Local Church Updates

• Kansas City Hosts First Young Adults Weekend
• Baptism Highlights Tampa Bay Family Weekend
• Member Celebrates a Century
• Houston South Sponsors Student in El Salvador
• New Congregation Started in Kinston, North Carolina
• Additional High School Graduate Honored

Kansas City Hosts First Young Adults Weekend

The Kansas City, Missouri, singles hosted their first young adults event over the 2005 Memorial Day weekend. A total of 73 young adults from 18 different states and Canada converged at the Show Me state's "City of Fountains" for a very exciting and inspiring weekend May 27 to 30.

Guests were immediately treated to a surprising twist as each of the singles and speakers received two lengthy written reports that contained the online survey results that each of the singles filled out prior to the event. Reading the unedited responses and poll results raised eyebrows and created quite a buzz that was to last throughout the entire weekend. (The reports are online at www.kcya2005.com/Questionaire.html.)

Doug Horchak delivered the Saturday morning keynote address titled "Raising the Standards for the Next Generation of the Church of God." His inspiring PowerPoint message was further enhanced by encouraging audience participation.

Following the keynote address, there was a triple breakout session. The single women's seminar "Female Makeover 101" was given by a panel that included Marian Sargent, Tanya Horchak, Marjolaine Meeker and Becky Johnson. A panel that included Mr. Horchak, Greg Sargent and Joel Meeker gave the single men's seminar "Male Makeover 101." The singles seminars focused on practical physical improvements and spiritual principles to help the singles better relate and interact with each other.

Dave Johnson gave the seminar for the married guests titled "How to Keep the Romance Alive and Maintain a Healthy Marriage." All the seminars included a brief question-and-answer session.

Kansas City's beautiful Hyatt Regency Hotel served as the facility for all the seminars and Sabbath services. For many, one of the highlights of the weekend was the Saturday night dance. Located in a spacious outdoor facility at Union Station, young adults feasted on a delicious barbecue buffet meal that was immediately followed by a mix of karaoke and dance music. One young adult commented later about the dance, "I didn't know we were allowed to have that much fun!" Young adults and other guests danced and sang the night away well past midnight.

The Sunday morning brunch was supplemented by a last-minute video presentation. Mr. Meeker was able to share a 30-minute video from his recent trip to Africa, which he narrated for all the guests. Mr. Meeker then moderated the last interactive seminar on "Online Etiquette" in which each table was assigned a few scriptures to discuss regarding the topic.

Young adults had the rest of the day free to attend any of the optional activities or do their own thing. Some toured Kansas City's Historic Liberty Memorial Museum while others went to Worlds of Fun amusement park. The evening ended with a bang as most gathered to watch a spectacular fireworks display and enjoy an outdoor patriotic concert performed by the Kansas City Symphony.

On Memorial Day, the 40 guests who remained met for brunch at the Cheesecake Factory on the world-famous Country Club Plaza. A group photo was taken at one of Kansas City's most famous fountains after the brunch and those who could stay toured a nearby Memorial Gardens park.

The event has received so much positive feedback that plans are already in the works to host another Memorial Day weekend in 2006. More photos of the event can be viewed at the following link: http://kcya2005.com/Event_Photos.html.

— Ruben Gusman

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Baptism Highlights Tampa Bay Family Weekend

God's family got a little larger this year during the annual Tampa Bay Family Weekend, held June 4 and 5, 2005. Charlene Langner, of the St. Petersburg, Florida, congregation, was baptized in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico during the annual beach party on Sunday at Fort DeSoto Beach—currently the number one rated beach in the United States.

Local and visiting ministers laid hands on Charlene asking for God's Holy Spirit for her prior to asking a blessing on the cookout meal. Charlene learned about the United Church of God about a year ago while searching the Internet for churches. After finding the UCG Web site and reading about our doctrines, she asked if she could attend services. Since that time she has been at nearly every service and now she has become a member. Welcome to the family, Charlene!

The day before, about 200 brethren met at the Largo Cultural Center for a combined Sabbath service with the St. Petersburg and Tampa congregations plus visitors. Larry Greider, a regional pastor and chairman of the UCG Youth Education Team, was the guest speaker. Since this Sabbath was also the date of a Churchwide fast, the potluck meal provided afterward by the local brethren was unofficially deemed one of the best potlucks in Church history!

After the potluck, members from as far away as California participated in an interactive seminar on teaching, presented by Larry Greider. Then brethren danced the night away under palm fronds at a safari-themed family dance.

— Kristin Yarbrough

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Member Celebrates a Century

Gertrude (May) Rogers recently turned 100 years old and has been in the Church of God for 50 years. She was born Gertrude (May) Hodgson in Stoke-on-Trent, England, on May 10, 1905.

May's father was forced out of his profession as a baker due to an allergy. May's uncle had migrated to America and found a good paying job in a coal mine in southern Illinois. He was so delighted with his new life in Illinois that May's mother and father thought moving to the United States was a good idea. At the tender young age of 5, May Hodgson left her home in England and started a new life in America in 1910.

On June 20, 1936, May was married to Arthur Rogers. Mr. Rogers was a coal miner and a farmer. May enjoyed farm life, but Arthur wanted to live in town. In 1992 May and Arthur moved to Centralia, Illinois, where Arthur took up woodworking and filled their new home with fine handmade furniture. Arthur's health declined badly, and he died in 1998.

Due to a childhood mishap, May's right leg was paralyzed, but in spite of the hardship, May learned to function well. May has three children: Virginia, Ruth and Arthur Jr.

Before there was a local congregation in her area, May heard Herbert Armstrong on the radio. She was an avid reader, and she soon requested and received baptism. When local congregations were established, May began attending, first in Harrisburg, Illinois, then in Evansville, Indiana, and then in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. She was attending in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, when she became homebound.

May always set a fine example of ladylike dress and decorum. May's mother taught her to play the piano, and she also became an excellent seamstress at her mother's knee. For many years May kept her family dressed in her own handmade clothing.

During the years that May was homebound, her health continued to decline. It finally came to the point that her daughter could no longer take care of her. May is now residing at Odin Health Care in Odin, Illinois.

— Louis Muench

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Houston South Sponsors Student in El Salvador

A young mother, Jeanette Bonilla, came to Houston, Texas, from El Salvador several months ago hoping to obtain employment in her field as a computer network administrator to pay off some debts. This required her to leave her two children behind with her mother in El Salvador.

Jeanette is a member of United in El Salvador, and she attended the Houston South congregation for several months. Once members realized the nature of her predicament, needing both added education and funding, they inquired about the possibility of "sponsorship" of Jeanette.

Houston South pastor, Ken Giese, spoke with Jeanette's pastor, Herbert Cisneros, about the sponsorship, and he was all in favor of it. So Jeanette has returned to El Salvador and is being sponsored by the UCG Houston South congregation so that she can take classes in information technology full-time while supporting her family. After completing these studies over the next 12 to 18 months, she will be able to further her career with a better paying job, and thus be better able to support her family, including two children, a boy, 14, and a girl, 12, and her mother.
Jeanette registered for six summer classes at Universidad Don Bosco in San Salvador on June 22, 2005, and started classes the same day. She is taking network administration, laboratory for local networks, digital systems and digital systems laboratory, and physics and physics laboratory. Many days' classes start at 7 a.m. and end at 6 p.m.

Jeanette will be staying in touch with the members of Houston South via monthly updates printed in our bulletin and via e-mail with some of the brethren.

— Jon Erickson

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New Congregation Started in Kinston, North Carolina

A new congregation of the United Church of God started on the Sabbath of June 4 in Kinston, North Carolina, with a total of 19 people gathering at the Hampton Inn for the first meeting. It began, perhaps appropriately, on the day of the Churchwide fast. At the second service on June 18, there were 22 in attendance.

Though the numbers are relatively small, the excitement and enthusiasm were high. Quite a few members have been traveling two to three hours one way to attend the Raleigh, North Carolina, congregation, and some have not been able to attend at all. The new congregation is a good central location between several sizable cities less than an hour away, bringing a congregation to the huge area in the eastern part of the state.

The new Kinston congregation will be meeting on the first and third Sabbaths of each month for a while. It is pastored by David Mills, who also pastors the Charlotte, Asheboro and Raleigh, North Carolina, congregations.

— David Mills

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Additional High School Graduate Honored

Here is information about a high school graduate not included in last issue:

Graduate's Name: Christine Joyce M. Remo

Parents: Adolfo and Grace Remo

Congregation: Manila, Philippines

High School Accomplishments: Christine graduated first honorable mention, was a consistent honor student and four-year academic scholar. She was on the varsity table tennis team and participated in the Math Quiz Bee.

Church Activities/Hobbies/Interests/etc.: Christine has attended United Youth Camp five times, and her family attended the Feast of Tabernacles in Davao, Philippines, for the past four years. Her hobbies are reading, drawing and playing the violin. She loves to be with her friends in Church and loves cats.

Plans After Graduation: Christine plans to take up dentistry.

Favorite Quote: "And now here's my secret, a very simple secret. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye"—The Little Prince.

Favorite Scriptures:

Matthew 6:33: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."