What a great Anniversary Sunday the Lord gave us! We had 127 people come and join us in the morning worship service and 119 stay after for the luncheon which the fellowship committee prepared.  Rev.  John Trautman, who was pastor of this church back in the late 70's (and now there himself), was our guest speaker.  There are not very many folks here now who were here then, but some were, and they and everyone appreciated having Pastor Trautman with us.
To commemorate the forty-seventh anniversary, we are compiling a new pictorial di-rectory, publishing a cookbook by the ladies of the church, and preparing a time capsule.  It will be sealed and buried away somewhere in the lower dungeons (lovingly referred to as the Sunday School classrooms) and clearly marked NOT TO BE OPENED UNTIL FEBRUARY 2029.  That means that if Jesus does not return before that time, in twenty-five years, the church can open up the time capsule and see what we were like way back now, and how we celebrated our forty-seventh anniversary.  And how we haven't strayed from the Truth.
The pictorial directory is the work of Olan Mills.  The cookbook is the work of Roberta.  All the ladies are supposed to submit their favorite recipes to her this month. (if it turns out to be just Roberta's recipes, I'll send you a copy!  You won't be sorry!)
The week before our anniversary celebration, we had 46 folks in church on Sunday evening.  Praise God!  That's fantastic: so many gathering at the close of the Lord's Day for Bible study!  We're really excited about it all.  As more and more people attend, we are trusting God to pour His grace upon them.
About four months ago, a man in his mid-fifties, Tom, wandered into a church service completely distressed about his "disastrous life and messed up family".  He sat alone, and was sullen and withdrawn.  A few weeks passed and he began to talk a bit.  He asked us to pray for his wife Fran.  Five weeks later, she attended with him.  She confessed that she wanted to get things right with God.  Together, they asked us to pray for their twenty-eight year old daughter Tammy who was on drugs.  Two weeks ago, and again this past Sunday, Tammy came to church.  She's a gregarious young lady who desperately needs the Lord and the changed life which He and He alone can bring.  We're so thankful for what God is doing in Tom's life and in his family!
We're rejoicing over the singles ministry.  Last Saturday night, twelve singles (and an-other couple, and Roberta and 1) got together in a Fifties bowling alley.  Many of the singles showed up in church the next morning!  We are praying and planning on enlarging the ministry to include more direct Bible studies for the group.  It's still finding its own identity.  So far, twenty-one different singles have attended at least once.
Roberta is flying out to Chicago next week to baby-sit our grandkids.  Since Vicki works for an airline, we get to fly free (or almost free).  Roberta's excited about that.  This week-end, we will enjoy a short visit from Bob and Carol Kuiken, co-workers from Manila.  We'll also have a young man stationed in the Coast Guard here on Long Island spending the week-end with us.  He is a MK (missionary kid) from the Philippines.
So, God is good and that's very clear to us.  He's good in so many ways!
We're trying to up-date our mailing list.  Would you take a few seconds to fill out the enclosed stamped postcard and then drop it in the mail to us!  We'd sure appreciate it! (not a card in every letter)
 

Yours in Jesus' matchless
 

John and Roberta Stevenson