Greetings all and Happy Sabbath! Just a quick reminder that we will have a potluck after services tomorrow in all three congregations. Also, service time in all three congregations is 10:30 AM.

The General Conference of Elders (GCE)

As you know, last week was the General Conference of Elders.  It was held in Cincinnati, OH at the Holiday Inn Eastgate.  If you’ve ever been to the Feast of Tabernacles in Cincinnati, it is the same location where that is hosted.

It was good to see so many dear friends from across the globe, as well as spend time with my mom. It’s a long drive and a whirlwind trip, but it’s always worth it!

What is the GCE?

It’s easy to think of the GCE as just some social event held for the ministry each year. In reality, it is much more than that. First, we must understand that the term ‘GCE’ is often used in two ways.  The way we most often think of it is the 3 day conference in Cincinnati where the annual business of the church is conducted. Balloting is done to elect new members to the Council of Elders (COE), as well as approve budgets, updates bylaws and amend our constitution as proposals arise.

The second way to understand the GCE is that it also refers to a body of people. Specifically, all of the elders in the United Church of God. It is this group of around 400 men who vote on the topics above.

What’s the point?

The theme of this year’s GCE was ‘30 Years of Service and Faith.’ We heard many stories and firsthand accounts from those who witnessed the implosion of the former Worldwide Church of God, and the efforts put in to forming the United Church of God. One of the chief concerns was to make sure that this new organization would maintain doctrinal integrity and never be subject to the one person leading the church astray again.

In this week’s Bible Study, we’ll go into a little more detail of UCG’s structure and how and why it was created. If you’ve ever wanted to know more or have questions, please have them ready for this interactive study!