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News at a Glance
Members Safe After Violence in TongaPro-democracy demonstrators looted and burned many businesses and buildings in the Tongan capital city, Nuku'alofa, Nov. 16. Heamasi Ta'ufo'ou, the UCG pastor in Tonga, wrote Nov. 21, "Thanks for your prayers for us. All the brethren are well and safe." The Tongan brethren would appreciate your prayers for their ongoing safety and also the stabilization of their country after this event. —Jeff Caudle [ back to top ] GN Readers to Be Offered Bible CourseIn December a subscriber development letter will be sent to about 200,000 U.S. Good News subscribers offering the Bible Study Course. This is the largest number who have received this offer, and the first letter offering the Bible Study Course in two years. The December 2004 letter received a 7.8 percent response. Your prayers for the success of this offer are requested. [ back to top ] Gospel Available in Your SupermarketOn Oct. 1 distribution of 721,000 bifold "take one" subscription brochures began on 4,503 "Good Neighbor" displays located at the entrances of major supermarkets and discount stores, including Wal-Mart, A&P, Safeway, Kroger and many others. The states and number of stores in which distribution is now occurring are: Arizona ..................................... 204 Over the years, supermarket brochure distribution has proved to be one of our most effective advertising efforts in terms of response. This year, seven brand-new brochures are being displayed, including "The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy," "The Middle East in Bible Prophecy," "Marriage and Family: The Missing Dimension," "Managing Your Finances," "Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Keep?" and "Heaven and Hell: What Does the Bible Really Teach?" Each colorful brochure offers a booklet by the same title and a subscription to The Good News. As always, your prayers for God's blessings on this major advertising campaign are much appreciated. —John LaBissoniere [ back to top ] Feast Webcasts Appreciated"Thank you so much for the Feast of Tabernacles 2006 via the Internet, telephone waves, radio waves and all of the invisible waves that God has created," said one member who was not able to attend the Feast but received messages over the Internet. An average of 184 computers were connected to the webcasts during the Feast, and some of these computers were surrounded by several people listening to the services. The following 2006 Festival sites offer archived messages of services at www.ucg.org/feast: Bend, Oregon; Jekyll Island, Georgia; and Kelowna, British Columbia. Another member wrote: "We felt very much a part of the Feast in every way as we sang along with you, took notes and followed the Bible references as the speakers expounded on them. This is the first Feast several of us have missed in person over many years, and we are very grateful and appreciative of the work and effort involved in sending the webcast into our homes." —Aaron Booth [ back to top ] Texas Young Adults' Weekend Theme Set: "Got Friends?"The UCG-Dallas, Texas, Young Adults will be hosting their annual Presidents' Day weekend young adults' event from Feb. 16 to 18, 2007. This year the theme is "Got Friends?" It will cover how to form, grow and maintain godly friendships. All young adults, both single and married, between high school graduation and age 40 are welcome and encouraged to attend. Please visit www.ucg-dallas.org/ya for more information and to register. —Doug Horchak [ back to top ] Members Sponsor Beyond Today"Our special thanks go to the 168 brethren who are currently sponsoring Beyond Today on local cable-access stations, some of whom are sponsoring programs on more than one channel," said coordinator John LaBissoniere Nov. 3. Since the first program aired Dec. 18, 2005, the number of cable-access stations has almost doubled from 104 to 192. Beyond Today responses compiled by congregational zip codes can be found on the Web at www.ucg.org/btinfo. If Beyond Today is not yet airing in your U.S. town and your community has cable-access channels, please contact John LaBissoniere by e-mail at john_labissoniere@ucg.org to become a sponsor. [ back to top ] Tampa Bay Hosts Women's Conference Feb. 24-25"Walking by Faith," the Tampa Bay Women's Conference, is scheduled for Feb. 24 and 25, 2007. Faithful ladies, teens to great-grandmothers, will strengthen their faith through encouraging messages, interactive forums, inspiring music and warm fellowship while enjoying the balmy, warm weather of central Florida in February. On Sabbath afternoon, the Tampa church service at 2:30 p.m. will introduce our theme for the weekend through special music and a sermon on faith by Vernon Hargrove, UCG pastor serving in Hammond and Elkhart, Indiana. Following the service, a bountiful potluck meal will provide a great venue for continued fellowship with the Tampa congregation. Conference attendees will then enjoy a variety of fun activities, fellowship and a wine, cheese and fruit bar from 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday's events will begin at 9 a.m., with a keynote address by DeLee Hargrove. Panelists and audience members alike will participate in a women's symposium, followed by lunch. During the afternoon, a variety of interactive breakout sessions will help ladies internalize our theme on a personal and practical level. "Walking by Faith" will include informative and inspiring stories of and by faithful women, helpful tips on how we may encourage one another as we journey toward God's Kingdom, beautiful music, tasty food and an abundance of supportive fellowship with other women of faith. Sabbath services and all conference activities will be held at the UCG Tampa Hall, 9595 E. Fowler Ave., Thonotosassa, FL 33592. The cost for the conference (including meals) will be $20 for those who preregister before Feb. 17 or $25 for those who prefer to pay when they come. Preregistration is highly encouraged to facilitate our preconference planning. Online registration forms, housing information (including nearby hotels or staying with local members) plus additional conference details are available at http://ucg-tampabay.org. Checks should be made payable to UCG-St. Petersburg and mailed to: Nancy Fike, 39038 Pretty Pond Rd., Zephyrhills, FL 33540. If you have additional housing or registration questions, please contact Nancy Fike at (813) 714-1121 or nancy-fike@hotmail.com. —Teddi Treybig [ back to top ] All-Ambassador Reunion Set for Dec. 23For those who have been Ambassador students, one of the more enjoyable parts of the annual Winter Family Weekend is the All-Ambassador Reunion. Each year graduates and those who were formerly students at Ambassador College, Ambassador University or Ambassador Bible Center gather together to renew old friendships and catch up on one another's lives. This year's All-Ambassador Reunion is scheduled for Dec. 23, and will begin shortly after Sabbath services in the pool area of the Clarion Hotel. Past students are invited to drop in from 5 to 7 p.m. and enjoy light refreshments, a no-host cash bar and plenty of visiting with old friends and new. We'll have Ambassador memorabilia and a few special prizes. The reunion is free of charge, though donations are always welcome. If you were ever a student at Ambassador, make your plans to join us! Please be sure to register in advance at www.ucg.org/familyweekend so we can make adequate arrangements. —David Johnson [ back to top ] Two-Minute Video Commentaries and Beyond Today Programs Now Posted on YouTubeInternet managing editor Aaron Booth is now adding Beyond Today programming at a YouTube account found at www.youtube.com/beyondtodaytv. There is a mix of the half-hour Beyond Today programs, commercials and new two-minute commentaries on the site. The first three commentaries posted are by Gary Petty on these subjects: 1. Conquering Addictions. 2. Making Life Work. 3. The Dark Cloud of Depression. Mr. Petty recorded these commentaries as summaries of the half-hour programs he hosted at the beginning of November. The other Beyond Today hosts, Darris McNeely and Steve Myers, will also prepare two-minute summaries of each of their programs to be recorded along with the half-hour programs while they are in the studio. "These are perfect short-form pieces that work well at places like YouTube, Google Video and Yahoo Video," said Peter Eddington, Media and Communication Services operation manager. In addition, the Beyond Today Web site has been revised. A new layout on the Web site includes the Beyond Today programs categorized into seven "channels" by topic. You can find this at www.beyondtoday.tv/channels. [ back to top ] Calendar of EventsDec. 8-13: Council of Elders meeting. Dec. 16-17: Education Task Force meetings at the home office. Dec. 22-26: Winter Family Weekend, Louisville, Kentucky (www.ucg.org/familyweekend). Dec. 27-Jan. 1, 2007: Winter Camp, Montello, Wisconsin. Jan. 8, 2007: ABC classes begin. Jan. 12-14: Women's Enrichment Weekend, Garden Grove, California. Jean Updegraff (714) 546-4695 or jeanupde@sbcglobal.net. Jan. 13-14: South Central Regional Women's Weekend; "From the Heart—Building Relationships That Matter" (ucg-houston.org/womensweekend). Jan. 16: Youth Corps and Challenger II discussion, Los Angeles, California. Jan. 17-18: Southwest Regional Workshop for pastors, Los Angeles, California. Feb. 10: Family Dance, Receptions Eastgate, Cincinnati, Ohio (FouchB@greatoaks.com). Feb. 16-18: Texas Young Adults Weekend, "Got Friends?", Dallas, Texas (www.ucg-dallas.org/ya). Feb. 16-19: Presidents' Day Ski Weekend, Salt Lake City, Utah. (801) 495-0412 or larry_salyer@ucg.org. Feb. 16-19: Midwest Family Weekend, Branson, Missouri (see article, November issue, page 24). Feb. 23-28: Council of Elders meeting. Feb. 24: 40th Orange County, California, anniversary (see article, November issue, page 24). Feb. 24-25: Tampa Bay, Florida, Women's Conference (ucg-tampabay.org). May 5-7: GCE annual meeting, Holiday Inn Eastgate, Cincinnati, Ohio. May 8-10: Council of Elders meeting. Aug. 3-7: Council of Elders meeting. Aug. 12: ABC graduation. Please send calendar items to mike_bennett@ucg.org. [ back to top ] What's New on the Web?Online Donations. Check out the new electronic donation option available at www.ucg.org/donation. This new online feature will make it more convenient for many of our members and other donors to make contributions. New Weekly Vertical Thought Commentaries. Read thought-provoking weekly commentaries geared toward teens and young adults each Friday at www.verticalthought.org. Article Reprints. Access several informative and helpful articles from past issues of United News and The Good News magazine in PDF format at www.ucg.org/reprints. Topics range from alcoholism and depression to understanding which Bible translation to use. UCG Commentary "Reflecting on Turkey" Featured Link If you have questions or comments, please contact: webmaster@ucg.org |
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