5 Court St., Towanda PA 18848 570.265.5575 Email ...I’m sure the Lord wants us to be good stewards...

First Presbyterian Church of Towanda

5 Court St., Towanda PA 18848

570.265.5575

Email - [email protected]

Website - www.fpctowanda.com

Facebook - Fans of First Presbyterian Church

From Pastor Rachel -

I often find February to be a hard month. There are no major holidays -- no, Valentine’s Day to me is

not a “real” holiday -- there are not many things to look forward to ... and the promise of spring is still far

off....

It’s a time that reminds me of a quote by CS Lewis: “the waiting room of the world.” Days are grey

and cold. We have blessings, and joy, and daily reasons to give thanks, for sure. But the sunlight is often ab-

sent when we bundle up, put on our boots, and trudge through ordinary days ... in the waiting room.

Most of us are not fans of waiting rooms. Often we’re in them for medical or dental appointments,

which themselves are rarely a reason to celebrate. I have recently begun to call ahead, and if the anticipated

wait time is more than I find reasonable, I reschedule. To me, waiting room time is not productive and

worthwhile, so I avoid it or minimize it whenever possible.

I’m sure the Lord wants us to be good stewards of our time, and do our best not to waste it. Our

lives are brief, and wasting time sometimes means that we don’t value the few days we have on this earth.

Wasting time may also mean we’re not doing as well as we could to love and serve others, and instead are

squandering time for selfish ends.

But the Scriptures also tell us, time and again, that there is a divinely ordained value in waiting.

Ps. 27:14: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Ps. 33:20: “We wait in

hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.” Ps. 37:7: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently

for Him.” This is just a small sampling of numerous Bible passages that commend waiting for the Lord. Why?

(Continued on next page)

Sometimes we’re to wait for His lead. Other times, we wait for His justice. In Isaiah 8, the prophet

waited for the Lord when He hid His favor from the Israelites due to their sinful rebellion against Him.

Other times, Biblical saints waited for the Lord to reveal His glory, for vindication, for His provision, for

redemption, and for comfort. Why is waiting so valuable for us? Because it grows and stretches us to rely

upon Him. Even more, in these Biblical examples, people waited with hope and expectation. They trusted

that in the waiting room of the world, God would in His wisdom come through for them, somehow,

someway, in His timing.

This month, maybe you’re with me in the February waiting room of the world. Just as sure as spring

will come with warmth, beauty, and new life, God’s Word reminds us that the waiting may be difficult,

dull, or painful, but it doesn’t last forever. The Lord is with us, and our Son will shine. “The Lord longs to

be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice.

Blessed are all who wait for Him!” (Is. 30:18).

February 6 Day of Prayer

1. For all those impacted by the recent federal government shutdown, and for our officials there

to be wise and selfless in their leadership.

2. For those who are suffering from lack of food, warmth, funds, or love. May the Lord empower

us to be His hands and feet, to serve them in love.

3. For our congregation’s elders, deacons, trustees, and staff to grow in their faith and follow the

Lord’s lead as they serve us and our community

4. For each of us to grow abundantly in the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

5. That the Lord will bring spiritual renewal and revival to us, our community, and our nation, for

His glory and the salvation of many!

Mark Your Calendar!

On Saturday, March 16, we will host our annual

St. Patrick’s Day dinner as a fundraiser for the 5th

Quarter ministry. Come to Patterson Hall from 5:30 to

7. More details in the next newsletter and in worship

bulletins! Who will you invite?

SWEET SOUNDS CAFÉ, a benefit for Grace Connection,

will take place on Sunday, February 17 from 2 to 4 PM at the

Wysox Presbyterian Church. Come and enjoy music, and an

abundance of sweet and savory snacks. What better way to

spend a winter Sunday afternoon than to listen to some great

music, eat tasty snacks and enjoy the company of friends.

Towanda Area Clergy Association, sponsor of the event, extends a warm invitation to all to come out,

not only to enjoy the cafe, but support Grace Connection.

The next COMMUNITY DINNER will

be held on February 19 in Patterson Hall

from 5:30 to 6:30 PM.

Menu consists of

Ham

Cheesy Potatoes

And Salad

As always, invite your friends and family on

this chilly February evening for a warm and

delicious meal!

February Birthdays

1 - Phyllis Blanchard

2 - Lisa Young, Clayton Mount

10 - Diane Zechman

15 - Linda Ferrario

21 - Charlotte Sullivan

24 - Margaret McManus

26 - Robert Kopetan

27 - Danica McLaud

February Scripture Readers

3 - Diane Zechman

10 - Bethany Dodge

17 - Judy Douglas

24 - Wanda Stahl

February Greeters

3 - Diane & Brian Zechman

10 - Cynthia Young

17 - Peggy & Sharon Richards

24 - Todd & Jacob Carr

February Elders on Call

3 - Ray Fleming

10 - Nancy Neilson

17 - Judy Douglas

24 - Dave Guffey

February Sermons

3 - Communion/State of Church

10 - Luke 14:25-35 (hating father and mother)

17 - Matthew 10:28-36 ( I came to bring a sword/go

buy a sword)

24 - Jim & Joan Farr visit

Wycliffe Translators Jim and Joan Farr are retiring from Papua New Guinea.

Translators complete their work!

Jim Farr, son of former First Presbyterian Church Rev. Harry P. Farr, and wife Joan have returned to

the states after having served as Wycliffe Bible translators for over forty years.

Jim is a graduate of Towanda High School and received his B.A. in German with a minor in education

from Ursinus College. He taught school for a period of time while training in linguistics to work with Wyc-

liffe at the University of North Dakota. He and his first wife Cindi had one son, Jamie, who is also working

in the field of translation with Wycliffe.

Jim and, Cindi, began their ministry in 1970 as Wycliffe Bible translators in Papua, New Guinea. After

she passed away in 2008, Jim prayed about which direction he should go. The Lord led him to marry his cur-

rent wife Joan, who was also working with the E.C. Division of Missions and Wycliffe Translators in New

Guinea. They remained there doing the work of the Lord, working closely with the Korafe and Baruga

Tribes.

Before World War II, the Anglican Mission had brought the gospel into the Tufi and lower Musa

area, but without God’s Word in their language, the Korafe church remained well. Jim and Joan moved to

the village of Baga in the Tufi area. They dove into learning the Korafe language in order to create an alpha-

bet that fit the language and culture. By the 1970’s they had progressed enough to start translating the New

Testament with other Korafe and Yega coworkers. In 1984, the Archbishop of the Papua New Guinea An-

glican Church dedicated the Korafe Mokurua New Testament for the Korafa-Yegha tribes. They also

worked with the Baruga people and in 1996 and the first book ever printed in the Batuga language, the Gos-

pel of Mark, was dedicated. In 2003, the Korafe New Testament was revised and at the present time the

entire New Testament has been translated into the Baruga language. These people now have the Word of

God for the first time. The Old Testament is currently being translated by other members with the book of

Genesis mostly drafted and work being done on Psalms.

In 1986 and again in 1996, Jim was elected Associate Director

of Language Affairs to supervise over 200 language teams and the

overall technical studies program of the Papua, New Guinea, brand of

translators. Work continues in that part of the world by the Wycliffe

translation teams to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the various

tribal villages.

Jim will be preaching and teaching Sunday School at his home

church, First Presbyterian of Towanda, on February 24. All are

welcome to come and hear the message of God and the work Jim

and his family have been doing in Papua, New Guinea.

Planning has begun for this summer’s Community Vacation Bible School.

The dates are June 23—27 from 6:00—8:00 pm and we are hosting the

event. This will be a great opportunity to grow our KIDS CLUB ministry as

well. There are many ways that you can participate in the fun that is VBS!

You won’t want to miss being a part of this outreach event so don’t wait—

ask how you can help today!

DONATIONS NEEDED FOR VBS OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:

Old umbrellas (they will not be returned), flat sheets of corrugated cardboard

(printing is okay), sheets of foam core any color, flat sold color bedsheets,

brown paper grocery bags, brown paper lunch bags.

ITEMS THAT WILL BE RETURNED: bamboo, bamboo tiki torches, wooden

crates.

Items may be left in the CE office.

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL LENTEN STUDY March 3—April 14

“The Last Days of Jesus”

From Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem to His glorious resurrection, the Last Days of Jesus

DVD Bible study provides a fantastic overview of six major events surrounding Jesus' death and

resurrection! Each of the six sessions starts out in Israel, showing key locations such as the

Garden of Gethsemane and the Mount of Olives.

We can be our strongest, our kindest and our most Christ-like when

we are connected. It makes the symbol of a CWS Blanket even more

powerful: think of all the individual pieces of thread and wool being

pulled together to cover someone with warmth! Without any one of

those pieces - without you! - the story would not be the same.

That’s what happened in Indianapolis last winter. The Midwest gets

cold. You don’t have to live on the streets to know that, but for those

who do, the deep dives below zero are deadly.

Congregations like Central Christian Church (Indy CCC) in Indianapolis

don’t want to see their neighbors su er. So they’re doing something

about it...and you’re helping them. Last winter, this meant the church

provided heavy-duty CWS Blankets for families without homes. It

also meant they opened their doors each night to give people a

comfortable place to sleep, safe from icy temperatures. CWS Blankets

made bedding, a warm shelter and hope for life possible.

From you to CWS to groups like Indy CCC to strangers on the

streets...we’re working together to weave a story of human love and

compassion. It’s one where families are protected from the cold,

comforted after a disaster and reminded that they’re not alone.

Will you be a part of this story today? Will you make a generous

donation to CWS Blankets?

“They are also

February

Is

Blanket

Month

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2

Groundhog

Day

3 Holy Communion

Morning Worship (10:00 AM)

Sunday School for all ages (11:30 AM)

Youth Group 9-12 Grade at the Cup (6:00 PM)

4 Worship Team (1:00 PM)

Trustees (5:00 PM)

Boy Scouts (6:30 PM)

Women's Bible Study - Welcome Center (6:30 PM)

5 Bible Study and Prayer at Fox Home (9:00 AM)

6 Church Day of Prayer

Hezekiah's Hands at the Cup (8:00 AM)

Kid's Club (5:30 PM to 7:15 PM)

7 Chancel Choir practice (6:30 PM)

8 9

10 Morning Worship - MFM (10:00 AM)



11 Boy Scouts (6:30 PM)



Christian Ed Team (1:30 PM)

Outreach Team (6:30 PM)

13


14 Valentine's Day

Chancel Choir practice (6:30 PM)

15 Tidings Article Deadline

16

17 Taco Collection Sunday



Sweet Sounds Cafe @ Wysox Presbyterian Church (2:00 PM to 4:00 PM)

Girl Scouts (5:30 PM)


18 Presidents' Day

Boy Scouts (6:30 PM)



Community Dinner (5:30 PM)

20 Prayer Group at Peggy Richards home (1:00 PM)



22 23

24 Missionaries John & Joan Farr




25 Boy Scouts (6:30 PM)



Session (6:00 PM)

27



February 2019

http://www.fpctowanda.com/fpcal.php?year=2019&day=2&month=2

















































































5 Court St., Towanda PA 18848 570.265.5575 Email ...I’m sure the Lord wants us to be good stewards...

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