Live Bible Study Webcast on Book of Hebrews

May 21, 2013

The Cincinnati East, Ohio, congregation of the United Church of God is continuing its bi-weekly Bible study Wednesday night, May 22. The study begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT and is available live via webcast.

The Book of Hebrews Chapters 4 & 5

Join us as we continue an in-depth study of the Book of Hebrews. These chapters cover some very important biblical beliefs. What does the writer of Hebrews mean when he writes: “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God”? And who is our priest according to the order of Melchizedek?

Presenters will be Steve Myers and Darris McNeely.

Plan to attend in person, or you can listen online. You can also view the Bible study using your smartphone Internet browser.

Steve Myers—Pastor, United Church of God Cincinnati East

May 17 Letter from Victor Kubik, President

May 17, 2013

This is my first communication as President of the United Church of God.  I am humbled by this new role and pray daily for God to give me wisdom, humility and courage to carry out the duties of this office.

We have been so blessed by the leadership of Denny Luker. As President, he stressed love, faith in Jesus Christ as the living Head of His Church and created an environment of peace in the Church. His leadership was exactly what we needed when we needed it. He brought much-needed healing to the Church and leaves an indelible legacy.

Now, my desire and plan is to build on what God built through Denny Luker and go forward with the mission to proclaim the coming Kingdom of God to the world and to care for those whom God has called. I will not be a caretaker president, but will immerse my life completely into this role. I will seek to understand God’s will and to effectively direct the affairs of the Church in this momentous time in the history of mankind.

We live in a very dangerous world. Yet, it’s an exciting world to which I look with godly optimism because of what’s ahead. Throughout history, prophecy has always reassured Christians of how things will end. It encourages us to carry on because we know that God will not allow the world to destroy itself. God will ultimately usher in His Kingdom of peace. His Kingdom will be eternal and will never end. Our lives will never end. It doesn’t get any better than this!

Since the age of 16, when I first heard this message preached, I have been emboldened with this truth. The Bible made sense to me by explaining who we are, how we got to where we are and our destiny. We MUST continue to share this message as the early church did. I would like to duplicate the excitement of Paul as he evangelized throughout Asia Minor and Greece and the result was that “many people were added to the Lord.”  It can happen now, too, when people hear this message of the Kingdom of God and Jesus Christ as King as well as personal Savior.

This past Monday morning, I spoke to our home office employees about the challenges for the United Church of God.  Here are a few items that I emphasized:

1. Public Proclamation.  We need to be more relevant with key messages that bring results in changed lives and added numbers. I would like to collaboratively examine all venues through which we preach the gospel and critically ask what’s working and what is not. The 21st century is dramatically different than before, as billions of people use smartphones as their primary means of receiving and transmitting information.

2. Peace and Unity.  It is essential that we preserve the peace and unity currently within the Church and follow Christ’s lead in seizing the moment for developing the Church.

3. Ministry and Congregations.  We must continually staff our congregations around the world with competent trained elders. We need to identify new leaders and provide the training necessary through educational programs such as the online training for our ministry that we started this past year. We need to engage our ministry and membership in the mission of the Church and make everyone feel a part of the vibrant United Church of God.

4. Church Growth.  It is not wrong to question what we can do better to allow God to add to our numbers. We will be asking this question a lot and will find answers to achieve results.

5. Youth and Young Adults. This is a priority because this is where our future leaders and pillars lie.

6. Women’s Services.  We have made great progress in this area and want to continue the momentum established in the past two years.

7. Relationships with other groups. I would like to keep an open door to those of like faith in the greater Church that God is working with. We welcome constructive and relevant discussion and interaction.

8. International.  We must be keenly aware of our brethren on all other continents and not neglect them in pastoral support and, where needed, with financial subsidy to viably operate.  With about 6.3 billion people living outside the United States, reaching these people with the gospel message and making disciples represents one of our biggest challenges.

These are just some of the challenges that we are faced with.  Again, I will not be a caretaker president and plan to actively work with all of our managers to move forward.

My wife Beverly has been a key helper and advisor to me. Please pray for both of us to do what we need to do.

With love in Christ’s service,

Victor Kubik

“BOAT”: New Short Film from United Church of God

May 10, 2013

View this new short film from the United Church of God and the producers of Beyond Today titled: “Boat.”

BOAT

The keel on a boat gives it stability and direction, and without this keel a boat can easily drift off course when facing the winds and currents upon the water.

God’s law is our personal keel. Without the secure guidelines of the Bible we can find ourselves so far off course that it feels overwhelming to get back on track. As we read in the book of Hebrews: “We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (Hebrews 2:1).

This is the 9th in UCG’s short christian films series. Take a moment to view it now:

Peter Eddington—Media and Communications Services

Victor Kubik: Next UCG President

May 8, 2013

Victor and Beverly Kubik

The United Church of God, an International Association, has been involved in a systematic process of selecting a new president (chief executive officer) since late February of this year.

At the current May session of the Council of Elders meetings, Council members, after prayer and fasting to gain a sense of God’s will, interviewed the final six candidates and collectively deliberated on the matter before choosing a president.

The Council is pleased to announce that Victor Kubik has been selected to fill this position for the next three years. Please remember Mr. and Mrs. Kubik as they step into this new opportunity to serve the church. Mr. Kubik assumes the presidency May 9.

Robin Webber—Chairman, Council of Elders

Online Channel Picks Up “Beyond Today” TV

May 7, 2013

We’ve been working with David Munoz over at Lifee.tv for a few months to add Beyond Today to their streaming channel lineup. I’m pleased to report that they now have a Beyond Today channel and separate sections for each of our three presenters. Our program, “666 and You” is among their “most watched” (6th highest) programs.

Lifee’s service is provided at no charge to the United Church of God. Check it out at www.lifee.tv and www.lifee.tv/beyond-today.

Your continued prayers for the success of our proclamation efforts to preach the good news of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God would be much appreciated.

Peter Eddington—Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services

May 6—2013 General Conference of Elders

May 6, 2013

AM Session

The General Conference of Elders of the United Church of God was reconvened Monday morning, May 6, 2013, by Council of Elders chairman Robin Webber. He introduced Victor Kubik to present the first plenary session of the day titled “Actually Using Spiritual Gifts.”

The former Soviet-bloc churches Mr. Kubik would visit told him, “You could do so much more with the Holy Spirit. Your description of the Spirit is very passive.” That has stuck with him.

We know one aspect of what the Spirit does is edifying or building the Church.

Since there has been abuse of things like grace and Spiritual gifts we’ve sometimes been afraid of them. That’s a shame, and it doesn’t have to be that way.

Mr. Kubik says we need to look to the beginning of Christianity, in the book of Acts. The early Christians acted in such a way and with such boldness through the Spirit that people stood up and took notice.

How did the Church in Acts explode so quickly and so powerfully? How is it that with all of our modern methods, the Internet, TV, advertising, hype, etc., we can’t act as powerfully as Christians did 2,000 years ago?

When the Church in Acts preached messages that were threatening to the local authorities, they did it with power. Even though they were in danger. They were asked by what authority they did these things. Peter, being filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly gave an answer. He wasn’t afraid to stand up and say that it was by the name of Jesus Christ, who they had crucified, that these powerful things were done. It was the Holy Spirit that gave him this boldness and power.

Mr. Kubik expressed the thought, using the book of Acts, that the time of greatest power for the Church is yet ahead of us. It’s just out of our reach. We’re almost there.

The Conference was recessed for a break at 9:55 a.m.

It resumed at 10:30 for the start of the breakout session workshops.

PM Session

After the workshops, Council chairman Robin Webber called the meeting to order at 3:35 p.m.

He summarized what was accomplished at the 2013 General Conference of Elders. He said that the attendees received so much in the way of instruction and inspiration from God’s Word. But any information is pointless unless it is put to good use. He encouraged everyone to go home inspired and ready to actually act on what we covered. God showed us the way to utilize and develop spiritual gifts. We need to follow His lead.

Mr. Webber expressed that if we look to men, we will be disappointed. If we always look to Jesus Christ as the Head of our Church, we cannot possibly be disappointed or let down. We will always be able to overcome with Him at our backs.

Jesus Christ took our lives which were at one time not worth anything, and made them full of worth to Him and to God the Father.

God will fill our lives with His peace that comes only from His Spirit.

Mr. Webber concluded: “We cannot be a people that are fear-based, but faith-based.”

The 2013 General Conference of Elders came to a close with a hymn led by Steve Myers and a closing prayer offered by Bart Bornhorst.

Milan Bizic—Media and Communications Services

Record “Beyond Today” TV Response

Beyond Today Generates Record-High Response for the 2012-13 Fiscal Year

January 22, 2013

Beyond Today program “The Rapture: Hope or Hoax?” hosted by Steve Myers, aired the week of January 13-19, 2013. This United Church of God television program generated the highest number of responses (1,345) and the lowest cost per response of all programs aired so far this fiscal year.

Internet responses came from Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Granada, Honduras, India, Italy, Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Trinidad/Tobago and the United States.

Additionally, preliminary telephone-only response of 719 was logged for Beyond Today program “Change Your Life Story” hosted by Gary Petty, which airs this week, January 20-26, 2013. This is the third-highest preliminary response of all programs aired this fiscal year. We believe this program will place in in the top three or four when all Internet, telephone and snail-mail responses are tallied early next week.

We are very pleased with these excellent results and sincerely want to express our thanks to you for your prayers for the Church’s vital Work to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God around the globe.

Peter Eddington—Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services

Bible Study: The Mother of Harlots

January 7, 2013

The Cincinnati East, Ohio, congregation of the United Church of God is continuing its bi-weekly Bible study Wednesday night, January 9. The study begins at 7:30 p.m. ET and is available live via webcast.

The series on the book of Revelation continues with chapters 17 and 18. Hear about the judgment of the great harlot, and learn about the fall of Babylon the great.

Join us for in-depth study into these topics and more on Wednesday. Presenters will be Gary Antion  and Randy Stiver.

Plan to attend in person, or you can listen online. Also, please note that we have a mobile option. You can view the Bible study using your smartphone.

Steve Myers—Pastor, United Church of God Cincinnati East

How Did We Get Into This Mess?

January 3, 2013

I suppose I should be happy that America’s leaders have averted the “fiscal cliff” originally slated to hit Jan. 1. At least that’s what I’m told I should feel.

For some reason I don’t feel much like celebrating when the last-minute deal struck by congress to supposedly help put the nation’s financial house in order will in reality add about $4 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade—and will add $41 in taxes for every $1 cut in spending.

So how did we get into this mess?

Consider a few facts:

• The U.S. government is like a family with a $21,700 annual income spending $38,200 a year, with $16,500 of that put on credit cards—when the family already owes $142,710 on those credit cards!
• The U.S. government currently borrows 40 percent of all that it spends. That means it borrows and spends $10.4 billion each day, $433 million per hour, $7.2 million per minute, and $120,370 per second! (And this isn’t all that it spends—merely what it borrows to spend.)
• For four consecutive years the federal government has amassed a trillion-dollar deficit. It took the United States 200 years to accumulate its first trillion dollars in debt. Now it takes about 10 months!
• We have already spent the money that will be paid in taxes by the next generation of Americans, and more—stealing wealth from them to maintain our standard of living through massive borrowing.
• Each American’s share of federal government debt is about $45,000—and expected to grow to almost $75,000 by 2020, only seven years away.
• Shocking as these figures are, they in fact vastly underestimate the scope of the problem. When we factor in unfunded liabilities—the amount needed to fully fund government promises for Social Security, Medicare, military and government employee pensions and health care, the real debt load then jumps to five to ten times the $16 trillion current deficit! And that doesn’t even include similar unfunded liabilities for the 50 individual states and hundreds of American towns and cities.

The fact is, America has already run off the fiscal cliff. The real question is, how long until we hit bottom?

But again, how did we get into this mess?

You need to understand the answer. You may be surprised to learn that it was foretold several thousand years ago in the pages of your Bible!

You need to understand what’s prophesied to happen to America, and much of the rest of the Western world. More importantly, you need to understand why.

That’s why we call The Good News “a Magazine of Understanding.” We want to help you make sense of this world that’s rapidly changing around us. And the keys to understanding that are found in the Bible.

We hope you’ll carefully read the articles in this next issue, which is dedicated to the crucial question of “Where Does America Go From Here?” You need to know! Your issue should be arriving in your mailbox any day now (if it hasn’t already). Or you can preview and download it here.

Either way, you need this crucial information!

Scott Ashley—Managing editor, The Good News

145,000 Responses To “Beyond Today” TV

December 12, 2012

Beyond Today Television Results

Since the inception of the United Church of God’s Beyond Today television program, we have received more than 145,00 direct responses asking for the literature offered. This figure does not include the many website visitors that go online immediately upon viewing the program to read more about the topic.

The chart below shows results for each year since 2006. We are experiencing a very encouraging increase year-to-year. In addition, we are pleased to report that dozens of baptisms and new attendees have resulted from those who first found out about the gospel of the Kingdom of God from our television effort.

Please see the rise in responses year-to-year from 2006 through 2012 in the following chart:

Beyond Today TV Results
2006-2012

• Beyond Today television airs nationwide on WGN America  and the WORD Network. (We end our contract with World Harvest Network, METV and FETV on December 31 due to budget cuts.) We are on an additional two dozen cable-access stations sponsored by members. Please visit our station listing page for times and channels that include the United States, Canada and Australia.
• In addition, Beyond Today has it’s own YouTube channel and we have had 2.4 million views of our programs and video blogs.
• We are now in the process of creating a public Roku channel for Beyond Today.

The top response program so far this fiscal year is “Middle East Family Feud” by Darris McNeely that aired the week of November 11-17; followed by “You Are What You Eat” by Steve Myers that aired the week of September 16-12.

In years past, the Church of God always capitalized on the emerging media of the time—whether it was the printed word, radio or television. Today it is no different, and so areas that we are tapping into more effectively include television and streaming and on-demand video.

Television is an important part of our three-fold media mix that includes our printed literature and our website. Please continue to remember the work of preaching the gospel of God’s Kingdom in your daily prayers.

Peter Eddington—Media and Communications Services