Hi everyone,

Here’s trusting this week’s update finds you well. After a second successful local wedding this past Sunday, I am pleased to announce that Steve Burgett and Madeline Garrett are officially husband and wife. Whereas there was a little drizzle during the ceremony, Steve and Madeline’s “I do’s” were clearly heard by everyone in attendance. Just as we congratulated Brandon and Caroline a week ago for their marriage, I ask that you join with me in congratulating Steve and Madeline on their matrimony. Be sure to extend a personal congratulations when you see them next.

In the meantime, here are this week’s local announcements.

1. Local Sabbath Services in Buford and Atlanta: 6/13. Tomorrow, we are in our two congregations. The Buford congregation will meet at the Holiday Inn Express, Bethlehem at 10:30 AM for services. In the afternoon, the Atlanta congregation will meet at Unity Atlanta at 2:30 PM for services.

We will have services separately in Buford and Atlanta on 6/20. We will combine for services on 6/27. Because we are already scheduled for a covered dish-meal on 6/27 and some are traveling on July 4^th—this nation’s 250^th anniversary—let’s make our meal on 6/27, “4^th of July Fixin’s.” Think summer picnic foods and desserts that fit our nation’s important milestone. I ask that each family plan for enough food and drink for your family, plus one additional guest.

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. UCG Atlanta Bible Study: 6/16. Our next UCG Atlanta Bible Study takes place this Tuesday evening, June 16 at 7 PM. Mr. Jerold Aust will give the Bible Study. Below is information to attend online:

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

Meeting ID: 838 7167 7401
Passcode: 857315

See you there.

4. 2026 Feast of Tabernacles Assistance. Each year, many faithful brethren generously contribute additional funds to help others attend the Feast of Tabernacles. Every household that is able is encouraged to voluntarily assist with these costs, in the spirit of Deuteronomy 16:14: “You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow.”

Your kindness and generous support ensure that our Church Assistance Fund can meet current needs, making it possible for hundreds of your brethren—who might not otherwise be able to attend—to joyfully celebrate the Feast.

If you believe you may not have sufficient funds to attend the Feast this year – and have been faithful in saving your Festival Tithe – assistance may be available. Please contact your Festival Advisor, Steve Holladay in Buford or Bob McCurdy in Atlanta, or your pastor to request a Festival Assistance Member Information Form. Complete and return the form as soon as possible. All information provided will be kept confidential.

All applications should be submitted by June 30th, so please don’t delay.

Festival assistance is available for those who have been saving but still lack adequate funds to attend, as well as for those whose income makes it difficult to save enough. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help!

5. North Georgia Tubing Trip: 6/28. If you are interested in tubing in North Georgia on June 28, here is what you need to know. Payments will be made on location by cash or check to Cartecay River Experience. Here are the details of this event.

What: Tubing & Kayaking 
When: Sunday, June 28 at 11:00 am
Where: Cartecay River Experience in Ellijay, GA

            2400 HWY 52 East 
            Ellijay, GA
            706-531-4746

https://www.cartecayriverexperience.com/index.html

Price:* Lazy River Experience * Tubing
$15 cash
$18 credit card

Kayaking
$30 cash
$34 credit card

Save $2 per person on the weekends if you show up the first hour and a
half of opening.

**Payments will be made on location by cash or check to Cartecay River
Experience.**

Length of Trip: Approximately 1 hr. to 1.5 hrs. depending on if you are in a
tube or kayaking. (Trip is about 1.5 miles long.)
Waiver: All participants must sign a waiver.

FAQ: For further information and frequently asked questions please see this
website link: https://www.cartecayriverexperience.com/faq.html. Additional questions may be directed to Sarah Aust, this event’s coordinator.

6. Sabbath Service on July 4^th. We will have a combined service on the Sabbath of July 4^th. (This is the United States of America’s 250^th Anniversary.) After services, let’s plan for a special, yet smaller version of Coffee and Fellowship (i.e., in the lobby of Unity Atlanta; not in the Fellowship Hall). Snacks that reflect this nation’s anniversary are encouraged. 

7. 2026 United Youth Camps. For details regarding United’s summer camps this year, go to: https://uyc.ucg.org/ Upcoming camps include:

• Teen Camp Southwest: July 5 – July 12
• Teen Camp Woodland: July 19 – July 26
• Young Adult Camp: Challenger Sierra - July 29 - Aug. 4

Thank you for praying for the success of all our camps.

8. Michael C. Carlos Museum Visit: 8/2. We will visit the Michael C. Carlos Museum on August 2. Located on Emory University’s Atlanta campus, the museum houses the largest collection of ancient art in the southeast. The museum offers an engaging educational and cultural experience for all ages.

Cost for a museum visit is $10 for Adults and $8 for Seniors and children ages 6-17. Children 5 and under are free. Since the museum opens at 12 PM on Sundays, let’s meet in front of the museum at 11:45 AM. 

Every Sunday at 2 p.m., museum docents lead drop-in tours, which are open to the public. These tours are free with museum admission. No prior registration is required.

Parking (by car or van). If coming in cars, please park at either the Fishburne Deck or Oxford Road Visitor Decks. 

The address to the museum is:

571 South Kilgo Circle
Atlanta, GA 30322

You can find information about the museum here https://carlos.emory.edu/visit

That’s all I have this evening. Have a peaceful start to your Sabbath. Drive safely to services tomorrow.

Happy Sabbath!

Philip Aust

United Church of God, Pastor

Atlanta & Buford, Georgia

Memory Verse

Isaiah 58:13-14 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, ¹⁴ Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”