The constant, ongoing need for self-examination, repentance and change is part of our lives, no matter how long we have been in the Church.
From the President...
Greetings brethren around the world,
The holy times God gives us to observe seem to pass so quickly. Even though we aren’t meeting with each other daily during this seven-day festival of Unleavened Bread, we should still feel a closeness to God and each other. That closeness comes as we contemplate His calling and purpose, and our dedication to His way being built into our minds, hearts and souls as we eat unleavened bread each day. This is refreshing, encouraging, and helps us focus on our reason for living.
Someone sent me a short letter from decades ago, written by Herbert Armstrong. In it he speaks of something that is still apropos for us today, especially as we celebrate these Days of Unleavened Bread. These days remind us of the continuing need to examine ourselves, to “put out” the works of the flesh, and to “put in” the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth—letting God and Jesus Christ literally make their homes with us (John 14:23).
Sometimes the lures of the world and its ways may cause us to forget our calling to become like Jesus Christ—in action, thought, word and demeanor. It is to be converted.
It is not enough to just keep the Sabbath day, the Holy Days and the physical elements of the Ten Commandments. It is to be a “changed man”—a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)—transformed by God’s Holy Spirit. The constant, ongoing need for self-examination, repentance and change is part of our lives, no matter how long we have been in the Church.
The following letter from Mr. Armstrong describes that so well, and is such a good reminder for us as we complete these Days of Unleavened Bread.
Let me leave it at that. I hope the rest of your week and the upcoming Sabbath and Last Day of Unleavened Bread are inspiring and meaningful for you. And I hope these days have provided you with renewed meaning, purpose, determination and commitment to God. May we all—individually and collectively—become more like Him.
Continuing in Christ’s service,
Rick Shabi
1958 Herbert Armstrong Letter About Conversion
I have just noticed, in going over letters written in the Letter Answering Department, a tendency which--as this reminds me--most of us have unconsciously followed.
It is the habit of speaking of salvation only in terms of "living out a life of OBEDIENCE to God." We seem to have a tendency to speak ONLY and solely of OBEDIENCE--commandment keeping!
We seldom mention that experience of CONVERSION--utter SURRENDER, total REPENTANCE, accepting CHRIST in living FAITH as personal Saviour, and receiving the HOLY SPIRIT.
We do not seem to stress sufficiently CHRIST as SAVIOUR
--faith in Him, and then HIS faith in us (living faith which is inseparable from obedience). We must remember that the orthodox fundamental worldly churches and evangelists stress almost solely just CHRIST, and FAITH in Him, and accepting Him as personal Saviour. Our more or less general omission of this leads many automatically to assume we preach a gospel of EARNING salvation by WORKS. To a world accustomed to hearing almost altogether about CHRIST and a "born-again experience" (which of course they do not understand), we put ourselves and God's TRUTH in a wrong light. Instead of speaking of being CONVERTED--CHANGED--by real repentance, surrender, FAITH in CHRIST, and receiving God's Holy Spirit, we speak of "coming into the TRUTH." A man may "come into the TRUTH"--that is, let a certain amount of truth into his mind, and still be totally unconverted. We must not lead people to gather that we believe only in Commandment keeping (which to them means SATURDAY-keeping) and EARNING salvation by WORKS.We must stress the WHOLE TRUTH more--repentance, surrender, CHRIST AS SAVIOUR, being CHANGED by God's Spirit as God's GIFT, by GRACE, following our conforming to His conditions of repentance
and FAITH IN CHRIST--the CHANGE from carnality to Spiritual-mindedness--being BEGOTTEN--and THEN the overcoming and enduring and GROWING life of obedience and living faith, with Christ living HIS LIFE in us. Let's not leave CHRIST and GRACE out of our speech and letters.With love, in Jesus' name,
Herbert W. Armstrong
Feast Registration Announcement – 2025
To ensure that members from local congregations are approved appropriately, Feast registration will take place in two phases: early registration and general registration.
Early Registration for Restricted Sites: April 20, 12 p.m. EDT – April 26, 6 p.m. EDT
Early registration applies only to the following restricted sites:
- Lihue, Hawaii
- Temecula, California
- Walnut Creek, Ohio
A passcode is required to register for these sites. This passcode is available through pastors of assigned congregations. If you are unsure whether your congregation is assigned to one of these three sites, please check with your pastor.
Important: approval for these restricted sites is only guaranteed for members of designated congregations who register during the early registration window.
Once registered during early registration, you may begin making housing reservations.
General Registration: Opens April 27 at 12 p.m. EDT
All members may begin registering for the Feast at this time. All Feast sites are expected to have adequate capacity—except for the restricted sites of Lihue, Temecula and Walnut Creek.
Restricted Sites – Approval Process: (April 27 Registration)
Lihue and Temecula: These sites are expected to reach capacity within 15 minutes. Everyone registering on April 27 will be placed on a waitlist. Applicants will receive an email (by later that afternoon or Monday) with the status of their request.
Walnut Creek: You will receive either immediate approval or be wait-listed at the time of registration.
Housing Reservations:
If you are attending any U.S. Feast site except for Lihue, Temecula or Walnut Creek, you may book housing now, as these sites are not expected to reach capacity. However, be sure to officially register on April 27.
If you are planning to attend Lihue or Temecula, it is recommended to wait for registration approval before making any housing or travel arrangements.
—Steve Myers, Operation Manager, Ministerial and Member Services
