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VOL. XXI, NO. 21DECEMBER 7,1993

Are you climbing mountains ortripping over molehills?

Lithuanian member baptizedduring Feast of Tabernacles

They sacrificed their livesfor peace

.........................................•........

Ukraine visit builds on common spiritual ground

Guidelines for unityA familiar topic of discussion in the Church these days, as we all

know, revolves around the question, "What do you think of thechanges?" The question refers to the various aspects of administrativeand doctrinal growth the Church ha made during the past severalYears.- Some member agree with a new way of doing things or a newexplanation of a doctrinal point; others disagree. And people's person­al opinions on such things have a way of creating tension betweenthem. Sometimes it can even create tension between friends and fami­lymembers.- We all know that God has called us to peace. He wants us to learn to

cooperate, to work together and to love one another. aturally, then,we find it fru trating and disturbing when we do not practice theseprinciples.

We want to be in agreement, yet we find that sometimes, on somethings, we aren't. Does the Bible have anything to sa . about how todeal with such things? How should we treat one another when we arenot in total harmony on some point? Are there any guidelines weshould be aware of and that we should follow? Indeed there are.

Coping with change is allvays a trial, to one degree or another, forall concerned. However, God has given us some basic guidelines to

See Personal, page 3

copies of these two booklets. Thefruits of the Siberian campaign andliterature distribution prompted 35people in coming to repentance. Sev­eral were engineers and doctors.

Mr. Mertke left behind four peopleto follow up and work with the newconverts. After they leave, peoplefrom the closest Sabbatarian congre­gation, about 1,000 miles away inKazakhstan, will help establish thenew church in Siberia.

Teenagers and young adults partic­ipated in the afternoon service. Onegave a half-hour sermon. Some sang,others recited poetry. After the mainservice Bev and I were called up tothe front of the congregation andasked questions about our Church,services, how we pray and our music.

We were also asked to sing. otbeing singers we politely declined.However, I did have an Ambassadorchorale tape along and played one ofour Church hymns on a taperecorder for the congregation.

An announcement was made inservices about a 43-year-old man suf­fering from leuke~ia. Doctors hadgiven up hope, and prayer and fast­ing were called for. Later in the weekVasyl Mondich and I visited the man,his \\ri.fe and three children.

After discu ing how we anointand pray for those who are ick,based on instruction in James 5:14­16, we prayed and jointly anointedthe sick man. I gave Vasyl Mondichmy bottle of anointing oil, and hetold me he is going to continue thisbiblically straightforward practice.

Saturday night \ e had a vigorousdi cussion about the Holy Days, bap­tism of the Holy Spirit, speaking intongues, the nature of God, the resur­rections, how to keep the Sabbath andmiracles in our lives. We had manysuch discussions during our visit there.

See Ukrainian, page 5

FORGING TIES-Victor Kubik (second from right) and Oleh Zajac (second fromleft) visit with Sabbath-keepers in the Ukraine Oct. 25. Far left, Vasyl Mondich,who pastors a church in Khust; center, Vasyl Halas, who pastors one of theTranscarpathian churches.

could feel the faith, warmth andfriendliness of the congregation.

The next day we attended two Sab­bath services, consisting of threemessages and songs of praise.

Oleh delivered the first message.He thanked the Ukrainians for theirhospitality, going on to say that wehad come as friends to help them inareas where they could not helpthemselves. He encouraged everyoneto work together in love to helpyouths obtain an education.

Next, I gave greetings from PastorGeneral Joseph W. Tkach to theTranscarpathian congregations, sum­marized where we have come in ourrelationship and how we want towork together. Also, I gave greetingsfrom Michael Palchey, who hadimmigrated to the United Statesfrom Rokosovo and is chiefly respon­sible for acquainting us with oneanother. People wept as I spokeabout Michael Palchey. They wouldlove him to return and visit them.

I showed them the two translatedbooklets and mentioned the Ambas­sador College project next summer.The remainder of my sermon time Ispoke about what God's kingdom is.

Converts in SiberiaThe final speaker was Igor Mertke,

an assistant administrator of theInternational Federation of Christiansof the Sabbath Day. He told how heand 12 others made an evangelizingtrip to Siberia this past summer.

He had copies of two booklettranslated by Ivan Czorn)j, head ofAmbassador College's Russian De­partment in the early 1960s. One wasWhat Kind ofFaith is Required for Sal­vation? and the other was What is theSabbath ofthe New Testament?

Mr. Mertke said a Siberian womanattending the evangelistic meetingshad reprinted and distributed 1,300

•

Warmth of congregationOn our first Friday night, Oct. 22,

we attended an evening service at theHouse of Prayer in neighboringRokosovo. We stayed two nights withIvan and Anna Pavliy, who housed usso hospitably last year.

The main speaker that eveninggreeted us warmly, and the pastorasked the congregation to sing sever­al extra songs to welcome us. We

Ju t before we came we shipped250 Ukrainian and 100 large-printRu sian Bibles. We donated threeewing machine and carried 30 kilo­

gram of high-yielding buckwheat,several varieties of beans, peas andhybrid corn provided by DaleSchurter, pastor of the Tipp City,Ohio, church.

e also laid plans for a 1994 sum­mer Ambassador College project. Sixstudents will teach English, comput­er skills and help with agriculture.

While in Khust we called on MayorVolodymer Kaschuk, who received usas warmly as when we visited lastyear. We also met with Ukraine Presi­dent Leonid Kravchuk's representa­tive for the Khust region.

Hi name is coincidentally VasylMondich, the same as the leader ofthe Sabbatarians we stayed with.Both men mdicated full support forwhatever our Church and Foundationwould like to do in the area.

By Victor Kubik

Oleh Zajac, a headquarters em­plo. ee who is fluent in Ukrainian,my wife, Beverly, and I returnedNov. 5 from visiting Sabbatarians inTranscarpathia, Ukraine. We stayedalmost a week and a half with VasylIvanovich Mondich, who pastors thechurch in the city of Khust, and hiswife, Svetlana.

He is also assistant administratorfor spiritual matters of the Interna­tional Regional Federation of Chris·tians of the Sabbath Day. He alsohead a 32-church federation calledChristians of the Sabbath Day inTran carpathia.

This was Oleh's and my second tripto visit these Sabbatarians. We gotbetter acquainted with them andstrengthened our friendship. We alsospent time with the Ivan Pavliys, pil­lar members in the Rokosovo church,and Victor Pavliy, director of theircharitable mission called azareth.

When we visited Ukraine last yearwe promised we would translate lit­erature into Ukrainian and Russian.So we delivered the booklets God'sFestivals and Holy Days in Ukrainianand Why Were You Born? in Russian.

Victor Kubik is assistant director ofChurch Administration.

2 The Worldwide News Tuesday, December 7,1993

Remember, they sacrificed their lives for peaceBEVERLY, England-The first

week of November was a week ofremembering for many people inBritain. For this year marks the 75thanniversary of the end of the GreatWar (1914-1918), and the last majoranniversary that the soldiers whofought in it will live to see.

The media, like the country, havebeen looking back and looking formeaning. Again and again the warpoets have been quoted. Some ofthem are moving tributes andpromises to remember:

"They shall not grow old as we thatare left grow old,

"Age shall not weary them, nor theyears condemn.

"At the going down of the sun andin the morning,

''We will remember them."Those words by Laurence Binyon

were first published in The Times in1914. Called "For the Fallen," theyare orren quoted at RemembranceDay services.

Newspapers interviewed soldiers •now in their late 90s who rememberthose who never came home.

The Independent included twoaccounts. One of bombardier Nor­man Tennant, DCM (DistinguishedConduct Medal), age 97, who recalls,

This article is by Ruth Arnold, an edi­torial staffmember in Britain.

eThe Wo< dwide News is published biweekly. exceptduring the Church's annual la I and spring fesliva s. bythe Wo< dw.de Church 01 God A.R.B N. 010019986.Copynght 0 1993 Worldwide Church 01 God. Alf rightsresel'lled

FOUNDER:Herbert W Armstrong (1892-1986)

PUBlISHER &EDITOR IN CHIEF:Joseph W TkachASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER:J. Michael Feaze

MEOlA OPeRATIONS DIRECTOR:Bernard W SchrtlppenEDITORIAL DIRECTOR:Ronald Ke yPUBllSHING SERVICES DIRECTOR:Barry GrIdley

Editor: Thomas C. Hanson; senior editor: SheilaGraham; managing editor: Jell Zhorne: associateeditor: Becky Sweat; news editor: Paut Monteith.assistant editor: Peter Moore: editorial assistant MayaWahbe; Ambassador College correspondent ReginaldKitllng1ey.

Columns: Gene Hogberg. "Worldwatch: John RossSchroeder. "European Diary" Dexter H. Faulkner, "JustOne More Thing."

Regional correspondents: Bill Half. Vancouver, B.C.;Eleazar Flores. Manila. Philippines; Aub Warren,Australia and As'a: Frankie Weinberger. Bonn. Germany;Rex Morgan, Auckland, New Zealand; Gerrie Belo,Nieuwegein. Netherlands: David Walker. SpanrshDepartment; Charles Fleming. Catlbbean; MarshaSabin. French and Italian; Bryan Math,e and PeterHawkins, Southern Alrica; Irene Wilson, UnitedKingdom.

Art dWector: Ronald Grove; illustrator: Ken Tunell.

Photography: Barry Stahl; G.A. 8efluche Jr.; CharlesFeldbush; Hal Rnch; Margie Dunn; photo librarian:Susan Sanchez.

Print production manager: Skip Dunn; printingcootl!RIlors: Stephen Gent and Calhenne Snyder

Notic<r. The Worldwide News cannot be responsible lorthe return of unsoliCited articles and photographs.Subscriptions: Subscnplions are sent automatically 10the members of the Worldwide Church of God. Addressall COfnffiunications to the The Worldwide News Box111. Pasadena. Cala. 91129. See The Pla'n Truth to<addJlional mall.ng offices. Entered as second-dass maITat the ManITa, Philippines, Central Post OffICe, Feb. 10,1984Address changes: U.S changes 01 address arehandled automatically with Plain Truth changes 01address. Postmaster; Please send Form 3579 to TheWorldwide News. Box 1t1, Pasadena Ca 1.,91123.

Unless noted otherwise, scriptures are quoted Irom theHoly Bible, New InlemaliorJaJ VersKJn. Copyright 0 1973,1978. 1984 International Bible Society Used bypermisslon 01 ZondeJvan Bible Publishers.

after the war, avoiding the crowdsand traveling to Yorkshire with afriend and celebrating by eating ameal of fish and chips. "I wasrelieved that 1 would not be blown tobits by a shell," said Mr. Tennant.

The second interview was withgunner Hermann Shiffer, Iron Cross,age 96, a German soldier whoremembers the war with horror:"Nothing prepared us for how sense­less the whole thing was." His memo­ries include the bizarre agreementthat at 9 a.m. every day, German andBritish soldiers walked freely into no­man's land to collect their woundedand dead.

"There was no formal agreement,and although we came very close, wenever talked to each other. Then at10 a.m. precisely, the war wouldbegin again. Absolute insanity." Andyet the insanity of human beingsslaughtering each other continuedfor four years and cost the BritishEmpire alone 908,000 lives.

Letters for this section should beaddressed to "Letters to the Editor." Theeditor reserves the right to use letters soaddressed in whole or in part, and toinclude your name and edit the letter forclarity or space. We welcome yourcomments.

'Why do I love God?'The more I read God's Word, the more I

can see that God is leading and working withyou and his Church. Thank: you very much forhelping us to understand what the gospel isabout.

The other day I was reading Habakkuk3:17-18: "Though the fig tree does not budand there are no grapes on the vines, thoughthe olive crop fails and the fields produce nofood, though there are no sheep in the penand no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoicein the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Sav­ior."

When I reread these words, tears came tomy eyes. I asked myself, Why do I love God?I was surprised at my first answer. Becausehe has blessed me with things and becausehe had called me. The more I meditated, Irealized the main reason for loving God isthat God loved me first.

I know we should always be very thankfulfor our calling and for all things that Godhas done for us, but our love for God shouldnot be based on things he does for us. I praythat you do not get too discouraged. I knowthe majority of us in God's Church arebehind you 100 percent.

Battle Creek, Michigan

Staying true to ChristI want to thank you for your approach to

the teachings of the Bible and how theyaffect our lives as Christians as we try to liveChristlike lives.

I applaud you and your commitment tostaying true to the gospel of Christ. That iswhat drew me to the Worldwide Church ofGod-your determination to stay true toChrist and what he wants his Church tobe.

In all those years of reading The PlainTruth, Good News and the CorrespondenceCourse, the knowledge I hungered for wasfound in articles on how I should conductmy life, what Christ did for me and what heexpected from me.

As I sit in my kitchen looking out mywindow, trying to compose my thoughts, Iam overcome with emotion thinking ofthe pain and anguish Christ suffered. I

So what does it all mean 75 yearslater?

This week 1 had a remarkableexperience. As part of my universitystudies, 1 met Anna, a Germanwoman from Cologne. We had beenasked to present a paper together fora seminar about an English writer. 1invited her to our home for a mealand to talk about the subject in com­fort. After working for a while, wewalked to a pub to relax.

In the pub old men sat talking andplaying dominoes. My friend and 1discussed the personal courage of thewoman writer we were studying. Theconversation moved onto the widertopic of personal conviction.

Then out of the blue, Anna saidthat courage was something she hadthought a lot about. ''I'm not reallyvery brave," she said. "I don't know,for example, if 1 would have beenable to hide a Jew if my life or myfamily were at risk."

The subject of the Nazi era and the

cannot read in Matthew 27:35 or Luke23:33 "and they crucified him" withoutpausing over the meaning of those words.I ask myself how can I not do as he asks?I thank you for helping me realize whatthat is.

Oxford, Ohio

Appreciate new look, creativityI would like to congratulate all those who

so aptly put together the new-look World­wide News, which I am happy to say I cannow read quite well. Previously, it was quitea problem to read any of the pages becauseof my eyesight.

I would also like to say how much I enjoythe new Plain Truth with its much improvedlayout and articles. Not that the old ones

Your involvement in the Work producesfruit. In this column subscribers to theWork's publications and viewers of the WorldTomorrow telecast express their views andopinions.

Discovering message of ChristI am a retired clergyman, having served

churches in several countries. My own denom­ination has not always been sympathetic toothers with a different doctrinal emphasis. Tomake my own evaluation of your theology, Ihave requested your offer of a subscription toThe Plain Truth in order to make a personalevaluation of your doctrinal emphasis.

In contrast to what I have heard and readabout your theological outreach, I have beenencouraged and pleased to discover a warm­hearted message with a strong spiritual pre­sentation of the gospel of Christ. I would bepleased to enjoy the continued reception ofThe Plain Truth with thanks for your graciqusoffer of a continued subscription.

P.c.Bothell, Washington

Faces of friendsI thoroughly enjoy receiving the News of

the Work co-worker newsletter every month.It's like hearing from good friends youhaven't seen in a while. I like the people-ori­ented articles.

It's great hearing about the different things

Holocaust is not one 1 would havebrought up with someone 1 had justmet. Germans and British peopletogether are understandably cautiousin discussing the war. Yet her honestyand thoughtfulness were touching. 1told her that 1 don't think any of uswould know exactly what we'd dountil the situation actually happened.

We joked about how unusual it wasfor two young women to be talkingabout literature in a pub full of com­fortable old men. Suddenly her facedarkened. "I wonder what they'd do ifthey knew 1 was German?" she said.

But, the occurrence of us sitting infriendship was itself a cause for opti­mism. My forebears fought Germansin two wars. Hers probably foughtthe British. Yet, today, their great­granddaughters sat together in peace.

No doubt Anna was especiallyaware of the depth of feeling that stillexists in Britain at such a time ofremembrance: She can't have missed­people selling poppies or talkingabout the past. My own emotions areroused every time 1 hear the sound ofthe "Last Post" played in lonelyrespect for those who gave their lives.

But it is too easy to forget that thegoal of those who sacrificed was notendless fighting, but peace. For thosewho are called the children of God(Matthew 5:9), there is also the calling tobe peacemakers. In a comer of a Britishpub, there was reason for optimism.

were not good, please understand me, butthat if anything, you have surpassed your­selves in both the paper and the magazinenow.

I pray that all the Worldwide News staffmembers are constantly inspired by God todo even better ""ith each issue.

Thank. you for all the articles in both pub­lications.

Daphne AffleckCaboolture, Australia

Just a note to let you and all there knowthat we really enjoy and appreciate all thechanges in the Plain Truth, Worldwide Ne-.vsand Youth magazines. We deeply appreciateall the hard work and the beautiful creativi­ty of everyone involved.

Though our children are grown and outof the house, we are still interested in thelives and activities of the wonderful youthsin God's Church. We still receive and -appre­ciate the Youth magazine.

Roseland, ebraska

"the members are doing, and it's vel)' inspir­ing to see the faces of some of the people thatwork so hard through Jesus' guidance to putout the publications and the telecast.

L.L.Ringwood, New Jersey

Catholic tastes insightsThank. you again for The Plain Truth, which

I appreciate greatly. I find your articlesthought-provoking, enlightening, very valu­able and beautifully presented. I admire pro­foundly how you can do so much for God­and for free! May God continue to supportand sustain you in your excellent work.

I have recently taken over as pastor of aCatholic parish and I would like to thank. youagain for all your kindness and valuableinsights into Scripture. They are excellent.

E.D.Chertsey, England

Words to pour outI would like to thank. you once again for

sending Kiar &- Wahr [Gennan Plain Tntth]and Ne-.vs of the Work. They are a tremendoushelp and enable me to give to others and findthe right words to comfort and encourage. Ioften read an article from Kiar &- Wahr or oneof your booklets to young people, who pourout their hearts to me.

LB.Gennany

Tuesday, December 7, 1993 The Worldwide News 3

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

Trip OverviewPastor General Joseph W. Tkach spoke to 63S

brethren Nov. 13 from the san Diego and Escon­dido, California, and Yuma, Arizona, churches.

Hosts for the visit were Dean and Marolyn Wil­son, San Diego, Escondido and Yuma; Paul andMadilyn Troike, Escondido; and Ed and BillieMarrs, San Diego and Yuma. [Photos by JohnMcMullin Jr. and William Miller]

Personal

Continued fr-om page 1

help us see our way through suchstorms. I want to go through a few ofthem in this letter.

I'm sure you could think of others,but I believe these will be of help ifyou make it a point to follow them.Let me list them first, then go througheach one.

1) We need to remember that Godis in charge.

2) We need to remember that every­one learns in different ways and atdifferent speeds.

3) God tells us to be patient withone another, to forbear one another,not to condemn one another, and totreat one another with kindne s.

4) God says that none of us has aright to feel superior because of whathe has given us to understand.

5) The gospel never changes.6) Most of our problems stem trom

disobeying God in the things we dounderstand, not in things we aren'treally clear about.

7) God is faithful.8) God judges on attitude-what we

do with what we know, not on howmuch we know.

9) In the end analysis, it's not whatyou know that counts, it's Whom youknow.

Remember that God is in charge. Thissounds so simple, yet failing to remem­ber this simple fact lies at the root ofmuch of our frustration and fear. JesusChrist is the Head of the Church.

We know Jesus promised, "I willnever leave you nor forsake you. n Butwhen something happens that wedidn't expect, or that we don't fullyunderstand, we tend to forget hiswords. We begin to rely on sight, thatis, on what we can see, or think wesee, for ourselves, rather than on faithin our Master and Savior.

Paul tells us, 'We live by faith, not bysight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). But often, wetry to resolve things by gossip andaccusation rather than through earnest,caring, faithful prayer.

Everyone learns in different ways andat different speeds. Sometimes we needto place ourselves in the other person'sshoes. A person's background, life expe­rience, type of education, upbringing,cultural heritage, personal situation,mends, relatives, etc., all have a bear­ing on how any new idea, whetherChurch-related or not, will be received.

Some things naturally take longer tounderstand than others. Each person isgoing through different trials, facingdifferent challenges, dealing with dif­ferent personal issues. It is not right tothink we can or should try to measurepeople's conversion by whether, orhow soon, they understand and accepta change of doctrine or procedure inthe Church.

God tells us to be patient with oneanother, to forbear one another, not tocondemn one another, and to treat oneanother witli kindness. It is all too easyto let issues become more importantthan people. But Jesus is concerned\'lith how we think of one another andhow we treat one another even when wemay disagree. I have always said to dis­agree is one thing, to become disagree­able is another. He tells us, "By this allmen \viII know that you are my disci­ples, if you love one another" (John13:35). He does not say, "My discipleswill be impatient and judgmental withthose who do not rapidly understandand agree on all things."

God's Spirit leads usAs mentioned above, it takes time to

come to understand things that are newto us. How long it takes varies tromperson to person. God's Spirit leads usto offer support, encouragement,patience and comfort to one another, inall circumstances.

Those who do not yet agree 'With theChurch's teaching on some point

should avoid causing division whilethey study and pray for understanding.Likewise, those who do agree shouldpray for those who don't while avoidingan attitude of condemning them orfeeling superior to them. Again, Godcalls his people to love and peace evenwhen they don't agree!

God says that none ofus has a right tofeel superior because of what he hasgiven us to understand. In 1 Corinthians4:7 Paul wrote: "For who makes youdifferent trom anyone else? What doyou have that you did not receive? Andif you did receive it, why do you boastas though you did not?"

All our knowledge of the things ofGod is God's gift to us. one of us hasanything that was not God's gift. There­fore, even if we think we understandsomething better than others, we cer­tainly have no right to boast about it orto look down on others. To take a supe­rior attitude toward others is to be self­righteous and to miss the real point ofGod's revelation.

The gospel never cha.nges. Regardlessof how well we understand or explainrelated is ues or points (and God doesexpect us to do our best to understandand explain things correctly), the gospelitself remains the same always. It is bythe gospel we are saved, not by otherthings. Paul wrote: "By this gospel youare saved, if you hold firmly to the wordI preached to you. Otherwise, you havebelieved in vain" (l Corinthians 15:2).

Paul went on to explicitly describe thegospel: "For what I received I passed onto you as of first importance: that Christdied for our sins according to the Scrip­tures, that he was buried, that he wasraised on the third day according to theScriptures" (verses 3 and 4).

We are called to believe and obeyJesus Christ as our Savior, Redeemer,Lord and Master, Chief Shepherd andKing. There is only one way to besaved, one way to salvation, and that isthrough faith in him.

Paul wrote, "The Scripture declaresthat the whole world is a prisoner of

sin, so that what was promised, beinggiven through faith in Jesus Christ,might be given to those who believe"(Galatians 3:22).

Most of our problems stem from fail­ing to heed the things we do understand,not things we aren't really clear about.How easy it is to spend our time find­ing fault with the Church on explana­tions of doctrine, administration or dif­ficult scriptural passages.

How hard it is to repent and over­come our own plain and obvious sins. Itis so human to get upset about "what ishappening in the Church" with this orthat particular teaching, but fail to takeour personal sins quite so seriously.

Salvation does not hinge on howmuch technical doctrine we can accu­rately explain. It hinges on whether wetruly have faith in Jesus Christ, faiththat is increasingly evidenced by thefruit of the Holy Spirit in our Iives­love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,goodness, faithfulness, gentleness andself-control.

When we are led by the Spirit, wewill not be creating division in theBody with our disagreements, nor ",rill.we be condemning our brothers andsisters for their lack of understanding.Instead, we will be working, throughprayer and study, to understand andaccept what God has given the Church,and we will be praying for and encour­aging those who don't yet understand.

Correct doctrine is an essentialresponsibility of the Church, and wemust always strive diligently to makeprogress toward that goal. But part ofcorrect doctrine is understanding howwe should treat one another along thatpath.

God is faithful. Whatever mistakesthe Church has made or will yet make,God is faithful. We can trust him. Wecan put our faith completely in him.We can thoroughly and without n.~r­

vation put all our confidence in himand his ability to bring us to comple­tion in Jesus Christ.

See Personal, page 4

4 The Worldwide News Tuesday, December 7, 1993

Are you tripping over molehills?nificant. Not unlike the Phariseesand scribes, we too can becomecaught up in insignificant matters.Speaking from personal experience Iknow that I haven't just explodedover a missing lock washer, but thatI have gotten pretty upset overchanges in the Church.

A few months ago I heard about aChurch member who died unexpect­edly after what was supposed to bea simple gall bladder operation. Thepastor was with the man's wifewhen the doctor told her that herhusband had died.

The pastor said the death of thismember put things into perspectivefor him. "Before he died he wasn'tconcerned whether or not we should

use the word cross," he said, "nordid he ask me if it was all rightfor a Christian to vote. His con­cern was the resurrection, salva­tion and his future in the king­domofGod."

That man was focused onwhat's truly important in life.This isn't to say that trivial mat­ters aren't important or that theyhave no value. They do havetheir place. But it is good to keepthem in perspective.

In his epistle to the Colossians,Paul eloquently stated the Christ­ian perspective. "Since, then, you

Artwori< by Bruoe Hedges have been raised with Christ, setine that we all have probably made your hearts on things above, wheremountains out of molehills at one Christ is seated at the right hand oftime or the other. God. Set your minds on things

above, not on earthly things" (Colos­sians 3:1-2).

Seeking the things that are abovemeans trying to put heavenly priori­ties into our daily lives. Setting ourminds on things from above meansconcentrating on the eternal ratherthan the temporal.

When we set our minds on thingsthat are above we look at life fromGod's perspective and we seek whathe desires.

Let's pray for one another. Let'spray that we will all keep our mindsfocused on the things above. Let'spray that God will help us keep con­centrating on the pivotal issues oflife-such as faith in God, salvation,the resurrection and eternity in thekingdom of God.

What are your mountains made of?Jesus had something to say about

making mountains out of molehills.Concerning the actions of the reli­gious leadership of his day, he said:"Woe to you, teachers of the law andPharisees, you hypocrites! You give atenth of your spices-mint, dill andcummin. But you have neglected themore important matters of the law­justice, mercy and faithfulness. Youshould have practiced the latter, with­out neglecting the former. You blindguides! You strain out a gnat butswallow a camel" (Matthew 23:23­24).

The religious leadership of Jesus'day focused more on trivialitiesthan on what's meaningful and sig-

how repulsive m attitude had beenthe previous evening over a lockwasher for a bicycle.

Here were friends faced with amind-boggling tragedy. Their liveswere being turned upside down. Andyet the previous evening I hadexploded over nothing. ot having alock washer was no catastrophe; Icould buy another one for pennies.Yet I had lost control of my emo­tions over a mere triviality. -

Hearing about other with majortrials helps us see the really impor­tant things. Faith in God becomescentral. The big picture comes intomuch sharper focus.

My actions over a missing lockwasher embarrass me. I would imag-

c. W. Davis is a local church elder inRichmond, Virginia.

By C.W. Davis

Furious over nothingAlthough this incident is

pretty embarrassing, I learneda lesson that I hope sticks withme. Life wasn't going to cometo an end over a missing lockwasher. But for a few minutes Ithought the world revolved aroundmy problem.

But there is more to the story. Atwork the following morning, I readmy electronic mail and saw a mes­sage with familiar names requestingprayers for a newborn baby suffer­ing from a brain hemorrhage.

Just a couple of weeks earlier, Ihad shared an evening with the par­ents of this newborn baby. The par­ents were anxiously awaiting thebirth of the first child. Now theywere facing an extremely difficulttrial.

After uttering a silent prayer forthe baby and the parents, I realized

few weeks ago my wife,Stacey, and I boughtmountain bikes. Ratherthan pay the store extramoney for assembling thebikes, I chose to assemblethem myself. After fi'{ingthe front wheel, the steer­

ing column and the gear shift assem­blies, I started on the brake assem­blies.

The instructions said that eachbrake assembly had a bolt, lockwasher and a nut, but when I lookedinto the little plastic bag of nuts andbolts, a lock washer was missing.After I searched the living room car­pet like a bloodhound for severalminutes, my blood pressureescalated. Finally, I exploded. Ihollered for my wife and pro­ceeded to tell her what I thoughtof the bike manufacturer and thestore I had bought the bike from.

Patiently and silently, she lis­tened to my angry outburst, thensaid, "Is a missing lock washerreally a big deal?"

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Personal

Continued from page 3

Always remember Philippians 1:4-6,where Paul wrote, "In all my prayersfor all of you, I always pray with joybecause of your partnership in thegospel from the first day until now,being confident of this, that he whobegan a good work in you will carry iton to completion until the day ofChrist Jesus."

God is not out to trick us. He is notgiving us subtle little confusing testto find out if we will be deceived b)this or that tricky or difficult point ofdoctrine. He gives us everything \\eneed to know, and he hold uaccountable for what he gives us.

He gives us even greater understand­ing of his will as we grow in his love, asPaul shov.,s in Philippians 1:9-11: "Thiis my prayer: that your love rnaabound more and more in knowledgeand depth of insight, so that you maybe able to discern what is best and maybe pure and blameless until the day ofChrist, filled with the fruit of righteou ­ness that comes through Jesus Chri t­to the glory and praise of God."

God leads his Church, and he leads itto Jesus Christ. The more we growtoward Jesus Christ, the stronger we arein the love of God. God will continue tolead his Church. God knows what he isdoing. But his Church is not yet perf~t,and it won't be until the resurrection.

We can trust GodRemember, the gospel never changes.

Christ died for our sins, and as Paulwrote: "For it is by grace you have beensaved, through faith-and this not fromyourselves, it is the gift of God-not byworks, so that no one can boast" (Ephe­sians 2:8-9).

How thankful we should be that \veare not depending on ourselves. Weare depending on God! We can trustGod not to deceive us, not to trick us,not to leave u , not to forsake us. If wedon't understand something in just theright way, God \vill, in his time and inhis wav, show it to us-even if his timeis in the re urrection.

o human has ever known all thereis to know. God has not revealed everysingle point about everything to any­one. or does he need to. But he doestell his people how to deal with theirdifferences. Read Romans 14 again.

God judges on attitude-what we dowith what we know, not on how much

we know. Jesus said, "Whoever can betrusted with very little can also be trust­ed with much, and whoever is dishon­est with very little will also be dishonestwith much" (Luke 16:10). Little thingsdo count-that is why we have to makechanges when we find out we've beenwrong, as individuals and as a church.

Likewise, that is why we need notbe alarmed to find that there arethings we have not fully known orunderstood. God does not expect us toknow everything before we can be hispeople, yet he does not want us toremain ignorant of complex things.How much or how little he gives us toknow and understand is entirely hisprerogative. The e sential thing is thatwe know and believe the gospel andlive accordingly.

In the end analysis, it's not what youknow that COllnts, it' Whom vouknow. Jesus defined eternal life in amost interesting and profound way.He said," ow this i eternal life: thatthev mav kno\v vou, the onlv trueGod, and Jesus Christ, who~ youhave sent" (John 17:3).

For the past nearly 2,000 years,faithful men and women of God havelived and died, secure in salvation,knowing God and Jesu Christ, andare awaiting the resurrection. Exactly

how much each one knew about thefiner points of doctrine varied greatly.

But each one was committed towhat he or she did understand, andeach one knew and understood thatthe foundation of their faith was JesusChrist. "No one can lay any founda­tion other than the one already laid,which is Jesus Christ," Paul wrote (lCorinthians 3:11).

Growth in doctrine should alwaysunderscore that true foundation. Thatis why God has led us to doctrinalgrowth that builds more and moreclearlv and firmlv on Jesus Christ.

I h~pe all of us"will keep these pointsin mind as we learn to support andencourage one another during times ofchange. There is no value at all in get­ting involved in little opposing campsof condemnation and criticism. Suchdivisive behavior is the product of asuperior, self-righteous spirit.

The Bible says that the Church can­not tolerate the deliberate causing ofdivision by those who do not agreewith its doctrines. But we mustremember that even admonition andcorrection is to be given in love, with apatient attitude and the goal of restora­tion. Let's pray for peace, unity andpatience as we grow in the grace andknowledge of our Lord and Savior.

Tuesday, December 7,1993 The Worldwide News 5

Ukrainian warmth felt by Church officials

With respect.

Vasyl Mondich ..'Pastor, Administrator of the International Regional Federationof Christians of the Sabbath Day

Victor PavliyDirector of the Charitable Mission Nazareth

Respected Pastor General Joseph TKach and the Worldwide Church of God in America!

Blessings to you and peace from God the Father and our ~ord Jesus Christ! Wethank God for you, followers of Jesus Christ, in whom we beheve also. It IS .apparentthat knowledge of him knows no borders and his kno~edge covers the entire earth. Inthe faces of your representatives we found close family and turn to you as brothers and

sisters. . fGlory to Jesus Christ, dear brothers and sisters beloved of GodI~e Federation 0

Christians of the Sabbath Day of Transcarpathia, the Chantable MISSion Nazareth andchurch of the city of Khust greet you. . . .., .

We rejoice in our common faith because It IS our guide an our joumeys on thiS earth.Our faith is our comfort, joy and hope. Through faith we have found the Holy God andhis will. We have a wonderful opportunity to interest you an our common work for th~glory of the Etemal God because we are sure t~at he who has begun a good work anyou will accomplish it until the day of Jesus Chnst. . .

[WeI express [ourl sincere thanks to the Worldwide Church of ~od, espeaally you,Joseph TKach, for the desire to work together with us and for the anvestment you have

already made in this venture. .'We are also happy and thankful for your representati.ves Victor KUbl~, Beverly Kubik

and Oleh Zajac, who came to Ukraine, to ~ransc:arpathla, to the Chnstlan Churches ofthe sabbath Day with good and charitable Intentions, to make good contacts.ar:td .relations in our working together in the n~me of ~esus Chn~~, to help the Christians InUkraine, but also our society and to do thiS at a time when It s most need~.

We are very pleased with what we have heard ~ut your plans and projects. Fromour side, from the Federation and the Nazareth we will glv~ moral, phySIcal andwhatever financial support possible for these important projects. We h~ghly val~e y~urproposal to teach .the. Englis~ language, ~mputer skills and your helpang us With highquality and high Yielding agricultural techmques. .

We are very thankful for the humanitarian aid that we have received. from yourrepresentatives. We, especially our ladies, are thankful to Beverly Kubik for herpractical help and advice with the sewing machines you sent and for her ple~sant andinteresting conversation. She made a pleasant impression on our congregation ~ amother, friend and sister, with whom we can trust and share our problems, for whichshe was able to give us useful advice. .'

We trust that some of the differences in our doctrine wdl not harm our brotherlyfriendship and that we can continue to work together for the one God the Fathe~ andhis son Jesus Christ. Through him we accept you, those you send and your projectswith our open hearts and our sincere souls. . .

We are very happy that our relationships are mutuallybenefiCial. We no longerwonder when our brethren in Western Europe and America say that we have.preserved values that some have lost in economically more developed countries. Yes,we have economic problems; you have prob~ems of a different nature, but we arethankful that God's grace is on us and that hiS mer~ IS WIthout measure. Wlt.h thesetools, in the unity of the spirit we have ~en ca!led IOtO thiS peace. Our hope IS that wewill continue our mission in our earthly JourneYing.

May God bless you, may he protect us on earth, may kind~ess be With all of us. MayGod help us work together realistically in these proposed projects. In the name ofJesus Christ and his glory. Amen.

currency, \ hich is the coupon, was6,000 to the dollar. On the streets itwas 20,000 to the dollar. Hyperinfla­tion runs at 45 percent a month. Therate soared from 20,000 to the dollarat the beginning of our trip, to 25,000to the dollar when we left. Last yearwhen I visited, the exchange ratestood at 100 coupons to the dollar,and I thought things were bad whenpeople earned the equivalent of $20to 30 a month. This year they earnonly 3 to 8 a month.

Transcarpathia, a beautifulmountainous area abundant ingrapes, apples and pears, losesmuch of its produce to poor trans­portation and preserving processes.We discussed how the Churchmight be able to assist them, suchas providing hard-to-obtain toolsand equipment.

Telephone communications arenearly impossible. One of the Sab­batarians, who owns a small printingshop, has the only facsimile machinein Khust, which has a population ofabout 45,000. They told us there wasonly one 'copy machine in to\vn.

evertheless, we were more in­spired than ever being with the Sab­batarians. We were moved by theirlove, devotion and need for God. Onecannot help but admire them forfaithfulness in the face of years ofpersecution and oppression.

They told fascinating stories aboutmeeting in secret for years, quietlyprinting and assembling songbooksin homes. These people's infectiousfaith-deep, profound and based onthe Bible-is demonstrated in activelove and obedience to God. Now, asthey are able to go public with theirfaith, they have a new love for Godas they share it with others.

We are working with them becausethey have reached out to us. Theyconsider us their brothers and sis­ters. We know we don't agree in allareas, but we can work together.

I felt a closeness of spirit whenpraying with them. Just before leav­ing we knelt and prayed for ourworking together and for our safereturn home. We felt a deep respectfor them and the understanding theyhave. In Slavic-style we kissed,hugged and said good-bye.

The Michael Palchey family at­tends our church in Raleigh, orthCarolina, and has kept two Passoverswith us and the Feast of Tabernaclesin Daytona Beach, Florida, this pastfall. Two of their children are in theirsecond year of Ambassador College.In the words of Michael Palchey:"We want to learn from you, but Ihope also that you can learn from

"us.

Faith despite shortages, inflationOur working in Ukraine will be a

challenge. The economy is in terribleshape. Store shelves were empty;goods are available under the table tofriends. Fuel is in short supply. Therailroad has brought back the coal­burning stearn locomotive because ofa lack of petroleum. When riding inautomobiles we noticed that gasolinetanks were constantly on empty. Dri­vers told us there were usually nomore than three or four liters of fuelin the tanks. Two gallons of gas couldcost as much as a month's wages.

The official bank rate for the state

dures and pastoral tech­niques. The ministry for themost part has had no formaltraining. For example, theywould like instruction onhow to prepare sermons andhow to minister to youths.

I explained how importantit is for our ministry to becompetent and how wecommunicate to ministersthrough the Pastor General'sReport and annual confer­ences. The Sabbatarianswant to start a regular news­paper to inform the mem­bership and ministry aboutchurch teachings and news.

While in Transcarpathia Ispoke on four occasions. Igave an entire sermon aboutPsalm 15, bringing in otherscriptures to support thefive verses in this psalm.

Vasyl Mondich aid thatusing a single subject and

supporting it with scriptures andexamples is virtually unknown, andthey would like our help. VictorPavliy from the azareth Missiontold me they would like sermon out­lines to help their pastors have aguide as to what to say. Most of thespeakers I heard did not use notes.

The second Friday night, Oct. 29,we conducted a Bible study on 2Corinthians 3:1-5. The entire chapterwas read, and the pastor commentedon each verse. Then people wereinvited to make comments or givetheir own examples to help clarifythe verse.

One man commented that being alight to the world requires Christiansto set a good example. Because somany people stand in line for breadand others have time to observe, hesaid, this is a time when people eval­uate others. Christians should nevertry to cut in line or act impatientlybecause if those in line knew that theperson was a believer, this wouldbring reproach on Christ.

October 31, 1993

ing a hall, placing newspaper noticesand conducting public campaigns.

The general public has becomesomewhat jaded to evangelism. Whenreligious freedom first came aboutfive years ago, people would payattention to the novelty of local andespecially Western evangelists. Butgeneral interest has faded, and sever­al of the evangelists coming throughhave promised humanitarian aid thatthey never delivered. So the public isskeptical about others' promises.

We spent many hours with VasylMondich, who wanted us to helpthem get their church better orga­nized, learn administrative proce-

CLOSENESS OF SPIRIT-Beverly Kubik (left)with Michael Palchey's sister, a Ukrainian Sab­bath-keeper, in the House of Prayer in Rokosovo.

Wedding: evangelism opportunityOn Sunday we were invited to

Rokosovo for a wedding. The ceremo­ny, attended by 400 guests, startedwith an almost three-hour servicewith beautiful a cappella choir music.

Four men gave messages. The firstspeaker spoke about how two peoplewith different natures need to adaptand become one unit. Another mes­sage was about the marriage ofChrist to the Church and how ourphysical marriages reflect that rela­tionship. I was invited to speak andcovered the importance of communi­cation in marriage.

As several people from the commu­nity came to the wedding, the pastorand some of the speakers made evan­gelistic statements. Afterward, we allshared dinner in a large tent outside.

We learned many new things aboutthese people. Evangelism is impor­tant to them and part of the localchurch's work. They do this by rent-

Continued from page 1

They were curious about what wewould say; we were curious abouttheir understanding. I told them wehad discussed our position on speak­ing in tongues.

I told them we believed this phe­nomenon may be falsified or fabri­cated, it may originate with evil spir­its, it may come from a self-inducedemotionally altered consciousness orit may come from God. They appre­ciated being able to discuss the Biblewithout either of us pushing ourbeliefs on the other.

Letter from Sabbatarian leadersHOUSE OF PRAYER-During one of his four addresses to the Rokosovo congre­gation, Victor Kubik gave a sermon about Psalm 15.

6 The Worldwide News Tuesday, December 7,1993

CJ)wa:«::Jt-eDoo~CJ)wa:«CJ)a:w?=zz«enCJzoow3:

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BirthsBENEDETTI VlOCe and Jenny (Ha I)of Columbus Ohio boy CarlEugene. Sept 8 3:07 pm, 8pounds first child

BOYLl David and Debbie (Mar-nez) of santa Fe. New Mexico, boy,

Jared Patric Ryan, Aug. 6, 1 55p m 8 pounds 7 ounces now 2boys

BROGAN Joe and Den se (Ber­geron) of Southampton. Pennsylva­nla g Briana Falcarragh. OCt 20.440 P m 6 pounds 12 ounces firstc Id

DENNY Mark and laura (R ner) ofFort M che I Kentucky gir. MaryLeAnn July 8.2 p.m 7 pounds 10ounces now 2 g os

EHLEN Tom and Leanna (Ha lows)of St Lou s M<ssoun grl Breanna

cole OCt 5 7-02 a m 6 pounds 4ounces. f rst child

EMEHISER. Jell and Berenice(Czech) of SpITI Lake Idaho. boyRay-nond Gregory Sept 0, 8:22p rT' 7 pounds '1 ounces f rstc

GRAVES George and Sandra est­broo ) of orth Bay Ontario boyEthan Kev n Oct 6 8.30 am. 7pounds 1 ounce now 2 boys 1 go

OUSTON Mar and Marcella(Browne) of Pasadena. boy DrewAn hony Aug 14 1153 pm. 3pounds 6 2 ounces now 1 boy (boy deceased)

KE NEDY. Stuart and Angela

(Feakes) of ehorse. Yukon. girl,Tnsha DanielIe Sept. 18. 1'11 a.m8 pounds 13'h ounces now 1 boy. 3girls

KRUSE Mar and Susan (VanMalTe) Gardnerville Nevada gm.Laura Ie all 3 10:44 a.m.• 8pounds 14 ounces. now 4 boys 2grls

KUSCH Ruben and Karen (Hem­merl ng) of Ca gary. A berta boyAlex Gregory Sept. 12 2:42 am,6 pounds 9 ounces, first child

McCLARY Sam and Tracy (Higgns)of Midvale Idaho boy. ChanceAndrew Sept 19, 917 p.rT' • 7pounds 7 ounces firs ch Id

OUIRAY Joe and Bng (Ubrop) ofVen ura Cali ornI<l boy. David OCt.22, 818 am 6 pounds 10 ounces,first ch d

ROGERS WI e and Dora (Hunter)of MemphiS Tennessee grl TeniaIman OCt 26 8 41 p.m.. 8 pounds 3ounces now 1 boy, 2 gr s.

RUSSELL M chael and Colena(Kinder) of Er anger Kentuckyg rl Sidney BfI<lnne, Nov 6, 1044a m 8 pounds 7 ounces. now 2g rls

SlYKER, Pe e and Mariea (Beatly) ofWtnntpeg. toba,'n boys. PaulGeorge David and Troy AndrewJohn. June 4. 2:30 and 2:36 a.m. 6pounds 3 ounces and 5 pounds 'hounce now 4 boys.

SMITHBURGER Jun and Komberly(Sims) of Escondido. California,g rl, Bn any Denae. May 23. 901am . 8 pounds 1 ounce. firstchId

SWEAT. Tom and Becky (M r) ofPasadena, boy Robert Daniel Nov2 205 pm 8 pounds 8 ouncesfirst child

THURSRELD Ron and Catherine(DaVies) of So e-on-Trent. En­gland. g rl E y Jayne. Oct 12."32 p m 8 pounds 2 ounces flfstchid

WERVEN Bruce and Ka (McRae)01 CavaUer North Dakota boy. MaltDrew Sept 19 505 a.m. 7 pounds5 ounces first ch Id

WHITE R ck a d December (Fer­tig) of Lara- e. Wyoming boyAa'on Fertig Oct 28 11 0P m 6 pounds 3 ounces now 3boys

CURTIS & JUENELLA HATCHETT

Juenella Jac son daughter of

Lester V. Jackson (deceased) andJessie M Jackson. and CurtisHa coo son 01 Mr. and Mrs. CurtisHa che (boIh deceased). were Ln ­ed In marriage June 27 The cere­mony was performed by DavidMyers pastor 01 the Houston. TexasSouth church. Barbara Fergusonwas matron of honor The couple live10 Houston.

NOAH & BECKY REDLER

Becky lynn Zemrcka, daug ter ofFrank and Diane Zemlicka 01 BrooklOgS South Dakota. and Noah DavidFiedler. son of David and LindaFled er of Waukesha, Wisconsin,were united on marriage Aug 21The ceremony was performed by thegroom's father, M4 aukee West andKenosha, WiSCOOSll1. pastor. DeniseHogberg and Marie Little werematrons of honor, and Todd Her­ndge was best man. The COl4JIe live10 Madison. WISCOOSIO

Pamela Ba ,ssoon daugh er ofRamsaran and 0e0kaIiya Balkissoonof Pena Roc Road, Tr 'dad andBryan Denis GUignard son of Fredand Anne e GUlQnafd of BeresfordNew Brunswick. were united in mar­nage July 4 The ceremony was per­formed by Bruno Leclerc. pastor ofthe Campbellton and Allardv.lle

ew BrunsWlc • and MatapediaQuebec churches Sylvie Foulemwas rrI<ltron of honor and FrancoisFoulem was best man. The couplelive 10 Beresford

GARY & JOAN 0lNER

Joan Wotbeck. daogh er of D0n­ald and Linda Wolbeck of De rOltLakes, Mnnesota. and Gary 0 erwere uruted 10 marraage July 24 Theceremony was performed byEugene Kub Faryo North Dakola,pastor Ju ie Wolbeck sister of thebride was maid of honor andOliver father of the groom, was bestman The couple live 10 Festussoon

PATRICK & REB IIcGRAlli

Mr and Mrs Kemeth Jacob 01 l0n­don. England. are pleased toannounce the marriage of t eirdaughter Re hI to Patrick MartinMcGrath 01 0mstabIe, England Theceremony was performed Aug. 8 byHarry Sullivan, Belfast, Northern Ire­land. pastor. Robina Setm, sisleI' 01the bride was matron 01 honor andCI3ffiaO Prunty was best man Thecouple live 10 Bedfordshire. E.ngIand

EDDIE & JANET DUNGAN

and Mrs. George A Hubbell ofWlOnie Texas are pleased toannounce the marriage of theirdaughter Janel 10 Eddie 0Lngan Jrson of Mr and Eddie Dungan 01Meridl81l. The ceremonywas performed July 11 by DonEng e pastor of the BeaumontTexas and Lake Charles LClUISIanachurches Carla Easterling. sister ofthe bride was matron 01 honor andthe groom's father was best marThe couple live Brewton. Alabama

LOIS A. H rsch er, daug ler of Danand Kay H rsch e' of Aurora M s­soon and A. Todd Rowe I. son ofJoe and Maze1le Rowe 01 Newton.MJssissippi. were united in marriageAug 22 The ceremony was per­formed by Paul SmIth. associatepastor of the BIg Sandy AM ctuchThe couple live Big Sandy.

linda Marte Stash. daughter ofRobert and Elaone Stash 01 FlOeyviUe Pennsylvan·a. and Jeffrey

Theodore Lengwln son of RoseLengWlO of Baldwin. Pennsylvania.and Mar LengwlO of ClearwaterFlo ida were United in mamageAug 28. The ceremony was per­formed by Lawrence Neff P ttsburgand Beaver Valley. Pennsylvania,pas or Elana Sargent was maid ofhonor. and MarK Leogwin, brother 0the groom, was best man. The cou­ple e 10 Boston. Pennsylvania

Wethersfield. Connecticut, arepleased to announce the marriageof their daugh er Wanda Melody toMarK Jones Hodsen of GlastonburyComecticul A double wedding cer­emony was performed Aug 1 nRocky H • Connecticut, by DennisJohnson. pastor of the HartfordConnecticut, church, Ce;::l e Martinwas maid of honor and EdmundHodzen was best man The couplelive 10 Glastonbury

Katrina Rae daug er of E I aCarolyn Kurtz. and Pa c amSloma son of Leona'd and KarenSloma, were united in marriage July25 The ceremony was performed byPaul Butler Colorado Spnngs pas­tor Laune Kurtz, sister of the bridewas maid of honor and John Thomp­son was best man The coup ereside in Colorado Sprtngs

RAHEH & U YUH BHATTACHARYYA

U Yun. youngest daugh er of Mrand Mrs. Choc Yung S,ong ofKuda Malaysia and Raneo Bha ­tacharyya eldest son 01 Mrs RtJ<mt­n Devi Bhanacharyya of Kuc gMala}'Sla ere uni ed n mamageJuly 25 The ceremony was per­formed by Yang Chin Gee MaIa)'Sl3pastor Ellzebeth Lee as rrI<l,d ofhonor and her brother. And _ Lee.the best man The couple live 10

Kota l<inabalu Malaysia

TONY & ALlSA KNUDSEN

Mr and rs. Robert Nunnery ofAutryville North Carolina are happyto announce the mamage 0 the rda er Alisa Dawn to Tany Knud­sen son of Norm Knudsen of Edina.M!lnesOla, and Bonnie Seasho: e ofTucson, nzona The ceremonyperformed June 20 by Greg

tams FayetteVI e Caroli-na, pastor Julie Perone wasof 0 or a d M e nudse wasbest man The coup e I ve 10

Ie

Mr and Mrs Edward Butram arehappy to announce the marnage 01ther daughter Jacquelin Cheryl toCarlos R. Gomez son of 'andMrs. Ruben Gomez The ceremonywas performed Feb 20 by LyleWelty Cleveland Ohio, East pastorThe couple live .n Cleveland

PAUL & RACHEL SUCHANEK

Rachel Evans. daughter of Tan andMary Ellen Evans of Eureka. CaIilor­nia. and Paul Suchane son ofJason and DotlJe Suchanek of Fort

che I, Kentucky were un ed 10marnage June 13 The ceremonywas performed by Jerold Aost. asso­ctate pastor of the Garden GroveCali amla church. Ruth McGaugh­ey. SIster of the bride. was matron 01

Tuesday, December 7,1993 The Worldwide News 7

WATKINS Addie C 77, of CrossPlair1s Texas died OCt. 21 She issurVived by her son, JessieWatkins' three daughters Lou EI enMorris. Linda Watkms and Fann'eWilson, seven sisters; 10 grandchil­dren; and seven great-grandchil­dren.

LOVELADY La'ry E., 48, ofRogersvt Ie Missouri, died of cancerSept 14 He s survrved by his wileMary, four chi dren Jason and hisWIfe Wendy; Karen Burnham andher husband Markus, Melody andDa d, and .smother LusherleenWms

LEONARD JOHNSON

JOHNSON, Leonard 65 ofYoungstown, Ohio. died 01 a heartattac May 26 He is survived by hisWIfe. eight chi dren, 16 grandchil­dren and three great-grandchi dren.

LEARNED Elda. 79 01 Wrttenberg,Wiscons,", died Oct. 20 after anextended illness She is sunr.ved bytwo sisters and one brother

SCH IDT, Aflce E. 80 of KendaWisconsm died Nov 10. She is sur­Vived by seven children Eta ne

oodard Gordon. Richard RamonaGarcia, Donald Sharon Gosse andGary. 27 grandchildren a,-,d 1great-grandc Idren She was pre­ceded n death by her husband of58 years Donald and two sons Leoand Kenneth

BEASON, Barbara, 75, ofMokelumne Hill, California died OCt.11 of cancer. She is survived bythree children and four grandchil­dren She was preceded in deathfive years ago by her husbandJames.

LEE TROWBRIDGE

TROWBR DGE, Lee, 91 of MtSSOUIaMontana. died Oct. 28. He is sur­VIVed by two sons Robert and Jerry,two daug ters Dors Jaynes andCo een Chand er one da er-lO­law. Donna two sonS-In-law C IffJaynes and Charles Chandler. 10grandchildren; and seven great­grandchildren. He as preceded IfI

death by hs WIfe Eunice and 1brothers and sisters

LOOMIS, Darryl L 49, of OrangeCalifornia, died OCt 27 of AIDS Heis survrved by h spare ts, Mr. andMrs. Loom's, a sister Janet E sand a brother. Russe I

WRIGHT Dale E 68 of CumrrungGeorg a died July 16 He is sur­VIVed by h s wile, Audrey; two sonsDonald and Dana; one daugh er-m­law Nancy two grandchl dreo, Eneand Ka rana, four brothers and oneSister

BARBER Enc 83, of Toron 0,Ontario died Sept 20 after alengthy ness He is survived by hiswife of 60 years Jane a daughterAudrey a son- n- aw Tom threegrandchildren and two grea -grand­children

ALBERT MACLEAN

MACLEAN Albert Lese, 85 ofToronto, Ontario died July 27 He issurvived by many friends in hisadopted church family in Torontoand throughout the world.

TUGGLE f1abell Luc e 69 ofOdessa. Texas died Nov 3 ShesurVIVed by two daughters twostepsons, three brothers and twosisters

GRANAOOZ, Cectl, 82 of Stockton.California d ed of pneumonia OCt 2during the Feast 01 TaoemacIes Heis su . ed by his fe Emma 1 echild'en, 10 grandchildren and 12great-grandch·ld_ren_. _

BOB URPHY

MURPHY Bob D. 68 of Wich'taKansas died Oct 23 of cancer HeIS survived by his e of 45 yearsVera. two sons. three daughters 2grandchildren two g eat-grandchil­dren, three step-grandchi dren, twostep-great-grandch dre and twosisters

ASHTON lIl1.an W 83 of Jack­sonville. Florida. died OCt. 13 She ISsurvived by her husband. KennethW , two daughters. Joy Graham andJean Scheifele, four sons Harry.Robert. Donald and David Whitaker,27 grandchildren' 30 great-grand­children; a sister, Eva Pollack; astepson. Kenneth W. Ashton Jr; andmany nieces and nephews She waspreceded in death by a son, BoyceWhitaker

r and Mrs Pedro Siqueiros cele­brated their 50th wedd g ann" er­sary in Pasadena, Nov 27 Theyhave one son Pedro' two daughtersDee Lorenzana and EIa ne Lee; 11grandchildren' and seven great­grandchildren

MR. & MRS. THEODORE GAll

Mr and Mrs. Theodore .,.ed· Gall ofManon. Virginia, celebrated their65th amiversary Aug. 21 The Gallswere g' en a fruit basket and 65 redroses by the Kingsport. Tennessee,brethren.

WeddingsMade of Gold

IIR. & RS. GEORGE flOYD

Mr. and Mrs. George Floyd ofAthens Georg'a celebrated their70th wedd ng annive'sary Nov 25They have SIX ch dref\ 7 grand­children and 27 great-grandchil­dren

LARRY & SHELBA WEllS

Mr and s Larry We of FlIldlayOhio, celebra ed their 40th weddinganrnversary Nov. 26. They have fivechildren, Pamela Thomas, DouglasWells, Cheryl Benjamin JeffreyWells and Christopher Wei s, fivegrandchildren. Shawn a d JessicaThomas, Amle Benjamm Andreaand Amanda Wells; and one great­grandchild, Shianna Thomas

Mauflce and Jul.ette Brisson ofWindsor, Ontario ce ebrated t e rSOt wedding annive sary July 17The WIOdscif brethren honored themWIth a sabbath tea They have 15chlidren 36 grandchl dren and fivegreat-grandchildren.

Bill and Barbara Harrison of ScottCity, Missouri celebrated their 40thwedding anOlversary June 27. Theyhave three children, Bob, Brendaand Ben; one daughter-in-law, Man;and one granddaughter. RachelMr Harnson IS a deacon .n the GapeGirardeau, M,ssouri church.

JOHN & CAROLE PInS

John and Carole Pitts of New Haven,Connecticut celebrated their 25thwedding anrnversary sept 7. Theyhave one daughter, Delma and oneson, Michael

RICHARD & RUTH GAGNON

Richard and Ruth (Friedrich)Gagnon. of Federal Way, Washing­ton. celebrated the" 25th weddingamiversary Sept 29 They have onedaughter, Sarah Elizabeth Ruth

ART & DEE LEWIS

Art and Dee Lewis 01 Ed'son NewJersey celebra ed ther 40th ed­d ng ann versary Sept 12 T eyhave four children Arthur Jr, Grego­ry, Janet and James (deceased)one daughter-in-law, Carol, andgrandsons Gregory and Arthur III

and LE!WIS serve as deaconand deaconess in e U • NewJersey, South church

EWS AND PAT STEWART

Enis and Pat Stewart of Big sandycelebrated their 40th weddinganniversary Oct 17. The Stewartshave one son. Jim, one daughter,liz Russell, one son-in-law, DougRussell and one grandson, Wesley.Mr Stewart IS a local church elder inthe 81g Sandy AM- church

!CHAEL & BRENDA GERMANO

Michael and Brenda Germano of BigSandy celebrated their 30th wed­ding anniversary sept. 22. The Ger­manos have three children, MiQue­Iyn Vernon and Lara; twosons-in-law, Peter and Jerome; onedaughter-m-taw, Dame e, and threegrandctuldren. Jessica, Kristen andMeghan. Dr. Germano is dean ofacademic affairs at AmbassadorCollege and Mrs. Germano is man­ager of the coI1ege bookstore.

30th anrvversaty Aug. 24. They havef 'ole ch Idren one son-on-Iaw andlhree grandchildren Mr FISCher IS adeacon the Soc on, Califom'a,church.

CHUCK & JOANN HAYES

Chuck and JoAnn Hayes of GrandJunction, Colorado, celebrated their40th wedding amrversary Sept 20.They have three children, Cynthia,Tom and Kathryn; two sons-in-law,Mike Hill and Randall Rapp; onedaughter-in-Ia , Janie and sixgrandchildren, RasheIe. Ryan. ike.Lauren, Shannon and Lindsay

IDAlE & ROSE FREYIIAN

Dale John and Rose Freyman of PortSt Lucie Florida. celebra ed the r40th wedding anniversary sept 5They have three sons David Dennisand .ram. three daughters Roseann.C ndy and Ruth two sons-m-Iaw,two daughters-in-law frve grandchil­dren; and two deceased daughters

John and linda Orchard of SI.Cloud Minnesota, celebrated their25th wedding anniversary sept. 8They have two children, John andTara; and one son-in-law, David. Mr.Orchard is the pastor 01 the StCloud and Brainerd, Monnesota,churches

honor and Jason Suchanek, brolhero the groom. was best man Thecouple 1M! In Vi Ia HIlls Kentucky

Mr and 'S Lorenzla DwayneCanup of sboro, Texas, and Mrand ~Marcus P Curd III of Tyler,Texas are happy to announce themarriage of t e r chldren ShanaRachelle and Marcus Paul. The cer­emony was performed May 16 byMarty Yale a mirnster and Ambas­sador College faculty member BigSandy. Mandy Heathco e was maidof honor and Aaron Evans was bestman The couple live in Nacog­doches Texas.

ROY & NAOW WASHINGTON

Naomi Fr son daughter of Mr andMrs Clev1and Frison of TheodoreAlabama and Roy Washington ofDecatur Georgoa son of Mrs Ber­nice Wester, were united in marriageAug 28. The ceremony was per­formed by Thomas J Pickett, Mobileand Monroeville. Alabama, pastorRosylen Edmonds, sister of thebnde and Miriam McCune werematrons of honor Ywam Washing­ton, COUSIn 01 the groom, and Geof­frey Dobbin were best men Thecouple live in Decatur

CHARl£S & TARAKJBU FRANCIS

Tarak bu Provo of ClOCinnati, Ohio,daughter of General and BerniceThomas 01 New York. New York. andCharles A en Francis of Houston,Te as, were uni ed marriage Aug.14 The ceremony was performed byRon McGowen. a local church eldef10 the Houston Texas, South churchTazamisha Provo n Slster 01 thebride was maid of honor. and C •ford FranCIS brolher of the groomwas the best man The couple 1M! In

Houstor

8 The Worldwide News Tuesday, December 7,1993--~.~--~--~~~--~----~----~----~-----------------------------------_._._--_.-

Lithuanian memberbaptized in Germany

BO , German"- en-rikas Klovas of Kaunus,Lithuania, was baptized dur­ing the Feast of Tabernaclesin Goslar, Germany, afterhaving difficulties obtaininga vi a to visit German '. Mr.Klovas should be able toattend services everal timesa year in neighboring Esto­nia.

Mr. Klovas, married withtwo daughters, peak' Lith­uanian, Russian and Ger­man. He was an economist,which meant he workedmainly with planned econ­omies (as opposed to capital­ism) under the communistgovernment.

He lost his job when theSoviet Union was dissolved,but now work with a com­pany setting up it interna­tional marketing and financesystem.

In addition, Mr. Klovas is

a emiprofessional chessplayer. While participatingin chess tournaments inVienna and Salzburg, Aus­tria, in 1991, he picked upGerman Plain Truth (Klar &Wahr) magazines at trainstations in both cities.

He then requested a sub­scription and other litera­ture. In July he wrote to theGerman Office asking for avisit from a minister, bap­tism and information aboutchurch services in Lithua­nia.

The letter arrived shortlybefore regional directorJohn Karlson and his \ 'ife,Kristina, were scheduled tovi it neighboring Estonia. Atelegram was sent to him,suggesting that he travel toE tonia and meet with theKarl on ,which he did.

At the end of Augu t theKarl on fle ' to E tonia to\1 It members agaIn, thenflew on to Lithuania to meetwith Mr. Klovas. A visa ,.,;asgranted just in time for himto attend the Feast inGo lar, where he receivedadditional counseling andwa baptized. Frankie Weill­berger.

Honors for quartercentury of service

Employees, ministers andives who received 25-vear

plaque are Roy and TineMcCarthy from the CapeTown, South Africa, church(Dr. McCarthy, now retired,is a former South Africanregional director); Sydneyand Dot Hull, who pastorthe Johannesburg West andKlerk dorp, South Africa,churches; and Terence andBeverley Browning, whopastor the Johannesburg

East and Manzini, Swazi­land, congregations.

Bill Hutchison, officemanager of the Auckland,

ew Zealand, Office, and hiswife, Barbara, were hon­ored for 25 vears of serviceJuly 29. Regional directorRod Matthews presentedthe Hutchi on with a pieceof handcrafted Swedishcrystal•Allen Ruth, a local church

elder in the Souderton, Penn­sylvania, church, received a25-year plaque Sept. 25, andGerald Knochel, a localchurch elder in the Peoria,Illinois, church, received a25-year plaque Oct. 16.

Guy Stilbom, 85, a localelder in the Moosomin, Sas­katchewan, church, retiredafter 22 years in the ministryof the World\\;de Church ofGod.

Stilborn'· retirement\\ as mar 'ed bv a celebratlol1July 3, \\ hich was also the25th anniversary of the Moo­somin church. Mr. Stilbornand his \\;fe, Dorothy, weregiven a cake and decoratedphoto album containing pic­tures of the members.

Claudine Woodie com­pleted 40 years of workingfor the Church Sept. 1. Start­ing as a typist in the old Cir-

Claudine Woodie

culation Department, Clau­dine also worked for thebusiness office in bothPasadena and Bricket Wood,as well as in the Per onnelDepartment, Mail ProcessingCenter and Publishing.

She is presently erving asa media analy t assistant inMedia Promotion.

Windsor, Ontario,brethren celebrate20th anniversary~SOR,Ontari~About

200 brethren attended the20th anniversary of thechurch here Sept. 4'.

Plaques were pre ented togue t minister and theirwives who served in theWindsor church: originalminister Doug Smith,Kitchener, Ontario, pastor,and hi. wife, Mique; Thorn-

cker, a ociat pa tor ofh Kitchener chur h; an

Ricchi, Barrie, Ontario, pas­tor, and his wife, Elfie; andGeorge Lee, Toronto, On­tario, West pa tor, and hiswife, arlene.

Anniversary certificateswere presented to the origi­nal members in the Windsorchurch. Activities included abuffet meal, a variety talentshow and family ph<:>to dis­play . Patricia Klem.

Kingsport, Tennessee,church to mark 25thyear in January

Brethren who have attend­ed the Kingsport, Tennessee,church are invited to attenda 25th anniversary celebra­tion Jan. 15.

Services will be at theAFG Cabin near the Tri-Cityairport. Scheduled activitiesinclude a slide pre entation,

entertainment and dance,and a catered meal. whichwill co t $10 for adults, 6for children, and a maxi­mum of 30 for each family.Reservations are necessary.

Items of interest thatwould enhance festivitiesmay be ent to Gordon S.Widener, Route 6, Bo. 667,Marion, Virginia, 24354. Histelephone number is 1-703­783-7634.

To receive a map of thelocation please send a elf­addres ed stamped envelopeto the arne addres .

Singles and couplescan attend the GreatCanadian Get-Away

VA COUVER, British Co­lumbia-The Vancouver Ac­tive dults invite all singleand married couples to Van­cou er Feb. 19 and 20 forth econd Great anadianGet-Awav.

Activities will include Sab­bath 'en'ices with guestspeaker John Halford, aPlain Truth enior editor, adinner and dance Saturdaynight and a two-dh;sion vol­leyball tournament or sight­seeing around Vancou\'er onSunday.

The cost of the weekend is41.50 (Canadian) for pay­

ments postmarked by Jan. I,and 51.50 (Canadian) forpayments thereafter. An op­tional commemorative T­shirt is being offered for anadditional 8.

Please make checks pay­able to Vancouver ActiveAdults and mail to 3049Charles St., Vancouver, B.C.,

5K 3B4. For more infor­mation call Richard or Vir·ginia Will at 1-604-255­4013.

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to many African cultures.People still live in extendedfamilies in Kenya to providea support system for those inneed. Julie Wilson.

Orient and serving the needsof others, despite her physi­cal impediments. ReubenRiDS and Pedro Rufian.

ARO MORU, Kenya-Itwas heartwarming to meetwith different nationalitieshere for the 1993 Feast ofTabernacles.

The Kenyans expre ed joyat having about 60 vi itors&-om the United State , Can­ada, Britain and Au tralia,who brought item such asu ed clothing, toys, snorkels,badminton racket and otherequipment for use at theSummer Educational Pro­gram (SEP).

Since our last visit toKen 'a in 1991, life has be­come difficult for man; ofour brethren.

In 1991 we got 33 Ken 'anshillings to our Britishpound, this year we werehocked to find the exchange

rate had risen to 105 hil­ling . Inflation has increasedrapidly, on average at about19 percent. Some weeks foodprices rose by 30 percent.

Yet, despite hardshipsbrethren remain joyful andpositive. An attitude of lovefor one another is endemic

the southern coast of Spain27 years ago.

Betsy suffers from arthritisand experiences pain in herlegs. evertheless, she man­ages a dozen apartmentsand summer villas in herarea. Becau e she can speakDutch, Spanish, English,German and some other lan­guages, many rely on her tolook after their private vaca­tion homes.

During Betsy's early retire­ment years in Spain, her si ­ter ,;sited her once a year inAlmunecar. After her'sister'sfinal visit in 1980, Betsycame across some maga­zines left behind. Amongthem was a copy of The PlainTruth, Bet ,became inter­ested and wrote in for a sub­scription.

She wishes she could domuch more to help thosenear her in need, althoughshe does what she can byentertaining visitors, prepar­ing exotic cuisine from the

to keep the 1993 Passoverwith her in her home.

Because she has some dif­ficulty understanding theAmerican accent, type\ 'rit­ten ermon summarie aresent to her instead of tapedermons (although she does

under tand "that BernieSchnippert. He speaks verygood English, that man").

Although Bets)' was calledin her advanced year, hehopes God \,ill grant herman' more years to learnand gro as much as she can.

Born in 1902 on the Isle ofJava (now Indonesia), Bets\'grew up in the former Dutchcolony. She lived throughtwo world wars and remem­bers living under Japane eoccupation of the island .

At age 22 she took a job atShell Oil Co. as a steno-typ­ist in the Dutch and Englishlanguages. She retired in1965 as head executive sec­retary for the company inthe Far East. She retired to

FROM OUR

1991 she attended her firstFeast of Tabernacle and wasbaptized in a bathtub byPedro Rufian. Madrid, Spain,pastor.

Reuben Rios and his wife,Amalia, traveled from Madrid

Betsy Lewis

ALMU ECAR, Spain­Betsy Lewis, 91, can see theMediterranean coast on thesouthern shore of Spainfrom her outdoor patio. In

91-year-old helps needy