Weekly Update

February 13th, 2020

Greetings from Charlotte,

Mr. Gerald Weston arrived in Manila, Philippines this week, and he will be conducting a TWP this Sabbath in Quezon City, Metro Manila. Last week, we had a combined total of 58 guests in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and Naples, Florida, and follow-up TWPs will be conducted this weekend. After most TWPs, we have follow-ups which provide a vital “next step” for invitees to come back and hear more of God’s Truth and learn more about the Church. Mr. Jonathan McNair is in Phoenix this weekend to assist Mr. Stephen Elliott in conducting a Men’s Training Camp, with visitors from all over the Western United States. Mr. Ames is writing the co-worker letter, which is scheduled to be mailed out on Friday, February 14. He is also doing some recording for the Feast film. Mr. Wallace Smith taped a telecast program this week, entitled “The End of America.” Thank you for your prayers and heartfelt support of all the efforts to proclaim Christ’s Gospel to this troubled and confused world.—Rod McNair

 

Church Administration

Church Services Recording Policy

From time to time the question comes up, “May I make a personal recording of a sermon or Bible Study?” Please note that guests, prospective members, or members are not permitted to make recordings of any Bible Study or Church service. This includes weekly Sabbath services, annual Holy Day services, and daily services during the Feast of Tabernacles.

The pastor should arrange for each Church service to be recorded, and Bible Studies should also be recorded wherever possible. The recording is the property of the Living Church of God, subject to use according to the administrative policies of the Church. The recording of the Church service should include the sermonette, announcements, and the sermon. Duplication of recordings for shut-ins, those who are sick, or other members who legitimately must miss services is permitted, subject to permission from the Area Pastor. Copies of Church service recordings should be placed in the local congregation library available for the members to borrow. Master tapes should be retained separately and kept for one year. After one year, the master recordings may be reused.

Passover and Night to Be Much Observed 2020—Repeat Announcement

Important Notice to All Pastors: In 2020, the Passover Service will be observed on Tuesday evening, April 7. Please let us know if any of the congregations you serve will need additional Passover Service supplies (bread trays, wine trays, and/or glasses) or a copy of the Passover Service recording and letter instructions (available in English, French, and Spanish). A new Passover Service recording in English was made for 2020 by Mr. Ken Frank. For U.S. congregations, we need this information by March 5 to ensure timely delivery and to save on shipping costs. International requests should already have been submitted.

Also, please let us know of any scattered members who are unable to keep the Passover with a congregation and who need to receive the Passover Service recording and letter instructions for observing it at home. Please direct your requests to the Church Administration Department at [email protected] as soon as possible. U.S. requests are needed by March 5International requests should already be here.

Also, Pastors, if you need copies of last year’s Night to Be Much Observed recording, please let us know.

Living Education

Our Living Education online classes have now served 2,049 members who have logged into our library of classes. Thank you for your patience as we have worked to improve the accessibility and quality of our programming. We look forward to continuing to provide study content to strengthen the biblical foundation of our membership in the months and years ahead. We are currently finalizing the material for the conclusion of our series on the General Epistles, with Mr. Weston’s lectures on the epistles of John and Jude. In a few short weeks, we’ll post our Spring Holy Days Focus Unit on the “Days of Unleavened Bread,” adding to our Passover Focus Unit which is in our library from last year. Remember, although we are introducing and encouraging enrollment in one class at a time, all of our classes are freely available in our library, and can be accessed at any time. You can go at your own pace with these classes, and again, there is no cost to enroll. Just go to lcgeducation.org and follow the links to online learning.—Jonathan McNair

Feast of Tabernacles

2020 Feast Registration: Sunday, May 17

General Feast of Tabernacles registration is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, May 17. For your general information, the following U.S. Feast sites and coordinators are listed below:

 

Living Youth Program

Living Youth Friday Evening Bible Study

The online Friday evening Teen Bible Study on February 21 will cover Luke 12 through 13:17, and will be given by Mr. Sheldon Monson. Join us at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The chat room will be open for a half-hour before and after the Bible Study.

To join the study, visit https://live.livingyouth.org, and sign in with either your MyLCG or LYP camp registration credentials. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected]. For those who are unable to make it to the study, recordings of previous Living Youth Bible Studies, including last evening’s covering Luke 10:21–11:54, can be found on the Living Youth Programs Live archive page at https://live.livingyouth.org/archive/.—Josh Penman

2020 Living Youth Summer Camps in the United States and Europe—Repeat Announcement

Below you will find the list of dates and times of all United States camps and the camp in Europe for the summer of 2020. Registration for all these camps is now underway!

United States Camps 2020:

  • Teen Camp – Sheldon Monson, Director; Jason Fritts, Assistant Director

                        Location: Lone Star Camp, Athens, TX.

                        Dates: Sunday, July 12, 2020 – Sunday, July 26, 2020

                                   Staff Arrival – Sunday, July 12, 2020

                                   Camper Arrival – Monday, July 13, 2020

  • Adventure Camp – United States – Mike Kreyer, Director; Assistant Director TBD

                        Location: Wisconsin (River Canoe Trip)

                        Dates: Friday, July 31, 2020 – Sunday, August 9, 2020

  • Missouri Preteen Camp – Yancy Taber, Director; Mark Sandor, Assistant Director

                        Location: Lake of the Ozarks State Park – Camp Clover Point 

                        Dates: Sunday, June 28, 2020 – Friday, July 3, 2020

  • Texas Preteen Camp – Phil West, Director; Dennis Shipley, Assistant Director

                        Location: Lone Star Camp, Athens, TX

                        Dates: Sunday, July 26, 2020 – Friday, July 31, 2020

  • West Virginia Preteen Camp – Scott Winnail, Director; Lenny Bower, Assistant Director

                        Location: Glenwood 4-H Campground, Princeton, WV

                        Dates: Sunday, July 26, 2020 – Friday, July 31, 2020

 

International Camp Europe 2020:

  • Teen Camp Europe – Peter Nathan, Director; Rees Ellis, Assistant Director

                        Location: Chevetogne Estate, Belgium

                        Dates: Monday, July 27 – Sunday, August 9

                                   Staff Arrival – Monday, July 27, 2020

                                   Camper Arrival – Friday, July 31, 2020

Registration for Living Youth Camps 2020 Is Open!—Repeat Announcement

Registration for the North American and European camps is open! In North America this year, we will have three Preteen camps, a Teen camp, and our Adventure campFor information on all the camps and to register for North American camps, visit https://camp.livingyouth.org. Registration for most of the camps will be open for several months, but please pay attention to the closing dates for registration. We don’t foresee having late registration available this year. Also note that the Adventure Camp tends to fill up quickly, so registration for it may close early. For planning purposes, it’s helpful for us that people register early, enabling us to start matching people with duties and see what assignments we still need to fill. Finally, please wait to receive acceptance information before beginning to make travel plans, as there will be important details regarding arrival and departure times included in your acceptance packets. If you have any questions about the registration process or require assistance, please contact Jenny Penman at the LYP office at [email protected] or call 980-254-0132.

To register for the LYP camp in Europe, please contact [email protected].

We look forward to seeing you at camp!—LYP Office

Comments

Keys to Working Together: One of the challenges of life is learning to work together with other people—in families, on the job, and in the Church. The Bible gives us instructions and examples to help us accomplish this vital task. Jesus built bridges with others by referring to His disciples as His “friends” and encouraging them to “love one another” (John 15:12–17). The Apostle Paul, who had his own challenges with this issue (Acts 15:36–41), learned that we must focus on the mission to be accomplished and not on each other’s opinions, ideas, actions, and faults. He referred to those who assisted as “my fellow workers” (Romans 16:3) and “fellow workers for the kingdom of God” (Colossians 4:11) and “workers together [co-workers] with Him” (2 Corinthians 6:1). Paul also urged believing Christians to “be perfectly joined together in the same mind” and to avoid contentions and divisions (1 Corinthians 1:10–13). Solomon reveals that pride and ambition are sources of contention (Proverbs 13:10), while Paul notes that humilitypatience, and understanding are keys for working together (Romans 12:16–18). As disciples of Jesus Christ and followers of the Apostles, let’s strive to love one another and learn to work together humbly and peacefully as “fellow workers for the kingdom of God.”

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail

News and Prophecy—February 13, 2020

Iran’s Growing Missile Threat: In response to recent European moves to censure Iranian nuclear activity, Iran revealed images of its three underground “missile cities” (Jerusalem Post, January 15, 2020). Buried at a bomb-proof depth—over a quarter of a mile underground in the Iranian mountains—these underground missile warehouses contain both ballistic missiles and solid-fuel rockets.

According to some experts, Iran has not restarted its nuclear program (Washington Post, January 6, 2020). However, Iran claims to be enriching uranium at a much faster pace. In fact, Scientific American reports that “according to a statement from a senior official at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran on 25 January,” Iran doubled its stockpile of enriched uranium in just the last three months (February 8, 2020). Citing David Albright, a nuclear-policy specialist, the magazine notes, “That’s enough to build one atomic bomb, if the uranium is further refined to make it weapons-grade—a process that could take just two to three months,” but “building actual weapons would take much longer.”

Meanwhile, other nations around the globe are considering an exit from the 50-year-old Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (Washington Post). The list of nations weighing whether or not they should develop nuclear weapons includes Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and even Germany. 

In light of growing global instability and as “wars and rumors of wars” increase, those who watch Bible prophecy need to keep in mind that “the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:6)! In fact, Jesus listed multiple conditions that must come to pass prior to His return, noting that they are just “the beginning of sorrows” (v. 8). To learn more about  end-time events, be sure to read “Seven Signs of the Second Coming of Christ.”

Consequences of Europe’s Declining Population: The Times reports that Europe (including Britain) is facing a “demographic bomb” (January 20, 2020). For generations, fertility rates in the region have been falling and life expectancy has been increasing. But as the average age of the population in most European nations is increasing, working-age populations are shrinking! “At 43, the median age in the continent is now 12 years older than the rest of the world,” writes columnist Charles Bremner. “According to the latest United Nations report, the population will start shrinking from next year. Although Europe receives more immigrants than it loses, the UN says its population will fall by 5 percent by 2050.”

By 2050, the Baltic states could have 10 percent fewer people. Since 2008, Bulgaria’s workforce has shrunk by 6 percent, and it is expected to decline by an additional third. Spain and Italy could lose 25 percent of their workforce by 2050! Experts realize that Europe’s declining workforce will impact its economic and social stability, especially when immigration is factored in. Ultimately, incomes will begin to drop as populations decline.

Europe’s population decline will highlight the need for a qualified labor force, and that could bring a demand for more immigrants. Such demographic shifts could bring more foreign influence, with the potential to destabilize these European countries. Bible prophecy speaks of a coming time when many of the Israelite-descended populations around the globe will be taken into captivity, subject to rulers of other nations (Deuteronomy 28:41–48). Could Europe’s declining populations help set the stage for future prophetic events? For more information on this topic, be sure to watch our Tomorrow’s World telecast “The Beast of Revelation.”—Scott Winnail and Francine Prater