Live Worship Steaming available and Service in Church

at 10:30AM Sundays!!!

It will be streamed on Facebook Live on our Facebook page

www.Facebook.com/firstprestona/live

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NEWS FOR THE PEWS                                               April 24,  2025                                                                                                                                                                                  

Hi Friends,

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The Easter Season, or Eastertide, continues for 6 weeks, ending in Pentecost on June 8, 2025. Spring has sprung, too, as you see by our church courtyard garden.

 

What will your Eastertide bring? 

 

Here in the church, we celebrate with stories of the early church found in the book of Acts. The Gospel lesson each week tells stories of Jesus after the resurrection and before his ascension, celebrated on June 1 this year.

 

What story will our church tell? Will it tell the story of a history that winds down its ministry in the 2020s, closing or reducing its ministry to a hospice care ministry? Or will it tell a story of rebirth after the declines leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic?

 

For those of us who choose growth, what are you doing to nurture growth?

* Praying, and deepening your personal faith?

* Participating, and deepening relationships at church?

* Pledging an increased amount of your finances towards growth?

* Partnering with the pastor and session in direct outreach: visiting, inviting, reaching out, contacting, bringing guests...

 

In order to continue growth, our plan asks us to increase income by $10,000 each year through 2031. Individual gifts of that amount could keep the doors open for another year. But welcoming new members who give regularly will keep the growth going in the longer term. Are you praying for growth? Participating in growth? Pledging towards growth? Partnering for growth?

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Join FPCT for worship this Sunday, April 27, 2025, at 10:30am in person and livestreamed on Facebook. “Teaching in Jesus’s Name” begins our Eastertide stories about the early church. What’s the story for us? What story will our church tell, and do our stories speak in the name of Jesus? Scriptures this week include Acts 5:27-32; Psalm 118:14-29; and John 20:19-31. Join us to pray together, hear stories from scripture, find your church home, here at First Presbyterian Church of Tonawanda.

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​See you soon,

Pastor Rebecca

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​ANNOUNCEMENTS

God’s Story/Our Story

@ 1st Pres Tonawanda

 

Sunday, May 4, 2025

9:30 All-Age Faith

10:30 Worship

11:30 Coffee Fellowhip

12:15 Lunch (free with reservation)

1:30 Godly Play Stories, Q&A

3:00 Wrap Up

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Godly Play Trainer Mary Hunter Maxwell joins us to preach, tell stories, and answer questions. Join us for the whole day, or reserve a spot for lunch and stories in the afternoon.

 

This program is made possible through a Vital Worship Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Grand Rapids, Michigan, with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.

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God’s Story/Our Story

@ 1st Pres Tonawanda

 

Is God at work in your life right now? Join us for our 2025 Calvin Worship Institute Worshiping Communities grant project, “God’s Story/Our Story.”

 

Our project combines theory with practice, as we offer practical courses and workshops in Godly Play, Out of the Box Stories, and Pretending Bible Stories. Our study groups discuss and reflect on several books. Explore the idea of God as Master Storyteller in Daniel Schawbauer’s brand new book, The God of Story: Discovering the Narrative of Scripture Through the Language of Storytelling. Dive deeply into creative practices and the theology behind them with Christine Aroney-Sine’s The Gift of Wonder: Creative Practices for Delighting in God. Finally, unleash your own story by reading with us Mackenzie Ryan Walters’ book, Faith Storytellers, Unleash the Power of Your Story.

 

This program is made possible through a Vital Worship Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Grand Rapids, Michigan, with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.

 

The God of Story: Discovering the Narrative of Scripture Through the Language of Storytelling, by Daniel Schwabauer.

 

Daniel suggests we can find a new way of engaging with scripture when we learn to see God as the Master Storyteller. He writes: “Many of us have been taught to read Scripture as a collection of information that needs to be categorized, systematized, and analyzed verse by verse, concept by concept. But the Bible isn't a jigsaw puzzle, and it wasn't written in just Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. It was also written in the language of story.”

 

Daniel writes award-winning fantasy and science fiction novels, but this is his first book on theology and story. We welcome Daniel to speak with us in person this summer at an afternoon event on July 12, 2025.

 

Read more here: www.danschwabauer.com/

 

The Gift of Wonder: Creative Practices for Delighting in God, by Christine Aroney-Sine

 

Christine authors a weekly blog, Godspace, and we featured her book, The Spirituality of Gardening, two years ago during our 6-week series on “Planting Seeds of Faith.” We have engaged in many spiritual and creative practices, and Christine’s book offers adults some specific ways to enter into that state of wonder that Godly Play encourages in its children’s curriculum. Join us to study this book together and find ways to recapture the sense of “becoming like a child” that Jesus calls us to.

 

Read more here: godspace.wordpress.com/about/

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Faith Storytellers: Unleash the Power of Your Story, by Mackenzie Ryan Walters

 

Driven by Mackenzie’s belief that everyone has a faith story to tell and everyone can share their story in an honoring and engaging way, Faith Storytellers will show you how to act as a journalist to discover God’s divine fingerprints in your story. Mackenzie asks us, “What story is God writing in your life?” The practice of offering public testimony, or personal faith stories, is a common one in Pentecostal and Evangelical churches, but not so common among Presbyterians! Sure, we might be praising God in worship, but as a friend once said, “We’re lifting up our arms and shouting ‘Praise God’ inside.”

 

Join us to study and reflect on Mackenzie’s book. She offers practical writing tips as well as a collection of 40 short faith stories for us to gain inspiration.

 

Read more here: storystruckmarketing.com/     

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WEEKLY ACTIVITIES:

 

Church Stretch  -  Exercise for Body and Soul:  Mondays at 6:00pm

Diane Charsley leads light exercise and stretch sessions on Mondays for men & women of all fitness abilities. Come pray with your body and soul!  Please note that the time has changed back to 6:00pm.

 

God Loves Me Storytime – Tuesdays:  10am-11:30am

Preschoolers and their caregivers are invited to a weekly story time with stories about God’s love. Free play and crafts will be available along with a snack and a prayer.   

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Body and Soul Pantry:

The Body and Soul Pantry is up and running again thanks to a new structure built by Brian Burns.  Many thanks to Brian for building the closet.  If you have any questions, please contact Marilee Mathias.  The pantry could use the following items: 

• Deodorant

• Shaving Cream (5oz)/razors

• Bar soap

• Toothpaste/Toothbrushes

• Toilet paper

• Cereal/instant oatmeal

• Pasta

• Canned vegetables/fruit

• Canned soup with pop-tops

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​​* Church To-Do list has been moved across the narthex to the Outreach board for easier access. Be sure to check to see what you can do!!

 

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 REMINDERS​​

•  The Deacons are organizing coffee hour every Sunday after worship.  Please join in for fellowship and coffee; the sign-up sheet is in the Narthex.  

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Adult Sunday School   

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Please take a few minutes & read the appointed Lectionary Readings to find YOUR special message.

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Our VERY INFORMAL class meets at 9:30am each Sunday morning.  PLEASE JOIN US!

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                                                                    Acts 5:27-32;   Rev 1:4-8;   John 20:19-31:   Ps 118;14-29

 

How Do These All Come Together?

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We are God’s children who “believe without seeing”.

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*Luke tells us we sometimes must “believe without seeing” & make a choice about whose “rules” we will follow – God’s or those that don’t serve His ways.

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*John is given a Revelation about exactly WHO God is: “ ‘I am the Alpha & Omega – the beginning & the end ’, says the Lord God. “ ’I am the

one who is, who always was, & who is still to come – the Almighty One.’ ” It’s our choice to “believe without seeing”.

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*In John we are given an eye witness account of the Risen Lord for us to “believe without seeing”.

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*The Psalm is another look at the “now & the future” to “believe without seeing” & recognize that God has a PLAN for us.

 

Question for You:

How strong are you in “believing without seeing” that you can choose to make difficult decisions that “buck the system”?

                                                 

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 PRAYER CONCERNS

If you have a prayer request, please contact Pastor Rebecca at 315-317-6140  or the church office at 716-692-1319.   

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CALENDAR             

   

Sunday, April 27

9:30am                       All Age Faith Formation (Parlor)

10:30 am                    Sunday Worship for all ages (Sanctuary) 

11:30am                    Coffee Fellowship for all ages (Parlor)

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Monday, April 28

10:00 am                    Alcoholics Anonymous (Circle II Basement)

6:00pm                      Church Stretch

6:00pm-8:00pm       CE Hands-On Meeting

 

Tuesday, April 29

9:00am – 2:00pm     Office Hours

10:00am-11:30am   God Loves Me Storytime  

11:30am                    Worship Team Meeting 

1:00pm                      Deacons Meeting

 

Wednesday, April 30           

9:00am – 2:00pm     Office Hours

 

Thursday, May 1      

10:00am                    Alcoholics Anonymous (Circle II Basement)

6:00pm-8:00pm       Choirs Practice

 

Saturday, May 3

10:00am                    Alcoholics Anonymous (Circle II Basement)

 

Sunday, May 4

9:30am                       All Age Faith Formation (Parlor)

10:30 am                    Sunday Worship for all ages (Sanctuary) 

11:30am                    Coffee Fellowship for all ages (Parlor)

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​​​List of Officers

SESSION 2024-2025                                

Diane Charsley & Clerk of Session

Tom Dugan, Treasurer

Michael Barry

Nancy Rolando

Sue Schurr

Billy Welch

           

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DEACONS 2024-2025

Betsy Crocker, Moderator

Linda Barry

Gail Borycki

Laura Marohn

Bonnie Sibley

Associates:      Lynn Hyland, Treasurer

                        Marlene Tyrrell, Sunshine

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 TREASURER 

  - Tom Dugan 

 

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Church Parking Lot

Please, if you are able to walk, we would appreciate if you would park on the surrounding streets near the church

and leave the spaces in our parking lot for our folks who need them most.  Thanks very much.  

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