Weekly update from LCG HQ 5/23

From the Presiding Evangelist

Dear Brethren,

We have had a very positive Council of Elders meeting here in Charlotte this week. I was able to lead most of the meetings. We heard encouraging reports from our Regional Pastors and Regional Directors. They reported that congregations were stable and that many areas were seeing an influx of new people who were very excited about learning or returning to the truth of God. During the meetings we discussed how to deal with the current income trends, ideas for improving the magazine and television program and more effectively using the Internet. We also discussed a number of doctrinal issues and future development of Living University. We are hoping to have about four students on campus here in Charlotte this fall to study and also to gain experience working in various departments of the Work. I also wanted to mention that Dr. Winnail was recently reunited with his wife Sherry. I conducted their wedding forty years ago when they were students at Ambassador College. We are happy about this recent development.

On May 31 we will be celebrating the Festival of Pentecost. Please pray that God will grant His people more of the gifts of His Holy Spirit in order to do His Work more effectively—because there is a big job yet to do to warn the world about the dangers ahead and proclaim the Good News about the soon-coming Kingdom of God.

Thank you for your prayers, your dedication and your support.

In Christian love,
Roderick C. Meredith

Church Administration

This week, a few members of the Council of Elders recorded sermons for this year’s Feast of Tabernacles. These sermons are very helpful, since they are sent to Feast sites that do not have a live speaker every day and to brethren who will be unable to attend the Feast. They are also uploaded to our website www.lcg.org for anyone to view online or to download. Mr. Rod King plans to record a second television program tomorrow morning, titled, “America’s Fall, Europe’s Rise,” which will offer the booklet The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor or Soon-Coming Reality?” This week, Dr. Meredith selected the cover for the July-August issue of Tomorrow’s World.His choice was “America’s Last Days?” as the cover article; the graphic is a striking image of the Statue of Liberty with a tear.

Some CAD Items

The following items were presented during the current Council of Elders meetings: In 2008, we recorded 249 baptisms; 20 less than the previous year (2007 is our record year, so far, in number of baptisms). In ten years, we had at least 2,200st 2,200
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baptisms in the Living Church of God. So far this year, we have recorded 123 baptisms (from January through the beginning of May). As of May 19, 2009 we have 315 congregations in 44 countries; 173 of our congregations are located in foreign countries.So far in 2009 we have started eight new congregations, all of them outside of the United States, and we have ordained (or recognized the previous ordination of) seven elders, 19 deacons and deaconesses for a total of 26 ordinations. In comparison, during the entire year of 2008, we only had seven elders added to the ministry and 24 deacons and deaconesses, for a total of 31 ordinations.

Australia Update

From the Adelaide local congregation bulletin: Your continuing prayers are requested for the Australian Television Community sector. These stations play a major role in providing the Good News of Tomorrow’s World. The Australian Commonwealth Budget was released on Tuesday, May 12, 2009. Sadly, the Channel 31 Community stations were not included in any funding for the transition from analog to digital transmissions. The Tomorrow’s World program presently airs on Channel 31 stations in Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane. Mr. Michael Gill is seeking an opportunity to once again air the program on one of Australia’s commercial stations. Please keep his efforts in your prayers.

Caribbean Update

Mr. and Mrs. Greeman visited Barbados from May 15 to 19. On the Sabbath of May 17, there were 85 persons in attendance. After services, Mr. Greeman presented Living Leadership Course Lesson 20, “Becoming an Effective Assistant,” to the congregation and the following day he led a Spokesman’s Club meeting with 16 men. Mr. Greeman also baptized two ladies. We are very grateful for the growth of God’s Church in Barbados.

Feast of Tabernacles 2009

Festival (Second Tithe) Assistance Requests—USA Only

Attention USA Pastors: The deadline to submit Festival Assistance Request forms to the Church Administration Department is Tuesday, 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. Brethren needing second tithe assistance should ask for a Festival Assistance Request form from their pastor. Festival Assistance Request forms are available to pastors on the MyLCG webpage (www.cogl.org).

Festival Registration Totals (75% completed)

We now have 3,433e 3,433
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(more than 75%) brethren successfully registered for the Feast at the U.S. and Canada Feast sites. Including International sites, that number goes up to 4,189 brethren registered. There are still more than 1,000 brethren who have not yet registered in the U.S. and Canada. If you have not yet registered, please do so to help in our Festival planning. Let us know if you have any difficulties registering (e-mail festival@lcg.org). Following are the registration totals for the United States and Canadian sites:

United States Registration:
Cobleskill—131
Prescott—227
Newport—281
Wisconsin Dells—285
New Braunfels—331
Kauai—490
Branson—525
Sunset Beach—841

Canada Registration:
Charlottetown—57
Red Deer—120
Orford—145

This week, we feature in The World Ahead an abbreviated description of our site in Martinique, in the French West Indies. Unabridgeddescriptions of this and other sites can be found on MyLCG (www.cogl.org).

Martinique French Feast Site

The Feast of Tabernacles in Martinique (a French Island in the West Indies) will be held in St. Luce (www.sainteluce.fr), a small town located in the south of the Martinique island, about 15 miles from the airport. This site will be a small site of about 50 persons. It is a French-speaking site. There will be no official translation into English. Opening Night services will start at 7:00 p.m. Snacks will be served following the service that evening.

Feast services will be held at the Karibea Hotel. You can visit their website at: www.karibea.com/martinique/hotel_sainteluce.php.Each room is equipped with a full kitchenette, so each family can prepare meals in their rooms if they so desire. There are two restaurants on site and more downtown, three miles from the hotel. On the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles and on the Last Great Day we will eat together at an onsite restaurant.

From the United States, there are direct flights to the Fort-de-France (FDF), Martinique airport from the San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) airport, and also from Miami. Church members will provide transportation from the airport to the Feast site. For more information on this Feast site, please contact our deacon Etienne Duval at duval.chantaly@wanadoo.fr.

If you like to attend the Feast in Martinique, request a transfer by registering through the MyLCG section of www.cogl.org and contact Mr. Etienne Duval at duval.chantaly@wanadoo.fr

Media

Internet Update: Growing Reach
God continues to bless our efforts on the Internet and elsewhere with solid growth. In April we had more than 162,000 visits to the Tomorrow’s World website. This is a 42 percent increase over the number of visits just one year ago in April of 2008!

Last year there were 249 baptisms in the Living Church of God. Twenty-seven percent of those individuals first made contact with us by phone. Twenty-seven percent made their first contact through the Internet. Twenty-six percent of those baptized last year first made contact with a local minister after finding out about LCG through personal contact with a member. Never underestimate the powerful testimony that your good example provides to those you meet!

Scripture shows us that, before Jesus Christ’s return, a Work will be done with great power. It is truly exciting to be a part of that great Work, and to see the results God has bestowed upon our collective labors.—J. Charles Ogwyn

Comments

The Value of Hope: Having a hope in the future—something positive to look forward to—is a vital aspect of life. Many have long understood that life without hope is empty. The Bible states, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12Proverbs 13:12
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12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.  

). But what is the real hope in life for a Christian? King David wrote, “You are my hope, O Lord GOD” and “I hope in Your word” (Psalm 71:5; 119:147Psalm 71:5; 119:147
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5 For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth. ¹⁴⁷ I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word.  

). The Apostle Paul said under cross-examination before a Roman governor, “I have hope in God” and “believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets,” including the promise of a resurrection and eternal life that he would receive at the return of Jesus Christ (Acts 24:14-15Acts 24:14-15
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14 But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: ¹⁵ And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.  

; Titus 1:2; 2:13Titus 1:2; 2:13
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2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; In: or, For ¹³ Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; glorious...: Gr. the appearance of the glory of the great God, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ  

). We are urged as Christians “to lay hold of the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18Hebrews 6:18
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18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:  

) and to purify ourselves so we can become “children of God” (1 John 3:1-31 John 3:1-3
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3 ¹ Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. ² Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. ³ And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.  

) and to be “ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:151 Peter 3:15
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15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: fear: or, reverence  

). Are we all motivated by this same hope today?

Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail