January 2, 2009: The "Gute Nachrichten" website has been expanded with the addition of two new pages. One of the two new pages lists the dates for 2009 Holy Days, and the other new page gives a brief description for each German-language study paper published in PDF format.

January 8, 2009: UCG-Germany recorded its highest annual income ever during the year 2008. The final figures show donations totaling 216,165 €, an 11.4 percent increase over 2007. The Holy Day offerings in 2008 were 18.4 percent higher than the previous year.

January 15, 2009: The January-February issue of the "Gute Nachrichten" magazine is mailed to 5518 readers in 20 European countries. This is a new record high for "Gute Nachrichten" circulation, representing a 7.9 percent increase over the last issue. The goal for 2009 is to have 6000 subscribers by the end of the year.

January 20, 2009: The Vereinte Kirche Gottes [UCG-Germany] mails its first coworker letter to non-member donors who support the preaching of the gospel in the German language. Coworkers currently account for 10 percent of UCG-Germany's total annual income. The coworker letter will be mailed on a quarterly basis.

January 28, 2009: As part of its internet advertizing campaign, the Vereinte Kirche Gottes [UCG-Germany] has begun using animated graphics in conjunction with Google Adwords. Ads will be produced for all publications suited for this medium, and the program will be expanded later to include animated graphics with Yahoo search ads. View a sample graphic for the "Creation or Evolution?" booklet.

February 4, 2009: Outgoing mail statistics for 2008 show a record total of 42,016 pieces of literature distributed in the German language, a 7.5 percent increase over 2007. The most requested booklets during 2008 were "Nach dem Tode – was dann?" ["What happens after death"] and "Amerika und Großbritannien: Was sagt die Bibel über ihre Zukunft?" ["The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy"].

February 13, 2009: The Vereinte Kirche Gottes ["UCG-Germany"] prints the booklet "Jesus Christus: Die wahre Geschichte" ["Jesus Christ: The Real Story?"], making it the 20th booklet to be printed. UCOG contributed funds to help pay the cost of printing the new booklet. In addition to these 20 booklets, the Vereinte Kirche Gottes has also published the 12 lesson "Bible Study Course" in German.

February 18, 2009: The Vereinte Kirche Gottes ["UCG-Germany"] publishes the 150th edition of "Intern", the German-language publication for church members, coworkers and interested "Gute Nachrichten" subscribers. "Intern" has been published monthly since September 1996 without interruption.

February 28, 2009: The Vereinte Kirche Gottes [UCG-Germany] updates its booklet webpage on the "Gute Nachrichten" website to provide a better description of the 20 booklets now in print. The new booklet webpage is patterned after the one used by the United Church of God and will be used as a model for the German Bible correspondence course webpage.

March 11, 2009: The March-April issue of the "Gute Nachrichten" magazine is again mailed to a record number of subscribers. The new issue has 5908 readers in 20 European countries, a 7.1 percent increase over the last issue and a 16.2 percent increase over March 2008. The goal for 2009 of having 6000 subscribers by the end of the year is now well within reach.

March 20, 2009: The Vereinte Kirche Gottes [UCG-Germany] updates its Bible study course webpage on the "Gute Nachrichten" website to provide a better description of the 12 lesson course which has been available since 2003. The new Bible study course webpage is patterned after the one used by the United Church of God and will be used as a model for the German Study Papers webpage.

March 25, 2009: The Vereinte Kirche Gottes [UCG-Germany] announces that it has already reached its circulation goal for the year 2009 of 6000 subscribers to the "Gute Nachrichten" magazine. A year-end total of 7000 subscribers is now a realistic possibility.

April 1, 2009: The Vereinte Kirche Gottes [UCG-Germany] announces a seminar on "Making Disciples" to be conducted on April 9, 2009 as part of the leadership training program started last year titled "Equipped for Service". The seminar will be conducted in Schriesheim (near Heidelberg) and in Moosdorf (near Salzburg, Austria). The same seminar will also be conducted later this month in Dormagen (near Cologne).

April 16, 2009: The attendance and offering statistics for Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the German-language region have been finalized. 103 people met at five locations to keep the Passover. On the first day of Unleavened Bread, 137 people attended services in four locations: Bischofszell in Switzerland (38), Dormagen (47), Moosdorf in Austria (20) and Schriesheim (32). The offering was 9603 €, a 2.1% increase over last year's excellent offering. On the last day of Unleavened Bread, 128 people attended services in five locations: Dormagen (30), Hamburg (12), Munich (18), Schriesheim (32) and Winterthur in Switzerland (36). The offering (8862 €) was 27.7% higher than in 2008.

April 23, 2009 United Christian Outreach Germany announces a special fundraiser to provide $1000 as festival assistance for Mnazakan Poghossjan to attend this year's Feast of Tabernacles in Schluchsee, Germany. Mr. Poghassjan is the only member of the church in Armenia.

May 1, 2009 The Deutsche Post AG (German postal service) has certified the Vereinte Kirche Gottes ["UCG-Germany"] for the new 2D data matrix code electronic address correction system for mailing the "Gute Nachrichten" [German "Good News"] magazine in Germany. Sample labels produced by the VKG passed two separate certification tests administered by the Deutsche Post AG. The new mailing system was set up by UCOG President Paul Kieffer.

May 5, 2009 Members of the Vereinte Kirche Gottes ["UCG-Germany"] plan a youth activity for Pentecost weekend. 30 young adults representing 9 different nations and 4 Church of God organizations have registered to attend the four-day activity that will take place in Stadtkyll, Germany.

May 15, 2009: The May-June issue of the "Gute Nachrichten" magazine is mailed to 6106 readers in 20 European countries. This is a new record high for "Gute Nachrichten" circulation, representing a 3 percent increase over the last issue and a 21.5 percent increase over May 2008. The goal for 2009 is to have 6500 subscribers by the end of the year.

June 2, 2009: Statistics for the Feast of Pentecost have been finalized. 162 people met in six locations in the German-language region: Berlin (13), Dormagen (64), Hamburg (12), Munich (16), Schriesheim (26) and Winterthur in Switzerland (31). The offering in the German-language region was 10,085 €, a 1.4 percent increase over last year's record offering. The total offering for the 3 spring Holy Days (Unleavened Bread, Pentecost) was 8.3 percent higher than last year.

June 9, 2009: United Christian Outreach Germany's fundraiser has reached its goal to provide $1000 for airfare and visa expenses for United Church of God member Mnazakan Poghossjan to attend this year's Feast of Tabernacles in Schluchsee, Germany. Mr. Poghassjan speaks fluent German and is the only member of the United Church of God in Armenia. He is currently unemployed. Without additional financial assistance, he would not be able to attend the Feast.

June 15, 2009: All 206 songs in the new German-language hymnal have been typeset, and proofreading of the individual hymnal pages is now half completed. The new hymnal will be used in worship services of the Vereinte Kirche Gottes ["United Church of God-Germany"]. The German hymnal is a one-to-one reproduction of the new United Church of God hymnal with some additional hymns from the old German hymnal currently in use. The new hymnal will be printed by Köllen Druck in Bonn in September 2009 and will be available for use by members at this year's Feast of Tabernacles in Schluchsee, Germany.

June 22, 2009: A geology professor associated with several German universities has inquired to see if UCOG President Paul Kieffer and Mario Seiglie would be available as guests at a university panel discussion on creation and evolution. The professor is a subscriber to "Gute Nachrichten" [German "Good News"] and is impressed with the quality of the material published on creation and evolution.

July 7, 2009: Mnazakan Poghossjan, the only member of the United Church of God in Armenia, has obtained his visa for travel to Germany from the German embassy in Yerevan to attend this year's Feast of Tabernacles in Schluchsee. Instead of having a private person invite Mr. Poghossjan (as was done previously), the Vereinte Kirche Gottes ["UCG-Germany"] was the sponsor for this year's visa application, which helped to expedite the process.

July 16, 2009: The July-August issue of the "Gute Nachrichten" magazine is mailed to 6293 readers in 20 European countries. This is another new record high for "Gute Nachrichten" circulation, representing a 3.1 percent increase over the May-June issue and a 29.4 percent increase over July 2008. The goal of 6500 subscribers by the end of 2009 is now well within reach.

July 21, 2009: The Vereinte Kirche Gottes [UCG-Germany] mails its third coworker letter to non-member donors who support the preaching of the gospel in the German language. Coworkers currently account for 10 percent of UCG-Germany's total annual income. The coworker letter is mailed on a quarterly basis, and the number of coworkers has increased by 8 percent since January.

July 28, 2009: The Vereinte Kirche Gottes ["UCG-Germany"] reprints the booklet "Himmel oder Hölle: Was lehrt die Bibel wirklich?" ["Heaven or Hell: What Does the Bible Really Teach?"], making it the 11th booklet to be reprinted. Since January 2001, the Vereinte Kirche Gottes has invested over $250,000 in printing costs for preaching the true gospel in the German language.

August 2, 2009: Ten campers from the Vereinte Kirche Gottes ["UCG-Germany"] took part in a church youth camp sponsored by the United Church of God-British Isles. The camp was south of Manchester, and included daily Bible studies, outdoor and indoor activities. UCOG contributed funds to sponsor the campers from Germany and Switzerland. Read more »

August 9, 2009: In the last twelve months 2478 new subscribers have been added to the "Gute Nachrichten" mailing list via Google "Adwords" and Yahoo. This is the highest twelve month total for new subscribers since 1998. The average cost per new subscriber via Google and Yahoo is approximately 2 €. Since November 2005, "impressions" (ads) for "Gute Nachrichten" were shown 72,737,158 times, bringing 264,970 extra visitors to the "Gute Nachrichten" website. The internet ads feature all available German booklets and the 12 lesson Bible Study Course.

August 17, 2009 A promotional mailing for "Intern" [German "United News"] increases the circulation of "Intern" to 420 subscribers, about 8 percent of the "Gute Nachrichten" mailing list in Germany. "Intern" is offered regularly to those "Gute Nachrichten" subscribers in Germany who have renewed their "Gute Nachrichten" subscription.

August 25, 2009 The new German hymnal is ready to be sent to the printer. The new hymnal is a one-to-one reproduction of the United Church of God hymnal with some additional hymns from the old German hymnal currently in use. The new hymnal will be available for use by members at this year's Feast of Tabernacles in Schluchsee, Germany. Take a look at the new hymnal's cover page.

September 14, 2009: The September-October issue of the "Gute Nachrichten" magazine is mailed to 6467 readers in 20 European countries. This is another new record high for "Gute Nachrichten" circulation, representing a 2.7 percent increase over the July-August issue and a 30.8 percent increase over September 2008. The goal of 6500 subscribers by the end of 2009 will likely be achieved prior to the next issue. The 24 page issue included UCOG President Paul Kieffer's semi-annual letter to "Gute Nachrichten" subscribers.

September 20, 2009: 166 people met at five locations in the German-language region for church services yesterday on the Feast of Trumpets. In Venlo (in the Netherlands near the German border) the attendance was 73 at a combined service of UCG-Holland and the Dormagen, Germany congregation. 29 people met in Schriesheim (near Heidelberg), and 38 were in attendance in Winterthur, Switzerland. In Munich the attendance was 12, and 14 people attended the afternoon service in Hamburg.

September 29, 2009: The offering statistics for the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement in the German-language region have been finalized. The offering on the Feast of Trumpets was 8318 €, a 7.6 percent decrease in comparison to 2008. The offering (5590 €) on the Day of Atonement was 2.7 percent higher than last year.

October 3, 2009: 243 people from six countries meet in Schluchsee, Germany in the southern Black Forest to observe the biblical Feast of Tabernacles.

October 13, 2009: The offering statistics for the Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day in the German-language region have been finalized. The offering on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles was 12,898 €, 6.3 percent less than last year. The offering (12,275 €) on the Last Great Day was 29.1 percent less in comparison to 2008. The total offering on the seven annual Holy Days in 2009 was 5.5 percent less than last year.

October 20, 2009: Vereinte Kirche Gottes [UCG-Germany] mails its fourth and final coworker letter for 2009. Regular quarterly coworker letters were instituted last January. Since then, the number of coworkers has increased by ten percent.

October 25, 2009: The Vereinte Kirche Gottes [UCG-Germany] plans a special version of its new hymnal for pianists. 57 hymns in the new hymnal will be transposed to eliminate all hymns with multiple sharps and flats, making it easier for pianists to accompany hymns. The special hymnal will be completed by the end of the year and distributed to accompanyists in the German-language region.

November 9, 2009: The November-December issue of the "Gute Nachrichten" magazine is mailed to 6613 readers in 20 European countries. This is another new record high for "Gute Nachrichten" circulation, representing a 2.3 percent increase over the last issue and a 29.3 percent increase over the November-December 2008 issue. With this issue the circulation goal for 2009 of having 6500 subscribers by the end of the year has been achieved.

November 13, 2009: The Vereinte Kirche Gottes ["UCG-Germany"] starts a six month test of internet banner advertizing on the German website "Der Monat". The banner is linked to an ad for the "What Happens After Death?" booklet.

November 23, 2009: The Vereinte Kirche Gottes ["UCG-Germany"] is now using Twitter to augment its "Gute Nachrichten" website presence.

December 1, 2009: Following the example of UCG-Australia's web design, the Vereinte Kirche Gottes ["UCG-Germany"] adds a contact form to its "Gute Nachrichten" website presence, accessible with one click from the main landing page.

December 14, 2009: The Vereinte Kirche Gottes [UCG-Germany] publishes the fifth issue of its new youth newsletter, "Wegweiser" ["Pathfinder"]. Translation and layout of "Wegweiser" is provided by a team of volunteers serving the youth of the church. Take a look at the latest issue of "Wegweiser".

December 19, 2009: An internet portal for seniors in Germany offers to provide a free link to the "Gute Nachrichten" website. The link is in the faith section of the seniors website.

December 25, 2009: The Vereinte Kirche Gottes ["UCG-Germany"] receives its first new subscriber for the "Gute Nachrichten" magazine and a request to attend church services via its daily Twitter postings on current events.

December 31, 2009: The Vereinte Kirche Gottes ["UCG-Germany"] ends the year with 6906 "Gute Nachrichten" subscribers in 26 countries. Germany (5905), Austria (436) and Switzerland (444) are the countries with the most subscribers. In 2009 the Vereinte Kirche Gottes paid $51,000 in printing costs to produce literature in the German language.