New Feast Sites Being Planned for 2003 - United Church of God

NewsAt a Glance

New Feast Sites Being Planned for 2003

More Than 19,000 Celebrate Feast

Several Feast of Tabernacles sites in the United States,Canada and elsewhere were bursting at the seams withrecord numbers of attendees, as more than 19,231 cele-brated the Feast with United. This is about a 3 percentincrease worldwide, and a 6 percent increase for the Unit-

ed States and Canada where attendance was 12,962.Several sites suffered the effects of Hurricanes Isidore

and Lili, but the effects of prayer were seen as the stormsdid not develop as expected and brethren were protected.See reports from around the world, starting on page 6. UN

Receiving a Feast gift in Esquipulas, Guatemala (photo by Cesar Guzmán); right, a lamb and lionhelped greet Kelowna Feastgoers on opening night (photo by Jerry Jantzen)

Vol. 8, No 9 www.ucg.org November 2002

10,855 Respond toBSC Offer So Far

“We have recently mailed a letteroffering the Bible Study Course to170,000 Good News subscribers,” saidScott Ashley, managing editor. “Weexpect to add around 15,000 to 20,000new Bible Study Course subscribers asa result of the letter.” This will morethan triple the 6,699 students who werereceiving the course in September.

The last time GN subscribersreceived a letter offering the course wasin April 2001 when 16,156 signed up.This was 10.3 percent of the 157,048letters mailed at that time.

Plans include offering the course toGN subscribers annually.

Half MillionBooklets Printed

In the weeks leading up to the Feastwe updated and reprinted 30,000 eachof the booklets What Is Your Destiny?,God’s Holy Day Plan, Heaven & Helland Is There Really a Devil? In Octobertwo more were sent for reprinting: Howto Understand the Bible and Holidays orHoly Days:Does It Really Matter WhichDays We Keep? With these reprints, wehave printed or reprinted 550,000 book-lets so far this year. This brings the totalprinted since United began to more than2.3 million booklets.

Scott Ashley

Managing Editor,Internet, Hired

Aaron Booth has been hired to workin the Media and Communications Ser-vices department as managing editor of

Waiting Rooms Pruned to Prepare for Growth

Several new U.S. Feast sites arebeing planned for 2003.

• Lexington, Kentucky, is a morecentrally located replacement forGatlinburg, Tennessee.

• In Colorado, a lower-altitudereplacement for Keystone will beintroduced.

• Kerrville, Texas, was chosen toprovide variety after all the years atCorpus Christi.

• Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii willreplace Lihue, Kauai for at least2003.

Other U.S. sites should remain thesame, but final contracts have notbeen signed, and more details willappear in United News as theybecome available. The March/April2003 issue will include site descrip-tions.

After a Feast teleconference Oct.15, Roy Holladay wrote: “United isdedicated to providing the best pos-sible venues and schedules for theFeast. We are also sensitive to theneeds of all the brethren when itcomes to Festival planning and site

selection. We want to combine theneeds of our members with thedesire to please God. We certainlywant God’s approval and His nameon each of our Feast sites.

“In an effort to effectively planthe Feast, we are now looking aheadtwo to three years and bookingpotential Feast sites based on pro-jected needs. We will take into con-sideration spiritual growth, anddemographic and geographicalneeds. We plan to offer an evengreater variety of choices in the

future for your Festival planning . . .“In the Southwest Region, we will

continue to meet in Escondido, Cali-fornia, for the Feast in 2003. Howev-er, in 2004 and 2005 we plan to havetwo smaller sites in the region: one inCalifornia and one in Arizona. In thisway we can accommodate the needsof our brethren and plan a quality pro-gram for everyone involved.”

The U.S. Festival team also deter-mined that they would not pursue orga-nizing a cruise or a U.S.-sponsoredinternational tour for 2003. UN

by John LaBissoniere

In keeping with the plan approvedfor this fiscal year, the circulation ofThe Good News has been pruned inorder to be able to offer it to more newindividual subscribers. Businessesreceiving the magazine for their wait-ing rooms were sent renewal notices,and just under 6 percent renewed. Theplan is to increase the number of newindividuals receiving the magazinethrough the remainder of the fiscal year.

Waiting Room Growth andSurvey Results

In 1998 and 1999, through the dili-gent efforts of the brethren in the Unit-ed States, over 121,000 waiting roomswere added to the Good News sub-

scription files. Although subscriberresponse via inserts in the magazinesremained reasonably steady through-out that period, by mid-2001, afteralmost three years of distribution, wewere intensely curious to see just howmany copies of the magazine wereactually being placed on the readingtables in various businesses. We decid-ed to conduct a survey.

In May 2001, 295 waiting roomswere physically visited by member vol-unteers in nine congregations. Resultsof their efforts showed that 32 percentof the magazines being sent to the busi-nesses were being displayed. Althoughwe had hoped for a higher percentage,the data at least illustrated the need toconduct a renewal program.

To ensure that offices displaying mag-

azines were given ample opportunity tocontinue receiving a subscription, wedetermined that an extensive renewalcampaign conducted over a six-monthperiod was required. Through this effort,all 121,000 waiting rooms were sentrenewal packages for the May-June,July-August and September-October2002 issues. We designed attractive andinformative renewal letters and alsoincluded pre-addressed, postage-paidreply cards, all bundled together withThe Good News in clear polybags. Only6,700 businesses chose to remain on oursubscription files.

Because of this, circulation of theNovember-December 2002 GoodNews topped out at 417,405. This is

Holy DayOfferings Up;Regular IncomeNearly Flatby Roy Holladay

We have had the opportunity toobserve the financial trends for the firstquarter of the 2002-2003 fiscal year. TheHoly Day offerings have exceeded ourbudgeted projections, but Category One(regular tithes and offerings, assistancefunds and misc.) income is nearly flat. Iwould like to quote from reports fromour treasurer,Tom Kirkpatrick, in whichhe outlined the financial trends.

“This year, we budgeted a modestincrease in Category One income of 2.38percent. As of Nov. 1, the year-to-dateincrease is 0.7 percent. Thus, CategoryOne income, which is 71 percent of ourbudgeted income, is nearly flat—almostexactly the same amount received thisyear so far as for the corresponding peri-od last fiscal year—virtually no increase.If this trend were to continue for theentire fiscal year, it would represent abudget shortfall of $215,000.

“For Category Two (Holy Day offer-ings), we budgeted $2,465,000 for thefour fall Holy Day offerings. It is nownearly all in and banked. The total is nowat $2,565,000, which is $100,000 abovebudget. Obviously, for these strongofferings, we are grateful.

“For Category Three [all remaining

See “Good News,” page 2

See “Income,” page 2

See “News at a Glance,” page 2

Inside:2 Letters3 News From Around the World4 United Youth Camps; Youth United6 Feast of Tabernacles Reports16 From the Word19 Local Church Updates22 Announcements

United Statistics

98 99 00 01 02

Feast Attendance Up 22 Percent in 5 Years

20,000

10,000

2 UnitedNews November 2002 United Church of God, an International Association

NewsAt a Glance

the Church’s Internet presence. TheCouncil of Elders expressed its wishesto establish this position in a resolutionlast December. “After studying manyresumes and letters, we narrowed downour search to two candidates, and thensubsequently chose one of them afterlong interviews,” said Peter Eddington,Media and Communications Servicesoperation manager.

Mr. Booth, an Ambassador Collegegraduate who is married and has ayoung child, was chosen for the posi-tion and is now working on moving toCincinnati with his family. He and hiswife, Dawn, have found a place to live,and he could start work sometimearound mid-November. They currentlyreside in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Mr. Booth has spent time as a multi-media developer, senior interactivedesigner, new media designer and Webdesigner, along with marketing andpublic relations experience. He is flu-ent with all of the latest authoring andcreative software.

Video EditingSystem Upgraded

On Oct. 29, the high-end Avid videoediting platform in use at the homeoffice in Cincinnati was upgraded fromversion 7 to version 11. “This is a muchneeded upgrade, and the Avid compa-ny has made a very good offer to usersof the older system, which includes atrade-in of the old equipment to abrand-new hardware and software lay-out,” said Peter Eddington, Media andCommunications Services operationmanager. “We will actually take deliv-ery of a brand-new Avid Media Com-poser 9000XL at a fraction of the costof a stand-alone purchase. Our existingsystem is now seven years old, and asyou know, in the electronic worldequipment and software change fast.”

The new Media Composer 9000XLoperates at 20 times the speed and has10 times the media storage capacity. Notonly will it offer time savings duringediting operations,but it also has a widerpalette of options, graphic tools, audiotools and special effects.

“The Church will continue to use

Address changes: POSTMASTER—Send addresschanges to United News, P.O. Box 541027,Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027

International addresses:

AFRICA (except as listed below): United Church of God, P.O. Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027, U.S.A. E-mail: [email protected]

AUSTRALIA: United Church of God—Australia, GPO Box 535, Brisbane, Qld. 4001, Australia.Phone: 0755 202-111 Fax: 0755 202-122

BAHAMAS: United Church of God, P.O. Box N8873,Nassau, Bahamas.Phone: (242) 324-3169 Fax: (242) 364-5566

BRITISH ISLES: United Church of God—British Isles, P.O.Box 705, Watford, Herts. WD19 6FZ England. Phone: 020-8386-8467 Fax: 01257-453978

CANADA: United Church of God–Canada, P.O. Box 144, StationD, Etobicoke, ON M9A 4X1, Canada. Phone: (905) 876-9966,(800) 338-7779 Fax: (905) 876-0569 E-mail: [email protected]

FIJI: United Church of God, P.O. Box 10-577, Nadi, Fiji.Phone: 723-678

FRENCH-SPEAKING AREAS: Église de Dieu Unie—France,127 rue Amelot, 75011 Paris, France.

GERMANY: Vereinte Kirche Gottes, Postfach 30 15 09, D-53195 Bonn, Germany. Phone: 0228-9454636 Fax:0228-9454637 E-mail: [email protected]

ITALY: La Buona Notizia, Chiesa di Dio Unita, Casella Postale187, 24100 Bergamo, Italy. Phone: (+39) 035-452.16.26 Fax:(+39) 035-58.21.40 E-mail: [email protected]

MALAWI: United Church of God, P.O. Box 23076, Kitwe,Zambia. E-mail: [email protected]

MAURITIUS: P.O. Box 53, Quatre Bornes, Mauritius.

E-mail: [email protected]

The NETHERLANDS: United Church of God Holland, P.O.Box 93, 2800 AB Gouda, The Netherlands.

NEW ZEALAND: United Church of God, P.O. Box 22,Auckland, 1015, New Zealand. Phone: 0508-463-763

PHILIPPINES: United Church of God, P.O. Box 81840, DCCPO,8000 Davao City, Philippines. Phone: (+63-82) 241-0150

SCANDINAVIA: Guds Forenade Kyrka, Mailbox 144, 111 73 Stockholm, Sweden.

SOUTH AFRICA: United Church of God, Southern Africa,P.O. Box 2209, Beacon Bay, East London 5205, SouthAfrica. Phone/Fax: 043 748-1694. E-mail: [email protected]

SPANISH-SPEAKING AREAS: Iglesia de Dios Unida, P.O.Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027, U.S.A.Phone: (513) 576-9796TONGA: United Church of God–Tonga, P.O. Box 127,

Nuku’alofa, Tonga.ZAMBIA: United Church of God, P.O. Box 23076, Kitwe,Zambia. E-mail: [email protected]: United Church of God, Zimbabwe, P.O. Box 3393,Paulington, Mutare, Zimbabwe. Phone: 09 263 20 68102E-mail: [email protected]

Internet access on your computer:The United Church of God, an International Association, hasa home page on the Internet’s World Wide Web. The addresshttp://www.ucg.org gives you access to generalinformation and news about the Church, issues of The GoodNews and United News, as well as our booklets. The addresshttp://www.ucg.ca accesses the Church’s Canadian Website, http://www.ucg.org.au the Australian Web site,http://www.labuonanotizia.org the Italian Web site,http://www.goodnews.org.uk the British Isles Web site,http://www.ucg.org.ph the Philippines Web site andhttp://www.ucgrsa.org the Southern Africa Web site.

November 2002Vol. 8, No. 9

United News (ISSN 1088-8020) is published monthly except April and October by the United Churchof God, an International Association, 555 Technecenter Drive, Milford, OH 45150. © 2002 UnitedChurch of God, an International Association. Printed in the U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproductionin any form without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals Postage paid at Milford, Ohio 45150,and at additional mailing offices. Canada Post publications mail agreement number 1487167.

Editor: Peter W. Eddington Managing editor: Mike Bennett Copy editor: Becky Bennett

UCGIA Council of Elders: Gary Antion, Aaron Dean, Robert Dick, Jim Franks, Doug Horchak,

John A. Jewell, Clyde Kilough (chairman), Victor Kubik, Les McCullough, Mario Seiglie, RichardThompson, Leon Walker

President: Roy Holladay

Scriptural references are from the New King James Version (© 1988 Thomas Nelson, Inc.,Publishers) unless otherwise noted.

Subscriptions: United News is sent automatically to members of the United Church of God and isfree to all who request it. Your subscription is provided by the generous, voluntary contributions ofmembers of the United Church of God, an International Association, and their coworkers. Donationsare gratefully accepted and are tax-deductible. To request a subscription, write to United News,United Church of God, P.O. Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027, or to one of the internationaladdresses below.

See “News at a Glance,” page 24

Continued from page 1

Aaron Booth, managing editor, Internet,with wife, Dawn, and daughter, Brooklyn

down from the September-October2002 circulation record high of526,173.

Circulation TargetAlthough Good News circulation is

now at this lower level, it is actually inline with our circulation target for thisbudget year. Our goal is to end the fiscalyear in June 2003, with a Good Newscirculation of about 500,000.

Our plan this year is to replace thenon-renewing waiting rooms with new,

individual subscribers. This will resultin approximately 114,600 new peoplereceiving our flagship publication inplace of those subscriptions. In addition,throughout this fiscal year approximate-ly 51,500 people will not renew theirsubscription here in the United States.We will replace these readers with addi-tional new subscribers, resulting inupwards of 166,000 total new sub-scribers added throughout the fiscal yearby next June 30.

Around 40,000 will come fromprint advertising, and another 42,000from Internet advertising and our Websites. The work of our other promo-

tional efforts, including gift subscrip-tions, waiting room cards, newsstandpromotions and member involvement,will make up the remaining 84,000.

Our print run currently consists of321,400 individual subscribers. Ourcontinual renewal process ensures thatonly people who want the magazinereceive it, allowing us to offer the GN tonew readers as we work diligently tospread the seed and look for fertileground!

New Waiting Room InitiativeRegarding waiting rooms, there are

still many thousands of businesses in

the United States that have never hadthe opportunity to subscribe to TheGood News.

Congregations and brethren who areinterested in physically visiting waitingrooms and personally offering sub-scriptions to The Good News are wel-come to do so. We can provide lists ofwaiting rooms that have already sub-scribed, so as not to duplicate efforts.One advantage of personal visits towaiting rooms is that it can be deter-mined immediately whether or not abusiness desires a subscription. Be sureto let us know if you are interested inthis effort. UN

income, which tends to come in unevenflows through the year,such as donationsto the camp fund, Festival fund, ABCtuition, etc.], we are running about 10percent below budget. While it is diffi-

cult to predict, we may assume that thiscategory will end this fiscal year at closeto budget.

“In summary, we are now running ata trend that means we could end the fis-cal year next June 30 below the amountof budgeted income. Certainly, this canchange,but that is the situation as of now.

It would obviously be helpful, therefore,for everyone to do all they reasonablycan to keep costs under control and with-in budget. Further, it would be helpful ifwe all prayed that God would send addi-tional income if that is His will.”

With these trends in mind, we haveasked all the ministry and staff to care-

fully monitor and watch expenses. Weare carefully monitoring cash flowand cutting back on unneeded expens-es here at the home office.

With the great work God has givenus to do, let’s all pray that God willsend additional income if that is Hiswill. UN

“Good News,”continued from page 1

“Income,” continued from page 1

CorrectionIn the article “Eastern European Lit-

erature on the Web” in the July issue itincorrectly stated that Robyn Klein-bergs translated the Holy Days bookletinto Latvian. While Mrs. Kleinbergswas the typist, the translation was doneby her husband, Eddy Kleinbergs. Weregret the error.

Popular PoemEnclosed is a copy of a poem I had in

my scrapbook that I got out of a Blum’sAlmanac about 70 years ago. You print-ed the poem in [August] United News,

page 11, under the title of “TheBuilder” by Jess Kenner. [It should be]“Wreckers” by H.S. Harp.

I have quoted this poem a few timesat the Feast of Tabernacles talent showsin times past.

North CarolinaThank you for passing along your

information. We did some additionalchecking, and the librarian assertedthat this poem was really called“Which Are You?” and was anony-mous! (Published in Poems That LiveForever, Doubleday, 1965.) This poemgets around!

Would Love to Attend FeastI am satisfied with the magazine, and

I recommended that my friends alsoread the magazine. I would love toattend the Feast next year, so could youkeep me posted of when and where Icould attend? This would be my firsttime attending such an event. I am will-ing to plan or set aside vacation time sothat my family would be there.

Indiana

BSC Survey ResponseThank you for your Bible Study

Course lessons. Especially this one(Lesson 7). I now have a much betterunderstanding of just what God’s call-ing is and how I need to respond to it. Iplan to be in touch with one of your pas-tors in my area for further guidance.

Internet

Upgraded PublicationsJust want to commend the team

behind the Good News magazine andWorld News and Prophecy and UnitedNewsas I have noted the fine job done toupgrade each. They all look spectacular.

Internet

Searching for ChurchI just want to say thank you for teach-

ing the truth. I have read your maga-zines and I think they are great! I wouldlike to visit your church, but I can’t findit in my phone book. Can you help me?I live in Asheville. Can you send me theclosest address in my area?

North Carolina

Letters may be edited for lengthand clarity. Comments and sug-gestions to improve United Newsare welcome. Mail to: UnitedNews, P.O. Box 541027, Cincin-nati, OH 45254-1027, or [email protected].

Here are some interesting requestsreceived at the home office:

God’s Holiday PlansHeaven and Hell—I would like any

other books on marriage.

The Untied States and Britain inProphecy

Making God WorkThe Gossip of the KingdomThe Road to Internal Life

Letters

Humorous Literature Requests

United Church of God, an International Association UnitedNews November 2002 3

The South African National Councilmet Sept. 1 to discuss a wide variety ofexciting and interesting matters.

In following up on old business,André van Belkum reported that he metwith the bishop of a 2,000-memberchurch to determine their level of inter-est. The bishop’s wife seems very inter-ested. Bill and Cheryl Jahns saw thecouple later, and Mr. Jahns reportedthat the UCG sermon videos have beencirculated and played to some of theircongregations. Keeping the seventh-day Sabbath is a major obstacle at pre-sent. Mr. Jahns said the leaders aretranslating The Good News orally intoZulu for their members.

Peter Hawkins reported that RadioTygerberg has been given a license tobroadcast 24 hours per day. Two of theU.K. and two U.S. Good News radioprograms have been provided as sam-ples. The coordinator promised to listento them soon to consider a regular spot.There would be no cost for airing theprogram. Although regional, the stationhas links with other regional stationsaround South Africa.

Chairman’s ReportMr. van Belkum reported that there

has been continued growth in allaspects of the Church’s operations inSouth Africa. The circulation of TheGood News continues to increase, the

number of booklets and other items ofliterature distributed continues to esca-late and the number of people receivingthe Bible Study Course is increasing.Responses to our latest advertisementin Reader’s Digest are meeting ourexpectations. Of course, this does meanthat the staff members are busier thanever.

Thanks to the faithful and dedicatedmembership, the income shows ahealthy growth pattern. Another factoris our vigorous media campaigns andadvertising programs, which it seemsthe Eternal has blessed.

There are more and more peopleshowing an interest in attending ourChurch services. With all the addition-al activity, we are very happy to wel-come Bill and Cheryl Jahns to our teamin Southern Africa. They will be a greathelp in carrying the additional workload.

A vehicle has been purchased for usein Zambia. This was made possiblewith funds from LifeNets. However,Kambani Banda first has to obtain a taxclearance before the vehicle can beimported into Zambia.

One of the major challenges in thisregion is the devastating drought rav-aging large sections of the land. With-out some assistance from the Church,the members will face severe foodshortages. The home office has kindly

forwarded US$1,200 for this purpose,and we are hoping to raise a further$300 locally. A container loaded withclothes, food and other items shouldarrive in Malawi shortly.

Even though we face challenges, weare left with a feeling that the Church isbeing blessed.

Report by theSecretary/Treasurer

Secretary/Treasurer Neil Becker sug-gested that the remainder of the adver-tising budget be held in reserve to payfor the extra postal expenses due to thehuge increase in number of bookletsbeing mailed.

The total number of Good News sub-scriber magazines has nearly doubledin less than one year. Mail receivedfrom January through July this year is11,491, of which about half is com-prised of Reader’s Digest responsecards. Mail received per month was1,642, almost double the 2001 month-ly figure of 918. The mail sent out was8,263 items or 1,180 per month, at leastdouble the monthly figure of items sentin 2001.

Over a five-year period, 199 peoplehave completed the Bible Study Course(BSC) and 514 received the first fourlessons in the same time period. TheBSC is being offered to new donors atpresent.

In considering the target for theGood News mailing list, a figure of17,000 subscribers was agreed upon forthe July/August 2003 issue.

Media ReportPeter Hawkins addressed the issue

of achieving a sustainable mailing listlevel. The cost of replacing non-renewed readers has to be balanced bywhat is available in the budget. Whilea target of 17,000 on the mailing list isattainable, much will depend on whatthe treasurer is able to allocate topostage and advertising.

The number of literature requests isvery high at present due to new readersseeing the booklet offers. We need todetermine what constitutes a qualityreader and how to find him or her.Much depends on the media chosen toadvertise or promote our publications.Reader’s Digest has brought manyresponses because their readers tend tobe interested in “human interest”issues.

Translation of BookletsJorge de Campos brought up the sub-

ject of translating booklets. The Coun-cil considered it viable to translatebooklets (such as those covering theSabbath, death and the FundamentalBeliefs) and to publish them, for read-ing or downloading, on the ucgrsa.org

Web site. Afrikaans, Zulu and Xhosaare possible languages to consider.Robert Kading, Barry Strydom andJoyce Swart will discuss priorities forAfrikaans speakers. They will then E-mail the chairman with their sugges-tions and he will give the go-ahead. Theproject may go ahead as fast as feasible.

Possible Second Feast SitePeter Hawkins brought up the fact

that due to the distance from CapeTown, members traveling to Uvongoneed extra days off work to travel byaffordable transport. The Cape Towncongregation has grown significantlysince the beginning of 2002 and virtu-ally all attending are adults.

The Council decided to ask for ashow of hands at the Feast to see if thereis sufficient interest to proceed withplanning. Before the Feast PeterHawkins would find out some accom-modation costs in the Garden Routearea for affordability. Figures wouldthen be provided for Uvongo Feast-goers to help determine their interest.

The next South African NationalCouncil meeting was set for Sunday,Nov. 24, 2002, at the home of Bill andCheryl Jahns. Ministers will meet pri-or to the meeting.

This material appeared in the Sep-tember edition of United News–Southern Africa.

South African National Council Addresses Wide-Ranging Issues

British National Council MeetsThe British National Council met

Sunday, Oct. 27, in the Tithe Barn atPolesworth. We were pleased to wel-come Clyde Kilough, chairman of theCouncil of Elders, who was visiting us.The Bricket Wood congregation had theopportunity to hear from him the previ-ous day.

The meeting covered personnel issuesin an executive session following a reportby John Jewell on behalf of Tina Jewellabout the Feast of Tabernacles just con-cluded in Grange-Over-Sands,and a fur-ther report regarding possible locationsfor the Feast next year.

Mr. Jewell reported that attendees atGrange had been asked to completequestionnaires regarding their experi-ence. Of the 98 forms returned, 5 werenegative, 18 were maybes for a return toGrange and 75 were yes. A number offine comments were received; amongthese were some very helpful criticismswhich we are taking note of.

Feast of Tabernacles 2003During the discussion, four possible

locations were considered for the Feastin 2003. These were Grange-Over-Sands, Whitecross Bay at Windermere,Hereford and Edinburgh. The Councilasked if Mrs. Jewell could perhaps getmore information regarding Edinburghand Hereford for future consideration.Regarding Whitecross Bay, it was felt

that using two different meeting hallswould present unacceptable difficulties.The Council therefore approved a returnto Grange-Over-Sands in 2003.

Also discussed was the need toappoint a new secretary for the NationalCouncil. In the meantime Dot Jarvisstepped in to take the minutes for thismeeting. Frank Jarvis officially thankedMark Webb, who has just stepped downfrom the office, for his willing perfor-mance of the secretarial duties and thetime he had given to the responsibility.

Other subjects covered concernedamendments to the constitution and thepossible establishment of a set of bylaws;trustees indemnity insurance which itwas felt was needed; a report on the cir-culation by Jan Schroeder; a treasurer’sreport by Brian Penheiro in which hesaid that the income was 24 percentahead of anticipated and expenses wererunning behind budget; and a brief dis-cussion concerning subcommittees.

MediaThe Council was updated on the plans

for a public meeting in the Isle of Man inthe spring. The logistics of this are nowbeing assessed. A direct mail shot is alsoplanned for late January to all those whodid not renew their Good News sub-scription last year.

The Annual General Meeting isscheduled for Sunday, Nov. 17. UN

Australia Looks at Financial Trends,Sponsors Christian Leadership Camp

One of the recent projects of theFinance Committee of United Churchof God–Australia has been to review thetrends in income and expenditure for thelast six years.

Here are some excerpts of a report byDrew Efimov:

• Media promotions and supportspending is 8.7 times greater now than itwas in 1996-97. As a proportion of totalunrestricted funds expenditure, it hasrisen from 4.7 percent to 29.3 percent forthe current budget year.

• When media promotion costs onlyare considered, the amount spent hasgone from nil in 1997 to a high of$58,500 (Australian dollars) last year.We have budgeted less ($45,000) for thecurrent year as a result of substantialGood News support costs and othercompeting needs. The costs of support-ing the mailing list and subscriber devel-opment have more than tripled, from$34,600 in 1999-00 to $126,300 bud-geted for 2002-03.

• Pastoral-related costs are lower nowthan they were in 1996-97 as a result ofthe indirect subsidy Australia receivesfrom UCGIA for one salary. Costs forpastoral activities have fallen as a pro-portion of total expenses from 46.6 per-cent to 31.8 percent.

Leadership CampEsther Adams, a member of the Bris-

bane congregation, reported on the lead-ership weekend held July 5 to 7:

Christian Leadership Camp 2002 wasan enriching and important reminder ofthe principles of living responsibly.

Heathcote Scout Camp, in Sydney’ssouth, lent a comfortable setting to anintense weekend. Bill Bradford, DonGoodger, Roy Hickford and Bruce andJeanette Dean (who also served as coor-dinators of the camp) presented the sem-inars and workshops.

The 36 people in the group wereinspired to introspection by analyticaland insightful questions posed by Mr.Bradford. “Are you being honest with

yourself? What choices are you making?What are your standards?”

Mrs. Dean directed the interactiveworkshop,“Our Responsibility Towardsthe Community and the World,” whereour collective responsibility for com-munity service and environmental issueswere discussed. Mr. Hickford gave somepractical examples of how to actthoughtfully and responsibly in the realworld. Mr. Goodger gave a presentationon how we can be responsible in work-ing out our own salvation (Philippians2:10-12). The camp concluded with Mr.Dean challenging us to apply our new-found knowledge to our daily lives.

This material appeared in the October-December 2002 United News Australia.

Attendees and lecturers at the Christian Leadership Camp 2002 in Australia


Camp Conference Reviews and Plans for Next Yearby David Treybig

The United Youth Camp team, com-prised of camp directors, the overallcamp coordinator and specialty teammembers, met at the home office inCincinnati, Ohio, Oct. 20-22. The pur-pose of the conference was to review lastyear’s camps and plan for the future.Roy Holladay,president of UCGIA,alsojoined the group for these meetings.

Larry Greider, the overall camp coor-dinator,began the conference by review-ing the results of surveys from campers,staff and parents. The data showed thatthe average age of our campers roseslightly (14.39 years compared to 14.08last year) and the majority of all groupsunderstood the main goal of camp asdeveloping a relationship with God andlearning His ways in a godly environ-ment. The percentage of parents recog-nizing this main goal of camp increasedfrom 62 percent in 2001 to 70 percentthis year. The activity cited most oftenby campers as the most helpful part ofcamp was Christian Living.

While the overall survey report wasgood, there were also some areas of con-cern. While many campers expressedappreciation for wearing camp shirts toeliminate being judged by others fortheir clothing, a few complained abouthaving to wear camp shirts and followother camp rules. There were also a fewcampers using bad language and a fewgirl campers who wanted to wearimmodest clothing.

Comments from campers, staff andparents showed that more education andfirmness in upholding our standards ondress are needed. Staff comments alsorequested screening out or dealing firm-ly with campers portraying bad attitudesand bringing down the morale of theirdorms.

Reports on the camps this past sum-mer were then given by each of the campdirectors (Greg Sargent for Pinecrest,Randy Stiver for Oakhurst, David Dob-son for Woodmen, Paul Luecke for theTetons Challenger, Ken Treybig forCarter, Matthew Fenchel for Davidsonand Darris McNeely for Heritage).

Next year, we will move fromOakhurst to a new facility, Camp HyeSierra. The reason for the change is thatOakhurst now requires a minimum of225 people—a number we do not antic-ipate being able to meet. James Capo,pastor of the Tucson and Sierra Vista,Arizona, and El Paso, Texas, congrega-tions has been named camp director forthis new camp.

Program InnovationsReports of successful program inno-

vations were then shared among theteam. Darris McNeely began byexplaining how Camp Heritage runs atwo-track program comprised of theAdventure program for those ages 12 to14 and the Challenger program for thoseages 15 and older. He also reported thata group of counselors who have servedfor many years is in the process of writ-ing a counselor’s manual.

Matthew Fenchel, who had to moni-tor a potentially camp-canceling forestfire near Camp Davidson, reviewed anemergency decision-making process.Ken Treybig addressed the need to havemore challenging activities for our old-er campers and the need to be aware ofthe heat in Texas. Paul Luecke sharedwith the group how having separate ori-entations for the boys and girls at theTetons Challenger Camp allowed thestaff to teach campers how to respect theopposite sex.

David Dobson reported on CampWoodmen’s experience in introducing a

pentathlon—a competition includingfive events. James Capo explained howCamp Oakhurst worked with the teensand young adults to select appropriatemusic for the dance. Greg Sargent foundthat having campers clean their dormsprior to going to breakfast on the last daysolved a previous problem of getting thedorms cleaned prior to breaking camp.

Reviewing Policies andGuidelines

Discussion then turned to considera-tion of policies and guidelines. The dif-ference between these terms is that a pol-icy is considered the standard way allcamps operate, while a guideline is agenerally-agreed-upon principle to beapplied at a camp director’s discretion.

After discussing challenge trackswithin camp programs, the team agreedthat while challenger tracks and wilder-ness sessions have been very successful,there is a need to have better screeningfor physical condition and better sched-uling. The next items of discussionincluded the development of a processfor selecting camp directors, a review ofChristian Living classes and how todevelop and select staff.

The last item of discussion on Sundaywas planning for next year’s AmericanCamping Association (ACA) accredita-tion visits. United Youth Camps werefirst visited and accredited by the ACAin the summer of 2000. Since accredita-tion lasts three years, it is time for ourprogram to be revisited. The four campsthat will receive visits in the coming yearare Pinecrest, Woodmen, Tetons Chal-lenger and Winter Camp.

Monday morning began with thecamp team joining the home office stafffor their Monday morning CompassCheck—a meeting in which UCG pres-ident Roy Holladay covers a biblical

principle. The Compass Check includesa prayer for God’s guidance and bless-ing.

The camp team began Monday’swork with a review of preteen camps.While oversight of these camps (all threedays or less in length) is the responsibil-ity of Ministerial Services, the UnitedYouth Camp program serves as an advi-sor to these camps to encourage highstandards of operation and help mini-mize legal liability. This past year in theUnited States, seven preteen campsserved 375 campers. If a church pastorwishes to hold a preteen camp in hisarea, he is asked to contact MinisterialServices for approval.

Turning to donations, this past yearUnited Youth Camps received approxi-mately $4,000 in corporate donations.To further develop our ability to attractfunding from non-Church relatedsources, a proposal to establish a501(c)(3) nonprofit organization wasconsidered.

Next came a report on Winter Campby Steve Nutzman followed by reviewand discussion of various camp policies.The morning session concluded aftercovering staff training tapes, camp treat-ment procedures and health screening.

Web Sites, Camp Video andCamp Magazine

After a break for lunch, the teamreviewed policies covering the pastor’sevaluation form,use of local funds, non-UCG staff, equipment purchase andinventory, international attendees anddiscipline. After covering these items,Peter Eddington of the home officejoined the team to discuss camp Websites (the way several of our camps sharepictures and information about their pro-grams) and production of the next campvideo.

Mike Bennett and Michelle de Cam-pos of the home office then joined theconference to plan the 2003 camp mag-azine. After making article assignmentsand setting a deadline of Dec. 31, 2002,the team returned to its discussion ofpolicies.

The team noted that camp shirts makenice souvenirs and help eliminate poten-tial problems related to modesty and

questionable logos. Because purchasingthese shirts is a significant portion ofeach camp’s budget, the team decided toexplore the possibility of seeking cor-porate funding to help cover this cost.

Budget and CommentsAfter reviewing expenditures for

2002, the United Youth Camps teamprojects coming in under budget. Thesavings will come from increased mem-ber contributions and less expenses thanprojected. Indications are that next yearcamper tuition will probably remain thesame for most camps. Two camps thatanticipate tuition changes are Camp HyeSierra, which will be slightly cheaperthan Oakhurst (which it replaces), andWoodmen, which will likely have aslightly increased cost of operation. Theteam is pleased that the tuition rates forall United Youth Camps remain less thanhalf the cost of the average camp in theUnited States.

The last session of the day was devot-ed to comments from Mr. Holladay andRichard Pinelli, head of Ministerial Ser-vices. President Holladay began by dis-cussing the possibility of funding theprinting of Youth United magazine bythe savings from the camp program. Ofcourse, printing this magazine wouldneed to become a regular part of theChurch’s budget as opposed to savingsfrom a particular program.

Concerning personnel, MatthewFenchel will no longer serve as campdirector of Camp Davidson after the2003 session due to his increased work-load at the home office. To make asmooth transition, we would like toname the succeeding camp directorwithin the next few months so he will beable to work with Mr. Fenchel during thecoming year. Mr. Holladay asked forinput on this decision from the campteam.

Final ItemsTuesday, the final half-day of the con-

ference, began with a discussion of ourcamp policy on body piercing. The nextitems discussed were insurance, anAccess database used by camp directorsto maintain records and use of the Webfor applications. Regarding the latter,weare looking at a way to allow people totype in information on their computersprior to printing the form.

Discussion then turned to delegationand training people who can assumecamp positions and responsibilities. Theteam wants to thank the many volunteerswho make camp work so successfully.

The conference concluded with a pre-sentation by Eric Nei of the AmericanCamping Association office in Mar-tinsville, Indiana. Mr. Nei works withaccreditation and has a special interestin the impact of religion in challengeprograms. After sharing some of hisobservations in this area, Mr. Neianswered questions from the campteam. UN

Roy Holladay, Ken Treybig, DaveTreybig and James Capo listenintently at camp conference (photoby Larry Greider)

Hye Sierra Chosen as New California CampCampers will have the opportunity to

pioneer a new camp experience in Cali-fornia’s Sierra Nevada mountains in2003. Rising costs at our previous campin California made it necessary to relo-cate, and this year our new camp loca-tion at Camp Hye Sierra will enable usto offer several new activities.

Hye Sierra is a 130-acre camp locat-ed in the Sierra National Forest about 35miles east of Fresno, California. It iswithin five miles of the entrance to KingsCanyon and Sequoia National Parks at4,200 feet in elevation,which will enableus to use some of the outstanding fea-tures of these parks for camp.

On-camp activities will include vol-leyball, softball, soccer, basketball,archery,campfire and a dance. The campalso has a pond for swimming andanother for fishing. Off-campus activi-ties are still in the planning stages, butplans are to include a day- or overnight-

hike,waterskiing and banana-boating onPine Flat Lake, and canoeing or kayak-ing one of the nearby rivers. We alsohope to offer special activities on a rotat-ing basis annually—white-water raftingone year, horseback riding another andpossibly rock climbing as well.

Final details will appear in the 2003camp magazine, to be published nextFebruary. The camp director will beJames Capo, pastor of the Tucson andSierra Vista, Arizona, and El Paso,Texas, congregations.

James Capo

Main lodge at Camp Hye Sierra, site of new United Youth Camp in California

UnitedNews November 2002 5

Youth United Begins Third Yearby David Treybig

The October-December 2002 issue ofYouth Unitedmarks the beginning of thethird year of publication of this Internetmagazine specifically written for highschool- and college-aged young people.Begun a little over three years ago by theYouth Education Team (then composedof Doug Horchak, chairman; LarryGreider; Clyde Kilough; Joel Meeker;and Jim and Judy Servidio), nine issueshave now been produced.

Realizing that the high school- andcollege-aged youth of the Church wouldbenefit from articles specifically gearedto their interests and needs, the YouthEducation Team asked for and receivedpermission from the Council of Eldersand home office to begin a magazine thatwould appear on the Internet every threemonths. From the outset, this publica-tion was designed to be somewhat of ajunior Good Newsas opposed to a news-paper or newsletter.

To launch this new magazine, theYouth Education Team assembled ateam of people interested in youth andfamiliar with Internet publication to pre-pare the first issue that appeared in thefall of 2000. Victor Kubik and MikeBennett were especially helpful, in thatboth were already working with VirtualChristian Magazine—also an on-linepublication.

The premiere issue began with a wel-come message from Les McCullough,former president of the United Churchof God. His opening words were: “Wel-come to all of you! Share with us YouthUnited—E-magazine. This is a newpublication that focuses on preparingyou, the youth of today, as tomorrow’sleaders. In this day of electronic com-munication, it is imperative to commu-

nicate with you in your media—cyber-space.This is where the interest is. Paperand ink are rapidly losing place. You candownload or browse this publicationover the Internet anytime from any-where.

“Here are some things we hope youget out of Youth United:

• God’s way works—today! • How to live God’s way—today!• God’s awesome plan and your

exciting future in it—tomorrow!“To meet these goals, this on-line

magazine will seek to help you, as teensand young adults, to better understandthe realities of the world in which we liveplus focus on the hope that God’s Wordprovides for the future.”

In addition to Mr. McCullough’sintroductory message, the first issue alsofeatured articles on hope, careers, Dar-winism, your destiny, breaking the rulesand Q&A from young people. While thesubjects of articles would change fromissue to issue, the desire from the begin-ning was to have an article in every issueon education, as well as the Q&A.

Youth United developsAs the managing editor of this E-

magazine, as we sometimes call it, I’vehad the privilege of watching the orga-nization and staff develop. As succeed-ing issues were prepared,an archive sec-tion was added to the Web site andregular staff functions were established.Presently, Mike Bennett serves as copyeditor, Ken Treybig as graphics editorand Chris Rowland does HTML con-version and posts the finished articles onthe Internet. Andy Lausted and Michellede Campos take care of Web design.

Over the last two years, the three-month production process has been fine-tuned. A new issue begins with our edi-

torial staff, composed of Mike Bennett,Larry Greider, Doug Horchak, KenTreybig and myself, holding a telecon-ference to select a theme and make arti-cle assignments for the upcoming issue.

Article deadlines are one month priorto on-line publication. During this finalmonth, articles are reviewed by JamesCapo, Todd Carey, Eric Evans, PaulLuecke, Joel Meeker, Jim Servidio andthe editorial staff. After input from thereviewers has been incorporated into thearticles, they go to Mike Bennett forcopy editing, then to Ken Treybig forgraphics and finally to Chris Rowlandfor posting on-line.

As an on-line magazine, the costs ofproduction have been minimal. Eachissue generates between 2,500 and 3,500hits. While the Q&A consistently gen-erates some of the highest number ofviewings from issue to issue, articles onDarwinism, military service and war,dating and modesty have drawn thehighest individual viewings rangingbetween 600 to 1,000 hits.

Because all articles are available viaour Web archives, the number of hits foreach issue and article continues to rise.In addition to these hits, we answerbetween a dozen and two dozen E-mailseach month asking biblical questions.Doug Horchak, Larry Greider, KenTreybig and I take monthly rotationsanswering these questions. It has beeninteresting to note that a significant num-ber of these questions come from youthand adults without a Church of Godbackground. Of course, all questions areanswered irrespective of a person’s ageor background.

While our staff is pleased that the arti-cles have been accessed so many timesvia the Internet,we are disappointed thatonly 15 to 20 percent of our target audi-

ence (high school- through college-agedyouth within the United Church of God)have seen Youth United on the Internet.The Youth Education Team discoveredthis percentage via surveys of youngpeople at United Youth Camps duringthe summer of 2001.

It seems that young people use theInternet for visiting with friends orresearching material but rarely for spir-itual study. To better reach young peoplewithin the United Church of God,whomwe recognize as our future leaders, theYouth United staff hopes that we willsoon be able to send every person in thisage group within our Church (and oth-ers who request it) a printed version ofthe magazine as well as making it avail-able on the Internet.

The Latest IssueThe most recent October-December

2002 issue focuses on how we appear toothers. Located on the Internet atwww.youthmagazine.org, articles ad-

dress clothing, hair styles, body pierc-ing, role models and how to treat othersrespectfully. The education article focus-es on three simple things that almostguarantee financial success, and, ofcourse, there is the ever-popular Q&A.See below for some of the questions andanswers from the latest issue.

One of the goals of Youth United hasbeen to broaden the number of authorsof articles. We are especially looking forpositive, encouraging articles fromyoung people in their 20s and 30s. Somepreviously published examples of thesekinds of articles include ones on skydiv-ing,baptism,being held hostage,attend-ing Ambassador Bible Center andbreaking off a romantic relationship withsomeone not sharing the same religiousbeliefs.

If you are interested in writing anarticle, contact David Treybig via E-mail at [email protected]. Sug-gestions for future articles are also wel-comed. UN

Q&A FromYouth United

Q. What does the Bible teach con-cerning abortion?

A. To answer this question, let’s firstconsider some background material.Today, most people only look to theirown human reason instead of the Biblefor guidance in this area. As you mayalready know, the U.S. Supreme Courtdecision in 1973 (Roe vs. Wade) sparkeda huge controversy. There is no issuesince slavery that has so divided the pop-ulation of the United States. The twoopposing views on this issue are gener-ally called “pro-life,”meaning those whosupport the rights of the unborn, and“pro-choice”for those who say a womanshould have control over her own body.

Many who favor allowing abortionhave argued that abortions should besafe, legal and rare. Yet statistics showthey are anything but rare. In the UnitedStates estimates of the number of babiesaborted every day range from around3,700 to over 4,000, amounting to near-ly 1.5 million per year. Statistics also saythat 93 percent of abortions occur notbecause of serious potential health prob-

lems or rape or incest, but because ofsocial factors. The child is either unwant-ed or inconvenient.

The biggest area of debate in the abor-tion question is when life begins. Thosewho favor abortion might argue that itdoesn’t begin until sometime near birth,when the child could be viable on itsown. Others point out that at the momentof conception a unique genetic package

comes into existence that containseverything that person will become—from height, size of feet and color ofeyes, to factors such as whether he is pre-disposed to contract diabetes by age 50.

Growth and development after con-ception are rapid. Within 18 days a newheartbeat is there. At around threeweeks, eyes, a spinal cord and digestive

system are forming. At around a monthand a half, brain waves are detectable.By about two months, fingers and toesare beginning to show and by the 18thweek, the fetus is moving and kicking.

While the Bible does not mention theword abortion, there are indications thatGod views the unborn as individuals. Hetold the prophet Jeremiah, “Before Iformed you in the womb I knew you;

before you wereborn I sanctifiedyou; I ordained youa prophet to thenations” (Jeremiah1:5). God indicatesHe knew Jeremiahas a person and des-ignated him for aspecial job extreme-ly early in the gesta-tion period. Thisimplies “person-

hood,” and God expressly forbids mur-der in the Sixth Commandment.

Additionally, Job said this about oth-er people, “Did not He who made me inthe womb make them? Did not the sameOne fashion us in the womb?” (Job31:15). Job understood God to be atwork in the process of human gestationin the womb.

God views human life as very valu-able and the verses above indicate Heviews life as beginning at conception. Sowhile He doesn’t mention the modernissue of abortion by name in the Bible,these passages indicate that God wouldlabel abortion as a sin.

If you want to read more on the sub-ject, you can read an article in ourMay/June 2000 Good News magazinetitled, “The Abortion Quagmire: WhoWill Speak for the Children?” It can beviewed on-line at www.ucg.org/articles/gn28/abortqua.html. We also have aTeen Bible Study Guide on this topic,available on-line at www.ucg.org/a/teenbs/vol6/volume_6-lesson_8.htm.

Q. How far can you go before youget married? Is it OK for a Christianteen to French kiss or “pet”(i.e. caressintimately) the one you love?

A. In our society, very poor examplesare often set regarding relationshipsbetween men and women. Many in oursociety view premarital sex as “normal.”As such, unmarried couples engage inthe intimate activity that should bereserved for marriage. This includespassionate kissing and foreplay. Thistype of kissing and touching more oftenthan not leads to intercourse. Of course,

this is contrary to God’s teaching. In 1Corinthians 6:18 it says, “Flee sexualimmorality. Every sin that a man does isoutside the body, but he who commitssexual immorality sins against his ownbody.” Clearly, in this verse, the apostlePaul is warning against the kind of inti-mate kissing and touching that can leadto sexual intercourse.

When it comes to dating, we encour-age teenagers to not get romanticallyinvolved with someone of the oppositesex or have a “steady” boyfriend or girl-friend. Group dating and general socialcontact is much better for teens thanpairing off with a specific individual. Itis our general advice that one-on-onedating be reserved for the time peopleare ready (in respect to age, educationand finances) to get married. In anyevent, the kind of passionate kissing andpetting that you asked about should bereserved for marriage, where they canhelp build the special, intimate bondGod designed.

An article titled,“Sex,Dating and You”by Tom Clark appeared in a previous edi-tion of Youth United. This article address-es this subject in greater detail. The arti-cle may be read at youthmagazine.org/yu/article.asp?volume=2&issue=4&article=sexanddating. UN

The October-December issue of Youth United, on-line at youthmagazine.org


Argentina

MendozaThis year 506 happy brethren from

seven countries convened at the lovelyEjercito de los Andes Hotel complex inMendoza, Argentina, for eight joyousdays of festival observance. Timely mes-sages and varied speakers from Chile,Argentina and the United Statesresounded important themes of theFeast, such as the reminder that weremain strangers and pilgrims in an aliensociety that Christ will soon replace withGod’s Kingdom.

Among the 20 American visitors wasguest speaker and director of the Span-ish work,Leon Walker,who attended thefirst half of the Feast here with his wifebefore traveling on to Trujillo, Peru, forthe remainder.

It was especially inspiring that 13 peo-ple were baptized during the Feast; anencouraging indication that God isactively expanding His work in thisregion. It was equally inspiring to visit-ing Americans to encounter the congre-gations of brethren fromnearby Chile. Due to solidpast and present local lead-ership, these congregationshave experienced very littleattrition in the past 30 years.All age groups are fully rep-resented here.

Activities aboundedthroughout the Feast thatincluded several dances; aspecial Ladies NightSpokesman Club banquet; a

Ladies Breakfast in which women coulddisplay special homemade crafts,clothes and other artistry; a children’sparty; and a spectacular talent show thatincluded a variety of colorful folk dancesand costumes that represented the cul-ture of several Latin American nations.All of these events, including the Fami-ly Day with basketball, volleyball (andof course, soccer), were located conve-niently on the beautiful grounds of thehotel, only a few steps from the meetinghall.

A major component of this sociallyintimate Feast was the fact that all of the

brethren were able to eat all of theirmeals together in reinforced fellowshipwith conversations going on in Por-tuguese, English, Spanish and “Spang-lish.” Often various brethren providedsinging entertainment with lively guitaraccompaniment at different meals.

It soon became obvious that the hotelstaff,waiters,desk clerks and hotel man-ager were overwhelmingly glad that wewere all there and urged the Church toreturn the following year. Part of theirreaction was based on the fact that thebrethren made the hotel staff clearly real-ize that it was highly appreciated. Onseveral occasions at banquet meals whenthe waiters entered into the dining hall,in marching procession with flamingdesserts or large sides of beef, everyoneapplauded enthusiastically. In fact, therapport between the Church and the staffwas so good that before a prearrangedsoccer match between the hotel staff andthe Church, Festival coordinator SaulLangarica twice jested with brethrenabout purposely losing in order to keepthe hotel staff at a high level of euphoria.

It worked.Also, brethren took

advantage of a localbus tour that took themto a chocolate factoryand a winery. Severalpeople went on awhite-water raftingadventure through adeep canyon of thenearby Andes moun-tains which toweredover them, and othersarrived in Mendozaearly to sample out-standing cuisine at sev-

eral four- and five-star restau-rants at remarkably inexpensiveprices. With Argentina’s run-away inflation, there were manyextraordinary shopping oppor-tunities in Mendoza that inter-ested brethren.

An additional highlight forthose who had never traveled intoArgentina from nearby Santiago,Chile, was the bus excursion thatwound its way through enormousalpine mountains laden with tons

of sparkling snow. It was an experienceto pass several open ski areas operatingin winter conditions only to arrive inMendoza where spring has sprung withnew flowers,budding leaves on trees andmigrating birds now arriving for theirsummer (seasons being the reverse ofthose north of the equator).

By their spiritual focus and attitudes,these local brethren appear to me tosurely be part of God’s jewelry ofbrethren as mentioned in Malachi 3:17.If you want to share convivial social andspiritual intimacy with some of the spe-cial “salt” of the earth, you may choseto visit the Feast in Mendoza in the nearfuture.

Braden Veller

Australia

Hobart, TasmaniaThe opening statement by Barry

Williams, Festival coordinator forHobart, Tasmania, set the scene for thewhole Feast. Why are we here? We werereminded that these are the feasts of theEternal. Rejoice! That was certainly thecase for 51 brethren who came frommany areas in Australia and also theUnited States.

A cake with the inscription “Let us goup to the mountain of the Lord—ThereHe will teach us of His ways”was cut byMr. and Mrs. Peter Eddington andshared with the brethren after the open-

ing service. Good food and fellowshipwas also enjoyed by all those whoattended the Sabbath brunch.

Continuing the theme, we were onceagain reminded that these are God’sfeasts. They are a time to be with God’speople. We are expected to get togetherto be reminded of the Kingdom of God.Through the problems and challengeswe have in this lifetime, we are trainingto be counselors, teachers and peoplewho will encourage—people who willnot want any to perish.

Urgency and being on a pilgrimage asan apprentice to Jesus Christ for life, incontrast to being atourist taking short-cuts and lackingcommitment, wasemphasized in oth-er messages. Hav-ing viewed theFeast video andthen having theprivilege of hearinga presentation fromPeter Eddingtongave us the sense of urgency that is need-ed to get this work done.

Continually throughout the Feast thespeakers reminded us why we werethere,who we were,what we were look-ing to in the future and what wouldensure that we continued on this path.The Last Great Day messages gave usthe hope and vision of the time when weshall be there to help wipe the fear frompeople’s minds and to wipe the tearsfrom their eyes. It was wonderful,uplift-ing spiritual food.

We enjoyed fine weather, with a cov-ering of snow on Mt. Wellington, thedestination of 37 people who enjoyed aMystery Bus Tour. A barbecue, boatcruise and a shared potluck meal togeth-er on the evening after the Last GreatDay rounded off the activities that tookplace. Special music was varied andmuch appreciated. The love and concernshown to all brethren was very evidentthroughout the Feast. There were manyopportunities for fellowship.

Lea Evans

Merimbula, New SouthWales

Words like “fabulous,”“very special,”“comforting,” “stimulating,” “open,”“inspiring” and “encouraging”described God’s Feast at Merimbula thisyear.

On the Last Great Day 209 attended.New South Wales pastor, Bruce Dean,baptized three new members. Theunder-35s took much responsibility forthe smooth running of the Feast.

Wonderful weather, enthusiasticsinging and Laisa Fungalai’s beautifulfloral arrangements enhanced the Feastfor everyone. Organized activitiesincluded the inaugural Family FeastDance, Progressive Dinner, Seniors’Mystery Tour, the Children’s Party andthe youth activity but many great get-togethers, such as an early morning fish-ing trip (60 fish caught!), were sponta-neously arranged by Feastgoers.

There were positive comments fromMerimbula residents. The skipper of thefishing boat commented that everyonewas more intent on enjoying themselves

than on fishing! A patron at the clubwhere services were held asked where“all these wonderful people”were from.Club management said that the UCGgroup was “well organized and easy towork with.”

An interesting PowerPoint presenta-tion by Peter Eddington on preachingthe gospel was well-attended. OmarAfiouni of the Australian Media and

More Than 19,000 Celebrate the Feast With UnitedFeast 2002

Attendance FiguresArgentina ..................................506Australia

Hobart, Tasmania........................51Merimbula, New South Wales....209Noosa, Queensland ................322Perth, Western Australia ..........18

Barbados ....................................77Bolivia..........................................44Brazil ..........................................60British Isles ..............................254Cameroon ..................................31Canada

Kelowna, British Columbia....682Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec ..466Regina, Saskatchewan............160St. John’s, Newfoundland ........86

Colombia ....................................91Estonia ........................................10France........................................157Germany ..................................179Ghana

Accra ......................................350Kumasi ....................................200Takoradi ..................................200

GuatemalaAntigua....................................580Esquipulas ..............................202

Italy............................................187Jamaica ....................................357Kenya ..........................................80Malawi ........................................56Mauritius ......................................2Mexico ......................................311New Zealand ..............................79Nigeria ......................................106Peru............................................161Philippines

Baguio City ............................106Davao City ..............................293Iloilo City ..................................83

South Africa..............................252Togo/Benin ................................n/aTonga ..........................................n/aUnited States

Bend-Redmond, Oregon ........931Branson, Missouri ..............1,187Corpus Christi, Texas..............576Escondido, California..........1,128Gatlinburg, Tennessee ........1,525Hagerstown, Maryland ..........944Jekyll Island, Georgia..........1,063Keystone, Colorado ................643Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii..............374Panama City Beach, Florida ..1,834Wisconsin Dells,Wisconsin ..1,363

Zambia ......................................101Zimbabwe ..................................13Shut-ins who received Feast

tapes from the home office ....541TOTAL ................................19,231

Feast Cybercast (connections) ..131Note: Highest daily attendance figures.

Actual registration at most sites was high-er due to daily absenteeism. Cybercast lis-teners include some shut-ins countedabove, so are not added into the total.

Peter and Terri Eddington cuttingtraditional Festival cake in Tasmania

Children’s chorale; above, Omar Afiounimanning the media table in Merimbula

Special music and a young soccerplayer in Mendoza, Argentina(photos by Juan Espinoza)


Publishing Committee also displayedprograms and brochures used to preachthe gospel in Australia. Three work-shops, previously held at a New SouthWales Church Weekend, were repeatedat Merimbula (“How to Give anAnswer” by Leon Turner, “Redeemingthe Time” by Geoff King and “Relatingto People with Problems” by MavisStucci). The final word on this happyFeast (from Anne Sasse): “I’m full!”

Mavis Stucci

Noosa, QueenslandFiery! Not the normal descriptor for a

Feast site. But for 322 attendees at theNoosa Feast site, we ended the Festival“all fired up!”The Last GreatDay afternoonservice mayhave been short-ened due tobush fires, butthe attitude andspirit of mem-bers made this amost memo-rable Feast.

A diet ofinspiring andinstructive messages provided the spiri-tual feast. Discerning our time now inpreparation for the future was a key pointof Bill Winner’s messages, and DaveDobson provided valuable encourage-ment to our children,who are God’s her-itage. Christ’s return to a physical andspiritual temple was the focus of a mes-sage by Reg Wright. And by walkingand living with people, not ruling with arod of iron, Bill Bradford connected ourheart and mind today with our royalfuture.

The Welcome Cocktail Party andDance kick-started the Feast for theyoung adults, and a seniors’bus trip took

in the scenery and attractions of themajestic Sunshine Coast hinterland.

A Family Day and sausage sizzleattracted many to the shores of NoosaRiver. The Banana Boat proved a hit asmany “slipped” around the waterwaysat heart-stopping speeds. From the com-ical to the classical, the Talent Showproved an entertaining highlight, with aspecial guest appearance from “ForestGump.”And the Family Dance encour-aged everyone to trip a little through amontage of music, including a few num-bers from “Garth Brooks” (nee DaveWest).

Festival coordinator Bill Bradfordmade special mention of the wonderfulspirit that was evident among all whoattended. While lamenting the suddenend to the Festival, nothing in this worldcan extinguish that spirit.

Stephen Clark

Perth, Western AustraliaThe very pleasant Cocos Room at the

Bel Eyre Motel in Perth was host to 18of God’s people for the Feast. The venuewas made more special by a 2-meter (6-foot) high stunning flower arrangementsupplied by Jenny Smith. Murray Bark-er arranged everything else perfectly.The enjoyment of the Feast was height-ened by the arrival of five visitors.

The theme of the Feast was preparingto be servants in God’s government. Aspiritual feast was provided by sermonsfrom Tom Burchard, David Sandlandand videos. Mr. Burchard covered sev-en ways brethren can assist in God’swork in preaching the gospel,highlight-

ing the material on display on the mediatable.

Perth brethren were blessed with spe-cial music from Lynn Sandland, MurielHacker and Tom Burchard. Activitiesinvolved what God’s people like somuch—eating and fellowship. A specialtreat was the picnic in Kings Park withstunning views of the river and city.Although the weather was generallycool with some much needed rain, wewere blessed with a warm,sunny day forthe picnic.

Peter Davidson

Barbados The venue for the Feast in Barbados

this year was the Southern Palms BeachClub in the popular St. Lawrence Gapof the parish of Christ Church. The facil-ity is right on the ocean with a stunningand mesmerizing view. This is the thirddifferent location for the Feast in the lastthree years. Since tourism is a majorindustry, there are a number of facilitiesthat can be used to observe the Feast.

Our high attendance was 77, withbrethren coming from the United States,Canada, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vin-cent and, of course, Barbados. We wereblessed to have Mr. and Mrs. Doug Hor-chak for the first part of the Feast. Hisopening night message set the tone forfocusing on God. We had a number ofopportunities to do that, not only in ser-

vices but also in our activities. This was the rainiest Feast in Barba-

dos since United started. A tropicalstorm passed over the island and causedus to think about the awesome power ofGod. That evening we had a get-acquainted party hosted by a familyfrom Texas as the rains continued. How-ever,our spirits were high as we enjoyedeach other’s company. We had aCaribbean pool party later in the weekhosted by the local brethren and it rained.But the rains didn’t dampen our spirits.We rejoiced at being able to be togetheras children of God.

Smaller Feast sites create a dynamicin which we can grow closer together asfamily. This year was no exception. Inaddition to the get-togethers mentionedabove, a catamaran cruise was enjoyedby nearly everyone. And most attendeda dinner-dance and show called “Tropi-cal Spectacular.”Also it was inspiring tosee the young people from differentareas forming new friendships over theeight-day period.

Between services on the Last GreatDay,we walked down St. Lawrence Gapto a restaurant and were deluged withrain. The sun was shining before andafterwards, but during our walk, theheavens opened. That did not stop usfrom enjoying an outstanding lunch,which prepared us for the afternoon ser-vice and a great appreciation to our Godfor His invitation to His Festival.

Arnold J. Hampton

BoliviaLas Carreras

All the Bolivian brethren togetherwith visitors from Chile, Peru and theUnited States thank our Father for awonderful Feast of Tabernacles at LasCarreras just south of the city of La Paz.

For eight days 44 brethren met in thisout-of-the-way location where wereceived spiritual “meat in due season.”We all shared a very positive brotherlyatmosphere from the first day to the LastGreat Day. All those with Festivalresponsibilities applied themselves withdetermination to the tasks at hand, andthe results were very positive (Psalm133).

Each day’s activities began with adelicious breakfast. Then, in preparationfor the “spiritual meal”of the day, localsand visitors alike had an energetic prac-tice session to hone their talents for eachservice’s special music.

The spiritual messages all had a cer-tain continuity because they guided uson our journey out of this sinful worldtoward our beloved Father’s Kingdomwhere His master plan of salvationthrough Jesus Christ will be a wonderfulreality. Sermon topics included theattributes of an educator in the worldtomorrow; why we come out of the

world to keep theFeast; events totake place atChrist’s secondcoming; under-standing our call-ing as related tothe spiritual firesof refining andpurification ver-

sus the all-consuming conflagration atthe close of the era of man; the futuregovernment of God; biblical personali-ties and their spiritual principles those ofus in the Church should emulate; goalsof a Christian while awaiting the King-dom; and what the future holds after theMillennium and the coming of the NewJerusalem.

Of course, this year’s video on Christ-centered servant leadership had an emo-tional impact with its finale of the repen-tant sinner asking God’s permission toenter His Kingdom.

An abundant Feast of physical foodwas also much in evidence. Each daydifferent members were in charge ofthe food service. We enjoyed finewines and other beverages fromaround the country along with a deli-cious barbecue. All was accompaniedevery day by excellent sunny weather.

Our afternoon talent show actuallyturned out to be a talent “night” whenwe lost electricity at the Feast site. It wasa beautifully colorful production with awide representation of regional cos-tumes thanks to the extra efforts of allthe participants. The highlight of theevening was the sing-along and dancewhere everyone rejoiced and had a won-derful time as commanded in the secondpart of Leviticus 23:40.

We could single out many individu-als, both visitors and local members,who worked untiringly to make theFeast a success. We feel it to be moreimportant, however, for their names tobe recorded in the third heaven fromwhere we await the coming of our Kingof Kings and Lord of Lords, JesusChrist.

Raúl Machicao Dick

British IslesGrange-Over-Sands

“Beautiful.” “Unspoiled by large dis-cos and night clubs.”“Locals helpful andfriendly.” “Peaceful, pastoral settingconducive to millennial feel and atti-tude.” “An exceptional Feast experi-ence.”

These were typical of the positivecomments made by most of thoseresponding to a questionnaire at the endof the Feast of Tabernacles 2002 inGrange-Over-Sands, South Lakeland,England. With approximately 280 peo-

ple attending, we were very pleased tofind that nearly every family had com-pleted one of the questionnaires. Thecomments have been very helpful to us.

It is extremely difficult, however, ifnot totally impossible, to find a Feast siteanywhere that will meet with everyone’scomplete approval. One person thoughtthat London would be a perfect Feastsite, but others don’t want to be in a bigcity! But Grange, even with the usualdrawbacks such as cost of parking,restaurants that don’t stay open late, etc.,got closer to that accolade than almostany Feast site I can recall over the last 42years.

With the invaluable help from thevery professional Tourist InformationCentre most people reported excellentaccommodations, some having delight-ful cottages with the most wonderfulviews. One family said how fantastic itwas that their “temporary dwelling”wason the edge of a lake with sheep in a fieldclose by.

Remembering that we were there inGrange to keep the Feast of Tabernacles,to focus upon tomorrow’s world whenJesus Christ will have returned and setup the government of God, we wereappreciative of not only the millennialsetting but also of the group of fine ser-

mons and sermon-ettes presented. Thespeakers had obvi-ously worked hardand long upon themand given thought,prayer and medita-tion to their subjects.They all fell into atheme, that of ourpreparation to servewith Jesus Christ inthe world tomorrow.

In addition to their sermons, optionalBible studies (which were very muchappreciated and well attended) were alsogiven by Aaron Dean,Vernon Hargroveand Bob Berendt. Other speakers wereBruce Anderson, Rex Spears, JohnCafourek, David Mills, Gordon Barr,Frank Jarvis, John Jewell, GerhardMarx,Dan Taylor and Paul Spenser. Theoffering messages on the Holy Dayswere given by David McDermott andRon Crumbliss.

The choir, even though most of themembers had never met each otherbefore, did an excellent job under theexperienced guidance of choir directorHelen Richards. Mrs. Richards was alsoresponsible for organizing the specialmusic.

The family of God not only worshipstogether,but plays together! A quiz nightand talent show,a family dance to a localband “Tumbling Toms” and a caller, asocial evening—all combined to accom-plish that.

Many people took advantage of bustours of the glorious landscape of theLakeland area. An all-day tour includeda brief journey on a restored steam rail-way line, then a trip across Lake Win-dermere on a lake steamer where the busmet the group to continue the tour beforereturning to Grange.

The mayor of Grange-Over-Sands,Aidan Smith, officially welcomedeveryone at the service on the afternoonof the first Holy Day and then stayed forthe rest of the service. Afterwards he said

Feastgoers in Bolivia (photo by Jenny Murillo)

The group in Barbados

Panorama at services in Noosa

The group meeting in Perth


how much he had appreciated the ser-vice.

Members made generous voluntarycontributions to the community,provid-ing a substantial donation to the town’snew swimming pool. The town has beengiven a grant towards the cost, but has tomatch that sum. They were thereforeengaged in fund raising to try to achieveit. In recognition of our contribution thename of the Church is to be engraved ona glass panel in the foyer of the swim-ming pool on completion. We felt thiswas a worthy enterprise as it serves thewhole community, young and old,healthy and infirm alike.

An article about the Church’s “con-vention” appeared in the town’s localnewspaper and was most positive withthe headline “Town Welcomes GodlyVisitors.” And we were certainly wel-comed!

John A. Jewell

CameroonDouala

This year we celebrated the Feast inthe city of Douala, port city and eco-nomic capital of Cameroon. We wereto have kept the Feast in Buea, but last-minute management changes made thisimpossible. Douala is a commercialcity with a population of 3 million peo-ple. It was here that the first Portugueseexplorers landed. They found manyshrimp in the Wouri River, which theysurnamed the Rio Dos Camaroes,which means river of shrimp. This ishow our country’s name, Cameroon,came to be.

Thirty-one people were present forthe Feast. Due to illness and distancesome families were not able to attend.

This year we had no visitors. Our pas-tor, Joel Meeker, was not able to attendwith us because of organization needs inFrance. We had Feast of Tabernacles ser-mon tapes throughout the Feast.

The video presentation on the inau-

guration of the new home office buildingwas very encouraging and stimulating.We were very happy to see this sign ofprogress in God’s work.

The offering on the Holy Days wasmuch higher than last year.

Festival activities included a socialevening where we played games togeth-er including a Bible quiz,had Bible read-ing and awarded surprise gifts.

It was a very beautiful Feast and wasenriching for all.

Moise Elisée Mabout

CanadaKelowna, British Columbia

Sunny weather welcomed 682brethren attending the Kelowna Feastsite situated in the Okanagan Valley ofBritish Columbia.

Feastgoers enjoyed a host of activitiesduring the Feast: from a leisurely boatcruise along the banks of the OkanaganLake to sipping afternoon tea among theorchards overlooking a spectacu-

lar view of the valley, wine tasting onvarious winery tours, spending a busyfamily day afternoon at Scandia Golfand Games, or learning how to promotethe gospel using the Internet at an Inter-net seminar hosted by Dan Deininger,cofounder of the Churches of GodCyber Auxiliary.

Sound technician, Ron Whedon(not a member)said, “If you arestill attractingyoung peopleand stirringthem in theright direction,you must bedoing some-thing right.”The lead singerof the bandSpecial Blend,Mary Ann Bish-op, said, “thefamily dancehas restored my

faith in young people.”I am sure there were many miracles

performed by God during the Feast. AlSegall, from Sedro Woolley, Washing-ton, relates his miracle while coming tothe Feast. Driving on the Coquihalla inwindy, rainy conditions, he was distract-ed for a moment, and his car slammedinto the concrete divider. Crunching andscreeching, he almost lost control of thecar. Al said, “Everything moved in slowmotion and finally I got control. We lat-er stopped at the tollbooth to survey thedamage. I took my wife out to look aswell, as I could not believe my eyes—

nothing, not a scratch. An angel turnedthis into the best Feast ever.”

Jean Jantzen

Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec“Magnifique,” “splendid,” “memo-

rable” would be words to describe the2002 Feast in Quebec. There were 358celebrating opening night with a high of466, an average more than 100 overcapacity. Two overflow rooms handledthese excellent numbers.

The first days greeted us with humid-ity and overcast skies, but with ourexpected pattern of divine blessing, theweather cleared for the first activity dayand thereafter. High attendances at ser-vices and activities were a feature andreflected how content, joyous andwholehearted were Feastgoers. Festivalchoirs and musicians added much to thewonderful atmosphere.

For many the family dance with somedancers in costume was a highlight. Forothers it was the diverse talents of the

variety show,the family daygames or theteen bowlingactivity. Thewhale-watch-ing tour wasrewarded withsighting 52whales. The riv-er dinner cruiseon the SaintLawrence Sea-way was an en-chanting eve-ning with musicand dancing.

Adding to fine fellowship was a seniors’brunch with a sing-along of old timefavorites. And contributing richly to thecolor and togetherness of the Feast wereour many U.S. visitors.

The following words of appreciationfrom a visiting elder sum it up:

“Excellent Feast site. Positive uplift-ing atmosphere. Beautiful outdoor sur-roundings. Messages very meaningfuland helpful. Organization of the entireFeast was well done. We enjoyed theFeast very much.”

Graemme Marshall

Regina, SaskatchewanOne of the newest and smallest Feast

sites produced a big work this year. Thegenerosity of the 160 brethren attendingthe Feast of Tabernacles in Regina,Saskatchewan, was magnified. Oneexample was the donations given tolocal agencies.

“We collected about 120 stuffed ani-mals this Feast, which we gave to threewomen’s shelters and the critically illchildren’s ward at the hospital,” saidassistant Festival coordinator Lloyd Tee-taert. “The hospital said, ‘How did youknow we needed these? We just put outthe request three days ago.’

“We also donated 350 pounds of foodand about $900 in cash to the food bank.They told us our donation couldn’t havecome at a better time.”

There were several activities duringthe Feast, including tours of under-ground tunnels,a dinner theatre, a pitch-fork fondue and a country dance.

Regina also hosted an estimated 30 to50 brethren daily through the Internet.

E-mails from these scattered brethrengave the Feast a warm sense of extend-ed family.

The motto for the province ofSaskatchewan is “Multi E GentibusVires,” which means, “From many peo-ples, strength.” It could have applied tothe Regina Feast. As Festival coordina-tor Glen White said, “Everyone pulledup their socks and did what they could.It was a tremendous Feast.”

Ruth Kerr

St. John’s, NewfoundlandThis year 85 enthusiastic Feastgoers

attended the Feast in St. John’s, New-foundland. The attendance was good,aseveryone seemed to be in good healthand good spirits.

The sermons and sermonettes wereexcellent and the theme of the Feastvideo was evident in the material thatspeakers provided.

The planned activities were wellattended. This year on the evening of thefirst day we had a get-acquainted dinnerthat was attended by all. According tocomments we received, it was an excel-lent idea as it got everyone together atthe beginning of the Feast in a moreinformal atmosphere.

Sixty people went on board theschooner Scademia for a tour fromscenic St. John’s Harbour to the area offCape Spear, the most easterly point inNorth America. No whales were sight-ed, but everyone was having so muchfun with the view of the rugged shorelineand live entertainment on board, com-bined with beautiful weather, that no oneseemed to mind.

The six children and teens attend-ing the site received gifts after ser-

vices on the day of the familyouting.

On Thursday, 78 peopleattended the Family Day atLavrock Centre. They enjoyedlunch of chicken strips andwings and cod, along with veg-etable plates and beverages, fol-lowed later in the evening by ahot turkey dinner. In betweenlunch and dinner peopleenjoyed walking in the pleasantfresh air and country setting, fol-lowed by a sing-along. A fewtook advantage of the beautifullake to try their hand at canoe-ing. In their enthusiasm, a cou-ple of canoes were overturned,

but it all made for a fun time as the waterwasn’t too cold, and the day was warm.After dinner a local band provided musicfor a dance. It was hard to leave at 10p.m., as everyone was having a greattime.

According to the housing survey,most were pleased with their accommo-dations. The staff at the Best Westerngave us a card of appreciation and saidthey enjoy having us there.

It was a real joy to have the Kubikswith us for the Feast. They felt it was avery relaxing time. Victor Kubik gave aslide presentation during the seniors’lunch that helped us appreciate howgreatly blessed we are in this part of theworld.

Our amplifier expired during the

Feast and some of the U.S. brethrensuggested asking for donations to buya new one. We had originally plannedto ask for a donation for LifeNets, buthow could we say no to such goodintentions? Thanks to the generosity ofGod’s people we were able to buy a

Above: Paul Suckling with children onstage in Quebec(photo by Kent Spiry) Below: In Kelowna, young peopleshine in their crowns (photo by Jerry Jantzen)

Festival coordinator Glen White with thechildren’s chorale in Regina (photo by KenKerr Jr.)

Feastgoers in Cameroon

In Regina’s BalatonBall Room, in the thirdrow from the front,third seat from theaisle, sat an almost 90-year-old lady. Morethan that, she would beseen almost every day,the third singer fromthe left in the Feastchoir, a delight tobehold as she whole-heartedly sang.

Her name is Stella S. White, and shelives in her own home in Spokane,Washington. Her husband, Valden,was a minister and died in 1997. She is

one of 12 children, sevenof whom are still living.She has seven grandchil-dren and 19 great-grand-children.

She has a son, GlenWhite, a minister whocoordinated the ReginaFeast site, and a daugh-ter, Maureen, who livesin Washington state.

Stella White has beenin the Church since 1957

and has been a deaconess since 1963.She attends with a congregation ofabout 100 in Post Falls, Idaho.

Jack Smith, Fargo, North Dakota

Feast Profile: Meet Stella White

Stella White

Festival coordinator David Smithenjoys the boat tour with SalFattoross


new amplifier and also donate $575 toLifeNets.

According to one member who hasbeen in the Church for 31 years, “It wasthe best Feast ever!”

David and Blanche Smith

ColombiaSanta Marta

Ninety-one people gathered onceagain in the Atlantic coastal city of San-ta Marta to keep a Feast to the Eternal.This annual occasion brought brethrentogether from every corner of Colom-bia, as well as from Barquisimeto,Venezuela, for the purpose of “learningto fear God.”As always, God’s protec-tion, which allowed us to arrive safelyat the Feast site, was one of the out-standing aspects of the Feast. A consis-tent theme of the messages was theneed to bear fruit in our lives and toremain steadfast in the faith we’ve beengiven.

It was a wonderful time of joy andrejuvenation, of rest and Christian fel-lowship. Among the activities that con-tributed to our rejoicing were a chil-dren’s party,an informal talent show andan afternoon of family games. God, inHis mercy,also allowed three new mem-bers to be added to His family and tobegin the journey toward perfection andeternal life.

It was with sadness that we said ourgood-byes and went our separate waysafter the Feast, leaving behind the won-derful time spent together. We headedhome trusting in God’s protection, andHe faithfully guarded us from the manydangers and saw us safely and soundlyto our homes.

Now, more determined than ever toendure to the end, our prayer to God is“Your Kingdom come soon!”

Eduardo Hernandez

EstoniaFor the sixth consecutive year, a small

Feast site was held in Tartu, Estonia.Nestled between Russia and the BalticSea, this is the most northern Feast site.The days were sunny and warm withcrisp nights. Services were conducted in

the conference roomof the Pallas Hotel.This year DarleneReddaway translatedinto Russian andImbi Kuusksalutranslated into Eston-ian. Imbi is an Eng-lish teacher whobegan attending ser-vices after hearing anad for The GoodNews magazine onPere (Family) Radiolast winter.

The messages par-alleled creation week.The steps of creation

were shown to have their future counter-part in the spiritual re-creation God willaccomplish with the return of Christ.

The entire group went to dinnertogether almost every night. This gavethe opportunity to discuss the sermonsand other facets of the Kingdom of Godand form lasting friendships.

Darlene Reddaway organized a daytrip to Riga, the capital of the neighbor-ing country of Latvia. This time spenttogether was very gratifying.

While small in number, this part of theworld had a witness about the abundantfuture in God’s Kingdom. We all learnedto more deeply respect our God.

Johnnie Lambert

FranceNouan-le-Fuzelier

Unity, harmony and joy werein the atmosphere during theFeast in bucolic Nouan-le-Fuze-lier, France. The 157 peopleattending the site from FrenchEurope, Martinique, the BritishIsles, Australia, New Zealand,Canada and the United States

especially appreciated being able tospend so much time together since ser-vices, lodging, meals and many activi-ties were on the same site.

The messages, alternating in Frenchand English,were very encouraging andmany followed the Festival video themeof serving and helping. Other highlightsof the Feast included a folklore eveningwhere we were able to learn regionaldances; a wonderful talent show with

music, magic and laughter; andexcursions to some of the mostbeautiful Renaissance chateaux inFrance, including Blois, Cham-bord, Chenonceau,Villandry andthe manor where Leonardo daVinci spent his last years. A winetasting was also offered.

The United Church ofGod–France had its annual asso-ciation meeting during the festi-val. We also had an interactiveBible study for French-speakingmembers on how young people can pre-pare for marriage and how married peo-ple can strengthen their marital relation-ships. Young adults at the Feast wereinvited to a PowerPoint presentation onthe United Youth Corps internationalservice projects, and to a roundtable dis-cussion on how the Church can effec-tively serve our young adults.

The feeling of unity and fellowshipamong brethren of different languages,cultures and ages was remarkable.

Pre-Feast Tour of FranceBefore the Feast 49 visitors had an

extra experience this year: a four-daytour of sites of interest in France. Partic-

ipants met in Paris onthe afternoon prior tothe start of the Day ofAtonement. On Mon-day, Atonement ser-vices were held at thetour group’s hotel in

Paris. At the end of Atonement the groupwent by metro (the Paris subway) to thefamous la Coupole restaurant for dinner.

On Tuesday the tour group went to thetop of the Eiffel Tower,visited the Arc deTriomphe, walked down the ChampsElysées and had lunch in the Latin Quar-ter where university students lived dur-ing the Middle Ages. After lunch thegroup visited the Cathedral of NotreDame and spent two hours visiting theOrsay museum to see impressionistpaintings. That evening the group ate atanother famous restaurant, the Train

Bleu,whose baroque-style decoration isclassed as a French national monument.

On Wednesday, after a late start, wetraveled by coach to Bayeux in Nor-mandy where we saw the 950-year-oldBayeux tapestry showing the history ofthe 1066 Norman conquest of England.Dinner was taken in the seaside villageof Arromanche,which played an impor-tant role in the June 1944 invasion.

Thursday we visited several sites ofinterest on the D-Day beaches includingthe museum of Arromanche, the Amer-ican military cemetery at Colleville St.-Laurent, which is located just aboveOmaha Beach where the bloodiest fight-ing occurred on June 6, 1944. We alsovisited the Pointe du Hoc,a German clifffortification taken after high casualtiesby an American Ranger unit. We hadlunch in Saint Mere Eglise, which was abloody U.S. parachute drop site on thenight of June 5.

From there we drove down to MontSaint Michel,a breathtaking fortified vil-lage on a rocky hill in a large bay. Athighest tide, the mount becomes anisland, completely surrounded by sea-water. We visited the fantastic abbey onthe top of the rock, and had free time tostroll through the narrow streets of thevillage where we also had dinner. Wespent the night in a 450-year-old hotel.

Friday after a group photo at MontSaint Michel we drove to the Feast siteand had time to settle in before the open-ing night service.

Joel Meeker

GermanySchluchsee

The Feast in Germany was once againheld in Schluchsee, located in Ger-many’s beautiful Black Forest. With anattendance high of 179, brethren fromseven countries celebrated God’s Feastwith inspiring messages and plenty ofgood food and fellowship. The openingservice this year was highlighted by sev-

eral scripture readings and beautiful spe-cial music. After the opening services,brethren were served a “welcome drink”(champagne and orange juice) to enjoywhile they renewed old friendships andbegan new ones. Services were held inGerman with simultaneous Englishtranslations provided.

Messages focused on the Kingdom ofGod, preparing for rulership with aChrist-centered servant leadershipapproach, perseverance, becoming likelittle children and God’s work of salva-tion. Brethren found the messages to beeducational and encouraging,helping tofocus on the wonderful world ahead,with practical instruction for livingtoday.

This year the children participated inthree special Bible classes held through-out the Feast. The children were alsoinvited to join the children’s choir,whichperformed once during Church servicesand once during the variety show. Theannual children’s party was held on Sun-day, which included games, crafts andkegling (German version of bowling).

The weather was mixed this year,with a few days of rain, sun and evensnow! The two days of snow made for abeautiful view of the forested hills.

The teens, young adults and thoseyoung at heart enjoyed an afternoon ofgo-cart racing. Each participant had twoopportunities to fine tune their drivingskills and improve their overall time onthe course. Later in the week, the teensand young adults also enjoyed an after-noon of volleyball. An interactiveBible study titled “Jesus Christ Is Re-turning. . .What Does He Have in Storefor You?”was also conducted one morn-ing for the young adults. They appreci-ated the vision and focus they receivedby discussing God’s plan.

On Tuesday, 50 Feastgoers partici-pated in a bus tour which took themthrough the Black Forest on their way toa cuckoo clock museum and a historicalvillage. Alois and Franz, the Black For-est duo, once again provided music forthe family dance, which kept many ontheir feet dancing until after midnight.The annual variety show was wellattended,and both young and old sharedtheir talents!

The Feast concluded with the tradi-tional farewell evening. Brethren left theFeast energized for the next year, look-ing forward to returning in 2003.

Lisa Fenchel

GhanaOver 700 people met for the first time

as members of the United Church ofGod in Ghana, in West Africa. Last yearthey kept the Feast as members of theRemnant Church of God which is nowUCG.

There were three Feast sites in eachof the three main cities, Accra, Kumasiand Takoradi,with an attendance of 350,200 and 200 respectively. The meetinghalls in both Accra and Takoradi werewithin walking distance of the AtlanticOcean.

Senior pastor Melvin Rhodes visitedall three sites along with his wife,Diane,and two of their three children. For theRhodes family, it was their first visit toGhana since leaving their home there in

Bernard Audoin gives sermon at Feastin France; dance troupe teachesregional dances at folklore evening

Members from St. Louis, Missouri,congregation in front of the chateauof Chenonceau; pre-Feast tour at Arcde Triomphe (photos by Joel Meeker)

Scenes from St. John’s(from top): Ann andWalt Tannert, localelder from Arizona;Steve Allwine speakingwhile Amanda Schmidtfocuses on the camera;Mr. and Mrs. GarlandRopson of Newfound-land celebrate their40th anniversary at theFeast (photos by VicKubik)


1990. All commented on how much thecountry has developed and improved inthe last 12 years.

All three sites had fun activitiesincluding soccer, board games andcards. On some days all the memberswere able to eat together, which onlyadded to the enthusiasm of the members,to whom observance of the Feast ofTabernacles is still new, this being onlythe third time that members have knownabout and kept the Feast.

Melvin Rhodes and Richard Dua

GuatemalaAntigua

The members of the United Churchof God in Guatemala celebrated theFeast of Tabernacles in the colonial cityof Antigua some 30 kilometers (19miles) outside Guatemala City.

With great joy 580 persons attended,among whom were visiting brethrenfrom the United States, Mexico, El Sal-vador and Honduras. Regardless ofnationality, we rejoiced before our greatGod as one body during this last festivalseason of the year.

The weather was superb with justenough rain to keep our meeting hallcool and comfortable—that is to say wehad natural air conditioning! The ser-mons and sermonettes were very inspir-ing and encouraged us to unite as a fam-ily while looking forward to this earth’sglorious future under the government ofthe Son of God.

Activities were varied and offeredsomething for every age group so thatall could experience the flavor of theFeast: a dance for the 150 young peoplein attendance (40 percent of the popula-tion of Guatemala is under 15); a ladies’breakfast; a seniors’breakfast; a Spokes-men’s Club ladies’night; a special chil-dren’s party and a special activity formarried couples. The happiness of eachgroup was evident during the TalentNight program.

The closing sermon showed us God’sultimate awe-inspiring plan for mankindand gave us the strength to face the prob-lems and difficulties as we return to oureveryday lives in this world—a societyruled by Satan, but not for long.

Finally, we all—both young andold—said our good-byes being veryencouraged and looking forward eager-ly to the time when we can see each oth-er again. We will be faithful in the battlewhile awaiting Christ’s return to replacecompletely this world’s governments.Until then, we will continue to pray,“Your Kingdom come!”

Luis Mundo Tello

EsquipulasEsquipulas, a small city surrounded

by the mountains of eastern Guatemala,was the site of the Feast of Tabernaclesfor 202 brethren from El Salvador,Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua andCosta Rica.

Hurricane Isidore was our unwittingally during the Feast, bringing us rain atnight to cool and refresh our daytimehours. As a result, we enjoyed tempera-tures averaging between 18 and 19degrees Celsius.

From opening night to the Last GreatDay,God showered His love upon us by

means of the thought-provoking andhope-filled sermons of His ministry. Themessages reviewed God’s plan forhumanity and showed us how to be tru-ly happy within the framework of Hisdivine instructions.

These pleasant peaceful days offeredmany opportunities to spend time withpeople from all age groups. It was soenjoyable to see parents and grandpar-ents accompanied by children andgrandchildren doing everything togeth-er—eating, taking walks and going toservices. In like manner, it was veryrewarding to see the Church youthenjoying and involving themselves in somany Church activities and the joyexpressed by the ladies of all ages as theytook part in their activities.

During one day Julián Weston and hiswife, Miriam, delighted us with a pianoand voice recital. There was also a Fam-ily Day, several hikes in the nearbymountains, soccer games and wateractivities in one of the swimming pools.

A true attitude of service was evidentamong all the membership in suchthings as the beautiful floral arrange-ments, the care and upkeep of the meet-ing hall,punctuality in arrival at servicesand participation in special music.

One of the most touching events dur-ing the Feast occurred when the mem-bers in one of the hotels presented theowners with a card signed by everyone.It was a moment of mutual appreciationwhere no words were spoken, but thetears in everyone’s eyes said it all.

Near the end of the Feast we were giv-en yet another reason to rejoice: Fouryoung people were baptized after havingdecided to follow the “narrow and diffi-cult way” in these uncertain times.

A message that seemed to stick in theminds of all was the point of one partic-ular sermon that might be paraphrasedthusly: “We all belong exclusively toGod, but God doesn’t belong exclusive-

ly to us.”There is a great lesson for us inthese words—one we all need to assim-ilate during the coming year.

We may have to return to the world,but we will continue to look forward toGod’s Kingdom.

Patricia Cisneros de Santos andCarolina Márquez

ItalyTuscany

Our Feast site in beautiful Tuscanyhad an attendance of approximately 200participants, representatives of (in alpha-betical order): Argentina, Canada,France,Germany,Ghana,Holland, Italy,Martinique, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru,

Romania, the United King-dom and the United States.

We were a small butenthusiastic group of God’speople enjoying heartfeltsermons, good food and aspecial fellowship with oneanother. We were livingproof that language neednot be a barrier to getting toknow and love one anotherin Jesus Christ. Your Italianbrethren would like toexpress their heartfeltthanks to all those whohave celebrated the Feast ofTabernacles with them inItaly this year.

During the Feast, thebrethren had the opportunity to hear veryinspiring and powerful messages aboutGod’s love and plan for the salvation ofhumanity.

At our Feast site the weather was nice

and warm,when storms and floods wereaffecting many parts of northern Europe.The brethren could participate in cultur-al tours to famous historical places likeFlorence, Pisa, Siena and San

Gimignano. Socialactivities like the talentshow and the dancegave all Feast partici-pants the opportunity tocome together in moreChristian fellowship.

The Feast in Italyalso provided theopportunity for poten-tial members who livetoo far away from acongregation to be bap-tized. We give ourwarm welcome toNatalie Vermeer and

Marlene Tasale! Brand-new spiritualbrethren not only represent the fruit ofGod’s work in them, but in the entireChurch and through the Church as well.

The generous Feast offerings alsogave the Church in Italy a tremendoushelp in publishing the true gospel as awitness to the Italian people and nour-ishing the called ones here. The offer-ings were 9 percent higher than lastyear’s Feast. We would like to expressour deep gratitude. We thank all Feast-goers for their generous offerings to sup-port the preaching of the truth in Italy.

Departing from the brethren is alwaysa moving and unforgettable experience.After the Feast many brethren have writ-ten to us in appreciation. Yet we are theones who need to sincerely express our

gratefulness for their brotherly presence,friendship and support. There are notadequate words to thank all those whohave served and contributed in variousways to make the Feast truly memorableto God’s glory and honor. We hope thateven more brethren will attend the Feastin Italy next year.

Carmelo Anastasi

JamaicaOcho Rios

The tropical tranquillity of Ocho Rios,Jamaica, was the eight-day spiritualhome for more than 300 brethren thisyear. Once again, the Feast of Taberna-cles was held at the beachside Renais-sance Jamaica Grande Hotel.

Despite tropical storms that disruptedweather at the start and end of the Feast,brethren were able to enjoy rejuvenatingsermons, fellowship and activities. All13 speakers inspired, challenged andrefreshed brethren with sermons and ser-monettes looking forward to life in theworld tomorrow and expounding on liv-ing God’s way today. A wonderful arrayof special music also enriched the ser-vices, performed by a combined choir,the Jamaica choir, children’s choir andvarious visiting and local members andyoung people. Attendance reached ahigh of 357 on Youth Day.

In between storms, brethren enjoyed

sun, the Family Fun Day on the beachand a tour of the area that included aclimb up Dunn’s River Falls. Visitorsjoined together with the Jamaicanbrethren to put on a talent show, one ofthe entertainment highlights of the Feast.

Gary Smith, assistant Festival coordi-nator,described the Feast as relaxing andspiritually rewarding, teaching God’struth in a beautiful environment. PaulFisher, pastor of the Kingston, Jamaica,congregation, commented that the mes-sages were thought-provoking and chal-lenging; while Doug Horchak, pastor ofthe Dallas, Texas, congregation andmember of the Council of Elders,described the Festival atmosphere as oneof relaxation and love.

Resort staff continue to give favorablereports of UCG guests, who have met atthe hotel for three years.

For more about the effects of thestorms on the brethren, see “JamaicanBrethren Weather the Storm,” below.

Janice Lynn Mather

KenyaNjoro

Seventy-two members gathered fromthroughout Kenya and Tanzania andwere joined by eight international mem-bers (seven Americans and one Italian)to observe the Feast of Tabernacles inNjoro, a small town located on Kenya’s

Pretty representatives of threecontinents exemplified the unity ofAmerica, Africa and Europe duringthe Feast in Tuscany, Italy (photoby Grace Rothenbacher)

Special music in Esquipulas (photo by Cesar Guzmán)

Kingston and Ocho Rios, Jamaica, congregations during Feast 2002

Brethren enjoyed the Feast at theJamaica Grande Resort despite theeffects of two hurricanes in two weeks.They had a lot of rain from hurricaneIsidore,but no activities were canceled.

The Last Great Day hurricane, Lili,threatened the island. Jamaica sufferedmillions of dollars of damage fromflooding and high winds and three peo-ple were killed. We did have heavyrains on the Last Great Day, but thehotel did not sustain any damage. Godprotected us and the hurricane did nothit the area.

The members of the Kingston,Jamaica, congregation were spared anear tragedy on Sunday, Sept. 29.Brethren were returning to Kingston,but could not take the normal route, anarrow pass over a river in a deep val-ley which was impassable because ofthe heavy rain.

The brethren took an alternate routethat seemed safe,but toward the end of

the journey the bus that was takingmost of the brethren encountered waterup to the top of the tires. This resultedin extensive damage to suitcases,cloth-ing and boxes that were in the cargosection underneath the bus.

Several of the automobiles with oth-er brethren that took the same routealso experienced flooding. The vehi-cle that was being driven by Churchelder Leeford Burke stalled becausewater entered the engine and the cab,reaching Carole Burke’s lap. The fam-ily was rescued by people in the areawho had to pull the automobile out ofharm’s way.

Several other families, includingSharon Boyne and Fitzroy Ferguson,also suffered water damage to theirvehicles, but thankfully God was mer-ciful and there was no loss of life. Godreally protected His people duringthese frightening experiences.

Kingsley O. Mather

Jamaican Brethren Weather the Storm


Mau Escarpment of the Great Rift Val-ley. Njoro is located approximately 103miles (167 kilometers) by road (a four-hour drive) from Nairobi, the capital ofKenya.

The members heard inspiring mes-sages concerning the Feast of Taberna-cles such as reconciliation to God, fourelements of a kingdom, being a light tothe world, listening to God, judgmentand learning from God’s creation.Nineteen individuals also began coun-seling for baptism. Many of the mem-bers commented that this was one oftheir best Feasts ever.

All the brethren lodged at the Agri-cultural Resource Center of EgertonUniversity, a facility with beautifullyplanted and maintained grounds. Mem-bers enjoyed encouraging and positivefellowship and dined together in anopen-air restaurant. Activities at theFeast included a visit to Egerton Castle(an old English estate of Lord Egerton,founder of the University), an adven-turous hike to Njoro Caves, FamilyChristian Club, Bible Bowl eveningand numerous educational and enter-tainment videos.

One of the highlights of the Feastwas a trip to Lake Nakuru NationalPark where many of the brethren sawflamingos, storks, giraffes, baboons,monkeys, impalas, gazelles, cape buf-faloes, elephants, rhinos, lions andleopards.

After the Feast, the internationalbrethren had the opportunity to experi-ence the wonder of the unique creaturesand breathtaking landscapes of Africaby going on safari in the Masai Maraand Amboseli National Park. Themembers enjoyed numerous gamedrives viewing hippos, crocodiles,baboons, exotic birds, cheetahs, wilde-beests, zebras, elephants, lions, leop-ards, warthogs, hyenas, jackals, capebuffaloes, gazelles and variousantelopes.

Dave and Dorrie Baker

MalawiNkopola Lodge

Tikulandirani means “welcome” inChichewa, the most commonly spokenlanguage in Malawi. The 56 brethrenwho congregated at the Malawi Feastsite made each other feel most wel-come and appreciated. This was thefirst time since the inception of theUnited Church of God that our mem-bers were able to observe the Feast inMalawi.

Nkopola Lodge, which served as theFestival site, is located next to thesouthern regions of Lake Malawi. It isset right on beaches of shimmeringwhite sand, palm groves and coconuttrees. Bird life abounds, and the popu-lation of fish eagles(similar to theAmerican baldeagle) on the shore-line is said to be thedensest in Africa.

Our members didnot stay at NkopolaLodge, but in tents

either supplied by the lodge or tentsthey were able to take along them-selves. Because of the mild tropical cli-mate and lack of rainfall at that time ofthe year, this turned out to be an accept-able arrangement.

The spiritual food was supplied byvideotaped sermons sent from the

home office, and from visiting minis-ter André van Belkum who wasaccompanied by his wife, Elize. Itwas a blessing to meet in an air-con-ditioned hall situated within aminute’s walk from where the mem-bers were staying.

Special activities included a three-hour boat ride to an island on the lakeinhabited by a variety of marine birds.Then a special evening of feastingwas arranged, with an extra spread ofmeat and vegetables. Nobody leftfeeling hungry! These events weremade possible through donationsfrom churches and individuals fromoverseas areas. These donations also

covered a portion of the transport andaccommodation costs of the members,who greatly appreciated this generousassistance.

This was truly a Feast characterizedby an abundance of rejoicing, fellow-shipping and spiritual nourishment.

Before departing, we made provi-sional reservations for next year’sFeast.

André van Belkum

MauritiusTwo of us met every day of the Feast

as well as on the Last Great Day to viewvideo sermons sent from the homeoffice. Although these sermons were

from last year’sFeast, they wereexcellent, truly“meat in due sea-son.”

Since there werenine tapes (includ-ing the Feast 2002video), we viewedtwo sermons on thefirst day with ahome-prepared

lunch in between.We had also received

audiotapes of sermons inFrench sent by Joel Meek-er. For convenience, wedecided to listen to theseon our time.

In keeping with thespirit of the Feast ofTabernacles, we hadlunch at excellent restau-

rants twice during the week, includingthe Last Great Day.

Suren Proag

MexicoGuanajuato

The Feast of Tabernacles 2002 inMexico was celebrated in the beautifulcolonial city of Guanajuato, capital ofthe state that goes by the same name.Guanajuato is located about 230 milesnorthwest of Mexico City, the nation’scapital.

Total attendance at the Feast site was311 (including about 25 visitingbrethren from the United States). All ofus enjoyed a memorable Feast 2002,with delicious food, clean fun, family-oriented activities and warm and lov-ing fellowship, the most importantactivity being the spiritually upliftingsermons.

Most days were beautiful, sunny andbright, with the exception of one day ofrain, which did not prevent the sched-uled activity (a tour of nearby SanMiguel de Allende, last year’s Feastsite) from taking place.

The activities were great, including acallejoneada, a street party which is atraditional activity in Guanajuato. Itconsists of a walk in the eveningthrough the colonial streets of the city,with soft drinks for the adults andyoung children and a group of travelingmusicians, called estudiantina. All theparticipants very much enjoyed thisactivity.

Other activities included a women’s

breakfast, a children’s party, a familyday at a nearby swimming pool resort,a video of the 2002 Mexican summercamp with pizzas and soft drinks for theyoung people, a youth dance with ham-burgers and soft drinks, a senior citi-zens’ dinner with live music and giftsfor all the elderly and a Mexican cos-tume dinner and dance with live music(called Noche Mexicana—“Mexicannight”). This activity was very special.The hall was beautifully decorated, andit included an exposition of arts andcrafts of the region, as well as an out-standing performance of typical Mexi-can dances by the professional dancegroup of the University of Guanajuato.The “Mexican Night” proved to be thehighlight of the activities.

On the spiritual side, which is themain purpose of the Feast, there weredaily Bible studies in the morning witha variety of topics for the whole family(children, young people, singles, adults,married couples, senior citizens) anddaily services (two on the Holy Days)with inspirational special music, ser-monettes and sermons. There was aBible class for the children every dayof the Feast. The sermons and Biblestudies covered important topics,including: “Learning From the Past,”“God’s Holy Days,” “Being Equippedas Saints in God’s Service” (Feastvideo), “Knowing God,” “Blessed Arethe Meek,” “Drug Addiction and Alco-holism,” “Lessons of TemporaryDwellings,” “Health and Care of SeniorCitizens,” “Knowing the Eternal,” “TheBook of the Great White Throne Judg-ment,” “The Feast and Our Earthly Pil-grimage,” “The Restoration of the

Earth,” “Christian Principles of Dat-ing,” “Bible Study on Marriage andSex,” “The Meaning of the Last GreatDay” and many relevant and inspiringsermonettes.

The highlight on the spiritual sidewas the baptism of 12 new children ofGod that took place during the Feast.

All together, the activities, the greatabundance of warm and loving Christ-ian fellowship and the spiritual banquetprovided by daily Bible studies and ser-vices, focused on the greatness of ourloving God and the majestic purposeportrayed by His wonderful and mostinspiring Feast of Tabernacles and LastGreat Day. As a result, the Feast turnedout to be a spiritual success. Now welook forward to the coming Feast ofTabernacles 2003!

Pablo Dimakis

NigeriaBenin City

Members of the United Church ofGod met at the Edo Hotel in Benin City,Edo State, in the southern part of Nige-ria, to observe the Feast of Tabernacles2002. The Edo Hotel, located right inthe middle of Benin City, is a quiet,comfortable hotel with many suites andchalets scattered all over the same com-pound. The Feast site was approxi-mately a five-hour drive from Lagos,the commercial center and largest cityof Nigeria. Nigeria, a former Britishcolony in West Africa, has an approxi-mate population of about 120 millionpeople.

The majority of members attending

At the Feast this year every U.S. andCanadian Feast site, as well as manyinternational sites, had a teen Biblestudy.

These studies were conducted bypastors and elders who were askedseveral weeks in advance to preparethese studies. The presenters wereasked to participate in a teleconfer-ence call about a month before theFeast to share topics, approaches andthen give comments. This allowed forample preparation time, as well asfeedback and comments from thegroup to further sharpen each study.The studies are intended to be focusedand rather interactive, which helpsmake them more interesting.

Topics this year included prayer,righteous judgment, a teen’s per-sonal relationship with God and howthe problems teens face today willbe solved by God’s coming King-dom. Several of the studies had acommon theme of making wisedecisions and standing up for whatyou believe. Examples of Daniel,Abraham and Sarah were used atvarious Feast sites.

Most of the teens who attendedresponded favorably, with many pre-senters getting “thank yous” for thestudies. One teen commented abouthow much he appreciated the way the

study challenged his preconceivednotions, causing him to reconsiderhow God desires him to live.

Parents have also given positivefeedback. One parent commented

about observing her teen becomingmore earnest about prayer and a rela-tionship with God after the study.Another parent suggested more stud-ies for the teens—perhaps two orthree during the Feast!

The primary focus of the Feast ofTabernacles is for each of us to morefully “learn to fear the LORD your Godalways” (Deuteronomy 14:23). Theteen studies are another way of doingthat, and helping parents with theirGod-given responsibility to teach andtrain their children and teenagers.

Thomas L. Clark

Teen Studies Focus on Feastand God’s Kingdom

Teen Bible study in Branson,Missouri (photo by Aaron Greider)

Brethren at the Feast in Njoro, Kenya

Choir in Malawi; above, Chonde family fellow-shipping after services (photos by Derrick Pringle)


had to travel from Lagoswhere the country’s interna-tional airport is also located.We learned later that a road-block and robbery took placeon the major highway we alltraveled on about one hour or less aftermost of us had passed by. God waswatching over us!

The staff at the Edo Hotel witnesseda different kind of people using theirfacilities. Here was a group of smiling,happy people who were not demand-ing, but spreading their joy to all whocame into contact with them. Theywere God’s chosen who had come tocelebrate their calling and God’s planof salvation as revealed in His annualHoly Days.

A larger than expected crowd assem-bled for morning services in the spa-cious meeting hall to sing praises toGod and listen to messages about Hisperfect plan for all nations. There were106 in attendance on the first day of theFeast of Tabernacles and 101 on theLast Great Day.

A news crew from the state televi-sion authority, NTA Benin, showed upright after morning services. Theyinterviewed Bruce Gore and somemembers asking questions about theorigin and meaning of the Feast ofTabernacles. The interview was airedthe next evening on the local televisionstation.

The following day, a man called thestation wanting to know how to findwhere this group of people were meet-ing who were keeping the Feast thatJesus kept. He was directed to the EdoHotel. The television crew returned onThursday to film our trip to visit the zooand again on the last Holy Day to filmthe blessing of the children service andpart of the final sermon. We actuallyhad several visitors as a result of thetelevision coverage.

A number of local men shared in thespeaking responsibilities, giving ser-monettes and split sermons. They alldid an outstanding job. AzariahMaxwell Coffie, formerly of the Rem-nant Church of God, came over from

Ghana to be with us as well.His two messages were verymuch appreciated. Theremaining messages andBible studies were given byBruce Gore from the UnitedStates. The messages werevery rich and inspiring.Singing was enthusiastic.Special music was superb—

as good as you will hear at any Feastsite!

The hand of God was evident in allthe activities. With astonishing regular-ity, each day’s special music tied in withthe messages given. Some of the mes-sages included: learning to rejoice; howto have conviction and a high sense ofpurpose in our lives; walking, talking,living and acting holy; the three levelsof our relationship with God’s law; howto wage peace; a youth Bible study ondating and marriage; a Bible study on“whole Bible” Bible study; and muchmore.

Families and children alike enjoyedthe sports and social day. It was a relax-ing and fun-filled day with such activ-ities as a sack race, catching the train,indoor and outdoor games, “pull forpeace,” poem recitations, dramas, skits,choreography, cultural dance and oth-er talents performed by young and oldalike.

Several who attended live too faraway to attend the weekly Sabbath ser-vices. We all knew it would be a longtime before we would all be togetheragain. It was hard to say good-bye.

The words of one of the memberssum it up well: “While we may tend tofeel every Feast here in Nigeria is thebest Feast ever, this Feast really wasone of the best in a very long time.

“This Feast’s joyous atmosphere andreality of being part of a great world-wide family or international associationof God’s people was reinforced morein members’ minds by the wonderfulexample and freely given financial sac-rifice by our brethren in sister church-es in the United States. Their financialgifts of love took care of the accom-modations plus lunch and dinner for allthe brethren! Without this assistance,the Feast would not have been as enjoy-able and fun-filled nor kept in as nice aplace as we had this year.

“We sincerely appreciate their loveand pray for God’s blessings and graceto abound more in their lives. It also isa big encouragement to us as we real-ize they are setting good examples ofgodly love in deeds for us to emulate.”

Oludare Akimbo and Bruce Gore

PeruHuanchaco

This year we celebrated the Feast ofTabernacles in Huanchaco, a city on theshores of the Pacific Ocean. There weenjoyed eight days of rejoicing andChristian fellowship. Our highest atten-dance was 161. We enjoyed the com-pany of 18 brethren from Ecuador and9 from the United States. We reallyappreciate the effort they made to comeand share with us.

We had messages about the wonder-ful world to come and how to prepareourselves now for that world. We alsohad messages relating how to live ourdaily lives while we wait for JesusChrist.

One of the highlights of the Feastwas a presentation made by the chil-dren of the congregation. They pre-pared this show for almost nine monthsand were very happy to give somethingto the brethren through this specialevent.

We had a get-together, prepared bythe married couples, for the singlesattending the Feast. We also had a din-ner prepared by the singles for the mar-ried couples. We enjoyed a lively talentshow with Peruvian dances, and twogroups of members, one from Huarazand one from Lima, played Peruvianmusic for us.

By the end of the Feast we were verysad to say good-bye, but left with thestrong desire to persevere in God’s wayand keep praying “Your Kingdomcome.”

Manuel Quijano

PhilippinesBaguio City

For the second year weheld the Feast in BaguioCity at the Girl Scouts ofthe Philippines (GSP)“Ang Ating Tahanan”(Our Home) NationalProgram and TrainingCenter compound. Withenthusiasm and joy 106brethren from the Luzonarea of the Philippines,together with two over-seas brethren from the

United States and Australia, kept theFeast in this site that is very conducivefor worship and fellowship.

The main activities for the Feast, ofcourse, were the ser-vices. Whole-day ser-vices were held on thefirst day as well as theLast Great Day whenthe Feastgoers enjoyeda fellowship lunchtogether at the camp-grounds of the GSP.Morning services wereheld on the second tothe seventh day of theFeast.

We were all inspired bythe messages delivered,which focused on the won-derful world tomorrow andhow we ought all to pre-pare ourselves for ourtremendous responsibili-ties as kings and priestsunder Jesus Christ in theKingdom of God. We wereall likewise moved by thevery timely message of theFestival video on equip-ping the saints in the ser-vice of God.

Especially inspired andmoved by the messageswas a group of prospectivemembers from San Fabian, Pangasi-

nan, who kept the Feastof Tabernacles for thefirst time. They were allgrateful that God hadopened their minds tounderstand His won-derful plan of salvation,not only for Christians,but for all of mankind.

Feastgoers had funin the city tour ofBaguio riding on color-ful passenger jeepneys.They also enjoyed aWalt Disney film on amodern-day “Noah.”Other family-orientedactivities included afamily dance night and

variety show, as well as afamily day where fami-lies enjoyed an after-noon of fun and games.Teens were also treatedto a game of bowling inthe afternoon of theyouth day and theseniors were honoredwith a dinner especiallyfor them.

The Feast ended withall the brethren renewed

and strengthenedto face the worldagain but lookingforward to keep-ing the Feastagain next yearand more focusedon what the Feastgloriously pic-tures: the King-dom of God!

Rey Evasco

Davao CityImagine happy

people living next door to each oth-er—eating, laughing, singing, playingand worshiping God together. Thatwas what it was like at the Davao

Festival site. Al-most everyonelived within thepeaceful atmos-phere of the GSPcamp, away fromthe noise andcommotion ofthe city.

This is the fifthyear that we used

the camp. In 1998, we were only 112.In four years, we have more than dou-bled—having grown 162 percent!

Our highest attendance this year was293, a 28 percent increase over lastyear. We have grown by almost 30 per-cent per year since our first UCG Feasthere in 1997. Since last Feast alone,God has added four new congrega-tions—bringing the total number ofMindanao congregations to 15.

We had 17 baptisms this Feast, fromnine of the congregations in Mindanao.The combined Feast of Tabernacles andLast Great Day offering posted a 50.6percent increase over last year.

God also blessed us with inspiringmessages on fearing God and keepingour focus on the goal. We were blessedto have two visiting speakers—ClydeKilough, chairman of the Council ofElders, and his father-in-law, King Fin-lay, an elder serving in Bethlehem,Pennsylvania. Both of them and theirwives were with us for the first half ofthe Feast (this is the second time in arow that the Kiloughs attended theFeast with us). We also had other guestsfrom the United States.

Mr. Kilough showed a 20-minutevideo clip on the opening night service,documenting the grandeur of our uni-verse. It was awe-inspiring to compre-

Playing and singing in Baguio City, Philippines(photos by Rafael Uy and Rey Evasco)

Baguio City, Philippines, group (photo by Rafael Uy)

Preparing to practice for the children’s choir atthe Davao City Feast site; above, King Finlayof Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, surrounded bykids in Davao (photos by Charles Macaraeg)

Scenes from the Feast inNigeria. Right, EzekielAlimi and Bruce Gore atthe entrance to Edo Hotel


hend what great things God has in storefor us!

All the messages were a great bless-ing, as were the activities for young andold alike: seniors’ social, youth activi-ty, family night, the beach outing andfruit festival. There was also a varietyshow, featuring authentic Filipino cul-tural songs and dances.

Without togetherness, an emotionalbond couldn’t be built. It doesn’t mat-ter where we come from; nor how richor poor; nor the color of our eyes orskin. In God’s loom, our many livesbecome one beautiful tapestry.

Being together made it special—helping make it the best Feast ever!

Daniel Roy G. Macaraeg

Iloilo CityThis year’s Feast of Tabernacles in

Punta Villa Iloilo proved to be the bestand most fruitful for the Visayas areabrethren (the central part of the Philip-pines). Eighty-three of God’s peoplegathered from Negros Occidental andLeyte provinces as well as from Aus-

tralia and the United States.For eight days, the people of God

enjoyed physical and spiritual food andclose camaraderie, which made rela-tionships ever closer and stronger.Everyone got to know each other, giv-ing a true picture of one family.

God blessed us through the mes-sages delivered, which focused mostlyon the coming world tomorrow and onhow Christians should live while wait-ing for the return of Jesus Christ toestablish the Kingdom of God. Themessage of this year’s Festival video,which talked about equipping the saintsin the service of God and His people,was well received by the brethren, espe-cially for those who serve in the min-istry.

A number of brethren from outsidethe Philippines who attended here forthe first time showed their love and con-cern for the brethren. One visitorbought Bibles from local malls for thebrethren. Another brother from theUnited States, who wasn’t able tocome, donated funds to buy Bibles aswell. Others expressed their love bycontributing to the needs of young peo-ple, particularly the children duringgroup activities. The variety show dur-ing the Family Night was a big success.Our foreign guests joined and enjoyeddancing the tinikling, called by oneguest, the “dangerous dance.” Tiniklingis a Filipino dance where the partici-pants have to carefully tiptoe between

moving bamboo poles with the localfast rhythm music as background.

Clyde Kilough and Florante Siopanbaptized Mrs. Ruperta Betoy of Sem-porna Sabah, East Malaysia. The bap-tism was witnessed by a number ofbrethren in the afternoon of the seventhday of the Feast.

We were very much welcomed bythe resort’s management. They offeredfree use of their three pools to UCGmembers and their families during thewhole Feast.

The hard part of the Feast is the end.There was a lot of hugging and kissing,and most eyes were wet, not wanting tosee that it was time to depart. One childexpressed her true feelings when shesaid, “Why not extend the Feast? Idon’t want to go home yet.”

Florante Siopan

South AfricaUvongo

The Feast of Tabernacles 2002 wascelebrated in Uvongo, South Africa,beside the warm Indian Ocean watersof the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal.We had our highest attendance of 252

people on the first and second days ofthe Feast. This included a welcomecontingent of 14 U.S. visitors, one eachfrom France and New Zealand, andfour from the United Kingdom.

Roy and Norma Holladay spent theFeast with us. Members remarkedabout his inspirational sermons, speak-ing on the eternal benefits of the King-dom of God, the healing of the world,why the Kingdom of God will endure,what we will be doing forever and thetiming of events on the Last Great Day.

Bill Jahns spoke for the first time ata South African site, speaking to theyouth about choices in life and explain-ing the meaning of the eighth day of theFeast as a day of fairness, when Godgives everyone an opportunity to beconverted.

The Festival video was highly appre-ciated, and provided a great insight intohow the saints will be trained for futureservice in the Kingdom.

The ordination of Jorge de Camposon the first Holy Day was an excitingevent, and many members found thetwo Bible studies introducing Ambas-sador Bible Center subjects very valu-able. Mr. Holladay covered an intro-duction to the Epistles of Paul, and BillJahns delved into the myths of evolu-tion and facts of divine creation.

There were outstanding offerings of100 percent above last year’s. Althoughthe weather was unusually intrusiveinto our activities, most Feastgoersfound many things to do together,including boating close to whales anddolphins, visiting the Oribi Gorge andenjoying the beach when the sun shone.

In the absence of André van Belkum,who was in Zimbabwe and Malawi forthe Feast, Neil Becker coordinated theUvongo site.

Our visitors commented on thefriendships they made at the Feast.Alyson Alexander, from Texas, said,“I had the most wonderful time inUvongo! From the opening night Iwas made to feel right at home. Thebrethren were extremely welcomingand friendly. Fast friends were maderight away.”

“The Feast in Uvongo was high-lighted by the warmth, love and cama-raderie of the brethren in South Africa,”said Mr. Holladay. “The hospitality ofthe brethren was outstanding. I thinkone theme of the Feast was maintainingthe vision of the Kingdom of God. Thebrethren in South Africa are faced withmany dangers on a daily basis. We wereencouraged by their willingness to

obey God and to carry onwith their lives. God has agroup of members inSouth Africa who areprimed for growth in thefuture.”

More comments and

photographs can be found on theWeb at www.ucgrsa.org/feast/.

Peter Hawkins

United StatesBend-Redmond, Oregon

Feastgoers here enjoyed beautifulfall scenery and summer-like weatherin the pines and mountains of CentralOregon. The High Desert Museum, a38-mile dinner train ride and a familychuck wagon dinner show were amongthe most popular attractions. Our sec-ond annual family fun show was againan outstanding success, attended bymore than 500 brethren; and 62 teensenjoyed an afternoon of recreation atEagle Crest resort. More than 200seniors were treated to a sumptuousbuffet lunch.

Attendance at services averagedbetween 800 and 900 every day, peak-ing at 931 on the first Holy Day (plus arecord 58 cybercast connections). Also270 attended a Bible study on millen-nial justice conducted by Bob Dick.

An article about the Feast appearedin the Bend newspaper the day beforeopening night. Another 700-word arti-cle written by Feast coordinator LarryWalker entitled, “Celebrate the FutureReign of Jesus on Earth” appeared inthe “Words on Faith” section of theBend newspaper on the opening day ofthe Feast.

Holy Day offerings were generous.Cash donations of more than $1,000and 50 boxes of food items were col-lected for and donated to the local foodbank. Leftover food at the end of theFeast was distributed to needy mem-bers.

Larry J. Walker

Branson, MissouriMore than a thousand brethren cele-

brated the Feast in the heart of theOzarks in Branson, Missouri. The ser-mons were outstanding, the weatherwas beautiful, the activities well-planned—all ideal for fellowship.

Speakers at the Feast deliveredinspiring messages—whether sermon-ettes, Bible studies, offertories or ser-mons. Topics included vision, restora-tion, reputation and discerning thetimes, to name a few. Would youbelieve we sleuthed our way throughthe mystery of dry bones in true detec-tive style?

Teens were able to get together atTable Rock State Park and enjoyed avariety of activities. Our seniors fel-lowshipped during a luncheon in theirhonor. Families were able to spendquality time at a local putt-putt golfcourse and go-cart track.

The golfers in our midst had theirchoice of many courses to play on,

including a Jack Nicklaussignature course. If the scoresweren’t perfect, the weathercertainly was.

I bet you are wonderingabout the shows! Bransonhas over 60 shows in morethan 30 theaters, and ourbrethren were able to take ina number of them. The peo-ple who run BaldknobbersTheater, where we met for

services in Branson, were the folks whostarted the first show in Branson in thelate 1950s. They are still providingfamily-oriented entertainment.

Of course the biggest factor in Bran-son’s success was God’s Spirit. If youhave the chance to visit Branson for theFeast, you will have a wonderful time.

Paul Wasilkoff

Corpus Christi, TexasWhat a wonderful year to observe

God’s Festival in Corpus Christi,Texas! The 576 attendees (approxi-mately 100 more than anticipated)enjoyed the beauty of Corpus ChristiBay on the Gulf of Mexico.

The Feast began with HurricaneIsidore heading our way. As a Festivalcongregation, we prayed and askedGod to protect our site as well as oursister site in Panama City Beach, Flori-da. Those prayers were answered. Cor-pus Christi only had rain one morningduring services. The skies cleared bynoon and our teen pool and beach par-ty came off without a hitch. In fact, theweather this year was the best I haveseen during the Feast, with tempera-tures in the mid-80s and bright sun-shine.

The messages were inspiring. Eachspeaker expounded a specific aspect ofGod’s plan of salvation as revealedthrough the Feast of Tabernacles andLast Great Day.

A spirit of harmony and cooperationwas evident. This year “Bayfest” (acity-sponsored carnival with food ven-dors, live musical presentations andretail kiosks) was held on the last week-end of the Feast. We had been con-cerned about how it might impact ourservices and parking, but all workedwell for all concerned.

On behalf of the festival congrega-tion at Corpus Christi, we offer our sin-cere thanks to the brethren worldwidewho prayed for our weather and safety.God richly blessed our observance ofHis Feast.

Britton M. Taylor

Escondido, CaliforniaThis year 1,130 brethren assembled

together in the lovely Performing ArtsCenter of Escondido to hear loud, clearand lovingly expressed the wonderfulnews about the coming Kingdom ofGod. This year more than ever God’sincredible loving desire for an intimateand enduring relationship with each ofus seemed to be the unmistakableunderlying theme of each message.

The Escondido Feast site once againenjoyed its predictable warm but pleas-ant late summer temperatures. This citylies in an interior valley of Northern SanDiego County. Within 30 to 40 min-utes’ drive in each direction, you caneither be heading into pine-clad moun-tains, enjoying a sandy beach, touringthe major attractions of San Diego orwalking through the vineyards of near-by Temecula. Each year nearly 40 to 50percent of our people stay in the beachcommunities of Oceanside or Carlsbadand commute into services.

While metropolitan San Diego hasworld-class attractions, the primaryattraction at the Escondido Feast siterightfully remains the Festival activitiesthemselves and the brethren. Through-

Uvongo, South Africa, audienceand Feast choir (photos byMichelle and Clarissa de Campos)

Iloilo City, Philippines (photos by Raul Villacote and Samuel Siopan)


out the course of the week, we wereable to experience young adult and teendrop-in socials, a teen beach party, aHawaiian luau, a senior citizens’ ban-quet and a fine dinner and musical pro-duction put on by the Performing ArtsCenter.

Perhaps the most popular event con-tinues to be the old-fashioned familyday picnic at a nearby park that bringsall the brethren together no matter howold or how young.

The Escondido site had a rich arrayof additional Church-related educa-tional experiences including Festivalyouth classes, a teen Bible class, ayoung adults’ Bible study and anevening Bible study. This year’s study,conducted by Cecil Maranville, cen-tered on a prophetic subject of muchinterest, “What Is the Mark of theBeast?”

Next year Escondido will once againbe an official site for the Feast of Taber-nacles 2003. While many experiencedthe “best Feast yet” this year, we lookforward to what God has in store for usto learn and experience next year in thispleasant valley city.

Robin Webber

Gatlinburg, TennesseeThis year 1,525 attended a spectacu-

lar Feast and Last Great Day in Gatlin-burg,Tennessee. Although we had a lit-tle more rain than the year before, thattoo was really a blessing in that it wasmuch needed in the area and it had verylittle effect on activities.

The spiritual food pointed us towardsthat time in the future we all yearn sodesperately for. I heard many positivecomments about this year’s Feast video,and we had an all-time-high number ofrequests for sets of sermon tapes as well.The messages were straight from theheart and well received, as was the spe-cial music. The special music rangedfrom beautiful selections sung by thechoir to a spectacular violin solo. Ofcourse the children’s choir was a high-light as usual—the smiles and the voic-es completely lit up the room.

All of the planned activities werewell attended. We had a family danceon the first Saturday night bringing oldfriends and family together as well asintroducing new family and friends toone another. The following eveningmany of the elementary school-agedchildren spent the night at the Aquari-um of the Smokies learning about sealife and actually sleeping underneaththe glass enclosed tanks filled withsharks, sting rays and hundreds ofspecies of sea creatures.

On Monday evening hundreds ofFeastgoers attended the Dixie Stam-pede, a dining experience in whicheveryone eats a huge meal with theirfingers while watching a dazzling dis-play of horsemanship in the center are-na. Audience participation is heavilyencouraged, and we found the Churchto be in fine voice as everyone cheeredloudly.

Tuesday was Family Day and hun-dreds more tracked up into the moun-tains to Ober Gatlinburg via driving thewinding roads or taking the gondola.Once there, they were met with activi-ties ranging from board games to go-carts, from an alpine slide to ice skating.

It was uplifting to see the smiles oneveryone’s faces.

Other activities included a host ofsingles’ activities, an evening concertput on by the Myers Brothers (DaveMyers was not present), a night of“Pickin’ and Grinnin’,” a seniors’ lun-cheon and two teen activities includingkaraoke, games and pizza. On Fridayevening there were well received Biblestudies for four different groups.

For me personally the highlight ofthe Feast was the obvious miracle Godprovided in caring for an 84-year-oldmember from the Wichita, Kansas,congregation. Mrs. Virginia Wempenfell during the Feast and was taken tothe trauma center in Knoxville. Uponarrival she was found to have severalbroken ribs, a punctured lung and wasin considerable pain. The doctors werevery concerned that she might not makeit. There was tremendous concernabout her developing pneumonia aswell.

However, as the days progressed, itbecame evident that God was listeningto all the prayers. She was able to begintraveling home the Sunday followingthe Feast. Although a complete recov-ery may take some more time, it wastremendously encouraging to see God’sdirect intervention before our very eyes.God truly is a loving Father. By allaccounts this was another wonderfullyinspiring and uplifting Feast of Taber-nacles and Last Great Day.

Mark Winner

Hagerstown, MarylandTodd Carey, in the opening night

message for the 2002 Feast of Taber-nacles in Hagerstown, Maryland, set a

theme of filling others’“buckets” with respect,festivity and rejoicingwhile not allowing Satanto destroy our Feast withbad attitudes. “Brethren,determine in your hearttonight, that there’s noth-ing that Satan is going todo to railroad your Feast. Imean nothing. Don’t allow the evil oneto have a moment of your Festival,brethren.” Taking the message to heart,brethren began “filling each others’buckets” immediately and continueddoing so throughout the Feast.

The Feast of 2002 marked the firstyear that the United Church of God hassponsored a Feast in Hagerstown.While there are always a few chal-lenges in setting up a new location,Hagerstown proved to be an over-whelming success and served as a won-derful site to obey God’s command toobserve His Feast of Tabernacles.

With a high attendance of 944 on thefirst day, the Feast was marked byinspiring sermons on topics such as theglory of God, preparing to rule in theKingdom, the bride of Christ, anoverview of God’s end-time plan,choices and consequences, livingwaters, the meaning of the Last GreatDay and patience. These were backedup by an adult Bible study on the“Feast of Tabernacles and the EighthDay – Past, Present and Future,” ayoung adult Bible study on “Discern-ing the Times” and a teen Bible studyon “Being a Judge in the WorldTomorrow.” Of course, the Feastvideo was inspiring and instructive.

The brethren in Hagerstown werealso able to enjoy a wonderful physicalfeast with many family-oriented activ-ities. Bus trips and tours to Washing-ton, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland,were enjoyed by many brethren. Teenshad the unique opportunity to designand plan their own activity! They chosea night at a nearby bowling alley/videoarcade. Our senior citizens relaxed at adelicious luncheon followed by enter-tainment provided by fellow seniors.

Family day was tremendous fun asthe brethren gathered at the historicHagerstown City Park to enjoy food,fellowship and children’s games. Thatnight everyone gathered again in the

auditorium for a Fam-ily Fun Show thatshowcased the talentand humor of many ofour brethren. Anotherpopular activity was abus trip to Lancaster,Pennsylvania, to enjoya musical presenta-tion at the Sight andSound MillenniumTheater. The showtold the story ofDaniel’s life and his

faith.Of course,

we tend tomention theofficial activi-ties, but we allknow that someof the mostenjoyable andm e m o r a b l eFeast activitiesare the hoursspent aroundthe dinner tableor swimmingpool talkingwith brethrenof like mind.These precioushours of learn-

ing about each other and encouragingeach other are always a Feast highlight!

There was a spirit of peace, love andcooperation at the Feast in Hagerstownas over 900 of God’s people gathered tocelebrate and learn about the wonderful

world tomorrow. King David would bepleased as the brethren fulfilled hiswords: “Behold, how good and howpleasant it is for brethren to dwelltogether in unity!” (Psalm 133:1).

Erik Jones

Jekyll Island, GeorgiaThe Feast in Jekyll Island, Georgia,

this year was characterized by peaceand unity among the 1,063 brethren inattendance. This was over 200 moreattendees than projected. Jekyll Is-

land is an idealsite with its mini-mal commercial-ization and pris-tine beauty. Theweather, overall,was excellent,with rain for only

a couple of days in spite of the adjacentstorms. The Teen/Family Beach Out-ing was a huge success again this yearwith about 300 participating. It rainedfor a day and a half before the beachouting, right up to the time we neededit to quit. God answered our prayersand we had perfect weather for it.

Bible studies were well attended.The Feast video was well received.Special music was special. The chil-dren’s choir gave a delightful perfor-mance. The Festival Youth Instructionelicited good comments from parentsand children.

The Family Dance was enjoyed by363 enthusiastic participants. OurSeniors’ Luncheon was successful forseveral reasons: good food and fellow-ship, a lovely medley of songs sung forus by a Church member and an inspiringaddress by one of the senior ministers.

Once again this year our communi-ty service project was hugely success-ful. We gave a combined total of about$6,000 in goods (mostly) and cash totwo charitable organizations inBrunswick, Georgia, that deal withorphaned children and batteredwomen. Both establishments werethrilled with our contributions.

Best of all, we were spiritually nour-ished by balanced and inspiring mes-sages from all of the speakers.

Bob Jones

Keystone, ColoradoThere was gold in the mountains

around Keystone, Colorado, for theFeast this year. The aspens did not quitereach their peak by the end of the Feast,but many were strikingly gold. Mostoften we are past the color peak by thetime the Feast arrives. The weather wasgenerally quite nice, and we had a small

amount of snow about the middle of theFeast. It didn’t accumulate in Keystone,but the higher surrounding mountainswere beautifully blanketed. Thisseemed to be especially appreciated byour Texas visitors.

The high attendance count was 643on the first Holy Day. The conferencecenter space we used was an optimumsize for our group, so finding seats wasnot a major difficulty. There were sev-eral well-attended Church-sponsoredactivities such as the Family Dance andFamily Day swimming and basketball.The seniors’ activity was highly suc-cessful, and the “Oldy-weds Game”was enjoyed by all the seniors.

Sermons were very helpful andseemed to center on the attitudes andcharacter we need to be developing toserve with the Messiah in the world

tomorrow, along withthe traditional portrayalof the vision of the King-dom of God and its con-trast with today’s world.

Larry Neff

Lihue, Kauai,Hawaii

This year 374 Feast-goers enjoyed the tropi-cal beauty of the islandof Kauai in the Hawaiian

Islands. While the trade winds were notblowing during the Feast, the excite-ment of the brethren more than madeup for the physical doldrums, thou-sands of times over!

Scores of members commented pos-itively about the quality and content ofthe messages. Mr. and Mrs. LesMcCullough and Mr. and Mrs. MarioSeiglie and family were a welcome partof the Feast in Hawaii, along with themany other elders and families whocontributed their time to serve.

The recent focus on servant lead-ership certainly influenced manymembers at the Feast on Kauai. Fourhusband-and-wife couples from Min-neapolis were very instrumental inthe set-up and tear-down of the Fes-tival operations this year. One alge-bra teacher volunteered to tutor stu-dents before services, so theywouldn’t fall behind in their classes.(This was the first time in 26 years ofcoordinating that this coordinator hadever been approached with this typeof volunteer offer!)

Others voluntarily donated funds topay for the seniors’luncheon, making itpossible for the seniors to be treated to agratis luncheon. Over three times theamount of foodstuffs and other itemswere donated at the end of the Feast forthe Center for Abused Women on Kauai.The Holy Day offerings were superb!

The Kenneth Shoemaker familyfrom the Portsmouth, Ohio, area did asuperb job with the special music. Theteen instrumental ensemble, theBosserman family and all special musi-cians did a very fine job serving thebrethren with their musical talent.

The teens enjoyed a four-hoursnorkel trip along the coast of Kauai ona sailing catamaran, a dance and a spe-cial Bible study. A Bible study seminarwas conducted for the young adults.Members took advantage of dozens ofexciting and enjoyable activities on the

Friendly faces inHagerstown, Maryland;right, Belinda Eppsperforming specialmusic (photos by ErikJones)

Enjoying a beautiful sunset at thebeach in Jekyll Island, Georgia(photos by Sharon Babcock)


island—activities ranging from justlying on the beach to snorkeling anddiving, from fishing to hiking in exoticplaces, from quad riding to helicoptertours of the island.

Earl L. Roemer

Panama City Beach, FloridaThe Edgewater Beach Resort Con-

ference Center at Panama City Beach,Florida, provided a beautiful tropicalsetting for the Feast of Tabernacles2002. Our highest attendance was1,834 brethren from 30 states withsome from the Caribbean.

All of the sermons and sermonettes

were most inspiring. Brethren com-mented positively on the meaty contentof the spiritual meals served. There wasa noticeable attitude of service dis-played, with more volunteers for theFestival responsibilities than we actual-ly needed. This is always refreshing!

Some of the local attractions provid-ed us with discount coupons. GulfWorld Marine Park continues to be afavorite of the brethren and their chil-dren. During the performance the chil-dren are allowed to touch the dolphins.

Our biggest concern this year wasthe threat of tropical storm Isidoreentering the Gulf and turning into a hur-ricane. The brethren were asked onmore than one occasion to pray that thiswould not happen. The great God weserve heard our prayers, as well as theprayers of many of our brothers and sis-ters around the world.

Isidore never gained strength as ittraveled north the entire length of theGulf of Mexico before striking theU.S. mainland. Wind speeds neverincreased over 65 miles per hour. Thewater temperatures in the Gulf werevery favorable for this storm to haveincreased in intensity, but it never hap-pened!

One of the local weather station’smeteorologists said, “This storm is notdoing what it is supposed to be doing!”However, the rest of us thought it wasdoing exactly what it was supposed tobe doing, since we had all been askingGod to intervene for us, as well as ourbrothers and sisters in Jamaica andJekyll Island, Georgia. We had one or

two days of strong winds with some rain,but otherwise the weather was beautiful.

The seniors’luncheon was very suc-cessful with many comments on thequality and abundance of the food. Wehad to cancel the teen beach outingbecause of rain, but moved the activityto a nearby bowling alley that manysaid they enjoyed more since they hadthe beach available to them on otherdays anyway.

The singles enjoyed the Hawaiianluau and dance scheduled for them,and the teens were pleased with theirdance that had the same theme.

The conventioncenter staff con-tinues to compli-ment the brethrenon their patiencewhen it is neededand comment onthe enjoymentthey receive fromserving us.

Harold Rhodes

Wisconsin Dells, WisconsinIt was an outstanding Feast at this

beautiful upper Midwest site, with arecord attendance of 1,363 on the firstHoly Day. Clearly many were pleasedwith the inspiring messages and thespirit of love and service among God’speople. Many brethren raved about thespecial music. The “Hallelujah Cho-rus” was performed on the openingnight by the 72-member choir and 45-member Festival Orchestra. During theperformance of “The Battle Hymn ofthe Republic,” the brethren were askedto stand and join the choir in singingthis stirring piece of music. A children’schoir, a teen choir and brass ensemblealso performed during the Feast.

A 13-member band, directed byHerb Teitgen, provided lively music for

the popular family dance. Brethrenwere encouraged to bring non-perish-able canned goods to the dance as acommunity service project. Over oneton of food and other items were donat-ed to a local food pantry.

On Thursday during the Feast 265senior citizens enjoyed music, a heart-felt message by Ellis LaRavia, a lunchand fellowship at the seniors’ activity.Beautiful handmade wooden items,including a mantel clock, candelabra,desk caddy, book holder and jewelrybox with brass engravings, were givenout during the activity. Illinois memberMarty Johnson and his family madethese unique works of art.

Both the family day activities andnumerous singles activities were appre-ciated by those attending. Festival YouthInstruction classes were enjoyed by over100 youth during the Feast. A specialteen Bible study was attended by 76teens, and 38 people attended the youngadults’ seminar. A local newspaper car-ried a positive article about the UnitedChurch of God observing the Feast.

On youth day, youngsters were invit-ed to the stage to receive their own mil-lennial stuffed animal as a Feast gift bythe brethren. Some seniors at theseniors’ activity were also given thesefuzzy friends.

Many thanks to all the brethren whoserved so faithfully at the Dells Feastsite. Their service is greatly appreciat-ed by all of us. We are very grateful toGod for His truths as found in the annu-al Holy Days and for inviting us toobserve them each year.

Steve Nutzman

ZambiaMumbwa

We had a really wonderful and inspi-rational Feast in the Mumbwa regionof Zambia.

Our members, as usual, stayed inbooths made from grass, and food wasprepared and eaten communally. Therewas a wide selection from the localmaize meal (called nshima), rice andpotatoes. Meats included chicken, goatand venison.

All families except one attended theFeast, and the highest attendance was101 with an average of 95. Activitiesincluded Family Day, a dance, videoshows and an impromptu Spokesman’sClub meeting.

The variety show was canceled onWednesday when we received the sadnews that one of our long-standing

members, GibsonSimalyata, who wasunable to attend be-cause of illness, died onthe Tuesday during theFeast at a hospital nearhis home.

We heard a numberof very inspiring ser-mons from local menand from videos sentfrom the home office.The special music wasparticularly outstand-ing. The offering was

much lower than last year, at K 109,200on the first day and K 111,200 on thelast day. Last year’s figures were dis-torted because of visitors from SouthAfrica. Another factor is the droughtwhich has seriously affected memberincome and, therefore, their ability togive.

There was an additional source of

celebration in that we completed theprocurement and delivery of 5,950kilograms (6.5 tons) of maize donatedby the churches in the United States andSouth Africa. Overall, it was a joyousand spiritually uplifting Feast for all theZambian brethren.

Kambani Banda

ZimbabweHarare

Thirteen people traveled from allcorners of Zimbabwe in order to attendthe Feast in the capital, Harare. Num-bers were down as many members whoattended in Harare last year went totheir own site on Lake Malawi (see sep-arate report). However, the small num-bers resulted in a feeling of closenessand solidarity. Along with the joy andexcitement generated by what the Feastpictures, there was also a sense of sobri-

ety as a result of the political upheavalin the country. The present uncertain-ties make the plan of God for worldpeace and security for all peoples muchmore desirable and attractive.

Members watched video presenta-tions sent from home office and heardsermons from the visiting ministerfrom South Africa,André van Belkum,accompanied by his wife, Elize.

Through the generous donations ofindividuals and churches in other coun-tries, the members were able to enjoy asumptuous buffet meal at an upscalehotel. These funds were also used toassist with transport and accommoda-tion costs for some that traveled long dis-tances. Our members appreciate the con-cern and thoughtfulness on their behalf.

Even though the group in Zimbab-we was small in numbers, they madeup for this factor through their spirit oftogetherness and brotherly kindness.

André van Belkum

Scenes from Panama CityBeach, Florida (photos by DonDaugherty and Ken Treybig)

Feastgoers in Wisconsin Dells,Wisconsin (photo by Joe Jacoby)

For the sixth year, the UnitedChurch of God has provided access toFeast services through the Internet.This year services were cybercast fromfour locations, two in the United States(Hagerstown, Maryland, and Bend,Oregon) and two in Canada (Regina,Alberta, and Kelowna,British Colum-bia). This year Churches of God CyberAuxiliary provided two Real servers,thus increasing the capacity for moreconcurrent listeners. One server wasused by the Canadian sites and one bythe U.S. sites. Daily average connec-tions were:Hagerstown—56; Bend—43; Kelowna—12; Regina—20.

Note that these are averages and areonly the number of connections. Someconnections would have one personlistening, others a family or group. Onthe weekend services both Bend andHagerstown maxed out the server theywere on at 60 streams each. In thePacific time zone, those who could notconnect to Bend were able to join theKelowna services. At one time therewere 79 concurrent connections.

We certainly appreciate the manyvolunteers (and their families) whowork to make the cybercasts possible,both in providing their time at theFeast, and also in bringing their com-puter equipment to use. At the sites thatprovided both video and audio, it takestwice the amount of equipment andmanpower. Archives of sermons fromthe sites are available from the Feastcybercast Web site, www.ucg-fot.org.

FeedbackEach year the cybercast teams and

home office receive many positive let-ters of appreciation for the cybercasts.Here are two that express how thecybercasts audience feels:

“I just finished listening to the Unit-ed Feast video via the Internet. What anencouragement! Words can’t describewhat I’m experiencing after hearingthat message. What a message—thecentrality of Christ, the message ofgrace and repentance and the selflessministry to the sheep. My heart cannot

help but be drawn to that attitude of ser-vice and humility. My attitude andthoughts about United have beenchanged. It is so encouraging to seehow God has brought United down theroad it has and how the Church con-tinues to grow. God is preparing Hispeople for His Son’s second coming.What a time that will be. Keep thefaith!” (family of five,North Carolina).

Another listener in Missouri wrote:“The Feast was especially wonderfulthis year! Each sermon was moremeaningful and helpful than the last.The Feast video was so moving, sopoignant that I cried. What fun it wasto listen to the song leaders and minis-ters as they teased each other from thepodium . . . And as always, there wasthat indescribable feeling of joy at thesound of all the voices joining togeth-er singing hymns of praise to God.

“Where did I go for the Feast? Actu-ally, for reasons of health I wasn’t ableto go anywhere,but I was able to attendthe Feast via the live cybercasts . . . Thechat room at Bend, Oregon, providedinvigorating fellowship.

“Just how ‘real’ are the live cyber-casts? They are so real that every day Idressed in Sabbath clothes becauseGod’s presence could be felt . . .

“In no way am I suggesting thateven a live cybercast can replace actu-ally being at services. No cyberhug canever replace a real hug from a friend orsomeone touching your hand in a reas-suring gesture or a heartwarmingsmile. But when health restricts youractivities or when babies are due or forwhatever reason you have to stayhome, live cybercasts are truly a greatblessing . . . I am extremely grateful forthe faithfulness, thoughtfulness andsacrifice of the cybercrews, and prayfor God to bless them mightily for theirkindness! It was through their effortsthat, in spite of my physical limitations,I could still have ‘the best Feast ever!’”

With positive responses like these,we plan to continue providing this ser-vice in the years to come!

Dan Deininger

Feast Cybercasts Serve Shut-ins

■ God says the Church isneither Jew nor Greek, andby extension it is not black,yellow or white either. Wehave access to His Spirit tobridge the gaps to becometrue brothers.by Ralph Levy

A few nights before writing this arti-cle, I attended an interesting lecturehere in the Cincinnati area, given bySvetlana Broz, the granddaughter of thelate dictator of Yugoslavia, Josip BrozTito. The title of the lecture was “Clashof Cultures or Struggle Between Goodand Evil.” The subject was the disinte-gration of the former Yugoslavia afterthe death of Marshal Tito and the ensu-ing ethnic violence.

Dr. Broz’ thesis was that there waspeace and harmony between the vari-ous ethnic groups in Yugoslavia underthe administration of her late grandfa-ther. Serbs, Croats and Bosnians; Mus-lims, Catholics and Orthodox; as wellas other nationalities, ethnic groups andreligions all lived together in onenational entity, in harmony and mutualrespect, before evil nationalist forceswere unleashed and some 250,000 peo-ple died in ethnic conflict.

The lecture, I suspect, may have pre-sented an unrealistic depiction of the har-mony that supposedly existed underTito. Even where physical nations live inharmony, there is often tension andlatent resentment under the surface.Nevertheless, the lecture was interestingfor its utopian depiction of ethnic har-mony among a mosaic of differentgroups that once coexisted in one polit-ical unit.

History of HostilityThe history of ethnic relations

throughout most of human history, andespecially in the 20th century, suggeststhat conflict, not harmony, is the“default state” in human affairs. Thedeaths of some six million Jews in the1940s in central Europe attest to this. Sodoes the cruel and barbarous conflictbetween China and Japan in the 1930s,

as well as the “ethnic cleansing” of theformer Yugoslav republics in the 1990s.

Unconverted human beings seemunable to coexist when there are racialdifferences. In the United States, ongo-ing ethnic tensions linger in manyareas, often between black and whiteAmericans, but also at times involvingHispanics, Asians, Native Americansand others. Injustices, both historic andactual, continue to shape the psyche ofmany, and to foment continuing hostil-ity and conflict.

Surprisingly, even among God’speople we find that intercultural orinterracial relations are not always har-monious. The New Testament showsclearly that the calling of the gentilesinto the Church of God was a traumat-ic and often unwelcome event for manyof the Jewish Christians.

The history is fascinating. It beginswith the introduction into the Jewishnation of a relatively small number ofpeople of other ethnic groups whobecame fully integrated into the nation

as proselytes,

receiving circumcisionand participating in all the Jewish lawsand rituals. One such is included amongthe seven deacons selected and ordainedin Acts 6, where we read of “Nicolas, aproselyte of Antioch” (verse 5). Thisman was probably a Greek who adopt-ed the Jewish religion and later went onto accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

Later, we read of the conversion ofthe Ethiopian eunuch, who was not aproselyte to Judaism, but had comefrom a foreign country to worship atJerusalem (Acts 8:27). Some feel thisman was ethnically Jewish, while oth-ers hold that he was the first entirely

gentile convert. Either way, he wasculturally different from the stillalmost entirely Jewish church; butbeing a loner, and returning to hisnative Ethiopia, his conversion didn’tcause as much of a stir as did later non-Jewish converts.

What Peter Learned AboutRace Relations

In chapter 10 of the book of Acts, anentire non-Jewish family is converted.Cornelius, an Italian centurion and aGod-fearer (verses 2, 22), that is oneloosely associated with the Jewish reli-gion, but not circumcised, was calledof God and ready to be baptized. Onemight think this would have been causefor rejoicing, but not for everyone. Theapostle Peter apparently had somewrong concepts to overcome, and theyweren’t overcome easily.

Peter’s concept (and the prevailingconcept in the Church of the time) wasthat only the Jewish people ought to bepart of the Church. At one point, hewithdrew from eating with non-Jews

(Galatians 2:12). In order toteach Peter and all of us alesson, God gave him thefamous vision of uncleananimals descending in asheet from heaven, with theinvitation to go ahead andeat (Acts 10:9-16). Threetimes the sheet descendedand was taken up again intoheaven (verse 16).Peter puzzled overthe meaning of thevision, and must havebeen particularly per-

plexed at the thought of Godasking him to consume uncleanmeats.

But meats weren’t the point ofthe vision; God was revealingsomething much greater. Peterhad hitherto held fast to the Jew-ish restrictions against table fel-lowship with gentiles (verse 28).But now he finally understood thelesson of the vision: “But God hasshown me that I should not call anyman common or unclean” (sameverse).

Once resistant, Peter now under-stood one of the great principles of theNew Testament: “In truth I perceivethat God shows no partiality [is norespecter of persons, KJV]. But in everynation whoever fears Him and worksrighteousness is accepted by Him”(verses 34-35). It was to the astonish-ment of the converted Jews that Godthen sent the Holy Spirit on all thosepresent, including Cornelius and hishousehold (verses 44-45).

The ongoing controversy continuedto echo throughout much of the NewTestament, later leading to the confer-ence of Acts 15, which was chargedwith the circumcision dilemma and

the question ofacceptance of non-Jews into theChurch without circumcision.

God is no respecter of persons. Thisis one of the major lessons of the Bible,given particular emphasis in the NewTestament as the Church went frombeing composed of one people, one cul-ture and one ethnic group, to being amultiethnic, multicultural body unitedby the Spirit of God.

What those early Christians had tolearn was that membership in theChurch of God isn’t dependent in anyway on ethnicity,nationality or skin col-or. A human being becomes part of thehousehold of God by repenting of sin,being baptized and receiving the won-derful gift of the Holy Spirit,which thenmakes him or her a child of God by rea-son of the Spirit, not of the flesh.

As theapostle Paul so succinctly put it: “Thereis neither Jew nor Greek, there is nei-ther slave nor free, there is neither malenor female; for you are all one in ChristJesus” (Galatians 3:26-28).

The Challenges TodayLet’s now rapidly jump over some

19 centuries, and come to the Church ofGod as most of us have known it in the20th and early 21st centuries. What wefind is a body of people based heavilyin the United States of America, a mul-tiethnic nation. Gone is the tensionbetween Jews and gentiles of the firstcentury Church; present is the tensionand hostility that forms the social back-drop in many of the cities and ruralareas from which God has called us.

Tensions abound in our cities, at

times erupting in serioussocial upheaval, miscarriage of justiceand even riots. This shouldn’t surpriseus; after all, Jesus Christ Himself proph-esied of racial tensions. “Nation [eth-nos, or racial group] will rise againstnation,” Jesus prophesied as one of thehallmarks of the last days (Matthew24:7). And just as so many of the socialtrends around us are the most difficultpulls that we Christians have to combatin our own lives, so it may be with theseprophesied racial tensions.

Yet we in the Church today have avery special opportunity: to model true,loving Christian relationships acrossracial lines, as mandated by the Bible.We must reverse the trend and showthose who will take notice that the Spir-it of God unites us as one people, bridg-ing the gaps of different cultures, tem-peraments and racial features. Thebond of God’s Holy Spirit must uniteus, and empower us all to provide a liv-ing lesson of true racial harmony, a har-mony that honors Jesus Christ, who isthe Head of us all.

Race Relations Committeeand Web Site

To that end the United Church ofGod has established a Race RelationsCommittee and a Web site featuringwritings by our own ministers on thesubject, as well as other resources.We invite you to visit the site, atwww.ucgrace.org.

Some have asked why the Churchshould need to have a Web site devotedto the subject of race relations. Theanswer is that the Church is to be anexample to the world in every way. Oneof those ways is to demonstrate thatChristians of all races and cultures canlive together in the real harmony of theSpirit of God, and show what God’slove can do among His people, of alldifferent races.

We are to be the people of God inevery way. Just as the early Church, partJewish and part Greek, had to learn thebig lesson of Christian love across cul-tural lines, so we in the Church todayhave a unique opportunity to demon-strate that we are God’s people. We dothis by building genuine loving and car-ing relationships in this multiracial,multinational and multicultural Churchwe are called to be part of. UN


Christian Race Relations

• Links to UCG articles and ser-mons on race-related issues.

• “Thought-Provoking Reports”including interactive tests and PBSspecials.

• “Frequently Asked Questions.”• “News & Views” with links to

Barna Research, Gallup polls, etc.• Information about the Race

Relations Committee. Committeemembers are Todd Carey (chairman),Arnold Hampton, Fred Kellers and

David Myers. Reviewers are RalphLevy, Dennis Luker (chairman of theFocused Education Committee, ofwhich the Race Relations Committeeis part) and Mario Seiglie.

The Mission Statement of theRace Relations Committee is: “Topromote understanding and toler-ance among people of diverse racial,cultural and ethnic backgrounds bystriving to reflect the mind of JesusChrist.”

On www.ucgrace.org you’ll find:


A Simple Plan You Can Use for Effective Prayers■ Better organization canhelp you answer the call for“prayer laborers.”by Robert Curry

“The effective, fervent prayer of arighteous man avails much,” assuresJames 5:16.

As dedicated Christians, we are com-mitted to praying daily. While we’re at it,wouldn’t it be nice if our prayers wereeffective in:

• Drawing us close to God. • Transforming our hearts to be more

in the work of the Church, thereby caus-ing growth for us personally and for thework collectively.

• Producing answers because weknow they’re according to God’s will.

The Lord’s PlanWe can know this simple plan for

effective prayer is God’s will because itcame from Jesus Christ. Many of ushave “The Lord’s Prayer” memorizedfrom youth. We know it’s a sample out-line for prayer rather than a ritual to bemuttered.

And what a powerful outline it is!Build a prayer along its lines and youwill have your priorities straight insteadof a litany of “gimmies.” You will startwith praise of God. Then talk to Himabout the great worldwide work we areprivileged to be a part of.

Continuing in unselfish outgoing con-cern, you ask for daily needs, forgive-ness and deliverance from evil for “us.”You close with your mind focused onGod’s Kingdom, power and glory. You

will know that it was an effective prayerwell worth your time—and God’s—andthat He will answer it!

While we are “praying without ceas-ing,” that is, in a prayerful attitude andperhaps praying frequently throughoutthe day (1 Thessalonians 5:17), wemight not exactly follow the sample out-line. A short prayer might be devoted toone particular topic. Likewise in anemergency, such as hanging from a cliffedge,praying “Help!”might be in order!

But let’s not kid ourselves. Somethingis wrong if we aren’t regularly makingtime to talk to our Creator—showingHim that He really is first in our lives.The easy system below is for those won-derful times when you have planned ahalf hour or more to really pray in detail.You won’t be disappointed!

One Easy System Use a card file and put each major

portion of “The Lord’s Prayer”on a sep-arate card, ideally in a special color sothey will stand out as dividers.

The first divider card would be “OurFather in heaven, hallowed be Yourname.” Now on a regular card, jot downitems you want to pray in that openingsection. For example, “The supremepower of the universe,” “Daddy,”“Knows sparrows,hairs on head,namesof stars,” and “Master Timer.”

Start with what is already in yourheart to praise God. You can add othercards in the days ahead. Don’t be sur-prised if you get an irresistible urge todo a detailed study of God’s fascinatingnames so you can really hallow Himeven a fraction of what He deserves.

To jumpstart this opening section ofyour prayer, read aloud a psalm,perhaps

one of David’s. It will be well worth yourtime since David was a man after God’sown heart (Acts 13:22), the way youwant to be. I’m sure God doesn’t mindhearing an old favorite again!

I remember Herbert Armstrong com-menting that it would be ideal to spendup to 90 percent of prayers just praisingGod. Imagine that! You will be delight-ed to find that lasting 30 minutes will nolonger be a worry. You will run out oftime to pray before you run out of cards.

The second divider card would be“Your Kingdom come. Your will bedone.” Behind this will come cardsabout our work, which announces theKingdom and is surely a major way Godcarries out His will.

Something wonderful takes place.Your heart begins beating more pas-sionately for the work. You can’t wait forthe next United News because you knowit’s a gold mine of details to pray about.And you want to “beat your prayers upfine” so they will be sweet incense toGod (Leviticus 16:12). Like any goodemployee, you want to know all aboutyour organization’s leaders and plans.

So instead of seeing a box listing theCouncil of Elders committees and hur-rying on to something “more interest-ing,” you quickly cut it out and paste itonto a card. Now you enjoy praying reg-ularly for the individual committees,their members, chairmen and goals forthe year. You determine that if you prayfor just two committees each day, andthey each have five to six members, youare praying for most of the Council ofElders daily.

When you get to the “daily bread”section, your divider could prominentlydisplay “Toby Keith.”Even a huge coun-

try western fan might not get the con-nection at first. But this notation couldremind you of his recent hit song andyour need to pray for others first insteadof wanting to “talk about me, me, me,me,me!” It makes for a good inside jokewith the Master Humorist (hey, writethat down in the first section!), and yourprayers will be whole wheat rather thanfiberless, empty, puffed-up leaven thatthe Holy Spirit has to enrich with“groanings” (Romans 8:26) to evenresemble a prayer.

Holes in Your Girdle?Read an article on a new congrega-

tion starting in the Philippines? Ourwork girdles the globe. Does our knowl-edge and interest stretch enough to con-tain it all? Or is that country—perhapsthe whole area of Southeast Asia—oneof the holes in your girdle?

Pull out a new card. Write down thenames of the ministry including thewives. Include leading brethren and vitaltasks they are responsible for. Note spe-cial needs. Jot down statistics. Monthslater, you’ll be thrilled to read ofgrowth—new donors,coworkers,mem-bers and accomplishments—since youbegan praying about it!

By the way, probably you will havelooked up the country on your globe oratlas. More than geography, the real edu-cation is growing in agape love for anarea you once didn’t naturally identifywith. You may start to think aboutattending a Feast there some year!

After a few times praying for Glad-stone and Alice Chonde and their clinicin Malawi, you’ll want to learn moreabout their lives, the clinic and how Godis using them. When you read and pray

about special needs and service projects,don’t be surprised if you find yourselfthinking about how God can use you todo something.

Praying Laborers“Pray the Lord of the harvest to send

out laborers into His harvest,” as Jesusexhorted (Luke 10:2). Sure enough, theChurch of God has a critical need formore ministers. But the need for labor-ers in prayer is surely greater and each ofus can do it!

We can stop feeling bad when anannouncement thanks us for our prayersbut we know, despite good intentions,we forgot. A card will remind us.

If sometimes we feel like just prayingfrom the heart without using the cards,that’s fine. We are talking to God. AndHe calls us friends! Each of us has aunique relationship with Him, and sure-ly no two Christians will use the cardsystem exactly the same. The cards areonly a tool to assist us, not enslave us.We should update and remove some ofthe information from time to time.

That said, try this system—or perhapsthe same type of system on your com-puter—and you will be delighted andexcited to experience how powerful itcan be in organizing, prioritizing andguiding your thoughts toward maximumeffective, fervent prayer.

One of my most important cardsreminds me to ask God for “more pray-ing laborers for the ripe harvest.” Godwill answer it! Can we count on you? UN

Robert Curry graduated from Ambas-sador College,Pasadena,in 1974. He andhis wife, Mary, have four children(Katherine,Ian,Heather and Jessica) andattend in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

■ What spiritual lessonsdoes God pack into thisuseful little fruit?by Andy McClain

Olives may have been common in theland of Canaan, but they were also con-sidered precious. The olive is mentioned35 times in the Bible and its most impor-tant product,olive oil, is mentioned over200 times.

The doors and doorposts within thetemple’s inner sanctuary along with thecherubim were made of olive wood (1Kings 6:23, 31-33). Booths at the Feastof Tabernacles were made from oliveand other tree branches (Nehemiah8:15). Olive oil was used in the taberna-cle lamps for light (Leviticus 24:2), andoil was also used to anoint the kings ofIsrael (Saul in 1 Samuel 10:1 and Davidin 1 Samuel 16:13).

In addition, oil was also used in mostof the offerings. Even the two witnessesare referred to as olive trees (Revelation11:3-4). David said, “But I am like agreen olive tree in the house of God”(Psalm 52:8).

God holds the olive tree, its fruit and

its oil as highly important. Our spirituallife can be related to this useful fruit.Let’s take a look at the importance thistree holds for us.

Firmly RootedThe olive tree is a stout evergreen fruit

tree that has been cultivated for thou-sands of years. It is revered for itslongevity and the tenacity with which itremains rooted in the ground, thrivingdespite adversity. It can withstand con-ditions of frost, drought and poor soil,typically living for 500 years, thoughthere are claims of trees that are mucholder. This is because an olive tree hasstrong, hardy roots. The root systemspreads out wide and long, making thetrees hard to topple.

As Christians, we should be like theolive tree. Proverbs 12:3 reads, “Theroot of the righteous cannot bemoved.” We need to be well rooted inour lives by keeping God’s truth in theforefront in our lives. Our use ofGod’s Word should be wide-rangingas we apply it to many situations inour life. Reading, understanding andapplying God’s Word helps usbecome rooted in His way, making itdifficult for Satan to topple us.

FruitfulOlive trees do not

produce fruit for six to10 years after planting, and only whenthey are about 20 to 25 years old do theyproduce a full harvest. Olive trees pro-duce a small,bitter oval fruit that is greenwhen unripe and black when ripe. Weoften find this fruit as an hors d’oeuvreat parties or as a topping on pizza.

Proverbs 12:12 tells us that “the rootof the righteous yields fruit.” Oncegrounded in God’s Word, we shouldproduce fruit in service and love towardsothers—abundantly like the full harvest

of the olive tree. Learning to serve withlove and care takes time and effort,muchlike the olive tree takes time to producemature fruit.

For proper fruit development, theolive tree needs pruning. Pruning regu-lates production and helps shape the treefor easier harvesting. Radical pruning isoften done to keep the olive tree at adesired height. Yet, the olive tree thrivesafter such trimming.

In like manner, God prunes us toproduce fruit. Consider John 15.

Christ is the true vine and God thevinedresser. According to verse 2,“Every branch that bears fruit Heprunes, that it may bear more fruit.”God wants us to have His righteouscharacter. He prunes us accordinglyto help us develop as His begotten

children.

Full of OilOlive oil is actually a fruit juice. The

longer the olive ripens, the greater the oilcontent. Olives begin to grow in lateJune, but the best olive oil is made fromripe berries gathered in November orDecember.

From 10 to 35 percent of an olive isoil, but in order to extract the oil, theolive itself must be pressed. This is doneeither using a mill with wood or stonesor by stomping with one’s feet. Extra vir-

gin olive oilcomes from the first pressingand is the purest oil with the best taste.

The Holy Spirit is often symbolizedas olive oil in the Bible. As firstfruits,God has given us His Holy Spirit to helpus know and understand His way (1Corinthians 2:12-13). The Holy Spiritgives us strength to overcome our sinsand the pressures put upon us by Satan.Our trials can be compared to the press-ing or bruising done to the olive to pro-duce the oil. God allows trials to help usstir up His Holy Spirit within us. Andwith use,God will increase our measureof His Holy Spirit much like the oil con-tent increases in the olive as it ripens.

Olive trees were abundant in Israeland the oil was a staple in the people’sdiet. Today olives are still a main fooditem in the Mediterranean basin of Italy,Greece and Spain. However, in otherparts of the world this fruit is consideredmore of a delicacy. God used this com-mon daily item to help Israel understandtheir purpose in following Him. As spir-itual Israel,we can still relate to the sym-bolism found in this simple fruit tree. Wetoo should be able to say of ourselvesthat we are “like an olive tree in thehouse of God.” UN

Are You Like an Olive?


Why No Spectacular Miracles Today?■ The Bible is full ofdescriptions of fantasticmiracles. Many wonder, whydon’t we see great publicmiracles today?by David J. Sandland

Over the years, working in PersonalCorrespondence for the Church of God,I have been confronted with many stim-ulating and thought-provoking ques-tions that deserve an answer. One suchquestion recently came into the UnitedChurch of God office here in Australiaasking the question: “Why are no mira-cles being performed today?”

The writer went on to ask:“Why doesn’t God speak and interact

directly with us today,as He did with thelikes of Elijah and Elisha, and others?Why can’t we—God’s people—make,for example, the head of an axe to float?Why is it that we don’t have that powertoday?

“Nothing spectacular is happeninganymore. In the first century, supernat-ural things were going on all the time.Did the disciples have more of the HolySpirit than we do or did they just havemore faith? Because miracles were tak-ing place on a daily basis.

“I think Jesus expects us to performmiracles; after all that was part of Hismessage and ministry.”

Certainly an interesting challenge.Why are there so few miracles, in thesense of spectacular public displays ofGod’s power within His Church and byHis people? Does God expect us to per-form such miracles today, to somehowprove He is “on our side”?

True, many people do know that Goddoes perform many miracles today.Many of us have witnessed miracleswith practical benefits, such as the mir-acles of healing, protection, solvingproblems, etc. And then there’s the mir-acle of conversion, which is the greatestmiracle of all. However, that was not thetype of miracle our writer was question-ing. He spoke of the public displays ofGod’s hand in the first and earlier cen-turies.

How would you have answered?Perhaps a good place to start is in

Hebrews 1:1: “God, who at varioustimes and in various ways spoke in timepast to the fathers by the prophets.”Those “various ways” did indeedinclude unmistakable and public mira-cles. Witness the life and work of theprophet Elijah and the judge Samson.

However, today He works in anotherway, as the explanation continues inverse 2. He “has in these last days spo-ken to us by His Son.” Not necessarilythrough miracles, but through the life,message and teachings of Jesus Christas recorded for us in the New Testament.

The miracles we read about in theBible were examples of the power andlove of God that are important to ourunderstanding. But now that we have thebiblical record, there is not the need tocontinually repeat all the different typesof miracles.

Miracles were used at times to attract

large audiences, and this was especiallyimportant in the founding of the NewTestament Church. Today, we have thebenefit of mass media technology.

The Bible shows that God doesn’twant to force everyone to see His truthand where He is working during this age,so that He doesn’t have to hold them ful-ly accountable and they can be extend-ed more mercy (Matthew 13:10-17;Romans 11:7-10, 32). Proving Himselfthrough miracles would make the audi-ence more accountable.

And miracles aren’t necessarily goodfor us. God gave many members of theCorinthian church miraculous spiritualgifts, but they seem to have done moreharm than good in that the gifts went tothe heads of the members.

Why Miracles?Now let’s consider a major question,

What spiritual value are miracles any-way? What value are they in terms ofconversion and salvation? Especially thepublic miracles that draw attention toGod’s work and people. Consider, as afirst example, the parable of Lazarus andthe rich man in Luke 16.

When the rich man begged for a mir-acle (as our writer seems to be doing), amiracle of a resurrection from the dead,notice Abraham’s reply in verse 31:

“If they do not hear Moses and theprophets [many of whom did performmiracles], neither will they be persuad-ed though one rise from the dead.”

Abraham explained that miracleswould not necessarily convert the richman’s relatives.

What about the miracles performedby Christ Himself? Did they make anyreal difference? Would they have con-verted that rich man’s family?

In Matthew 12:10-13 we read the mir-acle of Christ healing the man with awithered hand—a dramatic and undeni-able miracle. What was the reaction of

the unconverted and carnal Pharisees?Verse 14 says, “Then the Pharisees wentout and plotted against Him, how theymight destroy Him.” So much for anypositive effect, even when a miracle wasperformed by Christ Himself!

Again, back in Matthew 9:1-3, weread of another of Christ’s public mira-cles. This time a paralytic was miracu-lously healed. The reaction from thescribes? “This Man blasphemes!”

Another equally discouraging exam-

ple is recorded in Matthew 9:32-34. “Hecasts out demons by the ruler of thedemons,”was the pathetic response. Thesame reaction is recorded in Matthew12:22-24.

Apart from the mercy and kindnessextended to those He healed, Christwould have saved Himself a great dealof opposition by not performing anymiracles at all. But then Christ wouldhave been asked, “Why do you not per-form miracles like Elijah? Show your-self to be the Christ by performing a mir-acle.”So would have gone the challengeand criticism.

Incidentally, even being a miracleworker, so-called, does not prove con-version or spirituality. Matthew 7:21-23gives us the haunting and sobering warn-ing that even those who have “cast outdemons in Your name, and done manywonders in Your name” will be con-fronted by Christ Himself with the chill-ing challenge,“I never knew you.”Com-pare also Matthew 16:1-4.

So miracles don’t necessarily havelasting or deep effects on those witness-ing them. So, why none today? I guessyou could say, Why bother?

Deceptive and IneffectiveMiracles

We also need to consider that mira-cles can be used to deceive. Matthew24:24 warns, “For false christs and falseprophets will rise and show great signsand wonders to deceive, if possible,eventhe elect.” If we are looking for suchsigns and wonders as some kind of proofas to where God is working today, thenwe run the risk of being deceived.

Perhaps one of the soberest warningsand examples of just how ineffective amiracle can be in getting people tochange, is seen by considering the peo-ple alive just before Christ’s return, whowitness endless miracles as describedthroughout the book of Revelation.What will be the ultimate reaction ofsuch a godless generation to the divineintervention of God?

“But the rest of mankind . . . did notrepent . . . And they did not repent oftheir murders or their sorceries or theirsexual immorality or their thefts” (Rev-elation 9:20-21). Thus Christ has toreturn in undeniable power and might toconvince that generation of unthankful,unholy and stubbornly resistant people.Miracles, of and by themselves, don’tconvince or convict people. Only thepresence of Christ Himself will gain thepermanent attention of that end-timegeneration. And many people will haveto die and be resurrected before theirminds are receptive to God’s revelation.

Also in the book of Revelation, con-sider the miracles and wonders per-formed through the power of God by thetwo witnesses as recorded in Revelation11:3,5 and 6. These two individuals willbe given power: fire will proceed out oftheir mouths; they will have power toshut up the heavens and power over thewaters of the earth.

Will men repent in the face of suchpower? We know otherwise. Verses 7through 10 show war will be madeagainst them and they will be murdered.The earth will rejoice,not over their mir-

acles and power,but over their death! Somuch, again, for the power of miracles.

A Great DenialMany of you will have been thinking

about one of the greatest denials ofmiracle-working power ever experi-enced by mankind—the denial byancient Israel of the God who miracu-lously brought them out of bondage inEgypt. As you have the time, you mightwant to read the entirety of Psalm 78.Verses 12-16 remind us of the “mar-velous things He did in the sight of theirfathers,” how He “divided the sea,” howHe “led them with the cloud” and“brought streams out of the rock.”

Their reaction? Entirely predictableby now: “But they sinned even moreagainst Him” (verse 17) to the pointGod’s anger was kindled (verse 21).

We could have expected Pharaoh,even in the face of miracle after miracle,to have continually hardened his heart(which, by the way, was hard from thebeginning—he simply became more andmore stubborn), but Israel? How manymore miracles would it have taken?

If you wonder how many, read the sto-ry of Korah in Numbers 16. A mightymiracle was witnessed by theIsraelites—the miracle of the ground lit-erally opening up before their stunnedeyes and swallowing Korah and his fel-low complainers. Surely that would beenough to convince anyone that Godwas working through Moses and was aGod to be reckoned with. Surely the let-ter writer would be satisfied if a similarmiracle took place today?

What was the reaction? One of hum-ble repentance? Hardly. Read verse 41:“On the next day all the congregation ofthe children of Israel complained againstMoses and Aaron, saying, ‘You havekilled the people of the Lord.’”Absolute-ly astonishing. How did they thinkMoses pulled off such a feat—openingthe earth and swallowing them up?

In all this, there’s not too much evi-dence that miracles—in the sense of

public displays of power—are theanswer to the needs of man.

As we draw to an end, please alsoconsider Hebrews 3:7-12.

Even in the face of undeniable mira-cles, sin can and does deceitfully hard-en our hearts. The most important pow-er for softening hard hearts is theindwelling of God’s Holy Spirit. God’scalling and the gift of the Holy Spirit iswhat all people ultimately need. Sure,miracles—signs and wonders—gaininitial attention. But not always, as wehave seen, positive or life-changingattention. The answer to the needs ofman is found in scriptures such asHebrews 10:15-16, which tells of thewriting of God’s laws in our hearts.

I would like to quote from the answerwe sent the letter writer who was look-ing for miracles to prove God is work-ing in our midst.

“Even when God does speak andinteract directly with us as He did withthe likes of Elijah and Enoch, man willstill not repent. No, miracles are not theanswer, at least not the miracles youspoke about in your letter, but rather themiracle of true conversion is what manso desperately needs.

“Were their needs greater than ours,as you posed in your letter? No. Allmankind has the same need—theSpirit of the Living God, miraculous-ly dwelling and working in theirhearts and minds. Let us be searchingfor that lasting miracle, not the fleet-ing, attention-getting miracles thatusually lead no one anywhere.

“As much as miracles are great andwonderful, they never have and neverwill convert the hard, stony heart ofman. Only the miracle of theindwelling of God’s Holy Spirit willever perform that miracle. And that iswhat God is doing today, through thework of His Church and people, as Heoffers the opportunity for the miracleof a transformed, Spirit-led life to thosewho are willing to accept that gift—thatmiracle.” UN

Even in the face of undeniable miracles, sin can and does deceitfullyharden our hearts. The most important power for softening hardhearts is the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit.

True, many people do know thatGod does perform manymiracles today, such as themiracle of healing and themiracle of conversion, which isthe greatest miracle of all.


St. PetersburgDistributes TenCommandmentsBookmarkers

Members of the St. Petersburg, Flori-da, congregation recently designed andprinted 25,000 copies of a bookmarker

featuring the Ten Commandments todistribute free of charge to the public.Made of laminated cardstock, thebookmarker begins by posing the fol-lowing question: “Are the TenCommandments relevant today?”It continues, “Let’s see what Godsays.” It then quotes Deuterono-my 6:6-7 which says, “And thesewords which I command youtoday shall be in your heart. Youshall teach them diligently to yourchildren, and shall talk of themwhen you sit in your house, whenyou walk by the way, when you liedown, and when you rise up.”TheTen Commandments follow thistext.

After the Commandments,another question is posed: “Andwhat did Jesus have to say aboutthe Commandments?” Matthew19:17 is then quoted,which says, “…if youwant to enter into life,keep the command-ments.” At the bottomof the second side ofthe bookmarker is anoffer for a free copy ofour booklet, The TenCommandments. TheChurch’s logo and thehome office addressand phone number arealso visible at the bot-tom of the bookmarker.

This project was a combined effortof approximately a dozen memberscoordinated by David Treybig, pastor

of the St. Petersburg and Tampa con-gregations. This work was a refinementof a previous effort by St. Petersburgmembers Alan Davis and MichaelJohnson, which cited scriptural refer-ences to the Ten Commandments in theNew Testament.

Realizing that space was limited, thegroup decided to have the new book-markers focus on the Commandmentsthemselves and God’s commentsregarding them. After refining theappearance, a sample was sent to PeterEddington, Media and Communica-tions Services operation manager, forhis approval. Members plan to distrib-ute the bookmarkers to individuals,Bible bookstores and other outlets thatwill distribute them free of charge.

If any other congregations wouldlike to print and distribute these withintheir local area, the St. Petersburg con-gregation will gladly share the setupand text of the bookmarkers. The costto produce each bookmarker wasapproximately 7 cents. To request acopy of this text, contact Michael John-son at (727) 577-1620 or by E-mail [email protected]. Freesamples were made available at select-ed Feast sites.

David Treybig

67 Preteens Learn“God’s Way Works”at Camp Ironwood

The spectacular outdoors of south-eastern Minnesota was the setting for

the North Central Region Preteen YouthCamp attended by 67 campers from sixstates. The camp was held from Aug.11 to 14 at Camp Ironwood Springslocated near Rochester, Minnesota(about 90 miles south of Minneapolis).

One goal of camp was to enrich ourchildren’s relationship with God andwith Christian youth and families, soeach day began with Christian Livingclasses to give the campers a spiritualbasis for the day. The theme for campwas “God’s Way Works!”

Campers had the opportunity to par-ticipate in many activities that includedcrafts, swimming, field games, natureand exploring, music, indoor games,team challenge and novelty Olympics.

One highlight for the children wasthe opportunity to go horseback riding.Camp codirector Kathe Myers com-mented, “All our campers were able toexperience new things here at camp andthat included every child riding a horse.The campers experienced the fact thatfun and God’s way go hand in hand.”Camper Luke Nelson agreed: “Ridingthe horses was the best!”

Camp also stressed the importance offriendship. Jacob Yule, a 10-year-oldfrom La Crosse, Wisconsin, said, “It’sfun to make new friends and be withpeople who believe like you do. Camp isgreat!”

Steve Myers

Camp BuckeyeServes 88Preteens a Taste of

the Millennium“Next to the Feast of Taberna-

cles, camp is probably the closestexperience to a millennial environ-ment that we can have here onearth,” wrote Dave Myers, campdirector, to the Camp Buckeye staffmembers before camp this year.There are many reasons why CampBuckeye, the Great Lakes RegionPreteen Camp for 2002, was closeto a millennial experience.

Camp Buckeye is nestled in thepeaceful, rolling hills of Amishcountry in Beach City, Ohio. FromJuly 28 to 31, 2002, one could hearthe joyful sounds of laughter fromcampers, teens and adults who

came from 11 states and Canada to bea part of this preteen camping adven-ture. Even though the temperatureswere incredibly hot this year, the funwas not dampened.

Since its beginning in 1995, theGreat Lakes Region Preteen Camp hassteadily grown in participation and pro-gramming excellence. This year therewere 88 campers, 39 teen staff mem-bers (staff-in-training) and 29 adultstaff members. The total size of 156 islarger than some of our UCG teencamps.

The staff, under Mr. Myers’ direc-tion, provided more than 15 differentactivities in which the 6- to 12-year-old

campers participated. The chil-dren participated in swimming,fishing and playing on the “slip

and slide.”They played basketball, vol-leyball, miniature golf and a number offield games. Campers had classes inleather crafts, where they made wrist-bands, necklaces and key chains, aswell as classes in arts and crafts, whichincluded tie-dyeing, making a naturemobile and creating “shrinky dinks.”

Everyone participated in a day hiketo a waterfall to jump and play in thecool, refreshing water. Hiking in a cavewas a part of the camp experience forthe older campers. All campers hadChristian Living classes on themes thatincluded honesty, the Ten Command-ments, trust and modesty. The varietyof activities was exceptional.

Traditions have become very much apart of this regional camp. Every morn-ing the campers were greeted by Mr.Myers’ resounding question, “How didyou sleep last night?” This is followedby the campers’ resounding reply, “INA BED!” An all-camp scavenger hunt,sing-along and skit night have becomemuch-anticipated traditions. Outstand-ing food has become a strong tradition atcamp thanks to Rhonda Richmond fromthe Canton, Ohio, congregation and herexcellent kitchen staff.

Coming back year after year isbecoming a very strong tradition atcamp as well. The 11- and 12-year-oldstalk about, plan and look forward tocoming back as teen staff members.The desire to come back to camp yearafter year is also felt by the teens andadults. No one wants to miss it!

Though successful activities andtraditions are repeated, camp offersmany new activities every year. Thisyear an “Upside-Down and Back-wards” dinner was introduced. Allcampers and staff came to dinnerwearing their clothes backwardsand/or upside down. Walking andspeaking were done in a backwardfashion. The best part of this was whenthe kitchen staff served the hot fudge

sundaes before themain course!

The teen staff wasexcellent and helpedout in all areas of camplife. They were indis-pensable. Their leader-ship and cheerful, pos-itive examples wereseen everywhere.

Emily Troyer, 14, a teen staff mem-ber from the Canton, Ohio, congrega-tion, said, “It’s not just about beingwith your friends or being cool. It isabout helping out and being a goodexample.”

The 2002 Great Lakes Region Pre-teen Camp at Camp Buckeye was a

foretaste of the Mil-lennium, because ofthe beauty, joy, inter-esting and creativeactivities, the fun,the education inGod’s way of life,the traditions, theservice-orientationand the leadership.Most of all, camp

was special (yes, millennial) becauseof the focused attention on giving andour great God’s blessing.

Beverly Galli

Austin/Waco HaveSurprise Receptionfor Mr. and Mrs.Peoples

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Peoples werehonored on Aug. 17, 2002, for his 27years of service in the full-time min-istry of the Church. He retired in 1997,so this reception in their honor was alittle overdue, but an especially inspir-ing and eventful Sabbath helped tomake up for the delay.

Aug. 17 seemed an ideal time to thankand recognize Bob and Ruby for the 27

years plus the active contribution to theAustin congregation they have contin-ued to make since his retirement. Thecombined Houston choir, which visitedseveral congregations this summer andfall, was scheduled to present a choral

Bookmarker produced by the St.Petersburg, Florida, congregationfeaturing the Ten Commandments

Camp Buckeye,from top: DaveMyers tries thingsbackwards; boys’dorm 2; arts andcrafts staff(photos by AmyGunn and BevGalli)

Justin Boyer horsing around;swimming was also a highlight atCamp Ironwood. More photos seewww.ucg-calm.org/preteen_camp.htm

Bob and Ruby Peoples


recital of sacred music during the firsthalf of services at a combined Austin/Waco Sabbath service in Temple,Texas.

The reception was a complete sur-prise to the Peoples. The beginning oftheir surprise was when the Peoplessaw their son and daughter-in-law,Gregg and Valerie from the Dallas area,and their daughter, Ashley, walk in.Immediately after the service, DonHooser, the pastor of Austin,Waco andColeman, began the presentation withsome initial comments and thank yous.Then regional pastor Ken Giese, onbehalf of United Church of God,thanked the Peoples for all their dedi-cated service in God’s work and pre-sented them with an engraved plaquefrom the Church. He also read letters ofappreciation for the Peoples from vari-ous people they had served in the past.

Then everyone enjoyed a potluckmeal and fellowship, which was cappedoff with the special cake and punch inhonor of the Peoples. Bob and Rubywere deeply touched by all the expres-sions of appreciation toward them.

The choir of about 18 very talentedmembers, led by William Crow,blessed the members with a wonder-fully inspiring and professional pre-sentation. Wherever they go, theChurch members are deeply thankfulthat the choir members are willing tomake the big sacrifices of time andeffort to practice and travel in order toshare their music. The choir membersenjoyed the sound more than usual,because we were meeting in a concerthall with excellent acoustics and a top-of-the-line sound system. The accom-panists, Pam Sutton and Jennifer Elli-son, enjoyed playing the nine-footSteinway grand piano.

The sermon, titled “The Most Impor-tant Thing,” was given by Mr. Giese,who also is a member of the choir.

Don Hooser

Southern AlbertaWomen HelpingKeep CanadaWarm

Some homeless Canadians are stay-ing a little warmer in winter, thanks inpart to some industrious women in thesouthern Alberta congregations.

Over the past two years, more than adozen women in the Calgary and Leth-bridge congregations have crocheted acombined total of over 60 blankets.These blankets were given to an orga-nization that donates them to the home-less and underprivileged.

Blankets for Canada, established inLethbridge in 1998, gives free blanketsto “organizations that care for peoplewithout shelter and in need of warmthin Canada.” All blankets that are madeand donated in a certain area are dis-tributed locally.

A member in Lethbridge first intro-duced the Church to the project andbegan encouraging other women tostart making blankets, including Cal-gary’s Connie White.

Mrs. White presented the idea to theCalgary women in the summer of 2000during a Ladies’ Tea. A mini “crochet

class” was organized for those who hadnever crocheted before. Then thewomen got busy.

Mrs. White drums up donations forthe wool and distributes it to the volun-teers. She then collects the finishedblankets and drops them off at a woolshop in Calgary. This shop, in turn,hands them over to Blankets for Cana-da.

“I thought it was a valuable projectfor the women to be involved with,”says Mrs. White. “They’ve put a lot ofhard work and creativity into thoseblankets.”

For more information on Blanketsfor Canada, visit their Web site at:www.blankets4canada.ca.

This article first appeared in UnitedNews Canada.

Ruth Kerr

Members Can HelpAttract Attention toChurch Web Sites

“Everyone in the Church who usesE-mail can help drive Internet traffic toour Church Web sites,” Dan Deiningersaid at an Internet seminar at theKelowna, British Columbia, Feast site.Mr. Deininger, an elder serving inMontana who facilitated the volunteerInternet Task Force study last year,brought several ideas and updates to thegroup of about 25 Church members atthe seminar.

United has a growing Internet pres-ence in the number of visitors, litera-ture requests and even in the number ofWeb sites, when local congregation andaffiliated sites are considered. Mr.Deininger envisions the Internetbecoming a much more powerful toolin doing “the work” as we becomemore proficient and creative in Internetusage. He painted a picture of our mainWeb site becoming a “destination” or“home page” type site for many users.

The way each member can helpdrive Internet traffic to Church Websites is very simple. Virtually all E-mailprograms, either computer resident orWeb based, have a Preferences, Toolsor Options menu that allows individualusers to create personalized “signa-tures” that are sent with every E-mailgenerated or forwarded.

If everyonewho uses E-mail were tocreate a sig-nature thatreferred to aUCG Website, thou-sands of E-mails wouldbe going outd a i l y o rweekly, alldriving Inter-net traffictoward UCGWeb sites.One sourcet h a t M r.D e i n i n g e rquoted esti-mates that

300 people generate 1 million E-mailmessages per year!

Here are a few sample “signatures”that could be used or modified asdesired:

• Tired of reading news storiesfull of hopelessness?Disgusted with crime, drugs,violence and corruption?Try reading some good news for achange: www.gnmagazine.org• Want some Good News? Checkout www.gnmagazine.org• “I have always said, I alwayswill say, that the studious perusalof the sacred volume will makebetter citizens, better fathers, andbetter husbands.” ThomasJeffersonFind out for yourself...www.ucg.org/bsc• ***Virtual Christian Magazine*** hope and encouragement for thereal worldwww.vcmagazine.org• Where is the world headed?www.ucg.org/wnpWith just a few keystrokes, each

member who uses E-mail can helpgrow our Internet presence and impactour world by creating an E-mail signa-ture line to help spread the Good News!

Larry G. Hardison

Brothers Serve asVice Presidentsand Ministers

“We owe it all to our older Broth-er,” explain brothers Bruce and LeifAnderson. The first and third of fivebrothers now serve both as vice presi-dents in a successful family businessand as local elders in the Little Falls,Minnesota, congregation. In additionto Jesus Christ, Bruce and Leifattribute their success to their physicalfather’s training, athletics, Ambas-sador College and experience in thefull-time ministry.

The family business, AndersonChemical Company (www.anderson-chemco.com), began in 1911 whenBruce and Leif’s grandfather, AlfredAnderson, began supplying cleaningproducts to dairies. Service was laterextended to other food processors andexpanded to include the institutional

and water treatment markets. Very fewfamily businesses endure to the thirdgeneration. This one both survived andthrived. Revenues more than doubledin the past decade and the companynow employs 70.

Bruce and Leif’s father (also namedBruce) was a principled man who notonly encouraged saving and conserva-tive financial management, but alsotaught his sons to memorize the TenCommandments. He gave each son aBible (along with the primary Christ-ian Scientist text, Science & Health).Their dad left an “extraordinary legacyand gave us a great base to build upon,”reflects Bruce.

The Andersons learned about God’struth when Bob Hedin, the son of agood customer, was hired to work dur-ing the summer of 1967. Workingbeside him, Bruce noted Bob set a veryfine example. One night at dinner, theAndersons’ father mentioned thatBob’s dad was disappointed becausehis son was transferring to “somecrackpot religious school in Texas.”

“That got your attention,” said Leif.“Yeah, I was looking for crackpots,”joked Bruce, who was then a junior atthe University of Minnesota. “So Istarted quizzing Bob. I had a number ofquestions and had been searching forthe past year.” The answers he began tofind led him to read Church literature,visit with a pastor and begin attendingservices in the then three-year-old Min-neapolis congregation.

Four Anderson sons departed forvarious Ambassador College campus-es over the next few years, similarly dis-appointing their own father. Fortunate-ly, the relationships were restoredbefore their father’s early death in 1977.One by one, brothers returned to thefamily business in the following years.“It took four of us to replace Dad,” Leifobserved.

Both brothers want the business tobe a blessing to its employees, to the

community and to the marketplace. Inaddition to serving customers, the com-pany offers its facilities for Boy Scoutactivities, local library board meetingsand UCG church services. Construc-tion of a new building was completed in2000. One side of the building was ter-raced down to the basement level sothose in labs could work in natural

window-light just as the executives onthe top floor. Visitors will note numer-ous wildlife prints—a link to the com-pany’s support of Ducks Unlimited andPheasants Forever. The company alsodonates to local food shelves.

“God, our competition doesn’t playby the same rules and it’s not a levelplaying field, so level it out a little bitfor us,” Leif prays. They’re both com-forted by God’s promise in Romans8:28 that all things work together forthe good of those who love Him. This“gives you the long-term perspectiveyou need when you’re making deci-sions,” said Bruce.

Their witness is primarily a quietone. Bruce explained, “From a dis-tance, you can use a trumpet to pro-claim the gospel. For example, we canbe bold in publications. But the closeryou are to people, especially workingone-on-one with individuals, you haveto be a light. The Bible says ‘Let yourlight shine’—not your loudspeaker.We’re particularly sensitive to thatbecause when people know you’reministers, they tend to give you a littledistance—the radar goes up.”

Ministry and business both requirethe ability to relate to and get along withall types of people. Bruce describes thecompany’s culture as one with a lot oflaughter, a “key indicator of a healthyinternal environment.” Furthermore,“We trust our employees, and I thinkthat’s mutual. If you don’t have to havesomeone watching over everyone’sshoulder, that keeps costs down.”

Bruce believes that “the Bible’s allabout empowerment. God’s empower-ing us for the rest of eternity with morepower than anybody can even begin toimagine. We try to do the same thing,which unleashes people’s creative ener-gy and results in synergism—the wholebecomes greater than the sum of itsparts.”

“First and foremost, we’re in busi-ness to set an example, to carry on thelegacy of our dad,” said Leif. “Imper-fectly as our example is set, it doeshave an impact. Employees under-stand something’s different and con-nect how we conduct ourselves withthe fortunes of the business. God hasdefinitely blessed the business and tak-en us through some tough times.”

“It’s amazing to see the effect onemployees when they know they don’t

have to conduct themselvesin the marketplace like mostbusinesses,” said Bruce. “Wecan take the burdens of lyingand sabotage off their shoul-ders. I think our employeesare emboldened to stand onprinciple because of wherewe draw the line.”

Bruce and Leif feel Godwill continue to bless thecompany as they try to rep-resent Him well in theirmanagement efforts.

Sharon Babcock

Bob Jones RetiresAfter 35 Years

Bob Jones retired from the full-timeministry of the United Church of God

Making Blankets for Canada in Calgary: Shelly Molnar,Jennifer Poffenroth, Agnes Belanger, Melanie Davie, PatSnyder, Liz Trenerry, Chelsey Petersen, Connie White andDolly Petersen. Missing from the photo: Heidi Poffenroth,Della von Holland and Rebecca von Holland

Bruce and LeifAnderson, vicepresidents ofAndersonChemicalCompany andelders in LittleFalls, Minnesota(photos bySharonBabcock)


on the Sabbath of Oct. 12, 2002, inJacksonville, Florida. Regional pastorHarold Rhodes and Richard Thompsonparticipated in this celebration of theJones’ retirement by presenting Mr.Jones and his wife, Mary, with a crys-tal plaque from the Church and a con-gratulatory card from Roy Holladay,president of UCGIA, and RichardPinelli, Ministerial Services operationmanager.

Mr. Jones was baptized on Oct. 20,1963, in Portland, Oregon, and beganworking for the Church in August of1964 as a plumber. He was involved indoing various jobs for the Churchthrough June of 1967 then wasassigned to be a ministerial trainee.

Mr. Jones was ordained as a localelder four months later on Oct. 22,1967, at the Feast of Tabernacles atJekyll Island, Georgia, by Herbert Arm-strong.

During the next 12 years he served inthe following areas: Greensboro, NorthCarolina; St. Paul, Minneapolis andRochester, Minnesota; and St. Peters-burg and Ft. Myers, Florida.

He began coordinating Feast sites atSt. Petersburg from 1980 through 1984;Norfolk, Virginia, 1985 through 1992;and Jekyll Island, Georgia, from 1994through 2002. Overall, he has beeninvolved with Festival site coordinationfor the past 23 years.

Additionally, Mr. Jones has pastoredcongregations in Norfolk and Rich-mond, Virginia, and in 1993, he beganpastoring the congregations in Jack-sonville, Tallahassee and Orlando,Florida, until his retirement. The Jack-sonville/Tallahassee/Orlando churchcircuit was over 600 miles!

Mr. and Mrs. Jones plan to remain inthe Jacksonville area.

Harold Rhodes

First UCG Ladies’Day Held in Lagos

For the first time since UnitedChurch of God was organized in Nige-ria in 1996, the Lagos Spokesman Clubheld a Ladies’Day on Sunday, Sept. 1,2002. This comes more than three yearsafter the Lagos Spokesman Club wasinaugurated in March 1999 by BillCagle, an elder from Texas who was ona business trip to Nigeria. Since the firstmeeting of the club had been scheduledduring his visit, it fell on Mr. Cagle todirect that first meeting. There wereonly six men in attendance.

Following this, with the support anddirection of Fred Kellers and DaleSchurter who have had the pastoraloversight for the congregations in Nige-ria, the Spokesman Club began to takeshape. As the congregation grows, sodoes the membership of the club.

At the first Ladies’Day, 11 membersand their dates participated and had areally happy and meaningful time.They met in the congregation’s rentedmeeting hall, named AmbassadorSuite, specially decorated for the occa-sion. The theme was “Building GoodRelationships.”

Oludare Akinbo and his wife,Olutoun, handled table topics, whichlargely reflected the day’s theme. Olu-

ranti Oguntayo, a younglady with a sonorous voice,rendered a beautiful song atthe interlude.

Olwagunwa Ibirogbahandled the job of toastmas-ter. Four speeches, whichgave very helpful tips andencouragement on buildinggood relationships, weregiven by Ezekiel Alimi

(“Making and Keeping Friends”), Olu-dotun Ibirogba (“Three Tenets of GoodRelationships”), Olumuyiwa Akin-Ogundeji (“Communication as aMeans of Building Good Relation-ships”) and Samuel Olutunji Oguntayo,club president (“How You Can LivePeacefully With Others”).

In the ambience of well-selectedmusic, members and their datesenjoyed a sumptuous two-course mealprepared by Omolola Ibirogba, a younglady in the Lagos congregation who isa professional caterer.

O. Akin-Ogundeji

Member’s Letter ofAppreciation forPastor Printed byFocus on the Family

The October 2002 issue of Focus onthe Family magazine included a letterfrom Houston, Texas, member MarilynBraley expressing appreciation for a pas-tor. Though the pastor’s name wasn’tprinted, she was excited to tell othersabout her appreciation for Don Hooser,who now pastors the Austin, Colemanand Waco, Texas, congregations.

The letter as printed in the “FrontPorch” section of Focus on the Familyread:

“In honor of Clergy AppreciationMonth, here’s a tribute to a few pastors:

“Home away from home“My son was incarcerated 269 miles

from home. I visited him twice amonth, which wiped out my weekends.

When the pastor ofthe church I attendednear the prison foundout about my trips,he took action. Heasked people in thechurch to put me upwhen I was in town.During that year,staying in the homesof church familymade those longweekends fun andsaved me money onmotels and food.Plus, I made severalgood friends. Theirfriendship didn’tstop when my son

was transferred and laterreleased. People continuedpraying for him and kept upwith his situation—thanks to awonderful pastor.—MarilynBraley, Houston”

PittsburghCelebratesPastorAppreciationDay

To the Pittsburgh congregation of theUnited Church of God, PA doesn’t juststand for the abbreviation for Pennsyl-vania. As of Oct. 20, 2001, it also standsfor Pastor Appreciation Day.

The inspiration for the occasionsprang from the hearts of Ron and

Brenda Grebur, and their enthusiasmfor the project spread throughout thecongregation.

Quietly, secretly, donations were giv-en with willing hearts to purchase gifts.With glistening eyes and lumps inmany throats, the brethren sat hushedas Brenda Grebur spoke these words toDon and Rannie Henson:

“The Bible says a pastor who servesGod and His people faithfully is worthyof a double honor. We are celebratingPastor Appreciation Day because wehave a pastor and his wife who deservethe honor. It is very important that youboth know how much we appreciate allthat you do. The endless hours youspend driving to three church areas; vis-iting the brethren and anointing the sickand preparing schedules, calendars andmeetings for three churches and keep-

ing it all running pretty smoothly—well, most of the time!

“For the time you spend preparingsermons and Bible studies to teach usmore of God’s ways. The times youpatiently listen to our problems, ourfrustrations, our fears, our pain and ourtears. You have gently guided us withcompassion and love. You gently leadus to the Kingdom of God.

“As a husband and wife, you set awonderful example of two peoplewho really love, respect and deeplycare for one another. But more impor-tantly, we thank you for your com-mitment and dedication to God andus. Thank you both for your labor oflove!”

The gifts presented toMr. and Mrs. Hensonwere a beautiful mantelclock, which Mr. Hen-son quickly claimed forhis study, and a lovelycouch throw, inscribedwith Jeremiah 3:15:“And I will give you pas-tors according to mineheart, which shall feedyou with knowledge andunderstanding.”

Val Maurer, our localpoet, composed a poemin tribute to Mr. andMrs. Henson which ended with:

“Dear Mr. and Mrs. Henson“We want you to see“That you are such a blessing“To your Pittsburgh family.”A cake inscribed with “Congratula-

tions Mr. and Mrs. Henson,” made byour resident baker, Joan Ball, providedall with a follow-up snack.

Lee Hart

ClevelandSponsors Camp-Out and SoftballTournament

The Cleveland, Ohio, congregationheld its second annual camp-out andsoftball tournament July 20 and 21,2002. Teens kicked off the weekend atSabbath services by leading songs,delivering the sermonette, providingopening and closing prayersand special music, as well asacting as ushers, greeters andservers at the refreshmenttable. There were about 150brethren in attendance.

Services concluded andabout two thirds of the grouptrekked to the Litchfieldhomestead of Greg and B.J.Thomas for an afternoon offood, fun and fellowship.The UCG Northeast OhioTeen Speech Club, its ranksswelled by many campers,met near the back of theproperty for their monthlymeeting. Other brethren tooklazy paddleboat rides andshared thoughts under anyavailable patch of shade.

That night more than adozen tents lined the yard’ssouth edge. About 80 people

spent the night under the stars or in theThomas’home.

After sunset many younger campersgathered around the campfire for anight of hot dogs and marshmallows.Others joined in a sing-along or helpedget concessions ready for the next day’sactivities. A few, who somehow kepttheir energy in spite of the warmevening, engaged in a shadowy gameof capture the flag and cooled off in theThomas’pond or pool.

The softball tournament kicked offat 10 a.m. the next morning at a field innearby Penfield. Teams from Cleve-land; Portsmouth, Ohio; two teamsmade up of speech club members; and

pickup teams of campers from variousareas of the region enjoyed a full dayof softball.

Kristin Yarbrough

Oregon MemberFeatured on FrontPage

The Grants Pass, Oregon, DailyCourier ran a front-page article aboutmember Mike Hunicke Oct. 10, 2002.

The article, “He’s One Special BusDriver,” reported on Mr. Hunicke’sexemplary service transporting specialeducation students. It quotes PrincipalKathie Hill as saying, “He shows suchcompassion for our kids and their spe-cial needs. He is so patient and so kind,and the kids and parents love him.”

Mike Hunicke and his wife, Helen,attend the Medford,Oregon,congregation.

Samuel Olutunji Oguntayo,president of the Lagos, Nigeria,Spokesman Club, gives welcomeaddress at Ladies’ Day; aboveright, Oluranti Oguntayo sings

Don and Rannie Henson honoredwith cake of appreciation

Member Mike Hunicke makes the front page

Erik Jones, president of the Northeast Ohio TeenSpeech Club, conducts business session atCleveland camp-out and softball tournament


Births

Kendall and Christine Creager ofDayton, Ohio, are pleased to announcethe birth of their daughter,Kansas Grace.She was born Aug. 7,2002,and weighed8 pounds 11 ounces. Big brother Casey,age 9, is very happy to have a new sister.

Daniel and Kimberly (Walker) Pre-ston of Cincinnati, Ohio, are pleased toannounce the birth of their first child,Andrew Jacob, born July 10, 2002,weighing 7 pounds 5 ounces.

The very happy grandparents areAlvin and Brenda Walker of Greens-boro, North Carolina, and Charles and

Betty Preston of Cincinnati. Great-grandmothers are Dot Walker and VirgieSmith of North Carolina and Ollie Pre-ston of Ohio.

Randy and Kori McKeegan of Bak-ersfield, California, are delighted to

announce the birth of their first child,Emily Anne. She was born on March29, 2002 (10 weeks premature),weighing 1 pound 13 ounces and mea-suring 13 and 3/4 inches. She nowweighs over 11 pounds and is doingwonderfully. Her proud grandparentsare Fran Brosky, Don Brosky, CynthiaAlipio and Craig Jackson of Bakers-field, California.

Mark and Leah Wilson of Atlanta,Georgia, announce the birth of their firstchild, Michael Eric Wilson. Michaelwas born June 5, 2002, and weighed 6pounds 14 ounces.

Grandparents are Eric and Sheila

Wilson of Jefferson City, Missouri, andRaymond and Paulette Duncan ofLula, Missouri. Great-grandparents areRellis and Pauline Wilson of Califor-nia, Missouri, and Lorene Knott ofAlabama.

Aaron and Dawn Booth are hap-py to announce the birth of theirhealthy baby girl, Brooklyn Eve.She arrived on Sept. 12, 2002,weighing 8 pounds 6 ounces andwas 20 1/2 inches long.

Proud grandparents are Jerry andArdelle Schwartzrock from Fargo,North Dakota, and Les and DebbieBooth of West Lafayette, Indiana.This is Aaron and Dawn’s first child.

Danny and Darla (Diggins) Taylorof Baltimore, Maryland, are happy toannounce the birth of their first child,Kayla Jeanine, on April 13, 2002.Kayla weighed 7 pounds 14 ouncesand was 20 3/4 inches long.

She is the 11th grandchild of Wayneand Jean Diggins and the third grand-

child of Dan and Cheryll Taylor.

EngagementsBrenda Gibbons of the New York City,

New York, congregation, and ClarenceJ. Sloan proudly announce the engage-ment of their daughter, Danielle YvonneEmilyn Sloan, to George Henry Carva-jal. A May 2003 wedding is planned.

Melvin and Diane Rhodes of Lans-ing, Michigan, and Victor and BeverlyKubik of Indianapolis, Indiana, wish toannounce the engagement of their chil-dren Alexandra Rhodes and Michael

Kubik, both of Indianapolis. The wed-ding date has not yet been set.

Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Ketcham andMr. and Mrs. Clyde Naylor Sr. ofApopka, Florida, are pleased toannounce the engagement of their chil-

dren, Rhonda and Donald. The wed-ding is planned for early 2004.

WeddingsMr. and Mrs. Errol McIntosh of Leth-

bridge, Alberta, together with Mr. and

Mrs. Richard Pinelli of Cincinnati,Ohio,are pleased to announce the marriage oftheir children, Debbie and Jon.

The ceremony was performed by thegroom’s father in Eagle, Colorado, onSept. 18, 2002. Maid of honor was thebride’s sister, Tammy, and the groom’s

sons, Justin and Kegan, served as bestmen. The couple reside in Eagle andattend the Grand Junction, Colorado,congregation.

Joseph and Mary Kay Filipiak ofGrafton, Ohio, are pleased to announcethe marriage of their daughter, MaryAnn, to Brian J. Hegvold, son of Davidand Kathleen Hegvold of Houston,Texas. The wedding took place May 26,

2002, in Houston. The ceremony wasperformed by Jim Franks, pastor of theHouston North congregation, where thecouple attend.

Glaister Douglas and Carmen Cristywere happily joined in marriage on Aug.31, 2002, in Deltona, Florida. RichardThompson, pastor of the Orlando, Jack-sonville and Ocala, Florida, congrega-tions, conducted the ceremony with 120in attendance. A wonderful meal anddance followed, which helped to cele-brate the joyous occasion.

Randy and Debbie Diggins of Balti-more,Maryland,are happy to announcethe marriage of their daughter Melissato Joseph Mihm, son of Ferdinand and

Lillian Mihm,on Sept. 2,2002. The cer-emony was performed by Brian Draw-baugh, an elder in the Cumberland,Maryland, congregation.

Melissa was attended by MichelleDiggins (maid of honor), Darla Taylor,Jaime Diggins and Taylor Foard (flowergirl). Joe was attended by Scott Diggins(best man), Danny Taylor and RandyDiggins Jr.

James Andrew Shamblin and RuthLouise Reynolds were united in mar-riage Sept. 30,2002, in Ecola State Park,

Cannon Beach, Oregon. The weddingwas performed by Ward Shamblin,father of the groom and an elder in theLubbock, Texas, congregation. Brides-maids were Judy Hernandez, ClarajaneReynolds and Wilda Reynolds.Groomsmen were Jeff Kramer andJohnny Overton. The couple met whileattending the 2002 class of AmbassadorBible Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Sharla Shamblin and Michael Turnerwere married April 5, 2002, at Bartlett’s

Home Place in Anson,Texas. The bride’sattendants were Darci Barney andMichaela Turner. The groom’s attendants

Announcements

Donald Naylor and Rhonda Ketcham

Andrew Jacob Preston

Brian and Mary Ann Hegvold

Emily Anne McKeegan

Ruth and Andrew Shamblin

Sharla and Michael Turner

Jon and Debbie Pinelli

Joseph and Melissa Mihm

Alexandra Rhodes and Michael Kubik

Kansas Grace Creager

Kayla Jeanine Taylor

Michael Eric Wilson

Brooklyn Eve Booth

Glaister and Carmen Douglas


were Warren and Matthew Turner. Thecouple live near Austin, Texas.

AnniversariesHugh and Gloria Harden, of Moun-

tain Home, Idaho, celebrated their 45thwedding anniversary on Aug. 25, 2002.The Boise, Idaho,congregation honored

them with cake and flowers at a recep-tion following services on Aug. 24,2002. Mr. and Mrs. Harden have been

members of the Boise congregationsince 1968. They have four children,Lorinda Springer,David Harden,BeckyBennett and Talitha Ulsberger, and sev-en grandchildren.

ObituariesPaul Shabi, 84, a member of the Las

Vegas, Nevada, congregation, died June21, 2002, after a five-month battle withlung cancer. He was born July 12, 1917,

in Smithton, Pennsylvania, and wasmarried to his wife, Lela, in May 1953.He served in the 101st Airborne duringWorld War II and retired in 1977 fromAmoco Oil Refinery in Whiting, Indi-ana. He and his wife were baptized in1964 and attended congregations inLaGrange, Illinois; Hammond, Indiana;Columbus, Indiana; Murfreesboro,Ten-nessee; and Las Vegas.

Mr. Shabi will always be rememberedfor his friendly disposition and his will-ingness to help anyone in need. He tru-ly never met anyone he didn’t like.

He is survived by his wife, Lela; son,Rick,and his wife,Deborah,of the Indi-anapolis, Indiana, congregation; daugh-ter, Kathleen; and four grandchildren,Eric, Kristin, Kate and Patrick Shabi.

Harry Frank Aiguier, 67, a very high-ly respected member of the Worcester,Massachusetts, congregation, diedpeacefully in his sleep on June 30,2002.He had a three-year-long battle with can-cer. Harry is survived by his loving wifeof 18 years, Linda, two sons and threedaughters, four brothers, 20 grandchil-

dren, five great-grandchildren and manynephews and nieces. Born Aug. 22,1934, he was a faithful servant to thevery end.

Harry was a veteran of the Seabeesduring the Korean War. He was in truck-ing for most of his life and owned hisown company.

Well over 200 people attended hisfuneral in Leominster, which reflectedthe high regard with which he was held.

He was baptized in the late ’60s andfirst attended God’s Church in Man-chester, New Hampshire. He wasordained as a deacon in the UnitedChurch of God and also served as trea-surer for the New England area.

His wife, Linda, thanks everyone forthe many cards, letters and calls that shereceived during this very trying time.

Ron Colbeth, 50, died Aug. 11, 2002,at home surrounded by his family. Hesuffered with a rare form of cancer sinceFebruary of this year.

Ron and his wife, Betsy, were mar-ried 31 years and were baptized intoGod’s Church in 1972 by Robert Jones.

They attended the St. Paul, Minnesota,congregation until moving to Coloradoin 1983 where they attended the Love-land congregation. Ron was active

throughout his life with youth groupsand church activities including songleading and giving sermonettes. Heserved on the board and volunteered forMeals on Wheels, serving his commu-nity. His motto was “Faith, Family andFriends”and these were the most impor-tant things to him.

Ron is survived by his wife, five chil-dren and three grandchildren.

Hugh and Gloria Harden

Paul Shabi

Ron Colbeth

Tribute: GeraldWaterhouse

It is doubtful that any minister hashad more impact on God’s people dur-ing this age of the Church of God thanGerald Waterhouse. No minister wasknown personally by more brethrenaround the world than was Gerald. Hedeveloped close and enduring friend-ships wherever he traveled in God’s ser-vice. He deeply valued his close friend-ship with Herbert W. Armstrong.

Gerald was born Aug. 9, 1926, in theWest Texas town of San Angelo, thesecond of five children, to Luther Isaac(Ted) and Ruth Waterhouse. His oldestbrother, Roy, and his youngest brother,Van, live in San Angelo. His youngersister, Annece Havlik, lives in Crane,Texas. His brother, Don, pastors theUCG congregations in Columbia andFlorence,South Carolina,and Augusta,Georgia.

Early on Gerald’s interest turned togolf. As a youngster he caddied andplayed golf. At North Texas StateTeachers College in Denton, Texas, heplayed on the golf team and traveled togolf competitions. His golfing experi-ences led to friendships with numerouswell-known golfers. Several went on toplay in the Seniors PGA even to thisday.

He served in the Navy on variousships and carriers during both WorldWar II and the Korean War. While inthe Navy he married, but the marriagedidn’t survive his naval duty. Geraldremained unmarried the remainder ofhis life. Although he didn’t have chil-dren of his own, he loved his manybrothers and sisters in the faith all overthe world.

The World TomorrowGerald first heard the World Tomor-

row on radio in 1949. He was visitinghis family in Mountain Home, Texas,where they were living on a subsistence

income cutting cedar posts. His father,Ted,had been listening to the broadcast,yet had no interest in religion. Geraldwas drawn to the voice and message ofHerbert W. Armstrong. He subscribedto the literature of the Radio Church ofGod and soon realized he must changehis life. He attended the Days ofUnleavened Bread in Big Sandy,Texas,in 1953 where he was baptized. Littledid he know the route his life wouldtake from there.

Gerald entered Ambassador Collegein 1953 and graduated in 1956. He gavehis first sermonette in November 1953and his first sermon in 1954. He trav-eled throughout the United States onbaptizing tours in 1954, 1955, 1956,1958 and 1959. Mr. Armstrongordained Gerald a preaching elder in1956, a pastor in 1959 and an evange-list in 1963.

Around the WorldGerald served in four international

offices. He replaced Richard Armstrongin London, England, in 1957. Heexpanded that regional office and pas-tored the London church, the first inter-national congregation. Eighteenmonths later he opened the office inSydney, Australia, served as regionaldirector and pastored the churches inSydney and Brisbane until December1961. In 1962 he established the officein Manila, Philippines, represented theChurch as regional director and pas-tored the church. His last overseasassignment was opening the office inJohannesburg, South Africa, as region-al director and pastoring the congrega-tion in Johannesburg.

In 1965 Gerald returned to theChurch’s headquarters in Pasadena,California. Soon thereafter Mr. Arm-strong assigned him to travel and speakto the churches. His first tour began Jan.13, 1966. Over a span of 25 years heconducted 11 worldwide tours. Includ-ing his travels to open internationaloffices, speak in the churches and speak

at Feast of Tabernacles sites,Gerald cir-cled the globe 15 times. His personalcontact with most of God’s peoplearound the world built a respect andlove that remains to this day.

His first pastorate in the United Stateswas in St. Louis and Springfield, Mis-souri. He also served as pastor in Den-ver and Pueblo,Colorado; Garden City,Kansas; Birmingham and Opp,Alaba-ma; and San Angelo and Abilene,Texas. His last pastorate was in Miami,Florida 1977-1978. He also worked fortwo short periods in the Church Admin-istration Department in Pasadena in1975-76 and 1991-92.

Retirement and FailingHealth

The Worldwide Church of Godretired Gerald in August 1992 aftermore than 36 years of faithful serviceto God’s Church. He moved to theAtlantic coastal city of Port St. Lucie,Florida, bought a home and settled

down to enjoy his retirement, play golfand occasionally visit the churches. Healso assisted the pastor in the local con-gregation. Retirement had its advan-tages, but Gerald never lost hope thatone day soon he would return to travel-ing and speaking to the churches aroundthe world.

In 1997 Gerald began to suffer healthproblems including a swollen prostate,collapsed bladder and extreme toxemia.On death’s door, he was hospitalized atthat time and his health never recovered.His condition deteriorated to the pointthat he was moved to an assisted livingfacility near his brother,Don, in Tampa,Florida.

Gerald was moved to a new assistedliving facility in Columbia, South Car-olina, when Don was transferred toSouth Carolina in June 2002. As the firstresident in this facility,he received undi-vided care. He was doing well, had agood appetite and enjoyed where hewas living even though his health was

tenuous. His mobility deteriorated tothe point that he used a walker or wheel-chair. He could no longer attend Sab-bath services.

Gerald was highly respected wherehe lived and developed a close relation-ship with several staff members. Jokingwith staff members and giving “thumbsup” built a short but endearing bond.

Sept. 3, 2002, Gerald enjoyed hislunch, laid down to rest as he was in thehabit of doing. He called for an atten-dant and complained that he couldn’tget his breath. The on-duty nurse andattendant helped him as much as theywere able. At the age of 76 he went to“sleep” without suffering. As severalmembers have remarked, “Gerald isnow in his place of safety.” BurkMcNair and Richard Pinelli officiated athis graveside service and burial at theNational Cemetery in Florence, SouthCarolina, on Sept. 9, 2002.

Much RememberedGerald will be remembered for his

sermons which were sincere, single-minded, dynamic and filled with color-ful word pictures of the Kingdom ofGod. Many brethren appreciated hisability to make the promises of theworld tomorrow come alive. Mosteveryone remembers him punctuatinghis sermons with the question, “Get thepoint?”

Serving the brethren worldwide washis most fulfilling experience and onehe wouldn’t trade for any other job inthe Church. He thoroughly loved whathe did which was clearly reflected byhis zeal, dedication, conviction andwarmth.

His whole heart was focused onGod’s Kingdom and the part each of uswill have in that government. His mes-sages concentrated on God, Christ andtheir plan to solve mankind’s ills atChrist’s second coming. He never fal-tered nor wavered from this vision. Heclearly sought God’s Kingdom first!

Don Waterhouse

Gerald Waterhouse

video for its sermon tape program, Feastof Tabernacles sermon videos, UnitedYouth Camp promotional and informa-tional videos, member and ministerialeducational material,Ambassador BibleCenter projects and other projects thatcome along. We trust this upgradedequipment will be a time saver and aworthwhile tool in the work of theChurch,” said Mr. Eddington.

Preparations Madefor ABC 2003

As of Oct. 30, 39 students had beenaccepted to Ambassador Bible Center for2003. Applications are due by Dec. 16.Orientation is set for Jan. 5, classes beginJan. 6 and graduation is Aug. 10.

Two Ordinationsand Two MinisterialHires Announced

Jack Willoughby was ordained anelder on Trumpets, Sept. 7. He and hiswife, Vicki, serve the Bentonville,Arkansas, congregation.

Jorge de Campos was ordained on thefirst day of the Feast of Tabernacles inSouth Africa. He and his wife, Kathy,serve the Johannesburg congregation.

Ministerial Services announced the

NewsAt a Glance

On www.ucg.org■ See the streaming video sermon titled “Focuson the Kingdom of God” by Clyde Kilough.http://www.ucg.org/RealAud/

■ See the new sermon transcripts “TheSabbath in History and Prophecy” byPeter Eddington and “Seven Points forChild Rearing” by Darris McNeely.http://www.ucg.org/deafhh/transcripts.html

■ See Good News radio schedule to Feb. 2.http://www.ucg.org/radio

On vcmagazine.org■ The November Virtual Christian Magazinehas articles on “Only 17: Broken Laws—BrokenDreams,” “Piggyback,” “Saying Good-bye to

Our Family’s Barn,” “‘Little House on the Prairie’Thanksgiving” and “Don’t Stand on Your Head!”http://vcmagazine.org

On youthmagazine.org■ Youth United has articles on “How to Treatthe Opposite Sex,” pornography, “What YourAppearance Says About You,” body piercing,“Predicting Your Success,” “One, but Not theSame,” questions and answers and more.http://youthmagazine.org

Other Helpful Links■ Youth and young adult site. http://ucgyouth.org

■ Singles’ Web site for singles in the Church.http://www.ucgsingles.org

■ UCG Race Relations Committee site.http://www.ucgrace.org

■ Good News Bible Reading Programhttp://www.ucg.org/brp

■ Good News Web site.http://gnmagazine.org

■ Local multimedia efforts.http://www.ucg.org/a/localc/multimedia.htm

■ News page with Council of Eldersmeeting reports, President’s Letters,Home Office Updates, etc.http://www.ucg.org/a/news/news.htm

If you have any questions or comments, pleasecontact: [email protected]


Continued from page 2

hiring of elders Chris Moen andGary McConnaughey. Mr. Moen andhis wife, Angela, will train underRichard Thompson in Florida. Mr.McConnaughey and his wife, Jane,will be attending ABC next session andtraining under Richard Pinelli in theCincinnati East, Ohio, congregation.

’03 Camp Dates SetThe United Youth Camp dates for

2003 are:Pinecrest, Missouri..........June 11-18Hye Sierra, California......June 29-July 6Woodmen,Alabama........June 29-July 6Tetons, Wyoming............July 7-17Carter, Texas....................July 20-27Davidson, Oregon ..........Aug. 3-10Heritage, Pennsylvania ..Aug. 10-17Winter, Wisconsin ..........Dec. 21-25

The Teton Challenger dates are pend-ing National Park approval. For more oncamps, see www.ucg.org/youthcamp/and the articles on page 4.

Web Site VisitorsRequest Updates

We currently have 3,410 people

receiving regular E-mail updates fromwww.ucg.org giving them listings ofnewly posted material. This is a 54 per-cent increase over the numbers of justsix months ago. Approximately 60 newpeople are signing up each week!

In addition, 4,218 users are receivingE-mail updates whenever new materialis posted at www.gnmagazine.org. Thisis a very helpful tool for our membersand subscribers to use to keep abreast ofwhat United is doing. You can easilysubscribe by clicking on the UpdateNotification button (at ucg.org) or at thebottom of the opening page atgnmagazine.org.

In addition, our youth Web site atwww.ucgyouth.org has an “E-list”update service with 688 people regis-tered. When new information is addedpertinent to young adults, teens andpreteens, subscribers are sent an E-mail update. Teens, subscribe today!

Peter Eddington

Five New RadioPrograms to Air

Gary Petty recorded five new GoodNews radio programs on Sept. 4. Four ofthe programs included interviews with

various ministers, which seems to be aformat that works well. The new pro-grams have been edited and will go onthe air in November. The program titlesare as follows:

• “The Great Disappointment.”• “Whatever Happened to Sin?”with

Ralph Levy.• “Secular Humanism” with Robert

Dick.• “Why Isn’t Sex Safe?—Part 1”

with Melvin Rhodes.• “Why Isn’t Sex Safe?—Part 2”

with Larry Walker.Good News radio is currently on 16

stations. The station line-up and programschedule are available on-line atwww.ucg.org/radio.

Peter Eddington

Magazine ReprintsGN Articles

Bible and Spade, a Christian-orient-ed magazine dedicated to biblicalarchaeology, requested and was givenpermission to reprint the lead articlefrom the March-April issue of TheGood News titled “Can You Believe theBible?”They printed that article in theirsummer issue—complete with a strong

warning near the end of the article that,due to people’s ignorance of what theBible really teaches, the majority ofmankind will be deceived by a greatend-time religious system and leader!

Scott Ashley

New AssignmentsAnnounced

The Council of Elders announcedOct. 16 that Ed Smith was asked to fill avacancy on the Amendment Committee,with Rick Avent as the alternate.

Mark Winner was named the newchairman of the Christ-Centered ServantLeadership task force, which will beholding a workshop Dec. 9 for the Coun-cil, regional pastors and home office staff.

Since Jim Franks is now chairman ofthe Doctrine Committee, Kevin Eppswas chosen to replace him as chairmanof the Doctrinal Advisory Committee.Mr. Epps stepped down as chairman ofthe Race Relations Committee, andTodd Carey was named chairman. Dar-ris McNeely was named chairman of theProphecy Advisory Committee.

Also Richard Thompson is no longeron the Doctrine Committee of the Coun-cil as reported in the August issue.

Periodicals Postage Paid at Milford, Ohio, and atadditional mailing officesDo you want to experience the fantastic

friendship, education and fun of a UnitedYouth Camp during your winter break? Thenwe have the activity for you! The eighthannual Winter Camp will be held Dec. 22through 26. Campers will learn about God’sway of life in a positive and enjoyable envi-ronment. This year’s activities may includebasketball, Christian Living Q&A, cross-country skiing, dance class, floor hockey,team challenge, tobogganing and more.

The camper application deadline hasbeen extended to Dec. 1.Youth ages 12 to 18are welcome as campers. Camper tuition is$175 and high school staff is $90. Free trans-portation will be provided to the WinterCamp from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, air-port on Dec. 21, after 6 p.m. and before mid-

night. Free transportation to the airport will beprovided on Dec. 26, arriving at noon. Pleaseplan arrivals and departures accordingly.There is an extra charge for room and mealsfor early arrivals. Please contact Gary andGale Black for any transportation needs at(815) 963-2336 or E-mail them [email protected].

Campers can download application mate-rial at www.ucg.org/youthcamp. Camperapplications are also found in the United YouthCamps 2002 magazine. For the latest WinterCamp news, visit www.wintercamp.org.

Camper check-in is Sunday morning,Dec.22, and checkout is Thursday morning, Dec.26. Staff orientation begins late afternoon onDec. 21.

Steve Nutzman

Winter Camp Deadline Extended to Dec. 1

Chris and Angela Moen and Jane andGary McConnaughey, new ministerialhires (photo by Janet Treadway)

New Feast Sites Being Planned for 2003 - United Church of God

Documents

Transcript of New Feast Sites Being Planned for 2003 - United Church of God