News at a Glance

As we reported earlier, income for the month of July was nearly identical to last year. We are glad to report that income for the month of August has trended upwards. While last year August was a relatively weak month of income, we still had two more banking days last year as compared with this year, and yet we still ended the month of August this year with an increase in income for the month of 5.6 percent. Year-to-date income is now $2,923,321, which represents a year-to-date increase in income of 2.2 percent.

As always, it is to God we give thanks for His continued blessings and to the members of the Church and others who support the work generously through their faithfulness in giving tithes and offerings.

—Jason Lovelady

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Details Announced for Feast Video: Our Heritage of Faith

This year's Feast of Tabernacles sermon video titled "Our Heritage of Faith," recounts the story of our spiritual heritage and the keeping of God's feasts in this modern age of the Church.

President Clyde Kilough delivers a message punctuated with interviews and footage of historical sites in Oregon and Texas where Herbert W. Armstrong conducted his ministry during the foundational period of the Church in our days. Many of these sites are mentioned in the autobiography of Mr. Armstrong.

This story has special relevance in 2008 as the Church of God has now been keeping these festivals for the past 75 years.

The announcement of the sermon video says, "We are especially excited to share this history with our young people to help them remember our roots and embrace the heritage we all share...You will meet brethren living in the United States as they recall the earliest days of keeping the Feast in this modern time. We truly look forward to God's Kingdom and the time when all of humankind will be keeping God's annual Sabbaths—pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles!"

The sermon video is approximately 68 minutes in run time.

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Two Elders Credentialed

On Aug. 13, the Council of Elders approved two credentialing petitions.

Charles May and his wife, Ruth Ann, are serving in the Bentonville, Arkansas, congregation.

Barry Howdeshell and his wife, Jean, are serving in the Little Rock, Arkansas, congregation.

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Council Committee Members Announced

Following is the new list of members of the committees of the Council of Elders announced Aug. 13:

Ethics: Aaron Dean, Clyde Kilough, Victor Kubik (chairman), Darris McNeely, Richard Pinelli, Richard Thompson and Robin Webber.

Roles and Rules: Robert Berendt, Aaron Dean, Bill Eddington (chairman), Paul Kieffer, Darris McNeely and Robin Webber.

Doctrine: Robert Berendt, Roy Holladay, Paul Kieffer, Richard Pinelli (chairman) and Richard Thompson.

Strategic Planning and Finance: Robert Berendt, Aaron Dean, Bill Eddington, Roy Holladay (chairman), Paul Kieffer, Victor Kubik, Darris McNeely and Robin Webber.

Executive: Aaron Dean, Robert Dick (chairman), Clyde Kilough and Robin Webber. (The Executive Committee is available whenever the home office needs immediate Council signatories for documents such as state registrations, etc.).

—John Foster

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Pre-Feast Sabbath Service to be Held in Panama City Beach

Sabbath services will be held on Oct. 11 in the Palm Room at the Edgewater Beach Resort Conference Center in Panama City Beach, Florida, at 2 p.m. Central Time. This is the same location as the Feast of Tabernacles this year. We wanted to make this service available for those who may be arriving early for the Feast.

—Harold Rhodes

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Youth Corps Volunteers in Jordan Begin Blog

United Youth Corps volunteers Lewis and Lena VanAusdle, Zach and Emily Smith, and Tine Banda arrived in their new home in Amman, Jordan, in mid August.

"It really does feel like home, despite only having been here for 12 days," said Lena in the first blog posting Aug. 27. "I am a volunteer at the YMWA school for special education. I have spent the last two weeks visiting all the different areas of the school to figure out which group I would like to be in. Emily works at the same school, but I'll allow her to post her impressions.

"It's been challenging, but it helps to have good friends to remind us of the big picture, and the fact that we have amazing support from UCG helps as well. Being so far from other brethren [we] can feel a little isolated, but having the support and encouragement from our friends and family (including our Church family) makes a huge difference.

"We have done a little exploring of our new country, but we know there is much more ahead. We have made the trek to downtown Amman, which is a treat if you like shopping, fruits and vegetables, sweets, or people watching, or history (the ruins are spectacular).

"Lewis and I have met some locals, and made some wonderful friends already. They call us their son and daughter, and they've taken us to places a little off the beaten track (Palestinian refugee camp, anyone?).

"We've just started to get into a routine, 1.5 hours on the bus to school, five hours at school, 1.5 hours on the bus home. But Ramadan starts next week, so our schedule will change a bit. We will only be at the school for four hours—they have early release since everyone will be fasting (no food, water...from sunrise to sunset) during that time."

A link to the Jordan blog can be found on the Youth Corps Web page at www.ucgyouthcorps.org.

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Take "Note" of Lost Sheet Music

Your help is needed. Our Feast of Tabernacles choirs are literally a few notes short of a full set of sheet music this year! We would like to put a call out for all missing, lost or misplaced choir sheet music.

You can help keep down operational costs for the Feast sites by checking around the house and sending us all sheet music that does not belong to your local choir. Perhaps you've sung in Festival choirs over the years and somehow accumulated a number of songs. Please send them to us so it can continue to serve at the Feast. You can also send in any music you would like to donate.

Some of the choir music we've enjoyed over the years is no longer available from the publishers and is simply out of print. We all know how the cost of everything, including sheet music, has gone up.

Here's how to help. Send all found sheet music to: UCG Salem, P.O. Box 5965, Salem, OR 97304.

The music will be collected and filed with the UCG music library. If your music is labeled and you know to whom it belongs, of course you may return it directly to that congregation or director.

As participation in the Festival music program continues to expand, we will need to purchase more music. However, you can help us to keep down the costs of repurchasing music by returning or even donating music that is not being used. Music at the Feast is an important way that we praise and honor God and edify His people. Please help us to continue serving musically. Thank you for your prayers, involvement and restocking of our music libraries. Happy searching!

—Steve Myers

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Panama City Beach Choir Members Needed

The Panama City Beach, Florida, Festival Choir is in need of volunteers who enjoy singing praises to God. All voices are welcome, but we especially need tenors and basses. If you would like to participate, or if you have any questions concerning the music, please feel free to contact the choir director, Joseph DeCapite, at decapitejo@aol.com.

—Harold Rhodes

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Feast Preteen Workbooks Prepared

We will be sending Festival Youth Workbooks to each of the U.S. Feast sites for all preteens registered at each site. The Youth Education Task Force has created these workbooks for two preteen levels, K-grade 2 and grades 3-6. The workbooks focus on note taking, developing personal relationships and understanding the meaning of the Feast.

—David Register

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What's New on the Web?

Teen Bible Study Discussion Guides
Check out the new study guides, "Fasting" and "Self-Esteem," at www.ucg.org/teenstudy/

New RSS Feed for www.ucg.org
Keep in touch with the latest updates to the United Church of God Web site by subscribing to the new RSS feed at www.ucg.org/United-Church-of-God-rss.htm

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