Local Church Updates

• Brethren Help Member Clean Up Katrina Damage
• Reno Congregation Enjoys "Dinner and a Movie" Event
• 95-Year-Old Reads the Bible Through Again
• Little Falls Says Farewell to Servidios
• Barbados Celebrates and Builds Camaraderie
• Preteens Serve Sherman Senior Luncheon
• Dallas Has Preteen Costume Carnival
• Over 250 Attend All-Ambassador Reunion
• Young Adults Attend Leadership Conference
• Corpus Christi Sponsors Mexican Dinner and Talent Show
• Coleman Celebrates 10th Anniversary
• Cincinnati East Enjoys Games, Pizza and Karaoke
• South African Teen Scores 100

Brethren Help Member Clean Up Katrina Damage

On Dec. 4, brethren from the New Orleans and Covington, Louisiana, congregations and friends gathered at the home of Dorothy Lewis to tear down and clean out her back shed that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

The 16-person wrecking crew made short work of the shed and its contents and were even able to down a few Krispy Kreme donuts in between loads. Her shed had housed her washer and dryer as well as her hot water heater. Flood waters ruined everything in her shed. The water rose to the porch of her home (4 1/2 feet) before receding. Thankfully her home didn't flood.

Prior to the storm, Mrs. Lewis evacuated to a three-story building nearby, where she was eventually airlifted from the roof by helicopter to a highway overpass. Later she was taken to a shelter in western Louisiana where she contacted family in San Antonio , Texas , with whom she stayed until she was able to return in November.

With donations received from Katrina Good Works and LifeNets funds, we have been able to purchase replacement appliances for her and will be assisting her financially in the building of another shed.

The brethren deeply appreciate the kindness bestowed upon them by loving members around the world.

—Andy Burnett

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Reno Congregation Enjoys "Dinner and a Movie" Event

After Sabbath services and a thought-provoking interactive Bible study Jan. 7, over 40 brethren from the Reno , Nevada , congregation enjoyed "Dinner and a Movie" together.

Hamburgers and hotdogs were barbecued on-site. Tables were prepared and food was served with an outpouring of generous help from many. After realizing there was no ice to keep drinks cold, resourceful brethren chilled and served beverages in tubs filled with snow collected from around the building!

Later, the front rows of seating in the hall were removed to make way for sleeping bags and beach chairs. Movie-style popcorn and candy was handed out. All were entertained by a screening of some movie trivia, a few homemade commercials and, finally, the feature presentation of Disney's Snow Dogs.

—Kelly Dack

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95-Year-Old Reads the Bible Through Again

The New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont brethren honored Ethel McMullen when she reached 95 years old.

She shared some of her experiences with us. One of her important accomplishments is reading the entire Bible from cover to cover. She began her reading program five years ago when she was 90 years old. She has completed this project eight times and has begun a ninth reading. It is her hope that the example she sets may challenge others who have never read the Bible completely before. It is never too late to "read the Book."

We all wish her many more complete readings!

—Gary and Margie Jacques

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Little Falls Says Farewell to Servidios

The Little Falls, Minnesota, congregation had a farewell party and potluck meal following James and Judy Servidio's final service with them Dec. 17. After 12 years of tending the local flocks as pastor as well as regional pastor, the Servidios have been transferred to Houston North, Texas .

Parting gifts included a lovely nature scene painted by Richard Prunty and a drawing of the Servidio house by Ken Berry.

In addition, a historical novel, named Up the Creek, was cowritten by two other Church members, Jeane Lewis Simpson and Ralph Mayer. Linda Edgell created a gorgeous cake for the occasion.

—Ralph Mayer

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Barbados Celebrates and Builds Camaraderie

For the second consecutive year, the United Church of God ( Barbados ) has taken the opportunity on Nov. 30 to have a Family Day activity among its members and their friends in celebration of the Independence Day of the island nation of Barbados . Some 35 persons were in attendance.

A couple of enterprising ladies donated for sale cookies and crocheted doilies in order to raise funds for LifeNets. This venture realized BDS$125 or the equivalent of US$63.

The Hospitality Committee arranged a potluck meal with a treat of conkies, a type of cornmeal pone wrapped in banana leaves that was once part of a November tradition. There were also board games in which young and old participated.

In keeping with the theme of Old Barbados, two handmade scooters were provided to the delight of the youngsters, and later in the evening there was the singing of folk songs and the recitation of original poems by the church bards.

The focus on fellowship through the sharing of meals, local talent, skills and the introduction to the youth of simple pleasures of the past are all part of the efforts of the Activity Committee led by Steve Holland under the guidance of deacon Osmonde Douglas to foster a spirit of camaraderie among brethren as befits the family of God.

—L.E. Salazar

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Preteens Serve Sherman Senior Luncheon

Dec. 10 was a very special Sabbath day for the Sherman, Texas, congregation. The preteens in the congregation recognized and honored the senior citizens by performing special music and afterwards hosting a wonderful luncheon.

The children served the seniors (which turned out to be nearly the whole congregation!) a sit-down meal and acted as waiters and waitresses tending to everyone's needs. All attendees had their own personal place cards and settings.

The food was delicious, including Texas-smoked brisket, chicken and all the trimmings.

The luncheon ended with a few of the senior members giving words of encouragement and advice to the children and their families who served the wonderful meal.

—Mary Jane Adam

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Dallas Has Preteen Costume Carnival

Games, candy, prizes and balloons were wall-to-wall on Dec. 10 in Dallas, Texas. Luke Skywalker, Buzz Lightyear and Jasmine ran around not knowing what to do first.

It was a night of fun for children 12 and under in the Dallas congregation, and the parents were running the show. Booths lined both sides of the room containing carnival-type games where the children played for tickets. Once they received enough tickets, they were able to run over to the prize tent and cash in their tickets for toys.

This was the second year the Dallas congregation had put on a Costume Carnival for the children. The night began at 6:30 p.m. with open games and balloon animals.

Halfway through the night the dessert table opened up, allowing everyone to enjoy the desserts the kids made. The children were asked to enter a dessert contest where everyone wins. Medals were handed out to each child for all his or her hard work.

After the dessert break, the game booths opened up again till about 8:30 p.m. By the end of the evening, all the tickets had been turned in and the kids were able to walk out the door with a balloon in one hand and a bag of candy and toys in the other.

—Molly Kobernat

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Over 250 Attend All-Ambassador Reunion

The Farmington Room walls were bulging with Ambassadors from the '60s through 2005. The largest gathering yet—over 250—attended this yearly event in connection with the Winter Family Weekend in Louisville , Kentucky , Dec. 24.

After Sabbath services the room began to fill as Ambassador College, Ambassador University and Ambassador Bible Center graduates and students fellowshipped with one another. Hugs, "war stories," collegiate experiences and current happenings were shared with one another.

The room was tastefully and hastily decorated by Kathy and Jorge de Campos, Marjolaine Meeker and Dave and Becky Johnson. There were two tables filled with Envoys and pictorials for any who cared to see how they looked in their earlier years. AC, AU and ABC mugs, T-shirts and sweatshirts were also on display. Gary and Barb Antion served as greeters.

Seven o'clock came all too soon as the event came to a successful conclusion. Before the evening ended, however, gifts were given in recognition of the earliest graduates and those who came the greatest distance. Richard Pinelli, class of '61, was the earliest graduate in attendance. Robert Fahey, class of '65, received the runner-up gift.

Those who came the greatest distance were from California . Dan and Debbie Bates received one award and Jonathan Reimann received the second gift. The prizes were ABC mugs filled with Hershey's chocolates.

Next year, David Johnson will be coordinating this event, since he is now working at ABC with alumni affairs.

We look forward to seeing most of you again next year and others who desire to renew old acquaintances and make new ones at the All-Ambassador Reunion.

—Gary E. Antion

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Young Adults Attend Leadership Conference

This year's Upper Midwest Young Adults Leadership Conference was held on the shores of Lake Geneva , Wisconsin , over the Labor Day weekend (Sept. 2 to 5). The theme of the conference was "Learning Effective Leadership."

Attendees enjoyed many physical blessings as well as spiritual nourishment. Gary Black conducted several Bible studies on the leadership lessons found in the book of Nehemiah.

The young adults also had an opportunity to explore the ways in which secular society has impacted the respective roles of men and women in the Church, with Mike and Zelda Hanisko leading breakout sessions on these topics.

Jim Servidio led a lively discussion on the importance of doctrine in today's pluralistic society, with suggestions on how to withstand challenges to it.

One of the young adults, Andrew Lausted, gave the Sabbath sermonette about servant leadership, while Mr. Hanisko presented his sermon about discovering and properly using our individual spiritual gifts.

Sunday, all learned the value of communication as we worked together in several team-building exercises.

There were many opportunities for us to use our various gifts to serve the brethren, whether at the conference or those abroad. Every breakfast and lunch was overseen by Bob Fahey, pastor of the Chicago , Illinois , congregation, as several young adults would volunteer to help with the cooking and clean up afterwards.

Sunday we participated in the service project, preparing Feast gift bags for children in Costa Rica , which generous members presented to them at the Feast in 2005.

We also enjoyed the great outdoors during the weekend, taking walks around the lake and enjoying pontoon boat rides. Every night gave us the perfect opportunity to fellowship around the campfire, retiring afterward to the main house to play cards once "quiet time" had arrived. Sunday and Monday, many could be found engaged in lively games of volleyball.

Overall, the weekend was the perfect way to transition out of summer and into the Fall Holy Day season, with great fellowship between old friends and new.

The Third Annual Young Adults Leadership Conference is planned for the same location over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3-6, 2006.

—Aimee Lemen

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Corpus Christi Sponsors Mexican Dinner and Talent Show

On the Sabbath of Jan. 7 the Corpus Christi, Texas, congregation hosted their first Mexican dinner and talent show.

Immediately after the afternoon Sabbath services concluded, the brethren enjoyed a Mexican dinner. Members provided and enjoyed a mouth-watering meal that included many traditional Mexican dishes. Foods included Spanish rice, charro beans, enchiladas, tacos, chalupas, mesquite-grilled fajitas, barbecued pollo (chicken) and homemade tortillas.

After the meal, an extensive selection of desserts was served, including pies, cookies, cakes, fruit dishes and the traditional pan-dulce, or Mexican sweet bread.

Under the able hand of Raymond Hernandez, the master of ceremonies, the first annual talent show was held later that evening. Brethren enjoyed Dorin Vaughn's piano composition, Sean Ashcraft's violin solo, Charlotte Mallia's flute solo and Arthur Suckling's unforgettable rendition of "The Prodigal Son in F."

Interspersed among these presentations, the audience listened to chorale performances by the Ladies' Ensemble and the Children's Choir. The members of the Ladies' Ensemble included Jeanine Ashcraft, Tina Hernandez, Janie Mendez, Marsha Suckling and Sandra Vaughn. Dorin Vaughn accompanied the ensemble on the piano. The Children's Choir, under the direction of Colleen Mallia, was made up of Shelby and Garron Dueitt and Katrina and Sabrina Morin. They sang "God's Top Ten Commandments."

As part of the talent show, pictures of "senior" members were displayed in a slide show developed by Jonathan Sitarski. In this presentation, pastor Jack Hendren invited everyone to try to guess who was in the picture. (Most of the photos showed them when they were in their teens and 20s.)

After his or her identity was guessed, each senior member was invited to say a little bit about when and where the picture was taken. This activity helped all members of whatever age to realize that we all have much in common.

On this interesting and high note the evening came to a conclusion.

—Arnold Mendez Sr.

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Coleman Celebrates 10th Anniversary

On Nov. 19, 2005, 60 people gathered to celebrate the 10th anniversary of United Church of God in Coleman, Texas. Services began with the current pastor, Britton Taylor, who has pastored the Coleman congregation two times, giving a summary of the past 10 years. Greetings were read from Richard Rand and Don Hooser, who also was pastor two times.

Special music was performed by Laura Anderson from Fort Worth, Texas. Ken Giese, regional pastor, was the main speaker.

At the original service there were 23 present and seven of those attended services on Nov. 19.

After services Mr. Taylor offered a toast of sparkling juice for the continued well-being and growth of the Coleman congregation. A delicious meal prepared by the brethren was served, and a slide show of church photos and a scrapbook were available for viewing.

—Bobbie Hubbard

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Cincinnati East Enjoys Games, Pizza and Karaoke

Jan. 14 the Cincinnati East congregations (now AM and PM since the beginning of the year) sponsored a fun-filled family evening that offered a variety of activities, along with plenty of pizza to eat! Karaoke, card games and lots of laughter filled the evening, which was well attended by about 200.

All the tables were filled with people playing cards while local members and new ABC students sang to the tunes of their favorite songs. It was nonstop singing the whole evening as people took their turns on the stage.

There were many group acts, along with solos, but Cadence Phelps, 15-month-old daughter of Troy and Cindy Phelps, stole the show while performing with her dad.

Kevin Treybig was the announcer for the evening while Peter Eddington was in charge of the karaoke CDs. The evening also provided a great opportunity to get to know the new ABC students.

—Janet Treadway

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South African Teen Scores 100

Damian Nathan Naidoo, son of Colin and Meena Naidoo of the Durban , South Africa , congregation, received a perfect score of 100 percent in physical science, placing him among the top students in his region.

According to the newspaper The Rising Sun Chatsworth, this score is unprecedented in the final. "Damian's 100 percent in physical science is not a surprise. In fact he had an exceptional interest in this subject, scoring near perfect marks throughout his high school career," the paper quoted S. Moodley, physical science teacher at Apollo Secondary School, as saying. The paper called him a whiz kid and said he "made history by being the first pupil to achieve 100 percent in a subject."

Damian also received 96 percent in mathematics, 97 percent in accounting and 93 percent in computer studies.

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