Local Announcements: 

Sabbath Services for July 1st, 2023: Tomorrow's Sabbath service will be held at the Freedom Hall (349 W Birchwood St, Morton, IL 61550) @ 1:30pm. The service will also be webcast on our local congregational website​ (link for local webcast) as well as offered via audio only for those who would like to call in (701.791.9819). These connections typically go live about 15-minutes prior to the start of services.
          Song Leader: Mr. David Archer
          Sermonette: Glenn Radebaugh
          Sermon: Mr. Dan Apartian
          Ekamas in Terre Haute

Upcoming Holy Days/Events:
          Independence Day Picnic: July 2nd @ Ekamas’ >> WEATHER PERMITTING <<
          July 8th Sabbath service: Service will be at 10:30am @ Freedom Hall
          August 5th Sabbath service: Service will be at 10:30am @ Freedom Hall

Quarterly Bulletin & Member Contact Info: A bulletin for the third quarter of this year as well as an updated member contact listing will be available on the information table. >> Mr. Camacho has a new address

Independence Day Picnic: Weather permitting, all are invited to the Ekamas’ for an afternoon of food, fellowship, and thanksgiving on July 2nd as we remember the blessings that God has bestowed upon this great nation. Burgers, dogs, and the fixings will be provided along with some lawn games. Please bring drinks and a side to share along with a lawn chair. You can arrive any time after 11:30pm, we’ll plan to ask a blessing on the meal around 12:30. Note: If it is raining on Sunday morning, we’ll raincheck the picnic until July 16th.

Springfield Bible Study: The next Bible Study in the Springfield area will be on the Sabbath of July 15th at the Curran Township building (6220 Moffet Street, Curran, IL 62670) at 10:00am. Services in Morton will remain as is currently scheduled.

Central Illinois Bible Study: Our next monthly Bible Study will be on the Sabbath of July 22nd. We will continue in the book of Joel about 15-minutes after services. If you are not able to join us in person, here are a few ways that you can join our Bible Study:
          - Here is the link to access our Bible Study via our local webcast.
          - Here is the phone number to call for an audio-only connection: 701.791.9819

Sabbath School: Our next Sabbath School is scheduled for August 12th. It will take place about ten minutes after services in the side room.

Festival Tithe Sharing: If you would like to share some of God’s tithe that you are setting aside, there are a number of causes that we collect for locally: East African brethren, West African brethren, our incarcerated brothers, and gift baskets for those who will be unable to travel for the Feast of Tabernacles. If you would like to donate to any of these local collections, please send funds to either Kim Olar or Bill Conway along with a note about how you would like those funds to be dispersed.

Health & Safety Protocols: We ask that any who exhibit symptoms of illness practice the biblical concept of quarantine. Face coverings are not required during our services; however, if you are more comfortable wearing a face covering when congregating, please do not hesitate to do so.

Home Office Announcements:

United Youth Camps Announcement: The United Youth Camps program will once again host five teen summer camps, seven pre-teen summer camps, one teen winter camp as well as the young adult boundary waters adventure. The details for each camp can be found at uyc.ucg.org. If funds are a concern, scholarships are available, so please speak to your pastor if you need one.

Feast Announcements:
Festival Planning Brochure Posted Online: Most members have already received their 2023 Feast Planning Brochure in the mail. If not, it can be found at ucg.org/members/feast. Instructions can be found there as well for registering for the Feast of Tabernacles. If you need help, with your housing reservation you may send an email to USFestival@ucg.org or call (970) 484-5878.
Festival Assistance: Each year, many faithful brethren contribute extra funds from their festival tithe so that other needy members can receive the financial assistance they need to attend the Feast of Tabernacles. Their generosity helps hundreds of people attend the Feast who would be unable to attend otherwise. The Church recognizes its responsibility to see that those contributions are distributed fairly and equitably.
If you have been faithfully saving your festival tithe, but anticipate that you will not have enough funds to attend the Feast this year, we will be happy to help where we can. If you think you will need additional funds, please contact your pastor to get a Festival Assistance Member Information Form. Fill out the form and return it as soon as possible. (All information on the form will be treated as confidential.)
The home office has asked us to have all assistance applications turned in by the end of June, so please pick up the form and return it to us as quickly as possible. 
Again, festival financial assistance is available for those who do not have adequate funds to attend the Feast even though they have faithfully saved their festival tithe, or their income is too limited for them to save adequate funds to attend.

Teen Instagram Account: Due to popular demand, the home office media team is working on creating Instagram content specifically for our teens. We will be using the existing Compass Check account to share encouraging and fun spiritually uplifting content, including Q&A’s, updates on local events and special sneak peeks of ongoing projects. We would also encourage feedback of content you would like to see. This project is specifically for our youth, and we want to hear from you! Make sure to follow us at compasscheck on Instagram (instagram.com/compasscheck) and DM us for any more info, suggestions and questions.

Light of Hope Helpline: The United Church of God is providing a new service available to its ministry and members. Light of Hope is a helpline supported by Church members who are licensed social workers, counselors and other clinical professionals.
They will provide mental health and addiction resources to those in need including individual, couple, family and teen consultation. These specialists will also assist in connecting people in need with appropriate resources in their communities while keeping all information confidential.
The Light of Hope helpline is available at any time. When you call, it will initially record your message so that one of our professionals can respond within 24 hours. This service is also provided in several different languages including Spanish, French and German.
Light of Hope also plans to develop online materials on a variety of topics such as depression, anxiety, stress management, suicidal thoughts, communication skills, problem solving strategies, teen issues, parenting issues, etc.
The helpline number is (888) 241-6211.

Prayer Updates: The home office has created a web page where church members may access recent church-wide prayer requests at any time. The address is register.ucg.org/intranet/PrayerRequests and the password for the page may be obtained from your pastor.

Job Opportunities: The United Church of God is accepting job applications for a number of positions. Details about all of the current job postings for the Church may be reviewed at ucg.org/members/news/current-job-openings.

Beyond Today: Beyond Today airs locally in Illinois (Springfield/Decatur/Champaign) on WICD 15 ABC, Sundays at 10:00 a.m..
          **BT content is also available via our YouTube channel and via Roku and other smart devices.**

Online UCG Radio from Australia for the whole world: The online radio station for United Church of God is now streaming 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. You can listen to booklet and magazine readings, Bible readings, Bible Q&As, sermons, Bible class lectures, podcasts, the BT Daily series, music and more! A radio schedule in PDF can be downloaded which will show you upcoming programs. You can reach it easily on your computer at https://www.ucg.org.au/radio or from the UCG Streaming Radio app that allows you to listen on your mobile device. Simply search your app store for "UCG Radio" to install the free app.