Please also find attached to this email a PDF file of the article, "What the World Needs Now" by Jim Kocher.

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SABBATH ANNOUNCEMENTS 

&  REMINDERS

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

United Church of God, an International Association

Sabbath, May 23, 2020:

12:00 Noon (EDT) – local webcast split sermons given by Freeman Kuhns, elder in the North Canton and Youngstown, OH congregations and Jim Kocher, elder in the Wheeling, WV congregation.

https://www.ucg.org/congregations/north-canton-oh/webcast

*DUE TO PRECAUTIONS RELATING TO PREVENTION OF THE SPREAD OF THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) 

AND VARIOUS STATE REGULATIONS, WE WILL BE WEBCASTING LOCAL SERVICES UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.  

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NEXT WEEK

(may be subject to change)

Sabbath, May 30	Local Sabbath webcast – 12:00 Noon (EDT) – Randy Stiver https://www.ucg.org/congregations/north-canton-oh/webcast
Feast of Pentecost,  Sunday, May 31	Local Holyday webcast – 12:00 Noon (EDT) – Keith Wilson and Randy Stiver https://www.ucg.org/congregations/north-canton-oh/webcast

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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.

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1.       LOCAL PRAYER REQUESTS and UPDATES

(If you notice that your prayer request needs updating, please drop us an email or a call with an update. Thank you!)

• Please pray fervently for the national and international emergency we are facing with the Coronavirus. Pray that God protect His people and that He extends mercy to our nation and to all nations as they face this health and financial crisis. 
• Please also pray that our opportunity to assemble together is restored as soon as is safely possible. We have long been able to take that fact for granted, but now is the time to treasure it. Also pray that the financial impactglobally, nationally, and individually is mitigated through God’s mercy.

Updates:

• Jenny Luchitz (North Canton) – Feeling poorly with the dramatic weather fronts that come through at this time of year. Please pray for encouragement for Jenny and lessening of aches and pains.

Ongoing:

• Janice Walters (North Canton) – At home recoveringafter a scary fall down the basement staircase. Your prayers for a quick recovery from the aches and pains of healing up are greatly appreciated! 
• Mary Wade – Mary (sister of Freeman Kuhns) is a resident at Rose Lane Nursing Home in Massillon. As of now there are cases of COVID-19 at her nursing facility, with 4 cases on her floor.  Mary has respiratory issues which would make this very serious for her. Please pray for her protection. 
• Pat Lesko – Pat (cousin of Jackie Stewart in the Youngstown area) has been fighting very severe health issues in the past month. Your continued prayers are appreciated.
• Steve Richmond (Cambridge) – Steve is battling stage four cancer and is in a lot of pain. He requests further prayer for relief of pain, for his surgery to be approved, and for God to intervene on his behalf. Address: Stephen Richmond, 232 Dover Road NE, Sugarcreek, OH  44681
• John Williamson (Columbus/North Canton) – John, son-in-law of Louis and Carol Petit, has a confirmed, cancer diagnosis. Please pray for God’s healing and for peace of mind for John and Lisa, and Louis and Carol.

2.      LOCAL POTENTIAL FOR RE-CONVENING IN-PERSON SERVICES

As our local states begin to reopen businesses to varying degrees it is natural for us to look forward to the point at which we can once again meet in person. All of our halls in the North Canton, Youngstown, Pittsburgh, and Wheeling areas are rented facilities and as a result we are waiting on their schedule for reopening in-person services. We have been in contact with those facilities, and when we get to June, and as more state and national guidelines for reopening are updated, we will have more information available.

Meanwhile, we will continue to locally webcast Sabbath and Pentecost services and the regular Bible Studies. If you are able (and this will vary for everyone according to health issues or concerns) to meet in small gatherings (being mindful of social distancing) to tune in to the webcasts, that would be a good opportunity for fellowship, in addition to fellowship on social media, by phone, letter, and video chat.

3.      PENTECOST HOLYDAY OFFERING INFORMATION

Due to the restrictions placed on meeting together at this time, many congregations will not have face-to-face meetings this year for Pentecost. Here are three ways that you can conveniently make your Holy Day offering, if you will not be meeting in person.

Donate Online

Many members already use our website's online donation page at donate.ucg.org to give their Holy Day offerings when they are not able to be at those services--as well as their regular tithes and offerings. We have added Pentecost to the donation page; it will remain on the page for about a week after the Holy Day, so you will be able to make your offering online, if you prefer.

If you are new to online donations, we have produced a video that walks you through the process: https://www.ucg.org/members/news/how-to-donate-online

If you use the online option, please note the following:

a) Please include your PIN (the number that begins with "U" on your green Holy Day offering envelopes, just above your name and address.) This greatly speeds up the processing here at the home office. When a PIN is omitted, it requires extra work on the part of the personnel here at the home office to ensure the donation is being credited to you.

b) To optimize your offering, please use the "Online eCheck" option, which is the same as writing a check for your offering-because using your credit card for payment costs the Church around 3% of the donation amount to process.

Banking Bill Payment

Others may choose to use a "bill pay" service through their bank. Again, if you choose to pay this way, in the section for your "account number," please list your PIN and then, in addition, put H3 (Pentecost) after your PIN. This will help us credit the correct fund for your donation receipt.

Sent by Mail

For those who choose to mail their Holy Day offerings, please use the green Holy Day offering envelopes which were mailed to you earlier. Please use a separate check and envelope for each Holy Day offering. You will then need to place these envelopes into another carrier envelope and mail to the following address:

United Church of God - HDO

P.O. Box 541027

Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027

Thank you for your cooperation during these extraordinary times we find ourselves in this year.

--Ministerial and Member Services

4.      LOCAL FESTIVAL COORDINATORS

Festival Planning Brochure: feast.ucg.org

Accommodation information:https://www.ucg.org/members/feast/sites. 

Please be sure to register for the Feast and make reservations as your circumstances allow.

If you need local assistance, please contact your festival coordinator:

North Canton: Freeman Kuhns and Mark Miller               Pittsburgh:Nathan Courtney

Youngstown: James Guy                                                          Wheeling:Jim Kocher

5.      COVID-19 Links and Resources:

National: https://www.coronavirus.gov/

Ohio: https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/

Pennsylvania:https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx

West Virginia: https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/Pages/default.aspx

UCG home office: https://www.ucg.org/members/news/united-church-of-god-coronavirus-updates

6.      VIEWING SABBATH WEBCASTS – How-to

The following link can help you better connect to the webcasts from the UCG.org website. Please follow the link and read the extensive directions for more information and troubleshooting help:

https://www.ucg.org/help/problems-viewing-ustream-and-youtube-videos

7.      PHONE HOOK-UP to Home Office Webcasts

If you need a phone hook-up to the webcast services from Cincinnati (2:30PM on Sabbaths) here are the directions:

Please call no earlier than 5 minutes before the service will begin. If the Home Office has not activated the meeting, the caller will be put on hold, and then asked to call again later.

Normal Calling Directions for Home Office Webcast:

For those who can pay for long distance calls or have an unlimited phone calling plan:

Call: 1-508-924-1634

No access code needed.

If you know someone who could use the phone hook-up number, but does not get the announcements by email, please call them and pass along the information! Thank you!

8.      PROVERBS READING PROJECT – From now till Pentecost, May 31

From now until Pentecost we’ll be reading through the books of Proverbs, following the schedule below.

BOOK OF PROVERBS READING SCHEDULE

Week            Dates                   Chapter(s)

1                     Jan 12-18                             1

2                     Jan 19-25                            2

3                    Jan 26/Feb 1                      3

4                    Feb 2-8                               4

5                    Feb 9-15                             5

6                    Feb 16-22                            6-7

7                    Feb 23-29                           8-9

8                    Mar 1-7                               10-11

9                    Mar 8-14                             12-13

10                   Mar 15-21                            14-15

11                    Mar 22-28                           16-17

12                   Mar 29/Apr 4                    18-19

13                   Apr 5-11                               20-21

14                   Apr 12-18                            22-23

15                   Apr 19-25                            24-25

16                   Apr 26/May 2                    26-27

17                   May 3-9                              28

18                   May 10-16                           29

19                   May 17-23                           30

20                   May 24-30                         31 

-END-