Covenant News

Montana Covenanter Celebrates 100 Years

HELENA, MT (November 14, 2001) - Sarah Darknell, a longtime attender of the Evangelical Covenant Church in Helena, recently celebrated her 100th birthday with a birthday party.

Darknell was born October 9, 1901, near Moosejaw, Saskatchewan, although Saskatchewan didn't become a province until some time after she was born. She and her husband, Homer (who had three children), were married in 1920 when she was a telephone operator in Canada. They moved to the United States shortly thereafter. Sarah and Homer had two more children, Eudine and Homer, who died at the age of four months. Eudine is a longtime administrative assistant at the Evangelical Covenant Church of Helena.

"She reads her Bible daily and she has a tape of the New Testament she listens to," said Eudine of her mother. "Two years ago she broke her hip, but before then she was an excellent seamstress, crotchetier, baker and cook. And she could balance her checkbook until she was 98."

Sarah Darknell was active as a member in the Bensonvale Covenant Church in Omaha, Nebraska, for 18 years before moving to Helena. She has attended the Covenant church in Helena for 15 years. Her favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths."

To put into perspective how much Darknell has witnessed in her lifetime, consider:

• Sarah was two when Orville and Wilbur Wright flew the first airplane
• Sarah was five when the first radio transmission was made
• Sarah was born about 50 years before television appeared on the scene in North America

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