March 6, 2008

Greetings from Charlotte, 

It is good finally to be back in Charlotte after more than a month on the road. The trip to Australia, the Philippines, South Africa, Belgium—and last weekend the trip to Toronto, Canada—provided a stimulating, informative and encouraging opportunity to visit brethren and Regional Offices, and to conduct Regional Conferences. Your prayers for safe travel and profitable meetings were much appreciated. It was nice to arrive in Charlotte at the same time as my luggage! This week, Dr. Meredith has been working on finishing a new booklet for the next semi-annual letter.  Mr. Ames and I have recorded lectures for Living University classes. Mr. Wallace Smith is in Charlotte today to record two television programs.  Last Monday, Mr. Rod McNair was away evaluating a potential new Feast site.  Mr. and Mrs. Crockett are due back in Charlotte this afternoon, after a trip to Arkansas.  

Church Administration 

Passover 2008 (Repeat Announcement) 

Important Notice to All Pastors. Passover Services should not start before sunset. This year the Passover will be observed on Friday, April 18, a little more than six weeks from now.  You should have already begun preparations, including hall arrangements, for your congregations to properly observe this solemn Feast. Let us know as soon as possible if any of the congregations you serve will need additional Passover Service supplies (bread trays and/or wine glasses) or even a copy of the Passover Service CD recording.

Additionally, let us also know of any scattered members who need to receive the Passover Service CD and letter instructions to observe it at home. Please direct your requests to the Church Administration Department by e-mail at cad@lcg.org or by phone at 704-844-1960, ext. 220, as soon as possible to ensure timely delivery.   

Good Fruit from Public Bible Lectures 

We are grateful for the increase that God is providing through our public Bible lectures. Some subscribers who attended our lectures last year have become prospective members, attending our Sabbath services regularly, and we know of at least one who has already been baptized!  

Mr. Ken Frank wrote, concerning his public Bible lecture in Winchester last Sabbath, “God provided a mild and sunny day for our public Bible lecture in Winchester, Virginia, on Sabbath, March 1, with 74 people in attendance, including 17 new visitors. A local Hampton Inn was the venue for a PowerPoint presentation on ‘Can We Trust The Bible?’ A Welcome brochure and a printout of the presentation slides were distributed to everyone as souvenirs of the occasion.  Refreshments, a literature table and a warm Shenandoah welcome from the brethren encouraged most to stay for an extended time following the meeting to get better acquainted. A number of the visitors said they would return next Sabbath to our follow-up Church service at the same location.” 

Kansas City Family Weekend 

The Kansas City congregation is hosting a special family weekend for the last day of Unleavened Bread. We will have a Bible study on Friday evening, April 25; morning and afternoon Holy Day services in Olathe, Kansas, on the last day of Unleavened Bread, April 26; and a formal dance after the Sabbath.  Hors d’oeuvres and special desserts will be served during the dance.  There will be special games or movies for our younger children. On Sunday, April 27, we will have sports activities from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., for those who are able to stay. A $5 per person donation—up to $20 per family—would be appreciated.  Children under 5 years of age do not pay.  If you cannot afford the donation, please come anyway.  More details will follow. 

Mail Processing Department  

Mail Processing Department: More Volunteers Needed  

We sincerely thank all those who are actively participating in our online mail tracking program. The United States Postal Service is going to use our information and has requested that we provide even more data. We need more volunteers to help us track mail delivery times across the United States. To participate in this program, go to www.cogl.org and log in to your “MyLCG” account. You will need your username and password. If you do not have a “MyLCG” account, follow the steps to create one. Once you have logged in to your “MyLCG” account, scroll down the screen to the box labeled “Date Literature Received” (it will be on the right side of the screen). Click on the “Go” button next to the “Literature Tracking” label. Select a literature item and the date you actually received that piece of literature. Click on submit. Repeat the process to report the delivery dates of additional literature items. For further information on this program, or to receive more detailed instructions, please contact Mr. Gaylyn Bonjour at gbonjour@lcg.org or call 704-844-1960, ext. 271.   

Feast of Tabernacles 2008 

Festival Update: International Site Registration  

Early online registration for selected international Feast sites will begin on Sunday, March 16, at 12:00 noon (EDT).  Brethren wishing to transfer to an international site may begin registering at that time through the MyLCG website at www.cogl.org; however, we request that you wait to make housing until your transfer has been approved (you will be notified by e-mail).  We want to show consideration to our international brethren by making sure that they have enough time to register and obtain necessary housing before we start accepting overseas transfers.  We plan to begin approving international transfer requests as early as March 30.  If you have any questions or special needs, please write to festival@lcg.org.  International site descriptions will be posted on the MyLCG website on or around Tuesday, March 11. However, we will be featuring a few site descriptions in The World Ahead. This week, the site in Evian, France, is featured.  

Important Note:  Brethren residing in the UK, Australia, the Caribbean and New Zealand are now connected to the MyLCG online registration system and are requested to register online (www.cogl.org) beginning March 16, even if they are staying in their local assigned Feast site.  

The following are some of the international sites we will have in 2008 (this list is not all-inclusive): 

Argentina (Sierra de la Ventana)
Australia (Albany and The Entrance)
Barbados (Christ Church)
France (Evian)
Guatemala (Antigua)
Guyana (Georgetown and Awarewaunau)
Indonesia (Malang)
Jamaica (Ocho Rios)
Kenya (Mombasa)
Malaysia (Melaka)
Mexico (Huatusco)
New Zealand (Taupo)
Papua New Guinea (Wewak)
Philippines (Baguio City)
South Africa (Glentana, George)
Sri Lanka (Colombo)
Thailand (Mae Sot)
Tobago (Crown Point)
United Kingdom (Llangollen, North Wales)
Vanuatu (Orap) 

Evian, France 

Once again, Evian will be our 2008 Feast of Tabernacles site in continental Europe. This site can accommodate up to 240 participants. Evian is a spa city well-known as the source of Evian bottled water and as an international tourist resort. It is situated on the southern bank of Lake Leman (or Lake Geneva), across from Switzerland. Located between lake and mountains, Evian offers spectacular surroundings. Evian is only 30 miles from Geneva’s international airport in Switzerland. 

Feastgoers will lodge at the VVF vacation village, just a short distance from Lake Leman, where they will share three daily meals in a family atmosphere, with wine and cheese being served at lunch and dinner at the resort’s restaurant. The many opportunities to spend time together at this site allow for warm fellowship and special bonding among brethren. Church services will be conducted alternately in English and in French, with simultaneous translation provided into both languages.  

The cost for full room and board for eight days and nine nights, including all meals, is 535 euros per adult in double or higher occupancy; 653 euros per adult in single occupancy; 294 euros for children ages 2 to 11. Children 12 years old and older pay the adult rate. Children under 2 years of age stay for free. Those interested in attending the Feast of Tabernacles in Evian should contact Mr. Dibar Apartian at dapartian@lcg.org or call 704-844-1960, ext. 241.  

Comments 

Pride vs. Humility:  Bible prophecies reveal that in the last days people will be proud, boastful, haughty and headstrong (2 Timothy 3:1-5), and that scoffers will ridicule the idea that a real God inspired the Scriptures (2 Peter 3:3-5).  Such scoffers are largely unaware of what God reveals about pride and humility. The Bible states that “pride goes before… a fall” (Proverbs 16:18), and that humility is a prerequisite for honor in God’s sight (Proverbs 15:33; 29:23).  God says that He looks on the humble (Isaiah 66:2), that He dwells with the humble (Isaiah 57:15), that He raises up the humble (Psalm 147:6) and that He gives grace [unmerited pardon] to the humble (Proverbs 3:34).  Jesus said “blessed” are the humble (Matthew 5:3-5).  Peter urged Christians to “be clothed with humility” (1 Peter 5:5).  The Scriptures reveal that God used Moses because he was humble (Numbers 12:3), and that Jesus Christ was exalted because He humbled himself by dying “the death of the cross” for our sins (Philippians 2:8-9).  While many today doubt that God exists, or wonder what His will is, the Bible explains what God is looking for in each of us—“to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). 

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail  

News and Prophecy—March 6, 2008 

House of Commons Refuses to Allow the People to Decide About Europe. In a historic vote March 5, the House of Commons voted 311-248 against allowing the Lisbon Treaty (European Constitution) to go to popular vote in Britain. Conservative leader David Cameron said: “All three main parties in this House made a promise to our constituents for a vote on the EU constitution. When we turn around and say, ‘You can’t have it any more’, it is no wonder people feel cheated and cynical because promises are being made and broken” (Times Online, March 5, 2008). Optimists hope for a turn-around by the House of Lords, but realists anticipate no change in the outcome (Telegraph.co.uk, March 5, 2008). Should the House of Lords also decline to let the Treaty go to public referendum, the Queen will likely sign the treaty this summer—effectively ending 1,600 years of British sovereignty. God warns the leaders of the Israelite-descended nations, “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool….The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick… nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost…” (Ezekiel 34:2-4). While the leaders of Britain think of themselves, they overlook the desires of the people they profess to serve—more than 75% of whom desire a voice on this treaty. Meanwhile, while the leaders keep their posts and salaries, the nation’s right to rule itself is being handed over to the EU. 

Kids Are in Control. Violent crimes committed by children and teens in the UK have increased by 33% over the last three years, according to a Sunday Telegraph investigation. Overstretched youth courts are responsible for sentencing most of these crimes, and are reaching the breaking point because there are so many criminal cases to be handled. In addition, many of the youth committing these crimes are “repeat offenders.” Primary reasons for these repeat offenses are a lack of cooperation from parents and extremely limited sentencing powers of youth courts—penalties for crimes are very weak. “Our hands are tied,” stated one juvenile court magistrate. “We don’t even get co-operation from the parents” (Sunday Telegraph, January 27, 2008). God warned that at the time of the end, “As for my people, children are their oppressors…” (Isaiah 3:12). “Jerusalem stumbled, and Judah is fallen, because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD…” (v. 8). Thankfully, the time is coming when the “hearts of the children” WILL be turned to the fathers (Malachi 4:6), and when the Proverb, “Correct your son, and he will give you rest” (29:17) will finally be taught and practiced. 

American Education “Dumbed Down.” Fewer than half the teenagers questioned in a phone survey knew when the American Civil War was fought, and 25% thought Christopher Columbus reached the New World around 1750—not 1492! The New York Times (February 27, 2008) reported that this survey, commissioned by the education advocacy group Common Core, found many American teenagers living in “stunning ignorance” of history and literature. When a mid-1980s U.S. government-sponsored test was recently given to 1,200 17-year-olds, just one in four knew Adolf Hitler was Germany’s chancellor during World War II. Many thought he was the Kaiser, an Austrian premier, or a munitions maker. Surprisingly, eight in ten could describe the plot line of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, and knew Harper Lee was its author. Probably due to the media, 97% knew that Martin Luther King Jr. gave the “I Have a Dream” speech. The report’s co-authors assert that the “No Child Left Behind” legislation has caused educators to put so much emphasis on math and reading skills that insufficient time remains for history, literature and other important subjects. “The nation’s education system has become obsessed with testing and basic skills because of the requirements of federal law and that is not healthy,” said the report’s authors. Where is western society headed? The Scriptures warn, “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge” (Proverbs 1:22).—Don Davis, Daniel Bennett, Scott Winnail

COGwriter 2008 

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