April 2004 Contents

Part of the controversy surrounding the movie The Passion of the Christ is whether the film is anti-Semitic, writes Pastor General Joseph Tkach. Here’s a related question: Whether or not the film blames the Jews, are they to blame? Page 5.

Member contributions for February came to just over $1.2 million, writes controller Ronald Kelly. The church has sold three of five historic homes on campus, with two more to sell soon. Page 8.

Several churches reported events marking Black History Month, including the Big Sandy church combining services with African-American congregations. Billy Johnson, a Korean War veteran in Los Angeles, was honored 50 years after he served. Page 9.

In Jesus, God shows us that the core of authentic human life is love, writes J. Michael Feazell. The person who loves, Paul wrote, fulfills the law. Page 14.

Jesus created an environment punctuated by prayerful dependence, writes Jeb Egbert. His desire to be fully connected to the Father should be a powerful reminder of our need to, as Paul said, “pray without ceasing.” Page 16.

Should U.S. congregations support denominational missions or missions outside our fellowship? asks a U.S. pastor. Randal Dick, superintendent of missions, responds in his Window on the World column. Page 22.

Registration is now open for the 2004 worship and fellowship retreats. Registration for the regional sites should be completed by June 25. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation letter containing your site’s housing information, activities and the specific times for services, seminars and workshops. Page 24.

God does not show partiality, writes Michael Morrison in his Bible Study on Romans 9. Salvation is not just for the Jews—it is for the Gentiles, too. But has God given up on the Jews? No way. Page 25.

John Halford conludes his series with comments on publications produced in Australia and New Zealand. Page 28.

MADRID, Spain—Church members in the Madrid congregation, my family and I are sad, and our hearts fill with grief and compassion for the families of the more than 200 killed and more than 1,600 hurt this morning in terrorist attacks on trains in Madrid.

We thank God that none of the church members were injured. This morning while I was contacting each of them I discovered that a member’s son had been in the Atocha Central train station just 10 minutes before the terrible massacre and killing took place.

May I ask you please join us in prayer for God to comfort, strengthen and provide his peace to all the families who have lost dear ones and for the speedy recovery and physical and psychological healing of the injured—and that many in their grief and sorrow, seeing more clearly the fragility and weakness of human life, may turn to our Redeemer and Healer Jesus Christ.

PORT-AU-PRINCE—Haiti has been terribly tossed about during the past two or three months by a majority, namely the industrial and commercial sectors and the universities and public schools, which didn’t want any more of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

By violently demonstrating every day in the streets, it ended up with the president’s resignation on Feb. 29.

Believe it or not, that was not the end, but the beginning of the crisis. From Sunday morning, Feb. 29, when the news came that the president was out of his office, to the moment I am writing this note (March 11), the wealth that has been looted, destroyed or burned down, is estimated at $350 million, according to one reporter.

That was the reaction of the Aristide supporters to whom he had distributed heavy weapons. Many people are reported to have been killed during a street demonstration today. But also today, a new prime minister has been named, and a new government is to take over this weekend.

This situation has affected church attendance because in some areas it is not safe to leave home for long because some groups demonstrate with violence every once in a while. I stay in touch with most of the members living around the capital and no damage is recorded so far. But schools and universities are closed all over the country.

Members stay confident in God, and we are grateful for your prayers and support. With much gratitude I want to especially mention some financial assistance from our sister churches in Indiana pastored by David Perry and those from brothers and sisters in California.

SANTA ANA, California—Church Administration launched the 2004 round of regional

conferences for ministers and members with a conference for the Southwest region in Santa Ana, Feb. 27 to 29.

This year’s conferences emphasize the need to implement a balanced, biblical life-style, based on Growing a Healthy Church (Part II) materials developed by Sonlife Ministries and featuring attendees breaking into small groups with other members of their congregation to discuss how to implement healthy church strategies back home.

The conferences begin on Friday afternoons with Dan Rogers, superintendent of U.S. ministers, speaking on “Creating a Disciplemaking Environment in Your Church.”

A praise and worship session precedes the keynote address on Friday evenings by Pastor General Joseph Tkach on “What God Is Doing Through Our Denomination.”

Saturday starts with a praise and worship session followed by Mr. Rogers talking on “Growing a Healthy Church,” with attendees breaking into small groups several times during the day.

At the Southwest conference only, Charles Arn of Church Growth Inc., spoke during lunch on Saturday.

Saturday evenings see Ronald Kelly, church controller, meeting with pastors and wives.

Sunday mornings feature breakout sessions with Charles Albrecht, Church Administration budget manager, speaking on advisory council issues, and area leaders speaking on youth ministry and other ministries active in that region.

Phillip Rice, pastor of the Phoenix, Arizona, church, said: “When the Word of God, fellowship, worship and prayer are each developed in symmetry and balance, a rich environment is cultivated by the Holy Spirit to do his greatest work of building the Body.

“Therefore, much of this year’s conference focused on how to employ specific principles that create an environment for fulfilling the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. The conference segments were focused, encouraging and intensely practical.”

Dan Rogers addresses Southwest ministers
and members. [Photos by Thomas C. Hanson]

From left: Raul Ramos, Phillip Rice and Don
Cline talk with Charles Arn about church growth.

Part of the controversy surrounding the movie The Passion of the Christ is whether the film is anti-Semitic. Does it blame the Jews for the death of Jesus? Here’s a related question: Whether or not the film blames the Jews, are they to blame?

I can understand why Jews might be concerned about it. Christians have often persecuted Jews for being “Christ-killers.” This goes far beyond name-calling—it has included economic penalties, violence and even murder, in the name of taking revenge for the death of Jesus.

Many Jews were killed in the Crusades, and much more recently, millions were killed in 20th century Europe—and the Nazis were not the only ones who persecuted Jews. The Nazis can hardly be called Christian, but the attitude that fueled their hatred was nurtured by centuries of anti-Jewish teaching in the European churches.

Many Christians have been troubled by the Jews’ persistent rejection of the Christian message. Historically, perhaps due to some insecurity in their own beliefs, some have wanted to use force to achieve social conformity. Some people apparently felt that the easiest way to get rid of the problem was to kill the Jews, especially those who refused to accept Christianity (but sometimes even Christian Jews were persecuted).

I am ashamed of what some people have done, supposedly in the name of Christ. But I do not want to let my shame distort my view of what actually happened. So let’s talk about it: Is Mel Gibson’s movie anti-Semitic, did the Jews kill Jesus, and what attitude should Christians have toward the Jewish people?

I was privileged to see an early screening of the movie, when Mission America invited numerous denominational leaders to view a preliminary version in December. So I was able to have my own impression as I saw the controversy aired in the news media. The controversy has certainly given the film a huge amount of free publicity, and this may cause some non-Christians to see it, although the majority of the viewers seem to be committed Christians already.

Mel Gibson met with the Mission America group to answer questions, and he commented on the accusations of anti-Semitism, saying in effect that the problem that people have with the film is not really with the film—it is with the Gospels, for the film simply portrays what the Gospels report (there is little controversy about the nonbiblical parts that Gibson added to the film, such as the story line for Mary Magdalene, Pilate’s wife and Simon of Cyrene).

I must agree with Gibson on that point—the film did not create a problem, but simply portrayed (in a visually stunning and memorable way) the story contained in the Gospels. Because of Gibson’s theology, it dwells on the scourging longer than the Gospels do, but what it portrays was historically probable. (Catholics tend to focus more on the suffering and crucifixion, and Protestants more on the resurrection, but both are included in the story.)

If anything, I think that the film, as compared to the Gospel accounts, decreased the role of the Jews. Whereas the Gospels repeatedly refer to “the Jews,” “the Pharisees,” “the Sadducees,” etc., the film deleted most of those references as unnecessary. (In the recent film on The Gospel of John, these repeated references were retained, since that film was committed to including all the NIV text.)

In Gibson’s film, the group of people who arrested Jesus, who interrogated him and asked Pilate to crucify him, are barely identified as Jews. (The only person explicitly called a Jew is Simon of Cyrene.) If a person did not know the story already, he or she might even wonder who those people in the elaborate costumes were. The blame must also fall on Pilate, who as governor had the responsibility to prevent such miscarriages of justice but did not have the courage to do so.

Gibson even removed from his film the line from Matthew 27:25, where the crowd of Jewish people said, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” This verse in particular has been used numerous times to justify anti-Semitism, so Gibson was willing to remove its English subtitle (it was retained in Aramaic), since it was not necessary for the story line.

Historically, yes, Jews were there, and they wanted Jesus, himself a Jew, dead. Jesus was seen as a threat to national security, a popular teacher who might provoke a

rebellion against Rome and cause many to be killed. John 11:47-50 gives this reason for the crucifixion, and it makes good historical sense. So certain Jewish leaders arranged for a rigged trial and demanded that Pilate execute Jesus.

John repeatedly calls these people “the Jews,” but that is simply his shorthand for the Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus. They were official representatives of the Jewish people. Josephus uses the word in a similar way to refer to certain powerful leaders, not the entire ethnic group, not all, or even most, Jews. John does not mean to blame all Jews everywhere for what some few of them did in Jerusalem.

John was quite aware that influential supporters of Jesus such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were Jews, that the disciples were Jews, and that many Jews looked on Jesus favorably even without being totally committed to him. John clearly points out, “Salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22). The Gospels are plain that Roman leaders, particularly Pilate, authorized and carried out the actual crucifixion. They had the responsibility of preventing innocent people from being hurt, and yet they knowingly caused an innocent man to be tortured and killed. They must share the blame. Both religion and state were involved.

Jews and Gentiles alike are guilty—indeed, all people are just as guilty. Jesus came for the very purpose of being killed by his own people. Had he not, none of us would have a Savior. What happened was God’s design, according to God’s purpose, for the salvation of Jews and Gentiles alike. What sense does it make to blame or hate anyone for doing the very thing that God intended be done so that he might demonstrate once and for all his boundless love for humanity?

If we had been there, if we had been the high priest or his supporters, we would have done the same thing. The Jewish and Roman leaders were acting not just as representatives of two ethnic groups, but as representatives of all humanity. We all needed the death and resurrection of Jesus, and every ethnic group has been involved in equally unjust killings and murder of innocent people. God does not hate the Jews or the Romans—he loves them—just as he loves all humanity, which is why he came to us humans as our sacrificial Lamb.

The Jewish crowd did accept responsibility for the death of Jesus (Matthew 27:25), but there is no reason for us to accept the validity of their claim. They never had the authority to condemn their own children, and we must not act as if they did. Let us remember that Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34)—and that statement applies to the Jews just as much as it does to the Romans (in Gibson’s film, even the thief on the cross recognizes that). The message of Christ is not one of blame or revenge—it is one of forgiveness and redemption.

God selected the nation of Israel to be his people. He adopted them as his child (or to use another metaphor, his bride) and promised to be their God (which implies that he would protect, provide for and guide them). He made a covenant with them, solemnizing his promises to them. But the people repeatedly broke the covenant, and God even divorced the northern tribes, calling them “not my people.” They had become like Gentiles to him. And God knew they would from the beginning (Deuteronomy 31:20).

But God would not change; his love and his faithfulness to his word for them will never diminish (Romans 11). God continued to love his chosen people even after they were exiled to Babylon. In his love he called a remnant back to Judea. From that remnant would come the Messiah, the Christ, who would redeem his people and the whole world.

When the new covenant came, the old covenant ended in the fulfillment of the promise of God with his people. But God’s love for Israel will never come to an end (Romans 11:1). God is faithful even when people are not. In his faithfulness to Israel, God demonstrates his faithfulness to all humanity (verse 26).

We must make a distinction between the Jewish religion and the Jewish people. The Bible says that the Jewish religion is ineffective so far as salvation is concerned, but God loves the Jewish people. The fact that the old covenant is obsolete does not make the Jews worse than everyone else; rather, they should be treated the same as all people are, sinners saved by God’s grace.

Christians should love the Jews and want them to be saved, just as Paul did (Romans 10:1).

Our desire for the Jewish people is that they become Christians, not that they cease being Jewish. Although the Israeli Supreme Court may see a contradiction between those two terms, we do not. Like all people, Jews are to be won through love, through kindness, not persecution.

Salvation is from the Jews, but it is not from Judaism. Salvation is from Jesus, the Son, a Jew whom God sent to Jews for the sake of Jews and Gentiles alike. The Jews are not Christ-killers any more than we all are. We have all been enemies of God.

“As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs” (Romans 11:28). Religiously, they are off track, but God loves them anyway, and in his unending love he will draw them back to himself.

I pray that no one uses Gibson’s film to justify anti-Jewish attitudes. That would be a distortion of the film, a distortion of the Gospels, and an un-Christian thing to do. The film makes it clear that Jesus knew what he was getting into (he had probably seen other people beaten and crucified), and yet he did it anyway, because he loved us. If you see the film, I ask that you remember it not for the graphic blood and violence, for its dealing with evil’s attack on God, but for the reminder of Jesus’ love for us.

Simon of Cyrene was different—he did not know what he was getting into when he walked into Jerusalem that day. Mark 15:21 calls him “the father of Alexander and Rufus”—two men who were known to Mark’s readers, probably because they had become Christians. Simon himself is likely to have become a Christian, and thus he carried the cross of Christ in a spiritual sense as well.

Perhaps we are all a little like Simon. Did you know what you were getting into? Are you willing to carry the cross of Christ? That’s something worth thinking about.

Below is a message from a U.S. WCG pastor who asks a fair and important question. I have received others too. This tells me that these issues are increasingly on people’s minds, so I decided to, with the pastor’s permission, print his letter and let all of you consider the issues.

I have a question on donating to missions. Soon U.S. congregations will be handling finances in their local church and giving a portion to the denomination. As I look at our monthly local church financial report, I see that there is a potential of the local church (after apportionment, pastor’s salary and expenses, hall rental and local assistance) having a surplus to play with in some months.

Part of that surplus, I feel, should go for mission work in our community and to mission work abroad. Through various contacts, I am getting mail from Indian and other Asian mission associations looking for funds.

Before I start interesting the congregation in donating to this or that mission association, I want to know what would be the appropriateness of doing this in the WCG. Should we be supporting the mission work of our denomination first?

I read in the February WN that we have four churches in India (yet the article had no solicitation for funds). Does that mean that the WCG churches in India do not need funds? Should I encourage the church to give to other individual and para-church missionary organizations?

From past experience I know that they would give our church monthly (or quarterly) updates on how our money is being used.

Just giving to the denomination’s mission fund would be far less personal. To inspire the church to greater giving, the congregation should get an occasional letter from the missionary or organization to tell us what has been done with the money our church has donated.

Your thoughts would be appreciated. I want to know how to answer these requests for funds.

Thanks for writing. Allow me to elaborate on the high quality of the current WCG mission.

The short answer to your question is yes. I think we should support the mission work that God has given our fellowship—first at home, while reserving a portion for the gospel work being done by WCG fellow servants in other parts of the world.

We take Jesus’ priorities seriously. He made his priorities plain and unequivocal—he came to save people. Any other endeavor should be secondary to this imperative.

We try to show compassion wherever possible, but we know that even an outright pagan can feed the hungry, provide for orphans, clothe the naked—and many do. But only a born again Christian can serve as the instrument that Christ will use in leading the lost to Jesus. That puts the onus on us to stay focused on the core mission that Christ called us to: Mission that results in a) people being brought from death to life; b) formation of spiritual community; c) equipping spiritual community to reproduce itself.

One of the most valuable WCG blessings is our worldwide fellowship—brothers and sisters scattered like salt—accessible to most nations of the earth. This is a tremendous asset.

When a mission is established, it is supposed to be because there is no established community of believers in that place. This is an expensive undertaking. It can easily cost $50,000 per year to send and keep a full-time trained mission presence. But chances are the WCG already has people there who are fired up to be trained and released to spread the gospel and plant churches. That’s what we do.

We carry the message of eternal life, form and equip communities of believers. We don’t run hospitals, we don’t run orphanages (although many of our local congregations respond to the need in their area with Christ’s compassion).

Our job as a denominational mission is to see to it that disciples are being made and brought into community whenever and wherever Christ wants. Once discipled, that community begins to show compassion all around them, while they also make more disciples. That gives the best spiritual bang for the mission buck. It is closest to the heart and command of Christ—and our little denomination packs a punch far above its weight class in this area.

The answer to that question depends on your perception of whether there is divine purpose in the WCG being a fellowship or whether we just “evolved.” If all that we are is merely a result of time and chance, then we should feel perfectly free to support or not support the work of the denomination of which we are a part.

But most of us believe we have been placed in community intentionally by Christ, to serve his purpose. As his fellow-servants, it would seem that we have an obligation first and foremost to the household to which he has called us, to resource the specific tasks he gives us to fulfill.

I want to alert you to a major change—we no longer provide a direct subsidy to overseas churches. WCG world mission does not support offices, administrators or expensive facilities. The denominational mission team has been in a process of restructuring from administration to where we actually carry out the same type of work that early apostles did. We go into an area that we perceive the Holy Spirit seems to be drawing us to respond and to serve (Acts 13).

We teach and preach, as did Paul, until the leadership potential begins to manifest itself. We work with those emerging leaders until there is both solid local leadership as well as enough training and maturity in that place to enable the new members to continue to extend the gospel outward without further assistance from the mission developer.

Christ has used us in his harvest. In 2003, 19 new congregations were planted outside the United States. These congregations are mostly in places where the gospel would not have taken root if believers had not made it possible by resourcing the ones carrying the message.

You said, “The congregation should get an occasional letter from the missionary or organization to tell us what he is doing with the money.”

This is an issue of stewardship and accountability: You didn’t use these words, but I will, because it seems that people are asking that a) we be good stewards of their hard-earned resources; b) the decisions about how the money is used are made using sound biblical and strategic criteria; c) we report consistently and give feedback so that the givers can share in the joy of salvation and give glory to God.

Even now, our mission team is building the communication pipelines and the accountability structure to support that commitment.

I don’t mean it as an excuse or a condemnation to say that our historic form of governance was deficient in two-way accountability. Pastor General Joseph Tkach has asked that we change this and become accountable fellow servants. Part of our journey of transformation has been to understand that funding Christian projects was not about getting people to give. Rather our role is about being a high integrity pipeline for what God is doing in the hearts of his people.

God owns all resources and in turn places them with people. He then moves individual hearts to desire to participate in a particular aspect of his work.

The mission team and I recognize that when we accept resources from members or congregations that we are stewards to make those people able to participate vicariously in the spreading of the gospel—even though they cannot quit their jobs, leave their families and go to difficult places to plant communities of believers. It is the giver and God who are the key players, we are just the middle men.

When you get a chance, review 2 Corinthians 9 in light of this principle. Paul seems to be talking about an ongoing cycle of edification and glorification that Jesus loves to see. The giver gives to the glory of God. The receiver who uses the resource is edified. God is glorified. Paul says Christ gives seed to the sower, to empower this cycle to continue—in each step someone is edified and Christ is glorified by the process.

Your point regarding the need for reporting to the congregations is both corrective and legitimate. I accept that correction and am happy to say that this has already begun to change. We will not stop until members are excited to be a part of what Christ is doing in this fellowship.

In next month’s Windows column I plan to respond to another pastor’s request to spell out how a person or a congregation can be involved with WCG mission. I will talk more about where we feel resources are needed.

I hope this response has been as helpful for you as your letter was of value to me. I will look forward to your response, and am happy to discuss any follow-up questions.

PASADENA—Member contributions for February came to $1,210,197, down slightly from February of last year. Including other sources of income, the total is down one percent.

As you may remember, the church placed five historic family homes for sale late last year. One home sold in January and two more in February. The final two homes are now in escrow and probably will close late in March or early in April.

I have been reporting to you that one of our financial goals this year is to balance our church-related expenses with our donation income. The total donation income for the first two months of the year was $2,171,126. Because expenses were above income, we transferred the small difference from the home sales. That’s O.K. on a temporary basis, but not something we hope to do every month. We usually find January and February are lower income months, and we expect to find a rise in contribution amounts as we head into spring. Otherwise, funds from the sale of homes will supplement our reserve fund and can be used to purchase a new headquarters facility after the west campus sells.

As we continue our budget planning process, we invited a number of ministers to attend a think-tank meeting March 1. We spent the entire day soliciting input, comments, evaluations, even criticism, to our church budgeting process. The success of the meetings exceeded our expectations.

One thing I have found these past few years in working with fairly high levels of finance is that people have some strong opinions when it comes to the subject of money. For that reason, I have to admit, I had a bit of fear and trepidation about having a large-scale financial study meeting. But my fears were unfounded, and we had hours of candid, but at all times respectful, dialogue.

For these meetings we had three district superintendents, Curtis May, Ken Williams and Ted Johnston; three bivocational pastors, Don Cline, Tim Disney and Frank Ancona; and five salaried pastors, Ron Dick, Mike Swagerty, Dennis Pelley, Richard Parker and Tim Snyder. Many of our denominational leaders and Church Administration staff also attended.

One of our primary objectives was to listen to what the field ministers, representing our membership, sincerely felt about church finances, the new financial model, headquarters expenses and the budgeting process to determine expense allotments. We attempted to gain a perspective on priorities regarding budget categories.

This was all put in the context of a planned reduction in headquarters expenses as we move to the new model later this year. For example, if we were to move the projected staff we anticipate under the new decentralized model into a new facility and keep our programs and expenses at the current level, our expenses would exceed anticipated income by nearly $1 million a year! My task, as controller, is to find ways to minimize expenses to be more realistically in line with projected income.

But reducing expenses is an emotionally draining experience. It usually means termination of employees, reductions in benefits, downsizing programs and possibly depleting reserves. By discussing almost every line-item budget expense, our task force could easily share with us at headquarters the pain of reducing expenses. For example, if we had to cut funding, would we cut out regional ministerial and member conferences? Or would we stop publication of The WCG News, Bible studies, member letters and booklets? Or would we totally abandon our international missions program?

As you can imagine, none of these would be an easy decision. But you can perhaps readily identify with the angst some of us in denominational finances experience.

Our think-tank meetings were not necessarily planned to reach final decisions, but to receive input and to at least identify priorities in what are the most important services our headquarters can offer the members, ministry and congregations.

Our denominational headquarters exists for the sole purpose of serving our congregations. As such, we want to maintain and fund those services and programs that best help our ministers and members fulfill their part in the great commission to preach the good new of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the entire world.

The Worldwide Church of God is in a position to do just that. We have more than 800 congregations scattered among the nations. We have members anxious to share the good news. And we have ministry leadership committed to the calling of Jesus Christ.

Sometimes I wish it didn’t take money to do the work of God. But it does. And God has allowed each of us the opportunity to pool our gifts, talents, resources and finances to the greater good that can be accomplished through the organized efforts of the church. Individually, we would be hard pressed to achieve anywhere near the impact that we can collectively. So thank you all for your dedicated service and prayers. Together we are making a difference.

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.

MERIDEN, Connecticut—The Meriden and Stratford congregations hosted a Black History Month celebration in Meriden Feb. 14.

One hundred nineteen people from Meriden and the surrounding communities came to help celebrate Christ through unity in diversity. Curtis May, director of the Office of Reconciliation Ministries, was guest speaker at the morning worship service. He was accompanied by his wife, Jannice.

Afterward, attendees gathered in the fellowship hall for a potluck meal and later enjoyed a program of music and praise. Larry Wooldridge.

“Heaven’s Light of Day” leads worship at Black
History celebration service. [Photos by Don West]

LOS ANGELES—In celebration of Black History Month, the Los Angeles church had a special service, “Celebration of Our Unity in Diversity,” Feb. 7.

Curtis May, district superintendent, introduced the movie, The Rosa Parks Story, during the worship service.

After the service, a catered meal was enjoyed by more than 220 people from 11 WCG congregations around Southern California, ranging from Santa Barbara to San Diego and Riverside.

After dinner, door prizes were given and an entertainment program was presented, beginning with a variety of songs by several individuals.

Members of the Los Angeles and Pasadena NewLife congregations performed a Filipino pole dance, and Vic and Jenny Zager of West Valley and Jackie and Dosia Spurgeon of New Hope Christian Fellowship (Pasadena) enthralled the audience with their performance of a lively Cuban salsa dance.

The entertainment ended with a performance by the Los Angeles youths of a sobering, but fitting skit based on the song, “The Old Apple Tree,” about a wayward son and family reconciliation.

After Mr. May made remarks on the necessity and importance of each of us being reconcilers, many attendees flowed onto the dance floor for about 45 minutes of dancing before the close of the evening. John Campbell.

BIG SANDY, Texas—The Big Sandy congregation attended worship services Sunday, Feb. 8, with the Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist and Rock of Calvary churches in Big Sandy.

WCG members wanted to convey to the black community that as brothers and sisters in Christ, we can worship and praise God together in the community. Pastor P.R. Moore and Pastor Linda Austin gladly welcomed our members to their services.

The spirit of unity and reconciliation was evident. After the service, Pastor Moore asked for response from the congregation. Many commented on the sense of unity and the importance of showing love to one another. Some said this was a day of a new beginning in the community as we work together. Several said this had been a dream in the community for a long time and it was now being seen in reality.

Plans are under way for joint community activities. The consensus was that as Christians, we should be seen working together and not just talking about it. It was a great day of worship and unity for Big Sandy.

Gail Singleton Taylor participates in
Black History events at Old Dominion University

NORFOLK, Virginia—Gail Singleton Taylor, associate professor of education and a member of the Office of Reconciliation Ministries advisory council, along with her colleague, Kuumba Waithe, conducted a workshop titled “Raising Up Queens” at Old Dominion University, Jan. 31. Twenty-five people attended.

The two discussed spiritual principles African-American women can use to deal with challenges related to relationships, career, health and finances. The two facilitators used discussion, lecture and artwork to help participants deal with these issues.

Dr. Taylor was a guest on the Bottom Line television talk show Jan. 18 on WAVY-TV (Channel 10) to discuss the African-American Read-In. The Read-In is a nationwide event initiated by the National Council of Teachers of English and endorsed by the International Reading Association. It was designed to make African-American literacy an important part of Black History Month activities.

During the program, participants from the university and larger community came together to read poems or book excerpts written by African-Americans. The Read-In took place at Old Dominion University Feb. 1. Don Roberts, host of Bottom Line, served as the master of ceremonies. It was attended by about 75 people, from elementary school students to senior citizens. Roseann Runte, president of Old Dominion University, was one of the featured readers.

One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”

Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

The consecrated bread consisted of 12 loaves placed on the golden table outside the most holy place in the tent of meeting. It was a special offering to God, and was set out fresh every Sabbath. It was to be eaten only by the high priest and his sons (Leviticus 24:5-9).

Nevertheless, in the absence of any other food, David and his men ate it (1 Samuel 21:1-6). Jesus cited this incident as an example of how rules, even God-given ones, are not intended to take precedence over human need.

In this way, Jesus tells us something important about divine rules: God made them, and he made them to serve humans, not to rule humans.

In Jesus, God shows us that the core of authentic human life is love. The person who loves, Paul wrote, fulfills the law. We could say that the only reason the law of God exists is to point us toward the life of love. To love is to enter into the divine fellowship of the Holy Spirit, to dwell in the eternal love of the Father for the Son and of the Son for the Father.

People are more important than systems and programs. People are more important than

The best way to worship God
is to help people

rituals and religion. John wrote that if a person loves God, then that person will love his brother (1 John 4:20).

William Barclay wrote: “The best way to worship God is to help men” (Gospel of Mark, Revised Edition, Saint Andrew Press, 1991, p. 64). It might be easy to think that loving God and loving one’s neighbor are two different things. They are not.

Our love for God is expressed precisely in how we treat others. If we are mean, hateful, cruel and inconsiderate of others, that is a demonstration of how devoted (or not devoted) we are to God.

God loves all people, even the ones we have no use for, the ones we treat as though they don’t matter. When we behave poorly toward the people God loves, then we are behaving the same way toward God. God is interested in people, not in rituals for rituals’ sake.

When it comes to the Sabbath, an idea has gotten around that the Sabbath is greater than God. Let me explain. It is as though God is the guardian or protector of the Sabbath, making sure that people keep the Sabbath holy, and finally awarding salvation only to those who are faithful Sabbathkeepers. In other words, in this kind of thinking, the main thing is the Sabbath; God is the enforcer of the Sabbath. God made the Sabbath, then made himself subject to it, then made people subject to it.

Jesus cleared all such convoluted recipes off the dinner table. He made things plain: people were not made to be servants of the Sabbath; the Sabbath was made to be a servant of people.

Furthermore, Jesus was not talking to or about all people. He was talking to first-century Jewish teachers of the law. And he was talking about Israel, the specific humans to whom God gave the Sabbath.

For Christians to assume that the Sabbath commandment is for Christians is to misunderstand the covenant between God and Israel. And for Christians to hold out the Sabbath as a criterion of the truly faithful believers is to misunderstand the new covenant written on the hearts of all God’s people, Jew and gentile alike.

The gospel declares God’s love. It’s interesting how carefully calculated step-by-step

The main reason most people come to church and keep coming to church and become believers is the same today as it was 2,000 years ago--they meet people who like them and accept them and become their friends.

programs for evangelism seem to come and go, much like the latest fads in business and management.

Maybe one reason is that programs, by nature, are contrivances. They might work well for business endeavors, where advertising and manipulation of emotions is crucial to selling a product. But the gospel is not a product; it is a declaration of God’s love.

Love doesn’t come by programs. It comes in its own way in its own time. It is strengthened and proven in the crucible of self-sacrifice, patience and forbearance. It cannot be explained; it can only be lived. It’s something you live out, not something you evaluate on a scale of measurable outcomes. It’s messy, not predictable. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it thrills. It’s never static. It doesn’t play by the rules; the rules can’t keep up.

The main reason most people come to church and keep coming to church and become believers is the same today as it was 2,000 years ago—they meet people who like them and accept them and become their friends. Programs don’t do it—love does it.

Jesus gave a new command to his disciples: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).

That’s a novel thought in our highly organized, programmatic society. Suppose Christians were well known for being the kind of people anybody would enjoy having for a friend. Suppose they weren’t known for being pushy and judgmental. Suppose they weren’t known for well-rehearsed emotional spiels designed to press people into a so-called “decision for Christ.”

Suppose they were genuine, caring and harmless people, who in the love of Christ loved others for who they are. Suppose they didn’t make friends with people as part of some new evangelism program, but simply because faithful friendship is what Jesus Christ is all about.

Peter said we should always be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within us (see 1 Peter 1:15). Paul said we should let our conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that we may know how to answer everyone (see Colossians 4:6). Neither Peter nor Paul said we should press people to ask. Instead, we are told to live the life of love. We are to make no secret of our faith. But neither are we asked to push it on others.

The Holy Spirit moves people to ask. And the Holy Spirit works in us to give an answer that is “seasoned with salt” and full of “grace.”

Some people call this kind of living “whole-life evangelism” or “relational evangelism” or “life-style evangelism,” etc. But by giving it a name, we run the risk of turning it into a just another program.

Imagine a young man walking up to a young woman outside Lakeside Ice Cream Parlour and saying: “Excuse me. Do you know me? Well, I know you and I know you’re miserable and pathetic and need a great husband. I can fix all that. If you’ll just repeat after me these words, “I will marry you, and we’ll live happily ever after.”

She’d slap his face, of course, or call 911, or jab him someplace with her keys.

That’s not how good relationships start. Yet, something akin to that is how some Christians have been taught that a good relationship with Jesus Christ should begin. Thank God, he can and does clean up our messes and turn lemons into lemonade, but what makes us think that is how Jesus wants us to help people learn who he is for them?

Another word for what Jesus was confronting in this story is legalism. Legalism is incompatible with the gospel. Jesus Christ is who he is for us before we ever do anything. The gospel is the truth about the reconciliation God has already brought about in Jesus Christ (Colossians 1: 19-20). Jesus’ work of reconciliation doesn’t depend on us. If it did, we’d never be reconciled, for

our faith and our behavior are always substandard at best. God did what he did in Christ because he loved us, not because we loved him first (1 John 4:19).

That’s why we can trust him for our salvation fully, from beginning to end. That is why we do not have to carry a burden of fear that our ever-

present weakness in faith or behavior is the crack in the hull that will sink our salvation.

Jesus Christ is Lord of the Sabbath. We rest in him, not in our own works. His love binds us to himself, and he loves us for no other reason than that he wants to! He makes us new in himself, only because he loves us and has chosen freely not to be without us. Paul wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17).

That’s good news. God has made people—including you and me—his priority. He loves us, and we can’t make him stop loving us. In that place of refuge, in the security of God’s endless love for us, we are free to make him our priority. Therein lie the unshakable peace, joy, and fullness of life we so crave. Therein lies our true rest.

Romans chapters 9-11 are a problem: Are these chapters a digression, or a main point? Paul has stopped describing the gospel, and begun to talk about the role of the Jewish people in God’s plan.

One theme that Paul continues from earlier chapters is that God does not show partiality. Salvation is not just for the Jews—it is for Gentiles, too. But has God given up on the Jews? No way!

When Paul wrote this epistle, he was in Corinth, hoping to travel to Rome on his way to Spain (15:23-24). But first, he planned to take a gift from the Greek churches to Jerusalem (vv. 25-29), and he knew that many Jews viewed Paul and his gospel with hostility.

So when Paul wrote to the Romans, he had one eye on the Gentiles, and another on the Jews in Jerusalem. Paul is not only rehearsing his message to Gentiles; he is also rehearsing what he will say in Jerusalem.

He’s answering an objection: If the gospel is promised in the Jewish Scriptures, then why are so few Jews accepting the message? Paul claimed that the gospel was rooted in the Old Testament, but why should anyone believe the gospel if the people who knew those Scriptures best, the Jews, didn’t accept the message? The Jewish rejection of the gospel was undermining Paul’s message.

Had God given up on the Jewish people and turned to the Gentiles instead? And if he did that, can we be sure that he won’t abandon the Gentiles, too? Why were most Jews rejecting the free gift that Paul was offering?

Paul begins chapter 9 with a strong assertion: “I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart” (TNIV throughout).

Chapter 8 ended with rejoicing and confidence in God’s love, and then all of a sudden Paul says he is full of anguish. He hasn’t even said why—he delays that for rhetorical effect until verse 3. He just said that nothing will be able to cut us off from the love of Christ, and yet he says, “For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ…” He is making a huge contrast, wishing for something he has just said is impossible.

What has filled him with anguish? It is “for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel” (vv. 3-4). Just as Moses offered to give himself up for Israel (Ex. 32:32), Paul also says that he is willing to be cut off from salvation, if such were possible, so his people could be saved.

Why does he begin with a three-fold assertion that he is telling the truth? Probably because some people thought that Paul had abandoned his people.

Paul has deep concern for his people, and he is convinced that without Christ, they are headed for destruction, despite all their advantages. He lists some advantages: “Theirs is the adoption; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises” (v. 4).

Gentiles had many of these advantages, too—they can be adopted through Christ, offered the divine glory, a new covenant and wonderful promises. But Paul is referring to special events in Israel’s history: when God adopted the nation at the exodus, when God’s glory filled the tabernacle, the covenants given to Abraham, Moses, Levi and David, the sacrificial rituals and the promises given through the prophets.

Those things were a head start in salvation, one would think, but they hadn’t helped much. The Jews were so proud of these good things that they were overlooking the best thing—Christ. If salvation is in Christ, then it’s not in the law and the temple worship, and many Jews were not willing to admit the relative unimportance of something that had always been an important part of their culture and religion.

Paul lists two more Jewish advantages in verse 5: “Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.” This verse is one of the few in which Jesus is called God. The grammar is sometimes debated, but it seems most likely that the Messiah is being called God and given a praise doxology appropriate to God. But Paul’s main point here is that Jesus is a Jew, the fulfillment of the promises given to the patriarchs.

So if Israel has all this, what’s the problem? Paul doesn’t directly say! But he implies that since the Jews have rejected Jesus, they are missing out on salvation, which gives the appearance that God’s promises to them have been broken.

Paul begins to address the problem in verse 6: “It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” The root problem is whether God’s word is true, whether he is faithful to his promises. Paul then points out that we can’t expect all Jews to be inheritors of the promise.

In verse 7 Paul gives evidence: “Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children.” Some of Abraham’s descendants are not counted as his children; they are disinherited. Paul quotes Genesis 21:12 as proof: “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Ishmael was Abraham’s son, but he was not counted as a descendent for the purpose of the promise—the promise was given to the children of Isaac.

“In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. This was how the promise was stated: At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son” (vv. 8-9, quoting Gen. 18:14). Only Isaac was a child of promise. But God’s selectivity did not stop there—not even all the children of Isaac were counted among the chosen people.

Verses 10-13: “Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger’ [Gen. 25:23]. Just as it is written [Mal. 1:2-3]: ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’ ”

The word hated doesn’t imply hate as we know it—the construction is a Hebrew figure of speech to emphasize the love for the other. God blessed Esau, but he did not choose him for the covenant he gave Israel. Instead, the promise was carried through the line of Jacob.

All this supports the point Paul made in verse 6: not all the Israelites are God’s people. God can choose the people he works with, and when, and for what purpose. He had a special purpose for Israel, and he did not choose everyone for that role.

But Paul has not yet solved the problem he began with—if God is not giving salvation to all of Jacob’s descendants, what good is it to be a descendent of Jacob? It looks like God is not keeping his promises.

In verse 14, Paul approaches the question from a different angle: “What then shall we say? Is God unjust?” God chooses some people and not others, and this doesn’t look fair—especially if you think that God made a promise to save all the Jews.

But Paul answers in verse 14: “Not at all! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion’ ” (Ex. 33:19). It’s a matter of mercy, not justice. The surprise is not that some people are left out—the miracle is that some people are saved. God can give mercy to whomever he wants, without being unfair to the others (Matt. 20:15).

Paul concludes, “It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy” (v. 16). Salvation is by grace, not by what we want or do.

It is easy to show that mercy is fair, but Paul also has to include the opposite, because it seems that Israel is being hardened.

He begins with the example of Pharaoh: “For Scripture says to Pharaoh: ‘I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth’ ” (v. 17; Ex. 9:16). God tells Pharaoh: “I put you in a position of power so I could show the world that I have far more power. You will be an object lesson of what happens to people who resist my purpose.”

“Therefore,” Paul summarizes in verse 18, “God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.” Both of these can be fair. We have to accept what God does, and not judge him by our own understanding.

However, Paul knows that his case is more difficult, so he says in verse 19: “One of you will say to me: ‘Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?’ ” The objection is that it’s not fair for God to punish people for disobedience when he made them disobey.

Paul does not say whether the accusation is true—he just pulls rank. “Who are you, a mere human being, to talk back to God?” He quotes Isaiah 29:16: “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ”

Paul asks questions that emphasize the gulf between God and humans: “Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for disposal of refuse?” Here Paul refers to Jeremiah 18, where God says that he can change his plans for Israel depending on how they respond to him.

Then Paul asks another “what if” question: “What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?” (v. 22). The marvel is not that God rejects his people—it is that he is so patient with those who reject him.

In verses 23-24, Paul asks another “what if” or hypothetical question: “What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?” What if God’s patience is designed to help us appreciate his mercy? If God is patient with those who oppose him, how much more is he patient with those who turn to him?

Paul has dismissed the question about fairness and is now moving to statements about God’s calling. He starts by showing from the Old Testament that God is saving not only Jews, but also Gentiles.

“As he says in Hosea: ‘I will call them “my people” who are not my people; and I will call her “my loved one” who is not my loved one.’ In the very place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” they will be called “children of the living God” ’ ” (Rom. 9:25-26, quoting Hos. 2:23 and 1:10). Hosea is talking about the restoration of Israelites who had fallen away, but Paul is adapting the verse to say that God is calling Gentiles, who had never been part of God’s people.

God can reject Israelites who persistently reject him. He has no further obligation to them—they are in the same category as Gentiles. So, if he can make these rejected Israelites his people again, then he can make anyone his people. He can choose people he previously ignored, just as he did with Abraham and Israel. What God did with the Jews, he can also do with everyone else.

Paul moves into a slightly different idea when he quotes Isaiah 10:22: “Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved. For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality” (vv. 27-28). The word remnant is important.

“It is just as Isaiah said previously [in Isa. 1:9],” Paul says in verse 29: “Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.” The surprise is not that many Jews reject the message, but that some accept it. If we were left to ourselves, we would be desolate. But because God has been merciful, a remnant of people are responding. God’s word has not failed—Isaiah’s prophecy has come true. A remnant is being saved.

“What then shall we say?” Paul asks in verses 30-31. “That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal.” The Jews were trying hard to be righteous, but they failed, and the Gentiles, who were ignoring it, were given righteousness by God.

Why did Israel not attain their goal? Because they were trying to be righteous through the law. They focused on the law that made them distinctive and failed to see that it was leading them to Christ. They had a good goal, but they were pursuing it in the wrong way. “They pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works” (v. 32). The Jews focused on their advantages, but those things are ineffective in salvation. What we need is faith in Christ.

“They stumbled over the ‘stumbling stone’ ”—Christ (v. 32). “As it is written: ‘See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame’ ” (v. 33, quoting Isa. 28:16). The word of God predicted that most of the Jews would stumble against Christ, and that has come true. But the person who believes in Christ will be saved. A remnant will be saved.

In this chapter, Paul stated the problem—explaining that only a few of the Jews accept Jesus as the Christ. This should not be surprising, for it was predicted in Scripture. But that is not the end of the story, as we will see in the next two chapters.

Is it fair for God to save some people and let others continue walking toward disaster? (v. 14)

If God saves a few Jews, does that solve the problem, or do I still have questions? (v. 27).

FRISCO, Texas—In this youth ministry equipping and training column we are now focused on ways youth ministry workers and leaders may help to create environments in which ministry development may flourish.

Looking at the ministry of Jesus and the New Testament church, we observe important disciplemaking ministry foundations—essential environmental factors that facilitate healthy growth. This month, we examine prayerful dependence, the third of six foundations.

We find Jesus getting up "very early in the morning, while it was still dark" to go to a solitary place to pray.

conversation. They were standing in a circle, hands clasped. And they were praying. As I stood and listened to these 14-, 15- and 16-year-old boys pouring their hearts out to Jesus, tears filled my eyes. The notion that they would be praying at all was something to celebrate. That they would do so with others like themselves was even better. But to listen to the intense, focused prayers that they offered was truly inspiring.

Jesus created an environment punctuated by prayerful dependence. I have often mused over the fact that Jesus, fully God and fully man, would put such a premium on prayer. His desire to be fully connected to the Father should be a powerful reminder of our need to, as Paul said, “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

One of the most remarkable insights on Jesus’ priority of prayer is found in Mark 1:35. Here, after a day of preaching, driving out demons, healing Peter’s mother-in-law, then performing miracles on behalf of the “whole town” (verse 33), Jesus must have been exhausted. Surely after a day like that, he had every right to sleep in.

Instead, we find Jesus getting up “very early in the morning, while it was still dark” to go to a solitary place to pray. The Gospels have numerous references to Jesus’ praying.

Much has been said and written about prayer. Evangelist Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) wrote: “Some people think God does not like to be troubled with constant coming and asking. The only way to trouble God is not to come at all.”

Further, Moody said: “We are not told that Jesus ever taught his disciples how to preach, but he taught them how to pray. He wanted them to have power with God; then he knew they would have power with man.”

Corrie ten Boom, who offered refuge to Jews in Holland during World War II, said the following: “As a camel kneels before his master to have him remove his burden at the end of the day, so kneel each night and let the Master take your burden.”

Ten Boom continued: “If you have some time on your hands, spend part of it on your knees.”

Alexander Maclaren (1826-1910), one of Britain’s most famous preachers, wrote: “The true end of prayer is to get our wills harmonized with his, not to bend his with ours.” And author C.S. Lewis wrote: “If we were perfected, prayer would not be a duty, it would be delight. Some day, praise God, it will be.”

So the question is, how much emphasis does your youth group, your congregation or your family place on prayer? How important is it to you? How important is it to seek an audience with the all-powerful, almighty God? What does it mean to us that, under the new covenant, we have instantaneous access to the throne room of the universe?

One thing that can be said with confidence: a youth group or congregation that places a premium on prayerful dependence will enhance the likelihood of growth for the congregation or youth group.

A key suggestion with respect to this topic is to enlist concerned adults and students who will pray specifically and consistently for the needs of youth ministry. One way to do this is through the formation of what are called prayer triplets. In a prayer triplet, you identify two other people who will gather 20 minutes a week to pray specifically for spiritually lost friends and one another’s growth.

Another idea is to conduct a concert of prayer, where a facilitator leads a group through a series of focused prayers. Some have chosen this format to do nothing but pray in either a congregational setting or at a youth activity. Others sprinkle appropriate worship and praise music that corresponds to the focus of the prayer.

Some congregations with few youths may wish to discuss whether they truly are interested in growing youth ministry. If the answer is yes, the next positive step would be to bathe the issue in prayer.

Regardless of format or approach, prayer means spending time with God. Talking with him. Listening for his response. Sharing with others who are interested in communing with God.

Being intentional in prayer is one of the most important hallmarks of an environment that is likely to enjoy tremendous spiritual growth. It is also an important way to fulfill the Great Commandment. Certainly talking to and with God is a tremendous way to show him that you love him with your whole heart, soul and mind.

VERSAILLES, Indiana—We’ll conclude this survey of the Worldwide Church of God’s international publications with two from the Southern Hemisphere.

About two years ago, the Australasian region stopped publishing its bimonthly magazine for financial reasons. The congregation in Perth, Western Australia, filled the gap in their area by beginning a publication titled Life Today.

The goal is to “bring hope and encouragement” as a community service. The circulation is essentially limited to Western Australia, and the editor and staff are all area church members. This 16-page magazine is printed in black and white, and is published several times a year.

Looking through the latest issue, I see an interesting selection of articles from a variety of authors. Most are local, but Life Today also reprints articles from other publications. It has a high standard of creativity in the illustrations and design. My impression of Life Today has always been that it is surprisingly good. It does not look like an amateur publication, and it shows what a small, talented and enthusiastic team can do with the resources of desktop publishing.

From even farther south comes Living Now, from Invercargill at the southern tip of New Zealand’s South Island. It is published twice yearly by the members of the WCG in Southland and Otago provinces. The articles are a mix of original material by area members and reprints from other publications. The latest issue has 16 pages, and is printed in black and white (a design limitation they have capitalized on by offering a picture for a children’s coloring competition).

In this survey I have included only the publications that could be classified as outreach. Many dozens of smaller in house magazines, bulletins and newsletters are published by local congregations for their use. Some of them also have a small outreach, but that is not their primary focus.

As I said at the beginning of this series of articles, publishing seems to be in the DNA of our church. For those of us who have what used to be called printer’s ink in our veins, it is rewarding and fun. But don’t think it isn’t hard work. In fact, if ever a project needed you to “sit down first and consider whether you have sufficient to finish” as Jesus advised in Luke 14:28, it is publishing a newspaper or magazine. Even a small one. It is far more work than you might think it is going to be.

Personal computers, desktop publishing and the Internet have made some aspects of the job easier. But what isn’t easier, and never will be, is the task of sitting down and writing something that others will want to read.

Small magazines usually fail not because of lack of finances, but for lack of creativity. Writing is hard work—it has been called the manual labor of the mind.

When enthusiastic people ask me for advice about starting something, I tell them, “Make sure you have the material for a third issue before you publish the first one.” You see, the first issue is fun, and everyone has a high energy level. The second issue is still a novelty. But by the third, production has settled down around the few people who will put in the grunt work to keep things going. If you can get to the third issue you probably have a chance of sustaining the effort.

It is well worth it. The written word can help and inspire long after you have forgotten what you wrote. Regular writers for the church still get comments on things they wrote many years ago (sometimes to our great embarrassment). You just never know where what you have published will end up.

For example, David Agreda, the editor of the Spanish language magazine El Noticiero, reported: “Our brothers in Honduras are using El Noticiero as an evangelism tool. They even sent several copies to Iraq, where a study group was formed using copies of previous editions of El Noticiero.”

Our Spanish language magazine, edited in Latin America, is helping a study group in Iraq! You just never know, do you?

egistration is now open for the 2004 worship and fellowship retreats. Regional sites, dates and coordinators for these retreats are listed in the box at the right.

As indicated below, there are three ways to register this year. Please choose one from the list. Registration for the regional sites should be completed by June 25.

1. Complete the coupon on this page and mail it with the appropriate payment to the address on the form.

2. Log on to the WCG web site at www.wcg.org/festival and complete the application and credit card information.

Once registered, you will receive a confirmation letter containing your site’s housing information, activities and the specific times for services, seminars and workshops.

Note: For information about the fellowship tours and cruises, please call John Siston at 1-800-858-6999.

CONFERENCE IN AUSTRALIA—John McLean,
national director, talks to ministers from Australia
and New Zealand. [Photo by Rod Matthews]

BURLEIGH HEADS, Australia—Pastors from around Australia and New Zealand gathered at the church’s national office on the Gold Coast Feb. 13 to 17 for a conference.

The weekend sessions included members of several pastoral teams. They welcomed J. Michael Feazell, the church’s director of publications, as guest speaker. Dr. Feazell presented several sessions to the conference, addressing issues including “Our rest in Christ,” the Trinity, the church’s Statement of Beliefs, prophecy and spiritual community.

“The conference reaffirmed the need to walk humbly with one another and to respect the work God is doing in the lives of all members,” commented Rod Dean, Sydney, New South Wales, pastor.

Kwan Borden was ordained during the conference. Kwan and his wife, Jo, moved to Queensland from Sydney in March last year to take up the role of national youth ministry coordinator. John McLean, Australia national director, and Mr. Dean conducted the ordination ceremony, with Dr. Feazell delivering the prayer. The Bordens were joined by Jo’s parents, John and Robyn Pemberton, from Sydney, for the service.

Workshop sessions during the conference included a communication workshop presented by Aub Warren, Pacific Training & Development trainer, local church financial issues, and approaches to outreach and evangelism. Throughout each day of the conference pastors presented updates on key activities in their areas. After each pastor gave his presentation, another led a prayer for the pastor and his areas of responsibility.

Rex Morgan and Dennis and Sue Richards from New Zealand also attended this year’s conference. “This conference reflected the commitment our pastors have to our spiritual community and to our shared journey of faith,” Mr. McLean said.

“We are growing in grace and knowledge as a fellowship. Conferences such as this are a vital part of that ongoing journey and a significant contribution to ‘building one another up in love.’ ” Aub Warren.

CINCINNATI, Ohio—Twelve members of Christ Community Church (a WCG congregation in Cincinnati) attended a personal evangelism workshop Jan. 30 to learn how to share the gospel without being disrespectful, annoying or obnoxious.

Equipping Ministries International (EMI), an independent parachurch ministry dedicated to equipping lay members for service, hosted the training, and the authors of a new book titled Irresistible Evangelism, taught the course. The authors included Dave Ping, executive director of EMI; Steve Sjogren, founding pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati; and Doug Pollock, Cutting Edge Evangelism director for Athletes in Action.

The first part of the workshop focused on what they call the seven deadly sins of evangelism: scheming, scalp hunting, screaming, selling, stalking, sermonizing and spectating.

The workshop then explored constructive and natural ways of evangelizing founded on respect and concern through servant evangelism based on acts of kindness done with no strings attached; active listening as a means of showing respect and getting to know people in a real and meaningful way; and active wondering, or engaging people in dialogue about important issues and allowing them to safely explore their own ideas.

Our members returned with a new perspective on evangelism and excited about applying the principles in order to touch our world by living and sharing the gospel. Brent Meranda.

RICHARDSON, Texas—Julio Ramirez began conducting a weekly Spanish language Bible study at Grace Family Church at the beginning of 2004. The 45-minute Bible study takes place during the church’s discipleship time, before the weekly church service.

So far, the attendance has averaged about five people and attendees are being encouraged to invite friends and family members.

Mr. Ramirez was an elder in the former Evangelical Church of God. Frank Lewandowski.

CHARLESTON, West Virginia—The Charleston congregation celebrated the 99th birthday of its eldest member, Swannee Chamberlin, Sunday, Jan. 11. Mrs. Chamberlin attends services regularly and has for more than 25 years.

“Each morning I get up, I thank God for taking care of me,” she said. She is reportedly the last widow of the Spanish-American War (her late husband was more than 20 years older than she is) receiving a pension and lives by herself. Although she had no children of her own, she helped raise many of her 16 siblings.

She spent many of her years working in Miami, Florida, and taking care of her late husband. She returned to West Virginia to take care of a brother stricken with cancer. She is quite a remarkable lady who is admired, loved and appreciated by Pastor Mike Greider and all the members of the congregation. Todd Carden.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas—New Beginnings church members were on hand to celebrate Margarita Mendoza’s 85th birthday, Feb. 22.

Mrs. Mendoza is a longtime resident at the Fredericksburg Nursing Home in San Antonio, where New Beginnings volunteers conduct services on the second and fourth Sundays of the month. Armando Villarreal Jr., Sylvia Morgan, David Orth and Henry Posadas provided live music, a prayer and best wishes to her. Mrs. Mendoza helps organize the residents and prepare them for church services. Services consist of praise and worship songs, a short message and a closing prayer.

The Fredericksburg Nursing Home is one of two nursing homes for which the New Beginnings church provides Sunday services on a regular basis. Church members encourage and share a few minutes of the love of Jesus that he so generously bestows on them. Rodney Schuler.

INITAO, Philippines—Thirty parents and 20 children accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior during an outreach program conducted by the Initao outlying Bible study area Feb. 15 at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Roldan and Venie Tacbobo.

Venie, who is a municipal social worker, has been faithfully doing children’s ministry for several years now. The Tacbobos invited the parents, mostly Catholics, during the program to witness the presentations of their children. Then, Jerome Manriquez, pastoral team chairman for Cagayan de Oro City, presented the gospel by using the John 3:16 illustration.

After receiving positive feedback from the audience, he made an altar call, and all of them came forward to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

MORRISTOWN, Tennessee—Ellis Necessary, pastor of the Morristown church, was in a serious accident Feb. 17 with head trauma and had to be airlifted to a hospital.

“I visited with Ellis and his family the next day over in Knoxville,” said Bob Taylor, district superintendent. He was aware that we were there but was not able to see because his eyes were swollen shut. His wife, Dorothy, asked him if he wanted me to pray for him and he shook his head yes.

“The doctors had just taken out the ventilator tubes, so he was able to speak just a few words. He was semi-alert.

“When the emergency medical technicians saw the smashed-up van, they said that no one could have lived through the accident, yet he did.

“Ellis has a fractured skull, broken collarbone, fractured shoulder, broken nose, broken facial bones and a face that looks like he had been in a fight with a wild cat. I would not have recognized him had I not known we were in the right room.

“He started physical therapy for his broken collar bone and has begun working part-time. He missed only one worship service. He has given the sermon every week since and conducted Wednesday night services also. He is definitely a walking miracle.” Bob Taylor.

MONROVIA, California—Pastor Tom Ecker and his wife, Alberta, were traveling east on the 210 Freeway Feb. 14 to the worship service in San Bernardino when the car in front of them ran over a spoiler that had broken off of a sports car and sent it through their windshield.

“It hit the front of our hood (slowing it down a little bit) and continued toward the windshield on my side,” Mr. Ecker said. “One side of the protruding end broke through the middle of the windshield, leaving a good size hole between Alberta and me. Fine pieces of glass were everywhere.”

Even though both of them were covered in glass, Mrs. Ecker had one small cut on her hand, and Mr. Ecker had a little pinprick on his hand.

The Eckers called Jewel Love and Dewayne White on their cell phone and asked them to conduct worship services in both San Bernardino and Moreno Valley.

AAA towed the car to a glass shop. A number of restaurants were nearby, and since it was Valentines Day, the Eckers decided to eat at a Japanese restaurant where they cook the food in front of you and where you can chat with others at the table.

They were seated with a fireman, his wife and daughter. He said the Eckers were blessed because he has usually seen these kinds of accidents end in a lot more tragic ways.

The Eckers found out that they were a Christian family. They discussed the movie The Passion of the Christ and what their churches were going to do.

“The lunch was pleasant, the company was uplifting and at the end of lunch the fireman picked up our lunch tab,” Mr. Ecker said. “He just wanted to give us a blessing because of what we had just experienced. So nice to live in a world were kindness reigns in the hearts of Christians.

HUNTINGTON, West Virginia—Fifty-five teens and chaperons enjoyed a weekend retreat Jan. 23 to 25 at Camp Asbury Woods, south of Huntington. The teen leadership team from Huntington and Ripley, West Virginia, helped sponsor the retreat.

Friday evening, Jan. 23, began with a skit about “Wheelbarrow Man,” who had the amazing ability of showing anyone his purpose in life who was willing to get into his wheelbarrow. Don Hussell, youth pastor, gave a presentation on how young people can find their purpose in life.

Saturday morning, after some contemporary praise and worship, another skit was performed about the difficulties of making time for God in a busy teenager’s life. Dan Greider, a freshman at Kentucky Christian College, followed with a message titled, “What Are We Filling Our Cup With?”

Games and activities took place after the message. Katie Steele, a junior at Marshall University, gave a presentation about our relationship with Christ being like a bouquet of roses. She used an illustration of how people treat the roses as a way of showing how our relationship with Christ can be neglected and damaged.

Teen groups from Lexington, Pikeville and Paintsville, Kentucky, and Huntington, Charleston and Ripley, West Virginia, attended this event. Mike Greider.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida— The Family Worship Center invites anyone interested or involved in praise and worship to the Key of David Praise and Worship Conference May 28 to 30 in Fort Lauderdale. This year’s theme is “Praise the Lord—From Generation to Generation!”

The registration fee is $50, which includes all printed materials. For additional information on the conference, call Keysha Taylor at 1-954-433-7227 or Lisa Barker at 1-954-655-6529 or send an e-mail to keyofdavid@bellsouth.net. Conference information and updates are posted at churches.wcg.org/miami-fl/.

Housing is available at the Fort Lauderdale Sunrise Hilton Hotel, 3003 N. University Dr., Sunrise, Florida, 33322; telephone, 1-954-748-7000; web site, www.fortlauderdalehilton.com. Call the hotel directly to make reservations. Ask for the Key of David conference room rate, which is $74 a night plus tax. Parking is free.

Worship and the Instrumentalist: Keysha Taylor. Interactive keyboarding session, working with chord progressions, interpreting the circle of fourths and fifths, styles and rhythms.

The National Day of Prayer will take place May 6. Here are some ideas on how to get involved from Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals:

“As a pastor, I am always looking for ways to connect Christians within our community in an effort to be ‘a city on the hill that cannot be hidden.’ One avenue in which our church has experienced impact is the National Day of Prayer.

“This is a unique opportunity to unite with fellow believers on the common ground of prayer. By putting aside denominational and racial differences, our actions will reflect our hope in Christ to the non-Christians in our hometowns. It helps all churches as individual congregations because it brings us out into the public arena as pastors to pray and lead through biblical servitude.”

The National Day of Prayer headquarters provides materials and tools to help you provide exposure for your event. You can order these resources through their web site at www.nationaldayofprayer.org or by calling 1-800-444-8828.

Shirley Dobson, chairman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, reminds Americans that if the nation is to receive God’s direction during trying times, they must take advantage of the freedom they have to pray openly. “Our leaders confront difficult challenges every day and our society faces a future of uncertainty,” she said. “In order to realize the potential outlined in the Declaration of Independence, we must continue seeking divine counsel, asking for his intervention and direction.”

LOUDON, New Hampshire—The Portland, Maine, and Loudon congregations support a ministry in Zimbabwe run by Sylvia Harrison and a few volunteers.

Mrs. Harrison reported: “Many thanks plus a big hug to you, Gail [Stoddart] and your church members for holding up my arms and supporting me during 2003.

“It was a very stressed and strenuous year, but our finest. Through the grace of God we managed to provide every need requested of us, culminating in the inauguration of a mothers’ room for the intensive care unit.

“This has made such a difference as the mothers no longer have to sit on hard chairs by their desperately sick babies or children fighting for their lives.

“The room was handed over to the minister of health, Dr. Parirenyatwa, on Aug. 7 and blessed a week later by Pastor Anthony Taderera.

“In eight months we were able to change a small, shabby playroom into a lovely room with new furniture, two beds, mattresses, pillows, sheets, blankets, curtains, bedspreads, carpet, color television, electric kettle and pictures. But most important, the room has a small, white table on which was placed a Bible for the mothers to read.

“During this time the normal work we do in the other seven wards continued as before.

“At the beginning of December, gifts of sugar beans and kapenta fish were given to every mother and child discharged. This program continued into January 2004. Baby blankets, flannel and knitted, baby clothes, baby vests, diapers and diaper liners, baby potties, baby food, plastic pants, toys, small packs containing a feeding bowl, spoon and mug were given out freely to mothers, children and babies.

“Now in 2004, with 70 percent unemployed, the needs grow constantly. I do not know how the little Care Ministry I coordinate can cope. However, with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26), and if you will continue to give me your wonderful support and love, I am determined to give it a try. Please stand with me and let us shine to God’s glory.”

WHEATLAND, Wyoming—The town of Wheatland has had a community Thanksgiving service for several years. Put on by the community churches and the Ministerial Association, the service is a combined effort to honor God and worship together.

This year, David Weber, pastor of the Wheatland WCG congregation, gave the main message. The church has had a long presence in the town with a large number of members per capita, so Mr. Weber took the opportunity to apologize for our former beliefs and offenses they caused. The focus of his message was Jesus Christ, the core.

Many who heard Mr. Weber’s message told him that they believed he was brave and that they understood our former beliefs and actions better. Most were appreciative of his candor and said they were helped in their own faith by our commitment to the core of the gospel.

One youth pastor commented that he better understood what are the core issues and would be helped by Mr. Weber’s message in ministering to youths from denominations other than his own. Several of our members received phone calls in the days following, in which the callers mentioned the message.

Members of the community present included the chief of police, a former governor and many in town and county government as well as business. Churches involved were First Christian, All Saints Episcopal, Wheatland Bible, United Church of Christ, Covenant Lutheran, Wheatland United Methodist, St. Patrick’s Catholic, Worldwide Church of God, Assembly of God, Memorial Baptist, Trinity Lutheran and Church of the Nazarene.

The Wheatland Ministerial Association is active in uniting Christians of all denominations. They were approached by the high school a few years ago with the idea of sponsoring a dinner for the graduating seniors.

The association accepted the challenge, putting on an evening meal before the baccalaureate service for the past several years. The churches cover the cost of the meal, so it is free to the seniors and their families. Pastors and their wives serve the food. The pastor or youth pastor from a different denomination gives the baccalaureate message each year. Attendance at the baccalaureate service has improved dramatically. In 1998, only about 10 percent of the seniors attended, whereas in 2003, attendance was nearly 90 percent. Rose Weber.

CULLMAN, Alabama—The Cullman Times ran a feature article about the Whole Earth Store, owned by WCG members Bob and Gerrie Keefe.

In a March 3 article, Gail Crutchfield wrote that the Keefes started an open microphone event “as a way to give artistic people of the community an outlet for their work.”

She noted that Mr. Keefe retired in 2002 after working in the forestry business for 32 years. He grew up in California and earned a degree in forestry from the University of California at Berkeley, hence the store’s nickname: Berkeley Bob’s.

It is patterned after coffee houses in California in the 1960s. The Keefes’ daughter, Erin, helped decorate the walls.

Thirty senior citizens (ages 55 and older) from the Orlando and Melbourne congregations were honored at a seniors banquet Jan. 31.

The whole day was focused on the seniors. The day began with Pastor Steve Schantz’s message titled “Forever Young.” The seniors were then invited to a four-course meal prepared by executive chef Alice Sims.

Entertainment included poetry reading, duets and a performance from the youth choir. Betty Buelow, 92, received an award for being the oldest senior and was serenaded by Ish Beloso. More than 20 people served in various capacities including food service, entertainment and cleanup. Riccinni Banham.

SAN BERNARDINO, California—The second in a series of mission awareness presentations sponsored by the Bengali Evangelical Association (BEA) took place Feb. 29.

The event, like those to follow this year, was intended to help those who work in the mission field at large. The event took place at BEA’s mission center in San Bernardino, and the guest speaker was Don Richardson, missionary and author.

The evening opened with the song “We Have a Mission” sung by Iris Windom, setting the tone for Dr. Richardson’s presentation about how to evangelize Muslims by being more aware of what the Koran says as compared to the Bible. He also gave a historical overview with examples of how Islam is taking an increasing hold on Western thought and culture.

Dr. Richardson and his wife, Carol, spent 15 years as missionaries among the Sawi tribe of Irian Jaya. He designed an alphabet for the Sawi language, and translated the New Testament, after which more than half the tribe became Christians. He is also ambassador at large for World Team, a mission organization.

MISSION AWARENESS—Don
Richardson (left) with missionary
John Biswas, event host.

SAYRE, Oklahoma—Three congregations of the Texas-Oklahoma Black Fellowship conducted their monthly service Feb. 22 at the Sayre Circle of Love Fellowship with 75 present.

Sarah Perry, a member of the Bethel Baptist Church in Texola, Oklahoma, presented the program, which included solos and choir music. John Adams, pastor of Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Elk City, Oklahoma, gave the message about Christian responsibility. Ben and Shirley West.

April 2004 Contents

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April 2004
Contents