Hello from Charlotte!
The Council of Elders teleconference went very well. Mr. Meredith asked for reports about the Work from around the world. There are problems to deal with but, overall, the Work and Church are making progress on all fronts. Attendance is growing, baptisms are increasing, responses to the telecast are holding up and the income is on an upward trend. However, with all of this growth come bigger, urgent needs, so the budget is very tight right now. Your prayers are essential and we count on them.
Mr. Syd Hull, the Regional Director in South Africa, said one of the biggest problems there is safety. He mentioned that on some roads, signs are posted warning travelers to beware of, not deer, not cattle, but robbers! He said it is not uncommon for thieves to force motorists over, steal their car and, if they resist, simply murder them. Needless to say, he and all of the brethren there solicit our regular prayers for their protection and well-being.
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
Please keep the member survey forms coming in. We need them by the deadline of next Wednesday, September 24. Thanks to all of you who have already completed this task.
INTERNATIONAL
Mr. Mario Hernandez sends this report on his recent trip to Mexico City:
I was able to record two sermons and two new broadcasts that once edited will be sent to all the radio stations that broadcast El Mundo de Mañana in Latin America. On the first broadcast I spoke on the consequences of the war in Iraq for the United States and the Middle East. I also gave a brief panorama of prophecy using current events about the consolidation of Europe, the crisis in Jerusalem and the coming Kingdom of God.
On the second one I spoke of the restoration of the family in Tomorrow's World in contrast with the pervasive attack that this divine institution is suffering on so many fronts today. Instead of using my own words, I read Romans 1:18-31 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, showing that there is a way out through repentance from the ways that destroy the family.
After arriving on Friday evening, I had a counseling session.
On the Sabbath in the morning I had an interview with a person that wanted to start attending. It was a lady from Peru that had been listening to our program for one year. She attended Sabbath services in the afternoon for the first time. After services I had three counseling sessions and several anointings.
On Sunday I made four visits in different locations of that huge city. May God bless Mr. Jorge Savon who takes me all over the place at his own expense in his own car. One visit was for an elderly lady that cannot attend services, another prospective member who regularly pays tithes; a widow with kidney disease. The other two visits were for anointings.
On Monday morning, I went to the radio station and recorded two broadcasts in their studio. After that I had just enough time to make three more visits in different parts of the city, two of those visits were for anointing and one for counseling. Then Mr. Savon (66 years old and now retired) who faithfully accompanies me on those visits, drove me to the airport for my return to San Diego.
FEAST OF TABERNACLES
Site Greetings
One of the joys of the Feast is to hear the Festival greetings from other sites around the world. To help this process go as smoothly as possible, each Site Coordinator is asked to make sure that he or his designate will send his site's greeting no later than Monday evening, October 13.
If possible, please send your greeting by email to the [email protected] address. If you must use a fax machine, please fax your greeting to (843) 497-7469.
Those using a fax machine should make sure to write the return fax number in the body of your message, including any international dialing codes that may be required. If you already know the fax number to which greetings should be sent at your site, please let Festival staff know before the Feast, either by sending email to [email protected] with the number, or by sending a fax with the number to the main HQ fax.
If you plan to send your site's greeting via email, you may wish to send a message to [email protected] in advance, so that Festival staff will know to be expecting your email during the Feast.
COMMENTS
There are three weeks, and counting, left until opening night at the Feast of Tabernacles! What should our focus be as we rejoice before God during this high point of the year for all of God's people? Lev. 23:39 says, "Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath." God tells us several places in His Word that we are to keep the Feast "unto the Lord." He is the focus of the Feast. Everything should be directed toward Him.
The wonderful fellowship, singing, special music, activities and inspiring messages are about Him, His plan and purpose for all of mankind and His Way of Life. The rejoicing with family and friends, and everything connected to the Festival, is to be dedicated to Him. That will be the focus in the Millennium. Zechariah 14:16 makes that clear, "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles."
So as planning gets under way big time and excitement builds and builds for the Feast, let's go out of our way this year to concentrate on keeping the Feast "unto the Eternal." That attitude and approach should energize every Festival site where He has placed His name.
Have an encouraging Sabbath,
Charles E. Bryce