SABBATH ANNOUNCEMENTS & REMINDERS

United Church of God, an International Association

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

SABBATH, MAY 4, 2019

Youngstown – 2:00 p.m.                             Pittsburgh – 2:00 p.m.

North Canton – 2:00 p.m.               Wheeling – 2:00 p.m.

Dear brethren,

As we get on in our march toward God’s holyday of Pentecost, we see increasing tensions around the world. Prophetic trends and specific prophecies are coming into active effect! The arch fulfillment of prophecy leads to the return of Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But there are numerous events that God has dictated to happen before the second coming.

Read this in Revelation 12:12 – “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” God the Father, our Lord and Savior as well as the holy angels eagerly anticipate the Christ’s return of Christ to earth.  

However, because Satan knows his time of nefarious activity is waning, we can expect (because we’ve seen it happen before) the Devil to step up the perversion of society and every level of deception, especially in religion. There will also be more negative influence for anger within families, in corporations, between the nations—in any place where people interact.

Perhaps you’ve seen or experienced evidence of this active, negative dynamic firsthand. Take it in stride and pray for more spiritual strength and endurance. Spend more time reading and thinking about (studying) God’s Word. Step by step, event by event, personal experience by personal experience, take these things in good stride. Seek peace and pursue it in your own mind, within your family, your local congregation, at work and during any interaction with others. Keep these passages firmly in mind.

“Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it” (Psa. 34:14). “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another” (Rom. 14:19).

Your prayers are greatly needed for a very successful—and truly peaceful—General Conference of Elders and quarterly Council of Elders meetings this weekend and the week to follow. We want to see all of God’s true Church serve Him well, and particularly we desire that United Church of God will faithfully do its part of God’s Work!

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 :  (please note three Youngstown time changes underlined)

May 4	Sabbath service	Webcast services at 2:00 p.m. in all four areas – General Conference of Elders Sabbath service during the annual meeting in Cincinnati
May 10	Bible Study webcast	7:30 p.m. EST  –  Title to be announced  https://www.ucg.org/congregations/north-canton-oh/webcast
May 11	Sabbath service	Youngstown – 11:00;  North Canton – 2:00;  Wheeling – 11;  Pittsburgh – 2:30
May 18	Sabbath service	Youngstown – 1:00;  North Canton – 2:00;  Wheeling – 2:30;  Pittsburgh – 10:30
May 24	Bible Study webcast	7:30 p.m. EST  –  Title to be announced  https://www.ucg.org/congregations/north-canton-oh/webcast

 

2.    LOCAL PRAYER REQUESTS: (*new or updated) – additional updates may be given during announcements at Sabbath services.

·         *Dick Walters – (North Canton):  Has been home a few days, receiving home nurse visits to administer medication. He and Janice appreciate your ongoing prayers.

·         Regina Segeti – (North Canton):  Now living at home with home nurse visits, sends her greetings and thanks for your continued prayers.

·         *Elizabeth Dezso – (North Canton) (update from husband Bob): “Elizabeth continues to recuperate at home from her four-month health trial of diabetic foot ulcers, double pneumonia, plus a flu virus not covered in her flu shot. Because her immune system is still weak, she is not receiving visitors and her visits to public places are limited to doctor appointments. Therefore, she is not yet able to attend church services and will attend services and Bible study with me online. We wish to thank everyone for their prayers, encouraging cards and kindness, plus a special thank you to members of the UCG congregations in Eureka, CA, Yuma, AZ and North Canton, OH who helped us through this trial.”

·         *Neal Warner – (North Canton) Has been experiencing extreme pain in his neck and legs.  

·         Roland Armann – a member of God’s Church in Powhatten Point, OH is at 89 recovering from a stroke, but eager to begin attending in Wheeling when strong enough.

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

·         *Jenny Luchitz – (North Canton):  Severe bursitis and especially please pray for God’s healing of a severe, open-sore bruise on her leg.

·         *Mitch Showers – (North Canton) His prostate surgery went quite well. The doctor was satisfied that he removed all the cancer, but will need to verify that with follow-up testing. Mitch thanks you for your prayers.

·         Greyson Parkhill – the 11 year old grandson of Jim Parkhill in New Mexico (who tunes in to all our Bible Study webcasts). Greyson has a congenital and now life-threating digestive condition. Please add him to your prayer list.

3.    GENERAL CONFERENCE OF ELDERS – ANNUAL MEETING THIS WEEKEND (May 3-6) & COUNCIL OF ELDERS QUARTERLY MEETING (May 7-9)

The annual meeting of the General Conference of Elders will take place in Cincinnati this weekend through Monday, May 6 followed by the quarterly Council of Elders meeting through Thursday, May 9. There are many important issues before the GCE for the annual meeting that include annual budget ratification, issue discussions and selection of elders to fill 4 of the 12 seats on the Council.  The annual meeting of the elders requires a key spot on our daily prayer list. The last thing we seek is that man’s will be done—we now and always pray and plead for God’s will to be done, especially in matters of preaching the gospel of God’s soon-coming Kingdom to the world and the wise and active service of our UCG congregations.

        This year along with several other elders from around the world, both North Canton elder John Miller and pastor Randy Stiver have been nominated for Council of Elders The GCE will ballot on those positions of service plus other church matters on Sunday. Note: Neither of us in any way sought the nomination (lobbying has been decried from the very start of UCG in 1995). Please simply pray that God’s will be done in the selection process.

4.    KINGDOM OF GOD SEMINARS

Plans are afoot to conduct a Kingdom of God Seminar in each of our four church areas. Your faithful prayers will greatly and positively impact our effort! Our plan is to conduct the Wheeling area seminar first.

5.    SPOKESMAN CLUB – May 19

We need five club members to volunteer to give speeches at the next club meeting in Steubenville, OH. Those who are club graduates from the past would give one of the Graduate Club speeches. New club members who volunteer would be giving a full-length (6 ½ minutes) Icebreaker speeches.  Volunteers, please contact Jim Kocher, Keith Wilson or Randy Stiver, the Club directors.

6.    NEW BIBLE READING PROGRAM:  PENTECOST—ANTICIPATION & AFTERMATH

Our new congregational, Bible reading program builds on the interest, participation and benefit of the “Read the Psalms by Passover” project. The two books of the Bible that provide a logical lead-up to Pentecost are the books of Luke and Acts (technically, The Acts of the Apostles). The project is voluntary, but it will provide points of very interesting and beneficial fellowship discussion on the Sabbath.

Luke, a gentile physician, traveled extensively with the apostle Paul. God used him to record one of the four gospel accounts of Christ’s life, ministry and death for our sins. He also inspired Luke to write the Book of Acts.  This makes the two books of Scripture a logical study of the life and ministry of our Lord and Savior that led to the beginning of God’s Church on Pentecost, followed by the growth of God’s Church in tha first century.

Here is the schedule:

Luke 1 to 8          April 28 to May 4   

Luke 9 to 17   May 5 – 11     (reading for the coming week)

Luke 18 to 24     May 12 - 18

Acts 1 to 10        May 19 – 25

Acts 11 to 19      May 26 to June 1

Acts 20 to 28      June 2 - 8

End