Hello friends,

Happy Sabbath! Here’s hoping your Friday evening has started well. What a wonderful blessing to enjoy the peace and quiet of God’s Sabbath and not worry about work or school and instead focus on God, His Plan, His Son’s return, and His coming Kingdom.

With several of you asking questions about Deanna Hooper, let me begin this week’s announcements with an update regarding her condition. As Blake, her son, shared with me a short while ago, the family has had good news on several fronts this week. For example, following her stroke, Deanna is now able to eat solid foods. She’s also got increased movement in her face, and she was able to stand this week for a couple of minutes by putting weight on her left leg. (The stroke resulted in paralysis of her right arm and right leg.)

Deanna’s family was also able to secure a location for her rehabilitation: Rehabilitation Hospital of Newnan-Encompass Health. Once Deanna is moved to the new location, she will be able to see visitors during visitation hours. She will be in rehab for 17 days and then she will be able to return home. Your continued prayers are requested for her as she makes improvement through physical therapy. Additionally, please pray for her family as they continue making decisions on her behalf and work to support Deanna through her recovery. (Judy Hooper, Deanna’s mom, is being monitored overnight due to chest pains in the same hospital that Deanna is staying.) Thank you for your prayers. Cards and notes of encouragement can be sent to:

c/o Deanna Hooper

657 Rich David Rd.

Hiram, GA 30141

Here are the other announcements this week as we look forward to Sabbath Services tomorrow in Buford and Atlanta.

1. We have Sabbath services tomorrow in Buford and Atlanta: 1/18. Because of the considerable cost increase at Buford’s regular church hall, the Laquinta Inn, Braselton, we are trying a new location for services tomorrow in Bethlehem, Georgia. Specifically, we will meet tomorrow morning at the Holiday Inn Express, Bethlehem for services. The address there is:

775 Exchange Cir.

Bethlehem, GA 30620

We’ve been asked to enter the hall from the back of the building. There is a meeting-room entrance there. Services will begin at the same time as usual: 10:30 AM.

The Atlanta congregation will meet at Unity Atlanta in the afternoon at 2:30 PM. 

2. Sabbath School and Teen Bible Study: 1/18. Because of the snow day last Sabbath, we will conduct Sabbath School and Teen Bible Study classes tomorrow in Atlanta. Young people, be sure to bring a Bible to class. And to enhance student participation, phones are not allowed in class.

3. SE Formal Dance Committee Meeting after Services. After services in Atlanta, the SE Formal Dance Committee needs to meet to the right of the stage for a few minutes (opposite the piano). We will convene the meeting 5 minutes after services.

4. Sick this week? Tune into the Atlanta Webcast. If you are sick this Sabbath, plan to watch the Atlanta webcast tomorrow online. To view the service, enter the password tree of life (with no spaces) in the channel password box. The URL location is: https://www.ucg.org/congregations/atlanta-ga/webcast

5. Next Atlanta UCG Bible Study: 1/21. We’ve now covered Revelation 14 in our Atlanta Bible Studies. Our next Zoom study takes place on Tuesday, January 21, at 7 PM. Mr. Jerold Aust will go through Revelation 15. Below is the information to attend this study online.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us05web.zoom.us/j/83871677401?pwd=CSoupVrJ3qHxQQaq94jgeBnQZOajZ…

Meeting ID: 838 7167 7401
Passcode: 857315

6. Next Home Office Bible Study. Mr. Rick Shabi’s ongoing Home Office Bible Studies on Ezekiel are announced each week on the UCG Home Office website. You may find the details of each Bible study here: Home Office | United Church of God I  encourage you to check this site prior to Wednesday’s study to ensure that you do not miss this upcoming learning opportunity.

7. 2025 Atlanta Ski Trip: 2/1 – 2/2 – Reservations Due on 1/20 @ 12 Noon

The Atlanta UCG congregation is once more planning its annual ski trip. This year our ski and snow board event is scheduled for February 1 and 2, 2025. The trip will begin with Sabbath Services in Knoxville, TN on February 1. Then on Sunday, we will be on the slopes at Ober Mountain. Details for this year’s trip, including payment details, are listed below.

Costs - The cost for this year’s activity is shared below. These rates include equipment and lift ticket (and the added cost to the church for handling the payment via PayPal). 

   [ ]  $108 for skiers and 

   [ ]  $118.50 for snowboarders 

   [ ]  $63 for lift ticket only (without equipment) 

Your Payment (IMPORTANT) - To participate in this year’s ski trip, two actions are needed.

First - Complete the Reservation Form - Download the form (it is in the "Download" section in the upper right of this announcement). Fill it out with the name and ski/snowboarding package for each individual.  Be sure to include contact information on the form.  The form should be submitted before you pay for the equipment rentals. Then email the completed form to Bob McCurdy - ram19@bellsouth.net 

Second - Make Your Payment - Pay for the costs for skiing and snowboarding via PayPal (they must be paid in advance). Be sure to consider all your costs when paying for skiing or snowboarding using the prices shown above based on the type of equipment to be used (ski or snowboard). Note - A small PayPal processing fee has been added to the ticket prices above.

Payments for this year’s ski trip will only be made using PayPal. The PayPal payment link is listed here (Note - You will need to have a PayPal account and log into your account when you use the link): 

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/UCGSoutheastFormal

(Note: To simplify UCG-Atlanta accounting, this PayPal URL is used for the Atlanta Ski 

Trip and the UCG Southeast Formal Weekend.) 

Payment Deadline - The deadline for payment is Wednesday, January 20, 2025. 

If you have questions about the Reservation Form or PayPal payments, you may email Bob McCurdy at ram19@bellsouth.net. We look forward to seeing you there!

2025 Atlanta Ski Trip: Recommended Hotels

a. The Hampton Inn

967 Parkway, Gatlinburg TN 37738

(865) 436-4878

b. The Hampton Inn – Gatlinburg Historic Nature Trail

520 Historic Nature Trail, Gatlinburg, TN 37738

(865) 436-4933

c. Hilton Garden Inn

635 River Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738

(865) 436-0048

d. Holiday Inn Express in Gatlinburg

322 Historic Nature Trail, Gatlinburg, TN 37738

(865) 868-6200

e. The Quality Inn Creekside

125 Leconte Creek Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738

(865) 436-4865

Note: Since the Atlanta Ski Trip is predicated on ample snow, please do not book a non-refundable hotel room in Gatlinburg at this time. In rare cases, we've had to cancel the ski trip because of lack of snow. You would not be able to get your money back if we were forced to cancel this year's trip.

 --------------------------------------------

Schedule of Events

Saturday, February 1, 2025

• Sabbath Service in Knoxville, TN at UCG Knoxville. See https://www.ucg.org/congregations/knoxville-tn
• Travel to Gatlinburg. Get together with fellow skiers/snowboarders at Ole Smokey Moonshine Store in Gatlinburg and enjoy complimentary (outdoor) live music. Form a group and explore some of the sites that Gatlinburg has to offer.
• Get in bed at a decent hour for skiing and snowboarding the next morning.

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Hotel check-out – Based on the policies at your hotel.

• Skiers and snowboarders meet at the Ober Mountain Tramway Mall Office at 8 AM for processing. The address of the Ober Mountain Tramway Mall is 1001 Parkway #2, Gatlinburg, TN 37738.
• Enjoy the day skiing and snowboarding. Partner up with others and enjoy your ski and snowboard adventure with one or more friends.
• Stop for lunch and refuel with others (between 11:30-1:30 PM). The affordable dining spots are the Sidewalk Cafe and Daddy's Dogs.
• Most skiers and snowboarders head home around 3 - 4 PM.

8. 2025 Southeast Regional Weekend in Atlanta: 3/1 – 3/2. The Atlanta and Buford, Georgia United Church of God congregations invite those ages 13-19 and their families to celebrate an evening of “Knights, Lords, and Ladies” at this year’s UCG Southeast Regional Formal Weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. The weekend includes Sabbath Services, a dinner, a Senior Recognition, and a Sunday morning activity. Dress for the formal dance is formal, semi-formal, or Sabbath attire.

REGISTRATION

Registration will begin January 14 and be open until February 14, 2025.

SENIOR BIO FORM

We plan to honor graduating high school seniors who will be in attendance. 

LODGING

UCG is reserving a block of rooms at the Hampton Inn by Hilton Peachtree Corners Norcross near the main event venue. Details are below:

Hampton Inn by Hilton Peachtree Corners Norcross

440 Technology Pkwy NW

Peachtree Corners, GA 30092

Phone: 770-729-0015

Details about the weekend will be shared in the coming weeks at http://atlanta.ucg.org. Once there, click Announcements for more information. If you have any questions about the Southeast Weekend, please email Sierra Briggs at sierra.gomperts@gmail.com.

9. Local Atlanta and Buford Church Fund. Based on what’s taken place the last few years (the pandemic), a while back we established a (local) Atlanta/Buford Church Fund for two purposes: (1) to ensure we are prepared if and when a local “emergency” arises (e.g., sound equipment, local camp scholarships, etc.), and (2) to develop a fund for the eventual purchase of a local church hall at some point in the future. This local church fund does not take the place of the tithes and offerings commanded by God which are sent to Home Office (Leviticus 27:30, Malachi 3:9-10). Instead, this fund represents needs we have locally that fall outside of the per view of what we request each quarter from Home Office. If you would like to donate to these causes, you may do so by giving funds to Bob McCurdy, our local bookkeeper, and specifying what those funds are for. Thank you. [Note - Any local donation checks should be made to - "United Church of God - Atlanta"]

10. Important Upcoming Dates

•    Atlanta Bible Studies: Tuesday's Online @ 7 PM
•    Home Office Bible Studies: Wednesday's Online @ 7 PM
•    (2/1-2/2) Atlanta Ski Trip in Knoxville and Ober Mountain, TN
•    (3/1-3/2) SE Regional Formal Weekend in Atlanta, GA
•    (4/11) - Passover
•    (4/13 - 4/19) - Days of Unleavened Bread
•    (6/1) - Feast of Pentecost
•    (7/17 - 7/27) – Camp Woodland in Temple, GA 

That’s it for our local announcements this evening. To keep up with announcements from the Home Office, see this week’s Home Office Weekly Update on our Atlanta and Buford websites. See you all tomorrow for services in Bethlehem or Atlanta. Please drive safely. My prayers are with you all.

Warmly,

Philip Aust

United Church of God, Pastor

Atlanta & Buford, Georgia

Memory Verse

Genesis 6:6-8 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. ⁷ So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.