Greetings,
Already many of us are beginning to focus towards the Feast of Tabernacles – just 14 or so weeks away. This Festival is an important celebration for God’s people. It is a time to reinforce our relationship with the Father, “… that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.” It is also a time to reinforce our relationships with each other, “… and you shall rejoice, you and your household” (Deuteronomy 14:23, 26). It is also made all the more valuable now because so many members are scattered and do not have the opportunity of regular fellowship.
God’s law dictates outgoing love and concern for others. The Feast is a good time to focus on that. God specifically addresses categories of people who were not to be neglected in their ability to participate in this important time. “And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates” (Deuteronomy 16:14). So apart from your own obligation to observe the feast, there are instructions to make sure others similarly are able to do so.
The tithing principle contains promises of blessings from God. It also includes instructions about using those blessings to provide for others who were not in the same position to tithe on grain, wine, oil and firstborn. They didn’t have a “portion or inheritance” – fields for growing produce upon which they could tithe and receive a similar blessing. Those with means were intended to watch out for – and provide for – those without means. By this outgoing love and concern, they helped everyone to worship and rejoice before God.
As we plan for the Feast let us be quietly aware of the needs others may have of assistance and take appropriate measures to ensure all have the opportunity to attend God’s Feast of Tabernacles. Perhaps we could think about the attitude Christ taught in the fourteenth chapter of Luke. “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just” (verses 12-14).
The church will also be providing assistance as needed so it would be helpful if those needing help let the elder responsible for your area know of your circumstances. We would like to see everyone who is physically able attend the Feast.
Goodsearch Fundraiser
We are now a listed cause on the website Goodsearch. Goodsearch is a way to turn any time you spend online into donations to the church.
If you are familiar with eScrip, another way to think of it is like web eScrip.
Each time you search the web though Goodsearch, shop online (at the 2,800+ stores on Goodshop) or dine out (at 10,000 Gooddining restaurants), a small monetary contribution will be made by its parent, Yahoo, to the Church of God – a family community.
The Goodsearch website is at:
http://www.goodsearch.com
Members who have done this before would only need to do a name switch.
For those wanting to know more, the web link below provides answers to numerous frequently asked questions.
http://www.goodsearch.com/faq
Many thanks to Melissa Prohs for setting this up. She can also answer your questions and made this comment: “Just by doing normal web searching via Goodsearch this week, we have already raised $.71. And we were on the web less than usual.
If just 100 people use Goodsearch and only raise $25 each per year that’s $2500 extra a year to put toward feast equipment or whatever.”
Warm Regards,
Brian Orchard
