NewsAt a Glance

UCG Prints 2 Millionth Booklet

Pinecrest Produces Heroes and “the Zone”

by Guy Burke

June 13, 111 campers and 54 staff members gatheredat Camp Pinecrest near Fredericktown, Missouri, to setup “the Zone” 2002. Then followed seven days of fun-

filled challenges such as canoeing, archery, riflery, soft-ball, volleyball, speedaway, swimming, ropes course,climbing and rappelling, journalism, male-female semi-

Pinecrest canoe staff was featured in the local newspaper after rescuing a family on the Black River(see article, page 12). From left, Jason Carter, Nathan Willoughby, Mike Blackwell (canoeing director),Clint Porter, Katie Decker and Jeannette Hoffart (photo by Naomi Shoemaker)

Vol. 8, No 6 www.ucg.org July 2002

Four New StationsBegin Airing GNRadio in Arizona

Four radio stations in Arizona arenow airing the Good News radio pro-gram on Saturday mornings at 10:30a.m. Pacific Daylight Time. The sta-tions are KAPR, 930 AM, in Douglas;KJAA, 1240 AM, in Globe; KNXN,1470 AM, in Sierra Vista; and KGMS,940 AM, in Tucson.

More stations will be added in thisnew fiscal year to bring the total to 14or 15. A full schedule can be seen onthe Web at www.ucg.org/radio.

Planning for 2003GCE Underway

The Council of Elders appointed anadvisory committee to help plan nextyear’s General Conference of Eldersannual meeting, which will be held inCincinnati, Ohio, May 4 and 5, 2003.The committee members are PeterEddington, Larry Greider, AnthonyWasilkoff, Robin Webber, Joe Hor-chak, Greg Thomas, Charles Melear,David Register and Diane Bailey.

The committee had its first telecon-ference June 11, and plans are under-way for recommending a theme,speakers and format for the 2003 GCE.

Suggestions are welcome and maybe made to any committee member.

David Register

Print PromotionStatistics Improve

A look at print promotion statisticsin June showed that since April, 3,715

More Details of BSC Grad Program Released

by Scott Ashley

It took more than four and a halfyears—from January 1996 until Augustof 2000—for the United Church of Godto print its first million booklets. Now,in less than two years, it has printed itssecond million booklets.

More than a quarter of a millionbooklet reprints in June pushed thetotal number of English-languagebooklets printed and reprinted by theUnited Church of God in its seven-year history to 2,173,000.

Comparing the number of English-language booklets published in eachyear, the Church printed:

• 120,000 copies of five bookletsin 1996.

• 50,000 copies of four booklets in1997.

• 155,000 copies of seven bookletsin 1998.

• 369,000 copies of 13 booklets in1999.

• 511,000 copies of 16 booklets in2000.

• 608,000 copies of 18 booklets in

2001. For the first half of 2002 theChurch has printed 360,000 copies of13 booklets.

In general, the most popular book-lets are those on prophecy. All four ofthe Church’s booklets on prophecy—The United States and Britain in BibleProphecy,You Can Understand BibleProphecy, The Book of RevelationUnveiled and Are We Living in theTime of the End? are among the topseven booklets in numbers printed,with 100,000 to 130,000 of each pro-duced to date.

The most-printed booklet is WhatIs Your Destiny? at 135,000 copies.The other booklets with more than100,000 in print are What HappensAfter Death?, Why Does God AllowSuffering? and The Ten Command-ments.

The United Church of God has pro-duced 28 booklets in the English lan-guage so far, with more planned bythe end of the year.

See page 2 for a chart showing howmany of each booklet have been print-ed since United began. UN

by Scott Ashley and PeterEddington

As announced last issue, some of ourpastors are now beginning to receivepersonal requests for contact andrequests for sermon tapes from ourgrowing list of Bible Study Coursegraduates. These requests are specifi-cally coming from readers who havegone through all 12 lessons of the BibleStudy Course and have received anadditional 12 months of our funda-mental beliefs sermon tapes and GoodNews radio programs.

Those who have completed thesefirst two phases are now being sent anoffer of the following additional mate-rials to help them in their study of theBible. Hundreds of responses are now

starting to come into the home officerequesting:

1) World News and Prophecy and/or2) Regular sermon tapes from the

congregation nearest them and/or3) To have a pastor contact them

and/or4) The address of the UCG pastor

and the address of the congregationnearest them.

Let us take a moment to clarify whothese people requesting tapes and/orinformation about the local congrega-tion are, and how they got to the pointof this offer. There appears to be a mis-impression that they have only receivedthe Bible Study Course, and this is notthe case. This offer is made only at theend of a process that takes at least twoyears. To reach the point of requesting

tapes from a local congregation, thesepeople will have gone through the fol-lowing steps in this order:

1. Subscribed to The Good News forat least two years, and possibly as manyas six.

2. Specifically requested to receivethe Bible Study Course.

3. Specifically renewed the BibleStudy Course partway through thelessons in order to continue.

4. Received all 12 lessons of theBible Study Course. (They will havealso been offered virtually every book-let we produce over the course of the12 lessons, and likely requested manyof them.)

5. Specifically requested to be put on

EasternEuropeanLiterature onthe Webby Victor Kubik

There are a number of local languagechoices for Eastern Europeans interest-ed in the United Church of God. Sincethe collapse of communism 12 yearsago, the proliferation of the Bible and theadvance of the Internet, we have beenresponding to increasing requests for lit-erature in native tongues.

We first translated into Russian near-ly 20 Good News articles along with thebooklets Sunset to Sunset—God’s Sab-bath Rest and The Gospel of the King-dom. The booklets were printed in west-ern Ukraine by Ivan Yurishko, aTranscarpathian Sabbatarian leader whoowns a copier and printing business. Thecost of having the printing done there isonly a fraction of what it costs in theWest. I currently send out this literaturefrom requests received by the Church.

In the Baltic countries where we havea number of United Church of Godmembers,we have been advertising TheGood News on a Tartu, Estonia, radiostation and will soon be advertising inthe capital, Tallinn. Having visited thebroadcast studios of Pere [meaning“family”] Raadio during the Feast in2000, John Lambert, an elder fromElmira,New York,was able to meet with

See “Pinecrest,” page 12

See “Eastern European,” page 3

See “BSC,” page 15

See “News at a Glance,” page 2

Inside:3 News From Around the World

8 From the Word

13 Local Church Updates

14 Announcements

15 Letters

16 What’s New on the Web?

United Statistics

99-00 00-01 01-02

Internet LiteratureResponses Up 383Percent in 3 Years

50,000

2 UnitedNews July 2002 United Church of God, an International Association

by JIm Servidio

This summer, 240 Sabbath schoollessons for teachers have been postedon the UCG Youth Web site(www.ucgyouth.org). This Sabbathschool project, designed to helpinstructors provide exciting, interactiveclasses, is the end result of many yearsof effort involving approximately 30members and ministers.

Though many United congregationshad functional Sabbath school programsunderway when United began, therewas a desire to produce a UCGIA-approved curriculum and lessons thatwould be made available to all congre-gations. Since my wife, Judy, had expe-rience in working with children and hadproposed this initiative, she and I wereasked to coordinate this project underthe direction of the Ministerial ServicesYouth Education Committee.

A Volunteer Team EffortThe emphasis in United is on collab-

oration and this undertaking provided aunique way to combine the talents ofmany individuals. Unlike having a fewfull-time employees producing thelessons, this project would involve morethan 25 Church members and five pas-tors scattered across the country.

Since there was a desire to tap into theexpertise and experience of the mem-bership, the first step was to find out whowas willing to work on the project. Asurvey was developed by the homeoffice and was sent out to the member-ship in 1997. However, before the vol-unteers could begin working on the actu-al lessons, a curriculum had to first bedeveloped.

The initial step in creating a curricu-lum was to collect and categorize all theprograms that were being used in localcongregations. A committee in Min-neapolis, consisting of Jan Creed, SueEllison,Christy Hoaglun,Linda Knapp,Michelle Rageth and Judy Servidio,reviewed all the Sabbath school pro-grams being used in the field in order tolearn the commonality of what wasbeing taught. This became the basis ofthe Sabbath school curriculum.

Once a preliminary curriculum wasdeveloped, it was sent to the volunteersfor review and comment. After incorpo-rating the suggestions and edits of thevolunteers, the updated version was pre-sented to the Council of Elders inNovember of 1998 and approved. Thecurriculum consisted of six levels(kindergarten through fifth grade) ofwhich there are four lessons per monthcovering 10 months of the year. The sec-ond phase of the project, creatingteacher’s outlines for each of the 240lessons, was then ready to begin.

Writing TeamsWriting teams were developed for

each of the six grade levels based on vol-unteers’responses to the survey. Churchpastors,consisting of Steve Myers,GregSargent, Jim Servidio, Gary Smith andHerb Teitgen, became team leaders ofthe various levels. Though an overall for-mat and editing style was established,the various lessons reflect the individu-ality, experience and talents of eachwriter.

Once each lesson was written, it wasreviewed by the Youth Education Com-mittee for doctrinal accuracy and com-patibility with the curriculum. TonyKardell, a professional graphics design-er from the Minneapolis congregation,created the layout and later reformattedthe lessons in their present configura-tion. The lessons were ready for use bySabbath school instructors in the fall of2000.

Test PhaseIt was determined that the 2000-2001

school year would be used as a testingperiod. As teachers used the lessons dur-ing that year, we asked for feedback sothat we could do further refinement andediting. Becky Bennett of the CincinnatiEast congregation provided the finalediting and updating of the lessonsbased on the suggestions sent in by theteachers. These revised lessons wereused this past year.

Now that the final edits have beenmade, we are making the lessons avail-able on our Youth Education Web sitewith the help of Web master Andy

Lausted. We deeply appreciate the hun-dreds of hours that our volunteers gaveto make this project a success. Theselessons will greatly assist our teachers inillustrating and teaching the truth of Godto our children.

Though we feel Sabbath school isvery important, the time spent in classwas never intended to take the place ofparental instruction in the home. For thisreason each lesson contains a FamilyActivity Sheet, which instructors cangive to the children to take home. Thissheet explains the fundamental purposeof the lesson and also suggests ways bywhich the parents can reinforce the bib-lical principles covered. Thus parents arekept apprised of what their children arelearning and are also helped in their ownteaching of their sons and daughters.

The following writers served as mem-bers on the various writing teams. Their

time and effort will produce much fruitin the lives of our children for years tocome. Level K: Sue Allen, DianneClark, Barb Fouch, Corinne Morrison,Pete McNair and Judy Servidio. Level 1:Shannon Allwine, Amy Arner, SueBlumel, Janice Creed, Kathe Myers,Donna Myers, Kim Petty, ConnieSeifert and Marti Springer. Level 2: SueEllison, Maxine Mitchell, Phyllis New-ton, Jeanne Patton, Ramona Wood andJanice Spieker. Level 3:Debbie Call,Mike Bennett,Becky Ben-nett, Jane Havens, Tom Henager, LindaHukle and Heather Martin. Level 4:Karen Allwine,Beverly Crystal,PamelaDecker, Dagmar Howe, Sue Jentzen,Brian Kelso, Matthew Kelso, SusanKrenz, Jessa Moser and Marian Sargent.Level 5:Raymond Blouin,Jim Burbeck,Marcus Brown,Roy Fouch,Skip Miller,Violet Sanders and Chris Westrick. UN

NewsAt a Glance

Sabbath School Lessons for Teachers Available on the Web

new Good News subcribers were addedas a result of residual cards coming in.Overall response has improved to 1.2percent (from 1.1 percent) and overallcost per response has improved to $4.15(from $4.35).

Our direct mail effort leads the listfor highest response with an excellent6.7 percent response rate. In our directmail campaign, we targeted lists of peo-ple who showed “religious interest”and others who showed interest in bookbuying/reading. After three campaigns,these two categories seem to be our pri-mary targets. Of course, list testingneeds to continue in the future.

We have also included GN offers invarious packages people receive. Fourof the five package insert efforts thatperformed at 1 percent or better weresent to book buyers/readers. Thisresult seems to confirm similar directmail book buyer/reader results. Also,as we have previously witnessed, cardpacks directed toward gardeners andhomeschoolers are among the topresponders.

Our supermarket take-one program isalso a good source for subscribers. Lastyear’s effort (2000-2001) topped-out at2.2 percent response. We are not too farbehind in this year’s effort, with newsubscribers still trickling in.

John LaBissoniere

Australian CampSet for Dec. 20-29

The United Youth Camp—Australiawill once again take place at Camp Macon the shores of Lake Macquarie,halfway between Sydney and Newcas-tle. Young people from 11 to 24 years ofage are invited to attend. Arrival isplanned for Friday afternoon, Dec. 20.Camp concludes on Sunday morning,Dec. 29.

Plans for camp are being announcedearly this year so that those planning toattend will have enough time to bookeconomical fares. Please request anapplication form before arranging theair tickets. For more information,please contact the camp director, BruceDean, P.O. Box 3092, Kirrawee Deliv-ery Centre, NSW 2232 Australia; or bye-mail through bruce_dean@ucg.org.

U.K. Feast UpdateThe U.K. Feast site planned for

Grange-over-Sands in the beautifulSouth Lakeland area of northwest Eng-land is proving to be very popular. Wewould like to bring some things to yourattention if you are planning to keep theFeast with us in the U.K.

First of all, please be sure to bring ahymn book with you. Next, please besure to complete the Feast volunteer

Address changes: POSTMASTER—Send addresschanges to United News, P.O. Box 541027,Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027

International addresses:

AFRICA (except as listed below): United Church of God, P.O. Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027, U.S.A. E-mail: info@ucg.org

AUSTRALIA: United Church of God—Australia, GPO Box 535, Brisbane, Qld. 4001, Australia.Phone: 0755 202-111 Fax: 0755 202-122

BAHAMAS: United Church of God, P.O. Box N8873,Nassau, Bahamas.Phone: (242) 324-3169 Fax: (242) 364-5566

BRITISH ISLES: United Church of God—British Isles, P.O.Box 705, Watford, Herts. WD19 6FZ England. Phone: 020-8386-8467 Fax: 01257-453978

CANADA: United Church of God–Canada, P.O. Box 144,Station D, Etobicoke, ON M9A 4X1, Canada.Phone: (905) 876-9966, (800) 338-7779 Fax: (905) 876-0569

FIJI: United Church of God, P.O. Box 10-577, Nadi, Fiji.Phone: 723-678

FRENCH-SPEAKING AREAS: Église de Dieu Unie—France,127 rue Amelot, 75011 Paris, France.

GERMANY: Vereinte Kirche Gottes, Postfach 30 15 09, D-53195 Bonn, Germany.Phone: 0228-9454636 Fax: 0228-9454637 E-mail: info@gutenachrichten.org

ITALY: La Buona Notizia, Chiesa di Dio Unita, Casella Postale187, 24100 Bergamo, Italy. Phone: (+39) 035-452.16.26 Fax:(+39) 035-58.21.40 E-mail: redazione@labuonanotizia.org

MALAWI: United Church of God, P.O. Box 23076, Kitwe,Zambia. E-mail: malawi@ucg.org

MAURITIUS: P.O. Box 53, Quatre Bornes, Mauritius.E-mail: mauritius@ucg.org

The NETHERLANDS: United Church of God Holland, P.O.Box 93, 2800 AB Gouda, The Netherlands.

NEW ZEALAND: United Church of God, P.O. Box 22,Auckland, 1015, New Zealand. Phone: 0508-463-763

PHILIPPINES: United Church of God, P.O. Box 81840, DCCPO,8000 Davao City, Philippines. Phone: (+63-82) 241-0150

SCANDINAVIA: Guds Forenade Kyrka, Mailbox 144, 111 73 Stockholm, Sweden.

SOUTH AFRICA: United Church of God, Southern Africa,P.O. Box 2209, Beacon Bay, East London 5205, SouthAfrica. Phone/Fax: 043 748-1694. E-mail: rsa@ucg.org

SPANISH-SPEAKING AREAS: Iglesia de Dios Unida, P.O.Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027, U.S.A.Phone: (513) 576-9796

TONGA: United Church of God–Tonga, P.O. Box 127,Nuku’alofa, Tonga.ZAMBIA: United Church of God, P.O. Box 23076, Kitwe,Zambia. E-mail: zambia@ucg.orgZIMBABWE: United Church of God, Zimbabwe, P.O. Box 3393,Paulington, Mutare, Zimbabwe. E-mail: zimbabwe@ucg.org

Internet access on your computer:The United Church of God, an International Association, hasa home page on the Internet’s World Wide Web. The addresshttp://www.ucg.org gives you access to generalinformation and news about the Church, issues of The GoodNews and United News, as well as our booklets. The addresshttp://www.ucg.ca accesses the Church’s Canadian Website, http://www.ucg.org.au the Australian Web site,http://www.labuonanotizia.org the Italian Web site,http://www.goodnews.org.uk the British Isles Web site,http://www.ucg.org.ph the Philippines Web site andhttp://www.ucgrsa.org the Southern Africa Web site.

July 2002Vol. 8, No. 6

United News (ISSN 1088-8020) is published monthly except April and October by the United Churchof God, an International Association, 555 Technecenter Drive, Milford, OH 45150. © 2002 UnitedChurch of God, an International Association. Printed in the U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproductionin any form without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals Postage paid at Milford, Ohio 45150,and at additional mailing offices. Canada Post publications mail agreement number 1487167.

Editor: Peter W. Eddington Managing editor: Mike Bennett Copy editor: Becky Bennett

UCGIA Council of Elders: Gary Antion, Aaron Dean, Robert Dick, Jim Franks, Doug Horchak,

John A. Jewell, Clyde Kilough (chairman), Victor Kubik, Les McCullough, Mario Seiglie, RichardThompson, Leon Walker

President: Roy Holladay

Scriptural references are from the New King James Version (© 1988 Thomas Nelson, Inc.,Publishers) unless otherwise noted.

Subscriptions: United News is sent automatically to members of the United Church of God and isfree to all who request it. Your subscription is provided by the generous, voluntary contributions ofmembers of the United Church of God, an International Association, and their coworkers. Donationsare gratefully accepted and are tax-deductible. To request a subscription, write to United News,United Church of God, P.O. Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027, or to one of the internationaladdresses below.

See “News at a Glance,” page 16

Continued from page 1

English-Language Booklets Printed 1996-2002(Booklets are listed in the order in which they were produced.)

What Is Your Destiny? ..........................................................................135,000The Road to Eternal Life ........................................................................90,000Sunset to Sunset: God’s Sabbath Rest ................................................75,000The Gospel of the Kingdom....................................................................95,000God’s Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind ..............70,000What Happens After Death? ................................................................105,000How to Understand the Bible..................................................................50,000Is the Bible True? ....................................................................................80,000Fundamental Beliefs of the United Church of God ..............................40,000The Ten Commandments ....................................................................100,000The Church Jesus Built ..........................................................................50,000Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Keep? ..........60,000You Can Have Living Faith ....................................................................60,000Managing Your Finances ........................................................................45,000You Can Understand Bible Prophecy ..................................................110,000Making Life Work ....................................................................................84,000What Does the Bible Teach About Tithing? ..........................................55,000Are We Living in the Time of the End?................................................100,000Life's Ultimate Question: Does God Exist?............................................80,000Creation or Evolution: Does It Really Matter What You Believe? ........80,000The Book of Revelation Unveiled ........................................................101,000Heaven & Hell: What Does the Bible Really Teach?............................60,000Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion ............................40,000The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy................................130,000What Does the Bible Teach About Clean and Unclean Meats? ..........54,000Why Does God Allow Suffering?..........................................................104,000Is There Really a Devil?..........................................................................40,000Who Is God?............................................................................................80,000

Total: 2,173,000

United Church of God, an International Association UnitedNews July 2002 3

Eastern European Languages on the Web

the station managers in Tartu, Estonia,in June 2001. During that meeting, Paa-vo and Mare Pihlak agreed in principleto air advertisements for the Good Newsmagazine. Since only a very few Esto-nians speak English, it was understoodthese ads could only appeal to a limitednumber of listeners.

We prepared five written scripts for60-second advertisements. John Lam-bert took them with him to the Feast lastSeptember and arranged for them to betranslated into Estonian. By coinci-dence, these ads went on the air on theLast Great Day. In four months, theseads resulted in 30 new subscribers to theGN. Paavo relates that many more peo-ple called the station to ask if there is anyinformation available in the Estonianlanguage.

By the Days of Unleavened Bread2002, eight people previously unknownto us had made personal contact with usand/or attended church services. A num-ber of others also contacted us by mailfor additional literature.

Presently,Toomas Schvak, a residentof the capital city of Tallinn, is arranging

to advertise the GN in that city on Raa-dio 7. Based on the previous response

from the area of Tartu, we hope that wewill have twice as many (60) new sub-scribers by the Feast this fall. Respond-ing to the apparent interest for informa-tion written in the Estonian language,Toomas has edited and revised an earli-er Estonian translation of our booklet onthe Kingdom of God. At the Feast thisyear we are planning to offer this book-let and the God’s Sabbath Rest bookletson both radio stations. Anticipating thateffort, Scott Ashley is presently format-

ting the booklets for publication,and wehave arranged to have 1,000 copies ofeach printed in Western Ukraine.

Lithuanian elder Henrikas Klovaswho lives in Kaunas, Lithuania, isbuilding our Internet presence for East-ern Europeans accessing our literatureon-line. If Eastern Europeans can con-tact us via electronic mail, they mostlikely can download our literature intheir language. On June 16 welaunched all the current literature wehave available in PDF format from theUCG Web site. It can be accessed fromthe Life and Resources section or fromwww.ucg.org/a/easterneurope.

Henrikas Klovas and his wife,Vijole,have been visiting the United States andstayed with us in mid-June. During hisvisit we did the final consolidation of allthe Eastern European literature we have.Translation has been done by variouspeople over the past few years, includingAustralian member Robyn Kleinbergswho translated the booklet on God’sHoly Days into Latvian. Most of the lit-erature we have available in Russian,Lithuanian,Estonian and Latvian is cur-rently on-line. We hope to add some arti-cles in Serbian. UN

Kambani Banda lives in the capitalof Zambia, Lusaka, but is often calledon to travel the rough track to visit thebrethren in the remote Mumbwa area.In the following message to pastorAndré van Belkum he describes thevehicle troubles that led him to suggestrenting a car for Mr. van Belkum’s sub-sequent trip to the area (see page 6).

“I had one of my most difficult tripsyet. The car was stalling all the way asthe rings are now worn as it has beenproviding me with service since 1988,about 14 years! The car caught fire, butwe managed to put it out and rectify thefuel leak which was the cause of the fireand we kept on.

“Then later the left rear wheel studsbroke. Luckily Apren Moomba askedme to buy him ordinary 19 size nutsand bolts. These are the ones we usedto tie the rim, but when back in Lusa-ka we had a puncture, these same nuts

and bolts refused to do the job.“Next the rear left shaft together with

the wheel came out of the differential.We managed to put back the bearinglocker which for some reason wasloose.

“Finally by then it was the followingmorning and for breakfast we had a tirepuncture. Because of the poor perfor-mance of the engine, the fuel consump-tion was so bad that we ran out of petrolin the middle of nowhere. However wemanaged to buy some from the blackmarket that sells anything anytime.

“I am sorry that I seem to bear onlybad news, but I have some good news.The people in Mumbwa were in veryhigh spirits in spite of the drought.”

Victor Kubik has posted this on theLifeNets Web site (www.lifenets.org/zambia/zambiadrought6-1-02.htm)and is raising funds to replace Mr.Banda’s vehicle. UN

Elder Describes TransportationChallenges in Zambia

by Victor Kubik

On Friday, June 21, volunteersloaded and sent off LifeNet’s third 40-foot container to Malawi since 1999.This 20-ton container has the mostvaluable shipment to date, consistingof six tons of badly needed food formalnourished Malawians, who are offi-cially a nation in famine.

We received invaluable help fromJim O’Brien, pastor of the CincinnatiNorth, Ohio, and Lexington, Kentucky,congregations, plus four AmbassadorBible Center students who came towork eight hours nonstop to get thecontainer loaded. They were AdamBoise, Reuben Boise, Dave Evans andTim Johnson. Robert Teitgen also cameand was an expert in piecing in all theboxes to maximize the container space.

In addition to food, the container wasloaded with valuable medical equip-ment such as baby incubators and EKGmachines. An entire blood analysis lab-oratory will be put to immediate use inthe Chizeni Clinic in Balaka, one oftwo clinics that LifeNets has financedin the past two years.

A total of 580 items were loaded,including rice, flour, beans, cooking oil,dried milk, bicycles, furniture, paint,sewing machines and medical books.We shipped a number of items for theUnited congregations in Malawi, suchas folding chairs, a TV/VCR, Biblesand Bible reference works and pianokeyboards. An entire water purificationsystem was included for Balaka thatwill be installed by Bill Jahns who,

with his wife, is moving to serve in theministry in southern Africa next month.The entire list of things sent is on theWeb at www.lifenets.org/malawi/con-tainer2002/manifest.htm.

The shipping cost was totally under-written by the U.S. Department ofDefense. The container’s route isthrough Norfolk, Virginia; Bremer-haven, Germany; Dar Es Salaam, Tan-zania; and finally Lilongwe, Malawi.

It was a tremendous shipment thatwill benefit so many. And it was madepossible by the generous donations andsupport of so many around the country.

The person who did the most for thisproject and without whom it would nothave happened is Beverly Kubik. Sheput countless hours into the organizing,

the score of telephone calls to theDefense Department and other agen-cies and the final packing that shedirected.

Some of those who contributed arethe Ambassador Bible Center and thecongregations in Bethlehem,Harrisburgand Lewiston,Pennsylvania; CincinnatiEast and Cincinnati North, Ohio; Min-neapolis, Minnesota; Nashville, Ten-nessee; Tacoma,Washington; and TerreHaute, Indiana. For every dollar thatmembers contributed, more than $30 ofdirect aid has been sent.

We are praying that the containerreaches Malawi by Feast time when allpeople will be together and when thefood distribution can be done more eas-ily. UN

Volunteers Load 20 Tons for Malawi

Lithuanian elder Henrikas Klovas andVictor Kubik formatting the Webpages of our Eastern Europeanliterature now available on-line atwww.ucg.org/a/easterneurope

Reuben Boise, Tim Johnson, Adam Boise, Dave Evans and Jim O’Brien

OGE Memorial Youth Fund to Help International Campers

Established in honor of the lateOswald G. Engelbart, the OGE Memo-rial Youth Fund is dedicated to enableteens from international areas to partic-ipate in a Christian camp experience inthe United States.

Ozzie Engelbart, as he was morecommonly known, was a minister ofJesus Christ for 32 years having pastoredchurches in Dallas, Texas; Poconos,Pennsylvania; Elmira and Binghamton,New York; Modesto and Stockton, Cal-ifornia; and Fayetteville, Ft. Smith andMena, Arkansas. From 1997 through1999 he was also involved with the Unit-ed Youth Camp at Pinecrest, Missouri.

Mr. Engelbart was a person wholoved people, and he especially lovedyoung people. As Tom Clark,a Pinecrestfaculty member, wrote of him: “He hada radar that sought out those kids whowere feeling blue or left out or homesickor whatever. Before long we would seehim in the dining hall playing some sil-ly game with them. But they were laugh-ing and enjoying themselves,which washis purpose to begin with.”

Mr. Engelbart died on March 31,

2000. In order to continue his lifework ofhelping young people have opportuni-ties to learn proper spiritual values astaught by the Word of God, his wife,Tina Engelbart, and children, SamanthaEngelbart Clark, Ted Engelbart andNatalie Engelbart, started the fund. In2000 the fund collected around $2,700,and last year was able to sponsor its firstcamper, Sabrina Kneipp of Monheimam Rhein, Germany.

The fund provides assistance in theform of airfare to the United States toattend a United Youth Camp. Applicantsneed to be in their teens, of a Christianbackground and have an ability to speakand understand basic English. Appli-cants must also be able to provide someof the money for the cost of the campand expenses.

The OGE Memorial Youth Fund isunder the auspices of LifeNets, a non-profit humanitarian relief organizationfounded by Victor Kubik in 1998. Appli-cations and donations can be sent to:OGE Memorial Youth Fund, LifeNets,P.O. Box 88165, Indianapolis, IN46208-0165. UN

The old Peugot that KambaniBanda drives to and from Mumbwa(photos by Victor Kubik)

Kambani Banda

Continued from page 1

4 UnitedNews July 2002 United Church of God, an International Association

UCG–British Isles Discusses New Station, Swedish Lit, Growing CirculationOn June 11 John Jewell and David

McDermott met with Paul Rusling, thechief executive officer and founder of anew radio station being planned in theIsle of Man. The station is expected toreach much, if not all, of the BritishIsles and thus it seems it would be agood place to air The World Tomorrowradio broadcast produced by theChurch in the British Isles. The meetingwith Mr. Rusling was a “getting-to-know-you” exploratory discussion, andit went very well.

Financing of the station is comingfrom grants from the Isle of Man gov-ernment and other sources. All the nec-essary approvals have been given. Thecontract for the construction of the off-shore platform and structure for theantenna is in the process of being placedwith British Aerospace. With the anten-na structure, the effective height will be150 feet. Then with the powerful 500kilowatt transmitter, the signal, unim-peded by hills as it travels across the Irish

Sea, will sweep right through the Mid-lands and right into the southeast of Eng-land.

The station programming will beaimed at the 25- to 50-year-old agegroup. The World Tomorrow, Mr.Rusling said,will fit into the overall mix.It is a little premature to discuss cost, buthe felt that this would be subject to dis-cussion with a view to having our pro-gram rather than not having it. We willsee! Certainly it seems to be a muchmore viable possibility than other “new”stations we have talked to have been.

Mr. Rusling is a man of considerableexperience in radio and was actually adeejay on Radio Caroline when TheWorld Tomorrow was being broadcastfrom it back in the 1960s.

We had had high hopes of the resur-rection of Radio Luxembourg, but itnow appears that that is not going to hap-pen at this time. Manmusic 249 (thename of the new station) however,would seem to be on course for becom-

ing a reality. If God wills, and if we havethe desire to be broadcasting a witness,then this will all become a reality.

We should understand that radio doesnot necessarily result in huge numbersbeing added to the mailing list. This isnot happening in the United States andif we think of it in terms of “cost perresponse,” then we are measuring it thewrong way. Radio is also a witness, it isa public presence, a public statementworking with other forms of advertis-ing in synergy. Radio is the 21st centu-ry way that we speak in the market-place, much as the apostle Paul did inthe first century.

Two Booklets TranslatedInto Swedish!

Two booklets have been translatedinto the Swedish language by KiraSpenser and by Solveig Hammar. Theseare The Road to Eternal Life and Mak-ing Life Work. We now have to work outan economical method of making these

available to the Swedish mailing list inprinted form.

Kira and Solveig are now going tobegin work on further translations.Swedish is understood throughout Scan-dinavia and these booklets will be aneffective addition to our inventory.

Isle of Man Direct Mail Project

The Isle of Man direct mail project isproducing some excellent fruit. Mayproduced 19 responses and has taken themailing list in the island to 113—prob-ably the highest it has been in a longtime. The direct mail is an ongoing effortby all of the members on the islandworking together and is proving to bethe most productive of any of our previ-ous media efforts and the most econom-ical.

U.K. May Circulation Report The Internet continues to be very pro-

ductive, and May once again produced

40 requests for a subscription to TheGood News from the U.K. and U.S. Websites. All together we had 41 responsesto the U.K. Web site with a further 80 tothe U.S. Web site that were then direct-ed to us.

The old faithful of Reader’s Digesthas given us another response both forthe U.K. and the Swedish editions thatwe had ads in some two years ago.

May also saw 31 new requests for theBible Study Course. We have over 230currently taking the course.

The Swedish mailing list is now 164,the highest it has been since last June,and this is true of several of the 37nations (including the United Kingdom)into which we mail the magazine.

The other publications are doing well,with over 200 on the mailing list forUnited News and over 250 for WorldNews and Prophecy. UN

This material first appeared in theUnited Church of God–British Isles“National Announcements.”

Canadian Council Meets in Newfoundlandby Rainer Salomaa and Linda Wasilkoff

The second Canadian Council meet-ing of the year was held in St. John’s,Newfoundland, June 6 to 9. All Coun-cil members were present and on Sun-day four members of the local congre-gation were able to attend a meetingand give input.

On Thursday, minutes from the pre-vious meeting were adopted. DanielBerendt reported on his experiencesand impressions of the General Con-ference of Elders meetings in Cincin-nati. He encouraged the Council toschedule a National Council meeting inCincinnati so that more members of theCouncil might attend the GCE.

Anthony Wasilkoff, Canadian oper-ation manager, gave an update on whatis being done in the Canadian NationalOffice. Samples of an ad campaignwere shown and a letter was read show-ing the importance of having churchcongregations that are warm and wel-coming to new attendees.

Ed van Pelt distributed charts thatshow the growth of various areas of theChurch.

Each pastor present gave a shortupdate on how Pentecost went in hisarea. This was followed by a brain-storming session. Committee meetingsfollowed.

The committee reports were givenon Friday. The Strategic PlanningCommittee will check the feasibility ofhaving a Council meeting in Cincinnatito coincide with the General Confer-ence of Elders meeting. They are work-ing on the Strategic Plan for 2003/2004but do not anticipate any majorchanges.

The Pastoral Committee related alist of items they are working on,including guidelines for hall rentalsfor churches, policies for minister-

ial transfers and church buildings.The Governance Committee had the

task of follow-through with two pro-posed amendments to the Bylaws.Another technical amendment wasapproved to be sent to the AmendmentCommittee.

The yearly review of the operationmanager was conducted during theafternoon.

On the Sabbath, most arrived at theOrangeman’s Lodge (where thebrethren normally meet for services)for snacks and refreshments beforechurch. There were 32 in attendance forservices, and another couple, Mr. andMrs. Robson, on-line since they wereunable to make the eight-hour drive.

David Smith, pastor of the St. John’scongregation, talked to the congrega-tion about his mother’s death. Herfuneral had been conducted by RobertBerendt earlier that week. Then heintroduced Glen White, who gave asplit sermon on the “Mind of Christ.”

Fern Berendt sang special music.After that, Rainer Salomaa gave thesecond split sermon on “Vengeance.”

More snacks were served after ser-vices! Then the entire group met at theRoyal Canadian Legion in Kelligrewswhere they all enjoyed a catered mealand had a chance for further fellowship.

Graemme Marshall gave a slideshow presentation on burnout on Sun-day morning. Mr. Marshall pointed outthat it is the accumulated effect of stressthat causes the problem. He then gavehints as to how to combat burnout. Allrecognized this as a very real problemand appreciated the information given.Members from the St. John’s congre-gation related the stresses in their livesand expressed appreciation.

The Council enjoyed the opportuni-ty of spending a few short days in Cana-da’s most easterly province. They evenhad a chance to take a two-hour boat

cruise in the harbor to the accompani-ment of lively folk music. Some evengot up and jigged, after being coaxedby Blanche Smith. The Council mem-bers felt overwhelmed by the hospital-ity and friendliness of the brethren.

Mr. and Mrs. Mayo of Newfound-land commented that having everyonethere made it seem like the Feast ofTabernacles. Someone else commentedthat it was good to have a face to goalong with the name and voice theyhave heard on tapes. Mrs. Stanley’shusband has been away teaching upnorth all winter. This last month hasbeen very long for her. She said that theCouncil’s visit helped her get throughthis last month before her husbandreturns.

The St. John’s brethren were all verythrilled to have not just one visitor butthe whole Council. They know they arenot forgotten.

The Canadian National Council hasbeen trying to meet in every area ofCanada where there are congrega-tions. “We still haven’t met inNanaimo, North Battleford, Regina,Ottawa or Sussex, but eventually wewill,” said Rainer Salomaa, chairmanof the Council.

Some Canadian StatisticsThe attendance at the Feast of Pente-

cost set a new record for Canada. Areported 613 attended services that day,up from 589 the previous year. This rep-resents a 4.1 percent increase over lastyear. The Holy Day offering brought inabout 10 percent above the budget.

The number of pieces of mailreceived through the end of May wasabout 15 percent ahead of last year.The Canadian office received nearly4,000 pieces of mail in the first fivemonths of 2002, compared to justunder 3,300 pieces during the sameperiod last year. UN

Members Get Involved inSpreading the Gospel, Part 2

The April-June issue of United NewsAustralia featured four stories of mem-ber involvement in spreading the gospel.We reprinted two in the June issue, andthe other two are excerpted here:

Quit Stalling: Here’s an Idea!Jacqui Afiouni, from New South

Wales, reports:The regular Hornsby Market where

Eve Gray and I have been providing aUnited Church of God stall for the lasttwo years was closing down at the end ofDecember 2001. I had been enormous-ly encouraged by the success of this ven-ture and wondered if God wanted us tocontinue now the market was closing.

At the last stall in December I arrivedearly to find the stall spaces had alreadybeen almost fully taken. I found the orga-nizer and asked where I could put theUnited Church of God stall today. Sheshowed me a spot tucked away at theback of another religious stall. I was dis-appointed with the location because Ihad hoped that, since this was the lastmarket, our stall could have had a goodspot on the thoroughfare that a lot ofpeople would visit.

So I went off to the car to load up thegear and all the way I was praying Iwould know how to ask the organizer togive me a better spot for the stall. I feltreally rude asking for something better,since the space allotted to us was freebecause we were a Church, and all theother stalls had to pay. I knew God wouldbring everyone past the stall where itstood if needed, but if there was some-thing I could do, then I needed to try.

I had just begun to look around for theorganizer to make my request, when ayoung lad came up to me and told meour stall had been moved to another spot.I looked at him amazed and asked wherewe had been moved. He pointed to aspace right at the center of the market

thoroughfare. I stared at him a littlestunned and almost cried as I thankedhim for letting me know and moved overto begin setting up in this wonderful spot.

To me this small encouraging devel-opment told me God wanted the stallthere that day and I really felt His supportof my efforts.

Now that the Hornsby Market isclosed, I am looking for another locationfor our stall that will provide anothercommunity the opportunity of cominginto contact with the truth of God.

Waiting Room ProgramLea Evans, from Tasmania, reports:When Ruth Root asked if I would like

to take part in the Waiting Room Pro-gram, my first reaction was, “I can’tphone people—I have a fear of thephone!” I then remembered that daysbefore I had asked God, if there was anarea where I could serve more, to pleasehelp me to see it.

I had a gentle introduction to the phon-ing procedure. Sue Williams was a greatteacher, and after sitting and observinghow she handled the calls, I was ready tostart this new challenge.

The most important lesson I havelearned is to get God involved. Before Ido any phoning, I go to God and remindHim that this is His work—I don’t wishto do anything that will hinder it, or givethe Church a bad reputation, so I need allthe help I can get. The script is very shortand to the point, so most calls only last17 to 20 seconds. It doesn’t take long toget into the rhythm and the cheeryresponses on the other end of the phonehelp make the job enjoyable.

I won’t take this program for grantedany more. I now know the dedication ofa handful of ladies around Australia.

Last financial year the waiting roomlist increased 39.1 percent to 3,502 sub-scribers. Please pray for its success. UN

United Church of God, an International Association UnitedNews July 2002 5

Baker Baptizes 11, Celebrates Pentecost in East Africaby Dave Baker

During a two-week trip to East Africain May, I had the wonderful opportuni-ty to spend the Feast of Pentecost withsome of our members in Kenya and Tan-zania. The purpose of the trip was to vis-it our scattered brethren, counsel a num-ber of prospective members for baptismand finalize a location for the Feast ofTabernacles.

I arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, on Mon-day evening, May 14, after a couple oflong flights via Detroit and Amsterdam.The following day I had the opportuni-ty to meet some of our members livingin the Nairobi area. In the afternoon Iwas able to tour a facility and evaluate itas a possible Feast site. Monday eveningI enjoyed a wonderful dinner andevening with Kurt and Jennifer Hoyerand their two sons. Kurt and Jennifer areon a two-year assignment with the U.S.State Department in Nairobi and they aregreatly appreciated by the brethren.

Into the Rift ValleyOn Wednesday, May 15, I departed

Nairobi for the Rift Valley accompaniedby David Gichuru, a member fromNairobi. David and I planned to visit themembers living in the Rift Valley andvisit one of the facilities of Egerton Uni-versity in Njoro. As we traveled throughthe Rift Valley, we saw gazelles, zebrasand baboons. We toured the Agricultur-al Resource Center at Egerton Universi-ty. The center was constructed for use asa dormitory for visiting professors andresearchers. The facility has a nice meet-ing hall and dining room and the uni-versity’s swimming pool and sportsfacilities are located within easy walk-ing distance. (At the end of my trip, itwas decided that we will use this facili-ty as the location for the Feast in Kenyathis year.)

After touring the ARC facility, wetraveled to Naisha-Njoro to visit the fam-ily of Joseph Kihara. Joseph,a long-timemember of God’s Church, died on April29 from cancer. He was buried just out-side his home. After expressing our con-dolences to his family, we visited withsome of the prospective members in thearea and discussed how best to servethem. During our meeting in a smallteashop, many of the small children inthe community gathered at the door andpeered through the windows. Finallythey were invited in and each child filedin and shook my hand. They had nevershaken the hand of a mzungu (whiteman) and I was a bit of a curiosity.

On Thursday, May 16, we traveledthrough beautiful farmland to visitEgerton Castle, the once grand home ofLord Egerton. Lord Egerton establishedEgerton College in 1939 as an agricul-tural college. Although the home or cas-tle is past its former glory, it commandsa beautiful view of a very fertile portionof the Rift Valley.

In the afternoon we traveled to Elbur-gon to visit our members and hold aBible study on the subject of Pentecost.During a Q&A session after the study,we discussed the subject of tithing, thefuture of the Church in their area and

some expressed interest in counselingfor baptism.

In the late afternoon we departed forKericho located in the western high-lands. Kericho is surrounded by teaestates. It is in the heart of Kenya’s teaplantation region. The area is lush andgreen with a cool climate. After check-ing into our hotel in the evening, we metwith a couple who subscribes to TheGood News. This was a very enjoyablereunion because during my first trip toKenya I met this couple while trying toconduct a Q&A session on the verandaof a hotel during a violent thunderstorm.I had not heard from them since our ini-tial visit. During our enjoyable visit inKericho they asked some very goodquestions about the Sabbath and HolyDays.

On Friday,May 17, I said good-bye toDavid Gichuru, as he had to return toNairobi for the Sabbath and Pentecost,and I continued on to Kerera to meetwith a Good News subscriber. Theyoung man asked many good questionsconcerning prophecy. Since our visitoccurred near a pathway in a rural set-ting, many pedestrians stopped and lis-tened to our impromptu Q&A. As I rest-ed my Bible on the trunk of theautomobile and turned to various scrip-tures answering his questions, somepassersby leaned over the young man’sshoulder and read the scriptures as we

discussed them. After our meeting theyoung man accompanied us to the nexttown before parting ways.

From Kerera I journeyed to Rongoand was met by John Otieno, a memberfrom Migori. John accompanied methroughout my travels in the Nyanzaregion and helped with the translationinto the local language. From Rongo Icontinued on to Ndhiwa and visited withsome of our members living in the area.I conducted a Bible study on the mean-ing of the Feast of Pentecost and a Q&Asession.

Late in the afternoon, one of theprospective members from Ndhiwaaccompanied me back to Rongo whereI held a short Bible study and conclud-ed a baptismal counseling session withsome of the prospective members in thearea. As the sun was setting and darkclouds were threatening a downpour,wedeparted to a nearby stream in order to

baptize three new members—one fromNdhiwa and two from Rongo. As wewalked to the spot for the baptism, wehad a beautiful backdrop of a perfectlybrilliant rainbow.

On Sabbath, May 18, I met with themembers in Rongo for another briefQ&A before departing to Migori. Wehad a wonderful Sabbath service inMigori in which I gave a brief update onthe recently concluded annual GeneralConference and then spoke on the pur-pose of the Church. After the service weenjoyed a meal together and then I hadthe opportunity to bless five small chil-dren. (Many of the members in Kenyacannot afford to bring their entire fami-ly to the Feast,and we do not have a min-ister in the country on the second Sab-bath after the Feast, so we bless thechildren as we have an opportunity.)

After the blessing of the little childrenceremony, I was able to conclude thebaptismal counseling for three prospec-tive members. Some had begun coun-seling for baptism more than three yearsago. Later in the afternoon I was able tobaptize three new members in theMigori River. Since the spot for the bap-tism was near a public road where vil-lagers wash their clothes, we had a largeaudience of unexpected guests. Shortlybefore sundown the town lost its powersupply, and I enjoyed a mandatory can-dlelight dinner of roasted beef at my

hotel. (During a previous visit last yearI awoke one morning to discover thatthis same facility had no water, so Ibrushed my teeth, shaved and washedmy hair with the half liter of drinkingwater that I had in my room.)

Pentecost and TanzaniaOn Sunday, May 19, we held an ear-

ly morning Pentecost service in Migori.Then I crossed the border at Isbania andentered Tanzania. I was able to conducta late afternoon Pentecost service withsome of our Tanzanian members in Ute-gi. After the service we discussed someof the current problems facing our mem-bers in this area. Much of their cassavacrop was ruined due to the heavy andextended rainfall they were experienc-ing. I also learned that one of the smallchildren had died since my previous vis-it. The child was diagnosed with measlesduring the Feast of Tabernacles and was

also sick during my visit in January.Monday, May 20, I traveled to

Kisumuwa and met with some of ourmembers in that area. I conducted aBible study on the meaning of the HolyDays. After the study we had a Q&A

session, and then I crossed the borderback to Kenya.

Tuesday, May 21, I was very sick dueto food poisoning. Thankfully God wasvery merciful to me and I improved asthe day progressed. Since all my visitswere previously arranged and commu-nication in this area is challenging to saythe least, I had to continue with theschedule. This was also the day of theroughest roads of the trip!

I traveled to Got Kachola,a small fish-ing village on the shores of Lake Victo-ria. The area had experienced recentflooding and some of the homes in low-lying areas had to be evacuated. Thank-fully none of our members had beenaffected. In order to reach the village wedrove across a bridge that was com-pletely submerged in water!

I conducted a Bible study and Q&Aon the meaning of the Feast of Pente-cost. During the Q&A we discussed thesubject of tithing and how the memberscould respond to emergencies within thecongregation. One child had died sincemy last visit and I also anointed a mem-ber suffering from typhoid fever andamebic dysentery. I was also able tobless one child and conclude the bap-tismal counseling for five prospectivemembers. I was able to baptize five newmembers in Lake Victoria. We left GotKachola at 6 p.m. and arrived in Kisumuat 9:30 p.m. after driving through a veryintense rainstorm.

Wednesday, May 22, I traveled northof the equator to Siaya to visit our mem-bers in that area. I held a Q&A with themembers and then traveled to a smallvillage near Kisumu and held a Biblestudy and Q&A with members andGood News readers from the surround-ing area. Many good questions wereasked during this session and perhapsthe most interesting question was inregard to inheriting your brother’swife—a real issue that many face in thispart of Africa. I also learned that one ofthe Good News readers who normally

meets me in Kisumu had died the previ-ous month of typhoid fever.

Thursday, May 23, I met with someGood News readers in Kisumu and con-ducted a very enjoyable Q&A sessionanswering questions concerning the trin-

ity, the rapture and baptism. I departedKisumu and traveled to Nyahururu, atown located near Thomson’s Falls, atan elevation of over 7,000 feet above sealevel. I enjoyed a lovely evening with afamily that subscribes to The GoodNews. I was asked many questions aboutUCG concerning its formation andstructure while enjoying tea and sometraditional Kikuyu dishes.

Sabbath, May 25, I joined the mem-bers in Nairobi for services and I spokeon the subject of the Holy Spirit. After-ward we discussed possible Feast sitesas well as the goals and future needs forthe work in East Africa. Then I was invit-ed to the home of David Gichuru and hisfamily and enjoyed their wonderful hos-pitality before leaving for the airport toreturn home.

Each time I travel to East Africa, Ileave exhausted but enriched by theexperiences shared with our brethren inKenya and Tanzania. On this trip I wasalso reminded of the fragility of life inAfrica. I would like to thank all of ourmembers for their support and prayersfor our brethren in East Africa. Your loveand kindness is greatly appreciated! UN

Photo of the children who were blessed in Migori, Kenya

Caroline Akinyi, Mary Achieng, Lilian Aoko, Daniel Odhiambo and GeorgeOdhiambo were baptized in Got Kachola, Kenya, in Lake Victoria

Joseph Maroko, Moses Nyaira andZablon Ngonda were baptized inthe Migori River by Dave Baker

6 UnitedNews July 2002 United Church of God, an International Association

by Peter Hawkins

All seven members of the nationalcouncil in South Africa were present forthe quarterly meeting at JohannesburgInternational Airport Conference Cen-tre June 8. The four ministers,André vanBelkum, Neil Becker, Peter Hawkinsand NevilleSmith, met foran hour to dis-cuss ministerialissues prior tothe councilmeeting. Theywere joined at9:30 a.m. byJorge de Cam-

pos,Roy Demont and Robert Kading forthe all-day meetings.

After the opening prayer, correspon-dence received and sent was discussed.This included a letter from the Councilof Elders answering questions about thelocal application of tithing, forwardedby international representative on theCouncil, Leon Walker.

The national council has also beenconcerned about the need for literatureon marriage and child training to beavailable for members and the public.This need was forwarded to Scott Ash-ley, managing editor of The Good Newsand booklets, and Victor Kubik, chair-man of the Media and CommunicationsCommittee. It was later resolved to pho-tocopy previous Good Newsarticles andmake them available in congregations’libraries, as well as a list of the articlesfor those who have the past magazines.

In matters arising from the last meet-ing:

Letters of appreciation to two previ-ous council members will be postedshortly. Due to a change in our bylawsagreed to earlier this year, Stan Bothafrom Cape Town and Conrad Richterfrom East London, who had served forseveral years,made way for non-salariedelder Neville Smith from Durban. Grat-itude for the December (summer) youthactivity led by Grant and Kim Chick hasalso been expressed by the chairman,André van Belkum.

Good News circulation: Confirma-tion was received from the home officethat we would be able to circulate 13,000copies of each Good News issue. Theseare divided between a mailing list inSouth Africa, 9,500; waiting roomcopies, 700; and sample copy distribu-tion through the Post Office, 2,800 perissue.

Winter Youth Camp: Preparationfor our outdoor activity at Lapalala,which will serve 19 youth, is going well,Jorge de Campos reported. Joel Meeker

and his family will be visiting and help-ing with the counseling, along with twoUnited Youth Corps staff members.

Clinic update/vehicle for Zambia:Mr. van Belkum reported that theChizeni Clinic in Balaka, Malawi, wasnearing completion. Cost for a replace-ment vehicle for Kambani Banda, elderin Zambia, is being raised throughLifeNets.

Chairman’s ReportIn his chairman’s report, André van

Belkum gave a report on the May 2002General Conference of Elders,where hewas South Africa’s representative. Healso gave feedback on the new homeoffice building and the sense of urgencyhe felt from the staff. He also discusseddevelopments in Zimbabwe, Zambiaand Malawi, where drought portends afuture lack of staple food. There hasbeen good growth there. Thankfully,brethren overseas are already planningto send basic supplies to help.

Secretary/Treasurer’s ReportThe secretary/treasurer’s report given

by Neil Becker noted that increases indonations from Good News readers andtithe income from members are aheadof what we had hoped for. Holy Dayofferings in 2002 are up by 40 percent onthe amount we hoped for. We are grate-ful for God’s blessings. Mr. Becker alsonoted that the generosity of ConradRichter has enabled a reduction in work-load that the Becker family has been car-rying. One of Mr. Richter’s staff handlesthe insertion of Church literaturerequests and delivery of the mail to thePost Office, as well as the storage of lit-erature. A letter of appreciation will besent. Council members requested thatsome form of quality control for mail-ing of our publications be started.

Recent increases in literature requestsprompted Roy Demont to ask that wemonitor the need for additional officestaff. New equipment purchases includetwo new computers for the UCG-SAoffice. Accessing the database of 13,000names and addresses has been speededup dramatically. Mr. Becker pointed outsome good signs in the involvement ofGN readers: 418 have received the firstfour Bible Study Course lessons, anincrease of over 200 percent from sixmonths ago. Almost 200 have complet-ed all 12 lessons. The number of book-lets, GN back copies and intro copiessent by the office has risen from an aver-age of 471 per month in 2000, to 948 permonth in 2001 and 1,954 per month inthe first five months of 2002. The semi-annual letter offering Who Is God? hasbrought 755 requests from the 6,300 GNreaders who received the offer (12 per-cent). Of these,91 people donated a totalof 5,370 rand.

Media ReportIn his media report, Peter Hawkins

reported on several ongoing projects.Infomail: The Post Office distribu-

tion to post boxes brought 59 identifi-able responses (2 percent). Since thecoupon mentions our Web site and e-mail address,and there is a response card

in the magazine, the actual response maybe higher.

Advertising: An insert card will beplaced in the August issue of Readers’Digest in South Africa. The plannedinclusion of advertisements in Click’sClub Card magazine and Woman’s Val-uemagazine will be delayed to allow themailing list to settle to a manageable lev-el.

Waiting Room Program:After dis-cussion, the council decided to continuewith the program since member involve-ment was appreciated and the responserate was around 2 percent.

Project suggested by Durban mem-ber, Fred Liebenberg: A sample cal-endar was shown to the council. Con-sideration was given to whether thiscould be offered to GN readers orcoworkers. Even if made half-size, itwas decided not to go ahead with thisproject this year.

Option of printing in South Africa:Costs for printing a 16- and 32-pagebrochure as a sample Good News wasgiven by Mills Litho. On a print run of10,000 the cost per copy is 1.92 rand(16-page) and 3.83 rand (32-page).

Radio program: Investigation ofpossible airing of the U.K. or U.S. radioprogram is proceeding. Two samples ofeach program have been given to RadioTygerberg for consideration. An updatewill be given at the next meeting.

At the GCE, the possibility of usingthe British Good News supplement wasraised. After consideration of the gener-al acceptance of the content of The GoodNewsby the average South African read-er, and the additional cost of sending asupplement to 9,500 GN readers, it wasdecided not to pursue this option.

Feast of Tabernacles 2002: Visitingministers from the United States includeRoy and Norma Holladay and Rick and

Deborah Shabi. The cost of transporta-tion to areas outside South Africa isbecoming prohibitive. The council decid-ed to request assistance from the homeoffice in the next subsidy period to makeall needed visits to serve the growingnumber of members in Malawi, Zambiaand Zimbabwe, instead of only what wecan afford to pay for from South Africa.

New tax requirements requireemployees to pay 1 percent of salary intothe Unemployment Insurance Fund(UIF), with a further 1 percent con-tributed by UCG-SA. This will requirean additional expenditure by the Churchof several thousand rand per year.

Reaching other Church groups: Aminister of a group of 2,000 has request-ed 70 copies of the GN each issue. Hepreaches from the magazine. There wasdiscussion on whether each individualshould request further copies. The chair-

man will see the leader of the church todetermine the level of interest.

After receiving the letter from theCouncil of Elders on tithing, there wasdiscussion on the need for Festival tithecontributions in the form of tithe of thetithe and excess Festival tithe. This year,of the 47,000 rand Festival expenses,only 12,000 rand will be covered by

these sources. The rest will come fromoperating funds (first tithe). A similarsituation arises at present with third titheassistance. UCG-SA contributes 75 per-cent from the operating funds to coverthe shortfall. Those who are able to helpcan contribute regularly to the assistancefund, fulfilling the command to remem-ber the poor (Galatians 2:10).

Selection of non-elder councilmembers: Robert Kading introduced asuitable way of nominating non-eldercouncil members for consideration. Thecouncil resolved that the nominationform should give the qualifications forservice on the council (Bylaw 7.4) andthe words, “I nominate . . . , signed . . .[unsigned nominations cannot be con-sidered].” Women may also be nomi-nated and considered for the nationalcouncil. The final selection is by theministry.

Stan Botha, in a letter to thecouncil, was concerned aboutthe bylaw requiring that themajority of the number ofministers should be no morethan one. Lay-member coun-cil members expressed thebelief that having “one eldermajority” was important forthe protection of UCG-SAand did not prevent the coun-cil from being expanded toinclude new elders. Ministersare automatically nominatedfor vacant positions on the

council, but are not automatically addedto the council.

Budget preparation: Neil Beckerrequested council members to bringbudget suggestions for the 2003/2004budget for the next meeting, Sept. 1 inJohannesburg. This will aid in preparinga preliminary budget for the Novembermeeting. UN

South African National Council Meets June 8

Encouraging Growth Seen in Zambiaby André van Belkum

June 10 to 16 I visited our people inZambia, and was encouraged by theoverall growth and development of theChurch there. In Kitwe I stayed withDerrick and Cherry Pringle and spentvirtually one day counseling with vari-ous people from the area. One person Ivisited with was Geoffrey Mumbwawho was baptized into the Church dur-ing the early part of the ’60s. Accom-panying him was Benson Chilima whowas baptized in 1987. They both leftwhen the doctrinal changes cameabout. Both now want to be part ofUnited. There were also a number ofother encouraging visits, with the resultthat we will now have a small groupmeeting together in the Copper Beltarea.

Derrick and Cherry Pringle handlethe literature requests for both Zambiaand Malawi. They are posting about600 Good News magazines per issue,plus the numerous requests for book-lets.

The May/June GN was sent to 242subscribers in Malawi and 220 in Zam-bia; 100 were sent to clinics and 20 toKalalushi Hospital. Also 190 bookletswere sent out in May.

After departing from Kitwe I visitedour brethren in Mumbwa. One area ofconcern is the drought which is afflict-ing not only Zambia, but also othersouthern African regions. Our brethrenin Mumbwa are farmers, and most ofthem harvested only about one fifth oftheir previous crop. It is evident that thepeople in these areas will face severefood shortages unless they are givenfood relief. Kambani Banda, our min-ister in Zambia, is monitoring the situ-ation; and we will need to give someassistance to our brethren there.

We held two Bible studies in Mumb-wa—one the afternoon of Thursday,June 13, and another the following daybefore we returned to Lusaka. Thesestudies were mostly interactive, and wecovered various subjects, such asLazarus and the rich man, the place ofsafety, the spirits in prison (1 Peter3:19) and the significance of Christ

healing the blind man in John 9. Mostof these subjects were questions fromthe members.

Overall, my impressions are thatGod is blessing the Church in theseregions, as He is in other countrieswhere the Church has a presence.

Attendance in Lusaka and Mumb-wa are increasing. On the Sabbaththere were 25 people gathered in thehome of Festone and Gloria Kamaloniin Lusaka. This is a record for theLusaka study, and there are a numberof people indicating that they have adesire to start attending with United.This slow but steady increase in atten-dance is evident, not only in Zambia,but also Malawi.

There was one baptism. Ida Kalengafrom Mumbwa traveled with us fromMumbwa to Lusaka to be baptized.Because of the drought there was notsufficient water available at Mumbwa.She was finally baptized in a bathtub onSabbath morning at the Banda’s home.There are about six other individuals inMumbwa who are close to being readyfor baptism. UN

Dr. Sam Chilopora in front ofChizeni Clinic in Malawi. Above,Esther Chilopora helping blind girl

Robert Kading, Roy Demont, Jorge de Campos,Stan Botha, Conrad Richter, André van Belkum,Neville Smith and Peter Hawkins. Mr. Botha andMr. Richter are no longer on the council; notpictured, Neil Becker (the photographer)

United Church of God, an International Association UnitedNews July 2002 7

The Last of the Rupununi PioneersA Reunion Across 5,000 Milesby David Dobson

The train’s windows framed some ofthe most beautiful scenery I have everseen. Rolling croplands adorned with theverdant green of spring growth gave wayto pine forests. The forests gave way toa long and wide plain, and then the cityof Ceske Budejovice came into view.This city in the southern part of theCzech Republic is the home of twomembers of UCGIA, Josef and IreneVylupek. Let me tell you a little of theirstory,which hopefully will inspire you toremember some of the scattered, remotebrethren of the Body of Christ.

After World War II the Soviet Uniontook control of Czechoslovakia, and theCzech people, including the Vylupeks,fell behind the “Iron Curtain.” Josef

worked during his early and mid-adultyears as an electrical engineer and aninstructor. Tight controls over societyexisted for more than two decades,but inthe 1960s winds of change blew acrossthe landscape, culminating in what wascalled the “Prague Spring” of 1968.Josef and his wife, Irene, anticipated theSoviet reaction to these developmentsand decided to leave their homelandwhile they were able—before WarsawPact tanks moved into Prague!

Josef and Irene made their way intoAustria where they lived for one year,

and then relocated to Munich,Germany,where they lived for five years. In 1974Josef accepted a position with TexasTech University in Lubbock, Texas.

During the early 1980s, Josef beganwatching Herbert Armstrong’s telecastsand he requested numerous Church pub-lications. What he read and heard lefthim hungry to learn more. The callingof God led Josef to write and ask for avisit by a local pastor.

Our family moved to serve in Lub-bock, Texas, in August of 1984.

A few weeks after our move, Ireceived a new visit request card fromthe Church’s headquarters. I was unsurehow to pronounce the last name on thecard, but I was about to learn. One dayin early October, I went to the Vylupeks’house to answer questions about the

Church and our doctrines. Itquickly became clear that Josefhad considerable knowledge andinterest in the message of theChurch. I encouraged him toattend services with our congre-gation. However, the very nextSabbath was an annual Sabbath,the Day of Atonement, so we hadquite a conversation about fast-ing. I wanted to be sure he reallyknew what fasting was in a bibli-cal sense, while he tried to make

me understand that he really did know. Josef attended services on that Day of

Atonement in 1984, and was baptized afew months later. Soon thereafter Irenebegan attending Sabbath services andwas baptized later by Mark Mickelson.

In 1989 the “Iron Curtain”fell in East-ern Europe, followed in a few years bythe peaceful separation of Czechoslova-kia into the Czech Republic and Slova-kia. Conditions made it possible forJosef and Irene to return to their homecountry in 1993. For a while the Vylu-peks were able to attend Sabbath ser-

vices with brethren in Vienna, Austria.Subsequent events within the church ledthem to the United Church of God.

I had planned to visit the Vylupeks inthe spring of 2002, made possible by afree airline ticket and other circum-stances. But a few days before departingfor Europe from my home in Tennessee,Irene called and informed me that Josefhad suffered a stroke and was in the hos-pital. He wanted to know if I wouldcome to the hospital and anoint him.Accompanied by a Church memberwho was in the Czech Republic on busi-ness, I boarded a train in Prague early onan April morning, and at noon arrived atthe station in Ceske Budejovice. Irenegreeted us with a big smile,and we madeour way to the hospital to visit Josef. Ipresented him with a get-well card thathad been signed by nearly 100 brethrenfrom the congregations in London,Ken-tucky; Knoxville, Tennesse; andKingsport, Tennessee. It had to be thelongest anointing trip I had ever made!

Josef has been hospitalized since thattime. He has a continued need for phys-ical therapy to work his muscles andregain his ability to move around on hisown. Irene has had difficulty hiring aphysical therapist who will faithfullycome by the hospital room and workwith Josef’s exercise needs.

Most of us attend weekly or biweek-ly services with from one dozen to a cou-ple of hundred other brethren. The Vylu-peks are the only members in their entirecountry, and receive most of their spiri-tual meat via sermon tapes from thehome office. They have been able toattend the Feast of Tabernacles in Franceor Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Kiefferare able to travel from Germany a cou-ple of times a year to visit them.

Josef and Irene Vylupek send theirgreetings to the brethren around theworld. Let’s keep them in our prayers. UN

John Alexis Atkinson was born onJan. 24, 1922, in Moruca in the NorthWest District of Guyana. His parentswere Peter and Francesca (neéRodrigues) both a mixture of Spanish,Arawak Indian,Portuguese and Scottishdescent. Spanish (Creole) was spoken athome.

He began his schooling at the SantaRosa Primary School run by the Catholicmissionaries. His great-grandfather,William Alexander Atkinson II,built thechurch building. He recalls that duringhis early years he was taught moreRoman Catholic doctrine than the nor-mal school subjects. However, at 14years old he was again taken under spe-cial care by a new headmistress whobegan a more formal academic training.

He soon wrote the then British SchoolLeaving Examination and along withtwo girls were the only successful ones.They were chosen to work as pupilteachers. However, their applicationswere tendered too late to the Departmentof Education and their disappointmentwas great.

As most young men did, and still do,he left for Georgetown, the capital city,to seek employment. After volunteeringto join the R.A.F. during World War IIand being told to wait, he got a job as alaborer on a naval base being construct-ed at Makouria on the Essequibo River.He remembers his wages—eleven centsan hour! In 1941 he contracted typhoidwhile working with a surveying team.His friend suggested that they volunteerfor the R.A.F. again. Having done so,they waited until the news broke. Thewar was over.

In 1946 while in Georgetown he methis uncle, Salvador Atkinson. Uncle Salhad already started a school at Aishaltonand told his nephew that the RomanCatholic bishop wanted to see youngAlexis. The bishop asked him if he waswilling to go to the Rupununi to start a

new school A minute’s thought and apositive answer sent young Alexis to theplace where he now lives.

From June 21 to July 19 he and hisUncle Sal and cousins, Theresa andLucy, braved the elements, numerousrapids,portages and whatever the mightyEssequibo River had in store for them. Itwas a journey up river done in large opencanoes called “balahoos” powered by adiesel engine and assisted by all passen-gers with paddles when necessary. Moreoften, he remembers, it was “all hands

on deck.”Arriving at “port”Wichabai, abalata outpost and ranch owned by JohnMelville, he received a message to headfor Karaudarnaua.

He arrived there on Aug. 20, at almostthe end of the wet season. He remem-bers the loneliness he felt. He knew nota word of the Wapishiana dialect. He wasrescued by a fellow Arawak who, long-ing for news of back home, chatted wellinto the wee hours of morning with“teacher.” This connection proved use-ful in preparing for the new school.

On Sept. 2, 1946, the new school wasopened. There were 25 pupils in atten-dance. Uncle Alex, as he is fondlyreferred to, remained here for almost 30years. During this time he served aspostal agent, malaria evaluator, first-aidattendant, counselor and served in hostsof other organizations. He also graduat-ed from the Teacher’s Training College.He got married to Bridget and fatheredfive children with her.

During his years as headmaster hegroomed many young teachers. Hisknowledge and vocabulary were alwayssought after and admired by the young-sters who, when in doubt or completelystumped, often said, “Let’s ask UncleAlex.” He served as consultant to all inthe area, including village captains, oth-er headmasters and even the priests.

So it was that in 1975 he was trans-ferred to Aishalton Primary School. Hespent the last two years of his teachingcareer here before returning in July 1977.

Amidst all the trials and tribulations,God opened the mind of Mr. Atkinson.He still holds Herbert W. Armstrong inhigh esteem. Because of his belief inthese true teachings, Mr. Atkinson wasbaptized in February 2001. Now 80years old, he still lives an active life nearthe school he started some 50 years ago.God willing, he hopes to celebrate his50th wedding anniversary with his wife,sons and daughters in January 2003.

May God guide, protect and blesshim.

Gary Atkinson

by Peter and Sonja Hawkins

George Done arrived in South Africain 1948 at the age of 36. At 91, he is theeldest member of United Church of Godin South Africa, and although quitemobile, is only able to attend churchmonthly. He is a well-loved, cheerfulperson and a fine example of a positiveand faithful attitude.

Something you quickly learn aboutMr. Done is that he is not choosy. Askedabout his health, he said, “If you want tostay healthy, eat what you’re given!”

In England he completed four yearsas an apprentice in pharmacy. After this,sensing that war was a distinct possibil-ity, George joined the nearest unit of theTerritorial Army.

Later,with the situation in the MiddleEast worsening, the British PalestinePolice Force had some appeal to him.Together with 96 other ex-army mem-bers, he left the United Kingdom in aconvoy routed via South Africa. The shipdocked in Durban, and as their ship wasrequired for a regiment of the SouthAfrican army to go north, the 97 found

themselves in an army transit camp inSouth Africa. An invitation to stay at ahotel in Maidstone was very welcome.

It was here that George and his futurewife, Violet, met. Violet was the secre-tary to the chairman of the local sugarrefining company. They were both invit-ed to the same party,where they becameacquainted. They wrote to each other,at intervals,throughout thewar years.

From mid-1941 to mid-1948, Palestinewas George’shome. As po-lice, they werepoised deli-cately betweenJews and Arabsto keep peace.Just like today, danger could occurfrom either side.

“One day, whilst on patrol on theNablus-Jenin road, I and my partner sawon the hillside three young men all car-rying pistols. We stopped, went up the

hillside to them, and demanded the pis-tols. They surrendered them without afuss, together with 43 rounds of ammu-nition.”

When the British mandate in Pales-tine ended,George chose to live in SouthAfrica and bought a small farm and mar-ried his sweetheart. The farm was onlyabout 150 acres, but had grazing rights

to over 6,000 acres. After fouryears with little or no rain, theDones decided to rent out thefarm and move to Durban.

George took a position as aconductor in the Durban Cor-poration Transport Department.He found himself one of thefirst “one man operators,”com-bining positions of driver andconductor. As time went on, hisresponsibilities increased, andhe was eventually appointed the

traffic manager of the Transport Depart-ment with a staff of about 1,200. It wasfrom this position that he retired in 1975.

In 1962,when his wife mentioned shehad two people coming to visit, Georgehad no idea where it would lead. The vis-

itors turned out to be two young mis-sionaries from the Church of JesusChrist of the Latter-Day Saints, com-monly known as the Mormons.

Both served in various positions inthat church. But as time moved on, theybecame unhappy about Sunday as theSabbath. A lengthy study of the Scrip-tures and history led them to leave thatchurch. Mr. and Mrs. Done were bap-tized on June 28, 1986, by ministers ofthe Worldwide Church of God.

On Dec. 11,1996,Violet Done died atage 86. They had been married 48 years.

We asked George Done for some-thing he has learned through the years.He said, “Wherever I am, that’s home tome. Make the best of whatever situationyou are in. Many people worry too muchabout getting money, instead of trying todo a good job. They chase power andauthority. One consequence is that manychildren get too little parental guidance.”

We are glad that Mr. Done—recentlyreferred to by Mrs. Marion McCulloughas “my new friend, Mr. Done”—hasfound a home in the Cape Town con-gregation of United Church of God. UN

George Done—South Africa’s Oldest Member of United

Irene and Josef Vylupek with David Dobson

John Alexis Atkinson

George Done

8 UnitedNews July 2002 United Church of God, an International Association

The Message to Philadelphia: Remain Faithful■ Jesus Christ promises greatrewards to those whofaithfully persevere.by David Treybig

Jesus Christ’s words to the congrega-tion at Philadelphia are an inspiring mes-sage of hope and encouragement. It isdistinct from the other messages of Rev-elation 2 and 3 in that to them, Jesusoffered no correction, only an admoni-tion to continue what they were alreadydoing. He was intimately aware of theircircumstances and promised them greatrewards for their faithful perseverance.

Jesus offers the same promises to ustoday if we also remain faithful until ourdeaths or His return. To more deeplyappreciate this timeless instruction, let’sonce again begin with some historicalbackground about this city.

Historical BackgroundPhiladelphia sat in an important loca-

tion. Expositor’s Bible Commentarysays,“About twenty-five miles southeastof Sardis,along the Hermus River valley,lay the important high plateau city ofPhiladelphia, modern Alasehir. A mainhighway that ran through the city con-nected Smyrna (about a hundred milesdue west) to northwest Asia, Phrygia,and the east. Furthermore, the imperialpost road of the first century A.D.,whichcame from Rome via Troas, Adramyt-tium, Pergamum, and Sardis, passedthrough this valley and Philadelphia onthe way to the east. So situated,Philadel-phia became a strong fortress city. To thenortheast was a great vine-growing dis-trict, which, along with textile andleather industries, contributed greatly tothe city’s prosperity.”

The name Philadelphia came fromthe founder of the city, “Attalus II (159-138 B.C.), who had been given the epi-thet ‘Philadelphus’ (brother lover)”because of his love for his brother(Expositor’s Bible Commentary). Butthis was not the city’s only name.

“Still another name of the city wasDecapolis, because it was considered asone of the ten cities of the plain. A thirdname which it bore during the 1st cent.AD was Neo-kaisaria; it appears uponthe coins struck during that period. Dur-ing the reign of Vespasian, it was calledFlavia. Its modern name, Ala-shehir, isconsidered by some to be a corruption ofthe Turkish words Allah-shehir, ‘the cityof God,’but more likely it is a name giv-en it from the reddish color of the soil.

“In addition to all of these names itsometimes bore the title of ‘LittleAthens’because of the magnificence ofthe temples and other public buildingswhich adorned it. Philadelphia quicklybecame an important and wealthy tradecenter, for as the coast cities declined, itgrew in power, and retained its impor-tance even until late Byzantine times”

(International Standard Bible Ency-lopaedia, Electronic Database, 1996,article “Philadelphia”).

“According to Strabo, the wholeregion was earthquake prone (Geogra-phy 12.579; 13.628). In A.D. 17 anearthquake that destroyed Sardis and tenother cities also destroyed Philadelphia.Consequently,many people preferred tolive in the rural area surrounding the city.The fear of earthquakes caused thosewho continued to live in the city to leaveit at the slightest sign of a tremor.

“After the devastating earthquake,Tiberius came to the peoples’ aid andhad the city rebuilt. In gratitude the citi-

zens renamed it Neocaesarea (‘NewCaesar’). Later the name was changedto Flavia (A.D. 70-79), and this, alongwith Philadelphia, continued to be itsname through the second and third cen-turies A.D…” (Expositor’s Bible Com-mentary).

Christ’s Message Jesus’message to Philadelphia begins

in Revelation 3:7 and continues throughverse 13. In the same style as the previ-ous messages, Jesus began by identify-ing Himself as the author of the mes-sage. This time He refers to Himself as“He who is holy, He who is true, ‘Hewho has the key of David,He who opensand no one shuts, and shuts and no oneopens’” (verse 7).

Just as we use keys and locks today tocontrol access to secured places, keyswere used in ancient times to controlgates to cities and represented govern-mental control. The “key of David” isused in this sense in Isaiah 22:20-23where Eliakim replaces the unfaithfulShebna as secretary of state in Judah.Speaking of this change to Shebna,Godsaid, “I will commit your responsibilityinto his hand… The key of the house ofDavid I will lay on his shoulder; so heshall open, and no one shall shut; and heshall shut, and no one shall open” (vers-es 21-22).

When Jesus described Himself ashaving this “key of David,” He was say-ing that He was of David’s lineage andthat He controls access to the Kingdomof God. Other passages explain that Godthe Father has given Jesus all power inheaven and earth, including the judg-ment of mankind (Matthew 28:18; John5:22, 27; 17:2).

Works and an “Open Door”In Revelation 3:8, Jesus then

explained to Philadelphia that He knewthis congregation’s works and that Hehad set before them “an open door.”Jesus Christ, at the end of the first cen-tury A.D., almost 70 years after Hisdeath and inauguration of the New

Covenant, still expected His followersto be doing works (Revelation 2:5,9,13,19, 23, 26; 3:1-2).

Many today, in opposition to Jesus’clear statements, mistakenly believeworks are no longer important. Whileour works cannot save us, Jesus expectsus to be doing works in conjunction withthe grace He extends to us that makessalvation possible. Grace and works arenot opposites; they are compatible con-cepts that God expects His followers tojointly embrace. In other words, it isgrace and works, not grace or works.

The apostle Paul beautifully com-bined both concepts in Ephesians 2:8-

10 (NIV): “For it is by grace you havebeen saved, through faith—and this notfrom yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.For we are God’s workmanship, createdin Christ Jesus to do good works, whichGod prepared in advance for us to do.”God’s grace inspires His followers toactively practice His commands.

The “door” Jesus said He had openedfor Philadelphia was an opportunity topreach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Link-age of the term “door” with preachingthe gospel occurs in several other NewTestament passages. In Colossians 4:3,Paul asked the brethren to pray “for us,that God would open to us a door for theword, to speak the mystery of Christ, forwhich I am also in chains.” In 1 Corinthi-ans 16:8-9, he explained that he wouldremain in Ephesus until Pentecostbecause “a great and effective door hasopened to me.” In Ephesus, Paul wasable to spend three years preaching thegospel—one of the longest time periodshe spent in any location (Acts 20:17-31).Similar usage of “door” is found in 2Corinthians 2:12 and Acts 14:27.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentaryexplains that in the first century,Philadelphia was designated “a missioncity for disseminating Greco-Asiaticculture and language in the eastern partof Lydia and in Phrygia. Its success isattested by the fact that the Lydian lan-guage ceased to be spoken in Lydia byA.D. 19 and Greek took over (Ramsay,Seven Churches, p. 391).” Just asPhiladelphia had successfully accom-plished this secular mission, Jesus toldthe congregation that they now had anopportunity to disseminate the gospel.

Modern DoorsToday many opportunities or “doors”

exist for preaching the gospel of JesusChrist. These include printed materials,radio, television and the Internet. Theseare the modern avenues Christians canuse to fulfill the commission to theChurch to “make disciples of all thenations, baptizing them in the name of

the Father and of the Son and of the HolySpirit, teaching them to observe allthings that I have commanded you”(Matthew 28:19-20).

Jesus expects modern followers topreach the same gospel that He taught,the gospel of the Kingdom of God(Mark 1:14-15). Unfortunately, manytoday have mistakenly accepted anincomplete gospel—one that focusesupon the person of Christ but omitsHis teaching about the Kingdom. Ourfree booklet, The Gospel of the King-dom, provides a more complete expla-nation.

Jesus’ praise of the Philadelphians,“you have a little strength,have kept Myword, and have not denied My name”(Revelation 3:8), indicates that they tookadvantage of the opportunities He madeavailable for preaching the gospel. God’speople today must do the same.

ProtectionAfter explaining that religious pre-

tenders, ones who often persecuted andtried to deceive Jesus’true followers (Acts15:1; 20:30; Jude 4),would eventually beforced to recognize the believers whoobeyed Him, Jesus continued: “Becauseyou have kept My command to persevere,I also will keep you from the hour of tri-

al which shall come upon the wholeworld, to test those who dwell on theearth” (Revelation 3:10).

When we understand that Revelationis a prophetic book with its setting beingthe second coming of Jesus Christ, wesee the important magnitude of thiswonderful promise for us today. Withinit are two concepts worthy of specialnote. First, the promised protectioncomes because Jesus’ followers havekept His “command to persevere.” Thisphrase literally means “the word of mypatience” and is so translated by theKing James and American Standard ver-sions. Revelation 14:12 explains whatthis entails: “Here is the patience of thesaints; here are those who keep the com-mandments of God and the faith ofJesus.” The recipients of Christ’s pro-tective grace will be believers who areobeying God’s law.

A second concept deserving ourattention is the fact that this “hour of tri-al,” meaning a short period of time, will“come upon the whole world.” No oneescapes being tested. While Jesus’ fol-lowers are tested through trials duringtheir lifetimes (2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Peter1:7; 4:12), those who have not knownHim or obeyed Him will also face judg-ment at His return.

Jesus was intimately aware of their circumstances and promised themgreat rewards for their faithful perseverance.

In Revelation 3:9 Jesus explains thateventually He will make those whoonly claimed to be believers understandwho His real followers really were. It isinteresting to note that at the end of thefirst century, these pretenders claimedto be “Jews”—not Christians. Whilemost of modern Christianity rejects thisterm and many teachings associatedwith it, such as the seventh-day Sabbathand annual Holy Days, this passagesays the pretenders claimed to be“Jews” because they believed this wasthe correct name. Were these first cen-tury pretenders confused about thisname?

The Bible shows that this Jewishname and the days of worship given inthe Old Testament were not rejected byChrist or the first century Christians.These first century pretenders had theright name, but the wrong practices.Lest one misunderstand,believers werealso called “Christians” in the first cen-tury (Acts 11:26) and this name is alsoan appropriate designation for believ-ers. The real key in identifying the peo-ple of God, however, lies in their con-duct.

The apostle Paul clarified this Jew-ish link to Christians saying, “For he isnot a Jew who is one outwardly, nor iscircumcision that which is outward inthe flesh; but he is a Jew who is oneinwardly; and circumcision is that of

the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter;whose praise is not from men but fromGod” (Romans 2:28-29). In writing tothe believers in Galatia, he describedthem as “the Israel of God” (Galatians6:16).

Jesus had much to say throughoutHis earthly ministry about people whowould appropriate His name,but not dowhat He said. In Matthew 5:17, Heexclaimed,“Do not think that I came todestroy the Law,” but many peopleclaiming to be Christian today mistak-enly think that Jesus came to destroythe law and liberate people from it.

In Matthew 7:21-23 He said, “Noteveryone who says to Me, ‘Lord,Lord,’shall enter the kingdom of heaven, buthe who does the will of My Father inheaven. Many will say to Me in thatday, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophe-sied in Your name, cast out demons inYour name,and done many wonders inYour name?’And then I will declare tothem, ‘I never knew you; depart fromMe, you who practice lawlessness!’”Similar passages are found in Mark7:6-9 and Luke 6:46-49.

Jesus’ instructions are the basis forPaul’s admonition to “walk worthy ofGod who calls you into His own king-dom and glory”(1 Thessalonians 2:12).Jesus predicted long ago that peoplewould claim to be His followers, butreject His commands. UN

True Christians Versus Pretenders

United Church of God, an International Association UnitedNews July 2002 9

How Can a Man Take YOUR Crown?In encouraging another first centurycongregation that had experienced manytrials, Paul expressed similar principles:

“We ourselves boast of you among thechurches of God for your patience andfaith in all your persecutions and tribula-tions that you endure, which is manifestevidence of the righteous judgment ofGod, that you may be counted worthy ofthe kingdom of God, for which you alsosuffer; since it is a righteous thing withGod to repay with tribulation those whotrouble you,and to give you who are trou-bled rest with us when the Lord Jesus isrevealed from heaven with His mightyangels, in flaming fire taking vengeanceon those who do not know God, and onthose who do not obey the gospel of ourLord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:4-8).

Questions arise over how Christ willprotect His believers during this time. Wedo know there is a clear reference to thegathering of many saints in one location(“her place,”Revelation 12:14) and thereis another possible reference to individ-uals being protected in their location(Psalm 91:7). Both are within His powerto accomplish.

Reward for Holding FastJesus concludes His instruction to

Philadelphia with the warning that He iscoming “quickly” and that the saintsshould “hold fast what you have, that noone may take your crown” (Revelation3:11). Next comes the reward for doingso:“He who overcomes, I will make hima pillar in the temple of My God, and heshall go out no more. I will write on himthe name of My God and the name of thecity of My God, the New Jerusalem,which comes down out of heaven fromMy God. And I will write on him Mynew name” (verse 12).

In offering this reward, Jesus drewsome interesting parallels to the eventsand customs in first century Philadelphia.This city was prone to earthquakes. Hugestone temple columns were often theonly parts of the city left standing after adevastating quake. Instead of fleeing thecity whenever there was the slightestindication of a tremor, Jesus explainedthat the reward of the faithful would be asecure, stable place within His spiritualtemple—a place where they would nev-er fall or topple. Similarly, faithful cityleaders were sometimes honored by hav-ing their names inscribed on a special pil-lar. Christ’s terminology reflected knowl-edge of these practices (Expositor’s BibleCommentary).

Finally, Jesus promised His followersa “new name.”While the city of Philadel-phia has had many names over the yearsand apparently several at once during thefirst century, Jesus offered the saints herea new name that would apparently neverchange—“the name of My God” and“My new name.”

Though customs have obviouslychanged over the centuries since Christdelivered this message, the rewardsJesus offers to those who have thepatience of the saints (faith and obedi-ence) remain the same. Jesus imploresthose who have spiritual discernment—“an ear to hear”—to pay attention to thismessage (verse 13). Don’t forget Hismessage to Philadelphia: keep Hisword, faithfully go through the doors Heopens. UN

■ And how can youprevent that ultimatetragedy from happening?by James D. Cannon

Over the centuries, since the deathand resurrection of our Savior JesusChrist, an apparent cause of individu-als leaving God’s Church has beenallowing the perceived wrong exam-ple of other people in the Body ofJesus Christ to influence a person toleave the Church.

Today, people influenced negative-ly by another person in a congregationoften choose to go to another fellow-ship until an offense occurs there, andon and on it goes until the living roombecomes the final place of refugefrom another person’s less-than-per-fect example.

It is natural for people to want tofollow the leader. We learn to do itfrom childhood in the game by thesame name. However, once onebecomes a member of the Body ofChrist, the Leader and Example to fol-low must become Jesus Christ, notanother human being.

Over the years, many have lookedup to a particular minister, deacon ormember as the standard to follow. Wehave heard accolades like: “Isn’t he orshe a great example?” “He is a strongminister [deacon, member], we oughtto try to follow his example.” “Thatperson really demonstrates the waywe ought to live.” “Their marriageexemplifies what all of our marriagesought to be like.” Only to be shockedwhen these same wonderful humanexamples leave the Church, getdivorced or do something that is per-ceived as offensive.

When we allow ourselves to fallinto this trap of placing human beingson a pedestal, we are setting ourselvesup for a man to be able to take ourcrown.

We must always remember whatPaul was inspired to exhort us in 2Corinthians 10:12, “For we dare notclass ourselves or compare ourselveswith those who commend themselves.But they, measuring themselves bythemselves, and comparing themselvesamong themselves, are not wise.”

For those who have been trulycalled out by God the Father and haveactually received God’s Holy Spirit,there is a crown of righteousness setaside and held in the third heaven tobe awarded at the second coming ofJesus Christ at the wedding supper ofthe Lamb (2 Timothy 4:8). However,this crown carries with it responsibil-ities now and in the world to come.

God’s people are responsible nowfor several things. One is to live a lifeof enduring to the end of their physi-cal life.

Enduring What?Today religious persecution to the

degree of past centuries is practicallynonexistent. Then what do God’s peo-ple have to endure today, especially in

the Western societies of this world? Endurance is a requirement for all

ages. “This is a faithful saying: For ifwe died with Him, we shall also livewith Him. If we endure, we shall alsoreign with Him. If we deny Him, Healso will deny us” (2 Timothy 2:11-12).

God’s people have three very basicand very real forces in this life toendure and to overcome. These forcesare their own human nature (Jeremi-ah 17:9), the downward pull of thispresent evil world (Galatians 1:3-5)and the influences and deceitfulnessof Satan, the god of this present world(James 4:7).

These downward pulls have beeninfluencing mankind negatively fromthe very beginning. These negativeforces have caused mankind to pro-gressively degenerate to the point thatGod had to erase most of mankind,with the exception of Noah and hisimmediate family, from off the earthby a global flood and begin againthrough Noah’s family. Moreover,very shortly after the Flood, God hadto slow the downward progress ofmankind by confusing the languagesat the Tower of Babel.

All this being said, mankind todayis at the same point it found itself atthe Tower of Babel. Today, man isovercoming the language barrier andprogressing toward what many worldleaders espouse—a one-world gov-ernment. Furthermore, man has thecapacity to wipe himself off the earthby nuclear weaponry or by germ war-fare. The influence of mass mediawith all its wonders now enables prac-tically anyone to access or be influ-enced by every form of sinfulness thathas existed until recently in the backalleys and the brothels of the under-world.

Today, the challenge to resist thedownward pulls and to endure to theend for those God chooses to call outhas never been greater and moredeceptive. The perilous times of theend spoken about by Paul in 2 Timo-thy 3:1-7 definitely describe thisworld, especially the so-called West-ern world.

The crown of righteousness that islaid up for God’s people must be para-mount in our minds. We have beencalled to overcome and endure thedownward pulls that exist so God cangive us a crown and the servant ruler-ship that goes along with this crown.Once received, this crown is an eter-nal reward and office for those whoreceive it. But in this life, we arerequired to resist and endure thosethings that can cause us to lose ourcrown of life. We now must be “tem-perate in all things” in order to quali-fy to receive this “imperishablecrown” as Paul instructs us in 1Corinthians 9:25.

It’s interesting to note that theGreek word translated “temperate”here is enkrateuomai, which means toexercise self-restraint or self-control.We no longer can allow ourselves tosubmit or bend to the negative pullsand standards of this world. We now

must be ever vigilant and constantlyin tune and in touch with the highstandards of God and Jesus Christthrough the Holy Spirit in us. Ourfocus and actions must be based onGod’s Word. We must be yielded toGod’s power and authority in our livesthrough daily heartfelt prayer, Biblestudy, meditation and occasional fast-ing. All of these give us the constantright perspective necessary to receivethe crown of righteous and preventany man from taking our crown.“Behold, I am coming quickly! Holdfast what you have, that no one maytake your crown” (Revelation 3:11).

How Can Someone Takethe Crown?

When we fall into the trap of observ-ing what others in the Church are doingwith their lives, whether ministers, dea-cons or members, and find out that theyare “less than righteous” in a givenarea, and then allow that example tocause us to leave the Church or go to adifferent fellowship until a bad exam-ple occurs there, ad infinitum, we are inthe mode of setting ourselves up to leta man take our crown.

When we see others in the Churchfalter, get into a wrong attitude or dosomething not in keeping with God’sWord, we must always remember thisadmonition from Paul in Galatians6:1-5, “Brethren, if a man is overtak-en in any trespass, you who are spiri-tual restore such a one in a spirit ofgentleness, considering yourself lestyou also be tempted. Bear one anoth-er’s burdens, and so fulfill the law ofChrist. For if anyone thinks himself tobe something, when he is nothing, hedeceives himself. But let each oneexamine his own work, and then hewill have rejoicing in himself alone,and not in another. For each one shallbear his own load.”

Furthermore, we must couple thefollowing scripture with Galatians6:1-5 to gain a deeper understandingof God’s perspective on how to handleoffenses in the Church. See Matthew18:15-17 where Christ instructs us:“Moreover if your brother sins againstyou, go and tell him his fault betweenyou and him alone. If he hears you,you have gained your brother. But if

he will not hear, take with you one ortwo more, that ‘by the mouth of two orthree witnesses every word may beestablished.’And if he refuses to hearthem, tell it to the church. But if herefuses even to hear the church, lethim be to you like a heathen and a taxcollector.”

Additionally, in 1 Corinthians 13:5,Paul, in what is commonly referred toas the love chapter of the Bible,instructs that love “is not provoked.”We must develop a certain amount oftolerance for the weaknesses of oth-ers. Not for blatant sins, but weak-nesses, giving the benefit of the doubtthat the person is working on over-coming sin. Likewise we must alsounderstand that whether a person isordained or not, everyone is growingat a different rate according to theirability and the revelation of theirfaults and shortcomings by God. It’s agood thing that God does not pull upthe shade all at once, and reveal all ofour shortcomings at once to us, lestwe all be discouraged and give up thefight for the crown of life.

In the final analysis, we are all indi-vidually responsible to God not to letany man take our crown. We mustalways look to the standard of JesusChrist, not at the best man has to offer,and understand our personal respon-sibility to overcome and grow up tothe stature of Jesus Christ.

As Jesus Himself instructs us inMatthew 7:3-5, “And why do you lookat the speck in your brother’s eye, butdo not consider the plank in your owneye? Or how can you say to your broth-er, ‘Let me remove the speck from youreye’; and look, a plank is in your owneye? Hypocrite! First remove the plankfrom your own eye, and then you willsee clearly to remove the speck fromyour brother’s eye.”

Let’s never allow a man to take theprecious crown of life from us. Thenwe’ll be able to fully participate in thefuture government of God and receiveour individual reward from Christ. Hereminds us in Revelation 22:12, “Andbehold, I am coming quickly, and Myreward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work. UN

James D. Cannon is a deacon inYoungstown, Ohio.

10 UnitedNews July 2002 United Church of God, an International Association

Unity of Convictions Among a Diversity of Cultures■ How can we enhance ourunity of faith whilerespecting the diversity ofroles and cultures? ACouncil of Eldersinternational representativeaddresses this issue.by Mario Seiglie

Seeing the different cultures of peo-ple God has called into His Church, itbrings home a biblical truth of greatimportance—God is the creator of uni-ty of purpose while generating a diver-sity of forms. Just as He created theflowers with one basic structure yetwith different forms and colors, so Hehas created human beings with onebasic form but with different personal-ities and color tones.

This same principle of unity of sub-stance and diversity of forms alsoapplies to God’s Church—the mem-bers around the world have a unity ofbeliefs and convictions, while at thesame time they have a diversity of cul-tures and personalities.

Paul mentions this principle in 1Corinthians 12:12-13: “For as the bodyis one and has many members, but allthe members of that one body, beingmany, are one body, so also is Christ.For by one Spirit we were all baptizedinto one body—whether Jews or

Greeks, whether slaves or free—andhave all been made to drink into oneSpirit.”

Here we see the principle of respect-ing the diversity of cultures, whilekeeping a unity of spiritual beliefs.

Members of the Same BodyPaul continues, “For in fact the body

is not one member but many. If the footshould say, ‘Because I am not a hand, Iam not of the body,’is it therefore not ofthe body? And if the ear should say,‘Because I am not an eye, I am not ofthe body,’is it therefore not of the body?If the whole body were an eye, wherewould be the hearing? If the wholewere hearing, where would be thesmelling? But now God has set themembers, each one of them, in the bodyjust as He pleased. And if they were all

one member, where would the bodybe? But now indeed there are manymembers, yet one body” (1 Corinthi-ans 12:14-20).

Paul is telling us we have an essen-tial element among us—God’s Spir-it—that makes us members of theBody, and yet we recognize there is adiversity of roles, cultures and per-sonalities. He mentions we should notdiscriminate against some becausethey are culturally or racially differentthan we are or because they may false-ly regard themselves as having a less-er role to play in the Church, the Bodyof Christ.

He continues explaining this point,“And the eye [one of the most promi-

nent organs of the body] cannot say tothe hand, ‘I have no need of you’ noragain the head to the feet, ‘I have noneed of you.’ No, much rather, thosemembers of the body which seem to beweaker are necessary.

“And those members of the bodywhich we think to be less honorable, onthese we bestow greater honor; and ourunpresentable parts have greater mod-esty, but our presentable parts have noneed. But God composed the body,having given greater honor to that partwhich lacks it, that there should be noschism [division or discrimination] inthe body, but that the members shouldhave the same care for one another. Andif one member suffers, all the memberssuffer with it; or if one member is hon-ored, all the members rejoice with it.Now you are the body of Christ, and

members individually” (1 Corinthians12:21-27).

We see here that the Body of Christhas a unity of Spirit, but a diversity ofroles, cultures, personalities and lan-guages. Each culture has its strengthsand weaknesses and no one nation hasall the virtues nor always has the rightapproach. It is important to appreci-ate the different cultures and realizethey mutually excel each other inmany points, while at the same time,recognizing all have different weak-nesses.

These principles are very helpful inadapting to the diverse cultures, whilekeeping clear in mind what unites all ofus in the Church—our common beliefs

and the ultimate goal—to devel-op godly character.

Serving an Internation-al Work

After living 24 years abroad indifferent parts of Latin America,this has been a great lesson drivenhome to me. I have learned in ourChurch there is a unity of faith whilehaving a diversity of cultures that shouldbe appreciated and respected. I believethese two factors are essential to apply ifwe are to succeed in carrying the gospelin all the world and preparing a peoplefor God’s coming Kingdom.

During the international meetings wehad May 1 before the recent GeneralConference of Elders, one question wediscussed was, How can the cultures ofthe different nations be respected sincethe thrust of the work of God comes pri-marily from the United States?

A way to assure that the different cul-tures are being taken into account is themanner The Good News is now pro-duced, which is the primary vehicle inall these countries. The editorial staffsin the different nations have a certainleeway to adapt the magazine to theirculture. For instance, in Great Britain,a supplement is added with articles per-taining to local news that gives the mag-azine more of a British flavor. Germanyedits the magazine to make it moreacceptable to the German mentality.The same occurs in the Spanish andother editions. This perspective was notalways so decades ago, but from the

start, United has striven to have thisawareness. It has avoided endless prob-lems with the readership in other coun-tries apart from the United States.

A Difficult BalanceIt is a difficult balance to achieve—

to adapt to peoples of different cultures,nationalities and races according totheir perspective and mentality while atthe same time keeping in mind the goalof having a unity of faith and helpingthem develop spiritual character so theycan work out their salvation with fearand trembling.

Paul explains this concept in 1Corinthians 9:19-23: “For though I amfree from all men, I have made myselfa servant to all, that I might win themore; and to the Jews I became as aJew, that I might win Jews; to thosewho are under the law, as under the law,that I might win those who are underthe law [Pharisees, Sadducees andscribes]; to those who are without thelaw, as without law (not being withoutlaw toward God, but under law towardChrist), that I might win those who are

without law; to the weak I became asweak, that I might win the weak.

“I have become all things to all men,that I might by all means save some.Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, thatI may be partaker of it with you.”

Avoiding Feelings ofSuperiority

When abroad and dealing with dif-ferent cultures, Paul stresses it is so

important not to transmit a feeling ofsuperiority toward another culture.The key concept Paul brings out is notto force people to adapt to our culture,but rather we should adapt to their cul-ture.

It took a miracle from God for Peter,the once proud Jew, to learn this lesson.We read in Acts 10:28, “Then he said tothem [to the Roman Cornelius and hiskinsmen], ‘You know how unlawful itis for a Jewish man to keep companywith or go to one of another nation. ButGod has shown me that I should not callany man common or unclean.’”

Then Peter adds in verse 34, “In truthI perceive that God shows no partiality.But in every nation whoever fears Himand works righteousness is accepted byHim.”

The basic problem is that, due to ourparticular background, we all have hid-den prejudices to get rid of if we wantGod to bless His work around theworld. It is just a matter of recognizingit, limiting it and trying to fully elimi-nate it while learning to appreciate thebeauty and worth of other cultures.

Look at thenews of thepresent world.Isn’t it sad tosee so muchkilling andm a y h e m ,many timesdue to preju-dice, becauseat the bottomof their hearts,people can’tappreciate andrespect the cul-tures of theirneighbors?

True Christianity begins when wedon’t feel superior to others.

This is a great lesson I have tried tolearn from others who gave me such afine example, and have tried to applywherever I have gone—to appreciateand respect the diversity of cultures,while at the same time, striving to teachthe unity of doctrine and Spirit in theChurch. It is a goal worthy for all of usto pursue. UN

These scenes from Feast 2001 illustrate the international nature of theChurch: from left, Philippines, Guatemala, Jamaica and Kenya

United Church of God, an International Association UnitedNews July 2002 11

From GN Radio: The Good News and the Bad News■ South Africanphotojournalist KevinCarter snapped a picture ofa small, starving Sudanesegirl crawling towards a foodshelter. A vulture, poised afew feet away, was awaitingthe inevitable. Few who sawthe Pulitzer Prize-winningphoto weren’t haunted bythe scene. With so muchbad news, what a blessingto know the good news ofthe resurrections revealedthrough the Holy Days!by Gary Petty

How can a loving God allow the suf-fering we see around us every day?According to common Christian teach-ing, the ultimate end of all this suffer-ing is for people to die and arrive ineither a place called heaven or a placeof eternal torment called hell. It isthought that most end up in hell. Howcould God condemn the majority ofmankind who aren’t Christians to ever-lasting punishment in hell?

Many have agonized over a relativeor friend who died an agnostic. Is thatperson forever damned to indescribabletorment? What about children who diefrom malnutrition, war and disease inremote areas of the world wherethey’ve never even heard of JesusChrist? Are they forever trapped inSatanic inflicted torture?

One of the most quoted verses in theBible is John 3:16, “God so loved theworld that He gave His only begottenSon, that whoever believes in Himshould not perish but have everlastinglife.” But isn’t God being unfair tountold billions of people who neverheard of Jesus Christ? Yet, the Bibleclaims that “there is no other nameunder heaven given among men bywhich we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

In the Middle Ages Christian zeal tosave lost souls launched the Crusadesand the use of torture and killing inorder to force Muslims and Jews toaccept Jesus. Over the centuries, mis-sionaries suffered and died to bring themessage of Christ to primitive tribes.But the harsh reality is that in spite of allefforts, the majority of mankind is non-Christian.

The question remains:What about thebillions of people who throughout his-tory have never heard of Jesus Christ?Couldn’t Jesus miraculously appear topeople in China, Japan and Africa andconvert hundreds of millions? If Godand Satan are in a war over the souls ofmen it seems God is losing.

The Biblical Reward of theSaved

This begs another question: What isthe reward of the true followers of JesusChrist? The most common teaching isthat the saved go to heaven upon death.

But this isn’t what Jesus taught. He pro-claimed, as recorded in John 6:40:“And this is the will of Him who sentMe, that everyone who sees the Sonand believes in Him may have ever-lasting life; and I will raise him up atthe last day.”

Wait a minute! Jesus Christ says thatthe reward of His followers is a resur-rection from the dead “at the last day,”not going to heaven immediately afterdeath.

The apostle John was inspired towrite about this resurrection in Revela-tion 20:1-6: “Then I saw an angel com-ing down from heaven, having the keyto the bottomless pit and a great chainin his hand. He laid hold of the dragon,that serpent of old, who is the Devil andSatan, and bound him for a thousandyears; and he cast him into the bottom-less pit, and shut him up, and set a sealon him, so that he should deceive thenations no more till the thousand yearswere finished. But after these things hemust be released for a little while.

“And I saw thrones, and they sat onthem, and judgment was committed tothem. Then I saw the souls of those whohad been beheaded for their witness toJesus and for the word of God, who hadnot worshiped the beast or his image,and had not received his mark on theirforeheads or on their hands. And theylived and reigned with Christ for a thou-sand years. But the rest of the dead didnot live again until the thousand yearswere finished. This is the first resurrec-tion.

“Blessed and holy is he who has partin the first resurrection. Over such thesecond death has no power, but theyshall be priests of God and of Christ,

and shall reign with Him a thousandyears.”

Notice that the Bible reveals a resur-rection of the saints at the return ofChrist to the earth. The apostle Johnclearly calls this the first resurrection.The rest of the dead are not resurrecteduntil the end of Christ’s one thousandyear reign on earth.

Paul warns Christians to take theirgreat calling seriously so as not to jeop-ardize the grace God offers. He writes in2 Corinthians 5:9-11: “Therefore, wemake it our aim, whether present orabsent, to be well pleasing to Him. For

we must all appear before the judgmentseat of Christ, that each one may receivethe things done in the body,according towhat he has done, whether good andbad. Knowing, therefore, the terror ofthe Lord, we persuade men . . .”

If the resurrection of the saints iscalled the first resurrection, what is thesecond resurrection?

The Hope for MankindJohn reveals in Revelation that the

Father will send Jesus Christ back tothis earth to establish His Kingdom andreign for a thousand years. After thethousand years there will be a secondresurrection called the Great WhiteThrone Judgment.

Let’s return to Revelation 20:11.“Then I saw a great white throne andHim who sat on it, from whose face the

earth and heaven fled away. And therewas found no place for them. And I sawthe dead, small and great, standingbefore God, and books were opened.And another book was opened, whichis the Book of Life. And the dead werejudged according to their works, by thethings which were written in thebooks.”

The Bible clearly reveals a secondresurrection in addition to the resurrec-tion of the saints at Christ’s secondcoming. Unlike the first resurrection,

those in the second resurrection arerestored to physical life.

The prophet Ezekiel was given avision of a valley filled with dry bonesin Ezekiel 37. God tells Ezekiel thatthese bones will come together, be cov-ered with flesh and come back to life.The purpose is so that these people mayknow the real God (verse 13). God saysto those whom He resurrects, “I will putMy Spirit in you, and you shall live . . .”(verse 14).

Revelation 20:12 states the “bookswere opened” followed by the openingof the “Book of Life.”The first “books”

are the Scriptures, God’s Holy Bible,the instruction book for mankind. Godwill reveal Himself to all peoples whonever knew Him.

Here is an incredible truth that mostChristians don’t understand! Paulteaches that where there is no knowl-edge of sin, there is no “imputing” orputting to one’s account (Romans 5:12-15). Although each person suffers theimmediate consequences of sin, includ-ing physical death, God is not yet pass-ing eternal judgment on the majority ofmankind! All who ever lived without achance of salvation will be resurrectedand given an opportunity to choose thereal God. This is the second resurrec-tion.

Jesus warned religious leaders of Hisday that they would be resurrectedalong with those God destroyed in

Sodom (Matthew 11:20-24). He toldthe Pharisees that the people ofNinevah from Jonah’s time and thequeen of the South from the time ofSolomon “will rise up in the judgmentwith this generation and condemn it”(Matthew 12:38-42). These people willbe resurrected together at the secondresurrection.

This doesn’t mean that everyone getsa “second chance.” Those called byGod in this age, who have received theHoly Spirit, are now under judgment.The second resurrection is for all thosewho never had a chance for salvationin this world dominated by Satan.

God’s JudgmentWhat, then, is to be the final judg-

ment for the incorrigibly wicked? Let’sgo back and pick up Revelation 20:13-15: “The sea gave up the dead whowere in it, and Death and Hades deliv-ered up the dead who were in them.And they were judged, each oneaccording to his works. Then Death andHades were cast into the lake of fire.This is the second death. And anyonenot found in the Book of Life was castinto the lake of fire.”

This “second death” is completeannihilation of life. This is what Jesusspoke of in Matthew 10:28-31, “Anddo not fear those who kill the body butcannot kill the soul. But rather fear Himwho is able to destroy both soul andbody in hell.”

The fact that God punishes thewicked means that there must be per-sonal responsibility in responding toGod’s grace. A gospel message with-out a call to repentance and declarationof Christ’s coming judgment becomesa message based on an unbiblicalassumption that accepting the name ofJesus is all God requires.

The encouraging news is that Goddoesn’t call anyone to fail. True Chris-tianity is a relationship with God as His

sons and daughters. Judgment is nowupon the house of God, but membersof His family have direct access to theFather, the leadership of Jesus Christ,and the power of the indwelling Spiritto insure victory. The only way true fol-lowers can lose salvation is to willing-ly return to the previous unconvertedstate (Hebrews 12:12-24).

Christians need to be mindful of thegrace God offers through His Son. Wecelebrate the fact that our sins are for-given and the Holy Spirit is made avail-able so that God’s righteousness isdeveloped in us. Christians can take apositive view of the judgment by look-ing forward to the first resurrection.

Proclaiming the GospelSome may ask, “If the majority of

mankind is going to receive an oppor-tunity for salvation in the future, thenwhy should the Church work at preach-ing the gospel to the world now?” Thereal question should be, if we under-stand this great message of hope, howcan we not preach it with every fiber ofour being? Anyone who truly under-stands the gospel desires to share it withothers.

It’s easy for Christians to become soinvolved in daily troubles that we missthe grandeur of God’s great plan of sal-vation that reaches across time to allhumanity. Remember Peter’s admon-ishment to the early Church, “But theheavens and the earth which are nowpreserved by the same word, arereserved for fire until the day of judg-ment and perdition of ungodly men.But, beloved, do not forget this onething, that with the Lord one day is asa thousand years, and a thousand yearsas one day. The Lord is not slack con-cerning His promise, as some countslackness, but is longsuffering towardus, not willing that any should perishbut that all should come to repentance”(2 Peter 3:7-9).

Kevin Carter, the photojournalistmentioned earlier, took many snapshotsof humanities’ evil. He was disturbedby what he said were “vivid memoriesof killings and corpses and anger andpain . . . of starving or wounded chil-dren, of trigger-happy madmen” (Cap-ture the Moment—The Pulitzer PrizePhotographs, 2001, edited by CymaRubin and Eric Newton). Kevin Carterwas overwhelmed by the suffering hewitnessed. He committed suicide at age33.

There is hope for this sick anddying world. The majority of human-ity who never had an opportunity toknow the true Creator will have achance to choose salvation throughChrist in the Great White ThroneJudgment. This seldom known truthis the great hope for billions of the liv-ing and the dead. UN

Good News Radio is heard on sta-tions across the country. For an Inter-net listing of stations and times or todownload radio programs, go towww.ucg.org/radio. While on line youcan also order the booklet offered onthis program, “Heaven and Hell:WhatDoes the Bible Really Teach?”

Some may ask, “If the majority of mankind is going to receive anopportunity for salvation in the future, then why should the Churchwork at preaching the gospel to the world now?” The real questionshould be, if we understand this great message of hope, how can wenot preach it with every fiber of our being?

Gary Petty recording a Good News radio program at the studio in thenew home office building (photo by Peter Eddington)

12 UnitedNews July 2002 United Church of God, an International Association

nars, Christian living and “compasschecks.” Fifty-three “proficiency” rat-ings were awarded in numerous activ-ities.

After an official welcome and orien-tation from Larry Greider (national

coordinator of United Youth Camps),Gregory Sargent (camp coordinator)and Tom Clark (activity coordinator),the entire staff previewed their activi-ties before the campers in novel ways.

Richard Pinelli, Ministerial Servicesoperation manager, and his wife, Mary,were on hand for the orientation.

Campers were there to demonstratethat God’s way works. They learned todo that by setting up a “Zone” of safe-ty, mutual support and encouragementembodied by our Code of Honor.

According to surveys filled out bycampers, Christian Living question-and-answer sessions in the evening andspiritual Compass Checks every morn-ing were some of the most helpful peri-

ods of time the campers experienced.Nationwide prayers had been

requested for the rains to stop in orderto tame the river for our canoe adven-tures. Not only did God answer thisprayer, but He also gave us lower thanusual temperatures, less humidity andfewer bugs. “This weather is a miracle,”commented several of the local resi-dents.

A dramatic river rescue highlightedthe news. The day before camp began,while completing their safety checks on

a new section of river created by thehigh waters, our canoe staff of six vol-unteers pulled a family of 11 out of theBlack River. One 15-year-old who wasrescued, after watching our crew saveher parents along withher 5-year-old, 3-year-old and 3-month-old siblings,said, “Mom, thesepeople were a god-send.”

This story wassubmitted to the localnewspaper by thePinecrest journalismclass and it ran on thefront page of theDemocrat News onWednesday, June 19,along with a pictureof our six heroes.(See article, left.)

The Pinecrest site is owned and man-aged by the Church of the Nazarene.The camp manager, Fred Yates, com-mented to all the staff and campers atthe start of camp that United YouthCamp is the premier camp attendingthis site. He has praised our group year

after year. And again this year, staff andcampers alike set a sterling example ofGod’s way of life in motion.

With a 12-page keepsake annual inhand, our campers left Pinecrest with

no doubt in their minds that God createsa dramatic Zone for the young peoplein His Church. UN

Pinecrest Kicks Off the Summer Camp SeasonContinued from page 1

Local Paper Reports: Pinecrest Canoe StaffRescues Family on Black Riverby United Youth CampsPinecrest Journalism Class

Fredericktown, Missouri:Despite near tragedy, Thursday, June13, was a day of blessings for anunidentified family of 11. Five mem-bers, ranging in age from 3 months toadult, were spilled from their canoeon treacherous river waters and pulledto safety by a nearby crew of sixtrained instructors.

The drama took place on the BlackRiver near Lesterville, Missouri,downstream from the State Conserva-tion Area. This is a freshly hewn sec-tion of the river because of recentheavy rains and runoff. Six other chil-dren were following the canoe ininner tubes. Only three of the 11 fam-ily members wore life jackets.

Fortunately for them, six volunteersfrom United Youth Camps were clear-ing overhangs and scouting potentialtrouble spots in the area in advance ofseveral planned trips for 111 campers.

The mom and dad rounded a trickybend in their canoe loaded with a 4-year-old, a 3-year-old and a 3-month-old baby.

“These people are in trouble,”observed one of the UYC crew sum-moning his comrades upstream alongthe bank on foot. Thus the rescue

began even before the accidentoccurred.

As anticipated, the canoe struck anobject and dumped all five occupantsinto the swiftly running river. Two ofthe three children floated downstreamin life jackets and were immediatelypicked up by the crew.

Both adults with the infant drapedthemselves across the water ladencanoe as it headed for anotherobstruction. Called a “strainer” by riv-er professionals, this is one of themost dangerous conditions on fast-moving water. Stationary materialfrom the bank such as trees and roots“strain” passing objects. Anyupstream item caught between a float-ing canoe and such a strainer receivescrushing pressure as the river rushsheadlong into the immovable object.

Had the canoe reached this point,there could have been severe injury orpossible loss of life. Instead, the par-ents were immediately pulled to safe-ty.

“Our crew did exactly what theywere trained to do in accordance withguidelines from the American Camp-ing Association,” remarked MikeBlackwell, canoe instructor for Unit-ed Youth Camps in Pinecrest. “Wesaw the trouble coming and tookaction immediately. Everyone knew

precisely what to do. I’m extremelypleased with the performance of thisgroup of young people. Somethinglike this makes all the expense, hardwork and preparation worthwhile.”UYC recently sought and receivedaccreditation for its camping programin Pinecrest which resulted in addi-tional training and equipping for thesecanoe volunteers.

After getting escorted safely backto land from her own inner tube whereshe was able to watch the full drama,the oldest girl of 15 was heard toremark, “Mom, these people were agodsend.”

In addition to Mr. Blackwell, theUYC canoe team included: JasonCarter, Katie Decker, Jeannette Hof-fart, Clint Porter and NathanWilloughby. They assembled fromfive different states for a weeklongcamp which ends June 20.

United Youth Camps are spon-sored by the United Church of God,an International Association, head-quartered in Cincinnati, Ohio(www.ucg.org). Camp Pinecrest isowned and operated by the Churchof the Nazarene and is managed byFred Yates.

Editor’s note: This article ran in theJune 19 edition of the DemocratNews, Fredericktown, Missouri.

Archery was one of many activities campers campers could learn andbecome proficient in. Overall, 53 proficiencies were earned this year

Campers were carefully prepared for their canoe adventures on the Black River

Campers at Pinecrest enjoy theropes course, softball games andexploring a cave along the route ofthe canoe trip

United Church of God, an International Association UnitedNews July 2002 13

World News andProphecy SeminarHeld inIndianapolis

“God has a plan for Jerusalem. It is afocus for God’s plan and a symbol ofGod’s presence. Pray for the peace ofJerusalem.”Along with a survey of the20th century events that have unraveledmajor empires, this message was partof a day-long World News and Prophe-cy seminar held June 15 in Indianapo-lis, Indiana. Darris McNeely, MelvinRhodes and Robin Webber, all regularcontributors to this United Church ofGod publication, presented a series ofsermons and talks aimed at focusingmembers and others on vital topics ofBible prophecy.

Hosted by the Indianapolis congre-gation, the seminar was also open toGood News subscribers. More than1,500 Good News subscribers wereinvited to attend the seminar or requesttapes of the sessions and to subscribeto World News and Prophecy. To datenearly 100 subscribers have returnedthe postage-paid cards with theirrequests.

Topics covered included, “Prayingfor the Peace of Jerusalem,” “Joseph’sSad Decline” and “When the OtherShoe Drops.” Tapes of the seminar areavailable free upon request. Requestscan be made on the Web atwww.ucgindy.org or by mail throughUnited Church of God, 850 North BluffRoad, Greenwood, IN 46142.

Future seminars are planned withone scheduled in Los Angeles, Califor-nia, in February 2003.

Darris McNeely

Women Gather inNorthwest forWeekend

The Seattle, Washington, congrega-tion held their fourth annual Ladies’Education Seminar Weekend fromJune 7 to 9 in nearby Auburn, Wash-ington. With an attendance that hasseen a 35 percent growth each year forthe past two years, 119 women gath-ered for an enriching weekend of learn-ing, fellowship, relaxation and laugh-ter as they sought to learn how to betterbecome women of strength andcourage.

This year the weekend seminar notonly attracted attendees from ages 16to age 80, but also drew participantsfrom various parts of the Northwest,California, Ohio, Georgia, Texas andGermany. Several commented that theweekend was so beneficial that untiltheir own regions are able to organize asimilar event, they would continue tomake the effort to attend despite the dis-tance they might have to travel.

The weekend began after dinner on

Friday with an interactive workshopdesigned to help the women get toknow one another in a relaxed andenjoyable manner. Sabbath serviceswere held Saturday morning, at whichtime the ladies were joined by song-leader Dennis Luker (pastor of the Seat-tle congregations) and John Cafourek(pastor of the Tacoma and Olympia,Washington, congregations), who gavea sermon titled “Courage Is a Three-Letter Word.”

The theme for this year’s seminarwas “Women of Strength andCourage,” and the presenters discussedvarious aspects of this topic. Bev Pro-nishan discussed some of the obstacles

that prevent us from developing a clos-er personal relationship with God andhow we can overcome those obstacles.Lisa Fenchel recounted her battleagainst cancer during the past year andtalked about how and where she foundstrength and courage through theordeal. In her presentation, DyanneDick shared biblical examples toencourage us to avoid the things thatrob us of strength and courage. AndLeeAnn Luker gave a seven-step planthat would help us develop strength andencouragement, using biblical exam-ples of how God can take away our fearand give us strength and encourage-ment.

A new presentation this year was a

panel of five women of different ageswho discussed the challenges they eachfaced, and that many of us may face,throughout life. Panel members includ-ed Brigitte Sexton (age 16), NickiMyers, Karen Walker, Anne Robinson

and Esther Peterson (age 80). The pan-el discussion that followed generatedmany comments and questions fromthe audience and turned out to be ahighlight and bonding experience forall.

This year, the women were invited tobring the fruits of their talents and hob-bies to share with everyone. On displaywere paintings, embroidery, crochet,gardening, patchwork, quilting, tattingand much more. Some very delicatebeautiful crochet was done by LucyWerst who lost her arm in a car acci-dent. The crochet was done after shelost her arm.

Connie Seelig, a first-time attendee

from Cincinnati, Ohio, had the fol-lowing comment regarding the week-end-long seminar: “I was one of theones who always said that thewomen’s weekends were not mything. I was talked into going and I amso, so glad I was because it far exceed-ed my expectations and was a won-derful experience! I would highlyencourage other women to experienceone of these weekends firsthandbefore thinking it isn’t their thing. Icame away from the weekend havingexperienced the fulfilling of the scrip-ture that instructs the older women toteach the younger.”

Terri Eddington, also of Cincinnati,commented, “This was the first time Ihad ever attended a women’s weekend,and it was such a positive experience. Ionly wish I would have had the oppor-tunity to attend an annual event like thiswhen my two teenagers were youngerbecause my family would have reapedthe benefits. I came away from theweekend feeling physically, emotion-ally and spiritually rejuvenated and itwas so inspiring to spend time with myfellow sisters in Christ and feel con-nected to them on a spiritual level. Thefellowship was wonderful and the spir-itual focus we took home with us, evenafter just two days, made me feel asthough I had just experienced a mini-Feast.”

“The fruits of this weekend are onlypositive,” was Monica Kieffer’simpression. “I believe helping womengrow closer to God and to each other assisters in Christ must be something that

is pleasing to God. We have to live withone another for all eternity, and it isgood to start learning how to get alongnow. I met so many women I am look-ing forward to seeing again some day.The practical advice on getting to knowGod better and growing closer to Himis something I can implement daily.”

Terri Eddington

Twin Cities HostFamilies for GodWeekend

The fourth annual Families for GodWeekend was held in South St. Paul,Minnesota, May11 and 12. Theweekend beganwith 261 brethrenattending Sabbathservices. Jim Ser-vidio gave a reporton the GCE meet-ings just complet-

ed and Michael Hanisko gave a sermonon the “Power of the Family Bond.”After services snacks were served, giv-ing the brethren opportunity for fel-lowship.

Four presentations followed: CoryErickson on “Dating,” Kathleen Hof-fart on “The Mideast and the Protocolsof Zion,” Mitchell Knapp on “How WeUse Music” and Steve Myers on “TheFish Philosophy.” Children enjoyedmaking art projects as well as an enter-taining puppet show during the ses-sions, giving moms and dads the oppor-tunity to attend the presentations.

A potluck provided by both the St.Paul and Minneapolis congregationswas served after the sessions, followedby a game night. Many familiesenjoyed playing various games withprizes being awarded to the winners.

While the potluck was being servedat the St. Paul church hall, 45 teenswere partaking of a formal dinnerserved at Special Occasions Too inNorth St. Paul. Dinner was followed bya prom with music provided by a dee-jay. When the prom ended, the teensreturned to South St. Paul for a lock-inat the local YMCA where they enjoyed

swimming, sports, food and fellowshipthroughout the night.

The weekendconcluded Sun-day morning witha delicious Moth-er’s Day brunchserved by Amyand Steve All-wine (who orga-nized the entireweekend) andSharon and Bren-dan Babcock.

Linda Knapp

Servants AddedTwo deacons and two deaconesses

were ordained on the Last Day ofUnleavened Bread in Boynton Beach,Florida. Before the three combinedSoutheast Florida congregations,PastorRoy Demarest and Associate PastorRichard Rand prayed for and laid handson Carol Volkers of Miami, Richard

Scribner of West Palm Beach and Davidand Debbie Jenkins of Port St. Lucie.

Barbara Bendall

Women from 16 to 80 attend the fourth annual Ladies’ EducationSeminar Weekend in Auburn, Washington, June 7 to 9

Children enjoy a puppet show whileparents attend presentations such asthe one given by Steve Myers duringthe Families for God Weekend

From left, Roy Demarest, David andDebbie Jenkins, Carol Volkers,Richard Scribner and Richard Rand

Philip Aust was ordained a deaconbefore the Bloomington-Normal,Illinois, congregation March 9. Theceremony was led by his father, JeroldAust. Pictured: Jerold Aust, PhilipAust, Guy Burke and Gerald Knochel

Teens enjoyed a formal dinner andprom May 11

Lisa Fenchel, Bev Pronishan, LeeAnLuker and Dyanne Dick gavepresentations

14 UnitedNews July 2002 United Church of God, an International Association

Births

The family of John and Janet Otienoof the Migori, Kenya, congregation are

happy to announce the birth of their sec-ond child, Renea Awuor. Renea wasborn on April 6, 2002, and she weighed3.6 kilograms (7 pounds 15 ounces) andwas 20 inches in length. Renea’s broth-er, Larry was very happy with the birthof his sister.

David and Lynn Sandland fromQueensland, Australia, are delighted toannounce the arrival of their fourth

grandson, Joel Adam Eksanow. Joelarrived safe and sound on May 27,2002,and joins their three other grandchildren:Emma, Stephanie and Jacob. Joel andhis parents,Laura and Adam,are soon tomove to Kellyville in Sydney.

Brian and Tammy (Morgan) Holmanare pleased to announce the birth of theirfirst child, Bethany Margaret. Bethanywas born on Jan. 18,2002. She weighed

5 pounds 11 ounces and was 19 and 1/2inches long. The proud grandparents areTerry and Ginny Morgan of the

Collinsville, Illinois, congregation andClay and Linda Holman of Ewing, Illi-nois.

Kelly and Aileen (Hastings) Walkerof La Pine, Oregon, would like toannounce the birth of their first child,Kyle Jonathan Kelly Walker. He wasborn on July 28, 2001, at 7:08 p.m. and

weighed 8 pounds 10 ounces and was20 1/2 inches long. He has light brownhair and his daddy’s feet and ears and acute little dimple in his chin like hismomma!

Grandparents are Larry and KarenWalker and Bill and Marsha Hastings.

EngagementsJerry and Sharon Berg of Seattle,

Washington, wish to announce theengagement of their daughter, Janette E.Berg, to Joseph J. Sequino, son of Frankand Annette Sequino of New York,NewYork. The wedding is planned for Oct.13, 2002, in Carlisle, Massachusetts,near where they plan to live. Janette isthe granddaughter of long-time memberMary Post, also of Seattle.

WeddingsMarcelo Medina and Geraldine Zagal

were married May 26, 2002, in SantaCruz,Bolivia. The parents of the bride are

Jaime Juan Zagal Chijoratic and CarmenM. de Zagal. The parents of the groomare Marcelo Medina Salinas and LennyBravo Chavez. Saul Langarica, pastor ofthe churches in Chile, Argentina andBolivia, performed the ceremony.

Terry and Dixie Lewis of Coleman,Texas,and Mark and Judy Flavin of Fort

Worth, Texas, are pleased to announcethe marriage of their children, KamiEllen Lewis and Eric Mikhael Flavin,onDec. 18, 2001. The grandfather of thebride, Clyde Hubbard, performed thewedding. The new couple attends theFort Worth congregation. They maketheir home in Santos, Texas.

Raymond and Gail Gwin are happyto announce the marriage of their son,Andrew McCager Gwin to HeatherDanielle Karr, daughter of CommanderMark Karr and Donna Karr. The wed-ding took place in Virginia Beach, Vir-

ginia, on March 23, 2002, in a ceremo-ny performed by Todd Carey, pastor ofthe Williamsburg/Delaware congrega-tions. An evening reception followed atthe Radisson in Norfolk,Virginia,where130 guests enjoyed dinner and dancing.The couple resides in Virginia Beach.

Heather was attended by Ashley Karr(maid of honor), KellyJo Jordan,Cameron Mealy and Tina Dolenti(bridesmaids), Nikki Dolenti and Caro-line Smith (junior bridesmaids), Court-ney Gwin and Rainey Jordan (flowergirls). Andrew was attended by BruceGwin (best man), Raymond Gwin,Derek Pennington and Richard Howard(groomsmen) and Johnny Bucci (ringbearer).

AnniversariesFort Wayne, Indiana, members

Wilmer and Gerri Beyer celebrated their72nd wedding anniversary May 31,2002. Having heard Herbert Arm-strong’s radio broadcasts in the late1950s, the couple began attending in

Kalamazoo, Michigan, in the early1960s. The Beyers owned and operateda roller skating rink for many years, andas a young man Mr. Beyer ranked eighthin the world in speed skating.

ObituariesJoseph Karuga Kihara, 60, died on

April 29, 2002, at his home in Njoro,Kenya. Joseph began suffering fromhealth problems in late 2001 and wasdiagnosed with cancer shortly before hisdeath. He was released from the hospi-tal on April 29,which allowed him to dieat home surrounded by his family.

Joseph was born at Kamunyaka Vil-lage, Kiambu District of Kenya in1942. He pursued his secondary schoolstudies in Uganda where he sat for theEast African Cambridge. In 1976,Joseph moved to Rare Location inNjoro Division of Kenya. He lovedstudying God’s Word and began attend-ing the Church in 1977 and was bap-tized in 1978. Joseph saved most of theliterature and sermon tapes that hereceived from the Church, and his fam-ily and friends have used the literatureto help establish the Joseph KiharaMemorial Library. The library willbenefit the residents of his area wish-ing to study God’s Word.

Many of Joseph’s friends remarked of

the wonderful example that he set as aChristian. He was kind and loving toeveryone that he met regardless of theirage. Some of the medical staff com-mented on his bravery and confidenceas he endured his suffering with hisremarks of “it will be alright.”

Joseph’s funeral was held on May 7and was largely attended. Eulogies weregiven by family members, neighborsand local administration officials.Church members David Gichuru,Anto-

nio Ndungu and Kurt Hoyer also spoke.He was buried next to his home.

Mary Jane Erickson, 59, of Pulaski,Wisconsin, died May 24, 2002, follow-ing a long battle with cancer. She was amember of the Oshkosh congregationand was a faithful servant of God formany years. She enjoyed reading theBible and going to Church activities. Sheenjoyed the outdoors and dancing,espe-cially polka dancing on Sunday after-noons. She is survived by her husband of38 years, Haldor; her children,Tom andhis wife, Carla, of Grand Forks, NorthDakota; and Hal and his wife, Julie, ofGreen Bay,Wisconsin. She was preced-ed in death by a son, Eugene.

Floyd Wright, Jr.,70,of Lenoir,NorthCarolina, died May 17, 2002, after ayear-long battle with cancer. He was aMarine veteran of the Korean War. He

Announcements

Marcelo Medina and Geraldine Zagal

Andrew and Heather Gwin

Kami and Eric Flavin

Kyle Walker Joseph Karuga Kihara

Bethany Margaret Holman

Gerri and Wilmer Beyer

Joel Adam Eksanow

Renea Awuor Otieno

Tribute: Sidney Smith

Sidney Earl Smith Sr., 76, of Gene-va,Alabama, died on May 24, 2002, athome after an extended illness. He andhis wife, Louise, were baptized in1964. Mr. Smith was ordained a dea-con in 1973, and his wife was ordaineda deaconess. He was ordained an elderon Feb. 16, 1991.

Mr. Smith had a reputation as amaster cabinetmaker, and was widelyknown for his professional work. Hewas also a veteran of WWII. He faith-fully served the brethren for manyyears and had a love for them andGod’s Word that was extraordinary.

His dedicated and loving wife,Louise, was his caretaker for all theyears of his illness and faithfullyserved by his side. Mr. Smith will besorely missed by not only the Genevacongregation of the United Church ofGod, but also the many brothers and

sisters he became acquainted withover the years.

Survivors include his wife of 46years, Louise Smith; one son, SidneyEarl Smith Jr. and wife, Gennia, ofGeneva; one daughter, Rhonda SmithBeam and husband Gary of Red Bay,Alabama; six grandchildren and onegreat-grandchild.

Harold Rhodes

Sidney Smith

United Church of God, an International Association UnitedNews July 2002 15

a year-long follow-up tape program (oftapes from the home office) afterreceiving the 12 Bible Study Courselessons.

6. Received a monthly tape packagefor 12 months that, over the course of ayear, will have included 12 of the Fun-damental Belief tapes and tapes of 22Good News radio programs.

The Fundamental Belief tapes cover:• God’s Purpose for Humanity.• God the Father, Jesus Christ and

the Holy Spirit.• Satan the Devil.• The Sabbath Day.• Jesus Christ’s Return.• The Church.• Sin and God’s Law.• The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.• Repentance.• Water Baptism.• The Passover.• The Festivals of God.Good News radio programs include:• A Journey to Hell.• Is the Bible Relevant?• Future Shock.• The Coming European Super-

power.

• Would Jesus Be Elected President?• Does God Exist?• The Importance of Dad.• Are You Missing Out on a Bless-

ing From God? (the Sabbath).• Are We Living in the End Time?• What Happens After Death?• The Future of Jerusalem.• The Road to Eternal Life.• The Spirit World.• What’s Wrong With Our Govern-

ment?• 4,000 Years of Christmas.• Making Life Work.• Will I Go to Heaven?• Who Will Speak for the Children?

(abortion).• What Is Your Destiny?• Can the Family Survive?• Bunnies, Easter and Jesus Christ.• Who Determines Right From

Wrong?7. At the end of this year of monthly

tape packages that has included theabove tapes, they then must havespecifically requested to receive con-tact information for the pastor and/orcongregation nearest them, or to havethe closest pastor contact them, or toreceive tapes from a congregation (orsome combination of the three) for the

local pastor to receive their names fromthe home office.

At that point they are also encouragedto participate in the Bible Reading Pro-gram and are offered a subscription toWorld News and Prophecy, which morethan 90 percent of respondents arerequesting some already receive it byvirtue of being a donor or coworker).

We think this information shouldalleviate concerns that these people aretoo new or not knowledgeable of whatwe teach. They have actually beenthrough an extensive two-year programthat has exposed them to virtually all ofour doctrines, and they have had torespond to at least five separate offersfrom us to get to the point of requestinglocal tapes. Anyone who neglected torespond to even a single one of the fiveoffers has been dropped from theprocess and never made it this far.

However, it is clear that the vastmajority do not want to be contacted bya pastor at this point. Only a few (lessthan 5 percent of those responding) arerequesting that the pastor contact them,indicating they appear not ready to takethat step at this time.

In spite of this, quite a few of thoseresponding are definitely interested in

some kind of local church contact.Almost a third have requested theaddress of the pastor and congregationnearest them, indicating they appear towant to contact the pastor or attend ser-vices in their own time frame whenthey are comfortable taking that step.Also, slightly more than half of thosewho respond are requesting tapes to besent to them from the local congrega-tion, so they definitely want to contin-ue learning about our teachings. Thisstep also provides a kind of “bridge” tohelping them learn what our servicesare like and what they might expectwhen or if they do attend.

Pastors have been encouraged toconsider sending them tapes for sixmonths or so and then give them a callto see that they want to continue receiv-ing them, ask if they have any questionsand offer to visit them sometime. Bythat time they will probably be muchmore comfortable and open to a visit,having heard the pastor speak a numberof times on various subjects.

We’d like to offer the perspective thatthese people are at this point very much“disciples” or “students” of our teach-ings. They will have already read expla-nations of most of our doctrines and

heard several dozen tapes explainingthose teachings even further.

Pastors were encouraged to send atleast two sermons or Bible studies amonth to really give these prospectivemembers some good, meaty materialto chew on. The more they have tochew on, hopefully the more they willfeel God’s calling and the need tolearn more and become a part of HisChurch.

At this point, the pastors and localcongregation are their major link withthe Church, so we wouldn’t make thislink half-hearted. They will still bereceiving The Good News, but onlyevery other month. They will stillreceive occasional letters or bookletoffers from the home office severaltimes a year, but that’s about it. Byvirtue of the congregation providing amonthly tape package, they will nowbe hearing from the local church morethan from the home office. We’dencourage making the most of that reg-ular contact.

We hope this helps explain whatwe’re trying to do with this program.We’re trying to provide highly quali-fied, highly knowledgeable “leads” forour pastors and congregations. UN

Continued from page 1

Bible Study Course Graduates: Regular Contact With Local Congregations

was baptized in June of 1969 and hadbeen a member in United the past sevenyears, attending in Hickory, North Car-olina. He was known and respected bymany in and out of the Church.

Floyd is survived by his wife, Justine;sons,David and Forrest; daughters,Patri-cia Honnicutt,Rose Harrington and RuthWright; and 14 grandchildren and fourgreat-grandchildren. He was preceded indeath by a son, Jerry Dean Wright.

Graveside services were conducted onMay 21 by James Haeffele.

Marcel Morreel, a long-time member,deacon and trustee of the United Churchof God in New Zealand, died unexpect-edly of a heart attack on May 8 at hishome in Tauranga, New Zealand. NewSouth Wales, Australia, regional pastor,Bruce Dean, who officiated at the funer-al service on May 13, spoke of Mr. Mor-reel’s faithfulness to his calling and hisservice to the Church over the years,referring to him as a man of faith. Mr.Morreel is mourned by his wife of manyyears, Dallas, five children, 13 grand-children and seven great-grandchildren.

New LookWhen picking up the May issue, the

first thing I noticed was the new look. Ithink it is a big improvement and wantyou to know I appreciate your efforts.

I’m not done reading this issue, butanxious to. I have read the lead article,GCE meeting report and “News FromAround the World.” It is wonderful tosee what God is doing around the worldto call and bless His people and to feel a

part of it. These type of articles help somuch to inspire and direct my prayers.

Pennsylvania

I’m not a UCG member—in fact,I’m currently a member of the Sev-enth-Day Adventist Church. Howev-er, I get the United News and justfinished the May issue, whicharrived the other day. Bravo on a stel-lar job of layout. It’s an excellent

product of which you should be proud.Internet

The new look on the United News isvery striking and more readable. I likethe density of the type settings, makes iteasier to read. The page layouts seemmore interesting but I haven’t taken thetime to evaluate why. Just want to passon kudos to whomever is responsible.

Minnesota

Retiring Elders’ AddressesIs there any way you could print the

addresses of those elders who are retir-ing in United News? Many peoplewould write them a note of thanks fortheir years of service if they had theaddresses available.

Texas

Although we can’t print individuals’home addresses, if you mail a card to the

person care of the United Newsaddress,we will pass them on. The names of thoseretiring were run in the May issue.

Letters

Letters may be edited for length andclarity. Comments and suggestions toimprove United News are welcome.Mail to: United News, P.O. Box541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027,or e-mail mike_bennett@ucg.org.

Tribute: Anne Teitgen

Anne was born in Tonasket, Wash-ington, April 1, 1945, as the first of sixchildren of Ivan and Edna Robinsonwhile they lived in Oroville just southof the Canadian border.

She attended school in Oroville andwas active in 4-H. Anne’s mom taughther sewing and she added to her skills in4-H. Anne perfected those skills andsewed most of her clothing during hermarried life.

She attended Ambassador College inBig Sandy, Texas, and graduated in1967. She met her husband, Herb, atcollege and they were married there onJune 30, 1968. Their son, Robert, wasborn Aug. 12, 1969, while they wereserving in the ministry in California.They moved back to Texas in 1970 towork at the college. Their daughter,Car-la, was born there June 29, 1971.

When Ambassador College closedtemporarily in 1977, the Teitgensmoved to northeast Washington state.

After working as an engineer for a yearin Colville, Washington, her husbandbegan a new career in land surveying. Atthat time they moved to a small house atSherman Creek Orchard in Kettle Falls,Washington, owned by her parents andoldest brother. They moved to Wiscon-sin Dells, Wisconsin, in the summer of1986 and then unforeseen circum-stances resulted in a move to East Texasin January of 1987.

Herb entered the full-time ministry ofthe Church of God in August of 1987and they moved again to serve churchesin Baton Rouge and Lafayette,Louisiana. They then moved to SiouxFalls, South Dakota, in January of 1990where they have continued to live. Theyhave served congregations of the Churchof God in Sioux Falls, Watertown andRapid City, South Dakota; Des Moinesand Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Omahaand Grand Island, Nebraska, during thetime they have lived in Sioux Falls.

Anne died just two days short of her34th wedding anniversary on June 25in intensive care at Sioux Valley Hospi-tal after a short but intense battle with

severe liver illness. She died faithfullytrusting God, looking to the resurrec-tion, surrounded by her loving family.

Anne was well known for her caringmanner and concern for people. Shewas well read and conversant on anynumber of secular and biblical topics.Anne was a faithful helper to her hus-band in his ministry, a devoted wife andmother and a special friend to hundredsof brethren around the world. She wasalso skilled in all the homemaking arts.

Because of Anne’s love for young peo-ple, a memorial fund has been estab-lished in her name that will help theyouth of the Church attend summer andwinter camps each year.

A memorial service was held inBrookings, South Dakota, on Friday,June 28,and was conducted by Jim Ser-vidio. During the service elders HarlanSpieker and Ken Skorseth shared spe-cial memories of Anne’s service andfriendship. Her son,Robert; brother-in-law, Fred Teitgen; and son-in-law, TomErickson,also related how they admiredand respected Anne as a Christian andfamily member. An especially touchingmoment during the service was whenher husband,Herb,sang a song by MarkGraham entitled “A Song in the Night.”Herb and Anne had worked on thissong, but had never had the chance toperform it.

Anne is survived by her husband,Herb; daughter, Carla Erickson; son,Robert; parents, Ivan and Edna Robin-son; brothers, Rich, Dave and TomRobinson; and sisters, Gayle Swagertyand Sandy Flatt.

Anne Teitgen

form if you are an elder, deacon or dea-coness and/or you give sermons and ser-monettes. Also, please complete the vol-unteer form if you are offering to help inany way and especially with the choir.

We would also encourage you tomake your reservations for accommo-dation as soon as you can as it is disap-pearing fast! Please address yourinquiries to the Tourist Information Cen-tre at Grange-over-Sands. They wouldjust need you to confirm your reserva-tions with a credit card number.

Their telephone number is +44 (0)15395 34026 and their e-mail addressis: grangetic@southlakeland.gov.uk.Just mention you are with the UnitedChurch of God.

On Friday, Oct. 20, we are planningan hour get-together service starting at8 p.m. and then on Saturday, Oct. 21, anoptional Bible study at 10:30 a.m. withthe main service at 2:30 p.m. All themeetings will in the Victoria Hall whichis on the main street of Grange-over-Sands. The entrance to the hall is thesame entrance as for the Tourist Infor-mation Centre.

John A. Jewell

Tasmania andMexico Feast Typos

The phone number for the PinesResort, site of the Feast of Tabernacles inTasmania,Australia, was incorrect in theFestival Planning Brochure. The correctnumber is +61 3 6248 6222.

For Mexico, the phone numbers of theHotel Real de Minas Guanajauto shouldbe, for reservations: +52 (473) 732-1460and +52 (473) 732-2510; fax: +52 (473)732-1508.We regret the typos and theinconvenience they caused.

Feast Moved FromChile to Argentina

The Feast of Tabernacles will not beheld in Chile this year, as previously

announced. Instead,we will be holding acombined Festival for Chile and Argenti-na in Mendoza,Argentina.

Initially we were looking for a site forthe members in Argentina. Because ofthe difficult economic situation inArgentina the members there were

NewsAt a Glance

On www.ucg.org■ See new sermon transcripts: “Who Is God?”by Tom Kirkpatrick; “Nothing but Prayer andFasting,” by Matthew Fenchel; and “Fear andTerror,” by Gary Antion.http://www.ucg.org/deafhh/transcripts.html

■ See video and audio versions of “Sept.11 in Perspective,” by Melvin Rhodes.http://www.ucg.org/RealAud/

■ See the Jan./Feb. and March/Aprilissues of La Buona Notizia now availablein PDF format on the Italian page.http://www.ucg.org/html/italiano.shtml

On vcmagazine.org■ The July Virtual Christian Magazine hasarticles on “Do You Have a Treasure?” “WhoMe? I Have Nothing to Offer,” “A Tale of TwoSisters” and “The Pain of Losing a Child.”http://vcmagazine.org

On youthmagazine.org■ The latest issue of Youth United has articleson family, living with one parent, when parentsand friends clash, getting along with brothersand sisters, managing money, questions andanswers and more.http://youthmagazine.org

Other Helpful Links■ Good News radio program site.Listen to Real Audio files of the programand see the radio log.http://www.ucg.org/radio

■ Youth and young adult site. http://ucgyouth.org

■ Singles’ Web site dedicated to items ofinterest to singles in the Church.http://www.ucgsingles.org

■ UCG Race Relations Committee site.http://www.ucgrace.org

■ Good News Bible Reading ProgramPDFs and HTML with Bible readings andcommentary.http://www.ucg.org/brp

■ Good News Web site. Sign up for e-mail notification!http://gnmagazine.org

■ Local multimedia efforts by Unitedcongregations: Tomorrow television byPortland, Oregon; Good News televisionby Beloit, Wisconsin; World News andProphecy radio by Donald Ward; and TheWorld Tomorrow on the Isle of Man.http://www.ucg.org/a/localc/multimedia.htm

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16 UnitedNews July 2002 United Church of God, an International Association

Continued from page 2

unable to come to Chile to keep the Feast as in previ-ous years. At the same time, the economic situation hasmade it possible for the members in Chile to go toArgentina. The facilities that have been opened for usprovide a better site at a lower cost than our previoussite in Chile.

Mendoza is situated in the foothills of the Andes, inthe western part of Argentina. It is actually closer toSantiago, Chile, than to Buenos Aires, Argentina. It isabout 240 miles from Santiago and can be reached byplane either from Buenos Aires or from Santiago. Forthose who prefer to go by bus the trip from Santiago toMendoza is about six hours, including the time need-ed for border crossing between Chile and Argentina.Americans do not need a visa for either Chile orArgentina, though they must have valid passports.

We will be renting buses in Chile to take the mem-bers to Mendoza. Visitors who wish to keep the Feastwith us are welcome to join us. The cost will be approx-imately $30 round trip from Santiago to Mendoza.

The members in Chile and Argentina will be housedin the Hotel Ejercito de los Andes, which will also bethe location for services. Unfortunately, this hotel is notlarge enough to accommodate our visitors. However,we have located a four-star hotel nearby, the Hotel Ibis.The cost is $20 per day for single occupancy,or $10 perday per person for double occupancy. These pricesinclude breakfast. There are also other hotels of thesame or higher category in the vicinity.

It is important that the members who have previ-ously applied to attend the Feast in Chile reconfirmtheir desire to attend the Feast in Mendoza,Argentina,since the Feast in Maitencillo,Chile,has been canceled.Those who would like to attend the Feast in Mendozaand have not applied as yet should do so immediately.We will help you as much as possible with your reser-vations. You do not need to send money for your reser-vations now, but please confirm your coming as soonas possible. You can e-mail us at www.unidachile.orgor saul_langarica@ucg.org or write to us at Casilla10384, Santiago, Chile.

Saul Langarica

Kenya Feast DetailsAnnounced

This year the Feast in Kenya will be located in Njoro.Njoro is a small town located on Kenya’s Mau Escarp-

ment of the Great Rift Valley. Njoro is located approx-imately 103 miles (167 kilometers) by road (four hoursdrive) from Nairobi. It is less than one degree south ofthe equator so temperatures are largely constantthrough the year. Njoro is situated several thousand feetabove sea level, which keeps temperatures pleasant.

All brethren attending the Feast will lodge and taketheir meals at the Agriculture Resource Center ofEgerton University, which is also the site where ser-vices will be held. All Church services will be in Eng-lish with translation into the Luo language.

Prices for food and lodging at the Feast will beapproximately $210 per person for the entire eightdays. If you would like to obtain more information,please contact David Baker at dave_baker@ucg.org.

David Baker

New Site Planned forEsquipulas, Guatemala

The brethren of El Salvador and Guatemala warm-ly invite you to join them this year in Esquipulas,Guatemala, for the Feast. Lying on the Guatemala/ElSalvador/Honduras border, Esquipulas is rarely vis-ited by American tourists. The city is a commercialand tourist center, where tourists can find many

typical local crafts. It is called “The City of Peace.”Esquipulas is located about four hours from

Guatemala City. Visitors flying to Guatemala City musttake a bus to the Feast site. It is recommended, though,that visitors fly to San Salvador, El Salvador, and trav-el with the El Salvador brethren to Esquipulas.

Most of the activities, including services, will beheld at the Hotel Posada del Cristo Negro. This hoteland two others will be available for guests. Trans-portation will be required from the other two hotels.All of the hotels have accommodations for large fam-ilies, a swimming pool, satellite TV and one has hotwater. Hotel rooms range in price from 120 to 130quetzales ($16 to $17) per night. Please see the Webpage for specific room availability and prices. All ofthe hotels offer a meal package, with a discountedprice for three meals a day at the hotel restaurant.

English translation of services will be provided.You may bring your personal headphones to use withthe receivers you will be given.

For more information, and to see pictures of thehotels in Esquipulas, please see the El Salvador con-gregation’s Web site at: www.unidaelsalvador.org.Visitors wishing to attend this site should contact Her-bert Cisneros at: herbert_cisneros@ucg.org. You canalso write to: Iglesia de Dios Unida El Salvador,Apartado Postal 2499, San Salvador, El Salvador.

Herbert Cisneros

Periodicals Postage Paid at Milford, Ohio, and atadditional mailing offices

Hotel Ejercito de los Andes inMendoza, Argentina