Update from the President

Today we are leaving Africa after a most wonderful visit to our congregations in Johannesburg, South Africa; Lilongwe and Blantyre, Malawi; and Lusaka, Chipata, Solwezi and Mufulira, Zambia. We loved being with our brethren and our elders Arthur Fisher, Lewis VanAusdle, Gracious Mpilangwe, Nawa Talama and Derrick Pringle—as well as many other church pillars and their spouses.

The Passover and the Days of Unleavened were indeed inspiring. It is marvelous to see how spiritually united we are with our beliefs and practices, wherever we are in the world.

Some of the areas that we visited are harsh environments, both on body and machine, yet this is where our people are and where God has called them. I thank God for their conversion. I thank God for the leaders who are serving them. In the areas we visited, there are a number of church buildings in various stages, from being planned to being completed. The buildings are much needed as in Mufumbwe, for example, the only alternative to our own building is “meeting under the mango tree,” which they have done for years before building a modest structure in which to worship.

We ended our visit with the Mufulira church here in the Copperbelt with a meeting on Wednesday. Sixty-five were in attendance and most were delivered to services on the Rosa bus that we provided for them back in 2011.

We spent many hours with our leaders discussing the needs of the Church as a whole and the members, spiritually. And, in this impoverished part of the world, you cannot ignore the need to help people physically, as well.

I have many things to discuss with our Ministerial Education team about how to best train our future leaders in some of our most remote areas. We must provide training and resource materials, too. It can and must be done.

As we fast together before our God

This coming Sabbath, we will humble ourselves as a people with a common bond of love towards our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. What are we fasting for? What should we be fasting for? What outcomes are we seeking?

The timing of the fast is linked to the coming General Conference of Elders meeting in early May, as well as three days of Council of Elders meetings immediately following. The theme of the conference is “Judgment, Mercy and Faith.” Our sermons, seminars and discussions will keep this theme in mind. We will seek to understand more fully what God would ask of us, His servants, and what He desires for us to achieve in a manner that is pleasing to Him.

As we fast, we need to be reminded of Isaiah 55:8-9: “ ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’” Also, we need to consider what the apostle Paul wrote: “Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do” (Ephesians 5:17, New Living Translation). And that’s what we will be doing by seeking God with all our hearts through fasting and prayer.

Please allow me to get very personal with you in this one—because I want to tell you what I will be praying for and what outcomes I’m looking for in the work that we as a family are doing. I have sought to follow the model of King Solomon’s prayerful narrative of seeking God. Note his attitude:

“And Solomon said: ‘You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?’” (1 Kings 3:6-9).

Since suddenly becoming president in 2013, after the unexpected death of Dennis Luker, I have never sought to be something that I’m not. I look upwards, praying to be an agent of Someone and something infinitely greater than myself. True understanding comes from humble prayer.

I have asked God to direct me in the fulfillment of a Great Commission with the wonderful team of workers He has provided. That commission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world in these end times. The fullness of the mission set before us is not only of proclaiming a coming Kingdom, but also living and abiding in the qualities of that Kingdom as personified by Jesus Christ, the living Head of the Church, His spiritual body. I have beseeched our Father that we do not act thoughtlessly, but understand what He desires us to accomplish for Him as a family of servants.

To be true agents of God in effectively doing what He wants us to do, we must be placed in a position at the right moment to perform the right task, with words backed by sincere hearts. God can speak through a temperate and reasoned voice as well as one that also cries aloud through mass media. Bravado, fake boldness or figuratively poking people in the eye does not have much impact in our noisy mass media. Religious media is saturated with fiery preachers. What might have had an impact in mass media a half century ago is now lost in the cacophony of self-proclaimed gurus. What we proclaim today are words of life that must stand true over time. People need to trust us as sincere purveyors of God’s message. As we move forward with a compelling and reasoned approach, let us remember the story of Elijah at the mouth of the cave in which the voice of God was not in the wind, earthquake or fire, but in a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:11-12).

In the coming fast, I will not pray to get our way. Rather, I will pray that God shows us His way. Note the words of Isaiah:

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am’ ” (Isaiah 58:6-9).

The purpose of fasting is to change a mindset. I will be praying for and fasting for our humble prayers to be heard. God will do the heavy lifting in doing His Work. Our aim is to seek His righteousness by having Christ live in us (Galatians 2:20). This is what we have just been taught during the just concluded Days of Unleavened Bread.

This fast will be very personal for me and I pray that it will likewise be for you. I ask that we all seek God with all our hearts in order to become truly profitable servants in fulfilling His will and mission.

We have a great God, a great revelation, and wonderful, wonderful brethren. As a people, we are indeed a little flock, and yet with a great and beautiful truth that the world needs so desperately. Nothing restrains God from saving by many or by a few (1 Samuel 14:6).

May grace and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ be upon us all.