Newsletter   I   JANUARY 2005

PITTSBURGH SOMEPLACE SPECIAL The following are some interesting facts about our wonderful city: Who named the city of Pittsburgh? The last page of a letter dated January 21, 1759, from General John Forbes to William Pitt, the English Prime Minister, says "I have used the freedom of giving your name to Fort Duquesne." What made Pittsburgh grow? In the book Pittsburgh-The Story of an American City Stefan Lorant makes the following comments:         Pittsburgh grew because Providence endowed the area with fabulous riches.         There was wood in the forests, coal in the hills, limestone, sandstone, clay         in the soil, flax and cotton in the fields. Pittsburgh grew because of the rich         farmland that surrounded it and because of its sturdy, hard-working citizens.         It grew because of its superb geographical location. Pittsburgh grew because         America grew and expanded. Who was the first mayor of the city of Pittsburgh?                                                                                               Ebenezer Denny, a prominent merchant and director of the Bank of Pennsylvania, was elected the first mayor of Pittsburgh in 1816.

In Success, Motivation and the Scriptures, William H. Cook describes a meeting in 1923 of a group of business tycoons. Together these men controlled unthinkable sums of wealth, and for years the media had trumpeted their success stories. On this day in Chicago they assembled to enjoy their mutual success. Dr. Cook relays what happened to these men in the years that followed. · Charles Schwab, the president of the largest independent steel company, lived on borrowed money the last five years of his life and died penniless. · Richard Whitney, the president of the New York Stock Exchange, served time in Sing Sing Prison. · Albert Fall, a former member of the President's Cabinet, was pardoned from prison so he could die at home. · Jesse Livermore, the greatest bear on Wall Street, committed suicide. · Leon Fraser, the president of the Bank of International Settlement, committed suicide. · Ivan Krueger, head of the world's greatest monopoly, committed suicide. The success they celebrated proved illusory! In the book entitled I Talk Back to the Devil, A. W. Tozer reminds us: Money often comes between men and God. Someone has said that you can take two small ten-cent pieces, just two dimes, and shut out the view of a panoramic landscape. Go to the mountains and just hold two coins closely in front of your eyes-the mountains are still there, but you cannot see them at all because there is a dime shutting off the vision in each eye. It doesn't take large quantities of money to come between us and God; just a little, placed in the wrong position, will effectively obscure our view.

LETTER FROM THE ISF ASSISTANTS Dear International Friend, Greetings to you from International Student Fellowship! Our wish for you is a Joyous and Blessed New Year. As we remember 2004 and recall all of the good things God has done for us, we know that God is in control of all the circumstances of life. That does notmean that we have not faced some difficult and perplexing times in the past. Actually, at times we must admit to you that we have felt overwhelmed by some of the situations we have experienced. Yet, through it all God was there to help us and we sensed God's purposes in those times of difficulty. In the year of 2005 we have the same confidence that God loves us and that He loves you . We were thankful for all who attended our Christmas Banquet. We thank everyone who came and participated in the evening's events. We had about 630 present with 25 countries represented. We know that it is not possible for many of you to attend the banquet. Some of you have moved away to other parts of the country and others have returned home to your native countries. Even though you could not be with us that evening, we continue to have many wonderful memories of you and the times we shared when we were together. We would like to cordially invite you to our first gathering of this New Year. This gathering will be on Friday, January 14th at 7:30 PM in the beautiful Ballroom of the William Pitt Union. The William Pitt Union is located in Oakland on the corner of Bigelow and Fifth Avenue. To get to the Ballroom, use the entrance on Fifth Avenue and then follow the signs. At this gathering we plan on special music, wonderful fellowship, a challenging lecture to start off the New Year and of course there will be children's activities in the Kurtzman room. And remember it's all free! We look forward to seeing you on Friday, January 14th!                                                                                                   --Terry & Pam Tiberio, ISF Assistants Luke 12:25 And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

ISF CHRISTMAS BANQUET (December 9, 2004)