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Press Relations
Contact:
Peter Eddington, Media & Communications Services
513-576-9796
media@ucg.org
September 23, 2008
United Church of God set to open annual festival,
Over 20,000 expected to attend eight day gathering
Fifty-five locations around the world
will join
global biblical celebration Oct. 14-21
Following the example set in the first century by the
early apostles, the United Church of God, an International Association, will
observe its annual biblical assembly around the world—called
the Feast of Tabernacles in the Bible—October 14 through 21.
More than 55 locations around the world
will host an expected 20,000 attendees.
In accordance with the example
of Jesus Christ, thousands of families within the United States and
across the world observe the biblical festivals each year, which include
the Feast of Tabernacles. "As
recorded in the book of John in the New Testament, Jesus himself kept
the Feast of Tabernacles and other Holy Days as they are taught from
the Old Testament book of Leviticus," explained Clyde Kilough,
president of the United Church of God.
The attendees
are part of a group meeting simultaneously in
locations around the world, including Australia, Barbados, Canada,
Cameroon, Chile, France, Germany, Guatemala, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya,
Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa,
Tonga, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.
The Feast of Tabernacles represents
an important annual reminder to church members of the promise of Jesus
Christ’s prophesied return
to earth, when Jesus will formally establish the Kingdom of God. The
United Church of God celebrates the biblical annual Holy Days, including
the Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost and the fall festival
season that culminates in the Feast of Tabernacles. As recorded
in the Bible, these days and festival were observed both in Old Testament
times and by Jesus, the apostles and the early New Testament Church.
United Church of God members will be gathering for eight days, participating
in services and seminars and family activities, and enjoying the many
recreational opportunities each festival location provides. Church
members make a positive financial impact on the local economies during
this annual event, according to tourism and economic development officials.
Additional information about
the United Church of God and the Holy Days that the Church observes
can be found at the Church’s Web
site: www.ucg.org.
About the United Church of God, an
International Association: Basing its beliefs on
the biblical practices of the original 1st Century Church, the
United Church of God maintains congregations in more than 40 countries
around the world. Following the recorded example of Jesus Christ
and the first apostles, the Church observes a seventh day Sabbath
and the annual Holy Day seasons as outlined in the Old and New
Testaments. The main offices of the Church are located in Cincinnati,
Ohio. For more information about the Church's beliefs and activities,
please visit www.ucg.org.
Contact the United Church of God
This
is the United Church of God - Preaching the Gospel, Preparing
a People
The mission of the United Church of God is to proclaim to the
world the little-understood gospel taught by Jesus Christ—the good news of the coming Kingdom of God—and
to prepare a people for that Kingdom. This message not only offers great hope
for all of humanity, but encompasses the purpose of human existence—why
we are here and where our world is headed.
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