2016 June/July Tidings

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1 2016 June/July Tidings 1st Presbyterian Church 5 Court St., Towanda PA fpchurch@comcast.net Website - Facebook - Friends of First Presbyterian From Pastor Rachel When I was on study leave a few weeks ago, I worshipped with our friends at the Wyalusing Presbyterian Church. It was Pentecost, so I anticipated an inspiring message about the power of the Holy Spirit. What surprised me was that their congregation welcomed 12 members that day. Three were confirmands, some were transfers, and some were people who had fallen away from church life, but God brought them back. One man was a new believer who was also baptized. He had never been religious. But one day as he was scanning through radio channels, the tuner stopped on Family Life. The words he heard struck him, and eventually he ended up trusting Christ for forgiveness and salvation. After worship, I was talking with Pastor Ballard and mentioned how pleased I was to see so many new members. He said that the only way he could explain it was that he and his church have been faithfully praying together for a spiritual revival. Praying for the Holy Spirit to bring people to faith, or bring people back to vibrant faith, was the main ministry they d been carrying out. After faithful, persistent prayer, God was answering! This is what we can look forward to. I hope this example from Wyalusing encourages you to keep up the good work of praying, both individually and in our prayer groups. This is by far the most important ministry we have, because it is the foundation of all we are and do. Our relationship with the Lord undergirds everything. Unless He builds the house, we labor in vain. But God wants very much to build, and wants us to actively take part! If you are wondering exactly how or when God will answer our prayers for our church and community, I can t tell you that. But I can tell you with 100% certainty that He will. If you have not yet joined a prayer group, please do not delay! (cont d on next page)

2 (cont d from front page) This summer, persist in praying for your neighbors to come to new faith in Christ. Pray for them by name. When you go for a walk, pray for the people in each house you pass by. Think about people who haven t been to worship for a while. Pray for them by name. Pray about whether the Lord wants you to reach out to them, and invite them back to worship with us. Pray for the children and young people in your neighborhood to know Christ. Pray about what role God wants you to have in telling your neighbors and co-workers about the Lord. I know you join me in being excited for what God is doing in our sister church in Wyalusing. When we keep up our own prayer efforts, we also will see the Lord answer. He delights in answering our prayers, especially when it comes to spiritual new life and renewal. So be bold and persistent! The Lord is at work building His Kingdom, and we have the privilege of taking part. June/July Prayer List For us all not to take a vacation from God, His Word, and prayer this summer. For our graduates to be safe and blessed as the Lord guides them to the next chapter of their lives. As we enjoy God s creation this summer, may we be safe in fun and travels. For us to grow in boldness and confidence to tell others what the Lord has done for us. Share the Good News of Christ! For Christian brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering and facing death because of their faith in our Savior. For the Lord to be at work for good in the Presidential political process. Continue to pray for our leaders at all levels of government, and for those who serve in our military across the globe.

3 Food, Fun and Fellowship! Join us on July 31 after morning worship at the Riverfront Park for our annual church picnic. We will eat at noon. The Fellowship Team will provide hotdogs, buns, and the congregation is asked to bring their own table service, beverage, and a dish to pass. Hope to see you there. Do You Have A Song In Your Heart? We are planning another Music Sunday to take place this summer. Pastor Rachel is looking for individuals or groups within our congregation who would like to share their musical talents in praise. Please contact her ASAP if you would like to take part. The date of Music Sunday will depend on the schedules of those who want to take part. Thank you! THE COMMUNITY ALLIANCE CHURCH IN MONROETON will host its annual bocce tournament on Sunday, June 5. Come at 3 PM to play bocce or around 4:30 for hot dogs. Please bring a dish to pass if possible, and lawn chairs. ALL are welcome! TRYING TO BE LIGHTER? We are exploring a church weight loss support group to meet monthly. We will encourage and pray for one another and gently hold each other accountable. Please see or Pastor Rachel if you re interested. Thanks So Much! I wanted to thank all of those who called or sent get well cards to me during my recovery from the emergency appendectomy. It meant a lot to me. And also to those who gave a contribution to Grace Connection helping us to help the needy. -Judy Parmenter Lemonade on the Lawn! Join us on July 17 immediately following morning worship for lemonade on the lawn. I m sure by that time we will be feeling the summer heat, and what goes better with that then a nice cool drink of lemonade. Hope to see you there.

4 MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Sunday, June 5, immediately after morning worship, there will be a congregational meeting for the purpose of deciding whether our church should move from the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) to the Evangelical Order of Presbyterians (ECO). Every member is entitled to cast a secret ballot for this very important decision. If you have not already read the ECO tenets, you are encouraged to do so. Copies of the various documents are available in the narthex. The church office will be glad to send informational materials by mail if desired. A quorum of our active members is needed on June 5 for the vote to take place. The decision to move to ECO must be supported by a two-thirds majority of the members present. This is an extremely important decision for our church. If you desire additional information or have questions, please do not hesitate to contact any member of the Denomination Renewal Team and/or Pastor Rachel. CYS Camp FLEA Need Some Fun? Join Pastor Rachel in helping at the Bradford-Sullivan CYS' Camp FLEA. Helpers are needed to supervise kids with crafts, fishing, boating, swimming, and meal time. The camp is held Aug 2-4 near Dushore. Transportation is provided. You can volunteer any or all days. If you are interested, please call Katie Miller at Rachel is helping Tuesday to Thursday. Little Colored Bells An enthusiastic group of kids has been meeting in the DeWitt Room for 20 minutes before worship time (9:40), the third Sunday of each month to practice ringing the bells. Any other interested children or adults are more than welcome to participate! All you need to do is know your colors and ring the bell you are holding, when you see that color on the chord card the leader holds up, at the first beat of every measure. With the accompanying CD playing the melody in the back ground, you really can t be concerned about making mistakes. :) Also, rhythm band instruments will be available during the peppier praise song at the beginning of worship on Sundays. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord Psalm 100

5 Thoughts from Deb Fuller, CEC The weekly meetings of KIDS CLUB concluded with parents, pizza and Minute to Win It games on May 4. It was a fun way to end a great year! I have scheduled several Back to KIDS CLUB nights for June and July to support our goal of staying in touch with the kids over the summer months. The dates are June 8 and 29 and July 13 from 5:30 7:15 PM, plus a swim party to take place in August. The community Vacation Bible School will take place at the JFK Hall from Sunday, July 17 through Thursday, July 21 from 6 8 P.M. Our theme is Barnyard Round Up Jesus Gathers Us Together. More farmhands are always welcome to help out! Children s Church will be replaced by a Children s Talk during worship for the months of June, July and August. Volunteers are welcome! CAMP LACKAWANNA IS HERE! The first camp session begins June 26 July 1 so don t forget to pick up your camp brochure and registration now. Church scholarships are available so don t miss out on your chance for a very fun summer experience. The memories you make will last forever! It s An Open House Celebration! Tom and Nancy Neilson invite family and friends to an Open House at the Riverstone Inn in Wysox on Saturday, June 25th, from 1 to 3:30 PM. Come and help celebrate their 50 years of marriage! Heavy hors d'oeuvres will be served.

6 What is Hezekiah s Hands? HEZEKIAH S HANDS WORK WEEK June 20 - June 24 It is a nonprofit Christian community dedicated to loving our neighbors as Christ has called us to do. Our purpose includes upholding the dignity of vulnerable homeowners who live in Bradford County. During the week of June 20 June 24 we will send out crews of youth and adult volunteers who give freely of their time and energy to perform free home repairs for homeowners. There is still time to sign up as a volunteer for this year s mission week. Matters not if you have one day or 5 days to offer, workers are very much needed. Also, if you know of anyone who needs work done, please contact Nancy Hughey at nancy.hughey@gmail.com or call You may also call the church office at Having this information is vital to a successful week and helps plan accordingly. ALSO, our church is preparing the volunteer dinner for the first day of work. If you can help with serving or clean-up (food has been taken care of) it would be much appreciated. Please contact Brenda Abbott at if you can help. Fun and Funds on Father s Day Need a way to treat Dad? Come out to the Father s Day cookout fundraiser sponsored by our Knight Life youth group. From 5-6:30 on June 19, the youth will offer hot dogs, hamburgers, sides, and fixins to show love to dads and raise funds for the youth Kingdom Bound trip in July. No reservations are needed just come to our lawn. If the weather is poor, we will fellowship in Patterson Hall. All are welcome! Magic Penny After putting their three-year-old child Brian in bed, his parents heard muffled sobs coming from his room one night. Rushing back in, they found that the child was crying hysterically when he saw them. He told his parents that he had accidentally swallowed a penny and was sure that he would die now. The father, in an attempt to sober him down, took out a penny from his pocket and pretended to pull it out from Brian's ear. The child was really thrilled and stopped crying at once. In a flash, he snatched the penny from his dad's hand, swallowed it, and then cheerfully demanded, "Do it again, Dad!"

7 MEMORIALS RECEIVED In Memory of Esther Dayton - William & Bonnie Fulkerson, Marily Young, Dave & Brenda Houck, Joan & John Gormley In Memory of Jamie McPherson - Pearl & Jack Fox, Wayne & Marian Davidson, Caroline Lawson, Jerold & Myrna Kriescher, Beverly DeWitt, Joann Zacharias, Linda & Bob Ferrario, Robert Herda, Sally Rohrer, Tom & Nancy Neilson, Adalbert & Mark Stamer, Joan Fiester, Jim & Marie Parks, Marilyn Young, Paul DeWitt, Edward & Barb Branish, Robert Cooper, Mark & Lois Smith, Jess & Norma Bacon, Larry & Peggy Putnam, Jack Thomas In Memory of Donald Lockhart - Sally Rohrer and Robert Cooper In Memory of George Lovell - Sally Rohrer Church Library Addition A DVD title Ancient Roads from Christ to Constantine PERFECT SUMMER FRUIT SALAD Ingredients 2/3 cup fresh orange juice COMING SOON! Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 11 that is the date for the Bradford County Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society. We are planning to join Rome Presbyterian and other local churches in putting a team together for this event. If you can walk 15 minutes or 150 minutes, we d love to have you take part. The event runs from 10 AM to 10 PM at the Wyalusing High School track. More info to follow! 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 tsp. grated orange zest 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 cups cubed fresh pineapple 2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced 3 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced 3 bananas, sliced 2 oranges, peeled and sectioned 1 cup seedless grapes 2 cups blueberries (Recipe cont d.) Directions 1. Bring orange juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, orange zest, and lemon zest to a boil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium low, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla extract. Set aside to cool. 2. Lay the fruit in a large, clear glass bowl in this order: pineapple, strawberries, kiwi fruit, bananas, oranges, grapes, and blueberries. Pour the cooled sauce over the fruit. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours before serving.

8 From the Stewardship Team

9 Heather Godshall cont d

10 June 2016 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 Day of Prayer AM Hezekiah s 6PM Stewardship 1PM Fellowship Hands at the Cup Pastor Rachel on Study leave AM Worship 11AM S.S. Classes 5PM Trustees 6:30 Scouts 5:30 PM Kid s Club 10:30 AM Praise Team 3PM Bocce Tournament at Community Alliance Church Flag Day AM Worship 11AM S.S. Classes 5:45 PM Worship 6:15 PM Outreach 6:30 PM Christian Education 10 AM - 8 PM Youth Grp. To Knoebel s Amusement Park 19 Father s Day 10AM Worship 11AM S.S. Classes 5PM Youth Group Cook Out Fundraiser HEZEKIAH S HANDS WORK WEEK 10:30 AM Praise Team AM Worship 11AM S.S. Classes 6:30 Scouts 5:30 PM Kid s Club

11 July 2016 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Day of Prayer AM Worship Independence Day Church Office 8 AM Hezekiah s Hands at the Cup 6PM Stewardship Church Movie Night Watch for more Closed upcoming details AM Worship 5 PM Trustees 6 PM SESSION 1PM Fellowship 5:45 PM Worship 6:15PM Outreach 5:30 PM Kid s Club 6:30 PM Christian Ed AM Worship Lemonade on the church lawn VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL AT JFK HALL AM Worship AM Worship Church Picnic at Riverfront Park - Eat at noon

12 JUNE 1 - Marge Pierce 2 - Henry Dunn, Kiersten Horton 3 - Lynne Pierce 5 - Wanda Stahl 6 - Jamie Homet 9 - Stacy Mount 10 - Peg Durnin 12 - Reg Douglas 13 - Julie Harrington 15 - Bill Fulkerson 16 - Cathy Guffey 20 - Caleb Gore 21 - Kerrigan Walsh 22 - Ken Parmenter, Greg Fulkerson JULY 1 - David McLaud 3 - Shane Martin 7 - Ed Gallew 8 - Meredith Guffey 9 - Josh Pavey 13 - Emily Carr 14 - Brooks Greenland 15 - Joan Gormley 21 - Matt Pavey 25 - James Guffey, Alexis Kinney, Ben Hockenberry 27 - Saige Greenland 28 - Christopher Horton 31 - Jody Stroud