Virginia Christian Israelite
Each Sunday, our church, The Fellowship of God’s Covenant People, has a time devoted to prayer: individual requests and a special time for anointing by the elders. How long does it last? An indefinite time. Usually it lasts about 15 minutes; but sometimes it may go on for a half an hour. And that is not long in the history of the remnant church. In fact, it is embarrassing short.
Last week, I received the letter below from Larry Ernst, the editor of the Virginia Christian Israelite. I have never met him, but we have corresponded by mail several times. He has even encouraged the publishing of The New Covenant Messenger and sent some offerings from time to time. I consider him my friend.
To VCI Subscribers and Readers
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Faith:
It is with sadness that I write this letter, although it is something I have been advised by prudent people to do. Editing and publishing of the VCI will be suspended temporarily, at once, and for the indefinite future. Likewise, my personal correspondence with readers and replies to their letters will cease until further notice. The issue that necessitates this is not a pleasant one to report: I have been diagnosed with cancer of the ascending colon, fairly well advanced. This was quite a blow to me, because I had no physical symptoms. In November 2012, a colonoscopy [performed April 12th] had been ordered by my family doctor because of low hemoglobin which manifested in a blood test in connection with my October — April bout with ankle misery. Thanks to arthroscopic fusion surgery of my right ankle on January 4th, I am now walking again. But now, another shoe has dropped, so to speak.
CT scans of my chest, abdomen and pelvis indicate no metastasis to liver or lungs, which they tell me is ’good news,’ buy lymph node involvement is yet indeterminate as I write….
My comfort is in knowing that I have a loving family and many other brothers and sisters out there who will be petitioning the throne on my behalf….”
In a part of his letter that was not reproduced here, he had three requests; one of which was to: “Pray for me. The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much (James 5:16).” We will certainly pray for Larry along with prayers for all who have requested them. I have heard many encouraging remarks about the Virginia Christian Israelite and the good, thought provoking articles that it has published over the years. In this New Covenant Messenger (May 2013), we have republished Volume 4 Issue 12 (December 2011), which includes an orginal article "Musings on Psalms 79 from Different Perspectives" and a reprint of www.ActivistPost.com: "Ten Reasons America Will be Judged as the Most Brutal Empire in History" which discusses the following:
- Support of Dictators
- Preemptive Wars of Agression
- Torture
- Suppression of Dissent
- Elimination of Habeas Corpus
- Assassinating Citizens
- Unauthorized Drone Wars
- Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction
- World's Largest Drug Dealer
- World Reserve Currency Prison