June 2025 Member Letter

June 5, 2025

Dear Brethren,

I hope your observance of Pentecost this year was uplifting and inspiring. There is so much packed into this one day that it is hard to know where to begin in describing its unique symbolism! From the sealing of the firstfruits to the founding of the New Testament Church and the arrival of the Holy Spirit, there is so much to talk about when speaking of this day. Of course, all seven of the annual festivals have their own unique meanings, and when taken together they lay out God’s plan of salvation.

In reflecting on Pentecost, I was reminded of two sections of Scripture that explain the significance of this holy day. These are not the only sections of Scripture that relate to Pentecost, but these are two that stand out in my mind: Leviticus 23, which explains the counting of the 50 days, and Acts 2, which describes the coming of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the New Testament Church. In addition, we know that the Jews traditionally read the book of Ruth each year on the Day of Pentecost, and we are also aware of the Jewish tradition that the 10 Commandments were delivered from Mount Sinai on this day as described in Exodus 20.

We also know that according to the Jews and the Talmud, and Scripture itself, Pentecost is referred to as “the Feast of Weeks” and the “day of the firstfruits” (Numbers 28:26). The spring harvest was always the grain harvest, while the larger fall harvest consisted of the remaining crops of vegetables and fruit. Having grown up on a farm, I understand the process of harvesting grain. We used tractors and combines to cut the grain and separate the seed. In ancient Israel all this work was done by hand. The grain had to be cut from the field, bound in sheaves, left to dry in the field, then taken to the threshing floor, where the seed was beaten from the stalks. The seed was then allowed to dry some more on the threshing floor or taken to a barn for storage where it could continue the drying process.

The physical process mirrors the spiritual process that is taking place in our lives today. We have been called and sealed as a kind of firstfruit, but to be saved, we still must endure until the end (Matthew 24:13). As long as we are alive, there will be fiery trials (1 Peter 4:12), which aid in our spiritual development that we “may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4). We are now awaiting the day when Jesus Christ will return to this earth to grant eternal life to the saints, the firstfruits. Symbolically, that will be on the Feast of Trumpets, about four months from now.

The Feast of Trumpets symbolizes the return of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of the saints. We are told that Christ “will appear a second time” (Hebrews 9:28) with “the trumpet of God” (1 Thessalonians 4:16) and that His reward is with Him (Revelation 22:12). The first resurrection and the receiving of eternal life are connected to the Feast of Trumpets and not Pentecost. We must wait until the Feast of Trumpets for that fulfillment. Of course, all of this is symbolic.

This year my wife and I chose to stay in Dallas for Pentecost. We were scheduled to go to Mexico City, but we asked Dave and Pam Myers to take our place so we could catch up a bit from all our travels. With major trips to the Philippines, New Zealand and South America, along with “local” trips to Boston, Reno and Florida, all since last December, we decided not to travel for Pentecost. It was a very relaxing festival for my wife and me, along with our family members who live in the Dallas area, and probably the first time in many years that I had no speaking assignment for a holy day.

We do have a very busy summer planned with considerable travel between now and the remaining festivals. We will travel to Orlando for Dick Thompson’s memorial on the Sabbath of June 14 and then to St. Louis for the retirement of John Foster from the full-time ministry on June 28. We have rescheduled our trip to Mexico City for July, and then in August we will travel first to France and Switzerland to visit the brethren early in the month and then to San Luis Potosi, Mexico, for a church visit later in the month.

Also, in August we will host at the office here in McKinney a special Pastoral Development Program for the full-time ministry from Latin America. Leon and Reba Walker will drive over from Florida to be part of this program. The classes will begin on Thursday, Aug. 21, and continue through Tuesday, Aug. 26. Since Foundation Institute will be in session at the same time, we will use the conference room in the office for these classes. When we open our new auditorium and education center in the summer of 2026, the logistical problem of concurrent educational programs will not be an issue any more. When completed, we will have an auditorium that will seat 450 to 500 people, a separate FI classroom with desks for 50 students, plus three additional meeting rooms. The design of the new building will make it possible for multiple programs to run simultaneously.

Speaking of the new building, the civil and landscaping plans are in the hands of the city of McKinney, which is notoriously slow on approving any building projects. We should have approval any day now, making it possible for us to break ground. From that point, it should be approximately 12 months to completion. Except for the slowness of the city, all has gone well to this point. Our income is ahead of last year’s, and our cash reserves give us the ability to complete the building without taking on any long-term debt. Any debt incurred will be paid off within two or three years. This is truly a miracle and a tribute to God’s blessings and the generosity of the brethren. I will keep you informed once we get word from the city.

I hope your Pentecost was restful and inspiring and truly a day for reflection on what God is doing in all our lives. Before concluding this letter, I want to remind everyone that youth camps are beginning this month and will continue through August, with an additional winter camp in December. Please pray for God’s protection on all our campers and staff. We anticipate more than 1,000 people will participate in our camp program this year. What a joy it is to provide camps for our young people and give them a real taste of God’s way of life. We must never take any of this for granted. Between the holy days and summer camps for our youth, God has given us so much to be thankful for!

Sincerely, your brother in Christ,

Jim Franks