by Sheila Walsh, from 5 Minutes with Jesus: Peace for Today

"Give us this day our daily bread." Matthew 6:11

In the spring of AD 70, the Romans advanced upon Jerusalem and placed the city under siege. Knowing that the pilgrims would drain the city’s food and water supplies, the Romans allowed them to enter Jerusalem for Passover — and then didn’t let them leave. Days and weeks stretched into months, and Jerusalem began to starve. Before the siege was lifted, the Jews of Jerusalem even attempted to eat their leather belts and shoes.

By God’s grace, few of us will ever be as desperately hungry or fearful as these trapped Jews were. After all, God doesn’t want us to live in fear. He wants us to live peacefully in the freedom that comes from trusting Him to provide for us. The Bible is rich with God’s promises that He will meet our needs, and one of my favorites is tucked into the words of the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Have you ever noticed the repetition of day and daily in that sentence? New Testament scholar Kenneth Bailey explains that the words are repeated because of the difficult-to-translate Greek word epiousios. As a matter of fact, there is no record of this word being used anywhere else in Greek literature. Biblical scholars have translated the word in a handful of ways over the years, but the oldest commentary we have on the subject — and the one most closely related to Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke — is the Old Syriac. That translation is: “Give us today the bread that doesn’t run out.”

What need is weighing on you today? God doesn’t want you lying awake at night in worry or fear. He invites you to come to Him and, with trusting, childlike faith, ask Him to provide for you.

Thank You, Father, that Your provision for me will never run out.

He holds bachelor's and a master's degrees in Information Technology and has studied at Andrews University Theological Seminary. He has also completed post-graduate coursework in Youth and Family ministry.

Pastor Peters is joined in ministry by his lovely wife Donna. They are the proud parents of three incredible children: Makenzie, Ethan, and Regan.

Elder Marvin C. Brown, III, President, Elder Joel Johnson, Executive Vice President, and Ms. Kiesha Bone, Chief Financial Officer, were all returned to office.

This Allegheny West Conference administration team has led together for the past year, moving the conference agenda forward. Each officer entered their respective office during the last term after being elected by the Executive Committee.

With this vote, delegates affirmed the service of this leadership team. Congratulations to the new administration!

Meeting each family God has sent through the doors brings us so much joy. We love every opportunity we get to share God’s love with the children and their families.

One of the biggest changes we've made came after we realized that between 2.5 and 5 years of age, there are major developmental differences. So we have divided our program into two classes: preschool, for students who are 2.5-3 years of age, and pre-K, for students who are 3.5-5 years of age. By dividing the classes this way, we are able to provide more play-based learning for the preschoolers and more kindergarten-ready activities for the pre-K students.

Our future goals include growing our school-age program, setting up an inviting website, graduating our pre-K students who are ready, and planning and implementing a successful summer program. Please pray for us as we prepare to reach these goals.

What can you do for Precious Jewels Early Learning Center? Don’t forget to spread the word about us. We have grown significantly since the start of the school year, and that has been largely by word of mouth. Also when you think of us, drop by -- the children will love it. Finally, please continue to pray for Precious Jewels.

The Communications Department loves to feature timely and personalized information for our congregation. But we can't do it without you. We need to be able to hear from you, interview you, and know what you're interested in so we can send you newsletters that you want to read.

When you think of something, please email us at announce@ephesus-sda.com with your ideas. You don't even have to write the article; we'll take care of that. But even a mustard seed's worth of input can help a lot. Thanks in advance!

1: Vona Hanks 2: Sutania Bailey 4: Brooklynn Porter 5: Devonte Jordan 6: Anton Jenkins, Tibytha Thompson 8: Kiehiere Blackford, Janice Nwabunike 9: Donte Knight, Dr. Paul Monk 11: Heather Campbell 12: Kim Beightler, Jacqueline Jordan 13: Evelyn Goodman 14: Tamara Glover, Belvia Jackson 15: Akaisha Howell, Alisa Wimberly 16: April Byrd 17: Julian Page 19: Elaine Crawford, Aria Wilson 21: Myles Carter 22: Juliet Samuel 23: Kawine Clermont, Kerline Clermont, Monica Crichlow, Ray Jr. Gibson, El‑Ryckestin Kendrick 24: Crystal Giles, Maurice Heriot, Barbara Smith 25: Carlos Bain, Jazmen Hobbs 26: Tricia Crawford, Salathiel Roach, Lacy Roster 27: Leonette Hollingsworth, Chris Upchurch 28: Valerie Laison 29: Sincere Scott