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Friday, March 6, 2026

Steele Hill A.M.E. Zion Church

Rev. Dr. Jerret C.Fite

Pastor

Attention: All Class Leaders

Young Adult Christian Ministry

A Ministry of the Christian Education Department

The Young Adults in Christian Ministries was accepted as the third division of the Christian Education Department at the 1986 Convention on Christian Education. In 1990, history records YACM as officially organized at the Convention on Christian Education at Livingstone College, Salisbury, North Carolina

Functions:

The Young Adults in Christian Ministries shall:

• Serve as the policy making body for the young adults of the AME Zion Church
• Cultivate Young Adult membership in the AME Zion Church
• Promote ecumenical involvement on all levels
• Make recommendations in those areas which are Young Adult concerns to the Connectional Church

YACM Sunday Guest Speaker

March 15, 2026 10:40 AM

Third Quarter: March - May 2026

Social Teachings of the Church: Looking Back - Looking Forward

March 15, 2026 - Lesson

Adult Unit I: Fulfilling Our Obligation to Neighbors Adult Lesson Title: Helping Neighbors in Need Adult Lesson Topic: Giving Generously Background Scriptures Deuteronomy 15: 1-11, Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 10: 25-37, James 1:27, 2:14-17 Home Daily Readings Friday, March 13: Luke 10: 25 - 37 Saturday, March 14: Deuteronomy 15:4-11 Sunday, March 15: Matthew 25: 41 - 45

Bible Study - Join Us!

Tuesdays @ 6:30 PM

In - Person or ZOOM

March 10, 2026 - Chapter 8 Summary (provided by Melissa Barnes)

✰Leading Through the Stages✰

Chapter 8 chronicles the difficulties of leading a church through its life cycles. In fact, the author explains simply renewing a church’s vision every few years can be challenging. The author concluded that it takes different skills to lead a church during each life cycle stage. According to Mcintosh, a leader needs to develop a new vision and direction for the ministry when the church is thriving to avoid the inevitable pattern of progress and decline. This week, Dr. Fite focused on small group discipleship and what needs to be done in order for a declining and dying church to turnaround. Small group discipleship requires that everybody take ownership to be responsible for another’s salvific walk. We are called to disciple one another and let others know about our walk with God. The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19 commands each believer to “go” and make disciples. Dr. Fite explained that leadership can change but the mission stays the same. It’s not the sole responsibility of the pastor to disciple, but everyone is responsible. Dr. Fite did a line-by-line analysis of Romans 12 in trying to illustrate God’s desire for us to get in His will and live, not for the world, but for His glory. In verse one, Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship, Paul explains that our true and proper worship is to be holy and pleasing to God. Dr. Fite expounded, to really honor God we must give our worship in the manner that God finds pleasing. He explained we are not the cornerstone, but we must align with Him. Dr. Fite emphasized that Paul lays out the process of us giving true and proper worship when he says we should not be conformed to the patterns of this world. What society says and what God says is not the same. Serving together is so important because every part of the Body has a function and purpose in edifying the Body. Like the physical body, the ushers, deacons, trustees, choir members, and media team function to build up the Body of Christ. We must be devoted in love. Love is sacrificial, unconditional, caring and giving. For spiritual maturity to be evident, love has to be at the heart. Dr. Fite admitted that working with some people in church can be difficult, but we have to remember that even Jesus picked a betrayer, Judas; a doubter, Thomas; and a Denyer, Peter after he had fasted and prayed. Make your heart pure and available to make sure there is harmony in the process, Pastor Fite explained. You can only love people the way they need to be loved. Love is an action word. Dr. Fite expressed that we should honor one another in love. We should never be lacking in zeal. We should be dedicated and motivated because the work is never finished. There is always something to do in the Kingdom. Each one should reach one. Finally, Dr. Fite ended by saying it is not about church membership, but Kingdom discipleship is the aim. 

GROW 2026

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Lent Devotion for Friday, March 13

Rev. Dr. Jerret C. Fite Page of 21 40 James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” There are moments when the weight of life presses so heavily that surrender seems like the only option. Trials, disappointments, and unmet expectations can erode faith, leaving the soul weary and questioning. Yet Scripture reminds us that endurance is not merely stubborn persistence—it is a posture of trust in the unseen, a commitment to God’s purposes when our emotions scream “enough.” James 1:12 tells us, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” Endurance is not passive; it is active faith in the midst of struggle. It requires anchoring our hearts in God’s promises, even when circumstances suggest failure. Spiritual endurance is cultivated through prayer that refuses despair, obedience that defies doubt, and hope that persists despite setbacks. To endure spiritually when you want to quit is to acknowledge your human limits while surrendering fully to God’s sufficiency. It is saying, “Lord, I am weary, but I trust You to carry me through.” In these crucibles, God refines resilience, deepens intimacy, and shapes character that cannot be manufactured by ease or comfort. Faithful endurance does not always change the immediate difficulty, but it transforms the one who endures. It turns trials into testimony and weariness into worship. Prayer Lord, I am weary, but I trust You to carry me through. Strengthen my heart to endure trials with faith, hope, and obedience. Help me to surrender my struggles to You, knowing that in Your hands, weariness becomes growth, and trials become testimony. Amen.

March 13 Lent Devotion and Prayer

Pastor Fite will lead the 7 AM Prayer Call on Monday, March 23! Conference Call: 667.770.1014 - Access Code: 342510#

Daily Prayer Schedule and Concerns

Week 5 - March 15 - 21, 2026

Prayer Theme: Reviving Our Membership

March 15 - Commitment & Service - Acts 2: 42 - 45 March 16 - Love - 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 March 17 - Unity - Ephesians 4: 1 - 3 March 18 - Offering Forgiveness - Ephesians 4: 31 - 32 March 19 - Accountable/Responsible - Matthew 25: 14 - 30 March 20 - Fellowship - Hebrews 10: 24 - 25 March 21 - Servant Leadership - Mark 10: 42 - 45

The great teams play together!

April 17 - Jerry & Queenetta Adams

The Loving and Lively Lancaster District

Community

Stellar Awards Are Coming to Charlotte

The Stellar Gospel Music Awards are heading to Charlotte this summer for the first time in the event’s 41-year history. City leaders and event organizers announced Tuesday that the ceremony will be taped at the Spectrum Center on Aug. 15.

The 704 View

The move positions Charlotte as a central hub for Black culture and faith-based entertainment. Stellar Awards founder Don Jackson teased an ongoing marriage with Charlotte, noting the longstanding relationship between New Orleans and the annual Essence Festival.

Proper Preparation

Women Who Soared

Legacy, Purpose, and the Power of Pathmakers

According to records available to the Pee Dee Conference Historian, the Rev. Gladys L. Hardin was ordained and began her pastoral ministry in The A.M.E. Zion Church in the Pee Dee Conference in the mid-1970s under the leadership of the late Bishop Arthur Marshall. Her first pastoral appointment was the New Unity A.M.E. Zion Church where she led the church in many renovations and beautification projects. In his 1976 Quadrennial Report, Bishop Marshall regarded Rev. Hardin as "one of the most successful women pastors in the A.M.E. Zion Church." Next to the late Revs. Lula Jones and V.O. Jeffries, Rev. Hardin is the third woman on record to pastor on the Lancaster District. From 1975 until the early 1980s, Rev. Hardin was the only woman actively pastoring in the Pee Dee Conference. Later in the 1980s, she pastored the Rhode Branch Church in Mt. Croghan, SC on the Cheraw-Bennettsville District where she led the congregation to build a fellowship hall. Her final pastorate was the Millers Chapel in Little Rock, SC. She traveled over 100 miles one way to pastor this congregation. In the 1990s, she retired from pastoral ministry after many years of faithful service and great personal sacrifice in time, travel and resources and returned to her home church, Steele Hill. Rev. Hardin received her heavenly wings on October 23, 2023, at the age of 95. Rev. Hardin was the beloved sister of Mrs. Creola Johnson.

A Strong Connection

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Contact Fred Witherspoon 704.488.5008 (phone/text) fwitherspoon@steelehillamez.org