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Forum Summary: Only You Can Buy It

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 5 seconds.

“If you haven’t noticed already, we’re here to sell you something.”

Mr. Gerald Weston gave the last Living Education forum for the semester. He began by saying Living Education is trying to “sell” a better way of life. This is also the purpose for the Living Youth Programs. Society sells young people all kinds of lifestyles—all, supposedly, equally virtuous. “But,” Mr. Weston said, “God does something that the world doesn’t do. He says, ‘Look, there is a better way—choose that one.’”

“We have traditions here at Living Ed that try to teach a better way of life.”

The decisions students make at Living Ed have a profound effect on the following groups. Mr. Weston explained that through the examples of today, a pattern is set for the students of following years. Likewise, at summer camp, a camper’s children could be attending as campers themselves only 15 years later. Mr. Weston said, “We are looking for young people who understand and internalize our values.” There are certain qualifications needed above and beyond physical skills.

Character Qualifications

Mr. Weston listed several of those qualifications: Young people who set a good example by their language, social media use, financial responsibilities, and standards of male-female interactions. Mr. Weston explained that the programs discourage young people from pairing off and engaging in intimate physical contact. “We’re not against love,” he said. But there is an appropriate time to be exclusive—there is “a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing… a time to love” (Ecclesiastes 3:5-8). A young person’s example of handling male-female interactions determines their usefulness and trustworthiness in these programs.

“Trust is absolutely essential here at Living Ed and in the Living Youth Programs.”

Trustworthiness is at the core of these qualifications. Mr. Weston said, “If we cannot trust an individual, then we have no basis to work with that individual.” Yet, mistakes are expected. Mr. Weston said, “Mistakes will be made. And that’s okay.” But there’s a difference between honest mistakes and rule violations. He said, “Violations of rules bring loss of trust.”

“When you think about it, what is God looking for in you in this life? It’s trust.” Young people who can be trusted to uphold the traditions and values of the programs of the Living Church of God can be trusted to be good examples for younger teens in their formative years. Then, they become a part of selling the right way of life.

Mr. Weston concluded, “We can sell God’s way of life, but only you can buy it.”

This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.

Assembly Summary: The Benefits of Marriage

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 15 seconds.

Mr. Wallace Smith, the Church’s executive editor, gave the Living Education assembly this week. Mr. Smith spoke about the benefits of marriage and encouraged the students to seek a godly, fulfilling marriage for their futures.

Sex is a blessing in marriage.

One obvious benefit is sex. One deception promoted by society is that two people must discover if they’re “sexually compatible” before they marry. Mr. Smith responded to this lie: “Only over time do you become compatible.” He recommended that young people prepare for marriage by “wiping clean from your mind any ideas about sex you’ve seen on a screen or anywhere else.” Only in marriage is “the stage set for sex to be the blessing it’s meant to be.”

In marriage, you are all in.

Another is commitment. Mr. Smith explained that our world has normalized a lack of commitment before and even during a marriage. But to God, it is a big deal. “The fact is that whatever is not according to God’s design is not normal.” A spouse should be someone who is all in and devoted to you for the long run, and there is a deep peace of mind that comes from knowing someone is that committed to you.

Marriage builds companionship.

Companionship is a third benefit. Contrary to popular belief, true companionship is built through journeying through life together—it doesn’t instantly occur with one perfect “soul-mate.” And after it is built, it will be utterly unique from all your other relationships. That uniqueness explains why it is so painful for someone to lose their spouse: “They’ve lost something irreplaceable. You can’t just replace a journey of 50 years.”

A godly marriage allows you to be vulnerable.

With companionship and commitment, marriage creates a safe place for vulnerability that one does not experience in other relationships. Marriage becomes a place where you are free to let down your guard, compared to how you might feel around others.

Other benefits of marriage Mr. Smith addressed included the blessing of children, for whom marriage is the God-designed environment, and design fulfillment—the satisfaction that comes from completing the picture God designed with man and woman at creation.

Ultimate Fulfillment

Yet, those who are not married can still achieve fulfillment through their relationship with God. In fact, Mr. Smith emphasized that even married individuals are ultimately only fulfilled by God and that expecting your husband or wife to fulfill you in a way only God can is a crushing burden not to be placed upon your spouse. But marriage is something young people should want in their future and be willing to pursue and prepare for. It is a source of many benefits and God uses it as a mechanism to reward His servants and to teach us about Himself.

This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.

Forum Summary: Principles and Lessons to Prepare for a Future in God’s Work

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes.

Mr. Rand Millich has been a minister in God’s Church for over fifty years. He presently serves as the regional director of the U.S. Midwest. From 1963 to 1967, Mr. Millich attended Ambassador College. He noted, “I remember we had forums and assemblies presented at Ambassador College to broaden our education and horizons and prepare us for the future.”

Mr. Millich began by saying the Philadelphian Era was founded on three main pillars: Faithfulness to the Word of God, preaching the Gospel to the world, and a true understanding of God’s government (Revelation 3:7-8). These principles don’t just apply to one single era. He said, “These will be continuing defining aspects of God’s Work.” Mr. Millich gave us three lessons to apply in our lives.

First: “Base your life on the provable, unchangeable Word of God.” Mr. Millich quoted an Ambassador College motto that was stamped on the classroom center, “The Word of God is the foundation of knowledge.” Yet, as the Worldwide Church went off track, he said “Men of good stature —effective, powerful evangelists, got stuck on different issues.” They left the foundation of God’s Word.

The second lesson is “Don’t make rash life decisions.” Mr. Millich explained that many believed Jesus Christ was going to return in 1975. Some dipped into pension funds and others chose not to educate themselves. “There were some who married hastily, thinking that if Christ returned in ’75, they wouldn’t be married.” Unfortunately, some of these relationships ended in divorce. Mr. Millich encouraged the students to think carefully about their decisions. He said, “That decision might be with you longer than you thought.”

Third: “Count your opportunity at Living Education as special.” Not only do students have the opportunity to support God’s Work in various work studies, they can also learn from the examples around them at Headquarters. Mr. Millich recalled Mr. Armstrong’s example when he was in his class at Ambassador College. He said there was a telephone in the classroom so Mr. Armstrong could be reached in emergencies. It rang one day, and the students were silent as Mr. Armstrong received the news of President Kennedy’s assassination. After he hung up, he led the class in prayer.

Mr. Millich concluded, “I go back to the past for this reason: You have a similar opportunity today—these are the ‘good old days’ for you in your time. And they will prepare you for the opportunities God has for you in the future.”

This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.

Forum Summary: Solidify Yourself When You’re Strong

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Estimated reading time: 1 minute, 51 seconds.

Mr. Michael Heykoop is the Media Director at the Canadian Living Church of God office. He is also the assistant pastor to seven congregations in Ontario. In the forum on December 8, 2020, Mr. Heykoop streamed, via WebEx, into the Living Ed classroom. He spoke about the Work out of Canada and the lessons he has learned from being part of it.

Unique Challenges

Mr. Heykoop began by explaining that, while Canada is often viewed as the “kid-brother” of the United States, it is a very different nation. He described it as somewhat “halfway between the Americans and the British.” It is more secular than America, requiring a different approach to broaching religious topics. For example, the Tomorrow’s World Viewpoint series addresses “issues in today’s society with Biblical concepts.” The Tomorrow’s World Answers series provides direct answers to often misunderstood concepts. “Our goal is to get enough of these so that when someone asks a question [in the comments] on YouTube, we can send them an Answers video answering that question.”

Growth

Most Canadian TV stations are required to have 35% of their content produced within the country. Mr. Stuart Wachowicz and Mr. Heykoop record these telecasts at the Church’s Canadian studio. The effectiveness of the Canadian program is apparent. Mr. Heykoop mentioned, “In the time that we’ve been on television, we’ve tripled the Le Monde de Demain subscription list.”

The Church is also growing in Canada. From 2000 to 2020, membership increased from 300 people to 874. Mr. Heykoop stressed, “The statement, ‘The Church isn’t growing’ is really a naïve statement to make. It doesn’t take into account the facts.” 60% of baptized members in Canada were baptized into LCG.

“God uses those who put everything into it.”

Mr. Heykoop shared several lessons he learned through being a part of the Work. One was: “God uses those who put everything into it… You know it is your job to give everything you have, but it’s entirely up to God whether it succeeds.”

Another lesson is to take advantage of the opportunities we have now to solidify the things we may know only in theory. He encouraged the students, “Solidify yourself when you’re strong, and when you’re at your weakest points, you can draw on that strength.”

This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.

Forum Summary: So Little for the Mind

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 15 seconds. 

The Attack on Modern Education and the Implications for the Living Church of God

Mr. Stuart Wachowicz, evangelist and regional director of the Canadian office, spoke about the degenerating educational system of the Western world. For 200 years, the Anglo-Saxon countries led the world in education. Now, Israelitish nations exhibit increasing illiteracy, poor grasp of geography, math, and other basic subjects, and are trailing behind China and India. Also, more police are being stationed in schools, mental health workers are required, and there is an increase in drug-related disabilities.

Mr. Wachowicz described the origin of our educational philosophy and why it’s a problem for our country and a concern for the Church.

In her book, So Little for the Mind, Dr. Hilda Neatby explained that a man named John Dewey introduced progressivism into the educational system in the early 20th century. Dewey taught against direct teacher instruction and held that students should not have to be subjected to testing. He deeply resented God and religion in the classroom and believed that permanent truths should not be taught. According to Dewey, Mr. Wachowicz explained, “society is always changing, and morals must change with it.” This ungodly philosophy has since been adopted by schools across America and Canada.

“Whenever you run into an idea that seems to defy common sense or logic and yet is growing, I would suggest it is a spiritual issue.”

Today, in Canadian schools’ curriculum, there are only 20% of the knowledge objectives of 1970. Standardized assessment is reduced or non-existent, and “discovery learning,” where children construct their own learning, rules the schools.

Why is this important?

In the 17th century, the King James Bible was translated and made available to the English people. Mr. Wachowicz said, “England became the only place on earth that had a Bible in almost every home.” This brought literacy and a “huge, cultural advantage in education.” Then, the principles of the Bible were present in every home. “Israel has squandered the blessing—exactly what Esau did when he sold his birthright for a bowl of soup,” Mr. Wachowicz said.

The first implication for the Church is that our declining educational system is evidence of a curse.

“When you turn away from God and reject truth, one of the first casualties is wisdom.”

Second, we need to understand that we are preaching to a Biblically-illiterate population. “Fifty percent of youth in Canada may not have seen a Bible.”

Mr. Wachowicz expressed his belief that Israel is “past the tipping point.” He concluded in Ezekiel 2:3-6, “…whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.” Yet our speaker encouraged us, “We need to do our part in helping them understand right and wrong.”

This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.

Assembly Summary: God, the God of ______ (Your Name)

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Estimated reading time: 1 minute, 37 seconds.

Seven years ago, Mr. Jake Hall came to Charlotte to attend Living University. Mr. Hall now works in the TV and Media department as Camera and Video Editor. In his assembly, he asked us, “What is the most important assignment for you to complete here at Living Education?” The answer is: building our personal relationship with God.

Mr. Hall used the story of Jacob as a parallel for the stage of life we students are in. In Genesis 28, Jacob leaves home and begins the adventure of a lifetime. Before this, he had known God, as the “God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac” (v. 13). Now, he begins his journey to come to know God for himself. Living Ed students are at that point right now. Mr. Hall gave us two points to know God personally.

First, know that there are blessings and curses for obeying and disobeying. “Observe these consequences in your life.” Mr. Hall encouraged us to learn from these consequences and come to know God in our lives.

Second, know that God is your helper. “I remember how challenging LU was… I was challenged in ways I hadn’t been before in life.” He advised us to go to God for help, because, when we ask God for help, we build our relationship with Him.

Just like Jacob, we are embarking on our quest to know God as our God, not the God of our parents or anyone else. Mr. Hall concluded with Genesis 33:18-20. Jacob—or Israel by now—bought some land and built an altar, calling it, “El Elohe Israel.” This means, literally, God, the God of Israel.

“God was no longer the God he knew of, but the God he knew personally.”

Living Ed students are at the same stage in life as Jacob was when he left home on his quest. Over the next few months, Mr. Hall exhorted us to allow our Creator to become God, the God of _____ (insert your name).

This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.

Forum Summary: Festival 2020 — Like No Other

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 11 seconds.

This year, total Living Church of God Feast attendance increased 1% over last year: 11,183 members were able to worship God online or in-person.  Those who couldn’t attend in person (30% of the total) were able to connect to online, streamed services. Some governments, like Quebec, Canada, Victoria, Australia, and Trinidad and Tobago shut down gatherings, making it impossible for brethren to meet in person. 91% of members in Latin-America kept the Feast online, and, in the Philippines, members could only meet locally. Yet, according to surveys, Festival 2020 was unforgettable and meaningful to many brethren—even in some surprising ways.

Mr. Rod McNair, Assistant Director of Church Administration, gave a behind-the scenes look at the Festival Office and the Feast of 2020.

Over 10 years ago, the main Feast registration webpage was custom-built by a Church member.  The registration website encompasses “an incredibly complex process,” according to Mr. McNair. The site incorporates members’ login information, accommodates the transfer process, and grants separate festival coordinator access. Sites are chosen and contracts are signed sometimes years in advance. The transfer approval process ensures attendance is in accordance with the contract.   

Planning for each year’s Feast of Tabernacles is a constant, year-long project, only made more challenging by COVID-19. But what made this Feast stand out for members?

First, many were just glad to be there. This simple appreciation was a common theme in the festival surveys.

Second, there were unexpected blessings. Assigned seating brought ease of access, local speakers were given opportunities, and several new members attended the Feast. Anointings and common illnesses were even down.  Some few brethren did contract the COVID virus during the Feast, but most had mild symptoms.  Thankfully, those with more severe symptoms are recovering. 

A third reason is a shift in the focus of the activities. To limit large groups, Feast schedules were more relaxed and most activities were planned individually. Many enjoyed this change and took advantage of the free time to be more well-rested and focused during services

Finally, the role of technology was significant. Streaming technology benefited thousands of members in an unprecedented way. Mr. McNair says, “As a Church, we are better placed now than a year ago to be able to connect online.”

“This was by far the best Feast that we can remember.”

Florence, OR.

Every year, we seek to have “the best Feast ever.” But the feeling from the quote above was representative of many who responded to the Feast survey. Mr. McNair gave us a glimpse of how the Festival Office operates every year and how the Feast of 2020 was “a feast like no other.”

This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.

Assembly Summary: Invest in Your Pillars

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Estimated reading time: 1 minute, 16 seconds.

What Are Your Pillars?

Mr. Wallace Smith is the Executive Editor for the Living Church of God. Mr. Smith asked us what pillars we use to support our worldview. We all use a particular perspective to process everything in life. But the edifice of our worldview is constructed upon fundamental beliefs. Like the columns of the Parthenon, our beliefs support our worldview.

Mr. Smith warned us that we often build our worldview subconsciously. He joked, “Sometimes, my thoughts have a mind of their own!” If we are not intentional about constructing our worldview, we will eventually find our columns to be cracking under pressure. Then we have to tear down those inaccurate beliefs. Mr. Smith told us that we need to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). If we have the right worldview, we can correctly process the many thoughts that flow into our minds. “Your worldview shapes the environment in which your thoughts flow.”

Some columns can crumble and the roof will not collapse. Others are so fundamental that when they break, the entire complex falls.

Mr. Smith gave us three pillars that we need to support our worldview:

  1. God exists
  2. Jesus is the Son of God
  3. The Bible is the inspired word of God

On these three convictions, a Godly worldview is established. Mr. Smith inspired us to invest in these pillars now when we have the time and the resources. “In the future, if your pillars are strong, you can support others when their worldview crumbles.”

This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.

Forum Summary: “Quitters Never Win”

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Estimated reading time: 1 min. 35 sec.

Mr. Dan Hall, the regional pastor of the southeastern U.S, attended his first Feast of Tabernacles when he was fourteen. Mr. Hall’s parents were called into the Church in the 1950s. He recalled, “During that early time, it was a rare thing for people to leave the Church.” But some people do leave the Church. Why?  

He began with a quote from Vince Lombardi, professional American football coach: 

“Winners never quit and quitters never win.” 

 Since the beginning, Mr. Hall explained, Satan’s modus operandi has been to incite doubt in God’s people and cause us to give up. Yet, we must learn to hang on. In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton led an expedition to cross the Antarctic continent. The story goes, after pack ice crushed the Endurance, he and his entire crew survived under brutal conditions for almost two years before reaching safety.  “What did Shackleton do that caused people to hang in there?” He kept hope alive for his men.  

A Dealer in Hope

Mr. Hall quoted Napoleon Bonaparte, “A leader is a dealer in hope.” A past leader, the Apostle Paul, shows us this in Hebrews 10:22-23, “Let us draw near with a true heart… Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.”  We were reminded that if Mr. Armstrong or Dr. Meredith had given up, many of us would not be in God’s Church today. Our leaders can inspire hope in us. They remind us that there’s “only one way to grow and that’s forward.” 

Mr. Hall concluded, “It’s not a matter of who gets to the Kingdom first, we’re all going to be together as a family… I want to encourage you to be winners and not quitters because quitters never win.” 

This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.

Assembly Summary: Know Those Who Labor Among You

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Estimated reading time: 3 min. 35 sec.

This past week, Mr. Gerald Weston gave a “This Is My Life” style assembly. He began with 1 Thessalonians 5:12, relating Paul’s admonition to know and understand where our leaders are coming from. To help the students know him better, he told the story of his life.  

Early Life

Mr. Weston moved nine times by the time he turned fourteen; his father served in the Air Force. Living at the Vandenburg Air Force Base in California during the Cold War, he said, “If there ever was a war, I would be sitting at ground zero.” Mr. Weston “grew up in the shadow of the bomb.” ICBMs were regularly tested at the base. Mr. Weston’s father helped develop MIRVs, and his squadron loaded nuclear weapons onto aircraft.  

As a young man, Mr. Weston was in the Boy Scouts, the Civil Air Patrol, and Search and Rescue. He played baseball, football, swam, and ran track in high school. When he was fifteen years old, a friend on his bus gave him The Book of Revelation Unveiled at Last; he finished reading it that evening. As he read more literature, his interest in the Church grew—as did his parent’s disapproval. Mr. Weston listened to The World Tomorrow on KGO San Francisco, with his hand on the dial—ready to switch stations should they walk into his room. He began to keep the Sabbath at the local library, finishing his work around the house earlier in the week to do so. Following the food laws was a challenge in his household; on one occasion, his father was not pleased when he refused to eat the pork spare ribs his mother had made. He said, “It was touch and go every time we had unclean meats for dinner.” 

From College to the Ministry

Finally, in 1964, he moved out to attend Ventura College. “The first thing I did was call up the minister.” After attending for only one Sabbath, he kept Atonement and then observed his first Feast of Tabernacles. The following year, Mr. Weston went to Ambassador College. He came to know Mr. Armstrong as a student in his “Principles of Christian Life” class.  Mr. Weston explained that he could not claim to be close to him personally. “He wouldn’t know me today,” he said, “But I do know how he thought on many different things.” Mr. Weston met his wife at Pasadena when she transferred from Big Sandy. Then, after graduating AC in 1969, he was hired to serve in the ministry.  

On March 11, 1995, nine years after Mr. Armstrong’s death, Mr. Weston gave his last sermon in the Kansas City congregation of the Worldwide Church of God. He asked three questions: Why are there such massive changes? Where is it heading? What should we do? After getting fired from the Worldwide Church of God ministry, he looked for where God was working and found Dr. Meredith continuing the Work in the Global Church of God. “That’s where the Work was being done and the flock was being fed.” He explained to us that we may one day have to make a decision that will affect the rest of our life and beyond—a choice between following our friends or following the truth.  

Over the years, Mr. Weston has lived in Houston, Texas; Lake Charles, Louisiana; Monroe, Louisiana; Michigan; Asheville, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Canada; the U.K; and finally, Charlotte, North Carolina. As a pastor in the Worldwide Church of God, he and his wife served at the youth camps in both Minnesota and Texas. In Global, he was asked to assist at the camps in Missouri and North Carolina. Then, from 1998 to 2008, he served as director of the Living Youth Camp in Michigan. 

Mr. Weston advised us to learn from history and people’s perspectives to understand what happens today. He encouraged us to “know those who labor among you.” 

This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.