United News: The Next 30 Years

Last year, United Church of God turned 30 years old. We marked this occasion at the 2025 General Conference of Elders, and in the months that have followed, we’ve put time into continued introspection as we move into the next 30. Last year also marked the 30th anniversary of UCG’s first print publication: New Beginnings. Today, it is known as United News.

As a publication, United News has chronicled the growth of UCG, both sharing important news and preserving a printed legacy. This publication is to serve you, our members, and to that end, we conducted a survey in late 2024 to see how we might enhance United News for your benefit.

A recurring theme among the comments was your love for photos, stories and updates from members around the world. Many of you have expressed how meaningful it would be to have more of these photographs in color and to change to a different printing process that will reduce ink smudges and result in more legible text. As the publication department at the home office went through the process of making quality upgrades to the Beyond Today magazine (beginning with the July-September issue), the United News team decided it was time to follow suit with the July United News you’re holding right now!

We’re moving from a hybrid color/black and white printing model to full-color pages. We’re also opting for a higher-quality paper. Most noticeably, we’re changing size from a newspaper format (11.5 × 14 inches) to a magazine format (8.5 × 10.75 inches). You will notice that the graphics and colors are more closely aligned with our Beyond Today magazine, allowing our newer members and coworkers to enjoy a continuous experience from initially receiving Beyond Today to receiving their first copy of United News. In the interest of legibility, we’ve also increased font sizes for most of our interior text and left more open space for the words to flow naturally. You’ll also see more pictures going forward—because after all, that was one of the most frequent requests!

In this process, we’ve been blessed to keep costs at a very similar level. Printing at a magazine size and using the same printer we work with for Compass Check and the United Youth Camps magazine has allowed us to score savings that offset the additional cost of color printing. We’re also carrying forward the cost savings from going digital with our Festival Planning Brochure by bringing you this enhanced United News format.

As we reflect on 30 years of United News and begin our journey through the next 30 years, I’d like to recognize some fascinating pieces of United News history. The first issue of New Beginnings was published on  June 16, 1995, and the publication was renamed United News beginning with the July 1998 issue. The first managing editor was Peter Eddington who has faithfully served the Church in the decades since, including now on the Council of Elders. Over its history, United News has had seven editors and many more writers. Prior to this current update, it has received three major redesigns over the years. This publication also has a global impact. Its current circulation is over 13,700, including 69 countries, plus UCG members from other countries who read the publication online. In fact, our Australian, Canadian and Caribbean versions of United News contributed inspiration for this new design. We’re an international work, and it has been an honor to include our members around the world in this process.

On a personal note, United News is older than I am, by almost a full year. I have deep respect for the role it has played in Church history and am grateful for how it still serves to connect members around the world. Thank you, United News team past, present and future for your dedicated service to God’s people through this publication. And thank you, God the Father and Jesus Christ, for Your guidance and blessings throughout United News history.

Here’s to the next 30 years!