Update from the President

Council of Elders

Yesterday, we concluded our quarterly Council of Elders meetings. We appreciated the cordiality amongst the Council and those of us in the Administration in smoothly conducting our regular business. Meeting reports will be available on the Council website at coe.ucg.org.

Travel to the Philippines, Singapore and Hong Kong

This coming Tuesday, Darris and Debbie McNeely will accompany Bev and me on a visit to our congregations and ministry in the Philippines. We will conduct a five-day Pastoral Development Program for all Filipino pastors, their wives and congregational leaders. On the Sabbath, we are inviting our more than 500 Beyond Today subscribers to a Kingdom of God seminar in Manila.

From Manila, we will travel to Singapore to meet with our brethren. We were hoping to invite our 375 BT readers to a Kingdom of God seminar, but at this time public meetings like this are not recommended in Singapore. Finally, from Singapore we travel to Hong Kong where we are inviting our readers to a Kingdom of God seminar.

Follow us on TravelArk at http://v2.travelark.org/travel-blog/victorkubik/28 as well as Facebook and Twitter on this journey. Please pray for safe passage and propagation of the gospel on this journey. We hope to do several remote podcasts from these areas as well.

How did you spend your Christmas, Vic?

I want to share a Rotary Club moment with you. In an early January meeting of my Rotary Club several years ago, our guest speaker failed to show up.  So, the club president asked us seated members to share with our club how we kept Christmas the week before. She announced that she particularly wanted to hear from me since I was a Christian minister and our club's Rotarian of the Year for international service contributions. They knew me well, but maybe not well enough.

At this point I said to myself, "What and how much do I say?" I decided to take the honest and bold approach. I told them straight out that I did not keep Christmas because of its pagan roots. I shared with them that I felt that Christmas had become a commercial event and any spiritual meaning was long lost. Comments from other Rotarians before me described how much they enjoyed being with family at this time of year. I applauded them for that, told them that I had been to our Church's Winter Family Weekend, and earlier kept the family-oriented Feast of Tabernacles. I valued family time. But I did not celebrate my Savior's birthday, who was not born anywhere near December 25. I did not condemn anyone; I just described what I believed and practiced. I spoke a bit long, about 15 minutes, but the club appeared to be very interested in what I was saying.

On the way out to the parking lot after the club meeting, a number of club members came up to me and told me how much they appreciated hearing what I had to say. One told me that they had similar thoughts to mine. Our club was quite diverse with a number of Jews, Muslims and one Hindu. I received some positive e-mails from them.

In answering or commenting on events of the current pagan season, here is an important consideration. In the United States and abroad, record numbers of people--especially younger people--have abandoned religious beliefs altogether. Some are openly hostile to anything having to do with the Bible.

This is even true regarding the Christmas season! Increasing numbers of people don't associate any religious beliefs with the observance of Christmas. Here's an important factor: a major national study ("How Do Americans Understand Their Pasts?") found that major holidays like Christmas were increasingly disconnected from religious meaning. The research noted, "What mattered was the gathering of families, not the official content of each holiday." In support, the research included several respondents. Here is what one respondent said: "Christmas is supposed to be the birth of Christ, but I do not think of that. I think about getting together with my family. Everything that I remember about my past Christmas is about family."

However, knowing this connectivity to families can give us unique and positive insight in how to truly provide an effective "reason for the hope that is within you." The key here lies in the latter part of Peter's direction. When confronted with a casual question or inquiry, we are to focus on answering it "with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15, ESV).

Marketers know that "word of mouth"—direct communications between people—is a highly effective and influential form of communication. If you're asked about your family getting together at this time of year, there are a number of ways you can answer "with gentleness and respect" that also have high impact.

Here are some suggested thoughts: without dodging the question, you can answer tactfully that your annual family gathering takes place in the fall, when your church gets together in a wonderful place to worship God and enjoy fellowship with extended friends and family. As the opportunity presents itself, you can add additional information about the Feast of Tabernacles. Or another option (as appropriate) includes simply noting that you do not have a tradition of observing Christmas, but you (and your family) take part in a major church gathering called the Winter Family Weekend toward the end of the month.

If someone directly asks you why you don't observe Christmas, you can simply say--with gentleness and respect (anticipating that Christmas for them may be the family high point of the year)--that as even a casual reading of an encyclopedia will reveal, the Christmas holiday is not a commanded observance in the Bible. Christians did not start generally observing it until hundreds of years after Christ. So, as a Bible-believing Christian, you don't observe this holiday. That's a point of fact. It does not unnecessarily threaten a family tradition, but it gets the point across.

Jesus said we are to be the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). The apostle Paul magnified this to us: "Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone" (Colossians 4:5-6, New Living Translation). Other translations say that we are to "be seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer" (verse 6, ESV).

This season, let your established behavior shine as an example of the coming Kingdom of God. (If you need a spiritual tune-up to come up to that standard, now is a great time.)

Let us make the most of every opportunity! 'Tis the season to be tactful and truthful at the same time.