Month: August 2021

“You better come quickly: Eric has had a bad accident,” a girlfriend of Eric’s told me over the phone on October 7, 2002. “He is at Lancaster General Hospital.” Dave and I were in Canada for his job. I called him at work as I quickly packed some clothes and our dog and cat. We drove seven hours to Lancaster. As we crossed through customs at the border, I was on the cell phone trying to get more information. Dave told me to get off the phone. It was midnight when we arrived at the hospital. We had to go through the emergency room. We asked to see Eric.  They told me they needed to page the chaplain. I panicked and thought he had died. 

Later, we learned that this was the procedure. The chaplain appeared and walked with us to the neuro-intensive care unit. Eric was unrecognizable. He had fallen off a roof he was repairing and landed on his head. He was in a coma.  He had acute brain trauma.

The doctors and nurses told us the next several days would determine if Eric would survive. It was important to keep his temperature lower with cooling blankets. He had a pressure gauge on top of his skull. Eric was 22 years old and in great shape from his Army service. He had shattered his skull in his face and broken his right arm. Time became a blur. Dave and I slept in a nearby conference room. Family arrived and took our dog and cat with them. Eric was in a coma for three weeks. It was the nurses who kept reinforcing to us that he would recover. They gave us hope.

Eric had procedures done to place a tracheostomy tube in his throat and to repair his right arm fracture. He had a peg tube for nutrition. He also had a filter placed in his lower legs to prevent blood clots from traveling to his upper body. When he came out of the coma, he was transferred to a regular hospital room. He could not talk or eat or walk. We were told he needed to recover in a nursing home.  I believed the Rehabilitation Center at the Hershey Medical Center would be able to help him better.

With persistence, the Rehabilitation Team accepted Eric’s transfer. He celebrated his 23rd birthday at the HMC Rehabilitation Center.  The team of nurses, doctors and therapists were aggressive with treatment. The tracheostomy was removed right away.  Eric had to learn to swallow, talk, eat, walk and toilet. The only therapy he disliked was music therapy. To bribe him, we would get him soft ice cream.

This whole time Eric had many visitors from family, friends and ministers and lots of prayers. He had a little black dog, a Lab and Jack Russell mix named Jack. His cousin took care of Jack while Eric was recovering. Eric missed his dog and wanted to get home. Jack even visited him at the Rehabilitation Center. After 28 days in rehab, on November 27, 2002, Eric came to our house. He got stronger and healed over the next year as we took him to outpatient therapy. 

Today, Eric is working, married to Amy, and the father of Coleson (6) and Kayla (2). We are so grateful that he recovered with God’s help from his injuries.

I imagine most of us are familiar with the beautiful “Footprints” poem that many have hanging in their homes, have shared with others during troubled times, have heard in song form on a Christian music station, or simply remember reading at some point.  The words in this poem are a wonderful reminder of how special it is to have relationships with God and Jesus.  We can all find comfort in these words as they give us hope when we need it most…during those hard and challenging times.  These words also serve as a guide to help me with my job in the Children’s Ministry here at church.  

“Footprints”

One night I dreamed a dream. I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord.

When the last scene of my life shot before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand. There was only one set of footprints. I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life. This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.

“Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I’m aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I just don’t understand why, when I need You most, You leave me.”

He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

This coming school year the children will have the opportunity to continue “Trekking Through the Bible” which we started this summer during camp week. Our stories will present us with moments of thanksgiving, teachable situations, times of great sadness, lessons about friendship and true love for others, and most importantly, stories that remind us that we never have to walk alone if we invite our Lord to be with us.

I look forward to the excitement and energy that comes with the start of a new program year.  We will kick off our programming on Sunday, September 12 from 9:00-10:15 am with our Rally Day fun. Families will be invited to come together with their children to get a taste of what to expect in the coming months during Sunday School. We will meet in Fellowship Hall and enjoy games, activities and fun snacks that will prepare us for “Trekking through the Bible”.  

September 12 will also be our first Sunday for the return of our KIWI class (Kids In Worship Instruction).  Children age 4 through Kindergarten are invited to join Mrs. Steelman in the Chapel after the Conversation with Children.  We will enjoy our time together learning more about Worship, explore the common symbols we find in Holy spaces that help us on our faith journey, and we will learn The Lord’s Prayer and Doxology so that the children can participate during worship and feel even more connected to their church family.  

Children in grades 1 & 2 are invited to attend a special new class that we will run for the fall semester called RECONNECT.  This class is designed to help the children adjust to worship again.  This class will be led by our pastors and will offer the children the opportunity to learn more about worship, ways they can participate in worship and ultimately be ready to sit with their families after the winter break.

During the month of September we will begin Pilgrim Fellowship gatherings. Pilgrim Fellowship is for children in grades 3-5 and meets twice each month after the 10:30 am worship service.  Our time together includes a meal (lunch) and time for fun, learning and mission work. This program is a wonderful opportunity for the children in grades 3-5 to make stronger connections with their peers.  These connections and friendships are priceless and often lead to the children asking when they will get to see their church friends again. This becomes even more important as the kids head into middle school and high school… those times we can all remember valuing true friendship.

Sunday School and KIWI are not only fun for the children of the church: this time is a wonderful chance for parents to participate and show their children that God and Jesus are important to you. I welcome parents to get involved. Our Sunday School classrooms, our church nursery and our KIWI and RECONNECT programs require volunteer helpers to serve as an extra pair of hands and a second adult so that we can be sure to keep all of the children safe.  Offering to help in one of these areas is not only a big help to our church staff, it is also a way to help your children see that you want to continue to grow your own faith as you serve your church family. 

If you would like to talk more about these opportunities, have questions about what is involved, or are ready to help now, please email me and I will happily connect with you to make sure you have all your questions answered. Please note that all volunteers will need to have their clearances up to date and on file with the church. 

With a world that keeps changing each day, it brings me great joy to know that we can still find fun ways to grow our faith and deepen our relationships with God, Jesus and one another. I hope that your family will join us for the upcoming program year. 

Editor’s Note: On the first Thursday of each month, the eNews feature article highlights the mission focus for the month. In August we’re lifting up Education of Children. You can find the current month’s mission focus in the Joys & Concerns section of the weekly eNews.

The Harrisburg School District Reading Mentor Program was developed during the height of the pandemic last fall, so that relatable and familiar mentors, educators, parents, and members of the local community could collaborate to provide reading and learning opportunities for children in Harrisburg. The goal was to keep students engaged in learning during the 2020-21 school year while they were virtual due to COVID-19. To this end, local community leaders were invited to read books that inspired them and reference their personal growth story while recording a video to support the academic, social, and emotional growth of Harrisburg’s students.

Derry Church provided funding for the pilot program that was conducted at Foose School. Leaders from the community — a State Representative, teacher, librarian, doctor, and several health administrators — submitted videos to YouTube. The videos have received hundreds of views over the last six months and are educational, creative, thoughtful, and heartwarming.

Thanks to the success of the pilot program, the Harrisburg Public Schools Foundation (HPSF) awarded $2,000 to Ben Franklin, Downey, Melrose and Scott Elementary Schools in Harrisburg for the purchase of culturally appropriate books to be shared on YouTube.

Coronavirus highlighted the growing need for creativity in learning, especially in particular communities where access and resource availability is limited. The program provided Harrisburg School District students with the flexibility to read and learn on their own schedule, thereby improving literacy, maximizing potential, and shaping a brighter future.

Click this link to view the YouTube videos:
Harrisburg School District Reading Mentor Program