About the United Church of God
Following the Bible
We believe the Old and New Testaments are complementary—not contradictory. For this reason we keep the biblical Holy Days of Leviticus 23 because they are a path leading mankind through God’s plan of salvation. We recognize Christ as our savior—our Passover Lamb—and we look forward to his Second Coming.
Keeping the Sabbath Holy
The Sabbath is more than just a day for church. It is a day for us to rest and reflect at the end of our week—just like God did at the end of the creation week. God sets this time apart to spend with His creation and we set it apart to spend with Him!
Serving Christ by Serving People
We want our charitable efforts to be more than throwing money at people.
Our local congregations serve and improve their communities by planning their own service projects. This could be anything from donating toiletries for a women’s shelter, knitting blankets for an orphanage, visiting at a nursing home or hosting a charity auction.
Our internal charity, Good Works, focuses on empowering our members in developing areas of the world to change their circumstances through education and resources. We also partner with LifeNets International, sponsoring projects in communities around the world that will provide self-sufficiency for disadvantaged communities and individuals. Whenever possible, we try to provide help that grows, allowing our beneficiaries to pass the blessing forward.
Preaching the Gospel
We preach the good news of The Kingdom of God through our media outlet, Beyond Today. Through the generous support of our members and contributors we are able to reach out through television, the Internet, public appearance campaigns and the printed word.
Preparing the People
The purpose of the Church is to help God’s people prepare to be the bride of Christ. We take that responsibility very seriously and provide many programs and events to help our members learn, grow and connect.
For our children we are constantly improving and expanding our education resources, such as Sabbath school classes, junior summer camps—and of course, everyone’s favorite blue friend, Jelly.
For teens and young adults there is always something going on! Our summer camp program, United Youth Camps, offers a range of settings and experiences from cabins and campfires to “off the grid” wilderness adventures in our challenger camps. United Youth Corps offers the opportunity to serve internationally in varied settings and roles. Ambassador Bible College is an intensive 9-month program that aims to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of theology, biblical history and Christian living principles.
For adults the Church holds weekend events such as continuing education workshops; immersive education trips to Greece, Turkey or other biblically historical sites; Ambassador Bible College sampler classes; and men’s and women’s retreat weekends help to foster a community of growth and encouragement.
Hundreds of Locations
Our brethren are spread across six continents in hundreds of congregations. We are different in language and culture, but we are unified by our beliefs and our love for each other. We love to get together for dances, potlucks and sports weekends. The Feast of Tabernacles is an opportunity for us to travel (near or far!) to worship together.