News From Around the World

• Caribbean Pastor Visits Rupununi Area in Guyana
• Australia Achieves Breakthroughs in Print Advertising
• "Chance" Meeting, Protection Highlight Nigerian Trip
• Young Adults From Eight Nations Meet in Belgium

Caribbean Pastor Visits Rupununi Area in Guyana  

Kingsley Mather passed along the following report, by Gary Atkinson, with this note: "The brethren in this part of the world live very simple lives but are dedicated to the truth of God and the work of the Church. Twice each month Mr. Atkinson travels 20 miles, one way, over very difficult terrain to hold services with brethren in the village of Awarewaunau. This shows true dedication since Gary and Claudine, his wife, travel on a motorbike that the Caribbean administration has provided. At times they arrive drenched because they got caught in the heavy rain."

by Gary Atkinson

After careful planning and consultation, Kingsley Mather, Caribbean pastor, and Maxwell Victor, a faithful deacon from Dominica, arrived in Georgetown, Guyana, on Jan. 15 and 16.

Rain delayed their flight to Lethem, Rupununi, but they arrived in bright sunshine on the 17th and were met by Gary Atkinson and Clyde Chinian.

Shortly after lunch on Thursday, Jan. 18, the team left for the first visit to the brethren in the north. The 80-mile journey brought them to the village of Wowetta around 2:30 p.m. They first stopped at the home of Mary Torres, one of the members that Arnold Hampton baptized in February 2001. Then the group went to the home of Mrs. Torres' daughter, Judith Moses, where an interactive Bible study was held. There were 15 in attendance.

Mr. Mather covered several Bible examples of faith, then brethren shared some inspiring stories of God's interventions in their lives. The driver, who is a Good News subscriber, also shared a remarkable story of the power of prayer.

All present were enlightened by the study and hoped it would bolster their faith in the living God. Mr. Mather anointed several persons. That evening the party traveled back to the Savannah Inn in Lethem.

The following day, Friday, Jan. 19, the party left for south Rupununi. The trail was very rough. Along the way the driver displayed his shooting skill by "taking out" a duck with his rifle.

The visitors arrived in Aishalton very tired and checked into the government-run Guest House. Later they shared a meal with the Atkinson family and returned to the Guest House for a Bible study. Nineteen adults and children assembled for the meeting, which was interactive and dealt with God's Holy Days. The management informed the group that lights would go off at 9 p.m., so everyone left for home. Later Mr. Mather had to turn off the lights himself! If he had known, the study could have continued a little longer.

The following morning 17 adults and children piled into the rented pickup and left for Awarewaunau, 20 miles away, to attend Sabbath services with the brethren in that village. It was also special for member Eustace Rodriguez, who turned 85 years old that day. It was a beautiful day and services were held in a spacious and beautiful hall, provided free of charge by the village chief.

The attendance was a shocking 56 adults and children who gave praise to the Eternal for all His blessings. The group included members from two other Church of God groups as well as other persons from the village. The attendance was almost double what was expected.

Maxwell Victor gave the sermonette on "Fire Prevention" and Kingsley Mather gave the sermon on "The Importance of Organizing Your Prayers." The messages were greatly appreciated by all.

After services the group enjoyed a delicious lunch and fellowshipped. Brethren also congratulated Mr. Rodriguez on his 85th birthday. He really appreciated the visit of the elder and deacon. The visitors were pleased at all they saw and many ideas were exchanged on the possible future of the Church in this area.

On Sunday the group left for the 90-mile, five-hour return trip to Lethem. It was a hot, dusty but much quieter trip. On Monday the two visitors returned to Georgetown.

All in all, it was a rewarding trip. Plans are underway to have the Church registered in Guyana. Brethren would appreciate your prayers in this regard. They also request your prayers that transportation difficulties that brethren and the general population face in the Rupununi will be eased. This would also make it less costly and easier for pastors and others to visit the Rupununi Church family.

Mr. Mather spent two days in Georgetown and met five enthusiastic Good News subscribers. The young people asked many questions and requested guidance in dealing with many problems they face in Guyana. UN

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Australia Achieves Breakthroughs in Print Advertising

by Ruth Root

Not only has God led the Church in Australia to walk through some new doors enabling us to reach every mailbox in Australia at least once in the first seven months of this financial year, but we have been able, in some cases, to negotiate this advertising for a cost per response lower than our Internet advertising costs.

For some advertising campaigns we are paying only for the responses we receive and not the actual advertising.

Milestones in Print Advertising

• Reaching 7.7 million mailboxes in the first 28 weeks of the financial year. (There are approximately 6.5 million mailboxes in Australia , plus PO boxes and GPO boxes, so some households will be reached twice.)

• Lowest cost per responses in the history of UCG-Australia.

• Reaching different target audiences and different age groups.

• Covering all of Australia—a greater reach than ever before. (Compare 2005/2006: we reached approximately 2,609,000 households with print advertising for the full 12 months that financial year.)

Coupon Advertising a Success

Our first venture into advertising via coupons has been a great success.

We have received nearly 1,600 requests for literature, and the cost per response is currently running at under $5 (Australian) per request. Already many of those responding to this advertisement have called in for additional literature and at least three of these people have asked about attending services.

Many members prayed about the success of this new venture, and it is clear that God is answering these prayers. This advertising initiative is more successful than we had hoped. We are therefore planning to offer a different booklet using a similar coupon in the January-March edition of the same publication.

Another New Advertising Outlet

Following the success of the coupon just discussed, we recently decided to test another ad in the Money$aver coupon booklet.

This ad is being distributed into two million letterboxes throughout every state in Australia. We do not expect as high a response because of the nature of the advertising this coupon booklet carries, but we will be reaching another audience and offering them an opportunity to come into contact with the good news of the Kingdom of God. Let's all pray that God will open the minds of some of these people to request some of the available literature and begin their spiritual journey. UN

Excerpted from United News Australia, January-March 2007.

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"Chance" Meeting, Protection Highlight Nigerian Trip

by Oludare Akinbo

From Jan. 23 to Feb. 6, 2007, the associate senior pastor for Nigeria, Mark Mickelson, went to Nigeria to visit the Nigerian associate pastor, Oludare Akinbo, and the brethren in Owerri and Port Harcourt. He also searched out likely rocks for the rock climbing activity for the youth camp this summer.

A "Chance" Meeting?

Mr. Mickelson was to leave Spokane, Washington, where he pastors, on Jan. 22, but a faulty plane caused him to leave a day later. He thought, "I am grateful God made them discover the fault before it left the ground!" He then had a four-hour delay in Amsterdam, also due to a faulty plane, and he had to change planes again!

These seeming unrelated events brought him into contact with Roger Quinn, an American who manages an oil servicing company in Nigeria and considers the country now his home. The two got talking. (Mr. Quinn said he figured this must be a rich oil worker and maybe he could get some business coming his way!)

One thing led to another and they started to talk about the Church and the Bible. Mr. Mickelson gave him a copy of the current Good News and, after reading through it, Mr. Quinn said, "Hey, I like this. This is the truth. It sounds right and answers some of the questions I have been having as I read my Bible!" He had read enough of his Bible to wonder about the Trinity, the Sabbath and a few other issues.

He was so enthusiastic to learn about God's truth that he extended an invitation to visit him in Port Harcourt, in the Niger Delta part of Nigeria. We already planned to visit a member and his family in the city of Port Harcourt.

When we visited Port Harcourt, Mr. Quinn welcomed us into his house, and we had several hours of interesting discussions about the Bible and the Church. When the landlord of the house came over for a visit, Mr. Quinn introduced Mr. Mickelson by saying, "This is my pastor, Mark Mickelson!"

During a discussion of the preparations for camp and some of the materials and personnel needed, it came up that it would be wonderful to have archery as an activity if we could get the materials and an instructor. It turned out Mr. Quinn is quite good at using the bow and arrow and has many years of experience. He without reservation volunteered to help.

Since that time we have sent him a number of our booklets to help him continue to grow in his understanding. I believe that "chance" meeting was another example of the various ways God orchestrates events to bring people into contact with the truth.

Protection and Divine Assistance

During the two-week trip, God protected us from possible harm or serious inconveniences in two dramatic ways.

On Jan. 29, we drove past Port Harcourt's police station and main prison barely an hour before it was attacked by armed militants. These Niger Delta militants dynamited the walls of the prison, freeing over 112 prisoners and their incarcerated leader. They reportedly terrorized the town for several hours, with a three-hour gun battle with the police. Had we been delayed about another hour or less, we would have been unable to leave town.

Akure—Political Rally Riot

On Feb. 3, after a Bible study for Good News subscribers in Akure in southwestern Nigeria, there was a violent riot resulting from a political rally. There were at least three reported deaths and several hundred injured less than a quarter mile from the hotel we stayed in. At the time, we were visiting with a member's family in the neighboring town of Ondo, some 25 minutes' drive away. Apparently the riot played itself out just about a half hour before we returned.

Abeokuta—a Perfect Rock

God also led us to a perfect place for the summer camp rock climbing activity. We had searched for rocks suitable for climbing and were despairing of finding the right type in that part of the country when we "chanced" upon the perfect site. It was shaded, offers several options and had test holes drilled into the smooth top surface at angles and distances apart exactly suitable for setting up a rope system. UN

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Young Adults From Eight Nations Meet in Belgium

At the end of December 2006, a group of around 20 young adults from eight nations met in Belgium for a European year-end activity.

Most of them were baptized members of the United Church of God and came with the desire to grow in faith, learn more about God's way of life and to spend time with brethren. Following the example of the Bereans, the young adults studied the Scriptures together daily to see "whether these things were so." Their aim was not only to rehash well-known biblical teachings and knowledge, but to delve deeper into their convictions. They asked the question, "Why do we do the things we do?" It was realized once again that the answer to the question "How can we learn more?" is not only by studying on one's own, but also by exchanging our knowledge and experience in unity with like-minded people.

Every day the young adults came closer to their goal of better understanding, stronger faith and deeper friendship with brethren by studying the Scriptures, spending time in healthy conversation and various activities. They went swimming, had long walks and enjoyed quiet evenings in front of the warm fire. Each day different people contributed to preparing a special meal. The Bible studies were prepared by various attendees and everybody had the opportunity to participate.

Anyone interested in a similar activity can join us for a repeat this summer: Just send an e-mail to jakasp@gmx.net. Our European Summer Camp 2007 will be a multinational and perhaps multilingual event for teens and young adults from 17 to 30. It will take place Aug. 13 to 20 in the beautiful eastern part of Belgium . Paul Kieffer, pastor in the German- and Dutch-speaking areas, plans to attend the event, though he has asked the young adults to organize it. You are most welcome to attend camp with your European brethren.

Jako Kasper

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