(Streaming and phone connections typically go live about 15-minutes prior to the start of services.)

Upcoming Events: 
     Apr 25th: Bible Study & Potluck @ Central Illinois
     Apr 29th: Midwest Food Bank Outreach @ Normal, IL
     Apr 30th: Second Passover
     May 2-4th: General Conference of Elders @ Cincinnati, OH, 2:00pm EDT
     May 2nd: GCE Webcast @ 2:00pm EDT/1:00pm CDT
     May 2nd: Central IL @ Embassy Suites, 1:00pm CDT
     May 9th: Bible Study @ Springfield, 10:00am CDT
     May 16th: Brunch, Bible Study, & Speech Club @ Terre Haute
     May 22-24th: Pentecost Weekend @ Brown County State Park (No local services @ Terre Haute)
     May 23rd: Bible Study @ Central Illinois
     May 24th: Pentecost @ Central Illinois, 1:30pm CDT

Bible Study (CIL): Our next monthly Bible Study will be on the Sabbath of April 25th. We will start 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 Potluck: For those wanting to extend their fellowship, after the Bible Study this Sabbath we will have a potluck.

Midwest Food Bank: On the evening of April 29th, we have twelve (12) slots available that we can fill for any folks to volunteer at the Midwest Food Bank in Normal (2031 Warehouse Rd, Normal, IL 61761). The other group there with us that evening doesn’t have many coming, so if at all possible, we’d love to bolster our numbers so that we can get a lot accomplished that evening. If you are interested in serving our local community in this fashion, please visit this link to register prior to the 29th: https://x.gldn.io/e/keaJ41F5s0b

GCE Sabbath Webcast: Next Sabbath, services will not be at our normal time because the entire service will be webcast live from the General Conference of Elders in Cincinnati, OH. Terre Haute will begin at 2:00pm EDT and Central Illinois will begin at 1:00pm CDT. Any Necessary local announcements will be given prior to the start of services.

New Location (CIL): Beginning May 2nd, the Central Illinois congregation will be meeting at the Embassy Suites (100 Conference Center Dr, East Peoria, IL 61611) for services. We will usually meet in the Fon-du-Lac rooms on the conference center side of the facility. See the attached conference center map.

Bible Study (SPR): The next monthly Bible Study in the Springfield area will be on the Sabbath of May 9th at the Curran Township building (6220 Moffet Street, Curran, IL 62670) at 10:00am.

Bible Study (TH): Our next monthly Bible Study will be on the Sabbath of May 16th We will continue our multi-study series discussing the topic of the Millennium and the Kingdom of God. Prior to the study we’ll have a potluck brunch starting at 11:30am.

Speech Club (TH): Our next Speech Club meeting in Terre Haute will be after services on May 16th.

2026 Feast Registration Announcement: 
General Registration - Begins Sunday, April 26 at 12 p.m. EDT 
All members may begin registering for the Feast at this time. All Feast sites are expected to have adequate capacity — except for the restricted site of Walnut Creek. 
Housing Reservations 
As a reminder, the annual Feast Planning Brochure was not printed this year. All information can be found at the Feast website - https://www.ucg.org/members/feast-of-tabernacles.  Except for Walnut Creek you may book housing now, as these sites are not expected to reach capacity. However, be sure to officially register on April 26. 
Each individual Feast website displays a “Housing Info” link for discounted rates. 
Questions can be emailed to Festival@ucg.org or call (970) 484-5878.

United Youth Camps Announcement: The 2026 United Youth Camps season is just around the corner, and we’re looking forward to another exciting and uplifting summer for our young people. United Youth Camps provide a wonderful opportunity for campers and staff to build lasting friendships, develop leadership and teamwork skills, and most importantly deepen their relationship with God in a positive and encouraging environment. Many look forward to camp all year because of the friendships, encouragement and spiritual focus they experience there.
     Registration for both campers and staff is now open at uyc.ucg.org.
Parents and teens should also note that teen campers must be 13 years old by August 1, 2026, meaning they must be born before August 1, 2013, in order to attend a teen camp this summer.

Congregational Directory: If you have not yet signed onto the online congregational directory, created your account, or would like some help with getting your contact information and/or picture uploaded, please feel free to reach out and ask Nathan Ekama for a hand. 

Health & Safety Protocols: We ask that any who exhibit symptoms of illness practice the biblical principle of quarantine.

Other Announcements: 

Sign Up for United News Weekly: To subscribe to United News Weekly, please visit our email updates subscription page at ucg.org/subscribe-email-updates. Choose the “United News Weekly” option.

Articles and Writers Needed for Compass Check: Do you have an idea for an article for our teen magazine, Compass Check? Or, maybe you’re willing to write, but need an idea? Regardless of your age or writing experience, we would love to see what you have to offer. The process of writing for Compass Check is easy and fun. Plus, if you’re a student, you might be able to use it to get some extra credit! If you have an idea or would like to learn more about writing for Compass Check, please contact us at compasscheck@ucg.org.  

Teen Instagram Account: We are 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: Details about any 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.