LCG's Foreign sites:
News of the Living Church of God!
The URL for the Living Church of God is www.lcg.org. The site that is directed towards members and those with a COG background is cogl.org.
Here is a link to some COGwriter articles in Italian (translated by google).
07/17/05 p.m. Last night,
Dana, NC 28724
As always, more prayer requests and updates can be found at Prayer Requests.
07/17/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Dibar Apartian. In it, he mentions the Reader's Digest ad, tv responses, mail processing, FOT updates, LYC, and some of his travel recollections.
In that report, Wayne Pyle noted, "On Monday, July 11, our California-based media agency, Janik & Associates, met with Mr. Meredith and Mr. Ames here in
07/15/05 p.m. From the prayer request site, Diane Gilchrist, wife of LCG minister Glen Gilchrist, is requesting prayers on behalf of Mr. Gilchrist:
"Dear Friends,
I'd like to request prayers for Glen. He was bitten multiple times by a spider/insect in Texas on the way home from Mr. Ogwyn's funeral. A group of bites on his calf became very infected. He went to his doctor who put him on one antibiotic, which didn't help, the infection worsened. On his way to the Saratoga Family weekend he stopped in Urgent Care in CO and was put on a different antibiotic. The infection worsened and when he returned from WY he went to emergency (his doctor is on vacation) where they lanced the affected area on his leg.
He went back to urgent care today and was diagnosed with an MRSA, the same infection Mr Ogwyn had. Other bites are becoming infected. He is canceling his trip to AZ so he can keep his leg elevated. The doctor prescribed a different & more specific antibiotic to treat this. If the infection doesn't respond he will have to have surgery.
We appreciate your prayers. We'll keep you posted.
Have a profitable and enjoyable Sabbath.
Love,
Diane Gilchrist"
07/10/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Dibar Apartian. In it, he mentions various travels, that LCG members in the UK are fine, some media and FOT updates, plus info on Living 4 Tomorrow and the new singles site.
07/09/05 a.m. "LCG Elder, Mr. Jim Nork, Phoenix, AZ, sends the following information for those who may wish to be present to honor our friend & brother, Jim Greer, who died unexpectedly June 30th of a heart attack, at age 66 years:
07/07/05 a.m. Here is a link to the page containing a link to the latest Co-worker letter from RC Meredith. After discussing the death of John Ogwyn, he quotes from this report from Wayne Pyle,
"The latest July-August issue of the Tomorrow’s World magazine reached a worldwide circulation of 273,000. Since its fledgling beginning in 1999, the magazine has grown at an average rate of 49 percent per year. The current circulation is 34 percent above a year ago, and looks like it will pick up even more steam as the year progresses. Our magazine growth right now is hot."
07/03/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions a variety of ministerial transfers (mainly due to the death of John Ogwyn), an encouraging healing, a French minister, Kenya, the FOT, media responses, LCG websites, and the update itself.
Regarding websites, he reports, "We launched a newly redesigned LCG Web site (www.lcg.org). This Web site, much like our Tomorrow’s World site, will act as an online library for Church booklets, magazines and telecasts. We have added new areas such as a Q & A and Study Topics in addition to our Bible Studies and Commentaries. Look for more Study Topics, Q & As and new Bible Studies to appear in the future. In addition to this we have converted all our telecast over to Flash video and MP3 audio. The new formats are an improvement in quality and will allow for quicker downloads. Please take note that all our sermons have moved over to the Member Resources Web site at www.cogl.org.
I am pleased that LCG is going to try to have its own official singles' site.
06/28/05 a.m. LCG's Wayne Pyle reports, "The lastest July-August issue of Tomorrow's World magazine reached a worlwide circulation of 273,000. Since its fledgling beginning in 1999, the magazine has grown at an annual rate of 49 percent per year. The current circulation is 34 percent above a year ago".
In the must-play sermon for last Sabbath, RC Meredith announced that an advertisement for the magazine was to be included in something like 4-6 million copies of Reader's Digest in August 2005. He mentioned that this would also be expected to contribute to an increase in circulation for the TW magazine.
06/27/05 a.m. LCG dramatically changed its home page. You can go to www.lcg.org to look.
This is another step in LCG's program to improve its internet presence.
06/26/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions a healing, the internet, Feast transfers and registration, and the funeral of John Ogwyn.
06/25/05 a.m. I am back in town. Here is the prior week's update from Dibar Apartian. The focus is on the death of John Ogwyn. It also reminds everyone about the Feast site in Barbados.
06/16/05 p.m. From Charles Bryce:
"It grieves me to have to inform you that our beloved fellow servant, Mr.
06/14/05 a.m. Due to travel issues, I will not be able to post anything for a while concerning the status of John Ogwyn's health. I would suggest that you go to Steve Moody's Prayer Requests page for further updates.
06/13/05 p.p.m. "The Ogwyn family has asked that we inform all of you about the facts of Mr. John Ogwyn’s condition at the present time. Mrs. Ogwyn said the medical tests came back today and show that Mr. Ogwyn has a staph infection called MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). It is a very serious strain. Mr. Charles Ogwyn said that his dad’s condition is grave and slowly deteriorating. Mr. Roderick Meredith and I have been in close contact about this extremely important matter and he asked me to urge all of you to continue to fervently beseech our great God for His intervention and miraculous healing of Mr. John Ogwyn. Please ask our brethren to do so as well and to pray for the whole Ogwyn family. With Christian love, Charles E. Bryce "
06/13/05 p.m. "Updated on 6/13/2005 10:42:11 AM CST I personally spoke with Mr. Bryce this afternoon to get the facts straight regarding Mr. Ogwyn's current condition. He indicated that some of the statements made regarding his current state of health are not entirely accurate...It is up to the Ogwyn's as to how much information will be posted. Mr. Bryce said "Mr. Ogwyn's condition is serious and he is in need of our fervent prayers". More information will be posted here as it is provided. -- Steve Moody Updated on 6/13/2005 1:14:09 PM CST I received word from one of LCG's Ministers which states that Mr. John Ogwyn has given permission for an urgent prayer request to be made. (I have also received many messages listing specific condition of Mr. Ogwyn; I am waiting until further, more specific information before passing those on; I have been told that further information will be given early this evening after Mr. Ogwyn himself has been spoken with.) To this point, here is what has been released by one LCG minister who spoke with Mr. Ogwyn: Mr. John Ogwyn's condition has become exceedingly serious, to the point he has only a very short time to live, unless God intervenes to heal him completely. He has put himself entirely in God's hands and he requests our fervent, urgent prayers for God's miraculous healing intervention. Further information was said to be forthcoming later this evening..."
06/13/05 a.m. The following two items are from http://www.lcog.net/prayerrequests/:
"Updated on 6/12/2005 11:04:59 PM CST Mr. Ogwyn's condition has taken a turn for the worst. Family is on their way to Texas to be by his side as they do not expect him to make it beyond the end of this week. (6/12/05) Please continue to pray for Mr. Ogwyn and that God's will and purpose will be done. Thanks --"
"Updated on 6/12/2005 11:26:36 PM CST This update was passed to us via an email message: Greetings all, I just received an update from a friend, that received a call from Sabrina Clore, Mr. Ray Clore's daughter...Your prayers are greatly requested, and would be very appreciated. I've heard reports from one friend in particular, who heard that he had a staph infection. His blood was most likely poisoned because of the infection. I received the update tonight at 8:40 PM approx. You all know, only God has the ultimate power to fully heal him. Apparently, he isn't taking doctor prescribed drugs, which may be a good decision on his part. But again, please keep Mr. Ogwyn in your thoughts and prayers throughout tomorrow. Warm regards -- Steve Moody
Cards may be sent to: Mr. John Ogwyn c/o The Living Church of God P.O. Box 3810 Charlotte NC 28227"
06/12/05 a.m. Here is the weekly update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions the semi-annual letter, prayer requests, pre-marital counseling, Grand Teton, media updates, and Pentecost.
06/05/05 a.m. Here is the weekly update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions Pentecost traveling schedules, ministerial transfers, FOT updates, prayer request updates, Galatians, and "Walter H. Warrington, age 84, an Elder in the Living Church of God, died on May 27, 2005, at his home in Salem, Ohio. He had been a farmer and carpenter during his lifetime and served in the Akron, Ohio, congregation. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Mary E. Warrington; two sons, Ralph and David; one daughter, Norma Jean Campbell; and a sister, Clara Harley. He also had eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. "
05/31/05 a.m. The sermonette in Arroyo Grande last Sabbath was titled Was Peter the Rock Who Alone Received the Keys of the Kingdom? Although all LCG know the answer to this question, the sermonette (now article) sites sources not usually used much sermons/sermonettes.
05/29/05 a.m. Here is the weekly update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions the COE meeting, ministerial conference, summer camps, Pentecost, and the following media update:
"This weekend we aired program #246, “Can You Prove God Exists?” which offered an audio CD on the subject. From Thursday through Sunday, we received 1,723 phone calls, and we are expecting the total for the week to reach 2,043. As of this morning, we have received a total of 497 phone calls from our English call-center since our start-up on April 4. So today we will pass the 500-mark. We are now on the final count-down to our first half-million phone calls in the United States and Canada. This weekend’s call-count brings our accumulative total since January 1999 to 493,392. So, sometime in the next three or four weeks we should receive the 500,000th TV response.—Wayne Pyle"
05/22/05 a.m. Here is the weekly update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions the co-worker letter, the COE meeting, John Ogwyn's illness, camp information, that the Festival Planner is out, and that the CD with singing is complete.
05/17/05 a.m. Personal update. It has been a while since I mentioned our lawsuit against 15 State of California officials. Last week we received a couple of inches of documents from the attorney representing the State that it sent the Court of Appeals. We have until Monday to Fed-Ex our completed package, but basically until this Friday to finish putting together the response. Your prayers that we exercise wisdom to accomplish God's will would be appreciated.
05/15/05 a.m. Here is the weekly update from Dibar Apartian. He mentions that RCM is back and has been writing a lot, camps, singles activities, US, Canadian, & Jamaican FOT sites, and an international update.
05/09/05 a.m. LCG reported, "What's Wrong With the Ten Commandments? Do you really want to know why human suffering is allowed? Why the American and British descended nations are in trouble? Why our wars, our economies and our lives will be increasingly in trouble from now on? Will you genuinely listen to the very clear answer from your Creator Himself? Why are increasing hundreds of young men being killed or maimed for life in our foreign wars? Why are events turning against us in Iraq? Why are the storms and earthquakes becoming more severe all over this earth? Here are genuine answers to these vital questions. Listen to our TELECAST available online. "
05/08/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Dibar Apartian. In it, he mentions travels, doing without, prayer requests, media results, and camp updates.
05/06/06 a.m. The May-June 2005 edition of Tomorrow's World arrived this week. It has a new look and layout. It also lists 164 television and 13 radio stations carrying LCG's Tomorrow's World broadcast.
05/01/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions travels, the 2005 pastors conference, hiring of a new minister, an ordination, Kenya, the second passover, and comments about this Holy Day season.
He also provided this information:
"It saddens us to have to report to you that Mrs. Jim Arnaldo died on April 22 from her bout with cancer. As many of you know, Mrs. Arnaldo was a tireless servant of God who constantly helped her husband in his ministry. Wherever he went and whatever he did in caring for the churches he served in the USA and Canada, she was always there lending a helping hand. Jim and Fran were married 49 years and 3 months. As Mr. Arnaldo said, we thank God that even though Fran had terrible pain during this illness, God granted her a peaceful rest and sleep near the end. It was also a blessing that she could be at home with her husband holding his hand when the end came. Our love and prayers will be constant for Mr. Arnaldo and his family in the face of this incalculable loss. The funeral will be on May 2, 2005 at 11:00 am, at: Dunn’s Funeral Home 11 Park St Houlton, ME 04730 Cards and letters can be sent to Mr. Jim Arnaldo at P.O. Box 1156, Houlton, ME 04730."
Kenya Update Dr. Doug Winnail sends this encouraging report from Kenya, which he received from Mr. Simon Muthama: “My trip to West was very successful. I arrived at Awendo at 6am in the morning of 16th April 2005. I found Silas waiting for me. We took a taxi together with his wife to Opoya. At Opoya we found a group of 13 young men and women of the ages between 20 and 35 years of age waiting for me. We started services immediately we arrived. We started with songs of praise then opening prayer…What amazed me of the group is composed of young men and women who are able to speak English. There was no old man in the group except me but they welcomed me with both hands…I closed the services with a word of prayer at 12 noon…May God bless you as we look forward for the Big Day Passover… “Attendance last Sabbath of 16 April 2005: Nairobi 5 Opoya 20 including Children Ndhiwa 83 including Children” Total attendance in Kenya: 108 —Simon Muthama
04/24/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions baptisms, trials, LYC, Pre-Teen Camp, new tv stations, and this Holy Day season.
Yesterday, Marshall & Jo Du Haime, Jr., of Maine, reported, "Dear Brethren, This is to let you know the sad news that Mrs. Frances Arnaldo died quietly in her sleep this morning just before 3:00 A.M., holding onto the hand of her beloved husband of nearly 50 years. Thank you all so much for your prayers and cards, gifts and calls."
I have been working with AOL for the past year to get them to stop placing ads on this page and have not gotten anyone who was able to resolve my concerns, so I switched URLs. This decision was made in December 2004, but finally it has happened.
04/19/05 a.m. The latest co-worker letter from RC Meredith is now available. Simply go to http://www.cogl.org/rcmltrs.htm and click on 4/14/05. This letter focuses on Passover and examination.
He also mentioned, "As most of you know, Christ’s Passover is to be observed this year on Friday evening, April 22. My wife, Sheryl, and I will be in the United Kingdom for this commemoration and then will be spending time with our brethren all over the British Isles."04/17/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions a couple of ministerial transfers, a prayer request, Missouri pre-teen camp, LYC Grand Teton, a regional meeting of pastors, the new hymnals, media, and renewal.
04/10/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he has an update from the Gregory family, comments from RCM about the fast and the shooting, LYC, L4Tomorrow, and information about Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread.
In the update, RC Meredith stated, "I want all of you to know that in my March 19 “Must Play” sermon I stated that one of our members had posted “inappropriate information” on his website regarding crosses. However, at the time I had not personally seen his comments and relied on second hand information. So I was not aiming my comments primarily at Dr. Robert Thiel.
"But, having now read the website comment that Dr. Thiel posted regarding “crosses,” I want to state that his comments were not offensive and I do not want anyone thinking that I was trying to publicly “correct” him by that comment in my sermon. Though Dr. Thiel’s comments on his personal website and in his articles do not necessarily represent “official” Church teaching, he has tried hard to be helpful and we should all appreciate that—which I certainly do."
Anyway, I hope that clarifies things as some have been confused as there has been a lot of misreporting lately. Also, those interested in reading what I actually wrote about crosses may read to read a new article titled Cross Posts.
04/08/05 p.m. By now, many members in the Living Church of God have begun to fast as part of a LCG-wide fast.
About two weeks ago, RC Meredith wrote, "But even when I was in Milwaukee, some of us discussed the need for a Church-wide fast regarding this terrible tragedy. Each spring or summer, as you know, we have traditionally called a fast for the Living Church of God. But this shocking occurrence in Milwaukee gives us an even greater reason to seek God with all our hearts. When the Apostle Paul was struck blind by God, he immediately fasted for three days (Acts 9:9). He obviously wanted to understand. So even though we know that God did not cause—but rather allowed—this tragedy to occur, we do sincerely want to understand any lesson or lessons that God wants us to learn. He may have permitted this tragedy to occur for quite a number of reasons. Often, we humans zero in on one reason for something to have happened. But the great God—who knows everything and understands all that is involved—often has many reasons why He allows things to happen and a number of purposes in allowing us to go through the trials and tests and learn the lessons He wants us to learn for all eternity. We know that we will not gain understanding by just "pointing the finger" and accusing one another (Isaiah 58:9). But we will gain understanding if we humbly seek God as His people as we are instructed to do in II Chron. 7:14-15: "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place." Therefore, dear brethren around the world, let us all together fast and seek God in the days and weeks to come. After conferring with several of our ministers here and elsewhere, we have decided to call a Church-wide fast on the Sabbath of April 9, 2005. It will, of course, begin at sunset on the previous evening. Hopefully, most of you already know about this through the "Ministerial Update" sent out by e-mail on March 24. But I do now officially call this fast and ask that all of us join together in beseeching God for true understanding, and for His mercy and for his guidance in the months and years ahead. Certainly, as I have said publicly many times, I myself make many personal mistakes. I want to constantly examine myself and repent of those mistakes! I pray that all of us will try to do this on a regular basis, and truly draw close to God as we should. I hope that all of us can examine ourselves before this coming Passover in a positive way, not in a manner of "accusing" one another, but sincerely coming before God to ask, personally, for His correction and His guidance. God tells the Israelitish peoples that when they are finally humbled in the coming end-time captivity, "But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice" (Deut. 4:29-30). How much more must we—as a Church—together "seek the Lord" as we go through these trials and seek to "learn every lesson" that God wants us to learn! God will be with us and bless us if we do this "with all our heart and with all our soul." Although we do not yet fully understand everything involved, we know that God will cause this tragedy to work for good. "
You can click here for a list of RCM letters. Select the one dated 3/28/05.
Believe it or not, some have criticized LCG in the past for calling these types of fasts. Interestingly, while I was reading the Book of Ezra today, the following verse caught my attention, "Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions" (Ezra 8:21).
Perhaps I should add that I was not looking for verses to support LCG's fast (I happened to be doing my Bible study today and yesterday in Ezra). But when I came upon that verse, it certainly hit me that the Bible does show that church leaders (such as Ezra) have called for fasts to humble ourselves and to seek God.
04/03/05 a.m. Here is a link to the 4/1/05 update from Charles Bryce. This is one of the longest updates ever and includes comments from RC Meredith and R Ames related to the LCG and the shooting, it has a tentative listing of US and Canadian FOT sites, prayer requests, info on Living 4 Tomorrow (a singles activity), and Australiasian updates.
On other matters, the letter concerning next week's fast arrived last night. If you haven't gotten yours yet, you can click here and it will take you to a LCG page, then click on the 3/28/05 date to access it.
03/29/05 p.m. Here is a link to the 3/23/05 update from Charles Bryce. I was out of town and unable to post it until this evening.
03/25/05 a.m. Here is a link to a 3/17/05 letter from RC Meredith on the shooting. I would have posted it earlier, but have been out of town (I had my son post a couple of things in my absence for those who noticed the daily postings on my COG news page).
It included this report from LCG's Wayne Pyle, "In recent weeks, the lcg.org Web site has been receiving about 3,000 visitor sessions each weekend. Well, this past weekend the Web site logged more than 48,000 visitor sessions—16 times above normal! Typically, weekend visitors view about 10,000 pages, but this past weekend the count jumped to more than 284,000 pages! Our inquisitive visitors downloaded more than 16,000 copies of the Church’s Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. In total, visitors downloaded 12.6 gigabytes of material from the site this past weekend, compared to the typical 8 gigabytes that are downloaded. We also experienced a 78 percent increase in visits to our tomorrowsworld.org site. While the increases in our Web activity are especially encouraging, although perhaps fleeting, there are other growth statistics in this Work that are quite substantial. Our Tomorrow’s World subscriber circulation around the world has now passed 256,000, which is 33 percent above a year ago. Our Tomorrow’s World television program in the United States and Canada is really booming. So far, for the year-to-date, our response counts from TV viewers are up 55 percent over a year ago. First-time callers among TV viewers, who request the Church’s literature, audiotapes, CDs, Bible Study Course lessons and so forth, are up 71 percent over last year. Church membership on our master file is up 4.9 percent this year. The number of co-workers who voluntarily support this Work has risen 17 percent this year compared to a year ago. Tens of thousands of TV viewers and Tomorrow’s World magazine subscribers are reaching out to the Living Church of God to get spiritual guidance and make sense out of a confused world. In less than three months more than 100,000 booklets, audiotapes, CDs and other Christian-living materials have been requested and mailed around the world. More literature was sent out in the past two and a half months than everything we mailed during our first 20 months six years ago. Our most recent semiannual subscriber letter generated more than 28,000 requests for our brand new booklet, The Ten Commandments. We believe enormous good is being produced by the Living Church of God, and the results are significant, especially for all the many lives that have been so greatly benefited. As Jesus Christ so commanded His disciples in Matthew 10:8: "Freely you have received, freely give." The Living Church of God is a work of love, albeit a work in progress, but progress indeed! We are now poised for one of the greatest leaps ever for the Church of God. Beginning April 4, we plan to begin airing the Tomorrow’s World television program daily on the Inspiration Network’s two international satellites, Eurobird and Hotbird 6. These satellites reach the entire continent of Europe, the United Kingdom, northern Africa and the Middle East. Stay tuned!"
03/20/05 p.m. Here is a link to Jonathan McNair's webpage. In it, he has some comments about the shooting, etc.
03/20/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Dibar Apartian. In it, he has included a message that RCM sent the ministry regarding the Wisconsin shooting, messages from UCG and CEG, the fact that the Bible hymnals have arrived and are to be distributed, titles of future Tomorrow's World telecasts, and his concluding comments.
03/13/05 p.m. News of the Wisconsin shooting is at the News of those Once Affiliated with the Worldwide Church of God page at the COGwriter website.
03/13/05 a.m. LCG reports, ""Regarding the Wisconsin hotel shooting which occurred during a meeting of the Living Church of God This is a terrible tragedy; we are cooperating with the authorities to find out what happened. Information is still coming in. We have deep concern and are fervently praying for the injured and for the families of the deceased".
Here is the 3/10/05 update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions ministerial hires, a South African update, the fact that most in Kenya and Tanzania have remained loyal to LCG (which contradicts the report put out by E. Owino and RCG), media results, and the new hymnal.
Regarding the hymnal, he reported, "The hymnals are now finished and in the hands of the printer for one more inspection in their quality control process. They have assured us that they will be delivered to the Headquarters building this coming Monday, March 14. We will then start packing and distributing them to all of our congregations around the world. This means that most congregations, in the Living Church of God, should be singing from the new Bible Hymnal by the end of March or the first part of April. We know this has taken longer than any of us expected, but we think the end results will be well worth the wait."
03/06/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions ministerial transfers, LYC, and our new station in London.
02/28/05 a.m. LCG's Charles Bryce reports, "The Work is moving forward at a good clip. Income is solid, the subscription list of the Tomorrow’s World magazine has passed 250,000, more baptisms are taking place and God is opening more doors for the preaching of the gospel to the whole world. Some of them may turn out to be big doors too! Mr. Meredith has many more details about all these plans and the growth which is taking place. He will continue to send out this information from time to time to everyone as he sees fit. Thank you for your help and prayers in all of these developments. We know we can count on you to keep up the good work!"
You may click here for the complete update.
02/20/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions RCM's Florida trip, mail request, media updates, LYC, and a prayer request.
02/13/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions a former minister, a prayer request, LYC, Trinidad & Tobago, two more international FOT sites, and the Spring Holy Days.
Regarding LYC he reported, "Living Youth Camp It’s hard to believe, but it is already time to start making plans to attend the Living Youth Camp in Michigan, or the pre-teen camps in Missouri and Texas. This year we have made registering even easier; starting Sunday February 13, 2005, you will be able to register online for any of the three camps. The Web address is www.youth-web.org. Once you are on the main Web site, select from the menu “Living Youth Camp” or “Pre-Teen Camp.” Further instructions for registering will be under each of these links. If you do not have Web access, don’t worry, you can still register by obtaining a form from each of the addresses listed on the back of the Jan-Feb 2005 Living Church News."
One of the things the Youth Web site itself says, "Ready for a break from school? Want to see the good ol’ outdoors? How about the opportunity to spend time with friends and to make new ones? What about challenging yourself to learn some new skill, do something you’ve never done before, travel to new territory? If so, LYC 2005 is the place to be! We would like to make a special appeal this year to any adults who would like to help out with one of the pre-teen camps. The continuation of these camps is very much dependent on having sufficient numbers of adults to oversee various programs, to serve as counselors, and to serve in support areas. If you think you can help, please do apply."
02/03/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions a new video group, Barbados, Thailand, two more international FOT sites, media, and the hymnal project.
Perhaps the item of greatest import may have been this one, "The first five weeks of this year are blowing away all previous year-to-date records. So far, the telecast has generated 13,363 responses, which is 64 percent above last year’s 8,147 for the first five weeks. The number of first-time callers so far this year has reached 7,329, which is nearly double last year’s count, which was 3,772—making this year’s increase 94 percent. Wow!"
Wow is right! With only about 1/20th of the membership of the old WCG, LCG is now generating about 1/6th of the responses that the old WCG used to get. As reported before, LCG's baptismal rate is also higher than the old WCG.
01/30/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions his trip to Atlanta, some international Feast of Tabernacles sites for 2005, need for translators, and growing spiritually. He also reported, "We have ended the year 2004 with a 3.6 percent increase over 2003 in total Church attendance in the Living Church of God. This is the yearly average and while it is not dramatic, it is steady, gradual growth and we are very thankful for it. "
01/23/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions travels, singles weekends, growth in Canada & Barbados, and Passover.
01/16/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions travels, weather, a healing, media update, Wyoming, and an upcoming Singles Weekend in New Orleans (March 24-27, 2005).
Also in it, Wayne Pyle reported, "It looks like the early indications from AIB in Atlanta and Vision TV in Toronto were right on. We aired program #204, “The END of the World!” offering the Fourteen Signs (FS) booklet. From Thursday through Sunday, we received 2,564 phone calls, and we are expecting the total to reach 3,064. This is by far the highest response we’ve ever received for the Fourteen Signs booklet, and the first time ever to receive 3,000-plus responses two weeks in a row."
01/09/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions the upgrade of the www.tomorrowsworld website, tv responses, and Britain.
01/02/05 a.m. Here is the latest update from Dibar Apartian. In it, he provides updates from LCGr's in the tsunami affected areas. He also reports, "The Christmas holiday was good for us, in terms of audience and response! We aired program #226, “Origins of Christmas,” offering The Holy Days—God’s Master Plan! (HD) booklet. From Thursday through Sunday, we received 2,066 live calls, and we are expecting the final count for the week to surpass 2,400. A new milestone was also reached. The first-time caller count passed 250,000, since the telecast began in January 1999."
01/01/05 a.m. In an email, LCG's Bruce Tyler reports, "Thanks for your kind offer to help. At the moment we need to wait. All the brethren are safe and well and really are not in urgent need at the present time. All the overseas aid agencies and organizations here in Australia are advising not to send these kinds of donations. It’s either too difficult to administer or there is corruption at the distribution points – or maybe with the postal deliveries – especially in times of crisis. Our Sri Lankan brethren now have sufficient money to cover any emergencies and so should be okay. If the situation changes I will notify you. Thanks again for your concern. Bruce Tyler"
All reports I have received have indicated that LCG's members in the countries affected by the tsunami are fine, though those in Sri Lanka probably had the most precarious experiences.
12/31/04 p.m. LCG's RC Meredith commented, "COMMENTARY Greetings, friends around the world! This is Roderick C. Meredith, speaking for Tomorrow’s World! When will the next massive earthquake strike? And where? The massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake just experienced off the island of Sumatra—triggering huge tidal waves—has killed tens of thousands and left millions homeless. It is the most powerful earthquake in 40 years. Millions of people will be affected because of the widespread destruction of homes and property. Now the ominous threat of disease due to water pollution is also a factor. This earthquake is already recognized as one of the greatest natural disasters in recorded history. But how long ‘til the next big earthquake? The last earthquake of this magnitude or greater struck Prince William Island in Alaska 40 years ago. Most people may assume that disasters of this magnitude strike only every 20 to 40 years. That may have been true in the past. But we have definitely entered a different time—a time which very few truly understand. You need to understand! For the Eternal God who created the heavens and earth reveals specific information to those willing to listen. In His inspired Word which we call the Bible, God describes a time just before the return of Jesus Christ to this earth. He calls it “the last days” or the “time of the end.” We are definitely living in that time! And in the next very few years you will have come to fully realize this if you have eyes to see and are willing to understand. This recent enormous earthquake is not a “once in every 40 years” incident! Unfortunately, it is only among the very first of an entire series of natural disasters which are destined to shake the entire world in a manner never before experienced! Describing the time just prior to His Second Coming, Jesus tells us, “And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven”(Luke 21:11). A few verses later, Jesus continues, “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken”(vv. 25-26). We are assuredly entering that time. Many more earthquakes—some accompanied by powerful tsunami waves—will strike this earth within the next 5 to 15 years of your life. In Isaiah 2, after describing the “latter days” and the time of Christ’s return to earth as King of kings, God tells us how He is going to humble all humanity to get them to genuinely “listen” to Him. Describing that time in detail God tells us in Isaiah 2:19, “They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily”! Since this chapter in Isaiah is speaking primarily about the “house of Jacob” (vv. 3 and 5), we may be certain that many of the end-time earthquakes will strike the United States and other British-descended nations. So please do not assume that these prophesied disasters will strike primarily at far-off third world countries. For this will not be the case in the future! The widespread destruction caused a few months ago by a whole series of hurricanes pounding their way through Florida and much of the southeastern United States was only the beginning! For describing this very end-time in which we now live, Jesus Christ stated, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places” (Matt. 24:6-7). We are now just beginning to experience the direct intervention of Almighty God to shake the nations until He gets their full attention! May God grant you the humility and the “open mindedness” to be willing to see what God Himself is doing—and who He is using to warn this world of the specific prophecies describing the time in which you live. If you truly want to understand more, then contact us and request a free copy of our powerful booklet entitled, Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ’s Return! This booklet will give you detailed information about the specific prophesied events now beginning to occur. This eye-opening booklet, Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ’s Return will be sent absolutely free upon your request. Just ask for the booklet on “Fourteen Signs” or you may download it at www.tomorrowsworld.org. This is Roderick Meredith, speaking for Tomorrow’s World!"
LCG's Dibar Apartian reported, "We are happy to report that we have recently started new congregations in Detroit, Michigan and in Lima, Peru—our first video group in Peru since the beginning of the Living Church of God. This year a total of 14 new congregations have commenced—two in the United States and the rest in international areas of God’s Work."
12/24/04 a.m. The LCG L.A. Singles Weekend begins tonight in Southern California with a Singles Bible Study.
In the latest Living Church News, R.C. Meredith wrote, "We, in the Living Church of God, realize that we are finally near the end of this world’s society and truly need to become stirred up and “on fire” in finishing the Work of God. This mixed-up, confused world desperately needs the Truth we have to give. So it is a wonderful opportunity we have to serve Jesus Christ at this most exciting time in the history of the world...Growth is coming in a number of areas across the United States, Canada, Central and South America— as well as new groups coming with us in India and Africa. As prophetic events increasingly shake people’s confidence in this present society, additional thousands will begin to act on the Truth and want to be a part of God’s Church. We need to pray fervently for them and ask that God will guide us and help us to do our part in reaching these people—humbly welcoming them when they come into our fellowship—loving and encouraging them in every way we can."
He, in another article, wrote, "What if you knew that Jesus Christ would come in less than 14 years—and that the three-and-a-half year Great Tribulation would begin just nine years from now? And what if you also knew that the coming Roman ruler or “Beast” would already be “in charge” and would make a treaty with the state of Israel in less than six years? That would be getting pretty close to our time— now! Think carefully! If all of the above were the case, then you would realize that enormous prophetic events would have to take place even before this final dictator could take office and make such a treaty. For this would clearly indicate that the United States would no longer be the dominant power in world affairs—calling the tune in the Middle East and other parts of the world. And all of this would clearly indicate that traumatic events would begin to affect the American, the Canadian and British-descended peoples in even the next two to five years! For these prophesied punishments would greatly weaken our Anglo-American alliance and the prosperity and power we have together exercised for so many generations. The prophesied drought, famine, disease epidemics and the “great earthquakes” Jesus directly predicted (Luke 21:11) would probably have already started affecting our peoples. Also, a number of scholars indicate that the term “fearful sights” mentioned in the above verse may also be translated “terrors”— probably indicating the increased terrorism we are now beginning to experience!...By the time you read this, most of you will have already heard one or both of my prophecy sermons indicating that the end of mankind’s first 6,000 years could possibly occur at—or very close to—the year 2017. Counting back seven years from the Feast of Trumpets 2017 brings us to Feast time in the year 2010—less than six years from now. If there is to be a seven-year treaty between the coming Beast and the state of Israel, allowing the Jews to once again offer sacrifices on the Temple Mount, that treaty could come very soon—indicating the scenario I have outlined above. Jesus warns us to watch for, and to understand the meaning of, the coming “abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet” (Matthew 24:15). Jesus said that this “abomination” will stand “in the holy place.” Next? “For then will be Great Tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (v. 21)."
12/19/04 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions the weather, prayers requests, a Canadian update, DVD issues, and the schedule for the telecast.
Also in it, Davy Crockett, LCG's Director of Business Operations reported, "As we come to the close of 2004, we have been busily preparing the budget for the Work for next year. There are several exciting things on the horizon. To be able to walk through these open doors, we must be good stewards of the resources that God gives to us, which requires good planning. We solicit your prayers for God’s guidance of our activities. The regular contribution income of the Work is at 6.9% increase through December 14, 2004. Thank you for your faithful, generous support of this end-time effort to fulfill the Great Commission."
12/12/04 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he writes, "Responses to the semi-annual letter are pouring in from all over. A total of 15,141 responses have been received so far at the Headquarters office—a rate of return of 9.3% for this office’s mailing list. Mr. Meredith offered The Ten Commandments booklet in the letter, and it is truly inspiring to see so many people so interested in that subject in spite of the plunge into secularism in societies of the world today."
He also mentions an ordination, the soon coming Singles weekend in Los Angeles, Burma/Thailand, the Philippines, and audios for the blind.
12/05/04 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions growth in income and membership, the Los Angeles Singles' Weekend, Divine intervention, and some comments from the COE meeting.
12/01/04 a.m. RC Meredith's latest co-worker letter begins with, "Never before in my 52 years in Christ’s service have I felt the degree of urgency that I do today! Why? Because I now clearly see that the key prophetic events that I have prayed about and preached about for decades are now starting to come to pass! In fact, many of these events have already taken place—or are in the process of occurring. As most of you long-time subscribers know, we have written and preached for decades that the British-descended and American peoples would be powerfully chastened by God if they continue turning more and more away from His laws and despising His ways."
Click here for the entire letter.
11/29/04 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he has RCM's comments on Dr. Hoeh's death, comments on the COE meeting, a health update, information on the possible draft, and Thanksgiving.
11/17/04 a.m. On a personal note, the judge we saw Monday apparently feels that the law does not mean what it appears to state. I have been praying about this and attempting to determine which steps to take next. Thank you, one and all, for your prayers.
11/14/04 a.m. Here is the latest update from Charles Bryce. In it, he mentions the Council of Elders conference that begins tomorrow, DVD/CD production, a Los Angeles singles weekend, and two healings.
11/09/04 a.m. Here is a link to the latest co-worker letter from RCM http://www.cogl.org/files/rmletters/rmlibrary.asp?10/14/04
Click here for previous LCG News.
COGwriter, 2005