Personal From the President

Last week I reported on the NRB (National Religious Broadcasters) conference in Dallas while we were still there. It was impossible to go to all the seminars, talks and workshops, but our group of five did spread out and then shared what we learned. One area of special interest was information to help us with the major redesign of our website as we study new technology and how to apply it to our needs and purposes. Diverse topics such as ancient history, modern video technology and religious liberty were of interest as well.

Peter Eddington, Clint Porter and I had a profitable conversation with Mark Kellner, Washington Times reporter for faith and family. Mark has been a friend of the United Church of God since its inception and a proponent of religious freedom. We discussed some of the challenges to faith that have emerged in the past year. After the conference, I was able to interview Mark Kellner in a podcast that is posted today.

On our last day at the conference last Thursday, the main session featured a conversation with former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and Joel C. Rosenberg, best-selling author, and editor-in-chief of All Israel News. A lot has happened in the Middle East over the last several years and nobody has been at the center of these developments more than Pompeo. In this special session, Rosenberg interviewed the former Secretary of State and CIA director about Israel, the Abraham Accords and the state of the Middle East. They also discussed important developments in international religious freedom.

Pompeo said he believed his Christian beliefs impacted his decisions as Secretary of State. Our country must treat its citizens as if they are made in the image of God.

The conference was most profitable to us from legal and technical standpoints. I was amazed at the explosion of the podcast medium. Every day there are an astonishing 3,000 new podcasts that are quickly saturating the religious audience.

June 27 German-Speaking Area Seminar

Paul Kieffer, regional pastor of German-speaking areas, has initiated a series of seminars for elders, deacons and leaders. I was privileged to participate in the most recent one held online this past Sunday. 26 people were networked over 19 connections from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United States. Aaron Dean, our International Advisor also joined us.

The title of this seminar was “What Are We Doing to Prepare for the Future of the Church?” I gave an opening half-hour lecture accompanied by an outline that was followed by those online conferring in three breakout rooms. They discussed the lecture and answered the question: What is the biggest challenge of reaching people with the gospel and having them respond? Each breakout room leader gave a summary report with questions from the group. At the end of the seminar, there were general questions from those present.

We found this exercise to be very stimulating and informative, as we were able to become better acquainted with all those online through the interactive discussion.

I was impressed by these energetic people, including young adults who are very committed to God and most keen to do something personally to fulfill the Church’s mission through the local congregation or as individuals. In this meeting, there was an equal number of men and women who both asked questions and offered realistic suggestions. There were several excellent, achievable, practical ideas brought forward such as personalized live chat, webinars, email, standard mail newsletter and invitations to special meetings in person in a more localized place. For example, the Church in the Netherlands meets in the middle of the country. It may be advantageous to offer seminars in the highly populated areas of Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

We often lament that we live in what is sometimes called a “post-Christian” world. People seem to be comfortable without God, and only a small percentage attend any kind of church service. It is more true in Europe than in Canada or the United States. However, God has and is always calling and working with people who turn to Him. When Elijah thought that he was completely alone, God reminded him that there were 7,000 others in Israel who did not bow their knee to Baal. The Church will survive no matter how evil and corrupt society becomes. Jesus Christ will marry His bride (Revelation 19:7-9) at His return.

Paul preached the gospel to a pagan, sinful and hostile world. This was a daunting task. He lived in a “pre-Christian” world steeped in its own philosophies. Yet, Paul courageously took advantage of an empire that had its own unique system of roads, commerce lanes and citizenship that facilitated the propagation of the gospel throughout various countries on two continents. God has worked with God-fearers such as Lydia the seller of purple in Philippi, who came to learn of the true God and accept Jesus Christ as Savior. The same is happening in our time.

One healthy indicator, according to Germany’s www.ucog.org website, donation income for the Vereinte Kirche Gottes [UCG-Germany] for the first four months of 2021 was 14.4 percent higher than last year’s income in the same period. Coworkers and donors (defined as individuals who provide financial support but do not attend UCG-Germany worship services) contributed 17.5 percent of UCG-Germany’s income. Percentage-wise, this is higher than the statistics for the United States. The question becomes, how can we engage these people further and help them continue their inquiry about who is God, what is man, and what our relationship should be?

We spoke about designing our website, which is our main portal to the public, to anticipate questions from the audience and be more focused on how we can serve and talk to them. They may be open to joining a webinar in which they could be connected with some of our elders and leaders who would lead a discussion about what we teach. Some commented that it would be good for others to see real faces of the Church and hear from us in this manner.

We spoke about the importance of preparing for such service by being a light to those around us in our conduct and speech. We should also prepare to answer questions and more thoroughly understand our beliefs so that we can explain them to others, as Peter wrote: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).

At the seminar, we also recognized Jesmina Allaoua’s 20 years of employed service in the German-speaking areas. Jesmina was born in Hamburg, Germany, graduated from Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, in 1994 with a major in English. She has been the office manager and editorial assistant for UCG-Germany since the year 2000. She coordinated the Beyond Today film team contacts during their 2017 trip to Germany and was just selected to be a UCG-Germany National Council member.

Finally…

We have been sobered and saddened this past week by the death of four of our elders and spouses of elders.

• Alfred Siame in Zambia
• Paula Hoffman
• Marge Ashley
• Bill Cowan

These were all faithful Christians and servants and we will miss them greatly. Please pray for comfort for their families.

Today, July 1, begins a new fiscal year. Let’s continue to be strong in faith and service!