United Church of God
an International Association

Greetings, everyone, from Cincinnati,

This letter will be a bit more abbreviated than usual since all of the members of the Council of Elders are in high gear preparing for our next round of meetings, which officially begin on Monday, August 5. These quarterly meetings are preceded by two days of committee meetings, in which we take care of a tremendous amount of preparatory work. By the time we leave next Thursday, everyone will be mentally tired (and physically – it’s amazing how exhausting it can be to sit in meetings for seven days!), but I anticipate that it will be what I call "good tired" – that is, exhausted but feeling good about the constructive work accomplished. ("Bad tired" is a different matter, where you are weary from trials and conflicts, and you go to bed with a worried mind.)

We have more agenda items on our plate for this meeting than we can possibly cover in the time allotted, partly because Sunday will be taken up with the Ambassador Bible Center graduation ceremony and the morning brunch for students and their families. The Council of Elders extends its heartiest congratulations to the students and faculty for the hard work and dedication you have invested in the last seven months. The ABC program has been developing and maturing every year in fulfilling its purpose of grounding the younger generation of the Church in the truths of God. We believe this foundation will bear many fruits in many areas for years to come in the lives of all the students, and their fruits will in turn affect many others. Plans are already under way for next year’s class, and we look forward to another successful venture.

As always, we ask for your prayers for God’s guidance in our deliberations next week. One of the major items we will consider concerns future planning for the Church. Roy Holladay and the operation managers will present the administration’s needs and plans for the 2003-2004 fiscal year so the Council can be thinking well in advance about the priorities and corresponding budgetary requirements. In the laying of plans there is no end – having the means to implement those plans is where we run up against our limitations. God has been blessing us, however, with steady financial increases that are allowing us to think and plan in terms of growth, and for that we are deeply thankful. I won’t list here all the other various items on the agenda (your pastor can give you that), but encourage you to refer to the daily meeting reports which will keep everyone informed on the developments.

With the Holy Day season rapidly approaching, we will find our collective thoughts focusing more and more on the coming changes on the world scene with the return of Jesus Christ. Last weekend people around the world witnessed the poignant unfolding of events surrounding the dramatic rescue of nine Pennsylvania coal miners, trapped underground for several days. How much this paralleled the coming rescue of all humanity trapped in the darkness and impending death of sin! Christ spoke of the coming collapse of society, warning, "unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved" (Matthew 24:22). He also promised, however, that "for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened."

During the coal mine disaster the state governor and other officials talked positively about their certainty of rescue, but most people were more skeptical about the reality of the situation, waiting more in fading hope than confidence. As God’s people, with a role to play in this world’s rescue, we are not simply trying to put a positive spin on a hopeless situation – we know what will happen. The book of Revelation prophesies a time when increasing conflicts and fears in the world will take the heart and hope out of people, but then Christ will dramatically step in to pull this world to safety and salvation.

In light of the meaning of all the coming Holy Days and feasts, contrasted with the darkness in the world around us, Peter’s words mean more than ever: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice" (1 Peter 1:3-6).

Thank you for your love and dedication in preaching the gospel of hope to the world through your example, support and prayers. We wish for all of you a peaceful and profitable Sabbath, both with God and one another.