News at a Glance

• Beyond Today on Google, Yahoo, YouTube and GodTube Surpass Half a Million Views
• Personal Correspondence Answers Questions for Young and Old
• More Than 16,000 Respond to Offer for Bible Study Course
• 335 Baptized in 2007
• "Spring Cleaning for the Heart" Theme of Munster Women's Event
• Kansas City Plans Third Singles and Couples Weekend for Labor Day
• Camp Carter to Be July 6 to 13
• New Dates for Tennessee Preteen Camp
• Calendar of Events
• What's New on the Web?

Note: For charts and graphs mentioned, see the PDF or printed versions.

Beyond Today on Google, Yahoo, YouTube and GodTube Surpass Half a Million Views

The popular online search tools Google and Yahoo continue to allow registered users to upload videos to their video Web sites. This free service allows visitors to search for posted videos and either view them online or download them to their computer.

We have now had more than half a million clip views of UCG video material.

• As of the end of January, we have 150 Beyond Today TV programs, commentaries and commercials posted on the Google video Web site. In the first two years these programs have been viewed over 133,900 times. The most popular program, actually a commentary, is "Stopping the Addiction With Porn," which has generated over 46,900 views.

• We also have 147 programs, commercials and commentaries available online at Yahoo's video portal where they have been viewed 191,669 times since January of 2006—even more than at Google. The top video is a full half-hour program titled "The Return of Jesus Christ," with 5,276 views. It was presented by Gary Petty with guests Ralph Levy and Andy Burnett.

• The newest offerings come from YouTube and GodTube. YouTube, where we have been online since November 2006, has 146 video clips that have been viewed 170,586 times—now surpassing Google video. The top clip is another full half-hour program titled "The Next Superpower" by Darris McNeely with guests Scott Ashley and Melvin Rhodes.

• GodTube, a site that has been up and running less than a year, has given us 63,637 views of 102 video clips since March of 2007. The top clip is once again the commentary by Steve Myers, "Stopping the Addiction With Porn," with 6,425 views.

Thanks to these features from Google, Yahoo, GodTube and YouTube, we are able to reach more people online with the Beyond Today TV program than we would from only the beyondtoday.tv Web site. This is all at no additional cost to the Church. The grand total views of full half-hour programs, commentaries and commercials is now 559,860—with 545 videos online.

—Peter Eddington

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Personal Correspondence Answers Questions for Young and Old

Personal Correspondence letters and e-mails totaled 245 for the month of January (89 surface mail letters, 96 e-mails to the home office, 60 Vertical Thought e-mails).

A number of interesting questions came from teens to Vertical Thought. A 15-year-old asked how to overcome an eating addiction, describing a frustrating and discouraging history of being unable to conquer it on his/her own. Another 15-year-old wrote that he's concerned about people who are truly scared about the world coming to an end; he asked what he might say to ease their fear.

A 17-year-old mother wrote that she is pregnant with another child; she has begun to think about the spiritual training of her children, and she asked how to find the true Church. She'd also heard various predictions about end-time disasters and wanted to know if they are accurate.

A 17-year-old wrote that he wants to keep the Sabbath but is troubled by the possibility of missing contact with friends whom he would see only if he attended sports events on the Sabbath (presumably, they are from other schools); he asked for advice on what he should do. An 18-year-old asked if people who pay a tithe would receive a curse should they stop doing so.

A 15-year-old wrote that he recently visited a friend's church in which the people spoke in tongues; our young reader wanted to know what the Bible says about the practice. And a 16-year-old wrote of his disillusionment with all organized religion. He wondered why they can't see that they all have the same "Holy Land" and that they shouldn't fight each other. He asked whether he could simply bypass organized religion and just "follow Jesus' teachings."

Also answered by the Vertical Thought team was a question from a 22-year-old woman who asked if it's possible today to have a boyfriend without entering into a sexual relationship.

In other mail, we answered an interesting request from an Ethiopian subscriber who wanted counsel on how to observe God's Holy Days, as well as how he might meet with a congregation of the UCG. An inmate wrote asking for contact with a minister, saying that he is part of a group of 50 inmates in his facility that observe the Sabbath; we don't know yet if they all consider themselves affiliated with the UCG. A minister of a Protestant congregation asked how his entire congregation could become part of the UCG; he didn't explain any further details.

Several wrote of difficult circumstances, asking for prayer or simply sharing what is happening in their lives. A subscriber has a child in a mental institution and an unbelieving spouse. A person asked what hope the mentally ill have for the Kingdom of God; another asked if God would restore the mental faculties of a person who lost them due to a stroke. A man asked why God didn't relieve the suffering of this person's cancer-ridden mother, after her lifetime of helping others. And a person in a family of nonbelievers wrote of the heavy challenges of being the primary caregiver to a terminally ill parent.

An online reader cut right to the point by asking, "Are you the true Church or are you merely looking for money?"

—Cecil Maranville

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More Than 16,000 Respond to Offer for Bible Study Course

In December 2007 a subscriber development letter was sent to just over 200,600 U.S. Good News subscribers offering them the Bible Study Course. This was similar to December efforts of the past.

In just a few weeks, we received 16,199 responses, and they are still coming in. This is already over a 8 percent response, and should meet or exceed our previous efforts.

—Peter Eddington

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335 Baptized in 2007

In addition to the 293 baptisms announced in the January issue, there were also 42 baptisms in Ghana in 2007.

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"Spring Cleaning for the Heart" Theme of Munster Women's Event

The Munster, Indiana, Women's Workshop is hosting its third women's event March 29 and 30. The theme for the event is "Spring Cleaning for the Heart." The program includes several guest speakers, music, a luncheon and time for fellowship and sharing.

Tanya Horchak, the keynote speaker, asks the question, "When was the last time you took your heart to the cleaners—spiritually?" The "heart" God refers to in Scripture motivates our thoughts and choices. The condition of our spiritual heart is important if we are to inherit what is promised. Mrs. Horchak will show how cleaning and giving it a good check-up is beneficial, and that there is a connection between our heart and the gift that awaits us when we do.

Bob Fahey will be the guest speaker for Sabbath services, beginning at 2 p.m. March 29. A buffet meal will follow and an evening of fun and feminine fellowship.

The registration fee is $40 and includes a continental breakfast and luncheon. For additional information call Judy (219) 924-5479 or e-mail DeLee at deharg@aiagrp.net.

—DeLee Hargrove

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Kansas City Plans Third Singles and Couples Weekend for Labor Day

Kansas City is hosting its third singles and couples weekend in the beautiful "Show Me" state of Missouri. The exciting event takes place during the Labor Day weekend highlighting many activities around Kansas City's most popular attractions and developments. The theme for the weekend is "Transformation Training—Christian Living Is More Than Meets the Eye!" Inspiring seminars will be offered for singles and married couples.

There will be many unique opportunities for fellowship, fun, dancing, karaoke and fabulous feasting with a taste of Kansas City's best cuisine. One highlight of the weekend will be Sunday's eight-hour "Tour de Kansas City." The tour will include many stops and excellent photo ops of the city's best and nearby attractions.

A $50 deposit is due on May 1; an additional $65 registration fee will be due on Aug. 1. Visit the event Web site www.kc2008transformation.com for details and to register online. And contact coordinator Ruben Gusman at rubenkc@aol.com or (816) 838-1034.

—Ruben Gusman

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Camp Carter to Be July 6 to 13

Camp Carter in Fort Worth, Texas, will be held July 6 to 13 (with staff arriving July 5). This is revised from the dates run in the November 2007 United News, but the correct dates were printed in the 2008 United Youth Camps magazine mailed in February.

—Ken Treybig

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New Dates for Tennessee Preteen Camp

Due to a scheduling error, the preteen camp in Eva, Tennessee, has changed its camp dates. Instead of the dates printed in the United Youth Camps 2008 magazine, the new camp dates will be July 20 to 23.

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Register if You're Planning to Attend Pittsburgh's 50th

The first 26 months of activity at the Beyond Today Web site, www.beyondtoday.tv, is still going very well. We are averaging 17,000 visitors per month and the amount of information served continues to rise. During January 2008, 546 gigabytes of material was streamed to our visitors, beat only by December 2007. This is a 65 percent increase over January 2007.

Average response per program continues on an upward track and is presently at 221 per program for 2007. This is a 42 percent increase over the 2006 average of 156, while the number of stations airing the program has not risen.

The most popular program so far is "The Easter Charade" hosted by Darris McNeely with Dave Myers as guest. It brought in 413 responses. A total of 89 programs have been recorded, and we've had 20,964 responses through January 2008.

Beyond Today is currently airing on 183 cable-access channels (five less than last year), and broadcasting on 18 U.S. radio stations. It also airs on two Christian cable channels in Canada. The number of new cable-access channels leveled off about 18 months ago.

In addition to the traditional programs with one or two guests, some single-presenter programs have been recorded and will air as tests soon; and variations of a talking head for the first segment, one guest for the second segment and all three presenters for the third segment have been recorded and are beginning to air as tests.

Total Beyond Today responses for 2006 were 8,354 and for 2007 were 11,721.

—Peter Eddington

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Calendar of Events

March 8: Southeast Regional Prom, Gainesville, Georgia (www.ucgatlanta.org).

March 11-19: Second round of current Pastoral Training Class, home office.

March 22-23: Families for God weekend, Minneapolis, Minnesota (www.ucgstp.org/FamiliesForGod).

March 23-25: Southwest Region ministerial conference, Los Angeles, California.

March 29: South Central Regional Teen Formal, Dallas, Texas (www.ucg-dallas.org/teenformal).

March 30: "Spring Cleaning for the Heart," a women's event in Munster, Indiana, near Chicago (deharg@aiagrp.net).

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. 31-Sept. 1: Singles/Couples Labor Day Weekend, Kansas City, Missouri (www.kc2008transformation.com). See article, March/April, page 16.

Aug. 12-14: Council of Elders' meeting, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Please send calendar items to mike_bennett@ucg.org.

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What's New on the Web?

Breaking Free Journal.

New articles have been posted on the Breaking Free Journal Web site: "Anger Addiction," "Battling an Adult Web Site Addiction," "The Many Enticements to Promiscuity," " Every Young Man's Battle and Every Young Woman's Battle" and "Extremely Obese...Does God Still Work With Me?" breakingfree.ucg.org

Vertical Thought Commentary.

Check out the latest VT commentaries at www.verticalthought.org/commentary/.

United Youth Camps.

Check out the 2008 United Youth Camp magazine and view camp locations at members.ucg.org/youthcamps/.

About Our Father's Business. Recent updates on tornadoes and Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.
members.ucg.org/fathersbusiness

Featured Link

Virtual Christian Magazine, monthly online magazine of inspirational and Christian living topics. vcmagazine.org

If you have questions or comments, please contact: webmaster@ucg.org