Greetings

Greeting to the El Paso congregation,

My wife and I would like to congratulate you on your 40th anniversary. It is a wonderful milestone of endurance and fortitude. Thanks for letting your light shine and remaining faithful. Your legacy is a reminder of the commitment we all should have. May God bless you all with growth, joy, peace and health as a part of the body of Jesus Christ. Have a wonderful Spring Holy day season and again, congrats on your wonderful anniversary.

Stuart and Jan Segall (pastor of Northern CA).

Greetings to the El Paso congregation! I just found out that this Sunday marks the 40th anniversary of the church there. Heartfelt congratulations. It is encouraging to hear of the growth and that you are hanging in there.

Most of you don't know me. It's been quite a few years since El Paso was included in the Mountain Region. From about 1996 to 1998 I made a few trips down there to offer what help I could during difficult times. The first trip was one that dealt with a rather independent spirit. Another trip in '98 involved some of that and probably more so dealt with a situation where the majority left to be part of another COG. It was touch and go as to whether or not we could continue to maintain a church there. Dave Treybig came down periodically from Lubbock as he was able. I was pleased when the congregation was assigned to Mr. James Capo and more pleased to see that it has developed to where it is now. We're also pleased that our good friends, the Tannerts, are able to get down there from time to time. Keep up the good work and I hope to hear of further growth in the future.

Hope to see some of you at the Feast in Steamboat Springs!

All the best,

Larry Neff

Hello Dear Brethren in El Paso,
Congratulations of your 40th anniversary! This is quite an achievement. Thank you for your faithfulness to God and His calling. May you continue to grow as a congregation not only in numbers but in love, commitment and dedication.
Norma and I send our combined greetings and love. Wish we could be there!
With deep appreciation and love,
Roy and Norma
Congratulations to the El Paso congregation on your 40th Anniversary!
You may be a small group of people, but together we are part of the greatest Work on Earth.
Continue to keep the Faith as you work on your next 40 years!
Ron Kelley, Pastor, Asheville, Hickory and Greensboro, North Carolina
(No, I’m no relation to the OTHER “Ron Kelly”) J

Greeting to the El Paso congregation, My wife and I would like to congratulate you on your 40th anniversary. Itis a wonderful milestone of endurance and fortitude. Thanks for letting yourlight shine and remaining faithful. Your legacy is a reminder of thecommitment we all should have. May God bless you all with growth, joy,peace and health as a part of the body of Jesus Christ. Have a wonderfulSpring Holy day season and again, congrats on your wonderful anniversary. Stuart and Jan Segall (pastor of Northern CA).
Greetings from Germany! As I understand it, Sunday will be the 40th anniversary of the El Paso church. Like all other congregations, you have had your share of "ups and down". But "life begins at 40", as the saying goes! Best wishes for a rewarding spring festival season and continued growth! Paul KiefferUCG-Germany
40 years!!! Time enough to write the Torah. Congratulations to the El Paso Church of God.
"Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?" And I said to him, "Sir you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

May each of you have a meaningful Passover tonight and a rewarding Days of Unleavened Bread.

Jim & Gayle Wilkins

Brian,

I'm not sure we've met...but I understand the El Paso congregation (albeit small!)--is recognizing its 40th anniversary soon. In WCG, I was the Regional pastor and visited El Paso in early 1995...some years ago. At that time, Mr. Larry Walker was the pastor. In any event, please pass on my regards and encouragement to all of the brethren in your area for their faithfulness and fortitude through difficult times! God will see all of you through, will bless you with growth in the years ahead. Have a wonderful holyday season.

Douglas Horchak
Dallas, TX

Warm greetings and congratulations on reaching the 40th anniversary of the establishment of God's Church in El Paso, TX!

Charles and Kaye Haughee
Tampa, FL congregation

Dear Brian Lee and the El Paso congregation,Congratulations on the 40th anniversary of the El Paso congregation! We appreciate your faithfulness and example over these many challenging years.If you would like to write up a short news article about any sort of celebration you might have, we will be happy to run it in United News.Again, congratulations and all the best!Warm regards,Mike BennettUnited News managing editor

We of the Paddock Wood Church in South East England would like to congratulate you on your 40th, and also to wish you a great Passover season. God given truth lives on.

The Johnson's
Paddock Wood Church

Greetings to brethren in El Paso,

Congratulations on your 40th anniversary as a congregation of the Church of God. It is always exciting and encouraging when these milestones are met. There have been joys and there have been trials, and God is with us in both. I hope all of you have a very meaningful Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread.

Alton Head
Fort Worth Congregation

Dear Mr. Lee,
My wife and I would like to send a cheery shout of “Congratulations!” to the El Paso congregation on the occasion of its 40th anniversary! We appreciate you example of faithfulness, and we rejoice with you over God’s drawing more people to the group. Our best wishes to you for the spring festival season.
Cecil & Gale Maranville, Phoenix NW congregation
Greetings:

I'm not sure if we've met or not. I remember only a few names from El
Paso. My wife Susan and I and our two very young daughters attended in
Las Cruces for about 3 years from 1987-1989 when I was hired into the
full time ministry and we moved to New York. Las Cruces and El Paso
combined for the Holy Days at the time, so I met a number in El Paso,
but don't remember them well.

I certainly hope this 40th Anniversary will be something very special
for all the members there this year. And a special greeting to any from
Las Cruces who may come down for the occasion. Have a wonderful Days of
Unleavened Bread.

Ken and Susan Graham
Greetings to those of you in El Paso. I am pleased to hear there is still a group there even though you are small in number. I never had the chance to visit the church there, but I did visit your fair city and worked there two weeks in 1950. My second visit was with my new bride two years later. I have good memories.
Hope your little congregation has the best of every thing. Thanks for remaining faithful.

Les McCullough

It is heart-warming that a small group of people have kept the faith of Jesus and are also faithful to a faithful ministry. We pastored the El Paso church from 1995-1997 and we really loved the group there. It's so sad when people are misled over non-doctrinal issues. This shows the great responsibility God places on faithful ministers.

Have a great 40th celebration! We love you all.
Richard and Judy Rand
Good morning Brian,

I hope all went well last night for the Passover service there in El
Paso. Here in Philly we had 20 partaking in the service and one who is
counseling for baptism as an observer. Today we are having late
afternoon services and then the room will be turned into a dining room
by the hotel staff. As the weekly Sabbath ends and the Holy Day begins
we will enjoy a wonderful buffet meal and fellowship as we commemorate
that night so long ago and apply the symbolism to our Christian walk today.

It is certainly a wonderful thing to realize that El Paso/Las Cruces
began forty years ago. It is sad to also realize that so many of the
original membership has been led astray by Satan who loves discord and
divisiveness. But even as Christ said that the Church would not die on
a global basis, so it has endured in your area. Things got a little
slim there in the late 90's. How many Sabbaths did the three musketeers
have taped services in Las Cruces? We were so glad to have the visits
from the Treybigs and the Capos and the occasional traveler. Then God
added to the number and one man stepped up to lead his brothers and
sisters. Thank you Brian for your service. We believe that the growth
of the El Paso congregation is a direct result of your faithfulness.

Please pass our greetings and congratulations to our extended family
there in El Paso. God willing we will again have opportunity to visit
with you in the future. Stay the course, keep the faith. Our salvation
is much closer now than it was forty years ago.

With much love,

Al & Joan Cole

Greetings,

Thanks for your email re: the 40th anniversary of the El Paso Church. My wife and I still remember our 3 years spent in West Texas and Eastern N.M. In 1966 to 1069, I pastored the Midland/Odessa area, Amarillo/Lubbock area and coupled with it was a monthly Bible Study in Roswell, N.M. and another in Abilene, Tx---that was a lot of real estate to cover. I drove over 5,000 miles a month. I remember some of the brethren who would come up to Roswell from the El Paso area. It was always a pleasure to see them monthly. The Walter Griffiths would always set up the YWCA for the Bible Study. One man in particular that I remember was a Mr. Haley. Best I remember, he worked for the Railway Express and could always get crystal from Jaurez for those desiring it, Please extend our love, greetings and congratulations to the brethren there and remember to hang on and keep the faith.

Ed Smith

Greetings from Mexico City. Please pass on to our brethren in ELP my message of congratulations on your 40th church anniversary over there!

I spent Passover and the first part of the Feast of UB with our brethren in Tabasco, Mexico. God willing, I will spend the last part of the Feast with our brethren in Acapulco, Guerrero.

I wish you all a most inspiring and joyful Feast of UB!

Warmest regards and "abrazos" to all of you.

With Christian love,

Pablo Dimakis
Iglesia de Dios Unida

To the El Paso UCG congregation:

Please accept our belated congregations for your church anniversary. We have been out of town for two weeks visiting our daughter Laurie, son-in-law Brian and their 4 children (We have 3 other grandchildren, also), and I have been unable to send out email since returning home. I finally got a new email address that enables me to do so. We wish you all a meaningful last day of UB (and/or Sabbath, depending on when you get this message).

With love,
Larry & Karen Walker