töbDelileüt6ffi

Volume 53, No. I

The Book of Mormon tells us

that Lehi was a descendant ofJoseph who was sold into EgYPt (1

Nephi 5:14). This informationconcerning the lineage of Lehi is

very important, as the Bible makes

it quite plain tle descendants ofJoseph, or at least a branch of the

House of Joseph, were to have a

special land. It seems clear that thislãnd was America. Let us examinethe two blessings given bY Jacob

and Moses, respectivelY.Just before Jacob's death, he

blessed the two sons of JosePh,

Ephraim and Manasseh. Amongother things, he said, "l¿t themgrow inîo a multitude of nat¡ons inihe midst of the eanh," (Genesis48:16). To Joseph, he said, "Jo-seph is a fruitful bough, even a

fruitJul bough by a well, whoscbranches run over the wall" (Gen'esis 49:22).

Moses, just prior to his death,in blessing the tribe of Joseph said,

'Blessed of the Lord be his land.His horns are lik¿ the horns ofunicorns, and with them he shallpush the people together to the ends

of the earth. They are the ten

thousantls oÍ Ephraim and the

thousands of Manasseh"(DeuteronomY 33 : 12-17 ).

Let us notice the similaritY ofthe three blessings in regard to theland that JosePh was to have. It was

to be in 'the midst of the earth, "'over the wall" and 'ends of theeanh." Bv examining a globe, wefind that America is almost directlyonnosite where the blessings weresiven. Note also the similaritY ofihe blessings in regard to the popula-

tion of the land, as aPPlied in thenhrase "a multitude," "fruitfulbough,' "the ten thousands ofEphiaim," and the 'thousands ofManasseh. " The Book of Mormonstates that the NePhites and

Lamanites, who are descendants ofJoseph through Manasseh, became as

num-erous almost as the sands of the

sea on this land.Does it seem reasonable that

God should lead a Portion of Israel,His choice People to a strange land,and then ceæe to sPeak to them

through the voice of His ProPhets?We nõte that the Jews kePt a recordof the prophecies given to them fromtime to time. as recorded in t-he

The Bible Predicts the Coming ofThe Book of Mormon

By Apostle losePh Calabrese

Bible. Ezekiel speaks of this record

as the 'Stick ofJudah." But he also

soeaks of another record, to be

known as the 'Stick of JosePh" (see

Ezekîel 37 :15-23). These sticks are

to be put together, and made one in

God's hand. After this is done (verse

2l), Israel is to be gathered back to

their homeland. The ChristianWorld accepts the Stick of Judah as

the Bible. Saints of Latter DaY

accept the coming fortl of the Book

of Mormon as the fulfillment ofEzekiel's proPhecY, believing the

Book of Mormon to be the Stick ofJoseph. Shortly after the comingforth of the Stick of Joseph in these

last davs. the Jews began to return toJerusaíem. in fulfillment of verse 2l .

The prophet Isaiah tells us that a

book is to come forth. Let us

ex¿mine Isaiah 29:4. Here we findthat God's chosen people shall speak

out of the ground, and their sPeech

shall whisper out of the dust. Verse

I I says 4sgaled book is to be deliv-ered to an unlearned man, and tlewords of the book, to a learned man.

Verse l3 tells us the condition of the

world when the book comes forthVerse l7 tells us that in just a littlewhile after the book comes forth,Lebanon @alestine) shall be turned

into a fru ¡tful field. Verse 24 saYs

the book will be of a doctrinalnan¡re. Saints of Latter Day people

(Continued on Page 11)

2 January, 1997

fh"ffi'rbt

PART I

I shall treât this subject underseven headings, namely:

1. Essentiality of baptism.2. Reasons why some feel water bap-

tism is set aside as non-essential.3. Purpose of baptism.4. What is the sign that one is ready

for baptism?5. Mode of baptism.

Apostle Robert A. Watson

6. Authority to baptize.7. Perpetuality of baptism.

1. Essentiality of Baptism,

There are three steps requiredfor salvation, namely: faith, repen-

tance and baptism. It is virhrallyimpossible to obey and fulfill one tothe exclusion of the other two. Thekingdom of God represents the mostexclusive and selective kingdomever forme<l and salvation representsthat one has successfully completedand ñ¡lfilled his or her commitmentmade in the flesh, that is, to obey allthe laws and commandments pre-scribed by God through His Word.It is then of the utmost importancethat we place our obedient service toGod as the most important thing inour life.

It is not unreasonab¡e to believethat God's laws that rule the spiri-tual and mental world are any lessrigid and binding than the lawswhich rule matter and space. Theignorance or neglect of either thephysícal law or civic law does notpreclude that man must suffer bywhatsoever consequences he engen-ders by his omissive actions. Wehave all been marshalled by thephysical laws that govern suchpowerful forces as electricity andgravitation and we are all well awarethat nature has not made any excep-tions to the strict adherence of theselaws by every living creature on thisearth and that disobedience to theselaws brings misery. Is it not safethen to equate that the same parallelof punishment must apply to thosewho omit or neglect to obey all thelaws that govern the spiritualkingdom and the entrance thereofl

If, for example, a person keeps

Is Baptism Essential to Salvation?

By Ápostle Roben Å. Watson

all the laws of good citizenship åndthe only thing he does thar is wrongis to steal his neighbor's automobile,when he is apprehended and broughtbefore thejudge, is he not consid-ered a law breaker even though hehas kept all the laws but the one thatgoverns honesty? So God definesthat he who breaks the least of Hislaws is guilty of breaking them all,and the importance of making theselaws an everyday part of our life isbest described in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord ourGod is one Lord: Ànd thou shaltlove the Lord thy God with all thineheart, and with all thy soul, and withall thy might. And these words,which I command thee this day, shallbe in th¡ne heart: And thou sñaltteach them diligently unto thychildren, and shalt talk of them whenthou sittest in thine house, and whenthou walkest by the way, and whenthou liest down, and when thourisest up. And tlrou shalt bind themfor a sign upon thine hand, and theyshall be as frontlets between thineeyes. And thou shaÌt write themupon the posts of thy house, and onthy gates. "

The Bible also states to the lawand testimony meåning \.ve must goto the books, Bible and Book ofMormon, to examine what spirituallaws have been given by God tolegislate tbe actions of all mankinddesiring citizenship into His kingdom.

The commandment we arespecifically considering in thistreatise is baptism and its essentialityto salvation. We must first considerbaptism in the light of it being a law.Webster defines law as, 'any ruleexpected to be observed or a divinecommandment" and he definesessential as 'necessary to make athing what it is or indispensible" andfinally salvation as 'the saving of thesoul from sin and death." Havingagreed with ÌVebster on the fact thatlaw is a divine commandment, wemust assume that baptism is aspiritual law because it is expected tobe observed unconditionally and assuch becomes essential ¿¡s the follow-ing verses indicate. In the Bible wehave the following in Matthew

January, 1997 3

28:19-20, 'Go ye therefore, andteach all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father, and of theSon, and of the Holy Ghost: Teach-ing them to observe all thingswhatsoever I have commanded you:and, lo, I am with you alway, evenunto the end of the world. "

Mark 16: 15-16, 'And he saidunto them, Go ye into all the world,and preach the gospel to everycreature. He that believeth and isbaptized shall be saved; but he thatbelieveth not shall be damned. "Acts 2:38, Peter said, 'Repent, andbe baptized every one of you in thename of Jesus Christ for the remis-sion ofsins . . . "

Acts l0:47-49, Cornelius wastold by Peter, "Can any man forbidwater that these should not bebaptized... " Acts 16:30-33, thejailor asked Paul and Silas, "Sirs,what must I do to be saved?" Theysaid, "Believe on the Lord JesusChrist and tiou shalt be saved . . .

And he took them the same hour ofthe night, and washed their stripes;andwasbaptized..."

And in the Book of Mormonplease note the following: II Nephi9:23-24, " And he commandeth allmen that they must repent, and bebaptized in his name, having perfectfaith in the Holy One of Israel, orthey cannot be saved in the kingdomof God. And if they will not repentantl believe in his name, and bebaptized in his name, and endure tothe end, they must be damned; forthe Lord God, the Holy One ofIsrael, has spoken it." Please read IINephi 31:5-9, and II Nephi 31:17.

We have a great example on thecompulsory nature of baptism in theexample of Cornelius. Even thoughhe was worthy to receive the visita-tion of angels prior to baptism, hewas still required to be baptized.

2. Reasons Why Some Feel WâterBaptism Is Set Aside as Non-Essential.

There are some that wouldjustify the non-essentiality of bap-tism by quoting the following:Hebrews 9:9-10, 'Which was a

figure for the time then present, inwhich were offered both gifu andsacrifices, that could not make himthat did the service perfect, as

pertaining to the conscience; Whichstood only in meats and drinks, anddivers washings, and carnal ordi-nances, imposed on them until thetime of reformation. "

It is perhaps their feeling tlatthe wæhings and ca¡nal ordinancesrefer to water baptism and that thiswould be set aside at a designatedtime, but ¡s it not more proper tofeel that this rather refers to theceremonial washings practiced bythe Israelites under the Mosaical lawand receiving its fulfillment underChrist rath er than the baptism ofChristas prâcticed by the apostolic church?

There are those who would saY

that John the Baptist in saying, 'Iindeed baptize with \rater untorepentance but He that cometh afterme shall baptize you with fire andthe Holy Spirit," inferred that underthe Christian dispensation, waterbaptism was supplanted by thebaptism of the Holy Spirit.

There are many biblical illustra-tions of both water baptism andbaptism of the Holy Ghost beingequally required. Cornelius receivedbaptism of the Holy Spirit and stillwas required to be baptized bywater, Acts l0:,+4.

3. What is the Purpose of Baptism?

We can say as has been ex-pressed many times, it is an outwardsign of an inward emotion. ltaffords an opportunity for confessingto God and the whole world byperforming a physical act that waspreceded by repentance and completesurrender to God's will.

It has also been typified as aburial, meaning tìat at our baptism,we bury our old carnal nature andwe come up out of the waters as anew creature in Christ, Romans 6:4-5, "Therefore we are buried withhim by baptism into death: that likeas Christ was raiserl up from thedead by the glory of the Father, evenso we also should walk in newnessof life. For if we have been planted

together in the likeness of his death,we shall be also in the Iikeness ofhis resurrection. " Baptism alsoaffords us admission into.the Churchand is designed to be fully integratedwith repentance as is fecorded inMark l:4, "John did baptize in thewilderness, and preach the baptismof repentance for the remission ofsins." See also Acts 2:38. It is alsosymbolic of a cleansing and itspurpose is to wash away one's sinsas Paul declares of his baptism inActs 22:16, 'And now \ühy tafriestthou? æise, and be baptized, andwash away thy sins, calling on thename of the Lord. " Baptism is alsoreferred to as a door and as suchprovides an entrance into God'sKingdom on earth, II Nephi 3l:17,'Wherefore, do the things which Ihave told you I have seen that yourLord and your Redeemer should do;for, for this cause have they beenshown unto me, that ye might knowthe gate by which ye should enter.For the gate by which ye shouldenter is repentance and baptism bywater; and then cometh a remissionof your sins by fire and by the HolyGhost. "

4. What Is the Sign that One IsReady for Baptism?

One is ready for baptism whenthey show fruits of repentance andare willing to make a completesurrender to God as recorded inMoroni 8:25, 'And the first fruitsof repentance is baptism, andbaptism cometh by faith unto thefulfilling the commandments; andthe ñrlfilling the commandmentsbringeth remission ofsins." To bewilling to share with others is alsoindicative <lf one's readiness fotbaptism as recorded by Mosiah l8:5and 18:8-11.

To be also ready to makecomplete restoration of any wrong-doing as Zaccheus, Luke 19:8,* . . . Behold, Lord, tle halfofmygoods I give to the poor; and if Ihave taken any thing from any manby false accusation, I restore himfourfold."

(To Be Continued)

4 Januarv. 1997

Ä messaqe

from fhe"$evenfy

Four

Four trips were taken to Euro-pean mission fields since last April.They were made to England, Italy(twice), and Poland to assist úelaborers there and to str¡ve to bringmore souls to salvation.

The Lord's accompaniment andpresence were felt while traveling andduring the stays. Experiences andhealing were received and time wæspent in meetings and fellowship.

Brothers Nephi DeMercurio andSal Azzinaro travelerl to England onMay 18 and returned May 29. Theyworked with Brother Pat O'Callaghan,Resident Elder, who had been af-flicted. The Lord spared BrotherO'Callaghan from serious peril andhe \¡r'as returned ftom the hospital inone day.

The fìrst trip to ltaly was ftomluly 24 to September 25, and it wasmade by Brother Michael LaSala.While there, he traveled with BrotherRosario Scravaglieri, who is incharge of the Church in that nation,to visit the saints. Brother LaSalahas gone to Italy ftequently in thepast and has been very active in thefield, having journeyed extensivelywhile there.

Brothers Phil Jackson and DavidNolfi went to Poland on September25 and returned October 2. Theybaptized Katherine Spyra on this trip.On their previous trip in April, alongwith Brother Paul Palmieri, they hadbaptized her husband, BrotherEdward Spyra, who was ordained a

Teacher and has heen holding scrip-

European Trips Since Last April

þ Carl J. Frannolino, Evangelist Editor

reported that for the first six monthsof 1996, twenty-seven letters werewritten. Seven of these were ad-dressed to people in New Zealand,Germany, Argentina, Canada, Aus-tria, Spain, and Russia.

An overall list of the placesbeing serviced would perhaps be ofinterest and benefit to ¡eaders. As ofthe last October General ChurchConference, The Missionary Operat-ing Committee reported on the manyforeign and domestic locations. Theya¡e classified under eitìer the FMOC(reported above) or the AmericasMissions Operating Committee,which has places in North, Central,and South America under theirrespective regions.

UNDER AMOC

Outside the United States andCanada, fields are in Guatemala,under the Guatemala Region Operat-ing Committee, and in Mexico, underthe Mexico Region Operating Com-mittee in Tijuana, San Ysidro,Ahome, Gomez Palacios,Cuauhtemoc,Mexicali, Ciudad Netzahualcoyoti(Mexico City), and Pedernales. Inaddition, trips are being made to thenations of Peru and Venezuela inSouth America.

Locations under the domesticregions' (United States and Canada)Operating Committees are:

Atlantic Coast: Cottageville, SC;Brunswick, ME; the Bowery, NewYork City; Dedham, MA; andAvondale, PA.

Great Lakes: Muncey and SixNations Indian Reservations inOnta¡io, Canada.

Ohio-Midwest: Rochester andLockport, NY; Cincinnati, Colum-bus, and Kent, OH; Elizabethtown,KY; Independence, MO; South Bend,IN; and Omaha, NE/Bedford, IA.

Pacific: The Pacific Region wasin charge of the Mexican locationsuntil recently and has been workingalong with the Mexico RMOC.Programs are now being implementedwithin the Pacific Region.

Penn-Mid Atlantic: Elkins, rffV;Butler, PA; Cumberland, MD;

(Cont¡nued on Page I 1)

tural studies and prayer services withthe small group there.

The second trip to Italy wastaken on october 24 by BrothersThomas Liberto, Leonard Lovalvo,Louis Vitto, Michael LaSala (again)

and John DiBattista. They all re-turned the first full week of Novem-ber with the exception of BrotherLaSala who was schduled to stayuntil January. While they werethere, Brother Rosario Scravaglieriwas ordained into the office of anEvangelist, which had been approvedby the October General ChurchConference. They also were able tovisit members in that nation. Thefocus has been to help BrotherScravaglieri in his labors because ofthe large geographical area whichmust be covered.

In analyzing the activity in thefields, it can be seen that âttempts arebeing made to offer both support tothe locations and increase the num-bers in the fold.

UNDER FMOC

The European area is under theForeign Missions Operating Commit-tee. Other nations presently underthis group are Nigeria, Gha¡a, andKenya in Aftica and India. There a¡e

many sites in these countries, whichhave been reported in the past.

People are inquiring about theChurch from various parts of theworld. The General Church Corre-spondent, Brother Ríchard Lawson,

trDTTOR.IN.CIIIEFDotr¡ld RoF

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ASSTSTANT EDITORJêírey Gi¡Ùdti

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Editoríal Viewpoint .

It states in 2 Peter 3:8, "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one dayis with the lnrd. as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day' "

God is eternal. Times and seasons are known only to 6od. Time is not meåsured to God'Time is measured only to man.

The dictionary contains several definitions for the word time' As we enter a new year, one

approptiate defrnition is, "a suitable or opportune moment or season."

Another year hæ passed and gone. It will never return. A new yq has begun. -lt is inour hands. It is up to us what we make of it. It is up to us what we do with it' We can

use it for our spir¡tual growth. We can use it for the spiritual gror+th and re¿ch ofThe Church

of Jesus Christ.

Time is extremely important. It was measured in precise terms by the people of God

throughout the agès. The importance of the birth of Christ was emphasized by the Ne-phites

in the Book of Mormon. They began to reckon their time at the coming of Jesus Christ

Many people in scripture devoted their time by doing things for that great God, the Creâtor

of atÍ ttrings. The Bible and Book of Mormon contain several accounts of individuals and

groups of people who devoted their time and lives to the Lord and Saviour ofthe wo¡ld.

The Apostle Paul devoted many years of his lifeto missionary work. Hejourneyed far and

wide to tell people about The Church ofJesus Christ. He preached much and taught much

about the Son ofGod. He preached much and taught much about the God ofAbraham, Isaac

and Jacob. He suffered much for the cause ofJesus Christ. The Apostle Paul was relentless

in his devotion, service and zeal for the Lord.

The sons of Mosiah spent fourteen years preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the

Lamanite people. Imagine, fourteen years in the wilderness, away from home and the

comforts of Iife. They did not even stay together as a group during their missionary efforts.They separated so each one could do a part and be a pan of the great work ofthe Lord. Theywere confident, they had faith in God that He would guide them and protect them. Theirtrust was in the Lord that they should meet again at the close of their harvest.

Ecclesiastes 3: I states, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under

the heaven.'

What is your season? Is it now or later? Do not put your season off until tomorrow,tomorro\tr may never come. At the close of each day can you testify that you did somethingfor the Lord? What purpose do we have or make for time in our daily lives?

How do we use our time? ls our primary use of time to glorify God by our service and

obedience to Him? Can we lay a harvest at the feet of the Lord?

Our spiritual interests must be paramount in our lives. We should l¡ve our time to do thewill of God. There is much to do for the Lord and His Church.

The world needs the G<.rspel of love, the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel ofJesus Christ has been restored for mankind. \ e must bring it to them. We must declarethe glad tidings of great joy. We must go tell it on the mountain. Jesus Christ is alive! Heresurrected for mankind. He overcame the permanent sting ofdeath. He offers completeand total salvation. The Lord offers permanent and eternal lifel

TIIE GOSPf,L NDWS OSSN 0279-1056) it p.ùli¡hed @¡thry ror $ l2.q)per y.¡r by Th. Cburch ofJ.ssChdf PXINI IIOUSE, E¿r, Bodln.rRd., P.O, Bor 30, Bridßcw¡.c.,MI ,r8l lJ.{rc3{, 313-429-50E0. Pcr-io.li.d, pod¡ß. pa¡d ¡t S¡li¡€,Micùis¡! ¡hd ¡dditioù¡l B¡iliDß

POSTM/TSTER: SE{D N)DRF-SSCIIANGF,S TO: TIIE GOSPELNEWS BUSINESS OITTCD, P.O.BOX 30, BRIDGETY^TER,Ml ¿¡al r5.¡xl3{1. (Cont¡nued on Page 1 1)

6 Januarv. 1997

The

Children's

Corner

By Janet Steinrock

Put Evil Down;Stand Up For God

Dear friends,

Today I wa¡t to talk to youabout a dangerous problem starting togrow in the world and especially theUnited States a¡d Canada. It is theproblem of lonely, worriul peoplewho don't believe in God. Theproblem happens when these lonelypeople start looking for power in tleareas where the devil rules-the areas

of psychics, pretend psychics whotake peoples' money, ugly witchcraftand magic.

The devil is tricky. He tries tomake things look ha¡mless. Forexample, there is no such thing as agood witch or "\ hite witch." Witch-craft comes straight from the devil.Over and over in the Bible, God'speople are warned to stay away fromthese bad things. Stay away from allwitchcraft.

The true \ryay to power comesftom totally trusting in our Creator,God and our Savior, Jesus. As ourfaith grows and we practice relyingon God, miracles happen. Wlen wepray deeply for someone and Godhears, something better than magichappens. When we see our bad sidesand ask God to change us, a truemiracle happens and we grow inside.We can be way stronger and betterwith God.

God also wants us to be likeShadrach, Meschach and Abednego.God wants us to stând up for Himand put all evil down. When thesemen refused to worship a statue ofthe king, their lives were threatened.

The king tried to kill them by throw-ing them in a fiery fr¡rnace. But anangel was sent down to save them.Everyone saw how truly powerfulGod is.

You can trust God. When badthings happen, you can pray and feelyour spirits lift. But you need toremember who 'you" a¡e. You needto be strong too. When kids atschool or at a party want to tellfortunes, play with toys that suppos-edly tell the fortune, call a psychic oreven tell horrible ghost sûories, say"No!" Le¿ve the room. Playsomething else.

Don't read evil books or watchmovies about evil spirits or evenhappy little ghosts. These things arenot for us. God is in charge of theentire universe. You don't have tofear aliens, or evil spirits. No onehas power over you when you serveJesus and call on His name to saveyou.

If you've made a mistake andsinned, quickly beg God to forgiveyou. Then call on Him, in the nameofJesus to help you, to take away thefear and to make evil leave you. Hecan. He will. He cares for you.You ¿re never a.lone. Keep yourheart and mind clear of evil and cleanand trust in your Savior. He caresfor you.

With love,Sister Jan

WORD SEARCH

DISTRUST THRO\ryALL OUTUGLY ALL

Note of Thanks

Dea¡ Brothers and Sisters,

My farnily and I would like tothank ¿rll of you for your prayers inbehalf of Brother Anthony Lovalvoduring his illness, and also for all ofyour loving cards and prayers afterhis passing. They have been verycomforting. God bless each one ofyou.

Love in Christ,Sister Anne Lovalvo

WITCHCRAFTCALLONGODTRUSTHIMANDHISPRECIOUSSONIESUSCHRISTwHoHAS

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1997

{lur ïfomenftdat

Ladies' Uplift CircleAliquippa, PA

By Sister Dora Rossi

The Ladies' UPlift Circle inAliquippa, PennsYlvania has been

busi ttris píìst year with a variety ofactivities. These activities were tosupport the surrounding communityand the Church.

On two occasions, the LocalCircle donated baked goods to the

community "Meals on rWheels"

aqencv. This agency helps to suppon

tli'o." ittut are leis fortunate' We felta wonderful blessing æ we endeav-

ored to help the needY and at the

same time. set an examPle for the

Lord. We are often reminded that we

must 'love our neighbor as ourself' "The sisters held a sPecial meet-

ins at the home of Sister Erma Rossi,

wño because of Poor health, is not

able to attend ouì meetings' We all

received a blessing as each sister bore

her testimonv' The fellowshiP and

love of God was wonderful. What a

tremendous gift, the love of God'

We shared iiamong ourselves and

esneciallv with Sister Erma Rossi'' We also visited another shut-insister. Antoinette Giannetti at the

Beavór County Geriatric Center' She

wæ honored bY over twentY visitors

who sang several hymns' The sisters

of the Lõcd Circle presented her witha beautiful Dlant to brighten her

surroundings. t e pray that it will be

a reminder of our visit and our love'

The sisters wanted our Local

Circle membeis, Sisters Erma Rossi

and Antoinette Giannetti who can no

lonser mâke it to the me€tings, to

k¡Ñv now much theY are missed and

loved.We ha<t a number of fund-raisers

durine the vear. The intent $'¿¡s to

sunoirt ttre goals of the General

Chúrch Ladies' UPlift Circle, to

suoDoft our Local Circle and to

.ub'pott ou. branch. MaY God bless

our Circle as we endeavor to serve

Gocl and to helP the manY mission-

aries with our prayers and financial

support.

The sisters

rya

Penn Mid-AtlanticRegional MBA

FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY

By Sister Lucetta Scaglione

The Penn Mid-Atlantic Regional

MBA held their annual retreat at

Antiochian Village, September 20-22,i996. The theme was FAITH,HOPE and CHARITY.

rJy'e arrived on Friday eveningwith great anticipation for a blessed

weekend. After a short orientationmeeting, the remainder of the timewas spãnt in fellowship and greetingeach new arrival.

Saturday began verY earlY in the

morning with a beautiful PraYermeeting. Brcther Bill Colangelo

spoke to us in our chapel service. Hereminded us that "We Have AnAnchor- ín Jesus Christ. He told ofan experience his motìer had manYyears ago that expressed a marvelousiaith in our Lord. Jesus Christ' The

Lortl actuallv repaired a fallen ceilinghecause she Put her service to Him

before anything else. Brother Billasked us, 'Believeth thou this?"Brother Jim Speck also sPoke' He

likened the triãls and temptations in

our lives as going through the fierY

furnace. We could be consumed but

with faith in our God, He will bring

us through. We are like those vessels

of gold. Each time we go through

that furnace we become stronger'nurified bv the fire of Jesus Christ'îhe remainder of tÏe daY was filledwith the usual activities. Everyone

talked about the spirit-filled seminar

classes as theY discussed FAITH'HOPE and CHARITY. The after-

noon was taken uP with recreation

and craft classes. The children had a

great time taking part in a carnival ofsames.

Our first sPeaker on SaturdaY

evenins was Brother Pete Giannetti,Jr. He-read the scripture about the

Samaritan woman meeting Jesus at

the well. Jesus asked this woman fora clrink. Then Jesus told her, if she

knew who He was, she would ask

Him for that living water, that wâter

that would quench her thirst so that

she would never thirst again. Brother

Pete æked, 'Are You thirstY' to-nisht? Âre vou running to and fro

triing to quench that thirst, but it

can't be quenched?" Listen to that

still. smail voice that says, *I am the

livins water, drink of me and I willorenih vou, thirst'" What Jesus

nff"ta ui is sweet but we have to

exercise faith to receive it lfyour'soul has'been crYing for the livingwâter. oDen voui heart that you willnever'thirst ãgain. Brother Paul

Palmieri reminded us that we were

like this woman beforè we met the

Lord. But thank God, as He forgave

this woman, He forgave us. Now we

have hooe because He loves us'Brother Paul Ciotti exhorted us that

we are at the fountain drinking. The

woman at the well left her water Potto go tell the others about Jesus' Are

we willing to leave our water pots or

those natural things in our lives that

mean nothing and Pick uP our sPiri-

tual water põs to be frllel with Faith,

Hope and öharitY? We are the wells,

to becote fountains, to extend to

others that they too can d¡ink of this

livins water. Our message is a

messãge of hope to the world indesoair. The remainder of ourmeeting was spent in giving testimo-nies and singing Praises to ourSavior, Jesus Christ.

Brother TonY Ricci oPened ourSunday Service. He read from the

(Continued on Page 11)

MissionorYBenevolentAssociotion

8 January, 1997

Baptism ln Freehold, NJ

By Brother Cæl Huttenberger, Jr.

On August 18, 1996, weûìanked God to again be at thewater's edge to witness the baptismof Oswaldo Reyes into the Church.He was baptized by Brother CarlHuttenberger, Jr. and confirmed byBrother Jim Crudup. As one brotherput it, BrotÌìer Oswaldo wæ the "firstfruits ofJoseph," being the firstyoung person from the Seed ofJoseph to be baptized in our branch.We hea¡d his testimony of how he,while in Maine for the Yourh inAction, felt God's call the nightbefore leaving there. While theywere singing Ta¡te the Grass on theSwufiiL and Brother Oswaldo waspraying within himself if it was histime, a power overtook him and heleaped to his feet during the song anclasked to be baptized.

At the water's edge, a sister hada vision in which she saw a person-age in black trying to grab BrotherOswaldo but she saw him turn and gothe other way. Praise God thatthrough baptism we can turn fromSatan and turn from this world toenjoy a life of blessings in servingGod. Wlile he was being confirmedanother vision was had in which asister saw Brother Oswaldo turngolden and saw a heavenly personagewith his hands on Brother JimCrudup's shoulders as he confirmedBrother Oswaldo. Another sister saidshe dreamed there would be morebaptisms, but in her dream she sawthat Brother Oswaldo was the first.She dreamed this before she evenknew of Brother Oswaldo's desire.We praise God for His wonderfulmanifestations. The gift of tonguescarne forlh while a visitor wastestifying during our afternoon MBA.We are reminded of the scripture thatteaches us tlat the gifu would be inour midst so long as we would

believe.It is truly a joy when one would

surrender his life to Jesus Christ andæ the angels in heåven were surelyrejoicing, we too rejoiced in anotherone ofour children who is safelyhome. May God bless you all.

Showers of Blessings inFort Pierce, FL

By Sister Terri Benyola

May 5, 1996 was no ordinaryday for the saints in the Fort Pierce,Florida Branch. During our testi-mony meeting three souls made itknown of their desire to be baptizedin The Church ofJesus Christ:Brenda Scott, the natural and nowspiritual sister of Sister Mary Cason,Melissa Martin, who is a very goodfriend of Sister Mary Carson and JimGriffin, the husband of Sister Ca¡olGiovannone Griffin. The sain*gatlered up hymnals ard somebelongings a¡d went to the wâters ofregeneration. S¡ster Brenda Scott andBrother Jim Griffin were both bap-tized by Brother Rocco Benyola.Sister Melissa Martin was baptizedby Brother Frank Rogolino.

When we returned to the branch,Sister Brenda was confirmed byBrother Norman Campitelle, SisterMelissa was confirmed by BrotherSam Costarella and Brother Jim wæconfirmed by Brother NormanCampitelle. A wonderful spirit wâsfelt as sacrament was being passed.As this wonderful day came to anend, the brothers, sisters and friendsformed a circle of love and wedismissed the blessed day in prayer.

On May 12, 1996, Motïers'Day was a special Sabbath day. Thebrothers met at the branch early andprepared breakfast for the mothers.What an expression of love! Afterthis act of love, we waited on theblessings of God.

Our service began with theblessing of five children. AmandaGriffin was blessed by Brother FrankRogolino; Summer Martin by BrotherRon Crradi; Travis Ma¡tin byBrothe¡ Rocco Benyola; Michael

Martin by Brother Sam Costarellaand Daniel Shane Martin by BrotherNorman Campitelle. During theblessings a sister had a vision that apersonage stood by each Elder and agold light and white light shownbeyond description.

Brother Ron Carradi visitingfrom the Lake Worth Branch openedthe meeting by saying how importantour mothers are. He reåd concerningthe two thousand stripling soldiers inthe Book of Mormon and how theyrehearsed the words of their mothers.Brother Ron also mentioned thenecessary role of a mother towa¡dsher children. He expounded to usthat we should remember our spiri-tual mother, The Church ofJesusChrist. Let us not take this Iightlybecause it is an honor and a blessingto be a member.

Brother Frank Rogolino spoke,stating it was the prayers of motherstlat on many occasions preservedtheir children. Brorher NormanCampitelle asked the children tocome up front. One by one he gaveeach child the microphone and theythanked God for their mothers. Whata wonderful blæsing our children areto their parents and to the Church.We enjoyed a season of testimony.

It was good to be in the Houseof the Lord today. Remember us inFort Pierce, Florida. God bless you.

News from Hollywood, FL

By Sister Janet Humphrey

The sisters ând brot¡ers of theHollywood, Florida Branch, withGod's blessings, have been workingvery hard towards our goal of a newot expanded building. We havegrown in membership to the pointthat we need to expand our presentbuilding or build a new one. PraiseGod!

Towards this end, we have beenraising funds through a variety ofactivities. We conducted a car washand in spite of the hot, sunnyweather, tle sa¡nts had a good deal ofenergy and high spirits as theywashed a number of vehicles. We

January, 1997 9

sold candy and the sale was verysuccessñ¡|. It helped us inch our wayhigher in the building tund, whilegiving us an opportunity of spreadingthe word that Jesus is the way andtelling people about The Church ofJesus Christ.

A few brotiers and sistershosted and prepared a deliciousdin¡er for our 'Latin AmericanFiesta Fund Raiser." Our hosts wereSister Helen and Brother JohnCatone, Lisa and Brother OscarLopez and Sister Susan and BrotherDennis Moraco. Our special guestfor the evening was Brother Ma¡kMancinelli from the Inner CityBranch in Detroit, Michigan. Heshowed his wonderful photographicslide presentation from his travelsaround the Southwestern UnitedStates and Mexico. May all thosewho viewed this beautiful collectionbe inspired to work with the Seed ofJoseph.

Please remember us in yourprayers. Our desire is to spread theGospel of Jesus Christ and with Hishelp, expand our meet¡ng place so wecan comfortably accommodate themembership and visitors. God blessyou all is our prayer.

Baptism in Spartanburg,scBy Sister Connie Rossi

August 25, 1996 was a day ofrejoicing and great jubilee at theSpartanburg, Soutï Ca¡olina Missionas fourteen year old Melissa Rossirendered obedience to the Gospel andwas baptized by Brother DarrellRossi. lt was especially a joyous dayfor Brother Darrell and myself as

Melissa is our daughter. We havebeen blessed to see two of ourdaughters baptized within the pasttwo years. Our oldest daughter,Nikki Marcantonio, sixteen, wasbaptized in 1994.

The day of Melissa's baptismstarted off with ominous clouds andthreats of thunderstorms but the l¡rdgraciously held back the rain for this

blessed event. However, the rainwas not the only threat to stop thisbaptism. The water spot that wehave used in the past for baptismswas now rope<l off with a 'NoTrespassing" sign across it but Ìvedid not let that stop us. We allproceeded to a nearby park and usedthe park lake.

After Melissa's baptism, weproceeded back to Church whereBrother Da¡rell and Brother Ha¡oldLittlejohn laid hands on Melissa andprayed for the gift of the Holy Spiritto come upon her life.

Bro. Rossi baptizing Mel¡ssa.

It turned out to be a beautifulbaptism and we thank God for Hisgoodness and mercy and for remov-ing all obstacles from us this day.\Ve also thank Him for calling yetanother one of our youth into theChurch. We ask all our brothers andsisters to keep our new young sisterin your prayers and that many moreyoung and older souls would answerthe same call and they, too, wouldrender obedience to the Gospel ofJesus Christ.

The Gospel inCottageville, SC

By Sister Carol Racz

The Caring ancl Sharing Pro-gram left on one of its routine trips tothe mission in Cottageville, SouthCarolina on the evening of May 23,1996. r#e returned home in the early

morning hours of May 27 , 1996. Agroup of sisters and brothers from theEdison and Metuchen, New JerseyBranches ventured on this missionaryeffort. There were three sisters,Marge Crupi, Joan Longuillo and

Carol Racz and brothers ftom Edi-son, headed by Phil Arcuri andAngelo Zaino. Three young peoplefrom Edison journeyed along as

\üell-Stephanie Crupi, her sister,Elise and Brother Marc Zaino.Laurie Schmidt representedMetuchen. It was a "sleeves rolledup ready to work" dedicated group.\Ve worked hard and enjoyed thecompany of all.

The group's main objective wæto distribute food and to make con-nections in an underlying effort to putforth the news of the Gospel Re-stored. Twenty-seven families werevisited and food was distributed tothem. A majority of these familieswere Native Americans of the Ed¡stoTribe, a branch of the Natchez KussoIndians. The other families com-prised the surrounding needy commu-nity. Is there a better combinationthan to spiritually feed the Seed ofJoseph as we endeavored at the same

time to feed and clothe, naturally,úose who are poor?

A special blessing was added tothis trip. During our Sunday service,Sister Juanita Riley had hands laid onas she was reinstated into fellowshipin The Church ofJesus Christ. TheLord has abundantly blessed SisterJuanita during the past year. Sherequests our prayers on her behalf.

The Sunday meeting had an

attendance of eighteen, includingJohn Muckenfuss, a representative ofthe Indian community and membersfrom the Spartanburg, South CarolinaMission. The brothers and sisters ofSpartanburg always support Cottage-ville. Brother Ralph Lee Heung, anordained Teacher, Iives in Cottage-ville, not far from the mission.Every Sunday he conducts scripturelessons for Sister Juanita and visitors.Brother Ralph keeps the "home fires"burning for the mission when thebrothers and sisters are away.

\Ve ask you to remember theCottageville Mission in your prayers.

l0 Januarv. 1997

Visitors in Modesto, GA

By Sister Valerie Dulisse

We were honored to have withus Brother Rosario Scravaglieri fromItaly and Brother Mike LaSala fromDetroit, Michigan in April 1996.The brothers had recently attendedthe General Church Conference andwere visiting various branches.Brother Rosario told us that he hadbeen asked by the General Church tocome and visit our branches and totake something back to Italy as ameans of reinforcing the branchesthere. Brother Rosario spoke on thescripture regarding Nicodemus. Heasked us, "What is important in orderfor us to receive eternal life?" Hegave Christ's answer, 'You must beborn again of the water and of thespirit." He directed this part of hissermon to those who have not yetbeen baptized. It is important that werealize that we are beginning a newlife in Christ. For those who havenot yet been baptized, he told a littlestory to illustrate his point.

Once there was a little boy whoput his hand into a vase and could notget it back out again. He told his

fatler, who then asked him to stretchhis fingers in and pull up gradually.The boy said, 'If I open my fingers,I will drop the money I have in myhand!" This story symbolizes theconflict between the natural and thespiritual within us. Brother Rosarioadvise<l us that his wish for us is thatour faith and spirituality wouldalways be strong, and wherever weare, to always remain happy in theLord. He encouraged those who a¡enot baptized to examine themselvesand turn to the Lord in prayer, andhe is sure we will receive an answer.He exhorted us to not stop praying;to seek and we shall find. Thecongregation stood as BrothefRosario read Psalm 100 to us, whichencourages us in praising God insong and worship.

Brother Mike LaSala continued,speaking of tìe restoration of thisbeautiful Gospel by the gloriousrecord, The Book of Mormon. Wein The Church of Jesus Christ are asmall church in the midst of so manychurches, but we ale the largestchurch in the world with the fullGospel of Jesus Christ. We mustbelieve in our heÀrts that we have thetruth. As Brother Mike spoke thewords, 'God will bless His Church!",Brotler Matthew Picciuto stood upand spoke in the gift of tongues.Such a powerful spirit enveloped us.

The interpretation of the gift oftongues was, "This is My Church.These a¡e My words." BrotherJoseph Lovalvo said he felt the powerand spirit of God both during thetongues and during the interpretationby Sister Sue Coppa.

Brother Mike spoke on tleimportance of fasting and prayer-that God has always moved His hand

after the brothers and sisters fast andpray. We should feel the convictionin our hearts tlat this is the trueGospel Restored in our Church.

Many anointings and testimoniesfollowed. Brother Ken Brown wasanointed and instandy healed ofsevere back pain as our BrotherRosario began to sPeak a PraYer forhis healing.

In closing, Brother MatthewPicciuto reminded us to guard this

beautiful faith which we have beengiven. Such a refreshing fountain ofliving waters was there for us todrink from this day. We all leftspiritually filled and joyous for thegreat blessings God had poured outupon us.

The Nephites Three

By Sister Mabel Bícþ.er'on

Have you heard of the Nephites three,Left on ea¡th for you and me?The Restored Gospel has made plainHere among us they still remain.

John the Beloved has work to do,Like these three, strength to rene\ry,

For the weary, the weak and needy,All mankind may live spiritually.

The saying went abroad about JohnThe words ofJesus to follow on-He may tarry until I return,What is that to thee, be firm.

Great and marvelous works by theirhand

Will minister to tribes of every land,The Jews and Gentiles shall know

them not,As God's great plan shall be wrought.

In a twinkling of an eye their changeshall be,

When the Father comes on earth to see,

Many souls below who have foundthe way,

The Gospel of Truth, enjoy and obey.

May we live as saints and wonhy beTo meet Ìvith John and the Nephites

three,And sing upon that golden shoreTo dwell with Christ forever more.

' For January, 1997 the CDrates for úe General Church

Pl!!ic: ru1a,*':*..{!1li*l:]:':,.

I yq¿r 5.35?62 years 5.45fo3 years 5.55?o

t02:: wàùtrilvórk¡ :Rd:

ì::Clârion;: PA,16214:L.

| ;.:.: B | 4-227 -242 l : :

Januarv 1997 l1

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: HAPPY :aO

: NEV/ YEAR :aaaa

: To All Our Readers iaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

DIRECTORY UPDATE

Elzby, Michelle and Lisa380 trvaterloo Ave.Apt. 605Guelph, Ontario NlH 7HB(s19) 8224364

Morle, Ron and Kim350 Burch Rd.Fayetteville, GA 30215(770\ 719-3205

BOOK OF MORMON continued...

claim that Isaiah 29 has been fulfilledby the coming forth of the Book ofMormon. Let us see in what manner.

The Book of Mormon plateswere hid in the ea¡th. After beingtranslated and read, it is as one"speaking from the dust." The bookhas a'familia¡ spirit," as its teach-ings are like those of the Bible. Therecord wæ delivered by an angel toan 'unlearned man" (Joseph Smith),the "lea¡ned man" being ProfessorAnton to whom some of the cha¡ac-ters from the plates and their transla-tion were taken for examination. Therecord teaches such doctrines as faith,repentance, baptism, laying on ofhands, resurrection of the dead, andeternal judgment. The book didcome forth just 'a little while" priorto 'Lebanon becoming a fruitfulfield." Historians tell us that in theyear 1853, rains again descendedupon Palestine, which for years had

been a brren waste, The Book ofMormon came forth in 1827. Since,according to prophecy, a book was tocome forth just previous to therestoration of Palestine's fertility, thecoming fort} of the Book of Mormonmust be this book, as it fulfills theprophecy in every respect, and noother book of which we know identi-fies itself as the one that does this. Ifthe book has not already come forth,it is too late now for it to fulfillprophecy.

For a description of Joseph'sland (America), see Deuteronomy33:13-17. AIso see John 10:16,'rOther Sheep" (llouse of Israel),and Psalms E5:11 @ook of Mor-mon).

MESSAGEcont¡nued...

Spartanburg and Gastonia, NC; andsr. John, KS.

Southeast: Orlando and Home-steåd, FL; New Orleans, LA; andAtlanta, GA.

South\ryest: Lakeside and SanCarlos, AZ; Tse Bonito, NM; andPaonia and Denver, CO.

EDITORIAL cont¡nued. . .

The world needs the 'youth inaction." It needs the older people inaction. It needs the entire member-ship of His Church in action.

Wherever the Church is estab-lished, in every city and country, wemust reach out to the souls of menand women. We must establish newbranches and missions. We mustreach out to the souls of men andwomen to insure they have an oppor-tunity to heâr and obey the RestoredGospel of Jesus Christ.

Consider the beauty of hearingone person say, "I am glad you camemy way! Because of you, I met theMaster. Because of you, I met TheChurch of Jesus Christ!" PraiseGod! \Vhat a testimony!

Serving the Lord is not limitedby age. Remember that Moses was

eighty years of age when God usedhim for His purpose. Moroni wætwenty-five years old when he wasappointed Chief Captain in theeighteenth year of the reign ofJudges.

Time slowly but surely ispassing away. Time slowly butsurely is ticking away. We must takeadvantage of eåch moment, eåchopportunity. Each day that passes bycould be a missed opportunity. Wemust make eåch moment count!

Suppose the Lord asks, "whathave you done for me today? Canyou answer in the affirmative dratyou did something for Him? Canyou tell Him that you testified of Himto someone today?

Did you call someone today?Did you visit someone today? Didyou pray for someone today? Didyou go to Church for the weeklyscheduled services?

PIeæe do not \¡r'aste the time thatGod has given you. It is precious. ltis up to you what you do with it. Itis up to you what you make of it.Use it for His honor and His glory.It will be counted to you for good.

PENN MIO-ATLANTIC MBAcontinued . . .

third chapter of Hebrews. He told usthat we have the great house of Godwithin us. If we are the redeemed ofJesus Christ, we should have confi-dence in this house that is built upona rock. It is made with the bestmaterials because the carpenter anddesigner is Jesus Christ. He hopesthere is that living water flowingfrom our house. If we have anyclogs in our pipes, we should cieanthem out. There has to be life in ourwater so that others may dip in anddrink from us. We want to makesure today that the water flowingfrom ou¡ threshhold is clear, pureand full flowing, filled with Faith,Hope and Charity. Brother PeterGiannetti, Sr., asked, "Whose houseare we?" God called us to labor andbring the Restored Gospel to the

(Continued on Page 12)

Children Blessed

Ma¡issa Nicole Campitelle, daughter of Norman and

Susan Campitelle, was blessed on September 29, 1996 at

Branch #1, Chesterfield, Michigan.

Dominic Anthony DiMelis, son of Brother Dino and

Sister Christina DiMelis, was blessed on September 15,

1996 in Branch {2, Ãllen Park, Michigan'

&lward Anthony Callahan, son of Edward and

Ma¡ina Callahan, was blessed in the Cleveland, OhioBranch on September 15, 1996.

Thomæ Anthony Salerno, son of Tom Joseph and

Shirley Ann Salerno, was blessed in the Niles, OhioBranch on April 14, 1996.

OBITUARY

we v,ish to express our sympathy to those that mourn

over the loss of toied ones. Møy God bless and comfort

Jqu.

\VILMER (RED) M. BARRON

Brother r ilmer M. Barron of the Vanderbilt,Pennsylva¡ia Branch passed away to his eternal reward on

Octobôr 19, 1996. H; *as preced"d in death by his wife,Alverta Bartock Barron and other family members.

Brother Barron is survived by one brother, Earl E.

Barron; two sisters, Edna Barron and Mrs. Samuel Jean

Polgrato; tlree sons, Regis Barron, Robert Barro¡- and

Leoìard W. Barron; one daughter, Shirley Hodgkiss;eleven grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.

Address Change

Name

Address

Phone

* WEDDING *

Judith Marie Dix and Ronald Ha¡kovich were united

in marriage on June 28, 1996 in Branch #1, Chesterfield,Michigan.

PENN MID-ATLANTIC MBA cont¡nued . . '

world. Our caìling is a serious thing. Are we willing to

give our all to see t¡e Gospel go forth? We all have a

[art to play and we better play it well. Brother Paul^Ciotti, jr., a¿vise¡ us that if we are the house or temple

of God, then God dwells within us' We should put our .-.confidence in Him and He will never fail us. Charity willnever fail. Why? Because it is Jesus Christ. God loved

us so much thai He gave His only begotten Son for us''Brother Paul Palmieri testifred of being at peace because

he was with the people of God' He said it is Jesus Christ

who makes our houie of any worth. We don't worship

the house but the builder, Jesus Christ. Isn't it beautiful

to say I belong to Jesus Christ and I don't have to worry

anvmore? Gei your family and friends to come to Jesus

so"tlrat they migtrt feet this comfort zone BrotÏer Bob

Nicklow thougñt about Philip and the eunuch' After the

eunuch heard the word and saw the \ ater he asked,

'What hindereth me to be baptized?" Brother Bob related

a dream he had where he saw a large body of water and a

woman in the water with only her head showing. He was

siven to understand she represented those who were

irugeling. He encouraged those who were struggling to

tisteTio Áe call and let go of the wcrld, the Lord has His

hands outstretched. Brother Paul Aaron Palmieri said the

call has gone out. The waters of life are here in The

Church õf Jesus Christ. He test¡fted that the scripture

that Brother Ricci used was also given to him before the

meeting.Biotler Rich Scaglione led the congregation in a

special prayer for a young boy from Munce-y who is very

ill. Brothei Patrick Monaghan, our c¿ìmp director,testifie<l how the Lord blessed him with the theme,

FAITH, HOPE and CHARITY after much fasting ând

Draver.' We can truly say' it was a weekend well spent in

ihe service of God and in f'ellowship with the saints'

Some of our upcoming events for the next year,

199'1 , are:

Januarv 18, 1997-A seminar at Monongahelå, PA

Februarv 14- 1997-A. marriage enrichment weekend

Aoril 5.'199i-Regional Conference at McKees Rocks, PA

tøemorí¡ Day Weekend-A singles retreât at Vanderbilt' PA

J'tne 7 , 199':.'-A weekend trip to the Herndon, VA Branch

September, 1997-Annual weekend retreat

God bless and keeP You all.

töbrlelilef+s

All to Jesus, I surrender,AII to Him, I freelY give.

Our Sundav morning service

was opened at tñe waters of baPtism

witn ùints ftom Ohio, Michigan,and Pennsvlvania. Sister AbbY

Holan askäd for her baPtism at

camoout and was baPtized in the

Warren. Ohio Branch bY Brother

Raloh Cartino on JulY 14, 1996'

fnó Sp¡rit of God was felt from the

time we gathered at tle water'sedse. Br;úer Mike Nuzzi had a

vis'íon of a Personage in a white

robe walking beside Brother RalPh

æ he escorted Sister AbbY into the

water. As Brother RalPh broughtSister Abbv out of the water, thepersonage iut a gold crown on her

Èead and it had jewels in it!Returning to Church, Brother

RalDh Cartino, Jr' and Sisters Barb

^nd D"unn. Nuzzi sang the beauti-

ful and fitting hYmn, I SurrenderAlt. Ã ptaYer that God's spiritwould be with our sister was

offered bY Brother Phil Jackson'

Brother J-ohn Genaro Pronouncedthe Holy Ghost uPon Sister AbbY'

Bróther Bob Batson oPened the

meeting by saying that this-daY wæa dav o--f cêlebration not onlY forAbbí. but for the saints as well'He focused on tle Young adults that

have made tleir commitment to

Christ and how theY influence those

around them and those who are

orowins uD in tlre Church that are

ioung.i tliun they are' Through the

ve¿rs, parents offer many prayers

ior their children as theY grow uP'

from the time they are born and

blessed in ùis Church until the time

when thev are at the age of account-

abilitv. ihe responsibility we have,

^ ouí"nr., is veiY great' He likened

rttiÅ to Rttu and iis son Alma and

the four sons of Mosiah' DesPite

*re error of their ways, their parents

continued to PraY that theY might

turn to the works of God. The

nravers of Alma were not in vain'inänsel of God sPoke to these

ununimen with such Power that

ín"u ieoented of their sins and the

oeriecut¡on they gave to the Church'

iVe as oarents are in the same

nosition as Alma wæ in. We want

ãur children to feel the authority that

was brought to earth by Jesus Christ

and siveñto this Church, The

Chuich of Jesus Christ'CollectivelY' we are all their

mothers and fathers, having tl¡e same

desire as Alma had for his son'

There comes a Point where we need

to let so and lei God work with the

ununnl ev cod using His SPirit, He

íeadsîs to Him, not bY forcing us,

Baptism in Warren, Ohio but rhrough His grace. W-e rejoice to

.o out "Ëildt"n

èome to Christ just

as Alma did.We need to glorifY Cod for His

mercv and goodness toward us'

Sroth"r gob encouraged us not only--

tn iem"tnUet the youñg people but all

those who come lnto contact \ryith

The Church of Je'sus Christ' r¡y'e

should orav for them as if theY were

òur cnií¿ren, praying for their souls,

to see ûle Power and feel God's

Snirit.' Brother Phil Jackson followedand continued on the storY of Alma

and how God had a great work for

him to do along with the sons ofltiã.iu¡; trt"v cãnverted thousands ofneoDle into tlre GosPel of Jesus

bh.ì.t. Ht th"n commented on the

saving 'WhY me?", turning this

"tt'rr.ã tto*-u negative to a positive

Lwhv me? WhY did God Pick me?

Why'did God cÉoose You for His

kinsdom?"God Picke<l each of us for a

numose. Of those who we see as

ã.ti;s sreåt works, it's eæY for us to

,n.*-.itlt"t question. Why does God

.olf t¡".tipptø, those less fortunate?

So that thev can glorifY His name to

others. 'lùhat is our PurPose? \ hat

has God called me to do?' We all

have a iob-to labor for Him' This

is howïe Íùlfill what He hæ asked

us to do. Brother Phil asked that we

(Cont¡nued on Page l0)

PART II AND CONCLUSION

5. Mode of Baptism,

The word baptize is from theGreek 'baptizo or bapto" signifyingto dip, plunge or immerse. -Such -

classical writers as polvbius andStrabu who lived priorio or at rhetime of t¡e Savior used the word inthis sense fiom which it is fair to

Apostle Robert A. Watson

infer that such was the meaninsintended where it is used in thË N"*Testament.

Mosheim, in his ecclesiæticalhistory Volume l, page 129 says,-the sacrament of baptism wasadministered in this fìrst century

without the public Assemblies inplaces appointed and prepared forthe purpose and was performed byimmersion of the whole bodv..Martin Luther says the term baptismis a Greek word; it may be renderedby dipping as when we dip anythingin water that it may be entirelycovered with water. Calvin said theword baptize signifies to immerseand the rite of immersion wasobserved by tlre ancient Church,

Schaaf, an ancient Swisstheologian says, 'As to the outwardmode of administering this @aptis-mal) ordinance, immersion and notsprinkling was unquestionably theoriginal normal form; not until theend of the l3th century did sprin-kling become the rule and immer-sion the exception.

John Wesley writes, 'Buriedwith him," alluding to the ancientmanner of baptism by irnmersion.Jeremy Taylor, the learned bishopwrites, "The custom of the ancientchurches was not sprinkling butimmersion in pursuance of the senseof the word in tle commandmentand the example of our blessedSavior. "

Let us now go to the Scripture,both Bible and Book of Mormon, tosubstantiate the practice of immer-sion by the early church. In theBible, the following passages wouldseem to indicate such practices.Matthew 3:16, "And Jesus, whenhe was baptized, went up straight-way out of the water. . . " John

2 Februarv. lgg7

Is Baptism Essential to Salvation?

. 3:23, , 'And John.also was baptizin!in AEnon near to Salim, becauiethéie was much water the.re: ¡rndt¡ey came, and were baptized..Acts 8:38, 'And he commanded the. chariot to stand still: and they wentdown both into the \¡/ater, both.Philip and the eunuch; and hebaptized him. " Romaru 6;3-5,'Know ye not, that so manv ofus æwere baptized into Jesus Christ werebaptized into his death? Therefore,we a¡e buried with him by baptisminto de¿th . . . For if we ñave-beenplanted togerher in the likeness of hisdeath, we shall also be in the like-ness of his resurrection..

The Book of Mormon is muchplainer in its evidence of immersionas the valid mode of baptism. pleæorefer to Mosiah 18:12-15, 'Andnow it came to pass that Alma tookHelam, he being one of the first, andwent and stood forth in the water,and cried, saying: O Lord, pour outthy Spirit upon thy servant, that hemay do this work with holiness ofheart. And when he had said thesewords, the Spirit of the Lord wasupon him, and he said: Helam, Ibaptize thee, having authority fromthe Almighty God, as a testimonythat ye have entered into a covenantto serve him until you are dead as tothe monal body: and may the Spiritof the Lord be poured out upon you;and may he grant unto you eternalIife, through the redemption ofChrist, whom he has prepared fromthe foundation of the world. Andafter Alma had said these words,both Alma a¡d Helam were buried inthe water; and they arose and cameforth out of the water rejoicing,being filled with the Spirit. Andagain, AIma took another, and wentforth a second time into t¡e water,and baptized him accord¡ng to thefirst, only he did not bury himselfagain in the water. "

III Nephi 11:22-26, "Andagain the Lord called others, andsaid unto them likewise; and he gaveur¡to them power to baptize. And hesaid unto them: On this wise shall yebaptize; and there shall be no dispu-tations among you. Verily I sayunto you, that whoso repenteth of his

By Apostle Roben Å. Watson

sins through Your words, and

desireth to be baPtized in mY name,

on tÏis wise shall Ye baptize them-

Behold, ye shall go down and stand

in the wáter, and in mY name shall

ve baotize them. And now behold,itro"'u" the words which Ye shall

say, calling them bY name, saYing:

Hãving authoritY given me of Jæus

Christ, I baptizd You in the name ofthe Father, and of the Son, and oftle Holy Ghost. Amen. And then

shall Ye immerse them in the water'

and cóme forth again out of the

water. "The above ScriPtures indicate

from facts such as much water, the

entering in of both the minister and

the candidate into the water and

there being much \ ater that immer-

sion was the common Practice.As we investigate historY, we

conclude that immersion and otheraspects of baptism were changed. In

the early church, baPtism was

adminisiered upon admission of faitha¡d evidence of rePentance and wasperformed by immersion at theñands of one having Priesthoodauthoritv. There were no delaYs,

such as ãvidenced uPon the daY ofPentecost and in the case of Philipand the eunuch.

In the second century, however,nriestlv mandate restricted baptismalãrdinaíces to two times, Easter and

'Whitsuntide. A long and tediouspreparation was made bY the candi-

date; he was known as a catechumen

or novice in training and accordingto some authorities it took them on a

three year preParatorY trainingprogram. Also in the second cen-

$rv. additions were made to the

ordiiance. The newly baptized were

treated as infants and were fed milkand honev in token of their immatu-ritv. It was also a practice to place

sali in the mouth of the newlYbaptized member as a sYmbol ofpuiification and the acrual baPtism

was both preceded and followed bY

an anointing with oil.Early in the third centurY, the

form of baptism began to bechanged, up to this time, it was

immèrsion-CyPrian, bishoP ofCarthage during a controversy about

respecting rebaPtism of those who

¿eiiø Oi faith' during the daYs ofDersecution, decided that those in illilealth who could not be immersed

could be sprinkled. The first case ofthis kind stated bY Eusebius was

Novatus, a heretic who created

schism in the Church.In the vear 253 A.D', a council

of sixty bisñoPs in Africa, at which

Cyprian, bishoP of Carthage Pre-sided, discussed whether infants

should be baptized within two orthree rlavs after birth, or whether itshould be deferred until the eighthdav as was the custom of the Jews

on'circumcision. The councildecided thev should be baPtized at

once within a day or two after birth.lnfant baptism is not valid accordingto Scripture. Moroni 8: l2-14'"But little children are alive inChrist, even from the foundation ofthe world; if not so, God is a PartialGod. and also a changeable God,

and â respecter to Persons; for howmânv little children have died

withäut baptism! Wherefore, ¡f littlechildren could not be saved withoutbaptism, these must have gone to ân

endless hell. Behold I say unto you'

that he that suPPoseth that littlechildren need baptism is in the gall

of bitterness an<l in the bonds ofiniouitv: for he hath neither faith,nop!, iór charity; wherefore, shouldhe-he cut off while in the thought, he

must go down to hell'"Baptism of infants or Pedo-

baptism (Greek) Paidos meaning

child and baptismos meaning baP-

tism as it is stYled in theologicallore. There is no authentic record ofinfant baptism having been practiced

during the first two centuries after

Christ and the custom did notbecome general before the fifthcentufv,

tñ ûre early part of the 16th

century, a sect arose into Promi-nence in GermanY called Ana-baptists, distinguished for theiroooosition to Practice of infantuäötism an¿ they demanded that allits'members who were baPtized in

infancv be baÞtized again.Säme pedobaPtists have triexl to

prove analogy between circumcision

and baptism without warrant;circumìision was made as a mark ofa covenant betwe€n God and

Abraham and wæ indicative of theirfreedom and nowhere is circumci-sion made a me¿ns of remisision ofsins. The rite was for males onlY,

baptism is for both sexes.

6. Àuthority to BåPtize and do theWork of the MinistrY'

One cannot aPProach the

Ministry as a secular profession oras an escape mechanism to escape

the world of business. It is the

highest calling to man for service

an-<l carries with it responsibilitiesthat encompass the mind, bodY and

snirit. One cannot baptize withoutdie authoritv and calling. We are

chosen for this work bY God. John

15:16, "Ye have not chosen me,

but I úave chosen You, and ordained

vou. that ve should go and bringiorth fruiiand that your fruit shouldremain..."

The great commission found in

Matthew 28: 19 specifies without any

doubt that the disciples were autho-

rized to baptize, 'Go Ye therefore,and teach ál nations, baptizing them

in the name of the Father, and of the

Son, and of the HolY Ghost."In the Book of Mormon it

explicitly states in III Nephi 11:19-

22, " And NePhi arose and wentforth, and bowed himself before the

Lord and did kiss his feet. And the

Lord commanded him that he should

arise. And he a¡ose and stood

before him. And the Lord said unto

him: I give unto you Power that Ye

shall baptize this PeoPle when I am

again descended into heaven. Andaøain the Lord called others, and

síid unto them likewise; and he gave

unto them Po\ryer to baPtize . . . "Jesus also gave the disciPles on

this land authoritY to convey the

Holy Ghost uPon those whom theY

Draied. III NePhi l8:36-37, 'And itèafne to pæs tlat when Jesus had

made an end of these saYings, he

touched with his hand the discipleswhom he had chosen, one bY one'

(Continued on Page 11)

A messaqe

from Jhe"

$evenfy

It was reported in this columnseveral months ago that GeneralChurch President Dominic R. Tho-mas had been invited to speak at theSemi-Annual Conference of tlteGeneral Quorum of Seventy Evange-lists last October. This was thesecond time he had addressed thegroup, the other occasion being in 1984.

In his delivery, Apostle Thomædwelled on the important tasksrequired in spreading the Gospel ofJesus Christ. He reviewed theprogress being made by the Seven-ties, notably through the MissionaryOperating Committee. Furthermore,he acknowledged the Evangelists fortheir labors in both the foreign anddomestic fields and he also cited theother Elders and members who havebeen active,in reaching out to indi-viduals seeking salvation.

COMMITMENT

His comments about the depth ofcommitment that is needed in per-forming this work were particularlynoteworthy. He reflected on thesacrifices aod time involved in doingwhat is needed and he thanked all thelaborers who have participated, mostof whom also have used their ownresources as much as they could.

An Evangelist before he wasordained an Apostle mâny years ago,Brother Thomæ was very insightfulas he recalle<l his experience as an

Evangelist and some of the brotherswho had led the Seventies in the past.He also reviewed the successesaccomplished through God's direc-tion, protection, and help. Heunderscored specific challenges whichare inherently involved in being anEvangelist, and the enthusiasm anddetermination which have alwaysbeen required in declaring the goodnews of the Gospel were emphasized.

The brothers were uplifted byBrother Dominic's evaluation. Hisinsights on what presently can bedone and how God can bring theincreases were straightforward andperceptive. Analyzing the impor.tance of what he was saying, theattendees were very affected by howhe characterize<l the hopes for theÍì¡ture. In his appraisal, he stated theobjectives to be reaðhed and the waysto attain them. He said there was noeasy u,ay of getting the job done butthat God will bless us if we perseverein our efforts.

UNITY

The necessity of being united inworking for the Lord was specificallydetailed. Brother Thomas said hewas happy for the harmony tlat ispresent between the Quorum ofTwelve Apostles and the Quorum ofSeventy Evangelists. He said it wasinspirational and highly encouragingto see and feel the mutual respect and

General Church PresidentInvited to Speak to the Quorum of Seventy

By Carl J. Frun¡nolino, Evangelist Fiitor

love that are shown. He also pointedout how essential it is for this co-operåtion to be evident æ the Gospelis being expanded to many parts ofthe world. He stressed that this unitymust also be exhibited and sincerelyfelt tlroughout the Church and wenton to state that all ofhcers andmembers of the Church must beclosely linked spiritually so that suc-cesses around the globe can continue.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Brother Thomas specified that,in being highly committed to workingfor the Lord, the Evangelists mustalways remember their responsibili-ties to preach, to be dil¡gent workers,to be role-models to other Elders,and to be unceasing in seeking theLord's guidance and help.

In reflecting on work in missionfields, he said we must let our peopleknow what is being accomplished,and he depicted how important it isto get the information to all themembers of the Church. He pointedout that Presiding Elders must beinformed so they can make themembership aware of what is goingon, enabling everyone to back theefforts being made with prayers andsupport. Hesaid, " . . . our mem-bers want to rightfully share in theblessings being.received. "

Brother Dominic said he wæpleased that the Seventie.s recognizedthe hard work that many olderEvangelists had done for the Churchand that they demonstrated theirappreciation to these individuals whohad retired after serving so faithfullyfor many years. He said this allowedthe retirees to feel valued, as theywere honored in a very heartfelt,courteous, and dignified way. Thisrecognition also applies to those whohave passed on and whose familieswere given remembrances of theirservice.

In conclusion, Brother Thomassaid he was highly supportive of a

Second World Missionary Confer-ence, which the Quorum of SeventyEvangelists was proposing. (Iwodays later the October General

(Continued on Page 1 1)

Februa t997

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Editorial ViewPoint - .

Afoundationisthebasisonwhichathingstands,isfoundedorsupported.

A rock is a hard, naturalty formed mass of mineral or petrified matter' A rock is also

il;;"; i"t"éni"g thai is very firm, stable or dependable'

Sand is loose, grandular, gritty particles ofworn or disintegrated rock' finer than gravel'

and coarser than dust.

Make vour selection! Would you like a foundation ofrock or sand? The answer is obvious'.riilä;ìä;ãäir"" ì. ,ãËr, tr,ãihard mæs of matter, thar someone who is very firm,

rtaUfË un¿ ¿.p.n¿able' That foundation is Jesus Christ'

We sing that glorious hymn, My Hop e Is.Built' It søtes' 'My h-<lpe is built on nothing less'

Than Jesus blood and rignteousnesi; fdare not trust the sweetest ftame, But wholly lean

;;ä;;;;;. -on

cniist t¡e soii¿ no.i, I .tun¿; All other ground is sinking sand, Àll

other ground is sinking sand."

The wise build their house on Jesus Christ' rilhy? He is that solid rock' He is that solid

ä;i;;.ìñ;"iind. The wise stiil seek Him.- The wise shall always seek Him.

WithJesusChristasourfoundation,wecanovercometheworld'WithJesusChristasour;ffi;;Ë,;;ñnJu." at û'ingt' In Him, throush Hìm and bv Him' we shall overcome

;iüñ;,il;;;derfimental to'oiìsp¡riruaí healrJr'and welfareof oursoul. \ ewill not

Ë;;ä;;,il*ind and rain oiir,e'*orlo. we can stand firm on rhe foundation of tÏe

Lord.

The Apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 3:11, 'For othe¡ fou¡dation can no man lay than

that is laid, which is Christ Jesu..;-Ño on" "ftt

will do' No one else can do' There is

no other!

We read in Helaman 5:12, 'And now' my sons, temember' remember that it is upon the

;;f ;il; úgem"r, ,"tô is cr,.i.t, ttt" Son orco¿, that ye must build y.our foundation;

iñ.ii¡* inìãr"il shil send fortir-lis mighty winds, yea, when¿ll his hail and his mightv

;ö;ffiÌü;pón yoo, it.r,lìi 'r,rìr

n"o po*"r ouó. you to drag.you down to.the gulf

;i;;;;;;;i ;"dio.ïo, u".uui" of the rõck upon t'nhich ve.are built' which is a sure

i;ñ;iiå";f*ndation ihereon if men build thev cannot fail'"

This instruction by Helaman to his sons, Nephi and Lehi' is a powerful reminder of who

ß fi";;;;;J;"iy key to salvation. It is diiect y-et is.a.plea.of love and encouragement'

It Darallels the Lord's instructioni Helaue *henhe uisiied the Americæ' The Lord said

il l;;;',,iil;n;;;;;;;;;;tld àñtli' doct'ine, His rock so the gates orhell areshut

and cannot Prevail against us.

When Moses smote the rock, it provided living watef for the congregation' The.Scriptures

"lï"ïr¡. *ri"r..me out abundântìyi

.the npõstte paul informsus that the Israelites "drank

åi ,tät tpült".l t".k that foltowe<l them: ánd that Rock was Christ' "

David said the Lord wæ his rock and his fortress' He asked !!e Lord to be his strong rock'

l;;k.d th;Gtã to be his "hàuse of defence'- David said''In thee' o Lord' do I put

my trust, "

Jesus never fails. He never leaves you alone. He is always there. He is always ready to

help you in your time of need. Jesus Christ will never torsal(e you'

(Cont¡nued on Page 11)

TrIE GOSPE NEWS (ISSN 0279-166) i! EùHiód ¡rodbrt lor$12.mp.r y.¡r bt Tbe Chùrch ofJúùchli¿ PRINT nOtJSE, Alæ Bodr¡.rnd., P.O, Bot 30, Bridscwacr'MI48ll54030, 313-429-5080.PGriodi.¡L Ìo¿¡8c P¡id ¡¡ Sdl¡ê'Ivîchi8ú ¡Dd ¡ddttioù¡l n¡iliDg

POSTM .STERT SEIID ADDn-ESSCIÌANGFJ TO! TIIE GOSPDLlÌEws BUSINESS O¡TICE, P'O.BOX 30, BR,IDCEWÀTER'MI 4Elt5{m3{¡.

6 Fébruary;'I997

The

Children's

Corner

By Janet Steinrock

Dear Boys and Girls,

Have you ever thought about allthe people thqt.lived before you? Doyou know when your parents orancestors (great-great grandparents)decided to serve God? Do you knowhow your grandparents solved their,problems of life?

Usually if they taught their kids(your p4rents) how to.be loving, howto repent and how to forgiVe, thenyour parents will teåch you. When afamily is new to learning about God'slove, then everyone starts learningtogether.

Many centuries ago, i¡r thePromised Land of the Americas, anew group ofpeople lived. Theirancestors came over together after theTower of Babel. They were onerace, one religion and one nationality.called Jaredites.

At first, the parents and childienknew about God's love and power.They taught their children. But linleby Iittle, the people began to sin.Kings had more than one wife.People were taxed heavily to pay forthe kings' treasures. Good peoplewere put into prison to work,for theking there. The leaders sinned.

Sometimes the people rebelledand a new king came along. Fventu-ally a strong king named Coriantumrstarted to rule. He was trained in allthe ways of war and all the cunningof the world. He taught his sons tobe like him and to trust in the swordsand weapons of war, not in God.

God sent a mighty prophetnamed Ether to warn Coriantumr toserve God and stop the wars. KingCoriantumr became enraged and hispeople tried to kill Ether. But God

helped Ether hide in a special cave towitness and write down what he sawhappen.

Ether had told King Coriantumrthat if, he and his household repented,the Lord would be pleased and blessthem. They would rule in peace. Ifthey did not, then.the entire nationwould kill off each other. KingCoriantumr alone would survive tosee another nation take over thePromised Land.

King Coriantumr refi¡sed torepent or teach his people a betterway. Entire families joined his army.Other families joined his enemy Shez.One horrible battle after the otherwæ fought. Millions.died until onlyKing Coriantumr was left. He wassorry too late.

He traveled south and evenhrallymet up with a new group of peoplewho'd come to the Promised Land.These were the people of Mulek whojoined the Nephites eventually. Thenation who turned away from Godwas uttefly destroyed.

They were replaced by the greatancestors of todays Native American(or Indian) peoples. One of thosegreât men, Moroni, translated theancient records before he died. Wehave them in the Book of Mormon.

Today, when scientists whostudy ancient people say "no oneknows why these great civilationsdisappeared," we know! They forgotto teach their children to love oneanother, to repeot and to live byGod's laws. That's all!

With care,Sister Jan

WORD SEARCH

AFTER REI,ENTTHE ETHÈRTOWER AOF PROPHETBABEL OFTHE GODJAREDITES TOLDMULTIPLIED HIMSIN THEKING NATIONCORIANTUMR CANREFUSED PER]SHTO

Special Request

The Americas MissionaryOperating Committee (AMOC)requests your assistance in compilingSunday School lesson plans designedby branches, missions and/or indi-viduals associated with The Churchof Jesus Christ. The materialsdesired should be relative to theprimary through young adult clæses.These lesson plans will be translatedinto Spaiish for use in our Spanishspeaking mission fields. Please sendthese materials to Biotlier Paul J.Ciotti, Jr., at the following address:1835 Devonshire Road; Coraopolis,PA 15108. Phone (412) 264'1981.

P R o P H E T C A N

s P G o D H A o K D

E T H E R N T R E aT o w E R N K I N G

I H F P E H L A P D

D R E P P N N E E

E G E M L o T R S

R R D T H E I U I U

A J L o F B T M S F

J U o F J A A R H E

M a T H E B N I s R

Ether 15

February. 1997 7

MissionorYBenevolenlAssociot¡on

MBA Organized inFreehold, New JerseY

By Sßter Katþ Kowalsþ

The {irst MBA Local meeting ofthe Freehold, New JerseY Branch was

held on SundaY, JulY 21, 1996.

There was excitement in the air as

most of our young PeoPle and manY

brothers, sisters and the MinistrYgathered in support of Freehold's

organizing an MBA Local. It was offto a greât start!

The MBA Local officers,Brothers Jim Calabro, JohnHuttenberger and Boatin Reid greeted

all officers and members. ThePresident of our Local, recentlY

baptized Brother Jim Calabro, opened

with worcls of encouragement and'

instruction for the MBA and its

vouns oeoDle. He stressed the

ílnooftån.ó of having humility beforeGoì by resisting the world and

directing one's ènergies into workingfor God. Therefore, take advântage

of what is being offered in Your MBALocal, glean ftom it.

Our next sPeaker was BrotherJohn Huttenberger, a long standing

and seasoned participant of the MBA.He made.it clear that thè Fieehold '

MBA Local will focus on the Youthin our ineetings \trith 't¡e:iitent ofproviding an opportunity to beinvolved in the Church meelings'The young peoPle will also be

encouraged to go outside their ownChurch group, sharing in charitableworks, and allowing the oPPonunitYfor othets to come visit our MBA' '

Brother John went on to say.that üris

Local is here to meet the needs of the

vouns oeoole of the Church inío¿av:i wo¡¿ by provicling a spiritualbase of support, guidance, growthand ef. ceur¡e¡ love.. Pleasq reme.n-r-

ber or¡r Local in PraYer as ,we go

forward in the strength of the I ord.

þl

{lur l{omon ftday

Ladies' Uplift CircleGeneral Conference

By Sister Karen Progar

From the moment I entered the

Creensburg ChaPel on SarurdaY,

October 12, 1996, I felt the SPirit ofthe Lord in the singing and saw His

ioy on the faces of my sisters. SisterArline Whitton, General CirclePresident, æked, 'If our light was

shining?" and I can tell You that Isaw it, as I looked over the assembly.

Excitement was iri the air when

the frrst announcement made was that

the General Circle would sPonsor

another retreat in 1998. Charleston'South Carolina has been selected as

the location.The Regional Presidents shared

their reports, verifying that the Circleis busy supporting the missionarYefforts of The Church of Jesus

Christ. Immediately following these

reports, our Financial Secretary,Lvnette Huttenberger, informed us

thât collections were up over sixteen

Dercent. further showing evidence ofbur sisters' commirment. SisterLvdia Link. Treasurer, informed us

thät the Circle accumulated $2,383.00in this six month's special irissionaryeffort. An additional $2,600'00 was

raised and split equallY among the

work in India, ItalY, Nigeria, Ghana,

Kenva and the MissionarY Founda-

tion. The Indian Mission received

$2,466.00. lt was truly delighttul to

heaf that such needed assistance was

orovided to the missionarY work ofiie Church. The next Special Project

collection will be directed toward thel orld Conference Center mortgage.

Sister Mabel Bickerton and

Sister Sara Vancik addressed the

sisters, sharing with tlle group theirfunilv's desire that the funds in tle$75,ú0.00 General Circle MemorialFund, createil after the death of theirmother, Sister Sadie cadman, be

reallocated to the General Church inorder to send missionaries to "newmission fields. "

We were Pleased to hear fromSister Kav Grav, who shared the

experienós ofier family during her

husbancl's @rother Paul GraY)

illness. She thanked everYone fortheir prayers, cards antl kindness inthe midst of this trial and gratefullyexDressed that the power of Gotl has

beèn displayed to tle family. It was

a great blessing to hear her testimony

After lunch, Brothers Joel

Gehly, Frank Natoli and MarkKovacic addressed the Conf'erencethanking l¡e sisters for assistance inpurchasìng a vehicle for Kenya. Thebrothers also announced that Sister

Arline and Sister LorraineDeMercurio, General Ciible VicePresident, will be going to Kenya inJanuarv with Brother Frank, BrotlerMark änd Brother WaYne Martorana,åt the request of the Kenyan sisters'

Sistãr Joyce Ross, President ofthe Penn Mid-Atlantic Regional

circle wrote a program entitled,"The Light of the World is Jesus,"

which was presented as our Confer-ence devotions and enjoYed bY all.During the presentation, a vision was

had in which Personages of lightappeared behind the choir as choruses

of angels.We thank Gorl for a glorious

time of fellowshiP and the joY ofblessings overflowing. Join us onApril 26. 1997, in Freehold, NewJersey for our next Conference.You'll bring a blessing and weguatantee you'll take one away withyou.

February, 1997

Ohio Mid-West RegionSunday Conference

AUGUST25, 1996

B) Brother Ronald Giovannonc

On Sunday, August 25, 1996,the glorious sounds of songs praisingour Creâtor were being hea¡d in theheavens, as the saints of God weregathering for the Ohio Mid-\ryestConference. We were blesse<l tohave with us Brother Isaac Smithfrom the Southwest Region, BrotherFIip Palacios from the Great LakesRegion, Brothers Jim Moore, PaulPalmieri and Russell Cadman fromthe Penn-Mid Atlantic Region.

After opening prayer, BrotherJohn Genaro, preparing us forcommunion, read a few verses fromMoroni, chapter 4, and stressed theimportance of communion and ourcommitment we made at the water'sedge. The brothers then broke thebread for communion, during whichSister Rose Palacios had an experi-ence where the Lord said unto herthat He was here and to 'Come andDine." Being true to His word, aspirit of invitation would be feltthroughout the service.

Brother Paul Palmieri openedthe service by relating his testimonyof his conversion into the Church.He read from the book of Enos andexpressed the main purpose of thisGospel is repentance and baptism.Brother Flip Palacios followedBrother Paul and compelled us to callupon the name of Jesus. The wordof the Lord was then spoken byBrother Joe Genaro, 'Jesus, Jesus,Jesus the sweetest name I know."Brotìer Flip relâted several recentexperiences from the Southwestcampout and how God had trulyblessed them with several individualsgiving their life to the Lord. BrotherJim Moore then followed the brotherswith an invitation for those whosespirits were dead and wanted to live.He rehearsed Ezekiel's vision of thevalley of dry bones, and how theLord told him to speak unto the

bones and they arose to life.Sister Ka¡en Prcgar sang, Come

and Dine. The office¡s asked all ofthe young people to come up and singIt Is Well With My Soul. A pfayerwas offered over the young people forGod's protection and guidancethrough the upcoming school year.Several of the young people testifiedabout their conversion into theChurch and their recent trip with theYoutï in Action. Sister Dee Nuzziand Sister Mandy Genaro surg, I'llrÃtork For You, their theme song fromthe trip to San Ca¡los for the Youthin Action.

There were anointings foraffliction, which included BrotherJohn Gena¡o and Brother Joel Gehlyfor their upcoming surgeries. BrotherJohn, after being anointed, related histestimony about how God had sparedhis life many times, and how Hecalled him into the Church.

I was reminded of the scripturefound in Hebrews, 'What is man,that thou art mindful of him?" TheLord has given us many wonderfultestimonies that can even pierce tìemost dormånt souls and bring themunto life. God is good, and Hismercy will endure forever! Amen!

Note of Thanks

I want to extend my sincerethanks to all of you who donated tomy book, Precious Promßes. Mywish is for God's richest blessingsfor your kindness. God is so good tome. In spite of my illness, each dayI praise His name for the strength Hegrants me. I praise His name forallowing me seventy years in theGospel. To Him I give all the honorand glory for a fr¡ll and happy life.He gives me strength and courage tocafry on.

With Iove to all,Sister Carmella Mazzeo

*******

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

How do we ever thank each ofyou for your many prayers and lovesent our u,ay? We have four be¿uti-ful 'miracles," all healthy andperfect. Where would we be withoutGod and our brotlers and sisters?

(Continued on Page 1l)

#-,¡P

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S¡ster Tammy and Brother EldonRebecca, Ryan, Seth and N¡cholas

A

trannh and

Mirsion ilsffs

Heeding the Gatl of the Lord

By Lynne Nieves

On August 25, 1996,. SisterKathy Cook surrendered her soul

unto God and began a new life, onein which she will begin to build a

closer relationship with our Lord and

Savior and strivê to serve Him untilthat greåt day when she will meet theMaster.

During our SundaY service at

Branch #1, Chesterfield, Michigan,in the midst of a morning full of the

spirit and inspiration of God, theLord moved with His miraculouspower and mercy. Sister KathY'sãaughter Mindy. anointed earlier inthe iervice for a knee injury, had justbeen blessed with God's healingtouch. She stood and proclaimed thatthe Lord had healed her of the injurythat forced her to walk with a cane.

As Sister Kathy and her daughterembraced, the Lord spoke to SisterMary Jo Jones who was seated

behind Sister Kathy and her familY,"Kathy, do what I have called You to

do. "Sister Mary Jo, not knowing

who Kathy was, her heart Poundingwith an overwhelming spirit, leaned

forward and confirmed that SisterKathy was indeed the Kathy of whomthe Lord had spoken. Sister MarY Jo

told Sister Kathy of what the voice ofthe Lord had said and that these

words were for her.The meeting came to an end and

as \ e stood singing with the sPiritthat we all felt that day, Sister Kathycalled out t¡at she wanted to be

baptized ! Brother Larry ChamPineperformed the duties of the baptismand Brotìer Louie Pietrangeloperformed the confirmation of theHoly Spirit.

This beautiful day ended as itbegan, full of the blessings of God.Ìvhat's important to note is thatSister Kathy didn't shut out the call

of the Lord. She listened to the Lordand obeyed His beckoning to joinThe Church of Jesus Christ and

become a soldier of tle cross.An example was set on this day

to learn from. Fight through the

anxiety, fear, and confusion! It toowill pass. Listen to the Lordl Be-

come what the Lord wants us tobecome! Do what the Lord has instore for us to do!

As Brother LarrY ChamPinenreached earlier in the service, 'True*i.dor aor", when we seek God'sperfect will for our lives. "

A Testimony

By Sister Connie Z. lzoPoldo

The November 1996 Editorial inthe Gospel News reminded me of a

wonderful experience I had manY

ye¿us ago. I would like to share itwith vou.

Á siste¡ had offended me. She

hurt my feelings badly and I was verydiscouraged. When it came to themonthly fasting and prayer service, Isaid to myself, 'l'm not going to go

to the fasting and prayer service. "Actually, prior to this, I was so

discouraged. I was not able to pray'I knew that if I did not attend the

service, after these many years in the

Church, I would not receive mY

blessing. So, I practically crawled to

the fasting and prayer service' I was

convinced that I would not PraY.You might say, I was determined notto pray. I asked to be anointed forstrenglh. When I returned to mY

seat, the Lord spoke to me. He said,"Say, thank you, thank you, thankyou." Afier this exPerience, I feltprompted and directed to PraY.

I still use these words to Pra¡seGod and our Lord, Jesus Christ. Ithank God for His goodness towardsme and for granting me the HolYGhost to lead, guide and direct me.

In that same meeting, the Lordalso gave me three songs that thesaints of God should sing to Hishonor and glory. The first was OåGod Give Strength, the second was

Standing on the Promises, and thethird was I Know Whom I Am Be-lieved. Since this experience, I have

heard these songs many, many times.I heard them in singing, teaching and

preaching.This year marks fortY-one Years

tlat I have been baptized into TheChurch of Jesus Christ. I wasbaptized with the following Sisters:Grace Lovalvo, Rosalie CamPitelle,Rose Benyola and Rosalie Dipronio.r e were baptized by Brother Nicho-las Pietrangólo at Branch #1, Divineand Hall Streets in Detroit, Michi-gan. I thank God for everYthing He

ñas done'for me. God bless You all.

Ordinations in LakeWorth, FL

By Sister Josie Jasmin

Sunday, July 14, 1996 was a

special day in the Lake Worth,Florida Branch. We gathered toworship the Lord and to witness the

(Cont¡nued on Page 10)

Announcement

, , ,:' For:Febrùa¡y;:::199?i fte.eDrates for the General ChurchBuilding Fund are as follows:

I yør 5.457o2 ye^rs 5.55%3 years 5-65%4 years 5-75V.5 years 6.00Y"

l0 February, 1997

ORDINATIONS continued . ..

ordinations of Brothers John Coteand Ca¡men DiFede into the office ofa Deacon and Sister Nancy DiFedeinto the offrce of a Deaconess.

Brother Eugene Perri, Jr., readfrom Timotly, Chapter 3, concerningthe office of a Deacon. He also readthe dutie.s of Deacons and Deacon-esses ftom the Law and Order of theChurch. As Brother John D'Oraziooffered prayer that God would blessand consecrate these ordinations, thecongregation knelt in prayer.

Brother John Cote had his feetwashed by Brother Keith Baldwin andwæ ordained by Brother EugenePerri, Jr. Brother Carmen DiFedehad his feet washed by Brother ScottMonaghan and was ordained byBrother Mike Radd. Sister NancyDiFede's feet were washed by SisterLinda D'Orazio and was ordained byher natural and spiritual brother,Brother Rocco Benyola. Our prayeris that the Lord will bless our twobrothers and sister in their office thatGod will use them for His divinepurpose.

Brother Rocco Benyola openedour meeting and exhorted us andæked the question, "Do we give ofour bæt to the Master?" BrotherRocco stressed how much God lovesus and that He gave His only Son forransom. Our brother spoke beautifuland wonderful words for our souls ashe was truly filled with the Spirit ofGod. He exhorted good words andadvice to the newly ordained, tofoftiry their spiritual needs which

increæed this day for them becauseof their ordinations.

We also participated in theordinance of feet washing. John,Chapter 13 was read for the benefitof our visitors, so that they wouldundersta¡d the meaning of thisbeautiful ordinance of feet wæhing.

It was a blessing to see thefamilies and visitors who came towitness the ordinations and worshipwith us. May God bless them and allofyou. Remember us in yourprayers.

News from Rochester, NY

By Sister Carmella D'Amico

During the pâst several months,we have been blessed with manyvisitors in the Rochester, New YorkMission. r,)Ve have experienced theblessings and Spirit of God.

We have enjoyed the visits ofBrother and Sister Leonard Benyolaard family; Brother and Sister HaroldBurge, Sister Peach and BrothersJohn Gena¡o and Phil Jackson. Also,Brother Russ a¡d Sister LenaMartorana have visited and BrotherMartorana officiated the gravesideservices for Brother Ansel (Sam)D'Amico and Sister Geneva Dell.

Brother Andrew l¡cci wascalled into God's Holy Priesthoodand ordained June 9, 1996 as anElder in The Church ofJesus Christ.On this joyous occasion, there werebrothers, sisters and visitors fromCanada, Italy, New Jersey, Lorainand Niles, Ohio and Lockport, NewYork.

The Ministry spoke concerningthe calling, responsibility and spiri-tual service required of the Priest-hood. Brother Harold Burge washedthe feet of Brother Locci and BrotherWayne Mortorana ordained him.Many experiences were relatedconcerning Brother Andrew Locci'scalling into the Ministry. We had awonderful day and experienced abeautiful season of singing, testimonyand prayer.

Brother Russ and Sister Lena

Martorana and their granddaughter,Erin, came to visit us on July 7,1996. Brother Russ chose æ his text,Matthew, chapter 3, where Johnbaptized Jesus Christ. During theservice, Joanne @arrone) Clinkscaleasked for her baptism. BrotherAndrew baptized her, his first, andBrother Russ confirmed her into theChurch. During the testimonymeeting, Jeanette (Parrone)Clinkscale asked to be reinstated inthe Church. She was reinstated byBrother Locci. A beautiful spiritprevailed throughout the service.

We are enjoying wonderfr¡lblessings in the Rochester Mission.Come and visit us.

DIRECTORY UPDATE

Cotellesse, Joseph, Joann, Alison andMark

3147 Scenic Lake Dr.Apt. #15Ann Arbor, MI 48108313-975-8024

Olexa, J. Fred and Cha¡loue1430 Memorial Dr.Perryopolis, PA 154'73412-7364945

Renda, James and Mary350ó TyroneAustin, TX 7E759512,719-5704

Thompson, Doris3321 Oakwood Dr.Rt. 2 Box 1.160

Lakeside, ^Z

85929 -97 56s20-3684228

BAPT|SMcontinued...

examine ou¡selves and see how Godhas blessed our lives and what He hasdone for us. He asked us to offerprayer for others. He encouraged usto send cards to someone, to lift theirspirits. Do we realize how importantthis is? This is sending som@ne ablessing, knowing that someone isthinking of them. Give your testi-

Februarn,1997 llmony to someone. We are allimpórtant and equal in the sight ofGod. God hæ not called us to wastetime. There is a great work for eachone ofus. We need to know whatour gift is and if we do not knowwhat it is, we need to pet¡tion God tofind what He wants us to do for Him.

Brother John Gena¡o followed-rrVhy did Alma petition God for hisson and the sons of Mosiah? He sawwhat they were doing and knew thatthe only way tþey could be satisfiedspiritually and naturally was to seethe blessings of God. Brother Johngave his testimony on how he wentthrough many trials during his life.Finding the best way, he chose tostay close to God and follow theLord. Brother John told how weneed to surrender ¿// not just a part.The more we give to God, the moreHe will bless us. Do not hold backfrom the Lord. Brother John referredto tle quest¡on Brother Phil asked,"Why me?" Brother John asked,'Why not me?" lf the¡e is a God,there has to be a true Church. Whycan't we be members of it? Some-body has to be members of TheChurch of Jesus Christ who serveGod in spirit and truth. Why not us?

Brother Wayne Martorana posedthe question, "what will ir take forus to listen and to obey what Godwants for us in our life?" Thislesson is important to us to learnbecause of the various works God hasus do throughout our life.

'There's no need on the sidelines and none on the back lines, butonly the ùont lines are pleading formore. " Broüler Wayne talked aboutthe intensity that was evident whenBrother Ralph questioned Sister Abbyat the water's edge*the commitmentand promise that was being focusedon. The Lord invites us to come butHe won't compel us. If we don'twant to have that crown with jewelsin it, He will give it to someone else.The best decision we can make is towalk into the waters of regeneration,with that personage next to us,placing that gold crown on our head.It's not only obtaining the crown, it'salso keeping it.

The evidence of God's Spirit

was felt thfoughout the dây. wepray that God will bless Sister Abbyand othe¡s who were recently bap-tized, that He will make known thepurpose and gifts that He has in storefor them.

SALVATION continued. ..even until he had touched them all,and spake unto them as he touchedthem. And the multitude heard notthe words which he spake, thereforethey did not bear record; but thedisciples bare record that he gavethem power to give the Holy Ghost.And I will show unto you hereafterthat tlis record is true."

7. Perpetual¡ty of the Ordinance ofBaptism.

The parting command of òhristto His d¡sc¡ples was one that was tocarry on until the end of the world.It wæ to include yet unborn genera-tions. In this command to preach theGospel with the promise of God'spresence, we note the ordinance ofbaptism, Matthew 28:19-20, "Go yetherefore, and teach all nations,baptizing them in the name of theFather, and of the Son, and of theHoly Ghost: Teaching them toobserve all things whatsoever I havecommanded you: and, lo, I am withyou alway, even unto the end of thewotld. Amen. "

In my final summatioo, I trust Ihave been able to impress upon yourminds and hearts that baptism isnecessary and essential as a require-ment for entrance into the kingdom ofGod. John 3:5, 'Jesus answered,Verily, verily, I say unto thee,Except a man be born of tìe waterand of the spirit, he cannot enter intothe kingdom of God. "

It is equally important as to theway we baptize and the early Churchtaught baptism by immersion. It isalso important that baptism must bepreceded by the fru its of repentanceand must be done with a purpose andfollowed by a transition fiom the oldman of sin into the new man ofChrist.

MESSAGEcontinued...

Church Conference approved tlisevent for 1999.) . The first one hadbeen held successfully in Virginia in1983. He said the blessings tharwould be receiúed by all thôse whowould attend would be extremelyvaluable.

The remarks and comments wereimportant and elevating to everyone,and the resolve was to work evenmore devotedly in the future-

THANKScont¡nued...

May God quadruple His blessings oneach of you! Feel freo'to come andbabysit anytime! Please continue tokeep,us in your prayers as we con- ,

tinue to grow!

Love in Christ,Sis. Tammy and Bro. Eldon Stowell

EDITORIAL continued.. .

When you are discourâged, He willlift you to higher ground. When youseek Him, you will find Him. Vr'henyou ask, He will answer. When youknock, He will open the door.

Jesus is the rock in a wearyland. He is a shelter in the time ofstorm. What a friend we have inJesus. All our sins and griefs tobear. He loved mankind so much,He gave Himself as a sacrifice for allHe died that mankind would haveeternal life provided they follow Hiscommandments and doctrine.

He wipes away your tears. Hewipes away all tears. He takes awayall gloomrahd sadness. He washesyour garments and makes themwhiter than snow!

Jesus Christ did not allo\.v Peterto sink when his faith waveredwalking across the water. He will dothe same for you. He will not allowyou to sink.

The Lord did not permit theJaredites to journey in darknessaboard their ships. His light was in

(Continued on Page l2)

L2 Februarv. 1997

* WEDDINGS *

Cindy Yvonne l,opez and Lee Pierce Timmons IIwere united in holy matrimony on August 24, 1996 in theLake Worth, Florida Branch.

Cheryl Lynn Waite and Gregory T. Kocuba of theButler, Pennsylvania Mission were united in holy matri-mony ori.October 26, 1996 in the McKees Rocks, Penn-sylvania Branch.

Children Blessed

Marco James Gogola, son of rWilliarn and Sharon(Moraco) Gogola, was blessed in Branch #4, Detroit,Michigan on October 27, 1996.

Adam Lee McDowell, son of Annette and WilliamMcDowell, was blessed in Branch #4, Delroit, Michiganon October 2'l , 1996.

Esmerelda Langarica, daughter of Sal and LauraLangarica, was blessed in the San Diego, CaliforniaBranch on November 17, 1996.

Vanessa Loren DiFede, daughter of Sister Lori and

Brotier Ca¡men DiFede, was blessed at the SoutheastRegion Conference. ;' 't

Jay Shawn Quinn Ricci Onorato, son of Sha¡onOnorato and Jimmy E. Moore was blessed on October 13,

1996 in the Brunswick, Maine Mission.Elizabeth Danese Zaccagnini, daughter of Brother

Mario and Sister Sara Zaccagnini, was blessed on Sep-

tember l, 1996 in the Inner City, Michigan Branch.Rachel Ann Duane, daughter of Scott and Ann

Duane was blessed on July 31, 1996 in the Inner City,Michigan Branch.

Address Change

Address

Phone

Baptisms and Reinstatement

Eloy Sanchez was baptizert on Octobet 2T , 1996 inthe New Brunswick, New Jersey Branch. He was bap-tized by Brother Jim Sgro and confirmed by Brother Sam

Dell.

Juanita Sanchez was baptized on October 27, 1996 inthe New Brunswick, New Jersey Branch. She was

baptized by and confirmed by Brother Jim Sgro'

Sister Mary (Klingensmith) Savona was reinstatedinto The Church of Jesus Christ on November 24, 1996 àt

the Roscoe, Pennsylvania Branch.

. OBITUARY

We wish to ex,press our sympathy to those that mournover the loss of loveil ones. May God bless and comfortyou.

JOHN SCAGLIONE

John Scaglione of Monongahela, Pennsylvania - ,passed away tò his eternal reward on october 12, 1996.

Èe is survived by his wife, Jean Scaglione; his mother,Sister Rose Scaglione; two brothers, Brother RichardScaglione and David Scaglione; one step<laughter,several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

EDITORIAL continued.' .

the stones cut out of the mountain! Christ will be yourlipht if vou allow Him."

Thä lord never forgot Lehi ancl his family after they

left Jerusalem. He was with them every step of the way'He will be with you every step of the way'

When Lazarus died, he was "called" f¡om the grave

bv the Lord. He was brought back to life' Jesus Christníill rourr".t your soul. He will bring it back to life!

Christ heãled everyone that was brought to Himduring His visit with the Seed of Joseph' He healed

every kind of sickness because He was and is full ofcompassion. He wants to extend this compassion to you.

-In all His pain and anquish on tlre cross, He took

time to forgive the thief by His side. He will forgive you

as well.The world offers sand, The world is sand' It is that

other ground that offers nothing. It is that other ground

that is sinking and sinking fast!On whom do we rely? On whom are we built? \ ho

is our rock? r ho is our foundation? Who is our salva-

tion? The answer is our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

March 1997 Volume 53, No. 3

Jesus Use MeBy Brother Jeflrey Giannetti

'Jesus use me and oh Lorddon't refi¡se me. For surely, there'saworkthatIcando..."

The words above are from afamiliar hymn we often sing in theChurch. This hymn along withothers like To the Work, Speak Myhtrd, If You l ould lnhor in Zonand many more, refer to the neces-sity of working for, or being usedby God. In addition to such hymns,tlte Holy Scriptures are filled withnumerous admonitions directing usto the great work of God. In fact,tlle task of working to bring othersto Christ was the last directiongiven by the Lord to His disciples(Matthew 28:18-20).

Most likely these statementswill not generate any controversyand all readers would agree we eachneed to do all we can for God. Thequestion is 'What can I do?" Somany times we leave a churchservice on fire for God and com-pletely ready to work for Him, onlyto lose the fire in a few weeks as weafe unsure of where and how toapply and channel our spiritualenergy. This is especially true ofour young people who may be evenless sure of where and how to beused by God.

In an effort to solve this di-lemma for the Church's youngpeople, the GMBA has created aprogram called Youth in Action orYIA for short. By now, you haveprobably heard or read about thisprogram over the last three years.The purpose of the YIA is to simplyuse our young people to evangelizethe message of the Gospel Restoredand to tell others of the greât joy ofknowing Jesus Christ. The programis entering its fourth year of activityand thank God, thus far the blessingsa¡d successes have been incredible.

Each summer since 1994,numerou's young people from allregions of the Church have been sentto various branches and missionswith the primary objective of tellingothers of Jesus Christ. Under thedirection of the local Priesthood, theyoung people have gone door todoor, passed fliers, held publicconcerts, visited the sick, fasted andprayed and worked to bring themessage of Christ to those nea¡ thebranch being visited. In short, theywere most definitely being used.

The results of this programhave been astounding. Souls havecome to Cbrist, visions have beenseen, dreams were had, healings andmiracles were experienced and thoseyoung people who.have participatedhave become dedicated followers ofChrist with a burning love for the

souls of men and women, Alongwith these results, the branches andmissions participating have beengreatly blessed by the visits of ouryoung people. The overwhelmingresponse as the tours conclude hasbeen, 'How can we get YIA backagain next year?"

lf you are a young personbetween the ages of 15 and 25, youno longer need to ponder the questionwhere or how can you be used. YIAis your answer. If you have a desireto work for God and tell others ofChrist and until now have not beensure where or how to get involved,this year, YIA can solve that prob-lem.

The key to tlris program'ssuccess thus far, has been the desireand participation of our youngpeople. As news of YIA has spread,the requests from branches to partici-pâte as a tour location have beenoverwhelming. Now, sufficientnumbers of volunteers are needed tostaff eåch tour location. As thenumber of volunteers grows, so willthe number of tours, and as a result,the number of people hearing thegood news of the Gospel will alsogrow.

So, if you are a young personand have a desire to work for God,sign up now for this summer's YIA

(Continued on Page 1l)

March, 1997

ti' )ï "..È .i :e

The Nature of Man

By Apostle V. J. Lovalvo

PART I

Many professionals havedifferent views on human nature,and although their works are care-fully read and studied, one may stillbecome disconcerted rather thanfeeling substantially knowledgeable.The determinist has one view; theexistentialist has another, and thebehaviorist another, ad infìnitum. Inthe religious world, views on humannature are equally divergent, result-

sionals, philosophers or theologians.Scripture, combined with years ofstudy and observation, shall be thebasis of this paper. I shall also usethe term man, referring to both menand women, rather than use repeti-tions such as man/woman, he/she,him/her etc.

Man has been analyzed, psycho-analyzed, criticized, judged, mis-judged and virtually dissected,mentally and physically, in theattempt to understand his behavior.But in the final analysis, all attemptsto discover his behavior patterns,whether by empirical studies, hypo-thetical and/or conceptual reflec-tions, still leave him an enigma, a

mystery, a being of unsolved equa-tions.

From ages p¿rst, man hæ beenthe object of scrutiny by scientists,philosophers, sociologists, psycholo-gists and anthropologists. And yet,they have understood very little,about the complex working of themind (or nature), of this unfathom-able, god-like computer systemwhich cannot be replicated by otherhuman beings.

Man has developed art andscience, music and medicine beyondcomprehension. Science has createdtechnology (machinery and comput-ers) that stagger the mind with theiraccomplishments. But computers, etal. are cold, unemotional, unrela-tional and unfeeling, performingonly what the mind of man hasprogrammed into tlem.

But man is not a machine. Heis a creåtion of God with distinctemotions, consciousnesses, impres-sions and passions. Man is a beingcreåted to think and choose for

hi¡nself. He feels sorrow andhappiness, joy and pain. He cries.and laughs; he looks up at the stârsand attempts to reach out to them;beyond the horizon, and an em-pelling aspiration is born in him todiscover what lies on the other side.. This begs the questions, 'Whyis man, this noble creåh¡re, so easilygiven to wickedness? Why is hequicker to yield to the enticings ofevil than to tìe ways of righteous-ness?" If I were to choose a phi-losophy to understand human nature,I would opt for the words written inone of tÏe Apocryphaì Books of theBible.

In the Book of Esdras, theprophet asked the l¡rd to reveâl tohim where the evil heart of manoriginated. In answer to his ques-tion, the Lord sent the ângel Urielwho, before responding, askedEsdras three questions: 'Weigh methe weight of the fire; measure methe blast of the wind and call meagain the day that is past" (2 Esdras3:1-5). Unable to answer him, theangel, nonetheless, told him what hewanted to know. He said, 'For thegrain of evil seed hath been sown inthe heart of Adam from the begin-ning and how much ungodliness hathit brought up to this time? And howmuch shall it yet bring forth until thetime of threshing come?" (2 Esdræ3:30).

According to the above, theimpulse to commit evil has beentransmitted from Adam to hisdescendânts. This opens a newavenue of thinking. If man inheritsthis evil seed from birth, then thewords of Jesus Christ to Nicodemusbecome revelatory indeed: 'Jesusanswered and said unto him, Verily,verily, I say unto thee, Except a manbe born again, he cannot see thekingdom of God."

'Nicodemus saith unto him,How can a man be born when he isold? can he enter the second timeinto his mother's womb, and beborn?"

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily,I say unto thee, Except a man beborn of the water and of ttre spirit, hecannot enter into thekingdom ofGod."

Apostle V, James Lovalvo

ing in a cacophony of dissimilarphilosophies and systems.

In this article, I shall endeavorto air my views on human nature,although I do not claim superunderstanding of human behavior.Also, I do not intend, nor wish tobe, in competition with other profes-

March 1997

"That which is born of the fleshis flesh; and that which is born ofthe spirit is spirit."

'Mawel not that I said untothee, Ye must be born again" (John3:2-1).

Jesus answered the age-oldquestion asked so many times, 'Whymust a man be born again?" Sud-denly, it all becomes so simple! Thedoctrine of birth by water baptismand of the Holy Spirit takes on animportant and illuminating dimen-sion; one of mystery, yet of beautyand grace.

Although man has a seed of eviltransmitted ftom Adam, God alsobreatled into Adam a ponion of HisSpirit, thereby transmitting to him aseed ofgood. Now there are twowarring factions within him, evil andgood. However, God gave man theright to choose (free will). Thisraises him from the status of ananimal to that of a reåsoning entity,a human being, made in the imageand likeness of his Creator.

Man is capable of change,growth (maturity) and transcendinghimself. From a standpoint ofscience and sociality, man maydevelop in maturity, knowledge andwisdom through education and inter-relationship with otlers. Althougheducation and environment may playa great role in the shaping of hislife, true change, moral and spiritualgrowth and transcendence areachieved onìy by accepting JesusChrist. Through the indwelling ofthe Holy Spirit, man can change,from a lion to a lamb and from araven to a dove. By obedience toHis commandments, he car grow ingrace and spiritual stature, and bythe gifts of God, he can raise himselffiom powerlessness to heights ofglory; from death to the resurrectioneven as it is written, "I can do allthings through Christ whichstrengtheneth me" @hilippians4: l3).

MORAL DEVELOPMENT

Moral development is a grad-ual, progressive process. Man isgenerally a product of his environ-

ment and culture (certainly, there areexceptions to this argument). He isnot an animal which exists byinstinct and learned actions alone.He is not a Pavlonian dog or atrained seal which merely react tocertain stimuli. Although made offlesh and blood-æ are animals-man has that God-given gift ofreason and free will, to choose,whether evil or good, to do or not todo, to act or not to act.

From a physical perspect¡ve, Icontend that environment, to a greatdegree, is influential in overcominginherited traits and cha¡acteristics.Also, regardless ftom which cultureone comes, be it North America orother parts of the world; whetler it'sa culture of poverty, deprivation oraffluence, moral change and devel-opment are possible. Given theopportunity, man can move towafdsIdealism: selfdetermination and adesire for a better life.

From a spiritual standpoint,achieving groìvth and maturitythrough Christ Jesus is a certainty.Depending on his desire and deter-mination, man can reåch heightsbeyond his imagination. If he setshis sights on spiritual development,through prayer, fasting, involvementand activity, his very nature canbegin to take on the characteristicsof the Lord. The genetic seed ofevil will be replaced with the he¿v-enly seed of good by being bornagain of water @aptism) and theHoly Spirit. His nature takqs on anew dimension, and the vision ofeternal glory becomes constant in hissoul. He has been set free from theslavery of sin and degradationthrough the blood of Jesus Christ.

Man's nature has always cravedfreedom from oppression andtyranny. For example, the Israel-ites, in slavery to the Egyptians, andtle slaves in the more moderncenturies, had one thing in common;a vision of fteedom ftom injusticeand persecution; a dream of anidealisitic world; an utopian exist-ence, in which all mankind, regard-less of race or color, would live in asociety of harmonious relationship.The vision of freedom and the right

to live in a world of equality hasnever been quenched from the heartsofall oppressed people, Some haveachieved this, but never withoutsacrifice of self, even unto deatì.

The goal of transcendence inthe human heårt, however difficult,can be achieved by self-reflectiona¡d self-cr¡tic¡sm which developsinto transformational action. Thischange can become a real ity with thehelp of the Holy Spirit. Jesus saidthat without Him, man could donothing. He meånt that the achieve-ment of higher levels of rightmus-ness and spiritual accomplishmentscannot be reached by self alone. Itis mandatory that man be guided andsupported by a higher power, adivine source, other than humanprovision, to surpâss his own limits.

It doesn't take a great deal ofpsychological dynamics to know thatrarely, if any at all, experiments onhuman behavior and/or moraldevelopment are neither positive,inflexible or definite. Illustrationsand gradations .as graphs andempiricisms given and take on t\ odifferent individuals seldom, if ever,agree. one can take a population offifty persons, give them a Kholbergtest and come up with one result.Then use another fifty people, givethem the very same test, and invari-ably the results are different.

The reason is obvious. Notwo-or two hundred-persons arealike. Man is neither a robot nor a

clone. r hen dealing witlr science(mathematical equations, etc.), onecan arrive at the same answer all thetime; tìvo plus two equals four. Butwhen dealing with human beings,logic dissolves into thin air. Man isnot an abstract entity; he is a cre-ation of God, made in His image;made of flesh and blood, withindividual mental and physicalresponses, with a free will to chooseand change.

Man is a glorious, divinemystery, whose potentials will neverbe thoroughly understood or per-ceived. Although they try, neitherthe philosopher, nor tle psycholo-

(Continued on Page 11)

March 1997

A messaoe

from the"$evenfy

Many Blessings Experienced

By Brother Steve Chatnpine

inst¿nce, tlre saints in the conferencereceived news that a second cyclonewas ready to come inland in the ex¿ctarea where Brother Calabrese and Iwere scheduled to go. Everyoneimmediately went into prayer con-cerning this matter, and \ e wereinformed the following day that thecyclone had literally stopped andreversed its direction back out to sea.Praise God for His power!

TWO TEAMS

We split into two teams onDecember 5. Brothers Palmieri andStraccia traveled south, where theyexperienced monsoons and muchfl ooding, hampering movement.Brother Calabrese and I travelednorth. The four of us reunited a

week later and stayed together therest of the time.

During our trip north to theTadepalligudem area, we saw theevidences of the early Novembercyclone everywhere. Huge banyantrees, some twenty to th¡rty feet indiameter, were toppled like tooth-picks. Buildings with missing roofswere commonplace. Power lineswere down, and large areas oft)ooding often slowed our travel to acrawl. This flooding also produced a

(Gontinued on Page I 1)

(Four Church mínisters visitedour Missions in th¿ nation of India,departing from the United States lastNovember 29 and returning, onDecember 17, 1996. Making thejourney were Brothers JosephCalabrese, Paul Palmieri, SteveChanpine and John Straccia, andthey reported that God tuly accom'panied, directed, and protected themduring their travels. Following is aswwnary submitted by BrotherChøapine, Assistant Coordinator forIndia.-Editor's note)

The best way to describe therecent India visit can be summed uP

in three words, "Blessings, blessings,blessings." Vy'e had the privilege toshare the love of God and the closefellowship of the saints in the land ofIndia, as well as witness and feel theoutpouring of God's Spirit æ it con-tinues to work in that part of the world.

In total, we had the opportunityto participate in forty-three baptisms,the ordinations of six teachers, theblessing of fourteen babies, and thededication of two new church build-ings. In addition, considerable timewas spent traveling throughout theChurch, teaching and preaching theGospel of Jesus Christ.

FOUR DAY CONFERENCE

A four day General Conferencewas held at the Madras Branch. Itwas well attended by the IndiaMinistry. The emphasis of the

conference, as is typical in manyforeign fields, was on teâching, andour sessions were inspirational and

very fruitful. Topics covered in-cluded the love of God, the Lord'sSupper, the Restoration, feet-washing,the operation of the Holy Spirit,anointing with oil, the importance ofknowing and applying God's Word,and Church structure.

There were occasions to ptayand sing together and to enjoy manyinformal moments discussing thethings of God and answering ques-

tions. The love, dedication, and

desire of the saints in India, who aregenerally warm and caring PeoPle,are quickly learned. In one particular

Apostle Joseph Calabrese address¡ng a group of orphans in lndia.

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Flitoríal Viewpoint . .

John 13:34-35 states, ',1 new commandment I Sive unto you, Thal ye love one another; asI have lovedyou, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men lotow thal ye are my

disciples, if ye have love one to another. "

This love is divine and is excelling. Love, oh what love! Such perfect love! This is thelove of God. It is not a pretense! It is not magic! It is genuine! It is real !

Love is defined in the dictionary as'an intense affection for another person based onfamiliar or personal ties." A commandment is an edict. An edict is "a decree orproclamation issued by an authority and having the force of law. " This commandment, thisedict was proclaimed by Jesus Christ. He issued this proclamat¡on during the Last Supper.

The love of God is not based on familiar or personal ties. It goes far beyond familiar orpersonal ties. It has no boundfiies. It knows no bounda¡ies. The saints ofGod have no

iies with sinners yet Jesus Christ said lve are to love all mankind, including our enemies.

We must love the sinner but not the sin. We must love one another.

The love ofGod overcomes differences between individuals. The love ofGod overcomesdiffrculties between individuals. The love of God overcomes personality differences,offenses in life. The love ofGod overcomes dislike of an individual. The love ofGodovercomes hatred. King Benjamin instructed his people that they were not to have a mind

to injure one another. They were to live peaceably with one another. They Ìvere to render

to every man according to that which is his due. He also instructed them to teach theirchildren to love one another and to serve one another.

We should remind ourselves there was a time of no content¡on in the Americas. How isthat possible? It is possible! It was possible! The reason for no contention was because

the lòve of God dwelled, it lived in the hearts of the people. The love brought peâce, joyand countless blessings. The people were blessed in all their doings and performances'

The love of God is difficult to explain or capture in words. It must be experienced toappreciate it and understand it.

Have you ever heard someone say, *you are different"? Have you ever heard some say,

'you look different"? Have you ever heard someone say, 'you people are different"? Youhàve heard this said not once but many, many times! Why? Because it is true! It is thelove of God that makes us different!

As sons and daughters of Jesus Christ, we understand. Those who are not, do not

understand it. That is why the Apostle John said, "therefore the world knoweth us not,

because it knew him not."

A sister of the Church passed away a couple of weeks ago. An interest¡ng conversationtook place at theconclusion of thefuneral that was conducted in The Church ofJesus Christ.One ofthe funeral directors visited the family ofthe deceased and spoke with Apostle Paul

Palmieri. The funeral director said, 'I have never seen love like I saw today. Ihaveneverexperienced love like I experienced today." He said he did experience some love in hislife. He demonstrated some by holding his outstretched arms about six inches apart. Hewent on to say, 'But today, I experienced this much love." He then demonstrated hisexperience of much love by holding his outstretched arms æ wide as possible! His voicetrembled, hewas emotional. This is the affect ofthe love ofGod. Anotherfuneral attendant

said he always feels something different, something special when he comes to the Church,conducting a funeral. He was encouraged to come anytime, not just to conduct a ñ¡neral.

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POSTMASTER: SEND ÀDDRßSSCIIANGF-S TO: TIIE GOSPELNIPVS EUSINESS O¡-flCE, P.O.BOX 30, BRIDGDIVATER,Ml 48¡ 15¡03{. (Continued on Page 1l)

March. 1997

The

Children's

Corner

þ Janet Steinrock

Dear ftiends,

What do you do when you arereally afraid? What do you do whenyou feel sad and angry because youor som€one you love is being hurt?You have a choice; you can fight.You can be angry and pull away oryou can try something else. You cantake all those feelings of fear andconfusion and talk to God. You cancry to Jesus our Savior over and overuntil feåf is replaced by hope.

Two of our Elders, BrothersJohn DiBattista and Ken Staley justreturned from visiting the Church'smissionaries in Guatemala. Theyvisited the poor amongst the poor.This is a country, like many others,where the government does not spendmoney to help poor people.

In Canada and the United States,citizens who are very poor or ill ca¡receive some help ftom the govern-ment. Churches and 'drop-in"centers also try to feed and help manydesperate people here. But in manycountries of the world, people arestarving and dying. Our brothersvisited a place where there were nojobs available even though peoplewanted to work. There was norunning water or bathrooms.

People build houses of sheets ofmetal because rainwater does notsoak through metal. There are onlyhardpacked dirt floors, like ourpioneer ancestors living in sod housesor cabins had a hundred years ago.

There is no electricity, notelevision or telephone. People don'thave money to spend for pizza, videogames or closets ñ¡ll of clothes andtoys. They walk a long way to cometo our little Church. They work so

clæs write them to say hello. Bearone anothers burdens, as Jesus taughtus and remember, God cannot lie, sohave belief and hope in every goodthing He has promised you.

With ca¡e,Your ftiend, Sister Jan

WORD SEARCH

hard and have so little.But the visiting brothers found

two amazing things. They found thatthe people of God there were differ-ent ftom the other poor people. Theyhad love shining from their faces andthey had hope in their hearts.

The Bible says in Romans 8:24,'For we a¡e saved by hope: but hopethat is seen is not hope: for what a

man seeth, why doth he yet hopefor?" In other words, this Iittle bandof Church people living in tin huts ona crowded hilltop city in Guatemala,believe in God. They work with Godeach day to take away their heart-aches and troubles and tiey hope fora better day. They believe and hopein salvation.and the coming forth ofGod's great plan.

This is the kind of faith we e¿chne€d to have. lVe need to turn offthe television, put a\ray our toys andquietly sit and ask God what to do.When you give God this quiet time,He will bring people to your mindthat need prayers. He will remindyou of little heartaches or bitternessthat you can talk to Jesus and askHim to take it away. He can giveforgiveness to us and bless ourenemies if we ask Him.

Fear, arger, self{oubt andhatred can go away when you give itto Jesus. You could be full of loveand hope even if you live in a shed-like shelter made out of pieces ofmetal. Remember our missionaries inall the scattered countries of theworld.

Remember to pray for them thattheir faith and hope and love staystrong. Have your Sunday School

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March 1997

0nr lfomon lbday

The Joy of the Saints

By Sister Swette Huttenber ger

"What is that joy that carriesme, What is that glory that I see, Ahigher plane I see the sign, Oh plantmy feet across the line."

Our Atlantic Coåst RegionLadies' Uplift Circle met in Augustat the Metuchen Branch for electionof offlcers, dispersement of funds andprogram given by the MetuchenLocal.

Sister Dottie Benyola, ourRegional President, welcomed us andSister Betty D'Orazio opened themeeting in prayer. Some businesswas conducted. Sister Dottie thentook some time to express for each ofus to go back to our Local Circles,encouraging sisters and friends toattend the Circle meetings. Sheemphasized, as Circle members andmembers of tle Church to havecompassion, to love and pray forthose who have gone astray. Wehave to bend upon our knees inmighty fasting and prayer, prayingfor them to return in our midst.Sister Dottie ended by telling us totake an active role in the Church anddo whatever we can to make adifference.

We, as sisters, play an importantpart of tle Church. lVe have a God-given ability to impact a sister,brother, friend and shine the light ofthe Gospel ofJesus Christ. r omenthroughout the ages of time have beenused by God as instruments in Hishands to affect other people. TakeRuth for example. Naomi possessedsomething so great that when she toldRutl to go back to her people inMoab, Ruth said, 'Entreat me not toleave thee, or to return from follow-ing after thee: for whether thougoest, I will go; and where thoulodgest, I will lodge: thy people shallbe my people, and thy God my God:

Where thou diest, will I die, andthere will I beburied... " (Ruth1:ló-17). Ruth wanted to stay w¡thNaomi because she had the joy of theGospel even though it meant Ruthforsaking everything and everyonearound her. God blessed Ruth's lifefor that. Are you a Ruth today in theChurch? Do you hunger and thirstfor blessings? God must alwayscome first in order for you to reâpHis giffs. There are precious gifts inthe storehouse of the Lord when weput Him first in our lives. There'snothing we can't afford.

The Metuchen sisters followedwith a program. The theme was,'The Joy of the Saints. "

l. Joy-'For ye shall go outwith joy, and be led forth witlrpeace: the mountains and the hillsshall break forth before you intosinging and all the trees of the fieldshall clap their hands" (Isaiah55:12). What a time it will be whenZion is established and the Churchwill go forth in power throughout thelands. That is joytul! A better dayfor the people of God should bringjoy into our hearts.

2. Hope-'Happy is he thathath the God of Jacob for his help,whose hope is in the Lord his God"@salm 146:5). We have the hope ofthe Lord that He will fulfill Hispromises to those who'll love andserve Him.

3. Faitì-"And Jesus answeringsaith unto them, Have faith in God.For verily I sây unto you, Thatwhosoever shall say unto this moun-tain, Be thou removed and be thoucast into the sea; and shail not doubtin his hea¡t, but shall believe t¡atthose things which he saith shallcome to p¡rss; he shall have whatso-ever he saitlr- (Mark ll:22-23).rwhen we exercise complete fa¡t¡ inHim, His word, His promises, weare unshakeable!

4. Peace-"Peace I leave withyou, my peace I give unto you: notas the world giveth, give I untoyou..." (John 14:27). Jesus

Christ has given us a peace, thatcomfort that He is with us.

5. Eternal Life-'For the

wages of sin is death; but the gift ofGod is eternal life through JesusChrist our Lord" (Romans 6:23).God gave us His best, Jesus Christ,who died that we may live foreverwith Him.

6. Love-'Hereby perceive wethe love of God, because he laid downhis life for us and we ought to laydown our lives for the brethren" (IJohn 3: ló).

When you see your brothers andsisters, give them a firm handshake,not a weak one. Let them feel the joythât Christ has put into your hea¡t.Allow them to feel God's touch inyour life.

DIRECTORY UPDATE

Ciarrochi, Robert and Millie330-856-7140

Kepics, Ronald71,14 Mohawk St.San Kiego, CA 9211561946p-5299

Risola, Sam and Arleen813-937-8924

Scalise, Vincent and Mary714-827-2'Ì76

March. 1997

rylMlssionoryBenevolenTAssociolion

I'll Work for You

þ Sister Manþ Genaro

'I'll work for you. I want to beyour servant. Oh use me, Lord,today," These lyrics, taken from a

song written by one of our sisters,became Î}e theme of our Youtì InAction trip to the Southwest. Youngpeople ftom Michigan, Ohio, andFlorida traveled to San Carlos,Arizona and Tse Bonito, NewMexico to work on the NativeAmerican reservations. The Lordused us and blessed us in our effortsto work for Him.

Our first week was spent in SanCa¡los where we held Vacation BibleSchool with over one hundredApache children. The young PeoPletaught the children's seminar classesand aided with singing and crafu.What a blessing to see the smilingfaces of Joseph's children-childrenwho a¡e so precious to the Lord. Wehad an evening program at the end ofthe week for the children's parents,and all were touched by the songs ofpraise offered up to God.

Aside from Bible School,Brother Dan Picciuto held various

meetings and seminars throughout theweek in which we discussed being amissionary and working for tìe l¡rd.Our goal is to have a desire like untothe four sons of Mosiah "who couldnot bear that any human soul shouldperish; yea, even the very thoughtsthat any soul should endure endlesstorment did cause them to quake and

tremble" (Mosiah 28:3). We shouldbe eåger to spread the GosPel ofJesus Christ 'to every creåture. -God's spirit was prevalent in every-thing that took place, and \Ã'e wereblæsed tremendously.

The second week was sPent inTse Bonito-a Navajo reservation.The young people volunteered theirservices in painting the churchbuilding and doing landscaping. Weworke<l in the day, and in the eve-nings we prepared for the musicalconcert to be Performe<l for thecommunity. On the day of theconcert, we traveled throughout thecity passing out flyers and invitingpeople to the program. rlr'e had a fewmembers of the community attend

that evening, and Sister Pam Benyoladirected our choir. The Lord filledour meeting with His spirit, and weenjoyed ourselves.

The last weekend of our trip was

spent at the Southwest Area Campoutin Gallup, New Mexico. The theme

of the camp was evalgelism whichtied in perfectly with our trip. In ourseminars, we discussed the imPor-

tance of telling others about Jesus

Christ and the duty we as members ofThc Church of Jesus Christ have tospread the Gospel; the precious giftwe have been given is to be sharedwith the world. Our evening meet-

ings were filled with singing and

testimony unto God's goodness andgrace. On Saturday night, the Spiritof the Lord entered into our midstonce again. The Ministry asked allof the young people to come forward,and they offered a prayer that Godwould bless us in our dailY lives-that we might be strong and steadfætin Christ. After the prayer wæ

(Cont¡nued on Page 12)

GMBA Campout

Dear Brothers, Sisters and friends,

'Sound the battle cry, see thefoe is nigh, Raise the Standard Highfor the Lord, gird your armor on,stand firm everyone, rest your cause

upon His Holy Word."Through the Restoration of the

Gospel came the Book of Mormonand it has grown together with theBible establishing the truth and

standards ofour Lord. The Churchof Jesus Christ has the commission totake this standard to everY nation,kindred, tongue, and people. Thiswork starts with the Seed of Joseph(3 Nephi 5:21-26). The Lord hælifted His hand upon this GentileChurch to begin this marvelous worka¡d \ e must keep the standard whereit belongs: high and pure. Throughthe Restoration will come the Resto-ration of all the House of Israel (1

Nephi 15:13-19).The General Missionary Benevo-

Ient Associat¡on will be hosting thisyear's camp in Leesburg, Floridafrom July 12-18. We are lookingforward to a week of manifoldblessings and unspeakable joY. So

come and join us as we will beRAISING OUR STANDARD.

Love in Christ,Brother Jason M. MonaghanYour Camp Director

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Nat¡ve American ch¡ldren et San Carlos, Ar¡zona'

March t997

Á

$ranrh andMission ilCItus

Do You Get Excited? I Do!

By Brother Michael Fraschilla (Age 14)

First let's ask a good question,getting excited, how do you do it?That is a very good question. I havebeen baptized for a year. Being inhigh school and getting excited(getting high on drugs to be morespecific) is a very popular thing. I'lladmit that I get excited. But, I amdifferent. I get excited by JesusChrist. I did not realize that until theGMBA Campout of læt year.

In high school, it is not ra¡e tobe æked if you get high or ¡f youwant to get high. The problem ishow to answer. I would answer thatI do not have any interest in gettinghigh. Saying no to drugs is not easy,especially when most of the peopleyou know do them. When we werelittle, we were told just say no. Itsounds so simple but it is not simple.Saying no is very hard to do, espe-cially when you see it being passedaround and smell it throughout yourschool surroundings.

Earlier I mentioned that I did notrealize that I got excited until GMBACampout. What I mean is be¡ngblessed by Jesus our Lord. Mysister, Joianne, was going throughsome difficult times. When she askedfor her baptism at the water's edge, Ibroke down in tears. I was watchingmy natural sister become my spiritualsister. That was one of tl¡e greatestand most exciting moments of mylife.

Brothers and sisters of TheChurch ofJesus Christ will tell youthat a spiritual blessing is far moreintense than any false excitement youmay experience in the world. Thinkabout it. Being blessed by JesusChrist is very, very exciting. Thefirst blessing experience is difficult tocomprehend. You a¡e not sure whatto feel. When you are blessed againand again, you feel like you can do

anything in the Lord. The more youare blessed, the more blessings youdesire. You do not want the bless-ings to stop. The best part about it isthat you are Iiving because of it,instead of dying because of it.

I was once told doing drugs isjust a repeât of itself. You do it tomake dreams for yourself. After awhile, you do them because of thenightmare you have cræted ofyourself. I hope that you get excitedtoo. I just hope you get excited theright way. I do. It's your choice.

Praising the Lord in theMississippi Delta

We had been looking forward toour Memorial Day weekend visit toLouisiana from the moment we firstdiscussed the possibility of such a

visit at our Southeast Region Mis-sionary Operating Committee meet-ing. The members in that area hadbeen receiving occasional visits butnow this work was under the Regionand we felt the Lord directing us toexpand our visitation. As any workgrows and develops, the southernMississippi and New Orleans a¡eawere due for some changes. It wasinevitable that this time would come.So the Region Missionary OperatingCommittee requested that Friday,May 24, 1996, he a day of fastingand prayer for the meetings to beheld that weekend. We knew that theLord had something great in store forus.

Saturday evening we met in aHoliday Inn. Several brothers andsisters along with their families hadtraveled from Florida includingBrothers Bert Sheffler, Ken Staley,Mark Kovacic and George Kovacic.We hoped that this meeting wouldprepare us for the Sunday morningservice so we spent most of the timesinging songs'of hope, praise and theglories of Zion. Brother Markrelated several experiences he had inKenya and spoke of the Latter Daywork and how there were severalhealings. We were touched by thetestimonies of the members fromKenya and those that traveled many

miles to me€t with them. All mis-sionaries depend on the support ofthe brothers and sisters who assistthem. We were thankful to haveBrother Skip Swanson a¡d SisterMargie Bortz from the Miami,Florida Branch with us.

Sunday morning, we met at theYMCA in New Orleans. Again wehad great anticipation of what theLord was going to share with us. Webegan our service with some singing.After some opening comments byBrother George Kovacic, SisterPhyllis Kovacic, visiting from theErie, Pennsylvania Branch set thecommunion table.

After the service was opened inprayer, Brother Ken Staley started themeeting, speaking on 'being respon-sible." Brother Ken brought forthscriptures and personal experiencesrelating to his topic. He stated thatthroughout the previous evening, thewords 'be responsible" kept comingto him. He was lead by the Spirit toMatthew, chapter 16, which he readbeginning with the 13th verse,' . . . who do men say that I am?"was the great question that Jesusasked them and tle same one we asktoday. We have to be responsible forthe knowledge that the Lord gives usthrough His Holy Spirit. BrotherKen also related some very personalexperiences that gave insight to howgreat a God we serve.

Brother Bert Sheffler followedhim by relating some of his personalexperiences and how they relate to ustrusting and obeying the Lord. Heencouraged the saints to remainfaithtul.

Brother Ma¡k Kovacic thenspoke briefly about the various levelsof responsibility. He expounded onthe importance of knowledge, espe-cially of the ways of the Lord andhow we should apply that knowledgeto our everyday lives,

Brotler George Kovacic madesome closing comments concerningLehi's exhortation to his sons. Lehiknew his sons had experienced manymanifestations of the Spirit of God sothey were responsible as men tofollow God's commandments.

(Continued on Page 10)

10 March, 1997

PRA|S|NGcontinued...\ e then enjoyed a se¿son of

testimony and sharing of the l¡rd'scommunion. Please pray for thesaints in the Mississippi and Louisi-a¡a areå as we do for all the saintsscattered throughout the Americasand the world.

Elder Ordained inPlumbrook, Ml Branch

By Sßter Lydia Furnari

The Plumbrook, MichiganBranch was overflowing with saints,family and friends from far and near

along with the co-workers of BrotherRicha¡d Lofftedo on Sunday, Augustll, 1996. They were there to wit'ness Brotler Richard's ordinationinto the Ministry of The Church ofJesus Christ.

Brother Sam DiFalco oPened ourmeeting wit¡ prayer. Brother AIexGentile was our first speåker. Herelated his experience when hebecame a Minister and how he Put hisfaith in God. He told us how he leftfor the airport to go to Pennsylvaniato meet with the Ministerial Boa¡d 'Upon reaching the gate, he realizedhe left his wallet at home. The Planewas ready to take off, but not beingdiscouraged Brother Alex drovehome to get his wallet, all the whilepraying that if God wanted him to be

an Elder, He would make it haPPen.

Before leaving home, he called theairport to inquire about the flight.He was told the plane was airborne,but asked the person on the Phone tocheck the gate. The plane was stíll at

the gate! Arriving again at the air-port, Brother Alex went to the gate

æking the ticket taker to let him onthe plane. After being told the plane

had already closed the doors, BrotherAlex told them the plane could notleave without him. At that Point, hewas allowed to boæd the plane. Afteræriving in Pennsylvania, he calledthe airport to determine the reason

the plane was delayed. He was toldthere was no reason. Brother Alexwent on to say the responsibility of

an Elder is greåt and he always walksbelind his sheep. We should use a¡drespect our Elders.

Brother Nephi DeMercuriofollowed and told how he felt aboutthe calling of Brother Richard. Hespoke about his brother Frank whoattended Church regularly but alwaysfelt he was 'OK," and delaYed

obeying the Gospel until he realizedhe would soon meet his Cod and wasnot ready. At that point Frankrepented of his sins and gave himselfto Jesus Christ and was ready to meetthe Lord when he was called home.Brother Nephi went on to sha¡e withus his experience while going tocollege. He wanted to receive theNobel Prize, but God intervened. Hewas called into the Gospel instead toreceive the greatest prize of all' Godis a wonderful God. Our lifestYlechanges when we serve Him'

Brother Frank Vitto sPoke a fewwords on the calling of an Elder inour Church. Apostle JosePh Cala-brese reinforced what was said onbecoming an Elder which includes theresponsibilites of marrying couples,praying for the sick, administeringsacrament and possessing the love toserve. He further emPhæized thatElders must spread the Gospel, theiractions must not bring reProach onthe Church and they must have a

clear understanding of all of theirduties. Brother Joe petitioned us topray for one another.

The Ministry then prepared toproceed with the ordination ofBrother Richard. Brother GæY

Coppa was inspired to wash BrotherRichard's feet. As the MinistrYformed a circle around our brother, a

prayer was offered by Brother Joe

Furna¡i before anointing BrotherRichard with the boly oil. BrotherNephi anointed Brother Richard'sheåd with oil ând offered a prayer; he

ordained him into the MinistrY and

asked God to be with him alwaYs.Brother Richa¡d was given an

opportunity to express himself. Hespòte aUoút how he prepared himselffor this day and then began preaching

a sermon directed at his familY and

co-workers and spoke about ourbeliefs, including the Bible and Book

of Mormon. He asked to be remem-bered in prayer so he could ñ¡lfrll his

duties as an Elder.Brother Gary CoPPa gave some

background on how the Elders fasted

and prayed together for over twove¿¡s for God's direction in theóatling of an Elder as well as otherordained offltces .

Brothers Lyle Criscuolo and

Jack Pontillo related their experiencesabout the calling of our brother intothe Ministry. Brother Frank Vittoclosed the meeting in prayer. It was

a be¿utiful day as we witnessedanother ordination to the honor andglory of God.

Note of Thanks

Dear Brothers, Sisters and Friends,

My family and I want to thanÌyou for your love, thoughtfulness,understanding and caring as a resultof the recent passing of our parents,Brother Vincent and Mary Mulla.Your prayers, phone calls and ca¡ds

March t997 llhave been a great source of strengthand comfort to us during this mostdifficult time. Your kind expressionsof sympathy and love will always beremembered.

We ask that you please continueto remember us in your prayers.

love in Christ,Sister Cathy Mulla

JESUS USE ME continued . . .

tours. It only takes a few days ofyour time and your life will bechanged forever. If you would liketo volunte€r or would like moreinformation about the 1997 tours,pleæe call one of the followingcomm¡ttee members: Chaírperson,Brother Jerry Valenti, (215) 672-0616, or YIA Secretary, BrotherJerry Morle, (313) 483-5267. And,if you are 25 and older and arewondering how you can help, yIAcan use you as well. Since youngpeople from all over the Church canvolunteer, transporting them to thevarious tour locations can be achallenge. So, if you own a van, orlike to drive, you can assist the yIAby volunteering your van or as adriver. Again, call either BrotherJerry for more information.

Finally, let us continue toremember the YIA in our Dravers forit is the hope of rhe ytA tô cõntinueto use our young people to spread theGospel of Jesus Christ.

NATURE OF MAN cont¡nued . . .

gist, nor the prophet will ever solvethis enigmatic entity. Onlv Godknows him completely. Only Heunderstands the drive which impelsand motivates him; the pain he ieels,the ambition which burns within him;the anger and hate which consumehim, and the love which |ifts him rosublime exultation.

(To Be Continued)

MESSAGEcont¡nued...bumper crop of mosquitoes who werehappy to accompany us everywherewe $,ent,

It was typ¡cal to spend betweensix to ten hours each day just in tra-vel time to and from villages becauseof the terribly difficult mnditions.Many of the saints in this areå losttheir humble homes and were withoutmany basic necessities such as cleanwater and electricity, but thanks be toGod, not one ofour people perished.This fact caused our heårts to sÌvellwith gratitude when we later hea¡dthat sadly I0,000 people lost theirlives in this dre¿dfi¡l storm.

ff)#

Bapt¡sm ¡n lnd¡a

MANY PRAYER REQUESTS

Every place we traveled, re-quests for prayefs were often andconsistent. On several occasions, weprayed until our bottles of oil weredry; however, the deliverance,healings, and power of God neverfailed. Despite the temporal hard-ships, without exception, everybranch and village visired (19 villagesin all-eight in the north, eight in thesouth, and three in Madras) broughtsmiling, happy faces content andthankful for God's mercy upon themand their children.

As our journey drew to an end,it was difficult to leave them. Wewere encouraged by the progress ofthe work, as well as the people there.They æked us repeatedly to extendtheir wafmest regards and love to thesaints throughout the Church. Theyhold The Church ofJesus Chrisr in

the highest regard, which often makesus feel undeserviirg and humbled, yethonored. With a current membersiipof 1,200 and the potential for manymore, please pray for them, as Godcontinues to move His mighty handon their behalf.

EDITORIAL cont¡nued. . .

He was told he was welcome an¡¡time.This is what happens to peoplè whocome in contact with brothe¡s and sis-ters of The Church of Jesus Christ.

The love of God is visible. Itcan be felt. It is the sign the worldwill come to know that the saints ofGod are His disciples!

Many years ago a sister returnedhome from a Wednesday nightChurch service. She was all alone.Her husband was working. Whenshe hung up her coat, she noticed aman hiding in her closet. She pre-tended she did not see him. Túesister was concerned. What was shegoing to do? She went into her livingroom and prayed to God for Hisdivine help and protection. Thesister then went into her kitchen andcooked a meal for the intruder!Imagine! She called and said, 'youin the closet, you can come out now.I prepared you a meal!" The mancame out of the closet. He sat at thetable and began to eat. As he ate, hebegan to cry. The sister asked,"\Uhat is the matter, don't vou likethe meal?-

The man crying, responded,'r hen I came into your home, I wasgoing to rob you and possibly harmyou. I don't know what has comeover me. I don't know what h¿rshappened to me!" He ate the mealand left. The sister was not harmedin any way. What an experience!What a testimony!

What happened to this man? Itis obvious what happened to him.The love of God was in the house.Moroni said it best. In Moroni 8:16it states,' . . . and I fea¡ notwhatman can do; for perfect ¡ove castethout all fear." Love is of God. It isdivine. It excels. Let us love oneanother and all mankind.

X WEDDING *

Sister Cristy Reynolds of the Simi Valley, California

Branch and Antõnio itamos were united in holy matri-

rony on Saturday, December 29,1996 in Thousand

Oaks, California.

OBITUARIES

we wish lo eryress our sympathy lo those thar mourn

over the loss ofloved on¿s. May God bless and comJbn you'

RUTH E. MOUNTAIN

Sister Ruth E. Mountain of the Phoenix, Arizona-

¡ra"ãrt-pÀiø on to her heavenly reward-on January,2'

1997. She wæ preceded in death by her husband, Elder

Melvin K. Mouñtain, Sr', and a granddaughter' Kristy

Nath. Sister Ruth is survived by one daughter, Sister-

Barbara M. Ackman; one son, Melvin M' Mountain' Jr';

O*ìitt.tr, Sisters Mabel Bickerton, Sara Vancik and

ciii. l-ãi.v; five grandchildren and ten great-grang-

"-t it¿."n. Sister Ruttiis the daughter of the late w' H'

ð.¿t*, Apostle and former President of the Church and

iiri"i Sã¿i"'Cu¿.an, former President of the General

Ladies' Uplift Circle'

Joseohine Ross, Sue Breschayko and Eleanor Palmieri;

ñ:il-l"*, Apostle Paul Palmieri; two sons., David

Deluca and Matthew Deluca; twelve grandchlldren ano

twenty-three great-grandchildren'

MARY MCKINNIE MULLA

Marv McKinnie Mulla (ncc Clark) passed on to her

eternJieiard on June 9, 1996' She attended the

iì"îut"ót, nri.nigan Branch. She was,preceded in death

i" üåi ñ"tú-¿, Biother vincent L' Mulla' Left to

å;;; il her éaughters, Sister Catherine and Roseanne'

and her son, Vincent'

Children Blessed

Joseoh Thomas Rogolino, son of Brother Tom and

Sist"i ttlì'.nele Rogolino was blessed in the Levittown'

Þemsvluania Branch on October 20, 1996'' "-'V;üi;

Ñicole Liberto, daughter of Tom and Lillian

Liberto. Jr., was blessed in the San Diego, Califbrnia

Branch 'on

December 22, 1996'-'*'Ñ""üi nurnon' son ofJose and Susanna Gonzalæ'

*^. útd.ø on December 22, 1996 in the San Diego'

California Branch.-*"Áirtr"n Ñi""le Laessig, daughter of Eric and Judy

Laessig was blessed in the Brunswick' Maine Misslon on

December 22, 1996'" ---Ãnrüoní puul Francione, son of Brother Andre and

Sl.t"i LlsaÉaocione was blessed in the Saline' Michigan

Branch on December 22, 1996.FILOMENA TADDEO DELUCA

Sister Filomena Taddeo Deluca of the Aliquippa'

r.nn.yi"-i" Branch passed on to her heavenly rewa¡d onj*uttu fS. 1997. Súe wæ preceded in death by her

luiu.í¿,sroth"t Louis Deluca; a daughter, ?tlot{n'Antoiio; and two grandsons, Ryan Ross and JïedRoss. Sistôr Deluciis survived by one sister, Sister

Sabina D'Antonio; four daughters, Jennie Ross, sisters

l'LL WORK FOR YOU cont¡nued ' ' '

offered. a brother heud the word of the l¡rd say' '-I have

;i;ü';;:;v.hildren. Now, so out and spread Mv .

Gosoel.; Amen! We began to embrace one anomer' anq

äã"í"irr, oii.p.nt*". feìl on many of our young people'

As the Ministry laid hands on different ones tor strengm'

,h;;;o"ld iump up and proclaim, 'I want,to be bap-

tizá!" rnóre was so much excitement and rejolcrng' anq

iñlrrt .iati "r

oe saints embracing and praising. God'

;;th";;;r would run up to the front asking to be

ñË-à. "ó;t;ng

sisìer saw a choir of angels outside

ãi'trt" t"ir¿i"g á"d ie k¡ow the angels were surely .

.iäiJi"t ^ a-total of seven people made their commit-

mänt tolerve the Lord' Praise God! More souls wllllng

to work for Jesus Christ!'" "îuì¿ut totning, we gathered at the water's edge to

*itnÃi'tltJtt-trotñât¡on-or u sinner to a saint of God'

W;th."k the Lord for such a beautiful ending to our

rniii*.tt iiip. Certainly, we can say that God. blessed

us in our ôffotr* to practice evangelist aog YotL :11Him. 'To work for you-it is my soul's deslre' I ll

answer, 'Yeah, lnrdi to Your call'"

Address Change

Address

Phone

tösneltef+s@

wÅ

Volume 53 No.

The establishment of the work

nr trt" ói*iòu. Restored GosPel in

itru oniatta, Nebraska area contrnues

;; b;õifth the blessings that God

nromised some twenty-flve Years

ä. "i;*æ

then thaiHe æsured

riiJìout oiiei*t sisters, bY $e gift

of tongues through Brother.t<occo

Éil."ó,ii ,r'" thiiwas 'the land of

love.' and that there would always

be a remnant of this work in tnts

nart of His vineYard't-.' w. .ontinúe to Progress under

ùre abie leadership of our Presiding

Ëìi.t. stoth"t Ciifton rJVells witl¡

"'Ju.Ut. *.i.tan.e from the Ohio-

iñã*Ài i.gion Mission oPerating

committee. For twenty-tive years

God has kePt this mission the same

iii iìãrtuË"n""de<l His vinevards

froin the Garden of Eden to tnese

lãt åt otv times. He is nourishing

itîitft u i'. word and Pruning it

when necessary. I feel to share

*ätn" or out mission history and our

blessings with the C'osPel News

resders..--- rn" Mission began with the

testimonY of one sister from

ðiaitton, pennsytvania who went to

,rtì"" *ot.n tiíing in the omaha

area. The fruit of this testimonY

resulted in the three women^b-elng

hantized into The Church ot Jesus

clirist. During the 1970's' t¡ed:;;i ñ mãintained here bY. the

n."u:ets of t¡"se four original sisters''rni oue. ten Years we had no

hä-ñå"i Ër¿ó.' uut we met losedrer

as often as we could, dePendtng on

ti" soitii oç coo to nourish and

i"rn is in the right waY' Forten;;Å ;" fed uPon the visits of many

úioo.i" uno siìters whom God

il;trJ;-;"t" and administer and

encoufage us.-*ìùå" Elders from across the

chur;h háve travel€xl to omaha to

i"ì" *i,tt the \xork here; wewant to

esoiciallY mention a few such âs:' The late Apostle Frank

c^l^ut.t. .uppôtted and assisted the

i"i, îtìiì"¿'ii."rs at the -beginning

"iîã t'i..i"" here, both financially

il:|ll;littlt;iff'îîö''.1åi.*i';;;;;;". as 'little sisters" ând to

Ii"""å",rt" *"tt Ûìat Ìvas started in

t¡ã'voir Ñ.utt La women's cor-rection Center from which stx

*ãä"." ".t. uuP'ized' He nurtured

å"T'pi*ó.,.¡ ui with the love of

Omaha, Nebraska - Bedford' Iowa

Mission News

BY Sister DorothY Miller

God and taught us the faith and

doctrine of the Church'The late Brother Harry

nntrinson *a* out t"ntot from the

iti"l"Ti"*. uv extreme sacriftce and

iäiäo,"ti t'.it."eled to the omaha

iä"äì"Ài "*" everY three. months

io make sure that we were admlnls-

i;.äi;. - H" was encouraged and

rã""ìu"¡ .uPPo.t from the members

i.'iîå-ðrãi'ïå"' Pennsvlvania Branch

ir'Tì"ãi. ". uácler their wings and

äiiä tunt of our needs to continue

iÏ't'"'õi.ït.r. Broúer Harrv taught

;; th; ;"r:d of God bæed solelY on

the Bible and Book of Mormon

irtiãtr r.i¿ ,¡. foundation.and solidi-

ä.ri ii-'" unitv of our members' At

nl'îÏ;inltl"etä,"'ff:äH'i'i'Mission.

Brother Mitchell Edwards

rrt oä"iot an¿ with us in a time of

;:;i;;. Notwithstanding his call

i;i;il; t; South Bend, Indiana' he

madé manv sacrifices that our splrl-

tual n"edsï"t" met and to encourage

ui to temain faithful at all co-st'- -D;;i"- the latter Part of 1981'

c"¿ sent B"rother English Webb to

ór*r¡ã, N.ut^t .. He brought

i"ittt"i t".iPt nor Purse' but bY

irii't.i¿*J tu"tifice, he obeYed the

call. He remained with us for two

"äär.. i"u.r,ing ontY the word of

tlod. This truly established us as a

(Continued on Page 9)

rh*S#H3,,",

The Nature of Man

þ Apostle V. J. lovalvo

PART II AND CONCLUSION

Many people, as plato.Ar¡srotle, Freud, Jong. Tillich.Bultmann, er al have ãttempted landothers still do) to understand thebehavior and drive of human beings.No one can deny the contribut¡onsmade by the above professionals.No denigration, no demeaning ornegative criticism is intendedãrimplied regarding their Iabors. Butwith all their research and contribu_

the very nature of man.Tra¡sformation in the life of a

human being, in his encounter withJehovah, is miraculous and oftenlnstantaneous. Saul of Tarsus' lifewas changed when he encounteredJesus Christ on the road to D¿rmas-cus. Nicodemus wâs certâinlychanged after his meeting witltJesus. Mary Magdalene's life wasaltered completely after Jesus castout seven evil spirits from her.Afte¡ Zacchaeus heard Jesus speakin his house,.le changed instantly,fiom a swindler and a cheåt, to aman filled with desire to atone forhis misdeeds. He promised theLord that he would restore four_foldto those whom he had defrauded.AIma, the Elder, was an altogetherdifferent man after his experi"encewith the Lord. When the Spirit ofGod touches and/or condemisconvicts and .onuin."s

" l.ì.ä, r,"ls nevef the same as before. TheHoly Spirit changes, heals andm^otivåtes one towards higher Ievelsor flghteousness. The Lord is thebest Iistener and counselor in theentire universe. When problemsarise, there is no one better to tellthem to, than Christ Jesus. Hevalidates with understa¡d¡ns andloving Ìindness every heartãche,every distress, all adversities, allsorrows and all stresses.

Thanks to God, there areanswers and solutions, in His Word,to every problem: pre-marriage,marfl age, fÞar, loneliness, distressand a bevy of uncertainties whichbeset human beings daily. -Comeunto ¡ne, " said the greai Counselor,'all ye that labour and are heavyladen, and I will give you rest-

(Matthew I l:29).No one who s$dies the ÌVord

of God can dispute the fact that thenature of man can take on newproporrions, by fulfilling the willand commandments of the Lord.The works of the flesh, to whichma¡ is often prone to yield, areclearly- spelled out by ihe ApostlePaul: 'Now the wor-ks of the fleshare manifest, which are these;Adultery, fornication, uncleanness,r¿tsctviousne.ss, dolatry, witchcraft ,hâtred, variance, emuiations, wrath,strife, seditions, heresies, envyings,murders, drunkenness, revelliigsl'and such like: of the which I tei youbefore, æ I have also told vou intime past, ùat they which áo suchtnrngs shall not in¡erit the kingdomof God" (Gatatians 5: l9_21).

The Apostle also states whathappens when one accepLs the Lord,and ts born again of tlre water andthe Holy Spirir. It is written: .Butthe fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,peace, Iong-suffering, gentleness,goodness, faith, meekness, temper_ance: agalnst such there is no law.And they that are Christ's havecrucified the flesh with the affectionsand lusts" (Galatians 5:22-24).. Baptism, per se, albeit arlmportant component in the plan ofsalvatlon, was not. and is nofintended to change the nature ofman, or take away his habits.Baptism is for the remission of sins(Acts 2:38), in a death{ike event asrecorded in Acts 22:16, "AntI nowwhy tarriest thou? arise, and bebaptized, and wæh away tly sins,calling on rhe name of tÍre iord.-Water baptism buries the old manand a new creature emerges, as it iswr¡tten, 'Therefore we are buriedwith him by baptism into death: thatlike as Christ was raised up from thedead by_ the glory of the Fäther, evenso we also should walk in newnessof Iife" (Romans 6:4).

.. SgTr habits and negatived¡sposltions are left in the water, butothers are shaken off by the constantapplication of the Lord;s command_ments and a strong des¡re to reachout to a level of holiness æ it iswritten: 'I beseech you therefore,

Aposfle V, James Lovalvo

tions to soc¡ety, changes in the Iivesof other humans is slow, tedious andonen, ll'ustrating. Therefore,therntent ls not to diminish the works ofhonest me¡ for the goo<l of others,but to exalt the healing and redeem_rng powers of the Lord. who-through the Holy Spirit, can ôhang"

brethren, by the mercies.of God,that ye present your bodies a livingsacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,which is vour reasonable service"(Romans 12:l). Even aftcr his

wonderful experience on the road toDamascus, Paul wrote,'. . . I diedailv" (l Corinthians l5:31).

'Foì example: If a man hatl afiery hair-trigger temPer beforebeing baptized, and still has it afterbaptism, he has to PraY and make

every effort to get rid of that temper.

The Holy Spirit will helP him toconquer this weakness. But if he

makes no effort to remove thistendency, the Holy SPirit will nothelp him, because God does notforõe a man's mind or his will. The

choice is always his, to do or not todo, to act or not to act. The HolYSpirit will help to overcome one'sweaknesses according to the desire

to change.Higher levels of righteousness

are not reached without some

sacrifice. Paul the APostle once

said, 'But I keeP under mY bodY'and bring it into subjection: lest that

bv anv me¿ns, when I have Preachedtõ others, I myself should be a

castawav- ( I Corintlians 9:27)'Some ùnd it verY diflìcult to

keeo their bodies (and natures) into

subiection. But no one has said, noris ii written in the Scriptures. that

keeping one's mind and bodY Pureand holy is going to be a Ì;¡mple

task. The Pilgrimage from earth to

naradise is not an easy road' but it isänainable. bv tle the helP of HisSoirit. Jesui said that 'the road tohäaven was straight and narrow and

few are they that find it." But{¡aoks to God, heaven is reachable.

Paul said, 'NaY, in all these thingswe are more than conquerorsthrough him that loved us "

Before baptism, some werenrolific liars, cheats, thieves, nag-

Lers. abusers of wives and children,i-ít ards. alcoholics, adulterers,drus addicts. etc. But in the new

Uirti. tfrat is, accepting and obeying

Jesus Christ and His command-ments, their lives became frlled withHis love, and the desire to do evilwas conquered by their resolution to

do good. Their verY nature was

changed by the frlling of the HolYSpirit.-

All things are Possible to those

who believe. Therefore, if one

wants to change, tìre waY is through

Christ Jesus, our Lord ' If God willchange the very nature of the be¿sts(in His kingdom on e¿rth, thePeaceful Reign), of a cenaintY, He

can change the nature of man, if he

surrenders unconditionally to Hisdivine will.

To God be the glorY, the honor

ancl praise for His Power to change

man's nature. From a sinlìrl Past,man, by following Christ, now has a

future lilled with joy and happiness'

until that day when the Lord willmeet him at the Portals of heaven,

and say to him, 'Come, enter intothe joy of my rest." Amen.

Miss¡onorYBenevolenfAssociolion

GMBA NovemberConference

By Sister Deanna Nuui

We met with anticipation and

excitement for GMBA NovemberConference. This would be theconference where camp directors and

assistant camp directors would be

chosen to coordinate gatherings forthe saints; where officers would beelected; we would hear reports, but Ilike to count them as blessings of thepast year's events.

our weekend started Ffidaynight with the GMBA Activitiesmeeting. rùy'e thank God that manY

things were accomplished. Follow-ing this meeting, the young PmPlewere to meet for the Saturday

evening program Practice' As

someone who ParticiPatøl in theprogram, I have lo admit, meeting

the Fridav before the Program forthe first óractice had me a littlenervous. As usual, a few ofuslearned a lesson. Vy'e left it uP toGod and He blessed us.

We met Saturday morning forthe GMBA business meeting. Weheard various reports and experi-ences from the young PeoPle whoattended Youth in Action. As each

year goes by the blessings seemmore in number. as well ¿s theparticipation. I believe this mighthave been the largest attended

summer yet and we thank God. Hehas trulv blessed this program that

Brother'Brian Martorana was

directed to begin. Following all the

Region repors, we Proceeded withthe election of offìcers for the

upcoming year in the GMBA. Wehäve úree new officers: President,

Brother Ken Staley; Vice President,Brother Paul Aaron Palmieri; and

Chaplan, Brother lke Smith(Florida). Please remember these

brothers in your prayers' They have

a great job to do and need God'shelp and direction. At this time, we

would like to thank our Previousofficers for their hard work and

tireless efforts. MaY God bless and

reward all of you for Your efforts on

His behalf.Most of the offices remained

the same. Brother Jason Mon-aghan's Assistant Camp Director for1997 is Sister CarolYn Parravano.The 1997 GMBA Singles RetreatDirector is Brother Mike Bashaw.Remember them in Your Prayers as

they endeavor to serve the saints ofGod.

Saturday night came, which bY

the way alwaYs seems to come tooquickly. The program was to bepresented bY the Young PeoPle fromvarious Regions, led bY BrotherBruce Picciuto and assisted bY

Brother Jim Draskovich. As Imentioned earlier, there were some

nervous moments due to the shortage

of practice (which miles would not

(Continued on Page 10)

4 Aprll,l997

Á messa[efrom fhd$evenf

Trip to Guatemala

By Evangelßt John DiBattista

@ollowing are some highlightsof a report by Brother John DiBattìstaof a trip he took to Guatemala inJanuary with Brother Ken Staley.This was the sùth time Brother K¿nhad been to Gua¡emala but the rtrsttime that Brother John had ¡raveledthere. - Evonge I is t Edito r's note )

Brother Kenneth Staley and Iwere blessed to have been in theChurch's mission in Guatemala City,Central America from Thursday,January 16 to Monday, January 20.It was apparent to us from the begin-ning that this trip wæ going to be asmuch, if not more, an inspiration tous, as it would be to those whom wewould visit.

Shortly after arrival at the homeof Resident Elder, Brotler LuisMarroquin and his wife, SisterDarlene, and their children, Cba¡isseand Jared Joseph, and after spendingseveral hours of "catchup" newsfrom the United States a¡d there inGuatemala, we began telling experi-ences. One after another, we relatedwhat God had done for us untilfinaìly the Spirit of God prompted usinto a season of prayer. It seemed tous as if the windows of heaven hadopened and the blessings of God wereshowering upon us. Each of usoffered prayers, as the Spirit pre-vailed, for the Church's work at themission there.

VISÍTED HOMES NEXT TWO DAYS

For the next two days, we

visite¡l b¡others and sisters in theirhomes. We lea¡ned about theirdesires to serve the Lord, and weprayed with them that God wouldcontinue to bless them. Their questfor laying up treâsures in heaven wasvery apparent. Their spirit is unques-tionably the Spirit of the Lord JesusChrist. On Friday, we also visitedsome friends of the Church at anearby school and invited them to theSunday service.

Each evening after arriving backat the Marroquins, we related experi-ences, had testimony and prayer.The Spirit of God bore witness totheir love for the Restored Gospeland their determination to bring it tothe Guatemalan people. An informalscripture study w¿rs also held Fridayevening, during which tears ofjoyflowed as we rehearsed the Restora-tion and all its glories: p¿lst, presentand future.

SUNDAY SERVICE

Once at Church on Sunday, thechildren started flling in with tleirpafents. Ìvhat a blessing to see eventhe small children singing the hymnsin Spanish. Already, everyone couldfeel the presence of the Lord in ourservice.

Btother Ken sang a medley,including Jesus Ltsves Me and Oh,How He Inves You and Me. TIrcSpirit was already directing the themefor our meeting: The Love ofJesusChrist.

Being directed to St. John,13:34-35, I read, "A new command-ment I give unto you, That ye loveone another; as I have loved you, thatye also love one another.'

"By this shall all men know thatye are my disciples ifye have loveon¿ to another. "

I then related several of rny ownexperiences which proved out thisscripture. Brother Ken continued onthe subject of this spiritual love, andBrother Luis concluded the preachingport¡on of the service with someencouraging words to the members.

During the testimony period, wesang First Love in Spanish. As thetestimonies were being given to thehonor and glory of God, the Spiritflowed from vessel to vessel. As issometimes the case, however, theoppos¡tion attempted to enter thebuilding, as exterior disruptive noisesescalated outside. As t¡e brother waspraying for a sister, he said, "In thename of Jesus Christ, I rebuke thisnoise." Immediately, the noisestopped and there was peace. TheLord was not going to allow thisbeautiful day to be disturbed.

SISTER HEALED

Later in the service, anothervictory was declared as our dearSister Ana, a faithful Deaconess inthe mission who had been prayed forbecause she was suffering fromnervousness and headaches, wæhealed. She testified that as she wæbeing anointed a peace came over herand she was healed instantly. PraiseGod for His goodness!

After heartwarming farewells attle conclusion of the service, particu-larly with the childten, u/e went tothe home of Sister Virgilia. God hadshown Sister Darlene the night beforethat the Ministry should go over herhome to anoint Sister Virgilia's son,Bidal, who had been attacked andbeaten while away from home andwas now mentally and physicallyimpaired. The power of God ente¡edthe room. All felt His presence as

each of the Ministers felt to pray forBidal that the power of his afflictionwould be removed from him in thename of Jesus Christ. As the prayerswere concluded, we were confidentthat the Lord had come that day to

(Continued on Page ll)

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Editorial Viewpoint . .

Are vou wea¡v? Are vou heavy laden? Are you brokenhearted? Do you -feel.labored?

Do

üãtl"ã*iìírìrå.*ínr,"iuy,unU*abte? boyoufeet empry? Doyoufeel lonely? Does

vour soul need attention? Does it feel downtrodden? Do yourvant to overcome me buroens

å;;i,,? ilñ-;;ïilt*ìln. u n"* person, a new cfeature? would you like a new mind,

heart ând soul?

Allthesequestionshaveafemedy,anans\ter'Tberemedy,theanswerisJesusChrist.Hewill see to it that all of these questions a¡e answered'

Jesus christ states in Matthew 1l:28-30, "come unto me, all ye that labour and are heaty'l"dr;:;:;;i;;tl

Biie you rest. Take my yoke uponyou, and learn of.me; for I am meek antl

toity' ii n"on t oia yõ shalt find rest unto your souls For my yokc i s easy ' and my burden

is light. "

A burden is something that is difficultto bear physically or emotionally' A burden isavery

ir"ãty lou¿. A burdeln weighs you down' It is oppressive lt is an emotional overload!

TheLord will bear every burden' He will bear any burde¡' Hewillheal your,broken hean'

Hewill make the burdeñ light. Hewill make the blinded eyetosee. Jesus uhnstwlll neal

,""1""""¿àìò"f . He wiil lift you up. He will put you on the spiritual mountaintop. The

Lord will resurrect your soul.

The nroohets of old said He would bear our griefs; He would carry our sorrows' Matthew

.,iã "th;'L";ã ;"uid tuLe ou, infirmities on Himself; He would bare our sicknesses.

When vou serve the Lord you are never alone. Hepromised Hewould never leaveus alone'

His prómises are true. T'he Lord does not and cannot lie!

ThosewhoputtheirtrustintheLordfeeltheirburdenslifted.Theirconcernsbecome.anaseaUle:' thev become bea¡able' Many times they disappear' Why?- Bec¿use Jesus

öi;¡:i;ä;îËr.-i. iìi*uv. neâr. Iie is alwayi there ior you and for all mankind.

Thelsraelites werenever alone during theirjourney offorty years' TheLord was with them

;;;;;y. Ht p.vided food. It wai mannä from heaveni He directed them with a cloud

úvïävä¿-i pÍi;, oinr" uy nighr. Their shoes never wore our! oh \vhar a Saviour!

Everv Draver offered by the Brother of Jared was answered' The Lord did not confound

õ'e-irï#e.í.c":î;iãIni,uJ , 'nountain

that was an obsracte in their path. Hedirected.their

;i;rt ;"hd,htbuilt their boats. They were tighrly buitt; they did not leak! These boars

l.r. tf,"ü f,"r"Jf"r three hundred and forty-foui days on their oceanic voyage. The Lord

guided them to a new land, a promised land.

Lehi and his family were directed by God as they journeyed to the promised lqd:,^l:Ileftalltheirpossessionsandriches'Theywerenevetalone'.Goddirectedthemwlmme;üh";;;;;ffi;s iiie ãe"ice wtrich worked according to their faith. rt pointed th_em.in

th;d;äi";6'th. promised ¡and. It pointed them in the direction to find food. In the

*il¿.rnÀ., children were born. The aiults ate raw meat and it tasted sweet!

Job lost his children, he lost his possessions. He body was covered with boils and sores.

;ä.;;;;Jhñ;;ji*ioupot triaundsatinæhesforrelief. Heboreaheavyburden..Job

i.lïr"äip.ii""t rn¿ t.rté¿ in coo. His burdens werelifted. God doubled his possessions

and blessà him with a new family, seven sons and three daughters'

JesusChristwilldothesameforyou.Heisthesameyesterday,todayandforever.He(Continued on Page 11)

lrrE GOSPEL NEWS (ISSN 0279-105ó) i. pul'liù.d nodlÙ for Sr2 '0Op.r y.¡r by Th. Churtl olJ.a¡!Ch¡td IRINT UOUSE ar82 B...r¡GrRd,, P.o. Bot 30' B¡id8.çdcr'Ilrl ¡$l l5-{x}30, 3r3¡29S0tO'P.Fiodicd Þod¡g. p¡id ¡t Sdinc' M¡chi-sE ed .ddtioùd ¡úiliry ortrca

POSTM STERT SEND ADDRESSCEAlaGE,s TO¡ TnE GOSPELNEWS BUSINÉSS; OÍTTCE' P.O.BOX 30, BX.IDGEWÀTEn,MI ,€lls{x)Ï.

6 April,1997

The

Children's

Corner

By Janet Steinrock

"Jacob Grows Up"

Dear friends,

Can you imagine what it wouldfeel like to be raised in a familywhere people hated each other andyour older brothers tried to even killanother brotler? Can you imaginebeing a little child with older pârentstromping all day through the wilder-ness surrounded by danger andfearing those brothers? Who wouldcarry you? rffho would teach you notto touch poisonous snakes or not totouch plants that could make yousick?

This was the childhood Jacobhad. For cight years, his father,Lehi; his mother, Sariah; his fourolder brothers, Laman and Lemuel,Nephi and Sam; and their friends,Zoram and Ishmael and his family,t¡aveled in the wilderness.

These were 'city" pmple usedto frne homes, riches and servants.But Jacob's father, Lehi, was also aGodly man. He loved to searchScriptures and pray to God. God hadhim preach to all the people ofJerusalem to either serve God, or bedestroyed by enemies. The people inJerusalem wanted to kill Lehi.

God told him to take his familyand leave before the city Jerusalemwas destroyed. He sent them into thewilderness towards the ocean wherethey would bu¡ld boats and leave fora new land.

All along the way, Laman andLemuel fought against going. Whenthe Lord sent them back to get therecords written on sheets of brass (ametal that lasts fot centuries), theyrefused. An angel had to speak to

cousins, the people of Laman, toattack them. Over and over for thenext hundreds of years, the Lordcontinued to work with these tribeswho were the chosen ones. They arethe descendents of Lehi and Joseph.They were the people God brought

(Continued on Page 1l)

WORD SEARCH

them. Later, they still wanted to turnback. God gave their father or theirbrother, Nephi, great power to makethem obey. One time God gaveNephi the power to shock them,another time powerful words shamedthem.

Everytime after they saw God'spower, t¡ey were sorry for theiranger and meanness. But every timethey got upset, they tried again tohurt or kill Nephi and return back toJerusalem. On the ship to the Ameri-cas they tied up Nephi. Little Jacoband Joseph and their parents criedand begged them not to hurt Nephi.Finally, God sent a big storm, andtiey were sorry. They releasedNephi and continued on their voyage.

For awhile, after they landed, allwas well. But when old Lehi died,the two older brothers again plannedto kill Nephi so tlìey could be theboss, the rulers. God warned Nephito taÌe his younger brothers, hiswife, his sister and her husbandZoram and all their children andleave. They did. Again, they wentinto the wilderness.

They called themselves thepeople of Nephi, or Nephites. Fortheir new home, they worked hard.Everyone enjoyed building, growingcrops and living in peace. Nephiwrote, 'and it came to pass, that welived after the manner of happiness. "Jacob and Joseph loved God also andwere consecrated to be priests andteachers over the people. Only thirtyyears had pæsed since they had leftJerusalem.

As long as these people lovedand served God and followed Hisways, they were blessed. When theydidn't, God allowed their enemy

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Z o R A !t H A I R A S T

Great Lakes RegionalSpiritual Conference

ocroBER 20, 1996

þ Brother David Invalvo

The Great Lakes RegionalSpiritual Conference is an eventworth looking forward to each year.

On this day, Brother Mike LaSalawas to be ordained an Evangelist ofThe Church of Jesus Christ and jointhe Quorum of Seventy.

What better way to start themeeting tlan with the new RegionalPresident, Bro. Alex Gentile, encour-aging the congregat¡on to leave ourcares and troubles of this life and set

aside the difficulties of the daY so

that ât this moment, the Lord couldvisit us and let His Spirit flow freely.It sounds like an old cliche'to leaveour troubles at home" so we can

focus on the Lord. But as simPle as

it seems to be, as humans and needfulpeople, we do need to be remindedand encouraged to do these types ofthings.

Before Brother Ike Smith oPened

our service in prayer, he reminded us

that we need to count our manyblessings-to remember all of thethings that we have. It's marvelousto reflect on the wonderful gifts thatt}re Lord has given to us in our lives.It's regenerating to reflect on thegoodness and mercy of the Lord andHis generosity in handing us salva-tion.

Just a few thought-provok ingsuggestions from the Ministry startedour meeting on the right track.

As Brother Leonard Lovalvostood to open our meeting, it \üas a

miracle just to see him alive. Stillrecovering from a terrible autoaccident tlat almost took his life,Brother Leonard began by thankingthe brothers and sisters for theirprayers toward his recovery. Hewent on to say that it was God andthe prayers of the saints that led tohis ætounding recovery. He couldfeel the power of God and a "constantflow ofhealing" through the prayers

of the many brothers and sistersThankful for his new lease Ln

life, Brother Leonard \ as quick topoint out the importance of servingGod, to do everything in Your Powerto serve the Lord while You have the

chance. 'Life is shon!", our brothersaid.

As human beings, we knowrealisticallv that life is short. But as

our brothei told us. we have thistendency to think that the bad thingsin life won't happen to us' Untilthese things do occur in our lives, we

really don't have any ide¿ how shortlife is. So while we can, BrotherLmnard pleaded for us to, 'go toChurch, tell your testimonies toothers, and draw closer to the Lord. "

Although a PhYsical healing is amajor source of conviction for us inour lives. Brother Leonard sought forus to looit at his situation in a differ-ent light. "Jesus came to save man

from eternal deattr. He gave His lifeto pay a sacrifìce for the sin of theworld. His purpose is that we repentof our sins, live righteouslY, and

then enjoy eternal life. "Brother Leonard's phYsical scars

remind him that the God of Abraham,Isaac, and Jacob sPared his life' Heknows that he owes his life and

everytling he has to the Lord. TheLord takes great care of us and showsus His concern for our lives. But, as

Brother Leonard said to us, "it isn'tthe physical well being that is impor-tant." It was emphasized to us ΡatJesus came not just to heal ourbodies, but to save our souls. It isthe spiritual well being of mankindthat matters.

Brother Leonard finished hissermon by asking a number ofchilling questions. 'Do You need aphysical healing to convince you thatthere is a God? Do You need somekind of physical touch that says thatHe is the God of Abraham, Isaac and

Jacob and that He is your God? Isn'tit enough for you to see that I am

standing here before you to know thatGod is real and wants you to serveHim? Do you need the kind ofpersonal experience that I wentthrough to convince you of this? Ihope not! I know that the¡e are

people here this morning that have

ielt the healing touch of Jesus both inbody and in soul. Their experiencesshould be enough to convince You ofthe goodness of God. Those of Youwho are not baptized todaY, I wouldgive you very keen and sharpcounsel . . . that you make quick theday you surrender your soul unto theLord. "

As the Lord inspired ourbrother, he appeared as a miracle ofGod's power and inspired us to notforget the blessings the Lord has

given us.The meeting continued with the

ordination of Brother Mike LaSala.Brother Nephi DeMercurio, Chair-man of the Quorum of Evangelists fotour region, began by sPeaking ofGod's choice to call Brother Mike to

be an Evangelist. He related theexperiences and revelations that had

been given by God about BrotherMike's calling into this off¡ce.

Brother Nephi proclaimed, "Wehad to act upon what God was

showing us. The calling of an

Evangelist is special. It's to dosomething for God. It's a gift! Thechoice of an Evangelist isn't based on

what they do, but what they willbecome." In his inspirational way,Brother Nephi behooved us to, 'besupportive of the Priesthood and prayfor them that they would be able topreach. "

The ordination began with thewashing of Brother Mike's feet. AsBrother Frank Vitto washed BrotherMike's feet, he beckoned the Lord to

be with him all the days of his life.He reminded the Lord of His callingof Brother Mike and to cover himwith a garment of righteousness'love, peace, and protection.

As the representatives of the

Quorum of Seventy gathered aroundBrother Mike for the ordination,Brother Louis Vitto knelt and offeredprayer unto the Lord to unite thehearts and minds of the Evangelistspresent for the ordaining of ourbrother.

Brother Joseph Calabresecont¡nued ttris holy event by stepping

(Continued on Page l1)

Aoril.1997A

Branoh andMis¡ion ilews

Visiting Brothers andSisters Bring a Blessing

þ Sister Karen L. Progar

Most of us felt when we left theWo¡ld Conference Center on Sunday,October 13, 1996, that conferencewas over and that our cups could notbe filled any more; we were wrong.The Lord continued to be with us thatevening. The Aliquippa, Pennsylva-nia Branch met for dinner to honorour visiting brothers and sisters fromTijuana, Mexico and California.After a wonderful time of fellowship,we met in the auditorium to hear ourvisitors express themselves in preach-ing, testimony and singing.

Joined by many members fromthroughout the Region, the buildingwas filled to capacity. After BrotherMatthew Picciuto prayed, BrotherPaul A. Palmieri, Secretary of theAmericas Mission Operating Com-mittee, introduced our visitors,Brother Vincente Arce, President ofthe Church in Mexico, BrotherCarlos Rodriquez Ramos, ApostleTom and Sister Ma¡sha Liberto,Brother Dick Christman, Chairman ofthe Americas Mission OperatingComrnittee, and Sister Pat Christman,Brother Saul and Sister EvaBetåncourt and Sister Martha andBrother Matthew Picciuto.

Our Mexican visitors, includingSisters Sa¡ah Mora Zaccagnini andAlma Palacios (both formerly of theTijuana Branch), sang In the Vine-yard of the Inrd and Because HeLrves in Spanish. We were thrilled tohear the testimonies of Brother Arceand Brother Ramos regarding theirconversion and the workings of Godwithin their families.

In addition to the singing, wealso experienced the gift of tongueswhich were interpreted to be, 'I amthe Lord God and I have said this andI am the God of Israel. " It wæ notedthat God is here and that this is the

biggest ble,ssing we can enjoy.Brother Saul expressed that they

will take back to Mexico the experi-ences they have sha¡ed this week.The blessing of this week will notend, but be extended to the brothersand sisters in their branches.

Brother Matthew then told usthat úere are purposes even in ourfailures; we must realize they arestepping stones. His parents weremissionaries, and looking back on theexperience he realizes that it was agreåt heritage through which hedeveloped a love for the Seed ofJoseph. His prayer was that theGospel will excite us. \ e need to dogood with the gifu God has given usand stir up the Spirit of God withinus. He admonished us to come to theHouse of God and strengtìen oneanother, drawing closer to eachother, not allowing the things of thiswodd to touch us.

Apostle Tom Liberto stated thathe has a hean full of pride becausethese young brothers and BrotherVincente desire to work among theirpeople. He said that it is a joy totrain tlre young people to spread theGospel. Brother Dick followedcomplimenting Brother Arce on hisconsistency, holding to the rod ofiron, unwaveringly. He noted tlatthis is what constitutes a servant ofGod.

Our sisters also expressed theirjoy and gratitude for being able togather in Pennsylvania with thesaints. Sister Martha expressed thatshe truly felt welcome and SisterAlma stated that for ten years thesaints in the east have be€n herfamily. She and her husband nowhave a desire to work among theIndians and soon they will be leavingDetroit, Michigan for the west coast.Our prayers and thoughts will gowith them.

The neighbors mentioned thenext day that the beautiful singingwas so lively it c¡uld be heard withintheir homes that cold night. It is ourprayer that the L¡rd heard andaccepted our songs of praise to Himfor His goodness and mercy towârdus. Many wonderful memories wereborn this night and friendships created.

Ordinations inMonongahela, PA

þ Sister LuAnn Carson

The Monongahela, PennsylvaniaBranch was re4ently blessed with twoordinations. On October 6, 1996,Sister Ella Mae Pettyjohn was or-dained into the office of Deaconess,a¡d Brother Donald Ross was or-dained an Elder on November 3,1996.

God's blessings were evident onthe day of Sister Ella's ordination.The previous evening, BrotherWilliam Chepanoske, our PresidingElder, had t¡e thought come to him,'How Great Thou Art." BrotherEnglish Webb's face then appeared toBrother Chepanoske. On Sundaymorning at the beginning of thepreaching service the hymn, IlowGreat Thou Ar1, was called. BrotherChepanoske, along with severalothers, heard Sister Ella's voice callout that hymn, even though anothersister had called it. The meeting wasthen opened by Brother Chepanoske,who spoke on that topic, 'How Gre¿tThou Art. "

Before the afternoon service, thedeaconesses gathered to ask God tochoose a sister to wash Sister Ella'sfeet. It wâs given to several thatSister Dorothy Schaeffer would bethe one. After opening remarks,Sister Dorothy Schaeffer proceededto wash Sister Ella's feet. She wasordained by Brother English lilebb,who came from the Clairton, Penn-sylvania þranch for tle afternoon towitness the ordination. BrotherChepanoske then knew why BrotherWebb's face had appeared to him.

The meeting was opened fortestimony and we enjoyed hearing thepraises to God. Some brothers andsisters testifTed that Sister Ella hadbeen doing the work of a deaconessfor many years. It \ as anotherbeautifr¡l day in the service of theLord.

A large congregation filled theMonongahela Branch, anticipatingGod's blessings on Sunday, Novem-ber 3, 1996. Brother Paul Ciotti

opened the morning meeting, exhort-ing us to remember our calling toIabor with diligence, as did Isaiah,Alma and the sons of Mosiah. Sev-eral other visiting Elders followed.

After lunch, we reconvened forour afternoon service. It was re-vealed to Brother Don on his waY toChurch that morning that BrotherAlexander Cherry would wash hisfeet. Another sister also test¡fied thatBrother Alex's face came to her as

she wondered who would be chosen

to wash Brother Don's feet. Ourbrother was then ordained by BrotherWilliam Chepanoske, who offered abeautiful, inspirational praYer ofordination. The MonongahelaBranch has recently experienced theloss of a wonderful brother, BrotlerGeorge Johnson. We thank God thatHe has provided us with anotherenthusiastic Minister of the Gospel'Brother Don expressed himself andrelated the experiences that the Lordgave him in regard to his calling.Many others testified of God'sgoodness.

We praise the Lord for Hismanifestation of blessings. Ourprayer is that Cod will bless oursister and brother in their callings toHis service.

Ordination in Vanderbilt,PA

By Sßter Peggy Stroko

Brother Robert Nicklow, Sr.,was ordained an Evangelist in TheChurch of Jesus Christ at theVanderbilt, Pennsylvania Branch onOctober 27, 1996. There were manyvisitors from Michigan, Ohio,Maryland and from the variousPennsylvania Branches.

Brother Bob's feet were washedby Brother Ca¡l Frammolino.Brother Paul Ciotti ordained him intothe Quorum of Seventy. BrotherJohn Manes spoke on the duties andministerial role of an Evangelist.

The meeting was opened byBrother Carl Frammolino. He spokeon the tremendous responsibilities

and duties of an Evangelist. BrotherCarl especia.lly emPhasized theEvangelist's role in the missionarywork of the Gospel. ManY otherbrothers spoke during the meeting.They reminded us that we are all"evangelists" and we all have to go

out to bear our testimonies' We wereinstructed to tell others of TheChurch of Jesus Christ, our beliefsand our doctrine. It was a wonderfuland blesserl day in the service of tÏeLord. Remember us in Your PraYers.We love you all. God blæs You all.

Singspiration inSimi Valley, California

By Sister Linda Reynolds

On Saturday night, January 11,

1997, all the branches and missionsin California rallied a¡ound the SimiValley, California Branch by havinga singspiration. It was sponsored bythe Pacific Region Missionary Oper-ating Committee. Brother JohnDiBattista headed up the Program.

There were beautiñtl Pianoselections by Sister Nancy Buck and

Brother Ralph Frammolino. Beauti-ful musical selections were presented

bv the Santa Ana Mission, YucaiPaBranch and Sisters Sue rJy'asko and

Vicki DeBear. We felt the sPirit ofsinging and the Spirit of God in ourmeeting. The Simi ValleY Branch isvery grateful to all of those whodrove many miles in the rain toattend this blessed event.

The following daY, SundaY, wehad several visiting brothers and

sisters who remainexl overnight toattend our SundaY Sewice. We had

an inspired Evangelistic meeting,which was another beautiful daY offellowship and inspirational music.We felt blessed in the messages ofBrothers John DiBattista, Ed Buc-cellato and Paul Liberto. The Ana-heim Branch honored us with a

medley from the Songs of Zion. Itwas a wonderful two days spent inthe service of the Lord. We thankGod for His kindness and mercY

to\¡¿ards us.

OMAHA-BEDFORD cont¡nued..'Mission in The Church of Jesus

Christ because he not only taught us

the word of God, but also how to be

the word of God.Brother Rusty HeaPs visited

with us at least once a year until hismost recent illness. He would spend

at least one week meeting with us

and encouraging us within the wordof God.

Then there are the triPs thatBrother Dominic Thomas, Presidentof The Church ofJesus Christ, made

letting us know that he along with the

Quorum of Twelve aPPreciated and

supported the efforts of the saints

here to spread the GosPel.Brother Vince Gibson's dedica-

tion to tÏe work here was invaluableduring tle t¡me we were endeavoringto secure a building where we couldmeet. God used him in manY waYs

to assist us, and the results are

evident because we now have a

Church building that we can call ourown which was dedicated to the workof úre Restored Gospel in this part ofGod's vineyard.

Apostle Paul Palmieri made amemorable trip here and was im-

(Continued on Page l0)

'Announ0ement:,

Fo¡ Àpril, 1997;thê C-D:

rates: for'thelGenerd'C-hùich,',Bu!iding, Fund, are,á¡: fQllows:

.r 1 ysa¡.' '" 1,,i,60'ø"2 years 5.8|añ3 years 5.95%4 years 6.007"5 years 6.10%

l0 April,1997

OMAHA-BEDFORD continued . . .pressed with what he called the"determination and stability of thesaints here."

Brother rüayne Martorana hægiven and still gives of his time andtâlents to assist us. The missionmembers appreciate his wise counseland his desires for the domestic workof the church.

We can say even ¿¡s ¡t is writtenin the 'faith honor roll" in Hebrews,chapter 11, "And what shall I moresay?,' for time and space would failto tell of the blessings we receivedfrom brothers like the late GeorgeJohnson, the late Elmer Santilli, thelate Nathan Peterkin, JosephBittinger, Joseph Calabrese, RussellMartorana, Jerry Giovannone,Cleveland Baldwin, EugeneAmormino and many more who bytheir visits to this part of God'svineyard have encouraged us toremain faithful while we labor to tellothers of the angel who flew in themidst of heaven, restoring thisprecious Gospel in these the LatterDays. r e appreciate and thank Godfor each of these brothers, knowingthat úey have all received theirreward of the grace of God for theirefforts on our behalf.

Truly we have found TheChurch of Jesus Christ to be that'Pearl of Great Price" that themerchant man found when he wasseeking goodly pearls, even theorganism which is the body of Christ.For this knowledge we rejoice evenas Ammon rejoiced boasting in theblessings God has bestowed on ourmission. God has shielded a¡dprotected us, staying the hand of theenemy of our souls saying, 'touchnot my anointed work. "

We, the members of the Omaha-Bedford Mission, have dedicatedourselves to complete the seven stepsthat the Apostle Peter wrote of in IIPeter 2:5-7, from faith to charity.We know that by grace, God hægiven unto us a portion of the latterday work, that His kingdom might bee,stablished on earth as it is in heaven.

We labor here to establish theChurch in the Nebraska-Iowa areaand we kno\¡r' that we can do the work

solely because God said we could.We solicit the prayers of the Churchand the many readers of the GospellVews. Our doors and our heårts arealways open to visitors in this part ofGod's vineyard.

DIRECTORY UPDATE

Caìabrese, Joseph and Vicki1958 l/2 County Road 302Bellewe, OH ¿14811

4t9-483-7248

Baral, Ram Dr.P.O. Box 272Ina Bena, MS 3894160t-254-9643 Q't)601-25a-3650 (w)

Notice,

Apostlê Paul Bényolä

GMBA CONFERENCE continuedpermit). For the first time in a fewyears, the progr¿¡m was in a playformat. It centered around a mannamed Norm. Norm was a brot.her inthe Church and throughout the play,he encounters different events thateach of us as sâints have also encoun-tered or will encounter. There wereappropriate musical selections foreach stage of Norm's life. As aparticipant, I was once again inamazement of God's wonder. By thegrace of God, we were successfi¡I.We had an excellent Saturday nightprogram. Just from hearing thecomments made by different ones, Ibelìeve the brothers and sisters wereblessed and once again God blessedthose who gave all their time andeffort for His glory.

Our Sunday morning meetingbegan with a few musical selectionsfrom the program. ìt welcomed a

beautiful spirit into the meeting.Brother Don Ross was the openingspeaker. He began by thanking Godfor His grace and mercy. He thenpraised God tiat the saints of God arestill holding fast and still in theservice of the King. He pointed outthat The Church of Jesus Christ is ashelter in a time of storm and a house<lf Iove and forgiveness. He encour-aged each of us to ahvays seek reÍìrgethere. In finding safety there, wemust show our gratitude by con-stantly reaffirming our commitmentand renewing our promise to the Onewho gave His life for us.

Brother Phil Jackson followed.He picked up where Brother Don leftoff and mentioned the programtheme. He warned us how eæy it isfor complacency to sneak up on usand that many times God must showus where we are and where we couldbe, whether we like it or not.Brother Phil then said the worldstands before the young people andthat Jesus Christ wans tlìem to seizethe opportunity to shine their light.He then commented that he believesthe young people are showing such adesire to strive for righteousness,unlike any other time in the past.Following, he warned that when youstrive for righteousness, the evil one

Aprit.1997 llwill a.lso try to strive with you-befaithfill and strong. ' . . . Be ye notconformed to tìe world, but betransformed... " After Brother Philconcluded his sermon, the congrega-tion sang Revive Us Again. Thesinging was blessed as were thewords of our brothers.

Brother lke Smith of Arizonafollowed and spoke on the manysoldiers of the Church that des¡re towave the flags of Zion. He then readthe words to Wave the Flags of Zionand asked the young people who arewilling to wave the flags, to standand hold up the arms of those sol-diers who have gone before us andthose who are still fighting today.He then æked those who werestanding to sing that same song.Once again, we were overcome withthe Spirit of God. Following Brotherlke, a sister got up and expressed thatwhile Brother Don Ross was speak-ing, she saw the face of Jesus Christbehind him. Also while two youngbrothers were singing, she saw JesusChrist holding two books in goldwith a white clothe over His rightarm and in His left hand He washolding a sword. Thank God for thegifts He gives His people. We thenwent into our communion service andwe felt such a sweet, peåceful spirit.

Brother Peter Scolaro followed,expressing the beautiful feeling thatwas present during communion. Wecan never repay the Lord for all Hehas done for us.

Another GMBA has come andgone but what beautiñ¡l memories wehave to store and reap from each day.May God bless each of you and theGMBA as we strive to serve Him.

EDITORIAL cont¡nued . . .

cannot and will not change! He isunalterable! There is no shadow ofturning or va¡iableness with theLord. He is constant and sure, He isunchangeable!

r hen you make the Lord yourchoice, He will come to your rescue.He is a haven of rest. Jesus Christwill bring a peace into your life thatyou will not experience from anyoneelse. No one else can provide thepeace of God. No one else can be¿ryour burdens. No one else canforgive your sins. Jesus Christ is the"great liberator." He liberates usfrom sin. He liberates our soul fromcomplete and total destruction.

Our Saviour said that you willknow the truth and the truth shallmake you free. He is the way, thetruth and the life. He provides us thespiritual liberty from the degradationof sin and transgression. When youare made free from the burden of sinby the Lord, you become a servant ofrighteousness. This righteousness ispossible only through the Lord. Hesaid, if you love me, keep my com-mandments. Keeping the Lord'scommandments provides you with anew life. A spiritual life as a saint ofGod.

Jesus Christ will give you a newspirit, the Spirit of God. The Lordsaid He would provide us with theComforter. It will lead, guide anddirect you in life. It will transformyour life. You will think different.You will act d¡fferent. You will havea new outlook on life. This newview of life will be through the SpiritofGod. You will love God above alland your neighbor as yourself. Youwill love your enemies. You will dogood to those that despise you andhatefully use you. You will do toothers æ you would have them do toyou.

Cast your lot with the Lord.Cæt your burdens on the Lord.Make your decision to serve Him.The Lord came to heal the broken-hearted, to provide deliverance to thecaptives and set at liberty those thatare bruised. He came for you.

CHILDREN'S CORNER continued

from the city ofJerusalem to besaved in the wilderness.

The ancient records written onsheets or plates of metai are calledthe Book of Mormon. Today we canread them and see the marvelouspromisas of God that have alreadycome true. We can also see theprophecies of the future of this land.Our job, as members of The ChurchofJesus Christ, is to also tell everyNative American person about God'slove for them and their powerfulancestors.

with care, your friend,Sister Jan

GREAT LAKES continued. . .

forward and ordaining Brother Mike.He offered a spirit-filled prayer,praising the greatness of God andimploring that He give him the toolsnecessary to perform tlis great duty.He continued, 'that there will neverbe any doubt that Brother Mike is anEvangelist in The Church of JesusChrist and all the world will knowthat today Brother Mike is called tobe an Evangelist!"

B¡other Mike addressed thecongregation. He expressed histhankfulness for being called into theGospel. He gave his thanks and loveto the Quorum and was thankful tothose who were there to witness theordination. He has worked hard forthe Church for many years andbegged us to pray for him that hewould remain humble so the Lordcould do His wo¡k through him.Brother Mike has a hunger to hringsouls unto God and reminded us that'Jesus was the greatest Evangelist.He died for us! So, I want to givemy Iife that I might be an examplefor you who represent the Church. "

Pray for Brother Mike LaSalaand all those who are called to do thework of the Lord. The ordained ofThe Church of Jesus Christ need oursupport and love to help them spreadthe Gospel.

MESSAGEcont¡nued...attend to Bidal's needs. r e expectthat he will continue to improve, ashe has after previous anointings, untilhe is restored to full health. pleasepray for him as you are able.

Sister Virgilia had been directedto The Church ofJesus Christ, Iiter-al-ly to the Church's lïont. Shortlyafter feeling God's convincing Spirit,she was baptized, and her trust is nowin the Lord for her son and for herself.

* WEDDINGS *

Ca¡la Joann Romano and Se¿n Erik Saper were

united in holy matrimony on October 12, 1996 in the Ft.

Pierce, Florida Branch,Diana Mcintyre and Dan Altomare were united in

holy matrimony on July 13, 1996 in the Lorain, Ohio

Branch.

Children Blessed

Ja¡elle Marie Taylor, daughter of Sister Rosemary

and Channing Taylor, was blesse¡l in the Bell, CaliforniaBranch on June 9, 1996.

Chandler Dane Obradovich, son of Brotler Dane and

Sister Kelly Obradovich, was blessed on August 29, 1996

in the Hollywood, Florida Branch.Nathan John Ford, son of Brother John and Sister

Susan Ford, was blessed in the Kent, Ohio Mission on

Januaty 26, 1997 .

Côrey Michael Altomore, son of Cathy AlloryTq'was blessód on December 15, 1996 in the Lorain, Ohio

Branch.Faith Ashley Rabold, daughter of Trevor Rabold and

Vicki Hartle, wai blessed in the Lorain, Ohio Branch on

December 15, 1996.' Kyle Nióholas King, son of Tracy King, was blessed

on August 25, 1996 in the Lorain, Ohio Branch-'

Tãryn Aíexis Haugh, daughter of Brother James and

Sister Mechelle Haugh]wæ blessed on October 13, 1996

in the Cape Coral, Florida Branch.Nikó Antonio Difede, son of Brother Jerry and Sister

Heather Dife<le, was blessed on January 12, 1997 in the

Lake tt/orth, Florida Branch.Trayvon Keith Roscoe, son of Roy Baldwin, was^^-

b¡essed ii t¡e Lake Worth, FL Branch on Janmty 12, 1997 '

OBITUARIES

We wish ¡o express our srmpathy to those that mourn

over the loss of loied ones Møy God bless and comfon

lou.

THOMAS OSWALT

Thomas Oswalt passed on to his eternal rewa¡d on

Julv 28. 1996. He aúended the Lorain, Ohio Branch He

is s'u*iíe¿ by his fiancee, Loretta Ricco; tlree daughters,

Karen Gheta, Pamela Surface a¡d Sheila Bowen; one

brother, Steve Oswalt; two sisters, Mæy Kish and Rose

Milano, and five grandchildren.

NELLIE D. BAILEY

Sister Nellie D. Bailey passed on to her heavenly

reward on January 22, 1987. She was a member of the

Vanderbilt, Penníylvania Branch. She was preceded in

¿""tft ¡v nót husbánd, Brother Charles F' Bailey; brothers

nu...fl] ff,ot^., Lawrence and Vr'illiam Duckworth and

lÀt"r Í¡itting"t;'and one sister, Elsie Crawford Sister

ãriLuu is .u.íiu.d bv her stepfather' Apostle Joseph

Sittiíg.t: one sister, Sister Huldah Stroko, and several

nieces and nephews '

DOUGLAS FORD

Brother Douglas Ford passed on to his heavenly

rewartl on Julv l3-, 1996 He was an ordained Deacon

"nJ a tet¡eiot tie Meaford' Ontario Mission' Brother

Dous is survived bv his wife, Sister Bertha Ford, one

daugiter, two sons, eight grandchildren and two great-

great grandchildren.

CHARLES J. NARO

Brother Charles J. Naro passed on to his heavenly

,"w^rd on Ausust 20, 1996. He was an ordained Teacher

and a membeiof the Lorain, Ohio Branch' Brother

Chuck is survived by his wife, Sister Vera; three sons,

sioth;À rirn, MarÉand Kevin Naro; one daughter, Sister

õaria Xing; three brothers, twelve grandchildren and two

great-grandchildren'

Address Change

Name

Address

töboelNewsç*

Mav. 1997 Volume 53, No' 5-''-J

' ^'' '

The Valleys Are Green

By Sister Arline Witton

A picture of Zion came before,ne as I viewed the breathtakingvalleys and mountains that stood sotall. This is Kenya, where thebrothers and sisters of The Churchof Jesus Christ live and listen toGod's word. Can youimagine listening toGod's words preachedto you by the Priest-hood from the top ofthe Kenyan mountains?In the village of ltibo,this was a reality.B¡other Mark Kovacicsûood at the very top ofthe mountain. Underthe Lord's Spirit, heexpounded, 'This isthe Bible, this is theBook of Mormon.These two books a¡ethe Gospel and beliefsof The Church of JesusChrist." As I heardthese words echo through thevalley, the Lord's Spirit coveredtlat mountaintop. In the stillness ofthat mountain, a gentle breezecame, confirming the words thatBrother Mark had spoken. Thisexperience will stay with me

forever. My cup runneth over!Sister Nina Osaka, who is the

wife of Brother Elizaphan Osaka,requested in 1996 when the brotherscame to visit Kenya that when theyreturned in 1997 rhey bring sisterswith them. This became a realitYwhen Brother Frank Natoli informedSister l¡rraine and I of Sister Nina'srequest. Sister Lorraine and I began

to fast and pray for the Lord's

ties including instruction on feetwash ing and setting the sacramenttable.

On Wednesday, January 25, wewere to meet Sister Nina for the ftrsttime. The exc¡tement and anticipa-tion was overwhelming as we droveup the driveway to her house. Shewas standing there with her armsstretched out and waving them togreet us

l,rr'e had lunchtogether and met SisterNina's family. r}/e allgave our testimonies. Awonderful spirit was feltin that room. 'Love,Oh What Love!" SisterNina and BrotherOsaka's land is verybeautiful with all kindsof flower gardens androws and rows ofvegetables and fruit treesof all kinds. The Lordhas blessed tlose valleyswith good soil. It isinteresting to see andknow the Lord knewtheir needs and provided

for them.S¡ster Lorraine and I met u,ith

the Deaconesses at our hotel under acabana in view of the flower gardens

that cover the exterior of the hotel.

(Continued on Page 10)

Deaconesses in Kenya, East Afr¡ca

guidance and direction. We learnedthat the sisters had a desire toorganize a Ladies' Circle. We alsolea¡ned that Sister Nina wanted tomeet with all the Deaconessesinforming them of their responsibili-

,, Mav,1997

Do YouKnow Yourself?

By Apostle Roben A. Watson

You often hear from people, "Idon't really k¡ow who I am." They¿ue constantly searching for identityeven though they have a name andpafents. It is as though they wereblobs of protoplæm or groups ofcells that ate arranged in disorderlyfashion.

We are the product, however,of a great master plan wherein God,the great architect, instilled within

Apostlê Robert A. Watson

every Iiving being a tremendouscapacity to love and to be loved,however we make the choice.

At birth we were given a bodyor as the scripture describes it, atemple: "Know ye not that ye are thetemple of God and that the Spirit oÍGod dwelleth in you" (l Corinthians

3:16). We have been created in theimage of the 'body of my Spirit" toappear in the flesh according to theWords of Christ to the Brother ofJared.

Our body is also referred to as

a house in which we live: "Ye alsoas lively stones are built up aspiritual house an holy prie*hood,to ofer up spiritual sacrifcesacceptable to God by Jesus Christ"(l Peter 2:5).

However we find at times thateven though this house is built frommattcr it can be illuminated by theSpirit. Yes, at times lve find thatthe house we live in can be a veryIonely place. It appears that theonly company we have is comprisedof our thoughts a¡d memories.

We constantly wrestle with theinner man and the outer man. r elearned ever so soon the differencebetween the self-imposed purging ofthe inner man, and the well taughtcleansing of the outer man. Webecame ever so mindful of the twoworlds in which we live. We find itextremely difficult to reconcile themany contradictions that livingseems to impose upon us; themanifestations of súch things assmiling outwardly when beingracked inside with pain, speakingwords of comfort when we are tornup inside with sadnesS, shouting tobe heard in order to break thedeatllike stillness that was within,and we found ourself moving fromplace to place but inwardly we wereimmobile. r e gave many times inorder to over-compensate for a greatneed we had within. We took ÍÌomothers when there was no real need,only to satisfy our many sgcret

overindulgences. Yes, we are tryingto find out who we really are. (

Many young people today saythey are trying to find out their trueidentity. They find it extremelydifficult to push through the maze ofsophistication fabricated by so-calledcivilization, Are there any ans\ ersto these dilemmas; can someonedirect us to the long journey within?It seems paradoxical that man cantravel thousands a¡d thousands ofmiles through space in order totraverse to the moon and perhapsother planets, yet.finds it impossibleat times to chan the journey within.He is able to measure the distance hetravels in miles and the time it willtake him to get there. Yet, he isunable to measure the distance fromthat outer man to the man who liveswithin. He is unable to comprehendthat God has given to man the abilityto travel at such a speed that withone touch of that divine energy hecan immediately be transportedwithin. He can log and plot themost violent storms and developinstrumentation to guide hugeairplanes through turbulence safelyto land. Yet the inner storms ragewithout being charted. The presenceof many mental institutions today isstark evidence of an individual'sinability to cope with the stresseswithin.

The journey within however isnot one that will end. When wewere born, the journey began.When we die the journey does notend; we just continue to travel inanother dimension, We leave behindthe natural vehicle that has served usfor earthly travel. riy'e move out ofthis house of matter and clay. Thereal self, the inner person, the soul,the you, the composite of all wehave done, said, and thought travelsback on the journey that takes it tothe place where the original launch-ing began.

In order to start really knowingyourself right now, yes, today, lookbeyond your faults, and your Iimita-tions. Come to the realízation that a

house divided against itself cannot

(Continued on Page 10)

Greetings in Christ

Evangelist Mark RandY

This Is a Mother

A virtuous mother that cares enough

Is like a jewel, true, priceless.Helps the mental and spiritual growthBy her wisdom, kindness and caress.

This is a mother.

She has an added gift untoldBecause in her trust children grow'She's a special person above goldBy her children you will know.This is a mother.

Her husband sings her a refrainHer children will call her blessed.Favour's deceitful, beauty is vainBut mothers that feår God are praised.fiis is a mother.

A mother is among the greatest

treasures on earth. 'Her value ispriceless."

A mother pus a gleam in theeyes of her children and a joy in theheart of her husband.

A mother tries her best toweave the fibers of life that herchildren can live by; though at timesthe thre¿ds don't seem to fall intoplace, since sometimes . . . theyseem to tangle, but the heart isassuretl that Mother is still trying towork out the best dxign that she canwith God as her guide.

Not all mothers are given thehonor of being great or famous.Some are thought of being weak,some meek, some bold, and somestrong-

But, we her children know in

our heårt that mothers if they couldweave the loom of life perfectly and

tâke all of the tangles and be thegreåtest designer of all, that this she

could do.We love you Mothers-both

past, present and future. I love thememories of one who raised fivechildren. Memories of the Ladies'Uplift Circle meeting every Mondaynight and fasting often; makingbækets of food for the Poor and

visiting the sick.Today, they are no less

blessed, kind and loving. Thispoem is dedicated to you, our sistersand Mothers.

If you have not seen me at

conference, it is because my beauti-ful wife has develoPed Pa¡kinson'sdisease and has endured the agonY

for several years. This is Part ofour life. Please remember us inyour prayers, God bless each ofyou'

Brother Mark RandY

Honour Thy Fatherand Mother

It breaks my heårt todaY to see

adult, older children who do nothonor their parents. The parents ofwhich I speak are ones who arecalled the saints of God.

I was once asked concerninggood and bad children... did Ithink bad parents produced bad

children and good parents, goodchildren. I'm sure everyone haspondered this question. Of course,we will all agree that this could bethe case many times.

Our nation has become the megeneration(s). When someoneviolates the moral code, right awaythe parents are looked to, onlY toponder what did they do to Producethis outcome.

I think of the saints who aremost dear and precious, who havefollowed Christ and lived uprightlybefore God yet their children bringthem down witl gray hairs to theirgrave, ¿¡s Lehi said. Those parentswho have provided their child¡en

with the most blessed of all theearth, the tn¡th of the RestoredGospel, The Church of Jesus Christ.

My husband was not raised inthis Church. His father was analcoholic and his family sufferedmuch because of this situation. Theevents imposed upon him weremâny time.s insufferable as a child.Yet he honors his father and motlerand loves them very much.

Growing up, I always felt bad

when hearing someone curse God'sname. None of us \tant that. He is

our Heavenly Father, He loves us,

has given us His Son and the GosPel

ofJesus Christ. How precious! rJVe

guard His name and call His house

holy. It is right and good before theLord.

I am a parent and often sPeak

with my mother and grandmotherabout what to do as a parent. \rye

share our concerns, joYs and sor-rows æ well.

When my children are grown, Ihope they remember me as someone

who loved them second to God,taking them faithfully up to Hishouse and how we praised Him inthe gates. I hope theY rememberhow God healed our familY and

blessed us even though we are

unworthy.And if they don't remember, I

want to be like Lehi. when we lookback upon Lehi's life, we don't see

him as a bad parent, one whodisrupted the lives of his children byleading them out into the wilder-ness, making their lives ha¡d andforcing them to go to church. I see

them as they really are. A familYwho God used in a great way, yetLehi had two rebellious sons.

Lehi states in II Nephi 2:30, "/have spoken these few words untoyou aII, my sons, in the last oÍmYprobation; and I have chosen thegood part, according to the words ofthe prophet. And I have none otherobject save it be the everlastinSwelfare of your souls. Amen.'

May the children love, honorand obey their parents. May theparents love their children and teach

them the ways of the Lord andSaviour.

May, 1997

A message

fuom Íhe"$evenfy

Kenya, 1997

By Evangelist Wøyne Martorana

The great work of the Lordcontinues to progress as The Churchof Jesus Christ expands throughoutthe world. Another significant stepwas taken in this growth whenBrothers Joel Gehly, Mark Kovacic,a¡d \¡r'ayne Martorana and SistersAfline Whitton and LorraineDeMercurio visited the saints inKenya, Eæt Africa, January 25through February 8.

Important statistics only begin togive an account of the wonderfulblessings we experienced. Therewere fifty-six baptisms, elevenordinations (two Elders, two Teach-ers, four Deacons, and three Deacon-esses), eighteen infant blessings andscores of anointings, from which Godenabled several ti¡ receive answersthrough His power, grace, and lovingkindness.

The prayers and support of allthose at home were truly felt ândappreciated, as were the concern andinterest demonstrated for our familieswe left behind. God granted ussafety in our travels by air andground, good weather to allow us tovisit the villages, and good health tocomplete the necessary work.

SIGNIFICANT IN NUMEROUS WAYS

This trip was significant innumerous ways. The Church's firsthymn book was printed in the Swahililanguage and distributed. Thetranslation of the Book of Mormonftom English into Swahili is also

progressing satisfactorily, and wedelivered completed excerpts toordained officers so they can begin toread and understand them in theirprimary language and teåch thebrothers and sisters at the villages.Prior to this, only those readingEnglish were able to utilize the Bookof Mormon. These Swahili versionswill also benefit neighboring Kenyancountries which speak the samelanguage and from whom inquirieshave already been received. Finally,under the direction of Sisters Arlineand Lorraine, the Ladies' UpliftCircle was successfully established inKenya, and Sister Nina Osaka waselected its first Pre.sident. BrotherElizaphan and Sister Nina Osakaprovide solid leadership and generaloversight of the Church in Kenya.

Extremely notewonhy were the

ordinations of two additional EIders,Brothers Andrew Ontomwa andJoseph Nyabuto. With membershipswelling to three hundred spreadthroughout nine different villages (themost being established this visit,) theresponsibilities of EIder-in-Charge,Brother Stephen Osaka, have becomegreåt. \rye cannot thank God enoughfor Brother Stephen's tireless effortsin feeding the flock, visiting thevillages, and handling the administra-tive needs ofthe Church. Now Godhas called additional laborers whocan work together in the Ministry.

The trip )vas not without opposi-tion, howeve/. We had to overcomethree flat tires and a'dropped"exhaust system. Although one of theflats occurred while traveling on thehighway at sixty miles an hour,God's protection spared us of anyharm. AIso, the morning of theconference with the Elder ordina-tions, a truck traveling the oppositedirection on a two lane road camewithin inches of our vehicle and hitthe side view mirror. The impact ,

sent the shattered mirror glæsspraying throughout the vehicle.Although we could have been seri-ously injured, we received only a fewminor cuts. Praise God!

IMMEDIATE BENEFICIAL TRAINING

The days following the M¡n¡ste-rial ordinations offered immediatebeneficial training for our twobrothers. They actively participatedin the ordinances of baptism, confir-mat¡on of the Holy Ghost, conmun-ion, anointing, and blessing of littlechildren. As we felt the Spirit ofChrist working through them, wecould see how beautifully God hadprepared them for this work.

We also interviewed eachordained Teacher and Deacon tobetter und_erstand how the Lord wæusing them to serve the Church andfulfill their responsibilities. We arevery thankful to God and appreciativeof the love these brothers have forGod's work and the souls of man-kind. Many of them are teaching,praying, and sharing God's goodness

(Continued on Page I I )Bapt¡sms at omosassaVillage, Kenya

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Editorial Viewpoint

What does the Lord want from you? Do you know what He requires from you? Do you

know want He asks of you?

The Lord simply wants us to obey His commandments, instructions and teachings. InJ-ohn

i+:t- tr" sai<i,'7you love me,'kzep my comtnandmen¡s' " Would it be safe to ask if we

do not keep Iiis commandments, túat r e do not love Him? Ple¿se remembef that His

commandments are not grievous.

How do we define obedience? si"lrply stated, it is carrying out or fi¡lfilling a fequest,

comma¡d or order. It is being dutiful!

what a¡esomeof thecommandments of the Lord? In Exodus,20th chapter, GodgaveMoses

the ien Commandments. They still apply to all mankind. Kindlyread them again and

refresh your memory. You will find the complete and full Ten commandments very

interest¡ng.

TheLord gave other commandments to the human family. He-commands everyoneto repent

oitt "i,

,inr. He commands us to be baptized by His authority and in His name. He

commanded us on the naming of His church, The church of Jesus christ. He commands

us to become as little childreñ by having the humbleness and forgiving spirit of a child. He

commands that little children should be blessed and not baptized.

Jesus Christ commands us to love GOd above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

tte iequires us to love one another. He commands us to love our enemies. He commands

us to pray for those that despitefully use us.

The Lord commands us to forgive one another. He commands us to take His holy

coÁmunion, the bread and wineln remembrance of Him. He commands us to watch and

pray always, to avoid and overcome the temptations ofthe devil. christ instructs us to meet

ioÀótf,"r ót"n, not sometimes, but often. He requires that we forbid no one from

wõrshipping with us. He instructs us to hold up our light. The Lord commands us not to

go away from Him, but to come unto Him.

If we are obedient to Jesus christ, He promised that His Spirit will always be with us. -Itis that Spirit, the Comforter, that leads, guides and directs us through the journeyof life.

It allowi us io discern good from evil. Ii constantly reminds us what the Lord did for us

and for all mankind. Èe ¿ied for our sins. He set us free from sin! He set us free from

the finality of the grave! O grave where is thy sting!

Obedience to the commandments of God results in countless blessings. Obedience brings

eternal life with Jesus christ and God. It brings happiness in life. It bringsjoy and blessings

to vou from the Lord. It causes a spiritual excitèment in your life! It causes a spiritual

exliilaration in our lives! You feel thè very presence ofJesus Christ! You are never alone,

no never alone!

when you obey the commandments of Jesus christ, your life- is transformed. You become

u n"* ó.*turiin Jesus Christ. Your spiritual eyes see a different Iife. It is very different

from a natural life.

The creation and majesty of God is now more than ever visible to you, You seeGod in all

things. The vegetation, the singing ofbirds, the animals, the earth's vast array ofcolor and

especially in mankind.

You now see the gooclness in people, not their faults or the flaws in their character and per-

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(Continued on Page I I )

6 Mav. 1997

The

Children's

Corner

BJ Janet Sîeinrock

Dear friends,

Did you ever stop to think aboutall the adventure there is in servingGod? Sometimes when I talk withpeople who are still choosing theempty, 'worldly" way of living, Ismile. They say they want to danceor drink or have unusual fun!

I say, once they've danced-what's there to remember? Oncethey drink, who have t¡ey hurt orendangered by losing control ordriving drunk? And what is unusualabout being at a concert with hun-dreds of other people-all lookingabout the same-all paying goodmoney for tickets to make somemusician rich? Where is thereanything special or unique there?Where's the unusual or lasting fun?

In reality, true serv¡ce to God isfun and unique. Paul told us we areall a part of the body of Christ (ICorinthians 12:12-31.) One of usmay have the gift of seeing thefuture, or seeing ahead, like the eyes.One of us may have the personality toreach out to others like hands.Another may have a gifl of lovingand be like comforting arms around a

desperate fiiend. Another ofus maybe like a foot, bringing us ahead, or atoe, providing balance to the wholebody. And another may be like atongue and have the special ability tospeak powerful words of kindnessand love.

Each person is truly unusual.Each gift, each part of the body,works together to create a whole.Nobody hæ to pay money. Nobodyhas to worship or think another partof the body is better than they are.Each part of the body is of greatimportance to God.

for courage and quietly go visit them.Remind them of the love of God.Send them a card just from you orfrom your branch of the Church.Support your missionaries throughprayers or visits.

Save your money and join othersin buying Books of Mormon or

(Continued on Page 12)

WORD SEARCH

adventureinEphesiansCorintltiansputonthewholeârmouÍofGodstanduptoeviltruthbreastplate

ofrighteousnesspreparationgospelandpeaceshieldoffaithhelmetofsalvationswordofspiritlet

withstandthereforeprayandwatchbeboldbeGodwilluseyousoon

feetshodWhich part of the body of the

family of Christ do you represent?What are your special talents? Doyou, for example, find it interestingto meet other people? Would youIike the adventure of traveling to anew country, or state, a different cityor a beautiful Indian Reservation tomeet new friends amongst the saintsof God?

ln your family, are you willingto have strangers fiom the Churchcome visit with you? Because of thelove in The Church of Jesus Christ,during my life, I have had manyexciting adventures trying out ne\experiences while living with thesaints.

One summer I volunteered onthe beautiful White Mountain ApacheReservation to teach math to thirdgraders. Another summer, I joinedyoung people from all around theChurch to work with Navajo peoplein the middle of the desert nea¡Chinle, Arizona. Another time, Ihelped with Bible Schools on theMuncey Reservation in Canada andInner City Detroit and made manylifetime friends.

The love of God opened doors.All of our prayers to be used by Godallowed us to make neu/ friends andlearn that there are many parts of thesame body, all doing their jobs.

What is your job? Vy'hat inter-ests you? r'Vho can you reach out to?Who can you give ten percent of yourmoney to help? Where is therehunger in this world for t̡e word ofGod, or for food? \Vhere are youneeded today?

Is there someone suffering alonein the hospital? Say a brave prayer

F o D E N T U R E s U

s P R T B E G D o H s

s L A T o N H s D

o s H I E L D F D F E N D

N P R B P N G H N R s

o U U o T T Y T o N

I T o L L s U s s

T E M D E o P s E N L I

M R c F E L o H \\ A L H

R L T T R U T H Y G T

E F H E B R E T o s E N

P H G o s P E L TJ E s

E I P R H c T F H U R

R E R F E R E H T P o o

P R A Y D E R E Y c

May,1997

&; MissionoryBenevolenlAssoc¡otion

GMBA SinglesRetreat 1996

By Sister Deanna Nuai

\{e arrived at the McKeeverLearning Center Friday night afterdinner time. Is there anything moreexciting than arriving at a retreat andpat¡ently (sometimes impatiently)waiting for the others to arrive? Justto see each other again and enjoy thatsweet fellowship, what a blessing.

We staned Saturday morningwith a prayer meeting. A few of usgathered early to approach the throneof God on behalf of our weekend. Itwas a small group and a cold room,the perfect combination for a humbleorayer service. As each personprayed or expressed themselves,there was an overwhelming feeling ofhumility and thanksgiving.

The seminar I attended wastwenty-frve and over. I can onlyspeak for the seminar I was in-wehad a blessed time of sharing, grow-ing and learning. The reports of theother seminars were positive as well.

In the afternoon, we had theusual retreat atmosphere firn: games,basketball, football, napping andsinging. During the afternoonrecreation a brother was injured andthat night he expressed what care a¡dsincerity he felt coming from thesaints of God. That surely gave himcomfort.

Saturday night we met for theevening meeting. It was informal,we sat in a circle. In the past wehave found it nice to see everyoneand to look at their faces as we sha¡ethe love of God and praise His name.The GMBA officers left the meeting)pen to whoever felt moved and mostof all to the Spirit of God. Automati-cally, a sweet spirit entered themeeting. It was evident the childrenof God came seeking with a certaindetermination to invite the Holy

Spirit into our presence. We werejust minutes into our service and wehad already sat in heåvenly places.During the me€ting, a brother got upand approached the brothers incharge of the me€ting. He had heardthe word of the l¡rd! This brotherhas the gift of hearing the word of theLord and it felt natural for me towrite this down. I enjoy taking notes

and writing down the events ofmeetings. The meeting went on andthere was no announcement of thisbrother's experience. I quickly beganto question myself if I should justerase it and forget what I did. \ henI began to doubt myself, I heard avoice quietly speak to me and say,'Sister step out on faith." I couldnot argue with that, so I left it in mYnotes and trusted in the Lord. Bytlris time, the spirit of prayer enteredour meeting and many came forwardwith desires to be helped, healed andheard. How quick and sute Godhears and answers us. How quicklyHe comes to our rescue. We thenshared a few testimonies of God'sgoodness. During this time, a

brother got up and shared with usthat he hea¡d the word of the Lordand it said, 'Unity, Unity. BeUnifiedl Unity. " If you remember,earlier in the meeting I had thatexperience about the word of theLord. Lo and behold, it came forthand I filled in the blanks. I mentionthis experience to share with you howGod has blessed me as Editor of theGMBA. Many beautiful thingshappened in our meeting t¡at night.After the meeting, we \ryent to thecampfire site where we sang hymnsand fellowshipped with one another.

We gatherøl for our finalmeeting of the weekend, Sundayservice. We had several unexpectedvisitors; Brothers lke Smitl (Ari-zona), Phil Jackson and HowardJackson. Brother Ike Smith (Florida)opened our meeting making referenceto the song, Ye lVho Are Called tolnbor. He requested that the Minis-try sing this song for the congrega-tion. It was a great blessing to havethe Ministry before us, sending outthe beautiful message in this hymn.He exhorted us to serve each other

and how we must be open vessels inorder to be used by God. Brotl¡er IkeSmith (Arizona) followed with theimportance of gathering togetheroften as young people and holdingeach other up and helping each oúerto be strong. Brother Phil Jacksonfollowed exclaiming that ìve need tobe unified, a force of one! r e mustgive our entire being to Jesus Christ.Live our life for Him and He willbless your life beyond measure andhuman comprehension. We may attimes come short in our service, butaccept that you are human and inyour weakness, He is strong. Hewill make your strong!

We enjoyed a beautiñ¡l commun-ion service. I have to admit thatfrom here on, the meeting took myattention and I no longer took notes.It was such a beautiful meeting. TheWord of God was a feast that we"enjoyed and the spirit of unity wasoverwhelming. By this point, Ineeded to sit back and enjoy theSpirit of God. It felt like a warmblanket after coming in from thecold.

: Announcoûtollt ,,.,

For May, 1997 , tIrc CD rate6for the Ceneral Church BuildingFund are as follows:

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Mav. 1997

A

Branch and

ilission ileus

Sixth Generation CadmanObeys GospelatGreensburg, PA

The year was lE56 and whatexcitement! A recent wedding, asomewhat puzzling adventure cross-ing the Atlantic, a miraculous escapeftom death, and finally settled, safe atlæt, in America.

Little did William Cadman knowthe real thrills he would discover inhis lífe. A discussion about aninteresting religious belief resulted inhis baptism in 1858 in the, as yetunorganized, Church of Jesus Christ.

In the continuance of this fait-h, a

son, Alma, later found relief from hisspiritual burden through The Churchof Jesus Christ. A grandson,Russell, followed in his ancestors'footsteps; then a great granddaughter,Carolyn; ând â great-great grandson,Timothy Gehly.

A great-great-great grandson,Matthew David Gehly, awoke to adeluge of wintry rain on the morningof January 5, 1997, knowing this wasthe day of his baptism. At theappointed hour, the sun shone with abrilliant affirmation as this sixteen-year+ld was immersed in the chillywaters by his grandfather, BrotherPaul Gehly.

Thank God for the power of theresurrection!

Baptism in Hollywood, FL

By Sister Barbara DiNardo

Sunday, December 1, 1996, wasindeed a beautiful day. We gatheredat the Church, excited and joyous forthe event about to take place. RudiWeil was going to be baptized.Brotler Rudi is the husband of SisterFay Weil. Our sister has been a

faithful member for over nine yearsand had prayerfully waited for this

moment.Brother Ken Staley was asked to

perform the baptism. At the water'sshore, Brother Ken took BrotherRudi's hands and began o speak tohim. The sureet sp¡r¡t falling aroundus was wonderñ¡l! B¡other Kenasked Brother Rudi if he would serveGod to the best of his ability, towhich Brother Rudi answered yes!

As they entered the water,Brother Rudi seemed fearful. As ayoung child, he almost drowned. Iprayed that the l¡rd would Iift thisfear and help our Brother Rudi, AsBrother Ken took hold of ourbrother, I could see a change takeplace in Brother Rudi. A spirit ofpeace feel upon our new brother ashe went down into the watery grave.

Back at the Church, Brother Kenand I had the privilege of singing aduet. Brother Rudi was then con-firmed by Brother Dennis Moraco.Brother Staley spoke to us, using thetwenty-second chapter of Matthew æhis text. l¡y'e then enjoyed commun-ion and a time of testimony.

Our Brother Rudi is of Jewishheritage and as a child, escapedHitler's Germany. Our brother wasable to llee to England and latermove to America. We can tfuly see

the hand of God in our brother's life.Praise the Lord, another soul giveshis live to Jesus Christ.

Service

By Sister Sara Vancik

'Wen ye are in the service ofyour fellow beings ye are only in thesenice of your God' (Mosiah 2:17) .

These words apply to all of us asmembers of The Church of JesusChrist. Every little deed we do isnoticed by our Lord. His life was agreat example for us to follow as Hisministry took Him among m'anypeoples-rich and poor, good andevil. To them as well as His ownfollowers, He showed His love for allmankind.

In our service to Him today, \ e

who have felt His calling to serveothers, find â great blessing in

fulfilling our duties even æ a Dea-coness. I believe my greåtest bless-ing is the feeling of humbleness as Iset the table in preparation for theordinance of the hrd's Supper. "Hegave His life's blood for you andme." 'Oh What a Savior!"

Our little deeds of kindness eachday are many times unnoticed byothers but æ we show forth His love,we are fulfilling the Scripture whereHe says, "lnasmuch as ye have doneit unto one of the least of th¿se mybrelhren, ye have done iî unto me, "

Thus in the words of KingBenjamin, as we dedicate our lives tohelp others, we are 'only in theservice of our God. "

A Miracle of God

By Sßter Peggy Stroko

On November 24, 1996, aSabbath Day, members and friendsgathered at the Vanderbilt, Pennsyl-vania Branch for regular services.We conducted Sunday School and thepreaching service began åt I l:15 AM.

Evangelist Robert Nicklow, Sr.addressed the congregation followedby Brother Richard Lowther. \¡y'hen

these two brotlers concluded theirsermons shortly after noontime,Brother Richard Lowther turned toApostle Joseph Bittinger and asked,"Brother Joe, would you like to sayanything?" There was no answer. Asecond time he asked, "Brother Joe,would you like to say anything?-Again, there was no response fromBrother Bittinger. A third time,Brother Richa¡d asked, 'Brodrer Joe,would you like to say anything?"

The events that followed wereoverwhelming to say the least.Brother Bittinger's head turnedsharply to the right. He made analarming loud noise, which seemed tobe a moan or him trying to speak.His hands were drawn as tlat ofsevere crippling arthritis and the rightleg swung forward and began shak-ing. Life seemed to leave his body!

Brother Richard and BrotherBob quickly got to their feet and wereinstantly near Brother Bittinger.

Brother Richard said to Brother Bob,

.lget the oil!" Brother Bob anointedBrother Joe as both brothers palici-pated in the anointing. The congre-gation joined in Brother Bob'sprayer.

An ambulance was called and

emotions were r¿rmpant. It appeâred

that two minutes or more Passedsince the anointing. Our praYers

were truly answered! Brother Joseph

Bittinger opened his eyes. He triedto speak, but was unable to foranother minute or so. The ambulancearrived, he was examined and was

doing remarkably well!It is by the 'Grace of God" that

Apostle Joseph Bittinger is with us

today! Please remember Brother Joe

in your prayers.

Baptisms in Branch #2,Allen Park, Ml

By Sister Carolynn Gentile O'Connor

On November 24, 1996, ¡heLord blessed our branch with twonew members, Sister Marge D'Amicoand Sister Marie Hotte. Althoughtheir stories are different, they werebrought to the Lord and His Cburchin much the same way. They needed

comfort and strength at a verydifficult time in their lives. r e are

so thankful that they chose to lean onthe l¡rd, accept His comfort, andthank Him by giving their souls toHim. They will be a great asset toour branch. I asked them to sharetheir testimonies with all of you.

Sister Marge: 'I was born andraised in the Church. I can remem-ber walking to Cburch with mymother, Sister Josephine, (my father,Brother Alfred D'Amico passed awaywhen I was four) to the old Branch#3 in Detroit, Michigan. We went toChurch twice on Sunday, MondaYnight Ladies' Circle, Wednesdayright service, ard Friday night MBAevery week.

r hen I wæ fifteen years old, Iattended the GMBA Campout inNauvoo, Illinois. One night after themeeting, some of the young PeoPle

had gone for a walk. I stoPPed and

looked up into the trees and saw a

beautiful vision. Brother GorieCia¡avino was sitting at a desk.Across from him was an open gate

wit¡ a man standing on the otherside. All ì.vere brightly illuminated.The man held his arms out to me as Ihesitåted to wa.lk through. I turnedand looked back at Brother Gorie as

he nodded his head in aPProval. Hepicked up a pen and wrote in a book.That night I asked for my baPtism.

I was in the Church for threevears when because of some bad

óhoices I made in my life, I foundmyself suspended. I sPent twentY-three vears out of the Church.

I; 1996, I felt the Spirit of Godbegin to work with me again, esPe-

cially after the passing of my sister,Harriet Francione. I attended theLadies' Circle Retreat in March inWindsor, Ontario and began attend-ing Branch #2. In June, I had a

dream that I was in a big buildingwith a lot of people. They wereangry with rne, saying, "What iswrong witlr her? What is taking her

so long? Why doesn't she just doit?" I looked up and saw a brightlight shining through the roof. Twomen came uP behind me and lifted me

up by the arms and we all flew uP

into the light. When this haPPened,

all of the people that were angry withme began clapping and cheering.

A few months after mY dream, Iasked to be reinstate<l into theChurch. On November 24, 1996,1was re-baptized. I âm truly gratefuland thankful that in all my unworthi-ness, God saw fit to extend Hismercy on me and give me a secondchance. "

Sister Marie: 'I was introducedto the Church approximately nineteenyears ago by my former husband. Iattended church witi my familYsteadily for nine years and then offand on for ten. I did not feel theSpirit of God working with me

during the meetings and I got frus-trated and stopped attending.

I continued to stay in contactwith the brotlers and sisters and saw

them at special ñrnctions. I reallyloved the people of this Church. I

always believed in the Church and

what it stood for, only I had doubtsand uncertainties.

In October of 1995, mY mar-riage of over twenty years was

completely over. I was afraid and

alone. I had never been alone.Members of the Church stood behindme throughout this time añd itbecame a special turning Point forme. This was a blessing for me tohave support at a time I desperatelyneeded it.

I began to think about goingback to Church and finallY began

attending Btanch f2 in the summer of1996. I wanted to serve God and be

baptized. I had always tried to lead agood Iife, doing the right thingsnaturally. I found that at this time inmy life I really needed God besideme. I started praying more andmore. I needed emotional strength toget through this tri¿I. I felt like I was

falling apart.I prayed often. God did answer

my prayers as to what He wanted forme. I didn't have a lot of faith uP

until last summer. I realized that if Iwent to God with a sincere heart and

a contrite spirit, He would answer myprayers. He filled a very large hole(void) inside of me.

I kept praying to be called intothe Church, all the time knowing thiswas the true Church of Jesus Christ.I decided after coming for a while,and always being filled with HisSpirit, that He was calling me. I had

to think it over and analyze it know-ing that it would be the biggestdecision of my life.

I could feel God encouragingme, æking me what I was waitingfor. I was sure that this was what Iwanted. After I thought everYthingout, I called Brother Latry Hendersonand asked for my baptism. I wæfilled with His Spirit from thatSunday to the next. I was feeling so

good and so fulfilled that I couldn'twait and I almost ran into the water!

Sister Marge D'Amico was

baptized by Brother Paul Whitton and

confi¡med by Brother Dan Parravano.Sister Marie Hotte was baPtized bY

(Continued on Page l0)

l0 Mav.1997

BRANCH #2 cont¡nued . . .

Brother Larry Henderson and con-firmed by Brother Alex Gentile.

Please join us in praying for ourtwo new sisters. There is much workto do and we thank God for Hissblessings and for sending us twonew laborers.

GREENcontinued...

As we began our meeting with theDeaconesses, I could see an expres-sion of humility and willingness tolearn, as if to say, "I will do what-ever I need to do to serve the Lordand adhere to His instructions, for Heis my Almighty Father, and I am Hischild." Praise the Lord.

Sister Lorraine began u,ashingSister Nina's feet and we than contin'ued until every sister's feet \üerewashed. Sister Nina was our inter-preter, for that we were very gratefulas we were able to understand theprayers that were offered whilewæhing feet.

Sister Grace, who was going tobe ordained a Deaconess while wewere there, was washing her sister'sfeet and offering a prayer that thel¡rd would bless this sister and helpher to serve Him, take care of herfamily and that she would havestrong faith. After Sister Grace saidthose words she followed with thisstatement, "Oh Lord, I don't mean toforce you or push you to do thesethings. I ask of you these requests inlove, please hear my prayer." I feltsuch humility in Sister Grace's prayer.I opened my eyes and looked at theother sisters, all were feeling the lovethat was expressed in that prayer.

Me€ting these sisters and know-ing them for a short period of time,the love that flowed from each one ofus was God's love in us. It wæevident we felt we a¡e the family ofGod even though there are thousandsof miles that separate us. TheDeaconesses sang many songs for us.Their music is spirit filled.

We gathered together to orga-nize the Ladies' Circle on Sundayafternoon. There were forty-nine

sisters eagerly waiting to becomemembers of tlre Ladies' Uplift Circle.The history of the Circle was brieflyexplained !o them. We discussed theaims and Pledge of the Circle. Wethen repeated the pledge together.

'We pledge ourselves to readand seårch the Scripture and ask Godto direct and bless our Ladies' UplifrCircle in every way. We will do ourduty in visiting the sick; we willneither find fault nor offend in wordor deed, but will be a help to eachother and help others to the best ofour ability."

For me, it seemed like it was thefirst time I had read the pledge. Ittook on a stronger feeling with me.\ e closed our meeting, forming a

circle, singing God's word andprayer. The sisters felt such a sweetspirit. We did not want to leave thismeeting.

The last two villages that wevisited, I was not able to climb themountain or jump rocks in thestream. I remained with the va¡ andvisited with the children. I could seethe stream from where the van wasparked. In ten minutes, there wereseveral women with baskets ofclotles on their heads. As I watchedthem wæh their clothes in the stream,I thought of my washer and dryer athome. How easy for me on wash day!As the women lay the clothes in thevalley to dry, they formed a circleand conversed with one another. Ithought, 'their own little Ladies'Circle. "

Still waiting for the brethren toreturn from the village, Sister Do¡is,a Deaconess walked up to the van.She had been walking for three hoursin that hot sun to get to the Churchmeeting. She rested for a few min-utes. We began talking. Thank Godthat S¡ster Doris could speak English.She told me her husband and childdied last year. This did not mean sheshould give up on her life. Shestated the Lord has blessed her witÌrHis comfort and strength, that shewould be able to take ca¡e of the restofher family. She also mentioned,'I am motivated, look at the land Ihave, to plant a garden, to feed myfamily that was given to me by the

Lord." Sister Doris began doingwhat she needed to do for her family :

and praised the l-ord, expressing herthanks for her garden.

'No need to feel sorry for my-self, I have tle Lord. I have givenmyself to Him." Faith as large as

that mountain and then some. I askedmyself, have I given myself to theLord with the amount of faith thatSister Doris had?

After Sister Doris left to go tothe meeting, I got out of the van,looked at the valleys and mountains.\ ords a¡e insuffrcient to describe thescene-peaceful, a quietness, afeeling of closeness to the Lord. Ithought this must be what heaven islike. Such a beautiful feeling cameover me. This must be the beautifulplace my Sister Harriet is enjoying.

How great thou art Lord, yourGospel has reached the saints inKenya. They surrender all to youwith full confidence that you willprovide for their every need.

I certainly learned t¡e truemeaning of surrendering yourself toJesus Christ.

YOURSELFcont¡nued...

stand. If you will completely surren-der yourself to Christ without makingany demands, He has promised tocome within, make His abode, and todine with you.

He will drive out all fears andevery shadow of loneliness willdisappear. He will take the real youand bring it into perfect harmonywith the total entity of life. Thisincludes the removing of tle sting ofdeath, the instilling of a hope thatburns with greater intensity than theheåt that radiates ftom the sun. Ifyou have not dropped the bucketsdeep enough within the wells of theheart, mind, and soul, I urge you todo so. Don't punish yourself unnec-essarily; don't teår down the house ,

you live in by excessive use ofanytìing that leåds to deterioration.

Why don't you take a fewmoments away from your job, yourburdens, your anxieties, and your

Mav. 1997 llftustrations, taking the advice of the,rymn that says, 'Alone With God theWorld Forgotten. " In the quietnessof these moments, rip off all themasks; strip off all the pride; teardown every partic¡e of self-.iustifica-tion; and cut down the unsightlyhedges of prejudice, bitterness,jealously, and hatred. Let Him reachinto your inner being, and when youtotally surrender, He will makesometling beautiful of your life. Itmay take a few journeys into soli-tude, but you will evolve into aperson whose countenance reflectsthe evidence that God dwells withinand that you truly know yourself.

MESSAGEcont¡nued...

through testimonies two to threetimes a ìveek at their 'home" villageor neighboring villages, in addit¡on tothe regularly scheduled services. We\.vere touched to hear that several of*hem walk two hours each way tostrenghten the brothers and sistersand spread the Gospel.

Particularly outstanding was thefurther spiritual growth and maturitydemonstrated by the members, asGod is blessing tìem with spiritualgifts and revelations. In one village,a sister dreamed that three Americanbrothers were being 'cæried throughthe air" to visit her village andseveral of the surrounding villages.The sister was not aware that thepafent Church was planning this tripto Kenya. When we went to her

village, she was the first to testiryand thank God for tl¡e fi¡lfillment ofwhat she was shown in the dream.

One day, Sister Lorraine was illand unable to accompany us to thevillages. During our journey, weshared her condition with and re-quested pfayers from all the saints.A brother and siste¡ (a marriedcouple) took it upon themselves tofast and pray from that time so SisterLorraine's condition would improve.They continued their fæt throughoutthe day and night. That night, thèbrother saw the next day's conferencein a dream. He saw that SisterLorraine had recovered sufficiently.and regained strength to attend. Thebrother and sister indeed praised Godwhen they arrived at the conferenceand saw Sister Lorraine and that thedream had been fr¡lfilled completely.

SERVICE IN ENGLAND

rrVe had the opportunity tofellowship with Brother PatrickO'Callaghan in London, England enroute to Kenya. Brother Pat is ourordained Minister representing theChurch in his country. Although ourtime together was brief, it wæ mostenjoyable. The hotel served as our'meeting place" that afternoon for aninspiring service of preaching,singing, testimony, and communion.

Our faith and hope is thatwherever we journey throughout theworld, we will be able to meet andfellowship with a brother and sisterin Christ.

EDITORIAL cont¡nued,. .

sonalities. You begin to look forgood in people. You feel a sorrowfor those who do not know the l-ord.You feel a sorrow for thoise who a¡emired in sin. You feel sorrow for thesinners. You now feel compæsionfor all people. You share your sub-sta¡ce with those who have little ifanything at all. You give to the poor.You feed the hungry and clothe thenaked. Respect for others is nowcommon place in your heart. Lovefor all is now common place in yourheart, mind and soul. What a trans-

. formation! What a newness of life!Jesus Chiist dramatically

changes people who obey His com-mandments. Do you remember theconversion of the Lamanites? .It wascomplete and total. They became avery righteous people. They laiddown tleir weapons of war. They nolonger fought against God. They nolonger fought against their brethren.Not one soul would take up armsagainst his brethren. They would noteven prepare for war! They tooktheir swords, and all thp weapons ofwar which were used for sheddingman's blood and buried them in theearth. The scripture states "they,didbury them up deep in the earth."Their testimony wæ that they wouldnever use weapons again to shed theblood of man. They made this cove-nant with God Almighty! They werefirm in their conversion. They wouldrather suffer death than commit sinby shedding the blood of their breth-ren. Reading this account in Alma2kd and 24th chapters will stir yourheart with love and compassion.

In b¡anches and missions,brothers and sisters testify of thegoodness of God. These testimoniesa¡e the result of obedience to God'sword and His commandments. Howmany times have you heard a simple,'I just want to thank the Lo¡d whodied for me that I might live. I wantto thank Him for giving me a chanceto save my soul." You have hea¡d itmany times. You have seen the te¿rsthat accompany these testimonies.These actions come from obedience.Obedience is better than sacrifice!Sem¡nar with orda¡ned brothers at Mosocho V¡llage, Kenya

* WEDDINGS *

Joan Stanek and Colin Land were united in holymatrimony on Ocober 26, 1996 in the Windsor, Onta¡io,Canada Branch.

Clarence 'Chip' Smith, Jr. and Karen Orr fromHerndon, Virginia were united in holy matrimony onSeptember 21, 1996 in Alexandria, Virginia.,,-

Brother Arthur Gehly, Jr' and Mary Hollowell fromHerndon, Virginia were united in holy matrimony on

October 5, lÐ6 in Kure Be¿ch, North Carolina.Brother Joseph Catone, Jr. of the Ca¡olina Mission

and Donna Wetsoi were united in holy matrimony on

December 29, 1996.

Birth Announcement

Stacy Lynn DiNa¡do, daughter of Anthony and

Donna DiNardo of Hollywood, Florida was born on

lanuary7,1997.

Children Blessed

Adam Louis Romanski, son of Karyn (Vitto) and Ric

Romanski was blessed in the Sterling Heighs' MichiganBranch on July 14, 1996.

Shala Roie Visconti, daughter of Beverly and LouisVisconti, Jr., was blessed in the Sterling Heighs, Michi-gan Branch on October 27 , 1996.- Traci Lyn DiFalco, daugher ofJoy and MatthewDiFalco was-blessed in the Sterling Heights, MichiganBranch on December 22, 1996.

Tyler Wayne Labute, son of Brother Brad and Sister

Svlvieiabute was blessed in the Windsor, Ontario,C"anada Branch on February 4, 1997'

OBITUARIES

We wìsh to eryress our synpathy to those tlú! mourn

over the loss of loved ones. Møy G'od bless and comfonyou.

ANGELINE (Angie) CAPPELLERO

Sister Angie Cappellero of the Sterling HeightsMichigan Branih passed on to her heavenly reward on

Decerñber 29,1996. She is survived by two daughters'

Sisters Pierina DiFalc¡ and Elaine Caruso; three sisters,

Rena, Annie and Lucy; one brother, John; seven grand-

children and nine great-grandchildren.

LOUIS BENYOLA

Brother Louis Benyola of the Elkins, \Yest Virginia-

Mission pæsed on to his eternal rewa¡d on September 18,

1996. H; was preceded in death by his mother, Sister - .Anna Benvola: i5is father, Brother Louis Benyola; and his

brother, 'Ihomas Benyola. He is survived by his wife,Sister Heddie Benyola; one sister, Sister Mary Jqry

Cervone; three brõthers, Brothers Jerry, Ray and Dennis

Benyola; and several nieces and nephqwÞ.

JOHN D'AMICO

Brother John D'Amico of the Rochester, New YorkMission pæsed away to his heavenly reward on October

29, 1996. He is survived by his wife, Frances D'Amico;onó son, Ronald; three daughters, Ruth Hollis, I,ydia

Auteritano and Elizabeth D'Amico; two sisters, Sister

Erma Rossi and Lauretta Maggio; and two grandchildren'

HELEN SYLVIA TEACH

Sister Helen Sylvia Teach of the St. John, Kansas

Mission passed awãy to her heavenly rewa¡d on February

17 , lggi. She was þreceded in death by her husband, .

Eláen Teach and a sìster, Letha Kunkle. Sister Teach is

survived bv one son, Gregg Teach; one daughter, Peggy

Wacker: one sister, Shirley King; and two grandchildren'

CHILDREN'S CORNER continued . . '

Bible,s to send to others' Pray and ask God in the name

of Jesus, to send you, to use you to help you disc¡verwhich wonderful gifts you have and how to use them'

Start the adventurã in l-earning where you can fit in this

amazing world of ours. When you find yourself in new.

places,-put on the whole armor of God @phesians 6: 13)

and begin your adventure.

With care and respect,Sister Jan

Address Change

N¿me

Address

Phone

töbnolileùtw

t

Study, Study, Study!

By Brother Stacey H. LiSht

The day and time in which welive is filled with many differenttypes of religions and beliefs of theHoly Scriptures. As members ofThe Church of Jesus Christ, wemust be prepared to not only defendour faith, but we also must be readYand able to promote the Gospel ofJesus Christ in is simplicity andpurity. This is important for'all"members of the Church, and canonly be accomplished through alifelong, consistent study of theHoly Scriptures, the Bible and theBook of Mormon.

Timothy was ordained into theMinistry of the Church during oneof the Apostle Paul's missionaryjourneys. He quickly found himselfin charge of the Church in his area,living among many that had notbeen firmly grounded in the Gos-pel-many that had never heard thesimple teachings of Jesus Christ.Timothy was surrounded on allsides by religious men and otherswho would try and sway him andhis flock from the truth. TheApostle Paul continued on with hismissionary efforts, but he neverforgot Timothy and wrote manyencouraging exhortations in his

letters to him. He knew that manywould become weak in the faith and

fall away or change tle teachings ofChrist by introducing false doc-trines.

'Now the Spirit sPeakethexpressly, that in the latter timessome shall depart from the faith,giving heed to seducing spirits, and

doctrines of devils; Speaking lies inhypocrisy; having their conscienceseared with a hot iron; Forbidding tomarry, and commanding to abstainfrom meats, which God hath created

to be received with thanksgiving ofthem which believe and know thetruth. For every creåture of God isgood, and nothing to be refused, if itbe received with thanksgiving" (ITimothy 4: l-4).

"Study to shew thyself aP-proved unto God, a workman tlatneedeth not to be ashamed, rightlydividing the word of truth" (IITimothy 2: l5).

Lehi was a devout man of Godand was commanded to leave Jerusa-lem with his family so that theywould be spared from the imPendingdestruction. Not only were Lehi andhis family being spared from sin and

destruction, but all their generationsto follow. He was commanded bYGod to send his sons back intoJerusalem to obtain the plates ofbrass which contained all the HolyScriptures from the time of Adam

until their day. Thank God, NePhiunderstood the importance of whathis father had asked him to accom-plish. He did not give uP in hisdifticult task of obtaining the plates

from Laban, a man who had thepower to command armies to slayhim. God evenrually deliveredLaban into Nephi's hands. WhenNephi was unsure if he should killLaban to obtain the plates, GodHimself spoke to him and confirmedthe necessity of having the HolYScriptures with them. If they did nothave Scriptures with them on theirjourney to the promised land, theirentire generat¡on would eventuallydwindle and perish.

'Behold the Lord slayeth thewicked to bring forth his righteouspurposes. It is better that one man

should perish than that a nationshould dwindle and perish in unbe-lief' (I Nephi 4: l3).

Many times the wise religiousmen of the day and even Satan came

to Jesus with questions, trying totrick Him. He did not attempt todebate their questions, but He oftenresponded to them with their ownscriptures which could not be d¡s-puted. After the Lord had fasted forforty days in the wilderness the evilpo\.ver tempted Him, but a quotationfrom the Scriprures could not be

(Continued on Page l0)

The Declaration of Jesus Christ 2000 Years AgoVersus the Summit Declaration Today,

in Philadelphia

By Apostle Paul Benyola

little children to come unto me"(Lúke 18:16-17). TODAY the í

government is æking the peqple toconimit to voluntary action and

. through this service, the fulfillment. :of Americats promise for every

-.: American,child will be met.2OOO YEARS AGO JF,SUS

said, 'thou shall lovô the Lord tÏyGod.with all thy heart, and with allthy strength, and with all thy mind;and thy neighbor as thyself. " Whenasked by a "certain lawyer, who ismy neighbor," Jesus gave us theexample of the 'good Samaritan"who helped a man who was beatenand left for dead. The Samaritanpaid for his care while two others, a

Levite and a Priest, passed on theother side and ignore<l the mantsneed. TODAY the government hasgiven a "New Déclaration." Helpour children and those in need.

2OOO YEARS AGO JESUStaught us to put our pr¡orities inorder-God, family and all else.Jesus wants us to help one anotherand teach our children to put Godfirst in their lives.

TODAY THE GOVERN-MENT called a volunteer¡sm Sum-mit to encourage people to help oneanother, keep their neighborhoodsclean and to pay special attention toour children. The Summit Ìvasindeed a noble gesture to placeemphæis on the most importantassets in this world, our children.God recognized this 3500 yeârs âgoand gave us úe Ten Commandmentsto live by in our world today. Healso gave us His Son, Jesus Christ,2000 years ago to show us ho\ry tolive in love and thus enable us tobring our children up in a Godfearing home environment. InAmerica, the government wasestablished on these principles twocenturies ago. TODAY the courtshave replaced God's plan of salva-tion and morality with laws thatfavor free speech and support thedarkest side of man's mind which isinfluenced by evil. The governmentcontinues to depart from the moralityof God's word and supports, throughthe courts, the moral descent into a

vulgar and indecent chasm by

In Philadelphia, at the historicsite of Independence Hall, PresidentsFord, Carter, Bush and Clinton sattogether in front of 3000 delegates tosign a new declaration which rêadsin part, "Our obligation, distinct andunmistakable, is to assure that allyoung people have: Caring adults intheir lives, as parents, teachers,tutors, coaches . . . Safe places with

Apostle Paul Benyola

structured activities in which to learnand grow . . . A healthy start andhealthy future. . . An effectiveeducation that equips tìem withmarketable skills . . . An opportunityto give back to their communitiesthrough their own service. Twocenturies ago, America was foundedon the proposition that all people areendowed by their Creator withinalienable rights, citizenship entailsundeniable responsib ilities. As each

of us has the right to Life, Libertyand tle Pursuit of Happiness, each

of us has an obligation to givesomething back to country and com-munity. . . a duty to take responsi-bility not just for ourselves and ourfamilies, but for one another. Weowe a debt of service to fulfill theGod given promise of America, andour children." This Summit calledfor a spirit of voluntary action by allpeople to reach out to the needy.The focus is on our children. Thegovernment reâliz€s that they havefailed in teaching morâlity to theyouth of lhis country and theentire world,

35OO YEARS AGO GODESTABLISHED a law of moralityin the Ten Commandments.

TODAY TrIE COURTS ofthis promised land are trying to stopthe display and implementation ofthe Ten Commandments.

2OOO YEARS AGO JFSUSTAUGIIT, "Ou¡ Father which artin Heaven, Hallowed be thy name"(Marthew 6:7-15). TODAY TIIEGOVERNMENT of this promisedland does not allow this prayer to besaid or any verses of the Bible to beread or talked about in our schools.

2OOO YEARS AGO JESUSCOMMANDED US "that ye loveone another as I have loved you,that ye also love one another" (Johnl3:34). Jesus also said, "Suffer

June 1997

persons who openly defy the wordrf God.

TODÀY, The Church of Jesus

Christ, restored in 1830, abides bY

the principals set up by Jesus Christ.ln the days of Moroni, when evilwas great amongst the land and some

were trying to destroy the foundationof liberty to serve God, Moroni renthis coat; and he took a Piece thereof,and wrote upon it, "In memorY ofour God, our religion and free''dom, and our peâcer our wives,and our children." He PraYed, thenwent amongst the PanPle and calledthem to remembrance of the Prin-ciples of Christ. \Ve must also pre-serve our liberty in Christ today.Some of the same conditions exist inour society today as existed inMoroni's day. This message mustgo out. We do not have a Paidministry and all of the offices thatare staffed from the mission to theGeneral Church level are voluntary.'We cannot exist without the great

sacrifices by those who freely give¡f their time and money to Íùrtherthe work of the Gospel in Americaand foreign lands.

We encourage more ParticiPa-tion by all ofour members. Someof our brothers and sisters hold morethan one <rffice and spend manYhours fulfilling their duties whileothers could help. There are manyareas of need throughout our Churchand communities. AttendingrrVednesday and Sunday meetings,although extremely importantespecially when inviting others tothe meetings, is only a part of ourservice to God.

VOLUNTEERISM WORKS.Recently the b¡anch in Levittown,Pennsylvania organized a spiritualmarketing committee. They lookedat every aspect of the Churchstarting with the cleanliness insideand out. They recommended thatoutside lights should be installed tolight up the front of our Church sopeople could see us in our commu-nity. Lighted signs were placed atbus stops with different messagesinviting others to visit us. A brotherhad a connection with an advertisingagency and a 60 foot lighted bill-

board was placed on lnterstate 95

outsicle of Philadelphia. Cable TVadvertising spots were run alongwith newspaper ads. The members

of the branch supported each Pro'gram. Lethargy was replaced bY

enthusiasm. Our mission is to plantand water, God will give the in-crease.

ALL THINGS ARE PO$SIBLE. Through this effort Godalso opened doors for the AtlanticCoast Region to sing at a GosPel

concert as a singing grouP calledThe Church of Jesus Christ GosPel

Singers. Professional singers werealso on the agenda. When thisopportunity was presented, our firstreaction was to solicit the best

singers of the Church. God had

other plans. Due to schedulingconflicts, we had to rely entirely onthe brothers, sisters and friends ofthe Atlantic Coæt Region. We held

one practice and 35 PeoPle showedup. We sang well and prayed thatGod's Spirit would be with us and

that we would, through song, giveour testimony to over 600 PæPle.rÀ/e stated that with God's help, wewould have twice the volume whenwe sang at the concert. The concertwas to be held in Delaware, a threehour trip for some of the members,on December 7, 1996, (remember

Pearl Harbor?). The weather wæpoor and doubts came into ourminds. We were not sure how manY

members of the grouP would come,and we were to represent TheChurch ofJesus Christ. rJy'hen wearrived, God provided not 35 but 60willing singers from the age of 6years up to the age of 80 years.what a blessing it was to be part ofsuch a wonderful grouP.

The singing was glorious, theSpirit was evident. After we sang

three selections, the congregationgave us a standing ovation, not tohonor us but to give glory to God.We were taugbt a valuable lesson, ifGod is with us we can do all things.(we were the only group to rece¡vea standing ovation with all thanks toGod.)

We must continue to reach outto our members, friends, neighbors

and our communities. The GosPel

of Jesus Christ should not be keptunder the bushel. We ûlust, I'vith

God's help, get fhe m€ssage out ofthe confines of our Church build-ing to otheis. Jesus gave us the'great commission" to do this.

A New Declaration is notneeded. Wliat America needs is toreturn to the principletrset forth inthe Bible and Book of Mormon'We also must examine ourselves toensure that we are not being influ-enced by the moral decay that is

pervasive throughout the world.It was revealed to us thât

great blessings are coming. Jesustold us that great miracles andblessings come through mightYfasting ând prayer. Are we willingto do this?

Note of Thanks

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

My faniily and I would like tothank everyone for your prayers and

comfort in the illness and passing ofSister Esther Santilli. Your cards

and love were a source of strengthto us all. May God bless you.

Love in Christ,Sister Jean Pusateri and familY

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I would like to thank everYone

for your prayers. God saw everY

knee that was bent, everY head thatwas bowed and He heard everYprayer that was offered on behalf ofmy husband Clement during hisrecent cancer surgery. Although he

is not a member of The Church ofJesus Christ, he was anointed beforesurgery and felt God's love. Clem-ent is recovering and doing well'The doctor told us he removed allthe cancer and the prognosis is verygood, praise God! Clement thankseach and every one for yourprayers. May God bless you all.

Sister Virginia Surprenant

June, 1997

A message

from úhe

$eventy

(Following is a report by bvan-gelist Richard Christman and EldcrMiquel Bicelis of three recent bap-tisms in the South American nation ofPeru- They were accompanied onthis trip from March 14-25, 1997 bytheir wives, Sister Pat Christman andSiste r Mel is sa Bicel is- Evan gelistEditor's note.)

The recent mid-March mission-ary trip to Peru was blessed by threeconverts into The Church of JesusChrist. The wo¡k had progressedthere from its beginning with acontinued and growing interest in theRestored Gospel. The currentpredominant religion, which hæ beenexerting its infìuence for over 400years, is the religion of 95% of itsinhabitants; however, the Gospel wasestablished long before that by thedisciples of Jesus Christ and indeedby Christ Himself when He appearedin the Americas.

Knowing the revealed Word ofGod through the Book of Mormon,we cannot say that the tlree convertswere the first baptisms in Peru; butthey are the first after many hundredsof years of absence of the Gospel inthis land. Brother Jorge Floresrequested the Word of God in Span-ish from our missionaries severalyears ago. He had been reading fromit since that time and praying fbrGod's will in the life of his family.He shared this interest with his wife,Nora, and his friend, Jose Gonzales.

The three converts were baptizedin an area called Sabandia on the

outskirts of the city of Arequipa in alake fed by cold mountain wateror¡g¡nating approximately 18,000 feetabove sea level. The water was cleârand the snow covered volcanicmounta¡ns rose majestically in thebackground. (Brother Christmanbaptized them and Brother Bicelisconfirmed them at the site.) One of .

our friends who came to view thebaptisms said she felt the Spirit sostrongly that it made her knees growweak and she thought she wouldcollapse.

DREAM TWO NIG}ITS BEFORE

Brother Gonzales had a dreamtwo nights before his baptism inwhich he saw himself being baptized.He had been seeking God's direction

Three Baptisms in PeruBy Brothers Richard Christman and Miquel Bicelis

in his life and had shown a willing-ness and desire to be instructed in ¡God's plan of salvation.

Brother Flores was asked, 'Areyou sure about wanting to be bap-tized?" He answered that he was"more than sure" that this is what hewanted. Sister Nora stated that theday after her decision to be baptizedshe felt very different and knew thatit was the Spirit of God.

Others expressed a continuedinterest in the Gospel and are anx-iously awaiting the Spanish transla-tion of the Book of Mormon.

The Nico Paz family haveextended the hospitality of their hometo our missionaries, and we feltGod's blessing in their company.They have a strong desire to improvethe lot of the native Peruvians in theoutlying areas. They are particularlyconcerned with the welfare of thepeople in the Puno area which is

economically depressed. Childrenare not properly nourished, and 60%of the school children test positive fortuberculosis. Also, 30% of theteachers test positive for that disease.

At our first Sunday meeting,there were twenty-two of us gatheredtogether to discuss the scriptures,sing, and praise God. Mr. and Mrs.Paz graciously opened their home forthis meeting, and we had a very nicetime discussing some of the many

(Continued on Page I 1)

Nora Flores, Jorge Flores, Jose Gonzales, and in front, Kelly Flores

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Editorial Viewpoint .

Thesummer months aìe on the horizon. Thousands ofpeople willbetaking vacations. Theywill drive to their destination using the latest road map or road atlas to determine the best

ancl possibly the most direct route. Can you imagine taking ajourney without a map ofanykind? How would you know which way to turn? How would you know which way to go?

Vy'ithout an excellent map, it is practically impossible!

The Apostle Thomæ epidomizes this difficulty, this dilemma. We read in John l4:5,'Thomas saith unto him, lnrd, we know not wither thou goest; and how can we know theway?"

Theanswercame from the Lord inJohn l4:6 which states, "J¿,ru.r J4ith unto.him, Iamtheway, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Foth¿r, but by me."

There is no other ìvay to salvation tìan by and through Jesus Christ. He is the only way.He is the only truth. He only offers life and life more abundantly. There is no other name

under heaven whereby menand women can be saved. The only name is Jesus Christ. Jesus

Christ offers us access to God and His Kingdom if we follow Him.

King Benjamin said it very well. He sa¡d there is no name given or means whereby salvationcomes to mankind; only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.

It is strange that in spite of the clarity of the Holy Scriptures, many people simply do not

knowtheway. They look to and prayto others instead oftheLordJesus Christ. The Lordinstructs us that His Church must bear His name and be built on His Gospel.

Remember the compass? It was called the Liahona. It was a ball or director. It was prepared

by the Lord. It was a round ball of curious workmanship. It was made of fine brass. Ithad two spindles and one pointed the true way through the wilderness. This compass was

prepared to show Lehi, his family and followers the course they should travel in thewilderness. It worked according to their fàith. lfthey exercised faith, God caused the one

spindle to point the one and only right way. Notice it was 'one" spindle. It pointed themin a direct course. It was a straight path through the wilderness.

The Liahona contained a new writing. Although new, it wæ plain to read. This plainnessgave them understanding of the ways of the Lord. The Liahona directed them to food. TheLord would not âllo\ry them to go hungry, naturally or spiritually!

We read that it is easy to give heed to the Word of Christ. Jesus Christ is not difficult. Hespoke in parables so people could easily understand His message and instruction. Assurelyas the Liahona directed them to the promised land, if we follow the words and

commandments of the Lord, we will also reach the promised land, His Kingdom!

What is the way? h is faith, repentance and baptism. It is putting offthe old creature and

becoming a new creature in Jesus Chr¡st. It is possessing a broken heart and contrite spir¡t.This broken heart and contrite spirit is a constant spirit of repentance and humility. Ifyoulove the Lord, you must keep His commandments. Those are His instructions. There isno other wayl

t hat is the truth? Jesus Christ is the truth. He cannot lie. His words are truth. He saidinJohn8:32,'Andyeshallknowthetruthandthetruthshallmakeyoufre¿." Free fromwhat? Free from sin, eternal condemnation and eternal damnation. We are free from sinand are now the servants of righteousness. Jesus Christ is the Great Liberator! Lehi saidredemption comes in and through the Holy Messiah; for His is full of grace and truth.

ì GOSPIìL NEWS OSSN 0279-t) i! pùlrlis¡'ed ûôdhry tor $12.00ye¡r by Tl¡e Chr¡rch of J6¡!

ic PRINT IIOUSE, E2E2 ßo.l.Der, P.O. Bor 30, Bridgewater,4El 1s4030, 3¡3-429-5080. Pe.-ÐÌ poÊlage paid ¡l Sal¡b¿, Mìúi-ùd ¡ddit¡o¡al b¡ili¡g omc6.

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(Continued on Page 'l 1)

June 1997

The

ChÍldren's

Corner

By Janet Steinrock

God Fights for Elishaand Israel

Dear Friends,

One of the many mysteries aboutserving God is seeing how He worksin a person's life. He heals us, Hebrings us through hard times, Hecomforts a broken heart and teachesus how to forgive and love eachothe¡.

Often when one person trùlydedicates himself to God, he receivesgreat power.

This power is not usually thepower to be rich. It is usually thepower to do great good for otherpeople. In the history of Israel in theancient days, holy men of God, calledprophets, were sent to reach out andguide the people.

In II Kings 2:6, the king of thegreat country Syria warred againstIsrael. The king of Syria had thou-sands of soldiers armed with spearsand arrows. He had fierce warhorses and fast chariots to chasedown the soldiers of Israel and killthem.

In secret, the king of Syriamoved his army to a camp in a

hidden place. In those days therewere no airplanes or radios or quickways to spy out an army sneaking up.But there was and is something better.It's the spirit of God. And God toldHis prophet Elisha about the ambush.And Elisha warned his Israelitepeople. Twice this happened.

Then tïe king of Syria becameangry and suspicious. He called hissoldiers together and said they musthave a traitor amongst them. But his

soldiers answered saying'... theprophet Elisha is in lsrael. The[secret] words you speak in yourbedchamber are heard by him and hewarns his king. "

AmazuJ, the king of Syria said,'Go and spy where he is, that I mightsend and catch him." His men toldhim that Elisha lived in Dothan. So

the king of Syria sent his châriots,horses and a great army by night tosurround the city.

When Elisha's servant rose earlyto go for food, he saw the huge armyand ran to tell Elisha, 'Alas, mymaster! What shall we do?"

Elisha responded, 'Fear not; forthey that be with us are more thanthey that be with them." And Elishaprayed, "Lord, open my servant'seyes so he can see. "

And the Lord opened the youngman's eyes and he saw the mountainwas full of horses and chariots herearound about Elisha. And Elishaprayed. "Lortl, smite these enemieswith blindness," and God did.

Then Elisha went up to hisenemies and said, "This is not theway; fcrllow me and I will bring youto the man you hunt for. "

But he Ied the Syrian armyinstead to the king of Israel. Heasked Elisha,'Shall I kill them?"

Elisha said, 'No. Feed them andthen send them back to their master. "And the king of ls¡ael did as Elishasaid. And when this great armyreturned to their country, they neveragain came to attack Israel.

The enemy who came to conquerGod's people was conquered by God.Our mysterious, powerful God foughtfor His people. So when things hurt

you, or give you fear, pray. GiveGod your problem. Ask in Jesus' iname. He will hear you. He willsave you.

With care,Sister Jan

WORD SEARCH

ELISHA WITHCOMFORTED THEMSAYING BEHOLDFEAR THENOT MOUNTAINTHEY V/ASTHAT FULLBE OF}VITH HORSESUS GODSARE CHARIOTSMORE ANDTHAN HETHEY SMOTETHAT THEMBE

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w T H A T M E H T

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I T E G o D S S T

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A U M Y H F E A R

H o R S E S U Y o

C M E B Y E H T M

June, 1997

0ur ltomonfrday

Are You Leaving a

Mark?

By Sister Jan Cornell

'Are you leaving a mark?" Thisis the question asked by Apostle PaulPalmieri in our Sunday Service at thePenn Mid-Atlantic Region Ladies'Uplift Circle Retreat held on March15-16, 1997 at Linden Hall in thebeautiful Laurel Highlands of Penn-sylvania.

"How do we respond to thisquestion asked by our brother?" Thetopic of our retreat for the weekend' . . . becoming a woman ofexcel-lence, " certainly enhanced ourunderstanding and the personalrequirements necessary to make animpact, not only in our missions andbranches, but all those we come incontact with in our daily lives. ourseminar chairman, Sister Joyce Rossoutlined seven topics to consider inthis quest:

SurrenderObedienceDisciplineDiscretion

Gentle, Quiet SpiritPurity

Wisdom

During the weekend we wereable to go over some of our history.Our Area is relatively new, havingbeen organized in May of 1985. Wehave met twice a year since then,usually holding a retreat in the springand business meeting at one of thelocal branches in the fall. We alsotry to have a Mother/DaughterBanquet each year. Monongahelawill host this year's on May 10. Wewelcome all those who would like toattend. Our locals include:Aliquippa, Fredonia, Imperial,Glassport, McKees Rocks, Roscoe,Spartanburg and Vanderbilt.

Area oÍïìce¡s are:

P¡esident: Joyce RossVice-President: LuAnn Carson

Secretary: Jacqui KingFinancial Secretary: Becky Tarbuck

Treasurer: Karen ProgarCardsender: Carol Monaghan

Editor: Jan Cornell

Auditor: Dora RossiHistorian: Lucetta ScaglioneLibrarian: Mary Buffington

Our main missionary effort thelast couple of years has been orphans.r e have raised funds to support theorphans throughout the Church intothe thousands of dollars. This was an

area where we felt direct,:d by God'sSpirit to help. We truly desire toreceive His direction to assist those inneed. We thank God that through theCircle we have been not only able toserve our Lord and Savior, JesusChrist, but also to 'leave a mark" byhelping with the missionary endeav-ors of the Church.

There were many highlights thisweekend spent together, but we weretruly blessed to have our GeneralCircle President, Sister Arline\ryhi(on, who was able to share herexperiences on her recent trip toKenya. Our next meeting is Septem-ber 6, 1997 in Imperial, and we aretruly looking forward to 1998 whenanother General Circle Retreat willbe held in Charleston, South Caro-Iina. Plan now to attend. Theblessings and the love of the sistersare something not to be missed.

A

ilrannh and

Mission ilous

News from Cape Coral, FL

By Sister Theresa Palermo

The New Year of 1997 had a

special start for the brothers, s¡stersand friends of the Cape Coral,Florida Branch as they broke groundfor their first Church building. Thefrrst meeting was held in Cape Coral,Florida in December of 1968. Overthe years, the meeting place movedfrom home to home and communityroom to community room. Then in1987, with the foresight and assis-tance of the late Brother Raymond

Cosetti, the Branch (then a Mission)purchased a I .2 a$e parcel of land inwhat was then a remote area of thecity. Today that parcel lies withinclose proximity to the new path ofprogress in Cape Coral. After yearsof fund raising, planning, and muchprayer, on Saturday, January 4,sixty-five members and friends of theBranch attended a ground breakingpicnic hosted by the branch teachers,and an outdoor service. Amongthose attending were several membersof the Jumper family, Native Ameri-cans from the Big Cypress Reservation.

The service was held on theexact site of the proposed Churchbuilding, with the congregationsinging that favorite hymn #177 , OurChurch- Brothe'¡ Bert Sheffler, FirstCounselor and faithful supporter ofthe branch for many years, read fromMatthew 7:24-27, " . . . a wise man,

which built his house upon a rock."Brother Bert reminded us that eventhis church building, although it be aphysical project, the intent for its useis built upon a solid rock-JesusChrist-and all other ground issinking sand.

Evangelist Dennis Moraco, FirstCounselor of the Southeast Regionoffered the first prayer, asking Godto bless and protect those involved inthe forthcoming building process.Mr. Steve Pansing, a representativeof the building contractor, said thatof the fourteen churches his firm has

built, even though we are the smallestcongregation they have built for (wecurrently have eighteen members), hehas noticed a great unity among ourgroup. He further commented that hefelt very welcome at the ground

(Continued on Page 8)

June. 1997

CAPE CORAL continued . . .

breaking services even as a stranger.Brother Frank Rogolino, Chair-

man of the Souùeast Region Board ofTrustees, addressed the group andpraised God for the way in which Hehas moved recently within the CapeCoral Branch, bringing to culmina-tion years and years of hopes anddreams of the members here.

Finally, one by one, each of theCape Coral B¡anch Trustees took a

shovel firll of dirt and turned overground, signifying the official start ofthe building process. After we closedin prayer, the contractor noted thatthe place where the ground wasbroken was exacdy where the pulpitwill stand once the building iserected.

The following day, many of ourvisitors worshipped with us at ourusual meeting place, the Cape CoralYacht Club. Brother Dennis Moracowas the opening speaker, remindingus of God's calling to us as membersof the everlasting Gospel, "to preach

unto them that dwell on the earth,and to every nation, and kindred, andtongue, and people" (Revelationsl4:6).

Brothers Joe Catone, Sr., MikeRadd and John Griffith all followedon the topics of grasping hold of theGospel as did the earlier pillars of theChurch and developing a strongrelationship with the Word of God.

We are anxiously awaiting thecompletion of our new church build-ing. Several years ago when we hadour building lot cleared of vegetation,the stranger clearing the lot told ofhow a voice spoke to him saying,"These are my people. Treat themwell." Surely God is allowing us torealize this dream of our own Churchbuilding because His plan includesthe furthering of the Restored Gospelin this part of the vineyard.

Please pray for our small grouP.Pray that God will grant us Hisdivine guidance and direction as welook with vision toward the day whenwe dedicate our building, but moreimportantly, to a day soon thereafterwhen our building is filled withnewcomers!

Ordinations in Windsor,Ontario

On Sunday, August 18, 1996,we gathered in the riy'indsor, OntarioBranch to witness the ordinations ofBrothers Matthew and John Collisoninto the Ministry of The Church ofJesus Christ.

We were honored to have withus Apostle Joseph Calabrese, Evange-lists Nephi DeMercurio, Alex Gen-tile, Frank Vitto, Tony Lovalvo,Tony Gerace and Elders Bob Stanek,Dick Lobzun, Don Collison, LyleCriscuolo, Steve Champine andRodney Dyer.

Brother Tony Gerace opened ourmeeting in prayer. As Sister Kayvitto set the communion table, wesang that beautiful hymn, B/essedAssurance. Praise God for thebeautiful spirit of singing!

Brother Joseph Calabrese wasour opening speaker. He used for histext, Alma 13, and spoke on thePriesthood after the order of the Sonof God. Brother Joe emphasized thatthis Ministry does not go to collegesand seminaries but is called by thegift and power of God the Almighty.As Aaron and his sons were called byGod, so are our young men calledtoday to preach and teach the Wordof God. Brother Joe stated therewards of the Priesthood cannot bebought with silver or gold. ThePriesthood has been set up to feed theflock of the Lord! He ståted that theLord needs each of us to further Hiswork.

We enjoyed participating in theSacrament of the Lord. What a

blessing! After Communion, BrotherAlex Gentile read from the Scripturesin III Nephi when Jesus chose twelvedisciples on the land of America. Allof us are a ministry to those in theworld. Things that we do are there-fore more important than the thingswe say. He went on to say that whenyou are in the service of your fellowman, you are in the service of God.Brother Alex stated, 'Be ye oneanother's servant. "

Brother Steve Champine sang a

beautifrrl hymn in honor of the

occasion. B¡other Don Collison readthe experience of the calling of his (

son, Brother Matthew. How wonder-ful and secure this calling into theMinistry is since it is of God, not ofman. The Lord's choosing is done inperfection.

Brother Dick Lobzun read an

experience confirming the calling ofBrother John Collison. The Spirit ofGod was truly felt by all who wereassembled in the building.

Brother Don Collison washedthe feet of both his sons. There wasa confirmation given by God to SisterFaith Lobzun that this was the way itshould be done. Words cannotexpress the beauty of this scene! AsBrother Don knelt to wash his sons'feet, the Spirit of God was abun-dantly manifested to all. BrotherSam Cuomo saw the past Ministry ofthe Windsor, Ontario Branch stand-ing behind the Ministry on therostrum.

Brother Matthew was ordainedby Brother Dick Lobzun and BrotherJohn Collison was ordained byBrother Frank Vitto.

The meeting was then opened toBrothers Matt and John Collison toexpress themselves. Brother AlexGentile asked the entire Collisonfamily to come to t}le front of theChurch. As we saw the Collisonfamily gather together, our heartswere filled with joy as we observedseveral generations, the result of loveand teachings of two parents, SisterAdrienne and Brother Don Collison.

After we closed the meeting,approximately one hundred andtwenty-fìve attendees enjoyed lunchand fellowship together. We thankGod for a wonderful and blessed day!Remember us in your prayers. MaY

God bless you all.

News from Santa Ana, GA

By Sister Santina M. Mercuri

On February I and 2 of thisyear, an invitation was extended toall of our Hispanic members to joinus in a gathering of song and wor-ship. We enjoyed the blessings of

Iune 1997

God in both our Saturday program

and Sunday service. Several ofourHispanic members came from sur-rounding areæ as well as fromTijuana. The Santa Ana MusicEnsemble, composed of two guitars,a bass fiddle, and a violin, PlaYed a

few selections. Similar to Psalm 150,

we praised the Lord with our stringedinstruments.

Brother and Sister ClarenceKirkpatrick of Yucaipa sang beauti-fully with the guitar accompaniment.The Tijuana choir raiserl their voicesin praise with Brother Ulisis' guitaradding to the melodious voices of thegroup. Brother Ulisis also sang us awonderfr¡l solo with his guitaraccompaniment.

Brother Rudy Trujillo presidedover the Saturday program. BrotherJohn Vela, both of these brothers arefrom the Yucaipa, California Branch,was also present and spoke brieflYbefore offering the closing prayer.

On Sunday, our Brother VicenteArce spoke on the greatness ofAmerica and the coming forth of theRestored Gospel and the gathering ofthe House of lsrael. Brother SalAzzinaro spoke in English, continu-ing the same theme, ending withMatthew I l :28, 'answering the callof God and serving Him with all ofour hearts and souls to the best of ourability." Brother Ulisis ended theMinistry's comments by saying whata blessing it was to be part of theHouse of Israel.

We then enjoyed fellowship withone another over lunch. We alsowish to praise God for blessing ourmembers, who in spite of languagedifficulties, have been blessed ontheir natural jobs. Please pray for us

as we endeavor to serve God to thebest of our ability.

Ordinations inMonongahela, PA

By Síster LuAnn Carson

Sunday, March 9, 1997 was a

special day in the Monongahela,Pennsylvania Branch. Brothers,

sisters, visitors, friends and relativesgathered to witness the ordinations ofBrother Karl Kirschner into the officeof a Teacher and Brother DexterCa¡son into the office of a Deacon.

Our preaching service wasopened by Brother Jonathan Olexa,who spoke about lhe Church beingthe body of Christ. As members ofthe Church, we must work togetheras one body in unity doing the Ìvorkof God.

Brother Alma Nolfi followed,reminding us that as we partake ofthe Communion, we are partaking ofthe body of Christ. We all partake,and each pârt makes up the whole.

After enjoying lunch along withthe fellowship, we reconvenedupstairs for our afternoon meeting.Our service was opened by BrotherFred Olexa, who read from I Samuel,chapter 9. Saul felt unworthy to sitand eat with the prophet Samuel,asking, 'Am not I a Benjamite, of t¡esmallest of the tribes of Israel? Andmy family the least of all the familiesof the tribe of Benjâmin?" Eventhough Saul felt unworthy, the l¡rdsaw fit to make him a king. BrotherFred exhorted our two brothers thatin their humility, God.called theminto these oftices, not because of theirabilities, but because with God's helpthey will be able to fulfill theirduties. Brother William Chepanoskethen related some experiences relatingto our brothers' callings.

The duties of an ordainedTeacher and a Deacon of the Churchwere read by Brother chepanoskewho asked Brother Karl and BrotherDexter if they were willing to acceptthe respons ib il¡ties of their respectiveoffices. Answering affirmatively,both of them prepared to have theirfeet washed. Brother Karl had hisfÞet washed by Brother Fred Olexaand was ordained by Brother Paul

Ciotti. Brother Alexander CherrYwashed Brother Dexter's feet, and he

was ordained by Brother RichardScaglione.

A season of praise and testimonywas spent. A sister related that whilethe two br(Ìthers were having theirfeet washed, she saw the Lordstanding on the rostrum watching.

Also, when the prayers were beingoffered, she again saw the Lordlooking on in approval. Our PraYeris that God will bless our two broth-ers that they may always fulfill theircallings.

By Faith We Receive

By Sister Eva Moore

Brother Jim and Sister Jean

Moore and myself planned this trip toSan Carlos, Arizona for JanuarY 10,

1997. Sister Becky Tarbuck wasdriving us to the airpon to purch¿ìse

'stand by" tickets. She said, 'lcalled the ticket office and there areno available seats." I said, 'Becky,do you remember when we went tothe Spartanburg Mission? They said

there were no seats available and webowed our heads in prayer. Aftereveryone boarded the plane, we sat

quietly praying. Then a man calledout our names. Vr'e will do the samethis time." As we were drivingalong, a big \ryhite truck drove rightin front of us with a sign saying, 'INGOD rWE TRUST." I said, "Thereit is, we will get on the plane!"

\ryhen the time came to board the

airplane, we were left sitting therepraying that we would all get onboard. We waited, then a man came

out and said, we have three "Moore"seats and we boarded thanking God.We must have been put into firstclass seats because we got f¡rst classservice.

When we arrived in Phoenix,Arizona, Brother Dan and SisterDolores Picciuto were waiting for us.

After a two hour drive, we came tothe Church mission house and I fe¡t at

home. This was my fifth trip to San

Carlos. There are three families whoare really workers for the San CarlosIndian Mission. They are BrotherDan, Sister Dolores, her motherNellie, Brother David and LoriPicciuto, Tina and Erryn Picciuto.

Our frrst Sunday, January 12,we had an attendance of eighty+wo.It was like a homecoming because we

(Continued on Page 10)

l0 June, 1997

FA|THcontinued...already knew some of the old faithfulSeed of Joseph, the 'AmericanIndians." Then Sister Linda and herhusband, Brother Larry Snake arrivedfrom the Muncey Reserve in Canada.They drove on treacherous icy roadsto be with us for eleven days.

Sister Lori and Sister Tina takelitde babies and children that need a

mother and they fulfill lsaiah 49:22-23 which states, "Zr¡¡rs saith the l-ordGod, Behold, I will lifi up mine harulto the Gentiles, and set up my stan'dard to the people: and they shallbring thy sons in their arms, and thydaughters shall be carri¿d upon theirshoulders. "

"And kings shall bc thy nursing

fathers, and thcir qukns rhy nursingmothers: they shall bow. tÌown to theewith their face toward the earth, andlick up the dust of thy feet; and thoushalt knov) that I am the lnrd: forthey shall not be ashamed that waitfor me. "

They have two babies at thistime who are very sick-Lehi, who islìve years old and Jonathan who istwo years old. There are threeteenagers, Curtis, Erryn and Jonelle,who pitch in and help anywhere theyare needed.

There were two instant healingswhile we were there. Sister OpheliaJames called for the Elders and theyanointed her for a severe hemorrhage.She was taken to the hospital and thedoctors could not find anythingwrong. The next day she was inChurch and attended all nine meet-ings. A little bahy was anointed andthen taken to the hospital with spinalmeningitis. The doctors sent it to asecond hospital and they said thebaby does not have spinal meningitis.So, we again praised God for Hiscare of His people.

This is an exciting place-someone always coming for prayer orcounseling and the phone keepsringing for help. I will tell you, ittakes patience and most of all charityto care for and love the Seed ofJoseph.

Our weekly attendance was verygood with lots of wonderful singing,testimony and preaching. Sister

Linda sang, Send Hunters andFishers and several other songsrelating to Israel. Our second Sun-day, we had visitors from Anaheim,California, Mesa and Pinetop, Ari-zona. Our attendance was eighty-seven.

Most importa¡t was that God'sHoly Spirit attended our se¡vices andwhen we were ready to come backhome, we felt that God accepted oureffort to help The Church of Jesus

Christ way out in the desert with the"People of God."

The Church ofJesus Christ

Editor's Note-The following isa reprint of an an¡cle that appearedin The Daily Republican o/Monongahela, Pennsylvania in theJuly 6, 1942 issue. It vividly cap-tures the spirit, love and experienceof a visitor, in fact all visitors to TheChurch of Jesus ChrÍst.

The Editor,The Daily RepublicanMonongahela, Pennsylvania

It is my sincere desire to expressmy gratitude and appreciation to theElders and the Congregation of TheChurch of Jesus Christ, in your city,for the invitation and the spiritualadministration at a conference meet-ing on July 5.

As a Jew, I have visited andattended services in Synagogues andChristian churches of various de-nominations. Never in my life have Ifound greater inspiration and spiritualvalue than I have in The Church ofJesus Christ. I would be enrichedwith glory to be able to live a lifesuch as I have witnessed in thesurroundings in this sanctuary, and Ican say that those who have a desireto live as true followers of theprincipals of Jesus of Nazareth, therecan be no greater instituti<.rn thathouses these principals and impartsthem to its constituents in a mannerthat every adult and child can under-stand and conceive in spirit of itsadministration.

Among a membership of about

300 there can be seen men, womenand'children of all nationalities andcolor. I have seen a few negroes ofwhom one is one of the Elders of theChurch and there were a number ofIndians, who acclaim tleir originfrom the Tribe of Joseph and professto bÈ Israelites who centuries agowere Iost from their brethren inEgypt.

The church makes no distinctionin color or race among its member-ship and there is no collection madeexcept wilfull donations by anyonewho wishes to donate. Inside, thechurch presents a sober and humbleappearance and a Godly atmospherewith no decorations or colorfulregalia or any image of saints orstandards such as it is being com-monly entenained by other religioussects and by practically all otherchurches.

I can say that I feel convincedthat there is no other church knownto me that can impart a greaterspiritual value to men than TheChurch of Jesus Christ, which I have

1

visited for the first time.

Emil Huttner

STUDYcontinued...

disputed."And when the tempter came to

him, he said, If thou be the Son ofGod, command that these stones bemade bread. But he answered and

said, It is written, Man shall not liveby bread alone, but by every wordthat proceedeth out of the mouth ofcod" (Matthew 4:3-4).

During His first visit to thesynagogle as recorded in Luke, theLord stood to read a verse fromlsaiah, which was familiar to theJews having only the Old Testamentas Scriptures. He then used thisquotation to establish His identity toall those in attendance:

"The Spirit of the Lord is uponme, because he hath ano¡nted me topreach the gospel to the poor; he hath

sent me to heal the brokenhearted, topreach deliverance to the captives,

June 1997 IIand recovering of sight to the blind,to set at liberty them that arebruised" (Luke 4: l8).

' . . . This day is this scripturefulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:21).

He was not accepted by those atNazareth, being the mere son of a

carpenter, but He was surely noticdby them from that day forward.

The Bible and the Book ofMormon were inspired by God andwe are privileged to have access tothe word of God in such a simplefashion. The Scriptures containmessages for everyday life, inspira-tion for troublesome times, instruc-tion for our child¡en, and defensesagainst the evil power, and more.The Scriptures are not only for theMinistry to study and explore, butthey are for 'all" the followers of ourLord and Savior. We can see thateven the holy men <¡f old, who wereinspired to record these sacredrecords, used them to maintain theirfaith as well as their followers.tVithout the Scriptures, God has said:hat a nation would dwindle andperish in unbelief. History hasproven to repeat itself over and overagain if we do not learn from themistakes of the past. The message toall who have chosen, and those whodesire to ftrllow the Lord and SaviorJesus Christ, is therefore: Study,Study, Study!

MESSAGEcontinued...

miracles God has performed in ourlives. We had several inquiries aboutwhy we came to Peru, and we relatedseveral of the experiences received byvarious brothers and sisters about theGospel's being started there.

DEPEND UPON CONTINUED PRAYERS

We depend upon your continuedprayers that God will bless thegrowth of the Gospel in Peru, for weknow of a certainty that, as peopleturn to God, He blesses them bothspiritually and naturally if they firstseek His Kingdom.

Importantly, ì.ve brothers spent

many hours in teaching and instruct-ing our converts. Brother Jorge andSister Nora have a young daughter,Kelly, who \¡/as very attentive to theWord of God and to the music givenby God to His pmple. We felt thatGod had gone before us and are verythankñ¡l for the prayers of the saints.

One morning while BrotherBicelis wæ praying for assurance forall we were doing, and in particularthe baptisms, the voice of the Spiritspoke to him and said, 'Nephi hadseen this day. "

rüe are especially gratefrrl that .

God provided individuals in Peruwho helped us with transportation,the obtain¡ng of communion clothsand utensils, and a place to stay.

Truly, the harvest is great butwe need to provide the laborers andfinancial resources. Our contr¡bu-tions, prayers, and support are just aspleasing to God and necessary as themissionaries in the field!

EDITORIAL continued. . .

What is life? It is eternal lifewith Jesus Christ. He said that He isthe resurrection a¡d the life. He thatbelieves on Jesus Christ, though hewere dead naturally, he shall neverdie! Vr'e shall resurrect in andthrough Jesus Christ by keeping Hiscommåndments.

Jesus Christ said, He is thebread of life. There is no other breadof life that can sustain us and keep usfrom spiritual hunger and despair.r hen you eat of His bread, you willnever hunger. You will be full!

Jesus Christ said that He is thedoor. There is no other entrance intosalvation. There is no other way toenter into heaven. If we try to enterinto His sheepfold by some other wayor means, we are as a thief and a

robber. He is the only door.Jesus Christ said He is the light

of the world. When we believe inJesus Christ, we will not abide indarkness. He that follows Christshall not walk in darkness. He shallhave the Iight of life. We will live inHis liglrt. His light will light up the

New Jerusalem. He is the only lightand example to follow to gain salva-tion. There is no other light. It willnever faiMt Ìv¡ll never burn out!His light is eternal!

Do you know that Noah's arkhad only one door and one windowlNoah's family and all the animalscould only enter by one door. Therewere not multiple entrances to getinside the a¡k. That doot was eventu.ally closed by the hand of the Lordprior to the flood. One window toallow in the light of Jesus Christ!They were never in darkness. Theyhad the:l¡ght of the Lord with themduring their entire journey. Hewould not allow them to travel.indarkness. He wæ their light. Theark had three floors and many rooms.trt could accommodate, all!

The Church of Jesus Christbears His name. It can and willaccominodate everyone. lt can andwill accommodatê millions! If offerslhe way, the truth and the life. Comeand see!

DIRECTORY UPDATE

Ciaravino, Angie25029 Five Mile Rd.Api. CRedford, MI 48239313-535-5689

Heaps, George (Rusty) and Mary Ann714-888-9591

Kepecs, Ron7l¿f4 Mohawk St.San Diego, CA 921156t9-460-5299

Lovalvo, Anne159 Sheffield Ct.Saline, MI 48176313-944-9004

Lovalvo, David and Darlene12431 Kent Dr.Sterling Heights, MI 483128l0-264-1957

Baptisms

Nancy Murillo was baptized on December I, 1996 in

the Freehold, New Jersey Branch. She was baptized by

Brother Ca¡l Huttenberger, Jr., and confrrmed by BrotherJoseph Perri.

Joseph Bogle was baptize<l on July 14, 1996 in the

Aliquippa, Pennsylvania Branch. He was baptized by

Brother Paul Aaron Palmieri and confirmed by BrotherPete Giannetti, Jr.

Joyce D'Antonio was baptized on January 5, 1997 inthe Aliluippa, Pennsylvania Branch. She was baptized bynrottreiPãul Aa¡on Palmieri and confirmed by ApostlePaul Palmieri.

Children Blessed

Evan Jon Kogler, son of Brother Chuck and Sister

Joyce Kogler was blessed in the Monongahela, Pennsylva-

nia Branch on February 23, 199'7 .

Austin Donovyn Kavals, son of Theresa Rattenni and

Robert Kavals was blessed in the Imperial, Pennsylvania

Branch on March 2, 199'l .

Alan Thomas Yoder, son of Eric and Angela Yoderwas blessed on January 2, 1997 in the Imperial, Pennsyl-

vania Branch.Vincent Edward Thompson, grandson of Sister Jesse

and Brother Fred Hall was blessed on April 6, 1997 in

the Spartanburg, South Carolina Mission.õuadalupe Perez Lopez, son of Silvio and Clara

Lopez was blessed on January 12, 1997 in the Freehold,New Jersey Branch.

Dominick Christopher Bilardo' son of Christopher /and Janeth Bilardo was blessed on March 9, 1997 in the

New Brunswick, New JerseY Branch.Francesca Rose Dino, daughter of Sister Doreen

(Schmitt) and Ross Dino was blessed on March 30, 1997

in the Metuchen, New JerseY Branch.Noah Ross Ondik, son of Brother Joel and Elizabeth

Ross Ondik, was blessed in the Aliquippa, Pennsylvania

Branch on March 30, 1997.

OBITUARIES

We wish to express our rympathy to those thal mourn

over the loss oÍ loied ones. May God bless and comfonyou.

ESTHER SANTILLI

Sister Esther Santilli of the Youngstown, OhioBranch pæsed on to her heavenly reward on March 6,

1997. She is survived by one sister, Sister Jean Pusateri;

two brothers, Bróthers Richard Santilli and MarioSantilli; and several nieces and nephews.

MOLLIE BROWN 1

Sister Mollie Brown of the Freehold, New Jersey

Branch passed away to her heavenly reward on January 3,

1997. She is survived by her husband, r illie Brown,Sr.; three sons including Elders Willie Brown and Jim

Crudup; one claughter; four sisters, Siste¡s Betty Crudup,

Carrie Clancey, Geri Littlejohn and Lottie Reid; two

brothers, and several grandchildren and great-

grandchildren.

EMANUELA VELLA D'ANGELO

Sister Emänuela Vella D'Angelo of the Greensburg,

Pennsylvania Branch pæsed away to her eternal reward

on Mãrch 8, 1997. She was preceded in death by her

husband, Frank D'Angelo. Sister Emanuela is survived

bv a brother, Pete¡; a sister, Bambi; two sons, Brother

Lôuie D'Angelo and Aldo D'Angelo; two daughters, Jean

Bindas and Nina Hagan; and two grandchildren.

RUTH (D'ANTONIO'I JUMPER

Sister Ruth (D'Antonio) Jumper passed away to her

heavenly reward on Apr\17 , 1997 . She wæ a member ofthe Aliquippa, Pennsylvania B¡anch. Sister Ruth issurvived by her husband, Elder Chuck Jumper; one son, '

Bruce; thróe daughters, Sisters Joyceann, Carol a¡d

Rhoda; her moth¿r, Sister Sabina D'Antonio; and fivesisters, Sisters Joan Gibson, Mary Tamburrino, Betty

Eiler, Sarah Palmieri and Eva Ondik.

Address Change

Name

Address

Phone

töbDelilows

A large congregation ofhrothers- sisters and friends gath-

red at dre World ConferenceCenter on APril 19 anrl 20, 1991

for The Church of Jesus ChristSoiritual Conference held in

Creensburg, PennsYlvania. It was

indeed a sPiritual conference'There were several exPeriences

during the two ttaYs and the spiritand lõve of God was felt bY all'The reoresentation of attendees was

from various locations throughoutthe United States and Canada' We

were nrivileged to have brothersfrom ihe

"o,intti". of England and

Nepal. We are raPidlY becoming a

worldwide Church.The SaturdaY session, APril

lg. 1997 , was opened in PraYer bY

Aoostle Tom Liberto. He asked the

Lård to bless this Conference, and

\{e can say that the Lord answered

the request. APostle DominicThomas, President, made a lÞw

opening remarks' He acknowl-edsed and welcomed Elders Pat-rtallaghan from Englanti and Ram

.1. Baral from NePal' BrotherDominic then turned the meeting

over to the Quorum of TwelveApostles. APostle JosePh Lovalvo,Piesident of the Quorum of Twelve

took charge of the meeting' He

welcome<l-all to the meeting and to

The Chrlrch of Jesus Christ' Brother

foe intrOOuce¡ tle speaker for this

service. Eltler Jim CruduP of the

Freehoitl. NJ Branch'Broíher Jim CrucluP read from I

Corinthians l1'.24-30 and spoke on

the Lord's SuPPer, the HolY Com-

munion. He ôñrphasized what Christ

did for us and we must dedicate

ourselves to His Gospel' BrotherCrudup reminde<l the congregation

of Christ's great sacrifice' He

instructed all that we must serve

Him bv our action, not bY our

worcls. He pointed out Christ's love

and he said we must be focused on

Him and no other. Brother Jim said,

"\We must show our love, even to

those who are against us for anY

reason. Our lifó must exemPlifY

*hrt *" Pte^ch, and we must not be

ashamed 'of

the GosPel of Jesus

Christ.' He went on to say thatiJesus Christ must be the aPPle ofour eYe.' Before concluding,Brother Jim extended an invitation to

the unbaPtized to come into the

Gosnel of Jesus Christ.while Brother CruduP was

nreachins, Sister Ceraldine C'

Liut.jott-n ttuO a vision. She saw the

General Church ConferenceÃPrtlt997

Lorcl carrYing His cross. He fell,antl then He looked back at the

rnuttitu¿" and sairl, 'l am tloing this

ior vou!- Sister Littlejohn said she

saw'and felt this scene over and over

asain. Her comment was. 'Eventt'oueh He was alone, we are not

atonõ. because He is wìth us "Brother JosePh Lovalvo intro-

tluced the ordinante of Communion'

He tolcl an exPerience which oc-

curred in the Modesto, CaliforniaBranch during a fasting and PraYer

service. They were inspired to pass

ðn*tuni<rn ánd a vision was seen ofðhrist kneeling at the table with the

Elders.Brother Lovalvo calle¡l several

members of the Priesthood to partici-

oate in the Passing of Communion'iìenresentetl were Apostles, Evange-

lists ancl Elders in this ordinance'While Draver was being offered on

the commúnion, Sister Angela ReYes

saw a licht that shone with multitudes

of neooie coming to it. A vision was

also seen bY Brother Mike Nuzzi as

the wine wãs being served. He saw

itre I-or¿ hanging upon the cross with

His blood drþPing down As the

blood hit the ground, it turned to

sold!- Brother Dominic Thomas

commented on the sanctity and

reverence that vr'as shown by every-

one as the Lord's SuPPer was being

(Continued on Page 3)

Hymn #1 l8 in the SaintsHymnal, Happy the Souls That FirstBelieved, causes us to reflect uponour forefathers and úe joy rhet feltin serving Cod. Each time I sing thechorus, "O what an age of goltlendays! O what a choice peculiarrace, " I can p¡cture the excitementand enthusiasm that they exhibited intheir living for Christ and how theyconspired to raise their ceaselesssacrifice of praise. Vy'e could feelcheated that we did not live in those

be excited and enthusiastic in livingfor Christ and sharing the messageof love and salvation. The blessingsof God are prevalent ¡n our lives añdmany testify of God's goodness andmercy upon them.

Whenever I have questionedRegion Presidents or PresidingElders about their greatest chal-lenges or concerns, they say, "Tohave the saints committed so theywill be faithful in keeping theircovenants and fulfilling theircallings. " Considering this chal-lenge. it appears that the problemlies in a Iack ol'commitmcnt to thecovenants and individual callings wehave received to serve andstrengthen others.

A truly co¡nmitted follower ofJesus Christ, one who merits thetitle of saint or disciple, could notbe casual or complacent in theirapproach to service in the Churchnor in keeping covenants andcommandlnents. They would notsimply go through the motions infu Ifi lling their responsibilities.

To believe we are living in theage of golden days we must feast atthe Lord's table and find the samejoy today in our service to God andothers as our forefathers did whenthey first believed. We must fortifyourselves before we can ever hopeto offer spiritual nourishment toothers. Once we have nourishedourselves with the words of Christand personally feasted at His table,becoming well equipped, we can

Apostle Thomas L¡berto

days to épeak and think the same asthey did; however, that would be aninjustice to ourselves.

Their sacrifices and love for thesouls of mankind provided a heritageftrr the generations of the sainrs ofGod. Each generat¡on can trulvbelieve that they are Iiving in the ageof golden days. The opponunitiesare as great today, if not greater, to

The Age of Golden Days

By Apostle Thomas M. Liberto

invite others to the spiritual feast.

]]9. I-or{ said to rhe Apostte peter, ('r hen thou are converted,strengthen thy brethren. "

If we are obedient to tJìeSavior's command given to peter,we will focus our attention on thespiritual growt} and development ofth_ose living in these the latter days.The duty to invite others to partakeof the Gospel feast does not restsolely on the shoulders of theMinistry or missionâries. This dutybelongs to every member of theChurch.

From the inception of TheChurch of Jesus Christ, through allthe ages of time, we have beencompassed about \.vith so great acloud of witnesses who believedtheir time was the age of goldendays. The scriptures and churchhistory document the excitement andenthusiasm they exh¡bited in promul-gating the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our time is certainly in the ageofgolden days. We can'do so muchto promulgate the Gospel ofJesus \

Christ if we are committed to do so.We have a story to tell to the na-tions. The Gospel is restored. Thegifts and blessings are with us. Weare experiencing healings, the gift oftongues, interpretation of tongues,dreams, revelations and visions.The missionary endeavor of theChurch is blossoming, constrainedonly by limited financial resources.Several are being baptized. Theauxiliary units of the Church areactive and productive. lt continuesto be time to get all excited and telleverybody that Jesus Christ is Lord.We do not have the luxurv ofwaiting for a big event toiappen forus to be actively involved. Althoughbig events are expected in the future,the biggest event in our lives hap-pened when Jesus called us into Hisservice. We must be active andcommitted now, in these our age ofgolden days, to labor for Him.

There are negative elementsalso that tend to bring us down butfocusing on the positive elementswill lift us up and keep us with ahigher spiritual mind. Our fore-fathers also experienced both the

negative and Lhe positive but. they

:hose to accentuate the Posltlve ln

spreading the good news about

sälvation through Jesus ChristThey all were of one heart and soul.

and bnly love insPired the whole'I Peter 2:9 states, 'B Y( are a

chosen generation' a royal pri.est-

hnod- an holv nation, a P?cullorneooie: that ve should shew forth thc'Dra¡ses of him who called you out of'darknesi into his mamelous Iight''The followers of Christ are identi-

fied, categorized and direcred. Ihone vou find comfort in realizingunu ui" ot can be inclutled." O what an age of golcien daYs'

free to iovfullv and enthusiasticallydo Gorl"'s'will. The Gospel of Jesus

Christ is restored, never to be taken

away. It is now uP to us to commit.recommit and continue in our firmcommitment to labor for Jesus

Christ, for His Church and witheach other in this our age of golden

days. We must all be involved to

thó best of our abilitY. Let's give

-low the best of our service to the

Master, the best of our time' the hest

of our talent, liberally of our lìnan-

cial resource and our ceaseless

devotion of praise. MaY God richlY

bless you is mY PraYer'

brothers were insPired to exPress

their love for one another. He

thanked the Church for participating

in the week of fasting and PraYer'Apóstle Paul BenYola an-

nounced the theme for the allernoonmeeting: "Relating the blessings ofGod in the Church around the

world.- He introduced the firstspeaker, Evangelist Leonard A'Lovalvo.

Brother Leonard thanked God

for soaring his lif'e. He was in averv'serio-us automobile accident last

veai. He thanked everYone f<rr the

nravers. cards and calls from the

i"ints oî co¿. Brother Leonard said

it was wontlerful to stand and viewthe assemblY. He describe¡l the

nower of love and what it can

äccomplish. He closed bY saYing

evervone should strive to be more

comáassionate, understanding,forgiving and that there shol¡ld

alwavs be the sPirit of unity'Brother Robert Nicklow, Jr.,

followe<l and thanked God forsparing his lit'e from a rece-nt strole'He also thanked everyone tor tnelrsuDDort through prayers' cartls and

.aiti. wttit" lying in the hospital

bcd, he heard a humming sountl

which he th()ught was a machine'

His inquirv to the nurse determinetl

there was no humming. He listened

intentlv and he hegan to make out

the woitls to the hymn, For You IAm Pravinx. Brother Nicklow was

anointeú four times and each time

one of his incapacities was removed

until he fully recovered.Brother Leonard Lovalvo,

President of the Quorum of Seventy

Evanselists. introduced the individu-als oñ the rostrum who have been

out in the mission fields. He de-

scribed the high level of missionaryactivitY taking Place wirhin TheChurcir of Jesus Christ. He thanked

evcrvone for their supPort, both

throúgh prayer and their financialdonations. ManY of the brothersfund their own triPs, but 'more,much more financial suPPort" is

needed t<.r continue the missionaryefforts of the Church.

Evancelist Fred Olexa talked

about his úip to Venezuela. He said

they were warmlY greeted bY a

sroïn at úe airPort. TheY held

ít"etìngs with over thiny people and

tausht them the Restoration. Those

whõ came said theY knew that there

was a better way and were seeking it'Evangelist JosePh Perri sPoke

of the recent triP to Ghana, West

Africa. He related a brother there

was "poisoned," and said his good-

bves t'o his family. He was anointed

und it i. no* two Years after the

ooisonins and the man is alive! A

voung *If. coultl not carry a chiltl'3he was praye<l for, anointei bY

Brother Ford of Ghana and was

healed. She bore a child!Evangelist Joel GehlY talked

about the work in KenYa, East

Afìica. He sPoke of the love of God

in that country. He described how

thirty-two PeoPle were baPtizerl

during a severe rainstorm. Theirmeetings exPerienced manY hless-

tntt u,o". Pat o'callaghan from

Ensland talked about the gift ofchiritv. love. He stated the Gospel

will sä to all nations. He described

that ihile he was heing reinstated

into the Church, he had a vision.Three pure gold figures aPPeared'

Then a fourth aPPeared next to his

wife. He said it showed him that he

will never be lost. He closed bY

savins. "lf we all would saY a

nráu.i fu, each other, each daY'

whát a won,lerful world this would

bel"Elder Steve ChamPine sPoke of

the recent trip to India. He stated

that someone there had a d¡eam of a

fast-growing tree, bearing much

fruit. He said it was felt that the

Church will continue to grow inlndia and bear much fruit.

Evangelist Paul Ciotti, Sr''spoke about the trips to Guatemala'He had a dream eigbteen Years ago

which depicted a maP filled withnins whiCh marked the locations ofihe Church ofJesus Christ. Hetold of the love of the brothers and

sisters there and the many blessings

ancl healings being experienced in

Guatemala.

(Cont¡nued on Page 7)

CONFERENCE cont¡nued .' .

served to the membershiP. He

<lescribed how he PersonallY wePt

when he himself had seen in adream, Christ's suffering on thecross. Our morning service was

closed with PraYer bY APostle Paul

Palmieri.The afternoon meeting was

opened with PraYer bY APostle V.Jämes Lovalvo. The congregationwas ad<lressed bY Brother DominicThomas. He read three dreams

which were the basis for the recentletter sent to the Branches and

Missions designating the week ofApril 6 for fasting and PraYerthìoushout the Church. The dreams

were ãccepted at the october 1996

Conference. Brother Dominicrelated the events which transpiredduring this meeting and how the

Á messaue

from fhd$evenúy

Trip To Ghana

By Carl J. Fra¡wnolinoEvangelist Editor

Evangelists Joseph Ross, JosephPerri and Richard Lawson traveled toGhana, West Africa, February 27 andreturned to the United States onMarch 20. The last three days werespent in Poland with our membersthere.

The brothers reported that muchprogress has been made and manyblessings were experienced. Particu-larly noteworthy were the ordinat¡onsof Elders, the near completion of anew church building and the dedica-tion of a new school. As an after-math, forty-one baptisms wereperformed in Ghana after the brothersleft.

The excitement for the Gospeland the desires for the Church wereevident everywhere. The ord inationsof the four new Elders, BrothersJoseph Fordjour, Paul Attiah, Vy'ilsonAgbenorwu and Samuel T. Millar,took place on Sunday, March 9, atthe Church Center. B¡other Rossopened the meeting, using Luke12:13-16 and had good liberty. Sixnew wine decanters for sacrament,which had been brought by thebrothefs, were also consecrated.

FIRST SUNDAY

The first Sunday, March 2, thebrothers drove to the village ofAnyinamso for the service. After theSunday School, Brother Perri spokeand some members gave their testi-monies. Brother Ford Boadu,

Evangelist and President of theChurch in Ghana, closed the service.

The following day, they went toApromase where they were surprisedwith the progress of the constructionof a new church building. Themembers sold maize (corn) and usedthe money to finance the port¡onwhich was done. Arrangements weremade tbr completion of the structure,which will cost ân addit¡onal $3,500.

Immediately thereafter, thegroup traveled to Odumasi to look atthe new school and church buildingunder construction. The school wascornpleted and the church was almostdone. The children were exc¡ted tosee theln, and, as always, they were ablessing to the brothers. Grades arePl-P2-P3 and are held in the two newschool buildings. New desks are still

needed and they will cosr $40O.

, The local government has I

pledged to support rhe school also.The pre-scbool and kindergártenclasses are held in the old buildingfor now. The John Ross PreparatorySchool, named after our late Evange-list who had been the liaison toAfrica from the General Church, wasdedicated on March I l.

MANY AT DEDICATION

There were many people at thededication-the school children andtheir families, the Chief and hiscounselors, and Church representa-tives. Brother Joseph Ross, presentliaison for the Church and BrotherJohn's brother, spoke on behalf of theChurch and many children partici-pated. Many ofthe parents came andput a small donation in a collectionbox after their children finished. Thescripture of the widow who gave bertwo mites came quickly to mind. Thebrothers said, "This was somethingvery different and very nice." Thevillagers appreciate the school andknow the Church will be there on ¿continuing basis with future plans toexpand as funds become available.The program lasted 2- l/2 hours.

(Continued on Page 10)

From left to r¡ght: Brother Joe Perr¡ wash¡ng Brother Paul App¡ah's feetand Brother D¡ck Lawson washing Brolher Joseph Fourjour's feet.

EDITOR.IN.CIUIiFDondd Ro$

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Editorial VíewPoint - .

Are you ready? Do you know what the \'vord ready means?. ReadY is defined as' "prepared

.,r rv¡itahte for serui." o, ..t,oniïiiiin!'; rjo".ir'it word clefinè you asamemherof The

äïilï:ilö;;i;i il.' ii have ã special meanins to vou?

Hvmn #401, Recdy, has been heard and sung mâny,times.by mo"st who attend The Church

ofJesus Christ. Itis usually sunääuii"ì *-ãt¿i"uii"" Ta[e afew tnoments and read this

;;ffi. "h ;; ñr;iut" tt'i, i,ytn ãpflies-t'-' the entire membership? Yes!

Are you reatly to go? Are you ready to stay? Are you rearly.ftrr service' Iowly or great?

Are vou readv to do His *ill'f È;;íy;;; iúoul''l answer yes to each question -No is not

l;;Jö,;;i:.,Ä,Jo.'r,luvt'" i'"ñil;;*pl;'i' un'*.'' Rememher' heing lukewarm is

nOt acceptable to the Lord'

Are you preparerl for His se¡vice? Do you fast and pray to be prenared? Do vou fast and

nrav rhat God will use vou Íor ;i. il;åäü|""t ti" 'l

äsk'Gotl to use- yo^u? tf the

i.åä..î;i i"i.v .'g" t"¿ ;;ii;;;"; ah-out ihe c.ipel' are vou reatlY? Ir it meant

Ieaving your h'me' your job, t'" våiit^iîi r¡i* itotti*it *a* nôt t'nly for those in the

time the Lortl was hcre on earÜ'' 'This "itlint'*

is tìrr trur timc as well: it is also firr us'

Are vou availahle lìlr Him? Hopefully' your answer is yes- If it is not' why are you not

;J;ffiîì;ö'- L;;;i' H;* .- ;i; ilí ;; r;äi,t'r",u i'"tp spread the Gospel? what if

the Lord were nor availat,te *ne; "yä; ;;;i; ," Hi'r, when you neeil His help? Thank the

i;ãì'iì.;;;;ii pieparea and ävaiiahíe for us Hc is alwavs near!

rwhat is more important than being preparer'l and available for the Lord's service? There

is no other priority. we '.v,;i;i ih;ät;, b;i th";; i: ng:lh* prioritv in life what il'

the Lord was not prepared t"o üìii't'i" iã''àcritìce His life? You would have no hope'

There would be no meaning t";;;;;ii;; "t""l"t"lv none! The grave woultl fo¡ever have

newcr over you lt would posseffit'"Ño ttop"' nnitsurrcction no Daradisc and n() cternal

iirr. r¡is is n()t lit.e. Thi, i., n';;J;;i'iil;i'ilJ that His Son, Jesús christ was preparer.l

and available to sacritìce git'"ii'íJt áiimantintl what a Lord! \ryhat a Saviour!

TheChurchofJesusChristisgrowinganditsgrowthisrapid..Thegrowthwillcontinue¿i'ñ;;i. ii,;;r,i*ir, *ill n;'t'rlu* ãu*n. rt

-wiil acceleratel. Remember how many were

haptized on rhÈ Duy ot e.nt".urìi'îiri.-.1. iíiàuìun¿ *ouls joined The Church of Jesus Christ

on that gl()rious day!

Just think of it. The Church in your lifetime is in Canada' Mexico' Guatemala' Peru"Ghana'

i¿;;:'Ñ'o;i.;c",tunv' noi**J,'Ë"äiu"¿' ltulv' tn¿ia 1n-d llrou'hout

the united states'

Sooñ, it may he in Nepal! cornt-iËutioi* ató being received fîom around lhe world!

Peonle from several ¿itterent náiìäni ått inçi'ing ut'ouï The Church ofJesus christ From

:ili;ä:.ii,;ïil7"ài."ä. li,..l^.l"n"ju.ta ãn¿ others, pe.nle are writins to learn and

hearabuuttheRestu.",-tcorp.r.'it'i;;'b";t;;i;i¡etrutñ! ttrev*anttobefreel soon'

verv soon, every nation, ki"d;i, ì;"g*;;ä läpf"*iff hear ahout the Restored Gospel

åt:åöðììi-i.'Hð* "*titingl-üÑ åart'etousl i{ow glorkrus! Are you readv? Are you

prepared and available?

Readv does not apply solely to the Priesthood' Itis appticableto everv member' regardless

of agt or genrler. All ituu. u '"iö'iuiiitlio ut aótive members in the Church Active

;#; ';";; il;" attentling cituiätt' lt meãns helping spread the Gospel'

How do we help spreacl the Gospel? There are a number of ways we can help spread the

TIIE GOSPFJ¡- NEWS GSSN O2?9-

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(Cont¡nued on Page 11)

The

Children's

Corner

By Janet Steinrock

Dear Friends,

In the Old Testament days of theBible, God was constantly seãrchingfor and rewarding those who calledon His name. He hated idolworshipper's, praying to plants andstatues or believing in magic.r hen Solomon was king inIsrael, he mâde the mistake of taxinghis people too high. When he died,his son, Rehoboam raised the taxeseven more. Ten of the twelve tribesof Israel were angry. They decidedto form their own country, calledIsrael and leave Jerusalem and Judah,for King Rehoboam.

Many years of wars and blood-shed followed bet\¡r'een the twocountries of Judah and Israel andtheir enemies. Judah was the smallercountry but ¡t had the capital ofJerusalem. It also had the blessingsof God because it's kings weredescended from David, Solomon'sfather. And God had promised thatsomeday, the Messiah, Jesus wouldbe from David's relatives. Godblessed David's lines of relatives yearafter year, when they called uponhim. Solomon's grandson Asa,became king ofJudah. Asa ruled forforty-one years. He made it againstthe law to worship statues and fàlsegods. He broke down all the idolsand cut down groves of trees wberepeople sneaked out to worshipstatues. When his mother wor-shipperl idols, he removed her frombeing queen. God rewarded Asa andhis country, for ten years they hadpeace.

Then, out of Ethiopia came apowerful enemy named Zonh. King

Asa had an army of a half a millionsoldiers with bows and arrows andspears. But their enemy from Ethio-pia had twice as many soldiers an<lalso lhousands ol' war chariots.

King Asa cried out to God. Heprayed, "lt is nothing fbr you to helpus whether there are a lot or a few.Help us. We rest on thee and in yourname we go against this huge army.O Lord, you are our God. Don't letany man win against you."

So the Lord attacked the Ethio-pians. We don't know if He used astorm, or sent a spirit of fear amongtheir enemies like He had donebefbre. But their enemies began tonrn away. King Asa and his arrnydestroyed them and carried away richand expensive equipment and thebelongings that had been owned bythe dead enemies. And the fear ofthe Lord came upon all the enemycities around Judah.

Asa's next battle did not occuruntil fifteen years later. It wasagainst lsrael and the other tribes.Their king, Baasba blocked off theroad to Jerusalem and made plans toattack the city of King Asa.

This time Asa made a mistake.lnstead of turning to God for help, hehired the Syrian army from the farside of Israel to attack King Baasha.When they did, King Baasha gave upblocking the road to Judah and left tofight the Syrians.

God sent His seer þrophet)named Hanani to Asa and said,'Didn't God save you fiom the hugearmies of the Ethiopians? Youtrusted God and He saved you.

Don't you know the eyes of the Lordrun to and fro throughout the earth,to show Himself strong in taking careof those whose heart is perfecttoward Him? You have done fool-ishly. From now on, you will havewars. "

Asa was angry. He put the seerin the prison house. A short whilelater he was diseasel on his feet. Forsome sad reason, he didn't go to theLord for help, he only went ro hisphysicians. He died, and the rulingofJudah was given to his own godlyson, who walked in the ways of theLord.

Remember friends, God is thesame yesterday, today and forever.He truly loves you, His children, andwill fight for you. All you musr dois love and serve him in the nalne ofJesus and ask Him to help you.

ì ith care,Sister Jan

WORD SEARCH

STAY ANDGOD ASAFOUGHT CRIEDTHE OUTBATTLE ANDAGAINST GODHUGE HEARDETHIOPIA HIM

M I H G o D K A A

D K o A S A I U N

E D U G M P N T D

N T A o E G H R

R E I R D G G A

C H H N F M H I] E

T T s T A Y o H

E L T T A B H F B

0ur lilomonfrfuY

last conf'erence, the money will be

used to assist in funding new mis-

sionarv efforts of tlre Church'Sisters should mark their calen-

dars for ihe 1998 General CircleRetreat. lvhich will be held inCharleiton, South Carolina The

retreat will begin on Thursday, July

16 antl concluãe on Sunday' July 19'

A feeline ol excitement permeated the

àtmosnhire as Sister Arline discussed

the wônderful exPeriences which

were had as the tentative arrange-

ments were made.Area Presidents from the Pacific

Coast to the Atlantic Coast presented

r¿norts on activities held during the

oast six months. Sistcr Lynette

iJuttenherger, Financial Secrctary,

Dresented our ncxt rep0rt. The

bircle collected $7,611.47 in the last

six month renorting Period. What a

marvelous jo'b our sistcrs tlo at funtl

raisins!B-ecause of t}re dedication of the

various home Circles, Sister LYdia

Link. Treasurer, reported that

52.300.00 will be sent to assist with

itre oublication of a Spanish Botrk ofMoi¡non, $ I .866.99 will be given to

the work a¡nong the American lndian'

In åddition. \rye were able to donate

$284.00 to cach of the following six

Ceneral Church works and funds:

lnclia, Italy, Ghana' Nigeria,.Kenyaand The Missionary Foundation'

A brief rePort on Sister Arline

and Sister Lorraine's tr¡p to Kenya

followed. Our sisters will have a

slide show readY for our October I l,1997 Conference (to be held in

Greensburg, PennsYlvania ) The

brothers whom theY accomPanied on

the tour will take part in the presenta-

tion.After an enjoYable luncheon

nreoared and seived by the sisters ofihe'Freehold Branch and brothers

from the Atlantic Coast and Pennsyl-

vania. the Atlantic Coast Circlenresented a program entitlcd' "Circlebf Loue." A jigsaw Puzzle was

constructed bY the sisters as theY

snoke of the attrihutes necessary to

create this circle: potential' gentle-

ness, unitY, bumility, mercY and

meekness.Our afternoon was concluded

with a season of testimonY. The

sisters in attendance from Maine to

the Pacifrc Coast shared beautiful

experiences and testimonies with the

conference.Special thanks is extended to all

of those whtt housetl the saints'nrenared the meal and matle the tlay

Io enioyable for all the visitors We

look ibiward to seeing manY of our

sisters in October. Remember, there

will be no conference in APril of1998 <lue to the retreat, so make

everv effort to meet with us in

October. You will be blesserl We

certainly were!

General CircleConference

By Sister Karcn L' ProBar

There was a feeling of excite-

ment in the Freehold, New JerseY

Branch as the General Circle met in

conference on SaturdaY, APril 26'

1997. Sisters from all over the

countrv came together to conduct lhe

busineis of the Circle and enjoy each

others comPanY. Sister ArlineWhitton, Ceneral C ircle President,

welcomed the sisters and informed

everyone that there was very littlebusiiess to conduct, so we would

have sufficient time to enjoy the

spiritual aspect of the conference'' Our Vice President, Sister

Lorraine DeMercurio, chose Alma

26:12-16 as her scriPture. She

reminded us to glorY in the Lord and

nraise God forever.' Under items tlf new busincss'

the assemblv was informed that

dona¡ions cóuld still he madè in

memorv of tleceased loved ones' The

fund will be calle<l the "New Mis-

sions Fund" and as decided at our

CONFERENCE continued .''

Evanselist John DiBattistareDoned;riting to a sixty-nine year

olä eeoloeist in New Zealand who

had iequeited a copy of the Church'shistorv book. Brother John sent the

man tÁe book. After reading it, he

oroclaimed The Church of Jesus

bhrist has the authority of t-he Resto-

ration. He also stated that his home

was open to any missionary that

would come to his country.Evanseìist Paul Liberto related

how Gotl ñas spared the lives of some

of the brothers in Mexico' These

brothers are now determined to give

their all for the Lord and His Church'Elder Ram C. Baral, from the

countrY of Nepal, gave his testimony'Hc staied he is convinced that the

Bihle and Book of Mormon are the

truth. He was instrumental in trans-

latins the Bible into the Nepalilansíase antl is currently working on

ttuñ.luling the Book of Mormon' He

asked cverYone for their PraYers'Sister'Arline Whitton' President

of the General Laclies' Uplift Circle'sooke about the recent trip she made

tô Kenva, atong with Sister LorraineDeMeñurio, Vice President of the

General Circle. She was imPressed

with the love and humilitY of the

sisters. Sisters Arline anri Lorraineorganized the Ladies'Uplill Circle in

Kenva.'The last sPeaker, APostle V' J'

L0valvo. related the story of Jest¡s at

the wetliine of Cana in Galilee' He

hichliehte¡J the part where Mary told

r¡ð mðn to do what Jesus told ùem to

do. He said those who have gone out

on missionary work did what Jesus

told them to ão and that we must also

do what Jesus told us to do' He

referre<l to the 28th chapter ofMatthew wbere Christ instructed His

disciples to go to all nations. Brother

Jim ieoueste<l that we give all the

financiäl support that we can for the

missionarv work of the Church along

with our prayers for their safety and

success.Apostle Paul Benyola closed the

(Gontinued on Page 8)

CONFERENCE continued. . .

service by saying, '\ e have justtaken a fast trip around the world tosome of the nations where the mis-sionaries present had been. Thereports give us a view of what isgoing on and how the Lorcl is bless-ing us æ we labor." He urge<leveryone to back the missionaryefforts.

The Great Lakes Regional Choirpresented a musical progfâm in theevening under the direction of SisterCarolyn Parravano. Many beautifuland wonderful selections were sungto the honor and glory of Cod. TheWorld Conference Center soundedbeautiful, the words were beautifuland the singing was wonderlil.Praise God for His goodness anclmercy! The meeting was closed withprayer by Evangelist CarlFrammolino.

The Sunday Service was opene<lby Apostle Joseph Calabrese. ÀsBrother Joe rose from his sealBrother Mike Nurri frr¿ uï¡rìän.He saw three personages in brownrobes help Brother Joe up and werestânding behind him on the rÒstrum.They said that whoever would desireto see them should pray to God andHe would allow tiem to be seen.

Brother Calabrese said he wasexcited to be part of the work of theLord. He said no one can do any-thing without Him. Acknowledgingthe presence of the three Nephités, hesaid we are in a very "aclult situa-tion, " meaning we are in a period oftime for which grcat men had waiteda long time.. He stated we are bornto die, but we must strive, whilel¡ving, to reach the Kingdom of God.His text was taken from Romans1:16, "For I am not ashamed of thegosptl of Chrisr: þr it is thc pàw¿rof Cod unto salvatÌon to ¿'vcn unethat belicveth; tu thc J(w.Íìrs¡, otsoto the Creek. "

Brother Joe continuecl by sayingthe three Nephites are here tõ h.,þ u'sto bring souls to salvation and thttthere is power in the Gospel. In-deed, the power of God, that wasavailable in times past, is still avail-able today. He noted there is more

hunger, spiritually and naturally, inforeign fields and perhaps we mayrequire personal experiences to shakeus to the realization of what we cando. In closing, he pointed out thereis mo¡e overall excite¡¡ent andpositive thinking today of what canbe done.

Our next speaker was ApostleJoseph Lovalvo. Before speaking, hewas anointed for his afflictìon. Hehas had two heart attacks and wastold by the doctor to slow down andstop pfeaching. He told the doctor hewould never stop preaching. Hestressed the change that comes upon aperson when Christ comes into theirlif'e. He recalled several portions ofScripture in which people werechanged when they truly got to knowthe Lord and he said that no one cankeep all the commandmsnts of Godunless they are born again. He

"Go to the highwaysand byways of life aryd

.

compel them Ío come in. "

carry on and to remember the author-ity and power that are present. As I

, Brother Lovalvo was concluding hissermon, Brother Ram C. Baral stoodan¡l said, "Go ro the highways andbyways uf life and cornpel them tocome in. "

The last speaker was BrotherJohn DiBattisra. He recalled the timeof Moses and the plagues upon thepeople. He said there is a plague ofsin engulfing rhe Unired States andthe world. Brother English Webbstood and said, "Preach the word anclthe plagues will stop. "

Brother John likened the sin andtransgression today to the plagueslong ago. He sairj we can eliminatethcse plagues by preaching withboltlness and rhe power of God whichwe have received in The Church ofJesus Christ and by proclaiming theBihle and Book of Mormon. Hecited Brother Paul Gray, who throughtrial and severe afttictión, continuesto preach the Gospel with boldness.Brother John said there are obstaclesin preaching the Gospel, but we mustovercome them.

Brother Dominic Thomasconcluded the meeting with a nu¡nberof remarks. He asked everyone topray I'or the children of thc saints aswell as for many who need ourprayers. Each region, he remindedus, has a t'ast anri prayer day duringthe week and he read the variousreasons for these fasting and prayerdays. They were in a letter he hadsent on May 10, 1988 and reiteratedin August 1992. Brother Thomassaid that his recommendation at thatt¡me was that each region set asideone day a ìveek to fast and pray lorGod's help. He emphazied that thesedays are in addition to the Churchwide fasting and prayer services heldthe last Saturday of every month inall Branches and Missions. Hereminded all to pray for those whohave been presented to Conferencefor prayer. He said we all want theChurch to grow; thus, "he gave anurgent appeal fbr tìnancial supportand encouraged everyone to work forthe Church. "

_ Conf'erenee was closed in prayerhy Brother Pat O'Callaghan.

identifìed early saints who were Dotashalned of the Gospel and werewill¡ng to die for Christ. Hè tracedthe history of the Gospel to theRestoration and how God used JosephSmith, a young boy. Brother Joecited the time he was challenged bymen of another f'a¡th who attacked theBook of Mormon. Then, Brothe¡Sam Cuomo srood and said, "Thussaith the Lord, this is My Church!"

Brother Lovalvo stated thatexperiences revealed in advance thatthe three Nephites would be there atthe debate. The brothers who accom-panied him supplied him with theScriptures as be was presenting hiscase. At the concÌusion of thismeeting, the attackers apologize<j fortheir errors and conduct. Brotler JoeaÌso told how some of his ownrelatives had turned against him whenhe came to the Gospel. He noted thateventually his fäther and mother didjoin the Church. He related somewr¡nderñ¡l expericnces. He con-cluded by irnploring the Priesthood to

Iuly,l997 9

$ranch and

Miesion ilCIty¡

SW Region and Phoenix,AZ Branch Co-Host theQuorum of TwelveApostles

The Southwest Region andPhoenix, Arizona Branch served as

co-hosts to the General ChurchQuorum of Twelve Apostles as

February 1997 came to a close. Thethree day event, spiritually inspiredfrom beginning to end, developed as

a central special message, "TheLord's Commandments. "

Apostle Paul Palmieri centeringhis remarks on Christ's command-ments stated, "We feel better whenfocusing our thoughts on the Lordand Ioving each other. That shouldalways be our objective." He spokeon the miracles that occured on theirpast missionary trip to India, espe-cially when the manifestation of Godintervened as a huge cyclone roaredoff the ocean toward tle mainland.He testified, "We were in a directline with no \,vay out. We turned to"fæting and prayer" and the storm as

it reached the shoreline did a 180degree turn, an unknown occurancein past history, head¡ng back out tosea." Brother Palmieri continued,'Holding to the Lord's command-ments is the key." He called on theyoung people to love one another andplace their faith in Jesus Christ. Heemphasized there is a special messagein the commandments and the worldwill know you by the love you havefor each other. He added, "Followand praise Him, let it be a genuinelove. "

Apostle V. James Lovalvoreminded all of the significance of thecross and that after His victory,Christ said, "Follow Me!" Therewas something majestic about Jesus.Consider what all the disciples gaveup to follow Christ, he reminded thecongregation. 'Servant, No! Theyhad a closer relationship, a friend, a

brotherhood each could understand, "he explained. Living a life of

rightousness is the only ìvay to enterthe Kingdom of Heaven. Brother Jimconcluded by saying, *Without totalacceptance of God and the keeping ofHis commandments, it will nothappen. "

Apostle Paul Benyola stressedcommitt¡ng ourselves to what webelieve and then let our light shinebeyond our Church walls into thecommunities in which we live,. Eight Apostles, includingPresident Dominic Thomas, gatheredin Phoenix on Saturday night wherethey welcomed the beautiful weatherof the Valley of the Sun. It's beennearly two decades since the Quorumof Twelve fÌrst met in Phoenix.Absent due to illness were BrothersJoe Bittinger and Joseph Lovalvo.Our late Brother Nick Pietrangelowho passed on to eternal glory wasremembered by General ChurchPresident Dominic Thomas. Prayerfor our absent leâders and the sickwithin the Church was led by Quo-rum President Brother RussellCadman.

Brother Dominic no(ed themakeup of the Saturday night crowdwhich represented a wide geographi-cal region. Six regions from whichthe migration came were recognized:Great Lakes, Atlantic Coast, South-east, Oh¡o Midwest, Penn-MidAtlan(ic and Pacific Coast. Mostmembers identified with the South-west Region. His request was thateach member in the congregationwelcome a neighbor seate.d in his orher pew, and the congregation fol-lowed by singing, His Name itWondarful. Brother Dominic con-cluded by saying, 'Let us be led bythe love of God, allow ¡t to becomethe controlling spirit, and respect ourleaders. "

Apostle Joseph Calabrese ledprayers for the Ministry. Fivecongregational members stood whenBrother Cadman sought recognitionof those whose descendants datedback to the foundation of the Church.The first open meeting ended withprayer following the anointing of foursisters currently having physicalproblems.

Apostle Bob Watson opened the

Sunday meeting with prayer afterBrother Ike Smith, Region President,welcomed everyone to the PapagoElementary School in Phoenix, a siteselected because of the large numberattending the service. A number ofmusical selections were sung by aquârtet which consisted of BrotherTim Scolaro, Arthur and AustinLandrey and Herb Hemmings. SisterElaine Jordan was the soloist and

sang, /t /s W¿ll with My Soul.Excitement was felt throughout

the garher¡ngs, talking of the mission-ary involvements undertâken by the

Churuh, especially the new openingsdeveloping in Kenya, Russia andPeru. Brother Dick and Sister PatChristman of the Phoenix Branchwere anointed as they prepared for a

third missionary trip to Peru. Broth-ers Dan Piccuto and Herb Hemmings,both ailing missionaries workingamong the Arizona Native Ameri-cans, received the anointing of theChurch leaders.

The gathering came to a close.Vr'hat a beautiful weekend! May Godbless our leaders and use them forHis honor and glory.

A Healing Miracle inWarren, Ohio

By Evangelist Frank D. Giovannone

For over t\,¡/enty years, I havebeen going to the same optometrist tohave my eyes examined for prescrip-tion glasses. About two and a halfyears ago, this optometrist told methat a cataract was forming in each

eye. He also told me that a scar hadformed in my left eye from when Iwas a young child. When I went formy annual examination, in the springof 1996, I told the doctor that myvision was blurred and I sometimessaw double. After the examination,he informed me that the câtaract hadincreased in each eye, and that Iwould need surgery to remove them.He recommended an eye surgeon inAkron, Ohio that specialized in

(Continued on Page 10)

10 Iulv,1997

WARREN, OH continued . . .

cataract removal. I told my doctorthat if I had to have surgery that Iwould have to wait fo¡ the wintermonths. I had so much to do in thesummer that I could not take time offfor the surgery. The longer I waited,month after month, I knew theproblem was getting worse.

Around early December 1996,my neighbor, who was eighty-threeyears old at that time, had the samesurgery in one of her eyes that I wasto have done. When she found outthat I was to have the same surgery,she recommended her doctor to methat performed her surgery. Sheassured me there was nothing to t¡issurgery, that is was quite easy, like a

piece of cake! Shortly after talkingwith her, I contacted her doctor foran appointment to see about havingsurgery done on my eyes. We madean appointment for March 20, 1997.

On March 15, 1997 , the Ohio-Midwest Regional Church Confer-ence was held in the Warren, OhioBranch. The Conference began in themorning with about a half hour ofprayer. I felt the Spirit of God soprevalent among us that I asked to beanointed at that moment. I wanted toask God to help me get through thissurgery. I was told to come up frontto be anointed and a few brothersgathered around me. Apostle PaulPalmieri felt he was to anoint me. AsBrother Paul was praying over me,he asked God if He would performthe surgery on my eyes so that thedoctor would not have to perform it.

When I went to the doctor onMarch 20, I prepared myself to go

through with the surgery. After a

two hour long examination of numer-ous tests, the doctor asked me, "Whotold you that you hâd catafacts?" Isaid, "The optometrist that I haveseen for many years told me two and

a half years ago that I had catarâcts inboth eyes." After telling him this, heæsured me that there was not a síngletrace of cataracts in either eye. Justto make sure he was correct, hewanted to run one last test that wasrarely done on cataract patients. Hewanted to make absolutely sure that

there was nothing there beforeturn¡ng me away.

He warned me that this last testwould be very painful. They neededto dilate, open my pupils as wide as

possible with a cenain solution.After my pupils were fully dilated, a

bright beam of light was shown intomy eyes. It was so bright, I felt as ifmy eyes were going to burn up.After this was over, .he said there wasnothing in my eyes except the scar inthe Ieft eye that I would take to mygfave.

I am very thankful, brothers andsisters, that God is still on Histhrone. We need to put our faith andtrust in Him and He will help us inour hour of need. I often think of thewords in a song, "He washed myeyes with tears, that I might see. "We are sure that God can performsurgèry without using a knife. Iknow that I will never be able torepay my God for what He has donefor me. May God bless all of you is

my humble prayer.

Live For Others

Lord help me from day to dayln such a self forgetful way,That even when I kneel to pray,My prayers shall be for others.

Help me in all I doTo ever be sincere and true,.And know that all I would doFor Thee must needs be done to others.

Let self be crucified and buried deepAnd all in vain my eff'orts beTo rise again to be with TheeUnless I live for others.

And when my task on earth is done,May my work in heaven begin,May I forget the crown I have wonWhile thinking still of others.

Others, yes, Lord, others,May this my motto be,Help me to live f'or others,That I may be like Thee.

DIRECTORY UPDATE

Benyola, Margaret89 Peppergrass Dr. S.Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054

Draskovich, James J.641 Elmspring CourtApt. TEPittsburgh, PA 15220412-531-3424

Natoli, Frank and Kathy30685 Thistle Ave.Chesterfield Twp., MI 48051810-749-6556

Perri, Joseph and Mary89 Peppergrass Dr. S.Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054609-722-8958

MESSAGEcont¡nued...

After the program, the Chief ofOdumasi and the Chief of the villagenearby cut the ribbon for the school.

On March 4, Brother Ross wasnot well, but Brothers Perri andLawson went to Odumasi andApromase with Brother Boadu. TheYobserved that the church building isprogressing satisfactorily even thoughthere is a shortage of adequate toolsto complete the tasks involved. Forexample, a worker used a ball peen

hammer to drive ten penny nails intothe roof beams.

After returning to the MissionHouse for dinner in the afternoon,they went to Anyinamso for a cru-sade. Many of the members havecome into the Church as a result ofcrusades. There were at least 400-500 villagers, including children,assembled for the video. BrotherRoss began the speaking, followed byBrothers Lawson and Perri.

Brother Boadu started conduct-ing crusades some time ago. TheElders and members go to a villageand take a portable generator, speak-ers, monitor, VCR, and some lightswith them. They show a religiousAuthor Unknown

Jul* 1997 1l

video. Brother Ford will stop it aftera while, and the brothers speak onthe subject and explain the Church tothe people of the village. Thisapproach has been very effective inintroducing the Gospel.

The next night, they journeyedto Anyinamso for their \Yednesdayservice. Brothe¡ Lawson opened themeeting, using Matthew 14:33. Hewas followed by Brothers Ross andPerri.

March 6 was Independence Dayfor Ghana. It was forty years sincethe nation gained independence fromGreat Britain. That evening, acrusade was held in Sarabuso, a newvillage a half hour beyondAnyinamso. lt was estimated therewere 1,000 people including children

a wide range of topics. The youngbrothers asked many good questions,and they are very knowledgeableabout the Scriptures. Excellentbenefi cial discussions were reportedby the visiting Evangelists.

Separate meetings were heldwith the Elders where various thingswere discussed and updates on planswere given. The conclusion reachedwas that ' . . . this group of men willbe a good force for the Church inGhana. "

Our purchase of the MissionHouse was explored with the ownerwho is desirous of selling it. Rentalalready paid would be applied againstthe price. The remaining balancewhich must be raised is $20,000.

The brothers also met with some

EDITORIAL continued . . .

message of the Lord and His ChurchWe help by oÍÌbring our sincere

prayers for the souls of the entirehuman family. Prayer does and willmove the hand of the Lord. That isone way to help. It takes more thanprayers. It takes more, much morethan prayer.

We help through our financialgenerosity. Vy'e must be generous inour donations. The Church, espe-cially the missionary fields, need ourfinancial support. The missionaryfields need our 'generous" financialsupport and help. The Church needsthe "spirit of giving." It depends onyou. This "spirit of giving" dependson you. The 'spirit of giving" helpsyou empty your pockets, purses andwallets. You must possess ¡t. Doyou know that most of the missionarytrips during the past few years havebeen financed by those taking thesemissionary trips? They and otherswho will take missionary.journeysneed our help. They need all thefìnancial help we can give them.'I'his financial assistance is not forthem. It is f'or the Lord, His Gospeland His Church. It is for those whowant to hear the Restored Gospelmessage.

We help by bearing our testi-mony. If you keep a light under abushel, it will never be seen. If youdo not bear your testimony, it willnever be heard. lf you do not tellsomeone of the Restored Gospel,chances are they may never hear it.Without your testimony, the possibil-ity exists that your neighbors, familyand friends would never hear that theangel has flown.

The membership of The Churchof Jesus Christ is vital to the spiritualgrowth of the Gospel. It is throughthe unity and love of the membershipthat the Gospel will reach out to allnations. Just think of it, the Lordwants you to help in reaching everynation, every nationality, every race.All must hear. All will hear. TheMinistry needs your help. The Lordneeds your help. The wo¡ld needsyour help. Will you answer the call?Are you ready?

in attendance. Brother Perri spoke,followed by Brothers Lawson andRoss.

In the March 7 meeting atKumasi, Brother Perri felt prayershould be asked for rain as it hadbeen so dry and the need for themoisture was very great. Just abouteveryone praye.d, and there was a'sweet spirit in our midst." BrothersRoss, Perri and Lawson also ex-pressed themselves.

A seminar was conducted thenext day at the center for the t¡r-dained officers. The training covered

other interested people in Merlina,which is about half an hour fromAccra, on March 16. Brother Perriopened the meeting on Matthew 14,after which Brothers Lawson, Rossand Boadu followed. Questions wereasked which our brothers answered.They explained our beliefs and gave a

shon synopsis of the Restoration.There was genuine interest and thereare hopes that these individuals willcome into the Gospel. A first timevisitor from Liberia asked questionsand was very attent¡ve to the messagedelivered by the brothers.

Elders of Ghana, West Africa. Brothef John Addo absent.

12 Julv. 1997

* WEDDINGS X

Sister Tina Buffa and Brother Joe Giannetti wereunited in holy matrimony at Branch #1 in Chesterfield,Michigan on March 22, 199'l .

Brother Alfred Mendenhall and Sister Tammyriy'ingle were united in holy matrimony on March 20,1997 in the Inner City Branch, Detro¡t, Michigan.

Children Blessed

John Zachary Bordeaux, son of John and MildredBordeaux, was blessed in the Herndon, Virginia Branchon December 22, 1996.

Dominic Stelzer, son of Hank and Sister Diane(Romano) Stelzer, was blessed in the Plumbrook, Michi-gan Branch on January 19, 1997.

Kelsey Marie Lubienski, daughter of Dan and

Becky (Whitton) Lubienski, was blessed in thePlumbrook, Michigan Branch on September 29, 1996.

Caleb Kenneth Calabro, son ofBrother Rick and

Sister April Calabro, was blessed on May 4, 1997 in

the Freehold, New Jersey Branch.

Baptism

Denise Romano wæ baptized on December 1, 1996,

in the Plumbrook, Michigan Branch. She was baptizedby Brothèr Richard Loffredo and confirmed by BrotherPaul \ryhitton.

Address Change

Address

Phone

OBITUARIESWe wßh lo express our sympathy to those that mourn

over the loss of loved ones. May God bless and comfon you,

HETTIE BENYOLA

Sister Hettie Benyola of the Elkins, West VirginiaMission passed on to her heavenly reward on March 29,

1997. She was an ordained Deaconess in The Church ofJesus Christ. Sister Hettie was preceded in death by her

husband, Brother Louis Benyola and several of herchildren. Sister Hettie is survived by five children,twenty-one grandchildren and many great-grandch ildren.

GEORGE B. BOKULICH

George B. Bokulich passed on to his eternal reward

on March 10, 1997. He attended the Vanderbilt, Pennsyl-vania Branch. He is survived by his wife, Virginia M.Gibson Bokulich; one daughter, Darla Davis; two sons'

George H. And David P. Bokulich; and two grand-daughters.

JUANITA TORIBIO

Sister Juanita Toribio of the Santa Ana, CaliforniaMission passed on to her heavenly reward on September

-

30, I996. She was an ordained Deaconess in The Church

of Jesus Christ. Sister Toribio was preceded in death byher husband, Brother Alfonso To¡ibio' She leaves tomourn seven children, t\,venty-one grandchildren and fivegreat-grandchildren.

T. DOM BUCCI

Brother Timothy Dom Bucci of the Erie, Pennsylva-

nia Branch passed on to his heavenly reward on April 23,1991, He was an ordained Evangelist in The Church ofJesus Christ. Brother Bucci is survived by his wife'Sister Maryi two daughters, Sister 'Phyllis Kovacic and

Marlea Frentzos; six grandchildren, and three great-

grandchildren.

ANGELINE BISCOT-TI

Sister Angeline Biscotti of the Levittown, Pennsylva-

nia Branch passed on to her heavenly reward on March 8,

1997. She was an ordained Deaconess in The Church o1'

Jesus Christ. Sister Angeline was preceded in death by

her late husband, Apostle Rocco Biscotti, who was thePresident of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. Represent-

ing the Quorum of Twelve at her services were ApostlesRussell Cadman, Joseph Calabrese, Paul Palmieri and

Dominic Thomas. Sister Angeline is survived by twosons, Matthew and Robert Biscotti, and one daughter,Kathleen Cole.

töbueltews

Volume 53, No. 8

r The similaritv of manY Native

American legendj and prophecies to

the Book of Mormon is quite re-

markable. It is not only fascinating

but also edifYing when we consider

tle source of borh are actually the

same, the Seed of JosePh.

After reading a Book ofMormon sent to him hY an indi-vidual interested in learning more

about the HoPi, Thomas BanYacYa'

a HoÞi interpreter and sPokesman'.".riked. "lt's true the MormonBook teaóhes many things similar to

the Hooi teachings. In fact. some

places ìt's the same. But HoPi has

been warned against acceptlng or

falling for any other kind of religionthat mav come to them' TheY were

to hold fast to the teachings that

were given them bY the GreatSnirit. "

The HoPi sPeak of beingconverted to-the Great Spirit before

the sreat star appeared in the skY

rsee-lll Nephi 1:21). "After they

*.r".on"ótt"d, theY took all rheir

weaoons used in the shedtling ofblooi and buried them deeP in the

earth. When their enemies came,

they would not take uP weapons to

defend tiemselves. ManY were

killed. This made their enemies

ashame¡l, and some of the aggressors

iãi"ø t¡. Peaceful HoPi and buried"their

weapons also" (see Alma24:15-20).-

nnór many Years' the HoPi

neonle migrated to another land

L¡áre thev could be alone and live

in oeace. -They

say the Great Spirit

soôke to them from the clouds

aLove. "'When a Great Star appears

in ttt"'st y that is brighter than âll

other stars, wherever You are, stop

and build houses like the homes your

neonle lived in hefore theY came to

[¡i.'.uuntty'" The Hopi obeyed and

built a village. An observer was

amazed at hõw the streets and houses

ãi Hopi villages resemhle those ofOld Jerusalem. Years later' the

Hooi decideil to search for a suitable

location for their second village As

thev searched, theY met a while man

whä walkei toward them with oPen

arms. He said, "l am Your TrueWhite Brother that has come to lead

vou forwarcl and to teach You of mY

iavs.' He stayed with them forsev'eral davs and taught them the

inines t¡ei must do to be saved'

Native American Legends and

The Book of Mormon

By Evangelist Richard Scaglione

The White Brother gave the

Honi a beautiful Pink marhle stone

irùi"t. rn.v weie taught how to read

the ancient writings on the stone

wtriin containe¿ prophecies regarding

the last davs and commandments'The oronhêcies were Îtr come to pass

¡ust befóre the White Brother returns

i r-tft" "u.t¡. After insuring that the

ti.roi memorited the stone, word for

*n',¿. t¡" White Brother broke the

s(one into two pafts. He gave them

án" ntn an¿ kéPt the other' He said'

'wÉen I return' I will have this stone

with me. and the writings on mY

stone ará the same as You have l*iti ue aute to read Your stone, and

vou will be ahle to rearì the one Iilave. If thev w¡ll interlock where Ihad ser¡arate.l them, You will know

tÀr suie that I am Your True t hite

sroih:". .oting to:lead You forwardinto life everlaiting'" The HoPi

ielisious leaders can still reatl the

stoñe. Ít is kePt in the Kiva (house

of worshin). añ,J uery few outsiders

huu" tu.ii".n it (see Omni 20-22

for the stone tableÐ.When the White Brother, whom

the HoDi call Massauu (Messiah?)'

iol¿ thôm he must leave them, theY

bessed him to stay. He told them to

totiõw his teachings, practice them

¿rilv. and to fast and PraY' He then

nlesled their babies. healed their

iicL, and Performed manY miracles

(Continued on Page 3)

rnecffir¿t2 Aueust,1997

Who hath believed our re.port? And to whom is the arm ofthe Lord revealed? (Isaiah 53:l).

The prophet Isaiah was one ofthe greatest prophets God ever hadcalled. He was known as the ¡.TheSilver Tongue Prophet." Godguided him as he wrote the abovewords in the form of a questioi. Heno doubt knew that very few out ofthe millions in this world wouldbelieve him. Let us explore this

scripture Íûrther:V.2 'For He shall grow up

before him as a tender plant, anrj asa root out of a dry ground; He hathno form nor comeliness, and whenwe shall see Him, there is no beautythat we should desire Him."

V.3 "He is despised and

rejected of men; a man of sorrows,and acquainted with grief; and wehid as it were our faces f¡om Him,He was despised, and we esteemedHim not. "

V.4 "Surely He hath borne ourgriefS, and carried our sorrows yetwe did esteem Him stricken, smittenof God and affl icted. "

V.5 'But He was wounded forour trangressions, He was bruisedfor our iniquities; the chastisementof our peace was upon Him; andwith His stripes we are healed."

Indeed the balance of thechapter deals with how Jesus came,suffered and died for all mankind.

The last part of Verse 1 says,"to whom is the arm of fhe Lordrevealed." The prophet lsaiahwondered, no doubt, if this that isrecorded in the verses above is true,who would have a chance to receivesâlvation including. the House ofIsrael?

History has now proven thatJesus did come, suffered, and died.It has been said that God was cruelto do this to His Son.

The fact remains had He notsent His only Begotten Son to paythe ransom, mankind would nothave hope for the present or future(see John 3: l6- l7).

Did I say including Israel?Vr'ho today believes that? Only theones to whom the arm of the Lord isrevealed.

Joseph Smith, Jr., in 1820wondered which cburch is the true

Who Hath Believed Our Report?

By Apostle Joseph Calctbrese

church? He had heard Christ is.hereand Christ is there (see JosephSmitlr's testimony). However, not '

until the arm of the Lord revealed tohim while he was reading James I :5,"If any of you lack wisdom, let

.him ask of God thât giveth to allmen liberally, and upbraideth not;and it shall be given him." He wastotally confusedl The arm of theLord continued to reveal (readRevelations l4:6-7).

V.6 "And I saw another angelfly in the midst of heaven having theeverlasting Gospel to preach to themthat dwell on the earth and to everynation, and kindred, and tongue, ahdpeople. "

V.7 'Saying with a loud voice,Fear God and give glory to h¡m thatmade heaven, and earth and the sea,and the fountains of waters. "

The angel in verse 6, whosename was Moroni, came to JosephSmith and Oliver Cowdery on MayI5, I829 and laid his hands unonthem both. ortlaining them in¡o thePriesthood after the Order of the Solof God (see Alma l3: l-9 in theBook of Mormon).

The arm of the Lord continuedto reveal itself. After the martyrdomof Joseph Smith in 1844, he choseanother, namely William Bickerton(see Isaiah 66: l-2).

V. I "Thus saith the Lord, rheheaven is my throne and the earth ismy footstool: where is the house thatye build unto me? And where is theplace of my rest. "

V.2 "For all of those thingshath mine hand macle, and all thosethings have been made, saith theLord: but to this man [WilliamBickertonl will I look even to himthat is poor and of a contrite spirit,and trembleth at my word."

The choosing of WilliamBickerton took place in 1851.

Much more can be said, how-ever, who will believe our report?

The Church of Jesus Christexpects a deliverer to come, a"Choice Seer"-a person likenedunto Moses (see Romans I l:26),¡3And so all Israel shall be saved;as it is written. There shall comeout of Sion lhe Deliverer, and shall

Apostle Joseph Calabrese

August, 1997

turn away ungodliness fromJacob. "

Who hath believed our report?As many did not believe when

Jesus came (and many still do not),neither do many believe today thatan angel has come (Revelations14:6-7), nú that a deliverer is

coming. However, time will provethat this is true.

Our prayer is that as we enterinto the dawning of another centuryof time, that many will believe ourreport, that the true Gospel hâs beenrestored.

Yes, the Choice See¡ will beused with others to convince bothJew and Gentile that Israel willreturn. The arm of the I-ord will berevealed.

Great is the task that lies beforeus, but we trust in one divinelystrong.

Note: The personal testimonyof \Villiam Bickerton and otherliterature can be requested f¡om TheChurch of Jesus Christ Print House,P.O. Box 30, Bridgewater, MI48115-0030.

LEGENDScontinued...

among them (III Nephi, chapters 17

through 28). Finally, he walkedeastward and ascended into theheavens until he faded out of sight.The Hopi never fail to say a prayeræ the sun comes up, facing east,giving thanks to the Great Spirit andthe White Brother. They, likenearly all Indian tribes, are watchingand waiting for the White Brother toreturn from the East. From thehogans of the Navajo to the openingsof the teepees of the Plains Indians,the doorways face east in order tosee the r hite Brother approachingthem when he returns. Tbey con-sider him the same Wh¡te Brotherwho walke¡l and talkerl with theirancestors hundreds of years ago. Nodoubt, this was the reason Cortezand the Spaniards were so readilyaccepted and honored by the Nativesof Mexico and Central Amerìca.

Mad Bear Anderson, aTuscarora (one of the Six Nations of

the lroquois Confederacy), relatedan ancient prophecy of his people.A spiritual being they calledDeganawida spent time w¡th theIroquois, teaching a Iife style basedupon peace and love. Before he leftthem, he warned them of whatwould befall them in the futurebecause they would become wickedand accept false teachings andpromises. Fighting and destructionwould come, choking the life'sblood out of the Indian peopÌe.

They woukj desire to renew theirfa¡th and the principles of peace thatDeganawida had established. Whenthey would become very humble,they would await the corning of "ayoung leader, an Indian boy, whowould be a Choice Seer. Nobodyknows who he is or where he comesfrom, but he will be given greatpower and would be heard bythousands. Deganawida said that as

the Choice Seer speaks to theIndians, he would be heard by âll atthe same time. Also, a great light,many timès brighter than the sun,will come from the east. lt wouldblind those fighting against theIndian people, causing them tobecome frightened and leave, neverto be seen again. Deganawida saidthat he would be that light, and hewould return to his people. Whenhe returns, they would be a greaternation than they ever were before"(sec II Nephi, chapter 3, the ChoiceSeer).

A Native prophecy of theYakima tells a similar story. It wastold as follows: "A young Nativeleader will take his people up on a

high mountain. They will be joinedby a srnall group of whites. Theearth below will suffer a greatdestruction by fire, which will purifyit. Together, the Natives and thewhites will be Ied from the mountainby this young leader, and they willbuild a city and inhabit it in peace

and harmony." The young man whorelated this prophecy stated he hadnever heard of the Book of Mormon.

In 1735 at the Seneca Indiantown of Conawagus on the GeneseeRiver, an Indian boy was born whowas låter to become one of the

greatest Indian prophets and teachersof recent historical date. ThisSeneca was given the title ofKaniatario, or Handsome Lake. Asa young man, he was everything buta religious teacher (see Mosiah27:8-32 for the story of AIma, sonof AIma). After years ofdrinkingthe white man's firewater, Hand-some Lake became very ill, so illthat for four years he lay an invalid,not able to rise from his bed. At theend of the fourth year, he walkedfrom his cabin and fell to the earth,secrningly rleatl. H is hotly wasdressed in ceremonial clothes, and

he was prepared for burial. Asrelatives gathered for the deâthceremony, he surprised everyone bysitting up, o¡ as his followers said,"Came to life." He related thâtthree messengers of the Great Spirit(see III Nephi 28: 4-40) had come tohim during his "death." They toldhim that the Creator of mankind had

chosen him to tell the Iroquoispeople how they should live andworship. F¡om time to time for thenext fifteen years, the Three Mes-sengers visited and instructedHandsome Lake with the wishes ofthe Creator. A fourth Messengeralso appeared to him, bearing scarsin the palms of his hands and awound in his side. He said hewould return at the end of Hand-some Lake's life and would lead himto the "Land of Happy Spirits."

The teachings of HandsomeLake were divided into 130 sectionsand provided natural and spiritualinstructions that were to govern thelives of the Iroquois. This resultedin a letter from President ThomasJefferson to the Chiefs of the SixNations, praising the teachings ofHandsome Lake and advising theIroquois to follow them. For thenext s¡xteen years, Handsome Lakepreacbed and taught this religion.To this day, in the Longhouses ofthe lroquois, especially the Seneca,the "Code of Handsome Lake" isrecited during the StrawberryFestival as they thank their Creatorfor the¡r harvests.

(Continued on Page 1 1)

Aueust. 1997

Á messago

fron thd$eventy

The Americas Missions Operat-ing Committee held a Native Ameri-can Outreach Seminar for the easternsector of the United States inMonongahela, Pennsylvania onSaturday, May 31. It is also beingplanned to schedule the same pro-gram at one location for all branchesand missions west of the MississippiRiver in the fall.

There were tllree meetingsduring the day. The first two con-sisted primarily of seminar sessions,while the evening service was de-voted to worship and fellowship.

The AMOC, under its Chair-man, Evangelist Richard Christman,sponsored the day to inform membersof possibilities which exist in furtherreaching Native Americans, God'schosen people. lt offered participantsthe ability to visualize hoìv to expandour horizons and presented thevarious opt¡ons that are available todo so.

Apostle Paul Palmieri, GeneralChurcb First Counselor, gave theinspiring keynote address. Heencouraged the participants to helpspread the Gospel of Christ. ApostleJoseph Bittinger offered a specialprayer for the labors among the Seed

of Joseph.

INTRODUCTORY LETTER

An introductory letter fromApostle Robert A. Watson was read.Unable to attend, he is the GeneralChurch Second Counselor and the

liasion person to General Church forthe AMOC. He stated, in part:

"The work of The Church ofJesus Christ among ùe NativeAmericans is the outgrowth and thedirect result of a covenant executedby God through Abraham a fewthousand years ago. Let me drawyour attention to th¡s covenant as

recorded in the Book of Genesis,lTth chapter, verses 2-4, ' . . , Anrl Iwill ma*¿ my cov¿nant betwe¿n mearul thee [Abraham] and will muhiplythee exce¿dingly. Abraharn fell onhis þæ; and God talkd with him,saying, As for me, behold, my cov-enant Ís with thee, and thou sholt be

a father of many nations. '"The Bible and the Book of

Mormon testify that Joseph's seed,through the covenant, is in direct linefor the benefits of the Abrahamiccovenant and that through them allthe nations of the world will beblessed. '. . . I will show unto themwho fight agaínst my word andagainst my people who are of thehouse of Israel, that I am God, andthat I covenant¿d with Abraham that Iwouid remember his seed forever' "(lI Nephi 29:14).

Apostle Dominic Thomas,General Church President; EvangelistLeonard Lovalvo, President of the

Quorum of Seventy Evangelists; andEvangelist John GritTth, MissionsOperating Committee Chairman, senttheir best wishes and letters ofsr¡pport for this important work.

Native American Outreach Seminar

By Carl J. Frammolino, Evangelist Editor

THREE SEMINAR GROUPS

Three seminar groups wereformed and rotated, so that allattendees could absorb all the veryimportant subject matter and partic!pate in the interaction. The phases

included review of the history of theNat¡ve Americans, effective ways toreach tiem, and the future goalsamong them. General and specificinformation was offered.

The Church's long standingactiv¡ty among Native Americans wasdocumented. Our presence onreservat¡ons, near reservations, andin urban areas was spotlighted toindicate where we are today, wherewe must go to achieve our goal, andhow we can accelerate our pace.

Statistics on Native Americansor "First Nations" were given. Thedecrease in population from thearrival of Christopher Columbus tothe present was analyzed.

Basically, focus was on theChurch's Commission, the labors ofour missionaries on reservations, and,the formation and progress of theGeneral and Regional Urban NativeAmerican Committees, as well as theNative American Outreach Program.

It was pointed out that it isnecessary to understand the beliefs,culture and traditions on both reser-vations antl in urban areas. Knowingthese essentials and applying themwill permit the individuals withwhom we speak to more fully under-stand our genuine interest in them.

Tribal leaders and their responsi-bilities were mentioned, as were thelegends and prophecies which aresimilar to our beliefs. Some of thesewere also explained.

Presenters were EvangelistsRichard Christman, Fred Olexa,Thomas Everett, Richard Scagl ione,and Robert Nicklow, Sr., and EldersRobert Nicklow, Jr. and WilliamChepanoske.

CATHERINCS

The¡e are many public gather-ings that are conducted by NativeAmericans throughout the land.

(Gontinued on Page '11)

F)IION-IN-CII¡FDoo¡ld RoÉ

t0l noldbr@t. DriveV6di¡, PA 153ó7

ÀISISTÂNT EDITORJeffrcT Giùc.ri

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CONST'LIANTSNepùi D€McrcùnoPeaer À. Sol¡ro

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Editorial Viewpoint .

The Lord is full of divine compassion. He is a compassionate God who loves and cares

for those who believe in Him, those who follow Him. He wants to extend His compassion

toall. Do you know what compassion means? Compassion is the deep feeling ofsharingthe suffering of another, together with the inclination to give aid or support or to show

mercy. Doeì this describe you? Is this tle spirit that you carry and convey to others? Doyou aid those in need of heip? Do you offer support to those in need of encouragement?

Are you merciful to your fellow beings?

Our great Lord is compassionate. His compassion is divine. r hen Jesus Christ was Ûn

the lãnd of America visiting His people, He showed great compassion

Vy'e read these words of the Lord in III Nephi 17:6-7, "And he said unto th¿m: B¿hold' my

bowels are ftlled with compassion tov)ards you. Have ye any that are sick amonS you?

Bring them hiîher. Have ye any that arc lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous,

or th:at are withered , or that are d¿aÍ, or that are afflicted in any manner ? Bring them hitherand I will heal them, for I have compassion upon rou; My bowels are filled with m¿rcy. "

WhatdidtheLorddo? Jesus Christ healed everyone thât was brought to His presence. He

denied no one! Every affliction was healed by Jesus Christ. He felt their suffering and

sorrow. He fÞlt their pain and anguish. He did not turn His back on anyone He was not

partial or discriminatory. He bore their burdens. What compassion!

On many occasions the Lord extended compassion to individuals and even multitudes.'Ihere were two blind men sitting by the wayside. They cried out to Jesus Christ for mercy.

All they wanted was to see. They did not ask for riches, just their eyesight. ìJy'e read the

Lord hãd compassion on them. He touched their eyes. Their eyesight was immediately

restorcd and they followed Him.

The Lord had compassion on a multitude and healed their sick. He had compassion o.n

another multitude oi four thousand men, besides their women and children. Imagine this

throng ofpeople. They were following Jesus Christ. They wanted to hear His words, the

wor¿Jot iife. ttrose iñ authority must have been stunned by such a gathering ofpeople.Can you imagine the authorities stânding around, talking among themselves, 1ry!ng t9

figurã out whãt to do, what to say? This multitude of more than four thousand had followed

thã Lord forthreedays and had nothing to eat. TheLord would not send them away fasting,

He would not send them away hungry. He had compassion on them. His disciples gave

Him seven loaves and a few fishes. Jesus Christ blessed the food, broke the loaves and fed

tlemultitude. Everyone was fed; men, women and children' Noonelefthungry' There

were seven baskets of food left! lVhat a miracle! What compassion!

David tells us in Psalm 78 that in spite of Israel's transgressions, the Lord had compassion

on them. We read the Lord being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity and did not

destroy them. Many times the Lord turned His anger away and did not stir up His wrath.

The Lord had compæsion on Jared and did not confound his language. Jareddid noteven

ask theLord to preserve their language. He asked h is brother to pray to the Lord to preserve

their languageìnd avoid confusion. The Lord blessed Jared and his br<¡ther. He had

compassion on both of them.

Alma aske<l the people if they were willing to mourn Ìvith those that mourn. He æked ifthey would comfort those in need of comfort. They answered that this was the desire oftheír hearts. This is the spirit that possesses an individual who has faith, repents and is

baptize<ì. This is the spirit that possesses an individual or a multitude that follows the Lord,

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ic PRINT IIOUSÊ,8282 Bo{alh.r, P.O. Box 30, Bridses¡ler,¿81 l5¡O30, 313-4!9-$E0. P.¡-¡l pod¡S. p¡id ¡l Sati¡G, Michi-¡Àd ¡ddilioù¡l b¡itiþg ofñ.4

iTMÀSTER! SEND Ä.DDRF^SSANGES TO¡ TIIE GOSPELVS BUSINÊSS OFFICE P.O.x 30, BRIDGEWATER.,4Ar r5-0030.

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(Continued on Page 12)

6 Aueust. 1997

The

Children's

Corner

By Janet Steinrock

He's There in theDarkness

Dear Friends,

It was dark and I 1: l0 at night.My daughter and I were drivinghome alone from visiting DetroitPlumbrook Branch and we wereti¡ed. All of a sudden I not¡ced theinside car lights weren't bright. Mydaughter, Leah, reached over andtried to turn them up. They were up.

Then I realized our headlightsalso looked pale and I knew some-thing was wrong. I began to cry outto the Lord in my mind as I quicklystarted thinking about the road ahead.Which exits had a service stationopen late at night? Which exits werein dangerous neighborhoods where Iknew there'd been trouble? Inbetween were miles of farm fields,weedy ditches and fences that I knewI couldn't crawl over because of aspine injury. I didn't have a carphone but I did have the Lord.

'lVhat shall I do Lord?" I calledout in a scared voice. "Leah! Startpraying! Somethíng's wrong with thecar!"

"l already am mom," she repliedquietly.

I could feel the car slightlyslowing. Farmland and trees edgedtìe highway. Just as we saw the signfor our next highway connection,EXIT I Mile, the car jerked, putt-putted five times and slowed more.We prayed together and the carcontinued. 'Only 3 or 4 miles moreLord, please. . . " I whispered as thespeedometer dropped twenty milesdown.

from the seer Hanani to King Asa,'Don't you know thåt the eyes of theLord rui to and fro through-out the l

earth, to show Himself strong intaking care of those whose heaft isperfect toward Him?"

He sees you. Even if you areupset or ashamed and hope to hideyour thoughts from Him, He lovesyou. He knows you. If you've donesomething wrong, quickly ask forforgiveness. Accept the Lord's help.Let your hean be perfect towardshim. He cares for you.

Sister Jan

WORD SEARCH

Two women alone on thehighway wearing church dresses and

sandals, I thought. If the carstoppel, how would we push it farenough off the road? Leah couldwalk to a phone but it would be sodangerous to split up. We didn'thave a car phone so how could I callroad service?" These thoughtsdashed through my mind as the carslclwed a little more and other ve-hicles zipped around us. Slower andslower the car moved along.

Four miles, three miles, two,and then there we Ìvere at our neigh-borhood exit! I slipped into neutralto pick up speed going down theramp, praying, 'Lord, let the lightchange at the top of the rise. Let thatcar ahead move quickly out of theway so we don't die right here ontl¡is three Iane exit!" The lightchanged, the other car moved, andwe coasted right into our safe neigh-borhood. I pulled hard on the wheelto bring the car over as it stoppèddead. We could walk home in thedark from herel

"Thank you Lord! Thank youJesus!" we said with all our hearts.He'd kept us safe again. The carrepairman was amazed and said thatwith a broken alternator belt we werelucky that we'd come so many miles.I told him, "No, not luck. rJy'e

prayed and I thank the Lord."How many times has He an-

swered your prayers? How manytimes has He helped you and yourfämily through dangerous or scaryplaces? Do you remember to firstcall on Him? He will give your mindideas of what to do. He'll protect you.

Remember God's words spoken

GODSPOKETOHISPROPHETHANANITHEEYESOFTHELORDRUNTOANDFROTHROUGHOUTTHE

EARTHTOSHOWHIMSELFSTRONGINTAKINGCAREOFTHOSEWHOSEHEARTISPERFECTTOV/ARDHIM

A N D F N s S G o D

L o R D E N U R o

F o A H Y T w T T

o s w E K N H U H Z

T P o A F T E o T A

o T R w o H s E N

N K C T C G E H A

A E E H U N M H P N

N S F o c o S I o I

A o R H A R E M R G

H H E R T L U P o

T T P F E S F G o D

August, 1997 7

MissionoryBenevolentAssociotion

GMBA Conferencell4ay 1997

By Sister Deanna Nuui

"Cast your lot and choose yourpeople, stand today and be a man.Time is fleeing, night's approaching,wo¡k the vineyard while you can"(Songs of Zon, One Inst Pruning).

Brother lke J. Smith, the GMBAChaplain, opened May GMBAConference Saturday morning. Heused III Nephi 21. It speaks ofJesusChrist establishing Zion. He encour-aged us to do our part. A fraction ofthat part is bringing the Gospel to theSeed ofJoseph. There should be a

burning desire to bring back Joseph'sscattered nation, that they would havethe opportunity to sit under the soundof the Gospel and to raise theirchildren in the ways of God. Thebuilding of that great c¡ty Zion is justa part of the work, for once that cityis built, ' . . . then shall the work ofthe father commence. "

Following Brother lke, theofficers began the business portion ofthe weekend. r e heard reports fromthe GMBA officers and differentcommittees. Brother Joel Calabresereported on tlle new F.E.N.C.E.program, a program developed tobetter equip those t¡at teach tJ¡e

young children. Let's remember thisprogram and Brother Joel in ourprayers, for the youth of the Churchare the future. We also heard a goodreport on ¡Jte 1997 GMBA Campout.Our camp director this year, BrotherJason Monaghan, solicited theprayers of the saints, that everythingthat would be done would be directedby God. The theme this year is"Raising tle Standard." Our brotherreminded us that we should raise thestandard every day, not just the weekof camp. So as we endeaver to raiset}e standard of Jesus Christ, let usalso raise our GMBA camp commit-

tee up in prayers. Following ourbrother's report, the GMBA congre-gation voted on next year's campsite.Next year we will be heading west tosunny California, su start preparingand saving. Vy'e are looking t'orwardto going to the Pacitìc Region andfellowshipping with the saints.

Sister Dana (Lowe) Smith andher husband, Brother Robert Smith,catered our lunch once again. r ewould like to extend our thanks andappreciation to them for their hardwork.

We covered many differenttopics and issues of business for tl¡efurùering of the GMBA. Ourbusiness was complete and we wereanxiously awaiting the Atlant¡c Coastprogram that evening.

The Atlantic Coast Reg¡onblessed us with a beautiful programof singing and tcst¡mony. Inter-mingled throughout the various songswere the testimonies of some of thebrothers and sisters. They werebeautiful and uplifting, for we learnthat even in trials and down times,the Lord lifts us up and blesses ourlives. lrVe were truly uplifted. Wethank them tor all their eflbrt andtime. God's blessing surely sawthem through all their hard work.

Brother Chuck Jumper openedour Sunday morning meeting withprayer; he also expressed himselfregarding the support and love of thebrothers and sisters through the lossof his wife, S¡ster Ruth. God hasbeen by his side as well as with hisdaughters. Let us remember thosefamil ies..who.have. lost a..loved one,that the joy and strength of the Lordwould live with them daily.

As the sisters set the Commun-ion table, the privilege of partakingof the Lord's Supper was laid beforeus and our hearts turned to JesusChrist. A beautiful spirit of peaceentered the room.

Brother Tony Calabrese, fromthe Lorain, Ohio Branch, opened ourSunday meeting by calling the hymn,Is Your All on the Áltar? As webegan singing this hymn, we couldinstantly feel that the Spirit of Godwas present. As Brother Tonyapproached the podium, we could see

the Spirit of God in him as he pre-pared himself to preach the Word.He proclaimed that \¡/e need to live inthe spirit and as we do so, the morethe Lord will see us through anythingwe stand in need of. You cannothave till peace if your all is not laidon the altar. If our all is on the altar,the Church will move forward. Ifyou trust God totally, He will let youin on His 'plan." Brothers andsisters, the signs of the times areupon us and we must live close toJesus.

Brother Fred Olexa followed andhe allowed us one spiritual excuse; as

humans we have a tendency to holdback from God, in most cases, givingHim little to work with. If you giveHim your all, w¡th no walls, nobarriers, He will use you completely.God wants to bless His ch¡ldren andHe wants them to live in peace.Elisha desi¡ed a double portion ofGod's spirit. He held nothing back,he exposed himself to the will ofGorl. We need to place our lives inthe hands of God and leave the restup to Him. Brother Fred urged us tonot let God out of our sight, keepHirn always before you. He neverchanges, He's always the same. Vy'e

need to request of Jesus Christ a

double portion and let the mantle ofGod fall upon us-let Him use us, letHim completely consume our lives.

Brother Jeffrey Giannetti addedto the beâutiful words of our brother,reminding us that we can chose theflesh or the spirit. Do not put off.theLord. If you chose Him, He willgive you power. and authority. Hewill fìll your life with joy! We dieda¡ly to the flesh, as we chose thespirit. While Brother Jeffrey wasspeaking, Brother Joe Genaro spokein the gift of tongues.

Praise God, the spirit of preach-ing was in our meeting and the spiritwas str sweet. We then heard fromBrother Alma Nolfi. He exclaimedrhat if we stand in the realm of theGospel of Jesus Christ, that the bloodof Jesus will wash away our sins andcares. Let His death not be in vain.He also urged us not to loose sigbt of

(Continued on Page l2)

Aueust. 1997

A

Brarda¡dlliseio¡ ilew¡

Out of Gas and Nowhereto Go!

By Bobbì Jo Gensburg

I am Evangelist Frank D.G iovannone's granddau g ht e r fromthe Warren, Ohio Branch. Mymother is Sister Judi Gensburg. I ama sophomore at Youngstown StateUniversiry, in Youngstown, Ohio,pursuing a bachelors degree ineducation, majoring in PhysicalEducation. On Monday, September30, 1996, Cod gavc mc the following,touching experience-

It was Monday evening and Iwoke up late for school. I got readyand had twenty minutes Ieft to get toschool and get to class. When I gotto my car, I only had a little bit ofgas. I knew that it would be enoughto get me there, but on the wayhome, I would have to stop at the gas

station. \When I started down theroad, the red 'check gauges" lightcame on to tell me to look over mygauges. I was really low on gas, butI knew that I could get to school withno problem, so I continued on toschool. I did not want to be late formy new class that I was starting thatmorning. I traveled the eleven milesto school, and arrived there safely.After class was overr I we¡t homebecause I had a four hou¡ breakbetween clâsses. Two miles from myhome, I had remembered that my gasgauge was way past empty! I did notfeel like turning around to go back tothe truck stop to get gas, so I decidedthat I would leave early to get someon my wây back to school. Well, Ileft my house late again for schooland had forgotten about getting gaslI remembered as I was traveling backto school. I was hoping that I couldat least get there and I would fill upon campus after school. I told myselfthat I would have to remember or Iwæ going to run out of gas tbr sure.

By that t¡me, I had gone thirty-threemiles with the red light on telling meto get gas!

After my evening class, I couldnot wait to get home. I was tired andI had a lot on my mind, but it \ryas

not on getting gas for my car. Com-ing home on Route 680, there wasabout three miles of construction inthe driving lane. I was stuck in thepassing lane and there was no roomto pull over, if I was to run out ofgas. I was between exits when Irealized I had not gotten gas as yet! Isâid to myself, "What do I do now?"By that time, I was about two andhalf miles from the next gas stationand I began to pray. I closed myeyes for a moment and said, "PleaseLord, get me to Route 46 so I can getgas." I began saying, 'please,please," over.and over again. At thatsame moment, I looked doÌvn at mygas gauge and it began to rise! Itrose one eighth of a tank of gas andthe red light went off! I could notbelieve my eyes! I could not wait toget home to tell mother. Later in theday when she returne¡l home, I toldher my exciting story. She told methat the Lord was with me, watchingover me every day.

I went to Church the followingSunday, october 6, 1996, and did notknow if I had the courage to get up togive my testimony. The next thing Iknew I was on my feet, sharing whathad happened to me during theprevious week. I could feel a warmthcome around me as I was standingthere with tears in my eyes. As Ibegan to sit down, Sister.AnnabelSantilli, also from the WarrenBranch, stood up and looked at mewith a look I have never seen before.She said that the power of the Lordhad come upon her to give me amessage. The words of the Lordwere, 'rThat was my power. Youcome in my house every chance youget and you shall see more!"

I know that this was not the firsttime that God has kept me fromdanger. In 1991,I was involved in a

terrible accident that most of you will¡emember, During that time, Godmade me ft.rrget the terrible traumathat I went through and spared my

life. Even though I lost the vision inmy Ieft eye, I am thankful that I amstill al¡ve. I am not baptized in theChurch yet, but I am glad thát Godhas given me th¡s experience. I hopeto one day go to the water's edge andserve my God all the days of my life.May God bless all of you and yourfamilies is my prayer.

News from Cottageville,SC Mission

On November 21, 1996, a

number of brothers, sisters andfriends from the Atlantic CoastRegion took a trip to The Church ofJesus Christ, Cottageville, SouthCarolina Mission. Th¡s trip wasfocused on distributing food andThanksgiving dinners to needyfamilies.

Before leaving on our trip, a

prayer was offered that the Lordwould prepare the way for us. It isour hope and desire that it w¡ll not belong, a matter of time, before thepeople we visit will become membersof the Gospel.

We reached the mission safelyand unloade¡l the groceries so gener-ously donated by all of you. Wewere greeted by Brother Tony andSister Theresa Vadasz and Sister EdieBlazer. The kitchen at the missionhad the aroma of freshly baked pies.Someone in our small group \.von-dered why there were so many bakedgoods. Our answer was to comelater.

we went shopping with fundsdonated to the Caring and SharingProgram to fill the remaining ingredi-ents for a Thanksgiving dinner to bebrought to the thirty families made upof mostly Native Americans andother local people in need.

We loaded the van with somefood that day to visit a few of thefamilies. The majority of the familieswould be visited the next dây. Thefirst day of our food distribution, westopped at a young woman's home,her name is Doris, to deliver the mealwhich would be her family's Thanks-giving dinner. When we arrived, she

August, 1997 __2

started to cry and she explained thatshe had just paid all of her bills anddid not know how she would providea holiday meal for her family. Shethanked and praised God. BrotherRalph Lee Heunng, from theCottageville Mission, asked if sheand her family would like to visit ândåttend the meeting to be held thatSaturday night at the mission. Dorissaid she would like to come. Wedelivered meals to her mother, hersister and another member of herfamily while we were there. She said

that her heart was full when wepulled up to her home. Doris statedshe knows that we always come downabout this time of the year. PraiseGod for the little bit that we can doto help someone. We continued toinvite everyone as usual to ourChurch meeting.

Much to our surprise, all that wehad prayed fo¡ came true. For thatSaturday night meeting, GeneDavidson, a ninety-three year oldNative American, his daughter andher husband joined us for dinner andstayed for the meeting. Then Doris,her mother, her sister, daughters andniece came to the meeting. lVe wereso happy to see them, thank God! Afew minutes later, John Muckenfuss,his wife and daughters came to themeeting. The Church was full! Mostof the vis¡tors even testified. GeneDavidson said that he did not knowthat the meetings were like this. Hewould come back. John Muckenfussknows the Church and has even beento conference. He testified that what.we have is truly the Gospel. He saidhe would like to bottle up all of theIove that was at conference andspread it all over South Carolina.

After the meeting, we had thosefreshly baked pies. We were thank-ful to God that there was so muchand that our sisters had been inspiredto make them. God bless our sistersfor all they do. Our hearts werefilled with joy! Vy'e just could notbelieve ¡t. l hat we had workedtowards for so long had finallyhappened. We were taken aback.There was a total of fourteen visitors.

Brother Bob Plahovinsak, newlybaptized in the Edison, New Jersey

Branch, had a wonderful experiencewhile he stayed at Brother Ralph'shome. The following is BrotherBob's experience.

'On Saturday night, November23, 1996, my wife and I returned tothe home of Brother Ralph, a memberof The Church of Jesus Christ inCottageville. \ e were very tired andretired to our room around 1l:00 PMaller bidding our brother good night.

"At approximately 3:00 AM, Iheard a whisper in my ear, 'You willbe a witness to my testimony.' Afterhearing that, I thought my wife wastalking in her sleep. Then I heard itagain but this time a Iittle stronger.Finally, I heard it a third time, onlythis time it was a booming sound. If'ound myself look¡ng down at theplace where they bapt¡ze. I remem-ber thinking my fèet will get tangledin the moss of the trees. I continuedto look and saw a group of peoPlegathered on the shore, watching twopeople being baptized in thè river. Ithen looked over my shoulder and Isaw the Lord and l.le spoke thesewords to me, 'Now tvvo more willjoin my flock when an Elder visits.'Even now as I relate this story, tearscome to my eyes, for the Lord saw fitto let me see a vision of things tocome to The Church of Jesus Christin Cottageville, South Carolina. "

God is so good. He is alwayson time. We continue to ask for yourprayers on behalf of the CottagevilleMission. \ e are starting to see thehand of the Lord move there. Again,we thank you so much for all of yoursupport.

Easter Morning at thePlumbrook, Ml Branch

By Sister Lydia Furnari

On March 30, 1997, Eastermorning, what better way to celebratethe resurrection of Jesus Christ thanwith the surrendering of a soul.Brother George Rice was baptized onwhat started out as a misty, rainymorning. As Brother Gary Champinebrought him into the waters of

baptism, and as the.Lord has sho\.vn

His power so many times before, therain subsided.

The conlìrmation of our newbrother was led up to by a beautifulspirit brought forth in testimony and

song. Brolher Richard Loffredopet¡tioned the Lord and laid hands onBrother George for the reception ofthe Holy Ghost.

As the meeting continued,Brother Gary Champine delivered a

beautiful message of how the world is

seeking for what we already have and

enjoy in our lives. Brother Garycontinued by saying, "Therefore, wemust embrace and enhance the lightwithin us and enjoy the Gospel. Vr'e

have the tools [God and The Churchof Jesus Christl to lead a Íì¡ll andsuccessful lif'e. "

Brother Nephi DeMercuriofollowed by illustrating how muchIove God had for each of us. Hewent on to preach, "We are not totreat sin with s¡n, but rather withlove." "The prescription for sin is

love, " he declared.The meeting continued in

testimony, song, and prayer. TheSpirit of God was present and hadmanifested ¡tself to the brothers and

sisters on this glorious day.We are so thankful to the Lord

for another soul and we welcomeBrother George into the beautifulfamily of God. May the Lord blessBrother George on his new journeyof life.

Branch News fromFreehold, NJ

By Brother Carl Huttenberger, Jr.

We are thankful in Freehold,New Jersey for the many recentvisitors that have come to our branchto offer their testimonies, experiencesand share with us the joy of being a

child of Jesus Christ.On April 13, 1997, our Presid-

ing Elder, Brother Joe Perri who hadrecently recovered from illnesses

(Continued on Page l0)

r0 Ausust. 1997

FREEHOLDcontinued...

derived from his recent trip to Africa,returned to the branch along with hisnatural brother from Lâke Worth,Florida, Brother Eugene Perri.Apostle Paul Benyola visited us thisday as well. Brother Eugene spoketo us regarding the evil that is presentupon this land, which was set up as aland where people must serve God orbe swept off. He brought out theBook of Mormon prophecy regardingthe fullness of the Gentiles which israpidly approaching and admonishedus to take a stand for the truth, nowmore than ever. Brother Paul alsopreached to us regarding the necessityof keeping our identity and that theday has arrived that The Church ofJesus Christ is being ostracized bythe Christian world because of theBook of Mormon. We must be readyto take a stand!

The weekend of April 26 and 27brought the General Ladies' CircleConference to our branch. Sistersfrom all parts of the country were inattendance, as they enjoyed uplift-ment, fellowsh¡p and the blessings ofGod. The whole weekend went verysmoothly and the sisters remarkedthere was a beautiful spirit of unity.On Sunday, Brother Dan Buffìngtonfrom Imperial, Pennsylvania was inour branch. During our morningMBA, Brother Dan gave an inspiredtestimony of his Iife to our youngpeople. He related to them thestruggles he went through withaddictions and with sin. He toldthem that the day finally eame whenJesus Christ changed his life com-pletely. During the service, he spokefrom the 35th chapter of Isaiahregarding the day that is comingwhen the Lord will bring home allHis children on the highway ofholiness, regardless of what part ofthe world they are in. He spokeabout that beautiful kingdom that theywill come to, the kingdom of Zionupon this land.

On May 4, after a weekend ofmeetings with the Foreign MissionOperating Committee in our Region,we were blessed to have in ourbranch, Brother Malcolm Paxon from

Atlanta, Georgia; Brother JohnDiBattista from Anaheim, California;Brother John Genaro from Niles,Ohio and Brother Richard Onoratofrom Maine who came to perform theblessing of his little cousin, CalebKenneth Calabro, son of Brother Rickand Sister April Calabro. BrotherKen and Sister Sandy Murray, SisterApril's parents, were also visitingwith us as well as several visitorsf¡om Maine. The meeting was filledwith the Spirit of God, from SundaySchool when Brother John Genarogave his remarkable testimony to ouryoung people, on throughout themeeting. The gift of tongues cameforth during the preaching. Duringthe blessing of Caleb, a sister had a

vision of a light corne down onto thebaby. She then saw many littlechildren walking down the aisle, upto kiss little Caleb. We truly had a

blessed day.\ e have had many visitors in

our midst recently and God has beenperf'orming heal ings and blessingsupon them. On Saturday nights, wehave been rotating with the NewBrunswick Branch to have Spanishmeetings which has been a forum forlearning about the Gospel in theirown language. It is a blessing to seehow many visitors are coming to hearweek after week! In addition, wehave been visiting a nursing bome inthe neighborhood once a month afterChurch. Many of the patients therehave asked us to anoint them and topray for them. Often times we feellike we have been more blessed bythe visits than they have!

Our desire is that God will blessyou as together we all press our wayt'orward to that better day that awaitsus. God bless you all.

The Lord is My Shepherd

ßy Denise "DiFalco" Alderson

Since my head-on car collisionof March 3, 1997 , I have receivedsuch an outpouring of love andconcern from all the branches of theGospel in the United States. I am

astonished by the cards, letters, andwell wishes coming in from brothersand sisters I have never met. Thishas touched me. I am so blessed tobe a part of The Church of JesusChrist. Pleæe accept my sincere andhumble thank you for all of yourprayers. I am still recovering from aseverely sprained neck, minimalspinal cord damage and some shortterm memory loss, which is a some-what slow healing process. How-ever, thank God I know that in time Iwill be whole again. AII my doctorshave agreed that I am very fortunateto be alive. God has been very goodto me!

In real life I have become a veryindependent and active ind ividual-dependent only upon the Lord for thestrength to carry out daily responsi-bilities. Prior to my accident, I sawmyself in a dream and I was confinedto my bed. ln the dream, I keptworrying about finances and howthings were going to get accom-plished as far as my daily routines. Ihave a full+ime job as a substanceabuse worker. In the dream, I wasbedridden but did not know why. Isaw mysell'crying because I was inexcruciating pain whenever I tried tomove. All at once, I saw sisters and

neighbors coming into my house todo my daily house chores. I saw thatI was receiving all the help I desper-ately needed. Financially, I wasbeing provided for from work. I sawthat everything was being taken careof.

When I awoke, I did not under-stand what this dream..meant,..so..1... .....

passed it off as nothing and got readyf'or work. Three days later, I was ina car accident. That was seven weeksago and since that time everything inthe dream has come to pass, exactlythe way the Lord showed me! Ithank God for the wonderfrrl sistersand relatives who take turns helpingme. This is a tremendously humblingexperience for someone who wants todo everything herself. Lovelyneighbors and friends visit to keepmy spirits up. God has blessed mewith everything I need and more! Heis always so good to me. Behindevery negative in my life, He has

August, 1997 llprovided many positive outcomes.When we rely on Him, He pulls usthrough; no matter what the trial ortribulat¡on.

DIRECTORY UPDATE

Giannetti, Joey and Tina4900 Pear Ridge Drive #1209Dallas, TX 75287972-248-9077

Hixon, Goldie129-B Nemacolin RoadCarmichaels, PA 15320

Morrin, Mary (Morle)9193 Lake Pine Dr.\Vhitmore Lake, MI 48189-9369313-449-5909

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaoaaaa

NoticeThe price for Book of

I Mormon ileflectiont by Biother. V. James Lovalvo has been

! reduced to $1.1.95. This is ¿. wonderful book to purchase forI oneself or to give as a gift. If. interested, contact the Printo House at 313-429-5080.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

LEGENDScontinued...

While preaching and ¡eaching atTonawanda, Handsome Lake wasvisited by the Three Messengers andtold to go to onondaga to completehis mission. They told him (heFourth Messenger would come tolead him to a spiritual land. Thisproved to be true, for HandsomeLake died there on August 10, 1815.

Numerous Scriptures in theBible and Book of Mormon tell ofconditiòns in the last days. Anancient Choctaw prophecy of theseven fires represents seven dispensa-tions of time in man's history. Theseventh fire, according to the proph-ecy, will be a time of much turmoil

among the nations of the world. Evilwill be rampant, but it will cause allgood people to dra\.v together inunity, including the lndians. Thiswill culminate in a final warfarebetween the forces of good and thoseof evil. The Choctaw feel that theworld is in the dispensation of theseventh fire, and the end times arefast approaching,

A Yakima prophecy concerningthe Iæt days is even more remark-able. It gives the sign of the last daysas a time when an eagle Iands on themoon. This remained a great mys-tery, something that seemed virtuallyimpossihle. However, on July 20,1969, American astronautNeil Armstrong became the firsthuman to set foot on the moon. TheApollo lI spacecraft released the lunarmodule carrying the astronaut to thesurface of the moon. It was namedthe Eagle. 'The Eagle has landed!",was the message transm¡tted to earth.

No doubt there are many moreNative American prophecies that arerelated to incidents in the Book ofMormon. As we seek them out, wehave a greater appreciation of God'sconcern and dealings with His ancientcovenant people.

MESSAGEcontinued...

Finding out about them and obtainingmore details about them comprisedone of the seminars. Ohviously, it ismost helpful to contact the leaders orcoo¡dinators of lhese.fu nct¡ons to.gain the insights about whât may beinvolved.

Selectivity and adherence to therules of the gatherings, whether theybe Pow-Wows or other events, lverestressed. Observance of the correctprotocol was also discussed.

Publications which carry theschedules for the events were dis-played. These resources can beresearched for discovering the dates,times, places and contents of the get-togethers. This information will beavailable through the AMOC.

Church brochures were devel-oped and displayed and will be

available for distribution at futureevents. They are designed particu-Iarly for Native Americans, includinglistings of our local and regionalChurch locations, phone numbers,and contacts for people.

MAJOR ENLIGHTENMENT

Perhaps the major enlightenmentwhich came from the day was thatthere are numerous opponunities forall members of the Church to interactwith Native Americans. This can bedone through various means, whetheron one-on-one day+o-day contact orat special occasions where manypeople can be reached.

By taking advantage of theseopportunities individuals can aid theChurch tremendously in Her overallefforts.

(Etlitor's Note- The followingSaturday, June 7, the Church wasinvited to have a booth at the Nat¡veAmerican Pow-Wow at the GibraltarTrade Fair in Mt. Clemens, Michi-gan. The day was very succqssfulwith a lively interest shown in bothour booth and the Book of Mormon.)

Announcement

For August, l!97,.the CDrate,s fbr the General Church ,

Building Fund are as follows;

I year 5.80%2 years 6.00-7o3 years 6.20Vo4 years 6.257o5 years 6.30%

Deposits to this fund canonly be made by branches andauxiliary organizations of TheChurch of Jesus Christ.

To mâke a deposit or ohtainadditional information, pleasecontact Bfother CaryrMartin at:

202 Waterworks Rd.Clarion, PA 16214

814:-227-2421

12 Aueust. 1997

Children Blessed

Trent Lee Siebert, son of Randall and Sister Robin(Cartino) Siebert was blessed in the Warren, Ohio Branch

on April 30, 1997.

Logan Jeffrey Koeth, son of Jeffrey and Lori Koethwas blessed on December 11, 1996 in the Warren, OhioBranch.

Kacie Marie Santilli, daughter of Brother Richardand Teresa Santilli was blessed in the Warren, OhioBranch on December 11, 1996.

Fiftieth Plus Anniversary

We wish to ¿xtand our congratulations to those

celebrating these significant spiritual milestoncs in theirlives.

Sister Goldie M. Hixon, formerly of the Vanderbilt,Pennsylvania Branch, now residing in Carmichaels-,Pennsylvania celebrated fifty years as a member of TheChurch ofJesus Christ on August 3, 1997.

sion. He tells us to consider ourselves, lest we be

temDted! The Apostle Paul continues this instruction Úrat

*" ä." to bear one another's burden. When we do this,

we are simply firlfilling t}re law of Jesus Christ. This iscomoassion.

-We should never think we are something

when we are nothing. If we think we are somet}ing, this

is human delusion. r e are deceiving ourselves.It was compassion by Pharaoh's daughter that Moses

was spared and eventually led Israel out of Egypt.Pharaòh's daughter understood her father's decree' She

knew the dangãr, she knew the penalty for disobeying th-e

decree. She was full of compassion and saved the life ofMoses. This is the compassion of the Lord!

Compassion helps us understand who we are, what

*e are anã what we were prior to surrendering our life toJesus Christ. It allows us to comprehend what we were

prior to becoming memhers in The Church of Jesus

ilhrist. It allowfus to understand what we must do for

those in need. The need may be spiritual or natural' Itdoes not matter. What matters is our compassion to those

around us, our families, our neighbors and our brothers

and sisters.Are vou compassionate? Do you feel others' pain

and anquísh? Are you willing to bear someone's burden?

Do vou feel othersj suffering and sorrow? Remember,

we must share rhe suffering of another, extend aid'

support and mercy to those who need it. This is compas-

sion.

GMBA CONFERENCE continued. . .

the love of God. During this part of the meeting, a sister

from Glassport, Pennsylvania had a vision. She saw the

Lord looking toward the Ministry, then He held His . -

hands out, pãlms toward heaven. The Communion table

appearecl uncler His hancls; there was a pu-re white-cloth

on-the table, She saw eaqh on9 qf tlr9¡n clgarll - W"t¡ànÈ Có¿ for ftis giftl. we lãter béáid that a few vJeekS

orior to conference, another brother had a similar vision'W¿ thank God for tìis confirmation.

We experiencal a beautifr¡l spirt of humility and

thanksgiving while the brothers passed Communion.Praise God we were fed by the spirit!

The GMBA would liÈe to encourage you to keep the

Youth in Action program in your prayers' There will be

several sites visited this summer' Let us support the

Church's young people in prayer' Let us also remember

the GMBA CamPout in our PraYers.'One last time for one last pruning' God woultl have

a rreonle true. Nothing vile, no unclean being, none 1o

mär tàir Zion's view.'t we thank God for a wonderful

and blessed weekend.

EDITORIAL continued. . .

that keeps His commandments. This is compassionThe Apostle Pâul instructs us that ¡f someone is

oveitaken in a fault, those that are spiritual are to restore

this indiviclual in the spirit of meekness. This is compas-

Address Change

Name

Address

Phone

fiöboeltlbwsw

September, 1997 Volume 53, No. 9

The Art of Sacrifice

By Brother Paul Gray

I would like to say that I now-onsider myself an authority on theissue of prayer. I have become an

expert, but not as you might think.I do not claim a monopoly norexpertise in the act of prayer. Myexpertise has been achieved as arecipient of prayer. My authorita-tive position comes by being on thereceiving end of prayer. God has

allowed me the privilege of learningsome wonderful Iessons by enroll-ing me in a very special curriculumat the University of TBA, Trial byAffliction. My special course studywas tlat ofcancer. It has been ahands-on lab course in practicalapplication, no text books. I amhoping to earn a masters or doctor-ate degree. It appears I wiÌl suc-cessfully complete the course due tothe help of countless number oftutors, counselors, and friends thathâve facilitated my achievement.

I begin this dialog with somebrevity that I hope you will appreci-rte. However, I do not want tlìis todilute the thoughts that I would liketo share with you. My primaryreason for writing this is to expressmy gfeat appreciation for TheChurch of Jesus Christ. When I

say, "The Church," I am retèrringto the membership, Priesthood,ordained and elected offiqers.and thevery organization itself. Allow meto digress for a moment.

I was a young man, an Elder inthe Church. I had a prevalentthought in the back of my mind thatI was not fully aware of until I foundthat I had cancer. This thought wasthat I would live forever. Havingbeen through many atTictions, butsurviving each with God's graceseemed to give me a feeling ofinvincibility. When word of the"Big C" (cancer) came, I realizedthe attitude quietly dwelling withinmy mind. In addition to being told Ihad cancer, a very fàst growing andspreading type, I had no healthinsuaâncè. Word of my conditionseemed to spread as quickly through-out the Church as did the cancerspread within my body. I began towork feverishly to find a researchfacility that might accept my casegratuitously. Among the inst¡tutes Icontacted was The City of Hope.They declined my application, as didall of the others, and said theywould not be able to help me. I wasunaware of the miracle that God hadin store tbr me. I attribute thismiracle to the art of sacrifice putinto prâctice by the saints of God. Ibelieve through the power <.rf prayer,God actèd out a wonderful miracle.

God used a man by the name of Mr.Robin Blumer as an agent to performthis miracle. Though The City ofHope had turned me down, Mr.Robin Blumer acted as an advocate,an intercessor, on my behalf.Through Robin's contacts with TheCity of Hope, my case was reevalu-ated. \y'r'¡thin a few days of explain-ing my.dilemma with Robin, Ireceived a call fÌom The City ofHope and was told to come in ft¡r an

evaluation. To the great joy of mywifè and myself, we were thenint'rrrmed that The City of Hopewould provide me with the care Ineeded. I ìvas told this type ofreconsideration is quite rare. It wasthen ev¡dent to me that God wasinvolved with this matter, the success

of the art of sacrif,rce being provenyet aga¡n.

Through this experience, oreducation as I had previously men-tioned, God had reminded and taughtme anew some valuable lessons.Fírst, in realizing that I am notinvincible, I relearned the absoluteimportance in depending upon Godfor every aspect of my existence.Solomon's words are true, in that,"life is but as vapor." Our existenceon earth in this mortal tlesh is f<rr

such a short period of time anrl it isonly by the grace of God that we are

(Continued on Page 1 1)

2 September, 1997

ç"cffi.i"¡

Choose Ye This DayRight Choices: Rewards

Wrong Choices: Consequences

By Apostle V. J. Lovalvo

PART I

'Should I or should I not eatone of those?" Shyly, but notwithout some trepidation, Evelooked at the tempting fruit on theforbidden tree. 'If I eat of it, I shallbe wise," she thought. She alsoremembered the stern commandment

Apostle V. James Lovalvo

of God who had created her, 'Yeshall not eat of it, neither shall yetouch it, lest ye die." She alsoremembered the flattering words ofthe wily serpent, "Ye shall notsurely die." Satan merely added oneword, not. Stretching forth herhand, she plucked a fruit, looked atit, and slowly put it to her mouth,taking a small bite.

What were her thoughts at thatcrucial momènt? It's delicious? It'sgood? How could she make thosecomparisons? She didn't know thedifference between good and bad, orsweet and sour. She did know thatall which was in the Garden tastedgood, for that which God hadcreated was good. But this wasdifferent! She had tasted the fruit ofthe tree of knowledge of good andevil. Now she knew the difference,not knowing however, what a

terrible price she would have to pay.Nonetheless, rejoicing in the

delicious taste of the fruit, shesought out Adam. Finding him, sheexclaimed with new-fountl enthusi-asrn, "Look, Àdam, Iook at what Ihave eaten." With horror, Adamperceived the difïerence in his mate."Come, eat of this fruit," she said."It's wonderfully sweet. "

"But God told us not to eat ofthat tree. "

"l know, but the serpent saidwe would be wise, and we wouldn'tdie becar¡se God is gracious andforg iv ing. "

Looking at his beautiÍìrl mate,he succumbed and ate of the fruitalso. Imr¡ediately, a consumingguilt canre upon them; a sharne ofindescribable degree. They lookedat each other and realized they werenaked. Hurriedly, they took somefig leaves and covered themselvesand covered their nakedness.

The next morning the voice ofGod called out, 'Adam, Eve, whereare you?" He knew where theywere, but He wanted to bear themspeak.

"Here lve are Lord, behind thistree, " came the wavering voice of

the man He had created.';òor" àui *tt"i.l

".n ,"" (

you.":We.can't, because we:re

naked..". "Who told you that youlre

naked?1 came the stern voice of. God. "Have you eat€n of thè tree

which I forbade you to eat?"They came from behind the

tree, and shamefully confessed theirsin of disobedience. Adam, ofcourse, blamed Eve, and Eve blamedthe serpent. Which one was God topunish? Eve, beõause she was thefirst to eat of the forbidden fruit? OrAdam, who had yielded to his mate?Or would He punish the serpent(Satan in disguise) that had deceivedthe Vy'oman? Which one would you(the reader) have punished, if youwere asked to make that judgment?If it were up to man, he probablywould have punished the serpent forhis deception. Or maybe Eve forbeing the first to break God'scommandment. Or perhaps Adam,who should have been the role mode,and refuse to succumh to temptation.But, thankfully, man is not God.The Lord punished all three of theculprits. His judgment is clearlyspelled out in the Bible:

"And the LORD God said untothe serpent, Because thou hast donethis, thou art cursed above all cattle,and above every beast of the field;upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dustshalt thou eât all the days of thy life:

"And I will put enmity betweenthee and the woman, and betweenthy seed and her seedl ii ihail 6iuiiethy head, and thou shalt bruise hisheel.

"Unto the woman he said, I willgreatly multiply thy sorrow and thyconception; in sorrow thou shaltbring forth children; and thy dcsireshall be to thy husband, and he shallrule over thee.

"And unto Adam he said,Because thou hast hearkened unto thevoice of thy wife, and hast eaten ofthe tree, of which I commanded thee,saying, Thou shalt not eat of it:cursed is the ground for thy sake: insorrow shalt thou eât of it all thedays of thy life;

Sentemher 1Q97 i

'Thorns also and thistles shallrit bring forth to thee; and thou shalteat the herb of the field;

'In the sweat of thy face shaltthou eat bread, till thou return untothe ground; for out of it wast thoutaken: for dust thou art, and untodust shalt thou return" (Genesis

3:14-18).Whåt is to be learned fioln the

above story? Very simPlY, that Godgave our first parents the right tochoose, and they chose to disobeyHim. The consequences of thattransgression has fol lowe¡i mankindsince that fatal day. However, thequest¡on arises, "WhY did the Lordput that tree of knowledge of goodand evil, in the Garden of Eden?"The Book of Monnon answers thisquestion:

"And to bring about his eternalpurposes in the end of man, alÌer he

had created our first parents, and thebeasts of the field and the t'owls ofthe air, and in fine, all things whichare created, it must needs be thatthere was an opposition; even theforbidden fruit in opposition to thetree of life; the one being s\'veet and

the other bitter."ìlr'herefore, the Lord God gave

unto man that he should act forhimself. Wherefore, man could notact for himself save it should be thathe was enticed by the one or the other.

'And I, Lehi, according to thethings which I have read, must needs

suppose that an angel of God,according to that \ hich is written,had fallen from hgqyq!.; yherefore,he became a devil, having soughtthat which was evil before God.

"And because he had fallenfrom heaven, and had becolnemiserable forever, he sought also themisery of all mankind. Wheret'ore,he said unto Eve, yea, even that Òld

serpent, who is the devil, who is thefather of lies, wherefore he said:Partake of the forbidden fruit, andye shall not die, but ye shall be as

God, knowing good and evil."And after Adam and Eve had

partaken of the forbidden fruit theywere driven out of the garden ofEden, to till the earth" (2 Nephi2:ls-19).

Underscore the words, "Where-fore, the Lord God gave unto man

that he should act for himself.Wherefbre, man could not act f'orhimself save it should be that he was

enticed by the one or the other"(v.16). There it is! Cod gave

nran(kind) the gilì of choice; theright to choose what he thinks is best

lìrr hirn. Gotl gavc man ¿r ccrtainalnount of reflexive instincts, butmost of all, He gave hirn reason.

Anilnals act and react by inst¡ncts,humans act by a God-given reason,which is the gift ol Jrèedom ofchoice. This is because He breathedinto man a portion of His SPirit,which gives him w¡sdrìm, under-standing and the potential to tran-scend himself by choosing thatwhich is gtxrtl, i.e.. God's u()ln-

mand¡nents.A cigarette smoker knows, bY

scientitic analysis and ernpiricalstùdies, that the hab¡t will solredayhann hi¡n and/or kill hi¡n. He has a

choice to stop smoking and live a

healthier lifè, yet he cho0ses tocontinue to srnoke and gamble withhis lif'e. ln the Iate 1890's, Godgave The Church of JÈsus Christ a

revelat¡on addressing the use oftobacco (whetlìer srnoking or chew-ing), saying, "Put away this evilliom arnong you." Sorne believedthis revelation, but ¡nany did not.Approx irnately one hundred years

later, medical science proclaimedthat the use of tobacco, especially insrnoking it, was hannful to the body.

A cornpulsive eater, will dineon fbod that is hannful tu hissystern, yet continues to eat indis-crilninately, knowing that it \'r'illsubsequently hurt his body. He has

a choicc to rnakc; cat the Properf'ood whioh will enhance his healthor c<lntinue to eat that which willeventually harm him. The cholce ishis. Even if one would pray, askingGod to bless the food and sPare himany harm before eating improPerlY,it's not going to help, becausè Godgave him the right to choose; fo r/oor not to do.

Prisons are fìlled with peoplewho have made the wrong choices.Some, alìer spending some time

behind bars, come to their sènses

and bemoan their fate, but it's toolate. They chose the life of crimerather than a peacetul and law-

(Continued on Page l1)

Note of Thanks

I wish to say thank you, butthere aren't words enough to expressmy fèelings toward the brothers,sisters and fiiends during my recentheart attack. I want to thank you fbryour cards, calls, gifts and especiallytbr your prayers. God is so merci-hrl. He truly spared my litè and Iwill never tbrget it. Also, a specialthank you t0 my tiiends who I met

on the street and at the restâurantwhich I often fiequent. TheY alsct

were praying fìrr me and wereconcerned ibr rny well-being. Godbless you all.

Love,Sister Libby Rosemeier

Branch Ed itor's Note: SisterLibby had her heart attack on

Saturday morning, May 11 , 1997 at

a hotcl in New Stanton, Pennsylva-nia just befbre the GMBA Confer-ence. It was truly miraculous howSister Libby's lifè was spared, but itwas equally as miraculous that Godarranged everything so neatly for hersurvival. Prior to leaving his home;one of our Elders was prompted tocome prepared to anoint, the Lordprovided a hospital able to perforlnthe lit'esaving procedures which she

required, He arranged for the EMScrew to be almost across the streetfiom the hotel, and many more ofwhat the world woultl call coinci-dences, which have enabled oursister to bear the testimony she does

today. Even a sister from herbranch was given an experience inwhich she was told that the Lordwas taking care of Sister Libby, wholives alclne. God is good, and whatis wonderfil about our God is thatHe allows us to have pèrsonalexperiences which mnstantly displaythât goodness.

4 September, 1997

Ä messaoe

from fhe"$eventy

@vangelist Richard ltnson isthe Gcneral Church Correspondentwho harulles inquiries and informa-tion requesrcd from outside TheChurch ofJesus Christ. Ha hass¿rved in this capacity Íor sbüeenyears, succeeding Apos e Jos¿phCalabres¿, who held this ffice for

fificen ycars. In fulf Iling rhis posi-tion, the correspondent receives theinquiry and then communicat¿s withthe individual or iruIividuals to satisfytheir rcquests. Iffurthcr action isrequíred by a Church commùtee orgroup, he will forward the matter tothe appropriate party or partics.Many people have come into theGospel through this procedure.Following is a raport he was asktd towrite about this important position.-Evangelist Editor's Note)

It hæ been a pleasure serving asGelerãl Chúrch Corfesþonrlent foithe past sixteen years. You neverknow where the next letter will comefrom or what the writer will inquire.

Some people writè because theyhave heard about the Church solne-where or they have read about theChurch in the Book of Denominationsand want additional information.Some writers state they never knewwe existed! \ hile that statementhurts, it is also very true since manypeople have not heard about TheChurch of Jesus Christ. We mustchange that!

Some inquiries are from highschool and college students who want

material for term papers they arewriting. Literature and informationare always provided since one neverknows where this may lead to in thetiture. All Ietters are answered, evenwhen we think they may have beenwritten to another organization.

Communications are also re-ceived from other denominations whowant to know something about TheChurch of Jesus Christ. riy'e alwaystell them because we want to let theworld know about the Church. Themessage must go out and this is oneway, through the General ChurchCorrespondent's office, this can beaccomplished.

STATISTICS.

The following stat¡stics willprovide the reader with some idea ofthe effort involved. Since 1981through this June 30, 1997, we havereplied to and corresponded with overseven hundred individuals. It is safeto assume the previous correspon-dent, Brother Joseph Calabrese,wrote to a comparable number orperhaps even more in his fifteen yearsin this position. While 1,400 peoplemight not appear to be very much, itshould be remembered that at leastthese 1,400 people who did not knowabout the Church now do!

A primary function of thisendeavor is to not only answer theletters, calls, or other correspondencereceived but to send information onour Faith and Doctrine, as well as

General Church Correspondent's ReportBy Evangelßt Richard La.v'son, General Church Correspondent

our history.Telephone calls are also received

at the headquarters of the Churcb inMonongahela, Pennsylvania and werespond by letter or by telephone.With both the increased usage offacsimile machines and the advent ofthe intefnet, it is conceivable thatmany more inquiries will be forth-coming.

We have written to almost everystate in the United States and totwenty-nine foreign countries. Someof those we have \.vritten to are nowour brothers and sisters in Christ. lnsome cases, the Church has beenestablished in areas where we werenot before. The work in Kenya andGermany, for example, began withletters requesting information.

Correspondence has beenreceived fiom such distant places asSouth Africa, Russia, Australia, NewZealanci, the Philippines, to name justa f'ew. We also received a requestfor a Book of Mormon from a man inNorthern Ireland.

Letters âre received and an-swered from people in prisons who,of course, also need the Gospel.Sometimes communication is carriedon fbr a long period of time. Oneman in Florida corresponded with meover a period of ten years. Anotherlong-time communicator wrote foffive years. He was the leader of hischurch and told them about the Bookof Mormon. I believe he passed

away, because my last letter to himwas returned. The letter that takesthe cake was one received a few.yearsago tiom Sara Lee in Texas.

ALL HELPING

This work could not be accom-plished without the financial supportfrorn you, our brothers and sisters;thus you see we are all helping tospread the Gospel message. It maybe in a small way, but it certainly isnot insignificant.

Slowly, but surely, the Churchis making progress. We need tocontinue and to inc¡ease our effortsas much as possible so we may hear

(Cont¡nued on Page 12)

EDITOR-IN-CHItr'Do¡¡ld RôE

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ASSISTÄNT EDITORJ€frr.y Gi¡ûdli

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Älex Génril.Leon¡rd A. hv¡lvo

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Edítorial Viewpoint .

The character ofa saint goes far beyond moral and legal correctness lt is not produced by

self effort. The character of a saint is produced by the Holy Spirit. It manifests itself inthe fruits of the spirit. There are nine of these fruits. You wiÌl find ther¡ in Galatians

Galatians 5:22-23 states, "But the Ítu¡t of the spirit is love, ioy, peace' longsuffering,gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekncss, temp¿rance; against such there is no law."

Sorne say that lùve, joy and peace rePresent character as an inward state; longsuffering,gentleneÀs, and goodness represent character in expression toward the human tämily; and

iaith, meekness and temperance represent charåcter expressed toward God and Jesus Christ.It is a ceftainty they are all ¡nteftwined.

Kintlly consider the irnportance of love. Jesus Christ said that by the love you sh<tw one

towards another, shall all the world know that we are His disciples. It is through this lovethat the world will know who we are, who we replesent.

All of these tiuits present the beautifil portrait ofJesus Christ. All ofthese tiuits must

represent our saintly portrait. Do they? Are you a fiuit-hearing tree?

ln a recent Vacation Bible School class, attendees were instructed of three importantelements of God's plan. They arefàith, rèpentance and baptism. It was also stated that "ifwe are tbllowing God's plan, our lives should show the tiuits of the spirit."

It is important as we strive for our salvation that \rye bear these fruit. Jesus Christ instructed

us to bèar fru¡t. He infor¡ns us that He is the true vine and His Father is the husbandman.

Christ goes on to state that every branch that is in Him that does not bear fruit will be taken

away. Every.branch that does bear fruit will be purged to bring forth more tiuit. The Lordtells us that ã branch cannot bear fiuit by itself. It must abide in the vine, it rnust abide in

Him to bear fruit.

The Lord states in John 15:5-6, "l am the vine, ,e are the hranches: He that ahideth in ma '

and I in him, the same bringethforth muchfruit: for without me yc can do nothing. If aman abide not in mc, he is castforth as a branch, and is witherad; arul men gather them,

an(l cast th¿m into the fire, anrl lhtry are burncd. " When you read this discourseon tiuitbearing in John l5: I -6, please note the Lord said you will bring forth fruit, more fru it, much

fruit. When we abide in Jesus Christ, our fruits increase, they multiply!

King Èenjamin mãt Js it v.ry plain the natural man is ãn ónemy to Cod. Man must yield

to the ent¡cings ofthe Holy Spirit which will make him a new creature, a new person, a saint

of Gocl. King Benjamin states that a saint possesses and conveys these fruit. He tells us

to become a sâint through the atonement of Christ thè Lord. He tells us to become as a child;submissive, meek, humble, pat¡ent, lull of love and willing to submit to Him like a childsubmits to his father. This is a graphic description of a saint of God.

Alma instructed h¡s brethren on more than one occas¡on to convey and bear these fruit. Hetold them to be humble, submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; Íìrll of patience and

longsuffering; being temperate in all things. Alma also instructed them to be diligent in

keeping the commandments of God at all times. When we allow Jesus Christ to abide inus, when we keep His commandments, we bear much fruit!

Jesus Christ was plain when He answered the question posed by His disciples, "Vy'ho is thegreatest in the kingdo¡n of heaven? The Lord used a child as the exåmple and the answer

ì GOSPEL NEWS GSSN 0279.t) i¡ pùbtiùcd ¡qodhly for$t 2.0Oyê¡r by Tbe Chûrch ofJ6w

id PLINT IIOUSE,&¿8¡ Baa(t¡.r, P.O. Box 30, BndgêP¡r.r,481 154030, 313-429-5080. Pe¡-¡l por¡s. p¡id ¡l Ssline, Mchi.ud ¡dditio¡d ¡nÀilin8 omce6,

iTMÀsTÊR! SÈND ÀDDRF-SSÀNGËJ TO! TltE GOSPELVS BUSINÊSS OI}'ICE, P.O.K 30, BRTDGEWÀTER,481 15-{1030.

TIIE GOSPEL Il{Fó) i¡ pùbtiùc

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POSTMÀsTÊR!CIÍÀNGËJ TCNEWS BUSINIBOX 30, IMr 48115-{1030.

(Continued on Page 12)

September, 1997

The

Children's

Corner

By Jan Steinrock

God Sees Our Secrets

Dear Friends,

Today all of us especially ourfine young people, must learn how tobattle the new tricks the old devil isusing. I was at the video storelooking for a movie to watch. Onemovie after the other that I picked uphad a bad rating, 'R".

I heard myself thinking, "Ohwell, what's wrong with a littlekilling or violence? I've seen thatstuff before. It won't really botherme. What's wrong with a littleswearing? I'm a grown-up. I'veheard that before." Then I looked atthe bad picture on the outside of thevideo. Part of me was curious. Butpart of me was very disturbed.

I knew that I shouldn't even beholding those videos and temptingmyself. I knew they were crummystories that I would think about later.I knew that they'd make me scared tobe alone or make me think my lifeshould be like the movies and some-thing was wrong with being goôd.

These aren't for us. \y'y'e arechildren of God. Sin is still sin evenif I am a grown-up. Swearing isnever good! I want God to hear lnewhen I call His name in prayer orwhen I need Him, not when there'sswearing. The bad relationships thegrown-up actors pretendcd to bL'inmade me feel upset as well. Theygave me bad thoughts.

The Bible \ryarns us in Proverbs6:16. "These six things does the Lordhate; these seven are an abomination:a proud look, a lying tongue, hands

that shed innocent blood, a heart thattleviseth [makes upl wicked imagina-

tions, feet that are swift in running tomischief, a false witness that speakslies, and he that soweth discord[causeth problems] among the peopleofGod. "

The movies I was looking atwere full of people doing those sevenabominations. We should not bewatching shows with actors lying,killing, tricking each other, fightingand swearing. Don't even watch car-toons that show these things. Don'tbring in movies about magic, witch-craft, good or bad witches or wizards,or aliens destroying God's world.

God is in charge. VVhat we doin secret, he sees. Jesus said to us inMatthew 6:23, "But if your eye isevil, your whole body will be fill ofdarkness . . . no mân [or person] canserve twÕ ¡nasters. For either he willhate the one, and love the other. Youcannot serve God and the things ofthis world. "

Listen to your conscience. If ittells you, 'Be ca¡efu|. Don't dothis." listen well. What you do insecret will be found out, It doesaffect you and the people you love.If you are struggling to change, prayand do what the Apostle Paul said inPhilippians 4:8 "Whatever things aretrue, whatever things are honest,whatever things are just Iright]whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,and of good report, if there be anyvirtue, if there is anything praise-worthy, think of these th ings. "

Don't be atìaid to be God'speculiar people, the salt of the earth.The world needs you and me to begood and show them how God lovesus back.

Sister Jan

V/ORD SEARCH

PHILIPPIANS LOVELYFOUR GOODEIGHT REPORT}VHATEVER PUREIS THINKTRUE ONHONEST THESEJUST THINGS

DIRECTORY UPDATE

Ciotti, Paul and Anna138 Terra Dr.McKees Rocks, PA 151364t2-331-8487

Ciotti, Diane710 McCoy Rd.McKees Rocks, PA 15136-1854412-331-3169

D'Oraz io, John and Linda1204 S.W. 20th Ave.Boynton Beach, FL 33426

Genaro, Armand and Jean1,144 Tripodi CircleNiles, OH 44446330-505-0103

Stevens, WayneRD#4 Box 267Finleyville, PA 15332412-384-7393

R S G J U S T F

E N o N K R H oP o s tl R G U

o D E A T R

R P U R E L E S

T P E K H T G

H I P S E P J N

L Y E U U

N I A o S H s H

K H o N E s T T

w P L o E L Y

A

Bramù ailMisgion Notys

Baptism in SpaÉanburg,SC

By Sister Conníe J. Rossi

On Sunday, May 25, 1997 , theSpartanburg, South Carolina Missionwas blessed with the baptism of ournew brother, Anthony Paternoster.Brother Tony came to the Spartan-burg Mission on April 7, 1997 .

However, Brother Tony \.vas not newto The Church of Jesus Christ.

He was born and raised in theChurch all of his life and attendedBranch #l in Chesterfield, Michigan.He was attending Life College inGeorgia for six months where he was

studying to be a chiropractor. But,Brother Tony has testified that be wasnot completely satisfied with Lifè and

believed the Lord was leading him toSpartanburg.

ln February, Brother Tonyvisited Spartanhurg to check outSherman Chiropractic College as apossibility and while in Spartanburg,he attended the Mission with us. Hehad a dream in March antl was:,"eingboth schools, Life and Sherman. He

saw Sherman as a "family" andwhere God eventually led him to go.The Lord not only guided him in thisdecision but also gave him a "family"at the Spartanburg Mission. BrotherTony has truly been a blessing to usall at Spartanburg; always with a

smile on his fàce and a tiesh new

hope and outlook on life.On Sunday, May 18, just as

Brother Harold Littlejohn cornpletedhis morning message, Brother Tony"shot up out of his seat like an

arrow," confessed to be a sinner whoneeded repentence and asked for hisbaptism. What a joy to our hearts!So on May 25, we witnessed anothersoul come into the fämily of God.That rnrrrning, rain was a threatcningfàctor with heavy showers all morn-ing. But prayers went out to theLor<l and just befbre the baptism, theLord cleared the skies and we had a

beautilll baptism.Brother Mike Lasala, Brother

Tony's uncle from Branch #1, hadthe honor of baptizing his nephewthat morning witnessed also by hismother, h¡s brother, h¡s aunt and hiseighty-six year old grandmotherwhom God blessed w¡th strength andendurance to make the long trip fromMichigan kr see her fìrst grandchildbaptized into The Church of Jesus

Chr¡st. We then proceeded back tothe Church where Brothers Harold

Littlejohn, Darrell Rossi and MikeLaSala laid hands on our new brotherfor the confirmation of the HolySpirit. What a glorious day we hadin songs, testimonies and fellowship.

Brothers and sisters, please prayfor our new brother in the Lord thatGod will bless him in his studiesduring the next four years. And as

he presses forward to his new careerahead, may God use him as a mightywitness for the Gospel of JesusChrist. God bless you all.

Baptism in Branch #4Redford, Ml

On March 30, 1997, BrotherJohn Buffa brought Nicole Ficyk intothe waters of baptism. lt was a

beautif'ul Easter morning.Sister Nicole testitìed say¡ng,

'Bet'ore I came to the Church, Iwasn't quite sure if it was the rightth¡ng for me to do. I came from a

strong background of a UkranianCatholic tàmily. I was raised in theCatholic Church. It was very difl'i-cult fbr me to ever change the beliefsI have learned and grown up with. Ibelieved in God and Jesus. I praye.<.|

every night before going to sleepfiom the t¡me that I was a little girl.God always seemed to help me whenI needed Him. I always knew thatHe heard all my prayers. Why andhow I would ever change to anotherchurch was very fiustrating. I heardabout all the wonderful blessings and

all about The Chuiih of JeSus Christliorn a fiiend.

"One night I prayed to the Lordto please show me His true church. Iasked for an answer because it wasvery important fo¡ me to know. Iasked God to show me which churchto go to; which church was the rightone.

"I never knew that a prayercould be answered so quickly. Idreamed that very same night that Iwas walking into Thc Church ofJesus Christ. When I walked throughthe door, I saw a woman who turned

(Continued on Page 8)

1l¡r ìl r:.::i r..l ar::ì:.r:,.:.l it'.:: , ii r:

Fromtefttoright: Brothers Harold Littlejohn, M¡ke LaSala, Darrell Ross¡ andTony Paternoster

8 September, 1997

BRANCH fl4 continued . . .

around and looked at me, her faceglowed so brightly. She was a shortwoman with bright hair. As shelooked and smiled, I felt a strangefeeling fill me up inside. I felt thatGod had touched me because I felt anoverflowing power of warmth andlove. It was the most upliftingexperience that I had ever felt. Mydream went on all night.

The dream made me feel sohappy that it is bard to explain. But,I surely knew that God had answeredmy prayer and wanted me to go toThe Church ofJesus Christ. Heshowed me that it was the true churchby His abiding Iove. When I went tothe Church, I tried to find the womanin my dream. I couldn't find heranywhere. Then all of a sudden, Isaw a woman coming through thefront door. Vr'hen I looked at her, Iknew that this was the lady in mydream. It was Sister Louise Bruno!I was truly blessed and finding TheChurch of Jesus Christ was thegreatest of all blessings f'or me. "

Come All Ye That Thirst

By Sister Lynne Nieves

Vy'e began this day with theanticipation of at least one baptisrn,because earlier in the week, Gregory(Gary) Vitto had mentioned bis desireto a member of his family, but hadnot formally asked for his baptism.We were enjoying our congregationalsinging after Sunday School whenour Presiding Elder, Brother TornEverett, left the meeting open fortestimony.

Gary Vitto rose to his feet,praising and thanking 6od. Gary hadjust recently experienced a healingfrom what could have been a seriousbout with cancer. He expounded onthe fact that he was born and raisedin the Church and had a father andtwo uncles who were Elders and setgreat examples for him throughouthis entire life. He knew what heneeded to do, and that was to surren-

der his life to Christ, and try to serveHim to the best of his ability. Heconcluded his testimony by saying,"It is time now, I want to bè bap-tized." The whole congregation wasoverjoyed to hear those long awaitedwords from our Brother Gary. Andthat was just the beginning!

Ínlnediately after Gary satdown, his sister, Paulette (Vitto)Griesbaum, got up and began to bâreher testimony. She spoke of how theLord has been there for each andevefy time she's called on Him. Theloss of her father, Brother Paul Vitto(Evangelist), had been weighingheavy on her heart. She knew hiswhole litè was about serving God.She then said, "l just can't wait anylonger, I want to be baptized. " Shedidn't get a chance to sit down andher husband, Daniel Griesbau¡n stoodup to testity fbr the first time in hislife. He has been coming to Churchsteadily since he and Paulette weremarried twenty-f'our years ago. Histestimony was that his job as anathletic coach has prompted him topreach "cornmitment" to his playersand rhat it is the important part ofteam partic¡pation. He said he justcouldn't sit in Church week a11er

week preaching commitment to hisstudents, not living up to his ownwords. He said, "l too want to makethat commitment 10 the Lord and bebaptized."

The spirit was just fillingeveryone with such joy. To see thosethat seemed to be standing around thef'oun¡aln, bu1 lgtuqilC qt !as!e !h9waters of life finally surrender theirsouls to God, we could hardlycontain our happiness. Brother Tomcalled hyrnns and offèred a few wordswhile the three converts were prepar-ing to go to the water's edge. ln hiscomments he asked, "lf there isanyone else who tèels to go down tothe water, don't hesitate to ask. Wecan wait f'or you to get ready. Thewater is just outside our doors. " Wehavc a free flowing pond on ourchurch property which we use forbaptisms. r e continued to singpraises to God and in bet\.veen songs,others gave their testimonies. All ofthem related to the fact thåt it is so

wonderful to see those that haveknown the Lord and the Church theirwhole lives surrender themselves tothe Lord.

Brother John lmpastato gor upanrl testified that the Lord had givenhim a dream. In the dream he sawBrother Paul Vitto (Gary andPaulètte's dad), and he shook handswith him. He said Brother PaulIookèd radiant. Brother Paul said toBrother John, 'John, I have a mes-sage for my children. Tell them tothink about their souls!" BrotherJohn replied, 'l can't tell them that."Brother Paul told Brother John, 'Youknow what the Lord can do for them .

and you. Don't worry, you can doit." As it happens, Brother John feltit best to wait. antl reveal this experi-ence as a confirmation.r e continued to sing whilewaiting for the converts to get ready.Once again Brother Tom Everettextended an invitat¡on to anyone elsewho would like to make that commit-ment to fecl free to ask. Thosewords struck Judy (Dix) Harkovichso strongly that with every ounce ofstrength she had, she stood and said,'l just can't wait any longer either, Iwant to be baptized," and sat down.What a blessing!

This isn't the end of the Lord'smarvelous work on this day. Ourdeacons were trying to contact theother branches and family memberswith the wonderful news, so conse-quently, the phone was in constantuse. Meanwhile, Larry Perkins,husband of Sister Kq¡hy (Scolaro)Pe¡kins had been trying to call thebranch, He had been coming toChurch with his wife for many years,and had been contemplating baptism,but.just wasn't sure if this was theLord's time for him. After fifteenattempts to get through to tbe branch,he said to the Lord, 'If this is mytime, I will try one more time. If Iget through, I'll ask for my baptism."He dialed the phone and Brother TomEverett ânswered. Larry asked,'What's going on there?" BrotherTom replied, "We are having fourbaptisms." Larry asked, "lVould youIike a'fÌfth?" Brother Tom replied,'Are you serious Larry?" Larry

September, 1997 9

s¿id, "Yes!" Brother Tom said, "Wesure would like a fifth; we will waitfor you to get here." Brother Tomgot off the phone and told BrotherLarry's wife, Sister Kathy the news.She was so overjoyed, surprised,thankful, grateful, and happy, shecould not speak. She had beenpraying for such a long titne f'or thisday. She had put her fàith and trustin the Lord that some day this wouldhappen and the Lord rewa¡ded herfaith.

All five candidates were baptizedand confirmed that day, Aptil2l ,1997. Many years of prayers andtears did not go unanswered, becausejust like the first song that was sungthat day, For Those Tears, I Di¿d.The theme of the day could certainlybe summed up by saying, Cotn¿ AllYe That Thirst, Ther¿'s No N¿ttd To

Pcrish!

lnternational Memorial DayWeekend in New Orleans

By Brother Mark Kovacic

Let me start by saying, "Praisethe Lord." Or how about saying it inNepali, *Prabhu-ko stuti hos," or inChinese, "qt dao shang di." Thisstatement quickly sums up ourMemorial Day weekend in NewOrleans, Louisiana on May 24 and25, 1997. Our purpose was tominister to the saints in the NewOrleans area and attempt to expandthe work of the Lord. The SoutheastRegion's visitation program sched-uled Brother Tom Jones and myselffor the weekend. We were joined bytwo other Ministers, Brothers RamBaral, our Nepalese brother living inMississippi and Joel Gehly fiomErie, Pennsylvania.

More importantly, we hadadditional visitors from national andinternational locations. Internation-ally, we had Brother Ram's familyfrom Nepal; a friend of his tiomNepal; another friend from China andthe husband of one of the sisters fiomEngland. Nationally, we had mem-bers from Oklahoma, Georgia and

Mississippi. From the New Orleansarea we had members and theirfàmilies. ln total, we had t\.venty-oneadults and three childreû t'or theweekend's meeting. We enjoyed theadd¡tion of two souls renderingthelnselves to Jesus Christ.

On Saturday allernoon wegathered at the YMCA in NewOrleans tbr seminars and a tèllowshiplneeting. Thc fìrst sem¡nar wastaught hy Brother Ram on thc h)picof authenticity of the Book of Mor-mon. He used Ezekiel 37:16-19,stating that "two sticks together arestronger than each one separately. "He then gave his test¡mony of how hecame tÒ know of the Book of Mor-mon and experiences relatÈd to ¡t.Brother Ram fìnished his seminar bydiscussing how he was translating theBook of Mormon into the Nepalilanguage. He said we need torecognize that the Book of Mormon"is not just an American religiousbook" but it is f'or the whole world.

After a break, we continued ourserninars with Brother Tom reviewinghisþrical aspects of the Book ofMorrnon. He also revicwerl theprinting of the first Book of Monnonand the rnanuscripts that were used.Brother T<l¡n then changed subjects tod iscuss vari<¡us Church ordinances.He started with the an0inting ot"aprons." He discussed the use ofanointing garments antl handker-chiet's, encouraging the members torequest it when so inspired.

As a confinnation to his topic,Sister Hilary Gipson revealed that as

she anrl her sister, Sister VickiMagills were on their way o theselninar, they were discussing theanointing of a handkerchief for a

troubled teenager in the psychiatrichospital where she works. We allfèlt that both were inspired of Godand so we anointed a handkerchieff'or her to take back to the youngwoman.

As we waited for dinner toarrive, we learned our t'crreignlanguages. Brother Ram taught us tosay "Praise the Lord" in Nepali,"Prabhu-ko stuti hos" (phoneticallywritten.) Alìer practicing it a t'ewtimes, we had Brother Ra¡¡'s tiiend,

Chun Lu Guo, afïectionately calledLucy, who was born in mainlandChina and raised in Hong Kong,teach us the same in the Cbineselanguage. ln her language it was "qtdao shang di."

Atter dinner, we held ourevening rneeting with singing andrnany wonderlil testimonies. BrotherRarn sang us a fèw hyrnns he wrotein the Nepali language. His voicewas melodious and the music beauti-fil. You could t'eel his sincerity andlove tìlr the Resbred Gospel. Heeven explained how he incorporatedthe \.vord "Hallelujah" into the Nepalisongs. Brother Ram's wife, not amelnber yet, whose name is Kusun,which means fìower in Nepali,offèred he¡ testimony of whenBrother Ram was converted and thegreat ditterence it made in their lives.

Sunday morning after manyobstacles, heavy rains, phones notworking, windsh ieltl \.vipcrs notoperating and more, we made ourway to Lake Pontchartrain at l0:00AM lì)r two baptisms. By the tirnewe reached the site, the rains had

stopped and the sky began to breakinto a beautifil rnorning. BrotherJoel Gehly perfbrmed the baptisms ofBrother Mitrâ Baral, the brother ofBrother Rarn, and Brother Robin,whose fill name is Amjad KhanMiya. Br<xher Robin was a Muslimand rnay be the fìrst to be baptizedinto The Church of Jesus Christ.

We returned to the YMCA forour worship and confirmation ser-vices. Brother Tom spoke on thebestowâl of the Holy Ghost and afterprayer, Brother Mitra was confìrmedby Brdher Ram and B¡other Robinby Brother Joel Gehly. As a confir-mation to the baptisms, our newBrother Robin related a dream he hadSaturday night. He saw himself at ariver and he wanted to cross but didnot know how. He saw a crowdalong the shore and recognizedBrother Joel. He asked Brother Joelto help him across the river and thathe would pay him whatever it cost.However, Brother Joel responded thathe did not want money, but that

(Continued on Page 10)

10 Seotember. 1997

WEEKENDcont¡nued...

Robin must believe in God and JesusChrist. Brother Joel reminded us ofour responsibility to pray for our newbrothers, particularly Robin becauseof possible persecution from Mus-lims.

\Ve thank the Lord for all Hisblessings and everyone's assistancemaking this a wonderful, spirit fìlledweekend.

A Brother in Prison

By Hanry Grant, Jr.

Dear Brothers, Sisters, Families andFriends,

First of all, I would like tointroduce myself. My name is HenryGrant, Jr., from the Arizona Branchon the San Carlos Apache IndianReservation. I was baptized in 1992into The Church of Jesus Christ. Iwas baptized by Brother DavidPicciuto on an Easter Sunday. Be-fore my baptism, I attended Churchfor almost a year.

I was touchèd by the Word ofGod and the preaching of the Book ofMormon by Brothers Dan Picciutoand his son, David Picciuto. I havenever been to a church that is sosincere and teaches the Bible and theBook of Mormon as one.

I just want to share my shortIetter about myself and my tèstimonyto all of you. I like reading 7fteGospel News and enjoy reading thetestimon¡es and baptisms written hybrothers and sisters throughout theland.

I believe that our drearns willcome true in the future. I know Godhas a plan for me as well as t'or TheChurch of Jesus Christ. Everyone ofus has a gift from God, whether wedrive a Church van or are ordained a

Deacon, Deaconess, Elder, Bibleschool teacher or even as President ofthe Church. I especially enjoyedvisiting the saints, visiting the sickand afflicted and watching the layingon of hands. To those that are not in

the Church, I have talked to themabout the Restored Gospel. I lookforward to that sweet day when manywill be standing at the river's edge,waiting to be baptized.

Another purpose of my writingis because we sometimes makemistakès-we say and do things thatare not right before God. The point Ialn trying to make is that I was castinto the Federal Correctional Institutefor breaking God's law, the Wordand the commandments. God knowsall situations. lt is between God andme. I give all my trials and tribula-tions to Him by praying and trying tobe patient. We ask Jesus to forgiveour sin. Every time we go down onour knees, we ask His lorgiveness.If we continue to sin, over and overagain, God will ignore our cries andcut us otï fionr Him. He may evensay, "ì never knew you."

Jacob 2: 17 tells us to think ofour brethren like unto ourselves and

be familiar to all and fiee with yoursubstance that they may be rich likeunto you. Brothers, sisters andfriends, don't go on a roller coasterthat goes up and down, over and overagain, like I d¡d. Let's be Christlike.

Meditate to Him (God), day andnight. Not just on Sunday orWednesday only, hut every tlay.Pray to Hirn without ceasing, give theglory and honor to Him and thankHim fÌrr everything, in Jesus' name.

Jeremiah 16:16 states, "Behold,I will send þr many fshers, saith theIrtrd, and they shall fsh them; andafer will I send for many hunters,ond thty sholl hunt lhem from wtrymountain, and from every hill, andout of the holes of the rocks. " Thethird chapter of Ecclesiastes tells usthat to everything therè is a season,and a tilne to every purpose under theheaven; a time to be born, and a timeto die; a time to plant, and a time topluck up that which is planted; a timeto kill, and a time to heal; a time tobreak down and a time to build upand so f'orth.

Brothers and sisters, I \.vant toshare my words with you. I lookf'orward to rny release so I can speakto others about the Restored Gospel.I hope and pray that God will touch

my heart and give me the w<¡rds topreach to the Seed of Joseph, mypeople, God's people. I \.vent to tellthem about repentance and surrender-ing to Jesus Christ.

As a people, Native Americans,\rye are one tribe, one people, a

special people. Vy'e are God'speople, the Seed ofJoseph. We havebeen hiding in mountains and valleyssince day one from God.

Vy'e are scattered throughout theland, the cboice land, that God hasgiven to us and our forefathers. Ourpeople back then roamed the land tohunt, fish, plant and pra¡sing to God,our Creator.

Yet, now, we still try to changeour lives, to convert, but fail. We goto Church often and keep on breakingthe law. I know we can do it bybeing strong in faith, hope andbelieving in God, who gave His Sonfor our sin.

Maybe some, Iike myself, need

to be reinstated, rqnewed, so we canbe in the farnily of God again,forever and ever, amen. God blessyou all.

From your brother,Henry Grant, Jr.Native Arnerican,One TribeOne People

P.S. Please remember me inyour prayers. I would be glad tohear from you, brothers and sisters.Write back soon. Thank you.

Editoi's Notc: Brother Hènry'saddress follows. Please write to him.

Mr. Henry Grant, Jr.41999-008

P.O. Box 9000Safford, AZ 85548

News from Lockport, NY

By Sister Antoínefie Giansanîe

The Atlantic Coast Area MBAchartered a bus, and a large contin-gent of brothers, sisters and friendsjourneyed to our part of the vineyard

here in Lockport, New York. Theytoured Niagara Falls on SaturdayJune 7 , 1997 antl visited our missionon Sunday, June 8, 1997.

On Sunday, June 8, 1997,Brother Dominick Rose opened ourworship service. He spoke a wonder-ful sermon on the love of God andunity. Our Italian speaking membersenjoyed his sermon very much as hetranslated for them. BrotherDominick was followed by several ofour visiting Elders that were inattendance.

After feasting on God's bless-ings, we enjoyed fellowship and alunch with the saints who traveledmany hours to visit our missi<ln. Wehope many others who travel throughthe area will srop and bring "a littlecorn" for us as we certa¡nly love toshare God's gifi.s. Remernber us inyour prayers. We love you all. Godbless you.

al¡tat¡Itt¡tt¡¡tII¡¡¡¡

¡i Announcement¡¡ A good Sunday SchooÌ,

! MBA or Lady Circle project to¡ consider is donating a burk (,r¡ other literature from the Chu¡ch¡ Llbrary to your community¡ libraries. This missiona¡v ettortI coulcl make someone awäre ofr The Church of Jesus Christ ând

i its naittr and Doctrine.

! The Print House!rl¡lt¡¡¡t¡t¡aItt¡¡llt¡¡

SACRIFICE continued. . .

here. In realizing my subliminalthought of invincihility, God helpedme to relearn úe necessity of hu¡nil-ity. I still had elements of pride thatneeded to be purged from me. Asmuch as the chemotherapy drugshave helped to kill the cancer cellswithin my body, Goú's Spirit haskilled, if you will, the cells of nrirjewithin me.

The next thing that becameapparent to me was the great love of

the Church for even a person like me.My condition became known inNovember I995. To this date, myfamily and I continue to receive cardsand phone oalls fìlled with expres-sions of love that have been anindescribable source of strength andhope. More than any human curesprovicled, these expressions of lovefiom throughout the Church havebeen medicine to our souls. Manymay never realize how such a simplething as a card just saying, 'I ampraying for you," can bring calm andhealing to the soul of one in need of ablessing. I have been one of thèmany souls in need and the saintshave sustained me.

One of the richest things Godhas helpeti ¡ne trr know and experi-ence is the power of prayer. I thinkof this as thc great art of sacrifice.God called fbr the children of lsraelin times of old to bring and ofÏersacrifìcqs befbre Him. The aroma ofthe burnt otterings ascended to thevery throne of Cod and perfimed Hiscourt. Those otferings of a sincerenature, given tiom the fìrst born oftheir flocks and prime of their har-vest, touched God such that He couldnot withhold His blessings tiom Hispeople. He could not help but rorespond to the plea of those learnedin the art of sacrifice. For one whotakes time to pray for another re-quires the sacrifice of one of ùe mostprecious commodities we have,TIME! T0 think of how busy most<lf our lives are, caring fcrr farnily,responsibilities of job, focus firreducatiûn; des¡re of recreation; needtbr rest, fiee time is a valuable itern.

And rc think that with all of thehustle and bustle of lifè, what ablessing it is t'or just one soul tosacrifìce a moment of their time topray for another. Just think of God'sdelight when many unite in the art ofsacritìce.

I wish I could adequately ex-press my fèelings of how you, thesaints of God, the Churcb, haveattected my Iitè and that of rnytàmily. God has shown me that theunity of the saints in prayer is a forcesecond to none. As the saints of Godunite in prayer, the very foundation

of satan quakes and God moves onour behalf. I think it is accurate tostate that I am a miracle and I at-tribute this miracle to the saints of theChurch experienced in the art ofsacritìce.

Your prayers on my behalf havecreated a problem, however. I amnow so indebted because of your loveand sacritìce, I will never be able torepay the Church for all of yourkindness and support. I can say thatnow, more than ever, I âm a captiveof the love of Christ. You, as Hisambassadors, have strengthened thiscapt¡v¡ty that I feel. Through.yourprayers, not only do I believe Godhas healed me,. but you have helpedrne to cling to the many hopesafÌ'orded to us in the Restored Gos-pel. Thank you, thank you, thankyou! You have turned cancer into ablessing! I send you all much love.

CHOOSE YE continued . . .

abiding existence. Bad choices havetheir consequences; good choiceshave their rewards.

In the beginning, Cain wàs face<lwith two chOices; t0 emulate hisbrother Abel and serve God faith-ñrlly, giving Him the best rhat hehad, or kill his brother and probablyescape any punishment. He chosethat which brought him exile andmisery; he slew Abel.

King Saul had a choice ofkeeping the commandtnent of theLÖrd when he ùent to bãttlé; whiohwas to slay all living creatures,hurnan and animal, but he chose tobring back whar he thought was thebest of cattle to offer up to God assacrifice. As a punishment for histlisohetlience, Gotl took away hisauthority as king as well as His Spiritfiom him, so that he could get n<r

answers from God, either throughdreams and visions or through theprophets. Eventually, he \.vas re-duced to go to the vvitch in the city ofEndor (read I Samuel oh. t5ff).What a terrible punishment!

(To be cont¡nued)

¡¡II¡I¡II¡¡I¡¡tI¡tIa¡

Children Blessed

Lauren Marie Botwright, daughter of Shelly and

Thomas Botwright, was blessed in the Aliquippa, Penn-

sylvania Branch on June22, 1997.

Nickolas t illiam Krajec, son ofJudy and Denis

Krajec, was blessed in tlre Hollywood, Florida Branch on

May 11, 1997.

David Anthony Williams, son of Sister Barbara and

Brother David Wiliiams, was blessed on June 15, 1997 in

the Hollywood, Florida Branch'

Palamba Jyasmin Watson-Gordon, daughter of Paul

and Stephanie Watson-Gordon, was blessed in the Holly-wood, Florida Branch on June 15, 1997

Fiftieth Plus Anniversaries

We wish to extend our conq¡atulations to lhose

celebrating thesc significant spiritual milastones ín lheirlives.

Sister Lucy Campitelle Hemp of the Anahei¡¡,California Branih celóbrated sixty-two years as a member

of The Church of Jesus Christ in July, 1997.

Sister Mary Campitelle Dichiera ot' the Anaheim,

California Branõh celebrated sixty years as a member ofThe Church ofJesus Christ in July, 1997.

Address Change

Name

Address

Phone

BaPtisms

Alicia Kaplan was baptize<l on March 16, 1997 in the

Hollvwootl. Florida Branch. She was baptized by Brother

Dennis Moiaco and contìrmed by Brother Ken Staley'

Vy'ayne Stevens was baptized on July 20, .1997 in.the

Monongahela, Pennsylvania Branch. He was baptized by

BrotheiAlexander Cherry and confirmed by Brother

Donald Ross.

MESSAGEcont¡nued...

these wonderful words from our Saviour, as recorded in

Matthew 25:21,' . . . welt done, thou Sood anrl Íaithlulsenant: thou hast been faithfú over afew things' I willmakz thee ruler over many thinSs; enter thou into the ioyof thy lord. "

EDITORIAL VIEWPOINT continued . . .

to the question. He told His disciples that except we are

converied and become as a little child, we cannot enter

into His Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven. He went on

to sav that wioever humbleì himsell as a little child' this

individual or person is the greâtest in the Kingdom ofHeaven. Christ ftìrther stated that whoever receives one

such little child in His name, receives Him. When we

bear fruit, when we receive His saints and accept His

saints. we receive Him, the Lord and Saviour'The Lord lold the Nephite people to beware of false

nronhets. He said thev wóuld know them by their fruits!

iesus Christ told them-a good tree brings forth good fruit'

An evil tree brings Torth evil fruit. Every tree that does

not bring forth gõod tiuit is cut down and cast into the

tìre.: We aie knôwn by Our fruits. They are visible'. They

cannot be hidden. The Lord said, "Wberefore, by their

iruits ve shall know them.- We come into contact with

neoole everv dav. On our jobs' in our neighborhootls, we

äre ìn oaily coniact with people. They see who.we are, ,,

thev see what we are. They can tell by our walk, our talk

and our tlaily actions. They can tell what kind of tree we

ãr" trv the kínd of fruit we -bear'

Let us be good trees and

úring r¡tttt much fruit! This tiuit is sweet' is exceedingly

whiõ and makes your soul leap with joy. The world

needs this sweetnêss and joy! Let us give it to them.'

We must be full of lòvê, joy, peace, longsuffering,pentleness. soodness, fàith, meekness and temperance'

ñemembei, ãgainst such there is no law! The world

needs these fruit. The world needs us to possess! convey

and share these fruit. They all represent Jesus Christ'

They all represent the sâints of God.

October, 1997 Volume 53, No' l0

My Testimony

By Brother Ram C. Baral

I was born in Nepal into,Hinduism's highest caste, as aBrahmin. My father and forefatherswere Hindu high priests in the'Royal Palace" of Nepal, the onlyHindu kingdom in the world. But,a.lthough I first worshipped Krishnaand studied the Vedas, Gita, andseveral Hindu scriptures andlabored diligently in the Hindureligion, I felt strangely ernpty ofthe truth.

I quickly saw that the Hindureligion with its emphasis on Karmaand the endless cycle of reincarna-tion was not the answer to eternallife. I searched to fÏnd the one trueGod. My quest took me fromHinduism to Buddhism, Lamaism,Jainsim, Taoism, Confu cianism,Shinto¡sm, Islamism, Siklistn,Judaism, and all kind of religions.Beside the religions, I have studiedpalmistry, astrology, soothsaying,hypnotism, enchanting, snakecharming, magics, necromancing,and all of the various offerings ofidolatry, but found them all deadlyand wanting. Still I did not knowabout the lifegiving Gospel andteachings of Jesus Christ.

Finally, after studying in Nepaland India, I found a Bible and

began to study about Jesus Christ in1980. I discovered the truth ofJesusthat I am not righteous just because Iwas born a Brahmin. In fact, I wasa sinner! Then I discovered thatJesus is loving and the forgiver ofsins and His reward is eternal life. Ifound Jesus in my heart Ìvhen I kneltdown and prayed, confessing mY

sins and by asking for His mercyand atonement to cleanse my sins.Thus, I accepted Jesus as my Sav-iour and Lord on May 25, 1980

without any human help. I knew Idid not choose Him but He chose meand I wanted to share His truth withmy family and friends. After mydiscovery of Jesus and H¡s truth, Iwas disowned by mY parents andfamily members. On July 27, 1989,I was visiting my father in a hospitalwhere he was deathly ill. Thedoctors declared he would die anY

minute due to lung cancer. I got a

chance to speak about Jesus to him.He heard the message so well. Hebelieved the Word of God, "Arise,take up your bed and walk." He leftthe hospital, completely trusting inthe Lord. He never died of cancer.He is still alive. Through continu-ous prayet, love, faith, and bystudying the truth, my mother,brothers, and sister and some of theneighboring relatives, one by one,also believed the teachings of theLord. I searched the Scriptures

daily, pouring over the words thatbecame life to me. I took advancedevangelical training in Singapore and

studied theology in Korea. Besidethis, I studied advanced Greek andHebrew to translate the Bible in theNepali language. It took three and ahalf years to translate the Bible.Consequently, I had to face prisonbecause of my efforts to translate theBible into the Nepali language.

One day I wâs walking on thestreet to get the underground subwayand I got a Book of Mormon on mY

way to an outdoor preâching of Jesus

Christ. I did not want to ignore theBook of Mormon without reading it.I took ¡t and read it thoroughly. Ifound no mistake in it. It is all aboutthe glory of Jesus Christ for us inthis last dispensat¡on of time. Itopened my eyes to know the fullnessof the Gospel. It opened my eyesabout the Restoration of The Churchof Jesus Christ upon th¡s earthagainst growing apostasies, confu-sions and infusions.

I went to Nepal with a numberof Books of Mormon. Our Nepalesepeople accepted the Restored Gospel\ryithout hesitation. Our groupsbegân to learn and grow in theRestored Gospel. St¡ll, I was con-fused with the teachings of otherRestoration groups. I di<l not experi-

(Continued on Page 3)

October t997

rn"ffil**Ì9å'¡"r

'Choose Ye This Day' Right Choices: Rewards

Wrong Choices: Consequences

' By Apostle V; J. løvalvo

PART II AND CONCLUSION

The Scriptures are fìlled withmen and women who made thewrong choices when faced with theprinciples of good and evil, and thestern commandments of the Lofd.The consequences they suffered wereterrible. To name a few:

Apostle V. James Lovalvo

Achan stole a Babyloniangarment and a wedge of gold,contrary to God's commandment toall of Israel's army that no oneshould take anything from the enemywho they bâttled. But in his greed,Achan forgot God. His punishment?He and all of his family and goodswere destroyed (Joshua ch.7).

King David, who was once the

apple of God's eye, committedqdr.¡!tery, by taking another man'swife (Bathsheba) and having herhusband (Uriah) murdered, suffereddire consequences. Their fìrst-bornchild died, and God told himthrough the prophet that he (David)would never build His Housebecause he had bloody hands (readII Samuel I I -12 chs). David wasnever the same ¡nan after his shame-fr.rl behavior.

The Book of Mormon tells of acertain Sherem, a learned man andan eloquent speaker who confrontedJacob the brother of Nephi ontheological matters. He knew theScriptures well, yet had chosen todebate the man of God, simply toconfì¡se hirn. But God was withJacob, and by His Holy Spiritconfbunded Sherem. Later, Sheremconfèssed that an angel of the devilhad deceived him. He had theopporhrnity to choose the word ofGod, but rather permitted Satan tosedt¡ce him. The c'hoice was his;either the Lord or Satan. He madethe wrong choice. For that, he died(Jacob ch.7).

And there was Korihor, calledan anti-chfist, who challenged anddebated Alma. He later admittedthat he knew there was a Christ, butthe devil had deceived him. He too,had a chance to choose the Lord, butdidn't, with the result that he wastrampled under the very f'eet of thosewhorn he had deceived.

One of the greatest exponentsof making the right choice wasJoshua, who before all of lsraelsaid, "And if it seem evil unto youto serve the LORD, choose you thisday whorn ye will serve; whether

the gods which your fathers served ,

ülat were on the other side of the \

flood, or the gods of Amorites, inwhose land ye dwell: but as for meand my house, we will serve the,LORD" (Joshua 24: l5).. Joshua could say this with

certainty, because he had seen theconsequences that fell upon the

!lsraelites when they chose to do evilin the sight of God. He had alsoseen the manifold blessings whichbefell those who kept His command-ments. There are.âlso choices tomake between evìl and evil and goodand good. Sounds strange? Well,read on. First example: A manwalks in a bank, threatens everyoneby brandishing a gun, and demandsmoney from the tellers. One fool-ishly brave guard pulls out a hand-gun to shoot the robber. The thiefhas a choice to either aim at theguard's heart or his gun hand.Robbing the bank will net him a longterm in prison, if caught; killing theguard means a life imprisonment or :

possible death sentence. He opts toshoot the gun out of his hand. Bothactions are evil, but one is lesserthan the other.

The second example is a Bibli-cal one: Jesus visited the house ofMartha and her sister Mary. Marthabegan to busy herself probably toprepare something to eat for theLord. Mary, who used to help hersister with preparing dinner whenguests were present, chose this timeto sit at the feet of Jesus Christ andlisten to His words. What Marthawas doing was good. Who wouldn'twant to have Jesus as a dinner guest?Seeing Mary with Christ upset hersomewhat, so she complained to theLord. The Bible records, "AndJesus answered and said unto her,Martha, Manha, thou art careful andtroubled about many things: But onething is needful: and Mary hathchosen that good part, which shallnot be taken away from her" (Luke10: 4l-42). Both acts were good,but Mary chose the better of the two.

Choices are made every day.When one awakens, the¡e are somechoices presented: to get up or stayin bed; to take a shower or noti to

October t997

go to wotk or not; to eat breakiàstor not; to be nice to the boss or not;to be grouchy to the employees ornot; to give them a raise or not; tohave dinner at home or not; to benice to one's mate or not; to go toChurch on weeknights or not; to goto Church on Sunday or not; to behospitable and invite someone toone's home for dinner aí1er Churchmeetings or not. The list is endless.

Here is an example of theprinciple of freedom of choice toChurch members. Vy'hen onemember feels offended at another,there is a choice to make. Does he/she say nothing and hold a grudgeagainst that person or put the l Sth

chapter of Matthew in eff'ect, whichis the Law of Offe¿s¿¡, and im¡nedi-ately seek a reconciliation? Is itworth keeping a festering I'ecling inthe heart or meeting with the allegedoffender and talking ¡t ovèr as

Christians should, to create peaceand tranquillity? The proper thing is

to pur into effect the word of God;seek peace. To do or not to do.That is always the question, isn't ¡t?

\ hen men and women arecourting, even with a thought ofmarriage in mind, there is a choiceto make: should there be pre-maritalrelations before the wedding or waituntil the nuptial night. The answershould be obvious: wait until theMinister says, "l now pronouce youhusband and wife." Don't bedeceived by anyone. Pre-maritalinterludes (to say it like a gentleman)is adultery! Marriage does ntrt wipeaway that pre-marital sin. OnlyGodly repentance will move theheart of the Lord to forgiveness.

The Apostasy appeared on thescene because of the choices whichwere made by thè leaders of theChurch. The options were many:should baptism in open runningwaters continue or shall baptism infonts suffice? The choice was fonts,the wrong one. Next, shouldcommunion be continued by servingbread and wine-as the Scripturescommanded-or serve a wafer,called transubstantiation? The waferwas chosen, the wrong one. Therest of the ordinances, feet-

washing, laying on of hands for thereception of the Holy Spirit, etc.were the product of ìvrong choices.

The choice of breaking orchanging the commandments of theLord or adhering to them unques-tionably is always present, e¡ther bythe individual or by the leaders ofthe Church. One should alwaysreme¡nber the words of the prophetIsaiah. It is written: "The earth alsois defìled under the inhabitantsthereof; because they have trans-gressed the laws, changed theordinance, broken the everlastingcovenant" (lsaiah 24:5). It is alsorecorded: "For whosoever shall keep

the whole law, and yet ot'tènd in onepoint, he is guilty ofall" (James2:10).

No ind ividual can prosperunless the right choices a¡e made.There is always the right one tornake, if one prays and permits theScriptures to guide and direct one'slit'e. Opposition is fbrever present.It's up to the person to choose \Phatis good. It's easy to hate someone,but that is a choice. Jesus' instruc-tions were:

"But I say unto you, Love yourenemies, bless them that curse you,do good to them that hate you, andpray tbr them which despitefùlly useyou, and persecu(e you;

"That ye may be the children ofyour Father which is in heaven: f'orhe maketh his sun to rise on the eviland on the good, and sendeth rain onthe just and on the unjust.

"For if ye love them which loveyou, what reward have ye? do noteven the publicans the same?"(Matthew 5:44-46).

The community of God shouldalways be aware that there will becrpposition in all things. To do ornot îo do will constantly bombardthe heart and mind. At times, therewill be easy choices to make, and atother times, some very hard ones.But \ryith righteous living and thehelp of God's Holy Spirit, one canmake the right choices which willbring happiness and contentment,and of a certainty, be a help toothers.

Likewise, the Church has toconsider its options, primarily by

keeping the sovereignty of HisWord, recorded in the Scriptures.Tensions and oppositions willalways arise. What the Church optsfor, will either enhance its beautyand fame, or reduce its spiritualluster to a tarnished entity. But thepilgrimage of The Church of JesusChrist must be to reach out forcommunion with the Lord, keep Hiscommandments, until ¡t becomes theMountain of the Lord's house,established on the top of the moun-tains and exalted above the hills(lsaiah 2:2).

In the final analysis, everythingcomes down to the principle of theGcrd-given tight to choose; to do ornot to do.

Note of Thanks

I want to take this opportunityto thank all the b¡others, sisters and

friends who remembered me withcards, telephone calls, flowers, andmost of all, your prayers, during myrecent illness. I appreciate all thecards from individuals, Lad ies'Circles, Sunday Schools, branchesand the giant card from the GMBACampout. I continue to improvedaily. PIease continue to rememberme in your prayers.

Brother Fred Olexa

TESTIMONY cont¡nued. . .

ence the love and Spirit of God. Istarted to investigate the h¡story ofThe Church of Jesus Christ. I foundhow Sidney Rigdon was brushedaside, even though he was the F¡rstCounselor of the Church. I wasshocked to know this history. Iprayed again to know the truth anddirection. God spoke to me throughthe writings of Sidney Rigdon. Idecided to join The Church of JesusChrist, headquartered in Mononga-hela, Pennsylvania. Consequently,the Spirit of God led me to hear the

(Contínued on Page 1 'l )

October t997

A messaue

fron Íhe"$eventy

'Praising the Lord" was thetheme of the annual Conference ofthe Americas held in Tijuana, BajaCalifornia, Mexico, August 6- 10,1997 . The theme was taken fiomPsalm 135:3, "Praise the Lord; forthe Inrd is good: sin:g, praÌses wúohis name; for it is pleasant.'

Fast and prayer, spirit-filledservices, missionary reports, semi-nars, and sessions for ordainedoffrcers were on the agenda. Wed-nesday and Thursday were devoted tomission reports and the significanceof the reporting process. A worshipservice was conducted on Wednesdaynight and a seminar on "How to be aBetter Pastor" was presented byEvangelist Daniel Picciuto.

FRIDAY SERVICE

The Friday morning sessionbegan with singing hymns of praiseto God. Reports were given by eachmission in Mexico reflecting theirstatus. It was edifying to hear howeach location reported growth and theblessings of God. A report on thework in Guatemala was also given.While Brother Paul Ciotti, Sr.,(Chairman, Guatemala Sub-Commit-tee) was relating that, even thoughthe war in that nat¡on was over, A

spiritual warfare exists there betweenThe Church of Jesus Christ and theenemy of our souls, Brother MatthewPicciuto spoke in the gift of tongues.

Evangelist Paul Liberto, whopresided over the confèrence, felt thatthe Ministry should ofþr prayer forBrother Luis Marroquin, who is thelone Elder in Guatemala. ApostlePaul Palmieri laid hands on ourbrother and asked t'or God's hlessingsupon him and his fàmily and that Hewould fortity and encourage BrotherLuis in his labors.

As each location reportedgrowth, they expressed a need fbrmore laborers and for the financialmeans required.

In the afternoon, Brother HectorGastelum Carlon led a seminar forthe Eltlers and Teachers. The topicwas "Keeping the Sabbath DayHoly." At the same time, ApostlesJoseph Lovalvo and Paul Palmiericonducted a seminar tbr the Deacon-esses on the duties of a Deaconess.The remainder of the afternoon wasopened to all tbr congregational andgroup singing.

On Saturday morning, theservice was turned over to theApostles in attendance, JosephLovalvo, Paul Palmieri and ThomasLiberto. They answered questionssubmitted to them by the Ministry.

In the afternoon, The Church ofJesus Christ of Mexico Boa¡d ofDirectors (Founders) held theirelections and conducted their busi-ness. This is a requirement of thecountry of Mexico. A slide presenta-tion was also rnade by Evangelist

"Praising the Lord" Theme atConference of Americas

By Brother Paul J. Ciotti, Jr., Assistant Secr¿tary, AMOC

Richard Christman, Chairman of theAmericas Missionary OperatingCommittee, of the new work whichhas been started in the couniry ofPeru.

The evening meeting was turnedover to the General MissionaryBenevolent Association officers whowere in attendance: Elders Paul A.Palmieri, Vice President, and lsaacSmith, Jr., Chaplain, along with theGMBA Youth In Action participants.Brother Smith opened the meeting byreading from the Book of Alma. Theyoung people were given time forsinging and testimonies. The Spiritof God was felt as they praised God.Elder Jim Sgro spoke under theSpirit, "Thus saith the Lord, Thepower of God is here." Five indi-viduals asked f'or their baptisms.Several experiences were also related.Brother Joe Lovalvo talked to theyoung people and offered prayer forGod's blessings to rest upon themand for God to protect them from theenemy of our souls.

SUNDÀY SERVICE

Many songs of praise were sungbefore the Sunday meeting. TheTijuana choir and the children's choirottered several selections.

Brother Paul Ciotti, Sr., was theopening speaker. He read II Nephi33:6 and spoke about the plainness ofthe Gospel of Jesus Christ, the truthwhich is found in Christ, and thatJesus is the Redeemer for souls.Brother Paul reminded everyone ofthe joy we felt when we came toknow Jesus Chr¡st and that we mustcontinually praise Him for this. Heused the example of when Christvisited this land after His resurrectionand how the people rejoiced whenthey met Him.

Many brothers also spoke, beingfilled with the inspiration and powerof God. As Brother Joel Mora wasdescribing the children of Israel'scoming out of captivity and returningto their own land, he mentioned thatthey picked up their instruments andbegan to play and to sing praises toCod again in their land. Brother

(Continued on Page I 1)

October 1997

E)ITOR.IN-C I|IÊFDo¡dd no8

2ol Roy¡lbr@lic DrivêVdd¡¡, P^ ¡53ó7

ASS¡STANT EDITON,Jerrey Giùdli

4lE Rôy¡l ColoM¡dG.{.li¡8lo¡, TX 7601I

CONSTJLTÀNISNephi DcMercurioP€.er A. Súl¡ro

Aìq GcntilctÆn.¡d A. hv¡lvo

OFFICE M,ANÀCIìNC¡¡hy C6tílê

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Editorial Viewpoint .

Have you ever considered the vast separation between light and darkness? The separationis so great, it is so important that God caused th¡s division oflight from darkness on the veryfirst day of the Creation'.

Darkness causes uneasiness. Itisdismal and produces gloom. It is evil, wicked and sinister.Darkness causes a lost sensation. It is difficult to see where you are or where you are going.Try turning out the headlights ofyour car on a dark country road. Youwill not know whereto go or how to proceed. It is an awful feeling. You feel absolutely lost.

Light is necessary for seeing. It allows us to see our way, the path or road we are takingor should take. It is necessary to avoid getting lost. lt eliminates groping or feeling yoirrway. Light brings afeelingof exhilaration likethedawnof a new day. Light creates af'eeling of life. It is spiritual awareness, spiritual illumination. It is life!

It is not ditfìcult to understand why the devil is the prince of darkness. It is not difficultto understand why Jesus Christ is the "light ofthe world." You can sense the difference.

Joshua used the light of the sun and the moon to overcome the enemy of Is¡ael. We readin the Book ofJoshua, 1Oth chapter, that the sun and the moon stood still at the word ofJoshua. The sun stood still in the midst of heaven and did not go down for an entire day.There never was a day like this betbre in the history ofthe human family. TheLord answere<lJoshua's lequest. The Lord fought for Israel.

The Lord will fìght f'or us. The Lord came to provìde us the way to overcome the enemyofour soul. He lights up our path. His light is everlasting. His light is brighter than thenoonday sun. He lights up the world!

His birth was announced with a new star in the heavens. The new star hovered over thebirthplace of the Lord. It provided guidanceto thewise men who were seeking Him. Areyou wise? Are you seeking Him? This new star, rhis lighr, will provide you guidance forliiè. lt is the l¡ght of Jesus Christ.

David declared in Psalm 27: 1, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?th¿ Lord is the strcngth of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

Tbere is no t'ear with the Lord. Heovercomes thesinister nature of darkness. Heovercomesthe evil and wicked character of darkness, Jesus Christ overcomes the fear and sting ofdeath. He is everlasting life, an endless life. Abinadi said it eloquently and with power.In Mosiah l6:9hesaid, "He is the light and the life of the world; yea alight that is endless,that can never be darkness; yea, arul also a life which is endless, that there can be no mored¿ath. "

The Lord told Nephi that He would be their light in the wilderness. He prepared the way.Jesus Ch¡ist told Nephi that ifhe kept the Lord's commandments, He, theLord, would leadthem to the promised land, a choice land.

Nephi told his brorhers that the Lord their God, their Redeemer, led Israel through thewilderness. He led them by day with a cloud. He led them by night with a pillar of fire.The Lord gave them light through the darkness of night.

When Jesus Christ appeared to the Brother ofJared, He said, "ln me shall all mankind havelight. " During His appearance on the land of America, the Lord said, "l am the light andthc lilè of the world. "

TIIE GOSPEI NEWS (ISSN 0279-1056) ir publiùcd ¡ùo¡¡¡ Ny for ¡ 12.00F¡ ye¡¡ by The chüÌcb ofJtuChridl PRI¡{T llOUSE,S2E¿ Bô€4ruetRd., P.O. Box 30, trid8cw¡rêr,M¡ 4Arr5{030, 3ll-429-50E0. Pêr,iôdic¡l poÁ¿age p¡id ¡1 Salibe, M¡chi-8¿r Ed ¡d.¡¡tiôù¡l Drifûs ofl¡c6

POSTMASTER¡ SEIvD A-DDRESSCIIANGES To: TIIE cosPELNEWS BUSINESS OFFICE, P,O.BOX 30, aRIDcEWÀTËR,MI ¿81¡54{l]0,

(Continued on Paoe 1 1ì

October, r997

The

Children's

Corner

By Jan Steinrock

Dear Girls and Boys,

Can you imagine how it wouldfeel if someone you knew in TheChurch of Jesus Christ started beingbad? How would it feel if you heard

them mocking the Lord, Jesus Christ,and all the Church people?

What would you do if you knewthat they and several others weresecretly going around causingtrouble? Or what ifthey were verygood at speaking and started teachingthings not in the Scriptures, trying tolead people away? How would youstop them? What could you do?What if they had powerful parents inthe world, or Church, and muchmore money than you did? Howwould you go about stopping them?Or, what would you do if it was yourown brother, or cousin or best tiienddoing this? This is what was happen-ing to the seven churches in the landof Zarahemla.

Trouble and arguments began.The devil entered in where there wasconfi¡sion and more problems arose.The young men doing this wereMosiah's sons, the grandsons of thefamous old King Benjamin. TheYwere joined by Ahna, one of the sonsof Alma, the Chief Judge and highpriest in charge of the Church.

God had done many mightymiracles for the parents and grand-parents of these rich young men.He'd taught Alma's father how to set

up His Church. When the wickedKing Noah tried to kill Alma and hisfollowers, the Lord brought them to a

safe place in the wilderness. Thenwhen their Lamanite enemies rliscov-ered them and enslaved them, andkilled them, again the Lord delivered

them. He brought them through thewilderness, up and down wild moun-tain passes and through the SouthAmerican jungles to the land whereKing Mosiah ruled and a land wherethey could serve God and love oneanother.

Now this next gèneration whohad known peace \¡r'ere spending theirtime rebelling against God andlearling others away also. It was timefor this to stop! King Mosiah andAlma knew what to do. They askedthe people of the Church to talk withGod in mighty prayer and beg God tostop this evil and confusion tiomcontinuing.

God heard. He sent an angelwith a booming voice to shake theearth and stop the troublemakers.The angel told them if they continuedin their trouble making ways, thatthey would he destroyed instead.Young Alma fell unconscious and thethree sons of Mosiah were also

totally repentant and sorrY. TheYshook with the fÞar of God andcarried their unconscious tiiend backto the city. The whole Churchleadership was called by Alma thetäther to pray. For two days theyt'asted and begged God to del¡veryoung Alma.

And God did. When youngAlma awoke, he was a new man. Hewas deeply sorry f'or the trouble and

evil he had done. Immediately, he

and the sons of Mosiah began travel-ing around the Church. TheY con-tèssed all their lies and told of God'swonderful power to heal and forgive.Many people believed them and werebaptized. But many other times, theirold group of friends now turned onthem and tried to beat them uP and

attacked them. These men nevergave up.

God preserved their lives. Thesons of King Mosiah, Ammon,Omner, Himni and Aaron becamegreat missionaries. Filled with loveand the power of God, they traveledand preached to t¡eir enemies, theLamanites. Many thousands of soulsbelieved and were saved over theyears because of the Spirit of Godcarried by the sons of Mosiah.

Alma followed God always. Hisson Helaman became a great man offaith and a Ieader. During futurewars, Helaman led the two thousandstripling young warriors in protectingGod's people. Alma's other sons,Shiblon and Corianton were alsomissionaries and men of God.

(Continued on Page 12)

V/ORD SEARCH

THE ALMAPRAYERS OMNEROF HIMNIALMA AMMONAND AARONKING GODMOSIAH SENTCHANGED ANTHE ANGELEVIL SHOOKIN THEHEARTS EARTHOF

H E A R T S c F E

I A N A G o D H K

M R K A R G T o S

N T S E N T o R D

I H N T H E L E

N M K H S Y E E G

o A N D A H E G N

M M a R T F N A

M L P M o s A H

A A R o N F L Y C

October r997

0ur lilomenlb&ï

Atlantic Coast AreaLadies' Circle Gathering

Loving, Forgiving, and Healing

By Sister Suzette Huttenberger

rJy'e were privileged at the end ofMarch to have Evangelist NephiDeMercurio spend time with us.Each Local r.vas well represented andwe waited for God's blessings. TheSpirit of God was felt by all.

"Is there some pity for thosewho have fallen? Is there sornemercy for those lost in sin? Is thereforgiveness for those who have hurtyou? Then you can enter in." Thissong we sang poses some directquestions we must ask ourselves fromt¡me to time. Brother Nephi ex-pounded on this process in hissermon on loving, forgiving andhealing. All ofthese are essential f'orus as the saints of God to pOssess inorder for Christ to use us, His chosenvessels to work for Him. Thefollowing excerpts are from BrotherNephi's sermon.

btve is the most importantattribute we must possess as God'schildren.'... wherefore, theLordGod hath given a commandment thatall men should have charity whichcharity is love. And except theyshould have charity they wère noth-ing... " (Nephi 26:30). Christdoes not ask us to love each other.He tells us that we must love oneanotler. Love is not something thathas conditions. It is unconditional.Love bears all things. "He that hathmy commandments, and keepeththem, he it is that loveth me: and hethat loveth me shall be loved of myfather. . . " (John 14:21). The Lordwas the greatest example of love.Love is patient, kind, not jealous, notboastful or proud. Love is not rude,self-seeking, easily angered and keepsno record of wrongs. Love does not

delight in ev¡|, but rejoices in thetruth. Love knows no limit to itsendurance, no end to its trust, nofàding of its hope, /ov¿ never fails!Christ's life and teachings set thetbundation for us as the people ofGod to know what true love is aboutand to have it be a basic principle ofHis Gospel. When we invite ourfamilies, friends and neighbors to theChurch, what do we want them tofèel and experience? The love of thesaints. How many times have weheard testimonies saying the love ofthe saints is what drew people to theChurch. Our actions toward oneanother have a tremendous impact.

Forgivcncss, an act of God'sgrace t() f'orget forever and not holdpeople ol'1àith accountahle tbr sinsthey confèss. Peter asked the Lordhow many times shoultl he tìrrgivehis brother who sins against hirn.The Lord's response was seventytilnes seven! As saints of latter days,we must have unlimited forgiveness.No matter what we fàce fiom others,we need to turn the other cheek andshow the pure love of Jesus Christ.It does not mean keeping in the backof our minds what this person did torne or said to me. This is Satan'stool of discouragement. He will tearus down however possible if we arenot united in love, one mind, and oneaccord. We need to conlèss our sinsand f'aults, ofIÞnses to one anotherespecially when we know we havedone or said something we should nothave done in order t'or the Lord tobless us abundantly as He always has.

Healing is how God worksthrough instruments and ways Hechooses to bring health to a personphysically, emotionally and spiritu-ally. Healing starts by loving, whichis not an easy virtue. lt can only begiven when we desire to love.Women can offer this because of whowe are. As sisteÌs, we can projectthis love by God's grace that othersmay see the Lord's goodness andmercy in our lives.

Brother Nephi mentioned hisrelationsh ip with his children.Things started to change when he sawwhat was required of him and whatwas wrong in the relationship, for

him to say he was wrong. He neveranticipated this power of healing tillyears later when he and his familyreturned to the Un¡ted States fromAfrica and recognizeÅ, everyone had ahurt. He thanked God that his familywas not destroyed. Things started tochange when they listened to eachother, allowing the Lord to step in byplacing the situation into His hands.

We must lirst be the example ofwhat we want others to be. It mustbegin with each one of us. l e arenot to pray, "God change this per-son," but rather 'God change me!"Pray for yourselves, that is wherehealing begins. 'Wherefore, mybeloved brethren, pray unto theFather with all the energy of heart,that ye may be filled with this love,which he hath bestowed upon all whoafe true followers of his Son, JesusChrist; that ye may becóme the sonsof God; that when he shall appear weshall be like him as he is; that wemay have hope; that we may bepurified even as he is pure" (Moroni7:48). Brother Nephi talked abouthis relationship with his son and howGod spoke to him one day and said,"Nephi, if you want me to work withyour son, you must get out of theway!" He moved, and that is whenhe started to see miracles. God wasable to take over. There is enormouspower in love and forgiveness. \ eare in a healing stage that can onlycome from loving one another.

The Cburch of Jesus Christ isbuilt on the foundation of JesusChrist. He gave us a wonderful gift,which is love.

October 1997

Å

ßrada¡Cllis¡ionileur

Blessings in Branch #4, Ml

On Sunday, April 13, 1997, theLord manifested His Spirit as we hadmany visitors that attended theservice.

After the preaching service,Sister Louise Bruno asked to beanointed. The Elders gatheredaround her and Brother Tony Geraceperformed the anointing. BrotherMike Nuzzi saw a flock of whitedoves flying around the Elders. AsBrother Tony prayed on SisterLouise, a white dove landed on herright shoulder and a rainbow circledall the Elders. As the service contin-ued, others were anointed and a whitedove would land on each person'sright shoulder. As Brother MikeNuzzi pondered on this vision, it wasgiven to him that each was beinghealed as the white dove landed onthen and the rainbow \.vas the prom-ise that God had nrade to His people.Sister Judy Salerno spoke in the giftof tongues and there was a beautifulmanifestation of the Holy Spirit.

We thank God for His goodnessand His many gifts. Rememher us inyour prayers. We love you all. Godbless you.

Ordinations at Branch #2Allen Park, Ml

By Sister Carolyn Gentile O'Connor

On March 2, 1997 , ¡he mem-bers, family and friends of Branch #2gathered together for a very specialoccasion-the ordinations of threeyoung brothers, Brothers Jim Lam-bert, David Lovalvo and DinoDiMelis into the offìce of Deacon.

Brother Jerry Benyola, visitingfrom Branch #l, openeil our morningservice with Genesis, chapter l, thèCreation. He expressed the rnagni-tudè of the beginning of this earth.

Brother Jerry exclaimed, '\rye cannotfully comprehend the magnificence ofthe Lord saying, 'Let there be light'and there was was Iight. He is theSupreme Creator, the Great I Am."He continued by mentioning the shorttime tlat we have on earth to graspthe Gospel. "Our lives move veryquickly but the God that we serve is

eternal. "Brother Jerry continued with

Alma 30: ,14 where Korihor is askingAlma for a sign that there is a God.Alma ans\vers Korihor saying, "Thouhast had signs enough; will ye temptyour God?" He continues to mentionthe signs that Korihor has seen suchas the testirnony of the brothers,sisters and holy prophets, the scrip-tìire, and the heavens and the earth."l don't need a sign," Brother Jerryexclaimed! "t hen I look outside andsee the trees in the winter turn,bringing forth leaves in the spring, Iknow that there is a God." BrotherJerry explainetl that hè sees a sign inour tàces when we glorify God andhe praises God that he believesthrough tàirh.

Brother Joel Calabrese, visitingfiom Lorain, Ohio, l'ollowed sayingthat "We have the opportunity today!Vy'e believe because of faitb. Wecannot outlive God. ÌVhat do youwant fiorn God and what are yougoing to do to get it?," he asked thecongregation.

Our building was filled tocapacity with visitors froln aroundthe Great Lakes Region as we gath-ered f'or the aternoon meeting towitness the ordinations of BrclthersJim, David and Dino.

Our Presiding Elder, BrotherDan Parravano read fìorn Acts, 6thchapter, expounding on the character-istics of a Deacon. "They must bebrâve," he said. "Not doubletongued, not given to much wine, notgreedy of fìlthy lucre, having faithand a pure conscience, blameless and

boldness in iàith. Their wives mustalso hold to these characteristics. "

The brothers came tbrward andthe ordinations began. As their feetwere washed, the congregation joinedin a silent prayer for the Lord togrant them the gilìs that they will

need to perform their new duties. r

Brother Dino's feet were washed byhis father, Brother Emil, BrotherJim's feet were washed by his father,Brother Jim, Sr., and BrotherDavid's feet were washed by BrotherPhil Buffa.

Brother Alex Gentile offered a

word of prayer as the Elders en-circled the three brothers before theywere ordained. A beautiful spirit wasfeÌt by everyone who was there towitness the ordinations. BrotherDino was ordained by BrotherDominic Thomas, Brother Jim byBrother Dan Parravano, and BrotherDavid was ordained by his father,Brother Leonard A. Lovalvo.

Brother Dominic Thomas thenread from the 4th chapter of I Corin-thians, on the duties of a Deacon and

asked the new Deacons to give theirtestimony. They all expressed a greatenthusiasm for their new positionsand asked us to remember them inprayer as they take on the newresponsib ilities of a Deacon. Theytèlt honored to be chosen and ex-claimed that they would strive toaccommodate the needs of the broth-ers and sisters of Branch #2, bothspiritually and naturally.

Brother Dominic then askedBrother Dino's wife, Sister Christina,Brother David's wife, Sister Darleneand Brother Jim's fiancee, SisterLynette Thompson, to give theirtestimonies. All three expressed agreat love for the Church and re-joiced over the wonderful blessingthat they received that day. Eachasked for the prayers from thebrothers and sisters as they supporttheir husbands with this new respon-sibility and gift.

A Thank You To My God

By Sister Saruly Mutay

I wish to thank God by tellingmy brothers and sisters what He didt'or me. Long ago, I had promisedthe Lord that if He ever chose to healme of my affliction, Ì would tell allevery chance I got of His mercy

toÌvards me.For eighteen years I suffered

with terrible headaches-tension,cluster, and migraine headacbes. Ihad forgotten what it was like not tohave a headache. I was never with-out one or sevefal, evefy moment ofthe day and night. I learned to adjusrmy Iife around my headaches whichat times were miltl, at other ti¡nesbad, and at other times severe, butalways there.

During the last eighteen years, Ihave been anointed many, manytimes. I have seen mâny doctors. Ihave tried many pain drugs. But, Inever received. I always went backto two over the counter medicationsthat were the only help I could get,taking sixteen tablets of each a dayfor most of the past eighteen years.As time went on, those medicationshelped less and desperately I wouldcontinue to get anointed and seedifferent doctors, but again, t() noavail.

I was taught long ago to neverquestion God and to accept whateverour lot might be, knowing that Hehas a purpose to all things. AlthoughI would hear many times of someonereceiving a healing from headachesafter being anointed, I never lost fäiththat God could heal me. But, Iaccepted that it was not my ti¡ne yetand might never be. Many wonderfilsaints have born their afTlictions tothe grave and I always prayed that ifthis was my lot, that the Lord wouldgive me strength and courage to doso, and that in no way would I shameHim. I know a sister who is soaíïlicted and yet her smile is alwayson her face, her contentment isalways in her voice, and her courageis always a testimony to her faith.Could I do less? I pray not.

Recently a kidney docror discov-ered that my kidneys had beendamaged by the years of medicationfor headaches. My test resultsshowed my protein count was wellbeyond the maximal level of 300. Itwas 800! She told me to ¡mmediatelystop the medication. I panicked. Iagain was anointed and this time Ireceived! For the first time ineighteen years, I had no heaclachesl I

cannot even begin to describe my joy!I went back to the doctor and myprotein count was still 80O. She ransome mofe tests and had me comeback. I was anointed again. When Iwent back to the doctor, my proteincount was 80! Again the Lord healedme! The doctor could not explain it.She did not know what happenedbecause she had given me nothing toimprove my kidneys! I told her itwas a miracle! God.was good to me!God had blessed me! But shejuststumbled with her words. Theknowledge of man is f'oolishness toGod!

I have learned many lessonsfiom the past eighteen years-acceptwhat comes our way in this life, bearour burdens with meekness andhurnility (sotneone may be lmking tous), never question the Lord, neverlose Iàith, never lose hope, weary theLord (this is pleasing to Him) andwait, wait, wait!

There is a certain sister whorejoiced to hear of my healings! Thissister who has born the heat of theday, who has horn so much sorrow inher lif'e, rejoiced f'or me as though itwas her own deliverance that hadco¡ne! This is the secret! If we canrejoice when the hand of God movesto deliver someone else, even thoughwe must bear burdens that have notbeen removed, there is a strength thatGod gives to those who He haschosen to set the examples for us.

A Celebration of Ordinatíonat Greensburg, PA

"And we know that all thingswork together for good to them thatIove God, to them who are calledaccording to his purpose" (Romans8:28). When Brother Dennis Gehlyseverely burned his entire hand onboiling sugar syrup in April 1995, hedid not know it would be rhe begin-ning of something good.

Prior to April Conference, abrother had an experience where hevery clearly sa\.v the back of a youngman in a vision and heard a voicesaying that he was supposed to tell

this young man, "The Lord wants touse you." The brother replied thatthere would be so many people atconference and inquíred, 'How will Iknow him. " At that moment in theexperience, the young man turnedaround and the brother saw thât hehad his arm in a dark colored sling.He did not recognize him as anyonehe knew.

A few days later at Conference,the brother saw this person with hisarm in a sling just as in the vision.Not knowing him personally butknowing the revelation of God. agreat blessing unfolded.

Iuly 20, 1997, rhe experiencewas fultìlled as Brother Dennis Gehlywas ordained into the ofïìbe ofTeacher, having his feet washed byhis fàther, Brother Paul Gehly, andordained by his grandfather, ApostleRussell Cadman who stated.thefamily has had an ordained officer inthe Church for one hundred thirty-five years.

A portion of the revelation ofGod given to His servant John was

(Continued on Page I O)

Announcement.

For October, 1997, the CDrates for the Gendral ChurchBuildirig rFund'are æ follows: ,

I lleàrilz:yeats3 years4 years5,yearC

'.,',;5'::1s.Yo:.:,

' ",6.007-ô,,:,' ..,6i.:10/o, ,

.', 'U.rtro',:":. ".::6.25:%:':-:':

202,.Vr'at9¡w6f¡s.,p¡.Clarión, PA '16214.

814-227 -2,421:,

r0 October r997

GREENSBURG continued. . .

brought forth as found in Revelationl9:6-9, enlightening us to the factthat as great as the celebration was

which we had just witnessed, howgreat would be the celebration of themarriage supper of the Lamb "AIle-luia: for the l¡rd God omnipotentreigneth. "

As brother and sisters fromImperial, Aliquippa, McKees Rocks,Fredonia and Herndon honored us

with their presence, so also will webe honored to be numbered w¡th thefaithful in the Kingdom of God.

Blest Day in Gastonia, NC

By Sister Marg,aret lorio

July 20, 1997 , was a beautifulSabbath Day in Gastonia, NorthCarolina with perfect weather and

many brothers, sisters and tiiends in

attendance. Brother Jon Molinattowelcomed everyone and was verYhappy to see so many in our Ineeting.Brotler Molinatto opened in prayerand then turned the meeting over toApostle Russell Cadlnan.

Brother Cadman spoke on thè

blessing of children and that the Lordstated that children did not need

baptism. Scripture was taken fromMatthew 19: l3-14 where Jesus

receives and blesses children. Hethen calle<l for his great-granddaugh-

ter, Madison Hamerick, six months

of age, to be brought uP to be

blessed. Madison was scheduled fora serious operation and her grand-

mother, Sister Ellen Larimer, asked

the mission to pray in her behalf. So

many prayers ascended to the throneof God and our Prayers were an-

swered. When the surgeon Per-formed the surgery, onlY minorsurgery was required.

The service continued as BrotherRussell Cadman called Brother Joe

Catone, Jr. to the front to be or-dained into the Ministry. BrotherCatone's witè and their five childrenì.vere present. Brother Russell also

reatl Revelation l4:6-7 to BrotherCatone.

Brother Joe Catone, Jr. then

spoke and said that he would need thetleln ot'all the brothers antl sisters.He expressed his love t'or the Churchand hß desire, with the help of God,

to fulfill his duties. We sang thatwonderful hvmn. "/¿sl.rs Ntv¿r Fails.

The meeting was oPened fortestim()nv and each one testified to

the blessings receivecl today and howthankfìrl they were t'<rr our Church,The Church of Jesus Christ. Sacra-

ment ì{as passed bY Brother Joe

Catone, Jr. and the closing PraYerwas given by Brother RussellCadman.

During lunch, we enjoYed thefellowship with each other. We feltso blessed that we hated to Part.

We would also like to take thisopportunity to thank all those whogave us support from ohio for so

manv years and we are lookingforwaid to blessings with the supportwe receive from PennsYlvania. Weare so grateful for all their efforts.Pleæe remember us in Your PraYers'God bless you all. We love You.

An Experience

By Brother Louis DiLuca

In the late summer of the Year1932, after a lengthY Period ofunemployment and no income, I didnot know where to turn. MY wifeand I were very much concernedabout providing for our flve children.

One evening as I retired to mY

beclroom, I poured out mY heart to

God in prayer asking for His helP

an<l providence. While still praying'I feli a tap on my shoulder, and Iheard a voice say, "Fear not!" Thisgreatly encouraged me.

The next day I went to the

employment office of a local steel

company to inquire if there were anyjob openings. The emPloYment

ôfficer called me out of a grouP ofmen and led me into his office and

said, 'Mr. Diluca, I had a dream

that I should give You a job!" I was

offere<l a job as a bricklayer whichwas my trade. I was haPPY and

thankfr¡l to God to be back at workancl thus able to provide for mY

family again.Mv familv. as well as the

brotheri and sisiers, rejoiced withme. Even my co-workers and friendswere pleasantly surprised at my good

fortune in getting employment at a

time when jobs were hard to comeby. I praise God for His favor and

providence.

Editor's note: Brother lnuisDiLuca, deceased, was a member ofthe Atiquippa, Pennsylvania Branch.Ho held thß iob until he retired over

thirty yeûrs tater from his date of hire.The Church of Jesus Chr¡st, Gastonia, North Carol¡na M¡ssion

October, t997 l1

DIRECTORY UPDATE

Cain, Eva3352 Whites Bridge Rd.Lowell, Ml 493316r6-897-8840

Dominico, Alfred and Josephine6441 Bonnie View DriveSan Diego, CA 921196194û-1988

Giannetti, Pete Jr. and Wently3016 Woodfield Dr.Aliquippa, PA 15001412-378-0869

Moore, Gladys S.341 l lth Ave.Vero Beach, FL 32962561-569-6181

Rogalla, Joseph, Ruth, Jon anrJ Kristy3007 Woodfield Dr.Aliquippa, PA 150014tz-378-0838

Rutledge, Nicholas9084 Simon RoadWilliamsfield, OH 44093330-876-8923

Pub,licatiôn Notice

TESTIMONY continued. . .Gospel fiom Brothers John Ross andPaul Francione. I was baptized byBrother Dwayne Jordan in Arizona.Before 1990, our fèllowships wereheld in an underground situation,behind the iron curtain. At the sametime, my Nepalese nation was in needof the Scriptures. So, as I translatedthe Bible into Nepali, I also trans-lated the testimony of Joseph Smithand the Book of Mormon in theNepali language. The Nepali versionof the Book of Mormon has not beenpublished as yet. In addition, I wasprivileged to help in the translation ofthe Book of Mormon into a Hindiversion. Still more translations aboutChurch literature remains to be done.After a long search, I fbund the truelove and Spirit of God in The Churchol'Jcsus Christ. Shortly after joiningthis blessed Church, I had a vision. Isaw heaven opened, with a ladderleading to it. The ladder was avail-able to all lost sheep, like me and mynation. God bless you all. Pleasewrite when you have an opportunity.My acldress is:

P .O. B<¡x 2'12Itta Bena, MS 3894

60t-254-9643

MESSAGE continued . ..Matthew Picciuto spoke in the gift oftongues and the interpretation,received by Brother Ulises CardenasRuiz, was Isai¿rh 54:5:

"For thy Maktr is thine hus-band; tha lttrd of hosts is his nama,.and thy Redecmer the Holy ona ofIsrael; The God of the whole earthshall ha b¿ called. "

A beautiful spirit Ìvas felt asCornlnunion was being served.Elders from the United States andMexico participated in this holyord inance.

The meeting was concluded bysome songs from individuals andgroups. These selections veryfittingly ended the entire beautifulLime togcther and emphasized againthe joy that is felt in "Praising theLord. "

EDITORIAL cont¡nued . .We s¡ng a beautiñ¡l t ymn- itrewords say, 'Once I was blind, butnow I can see, The Light of theWorld is Jesus." Remember the manthat was blind from his birth? Thedisciples wanted to know who sinned,the man or his parents. The Lordtold the disciples thât neitler the mannor his parents had sinned. Theworks of God would be made mani-fest in this man's blindness. TheLord spit on the ground, made clayand anointed the eyes of the blindman with the clay. The Lord theninstructed the blind man to "Go,wash in the pool of Siloam. " Theman obeyed and received his sight!The Jews did not believe he wasblind tiom birth. They asked hisparents. The parents said that he washlind fio¡n birth. They continued byresponding that he now sees, howthey did not know. They also saidthey did not know who opened hiseyes. The parents furthet told theJews to ask their son, he was of age.The Jews said to give God the praise,because this man, Jesus Christ, was asinner. The man answered that hedid not know if He was a sinner ornot. The man declared,'... onething I know, that whereas I wasblind, now I see."

When we reach the age ofaccountability, we are blind, unlesswe yield to the marvelous light ofJesus Christ. Many testimonies ofthe saints of God declare, "God tookme out of the world of darkness andplaced me in a beautiful light."Whose light? His light!

Samuel the prophet asked," . . . how long will ye suffer your-selves to be led by foolish an<l blindguides? Yea, how long will yechoose darkness rather than light?"To those who are not members ofThe Church of Jesus Christ, you havea choice. You can choose the light.You can choose the da¡kness. Thechoice is up to you. I'Vhat do youthink is the best choice? In whom doyou want to place your trust, yoursoul? Your decision is crucial. Foryour soul's salvation, you mustchoose the Lord, the Light of theWorld. There is no other choice!

12 October r997

* WEDDINGS *

Jason Ray Marquis and Michele Lee Dickson of the

Lorain, Ohio branch were united in holy matrimony on

July 12, 1997 in LaGrange, Ohio-

Brother Ernest Alessio and Sister Helen Tisler were

united in holy matrimony in the Lorain, Ohio Branch on

July 5, 1997.

William Henry Brown and Deanna Lynn Murraywere united in holy matrimony in the Lorain, Ohio

Branch on July 5, 1997.

Children Blessed

Mellicent Marie Costarella, daughter of Brother

Adam an<l Tina Costarella, was hlessed in the Kent' Ohio

Mission on July 27 , 1997 .

Kyle Ameer Hamja, son of Katye Cintrin and-. . .

Ramjanali Ham¡a, was biessecl in the Hollywood, Florida

Branch on May 18, 1997.

Haleigh Christine Colucy, daughter of Harry and.

Robin Colicy, was blessed in the Lorain, Ohio Branch on

July 6, 1997.

BaPtisms

Gregory (Gary) Paul Vitto was baptized -April

27,

1997 in Brañch #l; Chesterfield, Michigan' He w1s

baptizecl by Brother Louis Vitto and confirmed by Brother

Frank Vitto.

Address Change

Name

Address

Phone

Paulette Catherine Griesbaum was baptized on April {

27 - lgg7 in Branch #l , Chesterfield, Michigan' She wæ

baitized by Brother Louis Vitto and confirmed try Brother

Sam DiFalco.

Daniel Griesbaum was baptized on April 27, 1997 in

Branch #1, Chesterfield, Michigan. He was baptized by

Brother Louis Vitto and confirmed by Brother Peter

Scolaro.

Judith Marie Harkovich was baptized on April 27'

1997 in Branch #1, Chesterfield' Michigan She was

baptized by Brother Michael LaSala and confiimed by

Brother Louis Pietrangelo'

Lawrence William Perkins was baptized on April 27'

1997 in Branch #1, Chesterfield, Michigan' He was

baptized by Brother Peter Scolaro and confirmed by

Brother AnthonY Scolaro.

ObituarY

RUTH N. CARR

Sister Ruth N. Car¡ of the Greensburg, Pennsylvania

Branch passed on to her eternal reward on August 6,.

fS9Z. Sh. was preceded in death by her daughter., Sister

Janice Brown. Sister Ruth is survived by her husband,

Elder Jesse Carr; a daughter, Wilma Osterwise; two sons'

Brother Paul Cair ancl iimothy Carr; a sister, Sister Anna

br..r; t*o brothers, Brothers Charles and Isaac Smith;

r"u.ni..n grandchilúren; twenty great-grandchildren and a

great-great-grandchild.

CHILDREN'S CORNER continued ' ' '

Shiblon was one among the first of the Nephites who built

nreàt snios and departed to the land Northward 1o settle'"'-- nii ãr trti. go'od would have been lost if people.had

not Draved. tf p-eople had just let yotrng Alma and the

ron. of King Mbsiah continue in their rebellious ways,

irr.ìi *our. üould have gone to hell. AII of the hundreds

oiiÁ*tu^¿. of people t'ouched in the tuture by the godly

wavs of their chìldren would also have been lost' But

.o,i.tunt, faithful, beautiful prayers changed their hearts'

Praver can change your heart and mind' Prayer ¡s the key

io siarting ove, ãnri for bringing goodness to others'

Don't for-get. We believe in a God whose son, Jesus

õÀüst, taígrtt "pray for one another.' Start praying for

someone and watch for the change.

With care,Sister Jan

töboelrlews

November, 1997 Volume 53, No. 1l

The Lord has been very goodto our Branch. Our congregation isgrowing rapidly and we have hadthe opportunity to add two newnames to our membership.

The first ca¡didate is BrotlerDaniel Buffa. Brother Dan iscurrently a sergeant in the MarineCorps. He has had the opportunityto travel home on a few occasionsin the past few years but has kept intouch with the Branch throughletters and conversations with hisparents, Brother Phil and SisterCarmen Buffa. He recently madethe greatest and most importantdecision of his life, giving his lifeto Christ. I asked him to sha¡e withall of you, his testimony.

Brother Dan: "I wæ born andraised in The Church of JesusChrist. I can remember my motherand father stressing the importanceof going to Church even at a veryyoung age. I grew up attending theSaline Mission. From there my/arents moved to Allen Park wherewe attend Branch #2.

"Growing up, my fatier usedto take me to Muncey, DetroitInner-City, or just on the street witì

the poor. My parents took my sisterTina and I to campouß, conferences,a¡d MBA on Friday nights.

'As time went on, I was a

normal teenager and wanted to dothe things teens do growing up.During high school, I do not thinkmy family or the brothers and sistersever got off their knees on mybehalf. Thank God for that! Shortlyafter school, I left for the Ma¡ineCorps boot camp. After completion,I came back home and pretty muchre¿lized that all of the things myparents were trying to teach me werethe right way. During my short stayat home, I had the chance to standon my feet and thank God for all ofthe things He had done for me.

'After I left to return to NorthCa¡olina, I received orders to 29Palms, California. I was there fortwo months. From there I was sentto Okinawa, Japan. Taking Godwherever I went, He blessed me andprotected me.

'I had many experiences whileI ì.vas there. One particular time, Iwent swimming with a friend whowas not â very good swimmer. Itook t}e challenge of taking him out

More Baptisms atBranch f)Allen Park, MI

By Sister Carolyn Gentile O'Connor

with me anyway. I'll do my best toexplain to you how it was thatSaturday morning. There was anisland about three quarters of a mileout that sat off the coast where mybase was. This is where I wouldsnorkel and dive all of the time. Onour way to this island, my friendstarted to drown- Knowing in mymind that there was nothing to holdon to (we were already more thanhalfr,vay there), in the heat of themoment, I Ìvrapped my arms aroundhim and kept h¡s head above water.In my mind, I was praying andasking the Lord to help me. After a

short while, he calmed down and wewere able to continue forward. Aswe were approaching the island, hebegan to drown again! I held on tohim, swam my very best, and made itto the island, exhausted! I did notknow how I was supposed to getback. I made it a matter of prayerand asked the Lord to get me backsafely with my friend. After ourlong rest, we had to return.

'While we were swimming, hestarted to drown again. By this time,I was completely worn out. As I washolding him, I was praying again andrealized there was nothing I coulddo. I let him go and looked underthe water for something to stand on,but there was nothing. I grabbed a

hold of him again and said one more

i (Continued on Page 3)

November, r997

Christians or SaintsWho Are We?

By Evangelist Phil Jackson

Have you ever wondered ifthere was a difference between a

Christian and a Saint? Should we becalled by one name.or 'the other? Ifyou have ever questional this before,let's look at these words and tJre wordof God and see what we can learn.

The word Christian aPPears intìe Bible three times. The formationseems to be Latin, meaning 'adher-ent of Christ." Adherent means, a

supporter of, thus meaning a suP-porter of Christ. The ending of theword Christian,'ians" denotes a

soldier, or slave of the one whosename it was compounded, such as

Christ's slaves.Acts 1 l: 16, 'And the disciples

werecalled Christians first in Antioch."Antioch has an important place

in the early history of the Church.One of the original deacons was

Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch.The first Gentile church was foundedthere. Many followers scatteredthere at the death of Stephen. Bar-nabas was sent there by the Churchin Jerusalem to assist in the work.After working there for a while, he

summoned Paul fiom Tarsus toassist him. Paul made three mis-sionary journeys to Antioch. Thecity was well known for its inven-tion of nicknames, so it's no surpriseto se€ the name Christians for thefirst time. The verb used for "werecalled" (disciples "were called") is aHebrew word, chrematisai, whichmeåns to be directed by God as if bY

divine oracle. Could it have been

that the name Christian wa.s divinelygiven? But the verb could be used

more loosely, and perhaps meåns nomore than that tie name came intopopular use in the first city where a

distinctive name became necessary.Acts 26:28, "Then AgriPPa said

unto Paul, almost thou Persuadestme to be a Christian."

Agrippa recognized that tobelieve what Paul preached wouldmake him a Christian.

I Peter 4:16, "Yet if any man

suffer as a Christian, let him not be

ashamed; but let him gloriS God onthis behalf. "

In the Book of Mormon, theword Christian appears four times.

Alma ,16:13, 15-16, (Moroniwaves his rent garment)' . . . andhe bowed himself to the earth, and

he prayed mightily unto his God forthe blessings of liberty to rest uponhis brethren, so long as there shoulda band of Christians remain topossess the land. And those whodid belong to the church werefaithftrl; yea, all those who weretrue believers in Christ took uPon

them, gladly, the name of Christ orChristians as they were called,because of their belief in Christ whoshould come. And therefore at thistime, Moroni prayed that the cause

of the Christians and the freedom ofthe land might be favored."

Alma 48:10, 'Ànd thus he

lMoronil was preparing to supporttheir liberty, their lands, tleirwives, and the children, and theirpeace, and that they might live untothe Lord their God, and that theY

might maintain that which wascalled by their enemies the cause ofChristians. "

In these verses, we are led tounderstand that the term Christianswas used by those that took on thename of Cbrist. One commentatorsavs that Christians was a word used

by the Centiles and adopterl bY thed isciples of Jesus.

The word Saint, on the otherhand is in the Bible ninety-fivetimes, and the Book of Mormontwenty-nine times.

In the King James Version, theword Saint is used to translate twoHebrew words, qadosh and hæidh.The root idea of the first is separa-

tion. In a religious sense, it means

that which is separated or dedicatedunto God and therefore removedfrom secula¡ use. The word isapplied to people, places and things,as: the temple, vessels, garments,

the city of Jerusalem, Priests, etc.

The root of the second word ispersonal holiness. The emphasis is

õn character. It has a strong ethical

connotation. These words are used

either in the plural or with a collec- (tive noun. fie reason for this is thata person's standing before God is

regarded as a matter of his belongingto a larger whole, such as theChurch, his larger whole standing incovenant relationship to God.

I Corinthians l:2, 'Unto thechurch of God which is at Corinth,to them that are sanctified in ChristJesus, called to be saints . . . "

I Nephi 14:12, " . . .I beheld

that the church of the Lamb, whowere the saints of God . . . "

I Nephi 14:14, "And it came topass that I Nephi, beheld the Powerof the Lamb of God, that it de-scended upon the saints of thechurch of the Lamb, and upon thecovenant people of the Lord, . . . "

The Church is comprised ofpeople called out of the world bY

God, to be His own pmPle. Allwho are in covenant relation withHim through faith, repentance, and

baptism, are regarded as His saints.

Objectively, the saints are God'schosen and peculiar people, belong-ing exclusively to Him. Throughoutthe Bible and Book of Mormon, thesaints are urged to live lives befittingtheir calling.

Mosiah 3:19, " . . . unless he

yields to the enticings of the HolYSpirit, and putteth off the naturalman and becometh a saint throughthe atonement of Christ the Lord,and becometh as a child, submissive,meek, humble, patient, full of love,willing to submit to all things whichthe Lord seeth fit to inflict uponhim, even æ a child doth submit tohis father. "

We as Saints have a high callingof God to perform many duties whilehere on earth and a higher calling inthe life to come in Christ's kingdom.

I Corinthians 6:l-3, 'Dare anY

of you, having a matter againstanother, go to law before the unjust,and not before the saints? Do Ye notkno\ry that the saints shall judge tleworld? And if the world shall bejudger.l by you, are ye unwoniY tojudge the smallest matters? Know Yenot that we shall .iudge angels? Howmuch more things that pertain to tìis

November, 1997

I ife? "If we walk worthy of our call-

ing, then Christ has promised Hissaints a blessed Iife. He also tells ustìat He will make intercession for usto God (Romans 8:27).

Some people feel a Saint canonly be a person that has passed onto heaven to be with Christ. It is

true that in the Scripfures, manyplaces refer to the resurrected beingsas Saints, but it never tells us topray unto them or worship them.

Many times the word of Godsays, "the blood of the saints cryunto me, " meaning these are mine,beloved of the Lord, and I willrepay. So God truly honors thosewho are righteous and avenges thatrighteousness upon the heads ofthose that do not serve Him.

II Nephi 9:18, 'But, behold,the righteous, the saints of the HolyOne of Israel, they \ryho have be-lieved in the Holy One of Israel, theywho have endured the crosses of theworld, and despised the shame of it,they shall inherit the kingdom ofGod, which was prepared for themfrom the foundation of the world,and their joy shall be full forever. "

Amen! Amen! Well I hopethrough this study you have seen thedifference between a Christian and aSaint. I am glad that the word Saintis not a.s loosely used as the wordChristian is today. Many peopletoday claim to be Christians. Maybeyou have too from time to time. Arethey a slave to Chr¡st? Are you? Iwould much rather be called a Saintof the most high God, knowing thatI stand in a covenant relationshipwith Him.

I would like to end this studywith the words of hymn #81 in theSaints Hymnal, Rejoice, Ye Saints ofLatter Days

Rejoice ye saints of latter days,Lift up your heads and sing;ìVith one accord unite to praise,Your everlasting King.

For it's good to be a saint oflatter days;For it's good to be a saint,For it's good to be a saint,For it's good to be a saint oflatter days.

BAPT|SMScontinued...

prayer. Out of nowhere, thereappeared a rock that stood out of thervater. It was within arms reach.This rock was as big as a spaghettidinner table frlled with brothers andsisters. AII the way back to land,there appeared rocks to stand on.The Lord put those rocks there forme and I thank Him for that. Wemade it back safely!

'The Lord blesses me all of thetime. Towards the end of my tourin Japan, my grandmother, SisterEleanor Buffa was passing awayfrom cancer. My parents sent forme to come home for a while. I hadthe chance to tell her that I lovedher. I had to return to Japan tofinish out my remaining tour. Shepassed away a few days after myreturn. I thank God that I was ableto spend that time with her.

"After leaving Japan, my orderswere to North Carolina, where Ihave been stationed ever since.Through my Marine Corps career,the Lord has never left my side. Ithank Him every chance I get.

"Recently on February 16,1997, I asked for my baptism. I hadcome home for a weekend of R&R(rest & relaxation). I had beenthinking about asking for a longwhile, but every time the chancecame up, I did not ask-until thatSunday when I wæ sitting in Churchwith my good friend and sergeant,Elijah. I brought him home with mefor a long weekend to show himwhat I had been talking about for solong. On that Saturday night, wewent to visit Brother Kenny andSister Louise Bruno. They werealways æking me why I am notbaptized. My answer has alwaysbeen, 'Because I'm waiting to getout of the Marine Corps.' Theythen went on to tell me the¡e isnothing wrong with being baptizedwhile in the service.

"The next morning, Sunday,while sitting there and listening, Ifelt Iike the sermon was beingpreached directly to me the entiretime. I was waiting for the meetingto open for testimony. My chance

finally came. .l stood up andthanked G¡d for always being withln" ,¡¿ l îske.d the Ministry to prayon me for strength. Vr'hile theywere prayìng foi me, the Spirii ofGod came ove.i nie so strong, Icould not stop crying. WhenBrother Larry Henderson wasthrough praying on me, I r'eached upto hug him and he hugged me realtight and whispered in my ear, 'Justlet go Danny, let go.'anrl that iswhen I asked for my baptism.

"I wanted my uncle, BrotherJohn Buffa, to baptize me. Theycalled him at Branch #4. We all metat the river a few hours later.Brother Jim Lambert, Sr. and a fewof the other brothers were justfinishing cutting the ice with a chainsaw. At the water, my uncle JohnexplainerJ to me what woultl behappening. As we were walkingacross the ice, he said to me, 'Didyou feel that?' I said, 'Yes, it got a

little warmer.' He baptized me!While walking to the car, the bro-thers and sisters were wrappingme in blankets. That afternoon I wasconfirmed By Bro. Dan Parravano.They asked me to give my tesli-mony. I thank God for that day andall the days He has been by my side.

"Currently I am in Spain andGreece and will continue to travelthroughout the Meliterranean. Iwill be out here in this part of theworld through the end of October.In January of 1998, I return to theUnited States. I will be ending mycareer with the Marine Corps. I amglad that I had a chance to tell youmy testimony and thank the Lord for

(Continued on Page l0)

HAPPYTHANKSGIVING

To All Our Readers

November. 1997

 messaüo

from fhd$eventy

Venezuela Trip

(Sit church people from theUnited States went to Venezuela inAugust to help in effons rc spreadThz Gospel ofJesus Christ in thatSouth Amerìcan nation. The travel-ers were Apostle Thomas Liberto,Evangelisl Richard Christman andSisters Marcia Liberto, PalriciaChristman, Heylen Bicelis and JulieScolaro. A sunmary of the reponsubmitted by the brothers is as

follows. -Evangelist Editor's Note)Upon arriving on Friday,

August 15, the group was met by sixmembers of the Bicelis family (SisterHeylen's relatives) who transportedthem to the hotel in Caracas wheretwo Sunday meetings were scheduled.They also had prayer with a familythat was to undergo a difficult taskthe next day about which they werevery concerned.

Saturday was a preparation day,contacting and inviting friends to thefirst Sunday meeting, practicing thehymns in Spanish, and becomingaccustomed to the keyboard. It waschallenging and difficult to haveadequate music for the servicebecause it was necessary to adapt it tothe Spanish language.

FIRST SUNDAY

The f¡rst Sunday service waswell attended. The meeting roomwas 'more t¡an adequate." Themusic turned out well. Sister Julieplayed the keyboard, Johnny Perez

supplied the sound system and playedthe guitar, and Brother Libertoæsisted with the harmonica.

Brother Tom opened the service,speaking on joy and love in servingGod. Prayer was offered for some,others were anointed, and the Spiritof God was felt. Several touchingtest¡monies were given by individualsin the congregation. There weretwenty-six people in attendance. Thewarmth and sincere attentivenesswere very inspiring.

During the week, the group wasquartered at an apa¡tment providedby Diva Ramirez, Sister Heylen'saunt. Interested people came to visitand were accorded hospitality andmuch information about the Lord andTbe Church of Jesus Christ. Some ofthem asked the brothers to lay hands

on them for various reasons. Theserequests were for direction in theirdaily lives, involving their service toHim, their education, dreir occupa-tion, and decisions they would haveto make. At times, they also sang

Songs of Zion and had very fruitñrlspiritual discussions.

These welcomed visits permittedeveryone to become more acquaintuland presented more liberty in speak-ing about the things of God. SisterHeylen, who was born and lived inVenezuela before moving to theUnited States, was able to tell herrelatives and friends how her immedi-ate family and she had met and comeinto the Church in Florida.

On Tuæday, August 19, WilliamBicelis Sr., along with his daughter,Sylvanna, and her husband, Aldemar,came to see them. Sylvanna statedthat on the prior visit made to Ven-ezuela by our people, she was expect-ing a child and was anointed. Shesaid that in the prayer, BrotherChristman had asked God to protecther antl help her through tle preg-nancy. She also stated that sheunderstood the prayer in Spanisheven though Brother Dick waspraying in English. During thepregnancy, Sylvanna experiencedmedical difficulties, but she remem- t

bered the prayer, relied upon it, ardwas thankful that God did take careof her and her baby girl. The coupleasked rhat their children be dedicatedto the Lord. Brother Tom offered theprayer of blessing upon the baby,Sylvanna, and Brother Dick didlikewise for Barbara, who is two

(Continued on Page l1)

Left to r¡ght: Evangel¡st R¡chard Chr¡stman, Sylvanna Victor¡a (baby)'Sylvanna (mother), Aldemar (father), Barþara Rafaela, Apostle Tom L¡berto.

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November, r997

Editoríal Viewpoint .

\ e are nearing the end of 1997. Our national holiday, Thanksgiving, is a couple of weeksaway. All of us can be and should be grateful and thankfi¡l on a daily basis for God's richblessings and mercies during the year. Our tables are full!

Many ofus, actually all ofus, have experienced the mercies of God-some natural, somespiritual. Many were baptized, many children were blessed. Those who passed awayreceived their glorious rewa¡d. Branches and missions are growing. All mission fields aregrowing. These include domestic, foreign and the Seed ofJoseph mission fields.

We serve a great God who remembers His people. He remembers those who love Him andserveHimin spirit and in truth. Hesees our need. Heknowsourneed. Hefillsourneed.The Lord clothes those that need clothing. He provides shelter for those that need shelter.He feeds thehungry. Thereis no doubtJesus Christprovides and cares forHispeople. Thisis substantiated by the following Thanksgiving experience of the late Sister HelenCampitelle of Detroit, Michigan. It is found onpage 183inA Hßtory ofThe ChurchofJesusChrist.

"It was in the year 1928. My husband was out of work because ofsickness. As it was thenight before Thanksgiving my children wanted me to go to the store to buy food for a

Thanksgiving dinner. Idid nothave any food in the house exceptbeans. ItoldmychildrenI was very sorry that I was unable to make a dinner for tlem as their father was out ofwork,and they would have the beans which I had in the house. It was seven o'clock in the eveningand my children were discouraged

'I told them not to be discouraged æ the Lord could bless us just the same with beans. Atseven thirty we heard someone knocking and my oldest daughter, Rose, went to answer thedoor. She found a man there and he asked for Mrs. Campitelle. While my daughter wastalking to him, she saw a white car in front of the door and he said to me, 'Mrs. Campitelle,ìr,hat is the reason you don't want to give a Thanksgiving dinner to your children?' I toldhim the truth, that I wanted to, but as my husband was out of work I was unable to do so.

'He looked at my face and smiled; then he said, 'Mrs. Campitelle, I have brought a

Thanksgiving dinner for your children.'

'He then went into the car (which I did not see), and brought out all kinds ofgroceries; fruitwhich looked like it had just been picked, fresh dressed chicken, which was still Ìvarm, andmany other things.

"When I saw all the groceries a¡d food he brought, I aske<l him his name and address, as

I wanted to remember him for what he had done for us. But he said, 'Mrs. Campitelle, youdon't ne€d my n¿rme or address now.' He looked at my children and said, 'You havewonderfirl children and a wonderful family.' Then he left.

'Thenextday atdinner time, all the food was prepared, and wewere seated a¡ound thetable.Brother and Sister Framilin were with us. While Brother Framilin was asking the blessingon the food he saw the same man come in and stand near the table; and he said, 'l fed mypeople in the time of Moses and I will feed them today too.'

'We all felt the presence of God with us so that we could hardly eat the food because ofthe great blessings.

"Every time I testify of this experience, the Lord is my witness."

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(Continued on Page I I )

November, t997

The

Children's

Corner

By Janet Steinrock

Dear friends,

l ho is your favorite person toread about in the Book of Mormon orBible? Has this favorite choicechanged from who it used to be?When I was growing up, my familyserved God by what we did. We alsoserved God by what we didn't do.For example, we did not drinkalcohol, or swear. We did not lie orsteal. We also did not go to moviesor shop on Sunday.

This was noticed by my friends.Sometimes I was worried about beingleft out of things with them. Othertimes I was happy and felt deepinside that we were living the rightway. Many times tley got quiet andwondered about God. Many times Iprayed with tl¡em or for them.

This was one of the reæons Iloved the story of brave Shadrach,Meshach, and Abølnego. They wereJewish boys kidnapped by soldiersa¡d taken to a far away countrywhere people did not understandabout God. But these boys and theirfriend, Daniel, did not forget God.

As they grew up in the king'spalace, they d¡d not do as the othersdid. They did not drink the king'swine or eat his rich, high-fat food.They prayed a¡d studied and servedGod. They were even healthier thanthe others. The king noticed theywere different. He saw somethingspecial about them. He chose themto be important in helping run hiscountry.

This made the other young menangry and jealous. But, Shadrach,Meshach and Abednego weren'tdoing anything wrong. They weren'tsneaking around or breaking any

laws. Their enemies kept looking forsome \üay to make them look bad inthe king's eyes. They finally thoughtof sometling.

The king was planning a bigcelebration. He had a huge statue ofhimself made of gold and declaredthat everyone would have to bowdown and worship it. But the threebrave Jewish young men refused.They were like us; they did notbelieve in worshipping statues. Theywere told by the angry king to eitherworship the statue or be prepared todie in a huge furnace filled wit}r .fire.

They quietly answered him,'King, we are not afraid to ansrveryou. Our God that we serve is ableto deliver us from the burning, fieryfr¡rnace. He will deliver us if Hewants. But, if not, we still will notserve your gods or worship t¡e statuethat you have set up."

The king was so fu¡ious that hetold his strongest men to tie up thethree Jewish believers and to carrythem to the ñrrnace to toss theminside. Fuel was added so tllat thefurnace was seven times hotter thannormal. As the strong men camenea¡ the furnace carrying Shadrach,Meshach, and Abednego, the heat ofthe fire killed them.

But God spared the lives of Hisfollowers. Inside the ftirnace werefour individuaìs, not three! KingNebuchadnezzar declared the fourthperson that appeared in the furnacewas 'like the Son of God." Theywere not burned at all! Everyonewas astonished to see the threeJewish men and the fourth personwalking in the flames. The kingcame near the furnace and called forthem to come out. He praised God

with great praise and said, 'Blessedbe the God of Shadrach, Meshach,and Abednego. who hath sent hisangel, and delivered his servânts thattrusted in him. . . I make a decree(law) that every people, nation, andlanguage which speak anythingagainst this God shall be cut inpieces, and their bouses shall beturned into nothing but dirt, becausethere is no other God that can deliverin this way!" Then the king pro-moted these three young men to haveeven more power in his kingdom.

Everyone could see the power ofGod because three young men werewilling to live the right way, andeven die to defend the right way ofserving God. We, today, serve thatsame powerful and loving God. Heis also ajealous God. He tells useach not to worship things made ofstone (statues or crystals or "lucky"stones.) He tells us not to worshipthings made of wood (fancy buildingsor carvings, even of little figures that

(Continued on Page l2)

WORD SEARCH

SHADRACHMESHACHABEDNEGODIDNOTDRINKOREATTHE

KINGSFOODTHEYSERVEDTHEONETRUEGOD

T E N o T H E H

E H M G R E C T

T H E E D A S R

K G s N R T E U

I Y H D D R E

N E A E N o D

G H C B K o E o

s T H A T F D G

November 1997

0ur llonenfrday

By Sßter JUS Coppa

On July 26, I997, the Plum-brook. Michigan Branch was thegathering site of about sixty-sixsisters from all over the Great LakesRegion. Our purpose was to meetand enjoy the fellowship of our threesisters who traveled from Spartan-burg, South Carolina. \üe began ourmeeting with prayer and singing atnoon, which was followe<l by aluncheon. After lunch, we returnedto the Church auditorium for praying,singing and testimony.

Sister Arline r'ly'hitton, GeneralCircle President, and a member of theGreat Lakes Region, welcomedeveryone and introduced our visitingSpartanburg sisters. Sisters ShirleyGray, Jessie Hall and Mamie Meanswere asked to share with us theirexperiences of how they came toknow tle Church and how they feelabout their membership in the Ladies'Uplift Circle. Each sister relayed tous their personal contact with theLord and how each of them wereseeking the true Church. They weredirected by God to the truth of TheChurch of Jesus Christ. These sistersexpressed strongly that no whereelse, but here with the saints will youfind the "true love of God." SistersShirley, Jessie and Mamie also sangseveral hymns for the congregation.Their singing was filled with love,faith and enthusiasm for serving theLord. Throughout their testimoniesand singing, everyone could feel thepresence of the Holy Spirit. Thisfeeling was confirmed by the visualexperiences of two of the sisterssitting in the congregation. SisterConnie Leopoldo saw a beautifulPersonage of the Lord behind eachsister as she gave her testimony.Sister Sally Dubreuil sa\ry a brightlight around each sister as they werespeaking.

During the meeting, we alsoenjoyed the singing and piano playingof Sister Kathy Natoli who sang, I/is

Great Lakes Region Ladies' Circle Hosts Visitfrom Sisters of Spartanburg, SC

S¡sters Lorra¡ne DeMercurio, Mam¡e Means, Shirley Gray, C¡ndyHenderson, Joann Cotellesse, Jess¡e Hall, Arl¡ne Wh¡tton

Strength is Perfect, and SisterRoseanne Champine who sang a songshe has written, The Melody ofSalvation. Botlr of these songscarried the same beautiful spirit wewere experiencing throughout theday's gathering. As we ended ourafternoon, Sister Arline explainedsome of the arrangements that havebeen made for the General CircleFellowship Weekend to be held inCharleston, South Carolina, July 16-19, 1998. The sisters of Spartanburgwill be our hosts and they invited theLadie.s' Circle members and otherswho attend, to come to Charlestonnext July. Our sisters are eagerlya\ryaiting our visit. They also invitedus to come before next July and visìtall the members of the SpartanburgMission. The amount of love whichwas felt among all of us as sisterscannot adequately be explained inwords. Everyone in attendance feltan immeasurable amount of God'sblessings.

This fellowship and singspirationevent culminated a year of enjoyableactivities in our Great Lakes RegionLadies' Circle. Last March, we helda Ladies Informational Day where wewere treated to lunch and manyspeakers on different topics ofinterest to women. In the spring, weenjoyed a fund-raiser fashion show

which was well attended. A motherand daughter banquet followed in themonth of May and in June we visited,Às a group of forty, the Harrison,Michigan Mission. Through theseactivities, as a Region, our sistets andCircle members have become closerin natural friendship. They havedeveloped a more spiritual bond withthe Lord and also one another. MayGod continue to bless our Ladies'Uplift Circle.

Note of Thanks

I would Iike to thank my broth-ers and sisters for their prayers,cards, phone calls, and visits duringmy recent surgery. I know that Godheard and answered your prayers. Iam doing very well. Thank God.

Sister Teresa Locci and family

**ri***+

Our family, Bucci's andKovacic's, would like to express ourheartfelt thanks to those who calledand sent cards with the passing awayof Brother Tim D. Bucc¡. Blest bethe tie that binds.

Phyllis Kovacic

November, 1997

A

Bnd¡dilli¡rior il¿ur

Baptism in Lockport, NY

By Sister Anroinette Gìawante

r e had a glorious day May 18,1997 as visitors came ftom NewJersey, Erie, PA, Rochester andNiagara Falls, NY to witness thebaptism of Sister Dianne Rosati. Ourmorning service was opened byBrother Joe Perri. Using Enos æ histext, our brother spoke on the joy ofthe saints. As our new sister was toexperience, nothing brings greaterjoy than turning one's life over ûo

God. The baptism was performed byBrother Leonard Benyola. She wasconfirmed by Brother Joe Perri.

Sister Dianne is attendingcollege in Florida. She began visit-ing the Hollywood Branch with heraunt, Sister Louise Rosati, who wasspending the winters in Florida. I¡ftime Sister Dianne began to feel theSpirit of the lord calling her torepentance and baptism. Her desirewas to join the Church and return toLockport for her baptism so that herfamily muld share this wonderfulevent.

Sister Dianne is attending theHollywood Branch while finishingher education.

Baptism in Monongahela,PA

þ Brothcr Richard Nuh

On July 20, 1997, úe Monon-gahela, Pennsylvania Branch startedoff tle Sabbath Day the best waypossible, at the river's edge. Manybrothers and sisters gathered towitness the baptism of Brotherr ayne Stevens who is seventy-sixyears of age. His late mother, SisterClara Stevens, was a member of theChurch many years ago and attendedthe West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania

Branch. Brother Alexander Cherryperformed the baptism.ì e returned to Church fot Sun-day School. After Sunday School,we gathered for our morning preach-ing service. Opening prayer wasoffered by Brother Don Ross. TheElders then encircled Brother rüaynefor the confirmation of the HolyGhost. Brother William Chepanoske(Chip) led the brothe¡s in prayer andasked God to choose one of them toconfirm our new brother. BrotherWayne was then confirmed byBrother Don Ross. Due to an illnesswhich prohibits Brother Wayne fromstaying at Church all day, Commun-ion was administered to him byBrother Richard Scaglione.

Our preaching service wasopened by Brother Chip. His opicwas food and how important it is tous, not only the natural food but thespiritual food as well. He told howhe became ill from a fast food reståu-rant in the past, but he said the foodhere in the Church is good food. Heread ftom John 21 where the dis-ciples were fishing a.ll night and didnot catch anything. Then, when theysaw Christ in the morning and Hesaid, "Cast your nets on the rightside," they caught so many fish theycould not carry them all. When theygot to shore, Je.sus had fish on thefire and He had bread. 'Jesus hadmade it," Brother Chip said, "and atthe baptism our brother took in thefish and the bre¿d Jesus prepared. "Brother Chip said Jesus has made thefood and is ready to serve it. Jesus

said to come and dine and the food ishere for us to be spiritually healthy.He said that just as the body needs tobe exercised to be heålthy, the soulneeds to be exercised as well, and wecan do that by praying, meditating,studying the Scriptures and doing thethings God wants us to do. BrotherChip then said, "We must eât to livenaturally, so we have to do it spiritu-ally as well. God prepares good foodand good things for us and we a¡ealways welcome." He referred toAlma 5:34-35 and mentioned how weall need the Bread of Life to have a

good spir¡tual life. This comes ftomChrist who set up the Chutch, not

men. Brother Chip extended theinvitation to all to come and dine andkeep eating the good food Christprepares for us. He then referred toAlma 5:26 and stressed that we allneed God everyday and we need tohold on to our identity. If we putGod first, He will help us anywhere,anytime and with anytling. Heconcluded by saying the most beåuti-ful meal is here in The Church ofJesus Christ.

Brother Richard Scaglionefollowed by asking if we have anymeat in our spiritual refrigerator.We prepæe and stock it with testimo-nies and sermons. The disciples didnot have any meat and Christ wastempted with food after fasting forforty days. "Ma¡ can't live by breadalone," he said. "We must keep ourspiritual reftigerator stocked so wedo not run out when hard times come(i.e. illness, afflication, etc.). Heconcluded by saying that to haveChrist in us, we must partake ofsacrament ând that we have meattoday in the Scriptures.

This day was a very beautifuland blessed one for all of us. Wehope and pray that all of us can sta¡tevery Sunday at the edge of thewater. God bless you all.

Youth in Action Hosted bySpartanburg, SC Mission

By Sister Connie Rossi

The Spartanburg, South Ca¡olinaMission wæ recently blessed byhaving the Youth In Action groupvisit us from July 30 to August 10,1997. The young people attendingthe summit were Sister JulieSchroeder from St. John, Kansas;Sister Heather Onorato from theMaine Mission; Jared Bright ftomLevittown, Pennsylvania; BrotherDan Cornell from McKees Rocks,Pennsylvania; Brother Osbaldo Reyesfrom Freehold, New Jersey andBrother Rich Nath from Monon-gahela, Pennsylvania. They wereaccompanied by Sister Cindy Brightand Brother Jerry Valenti of Levit-

November, t997

town, Pennsylvania and Brother MikeNuzzi of Niles, Ohio. A week afterthe Youth In Action group arrived inSpartanburg, we had other brothersand sisters along with visitors attend-ing the summit from Florida, NewJersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia andMichigan. They presented seminarsattended by the youth group andother members of the Mission.

The visiting youth along withthe youth of the Spartanburg Missiondid many exciting things togetherincluding passing out flyers of theChurch by going door to door inlocal neighborhoods, vis¡ting andsinging at nursing homes, attendingseminars at the Church and makingcrafts. While the young pmple werehere, they experienced many bless-ings from the Lord in tìeir prayersand activitiqs with each other.

At one prayer meeting that theyouth had on their own one night,Brother Rich Nath recalled an experi-ence that another brother had inwhich he felt the Spirit of the Lord ina cool breeze and asked, 'Ìf that'syou Lord, then why was it a coolbreeze and not a ì arm one?" Thel¡rd answere<l him saying, 'If it wasa warm breeze, you wouldn't havethought it was Me." So Brother Richprayed asking the Lord that if He wæwith them to send a breeze and theLord sent a steady breeze that keptblowing during the rest of the prayermeeting.

At another prayer meeting withthe young people at Brother HaroldLittlejohn's house, they were outsideand the dogs were barking. BrotherRich Nath said a prayer asking thatthe dogs would stop barking anddisturbing the meeting. They didstop for the duration of the meeting.

During a prayer meeting held atthe Church, Sister Ca¡mella Madisonof the Edison, New Jersey Branchwas praying for the children of thesaints and Brother Mike Nuzzi lookedat the sign in front of the Church thatsaid, 'The Church of Jesus Christ."He saw the wall open up and saw thechildren marching in the sky. BrotherJerry Valenti and Sister Cindy Brightboth had similar dreams that we werehaving a meeting at Church and they

both saw three young people ftomour Mission signing up for some-thing. At the end of the summit, oneof our young people, Sister Shenie.shaLaShawn Spruill-Hill, ninete€n,asked for her baptism. We believethat is what our brother and sistersaw in their dreams, that three youngpeople were to ask for their baptisms.One already came forward and webelieve there are two more that theLord is calling. We ask that youwould keep these young people, andall the children of the Church, inprayer that each one will renderobedience to the Gospel and will bebaptized into the Church one day.

We truly enjoyed having theYouth In Action visit the Spartanburg,South Carolina Mission and the manyblessings t}ey have brought to each

and every one of us. l e ask every-one to pray for them daily and thatthe Lord will continue to use ouryouth to further the work of theChurch and His Kingdom.

Baptism at Branch #lChesterfield Township, Ml

By Sister Lynne Nieves

For those of us from Branch #1,Chesterfield Township, Michigan,not able to take part in tlre joy ofCampout this year, we were able totaste some of the fruit of the beautifulspirit felt there. Tiffany Impastatohad asked for her baptism at theCampout and wæ baptized on July27, 1997 at Branch #l . Severalexperiences were had on this day andseveral days leading up to thisglorious event.

On the morning of the baptism,Brothe¡ Tom Everett felt directed ofGod to baptize Tiffany. Not sayinganything about what the Lord hadrevealed to him, Tiffany later askedBrother Tom to perform the baptism,confirming the Lord's direction.

We met back in our building andcelebrated the baptism in song as wewaitql for Sister Tiffany's confirma-tion. The Ministry gathered aroundour new sister and knelt in prayer to

æk the l¡rd for inspiration æ to whowould perform the confirmation. Asthe brothers encircled Sister Tiffany,Sister Denise Alderson saw Brotl¡erJerry Benyola standing behind SisterTiffany with his hands on her headand praying for her confirmation.

When the brothers rose fromtheir knees, Brother Jerry approachedSister Tiffany and confirmed her tlatshe would now have the Holy Ghostwithin her. As BrotherJerry performedthe confirmation, Sister Denisethought, "Why is Brother Jerry con-firming her twice?" She then real-ized that the Lord had shown her whowould confirm Sister Tiffany. SisterDenise related this experience imme-diately after the confirmation.

Sister Lorraine Thomas thenstood from her seât and related adream she had a week earlier. In thedream, Sister Lorraine was greetingall of the young people in the Churchwhen she saw Tiffany walkingtowards her. She kisse<l and huggedher, and asked her if she had gottenbaptized. Tiffany, with a big smileon her face replied, "Yes."

(Cont¡nued on Page 10)

,Announcement,: .

For November, 1997, theCD rates for the Gêneral ChurtþBuilding fund are as follows:

5.70V0' , ,.

5.90:%'.::t.6.0OVo ' :'.

6.10%ì :. ,.

u.16ç:,::

I yeàr'2 years3 years

' 4 years5. years

Deposis to this û¡nd canonly be made by branches andauxiliary organizations of TheChùiCh:of Jesus Christ.,,t: :: . ,'., :':-' -.r" ;ã[¿¡ ¡éøilì 6'¡,ti¡t iñ:additional information, pleasecontact Bfother Gary Martin at:

202 Waterworks Rd.

'Cla¡ion,,lÀ',,',1621.14.1.,::.t,:,.,:,,;.:.,8t4-227-2+21

10 November, t997

BRANCHlcontinued...

Brother Edwa¡d Palposi thenstood up and said that as the brotherswere confirming Sister Tiffany, hesaw the Lord place His hands onTiffany's head, and he he¿rd the Lordsay, 'I will $,atch over you child forthe rest of your life." We thank Godfor His many blessings, confirmat¡ons,and manifqstations of His Spirit. Prayfor our new sister in Christ.

Identity

I saw a sister, who is no longer a sister,But certainly not of her choosing.She lovqs the Church and knows that

the churchenvelopes the truth that she's losing.

For the Lord did show me, of this sisteryou see,

and how that she lost something great.Her IDENTITY ailing, her fidelity

fa iling,He warns us to steer elear of this fate.

It's a parable, you see, of somethingterrible, you see,

Of what would soon come upon us.And if you continue to read, you can

caution and heedAnd knowingly save yourself from it.

I first saw two tables, two d¡stincttables,

two churches-ours and theirs.They each had upon them the things

that belong to them,The things that belong to their heirs.

Behind their table stood a minister;a man representing that church.And behinds ours stood the woman;The woman-in Revelations; the

Church.

One church built on the precepts ofmammon,

One church established through ChristTwo distinct tables; tr.vo churches.One on the left and the right.

He said, 'You must not feed from

tH'o tables.You must not paÍake what's not yours.You must stay to me and what I've

provided for thee. "A warning to heed or ignore.

And then He foretold of the outcomeìf you should choose to ignore,Your IDENTITY begins to be coveredAnd you're not who you were anymore.

You become like a ship in the waterr'Vhen ba¡nacles attach to a boat.Their thoughts and their ways attach

to you,a covering much like a coat.

And your IDENTITY begins to becovered,

UNKNOWINGLY because you'll denyThat the food that I eat does not

effect meBut you know it's not true-so do I.

Sister Becky Tarbuck

DIRECTORY UPDATE

Benyola, Christina1390 Northgate Circle #102Oneida, FL 32'765

Benyola, Philip Sr., Linda, Philip Jr.14567 El Paseo DriveSeminole, FL 337768t3-517-9236

FIanagan, Chris22805 Grove #25St. Clair Shores, MI 48080810-77l-5987

Gennaro, Betty12252 S.W . 102 TerraceMiami, FL 33186305-598-8907

Gibson, Brett8t0 Plate A-101Rochester, MI 48307248{08-6780

Grosbeck, George Jr.30635 Quinkert Apt 102Roseville, MI 4806ó8t0-7754769

King, Jacqueline612 Heron Court I

Coraopolis, PA 15108412495-3004

Lowther, Richard208 N. 3rd St.Connellsville, P^ 15425412428-2327

BAPT|SMScontinued...

all that He has done in my life."Please continue to pray for

Brother Dan. He still faces manytrials in his service to the MarineCorp. We have been praying for himfor many years and are so gratefulthat he had the wisdom and courageto give his life to God.

The second new addition to ourmembership was Brother PeterPrechel. He is the son ofSisterMarge D'Amico. You may havealready read her baptismal testimonyin the May issue of the Gospel News.we are so thankful that they bothchose to serve God for the rest oftheir days. I asked him to share histestimony with all of you as well.

Brother Pete: "About one yearago, Sister Cindy Parravano askedme ifI planned on getting baptized. Itold her that I d¡d, but that I wasconfused âbout what it means to doso and when do you know if you areready. She answered me saying,'Some people think they have to becleansed first and then get baptized.What these people do not understandis that being baptized is the cleansingand the loss of confusion occurs afteryou have already been baptized.' ÀsI found out a year later, she wasright.

'About tìvo months after talkingto Cindy, Sister Jan Steinrock askedme a similar question and I gave hera similar answer. She then asked mea question no one had ever asked mebefore. She æked me ifl had everprayed about it. The answer was no.As silly as it seems, I never eventhought about doing that. For tlenext several months, I began to pray

November, 1997 11

for the understanding of baptism aswell as other things such as holycommunion, why we say grace beforeeating, fasting, why the Book ofMormon is not recognized by allChristian churches and the meaningof the gift of tongues. Slowly butsurely, the Lord started to revealthese things to me in many ways.

'The main reason that I was soapprehensive about being baptized isthat I had a bad experience in anotherchurch and was very confused. Mostof the members of that church weresimply going through the mot¡ons ofattending a church and did not havethe spiritual or emotional connectionwith God. Because of this, it wasvery important for me to knowexactly what it meant to give yourlife to Jesus Christ sincerely, spiritu-ally. and by premeditated consciouschoice. Thank God, that is exactlywhat I have done.

"I do not know if this is rare ornot, but the Lord was very specificwhile instructing me when the righttime was. Over the summer of 1996,I had many dreams of BrotherLeonard Lovalvo bringing me ¡ntothe water. This was strange at thetime because Brother Le¡nard wasslowly recovering f¡om an accidentand he still had an apparatus underhis arm for support. I knew that itwould be a while before he washealed enough to baptize me.

"During the first week of March1997 , I heañ that a favorite per-former of mine was going to be intown. I had a very strong feel¡ng toattend this performance. There weresome obstacles in my way and I feltthat I may not be able to attend. Thefeeling that I must somehow get therewas with me continuously. I wasunsure just why I felt so stronglyabout attending but I knew that Imust. Many of the obstacles werequickly removed. Everything fellinto place and I did make it to theevent. This was a leap of faith forme as I have never really followed astrong feeling such a¡; I had. I was sofilled with the Holy Spirit before,during and after the performanceeven though it was not exactly areligious event.

'During the course of theevening, I began to ask God forcertain things that I desired in mylife. I had an overwhelming feelingthat God would help me obtain thæegoals if only I would give myself toHim. I was amazed. All at once in asingle statement, months of confilsionsuddenly became clear. Right thenand there, ìryatching this performance,I knew that I would have to comm¡tmyself to the Lord.

'This was not the end however,because I still had to æk for mybaptism. Little did I know that Iwould have to wait five weeks withthis knowledge inside me. Branch #2was undergoing some major renova-tions and we did not have a meetingfor several weeks. I was honored tobe the first person to ask for mybaptism in the newly restored build-ing on April 13, 1997 , although Iwas a little confused because BrotherLeonard was attending Six Nationsthat day and I knew that this was tìeday. I asked for my baptism and theElders prayed about it. I was baptizedby Brother Alex Gentile and con-firmed by Bro. Paul Whitton. Themost ironic part was how and where Imatle this decision to serve God.This is absolute proof that the Lorddoes work in myster¡ous ways."

The Lord has certainly blessedour Branch with many new members.We are all very grateful for His good-ness to us. Please continue to pråy forus as we plant the seeds in our area.

Kingdom of Heaven and was instru-mental in bringing her family andseveral generations to the Gospel ofJesus Christ.

Another of Sister Heylen'saunts, Josephina, encouraged herbrother, Estafan, to have hands laidon for God's comforting Spirit, as hewas mourning the death of his son.Others were prayed for and anointed.Numerous testimonies were given,with some saying that they hadenjoyed the meetings and felt theSpirit of God. Others expresse<l theirappreciation for the servicqs.

The brothers stated, "Vy'e feltthat God was working witlt severalindividuals and some who have thepotential for assisting in establishingthe Gospel in Venezuela. We felt thetrip was very worthwhile. " They arehopeful that the brothers from theMiami area can make a return visitby mid-November.

There were many inquiries aboutEvangelist Fred Olexa and his health,and several asked when he woul<l bereturning. He had been to Venezuelain the past and was scheduled tomake this trip, but he could notbecause of affliction; thus BrotherChristman went in his place.

Sister Heylen performed the taskof translating for the services and thediscussions, Sister Julie assisted withsome of the translating and providedthe musical accompaniment, andSisters Marcia and Pat gave evidenceof their many years of faithfulness inThe Gospel of Jesus Christ.

MESSAGEcontinued...

years old.

OTHER WORSHIP SERVICE

The next Sunday service wasalso well attenderl with twenty-fourvisitors, bringing the total to thirty.Songs of Zon ìvere sung in Englishand Spanish. The scripture topic was"Seek Ye First the Kingdom ofHeaven," presented by Brother Dick.Brother Tom followed and enlargedupon the topic. He also related howhis grandmother had soughr first the

EDITORIAL cont¡nued. . .

\ hat a meal! What a feast! Itwas fresh and warm! Where did itcome from? Who was the chefl Itwas provided by and prepared by ourgreat and wonderful Lord. It waseven delivered in a white car!

This meal that the Lord providedfor Sister Helen Campitelle wasshared with others. Originally, all shehad was beans in her home. Thatwas the extent of her family's natural

(Continued on Page l2)

t2 November, t997

Children Blessed

Connor Cha¡les Zurek, son of Christie and Charle.s

Zurek, was blqssed on luly 2O, 1997 in the SterlingHeights, Michigan Branch.

- Nicholas Andrew Pratt, son of Lisa and Michael

Pratt, Ìvas blessed on July 20, 1997 in the SterlingHeights, Michigan Branch.

-Donte Francis Dalfavo, son of Vidi and Michele

Dalfavo was blessed on luly 27, 1997 in the SterlingHeights, Michigan Branch.-Brian

Joseþh Crump, son of Frank Crump and.Janice

Frammolino-Crump, wis blessed in the Sterling Heights'Michigan Branch on August 10, 1997.

B-rendan Geerts, soá of Lisa @occomino) and JeffGe€rts, was blessed in the Sterling Heights, MichiganBranch on August 24, 1997.

BaPtisms

Paoline Grosse was baptized on December 15' 1996

in Branch #1, Chesterfield Township, Michigan. She wæbaptized by Brother Peter Scolaro and confirmed byBrother Louis Pietrangelo.

Mark Joseph Cotellesse of the Saline, MichiganBranch was baptize<l on July 16, 1997 at the GMBACampout. He was baptized by Brother DouglasObrá<tovich and confrrmed by Brother John Buffa.

Jennifer Lynn Conger of the Sterling Heíghts'Michigan Branðh was baptized at the GMBA Campout on

July 16, 1997. She was baptized by Brother John

Strâccia and confirmed by Brother Larry Henderson.,,Dominic David DiBâttista was baptized on July 27,

1997 at Branch #1, Chesterfield Township, Michigan.He was baptizøl by Brother John Buffa and confirmed by

Brother Louis Pietrangelo.

Jim Fortunato was baptized on September 10, 1997 t

in the Youngstown, Ohio Branch. He was baptized, by '

Brother Ron Gena¡o and confirmed by Brother Joe Genaro'

Michael McGuire was baptized on September 14'

1997 in the Monongahela, Pennsylvania Branch. He was

baptized by Brother Alexander Cherry and confirmed by

Brother Donald Ross.

EDITORIAL continued. . .

food. They had nothing else to eat! Sister Campitelle .sha¡ed the iove of God with another family. She sha¡ed

her bountv and experience with Brother and Sister

Framilin (Frammolino¡. There was no selfishness, just a

desire to ihare the blessings of God. This is 'Thanks-giving. "-

lVe have to be quick to thank our God for all He

does for us, for everþing He gives us. Ammonsaid itso well. \Ye read in Alma 26:37, "Now my brethren, we

see that God is mindfr¡l of every people, whatsoever Ìand

thev mav be in: vea, he numbereth his people, and his

boúels óf mercy are over all the ea¡tl. Now this is my

iov. and mv sreat thanksg¡ving; yea, and I will give

há¡ts untd riy God forever. Amen." May our joy- be.in

úe Lorcl. May our thanksgiving be great and our thanks ,

expressed to dod forever. May orlr thanksgiving never

cease.His meals are pure and lifegiving' He is truìy. the

bread of life. Wheñ we participate in the feast of the

Lord, we are never hungry. We are spiritually full!Theró is a feast of good things for those who love and

serve the Lord. There is a feast of good things for those

who sive their lives to Jesus Christ.fre can all sing the following short hymn lt simply

states, 'Thank youlord for saving my soul, Thank you

Lord îor making me whole. Thank you Lord for giving

to me, Thy great salvation so rich and free!" Happy

Thanksgiving to you all!

Address Change

Name

Address

CHILDREN'S CORNER continued. ..

people call *angels'). We are not to worship anythingireáted bv the hands of men and women. But we are to

worshio tie one true God in our he¿rts and in our lives

and in ihe things we do to help each other' Don't be

afraid to stand up for good and for God's ways.

If vou slio and fall and make a mistake, remember,

our Goá forgives us over and over' Tell those who are

watchins thñ vou made a mistake. Ask, in tl¡e name ofJesus. fõr forgiveness from your sin or mistake and start

over.' Throug-h watching God work in your life, many

will see and 6elieve. Trust the Lord; He cares for you'

With care,Sister Jan

ÊöbDel1{oilrsw

Volume 53, No. l2December 199',1

The Birth of Jesus Christ

"Out of Obscurity"

By Brother Alexander Cherry

back in fear. Then he speaks, "Don'tbc afraid, I bring you news ofgrcatjoy. Today is born unto you inDavid's city, the Saviour, who isChrist the Lord- Go to Him. You willfind Him in newbom's clothing, lyingin a manger."

"But lhou, Bethlehem Ephratah, be forced to retum to hcr a¡d her ,r^ ^-t*l"lt tn" sky was filled with

though thou be litrte among rhe husband's city of t¡"ir ü¡u''¡iiiäg. 11"^,i9i}^"j.God' praising God' and

thousands of Judah, yer ottt of thee Mary and Joseph, *";;;;;i;il; *:11']it^:i*nn that peace and good

shall he come forth irto m" íhot ¡, lost in the crowd on that dusiy ioad to \rytll had^come'

to be ruter ¡n tsraet; whose goings rheir dcsriny. u.* r-i-päirr"Ï" " ,-^,^.At^:l:lnttos hurricd to thc citv

þrrh have beenfrom of otrt, from wonder, saw wirh p¡rv ,í,t"ãírä*ìi" !:':::ry:lt bv the inns and homes

evertastins,, Graicarr s:z¡. ,.sreatwith chird-L sl,e-aígjil^*- *i:ü.*i,,ff'8:ii;l,i,i:i,:i,This passage by thc Prophct a¡xious matc toiled along with theml :';i' ' lî'*Micah esøblishðs at teast twô things: she bearing h"t ¿¡.tt"rr å'u"i,.iI"' :"llt:,tl:1ï"0'hem

the words of the

the etemat non-changing exisrence of coutd. Then anea¿, ngrtã, ie-trriàñe*l ns^l:"^T:lÎi"s the christ child'

Jesus christ, and that He would come Joseph seeks rrt"lr"r il väö, "'

IH:I-Z ^t:tumed' praising God for

out of a plaóe that was historically but in vain. At last, an animal shéíter, t't Y,1l-t]1-significant but had faded into jusi carved out of the hill.¡¿. ø iãr

'"'-" -^-,-,Ï':"-TÎÎ.1?i3:""?LÎX^Y.i^T'

anotheÍ smalt town. lhe na¡ne small cave room. Joseph finds a small lT].tlg-:i a levcl lryltn tnc Jcwlsn

Bethlehem means, "House of Bread." oil lamp and uv,¡. ¿ir gnïäiltgü,' Pnesthoo{in their own land ì hv did

How fitting that He who was and is acts the role of mia*it" å"ä""å'ø"*' l"J.^"fT^"1"Thev knew the prophecies

the "Living Bread," shourd be bom his young wife i" rr.r u"î"i1. äi'läî f,T'tll-f-:l^" J"*s' but the star which

here. Historically it was the place labor is complete an¿,rt. uäv.ärä-" S^lÎ.T^yÎ""'" mvstery to l¡em'

where Jacob had buried his b'eloved promised them by,¡" -eãið"t'iär T.:f*::j::::i':"".f"*^|.T:'}-Rachel. It was here that Ruth livcd ämes forrÏ. Hii tiny voice, which l::,tl1",illTt*ce or tne new suìr

when she marricd Boaz. Above all, ir witt forever alrer the li"".îi å'-*i"¿, l:119* lP^:"ting of a "King ofwas thc home a¡d ciry of David. All is first heard. H" rit*r-ïã"á..iiîìT' 5^t|^tÏ^.,"::1"* "f

their very nature

rïese were in rhc ancéstry orour rathcr cteans Him -¿ pul.iîìå ìï trj;:ff3r*+itåålno?ulä0"|ïjni" t'

Lord. It was here, then, that the Jews His mother's arms. )asmen perceived it. It,xpected their Messiah io be bom. Nearbv, shepherds sining on the liirÌJT,"ut""

There is not.lring by chance in hilltops tcnding their shccp,, are. . "'"'î'suided them to the house whereGod's world. When Augustus enjoying the tra¡quility of the nrsht. --';';-

caesar decided to tax a¡d take a whar's that? wrt" ir ütãiiî åä. u Yutv -.1 Jo:enh, had, taken reside¡ce'

census of tlre world he ruled, hc being, stands bcfore thcm and light, No quesllon lor rnem! lnrswâstne

caused the mother of the Saviour to brilliant, bathes them. They shrink (Cont¡nued on Page 10)

December 1997

Apostle Peter A.Scolaro

New Apostle's Reflectionson the Olfice

Newly ordained Apostle Peler A.Scolaro is fhe youngesl member ofthe Quorum of Twelve, born on May7, 1947 to Brother Anthony andSister Angela Scolãlo of Derroil,Michigan Branch L Brolher Pelerwas baptized on May I9, 1963 al aGMBA Conference in Youngslown,Ohio by his father and confrmed intothe Gospel by Brother Paul Vilto. Amember ofBranch I all his yaars inthe Church, he was ordained aI'eacher on Oclober 29, 1972, anElder on May 27, 1979, and anEvangelist on November 5, 1989.Brolher Peter and his wife SisterMarilln have l'rro children, BrolherChris, lwenty-þur, and Sis¡er Julie ,heenty-one,

As Brother Peter leamed of hisrecommendation for ordination as a¡Apostle some months before confer-ence, he has had time to reflect on thecalling and to prepare for the workalead. When asked about this time ofreflcction, our brother expressed: "Iquickly undertook a briefreview ofthe scriptures to refiesh myself on theoliginal Twelvc plus the Apostle Paul.I cannot put into words the feelingsthat came over me as I read oftheseearly Apostles and their walks andtalks with the Lord. I visualizedtwelve chairs, originally occupied bymen whose calling came in the formofthe Lord's voice, in the flesh, as Hehand-picked them.

"Things likc the writings ofMatthew, John, Peter, and Paul,which comprise the greater part of theNew Teståment-Paul's missionaryaccomplishments and support, nomatter what circumstances envelopedhim-the revelation given to andshared by John-the collective andindividual courage shown in the faceof persecuting Jews and Roma¡s-allserve to emphasize my own humanityard frailty in comparison to thepossibilities of the Lord's expecta-

tions. Consider, ifyou will, beingccrtain of the Lord's calling (as Hehas been clear énough to me in Hisrevelation) while simultaneously

.recognizing the great manifestationsof God's Spirit through the Apostleswho have preceded me-both longago and in morc rccent history. Ihavc found myself in ar almostconstånt state of prayer, secking toput and keep myself in readiness toreceive the grcater portion of God'sSpirit which I am convinced is needed

to close the gaps between what I amand what I need to be. Bc assuredthat all who support me in theirpiayers are humbly appreciated."

Insights on thc calling and theofficc havc como to our brother on

different horizons. He rcmarks ona.nother aspcct of his ¡eflection, "I feeltremendous gratitude and anticipationover the opportunity to be used by theLord. I recently encountered a verscin Paul's writings to the Ephesians(Chapter 3:8-9). Although I fre-quently refer to this passage, I neverbefore felt ûre empathy with Paul thatI do now in truly sensing the grace

affordcd us in the pnvilege ofpreach-ing 'lhe unsearchable riches ofChrisl' and making 'all men see whalis the fellowship of lhe mystery,which . . . hath been hid in God.' "

Brother Peter continues, "Al-though I've becn in the Priesthood forover eighteen years, my scnse ofgraceand privilege in doing the work ofthcLo¡d have never been as great as now.

Perhaps because I undcrstood that'whosoever will may come,' I just I

took for granted the opportunity tocome into and grow in the Church.

"From the time I was a small boyI have always been cxcited by theworkings ofthe Church. I grew upclose to brothers whose lives werededicated to serving tÏe Lord and HisChurch. I loved to go places with myfather, an Elder in the Chu¡ch, a¡doften had the opportunity to sit quietlywhile brothers discussed challenges,successes, and opportunities as theChurch encountered them. Thcscdiscussions made indelible impres-sioirs on me. As I grew up, contem-plating the success ofthe Lord'sChurch became an integral part ofmythought process. I thought it onlyreasonable to grow spiritually andnaturally within the context ofthcChurch over time.

"Now, howeve¡, this calling has

shakcn the parametors of what I hadformerly taken for grantcd. AlthoughI have always acknowledged God'sblessings and have never consideredmyself worthy, I have ncver before feltquite so unworthy as I do now oftheblessings I've already experienced, norhave I realized the pnvilege I'vealready had in preaching God's wordas much as I now realize in consider-ing the opportunity to serve as âItApostle in His Church. My desire isto be a contributor to the furthering ofthe Gospel, to the strengtlrening ofthesaints, to the bringing forth ofZion.Ifthe Lord will bless me so, I hope tobe instrumental in helping others toseek Christ's unsearchable riches andto see the fellowship of tho mystery.Again, please remember me in yourprayers."

While reflecting on the signifi-ca¡ce this ordination holds for himpersonally, Brother Scolaro alsostates, "I am fully aware that thecalling ofan Apostle is a matter /orthe perfecting ofsaints, for the workof the minisrry, for the edifying of thebody ofChrisr' (Ephesians 4:l l-12).As such, I know that setting asidepcrsonal priorities for the greatcr goodofthe Church must be anticipated. I

(Cont¡nued on Page 11)

Apostle Peter A Scolaro

December 1997

Apostle Isaac D. Smith

Brother Isaac D. Smith was bomin 1933 at Elizabeth, Pennsylvania toBrother Isaac a¡rd Sister GertrudeDreer Smith. When Brother Ike a¡dSister Gertie married, they eachbrought six children, seven girls andfive boys into the combined family.Brother Isaac D. Smith was the onlychild to their marriage. The familyattended Church at the Glassport,Pennsylvania Branch where he wasblessed as a child. Brother Ike grewand was spiritually nurtured at theGlassport Branch where he attendedall services. His father, along withsuch pillars ofthe Church as BrothersCharles Ashton and James Curry,were great influcnces in his everydayIiving.

Coming from a spiritually richheritage, Brother lke's family'saffiliation with the Church bcgan inthe early 1860's prior to the officialincorporation. Sister Gertrude was a¡ordained Deaconess. Her grandfather,William Bacon was the first secretaryof the General Church and was anordained Apostle. Brother lke'sfather, Brother Isaac Smith, Sr., wasordained an Apostle in l9l I and anuncle, Fred Smith, was an Apostlearound that same time. The Smithhome was continually filled withfamily, saints, füends and neighbors.Many throughout the Church ca¡r nodoubt recall visits in that home whichpossessed that special love ofthesaints of God.

At the age of twenty-three, hewas drafted into tÏe U. S. Army.While stationed at Ft. Ord, Califomia,he had a strong desire to attendChurch and found Apostle JosephLovalvo holdìng house me€tings innearby Monûerey. The Lord touchedBrother lke's heart that day, July l,1956 and Brother Joe Lovalvobaptized and confirmed him into TheChurch ofJesus Christ.

After his discharge from theservice, Brother lke retum€d toPennsylvania. He attended Church athis home branch of Glassport, Penn-sylvania. He was involved with manyChurch activities. While attending a

Gcneral Church Conference, he metSiste¡ Borulie Calabrese, daughter ofApostle Joseph and Sister VickiCalabrese of [,orain, Ohio. Whilecourting Sister Bonnie and attending ameeting in l¡rain one Sunday, thePriesthood gathered, including visitingApostle Rocco Biscotti. The Priest-hood felt the power and inspiration ofGod and took a pause in the servicc.While the congregation continued withsinging, the Ministry took Brother Ikeaside and told him they felt he wasbeing called into the Ministry.

Brother Ike and Sister Bonniewere married in Lorain, Ohio onOctober 17, 1959 by hcr uncle,Apostle Dominic Thomas. Theyresided in Elizabeth, Pcnnsylvania and

Apostle lsaac D. sm¡th

were members of tle GlassportBranch. Brother Ike was called to bean Elder by the Glassport Ministryand o¡dained October 22, 1961.Brother Ike and Sister Bonnie havefive children. They are: Isaac Joseph,Bria¡r Reed; twins, Thomas lon andTamara Dawn; a¡d Brent Aaron.

Brother lke, Sister Borurie andfamily movcd and began to worship atthe headquarters of the Church,Monongahela, Pennsylvania. Wor-shipping in Monongahela afforded theopportunity of observing and workingwith such pillars of the faith asBrothers William and Alma Cadman,George Neill, John Olexa and manyothers. Brother Ike served as Presid-ing Elder in Monongahela and contin-ued his service to the Church by way

of many commitæes and ofticeswithin the General Church.

Involvement in the MBA bec¿mca focus. Brother Ike served with thelate Brothers Joseph Milanûoni a¡rdAugust D'Orazio as well as BrothersDominic Thomas and Paul Palmieri.His late sister, Sister Ruth Akerman,ìvas the secretary at the time. He wasdedicaæd to the Restoration and theChurch. It was during this time, theGMBA inaugurated lhe Campoutconcrpt. The camp gatherings wcreso well received that since 1967, theyhave been hcld annually as weekJonggathcrings. A love for the youngpeople has always inspired Brotherlke and with the inception ofcampouts, thc focus was on lhe youthofthe Church. The purpose ofcampouts was one of fcllowship andleaming more of the Church in asheltered atmosphere. Throughout thehistory ofcampouts, many have bccnablc to put their lives in focus towardthe Gospel a¡d chosen to servc God inHis Church, through rcpentance andbaptism. This has been a rc¿lizationofa dream for Brother lke.

In April 1967, Brother Ike wascalled into the Quorum of Seventyand ordained a¡ Evangelist on April16, 1967 by Brother Alma Cadman.As hc was ordained, he rose andspoke in the gift of tongues and hascarried this gift until this day. BrotherIke participated in the Board ofMissions. A renewed spirit ofmissionary work was prevalent in theChurch at that time. Brother Ike andhis wife, Sister Bonnie, had a greatlove for the Restoration and theChurch. It manifested itself in a lovefor God's Chosen People, the Houseoflsrael, primarily the Seed ofJoseph, commonly known as NativeAmerica¡rs. Traveling throughArizona on a visit with Brother Dana¡ld Sister Dolores Picciuto in SanCarlos only served to reinforce theirconviction for the work-a work theChurch promoted as our first andforemost responsibility within theRestoration. A desire to do tlris workgrew until it became paramount intheir lives. In early 1969, this love

(Continued on Page 11)

December r997

A messa[efrom fhe"

$evenfy

Four New Evangelists Called, Deceased BrothersRemembered, Apostle President Speaks at

General Meeting of Seventies

By Carl J. þ'rammolino, Evangelisl Ed¡tor

addressed the Evangelists at thismeeting. He begar by briefly outlininghis many years in the Gospel. Bap-tized in 1933 in Detroit, Michigar, herecalled how he had heard brotherspreach who had inspired him to do allhe could for God. He reminisccd aboutand vividly described how the glory ofGod could be felt wben such lateApostlcs as Ishmael D'Amico, JosepbCorrado, and Thurma¡ S.Fumierspoke under the inspiration oftheSpirit. He said he was very moved bythe messages and power that he feltthrough their sermons,

In being an inspiring preacher ardnotjust a talker, Brother Lovalvostated that salvation of souls is theprimary responsibility of the Evange-lists and ofall thc cfforts in the Gospel.This goal must always be pursued. Healso reminded that the Est¿blishment,Apostasy, and Restoration oftheGospel were to bc preachcd to man-kind, with thc authority of God beingcmphasized.

He exhorted the brothers topreach with the intent ofstirring up theSpirit of God in all people. He said,"The room should light up when youspeak to inspire everyono to be moreexcited arìd wart to do more for thcLord. There should be preaching,testimony, and prayer mid-week nighlmcctings consistent with and to main-tain the high lcvcl ofjoy a¡rd determi-nation that have been created inSunday services."

Brother Lovalvo's entltusiasm,known wherever he has been, is stillpresent even though he has beenafflicted ìn his later years. His wordswere well received.

MISSIONARY REPORTS

Missionary reports were presentedby Evangelists John Griflith, Chairma¡of the Missionary Operating Commit-tee; Philip Jackson, Chairman oftheForeign Missions Operating Commit-tee; and Richard Christman, Chairmanof the Americas Missions OperatingCommittee. They traced tlre growthand development ofthe Church world-wide. Reports from missionaries who

(continued on Page 11)

Four new Evangelists were called,two deceased brothers wcre remem-bered a¡d Apostle Joseph Lovalvospoke at the Semi-Annual General

Quorum of Sevcnty Evangelists Con-ference Meeting at the World Confer-ence Center in Greensburg, Pennsyl-vania on Thursday, October 9. Malyother important matters, includingmissionary reports, also occupied theagenda.

The four Elders who were recom-mended and approvcd by the GeneralConference two days later to beordained Evangelists were Jim Hutten-berger, Mark Kovacic, Kenneth Staley,and Jerry Valenti. They have beeninvolved in various missionary activi-ties, besides being active in Brarch,Region, and General Church fi¡nctions.

Brother Huttenberger, who hasbeen in the Ministry for fifteen years,has been instrumental in formulatingard supporting goals and objectives ofmissionary activities.in the Pacifi cRegion. He has traveled extensivelythroughout the region in tlese endeav-ors.

Assistant Coordinator for thenation ofKenya, East Africa, BrotherKovacic has traveled tlere and hasspent time in reaching out to Native¿{mericans on various reservations inNorth America. Along with hisbrotler, Brother George Kovacic, hewas involved in starting a newsletterdirected to Native Americans, entitled

the True Vine Joumal. Brother Markbas been a¡ Elder for sixteen years.

Brother Staley, ordained into theMinistry eleven ycars ago, has visiteda¡d scrved as the Vice Chairman of theGuatemala Sub-Committee- In addi-tion, he is presently.the President oftheGeneral Missionary BenevolentAssociation and was the Editor of ZåeGospel News for fwe years.

Also a Minister for eleven years,Brother Valenti has been very devbtedto working with the young people ofthe Church through the GMBA Youth-in-Action Program, being chairman ofthe Y-I-A Committee. He has alsobeen active in writing Church litera-ture, including the llelcome Packetwhich is used by most branches andmissions throughout the Church.

PASSÌNG OF VETERAN EVÁNGELISTS

The passing of Brothers TiirothyBucci and Meredith Griffith wasobserved at the gathering. Both ofthese veteran aged brotlrers, who hadbeen afflicted toward the end of theirlives, werc vcry dedicated to theChurch's missionary work. For manyyears, Evangelist Gritrth had been theChairman of the General Board ofMissions, predcccssor to the Mission-ary Operating Committee now underthe Quorum of Seventy.

Brother Joseph Lovalvo, Presidentof the Quorum of Twelve Apostles,

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December t997

The angels ofGod declared, "peace on earth, good will toward men." Lehi declared, "Adamfell that men might be; and men are, that they mighthavejoy." Joy in whom? Joyfrom whom?A hymn answers these two simple questions. Joy to the world, the Lord has come!

The birth ofJesus Christ was foretold by the prophets ofold. They prophesied of His coming,Hisworks, His salvation ofmankind. The l,ord fi¡lfilled their prophecies. Jesus ChristbroughtHis peace. He brought goodwill. He brought His joy!

Isaiahcalled Him, Counsellor, Wonderful, The mighty God, Thecverlasting Fathe¡, The PrinceofPe¿ce. Isaiah also prophesied that 'bfthe increase ofhis govemment and pcace there shallbe no end . . ." Every name given Him by Isaiah is appropriate for our Lord and Saviour,

Have you ever thought what yóur life would be like ifJesus Christ was not bom? It would bcwithouthope. No hope foretemal life. Only etemalde¿th was available since He has the powerover the sting of de¿th. He has power over the finality of that awful grave. Have you everthoughtwhatyour lifewould be like ifyou did not render obedience to Jesus Christ? Whowouldyou be? What would you be? Whercwouldyou be? You havc no idea. Only God knows. Thisis why God sent His Son. To give you peace, provide good will and allow you to feel FIissensation ofspiritualjoy! To give you salvation. All ofthis comes from serving Jesus Christ.All ofthis is free. There is no charge.

Thejoy one receives in serving God challcnges one's vocabulary. Itdefies description. We rcadin the Book of Mormon that thejoy of Ammon was so great that he was full! Hewas swallowedup in the joyof his God. This experience exhausted him of his strengtl. He fell to the e¿rth!Imagine bcing overcome to such a degreel Whatjoy! What bliss! Thcjoy ofthe tnrd!

Ammon spoke at great length about the joy in serving the Lord. He said it many times inhistestimony that was shared with his brothcrs. He spokcofhis rcjoicing in the Lord for the manysouls that obeyed tlreir preaching of Christ. Thousands were converted to thc Lord. Ammonstated severaltimes that "my joy is full, my hcart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my Cod."

Ifyou know the lord there should bejoy down in yourheart. It should be planted decp. Itshouldbe unshakeable. It should be solid as a rock. There is no doubt ofthejoy one experiences inserving the Lord.

Many times you find yourselfsinging a hymn. It can happen while driving a car. It cafl happenwhile walking in town. It can happen while you are at work. Wherever it might be, thejoy ofthe Lord causes one's soul to sing His praises. Many times you find yourselfshedding teârsofjoy because ofa blessing or blessings in a meeting. Many times you find yourselfsheddingtears ofjoy because someone was healed ofan illness. Many times you find yourselfshcddingtears ofjoy because someone's soul was healed because oftheir declaration to serve God.Simply sit back and think howyou have shed tears ofjoy sincecoming intoTheChurch ofJesusChrist. Grown men and women simply crying tears ofjoy andgladness because ofthe goodnessof the Lord. Grown men and women standing in testimony meetings and wiping away tears ofjoy as they declare their thanks to Jesus Christ for His goodness.

This joy from tÏe Iord creâtes a peace in one's heart. Is there a peace in your heart that theworld never gave? A peace it cannot take away. Peace, peace, sweet peace; wonderñrl gift ofGod's love.

The peace ofthe Lord is a wonderful feeling ofcontentment. It promot€s a harmony and unitywith people ofdifferent races, nationalities, cultures a¡d personalities. Thenexttime you attendChurch, look around you. See how many different nationalities there are represented in your

E GOSPEL NEìVS (ISSN 0279-O b publl¡tt.dño¡tülyforSl2.ü)yc¡t by 1lr Cl'ù'ch or J6ur

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(Cont¡nued on Page 11)

December, 1997

The

Children's

Corner

By Sister Janet Steinrock

Dear Boys a¡d Girls,

Have you ever hesrd the saying,"Cod hclps tlose who help them-selves?" Did you know that this is nota saying from the scriptures? Did youalso know úat it is not always true inthe way that it sounds?

One time, when I was very ill andfrightened, I found it hard to even pray.I just went to sleep scared and worriedand then woke up with a sad, sickfeeling. Every,tling felt gray, hopelessand bad. Day after day passed; therewere big problems in my family and Iwondcred if I'd ever be happy again.

When my mother called me, I toldher how heartsick I was *¡at I wasn'thelping myself. She quietly iemindedmc that the scriptures said we aresupposed to "bcar the infirmities oftheweak." This was a weak time in mylife a¡d others were bearing my weak-ness by praying for me, In the OldTcstament of tho Bible, we are told thatthere is a season for all things.

In Ecclesiastes, 3rd chapter, weare taught, "there is a season for alltïings, a time to plant, a time to pickthat which was pla¡ted . . . [there is a]time to weep and a time to laugh . . . atime to embrace arid a time not toembrace, a tíme to keep silence and atime to speâk; a time of peace and atime of war."

When I was going through thistime of deep sadness, I went to theministers ofThe Church ofJesusChrist and asked to be prayed for overand over. We are taught in James

5:13-16, "Is any ¿rmong you afflicted?let him pray . . . Is there any sickamong you? let him call for the eldersof the church; and let them pray overhim, anointing him with oil in the nameofthe Lord. And the prayer of faith

shall save the sick, and tÍe [,ord shallraise him up; and if he have commitedsins, tlrey shall be forgiven him. . . .

pray one for another, that ye may behealed. The effectual fervent prayer ofa righteous man availeth much."

There is much mystery and Powerin praying in Jesus'name. Jesus c¿nscnd away evil thoughts. He can let usforgive people who have hurt us onpurposc, He can take away the painwe feel when we see tlem. Jesus ca¡ttake away the fear of the future too ândthe fe¿r of not being perfect.

So take your he¿rtache anddiscouragement to the Lord. Confessyour faults one to another and ask tleElders to pray for you too. Eventuallyyour peace and your joy will retum.Then it \.vill be YOUR turn to pray forsomeonc that you know who is goingthrough a problem. The things tlatyou leamed whcn you were hurting cannow be used to help others. It will beyour turn to "be the strong one to bearthe infirmitios of the weak" (Romansl5:l).

Witll care,Sister Ja¡

WORD SEARCH

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DIRECTORY UPDATE

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E U S F 0 R N

K s 0 J A M L s

S s Y 0 U H U

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R F P 0 E N 0 E

 N R B S N J

c 0 Â s K U A H

F C. Y 0 U R P E

w L L F 1 J

December 1997

0ur ilfomen frfuy

Penn-Mid AtlanticLadies' Uplift Circle

Conference

By Sister Karen Progar

And before you even realize, thesummer is over and fall activities are infull swing. Saturday, September 6,1997, was the start of fall activities forthe Penn-Mid Atlantic Ladies' Circle,as we met in conference at úe Impe-rial, Pennsylvania Branch. Oúrpresident, Sister Joyce Ross, welcomedthe sisters in attenda¡ce and requestedthat the Lord bless our meeting. Shealso stated that she had reccivedreports from two circles which showedmarked increases in membership in thepast six months. The Vanderbilt Circleprovided devotions on how to "Praisethe Lord" a¡d "God's Covena¡ts WithUs."

Sister Joyce then reviewed somehighligbts from tÏe General Circleminutes. She advised us that theMemorial Fund was now the NewMissions Fund and that donationscould still be made in the name ofloved ones who had passed away, withthe firnd being used to assist in tÏedevelopment of new missionary fields.She also reminded us that the Ladies'Circle Fellowship Weekend will beheld in Charleston, South Carolina onJuly 16-19, 1998. We suggest youmark your calendars now in order to bepart of this exciting event.

In the past six months, the Penn-Mid Atla¡tic Circle, has held itswe€kend retreat and Mother/DaughterBanquet. Both events were veryenjoyable and well attended. TheMother/Daughter Barquet was hostedby the Monongahela Circle a¡dfeatured a bridal gown fashion display,in which some of tJre women wore ordisplayed their own gowns or those oftheir mothers.

The conference also affords us theopportunity to hear about the activities

ofour bome circles in tho reportspresented by each. In addition toincreased membership, some circlesreported on fund raising activities, andsponsored projects for missionarysupport. The conference donated$645.00 for orphans in the UnitcdStates, Africa and India, as well as

$100.00 toward the General CircleSpecial Project for providing fundingfor the publication ofthe Book ofMormon in Spanish.

At the conclusion ofour business,the older sisters honored us with aspecial selection, after which a few ofthem bore testimony: Just prior to theconclusion of the meeting, Sister Joyceread the following poem, which waswritten for the Circle in July 1975 bySister Mabel Bickerton celebrating the55th anniversary of the Ladies'UpliftCircle. The sentiment of thc pocm isstill timely.

For fifty-fivc years we have been ledBy sisters staunch and true,They never faltered one or fledThe task set out to do.

With grateful hearts let's forward goAld reach the goals they set,In memories swcct our lives must showExamples they have set.

Let's work together, one by one,And see to our neighbor's needs,And when at last our work is doneOthers can reap good seeds.

Now ask yourselil my sister dear,Do you read and search God's Word,Renew the pledgc, a saint appearFrom you kind words arc hcard?

Ifyou have, you've found the sccret,Thc depth of srsterly love,Thc loving Mastcr cach had mctJoumeying to that Circle above.

Yes fifty-five ycars have now gone bySince God inspircd this work,We, too, can hold the banner highAnd nsver, never shirk.

Ladies' Uplift CircleWork in Whiteriver, AZ

By liister June 'l'enijieth

To the Ladics' Uplift Circles,

For some time now, I have had adesire to give a report on how manylayettes have been given tò NativoArnerican ncwbom babics at thc Indianhospital here in Whiteriver, Arizona.Since 1988, three hundrcd sixty-fivelaycttcs havc bccn givcn out. Thiswould not have been possible if it wcrenot for the Ladics' Uplifì Circlcs ofThe Church ofJesus Christ, wbo havesupported us in this work.

(Continued on Page 11)

Left to right: Prisc¡¡loa Tsos¡e, Sister Pat Palensar, Arthur Lavendèr,S¡ster Sh¡rley Hemmings, Amy Lavender

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December 1997

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ilndadtli¡síor ilour

News from the Omaha,NEand Bedford, lA Mission

By Sister Dorothy Miller

On Sunday, March 30, 1997, Godprovided a beautiful sunny day as thesaints gathered for the blessing ofOletha D'Shai Harris who was born toSister Sherri and Joseph Harris onJanuary 31, 1997. The blessing ofthisbaby affordcd an initial opportunity formany of the members of Sister Harris'family to enjoy the beautiful spirit ofthe Restored Gospel.

Brother English Webb from theClairton, Pennsylvania Branch openedthe preaching service using *re theme,"Little Children Are Alivc in ChristJesus." He used scripture in Lukel8:15- 17, pointing out how Jesus

corrected His disciples when tÏeyrebuked the people for bringing infantsto Him. Jesus called for the littlechildren to come unto Him, saying," . . . Suffer the little children to come

unto me a¡d forbid them not for such is

the Kingdom ofHeaven . . . "He tied the scripture in Luke with

Moroni 8:4-26 in tle Book of Mormonpointing out that God wams againstbaptizing little children, emphasizingthat "little children need no repentance

neither baptism but are alive in Christeven from tle foundation oftheworld."

Brother English then called for theparents to bring the child forward. Hetmk the child in his arms and began aprayer to God requesting God'sblessings upon the child, praying tlrat a

blessing of His abundant love be uponthis child that would bring the familytogether in their efforts to serve GodHe prayed that through baby Oletha,God would bring the familY to thefullness of thc knowledge of God'srequirements according to His writtenword.

God immediately began to bestowthis blessing upon the family memberspresent, for in testimony, they testified

that they felt a spirit of c¿lm andp*"". 'On"..ti'tU"r of the family usedher beautiful voice to sing. "AmazingGrace has always been my song ofpraise. For it was grace that broughtme liberty. I'll never know what madeHim come to love me so. He lookedbeyong my faults and saw my need."

Preparation was then made topass Sacramcnt. Brother English usingthe written word in the l2th chapter ofExodus a¡d the 6th chapter of Moroni,beautifully explained why we practiceclosed Sacrament in The Church ofJesus Christ, passing the bread and

wine to only baptized members. Abeautiful, calm spirit prevailed whileSacrament was passed and each timewe kneeled and prayed, the visitorskneeled with us.

Before the closing Prayer, \¡¿e

sang hymn number 98, fiom the .Songs

ofZion, Soaring Over Canaan. Ourvisitors sang with us and the Spirit ofGod kept all of us in tune with thepiano, even though our visitors werenot familiar with dre song.

So as we know, God ca¡¡ do Hiswork. He used the blessing ofbabYOletha to introduce the RestoredGospcl to Sister Sherri's familymembers. We can truly saY that God'slove prevailed even as it is written inMoroni, " . . . charity is the pure loveof Christ, and it endureth forever; and

whoso is found possessed of it at thelast day, it shall be well with him."

Baptism in Spartanburg,scBy Sister Connie Rossi

The Sparønburg, South CarolinaMission was blessed to wit¡ess oursecond baptism in three months on

Sunday, August 10, 1997 whenSheniesha LaShawn SPruill-Hill,nineteen, daughter of Sister Ruth and

Brother Cletis Hill, stood and asked forher baptism. It was on the last day ofthe Youtì In Action meetings thatSister Sheniesha boldlY stood and

testified ofher experience that led toher calling of the l,ord.

She recalls that SundaY morning

while tle congregation was stå¡rdingand singing tlre son g, Softly andTenderly, and as we sang the chorus,"Come home, come home, Ye who are

weary, come home, . . . Earnestly,tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling, Osinner, come home!", Sister Shenieshahe¿rd a voice telling her to look up atthe sign in front of the Church, "TheChurch ofJesus Christ." As sho stared

at that sign, she saw it starting to shakeand she quickly looked away. She

heard the voice again telling her to lmkat the sign and it was still shaking and

she began to shake and cry. For theremainder of the moming she prayedabout this experienc¿ and asked theLord if this was indeed His calling toher to be baptrzed.

sister shen¡esha H¡ll's bapt¡sm inSpartanburg, SC

Later úat aftemoon duringtestimony, Sister Sheniesha still felt thecalling on her and she stood and

testifred of this experienc€ to the rest ofthe congregation. After her request tobe baptized, she was immediately takento the water's edge and was baptizedby Brother Harold Littlejohn. Aftcrour new sister was baptized, BrotherMike LaSala of Detroit, Michigan laidhands on her for the reception of theHoly Spirit, also right there at tÏewater's edge.

We thank God for this beautifulexperience ofour sister and we ask thateveryone will keep her in your dailyprayers as she begins her walk with the

l,ord.

December 199.r

Blessings and Bapt¡smsin San Diego, CA

By Sister Carolyn Marlorana Lighl

Crcctings from thc San Dicgo.Califomia Branch, The year has beenan eventful one for us. The end ofMarch brought some unexpectedoccurrences. Some were pleasalt andwelcome, others presented a challengefor us to ove¡come with the help of God.

The challenge presented itselfas a"flood" in the basement ofour Church,which left us without a meeting placea¡d necessitated renting anotherbuilding for cight wecks. This incon-venience brought the brothers andsisters together in scarch ofa place toworship, whilc anticipating some otherupcoming events, You see, dre end ofMarch also brought great blessedevents: Jamie Hemmings re4uested tobe baptized and it was decided thatApril l3th would be set aside for thatjoyous occasion. Thcrcforc, procuringa rental building became very impor-tant. As April arrived, we beganmeeting in a community RecreationCenter and the Lord met us therc aswell. Although we could not meet inour building dedicated for that pur-posg the blessings of God prevailed.Presiding Elder, Brother Stacey Light,invited us to try the Lord a¡d see ifHewould not pour out His blessings.Brother Paul and Sister Kay Gray andlheir family wcrc in our first meetingand Brother Paul spoke on how Godwas supporting him through his illness.His presence created a very thankfulatmosphere as the saints of God foundan example of answered prayer before*rem preaching and praising God. Weagreed by day's end that God met withus in that Recreational Center and wenthome filled.

The following week, visitorsgathered fiom various bra¡ches inCalifomia and Arizona to witnessJamie's baptism. The sun shone brighton the crowd that gathered that mom-ing at the San.Diego Bay. BrotherTom Liberto, Jamie's grandfather, tookher into tle waters and baptized her.While they were gathered, a sister sawa vision ofangels encircling tlem,

shining so bright that she could not sccanything else. Praise God for t̡emanifestation of His gifts.

Brother Stacey later introducedour new Sister Jamie to tl.re congrcga-tion, before her other gra.ndfather,Brother Hcrb Hemmings, confirmedthe gift ofthe Holy Ghost on her. Theservice was opened by Brother WaltJankowski who elaborated on thesubject of "Expect a Miracl¿." Heurged us to believe and expect that tlleimpossible will occur. Brother PaulGray then followed, challenging us tohave faith in the awesome power ofGod. The saints enjoyed sacrament anda season oftestimony and singing beforefcllowshipping togcther at lunch.

A few weeks later, as we metagain in our rented building, ArturoTostado, son of Arturo and RocioTostado, stood on his fcct in ourtestimony meeting and declared hisdesire to be baptized. Arturo thankcdGod for his family that taught him theways of the Lord and stated thât as heplanncd to venture off to college, hewished to take God with him. On MayI I (what a great Mother's Day presentfor Sister Rocio), we again met at thewaters to baptize the new candidate,Brother Paul Libedo baptized BrotherArturo, and his uncle, Brother YsidroGonzales, confirmed him.

By June we werc ablc oncc againto retum to our church building. Thesummer months also brought new soulsinto our congregation. On July 6.Brother Jim Lancastcr was taken intotho waters after visiting and searchingfor a number ofmonths. He wasbaptized by Brother Tom Liberto andconfirmed by Brother David Ciccati.

Later that month, Jared Womackalso requested baptism at the GMBACampout in Lcesburg, Florida. Decid-ing to retum to San Diego to bebaptized, Brother Jared was baptizedby Brother Bob Womack, and con-firmed by Brother Tom Libedo.

We must tìa¡k God for these newconverts a¡d pray for their growth inthe Gospel, We ca¡ attest to God'spromises to His people in times ofadversity as well as blessings, andsta¡d fast in the knowledge thatwherevcr God's people are, He willreside.

Ordinations and GhildrenBlessings at McKeesRocks, PA

By Sister Carol Monaghan

On Sunday, luly 27 , 1997, wehad many visitors from variousbranches ofthe Church. They came toshare in thc blcssings and ordinationsthat tvere taking plaie on this wonder-ful Sabbath Day. The PcnnsylvaniaChoir. led by Brothcr Pcte Ciannctti,Jr., sang that glorious h).rnn, Grac¿,Grace, God's Grace which was sofitting for our meeting.

Twin boys, Seth and SamuelSnyder, sons of Sister Terri and JaySnyder, werc blessed by ApostleRusscll Cadman. While BrotherRusscll was performing this blcssingordinance, B¡other Albert Giannettihad a vision. He saw the Lord appearbcforc Brothcr Russcll. BrothcrRussell ha¡rded the babies to the Lord.Tbc Lord kisscd thcm both on thcirheads and then gave them báck toBrothcr Russcll and told him to "teachthc children of Me!"

Brother Randy Ciccati opened ourmoming meeting. I{e spoke on howthe Lord makes us fit vessels for Hisuse. He rcad from Jeremiah ìfl:6, "Ohouse oflsrael, cannot I do with you astlis potter? sâith the Lord. Behold, aslhe clay is in the potter's ha.nd, so areye in mine hand, O house of Israel." Ifwe allow the Lord to mold us as clay,then we are not in charge anlmore. Thel,ord is in charge. The Lord will moldus and fashion us vessels as He wills.

We prepared for tlre ordinations.Brother Bill Colangelo read'the dutiesofa Deaconess. Sister ChrisColangelo washed the feet of SisterDebra Lewis, her grarddaughter.

Brothe¡ John Ma¡es then read theduties of a Deacon. Brother JohnManes, Jr., washed tlle feet of BrotherMatthew Ricci.

Brother John Manes read theduties ofa Teacher, Brother ChetNolfi washed the feet of Brother JasonMonaghan.

Thcrc were a number ofexperi-

(Cont¡nuecl on Page 1O)

l0 December. 1997

Ordinations and ChildrenBlessings atMcKees Rocks, PACont¡nued from Page Iences given regarding all of the candi-dates calling into their respective offices.

Brother Ralph Ciotti ordainedSister Debra Lewis, his daughter. Bro'ther Anlhony Ricci ordained BrotherMatthew Ricci, his brotler. BrotherBill Colangelo ordained Brother JasonMonaghan.

The l,ord poured out His Spiritupon all in attendance. We can sayonce again, it was good to be in theHouse of the Lord, to sit in heavenlyplaces.

A Branch HistoryAliquippa, PA

The Aliquippa, PennsylvaniaBra¡ch had its beginning with thebaptisms ofBrother Philip and SisterRose Mileco on March 14, 1920 atYoungstown, Ohio. Brother and SisterMileco were introduced to The ChurchofJesus Christ by dte testimonies of

relatives and friends. In tum, thelrneighbors and friends responded totheir testimonies.

Meetings were held in the homesof the saints, starting in l92l a¡rd in1924, the Mission rented a vacantroom on Erie Avenue in West Ali-quippa. Soon the small group decidedto purchase the building. Five brothers,namely, Philip Mileco, AnthonyJackman, Domenic Jackman, MichaelDeFranc¿sco and Anthony Palmierieach bore an equal share of the cost.

In 1944, tl¡e Branch grew and thenced for a larger building moved thesaints to purchase a spacious, onestory brick structure on Main Street,rrVest Aliquippa.

During the war years and throughthe early fifties, the Branch moved onslowly until May 1956 when the Branchenjoyed a large influx of young people.

The original owner proPosed topurchase the Main Street building and

tle Branch agreed to sell. In 1957,ground was broken for our new andpresent building and the foundationwas dug on May 23, 1957 .

The work was done by thebrothers and sisters of the Branch, withthe electricity installed by brot}ersfiom New Jersey, the heating sYstem

installed by brothers from Ohio, andbrothers fiom Michigan cemented andplastered the building.

During the construction, the

Branch continucd !o grow. We met ina rented hall and six days a week themembers labored on the new structure.Our Sabbath Services were filled withthe Spirit ofGod. On Sunday, Febntary23, 1958, tlre building was dedicated

and tle influx ofmembers continued.Our current membership is eighty.two.

On Sunday, October 12, 1986,

Brother Paul Palmieri was ordainedinûo the Quorum of Twelve ÀPostles.

The Aliquippa Branch from thevery beginning has always supportedand maintained the auxiliaries of theChurch; the Ladies' Uplift Circle, the

MBA, Sunday School and the Men'sBible Class, the youngster of Branchsupport established in 1957 and now inits fort¡eth year, have becn the arms ofthe Branch, servicing the needs ofallages for activity and gro*th in theservice of God.

HAPPYHOLIDAYS

To All Our Readers

The Birth of Jesus ChristContinued from Page I

promised King. They offered Himgifu, all costly. Little did they knowthe small family would need these

valuables soon. They would covertheir material needs for the soon tocome flight into Egypt. That madma¡,Herod tle Great, was about to begin

the slaughter of tlre innocents, childrenunder two years ofage. This crueltY

came easy to him. Had he not mur-dered his own wife and two sons whohe felt threatened his throne? Thuswas the evil one trying at all levels tobar the plans of God.

But the Lord did escaPe, dwellingin EgWt till Herod's passing, a mosthorrible death. Back to Nazareth, tobe raised in the loving care of fatherand mother till His time of Ministryarrived.

A be¿utifi¡l story of love, hard-ship, extreme danger, then safety tillHis work began. To some peoPle aunique story; to others, a fable. Butout ofthose events, put in motion byGod, came the Truth, the Light, and

the Way. Out of obscurity, noted bY

very few, prophecies which wererecorded as far back as Genesis, inEden's splendor, were fi¡lfilled.Because oftlat, "Hope" for the entireworld had come. We carry that hoPe

in our hearts; it sustains us; it reas-

sures our faith; it fills us with joy andpeace wo do not fi.rlly understand yet

accept grateft¡lly. As in the hymn, OLittle Town of Bethlehem, the verse isgiven, "silently, oh, silently t}e won-drous gift is given!" Quietly God wentabout His work and presented to the

world His greatest achievement. HisSon!

December t997 ll

Apostle Peter A. ScolaroContinued from Page 2

don't know what will be called for intre days and times ahead ofus. Cer-tainly, many of the saints before ushave met tremcndous challenges andhave made awesome sacrifices. I a¡rdmy family do necd your praycrs forGod's direction and strength. "

Brother Peter has been in andaround the Church all of his life andhas brothers and sisters and friendswhom he holds very dear tlroughout."l am still the same person," heconcludcs, "with the same strengtlsa¡d we¿-knesses. I have bcnefited fromthe fellowship of the saints all of mylife and ca¡r only hope to gain at leåstas much in the future. I hope to beblessed a¡d to be an instrumcnt ofblessing as I fulfill this calling withGod's help."

Apostle Isaac SmithConlinued from Page 3

became a commitment as Brother Ikevolunteered to go to the White Moun-tain Apache Reservation and develop anew work. Brother Ike resigned his joba¡d leít his employer with someeighteen years ofservice. In May,Brother Ike and Sister Bon¡rie and theirfive children moved to Pinetop, Ari-zona which borders tle reservation.Since tlat time, several saints with likecommitment hav€ moved to the areå tohelp with the work. A branch of theChurch is in Lakeside, Arizona whichborders the reservation.

Brother Ike has served as presi-dent ofthe Southwest District and iscurrently the Region President. He hasheld other responsibilities such as VicePresident and President of the euorumofEvangelists. As President, hè helpedto promote eva¡gelism throughout theChurch. Programs were devèlooedwhich encouraged the Evangclists totake a more active role of servicewithin the Church.

Life has atrorded Brother Ike a¡dSistcr Bonnic the opportunity to travclextcnsively throughout the Unitcd

Statcs and abroad. Trips were made toGuatemala, England, Germany andItaly, Brother Ike retired in October1996 after working for United ParcelService for twenty years.

With a wonderftl heritage togrow on, their child¡en have beenbaptized, two were ordained into theMinistry and two of ten grandchildrenhave obeyed the Gospel. Pleaseremember Brother Isaac and his familyin your prayers as this new calling andresponsibility begins as an Apostle inThe Church ofJesus Christ.

A Message from the SeventyCont¡nued trom Page 4

had visited and are active in missionfields were detailed. Also, firture tripswhich are being planned were outlined.

At the end ofthe meeting, Evan-gelists Peter Scolaro and Isaac Smith,who were being recommended to theGeneral Church for ordination asApostles, were asked to come forth andtheir past service to the GeneralQuorum ofthe Seventy was acknowl-edged. Both brothers expressed theirthankfulness to God and to their fellowworkers who had labo¡ed with them.Brothers Scolaro and Smith wereapproved by the General Conferencetwo days later and ordained asApostles at the Sunday service.

Editorial ViewpointContinued from Page 5

bra¡ches and missions. Sit back andcontemplate the peace that God hasplaced in your heart as you worshipwith people of different backgrounds.Please notice as people extend afriendly ear to someone in need. Pleasenotice as someone extends a kind wordto someone in need of encouragement,Ali of this is done rcgardless ofone'sstatus in life, educational background,personal achievcments and accomplish-ments.

Consider the peace that God hasplaced in your heart as you exhìbitpatiencc with someone who can try

your paticncc. Considcr that peaccthat God has placcd in your hcart asyou pray for those who need His help.Considcr the peace that God has givenyou ¿ls you fast and pray for someonein need of God's divine providence andmcrcy. All ofyou can humbly say thatwhen you enter the doors ofThcChurch ofJesus Christ, you expcricncethe peace of Cod.

It is truc! Jesus Christ is ThePrince of Peacc! Only He can putpcace in your hcart. Only He canmale you a peaceful pcrson. Only Hecan make you a person who seekspeace, Rcmember what thc Lo¡d saidduring the Sermon on the Mount.Blessed are the peacemakers; for thcyshall be called the children ofGod.

Are you a child of God? Are youa peacemaÌer? Do you seek peace?Do you wa¡t His peace? Do you havethejoy of the Lord in your heart? Is itwell with your soul? ls there joy inyour soul? Hopcfrrlly, you will answeryes to eâch ofthese questions. End theyear by spreading the joy, peace andgoodwill of Jesus Christ. Hc will blessyou for it.

Ladies' Uplift Circle Work inWhiteriver, AZContinued from Page 7

We have received beautifulblankets and other articles which makeup the layettes, Many of the Indianbabies would have little ifanything ifthey had not received a layette. We aregrateful for your support and encour-age each Circle to keep up your goodwork.

Our Native Ame¡ican work wasprivileged to receive the beautiful quiltmade by the young people of theMonongalela, Pennsyl vania BranchBible School this past summer. Theyoung people of the Bible Schoolrequested that the quilt be given to aneedy Indian baby. It was given to abeautiful little girl who needed ir verybadly. I watched as the mother readthe card that was signed by those who

(Continued on page 12)

t2 Decembe¡ 1997

* WEDDINGS *

Sister Jennifer Kowalsky and Brother David Jarrettwere united in holy matrimony in the Hopelawn, NewJersey Branch on August 16, 1997.

itenee Lynn Stróko and Mark Cumberla¡d were united

in holy matrimony in the Vanderbilt, Pcnnsylvania Branch

on August 9, 1997.Cãrol Ann Rock and Steven Eric l,owther were united

in holy matrimony in the Vanderbilt, Pennsylvania Branch

on August 2, 1997.

Children Blessed

Joshua James Javan Maletta, son of Sister Nellie and

Brother Andrew Maletta was blessed on September 21,

1997 in the Hemdon, Virginia Branch.Brittany Marie Allen, daughter of Sandy and George

Allen, was blessed in the Kinsman, Ohio Mission on Scp-

tcmbcr 14, 1997.Tanner James lvey, son of Brother Michael and Sister

Karen Alessio-Ivey, was blessed on July 27, 1997 in the

Phoenix, Arizona Branch.Jonathon Robert Heinz, son of Brother Todd Alan and

Sister Wendy Karan Jordon-Heinz, was blessed on July 3'1997 in the Phoenix, Arizona Branch.

Emilio Joseph Alvcrson, son of Brother Joe a¡d Sister

Regina Alverson, was blessed on September 21, 1997 in the

Spartanburg, South Carolina Mission^ OlethtD'Shai Harris, daughter of Sisær Sherri and

Joseph Harris, was blessed in the Omaha-Bedford Mission

on March 30, 1997 .

Timothy Brandon Evans, his twin sisters, Britney

Nichole a¡d Brandy Kathleen Evans and his other sister,

Curston Allissa Owens, childrcn of Melissa a¡d Curtis

Owens were blessed on September 28, 1997 in thec-^'^-L"rg, South Carolina Mission

Address Change

Name

Address

Phone

Baptisms and Reinstatement

Nickolas Edward Rutledge was baptized on June 8,

1997 in the Kinsman, Ohio Mission. He was baptized and

corrñrmed bv Brother Philip Jackson.Melvin Kenneth Mounøin, Jr., son of the late Brother

Mel and Sister Ruth Mount¿in was reinstated into The

Church ofJesus Christ on July 9, 1997 in the Phoenix,

Arizona Bra¡ch. He was reinstated by Brother David

Jorda¡.Suzanne Beema¡ ofthe Herndon, Virginia Branch was

baotized on September 2l, 1997 at the Pennsylvania Area

Campout. She was baptized by Brothcr Rick Scaglione and

mnfirmed bv Brothcr James SPcck, Sr.

Rov Bárlett was reinstated into The Church ofJesus

Christ oí October 5, 1997 in the McKees Rocks, Perursylva-

nia Branch. He was reinstated by Brother Paul Ciottì, Sr'

Joseph Michelcssi of the McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania

Branch was baptized at the Pennsylvania Area MBACarnpout on September 28, 1997. He was baptized by

Brotller Paul Ciotti, Sr. and confirmed by Brother Pete

Giannetti.

ObituarY

We w¡sh lo exprcss our sJmpathy lo lhose that mourn

over thc loss of lovcd ones May God bless and conJbrlyou.

GAETANA FRANCES GERACE

Sister Gaetå¡a Frânces Gerace ofthe Anaheim,

Califomia Branch passed on to her heavenly reward on .

Seotember 10. 1997. Sistcr Franccs was a charter member

of the Windsor, Onørio Canada Branch. She is survived by

her two sons, Frank Gerace a¡d Brother Tony Gerace; one

sister, Alice Zimbalatte; seven grandchildren and many

nieces and nephews.

Ladies' Uplift Circle Work in Whiteriver, AZcontinued from Page 11

had made the quilt. The mother allowed the field nurse and

mvsclf to wrap the babv in the quilt and lay it in a

"ådl"board. ihe baby tooked exquisite' one ofGod's little

iewcls. Tha¡rk vou dear young people for your quilt, your

iift was precioús. Keep up your good works for the work

amons the Se€d ofJosePh.õur Ladies's Upliiì Circle here in Pinetop, Arizona

-

does quilting anong -the

Indian people in their homcs What

a blcsiing iiis to pàrticipate in this small but important

work oflove. In ðlosing, God bless you all who are endeav-

oring to help in the work among these people Your names

are written in God's remembrance.