Greetings from Charlotte,
Our summer camp for teens began this past week in Texas. Many members volunteer their time and resources to make all our camps successful, and for this we are extremely grateful. Thank you to all who serve in this manner. Carol and I returned from an extended road trip in which we visited members in three different locations. Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Smith and the Living Education students are safely back from their trip to Israel. Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Joe Ross for organizing this special opportunity. We have some very exciting news to announce: We have been approved to air the El Mundo de Mañana (Tomorrow’s World) telecast in Spanish over UniMas. This network covers 18 of the top Hispanic markets in the United States, 8.6 million Hispanic TV households, and reaches 57.6 percent of total Hispanic households in the U.S. All of this looks good on paper, but experience tells us that what is on paper does not always play out in reality. Some doors are open and some are trapdoors, so please pray that this will be the former. We plan to announce this in the upcoming Co-Worker letter for those who are not members, but I wanted all of you members to know about this, as the program is set to begin this Sunday morning, July 14, at 6:00 a.m. Eastern. Here is a list of the cities where UniMas airs: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno-Visalia, and Bakersfield, California; New York, New York; Miami, Florida; Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Salt Lake City, Utah; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; and Cleveland-Akron, Ohio.—Gerald Weston
Living Education
Men’s Training Camp
Calling all men! If you’d like to spend a weekend learning more about God’s way of life and building bonds of brotherhood with your fellow men, then register now for the Men’s Training Camp in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The Men’s Training Camp will begin on the evening of Friday, August 23, and conclude at noon on Sunday, August 25.
The location is the Blowing Rock Conference Center in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The price is only $81.00 and includes bunk accommodations, meals, and, of course, challenging education. Just go online to http://bit.ly/MensTrainingCamp for more about the schedule and to register. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Jonathan McNair at [email protected].
Feast of Tabernacles
Please Do NOT Send Activity Payments Yet
Some brethren have inquired about where to send activity payments for the Feast. Please note: Activity Registration is NOT yet open. The Festival Office is currently working together with our Festival Site Coordinators to put together speaking schedules and activity and payment information, but this process will be ongoing for a few weeks. We will be working on these items for the rest of July—we will keep you posted!
Festival (Second Tithe) Assistance Requests—U.S. Only—Repeat Announcement
Attention U.S. Pastors: The deadline to submit Festival Assistance Request forms to the Church Administration Department is Monday, 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. Festival Assistance Request forms are available to ministers on the MyLCG Web site (www.cogl.org).—Festival Office
Feast of Tabernacles Sermons—Repeat Announcement
Attention Pastors: Please send the Church Administration Department at [email protected] the names of those in your congregation(s) who will be unable to attend the Feast, who do not have access to Feast sermons online, and who wish to receive a set of the Feast of Tabernacles sermons on CD. (Sermons are available in English, French or Spanish.) The deadline to submit these requests is July 22 for French international recipients and August 19 for all other international recipients. For recipients in the U.S. (any language), the deadline is September 18. Note: Feast sermons will also be uploaded (one per day) during the Feast at www.lcg.org, for those who have Internet access. The French sermons will be uploaded to www.eglisedieuvivant.org and the Spanish to youtube.com/IDVsermones.
Living Youth Program
Texas Teen Camp: Christian Living Livestreaming and Contact Information
Our third Teen Camp at Lone Star Camp in Athens, Texas, is now underway and runs through July 20. More than 315 camp attendees are enjoying exciting activities and fellowship, and beautiful sunny weather—although a storm on Wednesday evening caused some additional excitement. We appreciate your prayers for God’s blessings and protection on the entire two weeks of camp.
Christian Living classes are presented each morning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time and are being livestreamed from camp. To join, you will need to log in at https://live.livingyouth.org using your MyLCG credentials. Archives of the Bible Studies that have already taken place are also available at that address. Check our Facebook page for new photos posted daily from camp, as well as information on when our next livestream broadcast will be.
Parents who wish to send a care package may send it to [child’s name], c/o LYP Camp, 6829 FM 317, Athens, TX 75752.
If you need to contact the camp, please call one of the following phone numbers: 980-254-0132(Jenny Penman) or 704-519-5371 (Joshua Penman). You can also e-mail the camp office at [email protected].
Texas Teen Camp Visitors
Sabbath Services at the Teen Camp (July 13 and 20) are open to guests. Please check in at the office to receive a Guest Pass when you arrive. Services begin at 2:30 p.m. Snacks and drinks are available in the dining hall after Sabbath Services. However, we are unable to provide dinner for guests because of limitations of space and budget.
No guests are allowed to stay overnight on campus unless they have submitted a camp application, a background check has been made, and they have been approved to stay.
The camp dances are for campers and staff only. Any exceptions must be approved by the Camp Director.—Sheldon Monson, Camp Director
Comments
Do You Love God’s Law? We are living in a world where a knowledge of God is fading, and increasing numbers of people view the laws of God as a burden or irrelevant—out of sync with our modern progressive society. However, these ideas overlook the fact that God gave His laws to the Israelites so they could be a light to the world (Deuteronomy 4:1–10). These ideas also overlook the vital fact that David, who was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), spoke of his love and delight for God’s law and that it was a lamp to his feet and a light to his path (Psalm 119:16, 97, 105, 127). David certainly did not regard God’s law as irrelevant or a burden. Many professing Christians overlook the words of the Apostle Paul, who stated “the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good,” and that Paul had “delight” in the law of God (Romans 7:12, 22). Modern skeptics and critics also overlook the fact that rebelling against the laws of God has been a trait of Israelite peoples down through history (1 Kings 12:25–33; Jeremiah 2:11), and that this trait will be prominent in the world as we approach the end of the age (2 Timothy 3:1–4). This is why God warns the Israelite people, “I have written for him the great things of My law, but they were considered a strange thing” (Hosea 8:12). Many today, including professing Christians, will be surprised when Jesus returns and places David on a throne to rule the Israelites in the Kingdom of God (Hosea 3:5). David (and the saints) will then teach the laws of God to the entire world (Isaiah 2:2–4). That is the exciting future for those who love the laws of God.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—July 11, 2019
Kushner Peace Plan Rejected! A few weeks ago, President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner unveiled his peace plan for Israel and the Palestinian people (Deutsche Welle, June 25, 2019). Dubbed “Peace to Prosperity” and “the deal of the century,” the investment plan calls for increased technology, communications, and transportation infrastructure between Gaza and the West Bank. The plan also calls for improvements in education and healthcare for Palestinians, including “online education platforms and international exchanges.” The hope is to increase domestic production and international exports while supporting the Palestinian leadership.
However, the new plan fails to address the political realities of the region. Palestinians were quick to notice that there was no reference to a “two-state solution” or an independent Palestine. As a result, the Palestinian leadership and its people have rejected the plan. “In Ramallah, people took to the streets to protest the plan. Kushner’s proposals were criticized for focusing primarily on economic development, instead of the political solution.” Many see the plan as unrealistic given the current political climate.
Will peace ever come to the Holy Land or even Jerusalem? Bible prophecy foretells a perilous future for Jerusalem and the region (Zechariah 12:1–3; 14:1–2), but it also tells of a time to come after such troubles, when unprecedented peace will begin to spread from Jerusalem to the rest of the world (Isaiah 2:2–4). The Bible reveals that the final peace deal for the Holy Land will not be brokered by people from the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, or Asia, but from a totally unexpected source. To find out more about the ultimate destiny of the Holy Land, watch “Will Jerusalem Survive?”
One Million New STD Cases Daily! A sobering new report by the World Health Organization, based on 2016 data (the most recent available), documents an increase in the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in recent years. “More than 1 million people catch an STD, or sexually transmitted infection (STI), every day across the globe, with chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis and syphilis of greatest concern” (Deutsche Welle, June 6, 2019). Experts blame dating apps as a major reason for the spread of these diseases, along with dangerous choices about individual behavior. Several of the most prevalent STDs, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, can lead to sterility in both men and women if left untreated.
It is not surprising that highly contagious sexually transmitted diseases are becoming more commonplace in an age where “hookups” permeate the culture of the young, and promiscuous and perverted sex are condoned by society. Sadly, this modern plague is the result of rejecting or failing to follow the Ten Commandments and other biblical guidelines regarding sexual relations. By limiting sexual relations to a marriage between a husband and wife (Exodus 20:14), avoiding homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22), and avoiding fornication (1 Corinthians 6:15–19), these STDs could be totally prevented and even eliminated within a generation. For greater insight into how STDs can be controlled, read or listen to “AIDS Can Be Stopped!”—Scott Winnail, Chris Sookdeo, and Francine Prater