News From Around the World

• Australia to Test Printing The Good News
• Leadership Training Held in Bénin
• President Visits Office and Members in Italy
• United Featured in Newspaper Series on Religions in Italy
• 91 Attend Philippine GN Lectures

Australia to Test Printing The Good News

by by Bill Eddington

The Australian National Council has been researching the possibility of printing The Good News copies for Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Singapore in Sydney .

The research project was initiated by the UCG IA home office to see if freight costs could be reduced.

As mentioned in the December 2005 issue of United News ("Media Area Makes Cuts to Deal With Sharply Higher Shipping Costs," page 2), U.S. shipping costs to international areas have recently risen sharply.

After favorable quotes were obtained, the Australian National Council suggested the South African, Malaysian and Indonesian Good News copies be included in the Australian print run. The total circulation of The Good News for all these countries is around 35,000 per issue.

Analysis of the printing and shipping quotations received shows the home office will potentially save US$8,400 for every issue of The Good News printed in Australia . This is an annual cost reduction of around US$50,000.

The Australian National Council was able to draw on the extensive printing and publishing experience of Roy Hickford of the Gold Coast congregation, and the international shipping contacts of Sal Anastasi of the Brisbane congregation in putting the cost structure together.

As you can imagine, this potential cost reduction aroused real interest in the United States, and Media and Communications operation manager Peter Eddington asked if the Australian National Council would oversee the printing and shipping of the magazine to the offshore locations. The Australian National Council readily agreed.

It was agreed that the United Church of God in Australia will have no technical responsibilities other than as a liaison with the printer and the shipping companies.

The advantages of going ahead with this project are: the substantial savings to UCG IA ; more timely delivery of The Good News to areas in the region because shipping times will be shortened; and the strengthening of the already strong Australia/home office relationship.

Plans are to test the new arrangement for a couple of issues, excluding Malaysia and Indonesia, to see how it goes. The March/April edition of The Good News will be the first one printed and shipped under the new arrangements. UN

Bill Eddington is the chairman of the Australian National Council. This report is excerpted from the January-March issue of United News Australia .

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Leadership Training Held in Bénin

by Joel Meeker

Four days of leadership training classes were held in Cotonou, Bénin, from Jan. 28 to 31. UCG elders Bernard Hongerloot and Joel Meeker held the classes on a variety of subjects to better equip leaders from French-speaking Africa for service in local congregations. Mr. Hongerloot's son Jeremy accompanied his father at his own expense.

Session topics included the importance of service, spiritual tools for growth, our role in the plan of God, the importance of godly character in leadership, preparation and delivery of sermonettes, leadership traps to avoid and the organization of Church functions in the absence of an elder.

Attendees were Paul and Felix Tia from Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Kossi Fiaboé and Pierre Kloutsé from Togo, Michel and Bonaventure Ogoudélé from Bénin, Moïse Mabout from Cameroon, and Church elder Jean-Marie Mundeli from Rwanda. The willingness of these men to travel under sometimes trying circumstances (travel between African nations can be quite complicated) was very much appreciated.

Emmanuel Andang and Pierre Goueth from Cameroon and Jean-Baptiste Sibobugingo from Rwanda were also invited but were unable to attend due to problems obtaining passports.

In addition to the chance to get to know one another and to strengthen each other through fellowship at breaks and meal times, the participants had the chance to go by boat to the village-on-stilts of Ganvié in the middle of the Cotonou Lagoon.

Ganvié was built hundreds of years ago by Africans seeking to escape enslavement by a neighboring tribe. This introduction to Africa was quite an experience for Mr. Hongerloot and for Jeremy.

The participants were very excited and enthused by the conference. Michel Ogoudélé from Bénin summed it up by saying "this is the best leadership training we have ever had—it is so very helpful and useful to us."

Following the conference, Mr. Hongerloot and Jeremy returned home, while Mr. Meeker made a brief visit to Mr. Kaboré, our lone member in Ougadougou, Burkina Faso. One of Mr. Kaboré's daughters had asked to be baptized, so in addition to spending a Sabbath together, he was able to help her begin preparing for baptism.

The next trip to French-speaking Africa is scheduled for June.

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President Visits Office and Members in Italy

by Carmelo Anastasi

On Saturday, Feb. 4, the small congregation in Milan welcomed UCG IA president Clyde Kilough and his wife, Dee, very warmly. The brethren were inspired by Mr. Kilough's sermon, and they appreciated his comments about their wholehearted efforts to forward the mission of the Church in preaching the gospel and being prepared as the people of God, despite the fact that they are scattered and small in number.

Before and after church services, all the brethren had the opportunity to shake hands and speak with the Kiloughs. After services there was a get-together for a meal. The next day, Sunday, was the last day of their visit with us—a good time to show them the old place (the basement of my house) where the editorial work was carried out for the last 10 years. They were also shown the new open office for the Church and its editorial work, which is allowing us to offer a professional image to the general public. This has proven to be timely, giving the fact that we are now beginning to be known throughout Italy.

As a matter of fact, our Church has been recently listed among the main Christian churches in Italy in the Encyclopedia of Religions in Italy (Enciclopedia delle Religioni in Italia), by Massimo Introvigne, director of CESNUR (Study Center for the New Religions). This publication has brought several new subscribers to our magazine.

Also, because of such widespread publicity, a nationwide newspaper (Libero) sent one of its journalists to ask about our Church and our work in Italy. He asked a number of questions, but then published only some answers, in a partial way, but faithfully enough not to discredit us as a "sect" or "cult." (Please see a translation of the published interview below.) The publication of this interview has resulted in further positive nationwide publicity. More and more people are requesting our literature.

In the last 10 years we have had an almost full editorial production, thanks to the offerings and tithes from the local brethren and coworkers, as well as thanks to the financial help from the home office, for which we are deeply grateful.

Our main weakness is our continuous need to finance new advertising campaigns in order to acquire new subscribers every year to replace those who do not renew their subscription. Recently we have been carrying out an experiment by advertising our magazine and some of our booklets via the Internet, through Google. This is not yet as popular in Italy as it is in the United States or in the rest of Europe, but it is bringing some new subscribers—an average of five every day! However, even Internet ad campaigns have their costs.

Regardless of how scattered and small we are in Italy, we feel it is our responsibility to proclaim the true gospel in our beloved country.

We do hope more brethren will attend the Feast in Italy this year, as prices are really economical and the site has been appreciated very much by all the brethren.

The members of the Italian National Council and all the brethren in Italy pray for the progress of the Church in all nations and send their love to all of you. UN

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United Featured in Newspaper Series on Religions in Italy

Carmelo Anastasi was interviewed by journalist Steno Sari, on behalf of Libero, a nationwide newspaper in Italy . The interview titled "The United Church of God: The Christians Who Rest on the Sabbath and Don't Eat Pork" was published on page 14, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006. Here is a translation:

Who Are They

The United Church of God–Italy was born in 1996, from a series of fragmentations of the Worldwide Church of God which were caused, in 1995, by the change in the doctrinal orientation of Herbert Armstrong's successors, following his death in 1986.

How Do They Preach the Gospel

The United Church of God preaches by distributing for free the bimonthly publication La Buona Notizia, whose maximum national distribution is approximately 7,000 copies. At the international level, this movement has approximately 22,000 supporters, a few hundred of whom are in Italy .

The pastor Carmelo Anastasi welcomes me in the editorial offices of the magazine La Buona Notizia. He first checks my credentials and asks about the inquiry that Libero is currently doing on the various religious movements present throughout our national territory.

"Unfortunately certain reporters," explains Anastasi, "are only looking for negative issues in order to misrepresent the minorities and depict them as 'sects.' This search for the sensational and the eccentric is a real disservice to the truth. And I do speak from experience since for several years I was the managing director of the Italian edition of the magazine The Plain Truth (La Pura Verità)."

After explaining to him that I am a sociologist and that the purpose of the inquiry is to inform the public about little-known religious organizations, allowing the leaders representing them to speak out, he gladly accepts the opportunity to answer my questions.

Can you give us a brief account of your history?

The United Church of God traces its origins to the Sabbatarian and millenarian Christianity of the first century, whose movement managed to survive the persecutions of the Middle Ages. Starting in the 15th century, the movement reflourished as a result of the migrations to America , and spread throughout the world thanks to the preaching of William Miller (1782-1849), followed by Gilbert Cranmer (1814-1904) and the Worldwide Church of God of Herbert W. Armstrong until 1995.

That year, Armstrong's successors (Armstrong died in 1986) started to betray the Church's spiritual heritage... This resulted in a series of painful schisms and fragmentation of the Church throughout the world. But in 1995, an ecclesiastic reorganization occurred at the international level. In Italy, some Italian brethren found out about the rebirth of the Church (UCG IA) in the United States, and decided to incorporate in Italy the United Church of God as well as to operate in association with the UCG IA .

What is your relationship with the Worldwide Church of God?

We try to live in peace with everyone and leave the judging to God.

What do you think about Herbert Armstrong?

He did make some mistakes, as all men do. Nonetheless, he was a great preacher, a man of God. We would like to point out, however, that our main reference is Jesus Christ, not Armstrong.

What do your teachings and principles consist of?

What distinguishes us is the observance of the biblical feasts and, most importantly, the original Ten Commandments, which include the sanctification of Saturday as the seventh day of weekly rest and the prohibition to worship images and sculptures. We believe that faith without obedience is not true faith. You can learn more about our teachings on our Web site.

What kind of activities do you carry out?

We contribute to the peaceful spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the publication of our free periodical La Buona Notizia and of other pamphlets, as well as through seminars, national conventions, charitable and educational activities.

Do you have any particular prohibitions?

The Bible forbids the meat of some animals (such as mice, snakes, rabbits, horses, pigs, etc.) as well as the blood of all animals, as they are not suitable to man's health if eaten. The same holds true for sexual acts against nature, which are responsible for the transmission of venereal diseases.

How do you view the other churches?

In spite of their historical errors, they have all contributed to Western civilization—especially the churches of the founding fathers of the American Constitution.

Then you are in favor of ecumenism?

We do not believe in compromises. Plus, history teaches us that man's religious monopoly tends to suppress and persecute those minorities who live their Christianity in a different way. The supreme good is the biblical truth, and not unity at all costs. We prefer tolerance and peaceful coexistence among the various religions. This is the true love preached by Jesus Christ.

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91 Attend Philippine GN Lectures

by Daniel Roy G. Macaraeg

On Jan. 17, the Church in the Philippines experimented by sending out 1,783 letters to all our Good News subscribers within about four hours travel time of Davao City. About two thirds of those subscribers (about 1,200) live within the Davao City area. However, on the first lecture in particular, there were even a few who came from remote locations—which shows their dedication in spite of the great distance, expense and bad weather.

The lectures are being held every Sabbath morning from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Department of Education's RELC-XI compound, where the Davao City congregation also meets every Sabbath. From the time the invitation letters were mailed to the time just prior to the first lecture, over a hundred responded by text messaging to reserve their copy of the booklet, Jesus Christ: The Real Story (as instructed in the invitation letter).

The first lecture was introduced by a PowerPoint presentation titled: "Is There a Universal Religious Deception?" This was followed by the main presentation titled: "The Real Jesus: The Differences Between the Traditional Christ and the Real Biblical Christ." The subtopics included the following aspects of Christ's life:

•Birth: Was He Born Dec. 25?
•Mother: A Perpetual Virgin?
•Image: Did He Have Long Hair?
•Lifestyle: Was He a Vagabond?
•Teachings: Did He Come to Abolish His Father's Laws?

The weather this year has been unusual, with rain in the dry season. On the morning of the first lecture, it was raining until a few minutes before the lecture started, hampering many from attending that day.

But in spite of the rain, we still had 62 new people who attended. Many of the brethren—especially the youths—got involved in ushering, manning the literature display table and serving snacks.

There were two people in the audience who had the opportunity to work in the Middle East and corroborated facts in the first presentation.

One was a lady who worked in Syria for about 25 years and is now married to an Arab. She extensively corroborated during the break much of what was said. She agreed that it was impossible for the shepherds to be out in the field at night in the middle of December because not only is there some regular snow on the ground, but it is the rainy season—not only with ice-cold rain, but accompanied sometimes with hailstorms with ice as big as golf balls! That area of the Middle East becomes cold such that they start turning on their home heaters by early November.

Also, during winter, the skies are mostly overcast—so how can the wise men from the East study the heavenly bodies and follow the star leading to Bethlehem? In the lecture, it was mentioned that the most probable month of Christ's birth was the seventh Hebrew month called "Tishri." Able to speak Arabic, she said the word "Tishri" is very common because even in most parts of the Arab world, it is still the designation for the seventh month! And that is when they have most of their outdoor celebrations—around the fall harvest season. Her comments were interesting. She even suggested that her Protestant church pastors should attend these lectures!

The second lecture on Saturday, Feb. 11, a week later, covered the "Three Days and Three Nights" Christ was in the grave.

On that day, we had an attendance of 37 GN subscribers. Sixteen of them came back from the first lecture while 21 were completely new. Since we distributed the booklets about Jesus Christ after the first lecture, it is believed that most (to be practical in saving on travel costs, time and energy) stayed at home during that second lecture and just read the booklet.

The third lecture was held Feb. 18, and 30 people attended that lecture. Over two thirds of them (22) had attended the previous two lectures, while eight were totally new. Since we had 62 during the first lecture, then 21 new ones during the second, plus eight new ones on the third, the lectures have been presented to at least 91 new subscribers so far.

The topic of the third lecture was about the true God, which included the following subtopics:

•Who Is the God of This Present World?
•Who Was the God of the Old Testament?
•How Many God Beings Are There?
•Is the Holy Spirit the Third Person?

We hope we can finish putting together the recording of those lectures soon so that we can upload it to our Web site for others to view it too. It is also envisioned that these materials may be useful in doing presentations in other cities when we invite our GN readers there for a Weekend Bible seminar (like the ABC Continuing Education programs).

We would appreciate your continued prayers for the success of these lectures, while we do our best in seeking the guidance and wisdom of God and His power to do the work.

At present, we hope to conduct at least seven lectures instead of 12 to allow us to attend to other important preparations such as the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, plus the upcoming United Youth Camp. UN

This article is excerpted from the January-February United News Philippines , available on the Web at ucg.org.ph/unp/.

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