FEDENA FLYER for 9/23/2013

Dear Praying Friends,

Greetings in His matchless Name!

Well, hello there!  I am back again to “bug” you.  Hope you don’t mind. 

CHURCH NEWS:  We are still on the road teaching and preaching wherever and whenever the Lord opens the doors.  My pastor (Louis Guarneri) shares his pulpit with me when I am in town sometimes.  We just had a “big day” with 107 in attendance in our hotel conference room two weeks ago at Straightway Baptist (Ya gotta luv that name!).  Eight of our good friends attended that morning service and I preached. 

Last Wed. night we met with township officials and they unanimously approved a variance for the property we want to purchase for church use.  Now the lengthy and costly process begins.  The building we want is completely gutted inside.  It has a rental property on site also which will help with mortgage payments.  Please pray with us that things will move more quickly now towards getting our own building.  We are really happy at Straightway and our pastor knows the Bible and we are excited to go to every service.  It is a very multi-cultural church and we enjoy fellowship with all the folks.  We are electing our first deacons this coming Sunday.

NEW LEASE CAR:  The lease ran out on our second Honda Odyssey, and we wanted to get another one, but Honda couldn’t meet our current ability to afford monthly payments.  So, we went to Reedman’s and leased a Dodge Journey.  It has some nice features, but isn’t as big as an Odyssey so we will not be able to transport Shirley’s scooter.  It just barely holds her walker.  One nice feature is Bluetooth so I don’t have to hand hold my phone to make calls.  I just say something like “Call Shirley” and it does so and I can hear over the car’s radio speakers.  Another is keyless start.  Related to that is when the car is locked, I simply touch the door handle and it unlocks, then I press a button to start it without ever taking the “key” out of my pocket.   

My son, Dan told me three years ago to lease again.  He said by then you will be pushing 80 years old and won’t be able to drive anyway.  Fooled him.  Still driving and leased for another 3 years!  J

PERSONAL:  Shirley’s wallet was stolen in a Wal-Mart parking lot by a “good Samaritan” who helped her get her walker in the car.  He also helped himself to her wallet which was inside the pocket on the walker!  What a hassle!  Credit cards, ID, et. al. – GONE!  Two purchases were made within minutes of the theft.  We reported it stolen within the hour and we were not responsible for them. 

Shirley’s health has not been good lately.  One night after church a man ran a stop sign right in front of us and I had to jam on the brakes.  She sits in the back and lurched forward jamming her knees and hands on the back of my front seat. This caused her Polymyalgia to flare up and she has been in pain for the last week +.  She also had some kind of a “bug” which made her sick.  Please pray for her. 

My health is remarkably good for a 79 year old, I think.   I still go fishing, do yard work, preach, study, read and have started a new teaching position at Harbor Baptist Church in Hainesport, NJ – about 35 minutes from our home.   This is a brand new school called East Gate Baptist College.  I am teaching Manuscript Evidence in support of the blessed King James Bible.  I am only teaching one class on Tuesday evenings at 6:30PM.  I had over 20 students the first night!!!  Amazing!  I do lots of reading and preparation for this class along with making Powerpoint slides for every session, make up quizzes, grade papers, etc.  I enjoy it!

We had the opportunity to see my deceased son’s (Dean) son (Mickey) and his little 4 year old son (Izayah) – our great grandson.  We have not been able to see them for the last two years.  We had a great day of fellowship with them and many in our family came to our home.  We prepared food for them and enjoyed the day.  We have not seen Dean’s other son in over 4 years.  His mother forbids it.

Our granddaughter Stehanie Lefevers (Jerry and Crystal’s daughter) got married on July 20th to a fine Christian young man (Andrew Sims).  We were able to see Paul and Sarah and their three children who were all in the wedding, along with Crystal’s other son, Jason – all living in Pensacola, Florida.  The twins looked so cute in their tux and white dress (Jack and Julia).  Amelia is still sweet and is growing up quickly. 

Our grandson Westley Roy (Steve and Dawn’s son) entered college at Kutztown University to study Marine Biology.  Their other son Justin, with a Master’s Degree and his wife Stephanie, accepted a teaching position in Boynton Beach, Florida. Their daughter Allie (Alexandra) had knee surgery and is still wearing a brace and is a senior in High School. 

Our granddaughter Taylor (Dan & Amy’s daughter) likewise started college this year and wants to go into Graphic Arts. Their son Dylan is growing up so fast.  He goes soul winning with me on Saturday mornings some times and is my helpful partner.

Well, that’s about it for this volume.  Thanks for listening to my ramblings.  “Brethren, pray for us…”

Sincerely in the Savior,
Pastor (e) Paul C. Fedena

FEDENA FLYER for 6/15/2013

Dear Praying Friends,
Greetings in His matchless Name!
Well, “tempis figits” (or something like that!), or for those who don’t speak geek, “time flies.”  But it is past time for another Fedena Flyer.

After a few health battles, I am doing well and Shirley started some therapy to help her walk better today and yesterday her doctor gave her a new pain med we are praying will help her with daily very excruciating pain that travels all over her body.  Please pray with us. 

I will try to attach a prayer sheet which I personally use each day.  I hope it helps you better discipline your prayer life.  I also have a personal list  of people we pray for daily as I am sure you do.  (I find that if I write them down, I will remember them better than if I rely on a memory I can’t always trust.)  On that list is a number of preachers and Christian brethren. Please join me in prayer for:    Pastor Steve Hays (Galena, MD) – Myasthenia Gravis;  Pastor Arthur Gilmore (Easton, PA) - a stubborn infection that is painful;  Pastor Carl LoTurco (Pendleton, OR) – recovering from a stroke;  Brother Joe Kaiser (Berlin, NJ) – heart attack;  Pastor Rick Wedemeyer (Toms River, NJ) – stroke recovery and recent knee replacement surgery.

Along with the above preachers, please pray for Mrs. Vicky Scully and Mrs. Kim Barclay (Solid Rock BC) – both dealing with serious cancers;  Mrs. Jennifer Clark (Solid Rock BC) – right side numbness; Mrs. Betty Schaffer (First Baptist, Easton, PA) – breathing problems;  Mrs. Carlotta Monach (Straightway BC) – heart valve replacement & recovery;  Mr. Clayton Wright (Faith BC – Fairless Hills, PA) – upcoming serious surgery.  I could go on, but these are in need of effectual fervent prayer at this time.

While you are in your prayer closet, “brethren, pray for us…”

We have recently held some very good meetings with the Lord’s blessing with souls saved and God’s people encouraged, strengthened, helped, challenged and blessed.  Pastors report growth in their people and spikes in attendance on Sundaynight and Wednesday night meetings where we have ministered.  We are still excited about preaching and teaching on heaven, revival, the home, creation, etc.  These topics are always relevant.   God is so good!  (He is even good when we are bad.  Amen?!)

I get to preach and/or teach in our home church:  Straightway BC in Princeton, NJ at least once per month.  Our pastor, Louis Guarneri is doing a Wed. night “Panorama of the Bible” survey dealing with one book of the Bible each week.  It is excellent teaching and he is very comfortable and proficient making his way through the O.T. history and making applications to our lives today.  Last Wed. we were in the book of Obadiah.  That is 31 books down and 35 to go!  Exciting.  Better than a TV thriller!!!

My video projector is getting old (like it’s owner – 79 years and counting) and I am wondering when the bulb may blow in the middle of a service. L  Bulbs can cost up to $500!!!  I hold my breath each service.  The good news is that the price of projectors has plunged making them much more affordable.  I praise the Lord for each one who had a part in helping me purchase this one.  It has seen many years of use and travel.  My screen has seen better days and I am looking at shopping for a new one soon.  (It fell down and cut my forehead in a meeting with Pastor Wedemeyer recently.  Maybe the Lord was trying to knock some sense into my head!?)

Harbor Baptist in Hainesport, NJ (Pastor Dennis Higgins) is planning on starting a Bible College this fall.  I have been asked to teach the subject dearest to my heart, i.e., the inspiration and preservation of the King James Bible.  I am praying about it and would ask you to pray with me.  I have more than enough to keep me busy, but I want to teach and preach as long as possible.  It would mean I would teach every Tuesday evening, one class.  I am presently looking over the teachers notes and they look good.  I only stopped teaching at Solid Rock School of the Scriptures (after many years) due to limited night vision and the driving distance involved.  Harbor is considerably closer to my home.

Solid Rock is also moving in the direction of a college level day school.  The two churches have different viewpoints and they are far enough apart so that they will not take students from each other.  Pray for Pastor Clark and Brother Chalie as they make plans.

We have two grandchildren graduating from High School and heading for college in the fall.  Taylor (Dan & Amy’s daughter) wants to study graphic arts and Westley (Dawn & Steve’s son) wants to ultimately study marine biology after three or four years in college.

We have 11 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren (two of which we have never seen).  We enjoy watching videos of our great-grandchildren in Floridal, two of whom are two year old twins.  They are fun to watch.

Our grand-daughter Stephanie will be married this July at Harbor Baptist to Andrew Sims.  He is a fine young man.  They will already have a home that he owns and they have just purchased two cars (not new).  Way to go, Stephanie!

Well, I had better wind this up for now.  Much work to be done and I am bone weary after cutting the grass between rain storms today and working on finishing off our dishwasher installation tonight.

Sincerely in the Savior,

Pastor (e) Paul C. Fedena

Dear Praying Friends,
 
Greetings in His matchless Name!
 
Just to keep you updated on recent health issues.  Radiation side effects are presently under control with meds, however the Urologist wants to do another cystoscopy (UGH!) in two months to be sure cancer hasn't spread to an ulcer on my bladder.
 
Concerning the two recent Heart Catherizations I have had and their follow up - all 4 of my former bypasses are clear, but I am still having shortness of breath and dizzyness with activity.  The follow up with a Pulmonologist revealed that with exercise my oxygen level stayed in normal levels, but my blood pressure raised significantly.  The preliminary diagnosis suggests that this may mean my heart is wearing out (who didn't know that!?) and is not squeezing hard enough.  However he wants to do two more tests to be sure of that diagnosis.  No treatment suggested until these two tests are completed.  I will try to keep you updated.
 
The Lord has kept my schedule open during this time, but I want to schedule meetings and get back on the road.  I can still preach and teach.  I just cut my front yard grass and trimmed it yesterday!
 
Sincerely in the Savior,
 
Pastor (e) Paul C. Fedena

Dr. & Mrs. Paul C.Fedena
31 Stream Lane
Levittown, PA  19055
www.pastorpaulfedena.weebly.com
[email protected]
215-547-6262 or 267-230-1149

 December 7, 2012  (“Remember Pearl Harbor”  & 9-11)

 Dear Praying Friends,

 Greetings in His matchless Name!

 Well Christmas is just around the corner.  Let’s look at a few facts about “Christmas.”  We all know that in the world it is NOT about Him, but believers need to know that without Him there is no Christmas.

 1.  Why the word “Christmas”?  It does NOT mean “Christ’s Mass”, as some have said.  It means “Christ  Sent”.   Originally in the early church it was called “Michaelmas” (Michael Sent),  speaking of the announcement of Christ’s miraculous conception by Michael the arch-angel to the shepherds along with the “multitude of the heavenly host,” and was celebrated on September 29th, the same date as the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.

 2.  Why celebrate His birth?   The early church celebrated His conception, not His birth.  His birth was a supernatural birth, but His conception was indeed miraculous.  As believers we may not only have the date wrong, but also the reason for the celebration as well.  However, the day He really  became flesh is important as well for without that event there could have been no sinless life and atoning death and glorious resurrection.  Humans do not celebrate their conception, but their physical birth into the world.

 3.  Too often the Wise Men are included in the manger scene.  He was not in the manger when the Wise  Men brought their gifts, he was in a house, and was probably about two years old.  (Herod tried to kill Him by murdering all the children two years old and under.)

 So, I wish you all a Merry Christmas!  It is true that many unbiblical and extra biblical traditions and customs have grown up around His birth, but as believers we can still be “merry” and rejoice that “Christ Jesus is come into the world to save sinners.” He, of course is the greatest gift, so let’s focus on giving Him (through His Church) a special gift this season.

 Someone has said that “all good things must come to an end.”  It is a little unnerving to realize that many of the things this old preacher and his wife have been involved in over the years are occurring for the last time!  It makes us more aware of our finiteness.  After 17 years I have resigned my position as a teacher at the Solid Rock School of the Scriptures.  With failing health and eyesight (and old age), the drive (at night both ways in the winter semester) was getting more dangerous.  We would leave the house at about 4:30 PM and drive in rush hour traffic for the next hour & a half.  Last Tuesday night it took over two hours due to a bridge opening and an accident on I-295.  Then with Christmas traffic and rush hour it was bumper to bumper all the way down Rt. 73. Very frustrating.  I broke a longstanding record of never being late for my classes.  Next week will the last class of this semester and be my last class.  I am heartbroken over this, but it is definitely time.  In all fairness, Pastor Clark offered to have someone come from his church to pick us up and drive us both ways.  I felt this was too much to ask of anyone.  It would mean a commitment of about 7 hours each Tuesday evening.  That would get old quickly.

 But when the Lord closes one door, He often opens another.  I have accepted a position at the Straightway Baptist Church in the Princeton, NJ area to be the pastor’s “assistant” or mentor – or whatever.  I will still be taking whatever meetings that come my way, and I will be teaching Pastor Guarneri’s Sunday School class whenever I am in town.  He also promised me that I would be able to preach there about once per month. Please pray about a permanent location for our church. We are presently meeting in a hotel. We have our eye on a property which is in a nice location in a residential area in Hamilton Twp., NJ. Presently the church is about 20 minutes from my home.  If this move becomes a reality we will be about 5-8 minutes closer. 

 Pastor Guarneri is a great preacher/teacher and an expositor of God’s Word!  He is a man of God who knows the Book.  I am sure we will grow under his capable leadership.  We have already met and come to love some of the people in this new ministry.  He has a great family as well.  They have already demonstrated love and kindness to us in several ways.

 Then too we have had to move our church membership from Calvary Bible Baptist Church in Willingboro, NJ.  Pastor Aaron McCullough has been very good to us and is a great friend and a great pastor!  The church is growing and things are going well there.  We have come to know and love the folks in the church and will miss them.  I hope we are invited back to preach there on occasion.

 We hope you all survived the visit from Super storm Sandy!  We were without electricity for 5 days and Pastor McCullough brought over a generator for the last two days.  We only lost the food in our freezer.  No other damage or loss.  Praise the Lord!  My son-in-law, Jerry Lefevers and I traveled to Belmar, NJ to bring his boat home last week. The area there is devastated. Some 20+ boats stored in the parking lot of our marina were floated off their blocks and tossed together like a salad with much damage$$$. (Jerry had moved his boat about 6 miles away from the shoreline.  No damage - although two large trees fell and just missed his boat.)  The boardwalk in Belmar and Avon are GONE!  Homes and businesses had over 4 feet of water inside. There is sand everywhere.  The beachfront is cordoned off.  Two drawbridges are not working.  The railroad bridge (also a drawbridge) was completely under water. They had a storm surge and two high tides with a full moon that inundated everything.  Several marinas and homes are no more!

 We are just beginning to add meetings for the New Year – 2013! (Of course if the Mayan calendar is right we won’t be here!  Better still, and more likely, if the Rapture happens we will be gone to Heaven.) We have many prime dates available (hint).  For every pastor and church which have used us this past year, we owe a hearty thank you! You are our life-blood.  You are also an encouragement to us and we trust we are an encouragement to you and your people. 

 It seems that Satan is targeting preachers in Bible-believing and preaching churches these days.  Please pray diligently for:  Pastor Steve Hays (MG), Pastor Charles Clark, Jr. (post surgical complications which have removed his voice), Pastor Rick Wedemeyer (stroke),  Pastor Arthur Gilmore (post surgical complications), Pastor Jim Fulleylove (heart attack), Pastor Carl LoTurco (recovery from recent surgery – much pain), Pastor Dennis Higgins (grand daughter with leukemia), Pastor Charles Clark, III (wife has complicated physical ailments whichare undiagnosed, including numbness), and my wife with constant pain.  I too have had some sudden hip, leg and back pain.  It has lessened, but I am still going to a chiropractor and it makes ministry a little more difficult.  Praise the Lord that adrenaline and the dear Holy Spirit seem to diminish the pain when I am preaching and teaching!

 Have a Blessed Christmas and a spiritually prosperous New Year – 2013!

Sincerely in the Savior,

 Pastor (emeritus) Paul C. Fedena