Feast of Tabernacles

           Tomorrow’s Church of God

         Feast of Tabernacles 2025

            Tomorrows church of God will be attending the FOT at Tenkiller lake in Oklahoma this year. Below is some information that will be useful if you plan on attanding with us.

 

Hello, Feast Friends!
We are so excited that you have decided to join us for the Feast of Tabernacles this year. We have a lot of fun stuff planned that will require some up-front details and information. If you would, can you please give me an updated headcount for how many people from your group plan to attend?

Okay… I recently had a few people ask some very good questions about Tenkiller State Park that we all need to know before arriving. So, I reached out to them to get the answers to those questions.

Question concerning entry fees… Is there a daily fee to enter the park? (For those who may be staying off-site) Answer: Kind of/sort of, but “technically” no. Here’s what they do… each vehicle must have a parking pass for the duration of their usage of the park. The rental of the meeting room will come with 25 parking passes, AND each cabin rental will come with 1 parking pass. Each vehicle for each cabin rental must have a parking pass. If what they give us isn’t enough to cover all of the vehicles, then additional parking passes must be purchased. Each pass costs $10/day. But we are hoping to have enough to cover everyone’s vehicle.

Questions concerning the meeting room… #1) Is the meeting room air conditioned? Answer: Yes! The meeting room is an enclosed, air-conditioned building.

#2) Is there wifi in the meeting room? Answer: No. The only wifi at the park is going to be located by the park office. So, if you need wifi, you may want to talk to your cell phone provider in advance about making your phone into a hot spot.

#3) Does the meeting room have chairs and tables? Answer: Yes, tables and chairs are included with the rental of the building.

Questions concerning the cabins…#1) Do the cabins have outdoor grills? Answer: Yes! So, if you like to grill, be sure to bring some charcoal. #2) THIS ONE IS VERY IMPORTANT… What sort of cookware, dishware, appliances, etc. will be included with the cabin rentals? Answer: These cabins are pretty bare boned. Their website says that linens are included, but that’s about it. I was told that each cabin comes with a refrigerator, an oven, stove top, microwave, toaster, and coffee pot. They DO NOT come with dishes, cookware, cooking utensils, silverware, etc. I would also bet that they have the bare minimum when it comes to bathroom essentials. SO… I would suggest that everyone who has rented a cabin makes plans to bring paper plates, plastic ware, cups, cookware, cooking utensils, paper towels, toilet paper, trash bags, dish soap, dish scrubbers, and perhaps, even some extra towels and/or bedding. I’ll leave all of that up to you. You can also pair up with someone and share items, so everyone isn’t trying to bring their whole kitchen with them. (LOL!)

Side Note: According to Google, the closest Walmart to Vian, Oklahoma is in Sallisaw, Oklahoma. From Tenkiller State Park it is 23 miles away, or… if you speak Texan, it is 27 minutes away. So, if you’d prefer to not have to bring a lot of that stuff with you, you can always make a Walmart run once you get up there. Either way, I just wanted to give everyone a heads up.

Our Scheduled Feast of Tabernacles Events for 2025:

This year’s theme for the Feast of Tabernacles is: “Kingdom Treasures.” Our planned fellowship events include a “White Elephant/Get Acquainted Night,” a “Campfire S’mores Sing-Along Night,” a Bible Study Night, a “BBQ Picnic and Lawn Games Afternoon,” our annual “Wine and Cheese Social,” a “Gift Basket Raffle Night,” a “Tin Foil Hat” Competition a “Ladies Tea Party” and a “Clear Your Tabernacle Fellowship Meal.” The following information will give you more details about our planned events.

~White Elephant/Get Acquainted Night:
A white elephant gift exchange involves bringing wrapped, anonymous gifts to a gathering, then taking turns opening and potentially stealing them from one another. The goal is to have fun with the gift selection and the swapping process, with the game ending after all gifts have been opened and a set number of steals have occurred. Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the rules:

Gift Preparation: Wrapped and Anonymous: Each person who would like to participate brings a wrapped gift, making it impossible to guess the contents or the giver. It doesn’t have to be an expensive gift, and it can even be a silly gag gift. We just ask that you bring something that’s new or in good condition.
Gameplay: Number Drawing: Participants draw numbers to determine the order in which they’ll select gifts.
Opening and Stealing: The first person opens a wrapped gift. Subsequent players can either open a new gift or steal one from someone else. (continued)
Gift Retirement: A gift can only be stolen once per turn. A gift is usually retired after being stolen a set number of times (often three).
Game End: The game typically ends when all wrapped gifts are opened and the final player has had a turn.
F.O.T. Get Acquainted Rules: When it’s each person’s turn, before choosing or stealing a gift, they must first introduce themselves. We want to hear things like, where you’re from, tell us about your family–married with children/grandchildren, what you do for a living, how many years you’ve been attending the Feast of Tabernacles, etc., etc.
*Additional Tips: Consider Gag Gifts: A white elephant exchange is a great opportunity for fun, silly, or unexpected gifts. Be Creative: The gift wrapping itself can be part of the fun and mystery. The goal is to enjoy the exchange, the playfulness of the game, and to get to know each other a little better.

~Ladies Tea Party:
This year we are having a “royal” tea party for all of the ladies and young ladies. It will be a fun social event with our Feast theme of “Kingdom Treasures” in mind. There will be party games, tea party-type foods, fun picture opportunities, and prizes. It will be a casual event, but some of the ladies have decided to go all out with the theme. They have ordered tiaras on Amazon (under $10) and are hoping to dress up in their fanciest attire, donning their best costume jewelry. Those are not requirements, just added fun.

~BBQ Picnic & Yard Games:
For Sabbath afternoon, we will have a group picnic with a BBQ/cookout-theme. So, when planning what to bring, think: chicken, stuff you’d need for burgers & hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, chips, watermelon, drinks, etc. Our usual rule of thumb for shared meals is that everyone brings enough to feed their family, and then we share it among everyone. I plan to have a sign-up sheet for the cookout, so everyone doesn’t end up bringing a bunch of the same things. Don’t forget to pick up some charcoal for grilling.

~ Campfire S’mores Sing-Along Night:
Bring your musical instruments (or just your voices), graham crackers, marshmallows, and your favorite chocolates for a fun night of campfire fellowship. *Be sure to pre-purchase your biblically clean marshmallows before the Feast, as they are usually only found online. Amazon is a great place to find them. Just search for “kosher” marshmallows.

~Wine and Cheese Social:
This has been a favorite event for many years. Everyone who is able brings one bottle of their favorite wine (or a wine they’d like to try), a favorite or interesting cheese, as well as anything you feel would pair well, like fruits, chocolates, olives, nuts, etc. We then set everything out in our best charcuterie style for everyone to share and enjoy fellowship. We also vote on our favorite wine and wine/food pairing. *We will have non-alcoholic options available so everyone can join in the fun. Parents will be responsible for making sure their children get the appropriate beverages.*

~Gift Basket Raffle:
How the raffle works: Everyone who is willing and able to donate brings one (or more) items to be raffled off. The gift baskets are usually filled with all kinds of goodies! Each basket usually has a theme. Some baskets in the past were filled with items that focused on that year’s Feast theme, some were fall-themed, some were Bible & scripture-themed, some were kid-themed, some were coffee or tea-themed, some were filled with homemade, edible goodies, some were filled with crafty or handmade goods, etc., etc. (Items don’t have to be in “basket” form. There have been bibles, books, t-shirts, tote bags, bible book covers, store-bought gift sets, etc. included in the raffle, as well.) We sell raffle tickets throughout the Feast for $1 per ticket. Each basket will be assigned a number, and you will put your raffle ticket into the bag associated with the numbered basket that you hope to win. Raffle tickets will be drawn blindly from each bag full of tickets to try and give everyone a chance to win. However, there is no limit to the number of tickets that you can put in each bag to try and win. ((We will also have opportunities for the children to earn tickets by helping with clean-up, set-up, and take-downs after church services or and/or events.)) Remember: This year’s theme is Kingdom Treasures!

~Tin Foil Hat Competition:
Due to the fact that we have several “conspiracy theorists” among us, we will be having a tin foil hat competition during our raffle night. For those who would like to participate, the idea is to make (and wear) a hat made out of tin foil that will be voted on for a prize. Each person in attendance at the raffle will get to cast one vote for their favorite hat. Your hat can make a statement about who you are, what you do, what you like, a favorite conspiracy, or it can just be something wild and random that you think will win the most votes. This will definitely make the raffle night that much more fun and memorable. We can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with!

~Clear Your Tabernacle Fellowship Meal:
We will have a fellowship meal in the afternoon of the Great Last Day, where everyone will have a chance to use up and share their leftovers. It is a shared meal that consists of a little bit of “this and a little bit of “that”. So… if you are one of the more diligent ones about using up your leftovers prior to the Last Great Day, please prepare in advance to bring something to contribute to the meal, if you plan to attend.

I have also attached a copy of our daily schedule for the feast, as well as a Holy Day Request Off form for anyone who may need one for work and/or school. Please remember to give me an update on how many people from your group are planning to attend. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks! 😊

Blessings,
Bridgette V.

 

With the world in chaos over the covet-19 pandemic, many have begun to seek God and His holy guidance once more. But one can become confused as to whether they are observing the will of God, or not. Questions often arise as to how we serve God.

One of the most common questions is, why does the Bible tell us to do one thing, and our church tells us to do something totally different? For instance, why are we told Christmas is a religious holiday, when it’s nowhere in the Bible? Yes, you read right, Christmas cannot be found in the Bible. The story of the birth of Jesus has no time setting as to when He was born. Jesus’ death is far more elaborated on than His birth, why is that?

The Bible does tell us to observe certain times and days, with no ambiguity. Those days and times can be found in Leviticus 23, one should read the entire chapter. the first day mentioned is the seventh-day Sabbath putting it first makes it extremely important to God, so it should be important to us.