This summer 857 campersattended the seven United YouthCamps in the United States, servedby 363 adult and college-age staffmembers.

This adds up to 1,220, or a 15percent increase over the 1,060 thatattended six camps last summer.Again this means that about 10 per-cent of those who attend Church inthe United States were at camp thisyear.

Representatives from theAmerican Camping Association

visited four campsÑOakhurst,Carter, McKenzie and HeritageÑand rated them all highly. The col-lective scoresheet was submitted tothe ACAand Òwe should be notifiedof the result by the middle ofNovember,Ó said David Treybig.

Reports on the TetonChallenger Camp, Camp Carter,Camp McKenzie, Camp Heritageand the Canadian camp are includ-ed in this issue, starting on page 6.The earlier camps were covered inthe July and August issues. UNUN

United News September 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. 6SEPTEMBER 2000News of the UNITED CHURCH OF GOD, an International AssociationNews of the UNITED CHURCH OF GOD, an International Association

Task Forces Conduct Positive MeetingsTask forces of the Church of

God, a Christian Fellowship, andthe United Church of God, anInternational Association, met inMemphis, Tennessee, August 14and 15 for talks they character-ized as being very open, positiveand laying a groundwork forfuture progress and goodwill.

The respective councils ofthe two church organizations ini-tiated these meetings in May, as apositive step toward striving forÒthe unity of the spirit in the bondof peaceÓ (Ephesians 4:3).Foundational to this action wasthe recognition that both groupsessentially shared common viewson the following points: both rec-ognize the other as brethren andmembers of the true Church ofGod; both want a closer relation-ship and interaction; both want todo the work that God hasordained for the Church; both

have common bonds throughfamily, tradition and doctrinalunderstanding; both mutuallyrespect the other as a result of thenumber of years spent workingtogether as peers.

However, both groups alsorecognized the reality that otherissues have impeded good rela-tionships, and commissioned thetask forces to candidly examineall of these areas. In preparationfor these sessions, members andministers from both organizationssubmitted a significant number ofquestions and concerns, as well asgeneral encouragement for thisprocess. Their input formed thebasis for the discussions and, bybeing able to address them forth-rightly, members of the taskforces felt they took a giant for-ward step toward future coopera-tion and reconciliation.

Much of the first dayÕs talks

addressed doctrinal and adminis-trative issues. Prior to meeting,the groups had exchanged theirstatements on fundamentalbeliefs, as well as all the doctrinalquestions and issues they wouldbe asked. Each group was there-fore able to provide answersÑmany in the form of booklets, arti-cles and study papersÑthat coulddemonstrate its official teaching.

The task force discussionsoften went much further than theoriginal inquiries, however, aseach group freely asked follow-upquestions. Much of the dialoguealso centered around understand-ing why certain questions wereraised, why perceptions are heldabout each groupÕs views andwhy people have concerns aboutdoctrinal integrity on variousissues. Of particular value was theopportunity to hear explanations,or see in print the written posi-tions, on all of these issues. Thetask forces mutually concludedthat the official doctrinal positionsof the two groups are essentiallythe same.

Also discussed at length wereviews of governance, administra-

The Good News Tops 300,000 for First TimeÒWe passed another major

milestone with the September/October issue of The Good News,Ósaid Scott Ashley, managing editorof the GN. ÒOur print run for thatissue topped 300,000 for the firsttime, with a total requested quantityof 302,751. For the 2000-2001 fis-cal year we plan to average a printrun of 325,000, so weÕre well onour way toward that goal.Ó

This print run is up more than18,000 over last issue and almost89,000 higher than a year ago. Thisrepresents a 6 percent increase overthe last issue and 41 percent overlast year. These increases havecome in spite of the fact that, overthe last two issues, some 20,000subscribers chose not to renew.

New subscribers have comefrom a variety of promotions. At theend of August, 22,834 responseshad come in from the June ReaderÕsDigest ad. The direct mail packages

sent out in July have received 8,344responses, a 3 percent responserate. Approximately a thousandnew subscribers come in from cardsin waiting room copies of the mag-azine. And the relaunched brochuredisplay program using member par-ticipation attracted 585 new sub-scribers in August.

ÒGood NeighborÓ DisplaysLast summer the Church con-

tracted with Snyder Commun-ications Corporation to distribute50,000 Good News subscriptionbrochures on 500 of their ÒGoodNeighborÓ displays located at thehigh-traffic entrances of majorsupermarkets and discount stores.ÒDuring that test we received a 2.17percent response with a very good$6.43 cost per subscription,Ó saidJohn LaBissoniere, who is coordi-nating the program. ÒBecause of thetestÕs success, we decided to expand

distribution this year.Ó This hasalready begun, and in three monthsclose to a quarter-million brochureswill be distributed in over 2,000stores in 68 U.S. media markets.

Testing RadioOver the first four weeks, calls

from listeners to the new Good Newsradio program totaled 96. Althoughthe numbers havenÕt been high, thecallers have been enthusiastic aboutthe program, which has been excit-ing for the volunteers answering thecalls, said Laura Peabody, whosupervises the volunteers.

ÒIt does take a little time tobuild up a radio audience (especiallyearly on a Sunday morning) and ourlisteners need to feel comfortableabout calling in,Ó said PeterEddington, Media and Communi-cations operation manager. ÒWeÕdappreciate your prayers for the suc-cess of this new broadcast effort.Ó UNUN

1,220 Campers and Staff AttendUnited Youth Camps in the U.S.

ÒFor nearly two years agroup of over 30 Church membershas volunteered its work in helpingwrite Sabbath school lessons,Ó LesMcCullough said in his August 16ÒPresidentÕs Letter.Ó ÒI know thoseteachers who use the materialappreciate the effort very much. Iwant to add my thanks as well forall their hard work.Ó

These teacherÕs guides arebased on a curriculum approved bythe Education Committee of theCouncil of Elders. They are writtenfor six grade levels, from kinder-

garten through fifth grade, with 40lessons on each level. The projecthas been coordinated by Jim andJudy Servidio, assisted by fourother ministers as grade level chair-men: Steve Myers, Herb Teitgen,Gary Smith and Greg Sargent.

ÒThis material is being madeavailable so that each teacher has aclass outline and family activitysheet already prepared for him orher,Ó said Mr. Servidio. ÒWe feelthey can be of tremendous help insaving time and providing freshideas to illustrate the truth of God toour children.É Of course, use ofthe program is entirely optional.Ó

The Sabbath school curricu-lum can be downloaded fromwww.ucgyouth.org/resources/ sabba thschoo l / i ndex .h tm.Instructors should contact theirpastor for details on downloadingthe actual lessons.

ÒWe would prefer to have thisfirst year serve as a ÔshakedowncruiseÕso that additions, correctionsand improvements can be madeprior to being fully accessible onthe Internet,Ó Mr. Servidio said in amessage to pastors and Sabbathschool instructors. UNUN

IN IN THISTHIS ISSUE...ISSUE...Spiritual Balance ........................2International News....................3United Youth Camps ..................6Please DonÕt Smoke......................9Christ in Us ................................10Azazel Goat and Atonement ......11ÒEven So, Come, Lord Jesus!Ó 12MemberÕs Recovery Featured ..13Local Church Updates............14Announcements........................15News at a Glance ....................16WhatÕs New on the Web? ........16

Next issue: November 6, 2000

Les McCullough with international campersand ministers at Camp Carter; left, ACA

representatives Sylvia Fisher and Ann Sheets

(See ÒMEETINGS,Ó page 2)

Volunteers Producing 240Sabbath School TeachersÕ Guides

ÒÉthe way is narrow thatleads to life, and few are

those who find itÓ (Matthew7:14, NAS).

by Robert Dick

In the Sermon on the Mount, containingChristÕs foundational instruction to His disci-ples, He warned that the road traveled by trueChristians is both narrow and difficult andfew in this lifetime travel it successfully.

As an observer of the human parade, Iam fascinated by how easy it is to land in theditch on either side of the road to eternallifeÑhow difficult it is to achieve true spiri-tual balance.

This year I was privileged to work as apart of the newspaper staff at CampMcKenzie, one of our summer youth camps,where I was impressed by one young ladyÕsunderstanding of this spiritual principle.Among the articles submitted by the campersfor the camp newspaper, The McKenzieGood Times, was a short yet insightful articleon spiritual balance by Teresa VanAusdle.The journalism is youthful, but the spiritualinsight is quite mature.

To Be Òin The WorldÓ and Not Òof the WorldÓ

What does it mean to be Òin theworldÓ and not Òof the worldÓ? Well, itmeans that even if you are around theworld all of your life, you shouldnÕt doall the things that they do.

An example of that would be a fishthat lives in an ocean or a sea. It lives insalt water all of its life and yet whenyou catch the fish you still have to addsalt. In other words, just because it livesin the saltwater doesnÕt mean that itneeds to absorb it. That is what we needto doÑnot absorb the world around usjust like the fish.

Quite a challenge isnÕt it? Christ intend-ed that His disciples go into the world yet notabsorb it. This requires delicate spiritual bal-ance.

How have generations of religious peo-ple handled this matter? Throughout time thefearful, timid or, in stark contrast, the aloofand arrogantly superior have cloistered them-

selves away from society so as not to be con-taminated. The Essenes of ChristÕs day, themonasteries, cloisters and abbeys of Europeand Asia, even the isolationist sects thatsprang up in 18th and 19th century NorthAmericaÑall sought to find and preservespirituality through isolation.

One of the timeless observations in theWord of God about isolation is found inPaulÕs advice to the Corinthians (1Corinthians 5:9Ð10). Paul acknowledged thatif they were to totally isolate themselves fromfornicators, covetous, extortioners and idol-aters, they would have to leave the planet.Centuries have passed, but this comment is astrue today as it was two thousand years ago.Go to work on Monday morning and standelbow to elbow with all the categories Pauldescribed and moreÑnothing has changedexcept it is probably worse. Yet thatÕs whereGod wants you to beÑin it, but not of it.

Look at Matthew 5:14Ð16 ÒYou are thelight of the world. A city that is set on a hillcannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lampand put it under a basket, but on a lampstand,and it gives light to all who are in the house.Let your light so shine before men, that theymay see your good works and glorify yourFather in heaven.Ó The truism is ageless.What light can be shed in a monastery, aShaker village or for that matter a Church ofGod home safely insulated from outsideexposure?

None. The light is safe and secure underits bushel basket.

ItÕs dangerous to be a light. It is not a jobfor the spiritually weak or insecure.

God from ancient times has preservedthe names and the recorded trials of thosewho stood in the midst of this world and shedlight brightlyÑJoseph, Esther, Daniel andNehemiah, just to name a few. And God wasglorified by the light they cast in a darkenedworld.

There is a not-so-obvious benefit thatcomes from letting light shine. That is valida-tionÑvalidation of the worth of what istaught; validation of how it is practiced.GodÕs way does work, but people have to seeit in order to appreciate it and thereby glorifyGod for it.

Remember the words of Matthew 5:16,ÒLet your light so shine before men, that theymay see your good works and glorify your

Father in heaven.Ó The formula is simpleÑbefore menÑthey may seeÑglorify God.

I had an opportunity to speak at lengthwith Larry Greider, United Youth CampCoordinator, when he made a visit to CampMcKenzie as a part of our request for ACAaccreditation. What I found interesting werethe comments he passed along of those whovisited our camps on behalf of the ACA.They were deeply impressed by the amountof effort put out to make possible a one-weekcamping experience for our youth. Theylikened our staffÕs arrival and set-up to aWorld War II beachhead landing. They wereimpressed with how many would volunteertheir time to work as unpaid staff and howmuch effort we would expend to make it allpossible. The ACArepresentatives also want-ed a copy of our camp manualsÑnot in thiscase to examine for accreditation, butbecause they were impressed by the thor-oughness of our preparation. Our interactingwith the ACA allowed a light to shine in anew area.

Prior to speaking with Mr. Greider, acouple of us sat in the dining hall with DarrylImhoff, former NBA player with the LosAngeles Lakers, and now the overseer of thefacility at Camp McKenzie. We all knew thatwe were not their normal client, nor havethey treated us as normal. We have beengranted privileges at the facility that areoffered to no other organization. Why? Mr.Imhoff made one comment that told the story.He said, ÒYou are the one group that, whenyou leave our camp, it is cleaner than whenyou arrived.Ó

Where is the line between interfacingwith the world as an opportunity to spreadlight, and becoming just another part of theworld and its ways? The line is sometimesfaintÑthe road, as Christ said, is Ònarrow,Ódifficult.

Keeping ourselves undefiled from theworld yet being a light that glorifies God canbe quite a spiritual balancing act. Our man-date though is clear. We are to go out to theworld yet remain separate from its ways andactions.

Remember the very fitting lesson fromthe young writer at Camp McKenzie. Likethe saltwater fish, we may live a lifetime inour surroundings, but we donÕt have toabsorb it. ThatÕs spiritual balance. UNUN

2 United News September 2000

United NewsSeptember 2000 Vol. 6, No. 6

United News (ISSN 1088-8020) is published monthlyexcept April and October by the United Church ofGod, an International Association, 5405 DupontCircle, Suite A, Milford, OH 45150. © 2000 UnitedChurch of God, an International Association. Printedin the U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction in anyform without written permission is prohibited.Periodicals Postage paid at Milford, Ohio 45150, andat additional mailing offices. Canada Post publica-tions mail agreement 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, Les McCullough, Burk McNair, Mario Seiglie,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 toall who request it. Your subscription is provided bythe generous, voluntary contributions of members ofthe United Church of God, an InternationalAssociation, and their co-workers. Donations aregratefully accepted and are tax-deductible. Torequest a subscription, write to United News, UnitedChurch of God, P.O. Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH45254-1027, or to one of the international addressesbelow.

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: P.O. Box 53, Quatre Bornes, 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) 241-0150

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.

Spiritual BalanceÑA Lifelong Quest

tive systems, the origins of each groupÕsorganization and subsequent events thattook place, and common perceptions heldby members and ministers about the otherchurch. Again, they found similar groundin governance and administration, betterunderstanding of why and how the twogroups began, and whether many of theconcepts people hold are real or perceived.

Clearly emerging from the talks wasthe fact that many of the barriers that existstem from past hurts and personal offenses,consequently resulting in various levels of

distrust, suspicion or reservations. The taskforces agreed that overcoming these rela-tionship problems presents the greateststumbling block to harmony, but thatÒstriving for the unity of the faithÓ meansthat Christians must work hard to over-come such challenges. Realistic, practicalsolutions to healing will require the humil-ity and courage to lovingly and openlycommunicate, listen, understand, repentand forgive. The consensus was that trueunity can and will be attained through theprocess of spiritual healing and maturing.

The next step the task forces take will

be to bring detailed reports of this meetingto their respective councils and recommen-dations for the future. Such recommenda-tions include continuing the dialoguebegun in Memphis and specific ideas forfurthering reconciliation among brethren.

The six members of the task forcesÑNorbert Link, George Meeker and WarrenZehrung for CGCF; Roy Holladay, ClydeKilough and Dennis Luker for UCGÑemphasized they enjoyed a comfortable,warm, respectful and harmonious workingrelationship and look forward to continu-ing the efforts toward peace and unity. UNUN

ÒMEETINGS,Ó (Continued from page 1)

by John A. Jewell

July was a good month for the workin the British Isles with the Good Newscirculation now going over 2,000. This isfive times what it was just two years ago.

The increase has been aided byapproximately 350 responses to theSunday Telegraph ad July 16. This colorad appeared on the front page of thiswell-respected national newspaper with1.6 million circulation. We regard thislevel of response as being successful,since Europeans, including the British, donot easily respond to ads which comeacross as religious or that have beenplaced by a church. We therefore have tobe very careful how we approach adver-tising.

It may not be generally realized butthe British newspapers, both daily andSunday editions, are available on news-stands in virtually every town and city inEurope and Scandinavia. They can evenbe purchased in hotel shops and at air-ports. So we were not surprised when wereceived some responses from France,Norway, Russia and even India.

We hope to have another ad in eitherthe Sunday or the Daily Telegraph earlyin the new year.

More responses continue to come infrom the ads in the Swedish ReaderÕsDigest and also the British one placed lastNovember. A second ad has been con-tracted for the November edition of theSwedish ReaderÕs Digest. Many people inScandinavia read English. Sweden, thelargest of the Scandinavian nations, isprobably the best place for us to adver-tise. If we should produce any publica-tions in Swedish, and we hope that wewill, we would have the advantage thatSwedish is easily understood throughoutScandinavia, whereas the other languages(Danish, Norwegian and Finnish) are noteasily understood outside their borders.

We are still receiving replies to oursemiannual letter and the total is gettingclose to 300 now. This gives us aresponse of over 17 percent. The incomeis climbing and we are getting more andmore questions and requests for booklets.The Bible Study Course, which we oper-ate as a correspondence course, is gettingup towards 400 in membership and isbecoming an important factor in ourefforts to build a dialogue with the gener-al mailing list.

Testing New PromotionsPlanned to start on September 1 and

running for an initial trial three months isthe use of big rotary display units in twomotorway (freeway) service areas. One

of these is near Edinburgh and the othernear Birmingham in the midlands ofEngland. Each display unit has four sideswith 16 slots on each side in which areplaced brochures for the general public totake. These units are placed in the mainconcourse of the service area. We areusing a total of four slots in each of thetwo display units. On average, we are toldby Granada (the company which ownsthese two service areas plus a further 54areas), about 250 brochures are taken perslot per week.

We are supplying Granada with10,000 brochures offering The GoodNews for our slots. We then pay a flat rateper month per slot. They will do all themaintenance, topping up the slots, tidyingup and generally making sure everythingruns properly. We are using reply-paidtear-off cards on the brochures. We haveno idea what the response will beÑit willbe interesting finding out. Motorway ser-vice areas, in addition to selling petrol,have restaurants, childrenÕs play areas,toilets, shops, etc., and all centered on acentral concourse. A tremendous numberof people go through these areas everyday. They are open 24 hours a day andevery day of the year.

Also starting in September and run-ning till the end of December is an ad forThe Good News in a booklet distributedto millions of homes throughout thecountry. ItÕs a booklet which carries adswith free offers. The GN ad fits nicelyinto this. We have contracted to be in 1million copies initially. We donÕt pay forthe adsÑwe only pay for the responses.No responses? No pay!

If this gives a good response, we canlook at doing this again with a greaterdistribution. The company also coversEurope and Scandinavia, so we couldthink of Sweden some time next year.

Office Coming TogetherOur office facilities in Lancashire,

about 30 miles north of Manchester, arecoming together with a lot of hard workand help from the membership in thearea. These offices are in a building con-verted from cottages that the staff of cot-ton mills in the immediate area used tolive in.

In the offices we have our generalmailing area with the usual equipment,postage meters, scales, photocopymachine, dedicated fax machine, etc. Wealso keep stocks of booklets and The Good

News with all the back copies. The BibleStudy Course is administered from here.Also maintained are office copies of vari-ous magazines and literature going backmany years as part of a small resource cen-ter, together with the main church files andrecords. In this building we also storeyouth camp equipment and those itemsdonated by members for sale at car bootsales. This year from several car boot saleswe made over 200 British pounds (about$300) towards the summer camp.

We are planning to use one of therooms for specific media use. The officealso is the registered office for the UnitedChurch of GodÐBritish Isles and also theregistered office for our corporate body,World Tomorrow Media. The accountsdepartment is run by Barbara Fenneyfrom her home in Cheshire and the maindatabase and circulation by JanSchroeder from her home just outsideLondon.

It is amazing how complicated thingshave now become in this world and whatan infrastructure is needed to do the work.But the gospel must be preached to theworld in whatever way we can find that isacceptable to the Eternal God whose workwe have been called to do. UNUN

United News September 2000 3

British IslesÕ Circulation Tops 2,000; New Promotions Begin

With the July/August issue of TheGood News, the Canadian office had dis-tributed more magazines this year than inall of 1999. And there are still two issuesto be sent out!

Increased MailingsThe Toronto office is handling an

increasing number of publication mail-ings. In mid August, 18 boxes of new lit-erature Òcluttered our already overcrowd-ed reception area even more,Ó saidAnthony Wasilkoff, operation managerfor Canada. ÒAt the same time 72 con-tainers of the waiting room editions ofThe Good News were being prepared formailing. We find ourselves reaching themaximum capacity of our office spacewhile we still have a year left on our cur-rent lease. This speaks to the significantgrowth of the work here in Canada in thelast few years.Ó

To reduce postage costs, lesson 7 ofthe Bible Study Course, the August issuesof United News and World News andProphecy and two new booklets were allmailed together. ÒItÕs a somewhat time-consuming and complex task since manypeople are on various lessons of the BibleStudy Course, and others receive some ofour literature while others receive all of

our literature,Ó said Mr. Wasilkoff. ÒInthe end, though, it still saves time andmoney over sending up to five separatemailings.Ó

Office manager Ed van Pelt reported,ÒWith over 15,000 names on file, keepingup with changes of address and keepingthe mailing list current is becoming a fulltime job. Not a day goes by withoutupdates to the master file.Ó

Mr. van Pelt also reported on thesearch for a new hall for the Toronto con-gregation. ÒThe rates are scheduled to goup about 350 percent starting inSeptember,Ó he said. ÒHowever, we havefound a few possible locations that mightbe suitable for our needs, and they wouldcost no more (less in some cases) thanwhat we are currently paying.Ó

Statistics From First Half of the Year

From January 1 to June 30 of thisyear, Canadian membership increased by2.3 percent, the number of donors declinedby 2.4 percent and the number of sub-scribers increased by over 35 percent.

Sabbath attendance for the first sixmonths was up 11.5 percent over last yearand Holy Day attendance was up 3.3 per-cent compared to last year.

Regina Congregation Begins

Glen White, pastor of the Calgary,Alberta, congregation, and Larry DeLong,resident elder of the Lethbridge, Alberta, con-gregation, conducted the first United Churchof God services in Regina, Saskatchewan,June 24 with 17 in attendance. ÒPlans areunderway to establish a regular Sabbath ser-vice video group so the local brethren canexperience the fellowship and messagesweekly,Ó said Mr. White. ÒWe are schedulinga live speaker from the Calgary andLethbridge congregations to be present on amonthly basis. As schedules can be adjustedlocally, we hope to increase the frequency ofscheduled speakers in Regina.

ÒThe fellowship was warm, invigorat-ing and lengthy,Ó said Mr. White. ÒForthose who could stay longer, we all gath-ered at the Teetaert residence after ser-vices. At 11:30 p.m. we finally said good-night to each other and went to bed. Atleast some of us went to bed; some stillhad two to three hours to travel beforearriving home. The Spirit of God alreadyhad begun its work of binding us closer toone another.Ó UNUN

This material was compiled fromweekly reports from the Canadian officeposted at www.ucg.org/a/news/canada.htm.

International News...

Canadian Office Feels the Effects of Growth

by Joel Meeker

My family and I arrived in Amman,Jordan, June 30 to join the 11 Youth Corpsvolunteers and David Baker who oversaw thefirst phase of the Jordan/Israel project (seearticle below). They had just finished servingat a camp on the outskirts of Amman. We sawthat they had done well in the very Spartanaccommodations common to this area.

For the next week we toured the HolyLand before beginning work on the archaeo-logical dig at Ashkelon. Friday we all visitedthe ruins of the Roman Decapolis city ofJerash north of Amman. It was one of themost important cities inthe region during the timeof Christ, and has beenextensively excavated.We then followed theKingÕs Highway south.This is the road some-times followed by thechildren of Israel as they

moved north toward the Promised Land. Wespent Sunday visiting Petra and Mondaysnorkeling in the Red Sea.

Tuesday morning we crossed into Israelat Eilat. A tour guide met and accompaniedus up the Negev to our first stop of the day,Masada. Masada was a fortress palace builtby Herod the Great and the last strongpoint tohold out against the Romans during the revoltof A.D. 70. We continued up the shore of theDead Sea to the Oasis of En Gedi, one of theplaces where David hid from Saul when thelatter was trying to kill him (1 Samuel 24).Then it was on to Qumran to learn about theEssene community and the Dead Sea scrolls.

Wednesday, we first had a ÒfloatÓ in theDead Sea. Then we drove to Jericho, Beit

SheÕan and Meggido, where we toured theexcavated walls and gates. We also viewedthe valley below Meggido, the famousArmageddon, where great armies will gatherbefore the final battle at Jerusalem(Revelation 16:13Ð16).

Thursday we drove north to the Òmountof Beatitudes,Ó the traditional site whereJesus gave the sermon on the mount, andCapernaum, the center of JesusÕ ministry. Wesaw the excavated fourth century synagoguepossibly built on the foundation of a previoussynagogue which Jesus may have known. Wedrove up mount Carmel to see the probablesite where Elijah defied the prophets of Baal

and where God workeda great miracle (1Kings 18:19Ð40).

Friday we drovethrough Haifa, IsraelÕsmost important port,before continuing on toNazareth. From therewe drove to CaesareaMaritima and viewed acopy of the stone foundon the site, which bearsan inscription confirm-ing that Pontius Pilateruled the region duringthe time of ChristÕs cru-cifixion.

Sabbath morning we had a Bible studyat 7 a.m. on the biblical history and prophe-cies concerning Jerusalem. After the studywe took our bus to the Temple Mount wherewe visited the Al Aqsa mosque and the Domeof the Rock. From Jerusalem we drove toAshkelon where we checked into the DanGardens Hotel, which was to be our home forthe next three weeks.

Our archaeological work began Sundaymorning at 5 a.m. Our group had representa-tives in three of the four excavation areas atTel Ashkelon, but most of us were in Grid 38.There we excavated the period around the10th century B.C., which is the period ofDavid and Solomon. One week an inscriptionwas found on a clay tablet which might be the

first ever find of Philistine writing. Thiswould be quite an exciting development, andwe all looked very carefully for inscriptionsof any kind on the pottery we found, withoutfurther success. Jamie Franks and Lily Millereach found a small stone figurine made to fiton a necklace, apparently the first of theirkinds to be found.

At 1 p.m. the buses took us back to thehotel. Following lunch we had some freetime, which many used to take a nap, until4:30 when we met for an hour and a half ofpottery washing. Most days at 6:15 p.m. therewas a 45-minute lecture by some of the fore-most experts in the field.

Since our excavation workweek endedThursday afternoons, on Fridays we leftAshkelon at 8 a.m. for Jerusalem. On our firstFriday trip to the Holy City, we drovethrough the valley of Elah, and read theaccount of DavidÕs battle against Goliathwhich occurred there. Our first stop inJerusalem was the city of David, south of theTemple Mount. We toured the excavation site(many Ambassador College students had par-ticipated in the excavation work here in the

1980s). At WarrenÕs shaft, Marjolaine and Iwere surprised by the photo exhibits on thewalls showing the excavation of the shaft andthe tunnel in the 1980s. We were surprisedbecause we recognized many old classmatesfrom Ambassador College!

From the pool of Siloam we drove toYad Vashem, the Holocaust museum, then toBethlehem.

Sabbath morning after a late breakfastwe had a Bible study, during which I coveredthe Olivet prophecy of Jesus (Matthew 24),and other references to the Mount of Olives.Then we drove to the Israel Museum wherewe saw the Shrine of the Book where someof the Dead Sea scrolls are exhibited.

During our third and final weekend inJerusalem, we visited the excavation sites inthe Herodian quarter, the Church of the HolySepulchre and the Western Wall to watch theJewish traditions played out at the beginningof the Sabbath.

Saturday morning after a late breakfastwe had a Bible study at the Youth Hostel dur-ing which I talked about lessons from the life

4 United News September 2000

Youth Corps Volunteers Tour and Dig in Israel

United Youth Corps volunteers on the Mount of Olives with the Temple Mount in thebackground. Above, Lily Miller with baboon statuette she found and Kim Mortier digging

by David Baker

On June 14, 11 volunteers from theUnited Youth Corps embarked on a six-week journey to the Middle East. The vol-unteers spent 19 days in Jordan before goingon to Israel. The volunteers paid their ownexpenses for an opportunity to represent theChurch in Jordan and Israel.

While in Jordan the volunteers servedat a summer camp sponsored by theYWMA Center for Special Education.(During the 1980s and early Õ90s the Churchassisted the Center through the AmbassadorFoundation.) The campers are students atthe Center and are classified as mild to mod-erate in terms of their mental disabilities.Even though some of the campers were intheir late teens, they had never spent a nightaway from home without their parents. Thecamp was divided into two sessions; olderboys, June 21 to 25, and younger boys andolder girls, June 26 to 29.

The group arrived in Amman, Jordan,on Thursday evening, June 15. They weremet at the airport by a representative of theRoyal Palace, who assisted them with entryformalities. Friday was spent touring. Onthe Sabbath the group discussed some of thescriptures relating to Mt. Nebo and Madabaand then visited these sites.

The camp activities included makingmelon and bag lamps, constructing paperhats, making candles, building and flyingkites, making cards with rubber stamps,painting stones, making wire cars, garden-ing, decorating the camp with arts andcrafts, a treasure hunt, water balloon toss,

visiting an amusement park and touring thehistoric town of Salt. The campfire activitiesincluded musical chairs, balloon stomp,races, singing and dancing.

The volunteers served with theCenterÕs staff in all aspects of the campÑasactivity coordinators, counselors, kitchenstaff, etc.

On the Sabbath of June 24, the volun-teers took a day off from camp and traveledto the Jordan valley. They saw Tell DeirAlla, Pella and the remains of the Decapoliscity of Gadara. From this location the groupenjoyed a beautiful view of the GolanHeights and the Sea of Galilee.

The first group of campers returnedhome Monday morning, June 26. Some ofthem said they didnÕt want to go home andwere already dreaming of returning to thecamp next year. Within minutes of thedeparture of the first group of campers thesecond group arrived.

Wednesday, June 28, the secretary toPrincess Sarvath and the director of theCenter toured the camp and spent some timewith the volunteers. Both expressed theirappreciation for the work of the volunteersand expressed their desire for the program tocontinue. They presented a small gift to eachof the volunteers as a token of their appreci-ation for a job well done.

On Wednesday evening the group waspresented with a beautiful cake at a partyconcluding the camp. The following morn-ing the campers loaded the buses andreturned home and the volunteers enjoyedsome much-needed rest before touring anddigging in Israel (see article above). UNUN

Caring for Disabled Children in Jordan

(See ÒDIG,Ó page 13)

by Joel Meeker

As part of our ongoing efforts to assistthe Remnant Church of God in their desire tobecome a part of United, a special projectwas organized during June in Ghana. Werented a house in Kumasi, the most centralplace from which we could visit their differ-ent congregations and also have the 13Remnant pastors meet with us for a seminar.Renting the house was less expensive thanhaving everyone stay in hotels. Since I wouldspend nearly five weeks in Ghana, I was veryhappy to receive permission for my wife,Marjolaine, and our daughters to accompany

me. It was their first visit to sub-SaharanAfrica.

On the ground floor of the house inKumasi there is a living/dining room that weused for the seminars. There is also a bed-room we used as a classroom and office, aswell as the bedroom for our gardener/securi-ty man. On the second floor there are fourbedrooms, three with their own bathroom.

The first week in the house we discov-ered that there are power outages (locallycalled Òlight outsÓ) there almost every day,sometimes several times a day. Water wasalso far from constantly available.

The first Sabbath we traveled an hournorth of Kumasi where I spoke to two differ-ent congregations in the town of Ofinso. Ispoke on the New Testament meaning ofPentecost, while Pastor Coffie translated intoTwi. The message was warmly received bythe members and pastors. The Remnant pas-tors understand the need to observe the HolyDays and their meaning, and welcome ourhelp in explaining these exciting truths. Onelocal elder had been concerned that keepingthe ÒOld TestamentÓ feasts would meanreturning to animal sacrifices. Following thesermon he was both relieved and excited.

On Thursday, June 8, Doug Horchakarrived in Accra with Daniel Mingle andNathan Albright, our Youth Corps volunteerswho had paid their way there to help teachbasic computer skills to the Remnant pastors,and young people. (See the article on theirvisit in the July United News, page 8.) June

15 Arnold Hampton arrived with his son-in-law, David Jackson, traveling at his ownexpense. Mike Blackwell came June 22.

On Sabbaths and Pentecost my familyand the other visiting ministers spoke toRemnant Church of God congregations allover the country. These included Tamale,Kuntanase, Obuasi, Makongo, Awisa-Oda,Accra, Elmina, Agona and Kumasi. Some ofthe trips were quite difficult and memorable.

June 12 the Remnant pastors and theirwives arrived for the four-day seminar. Many

subjects were covered. Mr. Horchak made apresentation on what the United Church ofGod expects of its pastors. Wednesday Mr.Horchak and I covered the organization ofservices in United. We went through thescriptures on which we base our standard for-mat. We then showed a 15-minute video ofthe parts of our services from the openinghymns to the closing prayer. The pastors werevery impressed by our services. Thursdaymorning, Marjolaine and I made a presenta-tion on the role of the pastorÕs wife. This was

very exciting to the wives and pastors both.We had some final meetings June 25

with the Remnant Church Executive Board,during which we planned for future visits anddiscussed where we should go from there inour progress toward unity.

In spite of some physical difficulties thathad to be overcome this summer, we were allencouraged by how much we were able toaccomplish and how much progress we feltwe made in the direction of unity amongbrethren in the Body of Christ. UNUN

United News September 2000 5

United Pastors, Family and Volunteers Serve in Ghana

David Jackson and Arnold Hamptoncarrying rainwater up to their bathroom

during a water outage in Kumasi, Ghana

A WomanÕs Observations on Africaby Marjolaine Meeker

My husband has been going to Africafor about four years, but this was the firsttime I was able to go with him to visit someof GodÕs people in thisvery sobering part ofthe world. I was curi-ous about what lifewould be like for thepeople there and espe-cially the women. I hadseen many pictures,heard and read manystories, but nothing hadthe same impact on meas actually spending amonth in Ghana withmy husband, and mydaughters, Fiona and Tatiana.

Running water, gas and electricity areavailable in larger cities in Ghana (althoughnot necessarily in a reliable way), but outside,life remains less developed. It is common forwomen in villages to start their day around4:30 a.m. They may walk a mile or more tofetch the water needed for their families. Thewomen, and sometimes children, carry thewater in big containers balanced on theirheads. Adding to their loads, many mothersalso carry their babies on their backs. Thewood for cooking also needs to be gatheredand, again, women are responsible for carry-ing these heavy loads while still carryingtheir babies on their backs.

Since both parents need to work to afforda bare minimum of essentials, the womenthen usually go to work outside their homes,selling whatever people will buy: small plas-tic bags filled with water, peanuts, cassava,plantainÉ. At the end of a long day of work,women return to their homes to fix somethingto eat for the family. Many are either too busyor donÕt know how to use the little time avail-able to teach or play with their children. If thefamily has many children and not enoughmoney (which is usually the case) the rule isto send the boys to school while the girls workwith their mothers. When Fiona and Tatianaheard this, they were very sad for these girls.It was clear to me that women and men arenot valued equally by society here, althoughGodÕs people are trying to change that pattern.

The ladies that I met in the RemnantChurch of God were hard-working, helpfuland very kind. Two of them, Mrs. FrankArthur and a woman named Hannah, cameregularly to help us. Even when the electrici-

ty went off whilewe were cooking,these ladies alwaysfound a solution.

Laundry hadto be done byhand. I hadwashed clothesthat way in thepast, but never awhole family loadand never on a reg-ular basis. Thereagain, Mrs. Arthur

and Hannah were of great help. They do theirwashing this way all the time.

In Kumasi, the house we rented hadelectricity and running water (except duringoutages). At one point, we spent six consecu-

tive days without running water. Thankfullythis was during the rainy season so we man-aged to gather rainwater in large plasticgarbage cans and use it very sparingly forcooking, washing dishes and laundry, forsponge-baths and for flushing the toilets. IdonÕt recall praying for clean water before,but I certainly did then, and I couldnÕt butthink that some of our brethren spend theirentire lives in such circumstances!

After seeing how busy and difficult theirlives were during the week, I was not sur-prised to notice how the ladies thoroughlyenjoyed GodÕs day of rest! Even thoughmany mothers must still care for their numer-ous children, they clearly rejoiced on theSabbath. It was obviously a blessing nottaken for granted by these women.

The brethren I met this summer live invery difficult circumstances. Yet they serveGod wholeheartedly, and with a teachableattitude. They are grateful to God for His wayof life, a very precious treasure for which allof GodÕs people can be thankful. UNUN

Fiona Meeker, 9, remembers Ghana thisway: ÒWhat IÕll remember is how the peopleshared what they had, even if it was very lit-tle. Their clothes were different, and some-times they didnÕt wear lots of clothes. If afamily has too many children, the girls donÕtget to go to school because it costs money. IdonÕt think thatÕs fair. We made some verynice friends near our house; we liked to jumprope with them. I really liked the palava saucepeople eat on plantain [a kind of banana,cooked and eaten like potatoes]. The freshfruit and coconut was delicious.

ÒI was surprised that people I didnÕtknow would just come up and touch my hairbecause itÕs blonde. IÕll also remember peo-ple staring at us through the windows of thecar because they donÕt see white childrenvery much. It was exciting to walk on therope bridge high up in the air at the KakumNational Park. Kakum Park was like the kindof jungle you see in make-believe stories.Ó

Tatiana Meeker, 7, said: ÒWhat IÕllremember the most about our time in Africawas not always having running water, andtaking a bath in rain water. Sometimes things

were pretty dirty. We made some friends inKumasi. They were nice, and we got to visittheir house. I liked the canopy walk at theKakum National Park. You had to make sureyou stayed on the rope bridge, because youwere pretty high up. We saw pretty butterfliesand listened to the birds singing.

ÒOne time I was surprised to see themput lots of cows on the car ferryboat we tookacross Lake Volta. If a cow wouldnÕt move, aman would twist and bite the cowÕs tail. Thenthe cow jumped. It was kind of funny, but Ifelt sorry for the cow.Ó UNUN

Ghana Through ChildrenÕs Eyes

6 United News September 2000

Teton Challenger CampÒTime flies when youÕre having fun.Ó

The Teton Challenger Camp spanned 10 days(July 19 to 28), but once camp got underway,the days just went by too quickly. Every facetof camp this year went very well. God getsthe credit and thanks for blessing us with somany favorable conditions and for allowingus to enjoy such a positive experience. ÒItÕslike a little preview of the Millennium,Ó onecamper wrote. Campers came with a desire tobe taught moreabout GodÕs planand way of life, ina peaceful anduplifting campe n v i r o n m e n t .Staff membersworked togetherin unity as broth-ers and sisters.

The view ofthe Teton moun-

tains was a beautiful sight every day. But onthe day camp ended, smoke from distant for-est fires rolled in and the air became hazy.Forest fires were burning during camp inMontana, Wyoming and Idaho. Extremelydry conditions contributed to these fires, andthere was even initial concern about fire dan-ger during camp. But much-needed raincame just before camp started, and then againon two afternoons or evenings. These rainskept the fire danger (and dust) down, butdidnÕt hinder camp activities.

This was the fifth year for the TetonChallenger Camp. This yearÕs contingent of58 campers were all high school age or grad-uates. They came from Canada, Mexico,Germany, France, South Africa and theUnited States. Additionally, 42 staff membersand several younger children of staff mem-bers filled up our Òbase campÓ in the ColterBay campground with about 110 people.

Days were usually warm, but eveningsand mornings were cool enough that a fireburning in the fire ring was popular everymorning and evening. The campfire seemedto draw everyone like a magnet. We atebreakfast and dinner around the fire ring, andit was also there that the most important pro-gram activity of camp took place. This wasthe morning ÒCompass Check,Ó which got

our minds pointed in the right direction forthe day, and the evening Christian Living dis-cussion period. As one camper said at theconclusion of camp, ÒI have a greater longingto study GodÕs Word and enjoy doing it.ÓSaid another, ÒIÕm becoming more confidentand GodÕs way is becoming more clear.Ó

Daytime program activities includedcanoeing on the Snake River, rock climbing,hiking, backpacking and white-water rafting.This year a good deal of wildlife was spotted

within thefirst days ofcampÑbear,moose, elk,deer, osprey,bald eaglesand coyotes.Most camp-ers were ableto see mostof these.There werethree teams

of campers (Red, Blue and Green), and eachteam spent the entire day at its scheduledactivity.

After returning to base camp in theevening, we often hiked to our secludedÒbeachfrontÓ of Jackson Lake to bathe(quicklyÉas it is fed by melting snow). Atthe dinner bell, supper was served up by ourown food staff (as were all meals), whichworked out of a truck, cooking on propanestoves under canopies and pro-ducing the best camp cookingyou will find anywhere. Eachday ended with personal itemsbeing placed into bear-proofstorage to discourage bearsfrom smelling odors thatwould lead them into tents.Campers and staff then zippedthemselves into sleeping bagsin their respective tents, to pre-pare for another eventful daybeginning at 6 a.m.

Paul Luecke

Camp CarterBeginning on Saturday night, July 22,

39 staff members from six states and twoother countries moved into Camp Carter innorthwest Fort Worth, Texas, to begin prepar-ing the facility for the arrival of campers.They were anticipating a week of service tocampers in Òthe zone,Ó a term we use for themillennial atmosphere we strive to create atall United Youth Camps. On Sunday thecampers arrived and began to enjoy thehealthy atmosphere and exciting activities.

Camp director Ken Treybig said, ÒWewere thrilled to have 112 campers for thisfirst year of camp in the Dallas-Fort Wortharea, and especially pleased to have such alarge international flavor with 16 camperscoming from outside the United States.Ó Fourstaff members also came from the interna-tional areas, which was a great help to thosecampers who speak Spanish. Mario Seiglie,pastor and Council member, came fromChile with his wife Caty, who taught craftsfor the girls. Larry Roybal came from

Monterrey, Mexico, and Daniel Granadoscame from Mexico City to travel with andhelp the campers from Mexico.

Camp Carter is a YMCA facility thathas been in operation since 1948. It has320 wooded acres, a 10-acre private lakeand miles of hiking trails. The facility isundergoing an impressivecapital improvement processto add a new retreat centerwith accompanying dorms.The existing facilities arealso being renovated. Halfthe dorms are already remod-eled and the other dorms andthe dining hall should bedone before next summer.

Activities ranged fromstandard activities, such as

basketball, canoeing, crafts,dance, football, softball, swim-ming and volleyball, tomore unique events. Manyof the boys especially likedskeet shooting. The exten-sive ropes course took awhole day to complete andwas a favorite activity for alarge number of campers.

Also offered was horseback ridingÑa firstfor a United Youth CampÑand strengthtraining taught by a member who is a highschool coach in the Dallas area. Campers alsoenjoyed games and fellowship during openactivities as well as each night before dis-missal from the dining hall.

Christian Living classes were held afterbreakfast each morning to make sure webegan each day with a spiritual orientation.The classes this year focused on spiritual val-ues such as peacemaking, self-control, goodstewardship and sexual morality. Manycampers listed the Christian Living classes asthe most helpful part of camp. One campersaid, ÒCamp has changed the way I think.ÓAnother wrote, ÒIt has helped me realize theimportance of respect, friendship and GodÕsway.Ó

Camp Carter was one of four UnitedYouth Camps to receive a visit from theAmerican Camping Association (ACA) thisyear and the visitors were very impressedwith our staff. They were amazed by the levelof dedication and team effort exerted by anall-volunteer staff from such a wide geo-graphic area.

Head counselor David Treybig com-mented, ÒWe had a wonderful counselingstaff this yearÑone of the strongest IÕveseen.Ó The campers were also great, as indi-

cated by comments from counselors. Onesaid, ÒI was very proud of the level of spiri-tual and emotional commitment that my girlsdemonstrated throughout the week. Theywere a beautiful group and I couldnÕt have

United Youth Camps...

been happier with the results.Ó Anotherremarked, ÒReally enjoyed this experience.Most rewarding thing IÕve ever done.Ó

On Saturday night we had our finaldance and handed out proficiency awards toa number of campers who had earned them inbasketball, softball and the mile swim.Parting on Sunday was a sad occasion, withmany campers saying they wanted camp tolast longer.

At the conclusion of the week, camperswere offered a CD with hundreds of digitalphotos for a nominal fee to be mailed to themafter camp. Many photos are also on displayat the Camp Carter Web site. The URL iswww.treybig.org/Carter2000.

ÒThe YMCA staff have all beenextremely complimentary of our people andour program,Ó said Ken Treybig. ÒThey areimpressed with our campers and our staff andwant to have us backÑand we want toreturn. Next year we would like to add someadditional waterfront activities such as waterskiing, tubing and a pontoon boat on nearbyLake Worth. But that will depend on theavailability of qualified staff and equipment.Ó

Many campers indicated they gainedconfidence and made some new friends. Thiscamper comment seems to sum up the suc-cess of our first year at Camp Carter: ÒI thinkthis was the most wonderful thing that I haveever done in the four years of being in theUnited Church of God. Also the staff andcounselors were wonderful!Ó

Ken Treybig

Camp McKenzieFrom July 30 to August 6, 122 campers

and 61 staff attended Camp McKenzie inwestern Oregon. Forthe third year, camptook place at the U.S.Basketball Academyalong the McKenzieRiver in the beautifulCascade Mountains.Right from the begin-ning, campers andstaff were asked toaccept the challengesoffered at campÑthechallenges of build-ing better relation-ships with God, men-tors and peers; thechallenge of tryingnew activities and improving their skills; thechallenge of making a solid contribution tothe morale and atmosphere of camp. WithGodÕs blessings, this yearÕs Northwest campwas perhaps the smoothest ever. The weatherwas sunny throughout camp, no one sufferedany major injuries or illnesses, and everyoneworked together to create a great seven-dayexperience.

After the usual wake-up routine andbreakfast, every day at camp began with anhour-long Christian Living class. The themefor these Bible-studies and camp overallwas ÒWhere Do You Want to Go forEternity?Ó The individual classes discussed

GodÕs purpose for man, the power of choice,what one does when things go wrong, GodÕscommitment to us and our commitment toGod. The Northwest ministry had workedon each subject and an outline was sent tothe teens and staff prior to camp, whichhelped the studies and discussion be evenmore effective.

During the day, campers had the oppor-tunity to enjoy a wide-range of activities.The usual favorites were offered, like soft-ball, basketball, flag-football, ropes course,arts and crafts, archery, hiking and swim-ming. Camp again had a newspaper classthis year, where the campers were taught thebasics of writing, photography and desktoppublishing. By the end of camp, each personwas able to take home a copy of TheMcKenzie Good Times.

Also for the second year, a class on rela-tionships was offeredÑone course for theyounger campers, and a different course forthe older campers. The older campers dis-cussed the differences between guys andgirlsÑand, needless to say, it prompted somelively and long discussions!

New to this yearÕs list of activities wasan additional Bible class, where camperslearned how to begin and enhance a relation-ship with God. The older dorms also partici-pated in an all-day challenge ropes course inEugene, operated by professional instructors.

The evenings gave campers and staffadditional opportunities for fellowship andparticipating in their favorite activities.Optional evening activities included danceinstruction, ultimate frisbee, introduction toself-defense and synchronized swimming.Each evening at camp concluded with acampfire, followed by a Òbedside chatÓ for

each dorm with its dorm parents. Saturdayevening ended with a final dance.

About mid-week, representatives fromthe American Camping Association visited

McKenzie.Overall wed i d v e r ywell, scoring176 out of apossible 178standards. Agreat deal ofthanks goesto all of thestaff whospent many

days preparing tomake camp thevery best possi-ble.

On the Sab-bath, the campersenjoyed someextra rest, hymnsinging, Biblediscussions withtheir dorm par-ents and Sabbathservices. The first

split sermon was given by Stuart Segall, soft-ball instructor and pastor of the SedroWoolley, Washington, congregation. The sec-ond split sermon was given by Bob Dick,instructor in newspaper and pastor of thePortland East, Oregon, congregation.

Camp McKenzie was truly blessed thisyear, and many of the campers and staffremarked that it was the best that they hadever experienced. The level of cooperation,respect, focus, unity and camaraderie wasoutstanding. As one camper stated: ÒI havegone to camp each summer and have had thetime of my life each and every time. I donÕtthink there are words to describe how I feelabout how thankful I am.Ó

The fruit of six years of United YouthCamps is clear to see in the character, care,actions and faces of the teenagers and staff.But we are not stopping there. Plans arealready underway for 2001Ñwith water-ski-ing, rafting and an extended session all beingconsidered. Photos and stories of the 2000camp can be found on the Camp McKenzieWeb site at http://cgca.net/campmckenzie.Keep checking this Web site throughout theyear for information and plans for the 2001camp.

Matthew Fenchel

United News September 2000 7

by Larry Roybal

ÒThe Zone,Ó as we in the UnitedChurch of God have called it, is the placewhere our youths find a safe learning envi-ronment that represents GodÕs way. ItÕs alsowhere wholesome fun and true friendshipcan be found. This year, at Camp Carter, theZone was spiced up a little with the partici-pation of a small group from Mexico.

Camp is always a great opportunity tolearn more about God, meet other youths inthe Church, make new friends, learn newskills and just have a whole lot of fun. Butfor the 12 Mexican youths who attendedCamp Carter this year, it was an extra bless-ing because it involved the added experi-ence of traveling to another country.

Traveling is always exciting, but moreso if you have never been out of your owncountry or even away from home. For themajority of the Mexican campers, CampCarter was their first experience away fromMexico, and what an experience it wasindeed.

For most of them, the food, the people,the language and just the whole environ-ment was ÒdifferentÓÑin a good way, ofcourse. One of first things many of themexpressed was that the people in the UnitedStates truly enjoy many blessings. Theywere quick to recognize that these weresurely GodÕs promises to His servantAbraham. They are great blessings andshould not be taken for granted, they said.

Camp also helped them realize thatthey need to work on learning another lan-guageÑEnglish, that is. Most of them canbetter appreciate how necessary it is to know

how to speak at least a few words in anoth-er language. As one of the girls said, ÒIf Iever come back, I will make sure I can speakmore English so that I can talk more with thegirls in my dorm.Ó

The Òinternational flavorÓ at CampCarter was also beneficial for some of theEnglish-speaking campers who were able toadd a few more words to their Spanishvocabulary. ÒMi casa es tu casaÓ soundedpretty good. Maybe next year they will beable to communicate a little more inSpanish; however, the international lan-guageÑthe smileÑwas and always will bethe main means of communication betweennations. That is one thing we can do all byourselves without needing an interpreter.

Les McCullough visited Camp Carterand took some time to meet and talk withthe international campers, two from Chile,one from Jamaica, one from France and 12from Mexico, who were very excited andeager to have their picture taken with himand thank him personally for the wonderfulopportunity the Church had provided foreach of them to be there. They all gave hima big ÒGracias!Ó and made him an honoraryLatino since they found out that his dogÕsname is Jose Cuervo. They got a kick out ofthat.

After camp, many of the Mexicancampers returned back home with a warmplace in their heart for the ZoneÑthe Zonewith a little salsa that is! They will longremember that special place where national-ity, color, race or size are not important,where everyone smiles in the same lan-guage. How could they forget, for the Zoneis not only a place, itÕs a way of life! UNUN

Campers From Mexico Enjoy Òthe ZoneÓ

Camp HeritageÒI think that this camp is basically a

small projection of what the world could be

like with God ruling insteadof Satan.Ó Camper commentslike this captured the generalspirit and feel of anotherUnited Youth Camp sessionat Heritage Reservation,Pennsylvania. Once again thebeautiful outdoor setting inthe Laurel Highlands mir-rored the spiritual dimensionof the camp program.

Traditional activities,such as volleyball, softball,basketball and riflery, formed the core of theprogram. Campers attended Christian Livingclasses each morning in their campsites.Evenings were taken up with open activities,dances and a camp-wide talent show.

A popular new program this year was aclass in manners taught by Pam Myers andColleen Winner. Emphasis was placed onmaking proper introductions, table mannersand other points of etiquette. Many campersappreciated the instruction and the effect wasnoticeable throughout the camp.

Waterfront activities included canoeingand sailing on Lake Courage. After an intro-duction to the parts of the sailboat, campershad ample opportunity to test their skills asthey set sail into the wind. In addition tolearning the basics of canoeing, the class alsoincluded a trip across the lake to the ÒdeadforestÓ to learn about the ecological develop-ment of the lake.

After a two-year absence, campersreturned to the high and low COPE(Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience)course. Teamwork is a key lesson thatcampers take from this experience. Fears areovercome and personal courage developedunder the experienced hand of the instructors.Heritage was one of four United camps toreceive a visit from the American CampingAssociation to examine the site, activities andorganization of the program. Heritage scored176 separate standards without missing one.The scores of all four camps will be consid-

ered together and a decision on accreditingthe program will be forthcoming. Both ACAvisitors to Heritage were pleased with thequality of the facility, the staff and the opera-tion.

Many campers and staff commentedthat this was the smoothest year of all atHeritage. There were 161 campers and 58staff in attendance and the cooperation of

everyone helped create an atmosphere inwhich the goals and mission of the camp pro-gram were advanced for another year.

One camper commented, ÒI becamecloser to God and closer with others whobelieve the same. Camp helped me realizethat there is a lot more to life than hatred. I ammore positive.Ó Feedback from campers andstaff was largely positive and indicated thatour youth are learning that GodÕs way worksto create an atmosphere where personal andspiritual success can be realized.

One future staff member summed up thefeeling this way, ÒIf I could help show onechild the way of GodÕs life through myactions, then I would be happier.Ó

Darris McNeely

Canadian CampMcGillvary Creek Youth Camp located

in the majesty of the Canadian RockyMountains, just north of Coleman, Alberta,was a highlight of the summer for 26 teencampers. Campers and the 18 staff memberscame together from British Columbia,Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as wellas Washington, Idaho and Montana to fel-lowship, have fun and most of all learn moreabout GodÕs way of life and how to betterprepare for the future that God is promisingHis people.

The comments from the campers aboutthe activities were exciting but did not com-

pare with the positive comments about theChristian Living classes that all campersexperienced each morning after breakfast.Campers found it a privilege to gather withother teens and understand the subjects thatpuzzle, confuse and scare the kids of our gen-eration. It was inspirational, informative andwithout a doubt the one activity that we willall use every day of our lives.

Our primary Christian Living subjectwas the seven proofs of GodÕs existence.This subject was discussed over a periodof five days. The major focus was on themyriad proofs of GodÕs reality in the cre-ation, design, sustaining of laws, as wellas answered prayer and prophecy.

The first day of camp, we plungedinto the vast outdoors when the activitystaff took us for a hike up to the crest ofTurtle Mountain. The view from ther i d g e l i n erevealed thes p r a w l i n g

and magnificentcreation of God.

During thecampfire timeswe examinedthe plan of God,highlighting themajor time divi-sions and howthey related to the annualHoly Days.

Every day we wokeup to the stimulatingchill of the mountain air,with a crisp layer ofsnowy frost each morn-ing. After struggling intoour clothing, we sleepilymade our journeyto the kitchen forbreakfast. AfterChristian Living,the dayÕs sched-ule started.

Ac t iv i t i e sincluded hiking,canoeing, moun-tain biking, ar-chery, orienteer-ing and also a halfday at the shoot-ing range. One of the newest additions to theschedule this year was survival education andpractice. We learned how to build emergencyshelters, which we slept in overnight, andhow to build fires with wet materials.

We experienced all these differentactivities in preparation for FridayÕsÒSeptathalon,Ó a combination of all thethings we had learned. This was an all-dayevent that tested the campersÕ spirit in team-work and Christian attitude. As we demon-strated the skills acquired in all activities,our primary rule was the Òno knock policy,Ówhich kept negativism from spoiling ourefforts. At the end of the day, the times andpoints of the three teams were counted up.The winning team was then announced thenext evening.

After a hard, tiring, yet fulfilling week,campers, staff, parents and visitors gatheredin a beautiful area of the forest for Sabbathservices. Wild flowers were arranged and seton the podium. God gave us another beauti-ful day to celebrate Him and His wonderfulcreation. The senior boys practiced and sangone of the more stirring hymns for specialmusic. Drew Yahn, a senior camper, servedas song leader and guided the service.

The sermon by Glen White was an eye-opener that made us all see just how impor-tant our future goals are to the work we willinherit in the Kingdom of God. God needsmany different positions filled. Whether it bea builder, doctor, teacher, carpenter, rancher,fisherman or a minister, we will all have jobsthat are necessary to establish a community,in this case a godly community, beginningwith rebuilding Jerusalem.

After services a brunch was suppliedby the kitchen staff, who again outdidthemselves, and created a feast campersrarely expect in a wilderness camp. Latereveryone gathered in the classroom trailerwhere skits were performed by the indi-vidual cabin groups. The theme used wasthat of a biblical story demonstrating afruit of the Holy Spirit. These were donevery well and the humor added gave

everyone a real chance tolaugh. This was also animportant activity because ittook preparation and hardwork to organize scripts andthen to perform, making thelesson obvious.

In the words of Mr.White, who was the campdirector, this was the mostfulfilling and successful

year we have experienced thus far.The coming generation of Christians, as

we experienced it at camp, are an outstandinggroup of young people. Teachable, creativeand growing in trust. Is it just possible that weare experiencing Malachi 4:6?

Jolene Drewniak, 16, and Glen White

8 United News September 2000

Future Camp DatesWinter Camp, Wisconsin Dec. 26-31, 2000Pinecrest, Missouri June 12-21, 2001Oakhurst, California June 24-July 1Woodman, Alabama July 1-8Teton Challenger, Wyoming July 11-20McKenzie, Oregon July 15-22Carter, Texas July 22-29Heritage, Pennsylvania Aug. 12-20

Some in the Church see ÒsocialsmokingÓ as OK. WhatÕs wrong

with smoking occasionally ifyou donÕt get addicted?

by Don Hooser

My mother died of emphysema. Myuncle died of emphysema. My grandfatherdied of emphysema. Emphysema is a badway to die. They all undoubtedly would havelived longer lives if they had not been life-time smokers. You can understand why Ideplore the use of tobacco products and feelpassionate about this subject.

If you are hooked on smoking, you havemy sympathy. You are paying giant penaltiesfor starting something you canÕt stop. I praythat with GodÕs power and your determina-tion, you will be able to quit smoking forgood. But the purpose of this article is not toshame you or show you how to quit, but tomotivate everyone else in the ChurchÑadults, teens and childrenÑto not start smok-ing, even occasionally.

When I was a child, my parents andmany adults around me smoked, but theirexample didnÕt influence me to smoke. Thereason is that most of them shamefully admit-ted they were helplessly addicted and hatedthe fact that they had started smoking in thefirst place. So I had the blessing of develop-ing a healthy fear of any addiction.

But still, in my later teen years, I was aÒsocial smoker,Ó smoking occasionally withfriends or on dates. I figured I could avoidgetting hooked if I spaced out my smoking.Why did I smoke at all? For all the usualimmature reasonsÑexperimentation, peerpressure, wanting to be accepted and Òcool,Óyouthful recklessness, etc.

Despite my caution, I may have becomeaddicted if I had not received the greatestpossible blessingÑGodÕs calling. When Iunderstood that smoking is a sin, I quit itimmediately and for good.

Since then, like most ministers, IÕvecounseled hundreds of prospective membersand members of the Church about overcom-ing their smoking habits. Some have stoppedsmoking quickly and easily, and others havestruggled for a long time. The main point ismost people need counsel and support to quitsmoking, and a minister, because of his expe-rience in counseling concerning smoking andstudy into the subject, as well as his knowl-edge of the Bible and human nature, shouldbe very helpful to those who want to quit.

Regrettably, in the past some ministersoveremphasized the sinfulness of smoking,and lacked patience and compassion.Thankfully, the Church has grown much inwisdom and love.

Recently, however, it seems the pendu-lum has swung the other way and we havepartly neglected to teach the principles ofhealthful living, including the harmfulness ofsmoking, physically and spiritually.

This is evident because of a surprisingand sad increase in Òsocial smokingÓ among

adults and teens in the Church, and some areeven baptized members. Some, especiallysome young men and boys, are smoking cig-ars since this has been the macho fad the lastfew years. (Some may think that cigars andpipes are less harmful to health, but if thesmoke is inhaled, they are more harmful.)

Concerning social smoking, IÕve beenthere and done that and wish I hadnÕt. In theÕ50s I didnÕt have much knowledge of theharmful physical and spiritual effects ofsmoking, but today that knowledge is abun-dantly available.

WhatÕs wrong with smoking only occa-sionally as long as one doesnÕt get addicted?Many things are wrong with it, and some ofthe main ones are listed below:

1) You may become addicted anyway.Nicotine, the main culprit chemical in tobac-co, is a powerfully addictive drug. Some whotry smoking arenÕt as ÒluckyÓ as I wasÑtheyget addicted very quickly. And many kids andadults apparently donÕt give much thought towhat a curse it is to be enslaved to smoking.This tragedy has been the subject of comedy,such as in the old song, ÒSmoke! Smoke!Smoke! That Cigarette.Ó Many smokers willdo practically anything, including antisocialbehavior, to stay supplied with their smokes.Under the thin layer of humor is a whole lotof horrorÑa world full of sorrow, sufferingand death as a result of smoking.

2) The Bible makes it clear that our bod-ies and minds belong to God, so what righthave we to pollute and poison our bodies?ÒOr do you not know that your body is thetemple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,whom you have from God, and you are notyour own? For you were bought at a price;therefore glorify God in your body and inyour spirit, which are GodÕsÓ (1 Corinthians6:19Ð20). God not only created us, but JesusChrist paid the price of His life for us. Wedoubly belong to God, and we must notabuse GodÕs property.

If one smokes only occasionally, theamount of nicotine and tar may be relativelysmall, but why deliberately put any of thesetoxic chemicals into our bodies? Every timeone inhales, some internal damage is occur-ring. And even when one doesnÕt inhale,many chemicals are absorbed through the

mucous membranes of the mouth and nose. Today there is a great abundance of

information on smoking and its deleteriouseffects available in publications and on theInternet. It is valuable for guiding and moti-vating your own decisions as well as equip-ping you to help others.

3) Your example may influence others tosmoke, and you would be partly responsiblefor their displeasing God. Seeing a Churchmember smoking can lead another memberor child to erroneously conclude that itÕs OKto smoke. It is shameful when the bad influ-ences are fellow Church members! And thinkof the terrible guilt you would have if some ofthose who start smoking became addicted.

Jesus said, ÒBut whoever causes one ofthese little ones who believe in Me to sin, itwould be better for him if a millstone werehung around his neck, and he were drownedin the depth of the seaÓ (Matthew 18:6). AÒlittle oneÓ can refer to a child or a spiritualbabe in Christ.

4) Many religious people believe it is asin to smoke, and many nonreligious peoplebelieve it is foolish to smoke. If you are seensmoking, those religious people will think ofyou as a sinner and the nonreligious peoplewill think of you as a fool. You lose credibil-ity and the opportunity to lead them to thetruth of God.

We are called to be Òthe light of theworldÓ (Matthew 5:14). Jesus said, ÒLet yourlight so shine before men, that they may seeyour good works and glorify your Father inheavenÓ (verse 16). God is judging us by howwe live up to this. Smoking is anything butgood works.

5) What would Jesus do? We should doas Jesus would do. He certainly wouldnÕtsmoke or chew tobacco. How do we know,since the Bible doesnÕt mention smoking?Because of all the other reasons mentioned inthis list. Tobacco was unknown and unavail-able where the Bible was being written, butthe principles are clear.

6) The Bible makes it clear that weshould not copy or try to Òfit inÓ with thewrong ways of the world, no matter how coolor sophisticated they may be. A would-besmoker should examine his motives as towhy he wants to smoke. Weak character is

marked by being more concerned about whatthe world thinks than what God thinks. LetÕshave the desire and courage to stand up forwhat God thinks and for what is right.

Consider these two verses: ÒI beseechyou therefore, brethren, by the mercies ofGod, that you present your bodies a livingsacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which isyour reasonable service. And do not be con-formed to this world, but be transformed bythe renewing of your mind, that you mayprove what is that good and acceptable andperfect will of GodÓ (Romans 12:1Ð2).

7) Smoking is bad for everyone aroundyou and the environment. (See box, below.)

On top of all these factors, if youbecome a chronic smoker, your risk of con-tracting many major diseases skyrockets.Information is available from your doctor onthe types of damage done by smoking, themany health risks, as well as tips for quittingsmoking. An article in the British MedicalJournal said that it takes between 10 to 15years from the time a person stops smokingto reduce the risk of lung cancer to the samelevel of risk as a nonsmoker.

Most articles neglect to say much aboutsmokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco andsnuff), but there is plenty of scientific evi-dence to show that these present many of thesame dangers as smoking. Some of the dif-ferences are in the location of the disease,such as cancer of the mouth instead of cancerof the lung. And marijuana has most of thesame harmful effects as smoking tobaccoplus additional harmful effects.

Some have used the excuse that occa-sional smoking is no worse than eating junkfood, eating too much, being overweight, etc.It is worse, as the points above indicate. Buteven if smoking was not any worse, wouldthat be justification for doing something thathas no long-range benefits, has many harmfuleffects and is clearly contrary to GodÕs will?

Imagine a creature on another planethearing about a practice on planet earth: ÒYousay they grow a poisonous weed, dry theleaves, roast them, chop them up, then rollthem up in paper? And then they stick oneend of the tube in their mouths? And thenthey what? They set the other end on fire!You must be kidding! They suck on it so as todraw the smoke into their mouths? And thenthey inhale it into their lungs? Deliberately?Even though it is well known that many ofthem develop a dependence and addiction tothis practice? Why do they do this? What dothey call these people? Suckers? Oh, smok-ers. Well, it certainly seems that Earthlingsare irrational and self-destructive creatures!Ó

Rather than imagining what a creaturefrom space would think, letÕs ask ourselveswhat God thinks. He does not want us gettinghooked into physically bad and degenerativehabits that destroy our bodies, which are thetemple of the Holy Spirit. God has given us agreat calling and mission. LetÕs be busy aboutour FatherÕs business, and not do anything tohinder or weaken our effectiveness in His ser-vice! Please donÕt smoke. UNUN

Don Hooser pastors the Dallas Southand Waco, Texas, congregations.

United News September 2000 9

Please DonÕt SmokeÉ

When you smoke, even occasionally:¥ Your health is being harmed, and

your life is being shortened.¥ You cause people around you to

inhale second-hand smoke which has beenproven to be a major health risk.

¥ You are wasting your money, per-haps big time.

¥ You may be taking time away fromresponsibilities.

¥ Your breath stinks.¥ Your clothing stinks, as does the

clothing of others around you.

¥ Your teeth and fingers may becomestained.

¥ You cause the area where you smoke(upholstery, draperies, etc.) to stink.

¥ You lose part of your ability to smelland taste.

¥ You have a responsibility for dispos-ing of cigarette butts, without littering.

¥ You run the risk of starting a fire.People have died from fires caused bysmoking.

So smoking clearly is not loving yourneighbor as yourself!

Some of the Bad Effects of Smoking

Major denominations aretrying to figure out how non-

Christians might be savedapart from Jesus Christ. But

can it be done?

by Gregory L. Sargent

A fundamental tenet of allChristianity proclaims that none can inher-it eternal life except through Jesus Christ.Therefore it came as a great surprise whentwo major Christian denominationsexpressed the possibility of salvation apartfrom accepting Christ as Savior. In aMidnight Call report of September 1998,the Presbyterian Church considered hownon-Christians, including Jews, Muslimsand Buddhists, might be destined for eter-nal life. The following month, Pope JohnPaul II stated that Òthrough the practice ofwhat is good in their own religious tradi-tions, and following the dictates of theirconsciences, members of other religionspositively respond to GodÕs invitation andreceive salvation in Jesus Christ, eventhough they may not recognize Him astheir SaviorÓ (The Christians News &Views Newsletter, Vol. 4, Number 10,October 1998, emphasis added through-out).

In this article, weÕll read how Christwas the sole inheritor of eternal life. AndweÕll unlock the mystery of how it is pos-sible for all mankind to become coheirswith Christ.

Inherit the Kingdom of GodGod revealed prior to JesusÕ birth that

His Son would be the Òhorn of salvationÓwho would remember the promise of Hisholy covenant which God gave toAbraham (Luke 1:68Ð73). The promiseGod gave to Abraham was about inheri-tance and about salvation (Hebrews11:8Ð9).

In Matthew 25:34, Christ said thosewho would be blessed of the Father wouldinherit the Kingdom. GodÕs Kingdom willbe on the earth, therefore Christ promisedthat the meek will inherit the earth(Matthew 5:5).

The statements above indicate manywill inherit GodÕs Kingdom. Yet, paradox-ically, Scripture also indicates that JesusChrist is the sole inheritor. Both indicatorsare true. Understanding this paradox willabsolutely prove how and why salvationcomes by no other name than Jesus Christ.

Jesus ChristÑSole InheritorAs we look into the Scriptures, take

special notice of who God gives claim toHis Kingdom. From the cradle to thegrave, GodÕs Word depicts Jesus Christ asthe possessor of His Kingdom.

Before Jesus was born, Luke 1:33relates the prophecy spoken by the angelGabriel to Mary, ÒAnd He [Jesus] willreign over the house of Jacob forever, andof His kingdom there will be no end.ÓBefore His death, Christ told Pilate, ÒMykingdom is not of this worldÓ (John18:36).

Many scriptures are very convincingconcerning ChristÕs sole inheritance. Theaccount in Luke 19:12 describes the anal-ogy of Jesus Christ (a nobleman) going toa far country Òto receive for himselfÓ akingdom. When Christ spoke about someof His disciples seeing the Kingdom ofGod in a vision, He defined it as ÒHiskingdomÓ (Matthew 16:28). Also inColossians 1:13, the Kingdom is calledÒthe kingdom of the Son of His love.Ó Weread in 2 Peter 1:11, ÒÉthe everlastingkingdom of our Lord and Savior JesusChrist.Ó

God appointed Jesus Christ as heir ofall things (Hebrews 1:2). He is the officialheir to GodÕs Kingdom. And Christrewards us, for ÒÉfrom the Lord you willreceive the reward of the inheritance; foryou serve the Lord ChristÓ (Colossians3:24). He cannot reward us with an inher-itance that doesnÕt belong to Him. But theKingdom of God does belong to Christ, aswe have just seen.

What About God?Lest we misunderstand ChristÕs role

in the plan of God, it is important tohighlight the fact that God is the one whogives the Kingdom to Christ. ThatÕs whywe find the term Òkingdom of Christ andGodÓ also used in the Bible (Ephesians5:5). As explained in 1 Corinthians15:27Ð28, all things have been put underChrist, but it is understood that God isnot under the authority of Christ. God isthe One who put all things under the feetof Christ.

Christ will rule until the last enemy,death, is destroyed. ÒNow when all thingsare made subject to Him, then the SonHimself will also be subject to Him whoput all things under Him, that God may beall in allÓ (1 Corinthians 15:28). Christwill at that time deliver the Kingdom tothe Father (verse 24).

What About Us?Up to this point, we have seen that

Jesus Christ is the recipient of GodÕsKingdom from the Father. But where doesthis leave the rest of us? Why is Christ thesole inheritor? How can He share it withus?

How you and I receive inheritanceinvolves a mystery that few understand.This mystery proclaims once again whysalvation can come only through Jesus.But in order to understand this mystery, wemust recognize why, technically speaking,

we are not qualified to receive inheritancebut Christ is.

Death Negates InheritanceLetÕs look at inheritance from a human

standpoint. We all recognize that a childÕspromised inheritance from a parent wouldbe useless if the child were to die beforereceiving that inheritance. From GodÕspoint of view, thatÕs why you and I couldnot receive the inheritance: we are worthyof eternal death. And the dead cannotreceive anything!

Romans 6:23 tells us, Òthe wages of sin isdeath.Ó In explaining how we died, Paulwrote that the commandment, which wasmeant to bring life, brought death because sindeceived us and killed us (Romans 7:10Ð11).

How you and I receiveinheritance involves a

mystery that fewunderstand. This

mystery proclaims onceagain why salvation

can come only throughJesus.

He explained further that it was not thecommandment that caused death. Rather itwas sinÑbreaking commandments (verse13). James writes a similar statement,ÒThen, when desire has conceived, it givesbirth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown,brings forth deathÓ (James 1:15). Weunderstand then, that because we deservedeath and are looked upon by God asbeing as good as dead, we cannot receivean inheritance, of and by ourselves. Thisbrings us to the intriguing question: Howcan we be delivered from death andreceive an inheritance?

Quoting Paul again, ÒWho will deliverme from this body of death? I thankGodÑthrough Jesus Christ our Lord!Ó(Romans 7:24Ð25). Eternal life is a giftthrough Jesus Christ. Along with Paul, theapostle Peter understood that Òthere is noother name under heaven given amongmen by which we must be savedÓ (Acts4:12).

Abraham and His SeedJesus Christ is the only person, albeit

the only begotten Son of God, who neversinned (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22; 1John 3:5). He, unlike all mankind, doesnot deserve the death penalty. Therefore,He is the only one qualified to inheritGodÕs Kingdom.

With this in mind, it should come as nosurprise to discover that the promise to

inherit the Kingdom of God was given toonly one of AbrahamÕs descendants.Writing about the subject of inheritance(Galatians 3:18), the apostle Paul made thefollowing assertion, ÒNow to Abrahamand his Seed were the promises made. Hedoes not say, ÔAnd to seeds,Õ as of many,but as of one, ÔAnd to your Seed,Õ who isChristÓ (verse 16).

Paul here specifically called attentionto the fact that God did not mean manyseeds. He meant only one Seed.Inheritance comes to the one Seed, JesusChrist. Verse 19 of Galatians 3 substanti-ates this point when he says, ÒÉtill theSeed should come to whom the promisewas madeÉ.Ó Again we read of only oneSeedÑChrist!

Jesus Christ in Us Makes UsAlive

We read above where Paul said thatJesus Christ would deliver us from death.Herein lies the mystery. How does Christaccomplish this deliverance and insure ourinheritance? Understanding this mystery isthe only way to completely understand sal-vation through Jesus Christ and what Godrequires of us if we are to be saved.

Remember that God considers us deadbecause of our sins. Why, then, can weshare in ChristÕs inheritance? Notice thescripture containing one of the greatestkeys in the entire Bible: Paul Òbecame aministerÉto fulfill the word of God, themysteryÉwhich is Christ in you, the hopeof glory. Him we preachÉthat we maypresent every man perfect in Christ JesusÓ(Colossians 1:25Ð28).

The mystery of inheritance is Christ inus! If we are Òin Christ,Ó we have nowactually become a new creation (2Corinthians 5:17).

Notice what an oft-memorized scrip-ture, Galatians 2:20, states, ÒI have beencrucified with Christ; it is no longer I wholive, but Christ lives in me; and the lifewhich I now live in the flesh I live by faithin the Son of God, who loved me and gaveHimself for me.Ó The very mind andactions of Jesus Christ are being duplicat-ed within us. This is also explained inGalatians 4:19, Philippians 1:20, Romans8:9Ð10 and 2 Corinthians 4:11.

It now naturally follows that since wehave ChristÕs new name, we are rooted andbuilt up in Him, His life is shown in us andJesus Christ is magnified, formed and liv-ing in us, then we can be inheritors withHim. Paul concludes the same when hewrites, Òif you are ChristÕs, then are youare AbrahamÕs seed, and heirs according tothe promiseÓ (Galatians 3:29).

It is only because Christ is in us that weshare His inheritance. Despite what anytheological source dictates, recognition ofChrist living His life in us is a precursor tosalvation.

10 United News September 2000

Christ in UsÑOur Hope of Glory

This important mystery bears repeat-ing. We could not receive eternal inheri-tance because we sinned and brought uponourselves eternal death. Dead men andwomen receive no inheritance. But JesusChrist is the special begotten Son of Godwho was prophesied to receive theKingdom, did not sin and did not reap eter-nal death! Therefore He is the only Seed ofAbraham eligible to receive eternal inher-itance. However, since Christ is in us, wecan be Òheirs of God and joint heirs withChristÓ (Romans 8:17).

Inheritance and GodÕs SpiritSome of us may be familiar with par-

ents who have given their full inheritanceto one child, leaving the other childrenwith nothing. No doubt, in the eyes of theparents, the one had qualified for theinheritance and the others had not. If theother children had the same charactertraits, all the children would have sharedthe inheritance.

God makes it possible for us to havethe same character traits as Jesus Christ.He has literally given us the mind to thinkand act like Jesus Christ. ÒAnd becauseyou are sons, God has sent forth the Spiritof His Son into your hearts, crying out,ÔAbba, Father!Õ Therefore you are nolonger a slave but a son, and if a son, thenan heir of God through ChristÓ (Galatians4:6Ð7). The Spirit of God is given to usthrough Christ when we repent and arebaptized for the remission of our sins asPeter stated on the day of Pentecost (Acts2:38).

The good news for all mankind is thatwe can be blessed with inheriting GodÕsKingdom through Jesus Christ! When wehave faith in Christ and live according toGodÕs laws, as Christ did, with the HolySpirit in us, that Spirit is one of promisewhich guarantees our jointly inheriting HisKingdom (Ephesians 1:13Ð14).

SatanÕs Deceptive GospelNow, doesnÕt it seem an oddity that,

through the power of ChristÕs mind in us,we can actually attain an eternal inheri-tance at the resurrection from the dead,and yet some say it is not only unnecessarybut also impossible to keep the very lawsthat Christ kept?

In this lawless world, it becomes nec-essary to remember a truth Jesus expound-ed in the Sermon on the Mount. Only therighteous will possess the Kingdom(Matthew 5:10). The Spirit of God, themind of Christ in us, not only guaranteesinheritance, it also convicts us of sin,righteousness and judgment (John 16:8).Paul made it extremely clear that throughChrist Òthe righteous requirement of thelaw might be fulfilled in us who do notwalk according to the flesh but accordingto the SpiritÓ (Romans 8:1Ð4).

Satan has deceived the world intothinking that Christ obeyed the law in ourstead. ThatÕs why the Ògospel of ChristÓhas been so misunderstood by the world

today. Did Christ obey the law for us? Arewe no longer obligated to obey the TenCommandments?

Absolutely not! Faith in Christ doesnot void GodÕs law! ÒOn the contrary,ÓPaul clarified in Romans 3:31, Òwe estab-lish the law.Ó Jesus Christ did not obey thelaw for us; we obey the law of Godthrough Christ in us! Through the HolySpirit, Christ empowers us to live the wayof love for God and love for neighbor thatis embodied in GodÕs laws (Romans13:8Ð10).

The major difference between the Oldand New Covenants is that through HisSpirit, God places His laws in our heartsand minds rather than on tables of stone(Hebrews 8:7Ð13). Without GodÕs Spirit,we have no chance to obey God, no chanceof an immortal resurrection, no chance toinherit GodÕs Kingdom, no chance for sal-

vation. On the other hand, we can yield tothe conviction of GodÕs Spirit, obey Himand live for all eternity.

Blessings Through ChristWhen God told Abraham, ÒIn you all

the nations shall be blessedÓ (Galatians3:8), He really meant it. Through the oneSeed of Abraham, Jesus Christ, the bless-ing of salvation would be possible for all.And so we have the blessing pronounce-ments by Christ Himself in His Sermon onthe Mount (Matthew 5:3Ð11):

ÒBlessed are the poor in spirit, fortheirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessedare those who mourn, for they shall becomforted. Blessed are the meek, for theyshall inherit the earth. Blessed are thosewho hunger and thirst after righteousness,for they shall be filled. Blessed are themerciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shallsee God. Blessed are the peacemakers, forthey shall be called sons of God. Blessedare those who are persecuted for right-eousnessÕ sake, for theirs is the kingdom ofheaven. Blessed are you when they revileand persecute you, and say all kinds of evilagainst you falsely for My sake.Ó

All these blessings would comethrough the one speaking these wordsÑJesus Christ. So let us be acutely awarethat God has centered His entire plan ofsalvation in Christ. Without Him as ourLord and Savior, there is no chance for sal-vation, Òfor in Him dwells all the fullnessof the Godhead bodily; and you are com-plete in Him, who is the head of all princi-pality and powerÓ (Colossians 2:9Ð10). UNUN

Greg Sargent is pastor of theColumbia, Kansas City and St. Louis,Missouri, congregations.

United News September 2000 11

by Bill Jahns

The Day of Atonement is a very impor-tant Holy Day. We have always understoodthat it pictures the putting away of Satan thedevil, preventing him from influencingmankind for a thousand years. A critical partof this connection involves understandingthe meaning of the azazel goat in Leviticus16. Some have tried to reinterpret this goat asa symbol of Christ and not the devil.

Is there evidence that the azazel goatwas a symbol of the devil or a demon?

In Leviticus 16:5 we see that the priestswere to select two goats. One was to be takenas a sin offering and the other was to beoffered as a Òscapegoat.Ó Another way toexpress it would be ÒescapeÓ goat. Manytranslations such as the New RevisedStandard Version simply use the word Azazelin the text. The Greek Septuagint and theLatin Vulgate translate azazel as Ògoat ofdeparture.Ó

Often when interpreting what a word inScripture means, it is necessary to look atwhat the meaning of the word is in literatureoutside of the Bible. Consider the followingresources that discuss the meaning of azazel:

ÒThis name was used for that of an evildemon.... The name Azazel...is also used bythe Arabs as that of an evil demonÓ (WilliamGesenius, Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, p. 617).

ÒThe high priest...cast lots upon the twogoats. One was to be for the Lord for a sin-offering. The other was for Azazel (the com-pletely separate one, the evil spirit regardedas dwelling in the desert), to be sent awayalive into the wildernessÓ (F. Watson, TheCambridge Companion to the Bible, 1893, p.161).

ÒAzazel...was probably a demonicbeing.... Apocryphal Jewish works, com-posed in the last few centuries before theChristian era, tell of angels who werelured...into rebellion against God. In thesewritings, Azazel is one of the two leaders of

the rebellion. And posttalmudic documentstell a similar story about two rebel angels,Uzza and AzzaelÑboth variations of thename Azazel. These mythological stories,which must have been widely known, seemto confirm the essentially demonic characterof the old biblical AzazelÓ (Union ofAmerican Hebrew Congregations, TheTorahÑa Modern Commentary, p. 859).

The word azazel is also used outside theBible in the book of Enoch. This book isapparently quoted in the New Testament inthe book of Jude. Jude verse 14 states: ÒNowEnoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesiedabout these men also, saying, ÔBehold, theLord comes with ten thousands of Hissaints.ÕÓ A similar statement is found in thebook of Enoch 1:9.

The book of Enoch gives insight intohow the word azazel was used in the cen-turies before Christ. In the book of Enoch8:1Ð3 we find: ÒAnd Azazel taught men tomake swords, and knives, and shields, andbreastplates, and made known to them themetals of the earthÉ. And there arose muchgodlessness, and they committed fornication,and they were led astray, and became corruptin all their ways.Ó The book of Enochdescribes Azazel as one of the angels thatcorrupted man at some time in the past. As aresult we see in the book of Enoch 10:4,ÒAnd again the Lord said to Raphael: ÔBindAzazel hand and foot, and cast him into thedarkness: and make an opening in the desert,which is in Dudael, and cast him therein.Ó

Notice how well this understanding ofAzazel fits with the fate of the demons. InRevelation 20:1Ð3 ÒThen I saw an angelcoming down from heaven, having the key tothe bottomless pit and a great chain in hishand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpentof old, who is the Devil and Satan, and boundhim for a thousand years; and he cast himinto the bottomless pit, and shut him up, andset a seal on him, so that he should deceivethe nations no more till the thousand years

were finished. But after these things he mustbe released for a little while.Ó

This is very similar to the statement inLeviticus 16:21. ÒAaron shall lay both hishands on the head of the live goat, confessover it all the iniquities of the children ofIsrael, and all their transgressions, concern-ing all their sins, putting them on the headof the goat, and shall send it away into thewilderness by the hand of a suitable man.ÓThis is a symbol of the angel that is to takeSatan away and isolate him from mankind.

The Bible states over and over that Godis just and fair, that He ultimately takes careof evil. Psalm 7:11 states: ÒGod is a justjudge, and God is angry with the wickedevery day.Ó DoesnÕt it make sense that a justand fair God would ultimately put the sins ofthe world on the one who introduced sin intothe present world in the Garden of Eden?Satan is the one who from the very beginninglied to Eve and led mankind astray.

The Day of Atonement then should beunderstood as a day of justice! A day whenGod will remove the evil influence that is atthe core of the problems of this presentworld. The Bible states that there is an evilpowerÑÒthe prince of the power of the airÓ(Ephesians 2:2)Ñthat is constantly trying tothwart the plan of God and attempting tocause mankind to lose out on salvation.

The fact that the devil and his cohortswill be removed from power will result in aworld that no longer has an unseen evilpower causing problems. Satan and hisdemons have separated mankind from Godsince the beginning. His removal will resultin mankind as a whole finally being able tohave contact and direction from God. LetÕsbe thankful that God is indeed just and fairand has commanded us to keep the Day ofAtonement as a memorial in advance of theremoval of evil from the world. UNUN

Bill Jahns is pastor of the Salt Lake City,Utah; Boise and Twin Falls, Idaho; andBaker City, Oregon, congregations.

The Azazel Goat and Atonement

Facing family tragedy, therewas a haunting familiarity inmy grief. What IÕve learnedhas changed my outlook onthe world, and the future.

by Janna Thomas

In 1999, I kept a deathwatch at thebedside of two remarkable womenÑmymother and my brotherÕs wife. The experi-ence was life altering and profoundly sad-dening. Afterwards, I felt older in a waythat had nothing to do with the passing ofyears. I acquired a personal understandingof Ecclesiastes 7:2Ð3, which says, ÒBetterto go to the house of mourning than to go tothe house of feasting, for that is the end ofall men; and the living will take it to heart.Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sadcountenance the heart is made better.Ó

My mother had been ill for many yearsand had suffered a great deal. At the last,she was spending more time in the hospitalthan at home. She began to resist the almostweekly trips that had become torturous forher.

The family prayed for GodÕs guidance.We knew that her life was His alone.

Perhaps we could have held on a littlelonger with more hospitals, needles andmachinesÑall the things that had becomeso unbearable to her. We began to feel self-ish, hanging on at her expense. She seemedto require our permission to stop fighting afight she no longer held a hope of winning.

God guided us to an arduous decisionthat no one wanted to make. She died at

home, under the care of hospice, with fam-ily in attendance. GodÕs presence through-out those last days was almost palpable,dramatizing for me Psalm 48:14. ÒFor thisis God, our God forever and ever; He willbe our guide even to death.Ó

A Second Encounter With theEnemy

My sister-in-lawÕs death stunnedeveryone. She collapsed at home, and with-in 48 hours was on life support. We prayedfor a miracle. For reasons only He knows,God did not grant one. She died withinhours, leaving my brother with four school-age children.

Both women were strong and tena-cious, possessing a determined resolve tobeat death. If it were possible to do so, Iknow they would have. My sister-in-lawwas renowned for her devotion to her chil-dren. Only 24 hours before she died, sheinsisted resolutely, ÒDonÕt worry. I intend tosee my girls walk down the aisle.Ó But shewas wrong.

The Bible tells us that the last enemythat will be destroyed is death. Death cer-tainly was the enemy to us. Yet as I watchedthese strong women in agony, their bodiesfailing them, I found myself begging Godfor it, knowing they could no longer ask itfor themselves. I had learned that there areindeed worse things than death, like cease-less suffering, heart-wrenching indignitiesand the ravaging of the human spirit.

My emotions were turbulent like amaelstrom. To adequately describe them isimpossible. I felt the visceral anguish ofimpending loss; guilt, real and imagined;sorrowful regret for missed opportunities;and pain like a lava oceanÑdeep and hot.

Capping it all was intense empathy for theirsuffering. Life was teaching me that some-times, loving best is letting go.

Learning to Recognize the PainThere was a haunting familiarity in my

pain that I couldnÕt examine until sometime had passed. With GodÕs wisdom andpatience, I have since come to recognize it.

God first called me in the early Õ80s,when I learned about the Kingdom of God,ChristÕs return and His ruling kingship. Iread verses about the kingdoms of thisworld becoming the kingdom of our Lord,and that He will reign forever and ever! Ibegan to understand the thrilling promise ofRevelation 21:4Ð5 concerning the newheaven and the new earth.

It was wonderfully exciting news, thisKingdom of God. There was just one prob-lem. If all things were to be made new, lifeas I had known it would have to go. Nomore life in the fast lane, with 1.5 kids, twocars and a mortgage. We were talking aboutculture shock on a major scale.

So I spent a lot of time feeling guilty,experiencing shameful unease whenever Iheard an earnestly expressed desire forChristÕs return. I did want Him to comeback. I just didnÕt want Him to come yet. Iasked myself if I could really be the onlyone not looking forward to seeing every-thing I was familiar withÑmy lifestyle, mycountry, my cultureÑdestroyed, even forso wonderful an event?

Clinging to the FamiliarAccording to psychologists, we cling

to the familiar, even when it is to our detri-ment. This is a major reason we return toabusive situations, drugs, alcohol andother destructive lifestyles. We find com-fort in the known, and are usually quiteresistant to change. My world was farfrom perfect, but it was the only one I hadever known. Even the promise ofUtopiaÑGodÕs KingdomÑdidnÕt com-pletely quiet my unease.

The early Israelites themselves certain-ly fell victim to this very human trait. Godworked unparalleled miracles on theirbehalf, both to release them from slavery inEgypt, and to sustain them afterwards. Hepromised to bring them to a land flowingwith milk and honey. The life He offeredmust have sounded almost as perfect tothem as GodÕs peaceful Kingdom does to ustoday.

Yet they often complained, desiring toreturn to the familiarity of the life they hadleft behind. ÒWe remember the fish whichwe ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, themelons, the leeks, the onions, and the gar-lic,Ó they grumbled in Numbers 11:5.Would I really react any differently?

So, I took my concerns to God, tellingHim that I wanted to look forward toChristÕs return with my whole heart and

soul. I did not want to be like LotÕs wife,looking back at the crucial moment.

Time has passed. The world continuesthe relentless pursuit of sin and depravitythat has occupied it for roughly 6,000 years.The end is surely coming, with each daybringing us closer than the one before.

Empathy and GriefWatching pain in others is something I

find extraordinarily hard to do. Yet, thanksto the nightly news and other technologicalwonders of the age, I have had an open win-dow to the world. And the world is in painand suffering.

I cried for its abused and murderedchildren, for its evil regimes, genocide, warcrimes and other atrocities. Meanwhile, Ibegan to be aware of a feeling I couldnÕtname, a strange mixture of sorrowful sad-ness and empathy. At first it was intermit-tent, but soon it was nearly always there,underlying everything. I became accus-tomed to it, like a leaky faucet you neverget around to fixing. Still, I couldnÕt nameit. Now I know that it was because I had noframe of reference for it.

What I was feeling was griefÑantici-patory grief for a dying world. I was keep-ing a death vigil, watching helplessly as thedisease process ran its course towards a cer-tain end. Sin is a terminal diseaseÑa cancerfor which there is no cure except the aton-ing blood of Jesus Christ. It is often a silentkiller, showing itself in all its ugliness onlywhen the end is near, after it has conqueredand consumed virtually all that is healthyand good.

Our world today works sin and suffer-ing. The wage it earns is death. God,because He is merciful, will not allow it toremain in its sin forever. The time is rapid-ly approaching when, like my mother andsister-in-law, the pain of holding on will begreater than that of letting go.

Death, albeit the enemy, wonÕt be thevictor because GodÕs gift to us is eternallife. As 1 Corinthians 15:57 says, He Ògivesus the victory through our Lord JesusChrist.Ó Isaiah 26:19 describes that victory:

ÒBut your dead will live; their bodieswill rise. You who dwell in the dust, wakeup and shout for joy. Your dew is like thedew of the morning; the earth will givebirth to her deadÓ (NIV).

God is infinitely patient, answeringprayers in the fullness of His time. Heknows that suffering is necessary for ourgrowth, and that we grow by putting faithand trust in Him.

In the final chapter of Revelation, Johnsays, ÒHe who testifies to these things says,ÔSurely I am coming quicklyÕÓ (22:20). Ithas been a long process, but I can nowkneel and pray with fervent sincerity, ÒEvenso, come, Lord Jesus!Ó UNUN

Janna Thomas is a member in theSherman, Texas, congregation.

12 United News September 2000

ItÕs amazing to me how you can startout with one perspective in the morning andGod can change your thoughts by evening,if youÕre paying attention.

My day started out the usual hecticway, getting everyone out the door to schooland work. On my long drive to work I wastalking with God. I told Him how we need-ed a new garage door and didnÕt know howwe would pay for it. We had the insurancedue right now and the car was making a newnoise. I was feeling a little pressured and dis-couraged by the everyday hassles of living.

I work with a contractor who rehabshomes. The neighborhood we were workingin wasnÕt middle class, but it wasnÕt one ofthe worst either. Two little boys camethrough the door. I asked why they werenÕtin school. They said, ÒAhh, we didnÕt wantto go today.Ó ÒHow old are you?Ó my bossasked. ÒSecond grade.Ó ÒDoes your momknow youÕre not in school?Ó ÒNo, sheÕs atthe bar.Ó It was only 10:30 a.m. One said hestole the bike he was riding, then said he was

kidding. We couldnÕt tell when he wastelling the truth.

A little later I looked out of the frontwindow. Two little girls, about age 4 or 5,were playing with a cat. They were trying tofeed it Prestone Antifreeze. Behind them ayoung man was throwing up over the porchrailing. Out a back window I saw a neighborgetting out of her car with a bottle of wine.All this before noon.

That night when I talked with God, myperspective had changed. I thanked Him forthe house He has blessed me with, the job Ihave, that I could be home to put my daugh-ter on the bus and be back home to take heroff the bus. I thanked Him for my squeakycar and the garage to put it in. Most of all Ithanked Him for His truth that there is a bet-ter world ahead. As I thought of those littlechildren living in your average Midwesterntown in the most blessed country on earth, Iprayed ÒPlease, Thy Kingdom come!Ó

The author, Rhonda Richmond, is amember in the Canton, Ohio, congregation.

ÒPlease, Thy Kingdom Come!Ó

ÒEven So, Come, Lord Jesus!Ó

of Hezekiah, and gave some backgroundabout the Garden of Gethsemane and the val-ley of Hinnom which we visited later in theday.

During our last week excavating, thesupervisors took the time to sum up what hadbeen accomplished during this yearÕs dig.Most of our efforts were concentrated onthree different structures from one of threedifferent periods corresponding to the earliestPhilistine period. The findings seem verymuch in line with biblical statements aboutthe Philistines.

On the last Thursday evening we wereinvited to an exposition of all the finds of thisyearÕs excavation. The rarest find of the yearcame from a period much later than David. Itwas a coin bearing the likeness of QueenCleopatra. It is only the fifth such coin to befound, and the first to be found Òin context.ÓOne of the four other coins was sold to a pri-

vate collector apparently for around$100,000! ÒOurÓ coin will go to a museum,but this gives an idea of the excitementaroused by this particular find. There werealso quite a number of other coins found, aswell as beads, scarabs, figurines and severalcomplete or nearly complete vessels of claypottery or alabaster.

Following the exposition the wholeexcavation team had a final reception anddinner including entertainment in the form ofskits and music.

One of the grid supervisors told me dur-ing the reception that our Youth Corps volun-teers had done very well. He said they occa-sionally have Christian groups participate inthe excavation, but that they often donÕtblend in well or work harmoniously. ÒYourgroup is differentÑthey blended in well andworked well in the teams,Ó he told me.

During the dance following the meal,one of the assistant directors of the excava-

tion asked me about our Church originsand beliefs. When I explained a bit aboutthe origins of United and mentioned ourprevious affiliation, he said, ÒOh yes,Herbert Armstrong, I remember that groupvery well.Ó He also expressed appreciation

for the work done by our Youth Corps vol-unteers.

Our volunteers set a very fine exampleof hard work and service, and we hope to beable to continue offering such opportunitiesto our young adults. UNUN

United News September 2000 13

The following article appeared in theVero Beach, Florida, Press Journal on August6. Used with permission of the author.

by Shelley Canupp

Ò911. Is this an emergency?ÓÒYes. I need an ambulance. IÕm burned.

I accidentally threw gasoline on a pile oftrash and it ignited the whole wide worldÑitexploded. I have a bad cold. I didnÕt smell thedifference... I thought it was diesel fuel. I lit-erally doused the pile.Ó

ÒOK. Where do you need an ambu-lance?Ó

ÒIÕm driving home, in my truck.ÓÒYouÕre driving?ÓÒYes. IÕll be home in a minute.ÓÒGive us your address and stay on the

line.ÓAbout two minutes later, former

Fellsmere City Councilman Dale Carterpulled his truck into his driveway, the dis-patcher still on the line.

He remembers being in a lot of pain. Hisskin burned, his face and beard blackenedand his hair scorched, he stumbled and thenrolled onto the ground in pain. Within a fewminutes, the ambulance arrived. It wasOctober 21, 1999.

Within minutes, Carter, 53, was in a heli-copter and being transported to the OrlandoRegional Medical CenterÕs burn center. Heremained awake during the less-than-hour-long flight in what he describes as a Òpainful,but not totally unbearable state thanks tosome painkillers.Ó

At about 7 that evening, the doctors toldCarterÕs wife, Diann, and his parents, Lee andMary Carter of Fellsmere, they couldnÕtguarantee he would live through the nightwith his second-degree burns on his arms,legs and feet.

Thankfully, his beard and hair helpedprotect his face and head, Mrs. Carter said.

ÒHis face was all swollen up... ugh, to

see him looking like that,Ó Lee Carter saidshaking his head while cringing. ÒWe sat upwith him all night at the hospital, and the nextday, he came around pretty good.Ó

Diann Carter stayed with her husbandaround the clock for three weeks. She learnedfrom the doctors and nurses how to clean hiswounds and change his bandages.

Then, during the second week, CarterÕsconditions took a nose dive. He eventuallydropped from 220 pounds to 170 pounds andhe stopped breathing. It took two attendingphysicians to resuscitate him, and they savedhis life.

But he still had several health obstaclesto overcome. Carter was weak, experiencedbreathing problems and had a weakenedimmune system.

ÒOne thing that really kept me goingwas that I received more than 200 get-wellcards,Ó Carter said. ÒThat encouraged me.Ó

The communityÕs response didnÕt sur-prise Indian River County CommissionerFran Adams.

ÒDale is a super, super guy with a bigheart,Ó Adams said. ÒEveryone looks to himas a role model because they know he workshard and gives back to the community.Ó

After three weeks in the hospital, doc-tors allowed Carter to go home. As part of hisrecovery, he said, he exercised daily and ateplenty of food to help regain the weight helost while in the hospital.

His wife, who teaches scuba divers howto become scuba-diving instructors, tooktime off from her job to care for her husband24 hours a day.

ÒShe never left my side,Ó Carter said.ÒSheÕs wonderful.Ó

There was a time when he wasnÕt sure ifheÕd be able to return to work or what portionof his medical bills he would be responsiblefor after his insurance company settled itsportion of the claims.

Carter is self-employed and ownsAffordable Land Services, a land-clearing

business. So the health-care bills concernedhim, especially the $6,000 helicopter ride.

ThatÕs when he said he received the sur-prise of his life.

Last December, Fellsmere residentsJerry and Laura Smith, Charles Hampton,Leonard Hearndon, MESA Park officials anda host of other folks organized a benefit at thepark. Those attending enjoyed the food, themusic, the truck and tractor pull, and theyraised about $4,000 for CarterÕs medicalexpenses.

ÒHe has always been here to work orvolunteer; and always, beyond the call ofduty,Ó said Fred Augenstein, director of mar-keting for MESA Park.

ÒThe benefit was a bit humbling,Ó Cartersaid. ÒWhen something like that happens toyou and then you find out so many peoplecare and are willing to do something about it,itÕs mind-boggling.Ó

As it turned out, the fund-raiser coveredall of CarterÕs out-of-pocket expenses with alittle left over. The Carters donated thatmoney to their place of worship, the UnitedChurch of God in Port St. Lucie.

CarterÕs mother said she is very glad herson survived the ordeal and that he has somany friends and loved ones who supportedhim. ÒIÕm praising God every day,Ó she said.ÒDale is coming along good.Ó

The Carters have long been known in thecommunity as a close and loving family....

As for any future plans in politics, Cartersays the answer is no. Since the accident, theway Carter wants to spend his time haschanged.

ÒIn our daily, lives we get caught up inthe world out there,Ó he said. ÒWe stray. Ourattitudes change. A trauma like this focusesyou. It lets you realize family and friends arewhatÕs important.Ó

So today, when Carter isnÕt drivinghis green and white Ford pickup into townor clearing land with his bulldozer, youmight find him with his family or friends

fishing, snorkeling or sailing on his 43-foot sailboat.

ÒI plan to do extensive cruising allover the Bahamas,Ó he said. ÒWe plan todo some extensive sailingÑall around theworld.Ó

At home, he watches less TV andtakes more time to enjoy the wildlife out-doors.

ÒWe have all sorts of petsÑraccoons,ducks, birds, squirrels and a little alligatorwe call ÔSuitcaseÕ in the pond behind thehouse,Ó Carter said. ÒI love it outside.Ó

HeÕs also considering a gig as a stand-up comedian, he joked. ÒI love to laugh. Itake more time to laugh now.Ó

But what has changed the most,Carter said, is the relationship he wants tohave with God.

ÒI now realize that your relationshipwith God, your family, friends and themanner of person you areÑthose are thethings that are the most important in life,Óhe said. ÒIf you take care of those things,all the rest of your needs will fall intoplace.Ó UNUN

MemberÕs Recovery Featured in Newspaper

This article appeared in the August 6 VeroBeach, Florida, Press Journal

ÒDIG,Ó (Continued from page 4)

United Youth Corps Israel/Jordan Project VolunteersPatricia Dobbins Williamstown, West VirginiaJamie Franks Cypress, TexasStan Grabowski Laramie, WyomingShannon Guy Warren, OhioGreg Horchak Windsor, ColoradoSarah Janicich Aumsville, OregonLily Miller San Diego, CaliforniaKimberly Mortier Eldorado, WisconsinShaun Tuck Phoenix, ArizonaJason Watkins St. Louis, MissouriJaime Welch Kellyville, Oklahoma

Houston Celebrates GradsThe Houston North, Texas, congrega-

tion honored 13 graduating seniors on May

20 during services. There was a video pre-sentation showing pictures of the seniorsfrom childhood through their senior year.They were also presented with a gift from thecongregation. After services the congregationcelebrated with cake and punch.

Young Writer ReceivesAward

Megan Fooshe, age 7, was one of fivefirst grade students to receive HonorableMention in the Reading Rainbow YoungWriters and Illustrators Contest in Tennessee.

MeganÕs story was titled ÒThe LadybugWith No Spots,Óand she was hon-ored at a specialceremony spon-sored by Nash-ville Public Tel-evision. Meganis a home-schooled studentand is enteringthe second gradethis fall.

Houston Dedicates New Building

After almost three years of work, theHouston North congregation dedicated a newchurch building on the Sabbath of July 29.President Les McCullough and treasurer TomKirkpatrick joined the brethren of HoustonNorth and Houston South in a combined ser-vice for the special event. There were 540 inattendance.

After services a reception was held tocelebrate the completion of the project. Morethan 100 brethren worked on the building.

Mr. McCullough said, ÒThe circum-stances that brought this building about areunique. Houston has an especially difficulttime in finding a place to meetÉbecause ofthe size of the congregation. Another uniquefactor is that as the talk about their needs

went on, a member family pushed the matterby saying they would personally donate,beyond their normal tithes and offerings, asubstantial part of the cost of the building.Ó

This donation of$100,000 plus fruit sales,other fund-raisers andcontributions funded thebuilding without outsidefinancing.

Following the poli-cy at the time (1997), theHouston North congre-gation contacted theadministration at the time(including the president,treasurer and MinisterialServices). After receiv-ing support from theadministration, the mat-

ter went to the Council of Elders. The Councilagreed that the proposal was appropriate.

The property at 20737 Broze Road inHumble, Texas, was purchased in January of1999, and ground breaking for the 10,000-square-foot metal building was October 26,

1999. The property will be deeded to theUnited Church of God, an InternationalAssociation, and will be held in trust for useby the local congregation.

ÒI think we can all be pleased that thebrethren in Houston have been blessed in thisway,Ó Mr. McCullough said.

Chicago Honors FaheysThe 35th anniversary of Bob FaheyÕs

ordination and the Faheys 35th weddinganniversary were honored by members ofboth Chicago congregations July 1.

Mr. Fahey was ordained an elder in June1965 at Bricket Wood, England, upon gradu-ation from Ambassador College. Since thattime the Faheys have pastored congregationsin Australia, Canada, Scotland, South Africaand several locations in the U.S. He alsoserved as regional director in several areas.

Between Bible study and afternoon ser-vices the Faheys were honored for their 35thwedding anniversary with a special cake.Following services, they were presented withseveral gifts, including a porcelain wedding

figurine and a crystal desk set. The congrega-tion shared many memories with the Faheys,recalling the many events that have occurredduring their time in the Chicago area.

Jack D. Pickett

14 United News September 2000

Megan Fooshe, 7,receives award atPBS ceremony

Graduates (from bottom left): Melissa Tate, Crystal Whitley,Elizabeth Hudson, Emily Orsak, April McLeod, Kimberlee Franks,

Ressie Deselle, Ruben Followell, Mark Meitzler, Rachel Rodriquez,Megan Grabara, Melissa Gabrielides. Not pictured, Erika Salveson

Local Church UpdatesÉ

ABC Sampler students hear LesMcCullough in Cincinnati August 15

Preteens from nine states gathered atCamp Galilee, on the shore of Bull ShoalsLake in northern Arkansas, for the first cen-tral regionpreteen camp,July 10 to 13.Forty youthsjoined withan excellentstaff of 35volunteers,i n c l u d i n gseveral pas-to r s andwives andmany teens,fo r t h reef u n - f i l l e dand educa-tional dayspa r t i c ipa t -ing in a var-iety of activities. Our staff includedfood service personnel. Meals weredesigned to be both nutritious as wellas popular with the children by a verydedicated staff of wives, mothers andgrandmothers.

Activities ranged from swim-ming, canoeing and fishing to crafts,Christian Living classes on the TenCommandments, field games andchallenge games.

In the evenings campers par-ticipated in a novelty Olympics,went stargazing through severalborrowed telescopes and enjoyeda cookout with a sing-along. One

highlight of the camp was an afternoonpontoon boat ride, with swimming inthe middle of the lake, where each dorm

got to go out for an hour cruise andswim.

Even though the weather was hot, theair-conditioned dorms and dining hall pro-vided a welcome relief from the heat.

One project during crafts class wasmaking individually designed stepping

stones. Each camper designed andmade his own stepping stone, andwas able to take it home to use.

At the conclusion of the camp,all the campers wanted to stayanother three or four days (thoughthe staff was pooped!) and weresad to leave so many newfoundfriends. Many parents expressedappreciation for the camp aftertheir children returned home, someeven commenting on things theirchildren learned. Plans are alreadyunderway for an even larger andbetter camp next summer.

Michael Blackwell

Preteens Learn by the Lake at Camp Galilee, Arkansas

Scenes from Camp Galilee preteen camp at Bull Shoals Lake

United News September 2000 15

Births

Michael and Shari (Styer)Fooshe are pleased to announce

the birth of their third daughter,Marissa Sail Fooshe. Marissa wasborn on June 7, 2000, andweighed 8 pounds 3 ounces. Herolder sisters, Megan and Mariah,are thrilled with their new babysister.

Thomas and Kristie (Weiss)Rocheleau, of the Phoenix NW,

Arizona, congregation, would liketo announce the birth of their firstchild. Thomas Edward arrivedJuly 25, 2000. He was 7 pounds 8ounces and 201/2 inches long. Allare doing well.

Andr�s and Jannett Cisneros,of Monterrey, Mexico, are pleased

to announce the birth of Iv�nAndr�s. Iv�n, the first baby to beborn in the Monterrey congrega-tion in seven years, came into theworld on Saturday, August 12,2000. He weighed 3.36 kilograms(7 pounds 61/2 ounces) and was 54centimeters (21 inches) long. Mr.Cisneros is an employee in theUCG office in Monterrey.

Eleanor Wendolyn Finney(Nora) arrived December 21,1999. She weighed 8 pounds 7

ounces and was 22 inches inlength. She is the first child bornto Phillip and Wendy (Bozarth)Finney of Grenada, Mississippi.Grandparents are Ben and ViFinney of Jasper, Georgia, and Jimand Sue Robbins of Nashville,Tennessee.

Mike and Debbie Murdoch,members of the Bricket Wood,England, congregation, arepleased to announce the safearrival of their first child, ConorJames. Conor was born on May

24, 2000, weighing 7 pounds 14ounces and measuring 21 inches.The proud grandparents are Johnand Anne-Marie Murdoch, andEddie and Sandra Johnson, dea-con and deaconess in theMaidstone, England, congrega-tion.

Wedding

Mark and Brenda White ofSpanishburg, West Virginia,would like to announce the mar-

riage of their daughter, Cassandra,to Thomas Bayless. The couplewere united in marriage inPrinceton, West Virginia, onAugust 6, 2000. The happy couplenow reside in Houston, Texas.

Obituaries

Rose McCauley, 52, a memberof the Corpus Christi, Texas, congre-gation, died August 9, 2000, after along struggle with cancer. She is sur-vived by her husband, Robert, andher daughter, Gina. The family alsoattended the Victoria congregation,so John Bald and Burk McNair con-ducted the memorial service inRockport, Texas. Interment was pri-vately done at Live Oak Cemetery inOlgsby, Texas. She will be sorelymissed by all who knew her. Hersplendid example through thisextreme difficulty was an inspirationto all who were privileged to see it.

Sara Villareal, 83, died July 31,2000, after a long illness. She hadbeen a member of the Harlingen,Texas, congregation for many yearsand will be sorely missed. Herencouragement and enthusiasmwere an insipiration to all who knewher. Graveside services were held inthe Highland Memorial Park inWeslaco with her pastor, John Baldofficiating.

Frank O. Harper, 95, died July19, 2000, after a short period of fail-ing health. He was a member of theSacramento, California, congrega-tion, but moved to the Oakland areaaround 1994. Because of age-relatedproblems, he was unable to attendservices. His wife, Virigina, also a

member, preceded him in deathDecember 31, 1999. He was fondlyknown as Òthe candy manÓ by thebrethren. He is greatly missed.

His funeral was conducted byBill Bradford. He is survived bydaughter Jerri Anderson of PleasantHill, California, grandchildren andgreat-grandchildren.

Christopher Carl Partin, 47, ofTucson, Arizona, died September11, 1999, at home after many yearsof ill health. He was born January 7,1952, in Cincinnati, Ohio, where hebecame a member in December of1970. Chris is survived by his wife,Marsha; five children: Benjamin(and his wife, Sarah), Kevin, Renee,Anthony and Melinda; and twogranddaughters: Leanna and Ashley.His mother and stepfather, Barbaraand John Sutton, live in Cincinnatialong with his six brothers: Greg,Randy, Lenny, Jeff, Mark and Dan;and three sisters: Kim Kelly, ValMcMullin and Jennifer Lynn.

Memorial services were con-ducted on September 18, 1999, bySteve Buchanan, pastor of theTucson and Sierra Vista, Arizona,congregations.

Penny S. Howard, 48, ofCircleville, Ohio, died March 16,2000, following an extended battlewith cancer.

She is survived by her husbandof 30 years, Darrell; daughter,Heather; and three grandchildren.Penny and Darrell have been mem-bers of GodÕs Church since 1984,attending the Athens, Ohio, congre-gation. Memorial services were heldMarch 20 with Bill Winner, pastor ofthe Athens and Marietta, Ohio, andMorgantown, West Virginia, congre-gations, officiating.

Glen Richard Thompson, 81,died June 30, 2000, in Brookings,South Dakota. He served in the U.S.Navy during World War II, and hehas been a member of the Elks,American Legion and Veterans ofForeign Wars. He enjoyed playingkeyboard at senior citizen centersand nursing homes.

Survivors included his wife,Laura; six children: GlenThompson, Anita Redemeyer,Lauren Cook, Bill Cook, Tony Cookand David Cook; 11 grandchildren;two step-grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and a brother, DonaldThompson. He was preceded indeath by his parents, two uncles, twoaunts and a great-grandchild.

Don Wise, 65, of Fredonia,New York, died August 1, 2000. Mr.Wise was baptized in July 1969 andwas a very active member of theBuffalo, New York, congregation.

He is survived by his wife,Betty; daughter, Susan Kelley; son,Donald II; stepdaughter, MaryWoleben; stepson, John Miller; andthree grandchildren. Mr. Wise was amember of the North AmericanGladiolus Council and he developedthe ÒFredonia,Ó an award-winningstrain of gladiolus which hehybridized. His funeral service washeld in Fredonia on August 4 withDavid Baker officiating.

After an extended illness,Henry Charles Sharp, 57, diedpeacefully in the hospital August 13,2000. Charles was born on April 12,1943, to Roy B. and Georgia(Flemens) Sharp in New Hope,Arkansas. Charles lived in south-west Oklahoma for the past 35years. He married Ruth E. Minceyon December 24, 1975.

Charles worked as a barber for30 years before retiring in 1988.Charles had many hobbies, includ-ing woodworking, oil painting, pho-tography, fishing and joke-telling.He played guitar and was a modeltrain operator. Charles was an inspi-ration to all who visited him duringhis lengthy illness with diabetes andcongestive heart failure. His wife,Ruth, was a devoted, loving wifeand an excellent caregiver. Charlesand Ruth had a special ÒsparkÓ andhad their wedding vows renewed afew years ago. His funeral wasAugust 16, 2000, and Mark Welchofficiated. RuthÕs address is 616Jefferson St., Lawton, OK 73501.

Long-time member Isaac DeJong, 93, of Gosford, New SouthWales, Australia, died peacefully inhis sleep April 16, 2000. He hadbeen unable to attend services for thelast few years. He will be remem-bered as a happy man who enjoyed agood joke and was a very hospitablemember of GodÕs Church in Sydney.

Mildred Burton Jones, 80,died in an automobile accident inRuston, Louisiana, August 19, 2000.She is survived by sons, ClaytonMcKaskle and Bobby Dale Jones;daughters, Kaletah Whitman andDebbie Hamilton; and step-children,Billy Wayne Jones, Joyce Woffordand Mary Ann Bates. Services wereheld in Ruston August 22 withDonald Ward officiating.

AnnouncementsÉ

Thomas Edward Rocheleau

Conor James Murdoch

Thomas and Cassandra Bayless

Eleanor Wendolyn Finney

Marissa Sail Fooshe with Meganand Mariah

Iván Andrés Cisneros

16 United News September 2000

YOUTH United OnlineMagazine to Be Launched

An online magazine for teens andyoung adults is scheduled to be launched byOctober 1 at www.youthmagazine.org. Themagazine is scheduled to be posted to theWeb quarterly.

ÒThe audience is not meant to be exclu-sive to Church youth, but all youth,Ó saidDoug Horchak, who has spearheaded thelaunch of the magazine for the YouthEducation team. ÒIn a sense, itÕs an addition-al tool for preaching the gospel to the world,but targeting a specific age group.Ó

Les McCullough wrote in the editorialfor the first issue: ÒYOUTH United is anoth-er result of the long-term commitment by theChurch of God to serve the younger genera-tion of this world and to help lead them intheir responsibility to become leaders inGodÕs Church and in the world tomorrowÉ.We hope you will make this your magazine.You can be a part of the action with input,comments, suggestions and articles. WeÕredepending on you to help us make this excit-ing new project a success!Ó

Parking Tight at Panama City Beach Site

We need the help of everyone withparking in Panama City Beach this year.Those staying at the Edgewater Beach Resortproperty on either side of Front Beach Road(the Towers, Leeward, Windward or GolfVillas), please walk, if physically able, or rideone of the courtesy trams to the ConferenceCenter. There is also a crosswalk bridge fromthe beach side condos that crosses over FrontBeach Road to the Conference Center foryour convenience.

The shopping center parking lot on theeast side of Beckrich Drive is to be used bythose staying at other properties in the gener-al area. You may either walk from that park-ing lot or ride an Edgewater Beach Resortshuttle van to the Conference Center. Forthose who can, car-pooling would also behelpful.

The parking area adjacent to theConference Center will be reserved for thehandicapped. Your help in this area will begreatly appreciated.

Harold Rhodes

Quebec Feast: WhaleWatching, Dancing and

Volunteering

Demand for the whale watching tour atthe Feast in Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec, hasbeen high enough to book a second bus andextend the deadline to September 29. If youhave not already ordered your ticket, there isnow more time and sufficient space to do so.This excursion includes a scenic bus ride of

approximately an hour and a half from theFeast site along the north shore of the mag-nificent St. Lawrence River to the cruise shipdock in Tadoussac.

Bring plenty of clothes to dress verywarmly as it will be cool out on the deck. Ofcourse, it will be toasty warm inside the ship,

but you canÕt see the marine life too clearlyfrom that vantage point.

Family Dance: Afamily dance has beenscheduled for Mont Sainte Anne on Saturdaynight, October 14, from 8 to 11. Music will besupplied by a disc jockey who will includesome local French music and dancing. Dresswill be Sabbath wear.

Volunteers Needed: Volunteers areneeded to serve at the Quebec Feast site inareas such as ushering, choir, offering pro-cessing, etc. Please phone (416) 231-9379 orsend an e-mail to alwasilkoff@ucg.ca.

Anthony Wasilkoff

ABC Announces Post-Feast Seminars

Toronto, Ontario, Canada, will host anABC seminar November 11 to 13. ABCinstructors Gary Antion and Ralph Levy willbe teaching classes Saturday evening,November 11; all day Sunday, November 12;and Monday evening, November 13.

Mr. Antion will present Acts 25 to 28,focusing on PaulÕs journey to Rome and theend of his ministry as recorded in the book ofActs. Mr. Antion will also teach 2 and 3 Johnand Jude, with verse-by-verse exposition ofthese three short but fascinating GeneralEpistles. Dr. Levy will teach ÒThe Law in theCovenants,Ó explaining the meaning of acovenant, exploring the Sinaitic (ÒoldÓ) andChristian (ÒnewÓ) covenants, and the conti-nuity between the two.

To register, send your name, address anda check for $8 U.S. or $12 Canadian for eachstudent, to United Church of GodÑCanada,Box 144, Station D, Etobicoke, ON M9A4X1, Canada.

Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida, will hostthe final ABC seminar of the year December23 to 25. Presenters will be Ralph Levy andone other instructor. Watch for more details ina future United News.

Ralph Levy

Mail Continues DoubleLast Year

Through the end of August, 164,584pieces of mail had been received at the homeoffice in 2000, an increase of 115 percent.Literature cards made up 115,413 of the total,with 19,802 cards arriving in August. Therehave been 7,692 Internet responses for theyear, up 53 percent.

The June subscriber development letter(formerly called the semiannual letter) broughtin 11,294 cards, a 13 percent response.

There were 95 new donors and 39 morecoworkers added in August, bringing the totalto 2,226 donors and 896 coworkers on file.

Periodicals Postage paid at Milford, Ohio,

and at additional mailing officesUnited News

WhatÕs New on the Web?

¥ Listen to a Real Audio file of thecurrent Good News radio program,posted each week. Also available is thebroadcast-ready .rm file you may saveon your local congregational page.

http://www.ucg.org/radio

¥ Check out the local multimediaefforts by United congregations:Tomorrow television by Portland,Oregon; Good News television byBeloit, Wisconsin; World News andProphecy radio by Donald Ward; andThe World Tomorrow on MANXradio on the Isle of Man.

http://www.ucg.org/a/localc/multimedia.htm

¥ The September/October edition ofThe Good News is online in bothPDF (2.0MB) and HTML formats.

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

¥ The September/October VirtualChristian Magazine is available.

http://vcmagazine.org

¥ A new video sermon by LesMcCullough titled ÒFaithÓ has beenposted to our Sermon Archives page.

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

¥ Three new sermon transcripts areavailable: ÒRedeeming the Time,Ó byLarry Greider; ÒFive Steps in NoahÕsWalk With God,Ó by Robin Webber;ÒStick Like Glue,Ó by Gary Antion.

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

¥ The September/October editionof Las Buenas Noticias is availablein PDF (1.1MB) format and theAugust El Comunicado is online inHTML format.

http://www.ucg.org/html/espa_ol.shtml

¥ 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

Tom Kirkpatrick takes the first call inresponse to the Good News radio program

August 12. Volunteer Barb Fouch andsupervisor Laura Peabody August 13