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News at a Glance
Note: For charts and graphs mentioned, see the PDF or printed versions. 293 Baptized Around the WorldIn 2007, at least 293 new members were baptized around the world. This compares to 335 reported in the January issue last year. Here are the baptisms reported at press time: Argentina ...................................4 [ back to top ] Elder Hired Into Full-Time MinistryMinisterial Services operation manager Jim Franks wrote in the Dec. 27 Ministerial Services Newsletter and Journal: "We are happy to announce that we have hired an elder for the full-time ministry. Shawn Cortelyou and his wife, Elizabeth, [began] working for the Church effective Dec. 31. Shawn is currently serving as an elder in Canton, Illinois. Shawn and Beth will remain in their local area working with their current pastor, Ken Graham, until next summer. At that time we will consider a more permanent assignment. Our budget this year has approval for hiring a total of four men, but it remains to be seen whether we will actually achieve that goal." [ back to top ] Elder OrdainedRalph Helge was ordained an elder on Dec. 14, 2007, by Larry W. Greider, the pastor of the Los Angeles, California, congregation. The Helges first moved to Pasadena, California, in 1957 to be a part of the Church. After graduation in 1963 Mr. Helge, an attorney, began working for the Church and continued as legal counselor during the next several decades. Mr. Helge is well known for his work with selective service issues, as well as many court battles, including the receivership in the late 1970s. Mr. Helge and his wife, Ingrid, still live in Pasadena, and Ingrid often performs special music. —Larry W. Greider [ back to top ] 14 Attend Second Annual Pastoral Training ClassesThis year, 14 men were invited to attend pastoral training classes at the home office. The first session runs from Jan. 3 to 10. They will also return in March and May to complete the six-week program. Of the 14, seven are from outside the United States. The attendees are: Carmello Anastasi—Milan, Italy. [ back to top ] Strategic Planning Timeline GivenHere is the prospective timeline shared with the Council of Elders during a teleconference Nov. 15, 2007: Nov. 29: The Strategic Planning Steering Committee met with the facilitator in Cincinnati for a half-day session to draft survey and interview questions. During December there were interviews of Council members and surveys of employees, GCE members, Church members and subscribers. All results will be put in a briefing book, ready for the Council two weeks before their first retreat meeting. December—Ongoing: Council members, operation managers and Strategic Planning Steering Committee members participate in "Springboard Online," an online certification program in strategic planning. Jan. 16-17: The Council will attend a strategic planning retreat focusing on strategic direction—"Where are we now?" and "Where do we want to be?" Feb. 26-27: The Council will meet for the second session to focus on implementation planning: "What do we have to do to get there?" and "How do we monitor our progress?" This meeting will be added to the front end of the scheduled February meeting. Action Planning Meeting (date undetermined): The Strategic Planning Steering Committee will review and approve the action steps, deliverables, budgets and timeline. May 19: There will be an on-site staff briefing of the home office employees to review the strategic plan. May 20: An all-day "Masterful Meetings" class designed to assist in building facilitation skills. Follow-up: Semiannual monitoring by the facilitator to assess how we are doing and to provide consultation will follow the completion of the Strategic Plan. [ back to top ] South Central Region Teen Formal Set for March 29The Dallas, Texas, congregation will be hosting their seventh annual Teen Formal Dinner and Dance for the South Central Region on Saturday night, March 29. All teens in seventh grade through age 19 are encouraged to attend. As in previous years, graduating seniors will be honored during dinner with a special presentation, and parents are welcome to attend. Full details as well as online registration is available at www.ucg-dallas.org/teenformal or contact Dora Jennings at (972) 509-4512. Sunday morning, March 30, the Fort Worth, Texas, congregation will be hosting the final basketball tournament at a nearby gymnasium, and all are welcome to attend. —Dora Jennings [ back to top ] Twin Cities Host Families for God Weekend, March 22-23"Hand in Hand—Families Walking With God" is the theme for this year's 11th annual Families for God weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sponsored by the Twin Cities congregations, the event will be the weekend of March 22-23, 2008. Jim Franks, operation manager for Ministerial Services, will be the weekend's guest speaker. Sabbath activities include services followed by informative seminars, a catered dinner, teen prom and family entertainment. Special activities will be planned for children 2-11 during the seminars. Sunday recreational activities for the whole family are also being planned. More details will be provided soon at www.ucgstp.org/FamiliesForGod or contact Pete or Miquelyn McNair at (651) 714-5428. —Pete McNair [ back to top ] Tour of Greece Planned for 2008 Spring FeastDuring the 2008 Days of Unleavened Bread, the Education Travel Program will offer a biblical study tour of Greece. We will focus on the travels of the apostle Paul and his letters to the Corinthians, examining the meaning and symbols for the New Testament Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. Retracing the apostle Paul's journeys through Greece provides the perfect backdrop for observing and gaining deeper understanding of the Spring Holy Days. The dates of the tour are April 16-25, 2008. The tour will leave the United States for Athens on Wednesday, April 16. Participants from other regions of the world may be able to reach Athens via a Thursday departure. David Register, assisted by other elders and educators, will lead the 10-day study program. The tour will begin in Corinth where we will observe the Passover, weekly Sabbath, Night to Be Much Observed and the first Holy Day. The second half of the stay in Greece will provide opportunities to see Sparta, Olympia and Athens. The daily schedule will feature morning orientation talks, special sessions on history and background, on-site lecture, Scripture readings and application discussions. Participants will stay in superior first-class hotels and travel via motor coach. In addition to Paul's teachings, the travelers will learn about the Hellenistic world of the first century, the Greek language and cultural influence on the world today and much more. Space is still available for this exciting educational journey. To obtain more information, call (800) 858-6999, e-mail your request to Info@travelgallery.com or visit www.travelgallery.com. [ back to top ] 2007 Statistics at a GlanceFor 2007, total mail received at the home office was 592,354 pieces (up 25.6 percent from 2006), and 584,880 pieces of literature were sent out (up 26.5 percent). The literature mailed out does not include The Good News, World News and Prophecy, United News and other periodicals that are not mailed from the home office. Subscription requests came from many sources, including 318,041 from subscription cards (up 58.3 percent), most of which were from card decks, co-op mailers and this year's magazine ads (Reader's Digest, American Baby and Parents ) but also included 12,765 from the brochure program and even 36 responses to the Reader's Digest ad run in June 2000! Another 11,721 responses came from the Beyond Today TV and radio program and Web site. Of these, 4,961 came in by telephone, and the rest through the Beyond Today Web site (6,422), a Yahoo Internet ad (101) and a Google Internet ad (237). Total Internet responses were 180,596, down 0.9 percent. The five language editions of The Good News (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish) are now going into 189 countries and territories around the world, from Albania to Zimbabwe, from Iran to Papua New Guinea. The January/February issue is being distributed to about 513,000 English readers (up 24.3 percent), and 33,546 in the other languages. (See "Good News Circulation Around the World" for more details.) Below are some other statistics:
[ back to top ] Calendar of EventsJan. 13-15: South Central Region ministerial conference, Houston, Texas. Jan. 16-17: Special Council meeting on strategic planning, Houston, Texas. Jan. 18-20: Women's Enrichment Weekend, "Becoming Women of Courage and Compassion," Garden Grove, California, area, www.ucg-gg.org (look under events-photos). Jan. 19: Dedication of new church building in Big Sandy, Texas. Jan. 19-21: Winter Ski Weekend, Park City, Utah (jon_pinelli@ucg.org). Jan. 28-31: Editorial meetings, home office. Feb. 9: Family Dance, Receptions Eastgate, Cincinnati, Ohio (FouchB@greatoaks.com or cincywd@fuse.net). Feb. 12-13: U.S., Canadian and Caribbean Festival coordinator meetings, Dallas, Texas. Feb. 15-18: Young Adults' Presidents' Day Regional Weekend, Dallas, Texas (www.ucg-dallas.org/ya). Feb. 15-18: Presidents' Day Family Weekend, Branson, Missouri, mike_blackwell@ucg.org. Feb. 16-17: Combined services and special family weekend activities, Wooster, Ohio. Feb. 26-27: Special Council meeting on strategic planning, San Antonio, Texas. Feb. 29-March 5: Council of Elders meeting, San Antonio, Texas. March 22-23: Families for God weekend, Minneapolis, Minnesota (www.ucgstp.org/FamiliesForGod). March 29: South Central Region Teen Formal, Dallas, Texas (www.ucg-dallas.org/teenformal). April 16-25: Greece Educational Spring Holy Day Tour, (800) 858-6999. May 2-4: 11th Annual Spokane Women's Educational Weekend, Spokane, Washington; theme: "Women of Valor." May 18-19: GCE annual meeting. May 21-22: Council of Elders meeting, Mason, Ohio. June 21: Pittsburgh 50th, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (www.ucgnet.org/pittsburgh/50). Aug. 12-14: Council of Elders meeting, Cincinnati, Ohio. Please send calendar items to mike_bennett@ucg.org. [ back to top ] What's New on the Web? Ambassador Bible Center -- Study Papers -- Breaking Free Journal -- About Our Father's Business -- Featured Link --
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