It is so gratifying to see the church on the right track.
The Jan. 2 Worldwide News articles were comforting and open with the membership. I know Doc Gibbs, and I have attended the Dallas, Texas, North church, which he attends, and much of what Mr. Gibbs wrote about is being implemented.
I read with interest of the progress and direction of the conferences. It is in our own best interest to include the membership in not only policy and doctrinal decisions but also in that which preceded such insights.
The books recommended by Mr. Albrecht appear to have specific relevance to our situation. I am grateful for this information. I applaud this new honesty and openness in confronting our past.
When Joseph W. Tkach Sr. first informed the church about the changes that needed to occur, many were offended, shocked and outraged, instead of expressing a heartfelt admission of error, not a minor error either.
My family have been members since 1970. For me, our church's confession of error is extremely therapeutic and absolutely necessary for complete wellness and healing.
Yes, I'm excited about our directions and visions; however, it would be wrong to ignore or bury our past without allowing the members to deal with it, to confront what may still be a source of pain or confusion.
I encourage you to continue the openness that has been displayed in the recent past.
C. Barry Passmore
South Point, Ohio
Yes! Yes! Yes! I was so excited to read the latest Worldwide News [Jan. 2] about plans for the direction of the church. How refreshing it is to read about ministerial conferences and departmental meetings that have not just a brief opening prayer but extensive, detailed prayer. This increased emphasis on Jesus Christ and relying on him cannot help but produce abundant good fruit.
I am grateful to God for the leadership of Mr. Tkach, the headquarters team and all the ministers and members who have remained faithful during this time of great change.
It has been exciting to learn about the new covenant, but I am glad that we are not content to stay at even that level of growth. We are continuing to learn and grow as we seek to become a more Spirit-led church in every way.
No longer distracted by speculative prophecy and the perceived need to keep various rules we once thought necessary, we are able to concentrate on the basics of Christianity: a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and good relationships with other people.
We love our fellow human beings by truly being friends to them. This is easy to say but not always easy to do. But as the Holy Spirit produces good fruit in us, it leads us to true friendships with others.
There are two ways to view the society around us, the classic definition of an optimist vs. a pessimist: A pessimist looks at half a glass of water and says it's half empty, the optimist sees the same glass and says it's half full.
It is easy to view the world as a pessimist, see the problems of society and condemn people, assuming God has called only a few believers in this age. But God has called many in addition to ourselves, with the potential for many new believers to join the body of Christ. We now see the world as a field ripe for harvest as God seeks to bring many sons and daughters to glory.
Frank Lewandowski
Dallas, Texas
This is the greatest accomplishment to come down the pike in many moons. The cost vs. number of people who can be reached instantaneously worldwide must be ridiculously low.
Anyone with an open mind accessing the information provided here could easily learn in 30 minutes what it took us years to learn.
The various formats (for example "Our Beliefs" section) that take each belief as an individual item and lays it out in a small paragraph in a virtual sound-byte fashion was a stroke of genius. No long, boring, religiosity-style prose that goes on forever.
Oliver S. Tershansy
Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania
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News February 13, 1996 |
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