Home Office Weekly Update

From Ministerial and Member Services...

Moving Forward in Faith

It is our deep privilege to serve you—the faithful members of God’s family—through the ongoing work of Ministerial and Member Services (MMS). Together, we are part of something far greater than ourselves. We are not simply an organization or a set of programs—we are the Body of Christ at work, committed to faithfully carrying out the sacred calling we’ve been given.

I’m reminded of the words in Hebrews 10:23: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” That promise undergirds every effort, every outreach, and every life touched by the care and commitment of God’s ministry and the love of His people.

Caring for the flock

Today, the Church is served by 396 elders worldwide—284 in the U.S. and 112 internationally—across 430 congregations, including Bible study groups. Ministerial care continues to grow with renewed focus on succession planning and mentoring future leaders. Through regional conferences, continuing education and personal spiritual support, we’re working to keep the ministry connected, unified and well-equipped to serve God’s people with compassion and biblical integrity.

Strengthening families and congregations

As God’s spiritual family, your well-being—spiritually, emotionally and relationally—remains our constant focus. Several initiatives are underway to support congregational health. A dedicated team is developing Bible-based curriculum standards for ages 5–18 to help parents and Sabbath school teachers guide the next generation in faith. Additionally, a practical “Homeschool Co-op Guide” has been created to assist families in forming or joining local educational co-ops. This resource is now available at ucg.org/news/guide-homeschool-co-ops. These efforts reflect our shared goal to raise up the next generation, deeply rooted in God’s truth and love.

Encouraging the next generation

We’re now celebrating the 30th year of United Youth Camps! It’s a joy to see second-generation campers—teens whose parents once attended UYC—returning to grow, serve and build godly friendships.

Last year, more than 1,400 campers and 920 staff participated in U.S. camps, while international camps welcomed over 328 campers and 154 staff. The spiritual impact of these camps continues to bear fruit in the lives of our youth.

Equipping the ministry

Our ministers are committed to ongoing growth so they can serve more effectively. Earlier this year, we held a Pastoral Development Program for 11 new pastoral couples, providing training in biblical counseling, doctrine, conflict resolution and more.

New educational tools have also been launched, including an online training platform to support continuing education for ministers—helping ensure a culture of lifelong learning in service to the Church.

Looking ahead, we look forward to additional in-person opportunities with the ministry and continuing our efforts to strengthen congregational care through shared resources and deeper spiritual collaboration.

Women’s enrichment

One of the most uplifting and impactful initiatives in the Church has been the continued growth of women’s enrichment events. More than 200 events have taken place in 40-plus international areas, bringing ladies together in spiritual strength, fellowship and encouragement. You can find additional information about these wonderful efforts at women.ucg.org.

Engaging young adults

Young adults are a vital part of the Church’s future. Through our young adult website—uya.ucg.org—they can access relevant articles, Bible studies and event updates to stay spiritually engaged. We’ve also launched an email and texting service to keep them informed about young adult-focused content, events and spiritual resources designed just for them.

We’re especially excited about the upcoming Boundary Waters Challenger Camp, which offers a deeply impactful wilderness experience focused on building spiritual discipline and personal growth.

To encourage even more local involvement, we’ve developed, “A Playbook for Young Adult Weekends”—a practical guide for ministers, young adults and congregations to easily plan and host meaningful, faith-building weekends. The guide is available online at ucg.org/members/united-young-adults/playbook-young-adult-weekends.

Looking ahead with confidence

There is much more to do—but with every passing year, God continues to bless His Church with vision, strength and opportunity.

As we look ahead, we remain committed to ongoing succession planning and ministerial mentoring, expanding educational materials for members, families and youth, and deepening communication, connection and unity throughout the Body.

Most of all, we continue to hold fast to our calling—to proclaim the gospel, care for one another and remain unified in the love and truth of Jesus Christ.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

Thank you for your prayers, faithfulness and enduring love for God’s Work. Your commitment—through service, encouragement, prayer and steadfast belief—continues to strengthen the Church and lift up the Body of Christ. Together, let’s press forward—united in purpose, strengthened by hope and grounded in the unshakable promises of our God. With our eyes fixed on His Kingdom and our hearts anchored in His truth, we can move ahead in faith, knowing that He who has called us is faithful, and He will see His Work through to completion.

—Steve Myers, Operation Manager, Ministerial and Member Services

From the President...

Some have asked for an update on our progress to fulfill the role of treasurer, and also the two operation manager positions—Financial Services and Media Services.

I am happy to report that discussions are underway for all three roles. The roles of treasurer and Financial Services operation manager may be filled by two persons. And we are having ongoing discussions about who may best fill the role of Media Services operation manager. Suggestions are still being welcomed. For more information or to request an application, write to human_resources@ucg.org.

Thank you for your prayers as we consider what is best for the Church and our staff in this regard.

Sincerely,

John Elliott

Coming Soon—New Episode of Jelly

“Otterville Bible Bowl”

Recording is underway for this summer’s episode of Jelly for kids! The “Otterville Bible Bowl” game show is being recorded this week. The complete episode will release in late July.

View full episodes of Jelly for kids at https://ucg.org/members/kids/jelly

—Jamie Schreiber, Production Supervisor, Media and Communications Services

Opportunity to Serve in Proclamation of the Gospel in Europe

Would you like to actively support God’s Work and help preach the gospel? We’re looking for many English-speaking volunteers to assist in translating UCG literature into European languages—using a streamlined process supported by artificial intelligence.

Not everyone needs to know a foreign language to participate. There’s no age requirement, and you can serve from the comfort of your own home using a personal computer and Internet connection. You can contribute as little or as much as your time allows.

Key roles include:

• Initial Layout – Format English documents for translation.
• Scripture Review – Replace AI-translated verses with accurate Scriptures from the approved Bible translation (e.g., NKJV). This is a simple but crucial step, and training is provided.
• Proofreading – Requires fluency in the target language to review and refine translations.
• Final Layout (coming soon) – Upload and finalize content for our new UCGEurope.org website.

We especially need help with Scripture Review in Czech, Estonian, Latvian, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Swedish and Ukrainian. We also need native-speaking proofreaders for these and other European languages.

To volunteer, please email James Ginn at ucgtranslations@gmail.com with your name, congregation and how you'd like to help. We’ll send you everything you need to get started.

Apply Now – Ambassador Bible College

Ambassador Bible College is currently accepting applications for the next school year, which begins in late August. There is still space in next year’s class, and we would be glad to hear from young adults (and/or older adults) who are interested in a fun, engaging and thorough study of God’s Word in one school year.

Enrollment is open to those who have at least a high school diploma or equivalent. We like to have applications by July 15, but will consider them as long as there is still space. Applying earlier makes it easier to arrange housing, but there is currently ample lodging available with Cincinnati church members.

Please visit abc.ucg.org to learn about the program. If you have specific questions, please email us at abc_admissions@ucg.org. We look forward to hearing from you.

—Frank Dunkle, Director of Admissions