Sabbath 30/7/29/120 and New Moon 1/8/29/120
Dear Friends,
You should all be back home now safe and sound from the feast. We hope you all
had a spiritually rewarding time wherever you were. We have had good reports
from the feast sites that have reported in so far. There was much to cover in
all areas. We understand that feast sites in the US, Canada, and Europe were
productive and certainly we covered a lot of ground in Australia. The site in
the Philippines also covered much new ground.
The feast in Southern France was a great success. Congratulations to the new brethren there.
We hope all went well with the new areas in Africa and we are waiting on reports from there. South Africa and Malaysia had good feasts. They should all have had good feasts. Malaysia set a new CCG world record on offerings per head at a feast site taking the former record from Australia. Congratulations Malaysia.
We have booked the site for next year in Australia and the administration in each area are requested to book as soon as possible for the next feast of Tabernacles. Remember that 2008 is a Third year of the cycle and so make sure that you set aside enough funds for the feasts in that year also. Third years are always used by God to deal with events in the world and the church. This year will be very serious and we can anticipate great changes in the church. From the following year onwards for the following six years will see a terrible stress on our capacity to enjoy the feasts together and also that of any of the churches of God.
We will try to get things sorted out to minimise costs in that year. Permission is given to hold feasts within our gates in the Third Year of the cycle as a biblical principle. Only the 36 hrs of the Passover out of our gates is mandatory and we have given permission to return to our gates from the morning of the Wave Sheaf for the feast in that year. We do not however return to work until after the Last Holy Day of Unleavened Bread as usual. Where possible the Passover feast should be kept together for the full period.
Make sure that you are all prepared and also that you give support and care to one another over that Third Year period.
You will note that our web sites were down for 30 hours before the feast. The problem was due to the server’s connection to its rear link Internet support providers and a host of servers and sites were affected. This is the first time we have had downtime of that magnitude. In spite of that fact we were still in excess of our normal downloads. The rate is now escalating and we should be over the annual northern summer slump now and appear to be some 20% up now on the previous rate.
We noted that the feast period saw a decrease also over the days of the feast
and that indicates that many feast keepers are part of the regular access. However
the last week’s totals were still well over 11,000 papers a day and will continue
to rise weekly from now on until the high point in April.
We also noted that we provided letters for some people to be released from employment
who were attending unincorporated sites and they had no legal basis on which
to provide letters and needed to come to us. We did that as a service to them
so they could attend a feast site.
Our attention has been drawn to an irregularity in a national area and so we are making some instructions with this message to remind conferences of their duties.
All national churches are responsible for banking the offerings and tithes and providing receipts and accounts for such offerings.
Conferences are to keep records of all tithes collected and members are to have full receipts of funds. Where people are making donations without identifying themselves then that is to be noted.
The Constitution requires annual audits of all conferences. It is the Treasurer’s
responsibility to have the audits completed by a competent accountant and to
provide those audit reports to the General Secretary of the World Conference
each year.
Tithes and offerings are for the work of the Church. No feast offerings are
to be offset against eating costs. Assistance is to be authorised and paid for
from Third Year welfare accounts. Offerings are to be counted and receipted
and handed to the treasurers for banking in accordance with established procedure.
Second tithes are for personal expenditure at feasts and must be faithfully set aside. The conferences and feast coordinators are to prepare correctly and budget thoroughly for each feast. Catering staffs are to account to the coordinators for the expenditure.
Tithing is the responsibility of the individuals in each family. It is a responsibility to God and God has said through His servant Malachi that it is a test of the faith and your return to God.
The feasts are to be kept at the appointed times both on the days appointed and at the times appointed for the services, morning and evening as stated in the papers The Law of God (L1) series and especially Law and the Fourth Commandment (No. 256) and also Psalms from the Temple Worship (No. 87).
People going to services are to dress correctly. Both men and women are to be correctly attired. No person is to attempt to incite breach of the dress code.
All meals on Sabbaths and Holy Days are to be treated as days of worship and Sabbath dress is to be worn at those meals. That includes the evening meals (see the paper Eating Together in Worship (No. 267)).
No jeans are to be worn to any inside dining activity and shorts or pedal pushers are not to be worn at evening dinner activities anywhere under any circumstances.
Dress is to be modest and where people have had tattoos done before their conversion they are not to be flaunted. Tattoos of religious symbolism especially are to be covered. Nose rings are not permitted in the church. (see the papers Tattooing (No. 5) and The Origins of Wearing Earrings and Jewellery in Ancient Times (No. 197))
Each of us should try to make life enjoyable for each other and not add to any stress individuals may suffer or experience. Remember the feasts are our periods of enjoyment and relaxation and the only holidays some of us get. So make the most of it and enjoy them and allow others to enjoy them also.
People are to look after their children properly and all adults are expected to help with the duties.
So much for the reminders now we can proceed to prepare for the work ahead. We will reissue some papers from the feast with the odd addition as a result of the feast presentations.
We will try to outline as clearly was we can all the events that we will face over the next twenty-one years and into the millennial system.
Remember that knowledge is power in these matters and we will be given the understanding so that we can deal wiht the problems that we will face over the period. Remember that the union of the churches as a last ditch effort under the European system will occur in the period ahead of us and well before 2012. We will try to explain how that forced union comes about and why.
Remember this fact, the Holy Spirit gives the body of the church knowledge as it is needed and the spirit of prophecy so that it can implement and disseminate that knowledge in explanation of Scripture. God reveals the knowledge of his ongoing plan and the details of the mysteries of God through the church. The church demonstrates the commission by its revelation of the mysteries of God. That is the uncomfortable fact of the matter.
God is against those that steal the words from the mouths of the prophets and that deals especially and directly with those claiming to be the churches of God in the last days.
Wait until these aspects continue to unfold and let us see what happens with the dumb dogs of the churches. We are to explain the mysteries and the plan of Salvation so that they are left with no excuse. Our major task ends in 2012. Let us concentrate on the work ahead and also our survival as the body of Christ until the coming of the Messiah. Let us try to ensure the raising of the next generation of the elect. God and the angelic host will look to the salvation of the elect and the body of Israel.
Commence now to prepare for the next Passover of the second year of the cycle.
Stand firm in the faith and stand in awe.
Wade Cox
Coordinator General
© Copyright 2006 Christian Churches of God, All Rights Reserved
