Living Church of God, World Ahead Weekly Update

As extreme weather continues to dominate the headlines, God is mercifully blessing the Work in the United States and around the world. Mr. Ames’ Tomorrow’s World Special Presentations in Chicago and Milwaukee generated 114 visitors. The special presentations were followed on Monday by a powerful “derecho” (violent windstorm) that left hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans without electricity this week. But God didn’t allow the special presentations to be derailed! Last week’s Australia and New Zealand Tomorrow’s World Special Presentations resulted in a very encouraging 286 visitors (55 in Adelaide, 110 in Perth, 7 in Brisbane, 114 in Auckland). Dr. Douglas Winnail is now in South Africa visiting congregations and conducting meetings, and will return to Charlotte early next week. Mr. Mario Hernandez is in Europe, spending the Sabbath with brethren in Paris. The Texas Pre-Teen camp concluded successfully last week, and it sounds like the hiking, kayaking, and rafting of the Maine Adventure camp concluded on Wednesday, although challenging, was a great success! (See below for full reports.)

Here in Charlotte, Dr. Meredith has been writing, conducting meetings and recording more material for the Behind the Work film. Last week’s telecast, “The World’s Most Vital Need,” is expected to generate 3,100 responses. Mr. Gerald Weston has been in the TV studio this week, recording upcoming China telecasts: “What Is Freedom” and “A Scientific Approach to Morality.” Mr. Wallace Smith has also been in town, recording telecasts: “The Fight Over Hell” and “Will Christians Be Raptured?” Please take note of the deadline for ordering personal hymnals (July 31), and the request for all brethren to register for Feast site activities and volunteer service by the same date (see announcements below).—RMc

I arrived in Cape Town, South Africa yesterday (Wednesday) safely after a 12-hour flight from Perth, Australia. We have had a beautifully sunny “winter” day here at the Cape today, and we have a Bible Study scheduled for tonight. Mr. and Mrs. Pieter van der Byl and I will fly to Johannesburg tomorrow (Friday) to conduct services in Pretoria on the Sabbath and then hold a short Regional Conference in Pretoria on Sunday, before I catch a flight back to Charlotte on Sunday night. The trip has gone very well so far. The responses to the TWSPs in New Zealand and Australia were very encouraging. Thanks for your prayers.—Douglas Winnail

Chicago and Milwaukee: God certainly blessed the Tomorrow’s World Special Presentation held on July 9 in Chicago! Fifty enthusiastic local members welcomed 98 visitors for the exciting message provided by Mr. Ames. Some excited subscribers mentioned how they were looking forward to attending services weekly and joining us in spreading the true Gospel message around the world. Many guests mentioned that they had been watching the telecast and studying our literature for some time—many for two years or more. This presentation gave them the opportunity to “take a step” in acting on the incredible Truth they have been receiving from the Church of God.

On Sunday, July 10, 52 members of the Milwaukee congregation were privileged to host 16 visitors who came to hear the powerful message from Mr. Ames. Some drove from as far as an hour away to hear the message. Many visitors stayed long after the presentation to visit and ask questions. All indications show that we can expect many from both Chicago and Milwaukee to begin attending weekly services with us. What a fantastic privilege it is to be given this awesome opportunity to preach the true message of hope to this dying world! Your prayers for successful follow-up presentations are much appreciated.—Phil West

Adelaide, Australia: Here in Adelaide, 66 members were in attendance for services on the Sabbath of July 9 where Dr. Winnail spoke on “Important Lessons from the Early Church.” Later that afternoon, Dr. Winnail spoke to an audience of 121 members and guests as he presented information on “What’s Ahead for Australia?” Many of the 55 guests indicated that they would return for the follow-up presentation but not only that, we have had a number of people call the office who didn’t attend the first presentation but will be attending my follow-up on “Where Is God’s Church Today?”

This has been a great opportunity for those who came to the TWSPs as guests, but we have also seen a swell of zeal from our membership here in Australia who have also been greatly encouraged by the opportunity to see and speak with many whom God may be calling into the body of Christ here in Australia. Some members even reconnected with old friends who they had no idea were even receiving our literature—you can imagine their surprise as they walked through the door.—Robert Tyler

Perth, Australia: We were very privileged to have Dr. Winnail visit our fair city here in Perth, Australia, as he delivered his Special Presentation entitled, “What’s Ahead for Australia?” on July 10. Though the weather was somewhat inclement, 110 guests and 39 members attended. This was a 6.2% attendance response from guests who were invited to the presentation. In a very informative and exciting presentation, Dr. Winnail outlined the gradual slide towards greater sin, in Australia, and in the world in general. One could have heard a pin drop in the hall as people seemed to take on board and understand the seriousness of the message delivered by Dr. Winnail. No doubt many people were able to identify with his message as a result of the droughts and floods that have occurred recently around our country. There’s no doubt that the evening would not have gone as smoothly as it did, only for the wonderful effort carried out by our deacon and deaconess, Mr. and Mrs. Morfea and their efficient team. It was obvious to see that recent sermons encouraging us to implement teamwork had been taken “on board.” We look forward to some positive results from our follow-up presentation that will be delivered at 2:00 p.m. on the Sabbath of July 16.—Mal Jennings

Brisbane, Australia: The Brisbane follow-up Tomorrow’s World Special Presentation was held in the afternoon, after we held our regular Sabbath service in the morning of July 9 on this occasion. We were expecting a much larger turnout for the follow-up presentation, and were quite disappointed with the low turnout of seven people. Five of the attendees asked some interesting questions, but some hidden agendas became evident. Our guess is that perhaps two or three people will start attending, but their depth of understanding has yet to be plumbed. Those who did attend the presentations have certainly received a witness, and perhaps the fruit will ripen with time, and harvesting may occur at a later season.—Dayrell Tanner

If you would like to order a personal hymnal, 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 purchase no more than six copies, as this is a limited print run. Orders must be received by July 31.

To order personal hymnals, please carefully follow the directions on the http://hymnals.lcg.org ordering form regarding payment. If you don’t have Internet access, please contact your Festival Advisor, who can download a paper form for you to fill out and mail in personally. Personal hymnal orders must be received by July 31.

The LYC Texas Pre-Teen Camp began with a rousing theme of “Gung ho—all for one, and one for all” on Sunday, July 3, with a total of 71 in attendance—including 26 enthusiastic campers! Activities were planned with the hot weather in mind—making the camp experience both enjoyable and exciting. Camp activities included riflery, archery, canoeing, life skills, team building, and Christian Living classes.

On Wednesday evening, Mr. Paul Derrick from the Central Texas Astronomical Society, gave an interesting introductory lesson on astronomy. After a brief slide presentation, the pre-teens and staff moved to the outdoor field to view the night sky through two large and sophisticated telescopes. Mr. Derrick pointed out several night time objects by the use of a green laser and continued to help answer questions as we peered through lenses of the telescopes. Along with a cool evening and slight breeze, this activity was enjoyed by all. Camp concluded Thursday evening with scrumptious banquet of Texas smoked beef brisket with all the trimmings followed by a fun show presented by the preteens and staff.

Greetings from Maine! We have just dropped off the last of the adventurers at the airport and are headed for home. We had a very exciting and adventurous experience. Twenty-five excited backpackers started off the trip hiking up Mt. Katahdin and scaling the Chimney and Knife’s Edge up to Baxter Peak. The “trails” were full of boulder slides and the group did more rock scrambling than actually hiking on the trials. One team had a 21-hour non-stop hike up to the peak and back down Abol trail the next morning. It was a very tough trip. The hikers worked together to help each other and showed a real spirit of teamwork. We ended the hiking portion of the trip on Sunday by climbing up beautiful and picturesque DoubleTop Mountain.

A full day of whitewater kayaking lessons was next on the adventure team list. We started with lessons on how to roll over, wet exit and finished with paddling techniques. The second half of the day found us paddling down the Penobscot River and learning eddy turns and how to “surf” in our kayaks. This is where our training on wet exits became very useful for some! Two adventurers even learned the Eskimo Roll (roll over upside down and then right the kayak back up without exiting the boat). The guides were impressed with our quick mastery of some of the skills as well as the responsible hard-working example set by the group.

We completed our eight-day adventure with a whitewater rafting trip down the mighty Penobscot River. In the morning we conquered the lower half of the river, where Class 4 rapids were swirling around waiting to devour rafters. Nesoudanhunk Falls took our first victims. Within minutes we had five rafters swimming. Our able guides pulled the smiling swimmers back into the raft with ease. These guides proved how skilled and well-trained they were all day long. After lunch it was time to get down to business—the Upper River. Two Class 5 rapids and a series of Class 4 rapids awaited us. We entered the gorge and the first Class 5 rapid “the Exterminator” was calling. Of the four boats that passed through, the Exterminator “tacoed” boat number two and claimed three rafters. It was a cold and exhilarating swim to say the least. An expertly tossed rope, and our able guides rescued the last swimmer from the churning water.

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!

The Feast of Tabernacles in Chile will be held in Lican Ray, a beautiful and small lakeside town of 3,000, some 500 miles south of Santiago. A more detailed description of this new site will soon be posted to the MyLCG section of www.cogl.org. The Feast will be held at Hotel Becker. The lodging cost per person, per day is USD$26. Three daily meals are USD$22 per day. Translation into English will not be available. Therefore, this site is only open to Spanish-speaking transfers. Those interested in transferring to Chile for the Feast should register at MyLCG and contact Madeleine Lincoln-Strange at mlincoln@lcg.org or at +1-704-844-1970.

Registration for Fall Semester/Semester I classes is underway. This semester we are offering more than 20 different courses—a few of them are described below. 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.

What Can a Twelve-Year-Old Do? When Jesus was only twelve years old, He was already growing in wisdom and focusing on doing His Father’s will (Luke 2:49, 52). Other pre-teens in history have made important decisions—for good, or evil—at a young age. Manasseh began his wicked reign at twelve (2 Kings 21:1). His grandson, Josiah, took the throne even earlier—at eight years old—and reigned well, turning “to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to the Law of Moses” (2 Kings 23:25).

What can a twelve-year-old do? A lot! We may not always be tuned in to the pivotal changes and choices our pre-teens are facing. But often they are struggling with the important questions of the Universe! They are beginning to ask, “Why am I here?” They are wrestling with the big issues of life: truth, morality and the existence of God. And many are beginning to build a personal relationship with our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ His Son. My own Dad was convicted and began to keep the Sabbath at twelve years of age, in spite of opposition from his father. God may have begun to call you at an early age, too.

“EU’s Financial Hurricane Is About to Hit,” read a sobering headline on this week’s Times. This week something critical happened in reaction to leaked information that the EU would allow Greece to redeem some of their bonds at their current financial status—50% less than their original worth. The news scared Italian investors with the notion that the same could happen to them. The result? Italian bonds immediately dropped to 70% and 80% of their value. For a small nation this would be of little concern, but Italy holds an unusually high amount of bonds—third in the world behind the U.S. and Japan. All this translates into the reality that Italy’s financial crisis is much more acute than originally thought. According to experts, “For if the flow of money out of the Italian bond market accelerates through the summer, the crisis could spin out of control, causing a break-up of the euro as early as September or October, the ‘financial hurricane season’ when serious financial disruptions generally occur” (Times, July 13, 2011). The resulting call is for the rapid formation of a Eurozone-wide financial union, or possibly an EU-wide union that would include nations like Britain who are not part of the Euro. It also sounds like the September-October period may be the deadline. Students of Bible Prophecy understand that there must eventually be a strong financial union between certain nations and kingdoms in Europe for the creation of the Beast power to occur (Revelation 17:12-13). Just who will be part of this union is a big question that may be answered sooner than many may have anticipated.

Gadhafi Threatens European Attack. In a rally in Tripoli last week, General Gadhafi addressed thousands of pro-government supporters by telephone. In his remarks, Gadhafi stated that if NATO nations do not cease their air campaign against Libya, Libyans will start attacking Europe directly. He stated, “If we decide to, we are able to move to Europe like locusts, like bees. We advise you to retreat before you are dealt a disaster.” He went on to talk about how attacks would take place against European “homes, offices, and families…” Gadhafi was recently indicted by the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands, along with his son and a top aide, for crimes against his own people (Associated Press, July 1, 2011). In Ezekiel 30, God inspired a prophecy against Egypt and its allies, including Libya. “The sword shall come upon Egypt… When the slain fall in Egypt, and they take away her wealth, and her foundations are broken down. Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, all the mingled people, Chub, and the men of the lands who are allied, shall fall with them by the sword… Those who uphold Egypt shall fall, and the pride of her power shall come down…” (Ezekiel 30:2-9). Bible prophecy does not indicate that Libya will gain the upper hand over Europe. It is sobering to watch as God’s prophecies get underway

China’s Impact on Australia. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, “China has detonated an economic bombshell on the eve of the Prime Minister’s drive to sell the carbon tax, warning Australia has a ‘dual-speed and patchwork economy’ and relies too heavily on Beijing’s demand for minerals.” These stern words were made by a Chinese diplomat speaking on behalf of the Chinese Embassy. Additionally, upon viewing Australia’s economy as weak, China has also “launched an attempt to bring Chinese workers to Australia to deal with what it describes as an ‘infrastructure bottleneck and shortage of skilled labour.’” China is heavily involved in the Australian mining industry and for the first time ever, Australia’s trade with China rose above $100 billion in 2010 (July 7, 2011, p.2). As China’s economy grows and its demand for natural resources expands, it continues to look far and wide for opportunities for economic expansion and to bring more resources to its needy people. Meanwhile, many Israelite-descended nations around the globe are becoming increasingly reliant on Chinese cash in order to keep their economies afloat. China is likely one of the tools that God is using to “humble” the once powerful and mighty Israelite-descended nations. God prophesied that “A nation whom you have not known shall eat the fruit of your land and the produce of your labor…” (Deuteronomy 28:33). This nation will ultimately gain control, as the host nation loses its control (verses 43-44, 49).—Daniel Bennett, Ben Whitfield and Scott Winnail