International News at a Glance

• British Isles Feast Set for Shorefield
• Dentist to Return to Rwanda
• Good Works Projects for Kenya
• German GN Sets New Record
• Caribbean Region Sees Growth
• Bible Studies Started in Cebu and McArthur
• Mindanao Conducts Training Seminar
• Ottawa Has Public Bible Lecture

British Isles Feast Set for Shorefield

The Feast of Tabernacles will be held at Shorefield Country Park, a self-catering holiday village in Hampshire. Shorefield is approximately 10 miles from Bournemouth and 20 miles from Southampton, on the edge of the New Forest and about one mile from the sea. The closest railway station is at New Milton.

Prices for nine nights range from luxury forest lodges (£580 to £670), caravan holiday homes (£417 to £476) to budget chalets (£298). The units vary in size and quality and have room for four to eight people.

Booking procedure: Members may contact Shorefield immediately to book their housing. Members should mention the "United Church of God Conference" to take advantage of discounted rates.

Contact details: Shorefield Country Park, Shorefield Road, Milford on Sea, Hampshire, SO41 0LH, United Kingdom; reservations hotline (+44) 01590 648331; Web site www.shorefield.co.uk.

Deadline: Members should plan to contact Shorefield to arrange their accommodations by March 12. The units will then be made available to the general public. Units still available after this date will remain at the discounted rate for members.

You can register with the Church online at the www.ucg.org.uk Web site.

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Dentist to Return to Rwanda

Last year Greg Swartz, a dentist by profession who is also a nonsalaried elder of the United Church of God, provided dental care free of charge for our Church brethren in Rwanda (see June 2006 United News, page 3, www.ucg.org/un/un0606/aroundworld.htm).

Not only were the bonds of unity and love among brethren reinforced by last year's project, but United's reputation was also greatly enhanced, which makes the work of the Church easier and more acceptable to local authorities.

Dr. Swartz has again volunteered to do basic dental care for our brethren in Rwanda during the second and third weeks of April 2007. The cost includes Dr. Swartz's travel, facilities rental and supplies. We will work cooperatively with the Centre Hospitalier de Kigali Hospital in Kigali. Approximately 30 to 40 members will travel to Kigali for treatment. Regional coordinator Joel Meeker will be in Rwanda for the start of the project with Dr. Swartz, act as translator as needed and conduct other Church business while in Rwanda.

The total estimate needed for this Good Works project is $6,400. See www.ucg.org/goodworks for more details on the Good Works Program.

—Joel Meeker

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Good Works Projects for Kenya

Three Good Works Program projects in Kenya have been listed on the Web at www.ucg.org/goodworks, submitted by John Elliott, senior pastor for East Africa.

One project involves digging a water well for the congregation at Ochuna Nyahera, with an estimated cost of $1,500. Members there currently have to carry water 9 kilometers (about 6 miles) during dry spells.

Another project will provide the congregation at Kosele a meeting hall and water well, with an estimated cost of $2,238. The land will also allow widows and orphans to grow vegetables and melons to sell.

The third project will expand the outgrown hall of the Got Kachola congregation and add a gate to the fenced compound, for $3,731.

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German GN Sets New Record

The January-February issue of the Gute Nachrichten magazine was mailed to a record number of subscribers. The issue was sent to 4,348 subscribers in 20 European countries, an 18 percent increase over January 2006. The lead article on the subject of Europe's future and demographics was written by Paul Kieffer, pastor of the German-speaking areas.

Outgoing mail statistics for 2006 show a record total of 34,638 pieces of literature distributed in the German language, a 7.8 percent increase over 2005.

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Caribbean Region Sees Growth

The United Church of God in the Caribbean started very small. Now 11 years after our new beginnings, it is still small, but God continues to bless the work in the region. Eleven years ago less then 20 persons and just two tiny congregations were associated with UCG.

From those humble beginnings, God has raised up eight additional congregations in the Caribbean and Guyana that meet each Sabbath. There are also scattered brethren on many of the islands in the region, and new contacts in Suriname and Curacao.

Beyond Today can be heard on three regional radio stations each week. Thousands of Good News magazines are distributed each issue. Thousands of booklets, brochures and other printed material are being sent to subscribers.

Several new people are attending services for the first time and a number of baptisms have taken place in 2006.

Kingsley Mather, regional pastor for the Bahamas, Caribbean and parts of South America, set off Jan. 14 to visit with our brethren in Trinidad and Guyana. He was scheduled to spend two weeks in Guyana.

Excerpted from the Caribbean Newsletter, January 2007, www.ucgcaribbean.org/cnl/.

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Bible Studies Started in Cebu and McArthur

A month before the Feast of Tabernacles, a Bible study began in the city of Cebu, in the Visayas region of the Philippines.

Though there were only two Church members living in that area, 35 people attended the first meeting. Most of the attendees were Good News subscribers and their family members.

The first presentation was about "The Church Jesus Built." The second was held Nov. 26 and was attended by 21 people. A lively discussion followed during the Q&A on the presentation "Three Days and Three Nights" of Christ's entombment.

The third seminar was scheduled for Dec. 10, but was postponed because of Typhoon Seniang.

Another Bible study group formed when a number of people from the towns of Abuyog and McArthur showed interest in the Church. This came after we visited the mayor of McArthur, who had subscribed to The Plain Truth and knew much about Church doctrine. He gave the Church approval to use the Senior Citizens Office for the Bible study as we need it.

Raul Villacote conducted the first Bible study Dec. 23 and had 16 people in attendance.

—Florante Siopan

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Mindanao Conducts Training Seminar

Over the year-end break, 62 men with their wives attended a three-day live-in seminar at a Girl Scouts of the Philippines camp in Davao City, Philippines. Conducted by Mindanao pastor Edmond D. Macaraeg, this UCG Mindanao Discipleship Seminar was held from Dec. 25 to 27.

According to Mr. Macaraeg, this seminar was born of the "need for unified, intensified and systematic discipleship training to fulfill the commission to provide laborers for the harvest." Presently, there are 19 congregations being served by these men and women.

Many of the handouts and materials were taken from the Asia Leadership Seminar conducted last July by Richard Pinelli, Lyle Welty and Joel Meeker.

—Daniel Roy Macaraeg

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Ottawa Has Public Bible Lecture

It rained all day, but it was warm inside Kemptville Community Centre for a presentation to northeastern Canadian Good News subscribers Nov. 11, 2006.

Invitational letters were sent to 225 readers in the region around Ottawa, Ontario. Forty-six people attended, including some members who traveled more than two hours from Montreal, Quebec, and nine new people.

Council of Elders member Les McCullough of Big Sandy, Texas, spoke on "Where Will It All End?" His subject addressed the current problems of Iran, Islam and Christianity, from their origin to their prophetic conclusion and solution.

Visitors all stayed for an afternoon tea followed by a question-and-answer session by Mr. McCullough.

Excerpted from January-February 2007 United News Canada, page 7.

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