Tag Archive for: Featured

Author: David Markopoulos | Living Education

These posts summarize the forums that our Living Education-Charlotte students attend each week.

In a recent forum message, Mr. Rod McNair, an evangelist serving as the Assistant Director of Church Administration, spoke to the Living Education-Charlotte students about what the Church Administration Department does. CAD fulfills a variety of functions within the Church, and Mr. McNair spent time explaining in particular how CAD organizes Tomorrow’s World Presentations, and how it works with the local ministry. In order to do so, Mr. McNair referred to a number of statistics that highlighted what CAD has accomplished over the years. Statistics can be a helpful measure of how much progress is being made. 

CAD’s Mission

Church Administration’s mission statement is as follows: “Our mission is to serve, edify, and support the worldwide ministry of the Living Church of God in fulfilling Christ’s commission with coordination, training, and administrative assistance.” This mission statement covers the commission Christ gave His apostles to both preach the Gospel and to feed the flock. Christ’s words implied a sense not only of tending and guiding, but also overseeing and governing. 

Tomorrow’s World Presentations

From the early days of Mr. Armstrong’s ministry, not only did he host his popular radio program, he also conducted live presentations. This was part of a 3-point campaign on his part to spread the Gospel: hosting the radio program, printing the mimeographed magazine, and hosting personal public meetings. This was a helpful and important method for promoting the Gospel. Over time, as Dr. Meredith helped revive the Work, ministers who had experience hosting public lectures led the way to a new series of public presentations, what we now call Tomorrow’s World Presentations, or TWPs. TWPs have been an important effort in giving people who are responding to the telecast and the magazine a chance to attend local services.

Today, CAD handles the organization and logistics of TWP planning, coordinating with local pastors and sending out invitations to guests. Since the program’s inception in 2006, over 52,000 people have attended a TWP. There are a variety of topics that intrigue potential guests, such as prophecy and the Holy Days. With so many people looking for someone to answer their questions, TWPs stand in the gap to answer these and other questions. To date, we have held over 2,360 TWPs, and 135 new attendees began coming to Church in 2024 and 2025 thanks to a TWP.

The Local Churches

Another major aspect of what CAD handles is the area of the local Churches. Director Douglas Winnail and Mr. McNair coordinate and work with the local ministry and area pastors to ensure the wellbeing of areas and congregations. We have 433 congregations around the world, with over 12,500 people attending the Church. About 7,400 people have been baptized since 1999—showcasing the growth in the Church in recent decades. There are about 3,000 responses per week to the telecast—an average of which 800 were first-time literature requests.

Our Part Before God

As the local ministry seeks to fulfill the needs of an ever-growing Church, Church Administration fulfills a necessary function within the Body of Christ—not only to govern, but to serve. Mr. McNair referenced Matthew 24:45-46: “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.” This instruction is relevant to all of us in the Church, and we should bear it in mind as we do our part to support the Work being carried out to preach the Gospel.

David Markopoulos is a Living Education alumnus from the 2023-2025 school years. Originally hailing from Chicago, he currently works for the Living Education program.

Author: David Markopoulos | Living Education

These posts summarize the forums that our Living Education-Charlotte students attend each week.

Mr. Michael DeSimone, who serves as the Manager of Broadcast and Digital Media for the Church, delivered a forum message to the Living Education-Charlotte students on the subject of getting a job, sharing three keys to obtaining the job you want. The steps he shared can be critically helpful in obtaining the job you’re working to obtain.

Getting the Interview
Mr. DeSimone began by explaining how to get an interview. Most people simply send out batches of applications to listings they see. This is an ineffective way to ensure an interview, let alone get the job itself. Mr. DeSimone encouraged the students to pray and research companies that they would be interested in working for, rather than listings. Furthermore, don’t wait for an opening to apply to the company – the sky is the limit.

Mr. DeSimone gave specific instructions to help get your resume at the top of the stack rather than discarded. You should send an introductory letter to the company that states your name at least three times to build name recognition. To follow up, you should also send your cover letter and resume. You should also be sure to send it to someone who can make a hiring decision, or to someone who will forward it along to the right person. Finally, follow up with a phone call. Be persistent and don’t settle for voicemail. Instead, try your hardest to follow up directly via call.

Mastering the Interview

Once you’ve gotten the interview, Mr. DeSimone encouraged the students to never wing it. Show up 5-10 minutes early, well-groomed, and dressed appropriately for the situation. Mr. DeSimone advised being dressed a step or two above the level of the work you’d be expected to do. Furthermore, remember to be conservative with fragrance or jewelry.

Mr. DeSimone also encouraged the students to prepare for potential questions and to practice mock interviews beforehand. It’s important to know yourself, and to understand your strengths and weaknesses. Be prepared to answer questions about yourself and to be honest with your interviewer.

Negotiating Compensation

If the interviewer recognizes that you can provide value to the company and is intent on hiring you, it’s important to calibrate your enthusiasm before negotiating salary. Don’t discuss pay too early or too late in the game. If your interviewer is set on having you, they will want to retain the prospect of hiring you. That means they’re less likely to go lower on a perceived win-win compensation agreement. Don’t discuss the salary until you know that you have the job in the bag and that you want each other.

These principles are important and useful tools for obtaining an interview, mastering it, and navigating the details of compensation. Mr. DeSimone encouraged the students to pray before pursuing a job, and to be persistent and proactive.

David Markopoulos is a Living Education alumnus from the 2023-2025 school years. Originally hailing from Chicago, he currently works for the Living Education program.

Author: David Markopoulos | Living Education

These posts summarize the forums that our Living Education-Charlotte students attend each week.

In a recent forum presentation, the Living Education-Charlotte students had the opportunity to listen to a video by the New York Times discussing the state of education today. The principles discussed provided an interesting perspective on educators’ challenges in the modern learning environment.

One idea discussed in the video was the fact that in a changing world, there is increasing uncertainty about what the world will expect from the next generation. This is a difficult thing to gauge on the part of the youth, but it is also difficult for parents and educators who have the responsibility for preparing those youth. In light of a changing world, how should children be educated and what should they be educated toward?

The discussion turned to activities that engage youth and create a dynamic atmosphere that encourages them to learn. It is important to find good metrics by which to measure how motivated and engaged kids are, and try to bring out their best. Part of the discussion also addressed the idea of education as a virtue rather than an instrument. While many people today treat education as a tool that you either have or don’t, having the mindset of an educated person who is intent on learning requires restructuring of your approach to what education really means. Treating the state of being educated as a virtue rather than an instrument by which means are achieved changes the way you approach life.

The video discussed different types of learners and their benefits and challenges. One important recurring theme was that if we don’t know what the future will ask of us, it is difficult to be personally instrumental in preparing for it. This can require a change in our approach, not only personally but societally. The tools we have available such as AI can assist educators, but can also impede learning—as our society has to carefully detangle the complex education scene, our efforts are being compounded by the rapid onset of this new technology. Allowing youth to have rampant overaccess to AI is not only unproductive, it is dangerous. Understanding the challenges that affect the learning environment for our youth is paramount as we strive to help prepare them for what an ever-changing world expects of them.

David Markopoulos is a Living Education alumnus from the 2023-2025 school years. Originally hailing from Chicago, he currently works for the Living Education program.