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The First Baptist Church of Owego, N.Y. Volume 27 Issue 9 June 2020

Isaiah 41:10 Fear not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. This verse has been a real pillar of strength and a source of comfort to God's children in all ages. This month we have had 3 saints pro-moted into the heavenly realm; Marie Rogers, Raymond Berry and Winnie Al-len’s nephew (Carlton). Please pray that the Holy Spirit will comfort their families. Isaiah 41:13 For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, fear not ; I will help thee. God wants to take us into His con-fidence. He wants to enable us to walk with Him, have fellowship with Him and to know Him. Also to trust Him in these difficult times. Love Pastor Bill.

Keep on loving one another as broth-ers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so do-ing some people have shown hospital-

Pastor's Corner

Corona Virus {COVID-19} continues to impact our Church Operations

Open with Restrictions As of May 23rd, we are currently permitted to operate with restrictions. That means gatherings of ten or fewer persons are allowed, provided that social distancing protocols, wearing face coverings, and cleaning and disinfection protocols are ad-hered to in accordance to the New York State Department of Health FBC-O will continue with its current operations, e.g., on-line services and limited meeting structures until further notice. Please rest assured that there are discussions regarding when is the right time to resume in house worship. We are review-ing all the guidelines and requirements to be able to open the doors for worship. In accordance with the NY State Four-Phased Reopening Plan, churches are expected to be in Phase 4. There is two weeks between each phase. Based on this, FBC-O would be eligible to reopen Sunday, July 12, 2020

**Services will continue to be posted on the FBC-O website for viewing on Sunday morning.** https://fbcowego.org/worship-service/

Please note that during this period: ➢ Pastor Bill will maintain his regular weekly on-site office

hours and continue to be available via personal phone when out-of-office

➢ Marilyn continues to work in the Church Office to the ex-tent possible. A weekly bulletin is mailed out to those of our congregation who do not have internet.

➢ The Financial Team will ensure FBC-O financial obligations are addressed in a timely manner. As you know, we aren't able to place our offering in the plate as we do normally; If you would like to mail your tithes and offerings into the church office, write your check out to First Baptist Church of Owego and mail to:

First Baptist Church of Owego 228 Main Street

Owego, NY 13827

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UNITY, boldness

Our President

America

Our Church

Our Leaders

Pastor Bill

Our BTBA Churches

The KIND Project

Those in the Nursing Home

Our Shut-ins

Unspoken (s)

Deliverance from addictions

Salvation & hope for the lost

Jail Ministry

Complete healing for those in pain, hurting emotionally, dis-ease, sickness

Relationships

Our Families

Cure for Cancer

Vaccine and a cure for Corona Virus

healthcare workers during this pandemic

All victims and families of COVID-19 and all those on the front lines;

God’s direction during this time of transition.

Pray God’s Glory across the earth Prayer Requests Please contact Dawn Kohler with prayer concerns. H-607-748-0319 C- 607-239-1686

The following groups are cancelled until further notice. Circles of Concern

Deacons Board

Golden Agers Group

Liberty Homeschool Co-op

Scout Troop 60

The following groups are meeting online via ZOOM Joint Executive Council/Board of Managers The following groups are now meeting while following social distancing guidelines and wear-ing face masks ➢ Bible Study & Prayer - Tuesday

evenings @6:00pm in the

Church Fellowship Hall; begins

June 2nd

➢ Needle & Thread Missions

Group [sleeping bags for the

homeless] - 1st & 3rd Wednes-

day of the month @10:00am -

SPOT; begins June 3rd

ACT (Allied Christians of Tioga) Dinner - serve at 5:00pm

The ACT Dinner continues each Thurs-day afternoon/evening at FBC-O. FBC-O’s participation each Thursday is to assist with set-up and serving, clean-up and close-up. Saxton runs the dish-washer to clean all items used to make/serve the dinners, turns off the lights and locks the door. It has been a posi-tive and cooperative effort each Thurs-day between FBC-O and the serving church.

The KIND Project will continue with

its mission during this COVID-19 period as there is an even greater need now for the products provided. The recent

stockpiling/hoarding of supplies have left store shelves bare, leaving care-givers to young children desperate for the essentials provided by KIND. The operation has implemented new pro-cedures – no recipients will enter the Spot Building, but rather will pick up their allotment at the Spot rear porch. The KIND Team “runners” bringing the supplies from the KIND room to the Spot rear porch will be outfitted with masks and gloves as a protective pre-caution. COVID-19 or no COVID-19, children continue to need diapers and supplies, and the FBC-O KIND Project will continue to meet their needs. The K.I.N.D. Project is a blessing to our community and beyond and in turn the K.I.N.D. project has been the recipient of many unexpected dona-tions over the past couple of months. Thank you so much.

8 - Kathy Paro 16 - Winnie Allen 17 - Gracie Guydosh 21 - Ciarra Mae Grady-Nichols 29 - Rebecca Peterson

5 - Rich & Kandi Saxton 18 - Rodger & Daisy Fritz 21 - Trevor & Mary Theresa Andrews 22 - Doug & Marilyn Murray 24 - Jason & Kaija Fritz 29 - Ron & Verna Tomassetti 30 - Roger & Pat Hansen Eric & Courtney Benjamin

Last Saturday of every month 9:00am - 11:00am

[Free diapers, pull-ups [all sizes], wipes, creams, body wash, shampoo]

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Circle of Concern

The circle is open to all women and you are invited to attend – we meet at the 2nd Wednesday of each month from September to May in the church fellowship hall.

Needle & Thread Missions Group - provides completed sleeping bags, that includes a hygiene kit, for the homeless.

First Baptist Owego Officers

President - TBD

Secretary - TBD

Treasurer - Daisyanna Fritz

Mission & Service Ministries and Love Gift - Sally Guydosh

White Cross Chairwoman Pat Greene

B-T Association Officers

President - TBD

Secretary - Nancy Holbert

Treasurer - Barbara Cron

Love Gift - Acquanetta Young

Personal Development Ministries T.J. West

Co-Church and Community Ministries Kay Hollister, Carol Seidel

Mission and Service Ministries Daisyanna Fritz

White Cross Chairperson Nancy Stephens

American Baptist Women’s Ministries is a Christ Centered ministry with a commitment to encourage and em-

power women and girls to serve God.

Father’s Day is June 21st

The Best Father

Unlike an earthly prince, God didn’t take a high-and-mighty title, notes 17th-century British preacher Thomas Watson. Instead, God calls himself Father to encourage us to pray to him.

But God isn’t just any father. Watson offers these reasons why God is “the best Father”:

• He is the most ancient (Daniel 7:9). • He is perfect (Matthew 5:48). • He is the wisest (Romans 16:27). • He is the most loving (Zephaniah 3:17; 1 John 4:16). • He has unsearchable riches (Ephesians 3:8). • He can reform his children (Acts 9:11). • He never dies (1 Timothy 6:16; Revelation 1:8). newsletternewsletter

Flag Day, also called National Flag Day, in the United States, a day

honoring the national flag, observed on June 14. The holiday commemo-rates the date in 1777 when the United States approved the design for its first national flag. The idea to set aside a day to honor the national flag came from several sources. Bernard J. Cigrand, a Wisconsin schoolteacher, in 1885 urged his students to observe June 14 as “Flag Birthday.” He later wrote an essay published in a Chi-cago newspaper that urged Ameri-cans to proclaim this date as the day to celebrate the flag. In 1888 William T. Kerr of Pennsylvania founded the American Flag Day Association of Western Pennsylva-nia, an organization to which he dedicated his life. A lesser-known claim is that of George Morris of Connecticut, who is said to have organized the first formal celebration of the day in Hartford in 1861. In 1916 Pres. Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14 as the official date for Flag Day, and in 1949 the U.S. Congress permanently established the date as National Flag Day. Although Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, Pennsylvania celebrates the day as a state holiday. Each year the U.S. president delivers an address that proclaims the week of June 14 as Na-tional Flag Week, and all Americans are encouraged to fly U.S. flags dur-ing that week. Online Encyclopedia Brittanica

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Verna Tomassetti shows off the quilt she just finished. Never one to be idle, she is now making teddy bears to give away. Provided photo. - Owego Pennysaver

Ron Tomassetti enjoys a visit from a dinosaur and unicorn. Provided photo.

In the April 2020, Owego Pennysaver, had an article “The Faces of Riverview Man-or” on some of the folks who reside there. Two of our favorite members were pictured: Ron & Verna Tomassetti Verna showed off her skills in the construction of a teddy bear quilt and Ron had an en-joyable visit from a special dinosaur and unicorn. We look forward to the time when we can visit again with Ron and Verna in person.

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Sunday Worship 10:00am Tuesday Bible Study & Prayer 6:00pm Return Service Requested

First Baptist Church of Owego 228 Main Street Owego, NY 13827

Church Office: 607-687-4394

Messages are retrieved throughout the day

Emergency Contact: Pastor Bill Kohler [H]607-748-0319 [C]607-239-7124 Rodger Fritz [H]607-748-2798

office@fbcowego.org https://www.fbcowego.org

http://facebook.com/firstbaptistowego

Church Officers and Staff

Pastor Reverend William “Bill” Kohler

Richard Saxton Church Moderator

Executive Council, Chr. Board of Managers, Chr.

Marilyn Murray Office Manager

David Berry Music Director

Winnie Allen Church Pianist

Kandi Saxton Christian Education

Committee, Chr. Director of K.I.N.D.

Steve Paro Board of Deacons, Chr.