On the Sabbath on March 18, 2006, World News and Prophecy writers and editors came to Akron, Ohio, for a World News and Prophecy Sabbath. The day began with a combined Sabbath service with the Akron, Canton, Cleveland and Youngstown, Ohio, congregations meeting together. Three hundred and ninety attended the Sabbath service where we benefited from two split sermons.

The first sermon, "Will Her Place Be Your Place?" was presented by Robin Webber, who pastors two of our southern California congregations and writes the "This Is the Way" feature in each World News and Prophecy. The second sermon, "The Revival of the Holy Roman Empire," was presented by Melvin Rhodes, pastor of the Lansing, Michigan, congregation and senior writer for the Good News magazine and World News and Prophecy .

After a luncheon sponsored by the Akron congregation, 377 people, including 12 new people, enjoyed the first of four World News and Prophecy seminars. Each session was 50 minutes in length followed by a 10-minute break.

The first presentation, "Standing for God in Today's Babylon" by Darris McNeely, managing editor of World News and Prophecy and pastor of two of our Indiana congregations, traced the history of the Babylonian system that opposes God's way of life. Mr. McNeely encouraged attendees to avoid entrapment in the ways of Babylon.

In the second seminar, Robin Webber presented a session titled "The Two Witnesses," during which he taught about what can and cannot be established about these two important end-time figures.

Next, Melvin Rhodes gave a session titled "Is This the West's Last Chance?" in which he showed how the Western world has been in retreat since World War II and the implications this holds for the future.

The day concluded with Mr. McNeely covering "The Roots of Europe's Future" from the perspective of Bible prophecy.

During the entire day there was a buzz of excitement as members enjoyed fellowship discussing prophetic topics. A member wrote, "This was a wonderfully presented event. It was balanced, uplifting and informative." A prospective member who began attending services about four months ago wrote, "This has been a great event! Let's do this more often. This really motivates me to study and learn as much as I can."

An 18-year-old wrote, "Very intriguing and eye-opening," and a 14-year-old said, "It was the best seminar I have ever heard. I loved it! Let's have another." A prospective member wrote: "Need to talk about baptism now—it's time."

A good deal of Church literature was on display and taken by members and prospective members alike.

Dave Myers, host pastor, commented, "The fruit of this event has been very positive. For members and prospective members to learn from, meet and fellowship with the writers of World News and Prophecy has provided us with more motivation to watch and pray as we're admonished in Luke 21:36."

The event might be summed up in the words of one Cleveland member: "Dynamite!"

Pittsburgh Seminars

The seminars moved on to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, March 19. Total attendance was 82, of whom 16 were visitors. Of the 16 visitors, four were spouses or relatives of members, one was an ex-UCG member and one was a current WCG member. Ten were brand new to UCG. Fourteen of the 16 stayed for all four presentations.

Ten copies each of 10 booklets were displayed, with a total of 83 booklets being taken. The number in parentheses indicates how many of each were taken by our guests:

• United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy (10).

• Are We Living in the Time of the End? (10).

• You Can Understand Bible Prophecy (9).

• Fundamental Beliefs of UCG IA (9).

• What Is Your Destiny? (9).

• The Road to Eternal Life (8).

• God's Holy Day Plan (8).

• Sunset to Sunset: God's Sabbath Rest (7).

• Jesus Christ: The Real Story (7).

• This Is the United Church of God (6).

The local members represented the Pittsburgh, Wheeling and Morgantown, West Virginia, congregations—and one man drove all the way from Columbia, Maryland. All of the local members' comments were very positive. The information was well presented and well received. Several members commented that they were pleased with the content of the presentations.

Pastor Don Henson said, "I appreciated the balance of the presentations in terms of the content and the presenters themselves. Having three presenters was very effective, and added to the variety and interest.

"I felt it was effective that all the presenters were WNP staff. Readers and members view WNP as a reliable source of information—this was supplemental material provided by men they already know through the publications. Several members commented that they were very pleased to meet the 'faces' behind the publication.

"We were very pleased with the day. We'll see what kind of fruit it bears in the future."

Future Plans

These World News and Prophecy Seminars continue to be an effective way to communicate prophetic subjects with the readership. Bible prophecy is a powerful means to stir listeners to a sense of urgency for the times and to commit their lives to the message of the gospel. More seminars are planned over the next 12 months (see box below). It is hoped a wider audience will be reached with a message of understanding, warning and hope.

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Future WNP Seminars

Ministerial Services announced the following locations for future World News and Prophecy Seminars:

June 17-18 in Indianapolis/Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

Nov. 4 in Beloit, Wisconsin.

Dates for the following locations are yet to be determined: Cincinnati East, Ohio; Spokane, Washington; and Garden Grove, California.