Greetings from Charlotte,
Living Youth Program camps have concluded successfully in Kenya, Benin, South Africa, and the Philippines. Mr. Wallace Smith recorded a new telecast, “The Beauty of the Ten Commandments.” Mr. Peter Nathan is scheduled to have a meeting with ministers in South Africa on Friday of this week, before returning home. We had a meeting to review the new Spanish-language website. This has been a long but important project, as postal systems in Mexico and Central and South America have been unreliable for getting the magazine and literature into the hands of members and subscribers. The new website will be a major tool in preaching the Gospel in that part of the world. At the end of the meeting, I gave the go-ahead to launch the new site. This should happen in the next few days. Look for an announcement next week for further details. Nearly 25,000 invitations were mailed out in Canada to advertise a series of online Tomorrow’s World Presentations to be held beginning January 19. There are many small, scattered, and isolated villages in the far north, where it is impractical to host in-person presentations, thus Canada’s focus for 2024 will be online presentations. Your detailed prayers for the success of all our worldwide projects are important.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
TWPs in 2024 are resuming in earnest now that the world’s holiday season has passed. Thirty-eight campaigns are scheduled for the first quarter of the year. This week, Mr. Jonathan McNair is traveling to Oregon to give two initial presentations, in Portland and Eugene. Thank you all for your continued support and prayers for the Tomorrows World Presentations.
Merrill, Wisconsin, Winter Family Weekend: February 23–25
The Merrill, Wisconsin, Winter Family Weekend will be held from February 23 to February 25. The weekend will include a Bible Study, Sabbath services, a dance, sledding, and more! Please contact Mr. Mark Sandor at [email protected] for more information.
December Family Weekend in Kenya
The Kibirichia congregation in Kenya welcomed the brethren from the Nairobi and Sultan Hamud congregations to a memorable December Family Weekend on the slopes of Mount Kenya, where lush greenery and cool evenings added to the charm of the location. The travelers were warmly welcomed by the hosts, and Mr. Muthama explained the significance of the weekend before all enjoyed a delightful evening meal. Besides the Sabbath service and fellowship, the group enjoyed hearty meals together and explored a dam within the Marania Forest. The stunning scenery of the forest is home to elephants, buffalos, and monkeys. Mr. Simon Muthama gave a Bible Study on the last day, complemented by an interactive question-and-answer session. The weekend was thoroughly enjoyed by all and the brethren eagerly anticipate more such enriching events in the future.
Living Youth Program
Living Youth Podcast
If you’ve been missing out on the weekly Living Youth Podcasts, then head out to LivingYouth.org and catch up! There, you’ll find the latest episode as well as the growing archive with all 80 previous episodes. This week, we sit down with Mr. Phil Sena to discuss different ideas about how to honor your parents, both as teens and as young adults with families of your own. The podcast is available at LivingYouth.org and on the Living Youth YouTube channel, as well as on popular podcast platforms such as Spotify and Apple. Join the hundreds who tune in each week, and we’ll see you there!—Wallace Smith
Texas Teen Camp 2024 Registration
Registration for campers and staff at the Living Youth Teen Camp in Athens, Texas, is open at https://camp.livingyouth.org! Youth ages 13 to 17 can register to attend as campers, and those ages 17 and 18 can apply to be members of our High School Staff. Staff registration is open for those 19 and older. Staff will need to arrive on July 7, and camper arrival is July 9. The departure date at the end of camp is July 22.
If you require any assistance registering for camp, or have any questions, please contact the Living Youth Camp office at [email protected].
Registration for our other camps this summer will open soon.
Comments
Staying Focused: Jesus admonished His disciples to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). However, the cares and pressures of this world can pull us away from seeking God and building the character needed to be in His Kingdom (Matthew 13:18–23). This is why the Apostle Paul advised Christians to “walk circumspectly” (live purposely) and make the most of every opportunity to grow, “because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15–16). This is also why we need to periodically “check our focus”—what do we watch on TV? What are we reading? How much time do we spend texting and on the Internet? Are we acting and treating others like a Christian should? Are we using our time and talents to glorify God or just to do our own thing? Let’s strive to focus our minds on what is true, noble, right and pure (Philippians 4:8) so we can be in the Kingdom of God.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—January 4, 2024
A Growing Culture of Hate: As we look at the current war in Gaza, we see the results of teaching children to hate Israel and glorify terrorism from their very young years, even in school (Council on Foreign Relations, May 1, 2017). In response to the violent Hamas attacks, we also see young Israeli rap artists encouraging their listeners to move from despair and mourning to anger (Jerusalem Post, December 16, 2023). Hate is emerging as a driving force for violence between nations on the world stage.
We also see anger and hate motivating mass shootings and killings in locations all over the world—Africa, Mexico, Europe, and the United States. The BBC recently published an article calling for an end to the “culture of hatred.” The article follows the story of a Scottish mother living in Colorado with her American husband and 23-year-old son. The son was recently shot and killed by a 15-year-old during an argument. In an interview, the mother observed, “I don’t believe for a single minute that we can change any of the gun laws in America, but I feel that today within the teenage youth there’s a terrible culture of hatred.” She is right!
The Bible warns that “in the last days perilous times will come,” saying that men will be “lovers of themselves,” as well as unthankful, unholy, unloving, and “without self-control” and “brutal” (2 Timothy 3:1–5). As society descends further from God, the Bible reveals that a “root bearing bitterness” or hatred would settle in (Deuteronomy 29:14–19). The Scriptures also warn that hatred is a “work of the flesh”—a fruit of those who chose to live apart from God’s laws (Galatians 5:19–21). The Bible forbids hatred (Leviticus 19:17–18), which is the spirit of murder (Matthew 5:21–22). Children must be taught to love and not to hate. Yet, the world will not truly learn the way of peace—love toward God and love toward neighbor—until Jesus Christ returns to establish the Kingdom of God! To learn more about this topic, read or listen to “‘Hate Thy Neighbor’.”
Who Determines Morality? A few weeks ago in a Sunday service at St John the Baptist’s in Felixstowe, the Eucharist service of the Church of England “included a blessing, for the first time in the Church of England’s 489-year history, for same-sex partners” (Telegraph, December 17, 2023). To be clear, officials of England’s national church—ostensibly the moral authority of the nation—asked God to bless a relationship that the Bible clearly deems sinful (Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26–27). In fact, the couple receiving the blessing were, themselves, two female Anglican priests! While the Church of England claims to be Christian, it is clearly not following Jesus Christ—the one who inspired the laws and commands that forbid same-sex relationships (2 Timothy 3:15–16). Although the Church of England still technically forbids same-sex “marriage,” its leaders have approved prayers for those in same-sex relationships. The event in Felixstowe took place one day before the Roman Catholic Church also approved blessings on same-sex couples (AP, December 19, 2023).
One of those “blessed” by the Anglican minister remarked that, “as Christians, we’re clear that the gospel is about love.… [T]here’s more in the Bible about not being a gossip than there is about homosexuality—and Jesus himself never said anything about it.” However, this ignores clear New Testament teachings—both Jesus’ and others’ (Matthew 19:4–5; 1 Corinthians 6:9–10; Revelation 21:7–8). Jesus Christ also warned of such hypocrisy, saying that “in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).
Right and wrong do not change, just like God does not change (Malachi 3:6)! In fact, Jesus Christ, who is also the God of the Old Testament, “is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). What God considers right and wrong, moral and immoral, is solid and unchanging, regardless of what is currently fashionable or acceptable—in the Church of England or anywhere else! The day is coming when a foundation of true godly morality will finally be established in all nations. That time will start when Jesus Christ returns! To learn more, read “Moral Absolutes? Absolutely!”—Scott Winnail, Francine Prater, Rod Wissinger, and Deborah Quance.