SABBATH ANNOUNCEMENTS & REMINDERS 

United Church of God, an International Association

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

SABBATH, MARCH 30, 2019

Church services this Sabbath:

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

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

Dear brethren,

Floodwaters, Baby Calves and Food Production

America’s blessing of many great rivers sometimes has a downside. In the past several weeks early rain and melting snows have caused dramatic flooding along the tributary rivers that form the Missouri – Mississippi river system. The flooding came early this year while the ground (think: fields and pastures) were still frozen. Apparently preoccupied with controversial, political and morality battles, America’s news media have given this spring flooding poor coverage. 

While liberal politics are playing out their social and lifestyle arguments, the fundamental agri-business industry gets ignored. Perhaps few areas are so ignored as was the state of Nebraska which had 2.6 million head of cattle—as of March 1st of this year. It also hosts 26% of the nation’s feedlots. Combining these two aspects of America beef production in that state, and the state of Nebraska not only sits near the geographical heart of the country, but also generates an outsized impact on the American belly!

In our high technology preoccupied society of the 21st Century, fewer and fewer of the population know much at all about the nation’s food production system. Perhaps the one thing they do know something about is the cost of food for the consumer.  Inexpensive food leaves more money for “modern fundamentals” like newer phones, faster computers and much more, must-have technology. 

However, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sunny Purdue recently assessed that due to devastating, early-spring flooding the Nebraska beef herd has been horrifically reduced: there “may be as many as a million calves lost in Nebraska…”. 

Don’t think that’s insignificant simply because we don’t eat much beef from calves. No, those calves were meant to grow big and beefy so they could provide healthy sustenance for scores of millions of people!

The immediate impact will be dramatically higher food prices for the consumer. But more important is the concern for similar food-chain catastrophes happening too close to this one. What about the rest of the melting ice and snow runoff in the nation’s agricultural mid-section? Plus, what about land and farms taken completely out of food production by that flooding? Devastation has echoing and re-echoing repercussions.

America has not faced actual famine since some citizens stared it square in the eyes during the heights of the Dust-bowl of the Great Depression in the 1930s. The hunger potential then was chilling. 

Bible prophecy contains the concepts of “blessings and curses” particularly for the nations descended from the 12 Tribes of Israel (America, Scandinavia, Israel, northwest Europe and the British nations). It focuses on blessings for national obedience to God’s law and on curses for disobedience. It’s an example of God’s spiritual law functioning similarly to His laws of physics and is commonly called “the law of cause and effect.” If we obey God, then we’re blessed, but if we refuse to obey God, then we are cursed. The concept is pretty simple.

Backed by many individual prophecies in other parts of Scripture, two critical prophetic warnings from God are found in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. The latter chapter reads:

 

“But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country.

Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.

Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out” (Deut. 28:15-19,note italics).

Remember the citizens of Nebraska and surrounding regions facing this spring’s devastating flooding, danger and loss. And remember that it is God Almighty who truly blesses America—or doesn’t!

Keep the true faith—and spread it,

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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 :  (please note three Youngstown time changes underlined)

March 30	Sabbath	Youngstown – 1 p.m.; North Canton – 2 p.m.; Wheeling – 2:30 p.m.; Pittsburgh – 2:30 p.m.
April 6	Sabbath	Wheeling – 10 a.m.; Pittsburgh – 2:30 p.m.; Youngstown – 1 p.m.; North Canton – 2 p.m.
April 12	Bible Study webcast	7:30 p.m. EST  –  Title to be announced (only Bible Study this month due to how the spring holydays fall)  https://www.ucg.org/congregations/north-canton-oh/webcast
April 13	Sabbath	Youngstown – 11 a.m.; North Canton – 2 p.m.; Wheeling – 11 a.m.; Pittsburgh – 2:30 p.m.
April 18	Passover service	After sundown just past 8:00 p.m. in each of the four churches
April 19	Day of Passover	Night to Be Much Remembered meal just after sundown
April 20	1st Day of Unleavened Bread	Annual Sabbath/Holyday, one service, North Canton & Youngstown combined at Global Gateway, Pittsburgh & Wheeling combined at Chartiers Township CC
April  26	Last Day of Unleavened Bread	North Canton & Youngstown combined at Global Gateway 10:30 & 2:30 Pittsburgh & Wheeling combined at Chartiers Township CC 10:30 & 2:30
April 27	Sabbath	North Canton – 2:00; Youngstown – 11:00; Wheeling – 11:00; Pittsburgh – 2:30

 

2.    LOCAL PRAYER REQUESTS: (*new or updated) – some of these may be updated in the past week so please listen to the verbal announcements for those.

·         *Libby Dezso – recovering from flu, presently at Green Village Rehab at 708 Moore Rd., Akron, OH 44319 for therapy to regain her strength, but still has congestion in her lungs. She can take phone calls at 234-312-4365, or you can check with Bob at 330-745-4596. 

·         *Dale Harman – (North Canton):  Skin cancer and other ailments, asks for prayers for general health and strength for an upcoming prostate procedure.

·         Vicki Edgell – (Wheeling):  Continuing to recover from her broken hip. 

·         Linda Ritter – (North Canton):  Continues to have lung congestion complications.

·         Jenny Luchitz – (North Canton):  Severe bursitis and other symptoms.

·         Mitch Showers – (North Canton) diagnosed with prostate cancer, surgery scheduled for late April.

·         *Freeman Kuhns – (North Canton) Experiencing fairly extreme flu-like symptoms all this week.

3.    PASSOVER & DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD

·         Passover service – after sundown Thursday evening, April 18, services at each of our congregation locations. Please arrive and be seated by 7:45 that evening (at all four congregations). The Passover service will begin just after sundown and is for baptized members only. The North Canton Passover service will be webcasted at https://www.ucg.org/congregations/north-canton-oh/webcast, in case you need to access it.

·         Day of Passover – Friday, April 19 – (complete the de-leavening of our homes by sunset)

·         Night to Be Much Remembered – Friday evening, April 19 – gather together with other brethren for a special fellowship meal commemorating Israel’s exodus from Egypt – and our spiritual exodus from sinfulness into spiritual freedom of conversion in God’s true Church.

·         First Day of Unleavened Bread – Sabbath, April 20 – an annual Sabbath. North Canton & Youngstown at Global Gateway. Pittsburgh & Wheeling at Chartiers Community Center. A single service with the holyday offering.

·         Days of Unleavened Bread – (avoid eating any leavened bread or leavening in other food products for the 7 days of the festival from sundown April 20 through sundown April 26)

·         Last Day of Unleavened Bread – Friday, April 26 – an annual Sabbath, a double service holyday with the holyday offering at the morning service. North Canton & Youngstown meet at Global Gateway. Pittsburgh & Wheeling meet at Chartiers Community Center.

4.    KINGDOM OF GOD SEMINARS – AFTER THE SPRING HOLYDAYS

Plans are afoot to conduct a Kingdom of God Seminar in each of our four church areas beginning most likely in early June. Your fervent prayers will greatly and positively impact our effort!

5.    MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR GEORGE RUSNAK

Tomorrow after services in North Canton we will honor the memory of our brother in the Faith, George Rusnak. The half hour service will begin a few minutes after church services end –at 4:00 p.m.

 

READ THE PSALMS BY PASSOVER!

2019 Bible reading and fellowship project for all four of our upper Ohio River congregations.  If we’re all reading the same Psalms each week from now to Passover they will provide excellent discussion points during Sabbath fellowship. Song leaders, when possible please select one or two hymns from the assigned reading list for the week.

DATES / PSALMS / HYMNS

Jan. 13-19:  Psalms 1 - 10   (Hymnal pages 1-9, 117, 137)

Jan. 20-26:  Psalms 11 – 21   (Hymnal pages 10-12, 118, 131, 136, 144, 145, 161) 

Jan. 27- Feb. 2:  Psalms 22 – 32   (Hymnal pages 13-20, 119 - 121, 125, 127, 144, 180) 

Feb. 3-9:  Psalms 33 – 43   (Hymnal pages 21-25, 91, 119 - 121, 127, 138, 183) 

Feb. 10-16:  Psalms 44 – 54   (Hymnal pages 26-32, 118, 122, 127, 129, 168, 183) 

Feb. 17-23:  Psalms 55 – 65   (Hymnal pages 33-35, 123, 138, 180) 

Feb. 24 – Mar. 2:  Psalms 66 – 76   (Hymnal pages 36 - 39, 92, 144, 180) 

Mar. 3-9:  Psalms 77 – 87   (Hymnal pages: 40-45, 47, 117, 124 – 128) 

Mar. 10-16:  Psalms 88 - 98   (Hymnal pages 46, 48-56, 127, 129, 130, 144, 162) 

Mar. 17-23:  Psalms 99 – 109   (Hymnal pages: 57-66, 113, 114, 126, 131, 135, 136, 145) 

Mar. 24-30:  Psalms 110 – 118   (Hymnal pages: 67- 70, 143) 

Apr. 1-6:  Psalms 119 – 128   (Hymnal pages: 71-77, 93, 98, 118, 130, 143)

Apr. 7-13:  Psalms 129 – 139   (Hymnal pages: 78 - 81, 129, 132, 187) 

Apr. 14-19:  Psalms 140 – 150   (Hymnal pages: 82 87, 95, 120, 134 - 138, 159) 

INTRODUCTION: The Psalms are divinely inspired songs. Many were written by King David and the rest by other leaders and priests in ancient Israel. Summaries are written by your pastor (lifted from his ABC Writings Class handout).

Psalm #	Type or style of Pslam	Commentary
Ps. 119	Wisdom-Torah (acrostic)	The longest Psalm—extolls the greatness of God’s law. Written as an acrostic poem—each successive letter of the 22-letters of the Hebrew alphabet begins the first word of each stanza. Praises and lauds God’s law from all angles, especially how the young person can “cleanse his way” by obeying it – 9. Meditating and obeying God’s law makes one phenomenally wiser—it defines good and evil – 97-104. Lesson: learn and think about God’s law and you will succeed because you grow truly wiser. There is no excuse to get offended by someone—learn to love God’s law more – 165.
Ps. 120	(ascent) – Lament	This psalm begins the “song of ascents” collection – shorter psalms that the Israelites and later the Jews sang as they walked up to Jerusalem to keep God’s feast days. A plea for divinely guided truthfulness and for peace.
Ps. 121	(ascent) – Trust	Sings of looking to the hills—typically those that lead up to Jerusalem—and for God to keep us from evil.
Ps. 122	(ascent) – Zion	An early song of ascent by David, speaking of the “tribes” going up to and praying for the peace of Jerusalem. That peace applied to Jerusalem then and on into the New Jerusalem to come.
Ps. 123	(ascent) – Lament	Lifting our eyes to God and pleading for His mercy and intervention on our behalf as His people.
Ps. 124	(ascent) – Praise	A recitation of God’s interventions for Israel by the time of David (who wrote this psalm). Lesson: if we are God’s people—His true Church—then He is “on our side” – 2.
Ps. 125	(ascent) – Trust, Zion	God’s faithful ones are compared to Mt. Zion which abides forever and cannot be moved – 1. “Peace be upon Israel!”
Ps. 126	(ascent) – Zion	Post-exilic song of rejoicing in worshiping God after the Jews return from Babylonian captivity – 1.
Ps. 127	(ascent) – Wisdom	Written by Solomon. “Unless the LORD builds the house” with the house being marriage. Proclaims the blessing of children in the family—a heritage from the LORD – 3. Presages God’s spiritual children resurrected into the spiritual Kingdom of God.
Ps. 128	(ascent) – Wisdom, Zion	Continues marriage and family theme of 127. A prayer for generation after generation of faithful children being brought up to know and worship the true God in Jerusalem.

End