Local Announcements: 

Sabbath Services for February 24th, 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. Don Hummel
          Sermonette: - none -
          Sermon: Mr. Nathan Ekama
          Bible Study: Mr. Nathan Ekama

Upcoming Events:
          Feb 24th: Speakers' Meeting (after Bible Study)
          Mar 2nd: Bowling Activity @ Potter's Alley
          Mar 4th: Safe Harbor Meal Prep
          Mar 9th: Game Night & Potluck
          Mar 23rd: Passover Prep Meeting (after services)
          Mar 29th-31st: Milwaukee Teen Prom & Family Weekend
          Apr 6th: Sabbath Services @ Comfort Inn

Choir Practice: For those participating in the choir, practices will be before services on the fourth Sabbath of each month at 12:30pm.

Central Illinois Bible Study: Our next monthly Bible Study will be on the Sabbath of February 24th. 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

Speakers' & Song Leaders' Meeting: We'll have a short meeting for all those who are on the speaking and song leading schedule after our Bible Study on February 24th.

Bowling Activity: We will have a congregational bowling activity at Potter’s Alley in Morton on March 2nd. Bowling should begin around 6:00pm. A sign-up sheet for those wanting to participate will be on the information table.

Safe Harbor Meal Prep: We will be hosting a meal at Safe Harbor in Bloomington on the evening of Monday, March 4th.  Usually we serve around 70 people with the dinner we prepare. We could use 6-8 volunteers to help prepare and serve the meal (arriving at 5 pm and leaving around 7:30 pm). If you are interested in helping with the meal preparation, please get in touch with Dan Apartian.

Potluck & Game Night: Bring some food, bring some games, share them both! The evening of March 9th will be our last game night of the Winter season. Mark your calendars and plan to join us for some great fellowship and fun.

Springfield Bible Study: The next monthly Bible Study in the Springfield area will be on the Sabbath of March 9th 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 March 9th. It will take place about 10 minutes after services in the back room.

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

Regional Announcements:

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:

Italy Feast Site: The Feast in Italy this year will be in the Tuscany region along the sunny shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Tuscany is the official UCG festival site. Some members have been contacted and invited to Sabaudia for the Feast. Sabaudia is not a UCG Feast site and Angelo DiVita is no longer a minister in UCGIA. Any communication from him should be ignored.  
Our hotel in Tuscany is a full-service facility including a spa, pool and restaurant located just yards from the Sea. We will have the entire premises for ourselves. Included in the daily room rate are three meals daily, served together as a group. Additional details can be found at feast.ucg.org or the February 15 Home Office Update. Registration will begin soon once the website link is finalized. The opening date of registration will be announced about a week in advance, so check the Italian Feast webpage every few days if you seriously intend to register.

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.