Hello everyone,
The big news around here is that Mr. and Mrs. Meredith are coming home today. They are sorely missed when they are away from Headquarters, as you can imagine. I'm sure Mr. Meredith will be sharing much news about his trip overseas. Everything that we have heard so far indicates he has gathered a lot of profitable information and first-hand knowledge that will be very helpful to the Work.
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
Church Administration now has a dedicated fax line. The number is 704-844-1975. Please start sending all faxes pertaining to Church Administration matters to this number.
Once Mr. Meredith is back and has time to approve the Feast speaking schedules, we will mail them out immediately, hopefully the first part of next week. Thank you very much for your patience.
For Those Ministers Still In Need Of Business Cards – We are in the process of putting together the business card order. Please have all requests for business cards into HQ by Monday August, 11, 2003. You can e-mail requests to [email protected] or fax to 704-841-2244. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
More About the DVD Sermons
We would like to clear up some confusion that has been reported to us regarding the different television formats. In the July 10th Update we stated that we could only supply DVDs in the NTSC format and that the recipients of the video tapes in the PAL format would need a Multi-System DVD player to play the sermon DVDs. To clarify: NTSC is the television format for the U.S., Canada, and most of South America. The PAL television formats are used in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, most of Asia and Africa. So this is only a concern to those countries that use the PAL television format. We hope to be able to begin full-scale production of the DVD sermons soon after the Feast of Tabernacles—please get on the waiting list ASAP.
Feast of Tabernacles
Myrtle Beach, SC
Many members planning to attend Myrtle Beach, SC, are wondering if they can visit the new Church Headquarters building in Charlotte, NC, and receive a tour of the property before or after the Feast of Tabernacles. The office will be closed during the Feast, so that the staff can travel to the various sites they will be attending. The last day the office will remain open before the Feast is Friday, October 3. The staff will return to work Wednesday, October 22. If anyone wishes to have a tour before or after these dates, please contact the Headquarters receptionist for an appointment by calling (704) 844-1970.
Important Notice to all Pastors
Please send in all Festival Assistance forms as soon as you can. They must be properly filled out, signed by the area Pastor, and in our hands by the deadline which is August 22. It would be very helpful to receive as many forms as possible before that date. Thanks for your cooperation.
FINANCE OFFICE
The Finance Office can now accept tithes and offerings via wire transfers and/or "direct payment" options from your banking institution. Any member who would like to use these methods must contact the Church Finance Office to request this service. In the future we hope to be able to offer other convenient options, which are being considered, but at the moment we can offer this method to assist members and co-workers who have requested this service. To arrange these services please contact the Finance Office via e-mail at: [email protected]; or via fax at: 704-841-1922; or phone: 704-844-1970, ext. 230. Also keep in mind that for wire transfers additional fees may apply. Please consider a direct pay method when possible, which usually avoids any charges for either the Church or the sender. Thank you in advance! – R. Bardo
COMMENTS
I really appreciate the work Mr. Apartian and the staff did in Church Administration and with the Update while I have been away. Not only have I been traveling; I've been sick as well. But I'm back now and feeling better.
My trip to New Zealand and Australia was very encouraging and inspiring. I was able to spend good quality time with Mr. and Mrs. Kinnear Penman and discuss plans for the Work in New Zealand. It was also thoroughly enjoyable to keep the Sabbath with our brethren in Auckland. We are seeing a bit of growth in that area with some new people coming into the Church.
My visit to Australia was exceptionally profitable. Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Tyler have the Church office in their home, so I got to spend a good amount of time with them. There were some good personal times too, involving Mr. Michael Gill, Mr. and Mrs. Ken McLeod, Mr. and Mrs. Dayrell Tanner (scrumptious dinner) and Mr. and Mrs. Rod King (scrumptious lunch). We discussed many areas of the Australasian Work and did some key planning for the future in that part of the world.
There is good growth there. In fact, handling the growth is starting to be one of the major challenges that will have to be addressed in the near future. There are more than 600 people attending the Living Church of God congregations in that Region. We had a good visit and Bible Study with the Melbourne congregation before I headed home. This whole trip was a very beneficial experience in every respect. It will go a long way toward getting the Work done more fully, and in paving the way for even closer teamwork between Headquarters and Australasia.
One important benefit for me from this entire visit was developing close personal working relationships with Mr. Bruce Tyler and the team he has working with him. I was inspired and impressed with the dedication, focus and zeal of the ministry and the brethren I met in that part of the body of Christ. I thought of Psalm 133 several times while I was there. It says: "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore" (Psalm 133:1-3). The unity that is clearly evident in New Zealand and Australia is a wonderful example of this scripture in action.
Have a happy Sabbath,
Charles E. Bryce