United Church of God

Festival Greetings (updated)

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A United Church of God Feast of Tabernacles site

Festival Greetings (updated)

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Dear brethren,

     As we go into the Fall season, brethren generally get excited about the upcoming Fall Holy Day festival season which features the coming Kingdom of God and the intervention of its future king, Jesus Christ, in human affairs. Knowing that one day, swords will be beaten into plowshares and mankind will treat fellow man with dignity and profound respect, this is truly a time for all to anticipate.

     As many of us know, in spite of the fantastic attractions that the Fall season features, especially with the Feast of Tabernacles, a number of our members and coworkers are not able to travel far enough to attend any of our major feast site locations. For that reason, the United Church of God has generously provided alternate, nearby locations where people who cannot travel far can assemble. As many of you know, the church is providing 2 additional locations in Florida in addition to Panama City Beach. Up until the Feast of Tabernacles begins, people are welcome to attend either of these alternate locations. These additional locations are Zephyrhills, FL and St. Petersburg, FL.

     While attendance at both of these alternate locations will likely be small, both groups will be connected via webcast to the large gathering of brethren that we will have in Panama City Beach, FL. This means that for 6 days during the Feast of Tabernacles, brethren in Zephyrhills and St. Pete will be able to watch the church service from Panama City Beach and listen to a series of sermons given by some of our leading pastors from the Home Office as well as from various corners of the U.S. In addition to this, several local men will speak in order to provide live services to our people staying locally.

     I have wanted to release the times of church services but that will need to wait until those managing the Panama City Beach feast site establish its starting times and speaking schedule. On two different days we will have live speakers giving sermons and sermonettes locally and on those days we will likely meet for services at 10:30 AM. However, we will start at 11:30 local time on the days that we link up with Panama City Beach, which is in the Central Time Zone, one hour behind us.

     Coordinating the St. Pete site will be Lonnie Mooneyham and managing the Zephyrhills location will be Justin Robinson. People have asked about excursions or other activities during the Feast. (This makes sense, as there are many activities that one could choose to participate in.) Input is welcome. The area offers world-renowned beaches, restaurants ranging from simple to extravagant, famous gardens, fishing trips, parasailing, jet skiing, canoeing, the famous Lowry Park Zoo, Ybor City, the Florida Aquarium, Busch Gardens, Dali Museum, Crystal Springs, Weekie Wachie Springs, golf opportunities, major league baseball, and shopping venues. Zephyrhills and St. Pete represent the same region that drew thousands annually to the Bayfront Center when decades ago the St. Pete Feast site was immensely popular as a destination for our brethren. Of course, as popular as these attractions are, the main emphasis is on our church services and the importance of renewing our vision of the coming Kingdom of God. While it is wonderful to enjoy the physical abundance of what the Feast offers, it would be for nothing if we did not take the time to derive the blessing of spiritual sustenance that this upcoming Feast is intended to provide.

     Some have asked about discount opportunity with various of these activities. Because our groups are somewhat small and since it is unlikely that all brethren would be inclined to do every excursion together, we cannot obtain any deeper discounts than what people can obtain through their own connections with AAA or other travel clubs.

     The adage and scripture is true ... it is more blessed to give than to receive. The key to making this Feast and all others spiritually significant is to reach out to others in generosity with time and perhaps additional hospitality to help insure that everyone is included and cared for. Years from now we may not remember what we ate and drank but likely will remember, more importantly, what we did in concern for each other. The Feast is truly a community experience. It would make no sense for us to impose on ourselves, social isolation, when we can share a foretaste of the Kingdom of God with each other. We will try to utilize the talents and offers of service that many of you have volunteered to share. Moreover, it is not too late to volunteer to help as you are able. That will be much appreciated.

     Also, people have wondered about hotel/motel accommodations. We were not a large enough group to block off significant portions of a lodge. Therefore all people are making their own selections, whether they be on the beach or inland. Since online internet searching will unearth thousands of possibilities, we encourage anyone to investigate what is available.

     If you have questions on any aspect of festival observance in either Zephyrhills or St. Pete, feel free to contact me via e-mail at bveller1@tampabay.rr.com or by phone at 813-701-1800. Addresses for the two locations are as follows:

·         St. Petersburg Feast site: 300 E. Bay Dr., Largo, FL., 33770

·         Zephyrhills Feast site: 5216  7th St., Zephyrhills, FL., 33542