July 2001 Contents

This is our July cover

In this issue

New book

Mike Feazell’s new book, The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of God, will be released by Zondervan Publishing House this summer.

The book explores numerous aspects of the process and implications of the church’s doctrinal changes. Page 3.

Summerfest

When was the last time you attended a Christian workshop or conference as an entire family? asks Charles Albrecht of Church Administration.

Imagine a variety of denominational activities and presentations focused on the ministries you are involved in. This is Summerfest 2001! If you have never had the opportunity to participate in something like this, or it has been some time since you have been able to do so, then Summerfest 2001 is the place for you. Page 5.

Personal

God still heals today. He still gives financial blessings, spiritual gifts and other miracles, writes Pastor General Joseph Tkach.

Of course, we realize that we cannot claim any guarantees—except that God will do what is best for us in the long run. Page 6.

Testimony

This July 4 I will spend a lot of time giving thanks to God that my life was spared in Korea, writes Leith Cunningham, a member in Cadillac, Michigan, who served in Korea in 1950 and 1951. Page 8.

Latin America

The church in Latin America is becoming more than ever a group that is celebrating its freedom in Christ.

With God’s help, members and ministers are working toward raising and strengthening the church. The area is supervised by regional director Charles Fleming and his wife, Carmen. Page 14.

Women's ministry

Twenty-eight women from Germany, Austria and Switzerland met for a retreat in the historical city of Worms May 4 to 6. Erna Voth spoke on Our Relationship to God. Page 17.

Youth ministry

More than 80 volunteers worked at the SEP camp in Orr, Minnesota, May 26 to 28 to prepare the camp for the summer.

The event ended with the volunteers taking a prayer walk to the various parts of the camp asking God to pour out his Spirit on all those who will come this summer. Page 18.

Going to church

Why do I need to belong to a church, anyway? Why can’t I just believe in Jesus and try to live a good life? writes Mike Feazell in his article "Give Me One Good Reason I Ought to Keep Going to Church!" Page 20.

Financial Report

Mail income for May was just short of $1.7 million, a decrease of about 12 percent from last May, writes controller Ronald Kelly.

Combined mail income for January through May was $7.5 million, a decrease of 11.5 percent compared to the previous year. Page 23.

Zondervan publishes
book by Mike Feazell

PASADENA—Mike Feazell’s new book, The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of God, will be released by Zondervan Publishing House this summer.

The book explores numerous aspects of the process and implications of the church’s doctrinal changes and provides insights on avoiding falling into similar traps again.

The book will be available this summer at bookstores around the United States and can be ordered now through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christian Book Distributors and other online booksellers.

Members will not be able to buy the book through PTM. However, Church Administration plans to sell a limited number of copies at the summer festival in Ohio, Aug. 15 to 19.

"We are excited that Mike’s book is of such a caliber that it is being published by Zondervan," said Pastor General Joseph Tkach. "We expect that his book will have a strong impact on making many more people aware in a positive way of the changes that have occurred in the Worldwide Church of God."

Richard J. Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline and Streams of Living Water, commented on the book: "We believe in the life-changing influence of grace and truth. Rarely, however, do we see it demonstrated with such explosive power as in the case of the Worldwide Church of God. Told by one of its top leaders, here is the remarkable inside story of what happened when a well-known cult grappled with the truths of the New Testament.

"The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of God is far more than the fascinating account of a church’s journey from darkness to light and from bondage to grace. It is a blazing testimony to the gospel’s matchless power—a power able to transform hearts and lives that seem beyond reach ... and fully capable of changing us.

"This book is for all Christians. It chronicles the stunning transition of the Worldwide Church of God into full Christian orthodoxy. And ‘stunning’ is not too strong a word for the remarkable twists and turns that this group has gone through in their theological pilgrimage. It is a journey that reminds us all of God’s amazing grace and transforming power."

Northwest ministers
meet for conference

By Dan Fricke

PORTLAND, Oregon—Three hundred members and ministers attended the Northwest ministerial conference in Portland June 8 to 10.

The theme was Making Disciples and Good Stewardship. It was a time of worship, inspiration and instruction.

Several of the attendees commented:

The conference contained an amazing richness of love, teaching, encouragement, guidance and correction by God’s Holy Spirit. Pat Settlemire, Vancouver, Washington.

A calm and quiet yet joyful spirit was evident at the conference. Meeting with old friends provided heartwarming fellowship, reassurances and a strengthening of faith. It was an inspiring and motivational weekend with the worship music keeping our focus on God and his eternal purpose. One presenter mentioned that we have survived, and now it’s time to thrive. That has a nice ring to it. Morgan Tovey, Portland, Oregon.

Joseph Tkach explained that becoming friends is our first step to making disciples. Dan Rogers explained the value in observing Easter and Christmas. John Shrewsbury, Seattle, Washington.

Great conference! I’m happy about the changes and the progress being made in the church. Richard Starkey, Portland, Oregon.

To me personally, the communion service was the highlight, a start at breaking down the walls the Holy Spirit had just recently revealed to me. Thank you Lord. Ora Starkey, Portland, Oregon.

The WCG was a little church that always was willing to be led regardless of the consequences. Today that quality still remains the hallmark and legacy of its people. As part of the body of Christ, we are truly richly blessed. W. Corsi and M. Tovey.

Mr. Tkach visits
ministerial conference
in Germany

By Silvia Mair

WORMS, Germany—Pastors and congregational leaders from Germany and Austria met in Worms Sunday, April 29, to Tuesday, May 1, to discuss administrative matters and to participate in the regional training program. Leaders from the Swiss region were also present as invited guests.

On the first day of the conference a seminar about spiritual counseling was given by Richard Hasenoeder, a Lutheran minister and professional adviser who is featured on an evangelical radio program in Germany.

On the second day, Manfred Beutel, a planter and minister of an Evangelical Free church in Alzey, conducted an interactive seminar on Authentic Evangelism.

In the evening, Pastor General Joseph Tkach joined the conference in Worms. He gave a presentation on the importance of relational evangelism. Mr. Tkach shared some examples and lessons out of his personal life. He emphasized the role of the local church and of the individual member in the Body of Christ. A key thought of his lecture was "you cannot really help make disciples unless you first make friends."

Another guest at the conference was Nikolay Nikolov, editor of a Bulgarian Christian magazine based on the literature of the Worldwide Church of God. Mr. Nikolov spoke about his work and the difficult circumstances in his country.

Randal Dick, superintendent of missions, and John Halford, European regional director, also contributed to the conference. During the conference the German board also met.

GOSPEL WORK IN BULGARIA—
Pastor General Joseph Tkach meets with
Nikolay Nikolov (left), editor of a Bulgarian
Christian magazine based on the literature of
the Worldwide Church of God, during ministerial
conference in Germany.

Summerfest
something for everyone

By Charles Albrecht

PASADENA—When was the last time you attended a Christian workshop or conference as an entire family? Imagine a wide variety of denominational activities and presentations focused squarely on the ministries you are involved in.

This is Summerfest 2001! If you have never had the opportunity to participate in something like this, or it has been some time since you have been able to do so, then Summerfest 2001 is the place for you.

The WCG is host for this conference of renewal Aug. 15 to 19 in Athens, Ohio. The event will take place on the Ohio University campus, which has a wide range of facilities. Because of these facilities, the conference can offer something for every member of the family during each day of the conference.

Rather than simply attending sessions or lectures with adults, the teens will have the opportunity to join in Summer Educational Program like activities with other teens, and will also stay in the dorms together as a group. Vacation Bible school will be available for the pre-teens. These teen and pre-teen activities will be taught and supervised by church counselors and teachers.

Although the WCG had contracted with Rebecca St. James to perform a concert during the conference, the coordinators of a benefit concert in Denver, Colorado, ran into scheduling difficulties. Taking this into consideration with the nature of the two events, we have released our contracted concert date from the touring schedule. We will still conduct an evening celebration event, which will coordinate well with our overall theme and presentation schedule.

By using a college campus and dormitory space, we can keep the cost of this four-day conference low. For a virtual tour of the campus, visit the school’s website at www.ohiou.edu

If you are interested in registering for the WCG Summerfest you may do so by following the festival link on the church’s web site at www.wcg.org or by calling 1-800-972-9043. You may want to register as soon as possible, as time is short, and you must register to join in on this exciting conference of renewal.

Highlighting the event, the following denominational leaders
will conduct sessions on these topics:

Joseph and Tammy Tkach—denominational leadership and direction.

J. Michael Feazell—living in the presence of God.

Dan Rogers—discipleship, stewardship and renewal.

Ron Kelly—financial overview and interactive sessions.

Randal Dick—international missions.

Additionally, interactive workshop blocks will be conducted covering the following areas: youth ministry; women in ministry; small groups; worship; evangelism; missions and much more. Everyone should find something of interest during this four-day conference.

Personal from Joseph Tkach

Healing

God still heals today. He still gives financial blessings, emotional blessings, spiritual gifts and other miracles. Of course, we realize that we cannot claim any guarantees—except that God will do what is best for us in the long run. We can claim only the right to ask for whatever we want (Phil. 4:6), and know that we receive blessings from our good and wise Dad in heaven, even though the blessings do not always come in a form we would have chosen.

Sometimes the answer to our prayers for help comes as soon as we ask, sometimes it comes after years of persistent prayer, and sometimes it comes without our even asking. God cares about us, knows what is right and good for us, and we have to trust him.

Some Christians get enormous financial blessings. Most do not. Some get spectacular gifts. Most do not. And some get miraculous healings. But again, most do not. Those who are physically healthy can be thankful for their health, and pray for wisdom that they are using their health in a way that pleases God. But those who are sick often struggle with many questions, perhaps chief among them the question of why God has not healed them.

Rumor has it that sudden wealth can be hard for the newly wealthy person’s friends and family. One study of lottery winners shows that some of the effects of sudden wealth were greedy friends, jealousy among family members and strained relationships in general. Blessings for Christians can also have a down side: unrealistic expectations, envy, unfavorable comparisons.

The same can be true with miraculous healing. It would be natural for people who continue in illness to have mixed feelings about those who are healed. It would be natural to ask: "Why them and not me? What have they done that I have not?" A miracle for one person might be discouraging for another person—or it can give hope. The sick person might think: "The God who intervened for that person, for no reason that I can understand, may yet intervene for me. Or he may not. He knows best, and I just have to trust him. At least I know he is able to do it."

That’s the bottom line as we wait for God: trust. We walk by faith, not by sight, and God acts for reasons that we cannot see. We might think that an immediate healing is in our best interest, but God has a higher perspective, and perhaps we are simply unable to understand the complexity—or the importance—of what God is working out in our lives.

With that in mind, I thought it might be helpful for me to address a few points about healing.

Some have asked whether we encourage sick people to be anointed by the elders of the church. Yes, we do, following the instruction in James 5:14-15, which tells us: "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up."

Why are we to anoint with oil? There is no magic in the oil, of course. It is a symbol. Oil was a medical ointment of the time (Luke 10:34), and the elder (representing the church) uses a token amount of it to symbolize the church’s concern and practical care for the sick. And hopefully the elder’s prayer is representative of the prayers being offered for the person by the whole church.

Such prayers are offered in faith, that is, in trusting God that he will do what is right and good in this situation. Such prayers are not offered merely with the intention of getting what we, in our limited perspective, want. It is an active expression of putting ourselves, and those we care about, in the hands of our gracious God whom we trust to stand with us no matter how bad things seem to be.

At certain times in the church’s history, miraculous healing has been common. At other times, it has been rare. The curious thing is that in our own lives it sometimes seems that miracles are more common when our faith is weak, and less common as we mature in the faith—as we learn to trust God more fully with our lives and seem to have less physical evidence of his presence. "Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression?" cried the Psalmist (Psalm 44:24).

Regardless of where on the maturity level we think we are, regardless of how much faith we think we have, our hope is still in God, and we display that trust as we call for the elders, pray in faith and trust in God to do what is right and good for us.

Some have also wondered whether it would be a lack of faith if they use medicine or surgery. The answer is no. We should all realize that no medicine or surgery is a guarantee of health. Some people who use medicine have no faith, while others have much faith. Faith and medical science are not a matter of "either/or."

Faith does not mean that we refuse to do anything to help our situation (this is just as true for health concerns as it is for financial concerns or safety concerns). Faith should be combined with wisdom in using sensible methods that are within our means.

There is no spiritual virtue in avoiding treatment or in using "natural" treatments, as though such treatments are more "spiritual" or "faithful" than conventional medical techniques. Choices of treatment should be based on many factors, including likelihood of success, quality of care, cost and common sense.

God does not only work through special supernatural intervention. He is also continually at work through his creation. Theologian Millard Erickson explains it in terms of God being both transcendent (different from creation) and immanent:

"The meaning of immanence is that God is present and active within his creation, and within the human race, even those members of it that do not believe in or obey him. His influence is everywhere.... Immanence signifies that God does much of his work through natural means. He is not restricted to miracles. He even uses ordinary unbelieving humans such as Cyrus, whom he described as his ‘shepherd,’ his ‘anointed’ (Isa. 44:28; 45:1). He uses technology and human skill and learning....

"If we emphasize transcendence too much ... we may expect God to work miracles at all times, while he may purpose instead to work through our effort. We may tend to mistrust the creation, forgetting that he himself is present and active there. We may depreciate the value of what non-Christians do....

"God is not limited to working directly to accomplish his purposes. While it is very obviously a work of God when his people pray and a miraculous healing occurs, it is also God’s work when through the application of medical knowledge and skill a physician is successful in bringing a patient back to health. Medicine is part of God’s general revelation, and the work of a doctor is a channel of God’s activity....

"God is providentially at work as much in the cure wrought by the physician as in a miraculous healing" (Introducing Christian Doctrine, pp. 76-77, 134).

So I encourage sick people to consult a doctor, to gather information, to get a second doctor’s opinion if necessary, and to use good judgment in what they do—and especially to rely on God in faith for guidance and wisdom.

The meaning of life is found in him, not in physical health, medicine, surgery or miraculous healing. We are to be good stewards of the bodies he has given us, and to make wise decisions about what we do with those bodies.

Here’s a third question: What is the theology of healing? What gives God the "right" to intervene in our physiology? I see a twin foundation for his healing work in our lives: creation and redemption. He can intervene in nature because he created it, and because he redeemed it through the death of his Son.

Paul writes, "God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Jesus Christ], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Col. 1:19-20). Through Christ, God has redeemed all creation. Though sin corrupted the creation, God redeems it (Rom. 8:19-23). Creation belongs to him, and he can do with it whatever he wants. He can work through natural processes, or he can intervene in supernatural ways.

But we do not yet see the liberation promised for all creation (Rom. 8:21); nor do we see the redemption of our bodies (v. 23). It will be done when Christ returns, but for now we live in a world that is still in bondage to corruption. We see a conflict between present reality and the promise of Christ. That is where faith enters, and as Hebrews 11 makes plain, faith means believing in realities we do not yet see.

It takes more faith to trust God when we are not healed, than to trust him when we are. When we receive what we hope for, then it is visible, in the realm of sight, no longer of faith. Faith looks to the future, and trusts in God whether or not we are healed.

God still heals in miraculous ways. A healing might be compared to the spies sent into the Promised Land, who brought back some of the fruit of the land even before the Israelites occupied the land. In a similar way, a miraculous healing is like a foray into the future, bringing back a token of the redemption that Christ achieved on the cross. It is only a token—our future bodies will be far better than anything we know in this age. Even the greatest miracle of this age (raising a dead person, perhaps) is only a shadow of greater things to come.

Miracles should increase our faith in God, our trust in him. Faith does not mean a belief in guaranteed miracles, for God has not promised us that. Faith means trusting in God even when there are no miracles. And when we hear of miracles, we can rejoice with those who rejoice, without ceasing to trust in God to do what is good and right for us. We have resources at our disposal, and he expects us to use them wisely. But no matter what we do, we are to trust in him.

Korean War Testimony
Freedom is not free

As we celebrate Independence Day, July 4, we would like to thank those who have served in our armed forces that we might be free.

 
Leith Cunningham at age 17 and today

By Leith Cunningham

Leith Cunningham, a member of the Cadillac, Michigan, church, served in the Korean War in 1950 and 1951.

The blue-eyed, freckle-faced, 17- year-old Christian boy soldier from Arkansas sat on his haunches on a frozen mountain in Korea, peering through his binoculars as he strained to identify the sound and smell coming from a clump of shrubbery a couple hundred yards down the opposite slope.

He maintained his vigilance as a light .30-caliber machine gunner in his forward outpost position with the Indianhead, Second Infantry division. Recovering from a chest cold, he had the almost uncontrollable urge to cough. Only the fear of revealing his position gave him the incentive to keep it contained.

The vivid memories the night before of being attacked by hundreds of screaming, bugle-blowing Chinese before dawn sent chills down his spine. His platoon was still dragging frozen dead comrades to the rear.

However, none of these thoughts changed what was expected of him. A few days earlier, Gen. Matthew B. Ridgeway had ordered Operation Killer into effect. Its purpose was to inflict a maximum number of casualties upon the enemy, while keeping our own casualties at a minimum.

How do these orders stack up with the words in his Bible: "Thou shalt not kill"? Should he, or would he follow those orders when it became a matter of kill or be killed?

As dusk rapidly approached, he sent messages to the company commander identifying what he believed to be the sound and smell coming from below. The chatter seemed to be a mixture of Korean and Chinese. The rattle of metal along with the smell of go-hung (Korean word for rice) that all soldiers had come to be familiar with as well as to hate, indicated meal time within their compound was at hand.

His orders were to "hang tight and stay your position, hold your fire after dark until you are certain that the slope below actually has enemy soldiers on it." Darkness came quickly as the already sub-zero temperatures fell even more.

The bone-chilling weather combined with less-than-proper winter clothing became increasingly more difficult to endure. The severe shivering and chattering of his teeth were the only measures of heat being generated by his body, as the temperatures dropped even more.

Some things seemed to be in his favor: he had secured a choice high spot to set up his machine gun with an excellent sweeping view of the slope below, and he had a good supply of ammunition. He felt certain that if an attack came during the night, and if he could persuade himself to perform, then there would be many poor Chinese and Korean mamma-sans who would receive government notice of their loving son’s demise.

In the dead of night his imagination and anxiety along with the intense sub-zero weather began to wear him down, depress and overcome him. He heard dull, muffled sounds first from one direction and then from another. He wondered, Was it real or imagined? He was well aware that for an enemy to make a frontal attack their first priority would be to silence the machine guns to keep their casualties down.

He tried to blank out his drill instructor’s words telling him that the average life span of a machine gunner under attack was less than three minutes. He was thinking about right, wrong and God more these days. The suspense mounted as he thought about home, warmth, plenty to eat and a loving family, a girlfriend that he may never see again.

A sudden flash in the sky, almost to his relief, ended the suspense jolting him to instant alertness. Chinese flares lit the sky as whistles and bugles began their nerve-shattering signals for attack, causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end.

He instinctively had his finger on the trigger of the machine gun as he scanned the now-lit-up slope below. The first thing he discovered was that those muffled sounds were real—some of the enemy soldiers had slogged through nearly waist-deep snow to within a few yards of his position.

His immediate concern was, Will this gun fire or has it been just too cold? Often in extreme cold they will freeze up and malfunction. A pull on the trigger that sent a burst of .30 caliber anti-personnel lead down across the slope relieved that fear.

A good view of the slope now revealed a human wave, a large area of dark dots against the snowy background, darting here and there as they moved forward. As he began to rake the slope with a back and forth sweeping action with short bursts of fire he soon discerned that some of the dots were no longer moving. The die had been cast; there would be no turning back now. His priority, however, was to concentrate in closer. He couldn’t afford to let any of them come within hand-grenade range if he could stop them.

The battle raged on. In the morning, when the company commander sent out a patrol to assess the damage, they found the Arkansas boy soldier along with his assistant machine gunner dead. The boy soldier was draped in pieces over his gun, bone fragments, hair, brain matter, mangled insides and the blood-splattered snow was testimony to an almost direct hit from a Chinese artillery or mortar round.

The many dead enemy within his field of fire was an indication that he had accomplished his duty mission. In other words, he had earned the 11 cents an hour the government was paying him to follow Gen. Ridgeway’s orders.

A duty team scraped up the intermingled body fragments of the two casualties. The boy soldier’s remains filled a grocery bag, and in the same bag were some remains belonging to his assistant. They were sent to Japan to slosh around in a military body bag, decomposing among a heap of other rotting, stinking, mangled human flesh that had met the same fate as himself. The remains waited in a warehouse to be processed and shipped back to Arkansas to a grieving mother and family.

His mother would receive a letter from his company commander that he said was difficult to write, with his sincere, heartfelt condolences and a statement to the effect of how proud he had been to have had the brave, boy soldier serve under him. And further, how grateful the nation was to this soldier son for giving his young life for his country—for the just cause of freedom.

This scenario played itself out again and again up and down the front lines in Korea, as it did in the World Wars in Europe, as it did in the islands leading up to the invasion of Japan, as it did in Vietnam, as it has against all enemies of the United States, when young men and women are called on to defend our right to live as a free nation.

I was a machine gunner at that time with the Indianhead Division. I can attest to seeing such as I have described. I pass it on in my attempt to help you see more clearly the reality of war. And if one should think, I don’t want to hear these gory details, then let me remind you that neither have thousands of our young men and women who not only were forced to see it, hear it and experience it, they also had to live it, and die in it—giving up all of their tomorrows, for all of our todays.

Fifty years ago I was evacuated out of Korea, first to a MASH (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) unit, then to a hospital in Osaka, Japan. Within a few weeks I ended up in Percy Jones Army Hospital, in Battle Creek, Michigan, where I spent the next year paying my share for the high cost of freedom. My feet had been frozen on the front lines in the mountains of Korea.

This July 4, 2001, I will spend a lot of time giving thanks to God that my life was spared in Korea, and that I have had 50 years of happy marriage with a good home, great kids and lots of wonderful grandchildren. I will spend some time remembering vividly the sightless eyes turned skyward on the faces of many comrades not as fortunate as I. I will spend some time giving thanks for the many who through the years have given their lives both in life and in death for the freedom that I, my family and this nation in general often take for granted. Above all I am grateful to the God of heaven and earth, for it is he who holds the destiny of this and every other nation in his hands.

If you would like to see wars end, let me encourage you to bow down before God and earnestly pray for him to quickly send his Son Jesus Christ back to earth to lead us in a proper manner—that men, women and even children will no longer go about slashing, shooting, starving, taking advantage of, killing, stealing and looting from their neighbors, committing horrendous sexual crimes that defy description. And as you pray, please remember that freedom is not free, except that which comes from God.

Through the years, many have wrestled with their spiritual convictions, such as Sgt. Alvin C. York, medal of honor winner and hero of World War I, who overcame conscientious objections and nearly singlehandedly silenced 30 machine guns against his battalion, shot and killed at least 25 Germans and took 132 German prisoners, including three officers. Imagine the number of American lives saved because of this one brave Christian soldier.

I am thankful for all men and women everywhere who have given their lives so that we might enjoy freedom. I would like to give a special thanks to all military Christians who have to weigh their decision whether to take a life, but in the grand finale are able to do their duty even if it means losing their own life in the process, as happened in the case of the boy soldier.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).

Madagascar
the Red Sea and the Red Island

By Michael Ward

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho—From the birth of Moses to the crossing of the Red Sea, are examples of how God can intervene in the lives of his people to deliver them.

At this time last year my wife, Emily, and I were on the Red Island, Madagascar, crying out to God for the deliverance of two Malagasy children in an adoption process that each day resounded with the words "this adoption cannot happen, go back to America."

These words came from our lawyer, judges and even high level Malagasy cabinet ministers. But someone forgot to tell God we couldn’t adopt the children. He provided countless interventions and miracles to convince others nothing could prevent what he intended to do.

This is a story that began in a jungle village in east-central Madagascar. At about the same time my wife and I were finding out we couldn’t have biological children, a woman named Josephine was giving birth to a baby girl named Sedera . Among her other children was a boy, Dominique, 2¹/2. Tragically, the midwife, who had delivered many children, didn’t remove most of the placenta, and within three weeks Josephine was dead.

Because her husband had also died, the only family member left to care for Dominique and Sedera was their grandmother. All seemed well until about a month later. Neighbors noticed not seeing the old woman and went to check on her. There they found that she had died with the two children trapped in the hut, frantic and starving, as she had apparently been dead for several days.

The uncle and aunts, because they had more children than they could feed, decided not to feed these two. The baby was barely kept alive on water left after rice has been boiled, while Nick, as he was called, had to forage for himself. He ate his own feces and became filled with worms and his stomach became distended. But just when all seemed lost, God began to intervene.

In court hearings at the adoption, six family members described how one night when Nick was asleep, they counted 250 worms, 100 out of his mouth and 150 from his nose that crawled out of his body for no apparent reason.

They were both still on the brink of death when a villager sent word to her daughter, Madame Elizera, a WCG member who runs an orphanage in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, and told her that if these two children were to live she would need to come immediately.

Madame Elizera stopped everything and came to pick up the orphans. She brought them to get what medical assistance she could, but it seemed too late. Sedera stopped breathing on a dirty table in a small French clinic, and no one tried to revive her. But Madame Elizera noticed that amazingly, after a few minutes of no breathing, Sedera started to breathe again.

By this time Nick refused to eat and said he only wanted to be with his mother, Josephine. A doctor explained that if Sedera was to live, he would have to stay alive and care for her. Nick immediately asked for food and began to eat. They became the youngest members of the church in Tana, and were taken to the home of Madame Elizera until Nick had enough strength to be placed in the Triumph Orphanage, which he soon was.

At about the same time the children arrived, so did James Henderson, regional director in Africa, who was making his annual visit to Madagascar. He took a picture of Sedera and wrote a story about the children for the African WN, which normally doesn’t find its way to North America, but this story did.

I remember the moment well when my wife said: "Michael, look at this picture of a baby named Sedera in a church orphanage in Madagascar. I strongly feel God intends it to be our child."

I replied, "Then, call our pastor, Glen Weber, and see if Sedera is available for adoption." We found out she was available.

Nine months later we were in the steamy halls of the Malagasy Ministry of Justice, where each day was a roller coaster of discouragements and elation.

Yes, we got the children, and it happened in such a dynamic way that at the end of two months those who once said, "Go home," were now saying, "I did not believe before, but now I will be in church Sunday to worship your God, because he is a real God."

In the meantime, we have set up a non-profit foundation in the name of The Triumph. We took a two-week assessment trip to Madagascar in April that had a two-fold purpose. We wanted to see if God desired to begin a ministry with the church in Tana and their pastor to reach the people of Madagascar, and secondly, after documenting the needs of the orphanage, set up an assistance program for the 83 children kept there.

While we were there God confirmed the ministry by giving us an opportunity to begin on the spot.

We have become close to Madame Elizera and her family and discovered that one of her teen daughters, De De, had become ill and was hospitalized. She was given a CAT scan and the diagnosis was a brain tumor. We sought God’s direction in a corner of the room of the dilapidated hospital built in 1896. The father was a nonbeliever who exploded at the sight of anything like prayer. He was also a doctor, and realized his daughter appeared to be dying.

The options were few and drastic. If they could come up with the equivalent of $60,000, she could be flown to a French island medical facility for possible treatment. But with a yearly family income of about $6,000, this was not an option.

The second was for her doctor to install a pacemaker and to perform brain surgery. They don’t sterilize instruments as we know sterilization, they reuse needles and might not be able to use antibiotics. We decided to send the CAT scan to U.S. doctors.

I work as a pharmaceutical representative, so I contacted a neurologist in Spokane, Washington, who agreed to look at the images and do the surgery without charge. When we told the family the next day there was shock and stunned jubilation.

A day earlier when we went to Air Madagascar to confirm our return tickets, they told us everyone had a valid ticket except my wife, Emily. An agent had stamped it "non-negotiable" as we passed through the airport in Paris and never said a word about it. They said there wasn’t an available seat except for one in first class at a substantial price increase.

However, we now needed not only her seat, but also one for De De and her father. It seemed hopeless, but God intervened and we got my wife’s seat back at no extra cost, two seats for our guests, and their U.S. visas finalized the afternoon we left.

As De De’s father witnessed this, we watched his heart change. As he hugged us in her hospital room, he said with misty eyes, "This could only have come from God."

We had to book their flights before the diagnosis came back. When the diagnosis arrived, it showed that it wasn’t a tumor but an enlarged pituitary gland with perhaps some other complications. In retrospect, De De was healed and her life saved as we committed our faith and resources to God. The fact that she was going to America prevented what probably would have been a fatal or at least a life-threatening surgery. She began to improve from the moment she learned she was going to the United States, not to overlook the fact that I anointed her within about 30 minutes of seeing her. God’s hand in making this happen was obvious.

The neurologist in the United States said there was hardly anything wrong with De De other than a pinching of a nerve at the back of her head. The treatment—a $20 head sling she should sit in to stretch her neck for a few minutes a day until the discomfort goes away. No charge for the office visit. Our God is an awesome God, wouldn’t you say?

The Triumph Orphanage is in terrible shape. The 83 children there sleep three to seven to a bed. They have no clean water and subsist on a diet of mainly rice and an occasional vegetable. Most have no shoes. The collapsing building has no windows or screens, and mosquitoes bite away in a land where malaria is rampant.

The beautiful, smiling, soiled faces of the children didn’t conceal their suffering. Madame Elizera is doing an incredible job, but they desperately need assistance. That is why we set up the Triumph non-profit organization. We know how to provide immediate relief and long-term education and training in various occupations as the children grow up. Job training is available for some of the parents who were unable to care for their children and placed them in the Triumph. It’s designed to make them self-sufficient and reunite them with their children when they can support them. A year ago our two children were there, and others wait to be adopted to loving families.

So, here I sit at my computer having just put my two angelic Malagasy children, Sedera (meaning cedar tree), and Isaac (name changed at adoption) to bed. Around the corner I hear the laughter of the healthy, dark-eyed, adorable Malagasy teenager, who is a powerfully motivated child of God. Her father is snoring upstairs (after reading his Bible).

An amazing ministry is to be acted upon in Madagascar. This account is but a peephole to all that has happened and of what is for the future. We thank all of you who have joined us in supporting The Triumph. For more information, write to The Triumph, in care of Michael and Emily Ward, 4774 Woodside Ave., Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, 83815. Please indicate if you are interested in adopting a child from Madagascar.

Michael Ward is an elder in the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, church.

Orphans of Madagascar

Miora & Emily Ward

Street children in Madagascar

Regional Snapshot

From Charles and Carmen Fleming
Latin America

Latin American churches
Celebrating freedom in Christ

By Hector Barrero

The church in Latin America is becoming more than ever a group that is celebrating its freedom in Christ.

The 16 Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries that are home to our 49 congregations stretch from Mexico in the north, through Central America, and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean, through Brazil all the way to Argentina and Chile in the Southern Cone.

With God’s help, members and ministers are working toward raising and strengthening the church. Identifying and establishing a new generation of leaders with a commitment to team ministry has taken—and is taking—time. Also, it has taken time to learn to do evangelism and develop the church with local resources and personnel.

However, after some false starts, the fruit of this work is becoming evident in congregation after congregation. Members are getting together more often to pray. Sunday services are conducted in some areas in addition to services on Saturday. More praise hymns have been added, more intercessory prayer is offered and the messages are shorter and effective. Small group meetings take place in members’ homes. In general, the members play a more active role in the church. The concept of the ministry of the saints is being understood and slowly implemented.

Salvador Barragan, who oversees Mexico, Peru, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela, reports that most of the groups are growing spiritually. For example, in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez, 20 people accepted Christ as a result of the Evangelism Explosion clinic that took place there.

Guillermo Juy, from Chihuahua, Mexico, said: "Our congregation’s average attendance is 10 to 12 people. Sometimes as many as 23 are present, but every time we gather we feel that God has united us more and there is more joy. He has allowed us to see the way we should go.

"We trust his direction, have more understanding and have more participation among the members. Some brethren have said that Jesus is truly leading their lives. We have seen a gradual transformation in our lives that we hadn’t seen before. We have more joy and trust in the direction that God is giving his church.

"We now understand that we evangelize indirectly through our example. We understand that God uses each congregation according to its gifts. We have active participation during services. The brethren interact with one another, learn from one another, and trust and feel free to express their worries, emotions and thoughts. We feel that God’s presence guides us during the service, a feeling we never had before."

Diogenes Alvarez from Costa Rica says that the members have been serving the needy in hospitals and people with drug addiction problems.

Javier Concepcion, member leader in Puerto Rico, said that they have gotten closer to other denominations and ministries and have been able to participate with organizations such as Operation Christmas Child and Samaritan’s Purse.

Ruben Gerardo and other members in Bolivia have been working on a publication to evangelize and invite people to the group.

Thomas Keller, in Santiago, Chile, said, "We have had to learn to depend more on God."

In Colombia, 14 member leaders are studying theology at the Facultad Latinoamericana de Estudios Teologicos (Latin American School of Theological Studies). This has allowed them to understand more rapidly the new covenant concepts and transmit them to the congregations.

In Barranquilla, a Colombian port on the Caribbean, God has brought growth to the congregation. In Medellin, the members produce their own publication. In Bogota, the five-minute radio program Verdad y Vida (Truth and Life), which is transmitted daily, has been well accepted in the Christian community. Some members of the Sunday congregation are the fruit of the radio program.

Hector Barrero, Bogota pastor, works closely with the city’s association of pastors to develop plans to serve the Christian churches with the Natural Church Development program. In Ecuador, we have a small group in Portoviejo, close to the Peruvian border.

God has blessed our two congregations in Honduras with a wonderful youth ministry. In San Pedro Sula, Pastor Marco Antonio Mejia and his wife, Maria, decided to evangelize in the town of Democracia. Mr. Mejia, who retired after 34 years as a school teacher, had decided to minister to adults. However, no adults responded to his evangelistic efforts, but youths did.

Today, the congregation of 15 adults ministers to 60 young people. When the private home in which services were conducted became too small, God provided adequate facilities. The congregation rented a neighborhood church, which was abandoned after being flooded during Hurricane Mitch.

The adults and youths worked together to clean, repair and paint the building. Many of the youths are already exercising leadership in the church, and there is no limit to the positive effect of our brethren in the town.

In Tegucigalpa, the capital, Pastor Maurcio Diaz and his wife, Lilianna, serve a congregation that loves to praise the Lord. They are outgrowing the small hall they rent.

God has also blessed them with a dynamic and growing children’s ministry. Manuel and Arcenia Torres head up the youth ministry, which includes more than 20 children from a neighboring community.

Carlos Espinosa, Buenos Aires’ pastor, wrote: "To take the church to the community and under the motto ‘Jesus is our King,’ the Ezeiza congregation had a youth summer camp in February.

"It opened its doors to community children and their families. Store owners in the area provided food, which allowed us to extend the camp for two more days. It was an excellent opportunity to plant the good seed of the gospel.

"A similar activity took place in April. We invited adults to join us in our regular church activities. We thank the Lord for all his blessings, for answering our prayers and for putting the Spirit of peace among us."

The Lord Jesus Christ has been good to the WCG in these countries. He has left a remnant by grace, so from there would grow a church built upon the Rock: Christ.

We have a long way to go. We need your prayers for strength and for the Lord to raise servants who are filled with the Holy Spirit to fulfill the great commission together with other leaders and members of sister churches. But, we also ask you to join us in thanking our great God for the incredible blessings he has already given us.

CHILE—Members in Santiago.

COLOMBIA—Hector Barrero preaching to congregation in Bogota.

BOLIVIA—Congregation in Cocuabamba

ARGENTINA—Women serving in
kitchen of church-owned hall in Ezeiza.

COLOMBIA—Children taught by
Aminta Ospino de Orozco in Barranquilla.

South Puget Sound Retreat
In the riches of his grace

SOUTH PUGET SOUND, Washington—In the Riches of His Grace was the theme for the South Puget Sound women’s retreat May 18 to 20.

Elkhart, Indiana,
women gather for
third annual retreat

ELKHART, Indiana—The Elkhart women’s ministry conducted its third annual women’s retreat March 31 and April 1 at the Wawasee Episcopal Center in Syracuse, Indiana.

Twenty-four women attended the event, which had a theme of Tapestry—as sisters in Christ the women are woven together in spiritual love and unity. Guest speaker was Lori Houghton, wife of Pastor Mike Houghton. Angie Bielski.

SISTERS IN CHRIST--Elkhart, Indiana, women at third annual retreat.

Coos Bay
women's retreat:
Our Light in the Storm

COOS BAY, Oregon—Our Light in the Storm was the theme of this year’s retreat sponsored by the Coos Bay women’s ministry March 16 to 18 and spearheaded by Marie Allworth, Beverly Curtis and Adela Villers.

This year’s event drew women from as far away as Michigan to the remote and tranquil southern Oregon coast.

An abundance of workshops, Bible studies and musical praise highlighted the three-day weekend retreat at Driftwood Shores, near Florence, Oregon. Together and in small groups, the women explored the Bible’s view of them and how that relates to their everyday lives in 2001. Many of the participants also presented workshops. There was plenty of time for contemplation and fellowship, taking long walks on the pristine beaches or forest trails.

After communion the women began making their way home, rejuvenated in their spirituality, ready for whatever may come their way, and anxious to return next year. Marie Allworth.

 

Gloria Soto receives Chancellor's Award
of Excellence

EL PASO, Texas—Gloria Soto received the Chancellor’s Award of Excellence, the highest award given to Texas Tech employees.

The award was given in June at the Employee and Quality Service Awards ceremony. Mrs. Soto works in emergency medicine for the university. Her husband, Armando, pastors the El Paso church.

Gloria Soto

Fox Valley women have interdenominational retreat

FOX VALLEY, Wisconsin—Fox Valley women were hosts for an interdenominational women’s retreat March 30 to April 1.

Months of planning culminated in an intense weekend of spiritual renewal, focusing on the theme taken from the book of Esther, "For Such a Time as This."

Sixty-six women representing five states attended this retreat conducted at the rustic Lion’s Camp and Conference Center in Rosholt, Wisconsin.

It began Friday evening, March 30, on a lighthearted note with the Veggie Tale’s video, "Esther, The Girl Who Became Queen."

Three speakers delivered the weekend’s messages.

Mary Seltzer, operations director of Christians for Biblical Equality, spoke twice. Her first message declared that every person is significant. Although we may not feel significant, God places us where we are "for such a time as this." God uses the situation that we find ourselves in for the good of the kingdom. Mary’s final message titled, "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyhow," encouraged all present to not let fear stop them from being used by God.

Kathi Rose, author of I Climbed a Mountain: A Mother’s Diary of Tragedy, Grief and Triumph, offered encouragement as she spoke on holiness. Using scripture from Isaiah, she asked, "Who or what has to die before you can see the King?" Isaiah saw him "high and lifted up" in his time of grief. Kathi told about her grief when her son and daughter-in-law were killed in a vehicle accident, but she also offered hope. Although she still greatly misses her children, she would not trade her deeper relationship with God for anything.

Denise Olson, home health nurse and mother, delivered a message declaring her love for God and the power of praise in both good times and bad. She ended her message by dancing and signing the song, "Shout to the Lord."

Praise and worship and humorous or thought-provoking skits preceded each message, led by women and teens from various locales, some of whom had not met before the retreat. Between sessions there was ample time for socializing or personal reflection and prayer. The weekend came to a close with a communion service led by Linda Fiedler.

Next year’s retreat is scheduled for March 15 to 17 at the same location. Shari Voigt.

Denise Olson

Mary Seltzer [Photos by Vania Root]

 

Conference for German,
Austrian and Swiss women

By Silvia Mair

WORMS, Germany—Twenty-eight women from Germany, Austria and Switzerland met for a retreat in the historical city of Worms May 4 to 6.

The coordinator was Rosl Mittag. On Sunday, May 6, Erna Voth, a professional spiritual adviser, spoke on Our Relationship to God.

Mrs. Voth showed 10 points that should help women to see how to improve or change their relationship to God.

The points were: 1) Having time for God, 2) Being open for God, 3) Fellowship with God, 4) Searching for the will of God, 5) Changing wrong pictures we have made of God, 6) Trusting in God, 7) Being thankful to God, 8) Motivation, 9) Asking for forgiveness and 10) Understanding God (as much as he has revealed himself to us).

One afternoon the women visited the historical parts of Worms (the Catholic cathedral, the Protestant monument to Martin Luther and the Jewish cemetery).

One evening Rosl Mittag led a discussion circle about prayer, and afterward the women prayed in small groups.

On the last day, Ursula Lehnert, a member of the Stuttgart, Germany, congregation, gave a seminar about forgiving.

Volunteers prepare
SEP camp for summer

ORR, Minnesota—More than 80 volunteers worked at the Summer Educational Program camp May 26 to 28 to prepare the camp for the summer.

Saturday, May 26, after praise and a message on personal revival from Greg Neller, pastor of the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, church, the volunteers were sent to various parts of camp. They were assigned to facilitators in the following departments: custodial (one each on girls and boys point), moving crew, beach cleaning crew, grounds crew, painting and carpentry. Among the volunteers were a licensed electrician and three professional window cleaners.

On Sunday, after enjoying a meal prepared by the kitchen staff, Mr. Neller and the praise team led the group in songs of praise, a couple of people gave testimonials and then the group took communion. The event ended with the volunteers taking a prayer walk to the various parts of the camp asking God to pour out his Spirit on all those who will come this summer. Tom Kennebeck.

Oklahoma teens
participate in
National Youth Service Day

SAYRE, Oklahoma—Teens 4 Christ (from Sayre, Lawton and Altus) participated in National Youth Service Day, April 21. They picked up trash for Sayre Trash-Off and unloaded a food truck for the Sayre Heartland Share Program.

The teens used the day to evangelize, inviting two teens to services at the Sayre Circle of Love Fellowship. The new teens joined them for lunch and then attended church. They have been coming ever since.

On May 5, the Teens 4 Christ enjoyed a youth night filled with fun, worship and fellowship. The evening began with a water balloon football game, then praise and worship, discussion on choices and a video about how music affects the mind. Next came two hours of roller-skating and pizza before returning to church to have more praise and worship and a prayer circle. One teen gave her life to Christ.

The youth night was coordinated by youth minister Joe Tollison and Tiwana Cotton. Shirley West.

Vancouver children
portray Jesus' resurrection

VANCOUVER, Washington—Vancouver children performed the play "He’s Alive!" for the congregation May 5. As the music began to play the children walked onto the stage. The soldiers (Benny Jacobson, 11, and Matthew Cionea, 8) marched to the front of the tomb.

They were frightened away by the angel (Lindsey Owens, 12). Melissa Jacobson, 13, and Anna Reeves, 5, came up to the front of the stage. Melissa began to read: "Jesus was dead! His disciples, in fear for their own lives, were in hiding."

Mary Magdalene (Hailey Owens, 9), Mary (Lindsey Jones, 9) and JoAnna (Chelsea Smith, 10) were all dressed in long purple, green and blue dresses holding their spice jars, making their way to the tomb. They were discussing how they were going to roll away the stone.

Peter (Eddie Monk, 10) and John (Aaron Jacobson, 9) were sitting at their table with their bread and wine (sparkling grape juice) when they heard from Mary Magdalene of what happened and they had to see for themselves. Jesus (Aaron Jones, 11) appeared to Mary Magdalene and told her to tell his disciples that he was alive.

Kim Jones and Karol Jacobson worked on the costumes and set designs. As the play ended, the "Hallelujah Chorus" played and all the children rejoiced in unison "He’s alive! He’s alive!" Karol Jacobson.

Buffalo teen retreat: Share the Gospel

BUFFALO, New York—Youths 12 years old and older, youth ministers and parents are invited to a Buffalo teen retreat Aug. 3 to 5. (This is the weekend before Kingdom Bound [www.kingdom bound.org/New_York/index.htm] at Six Flags Darien Lake.)

The Buffalo retreat will feature Buffalo’s own teen praise band, camp fires, volleyball, swimming, plenty of praise and worship music, Christian living studies, prizes and community outreach. The cost is $5 per person. Contact Martin and Beth Koenig, 564 Winspear Ave., Buffalo, New York, 14215, telephone 1-716-832-0922, e-mail mjkoenig@juno.com or bjkoenig@adelphia.net or visit them on the web at http://churches.wcg.org/ buffalo-south/youth/

Please respond by July 15.

Give me one good reason
I ought to keep going
to church!

By J. Michael Feazell

Yes, church can be a real pain. In fact, all human relationships can be. Jesus’ command that we "love one another" (John 13:34-35) would not be much of a command if there were no good reasons not to love another. When we love one another in spite of how unloveable we are at times, we are loving others the way Jesus loves us. He loves us even though we are sinners, that is, even though we betray his love.

We tend to expect the church to be close to perfect, even though, if we think about it, we realize that the church is made up of people just like ourselves—quite imperfect. The truth is, no church is "just what it ought to be." Every church has its problems. Despite problems, however, there are good reasons to belong to a church, and we will look at some of them in this article. First, however, let’s look at a few good reasons a person might want to stop going to one church and begin looking for a new one.

If your church is a spiritual detriment to you, then you should consider finding another one. But caution is in order here. Your definition of "spiritual detriment" might be the problem. Your church not being perfect is not necessarily a spiritual detriment; it is the condition of all churches.

Your not getting along with someone is not necessarily a spiritual detriment either. Neither is your boredom, your inconvenience or your disgust with the hypocrisy you see in others, including leaders.

Getting along with people is a challenge at all times, boredom can be a matter of our interest level rather than the presentation of the subject, and hypocrisy is endemic to us all (if you think you are not a hypocrite yourself, you don’t know yourself like others do).

An example of a church being a spiritual detriment to you is when the church does not make the gospel its primary focus and goal. Many churches articulate the gospel, but spend their time and resources on legalism, entertainment, judgmentalism and behaviorism.

Another example is when the church does not regularly offer Bible instruction at a level you or your family members need. A church that does not teach the Bible to its members is spiritually detrimental to its members.

Another example of a church being spiritually detrimental is when it encourages its members not to spend time with non-Christians. Such a church is self-centered rather than gospel-focused, and values behaviorism over the gospel (and the gospel, remember, is good news for sinners).

When the leader of a church indicates that he is God’s unique messenger or special representative in comparison with other Christian ministers, or when the church leader says that being in his church is spiritually superior and more pleasing to God than being in all other Christian churches, then you have another example of a church that is spiritually detrimental to its members.

If you consistently leave your church service with a sense of anxiety and unresolved guilt over sin, or conversely, with a sense of being special and better in God’s sight in comparison with other Christians, then you ought to look for another church.

If your church continually tells you that you need to measure up so that God will accept you, you need to find another church. If your church continually tells you what’s wrong with the world and is always pushing legislation to stamp out sin and punish sinners, you are in a church that has papered over the gospel with a mere moral code. That would be a good reason to move on.

"You’ve given me some good reasons to leave a church, but why should I find one and get involved in it?"

It boils down to New Testament teaching. Jesus said that his followers would be known by their love for one another. We demonstrate our love for one another in the context of committed fellowship. If we avoid such a commitment, we are shunning our personal participation in the very love Jesus wants us to experience.

Paul pointed out that we are called into the fellowship of the saints. In 1 Cor. 1:9, he wrote, "God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." In what way has God called us into fellowship with his Son? One way, of course, is into a personal and direct friendship with Christ.

But there is also another way. In Romans 12:5, Paul wrote, "In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." All Christians are called into the one "body of Christ," and therefore we all have fellowship with one another because we are all in union with Christ.

Paul puts it this way in Ephesians 4:16: "From him [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." Jesus expects each of us to do our part to build up his body in love. It is meaningless to say that Jesus is our friend, or that we love him, if we refuse to have anything to do with the others he calls his friends.

Americans tend to be rather individualistic. We like to think we can do things on our own, and we don’t like to feel dependent on others. But the body of Christ, the church, is far bigger than any one of us.

To be part of Christ’s body is to belong to the fellowship of the saints. And the fellowship of the saints is the fellowship we all share with Jesus Christ, in whom we are made one with God as God’s own children.

My, or your, local church is probably not ideal, but at some level it is a collection of believers—admittedly, each with his or her unique set of baggage, problems, quirks and sins. Despite our inadequacies, however, because we are believers, each of our local churches forms a visible sign in the world of the invisible reality of the kingdom of God. In its weakness, every local Christian church is a declaration that God has sent his Son to save sinners—like you and me.

Although we are often a sorry sight, because of what God has done through Jesus Christ we have been delivered from the slavery of sin to the freedom of God’s children. That means we are free to be more than we are—more because we are never alone. We stand together in Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

We are free together, as one kindred body in Christ, to take active part in the life of the kingdom of God, a life that no longer has to remain in bondage to destructive patterns of thought and behavior.

The church is where we can practice our new life, learning to forgive others as we have been forgiven, and learning to love others as Christ loved us and gave himself for us (Ephesians 4:32).

Working together, each local church can make a strong, positive difference in its community, in the lives of hurting men, women and children. It is often a ministry (a group of concerned and motivated members) of a local church that feeds hungry people, provides clothing for those who are poor, offers after school homework help for underprivileged neighborhood kids, organizes addiction recovery groups or provides training in finding and keeping a job. Churches become the arms and hands of Jesus in the world in countless ways, as he gives them opportunity, occasion and the love to do it.

Despite our weaknesses and sins, God has given us a new heart of love, a heart motivated not only to trust him for personal forgiveness, not only to work on overcoming our own destructive habits, but also to extend ourselves for the good of others.

"We love because he first loved us," John tells us (1 John 4:19). Armed with his love, we are equipped to love him in the ways he said his followers would—when we meet him in the poor, the disenfranchised and the sick (Matthew 25:37-40).

Yes, church can be a pain. But church is also where we participate in the communion, the body and blood of our Savior. In the communion, we take part in the unity of the household of faith, the unity we have with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the letter to the Hebrews, we read about the invisible spiritual assembly to which each Christian has been called:

"You have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel" (Hebrews 12:22-24).

In the church, something greater is going on than what meets the eye. When the church gathers, it is more than just a collection of sweet old ladies, tired Sunday school teachers, donut-eating men’s groups, self-righteous grumps, judgmental watchdogs, nose-in-the-air gossips, sneaky, mischievous kids and two-faced hypocrites.

It is a group of redeemed sinners, made new in the death and resurrection of the Son of God, and the whole creation is resounding in joyful celebration of the amazing revelation of God’s redeeming power and grace displayed in this otherwise pitiful motley crew. To us, it may seem like just another boring day at church. To the cosmos, it is a pulsating symphony of God’s creative and redemptive glory.

There are small churches, midsize churches and big churches. There are Bible study groups, Sunday school groups and prayer groups. There are big denominations, little denominations and independent churches. There are mainline churches, evangelical churches and fundamentalist churches. There are Calvinists and Arminians. There are Saturday Sabbatarians, Sunday Sabbatarians and non-literal Sabbatarians. There are Pentecostals, charismatics, semi-charismatics and cessationists. There are premillenialists, postmillenialists and amillenialists.

The list of permutations goes on and on. The unity of the body of Christ obviously does not lie in such things. Rather, the unity of the body of Christ lies in Christ himself. Only in Christ are we brought into the fellowship of the saints.

When we take part, then, in an assembly of believers in Christ for the purpose of offering praise, thanksgiving and worship to God, we are, in Christ, participating as redeemed members of the fellowship of all saints.

Regardless of the puniness of our local church, our often off-key hymns of praise are made one, in perfect harmony, with no less than the joyful assembly of "thousands upon thousands of angels" and the "church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven."

Whether you are looking for a church or whether you have found one, your church attendance is always more than meets the eye. It may feel like mere duty, or a chore or a burden. But it is one of those otherwise mundane activities that our merciful Savior has chosen to enlist into his service so that we might, as individual members of his own Body, learn to experience the richness of vital union, renewal, peace and power with him in the midst of our mutual trials, challenges, pains, fears and joys.

So why not give church, and yourself, another chance? Maybe this time you could expect things not to be just right. Maybe this time you could feel the freedom just to take your rightful place in our mutual journey of grace.

For the latest information about the Office of Reconciliation Ministries, see the ORM website at www.atimetoreconcile.org

Reconciliation Ministries releases video

By Neil Earle

PASADENA—The Office of Reconciliation Ministries (ORM) sent more than 400 copies of the new videocassette "Reconciliation—A Move of God" to U.S. church pastors and international offices in June.

The 53-minute video was produced by PTM for ORM and features commentary by such noted Christian leaders as Jack Hayford of Church on the Way and John Dawson of the International Reconciliation Coalition. WCG members Carlton Green and Leigh Sniffen and others also shared their insights into the process of racial reconciliation in a Christian context.

According to Curtis May, ORM director, the video was designed to show churches and communities what has been accomplished in ORM workshops and seminars the past few years and to offer practical answers to the problem of racial injustice. It is hoped that every congregation in the United States will be able to see the video.

"Jesus Christ died for reconciliation," noted Mr. May. "It was his priority agenda."

Randy Bloom, superintendent of the Central district, thanked ORM for the effort. It came just in time for a reconciliation event he was planning, he told Mr. May.

Please note: ORM is not equipped to receive donations at this time. Contributions should be sent to the Worldwide Church of God in Pasadena, which in turn funds ORM projects in the United States and around the world.

PRAYERFUL LAUNCH—ORM staff prays
before mailing out video. Clockwise from top:
Leigh Sniffen, Neil Earle, Paul Sniffen, Susan Earle,
Tony Murphy and director Curtis May. [Photo by Thomas C. Hanson]

Update from Finance & Planning

May income mirrors
first four months of year

By Ronald Kelly

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the financial report for May could well be lifted out of any number of previous months. Mail income was just short of $1.7 million—a decrease of about 12 percent from last May. Combined mail income for January through May was $7.5 million—a decrease of 11.5 percent compared to the previous year.

However, the festival or seasonal offerings this year have been better than our projections. As I write, we are only beginning to count the Pentecost season offerings, so they will be included next time. Special offerings for the year have now topped $1.5 million. So when we combine festival offerings and mail income, then add in other sources of revenue such as estate donations, auction revenue, Legacy Partner extension payments and co-worker donations, our total income is down six percent from last year.

We are doing what we can to keep our expenses at a minimum, but the impact to our reserve fund for the first five months of this year is a negative $2 million.

On a more sobering note, it now looks as though Legacy Partners will have to extend escrow through the remainder of this year. Any delays in the process are of course a bit discouraging. However, factors such as city planning issues, affordable housing, density of the development, traffic mitigation and many other concerns take considerably more time than one might think.

These delays have a major impact on our budget in that our budget plan called for escrow to close by June. As we have reported before, extending escrow produces a negative impact on our budget.

On the brighter side of news about the church, our district conferences have been encouraging. I urge you to attend the conference nearest you if you can. These conferences are wonderful weekends of uplifting worship music, inspiring messages, instructional lectures and outstanding fellowship. So if you live within a day’s drive of one of our coming conferences: Denver, Colorado; Athens, Ohio; or Dallas, Texas; why not set aside time to attend?

The fall festival season also affords an opportunity to gather with hundreds of fellow Christians. Six sites are scattered across the United States. And don’t forget the specialty sites—the Caribbean cruise and the group tour to Turkey.

The cruise is popular and may be filled by the time you receive this. But if you’ve always wanted to travel to biblically significant lands, the tour of Turkey will be a lifetime highlight. Space is available in this group tour. If interested in either of these festival groups, please call John Siston at Travel Gallery at 1-800-858-6999.

And of course we have weekly services at 450 U.S. church sites. Remember the biblical admonition to not forsake the assembling of yourselves together. Meeting in worship is one of the most important aspects of Christian living. It is not only a time to receive inspiration and instruction, but to positively contribute to the work of your church. Each member is important.

Statement of Income and Expenses for

WCG and PTM combined for May 2001

                                                                For the Month         For the Year-to-Date

Income

    Mail Income                                               $ 1,677,000             $ 7,518,000

    Festival offerings                                             476,000                1,515,000

    Other income                                                   832,000                2,203,000

        Total income                                             2,985,000               11,236,000

Expenses                                                           3,031,000               13,302,000

Net gain (loss) to bank reserves                          $ (46,000)            $ (2,066,000)

Many members have requested information on how best to make a gift to the Worldwide Church of God, either during their lifetime or upon death through wills, trusts or other means.

If you want to receive information regarding such gifts, the Legal Department of the church is available to aid you in this regard without cost or obligation. Please write Legal Office, Worldwide Church of God, Box 111, Pasadena, California, 91123.

The Legal Department regrets that, because of the variance in laws of other countries, such legal information is only applicable to residents of the United States and Canada. However, in regard to other countries, the Legal Department will furnish whatever limited information it may have available.

Basic Christian Beliefs

Why did Jesus die?

By Michael Morrison

Jesus had an amazingly productive ministry, teaching and healing thousands. He attracted large crowds and had potential for much more. He could have healed thousands more by traveling to the Jews and gentiles who lived in other areas.

But Jesus allowed his work to come to a sudden end. He could have avoided arrest, but he chose to die instead of expanding his ministry. Although his teachings were important, he had come not just to teach, but also to die, and he accomplished more in his death than in his life.

Death was Jesus’ most important ministry. This is the way we remember him, through the cross as a symbol of Christianity or through the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper. Our Savior is a Savior who died.

The Old Testament tells us that God appeared as a human being on several occasions. If Jesus wanted only to heal and teach, he could have simply appeared. But he did more: he became a human. Why? So that he could die. To understand Jesus, we need to understand his death. His death is a crucial part of the gospel and something all Christians should know.

Jesus said, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28). He came to give his life, to die, and his death would purchase salvation for others. This was the primary reason he came to earth. His blood was poured out for others (Matt. 26:28).

Jesus warned his disciples that he would suffer and die, but they didn’t seem to believe it. "Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’ " (Matt. 16:21-22).

Jesus knew that he must die, because the Scriptures said so. "Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected?" (Mark 9:12; 9:31; 10:33-34). "Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.... ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day’ " (Luke 24:26-27, 46).

It had all been according to God’s plan: Herod and Pilate did only what God "had decided beforehand should happen" (Acts 4:28). In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked if there might be some other way, but there was none (Luke 22:42). His death was necessary for our salvation.

Where was it written? Isaiah 53 is the clearest prophecy. Jesus quoted Isaiah 53:12 when he said: "It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment" (Luke 22:37). Jesus, although without sin, was to be counted among sinners.

What else was written in Isaiah 53? "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (vs. 4-6).

"For the transgression of my people he was stricken.... Though he had done no violence ... it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer ... the Lord makes his life a guilt offering.... He will bear their iniquities.... He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors" (vs. 8-12). Isaiah describes a man who suffers not for his own sins, but for the sins of others.

And though this man would be "cut off from the land of the living" (v. 8), that would not end the story. "He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many.... He will see his offspring and prolong his days" (vs. 11, 10).

What Isaiah wrote, Jesus fulfilled. He laid down his life for his sheep (John 10:15). In his death, he carried our sins and suffered for our transgressions; he was punished so that we might have peace with God. Through his suffering and death, our spiritual illness is healed; we are justified—our sins are taken away.

These truths are developed in more detail in the New Testament.

"Anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse," Deuteronomy 21:23 says. Because of this verse, Jews considered any crucified person to be condemned by God. As Isaiah wrote, people would consider him "stricken by God."

The Jewish leaders probably thought that this would stop Jesus’ disciples. Indeed, the crucifixion shattered the disciples’ hopes. They were dejected and said, "We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel" (Luke 24:21). But the resurrection restored their hopes, and Pentecost filled them with new conviction to proclaim salvation in the least likely hero: a crucified Messiah.

Peter told the Jewish leaders, "The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree" (Acts 5:30). By using the word tree, Peter reminded the leaders of the curse of crucifixion. But the shame was not on Jesus, he said—it was on the people who crucified him. God had blessed him because he did not deserve the curse he suffered. God had reversed the stigma.

Paul referred to the same curse in Galatians 3:13: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’ "

Jesus became a curse on our behalf so that we could escape the curse of the law. He became something he was not, so that we could become something we were not. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21).

He became sin for us, so that we might be declared righteous through him. Because he suffered what we deserved, he redeemed us from the curse or penalty of the law. "The punishment that brought us peace was upon him." Because he suffered the penalty, we can enjoy peace with God.

The disciples never forgot the shameful way that Jesus died. Indeed, sometimes that was the focus of the message: "We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles" (1 Cor. 1:23). Paul even called the gospel "the message of the cross" (v. 18). Paul reminded the Galatians that "before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified" (Gal. 3:1). That was how he summarized the gospel.

Why is the cross good news? Because on the cross we were redeemed, and our sins received the penalty they deserved. Paul focused on the cross because it is the key to Jesus being good news for us.

We will not be raised into glory unless our sins are removed from the record, unless in Christ we are made "the righteousness of God." Only then can we join Jesus in his glory.

Paul says that Jesus died "for us" (Rom. 5:6-8; 2 Cor. 5:14; 1 Thess. 5:10); he also says that he died "for our sins" (1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:4). "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree" (1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18). Paul also says that we died with Christ (Rom. 6:3-8). Through faith in him, we participate in his death.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, his death counts as ours; our sins are counted as his, and his death pays the penalty of those sins. It is as if we were on the cross, receiving the curse that our sins deserved. But he did it for us, and because he did it, we can be justified, or counted as righteous. He takes our sin and death; he gives us righteousness and life. The prince became a pauper, so that we paupers might become princes.

Although Jesus used the word ransom to describe our rescue, the ransom wasn’t paid to anyone in particular—this is a figure of speech to indicate that it cost Jesus an enormous amount to set us free. In the same way, Paul talks about Jesus redeeming us, buying our freedom, but he didn’t pay anyone.

Some have said that Jesus died to pay the legal demands of his Father—but it can also be said that the Father himself is the one who paid the price, by sending his Son for this very purpose (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8). In Christ God absorbed the penalty himself, so that we did not have to. "By the grace of God he might taste death for everyone" (Heb. 2:9).

God loves people—but he hates sin, because sin hurts people. Therefore, there will be a "day of God’s wrath" when he judges the world (Rom. 1:18; 2:5).

People who reject the truth will be punished (v. 8). If they reject the truth of God’s grace, they will experience the other side of God, his anger. God wants everyone to repent (2 Pet. 3:9), but those who don’t will suffer the result of their sin.

In the death of Jesus, our sins are forgiven, and through his death, we escape the wrath of God, the punishment of sin. But this does not mean that a loving Jesus appeased or "paid off" an angry God. Jesus is just as angry about sin as the Father is. Jesus is the Judge who condemns (Matt. 25:31-46), as well as the Judge who loves sinners so much that he pays the penalty for them.

When God forgives us, he does not simply wipe away sin and pretend it never existed. He teaches us throughout the New Testament that sins are taken care of through the death of Jesus. Sins have serious consequences—consequences we can see in the cross of Christ. It cost Jesus pain and shame and death. He bore the punishment we deserved.

The gospel reveals that God acts righteously in forgiving us (Rom. 1:17). He does not ignore our sins, but takes care of them in Jesus Christ. God presented Jesus as a sacrifice for our forgiveness. "He did this to demonstrate his justice" (Rom. 3:25). The cross reveals that God is just; it shows that sin is too serious to be ignored. It is appropriate for sin to be punished, and Jesus volunteered to suffer the punishment on our behalf. The cross demonstrates God’s love as well as his justice (Rom. 5:8).

As Isaiah says, we have peace with God because Christ was punished. We were once enemies of God, but through Christ we have been brought near (Eph. 2:13). In other words, we have been reconciled to God through the cross (v. 16). It is a basic Christian belief that our relationship with God depends on the death of Jesus Christ.

Christianity is not a list of things to do—it is faith that Christ has done everything we need to be right with God—and he did it on the cross. "When we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son" (Rom. 5:10). God reconciled the universe through Christ, "making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Col. 1:20). If we are reconciled through him, all our sins are forgiven (v. 22)—reconciliation, forgiveness and justification all mean the same thing: peace with God.

Paul uses an interesting image of salvation when he writes that Jesus "disarmed the powers and authorities" by making "a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross" (Col. 2:15). He uses the word for a military parade: the winning general brings captured enemy soldiers in a victory parade at home. They are disarmed, humiliated, put on display. Paul’s point here is that Jesus did this on the cross.

What looked like a shameful death for Jesus was actually a glorious triumph for God’s plan, because it is through the cross that Jesus won victory over enemy powers, including Satan, sin and death. Their claim on us has been fully satisfied in the death of the innocent victim. They cannot demand any more than what he has already paid.

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