Welcome to the

Feast of Tabernacles

United Church of GodPreaching the Gospel, Preparing a People

“Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand

years.”

Revelation 20:6 https://pixabay.com/images/search/open%20bible/

Table of Contents

Welcome Message.........................................................................Page 3General Festival Announcements..................................................Pages 4-9Scheduled Services, Bible Studies and Activities.........................Pages 9-13Feast of Tabernacles 2019 Schedule.............................................Center pages Speaking Schedule.........................................................................Page 14Information on Area Attractions…………………………………Page 15Map to Table Rock State Park for Family Day Picnic………...…Page 16Map to Lions Club……………………………………………….Back Cover

Important Phone Numbers

Anointing/Counseling ................................................................314-915-4003

Festival Coordinator ……………………...Vince Szymkowiak 573-259-5557

Assistant Festival Coordinator………………Lonnie Johnson: 479-657-3056

Emergencies ................................................................................................911

Hospital…Cox Medical Center, 525 Branson Landing Blvd., Branson 65616

Hospital Phone: 417-335-7000

WELCOME TO GOD’S FEAST OF TABERNACLESIN BRANSON, MISSOURI, 2019

 Once again God has chosen to place His name here in beautiful Branson, Missouri!  

With the culmination of another year, it is time to focus on the magnificent meaning of the Feast, which pictures the peaceful rule of Jesus Christ upon this earth.

Please take a few moments to read this brochure. It will answer many of your questions and help you to familiarize yourself with this Festival site.

The ministers and many volunteers are here to serve you and help you enjoy your Feast. Please let us know when you need help and how we can better serve you.

Our primary purpose for being here is to worship and obey God. On an individual basis, please be praying daily for God’s protection and for spiritual blessings all throughout the Feast. Also, please pray for God’s inspiration on all those who will be giving sermonettes and sermons.

We will also be offering Youth Bible Instruction. Bring your children to these sessions as they will contain much spiritual food for your children. Some of the planned activities are: a Young Adult get together and Seminar (Tuesday night), the Senior Citizen’s luncheon on Wednesday, a Family Dance (Wednesday night), Family Picnic at Table Rock State Park (Thursday),and a Bible Study (Friday night). We will also be hearing from Mr. Kubik via webcast on the Sabbath as well. God will be praised through the Special Music and Choir performances. The children will have a musical part in the Feast when they sing in the Children’s Choir on Family Day (Thursday).

May the Almighty God bless you and may this Festival be "the best yet" for you and your family.

In Christ's service,

Vince & Carol Szymkowiak and the Festival Staff

General Festival Announcements

Information TableThe Information Table is located in front of the theater to the right of the stage and is open before and after services, except for the Last Great Day. Please stop by for Feast information, directions, area attractions and brochures, menus, and UCG literature.

Lost and found can be taken to the Information Table. Please check it occasionally for any lost items. Items you find may be turned in at the same location. At the conclusion of the Feast any unclaimed items will be donated to charity.

Mothers’ RoomThe Mother’s room is located in the center of the women’s restroom, adjacent to the lobby. Diaper changing areas are in both the women's and men's restrooms. We also have a Cry Room in the rear of the auditorium. Please go to the restroom or outside to comfort and calm children. Remember that physical discipline of children is not allowed in any part of the theater.

Special ServicesSpecial Services will be provided for those needing assistance in entering and exiting the auditorium. Volunteers will be available to help parents with small children, the disabled and elderly. These volunteers will be located at the drop-off area near the left side entrance (at the front of the seating area) to the theater.

Anointing/CounselingThe anointing office is located on the left side of the stage at the top of the steps. Elders will be on duty one-half hour before and one-half hour after each service. At all other times, please call 513-491-6265. If you think a family member has a contagious illness or a fever, please do not come to services to be anointed. If in doubt, it is best to stay in your motel and call the duty elder for anointing. Counseling during the Feast should be for general purposes or for emergencies that arise. If your pastor or an elder from your congregation is here, please attempt to contact him for counseling.

Holy Day OfferingsThe offerings that we give to God on the Holy Days are a vital part of our worship of God. We show our thankfulness for God’s generosity, as well as our spirit of generosity. In preparation for the Holy Day offerings, please use the special Holy Day offering envelopes which were mailed to you. If you do not have an envelope, you may obtain one from an usher before services. All checks should be payable to the United Church of God. Please be sure your name, complete address, and amount of the offering are on the outside of the envelope.

Auditorium SeatingSeating sections in the auditorium are similar to the past few years. We have adequate seating for everyone and we are keeping the number of reserved seats to a minimum. Please find comfortable seating in the open seating areas and respect any reserved areas. Thank you for your

cooperation. Please do not take food or beverages into the auditorium except for bottled water. Fragrance free seating will be available in the balcony. Please ask an usher for directions to the balcony entrance. Generally, there should not be a need to arrive before 9 AM to save seating. Unless you have official duties in the auditorium, please remain in the lobby or outside until the auditorium is open around 9 AM. Please plan to keep our voices very low in the lobby prior to services, as we are conducting teen and youth classes upstairs in the Mezzanine.

After morning services we need to vacate the facility by 1:30 PM. On Holy Day afternoons, we need to vacate the facility by 5:30 PM.

Your assistance is requested to look around your seating area before leaving for any personal belongings and also please pick up any litter in your area.

Festival HousingWe endeavor to procure a balance of quality, affordable housing each year. If you have housing problems, please try to rectify them directly with the establishment. If unsuccessful, please come to the Festival Coordinator for assistance.

Youth and Teen BooksAll attendees who registered for the Feast may pick up their Festival Youth Booklets orTeen Books at the information table. Please give your child’s name to the volunteer andthey will check off your child or teen’s name when they receive their book. Those whohave not registered or registered after August 1st, please wait until all other books havebeen passed out and then if there are any extra you may pick up one for your child orteen. You may print out the booklets from the UCG website if there are not any extrabooklets available.

Youth Education ClassesThe Festival Youth Instruction Classes are available for children ages 5-12 years old.There will be two classes for each grade category during the Feast of Tabernacles. Thisyear’s lessons focus on “Gifts from God”. We encourage the children to show their takehome crafts and discuss with their parents what they learned in class each time. Theclasses are divided into the following grade categories:

Kindergarten through 2nd Grade3rd Grade through 6th Grade

Children are not required to bring anything to class with them. Teachers will havesupplies for each child to use during Youth Instruction.

All lessons will be held at 9:30 am upstairs in the Mezzanine at Presley’s Theatre. Cards for Those Unable to Attend the FeastThere are approximately 80 cards in the information area to the right as you face the stage.They will be sent to members unable to attend the Feast, and which will be

available for signing through Thursday before services. Please stop by and write somewords of encouragement to those unable to be here with us. These cards are very muchappreciated by their recipients. If you would like to make a donation for postage, pleaseinclude that in the box designated Family Helping Family. Thank you very much foryour contribution in making this project a success!

Please stop by the Information Table early so the cards can be sent during the Feast.

REMINDER: A great deal of time and love went into making these beautiful cards.Please do not bring food or beverages to the tables with the large cards. Yourcooperation is greatly appreciated!

Restaurant ListBranson has a wonderful variety of restaurants. Please visit the Information Table for a list of restaurants nearby and in the surrounding suburbs. There are great options available for all price ranges.

Applause for Special Music“The United Church God, an International Association requests that you not applaud for sermonettes, sermons or special music during the Feast. One exception to this request continues to be the performance of the children’s choir. In general, it can be shown that the Bible makes a distinction between music for worship and music for celebrating and entertaining. There is no biblical statement prohibiting applause, but since special music is a part of our service worshipping God, we request that you refrain from applauding and instead offer any encouragement or appreciation to the individuals on a personal level. A number of musicians and singers have stated a preference for no applause, wishing only to contribute to our worship of God. To those who feel this way, it is embarrassing to receive applause for their efforts.”

MerchandisingIt is inappropriate to sell, display or distribute at our information tables or booths anything of a commercial or fund-raising nature without prior approval from the Coordinator.

Literature DistributionOnly those materials approved by the Festival Coordinator may be distributed at the Feast sites. No other religious material, or any political materials, can be displayed or distributed at any Festival site of the United Church of God, an International Association.

Family Helping Family ProgramGod intends the Feast to be a time of spiritual and physical rejoicing. Although we all have the opportunity for a spiritually rewarding Festival, we would like to make it possible for everyoneto enjoy Feast-time physical activities. If you have extra second tithe, perhaps you might consider making a donation in order to help other brethren and families participate in our group activities such as Family Day and the Senior Citizen’s Luncheon. A box for donations will be located at the Information Booth, and another box on the table where the Feast Cards are located.

Also, if you need a little help so as to attend the above activities, please see the Feast Coordinator or another minister so we can help make such arrangements.

This “Family Helping Family” program is being sponsored at all U.S. and Canadian Feast sites.

Business Office The festival business office is located in the upstairs Office area. Mr. Jim Hooser will be in the office one hour before and one hour after services Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. The business office cannot cash personal checks. If you need cash, we would suggest a local bank.

Housing Survey On Thursday, October 17 the housing survey will be distributed. Each head of household should fill one out. Return your completed survey forms to an usher or the information table.The annual housing survey greatly assists in future negotiations and provides legitimate feedback to the hotels.

General SurveyThis year a general survey is being distributed to all registered for the Feast of Tabernacles.   This information will greatly assist in future planning.  Please take the time to fill out this online survey.  It will be emailed to you a few days after the conclusion of the Feast. Teen Activity Liability Policy“The United Church of God, an International Association provides adult chaperones at all officially sponsored activities for teens during the Feast of Tabernacles at all U.S. locations.  Officially sponsored activities are those announced from the pulpit and/or included in the printed announcements. Our standing policy and expectation at Feast of Tabernacles teen activities is that teens (under the age of 18) are to remain at the activity until it is over and/or until their parent(s) or other authorized adult arrives to pick them up. The Church asks that parents advise activity chaperones in advance if they want their teen to be able to leave the premises prematurely during an activity.  The Church is not responsible for the oversight of teens once they have left the protection of sponsored activity locations, nor for activities they may engage in that are not officially sponsored.”

SERMON RECORDINGSFeast sermons will be uploaded to http://feast.ucg.org  after services. To access them select the “sermons” tab and then select “name of local Feast site” from the drop down menu. Although we cannot provide Mp3 copies of sermons to individuals, if you would like to have an Mp3 sent to your local pastor, please stop by the Information Booth and give us his name. We will send him a copy for the local church library after the Feast. Fragrance AllergiesOver the last few years our society has significantly increased with those suffering from fragrance allergies. We do not want to isolate those members into private rooms to listen to

services. Unless there is a special need or emergency we are asking members to refrain from wearing perfumes and colognes to services and indoor activities. Your cooperation will allow others to attend services.

Etiquette for Services Consider these guidelines, based on biblical principles of courtesy and respect:

Be on Time: While a few brethren will occasionally be late for the Church services, regularly coming late to services without a legitimate reason shows a lack of respect for both God and the membership. Please do your best to be on time each day.

Hymns: Singing praises to God is the actual beginning of our services honoring God.

During Church Services: With a large number of members coming together for the Feast of Tabernacles, we often need to address extra people seated in or wandering through the lobby and/or the back of the meeting hall. While there may be a reason for a few people in these areas during services, it is generally inappropriate to be fellowshipping or wandering around in the lobby or the back of the hall while services are being conducted. Ushers and security personnel will be assigned to limit unnecessary traffic in these areas. Please cooperate by remaining in your seat during the services unless given an assignment or having a need that would require otherwise.

Children: Children are a great blessing! However, parents should focus on the need to train their children to sit or be occupied quietly during services. It does take work, effort and patience. If a child’s behavior becomes disruptive, one of the parents should as quietly as possible take the child from services, and tend to his or her needs.

Congregation’s Response: On the other hand, as parents are working with their smallchildren, we all should show patience and support for them.

Cell Phones: Cell phones should be turned off or put on vibrate during Church services. If it is necessary to answer a call during services, you should do so outside the meeting hall so as not to disturb others around you.

Computer/Video Games: Whether to allow any video games at services is a parental choice. However, many are not quiet and can be distracting. If a child is old enough to play a video game, he or she is likely old enough to learn from the service.Clothing: What kind of clothing is appropriate for Church services? We should come before God wearing our best. Our attire should be modest and such that shows the proper respect for worshipping before God.

Scheduled Services, Bible Studies and Activities

SUNDAY OCTOBER 13

Choir practiceOn Sunday, October 13, there will be a choir practice on the stage at Presley’s Theatre, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.

Dessert Meet and Greet And on Sunday evening, September 13, from 7:00 - 9:00 pm, there will be a Dessert Meet and Greet for elders, wives, deacons, deaconesses, Service Team, and families. It will be held at the Legacy Place of Thousand Hills Resort. Legacy Place is located on Glory Lane just south of Green Mountain Drive (which is one block south of Hwy 76). Glory Lane is one block west of Wildwood which runs down east of the Grand Palace Theatre. Join us for fellowship and dessert.

FIRST HOLY DAY MONDAY OCTOBER 14

Holy Day services will be held at 10:30 am and 2:15 pm.

First Holy Day Welcome VideoA 5- to 6-minute welcome video produced by the home office will be shown just before morning sermon. United Church of God president, Victor Kubik, will make welcoming remarks that will set the theme for the Feast of Tabernacles.

Older Singles Meeting, Monday, October 14, Right After Services in Front of the StageThere will be a brief meeting of the older singles (36 and up). Plans can made for dinner venues.

TUESDAY OCTOBER 15

Services are at 10:30 am

Teen Hospitality and Bible Study There will be lots of activities for the teens! On Tuesday, October 15, we will host the first Teen Hospitality from 9:00 am to 9:45 am in the Mezzanine at Presley’s Theatre. There will also be a Family Day picnic at Table Rock State park on Thursday afternoon. A Teen Activity is planned for Friday afternoon. The Teen Bible Study will be held at 12: 45 pm on the Sabbath, Oct. 19, before Sabbath Services. And, the second Teen Hospitality will be from 9:00 am to 9:45 am, Sunday, Oct. 20 in the Mezzanine.

Ambassador Bible College Meeting Tuesday, Oct. 15, 12:45 pm, in front of the stage.The Ambassador Bible College (ABC) is an educational institution which conducts an exciting nine-month study of God’s Word.  ABC is sponsored by the United Church of God and located

at our Home Office in Milford, Ohio. The ABC curriculum covers the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and has other Bible-related classes which place emphasis on building godly character, leadership development, godly service and how to live as a Christian in this increasingly secular world.

For any who are interested in learning more about ABC or attending in future years, there will be a brief meeting with an ABC representative, Roger Nettles.

To download an application please go to abc.ucg.org and download your application to ABC.

Young Adult Seminar, Tuesday, October 15, at 7:00 pm, hosted by Mr. Todd Herridge. It will be held at the Legacy Place of Thousand Hills Resort. Legacy Place is located on Glory Lane just south of Green Mountain Drive (which is one block south of Hwy 76). Glory Lane is one block west of Wildwood which runs down east of the Grand Palace Theatre.

The topic will be an interactive Bible Study about relationships.  Mr. Herridge will open the conversation by showing the same characteristics that are important in our relationships with God are the same qualities that help us to have quality relationships with friends, spouses, family, work relationships and even our enemies. The goal is to help everyone involved in the meeting to openly discuss what characteristics are important, why they are important to them, how do they know if we are behaving in that way and what do we do to build the positive characteristics if we see there is a gap.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 16

Services are at 10:30 am

Youth InstructionThe first of 2 Bible lessons for children ages 5-12 will be held at 9:30 am in the in the Mezzanine at Presley’s Theatre

Two groups will be addressed: one for the age group Kindergarten to second grade (K-2) and the other is for third grade to sixth grade (3-6).  The second youth lesson will be held Friday morning also at 9: 30 am.

The first of two Children’s Choir practices, will take place at 12:35 pm on the stage. The children will be performing on Thursday, October 17 (Family Day) at church services. Matthew and Rhonda Lopez are coordinating this service.

The Senior Citizen’s Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, October 16, at 1:00 pm at the Lion’s Club Community Center. All seniors (age 65 and over) and their spouses are invited. Please come regardless of your ability to pay. For planning purposes, we need to know how many will be attending. You can reserve your space by picking up tickets from the booth to the left of the stage on Tuesday.

There is no cost for the tickets but we are asking for donations to help cover the costs.You may do so at our "Family Helping Family" donation box at the Information Table.

The luncheon will take place at the Lions’ Community Center, at 1:00 p.m. at the Lion’s Community Center, 1015 East MO-76, Branson, MO 65616. It is located on E. Hwy 76 about a mile east of downtown Branson (as shown on the map). Need a ride? Please sign the list at the Information Table. If you can give a ride, check the list and please work out the details.

And, if Seniors wish to stay afterwards, fellowship and play table games, you are welcome to do so. Bring your favorite game!

And on Wednesday, October 16, Family Dance, at 7:30 pm there will be the, at the Lion’s Club Community Center, 1015 East MO-76, Branson, MO 65616.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 17 FAMILY DAY

Services are at 10:30 am

The Children’s Choir will have their second practice at 9:30 am Thursday, October 17. They will be performing the Special Music for services on that day.

After services, children will be allowed to receive stuffed (Kingdom type) animal. We are asking Brethren to donate one or two new millennial (not monster type) stuffed animals near the beginning of the Feast. They will be displayed in the stage area, and after services; children will come up to receive one. For more information, see Janice Justice at the Information Table.

Housing Survey On Thursday, October 17 the housing survey will be distributed. Each head of household should fill one out. Return your completed survey forms to an usher or the information table.

The annual housing survey greatly assists in future negotiations and provides legitimate feedback to the hotels.

The Family Day Picnic will also be held on Thursday, October 17, starting at 1:30 pm. It will be held at Table Rock State Park, Shelter 1. This year we are asking everyone to bring their own picnic lunch and beverages. Table Rock State Park is located south on Hwy 165/265 just across the Table Rock Lake dam. Maps are available at the Information Table and at the back of this brochure.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 18

Services are at 10:30 am

The second Youth Bible instruction will be held in the Mezzanine 9:30 am.

Teen Activity: All teens are invited to experience 80,000 square feet of hands-on climbing, tunneling, sliding, swinging, and zip-lining thrills. Join us on Friday, Oct. 18, from 1:30-4:30 pm at Fritz’s Adventure for pizza and loads of fun. The address is: Fritz’s Adventure  1425 W. Highway 76 Branson, MO.

Bible Study, Friday, on October 18th at 7:30 pm

Mr. Steve Shafer will be conducting the Bible Study titled: A Prophetic Overview of the Book of Psalms.

Synopsis: To show that the Psalms are all prophetic in nature and to explain why thePsalms are divided into five books. To then show that each of those five books has aprophetic theme and a prophetic time setting.

The Bible study will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Lion’s CommunityCenter, 1015 East MO-76, Branson, MO 65616.

SABBATH OCTOBER 19

Teen Bible Study

The Teen Bible Study will be held at 12:45 pm on the Sabbath before Sabbath Services in the Mezzanine.

Mr. Shawn Cortelyou will be discussing: God’s Standard – Is it Ours Too?

The Feast is such an exciting time as we look forward to and hear messages about what it pictures – the millennial rule of Jesus Christ. We also understand and learn that during the millennium and God’s Kingdom there will be a different standard. A standard we are to have now. Yes, we look forward to God’s standard in the future (when they will go up to the mountain of the Lord to learn His ways), but in God’s church we are to have that standard in our lives as a part of us – every day. (Rom 12:2) (2 Tim 3:12-17) (Ezra 7:10). We will look at individuals in the Bible that did just that and what we can learn from them.

LIVE WEBCAST TRANSMISSION 

On the Sabbath of October 19 there will be a live webcast transmission of services at 2:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time (3 p.m. EDT) from Panama City Beach, Florida. The sermonette portion will be a pre-recorded video about important aspects of the work of the Church, followed by the festival chorale singing special music, and then President Victor Kubik will deliver the sermon. The entire service, including hymns, sermonette and special music,will be broadcast. 

Mr. Kubik’s message is titled: “Let Us Go Up to the Mountain of the Lord.” The imageryof mountains is used throughout the Bible to illustrate God’s Kingdom—including Hissovereignty in government, the Church and in our personal lives. We will join Panama City Beach—as well as all U.S., Canadian and many internationalsites—live for this special service.  Please arrive and be seated ready to begin at 1:45p.m. for our local announcements. Then promptly at 2 p.m. CDT we will join Panama City Beach in singing hymns. The closing prayer in Panama City Beach will conclude our services.

SUNDAY October 20

Services are at 10:30 am

The second Teen Hospitality will be from 9:00 am to 9:45 am, Sunday, October 20 in the Mezzanine.

EIGHTH DAY, HOLY DAY, MONDAY OCTOBER 21

Services are at 10: 30 am and 2: 15 pm.

We’ll be praying for all to have a safe journey home!

UNITED CHURCH OF GODSERVICES SCHEDULE

Feast of Tabernacles 2019Site Name: Branson Festival Coordinator: Vince Szymkowiak

Songleader Sermonette SermonHoly Day AM, Oct 14 Brent Feiock Don Pirwitz Vince SzymkowiakHoly Day PM Oct 14 Joel Bryan Brent Feiock Anthony WasilkoffTuesday, Oct 15 Roger Dale Prince Larry Sharp Steve ShaferWednesday, Oct 16 Brent Feiock Mark Smith Lonnie JohnsonThursday, Oct 17 Joel Bryan Stephen Bouchette Shawn CortelyouFriday, Oct 18 Roger Dale Prince Ralph Giddens* Bill Cagle*Sabbath, Oct 19 (webcast) (webcast) (webcast)Sunday, Oct 20 Brent Feiock Barry Howdeshell Todd HerridgeHoly Day AM, Oct 21 Roger Dale Prince Joel Bryan Stan HopperHoly Day PM, Oct 21 Joel Bryan (none) Anthony Wasilkoff

ALTERNATES:Sermonette: Larry Cortelyou Split Sermon*: Anthony WasilkoffFOT Sermon: Shawn Cortelyou 8th Day Sermon: Vince

Szymkowiak

  Presenter(s):Bible Study/Seminar Steve ShaferTeen Bible Study Shawn CortelyouYoung Adults Bible Study/Seminar Todd Herridge

Bible Study/Seminar (none)

2018 ATTRACTION AND SHOW DISCOUNTS

BRANSON FEAST SITE

Please stop by the Information Table for Information as to area Attractions and Show Discounts.

Please show FOT name badge or FOT brochure when pickingup tickets. You must identify yourself as a member of one of theChurch of God Feast of Tabernacles groups. Prices in parenthesis($24) represent the normal price for a ticket.

Note that the abbreviation “PS” is the Park Shelter. It is right across from the Park Office.