Good News About Beyond Today

We are very excited that due to God’s blessings we have some additional funding available for public proclamation and the furtherance of the gospel of the Kingdom.

Last Wednesday the Council of Elders was presented with two ideas for additional advertising by Peter Eddington. The first one was for online discovery advertising across Google platforms. This will be in addition to our current online advertising.

The second is for 2-minute, short-form Beyond Today television programing on Newsmax TV. Newsmax TV’s audience has grown exponentially since November. We have an opportunity to air short-form Beyond Today videos, which offer our audience practical advice and valuable knowledge in dealing with life. Church literature will be available as a follow-up to each program.

The whole Council was encouraged by these opportunities and unanimously approved to take advantage of them as soon as possible.

This advertising will begin at noon on Friday, Dec. 18. After multiple rounds of negotiations, we’ve settled on what looks like a reasonably good structured launch to maximize the audience for our 2-minute, short-form Beyond Today TV programs on Newsmax TV.

Your prayers for success would be most appreciated.

This wonderful development brings to mind the words of Isaiah 52:7-10 that encapsulate our proclamation of the gospel:

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’

“Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, with their voices they shall sing together; for they shall see eye to eye when the LORD brings back Zion.

“Break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem! For the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem.

“The LORD has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”

 

Monday Home Office Focus Meeting

Every Monday at 9 a.m., the home office employees get together for about half an hour to get a positive start for the coming week. Sometimes an employee speaks about a topic of their choice for 15-20 minutes. Sometimes it’s just sharing our thoughts and connecting with one another. During pre-COVID times, the conference room was filled to overflowing. Now, there are only a few in that room, with the remainder online. The meeting is concluded with a prayer asking God’s blessing on our work for the coming week.

This week we reminisced about our sister Diane Bailey who has been laid to rest. Her health trial and death had brought us together as we spoke about her. We also mentioned elder Dael Baughman of Kilgore, Texas, who died from COVID-19 complications, and the untimely death of deacon Dirk Trone, father of our IT employee Tory Trone.

Circle of Care Online Women’s Seminar

Sixty-three elders’ wives joined the latest “Circle of Care” online seminar on Dec. 7, including several international women.

This was the sixth online seminar, which began when the GCE went virtual in May, and was organized by Women’s Services coordinator Lisa Fenchel, along with Barbara Welch, Beverly Kubik, Kathe Myers and Debbie McNeely.

The discussion centered around “Unpacking Titus 2”—specifically the verses 3-5: “The older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.”

The questions and brief background of Titus were given out in advance, so the ladies had a chance to study and reflect on the topic. Dianne Clark, an elder’s wife in the San Diego area, set the stage for this discussion. Dianne is passionate about creating teaching and mentoring opportunities, where women in the Church can use their experiences to build one another up and together develop godly character.

The discussion time went by quickly and many expressed they were left wanting “more discussion time.” There is so much to understand in this section of Scripture—as we are encouraged to teach through example and word. Connections were made as the ladies shared from their own stories, both being taught by those who are older, and mentoring others.

Plans are in the works for “Circle of Care” seminars in 2021.

COVID-19: Please Continue to be Careful!

We have written about this in the eNews back on July 23 and said much before the Feast of Tabernacles. I would like to reiterate our request for compliance with government mandates while we are attending church services.

COVID-19 cases are much higher now. What was recommended back then remains important today, and even more so.

This rise in the number of COVID cases appears to be affecting more Church families. In one of our congregations, we had 19 cases.

Our own medical specialists are emphasizing the dangers of this disease. Please take time to listen to my podcast with pathologist Dr. Rick Berendt in Edmonton, Alberta, at https://www.ucg.org/inside-united-podcast/inside-united-podcast-182-rick-berendt-covid-and-caring-for-each-other

This virus is highly contagious and is not to be ignored; there is no giant conspiracy—it is real and life-threatening for a large percentage of older UCG congregants. Staying home when sick, and use of masks, distancing and hand washing when attendees do meet in person does, in fact, limit the contagion.

Aside from any mandatory government restrictions, we also have a Christian duty to protect the most vulnerable among us.

You may want to read again what we wrote in July at https://www.ucg.org/members/news/masks-in-church-services

This is even more applicable now. Here are a few highlights:

“If you are attending services in an area where masks are required in public, then you must wear a mask unless you have a qualifying ‘medical exemption’ as determined by government guidelines. There are reasons why some will not (or feel that they cannot) wear a mask, but do not have a qualifying medical exemption. It is recommended that those people stay at home and watch a webcast service.

“Also, please be extra-vigilant about NOT coming to services if you are sick. This should always be our ‘best practice.’ We should always be considerate of others and stay home if we are sick, rather than expose others.

“We know these are very frustrating times, but we will get through this. We appreciate your patience and cooperation.”

 

May God be with you this coming week. Let’s pray without ceasing for one another (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Let’s get through all of the inconveniences patiently together. There is light at the end of the tunnel.