FEBRUARY 2017

Ron McCarty 2/05/--Brian Stevens 2/07/--Sheila Howard 2/08/--Tiffany Jones 2/10/--Dana Beyer 2/11/--Fran Hindman 2/11/--Barb Hugo 2/11/--Carol Barnes 2/12/--Jeanette Chamberlin 2/14/--Tradden Neiley 2/19/16Juliana Susanj 2/21/03Jim Howard, Jr. 2/24/--Edie Ermisch 2/26/--Cheryl Keeney 2/28/--Luke Minturn 2/29/00

Wyalusing Presbyterian Church79 Church StreetPO Box 25Wyalusing PA 18853return service requested

EXTRAVAGANT LOVEThe love St. Paul describes in1 Corinthians 13 is “no mild, tepid thing,” writes Mark Buchanan in Your Church Is Too Safe (Zondervan). “It is no flight of fancy, no frisson of giddiness, no mere ruffle of sensation. This love is neither nice nor prissy nor fragile nor coy. This love is fierce and wild and dangerous and unbreakable. It is sublime and subversive. It is indefatigable and undefeatable. It is nothing less than the love God has for you, to bind you and to

Marilyn & Jay Ross 2/01/75Toni & Ron McCarty 2/12/94Larry & Janet Alderson 2/4/12

“Love is taking a few steps backward, maybe even more ... to give way to the happiness of the person you love.” —A.A. Milne“Patience with others is love,

patience with self is hope,patience with God is faith.”

—Adel Bestavros

“We cannot pray in love and live in hate and still think we are worshiping God.” —A.W. Tozer

FEBRUARY 2017

the

THE GIFT THAT GIVES Love ever gives, forgives, outlives

and ever stands with open hands. And while it lives, it gives. For this is love’s prerogative —

to give, and give, and give. —John Oxenham

SPECIAL DATESThis is African-American

History Month

February 5, 2017 Boy Scout Sunday

WPC’S Cub Scouts will be our Greeters and Ushers!

The TRUSTEES will meet following the

February 12, 2017Leadership Planning Meeting

All leaders, committee members, and Sunday school teachers are encouraged to attend. this meeting immediately following worship. Lunch will be provided.

Items to be considered: Events for the 2017 calendar Job descriptions, including revisions ( page 8) Up-grades for the web site

The DEACONS will meet after the planning meeting.

February 14, 2017

February 19, 2017Friend Day Dance PartyBring a friend to the party! [Learn all about it in the Sunday School news on page 3.

Join area churches in raising support for Grace Connection from noon to 4pm at the American Legion Post 42 in Towanda. $10 at the door will earn you a bowl and all-you-can-eat soup provided by The Community Cup Coffee & Tea Shop. There will also be a silent auction/basket raffle.

WPC Is So Proud Of Its Sunday School –

and We’re So Grateful for the Wonderful

FRONTFRONT PORCHPORCH

The FRONT PORCH is the monthly newsletter of Wyalusing Presbyterian Church located at 179 Church Street in the heart of Wyalusing Pennsylvania. The vision of Wyalusing Presbyterian Church is to nurture faith inJesus Christ, and through that faith, reach out to all people in Christian love. Phone: 570-746-3333 E-mail: wpchurch@ptd.net web site: www.wyalusingpc.org

+ Christian Symbol +

AureoleFrom the Latin for “gold,” an aureole is a golden image symbolizing divinity and supreme power. It’s used sometimes in medieval art to surround Mary and the Christ Child, or Jesus alone. The elongated or almond-shaped form of an aureole is called a mandorla.

Teachers Leading Our Youth!Our Christian Education Team Leader Lynn Petlock shared the minutes from their last meeting on January 15, 2017. Here are some high lights from them:

Sue Kilmer, Amy Soper, Shannon Lord, Julie Gamble, Lisa Mapes, Blaire Wayman, Toni McCarty, Keri Pickett, Barry Ballard, Diana Petlock, Katy Stoddard and Lynn Petlock.were present. Lynn opened the meeting with prayer.

The teachers discussed how the Advent Season went this year. We loved the birthday party for Jesus and should do that every year regardless of what day Christmas falls on. Some of the teacher’s liked not having to buy gifts for specific needs and others didn’t think it was meaningful buying generic gifts. Never the less, this year was an exception because of the hurricane victims. We will see what 2017 brings and decide then how to best distribute gifts. Next Christmas families will light the Advent Candles.

Shannon would like our Sunday school children to keep in touch with the church in North Carolina that she and Toni visited with gifts. She feels that both churches would benefit from the contact.

Friend Day—Dance Party!

Sunday February 19th, 2017from 11:30 to 2:30 at the American

Legion Post 534 in Wyalusing. The meal will consist of pizza, veggies (carrots

and cucumbers and dip), fruit (grapes, orange slices, apple slices, etc. and dip), chips and pretzels (with dip),

drinks and cookies. We will also have a Ice-Cream

Sundae Bar part- way through the afternoon. A Coffee Bar will be for the adults. Lynn will make up a menu and send it to Toni to post so we can get donations. Pizza will be purchased.

Music will be played (kid friendly) and we will order some inflatable microphones and such from Oriental Trading.

We will have a photo booth set up. We will have a card making table set up for children to make cards to send to the church in North Carolina and to college students, etc. Lynn will have pre-folded cards and supplies ready

Incentives—each child who brings a friend will get a “ticket”. Throughout the party tickets will be drawn and that child can pick a prize out of the prize bucket. The friend they brought will also get a prize. Lynn will see there is a prize bucket.

Invitations will be given to the students so they can invite their friends. Besides the information about the party on the front, the back will have information about church (including the address and some of the programs we offer (Men’s Breakfast, Family Dinner Night, etc.).

For the adults—we will buy coffee mugs and fill them with some informational material. They can use the coffee mugs for the coffee bar.

Cups will also be provided for the children with little pieces of candy and cards with info on them.

The children will sing on Feb 19th!. The congregation will be led in “Shake a Friend’s Hand” and “King of Kings” and then the

Sunday school children will come up and sing their song.

This month Julie Gamble and Keri Picketts’s class will write to our Compassion child, Edel.

The meeting closed with prayer by Sue Kilmer.

The next meeting will be February 12th at 8:00 am.

GOD’S CONVERSATION HEARTS

Those familiar conversation hearts that show up every February can be more than just trite romantic or friendly sayings. Use them to remind you — or to teach a child — of the greatest love of all: God’s love for us, which empowers our love for others. For example:

♥ TRUE LOVE: What love is truer than giving up one’s only Son so people might have everlasting life? (John 3:16).

♥ BE MINE: Jesus knows us intimately, as a shepherd knows his sheep. No one can snatch us from him (John 10:27-29).

♥ FOREVER: God loves us with an “everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3).

♥ LOVE ME: The greatest commandment is to love God with our whole being (Luke 10:27).

♥ TRUST ME: “Let not your hearts be troubled.” We can count on Jesus, now and for eternal life (John 14:1-3).

♥ SWEET TALK: God’s words are sweeter than honey (Psalm 119:103).

♥ BE GOOD: We show our love for Christ by keeping his commands (John 14:15).

♥ CALL ME: God longs to be in fellowship with us. We can talk to him anytime in prayer (Jeremiah 33:3).

♥ FRIENDS: The greatest love involves laying down your life for your friends (John 15:13) — precisely what Jesus did.♥ #1: “We love because [God] first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

MEET THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 95:30 P.M.

MISSION GIVING! Mission Team: Elders Pam Quentin & Deb Minturn

Throughout the year WPC supports local charities: Towanda Area Christian

Outreach, Hezekiah’s Hands, , Helping Hands, Endless Mountains Pregnancy Care Center, Grace Connection;

Rev. Cameron Smith, the Howard family and the Wyalusing Youth Group. The first Sunday of each month we leave the HUNGER BASKET at the Greeters table in the front hall – all donations in the basket go to Towanda Area Christian Outreach (TACO) which helps needy people in Bradford County including many in our school district.

The Noisy Can Collections for January – April will go toward camperships for our children attending summer camp at Camp Lackawanna..

Deb tells us Helping Hands can always use cans of tuna and/or mac & cheese! Add these to our shopping cart in the front hall during February.

Thank you to all who continue to support our outreach programs with the many generous donations.

… from the DEACONS BENCH Katy Stoddard, Linda Moon, Sylvia Ballard, Colleen Brown, Sue Fenton, Marleah Stevens Marilyn Ross, & Cari McCarty

The Deacons met on Sunday , January 15, 2017 following the worship service.

A variety of Deacon duties were assigned for 2017.

Get well cards, thinking of you cards and sympathy cards were sent.

Address Labels will be available in the Vestibule for: College Students, Jeanette Chamberlin, Becky Nevins and June Nevins

Our Next Meeting will be February 12, 2017 immediately following church before the Leadership Planning Meeting. Please note the change of meeting date due to Friends Day.

On February 12, 2017, the Fenton/Mapes family will have a Chicken and Biscuit fundraiser for the Fenton family’s Relay for Life team in memory of the late David Fenton.  Dinners are $7 for an adult dinner and $4 for ages 4-12yrs.

A Prayer for Kindness…God of love, as we share valentines, remind

us also to share practical expressions of your love for all: food, shelter, clean water, acceptance of differences, a helping hand.

February 7, 14, 21 and 28TUESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY Romans Study:  The Tuesday night Bible Study began exploring the book of Romans on Tuesday, November 22, at 6:30 PM.  and continues through the month of February.

This study group meets in the Choir Room. Be sure to contact Barry if you are interested in joining this study group so he can catch you up on where the study is this month. 

February 17 , 2017Horizons Bible StudyWho Is Jesus? What a Difference a Lens Makes’ by Judy Yates Siker [A New Testament scholar and an ordained teaching elder in the PC (USA)] .

The fifth lesson Scripture is I Corinthians 1:18-25. The group plans to take a few minutes to view the DVD that accompanies the study and listen to comments from Rev. Siker about this chapter. In her Horizons magazine column for lesson 5 Katie Mulligan titles this month’s lesson: “A Walk with Jesus” and poses these questions: 1. “What dpes the phrase ‘the foolishness of the cross’ mean to you?” 2.” Can you define who Jesus is without saying who Jesus is not?” Rosalind Banbury describes the 1st century cosmopolitan, Roman city of Corinth and draws parallels to our contemporary lives. Her final paragraph in her commentary packs a punch! “To those in Paul’s time, the gospel is a scandal. If the gospel of Christ is not a scandal today, it is in part because we have significantly watered down the message of Jesus. We make the gospel more about being kind or nice and less about the risen Christ who fundamentally reshapes who we are and who we include in tour lives Why would we pledge allegiance to Jesus Christ as our highest loyalty, when it appear to be so much drivel to many? It is because the love of God has reached out and touched us, brought healing , transforms us, and makes us long for a different world. One we experience God’s love, all the values of the world become absurd, so that the foolishness of God in Christ becomes our life.”

The study group will February 17 at the home of Margaret Dabback on Second St at 10:30 a.m.

“Today’s hymn is on page 2 of our website at religion/net@hymn.com.”

We are in a time between times on the church calendar. This year, there is a rather long time between the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of Lent (March 1). It is a bit of a lull. It is the heart of winter (although it has been a mild one, so far). After February 5, there won’t even be football! Usually this lull is over by mid-February, but not this year. What are we going to do while we await the beginning of Lent?

Around the church, there are still things to do. We still have regular Sunday School and worship services each week. The Youth Group meets at 5:00 on Sunday nights for high school students. There are a couple of Bible studies that meet—one every Tuesday night at 6:30, and one on a Friday morning during February. The Young Adult group meets during February. The church is used by various outside groups, too. Maybe there is something that will interest you.

One important activity that we Christians ought to practice all year long is prayer. After the inauguration of President Trump, the nation has been in a state of unrest. There is so much division! No matter what side of any argument you are on, it is a good time to pray for the needs of the nation. The New Testament teaches us to be good citizens and pray for our leaders in several places (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; Titus 3:1-2). So when you pray, pray for our nation and its leaders.

This lull may be a good time to catch up on some reading or study. Stop by the church library, and see what is on the shelves. Here are some good Christian books from the Christianity Today 2017 book awards winners: Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical, by Timothy Keller (Viking); Crossing the Waters: Following Jesus through the Storms, the Fish, the Doubt, and the Seas by Leslie Leyland Fields (NavPress); or Saving the Saved: How Jesus Saves Us from Try-Harder Christianity into Performance-Free Love by Bryan Loritts (Zondervan). For Christian Fiction, the list offers The Confessions of X by Suzanne M. Wolfe (Thomas Nelson), and The Promise of Jesse Woods by Chris Fabry (Tyndale). There are several more offerings in various categories. Just Google “Christianity Today book list” for more. If you are not into Christian books right now, maybe you could pick up one of those classics you were supposed to read in high school. You could make a point of catching up on your Bible reading, too. Hopefully, we can all find a good book to read and the time to read it. We have the whole month of February.

Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, March 1, is a season of preparation for celebrating Jesus’ Resurrection. Instead of playing catch up when Lent

finally arrives, or deciding at the last minute what to give up for the season, why not be prepared to celebrate a holy Lent? Prayer, reading, participation in the life of the church, and regular worship can all help. Don’t let this bleak-midwinter lull get you down. Exercise your spirit, and prepare for the coming season of preparation. And when Spring finally arrives, then Easter (April 16), we will all hopefully be in a great place to celebrate.

February 20, 2017

Prayers for Guidance:God, thank you for calling me holy and calling me into holy living. Help me make loving choices this week so I reflect your holiness in all I do.

“Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer than all the angels in the sky.” Open my imagination and heart, Lord, to your glory all around me.

Take careIn Jimmy Fallon’s first monologue

as host of NBC’s The Tonight Show, he expressed thanks to all past hosts. On an occasion when he might have said, “And now this stage is mine!” or “I’m delighted to be counted among such greats,” instead he stated with deep humility, “I just want to do the best I can and take care of this show for a while.”

Take care of. That’s language not of ownership but of stewardship. That’s the language of Genesis 2:15 (NIV) — “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

What have we been called to “take care of for a little while”? The earth, surely. Perhaps a congregation, a business, a neighbor in need, a volunteer or an employee. A child, who may need less care — or different forms of it — as time goes on. We don’t own these people

THANKTHANK YOU...YOU...

…to the providers and helpers at the coffee hour honoring our college students: Sylvia Ballard, Pat Brown, Amy Eberlin, Rhonda McCarty, Debbie Minturn, Linda Neiley, Lynn Petlock, Marilyn Ross, Michelle Wilson and special thanks to Lorna Snyder our Fellowship Team Leader!

“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.”

…from Towanda Area Christian Outreach Food Pantry (TACO) dated November 15, December 21, 2016 and January 8, 2017: Thank you for your generous donations and for food donated to our pantry. During 2016, the pantry has served a total of 3,266 families totaling over 8,087 individuals. We also served approximately 1,193 senior (60yers. plus) families through our Elder Share/Fresh Express program. We have given each family coming to the pantry during November and December a special holiday bag for the “Thanksgiving /Christmas season. Food assistance

continues to be a necessity in our area and donations sud us your help us meet this growing need. Thank you again for your support. Best wishes for 2017.

CONGRATULATIONS to our College Students – recipients of these scholarships:

The Rachel Wells Myers Scholarship to Wesley Ballard

The Tom Dunnican Scholarship to Kirstin McCarty

The Marilyn Prothero Scholarship to Madison Eberlin.

...thanks for NOT hiding your light! Kirstyn Ballard, Wes Ballard, all the Sunday School Kids! and Mckenna Mapes! They all provided wonderful music for the worship services during January! Who has a “light to shine during February? Please volunteer – let Diana or Amy know.

TEAM LEADERS FOR 2017:CHRISTIAN EDUCATION – Elders Shannon Lord and Amy Soper

MISSION & EVANGELISM – Elders Deb Minturn

…again and again.Thank you for presenting me with the Mailyn Prothero Scholarship. Your generosity has allowed me to be a step closer to my goal of becoming an Occupational Therapist in thefuture. Hopefully I will be able to make an impact on other as you have made upon me. Thank you again for the generous gift. I hope that I will be able to give back and assist otherstudents furthering their education one day in return for what you have done for me..Sincerely, Madison Eberlin

Thank you so much for your generous donation. Your thought and prayers hae truly been felt and appreciated. God bless you! Thanks again, Hallsville Presbyterian Church

.. and from Stuart & Connie Miller of Hallsville Presbyterian Church:

May the miracle of Christmas fill your heart with joy.

What a wonderful way to share God’s love. Words cannot express our joy and appreciation for your acts of kindness, gifts and toys that we received from your youth and congregation.

May God’s love and joy surround you all! Merry Christmas!

THE COST OF HIDING OUR LIGHTA Los Angeles restaurant owner recently discovered that a neon light had been covered — without being disconnected first — during a construction project 77 years prior. The calculated electricity cost to run the hidden light all that time was $17,000!

People don’t intentionally hide light; that would be counterproductive, not to mention wasteful. Yet when we shrink back from sharing Jesus’ good news, we do indeed hide “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) that is in us. When we’re too modest to use God-given talents such as singing, playing piano or reading to bring others joy, we hide our light. When we put our own wants ahead of meeting someone else’s needs through giving and serving, we hide the light of God’s love. And at what cost?

“Let your light shine before others,” Jesus says, “that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (verse 16). –John Holmes

and Mike Jensen

STEWARDSHIP ???

PERSONNEL – Elder George Hugo

COMMUNICATION – Elder Toni McCarty

BUILDING & GROUNDS – Elder John Petlock

WORSHIP - Elder Amy Eberlin

FELLOWSHIP – Trustee Lorna Snyder

2017Apportionment up-date - - - The current roles show WyalusingPresbyterian Church with 196 active members. The cost of apportionment this year will

be $31.00 per member.  WPC receives a discount if we pay weekly sothe sooner the better!  We thank you for paying your apportionment which supports the day to day work of PC(USA) & our own Presbytery of Lackawanna. WPC’s total for 2017 is $6, 076.00

START DIGGING!Scripture promises that God has a plan for our lives but also reveals that he wants us to play an active role in that plan. In 2 Kings 3, three kings band together to defeat Moab but end up in an 80-mile desert. Amid this dire situation, God commands the people, “Make this valley full of ditches” (verse 16, KJV) and promises to fill them with water — even though it won’t rain.

Before the people’s need was supplied, they had to trust God and act. The next morning, water filled every ditch they had dug. Plus, they were victorious in battle.

The takeaway? God will bring the blessing, but we may have to dig first!

Transfiguration of Our LordFebruary 26, 2017

PANCAKE SUPPER! 4 – 6 p.m.

YUMMY!!!

In all his gloryOn the Sunday before Ash

Wednesday, many Christian churches celebrate the Transfiguration of Our Lord. After telling his shocked, uncomprehending disciples that he would die and rise again, Jesus took Peter, James and John up a mountain. Suddenly Jesus appeared to be glowing! “He was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17:2, ESV).

Moses and Elijah appeared, and a voice said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (verse 5). Jesus’ disciples fell to the ground, overcome by fear. But Jesus touched them, told them not to be afraid and led them down the mountain.

The disciples witnessed firsthand the glory and Godhood of Jesus, who

“Sorry, Brother Ambrose. retweeting countsas breaking your vow of silence.”

FAT TUESDAYFEBRUARY 28, 2017

THE YOUTH GROUP NEWS ! Youth Group NewsGet ready for the Fat Tuesday Pancake Supper! We will gather around 4:00 to serve pancakes, sausage, and eggs

to the people of Wyalusing for a mere donation. We will need as many hands on deck for preparation, service, and clean-up as we can. This is our first fund-raiser of the year, so let’s all pitch in to make it great. Invite your family and friends and your friends’ families to enjoy a great meal on the day before Lent begins.

The Wyalusing Youth Group continues to meet weekly at 5:00 at WPC. The group is open to any 7th-12th Grade Students in the community. We typically gather for some fun food, fun games, and a lesson. We do some singing, too, or at least make a joyful noise to the Lord. Sometimes we do special events like go to movies or have parties instead of the regular meeting. Whatever we are doing, we have a great time in a safe environment.

Karen and Barry Ballard co-lead along with Heather and Scott McAllister from the Wyalusing United Methodist Church. Keep up with the latest Youth Group information on the Wyalusing Youth Group Facebook page, where we post what is going on each week.

Bible Quiz

What unique characteristic of the judge Ehud enabled him to outsmart King Eglon of Moab, who had been oppressing ancient Israel?

A. He was left-handed.B. He was blind.C. He was very fat.D. He was exceedingly strong.

Answer: A (See Judges 3:12-26.)

LOOKING AHEAD - - -

ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE 7 P.M. MARCH 1, 2017 Wyalusing United Methodist Church

…begins

GETGET READY!!!READY!!!

A BATCH OF ‘RESURRECTION ROLLS’ For the coffee time following the sunrise service at the Dover (DE) United Methodist Church, one creative church lady brought in a batch of her “Resurrection Rolls” she had baked. Rev. Dr. Karl R. Kraft asked her why she called them

WPC ‘S GOOD STUFF YARD SALE …. coming ….

APRIL 3, 2017

A BATCH OF ‘RESURRECTION ROLLS’ For the coffee time following the sunrise service at the Dover (DE) United Methodist Church, one creative church lady brought in a batch of her “Resurrection Rolls” she had baked. Rev. Dr. Karl R. Kraft asked her why she called them

THE NEED FOR CHARITY The ancient English word for selfless, agape-type love is charity, points out John Ortberg in Love Beyond Reason (Zondervan). It means expressing love in the form of pure gift, though it now has condescending connotations. “No one wants to be a ‘charity case,’” Ortberg writes. “But in the final run, the ultimate love comes to us as a gift.” Agape love is necessary in human relationships too, writes C.S. Lewis, because “only the lovable can be naturally loved.” He notes, “All who have good parents, wives, husbands or children may be sure that at some times they are receiving

Giving Credit Where Due?Running late for a meeting, a man circled the block, looking for a place to

park. Desperately, he raised his eyes toward heaven and prayed, “Lord, if you’ll find me a parking spot, I promise I’ll start going to church again.”

Just then, a car pulled out of a space right in front of the man. “Never mind,” he said to God. “I found one!”

YOU ARE CHERISHEDWe must understand that God does not “love” us without liking us — through gritted teeth — as “Christian” love is sometimes thought to do. Rather, out of the eternal freshness of his perpetually self-renewed being, the heavenly Father cherishes the earth and each human being upon it. The fondness, the endearment, the unstintingly affectionate regard of God toward all his creatures is the natural outflow of what he is

to the core — which we vainly try to capture with our tired but indispensable old word “love.” ―Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy

For his gravestone, Mel Blanc, the voice of Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and other cartoon characters — “man of 1000 voices” — chose the three words that came at the end of those cartoons: “That’s all folks.”

But that’s NOT all for believers in the Resurrection.