Local Announcements: 

Sabbath Services for March 18th, 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. Bill Conway
          Sermonette: Mr. Keith Oberlander
          Sermon: Mr. Nathan Ekama

Upcoming Holy Days/Events:
          Passover: April 4th - 7:30pm service @ Comfort Inn (201 E. Ashland St, Morton IL 61550)
          Night to be Much Remembered: April 5th (group or private options)
          First Day of Unleavened Bread: April 6th - 1:30pm service @ Comfort Inn
          Last Day of Unleavened Bread: April 12th - 10:30am & 2:30pm @ Freedom Hall

Springfield Bible Study: The next Bible Study in the Springfield area will be this Sabbath, March 18th at the Curran Township building (6220 Moffet Street, Curran, IL 62670) at 10:00am. Services in Morton will remain as is currently scheduled.

NTBMR Dinner: For those gathering in Morton at the Freedom Hall for the Night to be Much Remembered, you can arrive after 6:15pm and the meal will begin at 7:30pm. The menu will be: pot roast, chicken marsala, tossed salad, mashed potatoes, and green beans as well as a fruit tray and a cheese tray. The cost for the meal is $32 per person. Please sign the list on the information table if you can bring decorations, drinks, dessert, and/or unleavened bread. If you would like to join the gathering, but are in need of financial assistance, please see Nathan Ekama.

Sabbath School: Our next Sabbath School is scheduled for April 8th. It will take place about ten minutes after services in the side room.

Central Illinois Bible Study: Our next monthly Bible Study will be the Sabbath of April 22nd. We will begin 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

Second Passover: If you happen to be sick or unable to get to the upcoming Passover on the evening of April 4th due to unforeseeable circumstances, the second Passover will be on the evening of May 4th. Please see Nathan Ekama is you have any questions regarding the second Passover.

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:

Milwaukee Teen Prom & Family Weekend: The Milwaukee, Wisconsin, congregation will be hosting a Teen Prom and Family Weekend this coming spring. The dates are April 7–9, 2023, which is during the Days of Unleavened Bread. Activities planned will include a Friday evening Q & A, Sabbath morning seminar/teen Bible study/Sabbath School, Sabbath services, a formal dinner and dance for the teens, a recognition of those teens graduating from high school, a Sabbath evening social and activities for the families and pre-teens (there will be a special guest for the pre-teens!). The cost for teens participating in the prom events will be $48/person. More details are available at the website for this event: https://milwaukeeteenprom.wordpress.com/. We look forward to sharing this special weekend with you!

Home Office Announcements:

Preparing For Passover Guides: UCG’s Women’s Services team is putting together some Passover prep guides for those who might be interested between now and Passover. I will include a digital copy of them with the announcements each week and have a few printed copies on the Information Table as well.

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 new 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 continuing to accept job applications for a French Communications Analyst, a Systems Administrator/Programmer and a Web Developer. 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.