SABBATH ANNOUNCEMENTS & REMINDERS 

United Church of God, an International Association

North Canton & Youngstown, OH; Pittsburgh, PA; Wheeling, WV Congregations

SABBATH, JULY 13, 2019

Youngstown –11 a.m.                      Wheeling – 10 a.m.  

North Canton – 2 p.m.                     Pittsburgh – 2:30 p.m. 

Greetings brethren,

The truly American poet Edgar Guest once penned the lines: O it’s home again and home again, / It’s home again for me.  

Our family returned from our travels Wednesday evening. We had visited two of our past homes: where I grew up in western South Dakota and then Missoula, Montana where Linda and I first lived after we were married in 1974. The plains were yellow with an incredible sweet clover crop due to plentiful rains. 

Many memories flooded our minds as we drove the highways across the plains, through the Black Hills and the Rocky Mountains. These were roads we had traversed so often over the decades. On the way west we followed I-80 across Nebraska. About midway through the state, we paralleled the Oregon Trail of the early 1840’s to the 1860’s. Family history, national history and ancient Israelite tribal history floods the mind over the miles.

God blessed America. The treasures of the soil, the Ohio-Missouri-Mississippi River system and the treasures of the mountains attest to the great blessings God reserved for the tribe of Manasseh and the other native American Indian tribes who have lived here. 

We stopped in Butte, Montana overnight going west and then toured the Berkeley Pit, the largest open pit mine in history until the 1980s. In its day the Berkeley Pit was truly impressive: a mile long, half a mile wide and 1,780 feet deep—right there on the edge of town. It produces all manner of ore, but primarily copper.  Several decades ago a new mine began on surrounding hills just below the Continental Divide. This time the mining is simply taking down the hills layer by layer rather than digging a great pit. We read about the amazing amount of national wealth that Butte produced and produces and remembered why Montana is called the “Treasure State.”

On the Sabbaths we met with the Rapid City church in South Dakota pastored by David Jones. Most of the brethren are involved in ranching. One couple drove almost four hours to get to church, and they got there first to set up the hall! No one complained about the distance. They were happy and thankful to be there, to hear God’s Word taught and to fellowship with their brethren! In Missoula there were just a few brethren left after the heresies that have hit the congregations in the upper Rocky Mountain states. Our pastor there, Dan Deininger (an Ohio boy from near Toledo) is caring for the few brethren we still have in western Montana while doing what he can to rebuild the congregations.

On the way west we were able to drive through the caldera of possibly the largest volcano in the hemisphere: otherwise known as Yellowstone Park. The sheer beauty of the park is inspiringly magnificent. It is America’s first national park formalized by U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant (another Ohioan) in 1872. America has a good penchant for respecting lands of awe and beauty. Combined with our drive through the high range of the Big Horn Mountains in central Wyoming, we feasted our eyes on some of the most beautiful places God reserved for the descendants of the ancient tribes of Israel.

It’s a good thing to travel through and see some of the marvelous country on God’s green earth. Paintings can be beautiful, sculpture impressive, but feasting your eyes on the real thing is incredible! It reminds us of the marvelous future in God’s Kingdom that we long for, but which for now… “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9).

Keep the true faith—and spread it,

Randy Stiver, Pastor 

Pastor’s contact information:  PO Box 1474, Massillon, OH  44648.  Home phone: 330-809-0566, cell phone: 740-739-7248. Email addresses: randy_stiver@ucg.org  or rpstiver@gmail.com (both come to the same location). For emails regarding scheduling (church events, visits or counseling), please copy my wife Linda ldstiver@gmail.com. Announcements should be sent to my email and copied to our daughter Amanda at anstiver@gmail.com as she helps process them each week.

1. Church Circuit Calendar 

July 13	Sabbath services	Youngstown – 11 a.m.; North Canton – 2 p.m.; Pittsburgh – 2:30 p.m.; Wheeling – 10 a.m.
July 20	Sabbath services	Pittsburgh – 10 a.m.;  Wheeling – 2:30 p.m.;  Youngstown – 1 p.m.;  North Canton – 2 p.m.;  North Canton Bible Study – 12 noon
July 26 Friday night	Bible Study webcast	7:30 p.m. EDT  –  Title to be announced  https://www.ucg.org/congregations/north-canton-oh/webcast
July 27	Sabbath services	Youngstown – 11 a.m.; North Canton – 2 p.m.; Pittsburgh – 2:30 p.m.; Wheeling –10 a.m.
August 3	Sabbath services	Youngstown – 1 p.m.; North Canton – 2 p.m.; Wheeling – 10 a.m.; Pittsburgh – 2:30 p.m.
August 10	Sabbath services	Youngstown – 11 a.m.; North Canton – 2 p.m.; Wheeling – 10 a.m.; Pittsburgh – 2:30 p.m.
August 17	Sabbath services	Youngstown – 1 p.m.; North Canton – 2 p.m.; Wheeling – 10 a.m.; Pittsburgh – 2:30 p.m.
August 23	Bible Study webcast	7:30 p.m. EDT  –  Title to be announced  https://www.ucg.org/congregations/north-canton-oh/webcast
August 24	Sabbath services	Youngstown – 11 a.m.; North Canton – 2 p.m.; Pittsburgh – 10 a.m.; Wheeling – 2:30 p.m.
August 31	Sabbath services	Youngstown – 1 p.m.; North Canton – 2 p.m.; Pittsburgh – 2:30 p.m.; Wheeling – 10 a.m.

LOCAL PRAYER REQUESTS: 

• Dale Harmon (NC) is in the hospital in Youngstown area, serious discomfort from skin cancer condition, plus other issues.
• Dick Walters (NC) continues to need your prayers for his breathing problems, especially when reclining.
• Ruth Wine (sister of Dick Walters in NC) – recent heart surgery, would appreciate your prayers but no visitors at this time.
• Ian Healey (grandson of Louis & Carol Petit in NC) – condition stabilized while he waits for a kidney donor.
• Naomi Stiver (my mother) – Just before we arrived for our visit she fell at the care center in the Black Hills where she lived and broke bones in both lower legs (thankfully not the bones that are weight bearing). Our family would appreciate your prayers for her healing.

2.    THE NEXT NORTH CANTON SABBATH MORNING BIBLE STUDY – JULY 27 – AT 12 NOON

Until Daylight Savings Time changes back to standard time this fall, the third Sabbath morning of the month Bible Study will start at 12 noon at the Global Gateway hall. The study is planned to be webcasted.

3.    FRIDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY – SUMMER CHANGE (reminder)

Our regular Friday night Bible Studies will be only once-a-month on the Friday night before the 4th Sabbath of the months for July (evening of the 26th) & August (evening of the 23rd). On those evenings it will be webcasted at the usual time of 7:30 p.m. 

4.    SPOKESMAN CLUB – SUNDAY JULY 21

Men with assignments, prepare your speeches! We’re looking forward to our next Spokesman Club meeting in Steubenville on Sunday the 21st.  Spokesman Club is one of our heritage programs that over many decades has been instrumental in preparing the men in God’s Church for service and speaking. If you haven’t come to club yet, then please plan to join the club members at the YWCA in Steubenville. You’ll be glad you did!

5.    CLEVELAND ANNUAL SABBATH COOKOUT (primarily for North Canton and Youngstown)

From Pastor Greg Thomas: We cordially invite you to join the UCG Cleveland brethren at their annual Sabbath cookout at the Thomas home on the Sabbath of July 20th. Services in Grafton will take place at 12:30 pm, and we will then move to the Thomas home for an afternoon of food and fellowship.  Services are located in the UCG church building at 12981 Grafton Road in Grafton, Ohio. The cookout location is at the Thomas home, located at: 9714 Crows Nest Lane, Litchfield, Ohio   44253. Folks can begin arriving around 3 pm and food will be served around 3:30-4:00 pm. Hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken will be provided. Please help to supplement the meal with one of the following:  a side dish, salad, dessert or beverage. We look forward to spending time with those who are able to join us!

6.    CHURCH REUNION PICNIC – Indiana County, PA

All Former WCG Church Reunion Potluck for those of WCG and other C of G backgrounds are
invited to a reunion on Sunday, July 28 at 12:00 Noon at the Creekside Fire Hall in Creekside, PA. Please bring: covered dish, favorite beverage and $7.00 per person to cover cost of the hall. Address: 440 Nin Riddle St., Creekside, PA 15732. Please contact Karen Border 724-552-6993 for details.

7.    REGIONAL MINISTERS CONFERENCE – SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY 

Ministerial and Member Services will be conducting the regional ministers’ conference at a hotel in Youngstown on Sunday night to Tuesday of this coming week. Please pray that God will bless it with positive fruits.

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