Local Announcements: 

Sabbath Services for January 6th, 2023: This week's Sabbath will be held at the Freedom Hall  (349 W Birchwood St, Morton, IL 61550) @ 1:30pm. The services 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. Bill Conway
          Sermonette: Mr. Scott Delamater [video]
          Sermon: Mr. Darrell Keisel
          Ekamas in Terre Haute

Upcoming Events:
          Jan 13th: Game Night & Potluck
          Jan 19-22nd: Growing in the Faith Regional Weekend
          Feb 10th: Game Night & Potluck
          Feb 11th: Super Bowl Get-together
          Mar 4th: Safe Harbor Meal Prep
          Mar 9th: Game Night or Bowling Activity

Secret Pals: As we discussed in our congregational meeting last week, we are doing a secret pals activity between the kids and some of our adults. We have nine children waiting to learn about their secret pals, but we need a few more adults to pair with kids. If you are interested, please get in touch with Janet Keisel.

Hymns: One of the other topics that was discussed during our congregational meeting was the hymns sung by an ensemble that are available on the UCG Members' website. If you'd like to enjoy these pieces during more than just the Sabbath song service, here is a link to where you can download them: https://www.ucg.org/members/hymnal.

Springfield Bible Study: The next monthly Bible Study in the Springfield area will be on the Sabbath of January 13th at the Curran Township building (6220 Moffet Street, Curran, IL 62670) at 10:00am.

Sabbath School: Our next Sabbath School is scheduled for the Sabbath of January 13th. It will take place about 10 minutes after services in the back room. This month, the kids will be covering the Book of 2 Kings, so feel free to quiz them on what they know before and after the Sabbath School lesson!

Potluck & Game Night: Bring some food, bring some games, share them both! The evening of January 13th will be our next game night of the season. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for some great fellowship and fun.

Central Illinois Bible Study: Our next monthly Bible Study will be on the Sabbath of January 27th. We will continue our study of the Book of Amos 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

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.

Regional Announcements:

Growing in the Faith Weekend 2024: All UCG young adults are invited to join us at the 2024 Growing in the Faith from January 19th – 22th. We will have plenty of time for fellowship, sledding, games, and dancing. This will be a great chance to spend quality time with fellow brothers and sisters in the faith in a positive, uplifting atmosphere.
For more information and to register, visit: https://www.growinginthefaith.com

Milwaukee Teen Prom & Family Weekend 2024: Teens, ages 12-19, and their families are invited to attend the Teen Prom and Family Weekend hosted by the Milwaukee, WI congregation the weekend of March 29-31, 2024. This year’s theme is “Under the Sea.”
Activities planned will include a Friday evening Q&A, Sabbath morning seminar, Sabbath School lesson, Sabbath services, a recognition of those teens graduating from high school, a formal dinner and dance for the teens, and a Saturday evening social with activities for the families and pre-teens. The cost for teens participating in the prom events will be $48/teen. A block of rooms in the same venue as the prom are being held for a discounted rate. The deadline to register is March 5th. More details will be provided in the coming weeks at milwaukeeteenprom.wordpress.com.

Home Office Announcements:

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.