Weekly Update

September 17th, 2015

Greetings from Charlotte,

Reports coming in about the Feast of Trumpets are very positive. Mr. and Mrs. Ames had a very encouraging visit with the Kansas City congregation. I was able to visit congregations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio and spend time with several other ministers along the way. A number of other ministers from Charlotte also traveled to outlying congregations for the Holy Day. It is also encouraging to see Tomorrow's World magazine circulation climbing over 512,000 and more than 21,000 subscribers receiving the News & Prophecy e-zine. Mr. Wyatt Ciesielka reports that some very exciting opportunities are opening up for preaching the gospel on the Internet. Since many brethren will be traveling to the Feast just before or just after the Day of Atonement, please pray that God will protect His people and that He will bless and inspire these Fall Holy Days.—DSW

(There will be a short World Ahead next week.)

Feast of Tabernacles

Plan To Attend Opening Night Service

The Opening Night service begins Sunday night, September 27.  Brethren are encouraged to make every effort to arrive at their Feast site in plenty of time to attend this "kick-off" meeting Sunday evening, the beginning of the High Holy Day which is the first day of the Feast.  There will also be a special DVD welcome from Dr. Meredith during this service.  Check with your Feast Coordinator for the time of the Opening Night service at your site.

Holy Day Offerings—Repeat Announcement

If you are traveling internationally for the Feast, it is recommended that you leave your Holy Day Offering in your home country. This will ensure that you receive proper documentation for a tax deduction, if your country allows it. You should make an additional offering at the international site you attend, and can plan accordingly. Your attention to these instructions and your use of the preprinted Holy Day envelopes is greatly appreciated.

2015 Festival Survey—Repeat Announcement  

Every year we take a survey to get valuable feedback from brethren attending the Feast.  We will again have the Festival Survey available online, as well as having paper survey forms handed out at the Feast.  The Web address for filling out the Feast survey will be fotsurvey.lcg.org.  We ask everyone at the Feast to be sure to fill out the survey form (either the hard copy or online version) during the Feast, as it provides us with helpful information to assist with Festival planning for future years.

Hymnals—Repeat Announcement

Everyone is encouraged to bring a hymnal (one or two songbooks per household) from their local congregation's supply for use at the Feast, if they don't have a personal hymnal to take. For those who do take a congregational (blue) hymnal, please be sure to bring the hymnal(s) back to your congregation after the Feast, so that the number of hymnals returned to each congregation is equal to the number of hymnals taken. Please make sure that all hymnals are clearly marked as to which congregation they belong.

Sabbath Times/Contact Information for the Day of Atonement and Sabbath of September 26—Repeat Announcement

A chart listing the places, contact information, and times for Living Church of God services on the Day of Atonement and on the Sabbath of September 26 is now posted on the MyLCG Web site. Log in to your MyLCG account at the following address to access the chart: www.cogl.org. We hope this information will be helpful for you as you plan your travel, especially so you can minimize travel on God's Sabbath. Pastors, thank you for sending these details in. If any of you have information yet to send us, please do so and we will update the chart.

Streaming/Phone Connection for Shut-Ins—Repeat Announcement

If you will have to stay home from the Feast for health reasons, please note that many of our Feast sites will be providing live-stream or phone connection services for the areas assigned to that Feast site.  In this way you can listen to or watch a live service at your assigned Feast site, even if you have to stay home, and you can feel more connected to what's going on at the Feast!  For more information on what's available at your site, please contact the Festival Coordinator at your assigned Feast site.  If you need help, please contact your Festival Advisor.  For international sites, please contact the Regional Office. For your convenience, here is a list of the Festival Coordinators in the USA in 2015:

Living Youth Program

Friday Evening Youth Bible Studies Resume October 16—Repeat Announcement

Friday evening online youth Bible Studies are planned to resume after the Feast of Tabernacles, on October 16. Mr. Sheldon Monson is scheduled to continue giving the Bible Studies and everyone, regardless of age, is welcome to "tune in." Information about joining the studies will be available on the Living Youth Web site at http://www.livingyouth.org after the Feast of Tabernacles.

Human Resources

Employment Opportunity: Video Editor—Repeat Announcement

God continues to bless and grow His Work and with more and more doors opening for the telecast—not only over cable and satellite television, but also over various Internet delivery platforms. This brings increasing editing responsibilities, for Webcasts, Living University lectures, special and feature films, etc. The Headquarters office is planning to hire another video editor in 2016.  Qualified candidates must be members in good standing, must be able to provide professional references and examples of work created, and should be experienced in Final Cut, Adobe Premiere or Avid video editing software or comparable non-linear editing platforms.  Applicant must meet the legal requirements to work in the United States.  If you are interested in this position, please send your résumé, along with a cover letter and a letter of reference from your Area Pastor, to:  Human Resources Department, Living Church of God, 2301 Crown Centre Drive, Charlotte, NC 28227; e-mail:  HR@lcg.org;  FAX:  704-844-1973.

Employment Opportunity: Secretary/Administrative Assistant—Repeat Announcement

The office of Legal Affairs and Risk Management is looking for someone to provide secretarial and administrative support in a very busy administrative office.  Duties include: research; organize, maintain and archive files, working-copy binders, and unique information databases; schedule and/or track events, deadlines and required filings (for multiple organizational units); interface with and assist field personnel; track contractual agreements, request documents and certifications, produce correspondence and otherwise relieve administrator of minor to moderately complex administrative and business detail by performing a variety of tasks.  Ideal candidate is very organized and detail oriented, able to work under pressure with moderate supervision, has good communication skills and is familiar with standard business concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field such as Business Management, Law, Banking, Insurance, Nonprofit Management, or Contract Administration (that brief list is not all-inclusive).  This is a position of trust and a high level of confidentiality is involved.  An ideal applicant has a college degree and/or equivalent work experience (a minimum high school diploma with 2-4 years of administrative experience in a field will be considered).  Experience as an administrative assistant or executive secretary (or similar) would be helpful, but is not required.  A more complete job description is available upon request. Résumés / CVs may be sent to Human Resources by e-mail to HR@lcg.org, or by fax to 704-844-1973.

Comments

The Most Important Quality:  Most of God's people understand the importance of keeping the commandments, the Sabbath, the Holy Days and the dietary laws. They also understand the importance of government, tithing, faith and watching for the fulfillment of prophecy. Yet sometimes, in our zeal to obey the laws of God, we can overlook something else that is even more important—the need to develop and exercise godly love. We are told in the Scriptures that without godly love, we are nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Here, the biblical word for love (agape) refers to an unselfish, outgoing concern for others. In this same chapter, the Apostle Paul states that godly love does not seek its own way, it is calm and not easily provoked, nor does it jump to conclusions or assign motives or sit in judgment of others. Instead, godly love is gracious and forgiving. It is positive and focuses on what is right and true. It never fails or falters. Godly love is the most important fruit of God's Spirit that we must nourish and cultivate if we hope to become like our Father and our Elder Brother Jesus Christ. God is love (1 John 4:8, 16), and we are to become like Him (1 John 3:1-3). Let's ask God to help us learn to love Him and to love others as He does, so we can develop this most important quality—of godly love.

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail

News and Prophecy—September 17, 2015

Difficulties Ahead for God's People: Animosity and persecution against Christians are rising again around the globe. "A persecution watchdog group is warning believers that statistics suggest a Christian is martyred for their faith every five minutes somewhere around the world" (Christian Post, September 16, 2015). Religious attacks are increasing in non-Christian nations. "Hindu radicals in India have intensified their threats, forced conversions and persecution of Christians, saying they would cut them 'into pieces' if they continue to worship Christ. Such threats have already forced at least 10 Christian families in a northwest province to flee from their homes and villages" (Christian Post, September 4, 2015). Muslims in the Middle East have a long history of persecuting people with Bible-based beliefs. Now, with the flood of Muslim immigrants into Europe, traditionally Christian nations are taking drastic measures to ensure the safety of their citizens. Hungary has sealed its border with Serbia in order to "preserve Christian Europe" from the threat of Islam (Associated Press, September 15, 2015). Jesus Christ warned that His people would be "hated" because of His name (Matthew 24:9; Luke 21:12). For God's people living in Muslim and Hindu-dominated nations today, worshiping God will become increasingly difficult and dangerous as Christians suffer more persecution. We must remember to pray for God's people wherever they live.  To learn more about the importance of prayer, read our booklet Twelve Keys to Answered Prayer.

Middle East Water Shortages: "As the region, which is home to over 350 million people, begins to recover from a series of deadly heatwaves…  the World Resources Institute (WRI) claims water shortages were a key factor in the 2011 Syria civil war. 'Drought and water shortages in Syria likely contributed to the unrest that stoked the country's 2011 civil war. Dwindling water resources and chronic mismanagement forced 1.5 million people… to lose their livelihoods and leave their land, move to urban areas, and magnify Syria's general destabilisation'" (The Guardian, August 27, 2015). "14 of the world's 33 most water-stressed countries [are] in the Middle East and north Africa region" (ibid.). ISIS is also working to take control of major Middle East dams to control the water supply (The Independent, June 3, 2015). Bible prophecy reveals that an end-time Arab federation—the "king of the south"—will emerge in the Middle East and will eventually fight against the European "beast" power (Daniel 11:40-43). Water issues could be one of the catalysts for the rise of this Arab power. Drought and subsequent water shortages may contribute to the Euphrates River drying up to make way for armies of the "kings of the east" to fight Christ in the Holy Land (Revelation 16:12-16). For more about these sobering end-time prophecies, be sure to read Revelation: The Mystery Unveiled!   

Birds and Plastic—The Creation Groans! "About 90% of seabirds have eaten plastic and are likely to retain some in their gut, a new analysis estimates. The study concludes that matters will only get worse until action is taken to stem the flow of waste to the oceans. Researcher Erik Van Sebille says the oceans are now filled with plastic and it is 'virtually certain' that any dead seabird found in 2050 'will have a bit of plastic in its stomach'" (BBC, August 31, 2015). About eight million tons of plastic waste end up in the oceans each year—and plastic decays very slowly. "Every ocean is now filled with plastic. Some have more than others, but what we found is that even the oceans that are not known for their plastic—they still have quite a bit of plastic and they can be where the harm is really done just because that's where all the birds live" (ibid.). When God created Adam and Eve, He commanded them to "tend and keep" the garden (Genesis 2:15) and to manage the animals (Genesis 1:26-28). However, mankind has failed abysmally at this responsibility, so much so, that the Apostle Paul observed, "For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now" (Romans 8:22). The earth and its creatures cry out for peace, order and protection. That is why "the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God" (v. 19)! All of God's creation, including the animals and the environment, awaits a time when it will be ruled responsibly in righteousness, as God originally intended. For a glimpse into this awesome coming time when even the animals will be safe and at peace, read The World Ahead: What Will It Be Like?—Scott Winnail, Justin Ridgeway, Francine Prater and Ron Ramsingh