Rebecca St. James has confirmed her concert date during the WCG’s summer festival celebration in Athens, Ohio, Aug. 17. Page 3.

Easter

Congregations in several areas marked the Easter season. Members in Australia planted a church in the farming village of Budgeree. Springfield, Massachusetts, women had an outreach project, and Pastor Mel Dahlgren of San Jose, California, gave a testimonial at a Good Friday service. Page 5.

Some people make prayer sound like a duty, as a work that faithful Christians must perform, writes Pastor General Joseph Tkach in this month’s Personal. Page 6.

Christian Beliefs

As Christians, our most basic religious belief is that God exists, writes Michael Morrison in "Introduction to God" in the WN’s new feature, Basic Christian Beliefs.

Humans cannot understand God in totality, but we can have a solid beginning point for understanding who God is and what God is doing in our lives. Page 8.

This is a testimony to the awesome God, who in his benevolence grants courage, steadfastness and honors the prayers of his people, writes Linda Canna of the Middletown, New York, church. Page 11.

I was finding far too frequently that the leaders I was relying on to produce additional leaders were such good servants that they couldn’t see that their service was hurting the congregation, writes Randal Dick in Window on the World. Page 12.

The South Pacific is a huge area with numerous small island nations separated by thousands of miles of ocean. This area is administered from the Australian Office, where Rod Matthews serves as regional director. Page 14.

A personal walk through the 23rd Psalm offers reflection into a Christian’s need to take time to be alone with God, writes J. Michael Feazell in "Insights Into Solitude." What could be more comforting than to know that our spiritual provision and safety depend not on who we are, but on who God is? Page 16.

The WCG is committed to youth ministry, writes Jeb Egbert, who directs the church’s SEP program with his wife, Barb. Young people need Jesus in their lives as much as anyone. Page 18.

Last year, she won the Grammy for best Rock Gospel Album at the awards show conducted at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in February. In addition to numerous other awards, she received Dove Award nominations for best artist of the year in 1998, and best new artist of the year in 1995.

According to Craig Bacheller, pastor of the Queens, N.Y., congregation and conference coordinator: "This concert should be one of the highlights of the Summerfest 2001. Not only is Rebecca St. James a great entertainer, her passion about her faith is inspiring."

In accepting her Grammy award last year, she said that "the most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me to tell people the good news about God’s grace," taken from Acts 20:24.

Many in the music industry note that Rebecca St. James is truly a genuine and nice person who is completely sincere about her Christianity. "Transform" is her current release and is available from Forefront Records, or you can visit her web site at www.rsjames.com for more details.

Summerfest 2001 promises to be a wonderful time for the entire family. The keynote address will be given by President Joseph Tkach. Carn Catherwood, Ron Kelly, Dan Rogers, Mike Feazell and others will give presentations on a variety of religious and denominational topics during the conference. Additional plans are being finalized for more interactive sessions covering topics such as evangelism, missions, small groups and worship.

While the conference is in session, Vacation Bible School will be available for children 12 and younger, and a mini-Summer Educational Program will run during the conference. This is possible because the Ohio University campus has a variety of facilities including its own bowling alley, theater, billiard hall and arcade, ropes challenge course and conference rooms.

Why I love the WCG

It was a joy reading Geoff Pittman’s articles in the February ("How to Build Our Church") and March ("Why I Love the WCG") WNs. He is obviously a young man with a lot of wisdom and spiritual understanding and a truly loving heart for his WCG brethren.

God bless you all!

Gary Cloth

Falls Church, Virginia

Small miracles?

I appreciated the story about Small Miracles (is any miracle small?) on 34th Street in New York (April WN). I thank God that he intervened in Kathy Dolengo’s life. Things like this strengthen your faith.

Ralph Dingus

Johnson City, Tennessee

Gabriel Ojih, area pastor for Ghana and Nigeria, organized this, the first of the three-part Dynamics of Effective Ministry conferences for West Africa. More than 80 people attended from Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Nigeria.

Guest speaker Randal Dick, superintendent of missions, presented lectures on Theology, Mission and Ministry and on Leadership Formation, and James Henderson, superintendent of African missions, spoke on Images of the Preacher and on the Methodology and Accountability of Preaching Within the WCG.

About 300 people attended worship services in Accra April 14.

Mr. Hardy, his wife, Lynne, and their children moved to Budgeree from Melbourne in 1993 to pastor the Morwell congregation.

Budgeree didn’t even have a church (building), that is not until April 15. On that day, the seldom used community hall was turned into a church and the people came—38 of them (including 10 WCG members).

One family were Christians new to the area looking for a church home. The rest included lapsed Christians and others who had come to see what this was all about.

In addition to the Hardys, two newer members of the Morwell congregation (Grahame and Margaret Flynn) live in Budgeree and two more (Greg and Helen Seales) are about to move into the area.

Easter Sunday was decided upon as being an appropriate time to conduct a service, and the planning got under way. They booked the community hall and posted a sign a month in advance to announce the service.

Two weeks before Easter, they put 58 flyers in letter boxes around the community. When you add the six Worldwide Church of God Budgeree members, about one third of the community attended the multi-denominational service. Two individuals and a family sent their apologies for not attending because they would be away for the holidays or had to work.

"The atmosphere was positive and exciting," Mr. Hardy said. "It was a most exciting occasion to witness," said Mrs. Hardy.

A survey showed that everyone wanted more services, varying from just Christmas and Easter to weekly. Many responded positively to the message in which the following questions were posed and addressed: "Is Jesus alive?" and "If he is, what does it mean for us?"

I think Christians should pray not as a duty, but out of need. After all, prayers are requests. There are no biblical commands for us to pray at certain times or in certain ways. We are not told to follow Jesus’ example in praying all night, or Daniel’s example of facing Jerusalem.

But Scripture everywhere assumes that God’s people do pray. We are not told to pray for specific amounts of time, but all the time (1 Thess. 5:17; Eph. 6:18). We are not told to kneel or stand or lie on the floor when we pray. Rather, we are told to do everything while praying (Phil. 4:6).

Why so much prayer?

Prayer is, in its simplest sense, a request. The most common Hebrew and Greek words for prayer mean "ask." Whenever we ask God for anything, we are praying—and it is right that we ask. Paul told the Philippians to ask for whatever they wanted (Phil. 4:6).

That is why we should pray: We are to ask God for the things we need. The better we know ourselves, the more we will know that we are incredibly needy people. Of ourselves, we can do nothing. If we want to accomplish anything worthwhile, we must seek God’s help. Prayer is a cry for help. And since our needs never end, our prayers should never cease.

Rely on God

Self-reliance is sin. It is arrogant for us tiny creatures to think that we can do whatever we want, that we can control our own destinies, that we can decide for ourselves what is right and what is wrong. The truth is that humans do not have the wisdom or the power. The universe exists only because Christ is upholding it by the word of his power (Heb. 1:3). We exist only because our Creator supplies our needs (Acts 14:17).

Yet (I speak from experience) even believers sometimes forget about our minute-by-minute need for God, and we may go through the day with scarcely a thought, scarcely a thanks for what God is doing for us. He is upholding us even as we ignore him.

Even when we face problems, we sometimes struggle on and on, trying to solve the problems with our own strength, with our own strategies, instead of realizing that needs and desires should be shared with God in prayer (Phil. 4:6). We act as if everything depends on us, when everything actually depends on God. He knows our needs, and he wants us to trust him.

Thankfully, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, especially when we are too unthinking to ask for ourselves (Rom. 8:26-27). The Holy Spirit stands in the gap and helps us in ways that we do not know. So when we fail to pray constantly, the Holy Spirit steps in. Even so, we cannot turn all prayer over to the Holy Spirit and let him do all the talking while we go through life unawares.

We need to pray. We will be happier, less stressed, more fulfilled, if we keep in mind that we live in the presence of God, that in him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). The more we are aware of God, the better our understanding of life will be, for God is the frame of reference that we need. When we see life in his context, we see it accurately.

We all know that God is not a genie who grants our every wish. That is because we often do not understand what we really need. We may pray for escape from a trial, but God is using that trial to teach us something far more important than temporary comfort.

We may pray for a neighbor to come to Christ (and we should have that desire), but God knows this may not be the right time. God may want us to be more involved in the person’s life.

Frankly, there are so many things wrong with this world that we should have many desires, for ourselves, for our churches and for this world. We have much to pray about.

Prayer is our cry for help. In prayer, we admit that we are not self-sufficient, that we cannot handle everything on our own. In prayer, we acknowledge a relationship between God and us, a relationship in which God has promised to provide our needs and to bless us in ways he knows are best. Prayer is an act of worship, for it implies that God has power and that he is dependable.

Thanks

God supplies our needs, and it is appropriate for us to thank him for doing so. Every breath we take is a gift from him. All the beauty in nature is a gift from him. The wonderful variety of sights, sounds, smells and textures is a gift from him. Our conversations with God should include thanks as well as requests.

As we thank God, we remind ourselves of our place in the universe—a place of great honor as a target of God’s affection, and a place of dependence on his graciousness. Giving thanks is a way to know who we are and why we exist; it reminds us that the universe functions only through his gift.

Some may say: "I already know that. Why do I have to keep saying it?" I think it is only through saying it that we are really mindful of it; it is too easy for us to go through the day without really being aware that life functions best if we remember it as a gift. This is supported by the biblical commands for us to be thankful, and to continually give thanks to God in our prayers (1 Thess. 5:17-18).

The Bible similarly tells us to pray with persistence, giving the same request again and again. We know by faith that God heard us the first time, and that he knows our earnestness even without our persistence, so I conclude that his command for our persistence is really for our own good. We need to tell ourselves again and again what the desires of our heart are.

This does not mean that prayer is just a means of talking to ourselves, or of reminding ourselves of abstract truths. No, Scripture assures us that prayer is a genuine conversation with God. Our requests really go to heaven, and are really heard and answered by God. Our thanks really go to God; we must see him in the picture.

We have never-ending thanks for what God does for us day to day, thanks for the promises he has made for our future, and thanks for what he has already done in Christ to ensure that future.

Our thankfulness for Jesus Christ turns naturally to dedicating ourselves to doing God’s will. We eagerly desire to respond with faithful allegiance to one who loves us so much.

Our existence, our joy, our pleasures, our sanity, are all dependent on God’s day-to-day favor toward us through Jesus Christ. We have much to be thankful for—indeed, everything we have and ever hope to have is a gift for which we need to be thankful.

Our thanks should include our appreciation for who God is, and here our prayers blend thanks and praise. We exalt his power, his wisdom, his mercy, the beauty of his love. We praise him for who he is, not just for what he gives us, for in actuality, he gives us himself.

My cry for help

Finally, my friends, I ask you to pray for your local church. It takes God’s strength for your congregation to make a difference for the kingdom in your community. You need divine help to work together and to tackle the impossible. You need to pray.

Pray for your local leaders, too. Those who lead worship music need divine blessing. Those who speak should speak the words of God (1 Peter 4:11), and this cannot be done from human wisdom.

Humans cannot understand God in totality, but we can have a solid beginning point for understanding who God is and what God is doing in our lives. Let’s focus on the qualities of God that a new believer, for example, might find most helpful.

His existence

Many people, even long-time believers, want proof of God’s existence. But there is no way to "prove" God’s existence so that everyone is convinced. It is probably better to talk in terms of evidence, rather than proof. The evidence gives us confidence that God exists and is the sort of being the Bible describes.

God "has not left himself without testimony," Paul told the pagans in Lystra (Acts 14:17). Well then, what is the evidence?

Creation. Psalm 19:1 tells us, "The heavens declare the glory of God." Romans 1:20 tells us, "Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made." Creation itself tells us something about God.

It is reasonable for us to believe that something caused the earth, sun and stars to be the way they are. Scientists say the universe began with a big bang, and it is reasonable for us to believe that something caused the bang. That something, we believe, was God.

Design. Creation shows signs of order, of laws of physics. If various properties of matter were different, then earth would not exist, or humans could not exist. If the size or orbit of earth were different, then conditions on this planet would not permit human life. Some people believe that this is a cosmic accident; others believe that the more reasonable explanation is that the solar system was designed by an intelligent Creator.

Humans. Humans are self-conscious creatures who explore the universe, who ponder the meaning of life, who seek significance. Physical hunger suggests the existence of food; thirst suggests that there is something that can quench our thirst. Does our intellectual yearning for purpose suggest that there is in fact a meaning to be found? Many people claim to have found meaning in relationship with God.

Morality. Is right and wrong a matter of opinion, of majority rule, or is there some supra-human authority that defines good and evil? If there is no God, then humans have no basis for proclaiming anything evil, no reason to condemn racism, genocide, torture or any atrocity. The existence of evil is therefore evidence that God exists. If there is no God, then power must rule. It is reasonable to believe in God.

Greatness

What sort of being is God? Bigger than we can imagine! If he created the universe, then he is bigger than the universe—and not limited by time, space or energy, for he existed before time, space, matter and energy did.

2 Timothy 1:9 mentions something God did "before the beginning of time." Time had a beginning, and God existed before that. He has a timeless existence that cannot be measured by years. He is eternal, of infinite age—and infinity plus several billion is still infinity. Our mathematics is too limited to describe God’s existence.

Since God created matter, he existed before matter, and he is not made of matter. He is spirit—but he is not "made of spirit." God is not made at all; he simply is, and he exists as spirit. He defines existence, he defines spirit and he defines matter.

God existed before matter did, and the dimensions and properties of matter do not apply to him. He cannot be measured in miles or kilowatts. Solomon acknowledged that even the highest heavens could not contain God (1 Kings 8:27). He fills heaven and earth (Jeremiah 23:23); he is everywhere, or omnipresent. There is no place in the universe where he does not exist.

How powerful is God? If God can cause a big bang, design solar systems, create the codes in DNA and manage all these levels of power, then he must be unlimited in power, or omnipotent. "With God all things are possible," Luke 1:37 tells us. God can do whatever he wants to do.

God’s creativity demonstrates an intelligence greater than we can understand. He controls the universe, constantly causing its continued existence (Hebrews 1:3). That means he must know what is happening throughout the universe; he is unlimited in intelligence—he is omniscient. He knows whatever he wants to know.

Since God defines right and wrong, he is by definition right, and he has the power to always do right. "God cannot be tempted with evil" (James 1:13). He is consistently and perfectly righteous (Psalm 11:7). His standards are right, his decisions are right, and he judges the world in righteousness, for he is, in his very nature, good and right.

In all these ways, God is so different from us that we have special words that we use only for God. Only God is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, eternal. We are matter; he is spirit. We are mortal; he is eternal. This great difference between us and God, this otherness, is called his transcendence. It means that he transcends us, is beyond us, is not like us.

Other ancient cultures believed in gods and goddesses who fought with one another, who acted selfishly, who could not be trusted. But the Bible reveals a God who is in complete control, who needs nothing from anyone, who therefore acts only to help others. He is perfectly consistent, his behavior is perfectly righteous and completely trustworthy. This is what the Bible means when it says that God is holy: morally perfect.

This makes life much simpler. People do not have to try to please 10 or 20 different gods; there is only one. The Creator of all is still the Ruler of all, and he will be the Judge of all. Our past, our present and our future are all determined by the one God, the All-knowing, All-powerful, Eternal One.

Goodness

If all we knew about God is that he had incredible power over us, we might obey him out of fear, with bent knee and hostile heart. But God has revealed to us another aspect of his nature: The incredibly great God is also incredibly gentle and good.

One of Jesus’ disciples asked him, "Show us the Father" (John 14:8). He wanted to know what God was like. He knew the stories of the burning bush, the pillar of cloud and fire at Mt. Sinai, the spaceship throne that Ezekiel saw and the whisper that Elijah heard (Exodus 3:4; 13:21; 1 Kings 19:12; Ezekiel 1). God can appear in all these ways, but what is he really like? Where should we look?

Jesus said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). If we want to know what God is like, we need to look at Jesus. We can learn a bit about God from nature; we can learn more from the way he revealed himself in the Old Testament, but we learn the most from the way that God has revealed himself in Jesus.

Jesus shows us what God is like. He is Immanuel, which means God with us (Matthew 1:23). He lived without sin, without selfishness. He is a person of compassion. He has feelings of love and joy, disappointment and anger. He cares about individuals. He calls for righteousness, and he forgives sin. He served others, even in his suffering and death.

God is like that. He described himself to Moses in this way: "The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished" (Ex. 34:6-7).

The God who is above all creation is also free to work within creation. This is his immanence, his being with us. Although God is larger than the universe and everywhere within the universe, he is with us in a way that he is not with unbelievers. The enormous God is always close to us. He is near and far at the same time (Jeremiah 23:23).

In Jesus, he entered human history, space and time. He worked in human flesh, showing us what life ought to be like in the flesh, and showing us that God wants more for our lives than merely flesh. We are offered eternal life, life beyond the physical limits we know now. We are offered spirit life, as the Spirit of God himself comes into us to live in us and make us children of God (Romans 8:11; 1 John 3:2). God continues to be with us, working in space and time to help us.

The great and powerful God is also the gentle and gracious God; the perfectly righteous Judge is also the merciful and patient Savior. The God who is angry at sin also provides salvation from sin. He is mighty in mercy, great in gentleness. This is what we should expect from a Being who can create the codes in DNA, the colors in a rainbow and the delicate wisps on dandelion seeds. We would not exist at all, except for the fact that God is kind and gentle.

God describes his relationship to us in several ways. In one analogy, he is a father and we are his children. In another, he is the husband and all his people together are his wife. Or he is a king and we are his subjects. He is a shepherd and we are the sheep. In all these analogies, God puts himself in a situation of responsibility to protect and provide for the needs of his people.

God knows how tiny we are. He knows he could obliterate us in the snap of a finger, in the slightest miscalculation of cosmic forces. But in Jesus, God shows us how much he loves us, how much he cares for us. Jesus was humble, willing even to suffer, if it would help us. He knows the kind of pain we go through, because he has felt it. He knows the pain that evil causes, and he accepted it, showing us that we can trust God.

God has plans for us, for he has made us to be like himself (Genesis 1:27). He invites us to become more like himself—in goodness, not in power. In Jesus, God gives us an example to follow: an example in humility, in selfless service, in love and compassion, in faith and hope.

"God is love," John wrote (1 John 4:8). God demonstrated his love by sending Jesus to die for our sins, so barriers between us and God might be removed, so we might live with him in eternal joy. God’s love is not wishful thinking—it is action that helps us in our deepest need.

We learn more about God from the crucifixion of Jesus than from his resurrection. Jesus shows us that God is willing to suffer pain, even pain caused by the people who are being helped. His love invites us, encourages us. He does not force us to do his will.

God’s love for us, shown most clearly in Jesus Christ, is our example: "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:10-11). If we live in love, then eternal life will be a joy not only for us but also for those who are with us.

If we follow Jesus in life, we will also follow him in death, and then in resurrection. The same God who raised Jesus from the dead will also raise us and give us life eternal (Romans 8:11). But if we do not learn to love, then we will not enjoy everlasting life. So God is teaching us to love, at a pace we can follow, giving us a perfect example, changing our hearts by the Holy Spirit working in us. The Power who controls the nuclear furnaces of the sun is working gently in our hearts, wooing us, winning our affection, winning our allegiance.

God gives us meaning in life, direction for life, hope for life eternal. We can trust him, even when we suffer for doing good. God’s goodness is backed up by his power; his love is guided by his wisdom. He has all the forces of the universe at his control, and he is using them for our benefit. "In all things God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28).

Response

How do we respond to a God so great and gentle, so terrible and tender? We respond with worship: awe at his glory, praise for his works, reverence for his holiness, respect for his power, repentance in the presence of his perfection, obedience in the authority found in his truth and wisdom.

To his mercy, we respond with thankfulness; to his grace, with our allegiance; to his goodness, with our love. We admire him, we adore him, we give ourselves to him even as we wish we had more to give. Just as he has shown his love for us, we let him change us so that we love the people around us. We use all that we have, all that we are, all that he gives us, to serve others, just as Jesus did.

This is the God we pray to, knowing that he hears every word, that he knows every thought, that he knows what we need, that he cares about our feelings, that he wants to live with us forever, that he has the power to fulfill every request, that he has the wisdom not to.

God has proven himself faithful in Jesus Christ. God exists to serve, not to be selfish. His power is always used in love. Our God is supreme in power, and supreme in love. We can trust him in absolutely everything.

On May 3, 2000, my husband, John, had surgery to remove six tumors on his liver. The doctor told us they just close up individuals if they find more than five. When they operated they found only four at first, and in the middle of the surgery found two more.

The physician stopped the surgery and came out to ask me what he should do. Our God granted me the courage to tell him to continue. The Sovereign Lord protected John, and the surgery was completed. Seven days later he returned home. 2 Chronicles 15:2: "The Lord is with you when you are with him."

Three days after he returned home, he was rushed to the hospital because he had developed pneumonia. Our God was there when the doctor in the emergency room did not have much hope for John’s survival, and we waited for five hours. The God I serve granted me courage to pray with a sister in Christ for a room, and a room was granted in the intensive care unit (ICU). Isaiah 55:11: "My word ... will accomplish what I desire."

Again in the ICU, we were told John was sitting on the fence and could move either toward life or death. Again by prayer, I stood against the negativity of little hope and bathed myself in his word, and with the help of members during the week, we prayed beside John’s bed and over him and believed in God’s power and might. Isaiah 26:1: "We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts."

Again, God honored the faith and prayers of his own, and John turned the corner toward life. He was taken out of the ICU and was placed on the fourth floor. One week later, we were told his lungs were not clearing as they should, and he would need additional surgery to repair damage to the chest cavity.

The God of faithfulness, our Shepherd, walked beside us and held us close to his side to face the additional surgery, and John returned to the ICU to wait for his body to respond by the grace and love of our God. Psalm 23:4: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me."

Again my God provided prayer warriors to call out for us and surround us with administering angels. John rallied and was once again moved to the fourth floor, moving now toward coming home. I left that Saturday with a song in my heart that John would come home soon. I received a call that evening, and was told John was having trouble breathing. On my way to the door, I received a call that he needed a respirator.

As I left, I called prayer warriors for assistance and again was surrounded by God’s power to drive to the hospital in calmness of spirit and walking in trust that the God I serve would not allow his hand of life to be removed from John. Isaiah 26:3: "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."

When I came into my husband’s hospital room, I was inspired to place my hands on him and pray for God’s protection on him before they placed him in ICU once again, this time with less than a 1 percent chance of survival. He was drowning in his lung secretions. One doctor told me he would not make it. I was privileged and inspired to tell the doctor, "I’ve heard that before."

Our God inspired me to pray psalms over my husband. I prayed all night, and at dawn I was inspired to sing quietly the hymns to God in hope. A nurse wanted to know the songs I was singing.

By dawn, John’s numbers showed that the potential for life was elevated. The nurses and doctors stood in awe of the greatness of the God I served. I was honored to tell the physicians who told me John was going to die that prayer is powerful, and my God’s power changed the course of death. He begrudgingly acknowledged. Psalm 31:23: "The Lord preserves the faithful."

For four days, I watched John on a respirator, unable to talk or move and at the mercy of others. One day, God inspired me to play a song "The Anchor Holds" on his ears, and that’s exactly what our Anchor did. He helped us out of the storm, and the respirator was removed. My husband’s name was associated with the word miracle.

When John was placed back on the fourth floor for the last time, the nurses came in one by one to talk to us and acknowledged their prayers for us also. Some sang praises to our God in John’s room as we left. Isaiah 52:10: "The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God."

God is awesome. Prayers are our power even against death’s door. Loyalty and faithfulness are our swords against unbelief. One of my favorite names for God is Awesome God. "Awesome: inspiring awe, an emotion of mingled reverence, wonder inspired by something majestic or sublime."

God’s awesomeness is seen in the saving of a sinner, in the healing of diseases. God can drive back any attempt on a life he has direction for. And so it was done for my husband, John, who sits here today.

Some of the executives reported that they learned a great deal about themselves, as others saw them, but that the honesty of the caricature was brutal at times. The caricature below was drawn and given to me by a talented young woman named Beth Crawford in 1986. I have always treasured this cartoon, but over time I have found that my thinking about the cartoon has changed significantly.

First reaction

Beth drew and gave my wife, Susie, and me the cartoon as an expression of appreciation for all the various ways in which we served the congregation. I was proud of that cartoon and displayed it prominently on the desk depicted in the drawing. I really was trying my best to be that person, and it made me feel validated that I was perceived to be that much of a servant leader. We loved that congregation and would never do anything to harm them.

Second reaction

Over the last 10 years my role has increasingly involved pastoring pastors rather than congregations. I have studied leadership from as many perspectives as possible and have learned to value results rather than activity. The cartoon had gone from a place of prominent display to an honored place in a desk drawer. Instead of laughing at the cauliflower ear, the sermon in the oven or the flat tire on the car, I began to be aware that this was depicting a one-man show.

Increasingly, I was faced with the downside of what that cartoon depicted. We had (and still have) a desperate need for additional leaders at the congregation and sub-congregational levels. I was finding far too frequently that the leaders I was relying on to produce additional leaders were such good servants that they couldn’t see that their service was hurting the congregation.

They had neither the time nor the energy to develop true leadership in others, because they could see leadership only in terms of their service. Developing leadership was seen as giving others a part in what they were doing. It was during this time that the term omni-competent pastor came into vogue. Of course, this is an oxymoron. There is no such thing as a truly omni-competent pastor. If the omni increases, then the competence decreases, and vice versa.

The penny drops

Two weeks ago I was at the Christian Stewardship Institute, in a seminar on giving. The instructor was trying to get us to shed some toxic paradigms about Christian giving. At one point he said something that caused the lights to come on for me. Let me share it with you.

Giving is not about members giving to the church so that God’s work can be done by the church. Neither is it Christ’s will that everyone just do whatever they feel led to do. The instructor said that the church’s job is to provide an effective means for individual people to effectively respond to the way Christ is working in their lives. It’s a spiritual matter—it’s about the sovereign work Christ is doing in each of our lives. He places us in his Body as he sees fit, and invites us to participate with him in his ministry.

He spreads the talents and resources widely among us so that the only way we can fulfill his ministry is by each member truly being unique, but also part of a body that functions as a unit. The church focuses the common resources on a given point at a particular time and place.

This principle applies to Christian leadership and ministry. The real purpose of Christian leaders is to be stewards of Christ who create and maintain an atmosphere wherein the people of God can become all that Christ wants them to be, and accomplish all that he intends for them to do. A Christian leader should not be known for how many different hats he or she can wear; a leader should be known for helping others find the right hat, and helping them learn to wear it well.

How would your cartoon look?

I just have another concern, and it concerns you. If a cartoon depicted the way you respond to Christ, what would it look like? When I look at my cartoon now, I sometimes cringe a little as I ask myself, What effect has the style of leadership depicted in the cartoon had on those I led?

What are the chances that people who have been "served" in this manner for many years would come to the point where they lost sight of their real purpose in the work of God as well? Is there any chance that you have become a co-dependent to an omni-competent pastor? Is there any chance that if your formerly omni-competent pastor seeks to change, that you might view it negatively? Are you really ready for Christ to make you all that he wants you to be, in his time and in his way?

For every action there tends to be an equal and opposite reaction. If I was the way this cartoon depicts, what is the logical opposite reaction? If you have ever been "blessed" with an effective, well-intentioned and loveable omni-competent pastor, what might you have to unlearn, for you as a unit, to really come together in such a way that Christ can work his ministry through you in the most effective way possible?

Fiji

Epeli Kanaimawi, who pastors our congregations in Fiji, found himself playing a critical role in negotiations that followed the disrupting coup of May 2000.

Ratu (chief) Epeli was asked to be chairman of a sub-committee on Fijian reconciliation established by the Great Council of Chiefs, an advisory body representing the traditional clans of indigenous Fijians from across the nation of about 300 islands.

Because of his many years of respected civil service, and of having taken on this responsibility not long before the coup, he found himself as one of the chief negotiators between coup leader George Speight and government officials.

Using the wisdom that God gave him moment by moment, and striving to represent and reflect the way that our Savior would want people to respond in such difficult circumstances, Epeli spent many long hours with officials from both sides, seeking common ground, a peaceful solution and reconciliation.

Long and stressful weeks followed with the situation sometimes making it difficult for him and his family.

The aftermath of the coup has left the country with even more work to be done in the area of ethnic and social reconciliation and economic reconstruction. Ratu Epeli, who is widely known and respected as a minister of our fellowship, feels the work that lies ahead of him, both through the church and as chairman of the committee on reconciliation, is now of even more importance than it has ever been.

Vanuatu

The church continues to grow on the island of Malekula in Vanuatu. At the festival last October, about 50 people met in the church’s thatch-roofed building in a jungle clearing at the remote village of Rory. On one day nearly 100 came, spilling over outside because the hall seats only about 65.

The members, under the direction of deacon Billy Taren, have put together an impressive church campus at the village. They constructed the church building a couple of years ago, and have now added a kindergarten and a dining hall. Next year, they plan to build a women’s ministry building to be used for meetings, activities and storage of sewing and craft items produced by the women for sale.

The road to the village was upgraded before the festival, and the Vanuatu government sent the church a letter thanking them for helping with funding this project.

Members are pastored and visited by elder William Davies, who lives on the neighboring island of Espiritu Santo (Holy Spirit). Baptisms in the last year included the chief of the village of Metoune.

In February, Malekula was devastated by a cyclone (hurricane) and much damage was incurred to crops and property. About 12 member families either lost or had their homes severely damaged.

Mr. Davies visited to assess their needs, and generous emergency financial assistance was contributed by New Zealand and Australian churches so the members could purchase food and start rebuilding their homes.

Rex Morgan from our Auckland, New Zealand, office provides pastoral supervision and visits Vanuatu once or twice a year.

Solomon Islands

On the remote western island of Ranongga, the church has a vibrant, growing and serving congregation led by Derek Jiru. Ranongga has no roads or electricity. The minimal medical services rely on a couple of nurses with basic training, but they have run out of medicine.

The Solomon Islands are in dire financial straits and there is little the government can do to help.

Our members decided to establish a first-aid station in their village of Qiloe, to save a two-hour walk to the nearest clinic (with no medical supplies)—at least for those with minor problems.

Because of a sister-congregation relationship with the Ipswich, Australia, congregation near Brisbane and support from the Mooroolbark congregation in Melbourne, where their supervising pastor, Doug Lewis, lives, help is being mobilized to aid Ranongga.

Through the efforts of our members, medical supplies are on their way for the clinic, and with some added training for an attendant nurse, it is hoped to have a new first-aid station in Ranongga soon.

A new spirit of cooperation is developing between the peoples of Qiloe and the neighboring village of Ombombula with their desire to establish a joint kindergarten for their children. Equipment and materials are being collected in Australia to help with this project. The outward focused approach of our members in Ranongga and their desire to serve the community and see the gospel spread is having an effect on the neighboring villages, bringing them into contact with other church groups, and creating a new atmosphere of reconciliation.

Papua New Guinea

Named The Land of the Unexpected, sometimes for good reason, Papua New Guinea is exciting and challenging. The small group of members in Port Moresby are energetic, use Australia’s Living Today magazine to reach out into the community, and desire to start their own publication with articles more specifically tailored to the spiritual needs of the people there.

The largest group of members are in Chimbu in the central highlands, but on occasions, adverse circumstances—weather, airstrip closures, tribal warfare—have prevented visits by pastoral coordinator Ken Slade. On one previous visit, Mr. Slade had to mediate in an inter-tribal conflict in which our members were caught up.

It was an excellent learning opportunity for them to understand what being a practicing Christian means in their cultural environment. For Mr. Slade, it was a classic experience in striving to help them allow the word of God to override centuries of traditions of trying to use revenge to settle disputes.

Other members are scattered across the country in Wewak, Lae, Madang, Milne Bay and other places. The country has a general problem with lawlessness, perhaps reflecting the cultural stresses in a country whose people come from ancient civilizations but who are now trying with few resources to survive and progress in a technological age.

Several members take correspondence courses on Christian leadership and evangelism from a theological college that are designed for that society. When completed, several members will be better equipped to provide the pastoral leadership needed to guide our members into a closer relationship with God, and to spread the gospel in their communities.

Elsewhere

We have scattered members in a number of small island nations around the South Pacific: American Samoa, the Cook Islands, the Marshall Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Western Samoa.

CHURCH BUILDING—The church building
in Qiloe, Ranongga, Solomon Islands.
[Photo by Doug Lewis]

Psalm 23, one of the most beloved passages of Scripture, begins with the simple truth and assurance, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. (New Revised Standard Version throughout) What could be more comforting than to know that our spiritual provision and safety depend not on who we are, but on who God is?

God is my shepherd not because I chose him. He is my shepherd because he chose me. Simply put, that means I don’t have to rely on my abilities as a sheep to secure his shepherding love. Rather, I simply need to rest in his perfect love as the perfect Shepherd.

Secure in Jesus’ love, I am at rest in him whether I’m embroiled in the rush of daily responsibilities or seeking relaxation at the end of the day. Yet, the business of living has a way of crowding God out of my life, of creating the dangerous illusion that I am my own master, the lord of my own destiny.

It is at such times that I most need to be alone in the presence of the Chief Shepherd—to take quiet time for reflection on my true condition.

Sometimes I need to take time out to go to a private place, where distractions are absent, and ask God for his peace, for his help to see true reality—his loving and guiding hand amid life’s confusion and distress.

Only in solitude with the Lord of my life am I able to see clearly through the illusion and allow God’s fresh wind to blow away the fog of self-reliance and restore the true confidence and security of life in his fold.

For his name’s sake

He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

So often I pursue for myself the green pastures and the still waters. I strive for a calm and quiet spirit. I set my will to walk in the right path.

But in all my seeking, I have forgotten that it is God who makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me to the still waters. It is God who restores my soul and leads me in right paths.

These good things are not discovered by my striving and will, at least not in the way I really need, or in a way that really lasts and really satisfies. They are found only when I let God lead me there.

These are his gifts; they cannot be my accomplishments, for the moment I find them for myself they vanish. Only God knows the path, and he can take me there only if I follow him, if I remember that I am lost without him, if I trust him to give me what I need most.

In solitude with him, God reminds me that I am helpless to live the true life on my own. He reminds me that only by giving myself to him can I satisfy the yearning for his rest, the yearning he has placed within me.

He reminds me that he leads me to peace for his name’s sake, for his glory and not for my own. When I cast all my care upon him, when I shed my will, my goals, for his, the light begins to shine through the darkness.

Through the darkness

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.

From the strength God gives me in times of peace and light, I am empowered to walk through the times of turmoil and darkness. Rather than bewailing the days of trouble, I have been conditioned by God’s grace to see in them his mercy and goodness—his love in granting me a share in the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I can walk through the dark times with the strength gained from the light times. But that strength is not mine, it is his. The dark times drive me to him for restoration, for a cool drink from his still waters, for rest in his green pastures.

In such times, the value of holy habits becomes evident. If I have no habit of going to God for small, perhaps even trivial matters, how can I expect to go to him for the big things? If I have no habit of restraining myself or denying myself in smaller matters of personal desire, how can I hope to withstand the force of powerful temptation? If I make a priority of getting my way in most everything, how can I expect to submit myself to God and to his will for my life?

In dark times I need solitude, not for my own rest, but to enter his. In these times God touches me, he renews my courage and restores my vision of the bright future in him. He sees me through. He shows himself to me in ways I never expected.

He reminds me that his rod and his staff are ever at work for his sheep. He calms my anxiety and gives me peace and strength to face the worst. He brings me to say, "Not my will, but yours." Having once tasted the good things of God, I can rest in his knowledge that, in the words of the finale from the musical Les Miserables, "even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise."

Rest in God

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

In times of solitude with the divine Provider, he fills me with riches, with joy, with peace, that transcend the fears, doubts and frustrations of my physical life.

He realigns my priorities. He sets aright my perspective. He opens my spiritual senses, to the tiny extent I can receive it, to the astounding reality of the life of the age to come, to eternal life, to true life in Christ.

This does not remove me from the circumstances I must face in the here and now, but it prevents me from being defeated by them.

I am reminded of what God does, not what I can do. I can take the action I need to take, and I can do it in the way it ought to be done, only because Jesus Christ is at work in me, because I rest in him.

When I try to do it all myself, even the right things, without Jesus, my efforts produce only wooden fruit. In God, I am sustained. I am empowered. I am blessed.

Even my reputation rests not upon me, but upon God’s power at work in me. Any credit for my accomplishments, for my successes, for my victories, goes to him.

When I fail, it is because I have shut him out, turned my back on him and the riches of his grace. I have forgotten my need for him. I have forgotten that I live and move and have my being in him.

I have, in effect, tried to go into business for myself, as though such a thing were really possible. And most of all, I have forgotten the depths of his love for me.

Coming home

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

Entering into solitude with God brings me into a quality of contact with him that I could not otherwise experience. It is like coming home. It is a taste of the true reality, of the true life he gives me in Jesus. It is like a sample of the great banquet to which he is bringing me, a chance to rehearse what lies ahead, to again preview the "coming attraction."

It is like the fragrance of the Thanksgiving meal, a delicious anticipation of the full reality that keeps alive the joy and thrill of the coming event.

My life is nothing without God, and it is everything with him. The mercy and goodness that follow me are God’s, and they follow me because God loves me, not because I have something to offer him.

I can rest in God because he wants me to, and because he makes me able to. He confronts me with the truth that my goals have meaning and value only as they are in conformity with his purpose for me, and he reassures me that his purposes for me will be realized even though there are times when I cannot see past my immediate trouble or pain.

In times of solitude, I can shed myself and give myself to God for his purpose. My goal, that is, the goal the Holy Spirit has for me, is that I be conformed to the image of Christ, and the Spirit gives me the faith to rest in his power to bring that about.

In solitude with God, I can enter into that work—I can make myself available to him, I can submit to his will and rely on his grace and power. In communion with God, he assures me that I am his, and that I will surely dwell in his house forever.

Henri Nouwen, Out of Solitude

Suddenly, over a rise to the west, I heard the soft sounds of music. I heard the sounds of guitar-strumming and the sweet, soft sounds of young people singing. I rose out of my chair and walked to a position where I could identify what was happening. Like a magnet, the music drew me in its direction.

There, sitting in a small circle, were perhaps eight to 10 teens. They were singing hymns of praise and worship out near the SEP canoe area. I searched the small group to see who the coordinating minister was. And scrutinize though I did, I could not find a single adult. What I was witnessing was youth ministry in full bloom.

The Worldwide Church of God is committed to youth ministry. Young people need Jesus in their lives as much as anyone. Satan has intentionally and strategically focused his warfare on youths.

Ultimately, youth ministry in our denomination will have much the look and feel of what I saw that early summer morning at SEP. Young people will be ministering, encouraging and loving one another. They will be praying for one another.

They will worship together. Without a program. Without a chaperon. Without adult supervision. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, they will reach out to one another with love and compassion, and share the gospel message.

Pastor Lynn Hebert designated the first Sunday of every month as a day for a youth-oriented service as part of the congregation’s regular worship.

Citing the example of Samuel as recorded in 1 Samuel 2 and 3, Dr. Egbert said God often begins working with people at a young age. He encouraged the children and teens to listen for and respond to God’s calling. He also asked the adults to support the youths in answering that call.

"Don’t limit what God can do through our children," he said. "The Holy Spirit is not confined by age."

Dan Rogers, superintendent of ministers, who was in town for a conference, said that God is doing a work in the United States among young people as well as among poor inner city residents. He asked that members leave their comfort zones and support what God is doing among both groups.

Alexa Wilson gave a testimonial on answered prayer, recalling a time when her mother was ill and another occasion when a friend from school was hit by a car. Emily Newkirk spoke about how others’ prayers for her have helped transform her life.

The achievements of several teens and children were highlighted, including music competition awards won by Hannah Orsburn, Amy Fischelli and Nnamdy Ford; a science fair award received by John Fischelli and an award for a Boy Scout pinewood derby (a wooden car building and racing competition) won by Matthew Hard.

Chrissy Gordon, children’s church director, brought the young children onstage and talked with them about the importance of attending church. She was assisted by a puppet named Dougie Duck.

The Christian Stewardship Association offers these training retreats twice a year. Participants choose one of several courses, ranging from principles of stewardship to major donor fund-raising. Courses are taught by experienced Christian fund-raisers, pastors and accountants. More than 100 participants came from a wide variety of churches, ministries, schools and charitable Christian organizations.

Bob Persky, Florida district superintendent, observed: "I feel that the WCG was able to bring something of value to the table concerning Christian stewardship since we have been led by the Holy Spirit to move from a law-based giving system to a grace-based new covenant understanding of stewardship."

Charles Albrecht, budget manager for Church Administration, was instrumental in arranging for WCG personnel to attend.

Mr. Albrecht said: "Stewardship of the Christian life is critical to the gospel message. Not only does whole life stewardship provide a necessary link between the priesthood of all believers and our individual communities, but it also provides a vital link between the Christian and the body of Christ. Our partnership with the Christian Stewardship Association has provided avenues to fine-tune this portion of our ministry for the future model of our local congregations."

Paul saw a vital connection between God’s grace and our giving. Just as God has been gracious toward us, we should be gracious toward others, sharing the spiritual and physical blessings God has given us. Although good works can never pay for God’s grace, they are an expected result of God’s grace working in our lives.

Paul told the Corinthian Christians about this offering in person, and he wrote some more encouragement for them in a follow-up letter. We’ll pick up the story in 2 Corinthians 9.

Don’t let us down

"There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints" (9:1). In other words, I’ve already told you about it. You know that this offering is going to help the believers in Jerusalem.

"For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action" (9:2). The Corinthians (in southern Greece) had told Paul that they were willing to give generously, and Paul had used their zeal to encourage the Macedonians (in northern Greece). In a similar way, he used the generosity of the Macedonians to encourage the Corinthians to be even more generous (8:1-7).

But now came the time for talk to be turned into action: "I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be" (9:3). Paul is putting some gentle pressure on the Corinthians to live up to their word—he does this by saying his own reputation is on the line. The Corinthians had said they would be generous; Paul had said they would be generous, and now the time came to see whether they were right.

"For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident" (9:4). We do not want to be embarrassed, Paul says, and you don’t want to be embarrassed either. So put your money where your mouth is. It’s time to prove yourselves.

Paul expected the Corinthians to follow through on their promises, but he did not take it for granted. He wrote to remind them, to encourage them to do even better. He was not shy about financial matters. He expected total commitment from his converts, and he set high standards for them.

"So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given" (9:5).

Paul was zealous for the gospel. If he took time to coordinate this offering, it was because he thought it was important. And because it was important, he sent reminders about it, he sent people to check up on it, and he used all his persuasive strategies to make sure that it was a successful offering.

If Paul suddenly showed up and caught the Corinthians unprepared, they would no doubt have given an offering. But the offering would have been given out of obligation, not well thought out, and not as generous as it could have been with some advance preparation.

Expect a blessing

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously" (9:6). Here Paul quotes a proverb—a saying that is generally true, although exceptions may exist. A farmer who sows a lot of seed will usually be rewarded with a good crop. But sometimes bad weather can ruin the crop. Even then, the farmer will probably receive in proportion to the amount sown.

Paul is saying that the same is true in financial generosity. A person who is generous will usually be rewarded. The reward doesn’t always come in money, and it doesn’t always come in this life, but God does bless people who are generous.

"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (9:7). If we feel obligated to give, if we resent the offering, if we dread the request, then we are not really generous. True generosity is an attitude of the heart, and that is what God is looking for and that is what he rewards. So everyone should make their own decisions about how much to give.

Paul is pointing out some factors we may want to keep in mind as we consider how generous we can be. "God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" (9:8). God is generous, supplying all that we need, so we do not need to hoard everything we have. He wants us to abound in good works, and generosity is one of them.

"As it is written: ‘He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever’" (9:9, quoting from Psalm 112:9). This quote is not about collections for the poor, but Paul nevertheless finds it appropriate here. It describes God’s generosity and assures us that God will always be righteous, faithful to his commitments, working for and blessing his people.

Paul makes the promise even more clear when he says, "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness" (9:10). Paul is using "seed" as a metaphor. He is writing to people who live in a city, not on a farm. His point is that God is the source of all blessings.

Whatever our source of money is, God can cause the source to prosper, so that we will in time receive more. He can work in the entire picture, from its beginning in seed, to its final result in bread. And Paul is saying that if we are generous, then God will bless our source and our results.

But the most important blessing is the harvest of righteousness, the gift of being counted as righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. We are counted as righteous by his grace, and we are simultaneously called on to live in righteousness, to conform our actions to what he wants, and this includes generosity.

The harvest of thanks

"You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God" (9:11). If you are generous, God will bless you, Paul promises, so you can be generous in future occasions, too. He will bless the beginning of your income and the results of your work. He will supply your needs, so you can continue to give to others.

And as you do that, Paul says, people will be thanking God for what you do. This collection meets a real need, and the people who receive it will appreciate it and be thankful for it. We have many good reasons to feel good about helping them.

"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God" (9:12). The offering has both physical and spiritual value.

"Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else" (9:13). In this one verse, Paul makes many points:

The Corinthians prove themselves by this offering. It shows that their love is genuine (8:8), that their word is good. Can it do the same for us?

People praise God for good works (Matt. 5:16). Do they see good works in us?

When we accept the gospel, when we accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, obedience should accompany our confession. Is our faith accompanied by obedience—including faithfulness in financial stewardship?

People particularly appreciate generosity. It is a visible and practical way to let the gospel have results in our lives.

People will not only give thanks, Paul says, but they will also pray: "And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you" (2 Cor. 9:14). If God gives you the grace of giving (8:7), then people will pray for you, no doubt asking God to bless you more.

We can be confident that God will supply all our needs and give us blessings we can share with others. As we share material blessings, we also form spiritual bonds between brothers and sisters in Christ. Whether our generosity supports the gospel directly, or supports needy believers, it is a fitting response to God’s generosity toward us.

"Thanks be to God," Paul concludes, "for his indescribable gift!" (9:15). Can we describe this indescribable gift? Is it the grace of giving, the willingness to be generous with what God has given us? Is it the assurance that God will supply our needs? Is it the spiritual results that generosity has—thanksgiving and prayer? Or is it the often-hidden way in which God blesses those who are generous? For all these and more, thanks be to God!

Michael Morrison

Donations for the first quarter are just over $4.4 million—down 12 percent from last year. Needless to say, these negative numbers are not what we hoped for.

We also compare income against our projected budgets for income and expenses. While it is not fun to project income in negative percentages, reality dictates that we must.

For the past several years, income has steadily decreased, although each year, the rate of decrease has been smaller.

When we combine all the various sources of income: regular donations, festival offerings, estate donations, grants and bequests, and investment revenues, we had projected income for the first quarter to be $6.2 million. Actual income was $5.8 million—a decrease of almost seven percent.

I imagine many of you might say: "I don’t understand why income is down. I am giving as much, or more, than I did last year." Unfortunately, not everyone is giving at the same level as last year.

An even greater concern is those who have stopped giving altogether. For example, in the first quarter of 2000, we received donations from more than 17,700 households. In the first quarter of 2001 we received donations from 15,700 households. In other words, 2,000 families who contributed last year did not donate at all during the first quarter of this year.

This column is not the place to analyze why so many are choosing not to donate. Some are hurting for a variety of reasons. When people hurt, or they become disenchanted with their fellowship, one of the first things to go is their money.

So let’s all pray together that God will heal the wounds of those who are hurting. And with that healing will come the joy and thrill of participating in the work God has called us to do individually and in the Worldwide Church of God.

For the past few years, some of our negative income figures were offset by larger-than-expected estate donations. However, estate donations for the current year are not up to past amounts. Therefore balancing income and expenses has us feeling like we are in a high-wire act. The nice thing about that metaphor is that we are confident God has provided a safety net. So while we delicately walk along the wire, we don’t fear falling off.

As all of you are well aware, our ability to implement any financial changes is dependent on the successful close of escrow on the Pasadena campus. Sadly, that process now seems likely to continue into the middle of summer or even longer. To say our patience is being tested would be an understatement. But patient we must be.

I often take courage looking back on many tests and trials we have endured. In so many of them, when all is said and done, we see why things worked out the way they did.

When we were going through the trials, we probably cried out frequently, "How long, oh Lord?" Later, however, we saw more clearly that God was working all along and had a purpose in the time as well as the manner in which the problems were solved. No doubt this will be the same.

                                                 For the Month                 For the Year-to-Date

Space does not permit a full description of each site. However, if you are interested, contact our European Festival Bureau and we will send you more details.

Festival Office, Worldwide Church of God, Elstree House, Elstree Way, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, WD6 1LU, United Kingdom. Telephone 011 (44) 208 953 1633; fax 011 (44) 208 207 1216; e-mail UKRD@ wcg.org.uk

Or, you may contact the site director directly where noted.

London, England

England’s capital offers visitors dozens of museums and art galleries, thousands of restaurants with cooking traditions from all over the world, and tens of thousands of pubs. Contact olivier_carion @wcg.org.uk

Paignton, England

Paignton is a coastal resort on the English Riviera. It usually has the best weather in Britain. Accommodation is either in hotels or caravans (trailers). Contact Harry Sullivan, The Round House, Mill Lane, Hulcote, Milton Keynes, MK17 8BP, England. Telephone 011 (44) 01908 582222; e-mail harry_ sullivan@wcg.org.uk

Bridlington, England

Bridlington is a seaside town in northern England. Contact: Robert Harrison, Worldwide Church of God, Elstree House, Elstree Way, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, WD6 1LU, United Kingdom. Telephone 011 (44) 020 8953 1633; e-mail robert_harrison@wcg.org.uk

Perth, Scotland

Perth is an area of spectacular beauty with mountains, rivers and lochs and is ideally located for seeing Scotland’s historical places. Contact Hamish Dougall, Beechmount, Kingscavil, Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, EH49 6NA. Telephone 011(44) 01506 845 725; e-mail hamish_dougall@wcg.org.uk

Kenmare, Irish Republic

Kenmare, known as the gourmet capital of Ireland, is in a sheltered bay where the Kenmare River enters the Atlantic. Contact David Stirk, 69 Laurel Heights, Banbridge, Co Down, BT32 4RJ, Ireland. Telephone 011 (44) 028 4066 9986; e-mail david_stirk@wcg.org.uk

Tallinn, Estonia

Estonia, once behind the Iron Curtain, is now one of Europe’s most exciting nations. Contact: Leo Kaagjarv. E-mail lkgjrv@ut.ee and telephone 011 372 7 476 164 (away between July 25 and Aug. 16) or Carl Fredrik Aas. Telephone or fax 011 (47) 64 86 93 30 or e-mail cfaas@online.no

Bonndorf, Germany

For beautiful scenery, clean air, colorful villages and hearty German cuisine, visit Bonndorf in the Black Forest. Contact: Stiftung Weltweite Kirche Gottes, Postfach 1129, 5300 Bonn, Germany. Telephone 011 (49) 228 66 89 10; fax 011 (49) 228 987 6827; e-mail wkg53bonn@aol.com

Lido di Jesolo (Venice), Italy

Lido di Jesolo is a summer resort on the Adriatic Sea. Venice, one of the world’s great tourist destinations, is a short boat ride away.

For application packages, contact Joseph Caristi, 94 Belcher Rd., Blairstown, New Jersey, 07825. Telephone 1-973-426-7716 (day), 1-908-362-7093 (evening); fax 1-908-362-1073; e-mail jcaristi@compuserve.com or (outside the United States) Worldwide Church of God, Casella Postale 67, 24030 Brembate di Sopra (BG), Italy. Telephone 011 (39) 035-21-78-08; fax 011 (39) 035-21-77-53; e-mail wcgitaly@tin.it

Malta

Malta is an island in the Mediterranean with a rich history. Everyone speaks English. Contact Barry Bourne, Knollside, 70 Copperfield Rd., Bassett, Southampton, Hampshire, SO2 3NY, England Telephone 011 (44) 023 8067 9965. e-mail barry_bourne@wcg.org.uk.

Hoogeveen, Netherlands

Services will be in Dutch with translations into English. Activities will include a family day, theatre night, tours and workshops. Contact Henk Buist. Telephone 011 31 575 494 432; fax 011 31 575 493 629; e-mail henk_buist@wcg.org

Tyrifjorden, Norway

The Tyriheiem complex near Oslo has 20 two-bedroom cottages and four apartments with two bedrooms. A full-service hotel is also available. Members from Sweden, Denmark and Norway will attend, and visitors from abroad are welcome. Contact Carl Fredrik Aas. E-mail cfaas @online.no or telephone 011 47 64 86 93 30.

Palma, Majorca, Spain

The site is a vacation village complex surrounded by pine trees. Contact Pedro Rufian Mesa, Real 26, 28610 Villamanta (Madrid), Spain. Telephone 011 (34) 918 136 705; e-mail pedro_rufian@wcg.org

Sines, Portugal

Nearly all the Portuguese brethren speak English and English translation will be available. Contact Jose Ribeiro by e-mail at Jose.S.Ribeiro@ mail.telepac.pt or by telephone at 011 351 96 703 6288.

European capitals tour

The plan is for members to fly in to Zurich, Switzerland, travel to Bonndorf, Germany, then to Jesolo near Venice in Italy; and Paris, France, ending up in Hoogeveen, Netherlands, by way of Amsterdam. Time will be spent with members at festival sites with plenty of sight-seeing in the historical countries of Europe.

John Halford, European regional director, will be host. For more information contact Travel Gallery, 1388 E. Walnut St., Pasadena, California, 91106-1528. Telephone 1- 626-577-9717 or 1-800-858-6999; e-mail frank@travelgallery.com or john@travelgallery.com

Malindi, Kenya

This is counted as a European site because the European Office is organizing it in conjunction with the Kenyans. The site is in the small coastal village of Malindi near Mombasa on the Indian Ocean.

Note: This will be a small site with a maximum of 75 people. It will be a chance to meet and make friends with African members. The rooms are basic but spacious and comfortable, with air-conditioning and fitted mosquito nets. For the adventurous, the beach and ocean offer scuba-diving, goggling, sailing, deep-sea fishing and windsurfing.

The rate will be about $50 per person per day, which will include bed, breakfast, evening meal and a festival administration cost.

If you are seriously interested in this safe but adventurous site, contact John Silcox at 4 Saberton Close, Redbourn, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 7DS, United Kingdom. Or send e-mail to him at david_silcox@wcg.org.uk

Arima, Trinidad

The location is the Worldwide Church of God, Sunset Blvd., Samaroo Village, Arima. Worship services will be conducted for eight days. Messages will focus on being Christlike men, women and youths, and having Christlike marriages and families. About 200 are expected to attend. Contact Clifton Charles or Laura Sealy. Telephone 1-868-667-2557 or 2758; fax 1-868- 667-6247; e-mail wcgtt@tstt.net.tt

Grand Anse, Grenada

The festival location is the Youth Development Centre, Grand Anse; in walking distance from the beach, hotels, banks and shopping establishments. Services are planned for eight days. Messages will focus on building Christlike families. About 50 members are expected to attend. Contact Clifton Charles or Laura Sealy. Telephone 1-868-667-2557 or 2758; fax 1-868- 667-6247; e-mail wcgtt@tstt.net.tt

Georgetown, Guyana

The festival location is Diocesan Youth Centre, Georgetown. Many of the Guyanese brethren will stay on site for the eight days. About 50 members are expected to attend, and visitors are welcome. Contact Clifton Charles or Laura Sealy. Telephone 1-868-667-2557 or 2758; fax 1-868- 667-6247; e-mail wcgtt@tstt.net.tt

Bridgetown, Barbados

The festival location is the George Street Auditorium, Bellville, St. Michael. Worship services will be conducted on eight days. Activities will include a family day boat cruise. Messages will focus on being Christlike men, women and youths, and having Christlike marriages and families. About 275 are expected to attend. Contact Clifton Charles. Telephone 1-246-418-0760; fax 1-246-418-0732; e-mail cpcharles@ caribsurf.com

Sainte-Luce, Martinique

The festival in Sainte-Luce will take place Oct. 26 to Nov. 3. This bilingual festival (French and English) will be limited to 400 people. Events will include prayer meetings in small groups, a talent show, an international evangelism concert, youth activities, a traditional Caribbean dance presentation and seminars

KAHUKU, Oahu, Hawaii—Rooms at the Hilton Turtle Bay are $125 a night. Several guest speakers from the mainland are expected.

RIVERSIDE, California–The festival in Riverside will begin Sept. 28,