In This Issue

Personal

The days we meet on for worship don’t matter for salvation, writes Pastor General Joseph Tkach, but they do matter in practical ways. For most people, days matter in concrete, practical ways, in terms of schedules and convenience. We are in a culture that expects Christian worship services to be on Sundays. Page 6.

Window on the World

How would Christ have us preach the gospel? asks Randal Dick in Window on the World. Three broad approaches are in use today. Evangelism can be thought of as presence, proclamation or persuasion. The church’s efforts in Bangladesh are an ideal example. Page 8.

Youth Ministry

Youth ministry is more than programs, writes Ted Johnston. It involves relationships where young people, assisted by caring adults, come to know and embrace God through a life of faith in the presence of a living person—Jesus Christ. Page 10.

SEP Iowa

Ninety-six teen campers, five minicampers (children younger than 10), and 42 staff converged on Camp Abe Lincoln near Davenport, June 29 to July 5, for the first SEP session in Iowa, writes Doug Johannsen. Page 12.

SEP California

SEP California exceeded our highest expectations, writes Dennis Pelley. One hundred fifty-three campers, 48 staff and three children of staff, a total of 204 worshipers, gathered July 6 to 12 at Cedar Lake Camp, a 270-acre retreat, 7,000 feet above sea level near Big Bear Lake. Page 14.

SEP South Carolina

Why spend time and money putting on a summer camp when we could ship our kids off to plenty of other camps? Shane Bazer found that the simple answer is that the Worldwide Church of God does camp ministry very, very well. Page 16.

Education

From July 1 to July 6, 12 men from all over the Southeast gathered in upstate South Carolina to participate in the first session of the Ministry Development Program (MDP), writes Matt Royal. MDP provided an opportunity for developing leaders in local churches to grow in their ministry gifts and clarify their callings. Page 18.

Bible Study

In Romans 2, Paul explains that both Jews and Gentiles need the gospel—everyone needs to be rescued from the condemnation that they rightly deserve. Although some Jews claimed to have an advantage in salvation, Paul explains that Jews are not immune to sin and judgment. Page 19.

Financial Report

We close the month of July right on our targeted budget projections, writes controller Ron Kelly. We had forecast regular donation income at $1.43 million for July and ended with $1.44 million. Page 23.

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