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What's in issue No. 24, Jan. 31, 1999?

Church of God member Debbie Witt rebounds from tragedy to run her small business on a shoestring and a prayer. Miss Witt was featured in a recent issue of The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky. The Journal reprints the Courier-Journal article, and The Journal's Bill Stough, in an accompanying article, provides more details about Miss Witt's story.

The Worldwide Church of God announces the impending sale of the Pasadena, Calif., church-headquarters grounds and gives an update on the expected sale of the Ambassador University property in Texas. The Journal talks with the WCG's Bernie Schnippert.

The Churches of God Outreach Ministries is an international association of churches. James McBride of England, with help from fellow committee chairmen, reports on this federation of independent assemblies and its efforts to preach the gospel.

The council of elders of the United Church of God, an International Association, tables a ruling on the appeal of the suspension of Tim and Hope Lindholm of Minnesota from attending Sabbath services. In late-breaking news, two UCG-AIA council members met with the Lindholms in the Minneapolis area for the second time Feb. 7.

Letters from our readers includes a proposed new Feast site in Thailand; what the Bible says about ordination and shepherds; an invitation to send soup labels to a private school; and much more.

Editorials and columns for January include Paul Haney on the "downward spiral" of the COGs; Toli Bohonik happily holding onto his exclusivism; Bruce Lyon claiming the Old Testament doesn't outlaw polygamy; Dave Havir wondering if the brethren have any class; and Melvin Rhodes on never saying bunk.

In essays in the January issue, Bill Hillebrenner gives an answer to the grace-vs.-works debate; an anonymous Church of God elder and former pastor (in the last installment of The Journal's nature-of-Christ series) says God is the Father and the Father is God; and Lee Lisman notes that well-meaning speculation is commonly confused with spiritual understanding.

A New York rabbi travels to Big Sandy to counsel several East Texans (including former WCG members, Catholics and Baptists) who are intensely interested in Judaism and who have lost or are losing their belief in the validity of the New Testament and Jesus as Messiah. Rabbi Tovia Singer discourages his listeners from converting to Judaism, advising them that non-Jews need not convert and that a non-Jew need not adhere to certain laws including the avoidance of pork and keeping the Sabbath. The Journal interviews Rabbi Singer's Big Sandy host.

Jesse Hofer of Calgary, Alta., Canada, builds a new Web site for Church of God youths.

June Narber Harrison solicits news of Sabbath-keeping individuals and groups for "The Sabbath Sentinel" magazine.

Organizers Tim Kelley and Mitchell Smith report on December's Footsteps of the Messiah seminar in Oklahoma.

The newest "Building Bridges" effort, this one in Arkansas, is designed to let the brethren in scattered groups meet together once a month. The Journal interviews organizer Gary Pettit.

The Church of God Southern West Virginia will play host to Dave Havir at a special get-together the Sabbath of April 3, and you're invited.

South American members of one of the Churches of God in two countries have decided en masse to switch affiliation to the new Living Church of God. Many such changes of affiliation have occurred recently with Global Church of God members becoming Living Church of God members. However, these brethren were not Global members.

A Worldwide Church of God pastor assists with Pope John Paul's recent visit to St. Louis.

Mrs. David Hulme dies.

A Church of God International pastor reports on a new CGI congregation in Jamaica.

Brethren on both sides of a church split (including several council-of-elders members) meet in January at a member's house near Big Sandy. UCG-AIA regional pastor Ken Giese of Houston arranged for a meeting of 14 people in an effort to get old friends talking together again. The meeting's participants give Mr. Giese's efforts mixed reviews.

The UCG-AIA's council of elders met in Tyler, Texas, in January to discuss rules of association, the budget, the March general conference of elders and more. As part of The Journal's coverage, elder Ellis Stewart talks about the controversial rules of association.

Richard Nickels of the Bible Sabbath Association is peeved that hardly anyone has taken him up on his recent offer to award scholarships to Sabbatarian college and trade-school students.

The Houston Church of God Fellowship announces its list of speakers for 1999.

Jon D. Pike reports on a Texas pastor's visit to Phoenix, Ariz., for a "Building Bridges" Sabbath service.

Dave Havir, pastor of the UCG Big Sandy, accepts an apology from Fred Coulter of the Christian Biblical Church of God for remarks Mr. Coulter made about Mr. Havir in a taped sermon in December.

The CGI experiments with radio broadcasting.

The publisher of Ambassador Report falls ill, delaying AR's latest issue.

A cassette-tape program may involve the UCG-Germany and the Global Church of God, reports Paul Kieffer.

The WCG moves transcripts of former students of Ambassador University to California.

"Notes and Quotes" includes a report on the latest Christian Leadership Academy campaign, this one in West Memphis, Ark., and the Living Church of God's announcement about beginning telecasts over WGN-TV, Chicago.

In "Connections," the advertising supplement to The Journal, publisher Mark Farmer writes his farewell column.

Dottie Phillips writes children's stories for "Connections." Here's her latest effort.



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