Hi everyone and happy Sabbath!

God’s new year has started well! We’ve had a deeply meaningful Passover in Atlanta and Buford and an excellent First Day of Unlearned Bread! We are back together tomorrow for Sabbath services at Unity Atlanta as we continue to observe God’s Feast of Unleavened Bread. As we prepare to come together once more, here are this Sabbath’s announcements.

1. Combined Atlanta/Buford Sabbath Service in Atlanta: 4/4. Tomorrow, Atlanta and Buford will combine for Sabbath services in Atlanta. Sabbath services will begin at 2:30 PM.

2. Under the weather this Sabbath? Tune into our Atlanta Webcast. If you are sick this week, plan to watch the Atlanta webcast 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

3. Excused Absence Forms. If you need an Excused Absence Form for the Spring Holy Days, please see an elder. You may contact Jerold Aust, Charlie Graby, Steve Holladay, or me for this document. We are here to serve.

4. Last Day of Unleavened Bread: 4/8. The Last Day of Unleavened Bread takes place on Wednesday, April 8. The location of services is Unity Atlanta in Peachtree Corners.

Holy Day Offering. According to scripture (Deuteronomy 16:16), we take up an offering on both the First and Last Day of Unleavened Bread. Please use the green envelopes sent to you by the Home Office. This greatly expedites the processing of these offerings. Thank you!

5. Covered-Dish Meal: An Unleavened Gourmet Gathering: 4/8. On the Last Day of Unleavened Bread, we will have a covered-dish meal. The theme for the meal is An Unleavened Gourmet Gathering. Plan to bring your favorite fine food and drinks. As always, we ask that you bring enough food for your family, plus one person. 

6. Next Atlanta Hymn Sing: 4/11. Our next Atlanta hymn sing takes place on April 11 at 1:15 PM. Charlie Graby is coordinating the event. If you are a song leader who wants to lead songs during the hymn sing, contact Mr. Graby. We need 5 song leaders volunteers. Each song leader will lead 2 songs. Additionally, we need pianists. If you can play hymns for the hymn sing, be sure to contact Mr. Graby.

7. Sabbath Services in Atlanta and Buford on 4/11. On the Sabbath of April 11, we are back in our two local congregations.The Buford congregation will meet at the Holiday Inn Express, Bethlehem (Georgia) at 10:30 AM for services. In the afternoon, the Atlanta congregation will meet at Unity Atlanta at 2:30 PM for services.

8. Sabbath School and Teen Bible Study Classes: 4/11. Our next local Sabbath School and Teen Bible Study classes for April take place on April 11. Parents, please be sure your child has a Bible for classes when they meet.

9. Next Atlanta Bible Study: 4/14. Our next Atlanta Bible Study takes place on Tuesday evening, April 14 at 7 PM. Our next book of the Bible is forthcoming. Stay tuned!

10. Young Men’s Christian Club: 4/18. The next Young Men’s Christian Club is scheduled for April 18 after services in the chapel. Questions regarding this club may be directed to Ryan Shallenberger.

11. Feast Planning Brochure. The Festival Planning Guide is available online and in the center pages of the March-April United News. Please note, the latest information about Feast sites is available at http://feast.ucg.org, where you can download an updated version of the brochure that has been posted since the planning guide’s initial printing.

Key Dates for United States and Canadian Feast Attendees

Sunday, April 19: Preliminary registration begins at 12 p.m. EDT for those who must attend their closest site.

Sunday, April 26: Registration is open at 12 p.m. EDT for all United States and Canadian Feast sites (except if a site has reached capacity).

Need help with Feast of Tabernacles Registration? Our local Feast Advisors are here to help with questions and registration. Contact Steve Holladay in Buford and Bob McCurdy in Atlanta for this help. If you need Festival Assistance, you may contact them in person or by phone.

12. UYC Camp registration is open! You can apply for camp and find all the needed information at http://ucg.org/members/uyc. This year everyone will need to create new camper (family) accounts and/or new staff accounts since we are using a new system. Once you have created your account, you can sign back into the same dashboard later to add or edit information and to complete required forms after you are accepted. A nice feature of the new system is that you will be able to reuse these same accounts to apply again in future years. All campers in the same family can be added under one family account, but each staff member will need their own individual staff account (for example, a teen who wants to be a camper at one camp and a staff member at another camp would need to use separate accounts for each role).

The application process requires you to upload the applicant’s photo and provide payment information before you can submit an application. You have the option to pay online (preferred), or you can choose an option to mail a check to the home office. If your camper needs a scholarship, you can begin that process by talking to your local pastor. If you have questions or need help, please email: uyc@ucg.org. Aaron Creech, National Camp Coordinator

13. Upcoming Calendar Events

Apr. 8             Last Day of Unleavened Bread @ Unity Atlanta w/ Covered-dish meal

                       The theme for the meal is An Unleavened Gourmet Gathering.

Apr. 11           Atlanta Hymns Sing (before services)

Apr. 11           Sabbath School and Teen Bible Study classes

Apr. 14           UCG Atlanta Bible Study begins again

Apr. 18           Young Men’s Christian Club

May 2           General Conference of Elders in Cincinnati, Ohio

As I shared yesterday in services, your prayers are requested on behalf of Vince Szymkowiak. He serves as pastor of the Metro East, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri, congregations. He is in the hospital dealing with a developing case of congestive heart failure, along with atrial fibrillation, as the doctors work to help his heart and restore him to a normal sinus rhythm. Please pray that God will mercifully intervene, grant healing and strength, and give both Vince and his wife, Carol, peace, comfort and encouragement through this trial. Their address is:

5019 Danbury
St Louis, Mo 63119

Those are our announcements this evening. Here’s hoping this Sabbath is especially spiritually edifying as we continue to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. See you at services tomorrow in Atlanta. Drive safely.

In love,

Philip Aust

United Church of God, Pastor

Atlanta & Buford, Georgia

Memory Verse 

Isaiah 1:14-16 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me; I am weary of bearing them. ¹⁵ When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. ¹⁶ “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil,