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Associated Press covers religious festival observance issue concerning student from United Church of God family
Biblical festival foreshadows time when Christ will rule the earth
CINCINNATI—Missing school to observe the biblical Feast of Tabernacles became an issue in northwest Indiana, according to a story carried by The Associated Press on November 22. The 12-year-old son of a United Church of God family living in Lowell, Indiana was notified that he faced possible school expulsion after returning from observing the eight-day religious festival earlier this fall.
"Over the past 50 years in its modern history, the Church has occasionally faced misunderstandings about its observance of the religious festivals outlined in the Bible," said Roy Holladay, president of the United Church of God. "We understand that this was the case in the Indiana middle school where the observance of the Feast became an issue. We trust that this situation will be resolved amicably, with respect for the religious freedom of our members."
Following 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," Holladay explained.
As one reads the Bible, it shows that Jesus and the early apostles all kept the holy day seasons as outlined in Leviticus and elsewhere.
"As part of the Church's commitment to follow the example of the 1st century Church, we keep these days, even though they are essentially non-traditional in today's age and not largely observed by other religious organizations," Holladay said.
This same commitment leads members of the United Church of God to observe a seventh day Sabbath on Saturday as Christ did.
Holladay pointed out that from a biblical perspective the Feast of Tabernacles pictures the coming time when Jesus will return to earth and directly rule the world for 1,000 years. "As the Feast of Tabernacles represents a coming time of unprecedented harmony and peace, we conduct this annual eight-day event with a strong family focus," Holladay explained. Accordingly, members and families take part in daily Church services and a whole range of positive family-based activities throughout the festival.
The Church teaches that members are to be respectful of the laws governing the society they live in. "However, while we live in a country that espouses religious freedom, we know from experience that some schools may not be familiar with the biblical Holy Day seasons as we practice them, so we strongly encourage parents to proactively communicate and collaborate with the schools that their children attend," Holladay said. As appropriate, the Church provides a formal letter explaining the Feast and why children will not be attending school during the fall festival season.
Parents are encouraged to contact their children's teachers and administrators in advance of the biblical festivals. This helps minimize misunderstandings and to obtain assignments and other information.
"This way Church children don't fall behind in academics while they are briefly absent from school to observe the festivals with their families," Holladay related.
The Church President also noted that the vast majority of teachers and administrators are "very cooperative across the United States" in helping students prepare for their absences to observe the biblical festivals.
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