Announcements for September 25, 2014

Media Update

From Clyde Kilough: We’re working hard to get the November/December issue of Discern ready, since the upcoming festival season really challenges our normal work schedule. It’s hard to believe this will be our sixth issue already! Each of the U.S. Feast sites will have copies of the five issues published so far, as well as the four booklets we’ve printed, to display on the information table. This will provide visitors (and members too) a hands-on look at these publications.

We are also providing all of our English-speaking Feast sites around the world with some business cards for members to take. These double-sided cards advertise Life, Hope & Truth on one side and Discern on the other.

 

 For two years many members have asked for such cards that they could use to give to interested people whenever appropriate. This is not a huge project for preaching the gospel, but it can certainly provide a convenient way for members to inform others about the gospel. It’s something we’ve never done before. It’s very inexpensive; and it will give members a helpful, easy and unobtrusive way to publicize the websites.

Rather than trying to distribute these to all of our individual congregations, we decided that the Feast is an ideal time to provide these to members. We’ve sent approximately three cards for every adult attending at each Feast site. We know that some members will take more; some, less; and some, not any. So, we’re not setting a limit on how many anyone takes. All we ask is that everyone understands that these cards are a communication tool to use on a personal basis.

They are not intended for mass distribution projects. In other words, they’re not for putting under windshield wipers of cars in parking lots or placing in stacks at waiting rooms. They are designed as something convenient for you to keep with you. Whenever you are engaged in a conversation with someone and feel it would be appropriate to direct them to Life, Hope & Truth or Discern, you have an attractive, quality handout to pass to them. Having a card in hand makes it much easier for someone to remember the website and how to find it.

This is our first time for providing such business cards; so if you have any feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact the Church’s Media operations. If these are useful, we can easily provide more.

One thing we try to provide for our employees is ongoing education to both advance their skills in technologies the Church uses and enhance their personal professional development. With this in mind, we sent Kelli Hogg and Kelly Cunningham to Boston Sept. 15-18 to join 10,000 other attendees at the annual Inbound convention. Inbound is sponsored by HubSpot, a software company that we use to help us with “inbound” traffic (the contacts that come to Life, Hope & Truth). HubSpot gives us the tools (e.g., landing page creation, social media posting, etc.) to promote our message and attract new leads, and it also provides stellar tracking technology so that we can gain information about who is coming to our website and what information they are interested in. We can then use that information to tailor our communication with those individuals.

As Kelli Hogg, our social media specialist, described it, “Inbound was incredibly helpful for me on several levels. It not only gave me training on the HubSpot software and ideas on how to use the different tools within the software, but I was also inspired by hearing how other companies use it to meet their business goals. It was an opportunity to learn from so many experts in the inbound marketing and social media industries. Not only did I learn how to do my current job better, but it inspired me to push myself and do even more ‘outside the box’ thinking. I came back motivated and pumped up, ready to try new things so that we can carry out our mission!”

We’re also gearing up now for the Feast and all of the audiovisual and webcasting preparation that is necessary for making everything go smoothly in those areas.

Soon after we return from the Feast, on Oct. 29, the new FI Online class will begin airing. We have a new format for Dr. Levy’s classes on Jeremiah, Lamentations and Esther, and we’re excited to launch this third year of Wednesday night presentations.

2014 Winter Family Weekend

From Mark Winner: The fellowship, fun and educational opportunities begin on Tuesday evening (Dec. 23) and end late Saturday night (Dec. 27) at the Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky. This year’s theme is “Godly Character—An Essential Ingredient in True Christianity.” This event has something for everyone at every age. Registration information for the event, as well as reservation information, can be found at members.cogwa.org/wfw. We would appreciate all of you U.S. pastors sharing this information with your congregations.

Camp Update

From Ken Treybig: It was very clear that God’s hand and blessing was on our COGWA Youth Camp program this summer as we focused on the Christian Living theme of “The Narrow Way: Accept the Challenge.” All the reports I have received about our four teen camps and six preteen camps have been very encouraging. Winter Camp for this year, of course, will not take place until the end of December.

While the numbers for the summer are up a little from last year (529 campers and 452 staff members compared to 505 and 393 respectively last year), the biggest encouragement for me always comes from hearing the various ways that camp has impacted the lives of individuals. Each year at our annual conference we discuss how things went, what we can do better, and how to continue to improve the spiritual content and impact of our camps. We also take some time to review comments we receive from campers, staff members, and parents of campers. I always come back from serving at camp encouraged and inspired—and I come away from our camp conferences with that same feeling of encouragement for the future of the Church due to the feedback we receive. In this update I would like to share some of that feedback.

While we survey campers on a lot of very specific questions about each camp, we also give them an opportunity to share any other comments they have. Here are a few of the responses from our teen camps:

· Camp was so amazing. Thank you for everything. Wish I didn’t have to ever leave.

· This camp pushes you in every way. I do want to come back next year.

· Camp was really fun. I was a first-time camper this year, and I was really impressed in how quickly I was accepted.

· This camp was amazing and has inspired me to serve in the Church as much as I can.

The staff surveys, again, are quite focused on many specifics. However, we also ask the open-ended question of how camp impacted them this year. Here are a few of the responses.

Teen camp staff responses:

· I truly came to a realization of how well this camp impacts staff and campers and how God truly works through the ministry.

· I leave camp energized and excited about the next generation in the Church.

· It was so inspiring to see the spiritual maturity of my girls. They had a wonderful enthusiasm for God’s Word, discussing God’s Word and learning more about His Word. They worked hard to apply spiritual principles in their lives and looked out for one another.

· I saw this as a taste of God building a family.

· Solid messages—Christian living and Compass Checks gave me lots to think on and practice.

Preteen camp staff responses:

· My background is military, law enforcement and teaching for the last 40 years, but of all my opportunities to be part of the learning process, this was my most rewarding. Our boys were eager to learn and most had the basic understanding of what God wants from and for us. To see the boys displaying godly character and having the chance to guide these young minds was the most humbling thing I have ever experienced outside of my own children’s experiences.

· My heart always comes back overflowing. I learn so much from the other staff members and even the children. I think we all learn from the children. They are like little sponges, so ready to learn, so ready to forgive, so ready to love and even receive love. It’s truly hard to put into words.

Since parents are the best judge of how camp has impacted their children, we also seek feedback and comments on how we can improve from parents. Here are some of those responses from both teen and preteen camps on how camp has impacted their children and about the camp program itself.

Teen camp parent responses:

· The boys came back on a high—respectful, encouraged, and having a deeper relationship with God.

· [Our daughter] came home very impressed with the “Narrow Way” concept. It has been helpful for her in understanding why her friends in the neighborhood don’t get along with each other like all in the camp environment, where everyone is walking God’s way together. She has expressed her thankfulness at being able to attend camp this year.

· It allows them to build confidence in their beliefs and stand up for them when they leave camp knowing they are part of something bigger.

· She has a broader perspective [and is] more interested and concerned for others and their well-being. More of a desire to serve others. Wants to be involved and a part of activities etc. that are happening in Church. Has a better attitude.

· They talk more openly about living God’s way and what value that has outside of camp. [Our son] is more interested in personal Bible study. [Our daughter] joined the choir, whereas before “it wasn’t for her.”

· Continue doing the work you are … it will change their outlook on life and their attitude towards God. I have seen it with my own eyes and have become closer to God because of that. Thank you.

Preteen camp parent responses:

· It changed how she looks at the world around her more. She sees the importance of staying on the narrow path and that it is a daily walk with God.

· They came back home with a positive attitude and a true vision of what it means to live in this world, [while focusing] our actions and attitudes on the Kingdom to come.

· She is wanting to come back next year as an assistant. She is planning for her education after high school, which includes FI. As of now, baptism is a huge possibility for her. Her mom and I hope that the friendships she is developing in camp will provide a base for her future adult relationships with the body.

· Since we don’t have any other children their age in our Church, camp provides a way for my kids to see they are not alone. There are many children living God’s way.

· The relationships built between generations of God’s people. No other activity promotes striving for God’s way quite like camp (God’s required feasts/holy days aside from this comparison). These relationships are building blocks for our church, for all ages to be concerned for all ages. There is no one group better than the other. Camp needs every person: camper, staff, director, etc. Without any one of these roles, camp cannot succeed. These camp friendships are built upon one goal of having a successful camp. These relationships tend to be more than surface deep and have more of an impact than “hi, how are you doing” at church for 52 weeks out of the year. In a short, active few days, life stories are shared, examples are shown, and a renewed sense of hope is achieved. This is the importance of camp.

This has grown longer than I anticipated, but I had a hard time figuring out which of these comments to delete and not share with you. All of us on the CYC team deeply appreciate the support of the parents, administration, ministry and entire membership of the Church as we strive to help guide the youth of the Church toward their incredible potential in God’s family. I hope this tiny excerpt of the type of feedback we receive each year is as encouraging and inspiring to you as we head into the wonderful fall Feast season.

Summary of August PCD Activity

From Cecil Maranville: Our office sent out 133 emails and one surface mail letter for a total of 134 in August, with another 76 left in the inbox. The trend in volume continues upward.

One reader wrote that he urgently needed to understand why some of God’s actions in the Old Testament seemed to show a lack of mercy. He wrote back after receiving our response to say that he was so delighted by it that he sent it to his 509 Facebook friends. Since he did so without asking our permission, we had no say in the matter. There was nothing controversial in the material, but it is startling to realize how quickly anything we email can be disseminated.

After reading our article about going to heaven, a mother wrote to ask, “Who comes down [from heaven] to comfort the suffering?” She explained that her daughter has pancreatic cancer and that both grandmothers were complicating the situation by telling the daughter simply that “she would be okay.” The mother is left with the emotional burden of making decisions, as well as providing comfort and care for her daughter. The situation is obviously dire, and we offered the support of prayer, encouraging promises from God, and direction to deeper Bible study.

Two counseling questions dealt with alcohol use. The first was from one who wanted to know if alcohol use was bad if it was used to “make our families and partners happy.” We cautioned the individual that what he has in mind by making them “happy” might not necessarily be in line with the biblical guidelines of moderation! We directed him to our article on that subject. The other question was delicate, coming from a person with a history of family suffering from alcohol abuse and related tragedies. He argued that Jesus would never use wine because of what it led to in this person’s family. However, someone’s misuse of alcohol cannot be the determinant of a doctrine, a point we gently made with the individual.

An involved question came from a person who had had an affair decades ago. The partners of both individuals involved in the affair have since died, and their children are grown. It seems that the one who wrote in to us wants to rekindle a relationship, but the other party does not, being troubled by the sin of the past. The person writing us wanted to know if “going to the priest and paying the price in atonement” would cleanse the conscience of the other party. This opened the door to many subjects, all of which require a deeper spiritual understanding than the writer apparently has. We introduced the individual to the proper pathway to repentance and forgiveness. Then we told the writer that those were separate issues from whether any relationship might be rekindled. And we explained that the other party’s sense of guilt is an individual issue between that person and God. If the person wants help, then our material is available.

We dealt with several issues regarding homosexuality. One male explained he believes he is a female trapped in a male body. He stated that he believes God accepts him and approves of his hoped-for “marriage” to a man. He apparently wanted our blessing on his self-analysis. Another person wrote that he was a gay man who wanted to experience God’s love while remaining a homosexual. Still another person wrote on the subject more bluntly, asking, “What do you think about queers being allowed to marry?”

A man wrote that he had the gift of healing, but that he was working with many “mediums.” He was confused about whether he should continue to work with them and whether his “gift” is from God. We urged him as strongly as possible to distance himself from “mediums” and any related “gifts” that they seemed to give to him. We included a discussion of evil spirits, how they work, and how to rid oneself of them.

A humble-minded person wanted to know how it is possible that anyone will ever “get to heaven.” And he wondered whether people would know each other there. We were able to encourage the hope of knowing loved ones in the future, as well as introduce the promise of the resurrection. But we also redirected the person’s thinking about what happens after death. After reading our article about heaven, another reader wrote a lengthy criticism of it, telling us we took a number of scriptures out of context “just like everybody does.” Then she explained that she had asked God to show her the truth and described at length a complex story of the afterlife—taken completely out of biblical context!

Another reader—admitting that she is frustrated and depressed by a string of failures to overcome or resist sin, in spite of her dedication to God—asked how she could obtain the spiritual help she recognizes she should have. A similar question came from a person who feared he had committed the unpardonable sin. He believes God has committed his life to Jesus Christ but recognizes that he lacks God’s Spirit. Another explained that he prays and goes to church every Sunday, yet has not been “touched” by the Holy Spirit. These are only three of several examples of good results from people’s reading the article on how one can know if he has the Holy Spirit. We were able to direct many people onto the pathway of conversion, offering both our online articles and our new booklets.

A 14-year-old asked us if he is “bad person” because he questioned matters of faith. We encouraged him that he is not bad and expressed our appreciation for his courage in the approaching us about the subject! We assured him that faith is built upon asking and getting answers to questions! But we explained that ultimately an element of trust in what we cannot prove or see is required. We introduced him to our publications on faith.

An individual sought our help in overcoming a buying addiction that is so serious it is breaking up her marriage. Counseling, therapy and personal commitment have not been enough for her to marshal self-control. She obviously has a very serious problem. The spiritual help we can give is to encourage her to build a genuine relationship with God, starting at the foundation and leading, eventually, to receiving the help of God’s Holy Spirit as a converted person. Our articles on overcoming other addictions should be of help; we directed her to them too.

A reader explained that she prays in front of a cross, and she asked if this is idol worship. (Some questions might seem easy to answer, but they require tact and respect. We want to win the person’s heart, not just confirm that she is an idolater!)

We were asked if it is true that Abraham was not a Jew—and, if so, when the Jewish line began. Similarly, one asked why God chose Jews “over all other people.” (We explained that the Israelites were supposed to model the right way to live, so that all nations would eventually follow and received the same blessings.)

A lady asked us to send her a written prayer, appropriate for her sixth grader, that deals with God’s truth. Wanting to know how to please God, a person said he wanted “a mouth-to-mouth” with God. A woman asked (hypothetically, of course!) if a wife would be guilty of murder if she drove her husband to commit suicide. Someone argued that the two creation accounts in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 allows for an eighth day of creation in which God made the different races.

With so many letters, this is obviously a short summary of the month’s activity.