The work of the Church—of which we are all a part—fully got underway almost two thousand years ago, on the Day of Pentecost. It continues to this day.
The Work of the Church and the Day of Pentecost
Much is underway here at the home office, as our staff members work diligently to fulfill their many responsibilities in caring for God’s people and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom.
For the Pentecost weekend, John and Merrie Elliott will be visiting several of our congregations in Michigan. We pray for their safe journey and return. The Elliotts are fitting into their new role of president and wife very well, providing encouragement, direction and focus in all that we do.
It’s hard to believe, but we are already developing ideas for our Strategic and Operation Plans for the 2026-2027 fiscal year! With diligent planning, we aim to faithfully develop and use the resources God has given us. The work of the Church—of which we are all a part—fully got underway almost two thousand years ago, on the Day of Pentecost. It continues to this day.
The Day of Pentecost
As members of the Body of Christ, we sometimes forget the great miracle which has taken place in all our lives. It is one of the greatest miracles of all time—the giving of God’s Holy Spirit.
When we study the Day of Pentecost in the Bible, we find the beginnings of this great miracle. In Acts 1:8, we read Christ’s instructions to His disciples: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The Greek word for power here is dunnamos, from which we get the terms dynamo and dynamite. This is powerful material! This promise from Christ was dramatically fulfilled within a few days of His statement on the Day of Pentecost.
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).
Later we find the Spirit descending on even larger groups of people. Thousands of lives were being changed dramatically by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The book of Acts is then filled in the following chapters with the stories of these people’s lives and the impact they had on the society of that day. The change was so evident they were accused of having “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).
The work of the Church gets underway
After the Holy Spirit was given to God’s people, the work of the Church truly got underway. We see the Church bringing a witness of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem—as was promised by Christ in Acts chapter one—and later to the ends of the earth.
We are continuing that work today. The world needs to know there is an alternative to what exists in our godless society. They need to know there is such a thing coming to earth as the Kingdom of God led by Jesus Christ.
The early congregations were fired up with zeal for the truth of the Kingdom! The book of Acts is replete with their accounts. We too, need to have that same zeal. We are the descendants of those early Church members! The Church of God continues to this day, and the gates of the grave cannot prevail against it! May we all have an inspiring Day of Pentecost, filled with the Holy Spirit.
Reminder: personal fast day
Please be reminded of Mr. Elliott’s request for us each to undertake a personal fast. Fasting can appropriately assist us in humbling ourselves before God, to reflect on causes and effects in our lives, and to be stirred by God’s Spirit toward godly oneness. If you haven’t already done so, please consider making a personal fast before Pentecost.
—Peter Eddington, Assistant to the President
From Ministerial and Member Services...
We are pleased to announce that on May 24, 2025 Santana Reyes was ordained into the ministry. He and his wife, Ellen, serve the Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas and Lawton, Oklahoma congregations.
We greatly appreciate your prayers for the Reyes as they continue to serve in their new responsibilities.
—Steve Myers, Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services
2025 Penang, Malaysia Feast of Tabernacles
Due to an overwhelming number of registrations for the Feast in Penang, we have been able to secure a larger meeting room to allow for more registrations. If you would like to or are intending to register for the Feast in Penang, please do so as soon as possible directly via the link: ucg.org/members/feast/sites/penang-malaysia.
Festival site in Penang, Malaysia.
We look forward to seeing you in Penang!
—Grant Chick, Penang Festival Elder
DFW Regional Family Weekend
On March 20–23, the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas congregations hosted the Regional Family Weekend with the theme, “Choose Life.” Over 320 brethren from 15 states and Canada gathered to cultivate meaningful relationships, deepen their faith and enjoy memorable moments together. A full report will be in the next issue of United News.
The “Vintage Hollywood”-themed prom was attended by 70 teens.
Thank you to all who attended and whose service helped make the family weekend such a success! Mark your calendars for next year’s DFW Regional Family Weekend, scheduled for March 20-22, 2026!
