Greetings,
Many are facing difficult situations in regard to keeping the Feast this year and some will not be able to attend, mostly for health reasons. You are not alone. Here is a message we received from our elder in the Philippines, Mr. Jonathan Dicen:
Just before the Feast of Trumpets two electrical posts were destroyed by a cement mixer in the on going construction of road improvement just above Engan. We were wondering of all places and time this happened near our place. No doubt it was from our Enemy! We had two nights of no electricity. So we had very little time to test the downloaded messages. It gave us troubles. And the canal on the rugged road from Engan was dug and the clay soil was dumped to the road. Then it rained heavily making the road muddy and slippery making it nearly impossible for the taxi to enter. We had to carry our clothes, shoes and church equipment to the services hall. When services started the aircon would not work. We persevered and tried to help the management repair the ac unit. In the afternoon the ac unit was functioning well. We played all the Trumpets messages. All was well that ended well.
This year we have brethren keeping the Feast of Tabernacles at three sites in the Philippines. I am sure they would appreciate you remembering them in your prayers for a safe and peaceful Feast.
The world scene is providing a graphic backdrop to the Feast this year. We realize that sometimes events can peak and then plateau, however the magnitude and variation of major catastrophes at this time certainly help to reinforce that we are living in unusual times. Europe is far from stable and the recent elections in Germany underscore that instability. Immigration is causing a great deal of concern and plays strongly into the upheaval. At the same time some international relations analysts are making the comparison between the U.S. – Korea conflict and the lead-up to World War I. The only clear answer to the problems facing the nations is the return of Christ.
We can be very thankful for the opportunity to come out of that environment and have 8 days where we can focus on the fact that God is working out a plan and that we have been offered a part. It is a plan of peace and happiness for a world that, at this point, does not know God and has no clue regarding the glorious future God has in store for everyone. World events should serve to stir us to greater action in developing a closer relationship with God, but they should not distract us from being focused on the plan of salvation and its soon coming fulfillment. Let us determine to use this Feast as a critical building block in spiritual preparation.
Feast of Tabernacles Updates
During the Feast, recordings of the whole service will be made available for those who may want to take advantage of a full service at a later time. The Feast services will be under “Messages” and then under “Feast of Tabernacles.” All the previous year’s Feast messages are listed there now. The new 2017 messages will be added at the top as they are available. The opening night message is posted there as well. Each service in Oxnard will be uploaded within a few hours.
Live streaming will be available from Oxnard only. A schedule of service times for streaming can be seen under Services > Meeting Information > Feast Schedule.
As a reminder, at both sites, the cost of the meeting hall is considerably reduced in price by the catered meals. We contract for a minimum food requirement and this offsets the cost of the hall. This year we are well short of meeting the minimum catering requirement. Figures for the first Holy Day luncheon need to be submitted this coming Monday so if you have not yet signed up please do so over the weekend. As we will be paying for more meals than we currently have booked, please sign up even if you can’t afford to pay. It is a time for good fellowship, and for those who are able, to help out with the expenses of the Feast.
Please note that due to the Last Great Day falling on Thursday we have decided not to hold services on the following weekly Sabbath – October 14. A day of rest is recommended and perhaps a good opportunity to review Feast messages as they will be available on the website as full services.
Warm regards,
Brian Orchard
