Here are a couple of testimonies from those going through the “Secrets of the Secret Place.”

What an incredible thing to consider and experience – an intimate conversational relationship with the creator of the universe! To think that God is waiting for us to be alone with Him so we can know each other and so He can talk with us. WOW! This is my second time through the “Secrets of the Secret Place”. This time I am looking forward to going very slowly, one chapter per week, and doing it with others in The Fellowship – it’s like being on a journey together. These last two chapters reminded me of a daily morning prayer that Dale Fife, a guest speaker several years ago, shared with us. Often since that time, but not necessarily daily, I pray this; “Lord, here I am to walk with you today. Where are we going? What do you want to say to me today?” What would be the result of such a pr ayer? For Jesus – it was leaving Glory; walking on this earth into the lives of and touching all kinds of people from all walks of life that needed to experience the reality and power of His Kingdom; and only doing what His Father told Him – ultimately leading to the cross. For us, the consequence of such a prayer is that He reveals Himself to us; takes us out of the church and into all arenas of life and people to speak volumes of His love, acceptance, forgiveness, and hope to those who need to experience The King and His Kingdom – ultimately leading to our death-of-self only to find true life. How that looks for each of us will be different. I want to grow in my ability to hear and obeying. Where that takes me is a result of a daily decision of making myself available to hear His voice, a willingness to allow Him to lead me, and my desire to be obedient – no matter what.   – Greg

Here is another:

It seems to me that the struggle to have a quiet time –any time with the Lord, requires sacrifice and discipline. I must carve time out of my day to spend with the Father, which means that some other portion of the day has to be eliminated. So what gets cut? Well, I’ve found: nearly everything that’s not relational. I have to ration the amount of time I spend on TV and Internet. It’s too easy to lose hours here or there. But the benefits of conversing and listening to the Father outweigh any sacrifice on my part. His words are life itself and I’ve already seen the fruit budding. My encouragement to others: be ruthless in creating and protecting your quiet times. Allow Jesus to be your intimate confidante and not merely a sometime acquaintance. Then we will see our city changed, our region transformed, our State prosperous, and our Country redeemed. – Ralph

As you read the devotional, we would like for you to share with us the things that God is teaching you. In the form below, just fill in your name and then give us a testimony.

As we receive testimonies, we may want to use them to encourage others. Therefore, fill in the form below with the understanding that these testimonies may be posted on the website, and may be used in our church services. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Reading Schedule

This 6 week small-group is open to anyone (especially those new to the Fellowship) that would like to know the folks in our Church family, and understand why we do what we do.

Please consider being a part of this important group. If you are interested, contact Greg Aker at 330-853-3900 or by email at greg@urfellowship.com. Starting date would be after Oct. 11, with possible meetings on Sun. (AM or PM) or Mon or Thur (PM). Future Foundation Groups will be Foundation-2: Walking with God, Foundation-3: Strengthened by Community, and Foundation-4: Blessing Others.

We’re pleased and excited about this improved curriculum in a small-group format and believe you will be too.

All throughout the world God is raising up groups and individuals who are ushering in the Kingdom of God through their intercession and pursuit of God Himself. Across Ohio there is a growing movement to see prayer going on continually in our state. God is passionate about bringing His kingdom to earth, even right where we are. To this area that seems so depressed and in such a slump, He wants to bring hope and vitality. He wants to change the atmosphere, bringing the glory of His Son to individual hearts, families, and even the economy.

In our next 24 hour prayer time, we wanted to partner with what God is doing in our state in a greater way. So this next session we will be devoting a week to continual prayer and worship.

Throughout the week of July 18 through July 25, we purpose to have individuals gathering at the Upper Room building every hour of the day to seek the Lord and pray for His Kingdom to come here in this region as it is in heaven. Each evening, worship teams and prayer leaders from various church families will add to what is taking place, joining the prayers of the day and blessing those of the coming night.

How can you be involved? You can commit to being one of the pray-ers. Ultimately, it would be wonderful if a person could sign up to pray at a certain hour and fill that “shift” each day of the week. We know that’s not always possible so register for as many as you can. Sign up will be available online soon.

Worship teams can volunteer for the evening sessions. These will be structured much like we have done 24 Hour Prayer in the past, worship mixed with intercession, harp and bowl style. The evening sessions will be from 7 to 9 PM. (Feel free to go longer, if you wish!) Reply to this email or call me to secure the date for your team.

Thanks for being “friends of the Bridegroom,” loving Him and delighting in His kingdom.

“Arise, shine; for your light has come,
And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.”

For His amazing Name,
Bruce

At the Upper Room we believe church is for everyone, it should be fun, exciting, relevant and equipping. We aren’t here to impress you by showing off our “Sunday faces”, or creating a production, or even showing off a fancy building.

Church is for Everyone
We hope to remove all boundaries of church culture, so that those who don’t normally go to church, or those who feel disaffected by their experience of church can feel welcome here.

Church is Fun
It’s clear that people loved being with Jesus and enjoyed His company. We aim to create an informal and relaxed atmosphere here which people will enjoy. We also try not to take ourselves too seriously!

Church is Exciting
We believe that God’s church is an adventurous and dynamic place to be, where our lives are transformed far beyond what we ever consider imaginable. It is also exciting that God uses us to transform the lives of other people.

Church is Relevant
Commonly, the church is perceived to be dull, boring and irrelevant to modern life. The claims of Jesus are seen as little more than a fairytale. We believe Jesus’ claims are the key to a life of meaning, fulfillment and freedom. Therefore the church could not be more relevant.

Church is Equipping
We believe God uniquely gifts all His people, not just some of them or worse still only to a select few. We therefore seek to help people identify their gifts, and support them as they use them, both within and beyond the church.

On this web site, I hope you find enough information about our various ministries and activities going on at The Fellowship. I encourage you to join us for a weekend service, and we look forward to getting to know you. If you have any questions about the church, feel free to call 330.482.9058 or drop us a note at info@urfellowship.com.

We hope to see you soon!