Arvin Pirness | The Voice of Zion January 2025 - News & Notes Article --
Not long ago, we were celebrating the arrival of 2024, and now another year has passed, leaving us with many cherished memories and reasons to thank our Heavenly Father. As we enter a new year, we prayerfully plan and reflect on the growth of God’s kingdom. It is truly uplifting to witness the generosity and support of believers, which makes this work possible.
As we look ahead, we often wonder what plans God has in store for us. At the start of 2025, we humbly seek His continued guidance and blessings. Above all, as children of God, we hold on to the living hope that one day our personal faith will be fulfilled in the eternal glory of heaven.
Update on LLC Activities
Education
A Teacher’s Workshop is scheduled for February 8, 2025. The targeted audience is Sunday School directors and teachers asked to help coordinate teacher support in their congregations. Local congregations are encouraged to send representatives from their congregations. This workshop takes place during Monticello’s Winter services. Attendees will be able to attend both events.
Confirmation teacher exchange between the SRK and the LLC will continue in 2025.
Personnel – Seasonal Staff
Seasonal staff is needed at all camp centers. These include the Hasscib Lake Camp caretaker, kitchen heads at HLC, SLC and Kamp Kipa, and core staff at each camp center. The wages of these positions have increased markedly during the last two years. Please consider serving in this way. Applications can be submitted through the LLC website.
Pastoral
A new minister’s workshop has been scheduled for February 21–22, 2025, at the LLC office. At this gathering, attendees are able to visit with and support one another in this calling. We encourage member congregations to send those that they have recently called into the office of ministry.
The evening devotions that began as a way to serve the believers during the time of the pandemic in 2020 have been appreciated and are a support on the endeavor of faith, especially to those that are not able to gather with other believers for services.
We have experienced the blessings of the minister exchange trips with our sister organizations. Details are being finalized for the 2025 trips. Additional details will be shared here in The Voice of Zion as they become known prior to the trips.
The early stages of scheduling services and events for 2026 have begun. We approach this planning in prayer that God would guide the work to serve his children wherever they may be. All these events are coordinated with the involvement of the local congregations, area mission committees, camp boards, LLC staff and many others.
Mission Work
Greetings from the International Ministers Camp which was held in Accra, Ghana, December 2–5, 2024. Marv Wittenberg of Seattle and Arvin Pirness from the LLC office traveled to participate in this first Ministers Camp held in Africa. Twenty-two brothers from African countries and one from Pakistan participated in the event. Watch for coverage in an upcoming Voice of Zion issue.
There are plans for 27 mission trips in 2025. Target countries include: Ecuador, Kenya, Ghana, Togo, The Gambia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Rwanda and Malawi. Believers in these countries eagerly wait for the mission trips. Remember them and the brothers who will travel in 2025 in your prayers.
Communications
LLC’s Fiction writing contest ended November 30. Six manuscripts were received. A reading group was formed to read the manuscripts and evaluate them for possible publishing. The group has begun their task of reading and will recommend to the LLC Print Publications committee two manuscripts for further work and eventual publishing.
Work continues with Matellio, developer of our Hearken app, to correct usability issues that arose in listening to audio on Android devices. Users who reported these issues were offered an opportunity to beta test a new version of the audio player on the app. We thank all users who reported issues to us and continue to communicate about the app’s functioning. This helps us identify and correct the issues.
In this issue of The Voice of Zion, you will note some new features. One of them is our Bible Class feature. We hope this edifies all readers and finds use at camps, youth evenings or Bible classes.
It appears that we’ll publish several books during 2025! These include doctrinal and Biblical works, writings on timely topics and works of fiction as well. We trust that God will guide this and all LLC work as He sees fit.
Opistos in Finland
The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture recently granted additional funding to Jämsä, Ranua and Reisjärvi opistos to increase their student intake for the 2025–2026 opisto year. Jämsä received funding for 80 additional student places. As a result it will use SRK-owned Maitoinen camp as a branch campus. Reisjärvi received 23 additional student places, and Ranua was granted six. This means that next opisto year the opistos combined can accept nearly 600 students from the much higher number of annual applications received.
As previously reported, we have granted 14 scholarships for the 2025–2026 year to students wishing to attend one of the three opistos in Finland. There are also a number of students who wish to pay their own way to opisto. Given the large number of Finnish youth that also wish to attend opisto each year, we are grateful that Jämsä and Reisjärvi opistos will each accept four self-pay students from North America, and Ranua will accept two self-pay students. All in all, 24 North American students will study in opistos next school year.
Subscription Rates
Last month we announced an increase in subscription rates, and we’re mentioning them again to ensure all our subscribers are aware. The new subscription rates for The Voice of Zion and The Shepherd’s Voice came into effect January 1, 2025, due to rising printing and postage costs and efforts to improve mailing times. New yearly rates:
– Voice of Zion: $75 (North America), $100 (Overseas)
– Shepherd’s Voice: $40 (North America), $60 (Overseas)
We appreciate your understanding as we make these necessary adjustments, and we’re grateful for your support in sustaining this important work.