The nationwide advertisingcampaign in the June 2000ReaderÕs Digest brought in morethan 17,700 responses as of June30. Those who filled out the cardwill receive the special introductoryGood News issue, along with thebooklet, What Is Your Destiny?

To keep up with the number ofReaderÕs Digest cards, the homeoffice staff asked forhelp. ABC studentshave entered cardsbetween classes, alongwith volunteers fromthe Cincinnati congre-gations. On June 1 sixvolunteers drove fourplus hours fromAkron, Ohio, to entersubscription informa-tion. ÒThe help fromall involved has beenreally great!Ó said Connie Seelig,who coordinates mail processing.

Responses will continue com-ing in for years, but current respons-es are lower than projected. ÒWewould appreciate the prayers of thebrethren,Ó said Peter Eddington.

Along with the ReaderÕsDigest ad, several other promotion-al efforts are underway. Scott

Ashley, GoodNews manag-ing editor, said,ÒWe plan tolaunch our first

direct-mail effort to offer The GoodNews to more than 270,000 U.S.households. WeÕve designed twodifferent packages, one that includesan actual sample copy of The GoodNews and another that is a moreconventional direct-mail package.ÓSee page 2 for more details.

Plans were also set to reprintmore than 450,000 Good News

brochures for various distributionplans. More than half of these willbe distributed through a nationwidesupermarket display program, withthe rest distributed through localU.S. congregation and member pro-grams. Approximately 46,000 willbe printed with international officeaddresses for Canada, Australia,South Africa and the Philippines fordistribution in those areas. UNUN

United News July 2000 1

United Newsª

United Church of GodP.O. Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027

Phone (513) 576-9796, Fax (513) 576-9795

Vol. 6, No. 4JULY 2000News of the UNITED CHURCH OF GOD, an International AssociationNews of the UNITED CHURCH OF GOD, an International Association

Task Force to Meet With Churchof God, a Christian Fellowship

By unanimous agreement ofboth the UCG Council of Eldersand the Church of God, a ChristianFellowship (CGCF), elders, the twogroups have set up task forces toÒwork out the details of how wemight go about developing a closerrelationship.Ó

The news was announced inparallel postings on both groupsÕWeb sites June 3. See the letters atwww.ucg.org/a/news/ucg-cgcf.htm.

In a teleconference June 14,the UCGIA Council of Elderschose Roy Holladay (coordinator),Dennis Luker and Clyde Kiloughto interface with the task force fromthe CGCF. George Meeker (coordi-nator), Warren Zehrung andNorbert Link will represent CGCFin these discussions.

The Council agreed that theUCG task force is authorized tohave substantive talks with theCGCF task force and to report backto the Council at its September 13to 18 meetings.

ÒWe would like to solicit the

input of the members in ourefforts,Ó said Mr. Holladay. ÒAn e-mail mailbox has been establishedso that any input, potential topicsfor discussion, concerns and doctri-nal questions can be forwarded toUnitedÕs task force.Ó The e-mailaddress is holladay@lifenets.org.

ÒI hope you are as excited bythese developments as we on theCouncil are,Ó said LesMcCullough. ÒIt is something wehave been hoping for and prayingabout for some time.Ó

An initial discussion was heldwith representatives of what wasthen the Global Church of Godsome months ago. ÒWe wanted toget together to discuss the basicbeliefs and teachings held by eachgroup to identify where there iscommon ground,Ó said Mr.McCullough. In May the UCGCouncil of Elders sent the letterseeking to renew those talks.

ÒYour thoughts and, most ofall, your prayers are greatly appre-ciated,Ó said Mr. Holladay. UNUN

Good News Radio Preparing for August Launch

Ministerial Transfers AnnouncedBetween May 30 and June

2 Gary Petty recorded the firstseven programs for the newGood News radio programscheduled to be launched in mid-August. He will record six moreprograms at the home officestarting July 4.

Mr. Petty, who pastors theAustin and San Antonio, Texas,congregations, recorded the pro-grams at the home office workingwith Peter Eddington, Media andCommunications operation man-ager. ÒGaryÕs previous broadcastexperience has proved most help-ful,Ó said Mr. Eddington.

Four of the programs includeone or two segments where Mr.Petty interviews, over the tele-phone, experts on the topic beingdiscussed.

ÒThis format is proving towork very well, and our inter-viewees are actually Good Newsmagazine writers who are veryknowledgeable on each subject,Ósaid Mr. Eddington.

Final selection of radio sta-tions is almost completed.According to Mr. Eddington, someof the cities may include (subjectto change at this point): Akron,Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky;Memphis, Tennessee; NewOrleans, Louisiana; Omaha,Nebraska; Spokane, Washington;

Syracuse, New York; Wheeling,West Virginia; Wilmington,Delaware; Sacramento, California;Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Miami,Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; andHarrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Primarily, the program willair on Sunday mornings on

Major GN Promotions Underway

by Richard Pinelli

With summer here, and dueto a variety of circumstances, anumber of ministerial transfers areunderway. They include:

Roger West, who moved to

Bentonville, Ft. Smith and Mena,Arkansas, after the death of OzzieEngelbart. Replacing Mr. West inthe Cape Girardeau/Poplar Bluff,Missouri, and Paducah, Kentucky,circuit is David Johnson, who pre-viously served the Atlanta andRome, Georgia, congregations.

Dale Schurter moved fromDayton, Ohio, to serve theBethlehem, Harrisburg and Lewis-town, Pennsylvania, congregations.

We are still in the process ofreplacing Dale Schurter in Dayton.In the interim, Matthew Fenchel,Mr. McCulloughÕs assistant, willpastor there.

Also, Glen White, who pas-tored in northern Idaho andMontana, transferred to Alberta,Canada, several months ago. MarkMickelson, who pastors theSpokane and Kennewick,

IN IN THISTHIS ISSUE...ISSUE...GN Direct Mail/Q&A ................2International News....................3Youth Camps................................6UYC Volunteers in Ghana..........8Achieving Your Hopes ..................9Lessons From the Flood ............10WhatÕs the Laodicean Problem?11Want to Promote the Gospel? ..12Local Church Updates............13Announcements........................14Letters ......................................15News at a Glance ....................15WhatÕs New on the Web? ........16

Next issue: August 7, 2000

Six volunteers from Akron, Ohio, enter addresses ofnearly 2,000 people who responded to the Reader’sDigest ad at the home office June 1. They drove four

plus hours each way

Gary Petty records radio broadcast in home office conference room June 1(See ÒTRANSFERS,Ó page 8)

(See ÒRADIO,Ó page 2)

by John LaBissoniere

In early July the United Church ofGod will conduct a major campaign toanalyze the cost-effectiveness of direct-mail advertising as a means of reachingpotential subscribers for The Good News.In this test, more than 273,000 U.S.households will be offered a subscriptionto the magazine.

Approximately 50,000 of thesehouseholds will receive a clear poly-bagged package containing a samplecopy of The Good News, a letter and areply card they can return to subscribe.The balance will receive a more conven-tional direct-mail package (shown atright) with a letter, reply card and flyercontaining comments from Good Newssubscribers about how much they enjoyand appreciate the magazine.

The mailing pieces were developedby experienced direct-mail graphicdesigners and writers (who are UCGmembers) to specifically appeal to theinterests of potential subscribers.

Over the years, direct-mail market-ing has become a familiar and acceptedmeans of advertising in the UnitedStates. Many organizations, and publish-ers in particular, have found it to be anefficient way to target an audience with

their message by carefully selectinggeographic and demographic charac-teristics.

For this first campaign, we haveselected the names of current and

former subscribers toa number of publica-tions including Bib-lical ArchaeologyReview, Child Mag-azine, Economics Press, Ideals,Parenting, Parents, ReaderÕs Digest,Organic Gardening, Prevention,Saturday Evening Post, WomanÕs Dayand others.

The individuals who subscribe tothese publications match, to somedegree, the characteristics and demo-graphics of those who have subscribed toour publications in the past. Through thistest we are determining if this patternwill continue and which of these lists

will be most cost-effective forreaching new subscribers.

Test results will help us determinehow to best proceed in spreading theseeds of the gospel through this advertis-ing medium in the future. Your prayersfor the success of this campaign will bemuch appreciated. UNUN

2 United News July 2000

United NewsJuly 2000 Vol. 6, No. 4

United News (ISSN 1088-8020) is published bi-monthly by the United Church of God, anInternational Association, 5405 Dupont Circle, SuiteA, Milford, OH 45150. © 2000 United Church ofGod, an International Association. Printed in theU.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any formwithout written permission is prohibited. PeriodicalsPostage paid at Milford, Ohio 45150, and at addition-al mailing offices. Canada Post publications mailagreement number 1487167.

Editor: Peter W. Eddington

Managing editor: Mike Bennett

Copy editor: Becky Bennett

United Church of God Council of Elders:Gary Antion, Aaron Dean, Robert Dick (chairman),

Roy Holladay, John A. Jewell, Victor Kubik, Dennis Luker, Les McCullough, Burk McNair, Richard Thompson, Leon Walker, Donald Ward

President: Leslie L. McCullough

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

Subscriptions: United News is sent automatically tomembers of the United Church of God and is free to allwho request it. Your subscription is provided by thegenerous, voluntary contributions of members of theUnited Church of God, an International Association,and their co-workers. Donations are gratefully acceptedand are tax-deductible. To request a subscription, writeto United News, United Church of God, P.O. Box541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027, or to one of theinternational addresses below.

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

International addresses:

AUSTRALIA: United Church of GodÑAustralia GPO Box 535, Brisbane, Qld. 4001, AustraliaPhone: 0755 202-111 Fax: 0755 202-122

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

BRITISH ISLES: United Church of GodÑBritish Isles,P.O. Box 4052, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK13 7ZF,England. Phone: 020-8386-8467 Fax: 01257-453978

CANADA: United Church of GodÐCanada, P.O. Box144, Station D, Etobicoke, ON M9A 4X1, CanadaPhone: (416) 231-9379, (800) 338-7779 Fax: (416)231-8238

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

FRENCH-SPEAKING AREAS: �glise de Dieu UnieÑFrance, B.P. 51254, 45002 Orl�ans Cedex 1, France

GERMANY: Vereinte Kirche Gottes, Postfach 30 1509, D-53195 Bonn, GermanyPhone: 0228-9454636 Fax: 0228-9454637 E-mail gutenachrichten@compuserve.com

ITALY: La Buona Notizia, Chiesa di Dio Unita,Casella Postale 187, 24100 Bergamo, ItalyPhone: 0039-035583474 Fax: 0039-035582140

MAURITIUS: The Good News, P.O. Box 53, QuatreBornes, Mauritius

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 4774,MCPO, 1287 Makati City, PhilippinesPhone: (+63-82) 241-0733; (+63-2) 728-5952

SOUTHERN AFRICA: United Church of God,Southern Africa, P.O. Box 2209, Beacon Bay, EastLondon 5205, South Africa. Phone/Fax: 043 748-1694

SPANISH-SPEAKING AREAS: United Church ofGod, P.O. Box 458, Big Sandy, TX 75755, U.S.A.Phone: (903) 636-4928

TONGA: United Church of GodÐTonga, P.O. Box 127,NukuÕalofa, Tonga

Internet access on your computer:The United Church of God, an InternationalAssociation, has a home page on the InternetÕs WorldWide Web. The address http://www.ucg.org gives youaccess to general information and news about theChurch, issues of The Good News and United News, aswell as our booklets. The address http://www.ucg.caaccesses the ChurchÕs Canadian Web site,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 Website and http://www.ucg.org.ph the Philippines Website.

Good News Being Promoted by Direct Mail

Q. What is the UCGIAÕs teachingabout members marrying nonmembers?

A. We believe that one should marrywithin the faith, that a converted person(that is, one who is baptized, having thegift of GodÕs Holy Spirit) should marryanother converted person.

While there may be some differencesin approach between two people who areboth in the faith, the number of differencesincreases greatly when one goes outsidethe faith. Before an individual makes thedecision to marry outside the faith,thought needs to be given to how he or shewill live with those differences. How willthe family work out the keeping of GodÕsfestivals vs. the worldly holidays? Howwill the finances be managed in relation-ship to tithing? What will the children betaught? Can a member continue to wor-ship God in the manner to which he or she

has been called, without opposition orargument?

All aspects of compatibility areimportant and need to be maturely consid-ered by people considering marriage. Inthe flush of romance, a couple might betempted to minimize a lack of compatibil-ity in religion. However, experience showsthis area of marriage is one of the mostcrucial, and one which can enhance anenduring marriage relationship or cause amarriage to fail.

In all matters, each individual isresponsible and accountable for his orher actions. Inasmuch as we do not findthe early Church expelling members formarrying outside the faith, neither dowe. Rather, if after counsel and cautionfrom the ministry, the individual stilldesires to marry outside the faith, theChurch takes no punitive action (unless

other aggravating circumstances arepresent).

After careful examination of thescriptural instructions given by God, it isclear that the chosen and called of God areexpected by Him to seek to marry onlywithin the faith. While we do not deny thatthere are cases of interfaith marriages thathave succeeded, the weight of experiencedown through the years points out the wis-dom of the biblical instructions.Experience also points out the many pit-falls of ignoring those instructions.Therefore, it is the teaching of the UCGIAthat members seek to marry only withinthe faith.

For further information, see ÒWhat DoesPaul Mean by Unbeliever in 1 Corinthians?Óin the January 2000 United News, on the Webat www.ucg.org/articles/nb/un0001.html#17.

Cecil E. Maranville

Q&A: Members Marrying Nonmembers

news/talk station formats. Telephoneresponse will be handled at the homeoffice using a new toll-free number. JohnLaBissoniere, an employee of the Churchwho will be moving to the home office,will supervise member volunteers inanswering these calls. Mr. LaBissoniere

has also been taking care of radio timebuying, as well as working closely withScott Ashley on Good News circulationand member participation programs.

Mr. Petty is excited about the GoodNews radio program. ÒI appreciate thecourage of Mr. McCullough and theCouncil in moving forward while there

are still many unknowns,Ó he said.ÒWeÕd certainly appreciate your

prayers for the success of this new broad-cast effort,Ó said Mr. Eddington. ÒWe donot know what to expect as far as publicresponse goes, and this will be a good testof this medium, which is new to us here atUnited.Ó UNUN

ÒRADIO,Ó (Continued from page 1)

by Peter Hawkins

At the February council meeting of theUnited Church of God, Southern Africa, Iwas asked to travel to Mauritius to visit ourfour brethren there. The trip took place twoweeks before Passover. Here is a brief travel-ogue compiled from e-mails I sent to mywife, Sonja.

On the way to Mauritius our planepassed the cloud mass of cyclone HuldahÑitwas huge, with thunder clouds towering milesabove us. We also flew over the Mozambiquefloods. Devastation was easily seen even from11,000 meters (36,000 feet) up.

I landed at about 3 p.m. April 7 and wentthrough customs quite quickly. Fridayevening, after finishing some shoppingbefore the Sabbath, Suren Proag and I wentto Port Louis, the capital, for a walk aroundthe new waterfront area. There are a numberof international companies here, like Spur,KFC, NandoÕs, Spar, WoolworthÕs and soon aMcDonaldÕs.

On Sabbath morning, we had a studyand Q&A session at Mr. ProagÕs house. Fiveof us were present: Jen Sooknah,Bathmanaden Munian, Mr. Proag, ClencyMontezuma and myself. It was good to seethem again, and we covered scriptures thatshowed the prophesied problems in theChurch, and discussed enduring to the end.Loneliness each Sabbath is a problembecause the members here are scattered overa wide area and hardly get to see each other.They made plans to try to meet every twoweeks in membersÕ houses.

I was entertained by several of the mem-bers. ItÕs wonderful how the Mauritians getby on comparatively little income but alwaysseem to have enough to be very hospitable.

Sunday morning an associate of theChurch arrived, and we talked about theChurch and a problem with a relative. Peoplein Mauritius can be strongly affected by fam-ily and cultural pressures. It takes a strongwill to swim upstream against traditions andphilosophies that dominate Mauritian soci-etyÑ70 percent of the people have a non-Christian background.

Monday was an office day. During theday, I was sticking on labels and insertingGNs and booklets that needed to be sent out.

Tuesday we dropped all the mail at thePort Louis post office after planning out theremaining time. There are a few things Icould do to help Mr. Proag organize thedeveloping mailing list, and plan for anadvertisement in a couple of the newspapers.

Heading up north, we stopped at a tradeexhibition being organized by the Mauritiusand U.S. governments. There wasnÕt suffi-cient time to go to one, but I noticed two pre-sentations on e-commerce and how it willaffect business here. Mauritius is well placed,

technologically, to be a center for communi-cations development.

At lunch, we sat at a table next to a mid-20s Mauritian who had been answering ques-tions at the DHL courier stand at the tradefair. We talked about the family and theimportance of values, and the end result is wewill be sending her a sample Good News andthe booklet, Making Life Work.

We stopped at the Merville Hotel andvisited the little hall below the guest roomswhere we had services for the Feast in 1984.

Wednesday was used up creating aGood News advertisement and building astructure for the mailing list. I met with Mr.Munian in the afternoon. He came up withsome ideas on how to get some momentumgoing here.

Mr. Proag is the only member with acomputer. It was very useful to keep in con-tact with my family, and communicate withthe home office on possible ways to handlethe expected responses to the advertisements.We also needed a way to maintain a mailinglist which could grow to 2,000 quite quickly.

On Thursday, Mr. Proag took time toshow me some of the southern part ofMauritius. We looked down on the azure bluewaters within the circle of coral. The whitesurf breaking over the coral, and the deepblue ocean beyond, made me realize what an

island paradise this could be. We visited thevolcano crater near Curepipe before going tothe SooknahÕs to have tea with them, theirson-in-law, Bugsy (who comes from India byway of Hong Kong), and their daughter,Shalini. They all send their love.

On Friday morning we traveled to theairport and reviewed the visit. Suren Proagwas a very good host, and I can recommendhis home-cooked Mauritian dishes!

It is wonderful to have brethren in somany diverse places, but they do really needour prayers. They are often isolated, andministerial visits are rare. LetÕs pray that Godwill encourage them with good results fromthe upcoming advertisements and with awarm relationship between these scattered,faithful few. UNUN

United News July 2000 3

Minister Visits Brethren in Mauritius

The Council of UCG, Southern Africa,met in Johannesburg May 27 and discussedprogress in doing the Work as well as ideasfor serving young people.

Council members Jorge De Campos andRoy Demont have been charged with formu-lating an annual program for the young peo-ple in the region. Quite a number of sugges-tions were put forward by council members.

Young people, parents and other Churchmembers were encouraged to give sugges-tions as to what activities they would like tosee organized for young people during theFeast as well as at other times during the year.

Minette Wallis and Michael Roberg ofJohannesburg were chosen to be sponsored toattend Camp Woodmen in the U.S.Congratulations were also extended toMichelle De Campos of Johannesburg whohas been accepted to attend ABC next year.

For the May/June issue there were 1,227regular subscribers to The Good News. Thenumber of subscribers is increasing at about130 to 140 per month. The GN also goes tomembers in church areas (170 copies), outly-ing members (23) and waiting rooms (800).That makes a total of more than 2,200. Thegoal is 4,000 by the end of February 2001.

Peter Hawkins contacted Radio Pulpitabout the possibility of broadcasting to South

African audiences. Unfortunately RadioPulpit requires any would-be broadcaster to

sign a statement agreeing to the doctrine ofthe Trinity. But Mr Hawkins will continue toexplore other radio opportunities as well asmeeting with a representative of ReaderÕsDigest to discuss possible advertisements.

The Web site is proving to be an inex-pensive means of advertising our literature,and possible enhancements were discussed.The council also decided to expand the wait-ing room disribution.

Chairman Andr� van Belkum reportedthat he and Victor Kubik will be visiting

Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi during July.(We hope to report on this next issue.) Healso mentioned the Zimbabwean brethren arefeeling increasingly threatened as the politi-cal situation continues to deteriorate.

The treasurer reported that UCG,Southern Africa, is in a very satisfactory posi-tion after the uncertainty of the last 18months. In addition, there has been a notice-able increase in donor income. UNUN

International News...

Southern Africa Focuses on Doing the Work, Serving Youth

Jorge De Campos leads the teens and young singles in an open-air Bible study on May 27

World Tomorrow Airson Shortwave Radio

In addition to broadcasting The WorldTomorrow program twice a week on ManxRadio (AM and FM), the United Church ofGodÑBritish Isles is now airing the programtwice a week on a major shortwave radio sta-tion beamed into Europe and Africa. It beganairing June 10, and will air Saturdays at 2p.m. London time and Tuesdays at 6:15 p.m.Longon time. These are on station WWCR at15.685 meters on the 19 meter band.

Further opportunities in radio are open-ing to us and we are taking advantage ofthese as God makes it possible.

The advertisement in the SwedishReaderÕs Digest appeared in the May editionand we are now receiving responses to it.

John A. Jewell

Background onMauritius

Mauritius is an island 36 miles longand 28 miles wide in the Indian Ocean about1,200 miles northeast of Durban, SouthAfrica. The population is about 1.2 million,with one of the highest population densitiesin the world. Indians (Hindus and othergroups) make up more than 50 percent, withMuslims 16 percent, Chinese 2 percent,Europeans (mostly French) 2 percent and

creoles the rest. The term creole designatesthose of African or mixed origins.

The official language is English, butFrench is used in most newspapers and onradio and TV. However the language spokenby virtually everyone is a patois called cre-ole derived mainly from French.

Mauritius enjoys a rather good econo-my through diversified industrialization.

The first minister to visit was GeraldWaterhouse in March 1965.

Surendra Proag

by Arnold Hampton and Kingsley Mather

The Church in the Caribbean regioncontinues forward movement.

May 15 to 23 Arnold Hampton andKingsley Mather traveled to severalregions of Guyana, an Amerindian villagein Brazil near the Guyana border and sev-eral islands of the Caribbean.

This was the most stimulating, hum-bling and encouraging trip of our min-istry in serving brethren in the Church ofGod. We have been reassured that there ismuch work to be done. The trip wasrevealing as well as inspiring.

We arrived in Guyana around 7:20p.m. Monday, May 15. Our firstencounter was with immigration and for afew minutes we wondered if they weregoing to let us into the country. One of ushad to go outside and find our host, ClydeChinian, a little man with a big heart! Mr.Chinian came in and within a few min-utes we were cleared by immigration.

Mr. Chinian grew up in the Church.His wifeÕs name is Janet and they haveone son, Edmond. He contacted the homeoffice after the Feast of Tabernacles 1999saying, Òwe would be very appreciative ifyou could send a minister for the Feast ofTabernacles 2000. Also we would bedelighted if members could visit us herein Rupununi for the Feast. I do requestthat you send your literature, also audio-and videocassettes, so I could share itwith other members and coworkers. Weare starving for spiritual food.Ó

The Church in Guyana, like otherparts of the world, is still splintered,but there are many brethren who areholding fast to the truth of God.

Guyana Visits and Finalizing Plans

On Tuesday we visited theAmerindian Affairs Department torequest permission to visit WowettaVillage, North Rupununi, andAwarewaunau, South Rupununi. (Thegovernment requires permission tovisit the Amerindian villages to avoidthem being taken advantage of.)

We also applied to the BrazilEmbassy for visas to visit Muskou,Brazil, to meet with interested brethrenthere.

That evening we had a friendly visitwith a couple in East Coast, Demerara.The husband was a deacon, but they arenot currently associated with any Churchof God group.

The next day we collected the visasfor Brazil, then made several visits tolong-time members of the Church ofGod. We met an elder in the Church ofGod who is not affiliated with any groupat this time. The family was warm and

friendly and we discussed some of thehistory of the Church in Guyana. We alsovisited Lloyd Dexter and family. He is aJamaican and his wife is part Amerindian.They are farmers and live off the land.They have been affiliated with theChurch for some time, but were not fullyaware of all that has happened since thedeath of Herbert W. Armstrong. Becausethey lived so far from Georgetown, theydid not have much fellowship withbrethren. We spent about two hours withthem and arranged to meet them again.

Then we visited the Gibson family.We spent most of the time talking with asingle son who is a lumberjack and hasbeen affiliated with the Church for sometime.

On Thursday we finalized plans forour visit to the interior of Guyana andBrazil.

We also visited with Richard (ourdriver), his sister and a friend who isinterested in the Good News magazine.

We also met with a person who hashad contact with the Church of God formany years. He expressed interest in hav-ing regular meetings of Good News sub-scribers in that area and is being added tothe sermon tape program.

To the InteriorOn Friday we left at 4:30 a.m. to

catch a 6 a.m. flight to Lethem, CentralRupununi. We flew above mountainousterrain to the interior of Guyana.

A deacon in the Church of God whois working withbrethren in SouthRupununi was sup-posed to meet us inLethem and then trav-el with us to Muskou,Brazil, where wewould spend Fridayevening and theSabbath. However, itwas the rainy seasonand there was flood-ing in SouthRupununi so the dea-con did not show up.

So instead weleft most of our luggage at the home ofClyde Chinian and boarded a truck for thethree-hour trip to Wowetta Village, AnnaiDistrict, North Rupununi. It was a ruggedtrip. The road was bad and we all had toget out of the truck twice so that the vehi-cle could cross large holes in the road.

We stopped at the Rock View Lodgein Annai at around 5 p.m. and madearrangements to spend the night there andhave dinner. Then we drove about fivemiles up the road to Wowetta Village tomeet our first Amerindian family.

This was one of the highlights of ourtrip. If we did not get to meet any other

brethren, this first visit in the interior wasworth the trip. We approached the home ofa family and saw a woman in her 30s hold-ing a young baby. We introduced ourselvesand her face expressed great delight.

This was Judith Moses, formerlyTorres. She was elated to see us andbegan to relay her story. In 1984 Judithcame across a publication of the Church.The family made contact with theChurch and began to receive numerouspublications in 1985. She showed us acopy of one of the booklets from thoseearly years and you could see that it waswell used.

Her father was a schoolteacher andthey began to keep the Sabbath. It almostbrought tears to my eyes as she describedhow they prepared and kept the weeklySabbath for many years. They did alltheir cooking and other preparationbefore sundown Friday. They would notlight any fire on the Sabbath but dutifullyobeyed what they understood. They keptthe Sabbath studying the Bible and herfather read from Church literature. Thefamily never met a minister from theChurch, but they continued to hold fast towhat they understood. Then her fathermoved away from the village and theylost contact with the Church.

She felt a void because she had lostcontact with what she knew was the truth.We were the first ministers of the Churchthat they had seen. We talked with her forsome time, then stopped for a brief visitwith her mother, Mrs. Torres.

Sabbath morning we met again withMrs. Moses, her mother (Mrs. Torres),her brother and the children. We askedthem to present their questions and weanswered them from about 8:30 untilaround 11:30 a.m. We hope to return tothe village after the rainy season so thatwe can conduct baptism counseling.

Brazil VisitsOn Sunday we went to the river that

separates Guyana from Brazil and took aferry for about a five-minute trip to theBrazil side of the river. Then we took atruck for the three-hour drive to Muskou,Brazil. The village is about eight milesfrom Guyana, but the road is in bad con-dition so we had to take a longer route.

The brethren in Muskou wereexpecting us on Friday so most of themwere in their fields. A meeting wasarranged for later that afternoon. Whenwe arrived the group was all eager tomeet us and began the meeting by singingseveral welcome songs in their nativelanguage.

Then the leader, Robert Mateue deSilva, spoke to us in English giving us ahistory of the group. The group in Brazilstarted small and is growing. Their leaderwas baptized in 1993 in Guyana. He is, asmost in the southern part of Guyana are,Amerindian. He migrated to Brazil in1997 and asked a deacon who serves thebrethren in South Rupununi if he couldstart a service in Brazil. After being givenpermission, he started with three peoplein his village of Muskou.

We had a Sunday evening gatheringto answer their questions and explainabout the United Church of God. Therewere at least 35 in attendance, not count-ing the five in our traveling party. Sincethere were several others who could notcome, they could have over 40 attendingweekly. We presented them with numer-ous booklets, the March/April Good

4 United News July 2000

Ministers Visit Guyana, Brazil and the Caribbean

Judith (Torres) Mosesand Clyde Chinian in

Guyana (photo byArnold Hampton)

The group in Muskou, Brazil (photos byArnold Hampton)

News, hymnals, a CD player and CDswith the hymns.

Two families came from another vil-lage 75 miles away. They took a bus tothe nearest town and had to walk ninehours to get to the village of Muskou.They came because they wanted to bebaptized. It was sobering when one ofthem asked a simple question, ÒCan I askGod to bless unclean meat?Ó The reasonfor that question is that during their dryseason they have very little food and inhis words, Òwe starve.Ó

We met on Sunday evening for near-ly three hours, and met again on Mondaymorning from 7 to 11. On Monday weanswered questions, blessed 14 childrenand counseled 10 for baptism. They also

wanted us to perform a wedding.They are eager to learn and

need our help in several areas.When we met late Sundayevening using flashlights andcandles, they asked if we couldhelp them purchase a solar panelso that they can have electricity so thatthey can hold evening meetings.

They held a Feast last year and deeplydesire to have someone come this year sothat they can be taught not only how tokeep these days, but their meaning as well.Mr. Hampton is considering visiting themfor a day or two during the Feast.

The visit to Muskou certainly wasalso a high point in our trip. We have a lotof work to do and God has led anothergroup of His people to join hands with usin becoming a part of the United Churchof God. We should give God glory forallowing us to be able to visit and helpour Church family in Brazil.

Monday night we held a Bible studyfor the three adults in Lethem (Mr.ChinianÕs wife could not attend becauseof their baby). We entertained questionsand fellowshipped for about two hours.

Mr. Hampton returned to George-town on Tuesday because he had a 6 a.m.flight to Barbados the following day. Mr.Mather was supposed to go to SouthRupununi to visit brethren there since his

flight was 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.Unfortunately, because of the heavy rain,the southern portion of the trip was can-celled, but at least one of us will visit thatarea after the rainy season.

Stops in the CaribbeanMr. Hampton stopped in Barbados

afterwards and Mr. Mather went toTrinidad hoping to meet some GoodNews subscribers. They had not receivedthe letter, but Mr. Mather got to spendquite a bit of time with the cab driver whodrove him in January. Since he has beenreading our literature, he has stoppedattending the church he used to be affili-ated with, and asked about baptism. Hehas been added to the cassette sermon

tape program.While in Trinidad

Mr. Mather arranged toplace two advertisementsin one of the local news-papers. We had a goodresponse from our adsfor What Happens AfterDeath? and the GoodNews magazine that wereplaced in January, so feltit would be good to run

the ads again.Please pray

that God will openminds in Trinidadso that we canhave a representa-tive there and pre-pare for the workthat God will doin Trinidad in thefuture.

Mr. Matherflew to Dominicaon May 26 andspent Friday andSabbath there.

There were 10 in attendance on theSabbath, including a medical student whois attending a U.S. Medical UniversitySchool in Dominica.

We had an ordination on the Sabbath.Maxwell Victor was the first deacon to beordained in UCG in the Caribbean. It wasvery encouraging for the group inDominica. Mr. Victor is a dedicated long-time member of the Church who returnedto Dominica after spending many years inthe United Kingdom. He is retired but iskept busy with a chicken farm, assistinghis wife with their business and helpingwith the Work of the Church.

Looking back, this trip was one ofthe most humbling experiences we haveever had. These are GodÕs people andeven with our limited resources we haveto reach out to them.

Please pray for our brethren in thesefar-flung areas. They may not have thematerial things that we have, but they areGodÕs people and need our help material-ly and prayers for God to bless themphysically and spiritually. UNUN

United News July 2000 5

Bible study in Muskou, Brazil.Right, Robert Mateue de Silva,leader of the group in Muskou(photos by Arnold Hampton)

Germany and Holland Report Good News

Canadian Council Meets in Toronto

The March-April issue of the German-language version of The Good News (GuteNachrichten) was mailed to 2,874 sub-scribers in mid-March, a 10.8 percentincrease over the previous issue.

The May-June issue was mailed to2,944 subscribers in mid-May, a 2.4 percentincrease over the previous issue.

Since early December 1999 over 1,000subscribers have been dropped from themailing list after failing to renew their sub-scription. In that period more than 1,000 newsubscribers have been added, mainly fromthe advertising campaign in the health foodmagazine Schrot & Korn. The normal small-space ad running in Schrot & Korn sinceJanuary has resulted in 825 responses so farat a cost per response of US$6.38. The spe-cial insert card promotion in the March issueof the magazine brought 515 responses at acost per response of US$4.29.

At UCG-GermanyÕs invitation, homeoffice employee and elder Matthew Fenchelvisited Germany for the Spring Festival sea-son. He spoke on the First Day ofUnleavened Bread in Schriesheim nearHeidelberg at a combined service of theRuesselsheim and Stuttgart congregations.On the weekly Sabbath during the Spring

Feast Mr. Fenchel spoke at the first regularSabbath service (previous meetings had beenin a Bible study format) of the newly reorga-nized United Church of God-Holland. Therewere 23 people from Holland and 9 guestsfrom Germany present. On the Last Day ofUnleavened Bread he spoke in the Dormagencongregation near Cologne.

The Holy Day offering on the first daywas 9.8 percent higher than last year, and onthe seventh day was 8.1 percent less.

UCG-HollandÕs new Web site is nowup and running. Check it out at www.ucg-holland.nl. The framework for the site wasborrowed from UCG Australia and pre-pared in the Dutch language by UCG-Holland treasurer Marcos Rosales. (TheUCG-Germany Web site will be updatedsoon, using the same framework.)

UCG-GermanyÕs ninth booklet, TheBible: Truth or Legend? was sent to the print-er in May. The booklet How to UnderstandProphecy is scheduled to be printed in July.

UCG-Germany editorial staff memberJesmina Allaoua is learning how to use theQuark XPress typesetting software. Her firstproject is to help typeset lesson 1 of theGerman-language Bible Study Course.

Paul Kieffer

The Canadian National Council met inToronto, Ontario, from June 14 to 16. Twoguests were in attendance: Paul Luecke whopastors the Winnipeg, Manitoba, congrega-tionÑa seven-hour drive from his home inNorth Dakota, and Paul Wasilkoff, the ucg.caWeb master.

Ed van Pelt gave an update on theCanadian office. One exciting developmentis having two booklets in French to offer.Another encouraging trend is an increase inboth donors and church attendance.

The Council heard concise updatesabout each of the congregations in Canada. Itbecame obvious that one of the biggest needscontinues to be additional manpower.

The Ethics/Finance Committee chair-man, Larry De Long, asked Church accoun-tant, Kevin Ford, to discuss the current finan-cial projection. The committee also advisedthe Council on their progress in formulatinga member appeal procedure.

The Strategic Planning Committee hasbegun work on the plan for 2001/2002.

The Governance Committee submittednames of people who could be appointed tothe Amendment Committee. The Councildecided to appoint Michael Erickson of thePrince George, British Columbia, congrega-tion and Kevin Ford of the Toronto congre-gation to serve along with Barney Kerrighanof the Lethbridge, Alberta, congregation.John Howard from the Sussex, NewBrunswick, congregation is the alternate.

Since the Internet is becoming such animportant resource for so many, the Councilhas begun to look at ways to better use it.Paul Wasilkoff, the Canadian Web master,

gave some input. Recently added to theCanadian Web page were two booklets inFrench. People can either read them on-lineor order a hard copy. A section of sermontapes in audio and video format is anotherrecent addition. Other plans for the nearfuture are to begin to add a French version ofthe whole site. He explained how putting adson different search engines has increased theactivity for our Web site. He would like tohave more involvement from members whocould post ads on different search enginesand who could check that information foreach congregation is up-to-date.

On Friday evening the Council, officestaff and area elders were invited to dinner atthe Wasilkoff residence. There a televisionprogram produced for Canada by GalenMorrison was reviewed. Various options forairing the program are under consideration.

On the Sabbath, Robert Berendt, PaulLuecke and Ed van Pelt drove to Ottawa tospeak. In Toronto, just under 300 letters hadbeen sent out to subscribers and donors in thearea inviting them to attend an open houseSabbath service. At least three new peopleattended services that day to hear Glen Whiteand Rainer Salomaa speak.

On Sunday morning a pocket confer-ence was conducted for the elders and guestsin the Toronto area. Eric Livermore present-ed a session on how temperament can affectgroup dynamics. Robert Berendt spoke aboutparenting and grandparenting skills. PaulLuecke talked about summer camps andRainer Salomaa discussed writing for UnitedNewsÑCanada.

Anthony and Linda Wasilkoff

6 United News July 2000

The second Philippine youth campdrew 54 participants (35 teens and 19 staffmembers) May 21 to 28 for the first part ofÒA View From the Peak.Ó Activities consist-ed of Christian living classes, basic first aid,dance, orienteering, knot-tying, riflery,mountaineering and wilderness skills. Theworkshops offered were art illustration, com-munications, cooking and baking, organicfertilizer production and Web-page design.

For the evenings, campers enjoyed nov-elty games, a movie night with pizza and icecream, an etiquette dinner, an interactive ses-sion on relationships, another open forum onbiblical and doctrinal questions, and finally adance night with a couple of song and dancenumbers by the campers.

During the middle of the camp, campersand staff packed their bags and embarked ona six-hour boat cruise around the tropicalisland paradise of Samal. Staying on theisland for the night, the campers enjoyedswimming and fellowship on white-sandbeaches.

One special activity was the confidencecourse, which was constructed by thecampers themselves, under the supervision of

staff members. They went through sever-al old tires suspended from a huge treebranch, scaled a 9-foot high wall, crosseda narrow beam elevated about 2 feet fromthe ground, navigated over more tires laidflat on the ground, crawled under a longrow of plastic chairs with plastic cupsfilled with cold water on top, and thenfinally crossed a 30-foot long rope sus-pended about 10 feet above the ground.

Another special activity was the trea-sure hunt, where each dorm of campershad to apply the knowledge they gainedfrom the orienteering class to get to the hid-den treasureÑa pack of chocolates hiddenunder a bush. (The girls got their first!)

After breakfast on the Sabbath, thecampers had a ÒBible Bowl,Ó then a campBible study, followed by more fellowshiptime. After the afternoon service, the campersvisited each otherÕs dorms in the OpenHouse.

The next day, May 28, it was time to saygoodbye. The closing and awarding cere-monies were held after breakfast. About halfof the campers went home that day. The otherhalf stayed and prepared for part 2: a four-day

mountain-climbing adven-ture to commence the nextday. Altogether 17 campersand 13 staff members partic-ipated in the challengingascent to the highestPhilippine peak, Mt. Apo,towering 10,311-feet abovesea level. The journey was achallenging one with thecold, the rain, the mud and the river cross-ings, but the enthusiasm remained high. Andon May 31, at about 10 a.m., they conqueredthe peak and enjoyed a most spectacular

view! After all, thetheme for this yearÕscamp was ÒA ViewFrom the Peak.ÓÒThe PeakÓ refers tothe summit of Mt.Apo. But moreimportantly, ÒThePeakÓ represents ourultimate goalÑtheKingdom of GodÑ

and the narrow and difficult Way leading upto itÑthe way that works and which hadbecome a daily reality at camp.

Daniel Macaraeg

Campers Conquer PhilippinesÕHighest Peak

Above, all the campers and coun-selors at the Philippine camp;

right, Meryl Lynn Macaraeg cross-ing a 30-foot rope 10 feet abovethe ground (photos by Jay Belga)

Campers from 16 states completedeight enriched days of activities and educa-tion at Pinecrest Camp in Southern Missourion June 15. Along with 51 dedicated staffmembers from 17 different states, most

campers departed wishing the camp wouldlast longer. Because the majority of our con-gregations have few young people, campgives our teens one of the few opportunitiesto fellowship and learn along with their peers.

Unique to camp this yearwas a double Sabbath, sincePentecost fell during the session.Many wondered how the teenswould react and howthey would be keptinterested in spirituallessons for two fulldays. However, threeseminars, four splitsermons, Bible base-ball, Bible charadesand a Bible scav-enger hunt kept the

campers so busy, the staff later wondered ifwe should not have given campers more rest.

Also unique to somecampers was the experience ofan undesired close call withlightning. Striking only 30 feetaway with a 50,000 degreeFahrenheit heat bolt (the sun is30,000 degrees) the explosiveconcussion knocked fivecampers to the ground. For more

details, see ÒCampers See GodÕs Power onCanoe TripÓ (next page) andhttp://cgca.net/pinecrest2000. All of us gavethanks to God for His protection.

Another new experience for Pinecrest

was campers starting the day with a spiritualcompass check, a concept borrowed from the

Teton Challenger Camp, andending the day with an inter-active Bible study. Ministersbegan the study with a ques-tion to the campers. After thecampers answered to the sat-isfaction of the ministry (usu-ally after three responses), thecampers asked the ministry aquestion. At times, only twoquestions were completedbefore the 45 minute-plussession ended.

Dates for Pinecrest nextyear are June 12 through June 21, 2001. Forthe sake of planning, we urge parents andcampers to apply early since 75 percent of allwho applied this year were after the deadline.

Greg Sargent

101 Campers Enjoy Pinecrest

by Dave Treybig

The summer of 2000 marks UnitedYouth CampÕs first request for AmericanCamping Association (ACA) accreditation.During this season, four of our seven summercamps will receive official visits from ACApersonnel. If all goes according to plan, weexpect all eight of our camps (seven summercamps, plus one winter camp) to be designat-ed as ÒACA accreditedÓ this fall.

Preparations for these official visitsbegan almost two years ago when the campteam made the commitment to seek this cre-dentialing. Accreditation means that campsare being run in a professional manner.Special attention is given to safety and select-ing properly credentialed instructors. Eachcamp began implementing the necessary

standards and preparing documentation. Toassist this process, last summer four UYCteam members visited each of our camps andrated them according to each ACA standard.All of our camps successfully completedbetween 86 and 93 percent of the standards.

Last fall, UYC team members met at thehome office to review the camp season andACA progress. A list of all missed standardswas compiled and a strategy developed forhelping camps meet the most often missedpoints. Over the winter, documentation that iscommon to all camps was prepared, put ondiskettes and distributed to each camp direc-tor. Each camp then simply had to modify thedocumentation as needed and make sureactivity leaders had their required credential-ing. With these preparations, we believe ourcamps are well prepared for the visits.

Four of our campsÑOakhurst, Carter, McKenzieand HeritageÑwere selectedby the ACA to receiveaccreditation visits. MaryHelen Franko, the ACA stan-dards chair of the Texomaregion (Texas and Okla-homa), will combine all ofthe visits onto one score-sheet. If all four of the campsbeing visited comply with astandard, we will get a ÒyesÓon that standard. If one ormore of our camps misses astandard, our scoresheet will get a ÒnoÓ forthat standard. Even though this approachmakes it more challenging to score 80 per-cent or better (the minimum score for accred-itation), the benefit is that all our camps willbe accredited if these four camps compile apassing score.

In addition to the official visits to the four

camps, UYC personnel will visit and scorethe other campsÑPinecrest, Woodmen,Challenger and Winter Camp. ACA standardsare challenging, but worth the effort. OuryouthÑthe future of the ChurchÑdeservewell-run, quality programs. Hopefully, thisfall we will be able to say, ÒUnited YouthCamps are ACA accredited.Ó UNUN

United News July 2000 7

American Camping Association to Visit Four Camps

by Larry W. Greider

One of the highlights of CampPinecrest, one of the United Youth Campslocated near Fredericktown, Missouri, is the17-mile river trip down the beautiful andsometimes fickle Black River. Since the riveris fed from underwater aquifers andsprings, its waters are cold, clean andfilled with fish, turtles and other aquaticcreatures, even the occasional snake.

On Monday, June 12, 53 camperswith their counselors and six members ofthe canoeing staff put in near Lesterville,Missouri, for one of the more adventure-some trips in recent years. In the last fiveyears, many stories have been told aboutthe excitement of negotiating the tightturns and learning to improvise to avoidthe many obstacles that appear in the fastmoving current. Depending upon rainfall,the water level can vary considerably.

This trip began in routine fashion withthe orientation by the canoeing departmenthead, Mike Blackwell, and the organizationof the campers into six different ÒpacksÓ ofcanoes, each led by an experienced guide andmember of the canoe staff. This competentstaff collectively brought over 100 years ofcanoe experience to the camp program.

After lunch on the river and a couple ofstops to enjoy some frolicking in the riverand exploring a cave, the group headed downthe river, enjoying a beautiful summer day.Suddenly the skies grew dark and rumblingsof thunder began to reverberate through thedistant forests. It wasnÕt long before somelightning was seen in the distance and forsafety measures, the group was ushered offthe river to seek shelter away from the highground and the water. After additional safetyinstruction in accordance with AmericanCamping Association standards, the packs ofcanoes led by their respective staff membersheaded down river with renewed determina-tion to get to the rendezvous point where they

would be picked up for the trip back to camp.Late in the day, more lightning was seen

and as Michele Zollner, senior canoe staffmember, blew the whistle to head for shelteraway from the lake, a bolt of lightning hit atree above the river not far from the leadpack. The sonic boom-like explosion startled

everyone. The sound concussion knockedseveral campers to the ground but thankfully,no one was directly struck or seriouslyinjured. Before proceeding on the trip,campers and staff joined in prayer to thankGod for His protection.

The next morning this adventure wasrehearsed in a short Bible study, calledÒCompass CheckÓ in the camping program.Camp director Greg Sargent focused on thepower of God and the divine protection Hehas so richly supplied to His people. Mr.Sargent, who is also certified in WildernessFirst Aid, taught the camp about lightningand the power of God. Using the example ofJob from the Old Testament, he assuredeveryone that God has power over theÒprince of the power of the airÓ and limits thethreats and attacks of Satan.

This experience reminded everyone thatcamp is a powerful workshop in buildinglifelong friendships and learning importantlessons of life. The journey down the BlackRiver will be an adventure remembered for along time. UNUN

Campers See GodÕs Power on Canoe Trip

Larry Greider and Dave Treybig, members of the UYC visitingteam, meet with Scott Hoefker, head of rappelling at Pinecrest

Teens enjoy formal dinner on the veranda of Governor Jesse Ventura’s residence in Minnesota

Almost 100 Teens Enjoy Southeast Prom

Prom Held at Minnesota GovernorÕs Mansion

March 25 almost 100 teens gatheredfor the southeast regional teen prom. TheAtlanta, Rome and Jefferson, Georgia, con-gregations pooled together some hard-work-ing volunteers to put on the prom. It started ina basement where for several weekends thedecoration committee built props. Trees oftissue paper rose 7 feet high and trelliseswere adorned with roses and twinkle lights.

Young people came from Alabama,Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee,Texas and other states, even Pennsylvania.

Dave Dobson gave the sermon to the180 people present. Teens did almost every-thing else, from songleading, accompani-

ment, ushering, greeting and parking. Teensperformed two special music selections: avocal duet by sisters Tara and ShannonCollier from Columbus, Georgia; and a vocalsolo by Audrey Noel, from St. Petersburg,Florida. After fellowship, the Atlantabrethren hosted a potluck.

Teens dressed in formal attire to danceto the contemporary music provided by a DJfrom the Atlanta congregation. The finalewas a midnight breakfast buffet prepared bymember and professional chef Scott Keeny.

About 75 went to the Six Flags OverGeorgia amusement park the next day.

Chris Moen

May 20, 64 teens enjoyed an unfor-getable prom at the Minnesota GovernorÕsMansion. The evening began with an elegantdinner served on the veranda by the gover-norÕs staff. After dinner the teens dancedinside on a marble floor to music provided by

a DJ, and strolled in the beautiful gardens.The 12 graduating seniors were given gifts.

The prom was part of the Families forGod weekend sponsored by the St.Paul andMinneapolis congregations (see page 13).

Linda Knapp

Two United Youth Corps volunteersbegan working in Ghana, West Africa onJune 12. Daniel Mingle, 24, a mechanicalengineer from Huntsville, Alabama, andNathan Albright, 18, a civil engineeringstudent at the University of SouthernCalifornia, are spending two weeks in thecity of Kumasi to teach introductory com-puter skills to pastors from the RemnantChurch of God, and to church members inthe Kumasi area.

Daniel and Nathan are working inconjunction with a United Church of Godsummer project to help the RemnantChurch of God in its efforts to becomefully a part of United.

During four days of classes with 13Remnant Church of God pastors who hadno previous experience with computers,Daniel and Nathan gave an introduction toWindows 95, to Microsoft Word and to theconcept of e-mail. They also helped mostof the pastors set up personal e-mailaccounts for the first time. The teaching isbeing conducted on used laptop computers

donated to the project by the UnitedChurch of God.

ÒItÕs wonderful!Ó said Daniel. ÒIÕmreally happy to be part of the project. IÕmglad to have this opportunity to serveothers in the faith. I donÕt often havechances to serve in such a direct manner.

This project has given me the opportuni-ty to use my skills to help others in a waythat is useful and exciting to them.Ó

When asked what hefound most striking aboutvisiting Ghana, Danielexplained: ÒThis has been

my first real intro-duction to the devel-oping world. ItÕs eye-opening to see thedifficult conditions inwhich people con-duct their day-to-daylives. You see thingshere you donÕt seewhere I come from.The people here havevery little, physicallyspeaking. They maynot know where theirnext meal will comefrom. There are opensewers running alongthe streets, electricity and running waterare often interrupted. At the moment wehavenÕt had running water in the Churchhouse for three days. We filled our watercontainers last night during a heavy rain.And yet itÕs exciting in the middle of suchcircumstances to see and work with aChurch of God group that sincerely wantsto learn and grow in its understanding ofthe Bible, and which seeks to fulfill GodÕswill.Ó

ÒI think this is an amazing project,ÓNathan agreed. ÒItÕs an incredible chanceto be able to come to this part of the worldand see how much interest there is inlearning about computers. Besides agreater knowledge of the world, I feel IÕmgaining a deeper understanding of GodÕspeople everywhere and their desire togrow in any way they can.Ó

Several things have made a bigimpact on Nathan. ÒI was surprised to seehow excited the children here are just tosee someone from the WestÑwe kind ofstand out here,Ó he laughed. ÒLearning

about the proud heritage of the Ashantipeople [Kumasi is the capital of theAshanti kingdom] has been very interest-

ing. IÕm also amazed at how many thingsthat we take for granted at home are veryrare here. There is no phone service at thehouse; there are frequent power and wateroutages.Ó

United Youth Corps InternationalProjects Coordinator Joel Meeker, alsoworking in Kumasi, said he is very pleasedwith the work Daniel and Nathan aredoing. ÒThey have shown a very positivecan-do attitude,Ó he said. ÒThe help theyhave given the Remnant pastors has notonly been useful to them, but also veryexciting and encouraging. Personally, IÕmexcited to see such a service-oriented atti-tude among the young people in theChurch of God. Danny and Nathan paidtheir own airfare in order to be able to helphere. I think thatÕs great!Ó

In the week following the work withthe Remnant Church of God pastors, thetwo UYC volunteers gave introductorycomputer classes to high school and col-lege-aged young people from the Remnantcongregations around the Kumasi area. UNUN

8 United News July 2000

United Youth Corps Volunteers Serve in Ghana

Washington, congregations, is the interimpastor, with much help from elders RocCorbett, Dan Deininger and Joe Hasenoehrl.

Another transfer has to do with a jobrather than a relocation: Charles Melear, ourconference planner, is now also serving as

the moving coordinator for our employees. A number of circuit changes are also

taking place due to the transfers, and in aneffort to balance the manpower more effec-tively.

The chart below shows the circuitchanges planned so far this year. UNUN

ÒTRANSFERS,Ó (Continued from page 1)

Pastor Current Circuit New Circuit

David Baker Buffalo/Elmira/Syracuse, NY; Buffalo/Elmira/Syracuse, NYHarrisburg/Lewistown, PA

Kevin Epps New York City, NY; Central New New York City, NY; Central New Jersey, NJ; Bethlehem/ Jersey, NJ; Philadelphia, PAPhiladelphia, PA

Richard Thompson Jefferson, GA; Asheville, NC Jefferson/Atlanta, GA

Jim Haeffele Greensboro/Hickory, NC: Asheville/Greensboro/Hickory, NCRoanoke, VA

John Foster Charleston/Princeton, WV Charleston/Princeton, WV; Roanoke, VA

Bruce Gore Birmingham/Gadsden, AL Birmingham/Gadsden, AL; Rome, GA

Arnold Hampton Columbia/Cumberland, MD; Columbia/Cumberland, MDGreenwood, DE

Todd Carey Williamsburg, VA Williamsburg, VA; Greenwood, DE

Herb Teitgen Des Moines, IA; Grand Island/Omaha, Des Moines, IA; Omaha, NE; Sioux NE; Sioux Falls/Watertown, SD Falls/Watertown, SD

Tom Clark Wichita/Salina, KS Wichita/Salina, KS; Grand Island, NE

Melvin Rhodes Ann Arbor/Lansing, MI Lansing, MI; editorial department

Randy DÕAlessandro Detroit, MI; Toledo, OH Detroit/Ann Arbor, MI(Toledo, OH merged with Detroit)

Clockwise from top: Daniel Mingle, Remnant Church of God PastorAzariah Maxwell Coffie and Nathan Albright in Kumasi, Ghana;Nathan teaching the pastors about computers; Daniel teaching

(photos by Joel Meeker)

Congratulations to thegraduatesÑyou have a lot to

look forward to! WhetherweÕre young or old, we all

need hope.

by Stephen D. McNeely

Each year in May and June tens ofthousand of young people walk across astage in commencement ceremonies.These graduation formalities are at once acelebration of completion and accom-plishment and at the same time a jumpingoff point for a new beginning. What awell-deserved time of joy and what a feel-ing of release and freedom it is. ButÑnowwhat?

Now comes the future! As the stu-dents toss their caps high into the sky,they look upward with smiles and heartsfull of hope.

What are your hopes and dreams?There are so many wonderful things inlife to hope for! Do you hope to meet theright person to marry for life? Do youhope to get a great job and make a nice,comfortable living? Do you hope to havebeautiful, intelligent children? Or maybeyou dream of being rich and having yourpicture on the cover of People or Fortunemagazine so everyone knows who youare. Maybe you would be satisfied withjust winning the lottery.

What Is Hope?What is hope anyway? Do we, as

people, need hope? Is it good for us tohope for good things to happen to us? Isthis world really a hopeful place wheredreams really do come true for ordinarypeople? What should you and I hope foranyway?

First, letÕs understand what hope is.Hope is a feelingÑan emotionÑthat whatwe want really will happen. Hope is verydifferent from a wish or a misty dreambecause it has two very important compo-nents: One, a person filled with hope hasa strong desire for something. It isnÕt justa hazy feeling of Òoh, that would be nice.ÓIt is a strong feeling of ÒI want it!ÓSecondly, with hope there is a legitimateexpectation that what you want will hap-pen. There is an element of faith in hope.

Can you see the difference betweenhoping and wishing for something? Forexample, because of the unbelievablylong odds, winning the lottery is just awish, not really something we can hopeand plan for.

To me, there is also an element ofhope that you donÕt find in the dictionarydefinition. It is an element that says, ÒIcanÕt do this all by myself. Someone or

something else will have to help me makeit happen.Ó If you absolutely know some-thing is going to happen, you donÕt haveto hope for it.

Christopher Reeve, the actor whowas paralyzed in a tragic accident, seemsto be a person filled with hope. Althoughsoon after his accident he wanted to giveup, now he labors diligently to raisemoney for research about spinal cordinjuries. He has a strong hope thatadvances in medicine will enable him toone day walk againÑa simple action youand I probably take for granted. DoesnÕthis hope have all of the componentsweÕve discussed? He really desires forsomething good to happenÑthat he andmany others will recover from paralysis.He has an expectation that, given enoughtime and money, scientists and medicalpractitioners can find a way to make ithappen. And, although he works veryhard, he canÕt do it alone. It will take lotsand lots of help. I think he and his wife areexcellent examples of courageous peoplewho live their hope in spite of terrible set-backs.

The Tragedy of HopelessnessHowever, it isnÕt like that for every-

one who has suffered or had bad breaks.Do you know people who have just lostall hope? Do you know people who havegiven up? That is a terrible tragedy! Thereis a song by James Taylor that is a favoriteof mine even though it isnÕt one of his bighits. He wrote it for a Broadway play anditÕs called ÒMillworker.Ó ItÕs the story of ayoung woman whose husband died leav-ing three small children for her to support.To me, the song seems to be her lamentabout being stuck in a job she doesnÕt likefor the rest of her life. ItÕs hard to conveyall of the feeling without the music, butsome of the lines may show you what Imean:

Millwork ainÕt easy. Millwork ainÕthard.

Millwork, it ainÕt nothing but anawful boring job.

IÕm waiting on a daydream, to takeme through the morning,

To put me in my coffee break so I canhave a sandwich and remember.

Then itÕs me and my machine for therest of the morning, and the rest of theafternoon, solid gone, for the rest of mylife.

This young lady has no hope of doingbetter. And, in fact, it has made her a littlebitter. In another line she says, ÒIÕll ridehome every evening staring at my hands.Swearing to my sorrow that a young girlought to stand a better chance.Ó

IÕm sad for her. But, by comparison,her hopelessness is nothing. How muchworse is it for so many millions and mil-lions of people in our world. Think about

a young girl in a third world countryforced to work all day for almost noth-ing. Her hopeÑno, it would have to be awishÑmight be to someday be a mill-worker in a wealthy nation. It is so sadwhen people lose hopeÑdonÕt ever loseyours.

Hope in PerspectiveWhat should we hope for? Is there

something we should hope for more thananything else? While you are thinkingabout hopes and dreams I would like toshare some sad things to put this all inperspective.

Real hope must gobeyond this physical,

temporary life! You andI need hopes and

dreams that are greaterthan this life—hopesand dreams that will

conquer death!

Four times now I have been at thebedside of friends who have died in theirprime. One, a very good basketball player,died in his early twenties after a tragic carwreck. Two other friends, one a talentedartist and the other a successful business-man, died from disease in their early 40s.Finally, earlier this year, my cousin, Larry,died at age 50 after a lengthy battle withleukemia. No one expected Larry to diebecause he had had a successful bonemarrow transplant and was doing so well.When I last saw Larry we all fully expect-ed to be together at a special ceremonywhen he would be inducted into the sportshall of fame at McMurray University forhis prowess as a golfer. Larry really hopedto be there. His hopes were dashed. I amsure you can share similar experiences.But what is the point in the context ofhope?

My point is that my friends all diedwith unfulfilled hopes and dreams. Andit happens thousands of times a dayacross the globe. We need to understandthat we, as human beings, are all goingto die someday, and our hopes anddreams in this life will die withus! So, then, are we hopeless?Should we give up? Not at all!But we must understand the fol-lowing:

Real hope must go beyond thisphysical, temporary life! You and Ineed hopes and dreams that aregreater than this lifeÑhopes anddreams that will conquer death!

What Should We Base OurHope On?

Consider a few scriptures on hope. Ifyou want, you can find many more on thetopic.

ÒFor you are my hope, O Lord GOD;you are my trust from my youthÓ (Psalm71:5).

ÒHappy is he who has the God ofJacob for his help, whose hope is in theLORD his GodÓ (Psalm 146:5).

King David, who lived his life to thefullÑsometimes overfullÑnever did any-thing by halves. I think that is one reasonGod loved David so much. But this king,mighty for his accomplishments in thislife, knew where to put his hope ultimate-ly. And it made him happy.

ÒÔThe LORD is my portion [inheri-tance],Õ says my soul, Ôtherefore I hope inHim!ÕÉ It is good that one should hopeand wait quietly for the salvation of theLORDÓ (Lamentations 3:24, 26).

God holds our true destiny in Hisright hand. We have to wait for it and,actually, we have to die a physical deathto inherit it. But this awesome destiny ofeternal accomplishment should be a greatpersonal hope for you and me.

Go for It!Set high goals. Pursue excellence

relentlessly. Dream big dreams. Work tofulfill high hopes. But never lose sightthat your ultimate hopes and dreams restwith God the Father and Jesus Christ andtheir plan for you!

Success in our too-much-is-never-enough world is hollow without God.Strive to develop and maintain a closerelationship with your heavenly Father.Actively look for ways to share some ofyour eternal hope with those who havenone and are hopeless. It is your calling!It is what leaders doÑthey show othersthe way to a better future.

The ultimate hope is that there is aresurrection from the dead to an awesome,action-packed, challenging, fulfillingeternal life as a member of the God fami-ly. You are not like James TaylorÕs mill-worker. You donÕt have to Òswear to yoursorrow that you ought to stand a betterchanceÓÑeven if you are a millworker.Remain faithful to God and one day youÕllsay, ÒThis life IÕm living is more than Iever hoped or dreamed for.Ó UNUN

United News July 2000 9

Achieving Your Hopes and Dreams

by Bill Jahns

The Flood in the days of Noah wasone of the greatest events in the history ofthe world. The Bible states that all ofhumanity was destroyed except for theeight people who were on the ark (2 Peter2:5, Matthew 24:39). We can learn somepowerful lessons from the Flood. LetÕs seewhat the Bible says about it.

The story begins in Genesis 6. Godsaw that mankind was becoming more andmore evil. The descendants of Adam weredisobeying God by going their own way.All of mankind had chosen the way repre-sented by the tree of the knowledge ofgood and evil, and the way of evil wasdominating their whole society.

In Genesis 6:5 we see that God realizedsomething had to be done. Mankind hadbecome addicted to the way of Satan. Inorder ultimately to save humanity from itsown misguided choices, God decided todestroy the whole rebellious society of thattime and start all over again with merelyeight people. He instructed Noah to build anark for that purpose (Genesis 6:14).

One of the false ideas about the ark isthat it was a small boat. Many who debateabout the story of the Bible may not real-ize that the ark was of immense size.Notice some interesting things about theark. It was 300 cubits long. If we accept acubit as being about 18 inches, the arkwould have been 450 feet longÑmuchlonger than a football field. It would havebeen around 75 feet wide and 45 feet high.The ark would have been more like abarge than a boat. Tests have been madewith boats made of this proportional sizeand they are very stable. We can see theÒscientificÓ correctness of the story.

In Genesis 7:2 God told Noah to takeof all the beasts of the field into the ark.Notice that seven pairs of clean animals andat least one pair of unclean animals were tobe taken into the ark. Some feel thatGenesis 7:2 is referring only to seven cleananimals of each kind, not seven pairs.Either way, this passage is also proof thatthe laws of clean and unclean foods merelyreflected what was well known to mankindlong before Moses.

God then brought the Flood on theearth and the ark floated on the waters.Remember that the ark did not have to sailanywhere. It only had to float on thewaters to save the animals and mankindfrom total extinction. In Genesis 7:19 wesee that Òall the high hills under the wholeheaven were covered.Ó The Bible is obvi-ously claiming that all the earth was cov-ered by water.

Scoffers in the Last DaysNotice what the Bible claims about

the last days of mankind. In 2 Peter 3:3Ð6we see that the apostle Peter knew through

the Holy Spirit that there would be a prob-lem in the last days. There would beÒscoffersÓ who, because of their own van-ity, would lose sight of the truth of theBible. They would believe their own theo-ries before they would believe the Bible.

The Bible often reveals that the truthof the Scriptures has been hid from thosewho rely exclusively on their own obser-vations and judgment. LetÕs notice someof those scriptures. In 1 Corinthians1:20Ð25 Paul says that the things of Godare foolishness to the world. Romans1:20Ð22 states that humans became sovain in their own imaginations they lostthe truth. Our world today almost wor-ships Òscience.Ó

Christ also indicated that the wise andthe prudent of this world would be blindedto revealed knowledge. He said in Luke10:21 that God had revealed the truth tobabes (those willing to trust God andGodÕs Word above all else) and had hiddenthis truth from those who were Òwise.Ó

The Bible says in Genesis 7:20 thatthe waters prevailed above the highestmountains by 15 cubits (about 22 feet).Genesis 7:21 indicates that all flesh died.The scriptures are very clearÑall mankindand animals that breathed air (excludingfish of course) died!

The biblical account records that the arklanded on the Òmountains of Ararat.Ó Thelowest place where the ark could have land-ed in that region is about 6,000 feet high. Inother words, if you believe the Bible to beaccurate at all in this matter, the water had tocover the earth by at least 6,000 feet.

The Revell Bible Dictionary (articleÒArarat,Ó page 83) says: ÒThe mountainsof Ararat lie in present day Turkey. LakeVan, the center of the district, is 6,000 feetabove sea level, with mountains around ittowering up nearly 17,000 feet. Traditionidentifies the south slope of mount Massis(Ararat) as the landing place of the Ark.ÉOnly a cataclysm like that described inGenesis 6Ð9 could have lifted NoahÕs boatto such a height.Ó

The Bible says the boat landed on amountain, so the height of the landing hadto be above 6,000 feet. This is indeeddescribing a ÒworldwideÓ flood.

God says in Genesis 9:12Ð15 that Heset a rainbow in the clouds to be a sign thatHe would never again destroy the earth bya flood. If the Flood were local, then Goddid not fulfill His word. There have beenmany local floods, which have killedmany people since the Genesis Flood.

Ancient Flood StoriesDo other ancient sources outside the

Bible have the same story as the Bible? Ifthe Bible is true and all humanity comesfrom Noah and his family, then we wouldexpect to find stories of the Flood all overthe world. This is exactly what we find.

The International Standard BibleEncyclopedia (article ÒThe Deluge ofNoahÓ) gives some details of theBabylonian flood story: ÒXisuthrus waswarned beforehand by the deity Cronos,and told to build a ship and take with himhis friends and relations and all the differentanimals with all necessary food and trusthimself fearlessly to the deep, whereuponhe built Ôa vessel 5 stadia (3,000 feet) longand 2 stadia (1,200 feet) broad.Õ After theflood subsided Xisuthrus, like Noah, sentout birds which returned to him again.Ó

There are Flood stories in most of theancient civilizations of the world. Thesestories offer interesting confirmation thatthe biblical Flood was a historical eventand that they are referring to the sameevent. Mayans, Indians, Greeks, Chineseand many others have a story of the Flood.Most of them have the common theme thatGod (or gods) got angry with mankind anddestroyed almost everyone with a flood.

The Lesson of FaithNoah believed and acted on the belief

that God would destroy the world with aflood. He built a huge ark to preservemankind and the animals of the earth. Canyou imagine the ridicule that Noahreceived when he tried to warn his fellowhuman beings that the world was going tobe destroyed by a flood? The Bible indi-cates that Noah may have preached tomankind for as much as 120 years beforethe Flood (Genesis 6:3). Noah must havefelt a strong desire to preach and teachpeople that God was going to destroy them

unless they repented. He had to wait a longtime until the Flood occurred.

The Lesson of RighteousnessIn 2 Peter 3:11 the apostle Peter states

that since the earth has been destroyed bya flood and the world is again to bedestroyed by fire, we should watch howwe conduct ourselves. The Flood is awarning! The wicked will be destroyed,totally, absolutely and forever! The right-eous will be delivered as God deliveredNoah and his family.

The Lesson of RepentanceThe message of repentance is one of

the great lessons of the Flood. Christ andJohn the Baptist in the New Testamentrepeated it. In Matthew 3:7Ð11 John theBaptist warned the Pharisees that theymust repent. He warned them that if theydidnÕt, God would destroy them, which Hedid in 69 and 70 A.D. when Jerusalem andthe Jewish nation were defeated.

In Mark 1:15 we see the same mes-sage being taught by Jesus. The Jewsneeded to repent or they would bedestroyed. Noah preached to the world forsome period of time and warned themabout the Flood (2 Peter 2:5). If the worldhad heeded NoahÕs message, countlesslives would have been saved.

The Flood of Noah was an historicalevent that changed the earth. There areimportant lessons that we can learn fromthis story. God does reward righteousness,and the wicked will indeed be destroyed inthe end. God is just and fair! UNUN

10 United News July 2000

Lessons From the Flood of Noah

Objections to the Flood story are oftenbrought up. One question that is often raisedis: How could Noah have fit all those ani-mals into the ark? Those who raise this pointfor the purpose of questioning the Biblemay have overlooked several importantpoints in the story. The boat that Noah builtwas enormous. It was apparently three sto-ries (Genesis 6:16) and had a lot of room forlarge and small animals.

Some think that Noah had to take everyspecies of animal that has ever been foundon the earth into the ark. Modern science hasshown that animals do vary (within a bibli-cal kind) with time (Michael Denton,Evolution, a Theory in Crisis, page 44).

God has created life with the ability toadapt to its surroundings. The outward char-acteristics of most animals can be alteredthrough selective breeding. When we con-sider that species do vary, the number of ani-mals that Noah had to take is greatly dimin-ished. In fact, Noah may have only takenone kind from the cat family into the ark.Perhaps there were more, we donÕt know,but it was not necessary for Noah to take

every modern variation of the cat family.Another obvious question is, Where

did the water come from?LetÕs see what the Bible says about

the source of the water. In Genesis 7:11the Bible says: Òon that day all the foun-tains of the great deep were broken up,and the windows of heaven wereopened.Ó Notice that the source of thewater was not just the amount of moisturein the atmosphereÑit was water that wasin the earth. Before the Flood the Bibledescribes great rivers as coming out ofthe depths of the earth (Genesis 2:10).Apparently this water was combined withthe water in the air to create the Flood.

LetÕs never forget that the Flood ofNoah was a miraculous event. God is theCreator of the universe and could havecreated the water used in the Flood.

It is this stand of faith in GodÕs Wordthat is important. We can either believeGodÕs Word as inspired or not. The bibli-cal evidence shows us reasonably howthe Flood was a miracle of God.

Bill Jahns

Dealing With Objections to the Flood

ÒWho is Laodicea?Ó hasbeen a hot topic in the

Church of God in recentdecades. Could it be that toonarrow a view of this topichas caused many to lose the

broaderÑand morepertinentÑmessage that

Christ intended?

by Cecil E. Maranville

To people who have been around theChurch of God for any length of time,ÒLaodiceanÓ has a strong and unpleasantconnotation. Some have erred by finger-pointing judgments at others, pronouncingthem to be Laodicean. Instead of asking ortrying to determine ÒWho is Laodicean?Óhave you asked yourself ÒWhat isLaodicean?Ó

Laodicea was but one of sevenchurches in western Asia Minor at the timethat Christ gave the message of the bookof Revelation to John on the island ofPatmos. While each church received aunique message, Christ told John that allof the messages were to be applied to allof the churches. ÒHe who has an ear, lethim hear what the Spirit says to thechurchesÓ is repeated seven times.

Did you know that not only the briefmessages of chapters 2 and 3, but also theentire prophecy was sent to these sevenchurches in Asia Minor? ÒI am the Alphaand the Omega, the First and the Last,Óand, ÒWhat you see, write in a book andsend it to the seven churches which are inAsia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos,to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, andto LaodiceaÓ (Revelation 1:11).

There can be no doubt that Revelationis an end-time book, that its message is forwhat Moffatt so aptly translated a phrasein Daniel as Òthe crisis at the close.Ó Itcontains instruction for all Christians,especially for those living at the end of theage. ÒBlessed is he who reads and thosewho hear the words of this prophecy, andkeep those things which are written in it;for the time is nearÓ (Revelation 1:3).

Laodiceans Not RejectedÑYetÉRevelation 3:14Ð17 is the primary ref-

erence in the Bible to Laodicea. ÒAnd tothe angel of the church of the Laodiceanswrite, ÔThese things says the Amen, theFaithful and True Witness, the Beginningof the creation of God: I know your works,that you are neither cold nor hot. I couldwish you were cold or hot. So then,because you are lukewarm, and neithercold nor hot, I will vomit you out of Mymouth. Because you say, ÒI am rich, havebecome wealthy, and have need of noth-

ingÓÑand do not know that you arewretched, miserable, poor, blind, andnakedÉ.ÕÓ

Certainly no Christian wants to hearsuch an appraisal! And yet, we would bewrong to assume that this hard evaluationmeant that Christ already rejected themembers of the Church of God inLaodicea. Although they were indis-putably in serious spiritual condition, theywere offered an opportunity to change.Upon repentance, they were promised ashare in the same destiny that awaits allfaithful ChristiansÑrulership with JesusChrist on His FatherÕs throne. In fact oneof the most often quoted scriptures aboutour future service in the Kingdom of Godis taken from what Christ said to Laodicea(Revelation 3:21).

Knowing that even the shocking andsobering part of ChristÕs message toLaodicea applies to the Church of Godthroughout the ages, letÕs see what wemight learn from it.

What Is the LaodiceanProblem?

What exactly is ÒLaodiceanÓ? Christused several key words in Revelation3:14Ð17 to convey His message. There areactually four repetitions of a singulartheme. Some background about the citybefore and during the first century will helpus understand, for ChristÕs words to Johndrew upon well-known facts of the day.

Laodicea was well known in theancient world for its wealth. ÒFor example,in 62 B.C. Flaccus seized the annual con-tribution of the Jews of Laodicea forJerusalem amounting to 20 pounds ofgoldÓ (NelsonÕs Illustrated BibleDictionary, 1986, Thomas NelsonPublishers, ÒLaodiceaÓ).

ÒThe extent of its wealth is illustratedby the fact that Laodicea was rebuilt with-out the financial help of Rome after thedisastrous earthquake of A.D. 60.Laodicea earned its wealth in the textileindustry in the production of black wooland in the banking industry. Laodicea wasalso known for its medical school [schoolof opthamology] which concocted a spice-nard for the treatment of the ears and aneyesalve. The major weakness of Laodiceawas its lack of a water supply. This needwas met by bringing water six miles northfrom Denizli through a system of stonepipes (another sign of LaodiceaÕs wealth)Ó(Holman Bible Dictionary, 1994, ParsonÕsTechnology, ÒLaodiceaÓ). Water conveyedto Laodicea through these pipes was tepidby the time it reached the city.

The eye salve was called Òcollyrium,Óprobably a reference to how it wasappliedÑthat is, in the form of plaster or apoultice.

Christ, always the quintessentialteacher, integrated these well-known facts

about Laodicea into His spiritual messageabout them.

Laodicean WealthIllustration #1 was wealth. Did Christ

criticize them for their wealth? No, wealthwasnÕt the problem. They had suffered adevastating loss. Disaster forced them tohave to rebuild. The fact that they did,without outside help, was certainly to theircredit and worthy of commendation. Theproblem lay in the fact that their wealthallowed them to feel self-sufficient or self-reliant.

Christ quoted someone, perhaps anofficial letter from Laodicea to Rome, inRevelation 3:17. ÒYou say, ÔI am rich, havebecome wealthy, and have need of noth-ing.ÕÓ These words were not necessarilysaid in materialistic arrogance, butbecause the city faced the need to recoverfrom a terrible disaster.

Did they refuse RomeÕs financial helpbecause of a desire to retain control overtheir own city? We do not know. We doknow that they did not rebel against orwithdraw from the Empire. They remainedÒcitizens of the KingdomÓÑthe Kingdomof Rome.

Spirit-led Christiansare making positivecontributions to thebody of Christ—as

opposed to pulling backinto isolation.

Why did Christ refer to wealth in Hiswarning to Laodicea? He simply used theindependence their physical wealth afford-ed them to illustrate a spiritual lessonÑthat spiritual independence is not astrength.

Paul wrote of this to Corinth (1Corinthians 12:21). Christians cannot say,ÒI have no needÓ of some other part of thebody of Christ, no need to be a part of thatbody in order to function spiritually.

Laodiceans did not deny their Romancitizenship, only their need for depen-dence upon Rome. Spiritually, theLaodicean does not deny God or departfrom the fundamental beliefs of theChurch. Rather, individuals took care ofthemselves, feeling spiritually wealthyenoughÑexperienced in the ChurchenoughÑto do so. Laodiceans arenÕt theembodiment of evil or the personificationof unfaithfulness. They are just peoplewho rely on their own resources.

Could they be people who have beenthrough disaster, a veritable earthquake,having endured terrible lossesÑpeople

who need to rebuild? That would be anal-ogous to what the citizens of Laodiceaendured physically. Whatever their rea-sons, Laodiceans are people who feelmore comfortable relying on themselves torecover from disaster than in being depen-dent on or interdependent with others.

Laodicean ClothingIllustration #2 of the same problem

was clothing. Did Christ criticize them fortheir prosperous textile industry? Not atall, for once again it was commendablethat they were industrious and successful.As with wealth, what was a physicalstrength became a convenient and evidentteaching tool about a potential spiritualweakness. Clothing is symbolic of puttingon righteousness. Making a contrast withthe black clothing of Laodicea, Christspoke of the white clothing of the saints.

Righteous people dress in brightclothing. ÒAnd to [the Church of God] itwas granted to be arrayed in fine linen,clean and bright, for the fine linen is therighteous acts of the saintsÓ (Revelation19:8).

The Christian puts on Òthe armor oflight,Ó an analogous way of contrastingGodÕs way of life with Òthe dark sideÓÑthe way of human nature (Romans13:12Ð14). This theme of light versusdarkness is carried throughout the NewTestament. But arenÕt these characteristicsof all godly people?

Note the language used by Paul inColossians 3:10 when urging the Christianto Òput onÓ the new man, this righteouscharacter of light. The Greek is enduo, thesame word for putting on clothing.Righteousness is described in the contextof interacting, putting up with and gettingalong with other people.

He wrote that in the Church, Òthere isneither Greek nor Jew, circumcised noruncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slavenor free, but Christ is all and in all.Therefore, as the elect of God, holy andbeloved, put on tender mercies, kindness,humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearingwith one another, and forgiving one anoth-er, if anyone has a complaint againstanother; even as Christ forgave you, soyou also must do. But above all thesethings put on love, which is the bond ofperfectionÓ (Colossians 3:11Ð14).

Spirit-led Christians are making posi-tive contributions to the body of ChristÑasopposed to pulling back into isolation.

These qualities should be practiced inthe context of a group that is larger thanthe circle of oneÕs closest friends. There isa type of growth possible only when one isin the body of believers, as opposed toindependent of it.

Christians are told that they shouldresist pulling backÑand especially so inthe time of the end. WeÕre admonished

United News July 2000 11

What Is the Laodicean Problem?

to pull together, not to be found Òforsak-ing the assembling of ourselves together,as is the manner of some, but exhortingone another, and so much the more asyou see the Day approachingÓ (Hebrews10:25).

Although people who have sufferedpersonal disaster may be able to arguegood reasons to pull back from theChurch, there is grave spiritual danger indoing so. ÒBut we are not of those whodraw back to perdition, but of those whobelieve to the saving of the soulÓ(Hebrews 10:39).

Laodicean Health CareIllustration #3 was eye salve. Again,

the LaodiceansÕ record of helping torestore the sight of other people is nothingto be condemned, but rather compliment-ed. Christ used this positive physical qual-ity to demonstrate how its spiritual coun-terpart could be a shortcoming.

People who have helped others ÒtoseeÓ in a spiritual way can unwittinglytake on a sense of self-sufficiency. ItÕsoften said that doctorsÑpeople who maketheir living treating the ills of othersÑmake poor patients. That can be true inreligion as well. Teachers and helpers maymake poor students, failing to recognizethat they still need to receive teaching, tobe helpedÑthat they are still dependent.

Do you recall the abject shock in thePhariseesÕ response to the suggestion by amere common man that they might havebeen wrong? ÒYou were completely bornin sins, and are you teaching us?Ó (John9:34.) In one way I hesitate to use theexample of the Pharisees, lest it imply thatsuch behavior is uncharacteristically car-nal. The truth is that the expression of thePhariseesÕ human nature illustrates whatcan happen to anyone.

Paul was aware of the potential for aChristian to excuse himself from the rulesabout which he so readily advised others.

ÒIndeed you are called a Jew [onecould easily substitute Ômember of theChurch of GodÕ today], and rest on the law,and make your boast in God, and knowHis will, and approve the things that areexcellent, being instructed out of the law,and are confident that you yourself are aguide to the blind, a light to those who arein darkness, an instructor of the foolish, ateacher of babes, having the form ofknowledge and truth in the law. You, there-fore, who teach another, do you not teachyourself? You who preach that a manshould not steal, do you steal?Ó (Romans2:17Ð21.)

Paul was acutely aware of the need forself-discipline, lest he slip away from thetruth after having been a teacher of many(1 Corinthians 9:27).

It could well be that the Christians inLaodicea had been at times as helpful toothers spiritually as the medical schoolwas in a physical way. But they were notasking anyone to apply a plaster or poul-tice to their eyes. For whatever reason,

they were more willing to take care oftheir own spiritual needs.

Laodicean WaterThe fourth illustration was the water,

the most often referenced symbolism ofLaodicea. Transported over 5 or 6 miles,it was neither refreshingly cold like thewaters of Colosse nor therapeutically hotlike the springs of Hierapolis. It wastepid. As such, it lent itself as anotherteaching tool to emphasize the samewarning: self-sufficiency, independence,isolation from the sourceÑwhether hotor coldÑis a spiritually weak and dan-gerous quality.

What to Do About TheseProblems

Read the solution Christ counseled.His advice was, ÒBuy from MeÓ the gold,clothing and, by extension, eye salve(Revelation 3:18). That was in contrast totheir making it on their own spiritually.Christ counseled the Laodiceans to reversetheir pulling back from Him. It isnÕt

enough to become rich in spiritual strengthby being in the Church and part of itsWork for many years, only to pull backwhen the going gets tough. It is dangerousto assume that one can live solely upon theachievements of the past.

Although the Laodiceans had extensivephysical resources, they were spirituallybankrupt. So much so that Christ portrayedHimself as outside their fellowship, seekingto be allowed back in (Revelation 3:20).What a bizarre and shocking thoughtÑChristexcluded from a Church of God congrega-tion! Fellowshipping with Christ, like theputting on of bright clothing, is accomplishedby fellowship with each other in the contextof the Body and Work of Christ, thereby fel-lowshipping with Christ and His Father. Johnimplored Christians to band together, remind-ing them Òthat which we have seen and heardwe declare to you, that you also may have fel-lowship with us; and truly our fellowship iswith the Father and with His Son JesusChristÓ (1 John 1:3).

What is Laodicean? It is spiritual bank-ruptcy while at the same time viewing oneÕs

self as spiritually rich. Christians who mayhave what to them are arguably good reasonsto pull back into isolation need to resist theLaodicean weakness. Christ, although under-standing everyoneÕs wounds with perfectsympathy, warns, ÒBecoming spirituallyindependent isnÕt the solution. It is anotherproblem that portends a greater disaster thanany you have experienced.Ó Spiritual inde-pendence is, in reality, an oxymoron. A trueChristian is interdependent. We must over-come spiritual independence, as we mustovercome the spiritual weaknesses that befellall of the churches of Revelation.

Do we hear ChristÕs words? ÒBehold,I stand at the door and knock. If anyonehears My voice and opens the door, I willcome in to him and dine with him, and hewith Me. To him who overcomes I willgrant to sit with Me on My throne, as I alsoovercame and sat down with My Father onHis throne. He who has an ear, let him hearwhat the Spirit says to the churchesÓ(Revelation 3:20Ð22). UNUN

This article first appeared in the Fall1999 issue of Ministerial Quarterly.

12 United News July 2000

by John W. Foster

In the last number of years, there hasbeen a growing passion among the memberswithin the Church to become more involvedin promoting the gospel. There have beenseminars and lectures and discussions of allsorts about how this can be better accom-plished. Even though weÕve had the GoodNews waiting room and brochure programs,there is still a desire among many to becomemore fully involved. But, just how to do thishas been the burning question. Surprisingly,there is an answer, and it is quite simple. It isbiblically based, and we can start on it today.

First, IÕd like to share some personalthoughts. Two years ago, a number of pas-tors, including myself, were placed onreduced salary. Eventually I was able to finda part-time job at a reputable company. Itappeared that my opportunities to do theWork of God would be limited, but I waswrong.

All of us realize that people in this soci-ety are suffering. The world is devoid ofGodÕs understanding and purpose. It is trulyan unhappy world. Fellow workers wouldtalk about the pain in seeing their relativesdie from cancer. Others would mention howdevastated they were in learning about aloved one killed in an automobile accident.These people had no concept of the resurrec-tion. People cried at work, and many werehurting from the trials of life. It seemed thatthe various depressions, heartaches and fearswere just accepted as a part of normal every-day living. These people desperately neededhelp and hope.

I felt deeply that the gospel needed to bepreached to these people. But, how to do thiswas the question. Even though my cowork-ers knew that I was a pastor, and that I was

always off on Saturdays, they didnÕt seeminterested in wanting to hear about the beliefsof the Church. To initiate discussion aboutJesus and His message would immediatelyturn people off. At this same company, oneyoung man was trying to evangelize, but itwas noticeable that people tended to backaway from him.

So, what to do? As we know, God wantsall people to be in His Kingdom, includingour fellow employees, neighbors and schoolfriends. According to 1 Peter 2:11Ð12, weneed to abstain from worldly lusts and act ina way that continually glorifies God.

This is an all-encompassing dailyresponsibility. We cannot complain or getangry or get jealous like the others around us.We canÕt swear or use vulgar language, norshould we gossip or run down the manage-ment at work. We must not steal or lie orcheat. Not only do we have to uphold the val-ues and rules of our companies, but more sothe values of God in everything. Most of usrealize this isnÕt always easy, but each newday becomes a challenge and an opportunityto allow GodÕs way of life to shine forth.

The answer of how to individually pro-mote the gospel has been in the Bible all thetime. Anyone can do it, from the 80-year-oldwidow to the 6-year-old kindergarten child;from the elder to the newest baptized mem-ber. The answer is found in 1 Timothy 4:12:ÒBe an example.Ó

I became fully convinced that this iswhat God expected of me and of every mem-ber in His Church. God wants all of us to setan example in word, deed, conversation,faith and love. This means that each personwith whom we come into contact must see areal sincere and genuine Christian example.The teller at the bank, the cashier at the store,the school teacher, the coworker and the

neighbor down the road all need to see thatwe are the living expression of a godly life.

How friendly are we, really? How kindand sympathetic are we? Does GodÕs Spiritof love, joy, peace, gentleness and goodnessflow from our actions? Are we positive andhelpful? This individual promotion of thegospel is just as important as the work doneon TV, radio or by a booklet or magazine.The gospel preached by media is trulyimportant, but the light of the gospel can alsoshine through our examples.

Yes, there are times when we will needto speak about the values of God when asked(1 Peter 3:15Ð16). We can say a lot withoutsounding religious, and still speak about thebenefits of GodÕs way of life. However, werequire GodÕs help in this. Therefore, dailyprayer becomes a necessity for the wisdomand godly kindness in order to say and do theright things at the right times. This is a chal-lenge of supreme magnitude.

After giving notice that I was to berehired back into the full-time ministry,something interesting happened. Friends atwork began asking questions about theChurch. It now seemed that they were reallycurious, interested and intrigued. In fact, oneman had remembered a neighbor who keptthe Sabbath, and he asked, ÒHerbertArmstrong?Ó After some discussion, herequested a copy of the Bible Study Coursethat we produce, and he is now reading it.

Setting an example in our daily living isthe highest and most valuable aspect of doingthe Work of God. We must not neglect thefact that God has called each of us to reflectHis example in this world of darkness. Weneed to allow the light of GodÕs Spirit to shineforth in everything we do. This is our callingand our work. LetÕs do it with all humility andwith all diligence. We can start today! UNUN

So, You Want to Promote the Gospel? HereÕs How!

United News July 2000 13

Jenkins Honored for 35Years of Faithful Service

On April 29 more than 60 peopleattended services in Laurel, Mississippi, for aspecial day honoring James and June Jenkinsfor their years of faithful service to GodÕspeople. Mr. JenkinsÕ health has declined inthe last year resulting in heart surgery andamputation of a toe on his right foot andnecessitating his retirement in April. The newpastor in Laurel, Ken Treybig, spoke on faith-fulness and regional pastor Ken Giese spokeon joy in their split sermons. Special musicwas a duet entitled ÒFaithful Friend.Ó

Mr. Jenkins was ordained an elder in ElMonte, California, in 1966. He has served inmany locations throughout the U.S. in theensuing 35 years, ranging from Louisiana toMontana and as far east as New Jersey.During that time the Jenkins were involved inbeginning eight new congregations.

After services the Jenkins were given aunique glass clock by the Laurel congrega-tion and Ken Giese presented a special glassplaque as a gift from Ministerial Services rec-ognizing the JenkinsÕ service.

During the evening several peopleshared humorous stories and memories ofevents they had experienced with the Jenkins.Several elders were unable to attend, but sent

e-mail messages to reflect on their fondmemories of working with the Jenkins.

Ken Treybig

Elder Receives House,Media Coverage

Kenneth Christopher, an elder in theMarietta, Ohio, congregation, was in thenewspapers and on TV earlier this year.

ÒA handicap never stopped KennethChristopher of Vienna [West Virginia] frombecoming a success in life,Ó began the articlein the Sentinel of Parkersburg, West Virginia.ÒBecause of his heroism during World War IIand the contributions he made in the field ofeducation, Christopher got a present from theVeterans Administration [VA]....Ó

The VA gave Mr. Christopher and hiswife, Adghuel, $43,000 to use in building ahouse that is accessible with his motorizedwheelchair. He lost the use of a leg when a

mine exploded under him in 1945. While inthe army he was awarded the CombatInfantry Badge, Bronze Star, two PurpleHearts and other awards.

After receiving a scholarship and com-pleting a masterÕs degree at the University ofNorth Carolina, Mr. Christopher worked ineducation for 29 years, serving as a teacher,counselor, principal, superintendent and part-time college instructor. He also organized abusiness college.

Mr. Christopher was ordained as anelder 28 years ago. He has served congrega-tions in Wheeling, West Virginia, andPortsmouth, Chillicothe and Marietta, Ohio.Both of the ChristopherÕs daughters andsons-in-law are members of United.

Minister Sets RecordsMay 28, Greg Sargent, pastor of the

Columbia, Kansas City and St. Louis,Missouri, congregations, took three firstplaces and set several records in the SeniorOlympics, a national event held in St. Louis.HereÕs how he placed in the 55 to 59 division:

100-meter dashÑ12.9 seconds (1stplace).

200-meter dashÑ26.06 seconds (2ndplace; beat the old national record, but anoth-er man ran 25.66).

400-meter dashÑ58.94 seconds (1stplace; new national record by 1.3 seconds).

800-meter runÑ2:16.8 minutes (1stplace; new national record by 5.3 seconds).

Les McCullough said, ÒIf you knowabout track and field, to set records is difficultenough, but to break records by the marginsGreg did is truly a rarity. Our hearty congratu-lations, Greg, for such a terrific performance!Ó

St. Paul and MinneapolisHost Family WeekendMay 20 and 21, 285 brethren partici-

pated in the St. Paul and Minneapolis,Minnesota, Families for God weekend.Sabbath services began on an inspiring notewith a musical rendition of ÒThe Story ofJosiah the Mini-KingÓ by the Austin,Minnesota, congregation. Performers rangedfrom age 4 to 75. This was followed by a ser-mon on lifeÕs choices by guest speaker LesMcCullough. After services Mr. McCulloughhad a question and answer session.

Five breakout sessions were offered:ÒSenior LeadershipÓ by Norm and DonnaMyers; ÒLeading With What?Ó by Kathe andSteve Myers; ÒDealing With the NetGenerationÓ by Julie Zutz; ÒSix IndispensableQualities of LeadershipÓ by Mike Hanisko;and ÒAccusation RefutationÓ by Jim Servidio.

While the teens attended the prom (seepage 7), everyone else shared a potluck witha Mexican flair. The weekend concludedwith a coffee bar Sunday morning and a fam-ily picnic in the afternoon.

Linda Knapp

Ken Giese presents a gift from MinisterialServices to Jim and June Jenkins

Local Church UpdatesÉ

by David Palmer

On June 22 Lorne Davies received theprestigious Order of British Columbia, anaward given to individuals who have madesignificant contributions to the province, thelocal community and Canada as a nation.The award is the provincial version of theOrder of Canada. It is the highest honor thatcan be bestowed on a citizen of the province.

Mr. Davies, an elder in Vancouver,British Columbia, was first ordained in1977. Over the years both he and his wife,June, have attained a reputation as a lovingand caring couple always willing to servethe brethren in GodÕs Church.

Mr. Davies gained a Ògood report ofthem which are withoutÓ (1 Timothy 3:7,King James Version) through his manycontributions to the sports world. Accom-plishments started early for Mr. Davies,who as a student at a Vancouver highschool took on the responsibility of play-er/coach guiding his football team to theprovincial finals. His coaching exploitswould continue for the next three decades,making significant contributions to a num-ber of football and rugby programs includ-ing U.S. universities in Washington andOregon as well as the University of BC,and even with the BC Lions professionalCanadian football team.

In 1965 Lorne Davies was offered theposition of head football coach and directorof Athletics and Recreation at the newlybuilt Simon Fraser University (SFU).

Under Mr. DaviesÕ guidance the suc-cess of Simon Fraser is unparalleled inCanada. As head coach of the SFU footballteam, Davies amassed a 34-21-1 record, andthe SFU football program has placed moreathletes in the Canadian Football Leaguethan any other institution in North America(100 total, 25 current, 48 All-Americans).

The sports information officer atSFU recently wrote, ÒDaviesÕ vision and

foresight has been an example for all ath-letic administrators in Canada to follow.Ó

Lorne Davies founded and chaired thefirst task force on drugs in sport for theprovince of BC. The task force was set up toencourage athletes to stay drug-free, and tooversee any violation of drug rules.

Mr. DaviesÕ philosophy of success asathletic director at Simon Fraser was to com-bine top-quality coaching with a high levelof competition and provide the best facilitiespossible. He created an atmosphere of suc-cess which has given many top athletes inCanada an opportunity to excel at their cho-sen sport. With the advent of sports scholar-ships, including womenÕs sports, a legacy ofequality was created at SFU. Both world fig-ure skating champion Karen Magnussen andtrack star Debbie Brill attended there.

Today, retired as athletic director atSFU, Mr. Davies is the executive director ofone of the most respected humanitarian pro-grams in Canada, the Terry Fox Human-itarian Award Program. Mr. Davies has beeninvolved with the program since its incep-tion in 1982. He has served on the board ofdirectors, along with university presidents,the head of the Toronto stock exchange andCanadian Senator Ray Perrault.

Terry Fox attended SFU, but was strick-en with cancer, a cancer that required one legto be amputated. With encouragement fromMr. Davies, Terry Fox trained up and downthe hills of the university with one goal inmindÑto run across Canada (6,000 miles)on one leg to raise money for cancerresearch. He made it far as Thunder Bay,Ontario, when cancer reoccurred and tookhis life. Today Terry Fox is considered bymany to be CanadaÕs greatest hero. Schools,roads, statutes and stamps all bear the nameTerry Fox. His Marathon of Hope that henever finished is observed each year bythousands of school kids, and the moneyraised for cancer is in the millions.

The staff of the Terry Fox HumanitarianAward selects individuals, many young can-cer victims or those with other life chal-lenges, to receive scholarships. They areselected based on a submission to the awardsprogram displaying courage, the ability toovercome adversity and service to others.Each year 100 scholarships give the oppor-tunity to young adults to achieve dreams andgoals that otherwise might unattainable.

The prestigious Order of BC, reservedfor those who dedicate their lives to leavinga legacy in their community, is a well-deserved recognition of Mr. Davies whocontinues to have an impact of the lives ofhundreds of people, both within the Churchof God and without. He was nominated forthe award by Betty Fox, TerryÕs mother.

David Palmer pastors UCG Vancouverand Vancouver Island churches.

Lorne and June Davies in front of photo ofstatue of Terry Fox

Vancouver Elder Receives Prestigious Award

14 United News July 2000

Wedding

Stephanie Johanna Syltie,daughter of Paul and Sandra Syltie,and William Travis Stotts, son of

James and Rose Stotts, were marriedon April 23, 2000. Travis andStephanie are currently students atAmbassador Bible Center in

Cincinnati, Ohio. The couplereturned to Big Sandy, Texas, duringthe semester break of ABC to tie theknot. They plan to settle in the Ft.Worth, Texas, area after classes.

Anniversaries

Wilmer and Geraldine Beyer,both members of the Fort Wayne,Indiana, United Church of God cele-brated their 70th wedding anniver-

sary on May 31. They were marriedin 1930 in Newport, Kentucky. TheBeyers came into GodÕs Church in1963 and have attended inKalamazoo and Coldwater,Michigan, as well as Fort Wayne.They have two children, six grand-children, five great-grandchildrenand one great-great-grandchild.

Ivan and Macie Renfro, whoattend the Kingsport, Tennessee,congregation, observed their 65th

wedding anniversary June 12, 2000.Mr. Renfro was 90 years old March12. They have four sons, 13 grand-children and six great-grandchil-dren. They have been members ofthe Church since 1960

Marvin and Imogene Riddleof Jefferson, Oregon, celebratedtheir 50th wedding anniversaryOctober 17, 1999, at a receptionwith family and friends. They have

two sons, Gary and Richard; agrandson, Phillip; and a great-grand-son, Phillip, Jr. The Riddles serve asdeacon and deaconess in theJefferson congregation.

Obituaries

Mariam Moyosore Ogundipe,53, of Lagos, Nigeria, died on March28, 2000, after a brief illness. Shewas baptized in 1972 and was adevoted member of the Church untilher death. Mrs. Ogundipe is survivedby her husband, Emmanuel OlalekanOgundipe; two daughters, YinkaMahmud and Rachel Ireti Ogundipe;three sons, Daniel OludayoOgundipe, Paul Olukunmi Ogundipeand Israel Kayode Ogundipe; twograndchildren; as well as many otherrelatives. Fred Kellers, pastor of theNashville, Tennessee, congregation,who was visiting Nigeria for theDays of Unleavened Bread, conduct-ed the funeral.

AnnouncementsÉ

Macie and Ivan Renfro

Imogene and Marvin Riddle

Stephanie and Travis Stotts

Geraldine and Wilmer Beyer

by Paul Suckling

During the month of April, and just 10days apart, two very different funerals tookplace here in New England.

Joshua Gabriel KeczkemethyJoshua Keczkemethy, a young man just

20 years old, died of cancer and was buried inHartland, Connecticut. Josh and his familylearned of his problem with this horrible dis-ease just a year ago. Josh helped out the localvolunteer fire service in his spare time. It wasduring one of his practice sessions that hecouldnÕt lift a ladder because of pain in hisback. Soon Josh had difficulty walking andhad pain and numbness in his legs. After avery speedy examination by the local hospi-tal, it was found that Josh had tumors on hisspinal cord and surgery was urgent. All thatwas medically possible was done for Josh.

Several groups from his local area heldmany fund-raisers to help the family. Themembers of the local congregation gave gen-erously. The fire department hosted dinnersand JoshÕs school friends did car washes.Humanly speaking his situation was com-pletely out of our hands. Josh was anointedand prayed for on several occasions.Members fasted and beseeched God to sparehis life. He had been a miracle baby from thestart, having been born with some severeheart problems. But at that time God steppedin, and JoshÕs parents were both very gratefulto have their firstborn alive and well.

Josh was a very brave young man andnever once doubted that God could heal himcompletely. He died knowing that he would

be resurrected and would be reunited againwith his family and friends. Those who knewJosh found him to be a very fine young manwho had wit, kindness and a real sense of fun.Around 600 packed the church for the ser-vice. As the tributes were given, there washardly a dry eye in the place. His family,friends and all who knew him in the Churchwill miss Josh. Our prayers continue for hisparents, Gary and Jane, and for his youngersiblings, Kristen and James.

J.F. ÒRodÓ RodriguesJohn Rodrigues, ÒRod,Ó as all his friends

knew him, suffered a massive stroke someseven years ago. This left him totally para-lyzed except for the ability to move his eye-lids. This was his only means of communica-tion. All questions had to be asked so Rodcould give a ÒyesÓ (eyelids open) or a ÒnoÓ(eyelids closed) response.

For those seven years as Rod lay therehe never showed anger or malice about hiscondition. His very devoted wife, Jody, toldus several times over the years that he neverquestioned what God had allowed. He hopedfor healing and yet knew that GodÕs perfectwill would be the result. Rod stayed faithfulto the truth he understood as taught to himthrough the Church he loved. He believed inGodÕs plan of salvation for all mankind.

On the day of the funeral, there weremany people there to pay their last respects.A moving tribute was rendered by one of ourdeaconesses, Cynthia Gordon, as she remind-ed us all of RodÕs dedication, his inspiringapproach to life and his dedication to theteaching of the Scriptures. Cynthia knew Rod

well and spent scores of hours with him read-ing to him from the Bible as well as havingconversations about their mutual friends.

RodÕs wife Jody told us all about hermeeting and getting to know Rod, and theireventual marriage. Rod was previously mar-ried and had three grown children. This sec-ond marriage gave Rod and Jody a sonnamed Joe. To effectively lose your dad at theage of 7 was a very hard trial for young Joe.

Jody went through the trial of RodÕshealth and the stroke and all that has ensuedto this time. She titled her talk ÒFor Love ofRod.Ó Jody faithfully visited and took care ofas many needs as she could. She looks for-ward to being reunited with Rod in the future.She thanked her own church, Heritage ParkBaptist, and the United Church of God for thededication shown to her husband during theseven years of this trial. UNUN

He was with us such a short timeHow we loved him all the whileWe recall the wonder of himHow we miss his lovely smile

Death, pale death, one day came ridingTook our precious son, for nowWe in heartsick sorrow, grieving, Wonder why and wonder how

Life is short, for some itÕs shorterLike a vapor comes and goesLike a flower that is cut downLike the ocean ebbs and flows

God has given us our loved onesGives us life to love and shareMade the family togetherDifferent ones for whom to care

Comes a day, Oh how we dread it!When we have to say good-byeHow we wish it wouldnÕt happen So we didnÕt have to cry

Death is, now, a cruel victorIt does truly our hearts rendBut, take heart because our SaviorTells us it will surely end

Death, our enemy, is waitingIt was ever, always, soGod has promised, in the future Death will one day be no more

God has promised, God is trueThere is hope for me and youHope for all our family membersOur kind God will see us through

One fine day from whence theyÕve lainWeÕll greet our loved ones once againThen all the hurt we feel todayWill, dreamlike, quickly melt away

TheyÕll stand there wondering where they areHaving just recrossed the barThen, with a rush weÕll reuniteAnd hold each other, Oh so tight!

With tears of joy weÕll laugh and weepBecause theyÕve wakened from their sleepWeÕll hold them closely to our breastAnd look around for all the rest

Bob Jones

In memory of his son, Eric, who died March 4 at the age of 38.

Family ReunionTwo Funerals in New England

The Work in Other CountriesI very much appreciate the reporting on

the Work in other countries and especially thelong reports by Joel Meeker. With every issuethat arrives I get out my atlas and look upevery single place mentioned so that I knowwhere these people are and use the mapswhen I pray for these people in their manytimes ÒimpossibleÓ situations. Even now theChurch has a tendency to be ethnocentricwith an American or British orientation orslant too often, and I guess we all spend a life-time after baptism shedding the old man ofnationalism, cultural heritage and nationaltradition wherever we come from and live (1Corinthians 1:10Ð12; Galatians 3:27Ð28).

With all the material you have and thedifficult decisions as to what to print andwhat to omit, I would like to see much moreabout areas outside of the U.S.

The requests for prayer are very impor-tant, and I highlight them in yellow so I cango over them daily.

I also would like to mention that I verymuch appreciate the high quality paperUnited News is printed on. It holds high-lighter colors and ink marking and notes, tostand up to a lot of use.

Maine

Repairing BreachesI just read the United Church of God and

the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship,boardsÕ letters on the InternetÑhow inspir-ing! That is exactly how we should act andIÕm thrilled to see the elders leading the way!I am deeply grateful to them and to our

Father. This reminds me of the scripture thatspeaks of the future when we will be calledÒrepairers of the breach.Ó The letters broughttears to my eyes. I feel like dancing andsinging.... I will pray for GodÕs blessing andguidance of the task forces and that He fill allbelieversÑwithin and without these twogroupsÑwith His humbling Spirit.

Texas

ÒThe Best MagazineÓPlease accept this offering. I am not a

member of your Church, but I do take theGood News magazine. I consider it the bestmagazine, not only among the Churches ofGod, but I have not read a finer publication.

Virginia

Sunday School Teacher Finds GNI would just like to say how nice it was

to find your magazine at my dentistÕs office.I wanted something ÒChristianÓ to read andactually brought my own reading materialwith me, but I decided to browse and, to mysurprise, I found your magazine. Alleluia!

As I looked through the May/June 2000issue, looking for a subscription card, Inoticed one of the cards had a picture and acaption that caught my eye: ÒCreation orEvolution?Ó

I teach third and fourth grade Sundayschool at Evangel Christian Church inRoseville, Michigan. I will be doing a seriesof lessons soon on Òin the beginning.Ó Isthere any possibility of getting a copy of thatissue or another issue that may have similarbiblically correct information that I could

access for my class? That would truly behelpful to me and my students.

I would also like to be put on your mail-ing list, if I may, starting with the May/June2000Ñan excellent issue! I have youngteenagers and this issue also came at an idealtime. God always leads your path straight aslong as you take the time to listen to Hisdirections!

Michigan, Internet

Baptist Appreciates Abortion ArticleEven though IÕm Baptist, I believe

everything in the Word of God is truth. Iwanted you to know my mom and I enjoyyour magazine. You are right on with yoursubjects. I really enjoyed the article on ÒTheAbortion QuagmireÓ and the one on ÒWhatAre Our Children Worth?Ó How true!

I was interested in your doctrinal state-ment. You seem to be right on and so biblical.Could you send me anything on your doctri-nal stand? May the Lord Bless.

Internet

Quality Writing on Rapture, Good FridayI happened to pick up your publication

while waiting at the doctorÕs office this morn-ing, and I am compelled to write and tell youhow impressed I am about the quality of thewriting, and the relevancy of the topics.Particularly the two I read: Rapture and GoodFriday. These are two subjects that havenever been established with any certainty inmy soul. So thank you for advancing the truthof Christ in the Spirit of Christ.

Internet

Using Scriptures ÒVery Effective!ÓThank you for sending me the booklet,

What Happens After Death? Your explana-tion by using scriptures from the Bible is veryeffective! It proves that God is truly a lovingand merciful spirit being who would neverwant to see any human being suffer in painand misery for eternity. Jesus lived His life asan example of love for us to follow. Eternaldamnation has no part in His love. This truthgives hope and promise to all.

Wisconsin, Internet

Feel Very IsolatedWe are new to some of the teachings of

the United Church of God, and are very inter-ested in learning more and finding a closecongregation. Any help you can give wouldbe appreciated. We have stopped celebratingEaster and Christmas, but are unsure how tocelebrate the Holy Days, especially when wedonÕt know anyone who is doing this. We feelvery isolated in our newfound convictions.

Missouri, Internet

Something Was Not Adding UpMy son (6 years) picked up a copy of the

Good News. I was amazed at the similaritiesof your beliefs with mine. For a long time Ibelieved that something was not adding up.

Internet

United News July 2000 15

News at a GlanceÉVolume of Literature

Allows Church to Save 60Percent With Bulk Rates

The increased volume of bookletsbeing requested each week has allowed theChurch to take advantage of nonprofit bulkmailing rates.

In the first two weeks of June, 2,192pieces of mail were sent out from the homeoffice. ÒIf we had mailed them at first-classrates, the cost would have been approximate-ly $4,100,Ó said Connie Seelig, who coordi-nates the mail processing area. ÒBecause ofthe new method of preparing the mail, wewere able to save at least $2,670.Ó

ThatÕs a 65 percent saving over first-class, and an almost 60 percent saving overthe remailing company the Church had beenusing.

ÒIn order to take advantage of these non-profit rates considerable computer program-ming was necessary to meet Postal Servicerequirements,Ó said Mrs. Seelig. ÒThanks toour Information Services manager, Richard

Kennebeck, the programming has beenaccomplished.Ó

VCM Grows and NeedsMore Volunteers

Virtual Christian Magazine(vcmagazine.org), the ChurchÕs on-line mag-azine of Òpractical Christian living and inspi-

ration,Ó has been attracting new readers.Promotions through the Internet searchengine GoTo.com have attracted 6,349 click-throughs to VCM for a cost of less than $150.

Nearly 100 key words that relate to arti-cles in VCM have been selected for the pro-motion over the last seven months. Thebiggest boost came for the article onValentineÕs Day in the February issue, as 687Internet users chose to visit the article basedon the description they saw when they typedin ÒSt. Valentine,Ó ÒValentineÓ orÒValentineÕs Day.Ó The second biggest keyword was Òabortion,Ó which drew 563 click-throughs to the article ÒThe Gift of SexÓ inthe April/May issue.

VCM is written and produced by volun-teers. ÒWeÕre looking for more Englishmajors, journalistsÑtalented writers and edi-tors,Ó said Victor Kubik, managing editor ofthe magazine. Writers, editors and volunteerswith experience in Web layout are welcometo apply to help with the growth of the mag-azine. Contact Victor Kubik atvic@kubik.org or Mike Bennett atmike_bennett@ucg.org.

Web Surfers Seeking InfoAlong with the hundreds of people who

request literature using the forms available onthe United Web site, an increasing numberare sending personal messages and questionsto info@ucg.org.

In a three-month period, 1,183 messageswere received. From an average of 75 mes-sages a week in March, this increased to 100messages a week in May. Most messagesreceive a personal reply.

Messages range from changes ofaddress to comments (see some of these inthe ÒLettersÓ section, above), from requestsfor information about the nearest congrega-tion to doctrinal and biblical questions.

Currently Bob Fahey is answering thePersonal Correspondence questions thatarrive through the Internet. Others minis-ters handling this responsibility for three-month shifts are Cecil Maranville,Michael Hanisko and Noel Horner. Morethan 100 Personal Correspondenceanswers were written and sent out in thelast three months through info@ucg.org.

47 sacks full of literature are mailed June 9,taking advantage of nonprofit bulk rates

LettersÉ

Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Comments and suggestions to improveUnited News welcome. Mail to: United News,P.O. Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027, or e-mail mike_bennett@ucg.org.

16 United News July 2000

ABC Sampler Topics Setfor Cincinnati

Ephesians, Amos, ComparativeReligion and Genesis 1Ð25 will be discussedat this summerÕs ABC Sampler to be held atthe Ambassador Bible Center in CincinnatiAugust 14 to 18.

Les McCullough will be covering thebackground, purpose, message and themes ofPaulÕs letter to the Ephesians.

Gary Antion will take students on astudy of Amos, the shepherd from Judah whowas sent by God with a prophetic message ofdire consequences for the northern kingdomof Israel. Students will learn of the fivevisions God gave to drive the lesson home.

Mr. Antion will also present informationon the Baptists, the largest Protestant body inthe United States. Students will learn of theirbeginning and their doctrines, then comparetheir teachings with the Scriptures. Studentswill also learn about the Mormons, the fifthlargest and one of the fastest-growingChristian bodies in America.

Ralph Levy will present ÒGenesis: Fromthe Beginnings to AbrahamÓ with verse-by-verse commentary on Genesis 1Ð25, dis-cussing the major theological lessons.

To register, send your name, address andphone number to Ambassador Bible Center,P.O. Box 54992, Cincinnati, OH 45254-0992, and request enrollment at the ABCSampler in Cincinnati. Or call Gary Antion orRalph Levy at (513) 576-9796 to register. A$50 tuition fee must be paid before the startof classes. Classes will run from 8:45 a.m. to5 p.m. each day.

ABC Instructors to Teachin Phoenix September 9Ð11

The Ambassador Bible Center will con-duct a regional seminar in Phoenix, Arizona,September 9Ð11 at the Crown Plaza Resort.Classes will be Saturday evening, all daySunday and Monday evening. Instructorswill be Gary Antion and Ralph Levy.

The tuition cost of $8 will help defraythe costs of room rental and refreshments.Discounted rates for housing include: CrownPlaza Hotel Resort, $69 plus tax, (602) 943-2341; AmeriSuites, $59 plus tax, (602) 997-8800; Ramada, $52 plus tax, (800) 566-8535.The tax is 11.37 percent.

The seminar will be hosted by thePhoenix East and NW Phoenix congrega-tions. To sign up (outside of Phoenix), con-tact ABC (see address and phone number inarticle above). The deadline is August 10.

Spokane CongregationFeatured in Newspaper

An article about local churches usingthe Internet prominently featured the UCGcongregation in Spokane, Washington. Thearticle was the lead article of Section E of The

Spokesman-Review on Saturday, May 27.The paper has 127,358 circulation onSaturdays.

ÒWe received prominent mention andour Web address and the time and location ofservices was listed as well,Ó said MarkMickelson, pastor in Spokane. ÒWe may notrealize sometimes just how advanced we are.

We were the only congregation listed offer-ing a live cybercast and our Web siteappeared to be the most highly developed.ItÕs interesting to note as well that a teen inthe congregation (Heather Hirst) helps tomaintain it.

ÒIt was exciting to see our local congre-gation positively featured in this way, andalso to realize the possible impact on some ofthe readers in this area,Ó said Mr. Mickelson.

Financial UpdateWe have processed all three spring

Holy Day offerings. The cumulative total ofreported offerings this year was $1,717,000,compared to $1,662,000 last year. That repre-sents an increase of 3.3 percent. The averagereported attendance in the U.S. for these HolyDays was 11,674, compared to 11,454 lastyear, a 2.0 percent increase.

Regular (Category One) income contin-ues to average about $43,000 per banking

day. For the new fiscal year that begins onJuly 1, we budgeted $45,000 per bankingday. We look to God for His continued provi-sion of the resources we need to go forward.

Our auditors will be visiting our officesin the first week of August to do much oftheir work on our financial statements for the15 months ending June 30. There will bemuch preparation work done here during themonth of July.

We thank God, the brethren and othersupporters of the work of UCGIA for provid-ing the resources that enable us to fund thegrowing scope of the work. What activity onearth is more important?

Tom Kirkpatrick

Quebec Whale WatchingDeadline August 31

A whale watching adventure is sched-uled for Monday, October 16, during theFeast in at Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec. Costsin U.S. dollars are: adults $49; age 15 andunder $35; 6 and under $20. In Canadian dol-lars, adults are $69; 15 and under $49; and 6and under $29.

If you would like to be a part of thisadventure, please issue a check to: ÒUnitedChurch of GodÑCanada.Ó Send your checkto: Carol Livermore, 11 Third Avenue,Stittsville, Ontario, Canada, K2S 1C5.Include a note stating your name, phonenumber, number and type of tickets request-ed. If there are any questions you can call800-394-1535 or e-mail livermore@acn-canada.net. The deadline is August 31.

New United EldersAnnounced

Melvin Parks was ordained onPentecost, June 11. Mr. Parks serves in theAshboro, North Carolina, congregation.

Three elders were added in Canada.Joseph Moulton, of Spencerville, Ontario,was credentialed by the Council of Elders,and Daniel Berendt and Richard Berendt ofEdmonton, Alberta, were ordained March 25.

Henrikas Klovas was ordained May 6during the General Conference of Elders toserve in Lithuania and Eastern Europe.

Periodicals Postage paid at Milford, Ohio,

and at additional mailing officesUnited News

WhatÕs New on the Web?

¥ Info on the British SummerCamp, August 18 to 27, is at:

http://www.goodnews.org.uk/Articles/sumcmp00.htm

¥ Three new sermon transcripts areavailable on our Deaf/Hard ofHearing page: ÒThe Ladder of EightVirtues,Ó by Richard Pinelli; ÒHow toBe an Encourager,Ó by RoyHolladay; and ÒProphecy for Today,Óby Les McCullough.

http://www.ucg.org/deafhh/transcripts.html

¥ Press Release: The Council ofElders of the United Church of God,an International Association, and theCouncil of Elders of the Church ofGod, a Christian Fellowship, haveformally agreed to each send a repre-sentative task force to meet with oneanother to discuss their doctines andpractices.

http://www.ucg.org/a/news/ucg-cgcf-pressrelease.htm

¥ New online sermon: TomKirkpatrick, treasurer, gives a mes-sage on servants. View it usingRealPlayer G2.

http://www.ucg.org/RealAud/index.html

¥ The June edition of World Newsand Prophecy is online in both PDF(416K) and HTML formats.

http://www.ucg.org/html/literat.shtml#4

¥ Read a biography of our newestmember of the Council of Elders:Mario Seiglie.

http://www.ucg.org/articles/bios/

¥ The July issue of VirtualChristian Magazine is available.

http://vcmagazine.org

¥ Regular updates from the presi-dent and home office staff, plusnews of the Work United is doing,are posted on our news page.

http://www.ucg.org/a/news/news.htm

If you have any questions orcomments, please contact:

webmaster@ucg.org

News at a GlanceÉ

Newspaper article features the SpokaneUCG congregation prominently May 27