Local Announcements: 

Sabbath Services for April 27th, 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. Jack Radebaugh
          Split-sermon #1: Mr. Bill Conway
          Split-sermon #2: Mr. Nathan Ekama

Holy Day Services for April 29th, 2023: The services for the Last Day of Unleavened Bread will be held on Monday at the Freedom Hall  (349 W Birchwood St, Morton, IL 61550) @ 10:30am and 2:30pm. 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.
          AM Song Leader: Mr. Chris McClain
          AM Sermonette: Mr. David Archer
          AM Sermon: Mr. Dan Apartian
          Ekamas in Terre Haute

          PM Song Leader: Mr. Bill Conway
          PM Sermon: Mr. Nathan Ekama

Upcoming Events:
          Apr 29th: 7th Day of Unleavened Bread Service, 10:30am & 2:30pm @ Freedom Hall
          May 4th: GCE Webcast, 1:00pm @ Freedom Hall
          May 4-6th: General Conference of Elders
          May 21st: Second Passover

RE-Updated Member Directory Available: There will be a re-updated version of the member directory that includes members I forgot in the one that was available on the FDUB. There is also an option for us to move to a private online/app directory. If you have thoughts, (InstantChurchDirectory.com)

Choir Practice: For those participating in the choir, there will be a practice before services at 12:30pm on Tuesday.

Lunch on Last DUB: We’ll have the back room set up for lunch for those who would like to eat together between the services on the LDUB.

Festival Funds Donations: As we are making our various plans for keeping the Feast of Tabernacles this Fall, please do consider those who may not be able to travel for the Feast or who may benefit from some financial assistance. If you would like to set aside a portion of your Festival Tithe to assist in making the Autumn Feast days special for others, please consider the following areas for which we have collected funds in the past: East Africa, West Africa, incarcerated members (Jang Han Bae, Michael Hobson, and Jose Camacho), as well as our members who are homebound.

If you would like to share your tithe in any of these ways, please send your funds to either Mrs. Kim Olar or Mr. Bill Conway along with how you’d like those funds shared. If you send a check, please make sure that it is made out to “UCG - Central Illinois”. 

Ekamas & Keisels @ GCE: From Friday, May 3rd through Tuesday, May 7th, the Ekamas & Keisels will be at UCG’s annual General Conference of Elders in Cincinnati. If you have need of any assistance during that time, please feel free to give either of them a call. If you have a more immediate need, please reach out to Dan Apartian here locally. 

Springfield Bible Study: The next monthly Bible Study in the Springfield area will be on the Sabbath of May 11th 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 May 11th. It will take place about 10 minutes after services in the back room.

Central Illinois Bible Study: Our next monthly Bible Study will be on this Sabbath, May 25th. We will continue our study of the Book of Amos (chapter 7) 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 principle of quarantine.

Regional Announcements:

Building Bridges: We are accepting new paper submissions for the local church magazine Building Bridges for the Spring 2024 edition. We ask that the articles be confined to the following central topic: Christian Meditation, and articles can be of any style around that central topic. Whether it be on a Bible passage or topic, on a historical event, a personal story, or even poetry, all are welcome. We are looking for articles about personal meditations, life experiences, and similar pieces that go along with our motto “fellowship in a written form.” Articles can be several pages long, and the deadline for submission is May 18th. To submit a draft by email send it to 2022buildingbridges@gmail.com. Under the “subject” box, put your name followed by the title of your story.
- The Building Bridges team.

Home Office Announcements:

Feast of Tabernacles Registration: Registration for the Feast of Tabernacles will roll out in two phases this year. The first phase is Early Registration and is for those who must attend their closest site. These are guaranteed approval if they register on time. Early Registration will begin this Sunday, April 28, at 12 p.m. (noon) Eastern time. Those who qualify for Early Registration can also make their housing reservations beginning at that time.
The second phase is General Registration, beginning next Thursday, May 2, at 12 p.m. (noon) Eastern Time. General Registration is for those who don’t necessarily have to attend their closest site and are applying for any site. You are welcome to register at that time for your closest site, unless it is closed. At that time, housing reservations can be made for all sites.

Camp Pinecrest Staffing Needs:  Even though camp is a few months off, it is important we have essential personnel lined up for a successful camp. The regional camp for our teens, Camp Pinecrest, needs young adults to serve as counselors and assistant counselors (male & female) for this summer. We also need staff to serve as Dance Class instructors, lifeguards, and on our Nursing/First Aid team.
Camp Pinecrest is from June 29 – July 7, 2024. Please contact Mike Phelps at 513-256-7628 / mike_phelps@ucg.org if you are interested or would like more information. Or apply at uyc.ucg.org.

Camp Registration: Online registration for all UYC teen and preteen camps began March 7. Campers and staff may apply at uyc.ucg.org. Parents and campers, camper scholarships are available for those who need financial assistance. See your pastor about applying for a scholarship. National funds are definitely available, so please apply if needed. – Len Martin, UYC Coordinator

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.