Dear Friends in Faith,
    There was a great turnout for the Kitchener fellowship in Canada. People came from the United States and one family from Holland as well. The talks were very uplifting and getting acquainted with new friends in Christ from around the world as well as getting re-acquainted with old friends was just wonderful.
    The first speaker directed attention to our need to realize the revelations concerning God and His will, and the truth given to us through Paul. And as the others followed with such topics as “The Secret of Christ,” “Romans 5:18,” “Seeking that Which is Above,” and the “Stumbling Stone and Snares,” capped off with a stirring testimony of God’s grace in one brother’s life, it seemed to become evident that God was leading us to pray the prayer of Ephesians 1:17.
    One talk, however, let to some controvery. It was brought up that we do not quite hold to what the early believers of “Universalism” taught and believed. While we have often noted, with appreciation, that several of the “church fathers” seem to have believed all will be reconciled, yet they often used a different basis than we find in the Scriptures. Should we believe those teachers because they were so close to the original apostles? Does closeness prove correctness? Did not our apostle warn that “in subsequent eras some will be withdrawing from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and teachings of demons, in the hypocrisy of false expressions . . . (1 Tim.4:1). If one reads Origen and all the early “fathers” one will see that they developed some very fanciful ideas, expressed in terms of the human philosophies . So how do we in our day, 2,000 years removed from Paul, know if we have a correct understanding of the basis of universal reconciliation? It comes down to “approaching with sound words” (1 Tim.6:3), and follow Paul’s example of speaking, “not with words taught by human wisdom, but with those taught by the spirit, matching spiritual blessings with spiritual words” (1 Cor.2:13).
    Just because one held to God saving all in those early years, even under harsh persecutions, does not mean that they held fast to the justification and subjection and reconciliation of all through the obedience of Christ Jesus to the death of the cross (Romans 5:18,19; Phil.2:8-11); Col.1:20). May God give us the grace to fully follow Paul in his teaching, motive, purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings 2 Tim.3:10,11).
    The September Fellowship will be in Eaton Rapids on September 6 at the home of Lou and Dianne Klinger. Please give us a call if you need directions.
    The October Fellowship will be in Grand Rapids, October 4 & 5. The host is Orville Hunt.
    Place: Pilgrim Manor Chapel, 2000 Leonard St. SE.
    Times: Sat. morning 10:00, 2 sessions; lunch brought in for noon meal; Sat. afternoon 1:00, 3 sessions; Sat.evening, free time, or informal fellowship at Hunt home; Sunday morning 9:00-11:30, 2 sessions with musical presentation between.
    Contact Orville for maps, info on hotels and motels, restaurants.

Yours in God’s Grace,
Dean Hough and Tony Nungesser