Member News

Announcements for February 26, 2015

Media Update
LHT Adds Bible Question of the Day

 From Clyde Kilough: As part of the Life, Hope & Truth website redesign, you’ve probably seen on the home page a “Learning Center” tab on the menu. This link takes viewers to a section designed to encourage them to engage with us. This area, still in its early developmental stage, currently offers only booklet and study guide downloads, various subscription options and social media links. But as it grows, this is where readers will eventually find the Bible study course, educational video series, questions and answers, and other interactive ideas we will develop.

On Sunday, March 1, we will be adding a new feature to the Learning Center page: “Bible Question of the Day.” Games and quizzes, especially those that can be answered quickly, are very popular on websites; and we think a daily Bible test will be an interesting way to keep people regularly connected to LHT. As they come to the page to take the daily quiz, it’s logical that many will stay on the site to explore other areas of interest.

The Bible Question of the Day will offer a multiple-choice test; and as soon as users click on their choice, an answer box will immediately pop up letting them know whether or not they are correct. Our goal is to make it fun but meaningful. The question should educate in some way and not be pointless trivia. So every answer also provides a link to an LHT article that gives more information about the question. Also, the quiz will include a chart giving the results of all the answers to the previous day’s quiz, showing the percentages of the answers that were selected.

Keep in mind, our primary target is the world, not the Church. For an increasingly biblically illiterate world, we hope the questions will offer a good balance that will challenge and pique interest, but not be so hard or easy that one loses interest. Church members will probably find many questions very easy to answer. But at the same time, I think members will find it fun and also a good teaching tool for their children.

One other note of interest: Coming up with a Bible quiz for every day of the year is a bit of a daunting task. So some months ago, I asked Zach and Emily Smith from the Cleveland, Ohio, congregation to draft some other young adult volunteers and put together the test questions. They have gladly taken on this responsibility, which not only relieves the Media staff here of another job, but gives some young adults in the Church a chance to be directly involved in a meaningful way.

So, I hope that beginning March 1 everyone will enjoy going to the Life, Hope & Truth Learning Center for their Bible Question of the Day!

Camp Update

From Ken Treybig: It is usually around this time of year that the camp website is updated and we announce the online application process opening. We are making some updates and adding some more enhancements to the site this year. Watch for an announcement soon about it being ready for this year’s camp season!

Update From Zimbabwe: Trip to Kwekwe

From Stephen Tshabalala: On Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015, we traveled to Kwekwe to visit some Church members. Kwekwe is a small city in the middle of the country. It was once the most beautiful city in the country. Commercial farmers grew wheat and barley, some of which was used to brew beer and some of which was exported to other countries in Africa.

We wanted to see and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in this very quiet city. Mr. Brighton Mawire and Mrs. Nel both live here. Brighton is a deputy headmaster of a school in Redcliff, Kwekwe; and Mr. and Mrs. Nel are farmers (or, I should rightfully say, were farmers) in this area. We also wanted to meet with Mr. Peter Musekiwa, an electrician in the prison services, who is at a college here in Kwekwe.

We arrived in Kwekwe at about 10 a.m. We then met both Peter and Brighton and drove to Mr. and Mrs. Nel’s farm—19 kilometers (12 miles) from Kwekwe. We left Kwekwe, driving eastwards, and unfortunately missed the turnoff to the farm and found ourselves about 35 kilometers (22 miles) east of it! We were stopped by a sign that read “this is a no go area.” We had reached a ranch where government personnel keep wild animals. We turned, headed northward and, after a few minutes, arrived at the farm.

The attendance was 10. There were two prospective members in attendance. I started the Bible study by reading from a letter on the first and second tithe written by the ministry in South Africa. We went on to read Leviticus 26.

We met at Mrs. Nel’s new home. She has beautiful flowers everywhere. Trees almost cover the house, and a cool breeze blows from the east, bringing much-needed fresh air. We enjoyed cakes, drinks and cookies. After services, we fellowshipped and finally decided to leave, even though we had to force ourselves into the vehicle!

Mr. and Mrs. Nel are happy on their farm. It is a place where one would like to spend one’s last days on earth. But the situation is still not good, as more commercial farms are being taken. The Nels need our prayers and God’s mighty hand to protect them.

We pray, “May Thy kingdom come”—and come it will.

Summary of January PCD Activity

From Cecil Maranville: The Personal Correspondence Department sent out 169 responses in January, including one surface mail letter. Mail was coming at an average rate of just under nine messages per calendar day, a rate that made it impossible for us to keep up.

We had approximately 125 unanswered emails at the end of the month. It was necessary to create an auto-response email that tells people we received their question and that we will reply as soon as possible.

Additionally, Mr. Franks set up an emergency team of headquarters-based ministers to handle the incoming mail, while the regular PC team cleared the backlog. Presently, the regular team is now answering weekend mail, and the office team is answering the weekday mail. (The rate of mail has increased in the month of February to approximately 13 per calendar day.)

The subject of the 10 Commandments continues to be one of most popular topics that draw people to our website. People asked for a list; whether one commandment is more important than another is; what the First Commandment in the Bible is; how we can keep them in the modern world; about typical antinomian arguments; whether it is possible to make “an idol” out of a person; and whether the penalties for disobedience and blessings for obedience are automatic.

One person, referring to Exodus 34:27-28, asked whether the 10 Commandments we have are the genuine commandments or if Moses wrote a different set. (A careful reading of the context shows that Moses only cut out a blank set of stone tablets and that God actually wrote the commandments onto the tablets.)

Someone asked if making fishing lures breaks the Second Commandment. That might strike you as a spam message, until you stop to think through the wording of the commandment: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything … that is in the water under the earth” (Exodus 20:4). We assured the individual that making fishing lures does not break the commandment, as long as he does not use the lures for worship!

A teacher wanted a list of Psalms that mention the 10 Commandments, which she intended to use in her curriculum. (Another teacher asked for a modern version of Jesus’ parables that she could use as part of her curriculum.)

After reading about the Sixth Commandment, a woman wanted to know if we believe suicide is “a big sin.” We explained that every commandment is equal in importance—that no sin is lesser or greater than any other is. But we went on to discuss suicide, because it is a complex issue. Not knowing if the person was referring to a real incident, we added comments of concern and sympathy, recommending our article on suicide. She responded to express her appreciation for our reply and for the article. As it happens, she was referring to an actual situation involving a close friend.

Three people wrote questions about the Seventh Commandment. A woman wanted to know why men are unfaithful and why they think that taking multiple wives will lead to happiness. She is apparently in an area where polygamy is common.

The other two questions were counseling situations. The first was about whether God would forsake someone who was having a relationship with a married person. The questioner did not realize that fornication was breaking this commandment. The other counseling situation had to do with the background of the person writing. She was divorced long ago and has since had a family with another person in an unmarried relationship. The questioner wanted advice on how to correct the living situation so that she would be obeying this commandment.

We dealt with numerous other counseling situations. An Iranian youth converting to Christianity (although it was unclear if he understands true Christianity) wanted to know if he should preach to others before being baptized. He also wrote that it would be many years before he could keep the Sabbath (he faces the death penalty for converting). He wanted to know if the nation of Israel went for many years without keeping this law.

Another question from a Muslim area was whether an Islamic tradition that wearing gold renders a man unable to produce offspring is true. And one came from a Hindu country, asking whether Maggi seasoning is clean according to God’s food laws.

Another food law question was about the difference between the words abomination and unclean in Leviticus 11. (They are interchangeable in this context, but “abomination” adds a connotation of being detestable.)

A reader asked how to live as a Christian in a highly religious family that worships images. A grandmother asked for advice on dealing with a granddaughter who is pushing the grandmother to improve her relationship with God (that is, worshipping the way that the granddaughter believes is right).

Two people requested appropriate scriptures to read to the seriously ill. One request was for comforting a relative; the other was about a friend who is terminally ill. We wrote a letter of encouragement to a person going through difficult trials.

Another letter of encouragement went to a mother who has struggled for four years to find the appropriate treatment for a daughter with a traumatic brain injury. The mother asked how she could know God’s will for treatment. Obviously, we can sympathize with, encourage and pray for the family. But we helped her understand that God has not predetermined everything that has happened or every step that she should take. We encouraged her to continue to build her relationship with God, offering the guidance of our website articles. We assured her that God would guide her decisions as she submits to Him.

Many people wrote for advice about dealing with family relationship issues. One has also somehow run afoul of drug dealers and is in danger of losing his job. In another message, parents wrote for advice about how to love and deal with a son (apparently a grown man) who is a compulsive liar. These are difficult, challenging issues; and it requires prayer, thought and time to craft appropriate responses.

We were contacted by a church group in Ghana that keeps the seventh-day Sabbath, has the name “Church of God,” but has never been associated with American Church of God groups. They want literature for redistribution; which, of course, we do not provide. But we did encourage the group to learn more about us, so that we can build a relationship if possible. We directed the contact person to our online publications and web links to inform the group about our church.

This summary only scratches the surface of what was a busy and interesting month of PC activity.