By Doug Johannsen
LAWTON, Oklahoma--From my perspective in the field ministry and the perspective of many in the Lawton/Wichita Falls and Ada churches, The Worldwide News served as a lifeline feeding our members accurate information about the doctrinal changes.
During that unsettled time, the WN was for some the only source of reliable information. It was one source going directly to members that could not be stopped by anyone trying to withhold new covenant teachings.
Members could take this newspaper into the quiet of their homes, get out their Bibles and see if these new teachings were indeed so.
Some people learn best by reading (visual learners), some prefer to listen (auditory learners) and others learn hands-on (experiential learners). A fourth group (independent learners) acquire knowledge through any or all of the above.
I observed that those who learn best by reading were able to share what they read with the auditory learners in small group discussions or sermons and help the experiential learners by living what they learned.
When negative input wasn't available, people came through just fine. I've visited shut-ins who quickly embraced the new covenant teachings they read about in the WN.
Our shut-ins are avid readers, perhaps because of their age (they grew up before television, telephones, faxes, e-mail and at a time when newspapers reigned supreme). They tend to be isolated, and reading the WN helps them feel involved in the church.
The WN has from its beginning in 1973 been our newspaper. It is an official and reliable source of what's going on in the church.
Clippings of articles and photos from it may be found in scrapbooks all over the world. My wife, Betty, and I scrutinize each photograph to see if we can find people we know.
The Worldwide Church of God uses the WN to keep members informed about what's new with our people and our organization.
As the urgency for doctrinal clarification diminishes, other events of interest will surface and be covered in The Worldwide News.
Will electronic mail eventually eliminate the need for newspapers such as the WN? I doubt it. My daughter Lara, a journalism major at Boston University, is required to read at least one major newspaper a day.
The university wants students to know what's going on in the world and wants to help them learn how to write by reading quality writing. Newspapers and responsible writing are highly respected at this university.
The Internet and electronic mail make it possible for some members (and former members and nonmembers) to receive the WN electronically through their personal computers. As many as 300 people a week access the WN web site when a new issue is loaded on the Internet.
E-mail may change the way The Worldwide News is delivered for some, but at its heart and core it is still the WN, written directly from our church to our members.
Member comments
Farrel Dockstetter, Lawton, Oklahoma: The WN was the only source we had to learn about the new understandings. Even when we got a new minister who taught the new understandings, the WN continued to be an essential source of information and instruction.
So much needed to be taught that it could not be done in worship services and Bible studies.
Ben & Jimmie Van Schuyver, Wanette, Oklahoma:
The WN was helpful in our understanding of the new covenant as it took us step by step. We were able to digest one paper and couldn't wait for the next one to come.
Scripture was opened up to us as though we had never read the Bible before. We cried and shouted, sometimes at the same time. What a miracle--opening up a mind.
Rebecca Gregson, Asher, Oklahoma:
For more than a year, the only information we had concerning the doctrinal changes and the new covenant was through the WN.
It was unsettling for some, myself included, as we began to receive this knowledge through the WN.
We lost half of our members over this, but as article after article appeared in the WN, I felt as though I came face to face with the truth of our risen Savior for the first time.
A world of difference exists in knowing about Christ and knowing him personally, and I am learning more about that every day.
Our minister, Doug Johannsen, has helped make Christ real to me. He helped me see that I bring nothing to Christ except a need for mercy and forgiveness, and he loves us all in spite of our sins, unconditionally. What an awesome thing to realize and what a joy!
July 22, 1997, WN, page 6
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