your questions

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Hello Bonnie and Praise the Lord,

	A friend on the Higher-Fire list serve posted your
	questionaire and I am copying it over into this
	mail to you so that I could answer the questions
	for you.

	I really feel that the reason you probably are doing
	something like this is because the conviction that 
	you feel down inside your heart, and the longing
	to feel God putting that Fire in your heart again.

	I hope that the answers that you receive from new
	and old alike, will convince you that you need to
	find a place to pray and to ask God into your life
	again.  


>Here are my questions:
>
>Have you recently (in the past 5 years) noticed a growth or a decrease of
>members in the UPC church?

	I have noticed a general growth in God's church.  He is
	preparing many wise young virgins who are keeping the 
	oil in their lamps ready for the night that their Lord
	would come to take them to be his bride.

>There is a book out by a UPC pastor from Sandusky, Ohio called "Neo
>Phariseeism", that deals with the inner problems of the UPC church and
>problems with their dress and holiness standards, have you heard of it? If
>so, have you read it? If so, have you noticed a decrease in members since it
>has been published and read?

	I personnally haven't read it.  But, I believe that if it was
	a holy-ghost filled preacher that loved God and believed in the
	truth that it would be a good book and It surely wouldn't 
	make people want to change from the UPC organization.

>Do you think that the people of the UPC church are separated too much from
>the "world"?

	Since the bible says to "be ye seperate", I don't feel that
	you could ever be to seperate.  God's wants us to be seperate
	in the places that we go and the things that we do.  If it 
	boils down to a measure of exactly how much we need to be
	seperate, I would rather be way to seperate then think that
	I was seperate and actually not be in God's eyes, now wouldn't
	you?

>Are you actively involved in church meetings and services? or like I was,
>are you expected to go to church and feel you have to participate in order
>to be accepted by the congregation?

	I am as active as I can be each time I go because He has done
	so much for that I want to give Him all of the glory that I 
	can in all that I do.  I am a youth minister, and preach 
	occasionally (pretty rarely).  I am also a graduate student
	at the Michigan Technological University.  I feel that alot
	of younger people get the attitude that they are expected to
	go and feel they have to participate, because they don't
	have the deep down appreciative love like they should.  This
	is something that happens as they get older and open their
	hearts unto Him and the messages that are preached.

>Were you raised in the UPC church? if not, when did you or your parents join?

	No I was not raised in a UPC church, but my Wonderful and
	Beautiful wife was raised in the Church Triumphant!  I 
	joined the church after I met my wife's brother in college
	and he took me to a couple of youth services and a couple
	of church services and I just felt the spirit of God moving
	in such a mighty way that I wanted to be a part of that.
	So I asked him to give me a bible study, and it was shortly
	after that that I receieved the baptism in the NAME OF JESUS,
	and after a couple of months of praying for the Holy Ghost -
	God drowned me in the spirit so much till I overflowed and I
	have been pursuing Him ever since.

>Do you have the holy ghost and/or been baptized? if so, when?

	As I need to answer this again, YES - I have got the Holy
	Ghost down in my soul, just as the bible says.....  

>Do you honestly believe that the UPC church is the only church that has the
>true "Gospel", and that no other church (religion) is the right way?

	As far as being the only true religion I don't know, but
	I will say that you don't need to consider what the name
	of the religion is but rather what they teach!  There is
	only one truth that will save a soul, and that is the plan
	of salvation that Jesus and the Apostles all taught.  Start
	with Acts 2:38 and work from there...

The Lord and Master is reaching out because he doesn't want any to be
lost.  The sheep hear the Master's cry and they come.  He is calling,
CAN YOU HEAR HIM ?

  ---------------------- Thomas J. Griffin III -----------------------
	\ M \  	 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and
 	 \ T \ 	the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
	  \ U \			John 14:6
  ------> griffin@mtu.edu  and  http://www.me.mtu.edu/~griffin <------