp in Maine began their ascent up Mt. Katahdin on Thursday. What an exhilarating way for our young people to spend their summer! We wish to thank all our staff and volunteers for the many long days they spend serving at these camps.

In parts of Arizona and New Mexico, brethren are enduring oppressive heat, fires and brownouts (see announcement below). Here in the office, Dr. Meredith recorded another segment for the upcoming Behind the Work film. Responses from the semi-annual offer have now topped 38,000. Dr. Douglas Winnail is Down Under, spending several days in the Australian office with Mr. Bruce Tyler and other leaders. Dr. Winnail will conduct Tomorrow’s World Special Presentations in Adelaide and Perth this weekend. Dr. Scott Winnail travelled to Adelaide this week to meet with the Regional Office staff and LU students regarding Living University. Mr. Mario Hernandez left this week to visit brethren in Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, and Belgium. Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ames are in Chicago and Milwaukee this weekend for TWSPs in both cities. Please continue to pray for all these efforts, and for all our brethren suffering from serious illnesses, including Mr. Sergio Carvajal (see announcement)!—RMc

“I am in the Adelaide office right now. Just wanted to let you know the trip is going well, in spite of the fact that it is winter down here and it has been a bit chilly! The response to the TWSPs has been way beyond what was anticipated! It appears that in Auckland we had a record attendance (360 total) and a record response (301 guests)! The response in Brisbane and Melbourne resulted in standing-room only—which was very encouraging for the brethren here. Your prayers are appreciated for the trip and these presentations.”

Dr. Winnail started his presentation with nearly every seat occupied and many people standing around the perimeter and others sitting on the floor. Hotel staff continued to wheel in racks of chairs to fill free floor space and try to seat as many as possible. Finally, a total of 360 people were crammed into the ballroom. Of these, 301 were visitors with 59 excited members also in attendance. Our wildest hopes had been far exceeded. Of the subscribers who received invitations over 14% of them attended.

Dr. Winnail spoke on “What’s Ahead for New Zealand?” and the audience returned after a refreshment interval of tea and coffee to attentively listen to his whole presentation. Many stayed and chatted with Dr. Winnail and members, and promised to return next Sabbath for my follow-up presentation, “Where Is God’s Church Today?” Dr. Winnail was able to illustrate his PowerPoint presentation with recent photos of the earthquake devastation in Christchurch. The whole audience would have been keenly aware of how promised “earthquakes in diverse places” are already occurring in New Zealand. Interestingly, an earthquake was felt in parts of Auckland the day before the TWSP. Most Aucklanders would have never previously experienced an earthquake.

Brisbane, Australia: The Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, congregation excitedly welcomed Dr. Douglas Winnail as he delivered his “What’s Ahead for Australia?” presentation on a mild winter’s Sunday evening. We had 67 guests attend, as well as 42 local members, for a total of 109. Our hall was almost filled to capacity, and during the presentation there were many murmurs in agreement from many of the visitors when various points were mentioned by Dr. Winnail. Many of the visitors stayed afterwards for refreshments and asked questions of the members and ministry, and of course were eager to talk to Dr. Winnail. We extended invitations to our follow up presentation next Sabbath, on the subject of “Where Is God’s Church Today?” and most visitors picked up the invitation and directions to the venue next week. We are eagerly hoping for a good turn out next Sabbath afternoon. The brethren have been highly energized by this opportunity to be involved directly in God’s Work on the local level, as they learn to relate to individuals who are learning about true Christianity for the first time. It is daunting for us all, when we take stock and realize that our guests are, in all probability, coming into contact with true Christians for the very first time at these events. That is a sobering thought that carries a heavy responsibility.—Dayrell Tanner

Melbourne, Australia:What an incredible evening we experienced in Melbourne on Tuesday, July 5. In spite of, or perhaps encouraged by, an earlier earthquake tremor of 4.2 on the Richter scale, which occurred at 11:30 a.m. and a further tremor at 7:15 p.m., gale force winds and rain, an audience of 203 people attended the presentation delivered by Dr. Douglas Winnail. The invited audience consisted of 175 people, plus a contingent of 28 people from the Melbourne congregation. We had set up the Box Hill Town Hall venue for a maximum of 120 people, but with about 20 people registering by phone and webmail, we decided to increase the seating available to 140 people. Imagine our surprise when the 140 seats were taken up and still the people were pouring in at our start time of 7:30 p.m. Extra chairs were provided but we ended up with standing room only for about 20 people.

The audience was very attentive to Dr. Winnail’s powerful delivery and, judging by the interest shown, we expect a good response to the invitation to attend my follow-up TWSP on July 16 at the Marwal Community Centre in Balwyn North. Many favourable comments were received during the serving of refreshments at the conclusion of the presentation. One person was heard to remark that, after years of study, this presentation had now answered all of his previous doubts.—Michael Gill

The following is an update regarding local elder Sergio Carvajal’s health, sent by his son Sergio Jr.: “The last three weeks my father has been through several medical exams regarding his diabetes, hypertension and the wound in his feet. My father’s health is not good. My father has a severe anemic state, his face has been yellow during this last weeks. The doctors thought that maybe he had internal bleeding or a tumor. But thanks to God there was no such thing. On the other side, he can’t have treatment for his advanced diabetes because it can affect his liver, and this has caused him to have super-high glycaemia levels. Currently, we have taken him to 2 or 3 medical centers to see what kind of treatment he can have for the wound in his feet that started 5 months ago. They can’t amputate his right foot because exams have revealed that the blood flow is insufficient and it can’t heal once it has been amputated. Right now the wound has dead tissue and it’s infectious and it can aggravate the situation. One of the doctors said that we can take him to have several exams to see if he could have a by-pass operation and take one of his veins so as to have more irrigation in his leg and this will diminish the amputation size because according to doctors his wound is irreversible. Last week we had another difficulty, he has fluid in one of his lungs and it makes it difficult for him to breathe and he is coughing constantly. This has been a very difficult situation for my father and my family but with God’s help we are facing it with the hope that God will help us in the process. In the end healing comes from God.” Please be praying for Mr. Carvajal and his family in this critical time. Cards or letters can be sent to:

For the last few weeks, many brethren in Arizona and New Mexico have been directly affected, to one degree or another, by what one official said is “almost a perfect-storm scenario.” Combinations of extremely dry fuels, rugged terrain, strong winds and high temperatures, have led to a record-breaking year for wildfires, dust storms and massive power outages.

One of our members in northern New Mexico wrote, “There is always concern that nuclear contamination in that area [from the Los Alamos Lab, where the first nuclear bomb was developed] could get thrown into the atmosphere….” In southern New Mexico and most of Arizona, smoke from the fires continues to pollute the skies. So far, more than one million acres have burned in both states. That is larger than Rhode Island or more than three times the size of Los Angeles City. Seventeen percent of the Apache National Forest, home to one of the largest ponderosa forests in the nation, has been damaged or destroyed. The news reported that “these so-called mega-fires may change the Southwest’s ecology.”

If that were not enough, last Thursday, June 30, the lights began flickering [in Phoenix], as the first in a series of power surges on the power grid occurred, with people increasingly using power to cool down from the excessive heat and also to filter-out smoke and dust, causing a transformer to literally explode! Billows of black smoke (adding to the already smoky skies) could be seen for miles. The ensuing fire set off a cascade of electrical failures, leaving about 150,000 homes and businesses without power on a sweltering summer afternoon. Hospitals had to use emergency generators, many business closed and companies sent thousands of workers home early. At one point, several members living in mobile homes found inside temperatures reaching about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Most sought shelter in their air-conditioned cars or any place that had not lost power, only to see rolling brown-outs and blackouts occur there without notice. Whole sections of cities were dark and we could not buy anything, get gas or use ATMs—all run on power. Store shelves cleared quickly of water and other emergency supplies. This also created a major drain on water supplies, as people went to the next best cooling approach: water. We received a “Reverse 911” call and were told to conserve water supplies because major mechanisms to pump water were down or in limited use due to the blackouts. A stark reminder, that, though we have many years of aquifer water supply, we live a very fragile life, no matter where we live, depending so much on electrical power.

This ongoing electric problem left us unprepared for what occurred last night, July 5: one of the worst dust storms ever seen in Arizona moved from Tucson into Phoenix, closing many roads and reducing visibility to near zero in some places. As the excessive heat finally subsides, power remains off to many residences (as this is written)—just as smoke-filled skies had begun to clear yesterday, with firefighters finally gaining an upper hand over what has also been one of the worst fire seasons in both Arizona and New Mexico history! Many thanks to everyone for your sincere prayers as we weather these storms!—Rodger Bardo

Brethren may now begin ordering personal hymnals! To access the order form, please go to the website: http://hymnals.lcg.org. Personal hymnals are in English, purple in color (to differentiate from the current hymnals) and have the option of standard or spiral binding, and option of standard size (same as current hymnal) or large print edition (9” x 11”). The cost per hymnal is $11, including shipping. It will take several months for printing and shipping, and we ask that each family only purchase six copies, as this is a limited print run. Orders must be received by July 31.

Campers enjoyed camp staples such as archery, riflery, sports, and canoeing classes. Riflery included moving targets this year, and archery students said their favorite part was shooting the “big bear”! Other classes included orienteering, sign language, woodworking, and sewing. In Life Roles classes, girls hosted various staff members at tea parties, and the boys learned several knots for tying their ties and how to shine their shoes. Evening activities included several Missouri favorites, such as hot dogs and s’mores and the annual “Stop Goliath” water balloon event, where campers and staff enjoyed having their picture taken next to a scale drawing of Goliath and testing their strength by trying to pick up a “spear” that weighed the same as the ancient Philistine’s.

Attention U.S. Pastors: The deadline to submit Festival Assistance Request forms to the Church Administration Department is Friday, July 15. All forms should be properly completed by the members requesting second tithe assistance to attend the Feast this year. Then, the Area Pastors should write their recommendations/comments on the forms before submitting them to CAD. Festival Assistance Request forms are available to ministers on the MyLCG website (www.cogl.org).

We are asking all brethren to sign up for Feast of Tabernacles activities and volunteer services by July 31.This is important so that Festival Coordinators can adequately plan for the activities at each Feast site. If you are having difficulty registering, please see your Festival Advisor. If you haven’t already signed up, please log on to MyLCG (www.cogl.org) and sign up for the activities of your choice. Thank you!

Panama City Beach, Florida: For brethren attending the Feast of Tabernacles in Panama City Beach, the activity ticket order form is now online! Send in your order soon, because some activities have limited space available. To order your tickets, follow the instructions on the form, and then mail it along with the appropriate payment. Please note that if you have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer, you can fill in the form online and it will automatically calculate your ticket costs. If you prefer, you may fill in the form by hand after printing it. The Panama City Beach activity ticket order form can be found online on the MyLCG website (www.cogl.org).

Registration for Fall Semester/Semester I classes has successfully begun. This semester we are offering more than 20 different courses and we will be sharing brief descriptions of each course with you over the next several weeks. LU Courses are open to everyone—even upper-level high school or secondary school students, through our “dual enrollment” program. For more information on this and to register for classes, please visit our website at www.livinguniv.com. For detailed questions, please contact Dr. Scott Winnail at swinnail@livinguniv.com.

This version of the Bible Study Course (BSC) is online and it includes lectures on related topics, and some additional readings. It will be more “in depth” than the paper-pencil or online version of the Bible Study Course, but it will use the original course as its backbone. The course is free to those who enroll. This two-semester course serves as an introduction to the Bible, its message, and its implications for successful Christian life in today’s world. Topics include: the nature of God, God’s plan for humankind, biblical prophecy, the Kingdom of God, the New Covenant, law and grace in the lives of Christians, the meaning of true conversion, practical Christian living and how to recognize God’s Church today. This course will be an excellent experience for those who have not completed the BSC or have not completed it recently.

THL 135 is one of LU’s foundational courses in theology. This exciting course covers the life, ministry, and teachings of Jesus Christ as presented in the four Gospels, and takes a “harmony of the Gospels” approach to the subject. The course covers the Gospels in far more detail than is possible in our traditional Sabbath services. The Gospels are analyzed from the context of the social, political, and religious conditions of the first century. This background material results in a much more in-depth understanding of the topics. Students spend time reviewing the background, purpose, message, and themes of the Gospels and the signiﬁcance of Jesus Christ in the ﬁrst century and beyond. The lecture core of this course is a series of recorded lectures presented by Dr. Roderick Meredith.

This course covers topics that are closely related to our Christian lives. It includes the following topics: the purpose for human life; human nature; values, morality, and ethics; marriage and family; and career. Topics include values, beliefs, and mores; interpersonal communication, dating, courtship, marriage, and children. Because of the nature of the topics, course material is generally very interesting and immediately applicable to one’s life. The lecture core is a set of contemporary lectures by Dr. Douglas Winnail dealing with the foundations of Christian living for successful life in today’s world.

Otto von Hapsburg Dies at 98. The oldest son of Austria-Hungary’s last emperor died last Monday. Otto von Hapsburg became the head of the Hapsburg family in 1922, at the age of nine, when Charles I, his father, died. In the latter half of the 20th century, Otto von Hapsburg became a key force for the European integration we are seeing today. European Commission President Barroso called him “a great European... who gave an important impetus to the European project throughout his rich life” (www.abc6.com). As an acquaintance and guest of Mr. Herbert Armstrong, Otto von Hapsburg visited Ambassador College in the 1980s and shared his vision of a united Europe in interviews published in The Plain Truth magazine.

The passing of this fascinating and influential man—the son of an emperor—reminds us of the pivotal times we are living in. The world is waiting for one final king to rise over a united Europe, who will exercise great authority and will “continue a short time” (Revelation 17:10). Ten other “kings” will give their sovereignty to him and fight against the returning Jesus Christ (verses 12-14). But the “called, chosen, and faithful” saints will be with Christ, and share in His victory over this coming dictator. Brethren, these are incredible and historic times! As these events unfold, we must never lose sight of who we are, why we are here, and what’s just ahead!

“Greece faces massive loss of sovereignty,” read a recent article in the EU Observer. As the EU forwards 12 billion euros of additional relief to Greece, it completes its fifth payment of the overall 110 billion euro package. This recent payment should help Greece meet its financial obligations through the end of the month. Experts suggest that the next required steps for Greece will result in major privatization of Greece’s many state-owned assets, not unlike the “selling of East German firms in the 1990’s after the fall of Communism.” Although many European nations speak of the need to “encourage” and “support” the Greeks during this difficult financial situation, this does not erase the reality of the impact of privatization on Greek sovereignty (EU Observer, July 4, 2011). God highlights that the final configuration of “kingdoms” under the Beast power will “give their power” over to that Beast for a time (Revelation 17:13). Exactly how power will be “given over” to this European Beast power remains to be seen, however, massive indebtedness and the corresponding repayment plans could be one way this prophecy is fulfilled. Time will tell exactly how this powerful prophecy will come to pass.

Oil Pipeline Breaks Under Yellowstone River. Last weekend, an oil pipeline under the Yellowstone River in Montana broke, unloading more than 1,000 barrels of crude oil into the river. The cause of the break is unknown, however some officials think it may be due to unusually high river levels thanks to the spring snow melt. The high water has made containment of the spilled oil very difficult. The effects of the spill are yet to be determined, but traces of the spill have been discovered 30 miles down-river, so far. This spill comes in the wake of a pipeline spill of more than 900,000 gallons of crude oil into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan in July 2010. The Exxon Mobil spill in Montana comes on the heels of safety violations by Exxon (Associated Press, July 4, 2011). God blessed human beings with the incredible intellect to develop machines that can run on “fossil fuels.” He also gave man the ingenuity to harvest and refine these fuels. The problem is that the use of these elements of God’s creation are “according to the workings of man,” and with them come problems. As the world develops a greater appetite for oil and gasoline, the risk of accidents also increases. This may be one reason why the earth is waiting to be “delivered from the bondage of corruption,” and why creation “eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God” (Romans 8:19-22). One day soon Christ will return to the earth and any future technological development will take place according to the will of God, and no longer according to the will of man!

“Half of Christchurch wants to leave,” reads one Australian headline. In the wake of three powerful and devastating earthquakes in the last nine months, an unofficial poll of more than 40,000 Christchurch, New Zealand residents revealed that over 3,000 have emigrated to Australia so far. Twenty-one percent of residents plan to leave Christchurch at some point in the future, another 26% say they would leave if it were not for their jobs and their property, and 13% said they do not know what to do. Some residents who are remaining in Christchurch have condemned those leaving for “giving up on the city.” These are certainly stressful times (www.news.com.au, July 5, 2011). Bible prophecy reveals that at the time of the end, one phenomenon that will affect different Israelite-descended nations is that their highways will become desolate and their cities will become waste (Leviticus 26:22, 31-33). How might these prophecies be fulfilled? Could it be that major natural disasters, like earthquakes, may be one tool God will use to fulfill His prophecy? This could be the case.—Deborah Lincoln Strange and Scott Winnail

COGwriter 2011

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