11/13/04, Public Fast Announcement from the Session of the RPNA (General Meeting)

From: Greg Barrow
To: L Dohms ; G Price
[Bcc: List]
Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2004 3:04 PM
Subject: Announcement from the Session of the RPNA (General Meeting)

Announcement From the Reformed Presbytery in North America (General Meeting) Regarding a Public Fast, and a Special Free Will Offering.

The Session of the Reformed Presbytery in North America (General Meeting) solemnly calls upon the members of our Societies, and any adherents who may desire to participate, to join with us in a public fast on Saturday, November 27, 2004.

The purpose for our calling you to join with us in this solemn occasion is as follows:

1. Our dear brother in Christ, G S, has been recently diagnosed with cancer. Because of the very serious nature and degree of his illness, we call upon the members and adherents of our societies to fervently pray for G and his family, while humbling ourselves before our Almighty God and Great Physician.

In this regard, we would direct you to consider the prayers found in our Directory for Public Worship, under the subheading, "Concerning Visitation of the Sick", wherein it states:

"That, if God shall please to add to his days, he would vouchsafe to bless and sanctify all means of his recovery; to remove the disease, renew his strength, and enable him to walk worthy of God, by a faithful remembrance, and diligent observing of such vows and promises of holiness and obedience, as men are apt to make in times of sickness, that he may glorify God in the remaining part of his life.

And, if God have determined to finish his days by the present visitation, he may find such evidence of the pardon of all his sins, of his interest in Christ, and eternal life by Christ, as may cause his inward man to be renewed, while his outward man decayeth; that he may behold death without fear, cast himself wholly upon Christ without doubting, desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ, and so receive the end of his faith, the salvation of his soul, through the only merits and intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ, our alone Savior and all-sufficient Redeemer."

2. Recently we sent out an announcement wherein we stated that our dear brother in Christ, N P, has been suspended from participation with us at the Lord's Supper, and we call upon our members and adherents to solemnly and humbly remember Nate in prayer, calling upon God to mercifully grant repentance so that N might be reconciled to God and to us, with the hope that he may be soon restored to full privileges in our societies.

3. Our dear sister in Christ, J I has been experiencing very serious and debilitating pain in her back and has received significantly conflicting diagnoses from the medical community. We ask our members and adherents solemnly and humbly to remember J (and E and their children) in prayer, calling upon God to grant wisdom and skill to those who are involved in her diagnoses and treatment--asking our Great Physician to mercifully bless all means used for her recovery, while granting our dear sister courage and strength to faithfully endure these trials.

In addition to this, we ask that you would pray for God's continued gift of strength, grace and blessing upon all those in the Albany congregation who have so commendably blessed E, J, and their family by graciously helping them during this time of need. Your Session and the Societies in general are thankful, greatly encouraged, and strengthened by this testimony and example of faithful care for those in need.

In addition to our announcement regarding our upcoming public fast, we call upon the members and adherents of our Societies to participate in a special free will offering to be used solely for the purpose of helping Grant Soles manage the significant medical expenses he is presently facing.

For those of you who wish to participate in helping our brother in this time of need, we would ask that you send funds directly to the Societies in Albany or Edmonton with a note indicating that these funds are to be used specifically for this purpose. The Session will then administrate the dispersal of these funds to Grant.

It is our hope that each of you will seriously consider all of these matters with the utmost care, and that you will conduct yourselves in such a way as to glorify our Lord and testify to the whole world of our thankfulness for God's many mercies.

You are dearly loved and in our prayers.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions you might have in regard to these announcements.

For Christ's Crown and Covenant,

Greg Price
Lyndon Dohms
Greg Barrow


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