Month: August 2022

In 2009, Rev. Marie Buffaloe asked me if I would be willing to embark with her on a new program for Derry Church. She had in mind a way to assist people dealing with the loss of a loved one. She explained to me that she had found a program entitled “Grief Share,” a nationally recognized Christian based bereavement program.

At that time our church had suffered the losses of several members, and a few of our members had other personal losses in their lives. We began meeting on Tuesday afternoons and our first group consisted almost entirely of Derry members. The idea was that they could attend Grief Share, then stay and enjoy fellowship around the table at Terrific Tuesday meals.

Since then, with outreach and advertising, our groups often have community members outnumbering our church members. People can visit GriefShare.org to learn where the program is being offered. They come from a variety of faith traditions and some travel quite a distance to reach our church. We have faced unique challenges with those we seek to serve. 

Knowing that Marie would not be with me this year, I asked God and my prayer warriors for direction in discerning if I could do this as the leader. In the late winter, the answer became clear that “yes,” needed to try. I was fortunate to have a woman who had gone through the program with us two times and had become a leader with us. Bonnie Landes from Palmyra Church of the Brethren was committed to making the program a success and has worked closely with me this summer to accomplish that goal. I am grateful to Bonnie for her informed guidance and compassionate heart.  

We are now meeting on Monday afternoons and are privileged to gather each week with a group who have suffered profound losses in their lives. It is an honor to be a part of their shared experience. In these two hours they find acceptance and a safe place for their pain and their tears. These are times of affirmation of God’s love and God’s care for us. We look forward to being with them each week and providing the opportunity for them to try small steps, which often lead to bigger steps and deeper understandings of a God who never leaves us. 

Editor’s note: The 13-week summer GriefShare series concludes in September, but they’ll be back next year. Watch the eNews for the 2023 schedule.

This summer, the youth got the opportunity to travel to Maine for a summer retreat. Our week consisted of lots of exploration, service, and adventure. After a long car ride accompanied by Harry Styles and filled with Claudia’s fun facts from her book about all the ways to die in Yellowstone, we arrived at our house and prepared for a busy trip. 

Throughout the week, we spent a lot of time visiting places in Acadia National Park. We saw the waves crash in Thunder Hole and watched the sunset from Cadillac Mountain. We hiked through trails of the forest and swam in the freezing water of the ocean. Some of us went rock climbing for the first time, while others enjoyed the carriage roads throughout the park. 

We got to serve in Acadia by weeding the carriage roads through “flossing.” We worshipped on Sunday morning at a service inside of the park. When we weren’t in Acadia, we were exploring the rest of Mount Desert Island. We received lessons on how to be lumberjacks and watched a show of the professionals competing with each other. On another day, many of us tried paddle boarding or kayaking for the first time. Other times we would just drive around and stop whenever we saw a great view of the mountains and lakes. 

These stops often led to some of the best moments of the trip. Mr. Steelman became the fastest human as he clocked in at 29 mph while running past a speed radar sign. At another stop, we jumped between rocks on the beach and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Between all these activities, we got to hang out as a group at the pool or basketball court at the house and enjoy Mr. Patton’s incredible cooking. After dinner each night, everyone looked forward to what game or activity we would be doing. These games produced some of my favorite moments of the trip. We got to pretend we were on TV with Family Feud or order each other to do whatever we wanted when we were the Great Dalmuti. Our non-talent talent show featured everything from Yar singing Christmas songs while doing a handstand and shaking maracas with her toes to Claudia performing a puppet show with her knees and feet.

The campfire in the backyard made for the perfect spot to have devotionals and make s’mores. We shared our favorite experiences from the day while debating if it was normal that people like their marshmallows completely burned (It’s not). On Friday night, we finished our trip around the fire with Mr. Steelman’s incredible parody of Bohemian Rhapsody. And after another long car ride again filled with random Claudia trivia and even more Harry Styles, we all made it back to the church safe. 

This trip was probably my favorite I have been on with the church. I can’t thank Claudia, Mr. Steelman, Mr. Patton, and Pastor Pam enough for the zesty time that was the Maine trip!

Editor’s note: Jacob is a 2022 graduate of Hershey High School. He is now attending West Chester University to pursue a degree in business. Jacob is the son of Greg Taylor and brother of Emma and Natalie, AKA “The Taylor Tribe.”

Can you believe it is almost half-way through August?  Time sure does fly by during the summer months. As we continue preparing for the change of seasons and the start of our next program year, the Christian Education committee is hopeful that we will see the return of a consistent schedule!  

The last two years have taught us many important lessons and also helped us see the value of things we often take for granted, things as simple as the consistency of a schedule. Our Christian Education team has had to remain fluid for the last two program years. We desperately wanted to set a schedule for our programs and activities for everyone to enjoy, but we knew our plans would likely change before the event occurred.

We are all hopeful that this year will be different now that we are learning to live with Covid as part of our normal way of life. As we work hard to create programming that is dynamic, meaningful, educational and fun, we are hopeful that our church family members will make these activities part of their consistent schedule each week.

Here is a glimpse of what you can expect to enjoy this year…

For Children…

• Weekly Sunday School from 9:00-10:15 am
• Tuesday evening KIC Club beginning September 20 at 5:45 pm
• Fellowship Fun for children in grades 2-5 from 11:30-1:30 on select Sundays

For Youth…

• Weekly Sunday School from 9:00-10:15 am
• Weekly Youth Group activities
• Tuesday Evening programming

For the Church family…

• Adult Sunday School programming from 9:00-10:15 am
• Vocal and Bell Choirs
• Terrific Tuesday dinners at 5pm each Tuesday starting September 13
• Special programs throughout the year

We hope you will find a program or group that fits your needs and helps your faith grow and be challenged in meaningful ways.  We also hope you will make it a part of your consistent schedule 🙂  

We look forward to gathering with you soon!

On the first Thursday of each month (or close to it), the eNews feature article highlights the mission focus for the month. In August we’re lifting up Education of Children. The Mission & Peace Committee has supported Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children (PPC) for many years. They value PPC’s continued advocacy for the health and education for the children in our state. This letter from Kari King confirms the value of Derry Church continuing its support of the organization in the future.

As the statewide, nonpartisan, nonprofit child advocacy organization with a vision to ensure every child living in Pennsylvania can thrive and reach their full potential, PPC focuses its efforts on ensuring that: 

• Children and their families have access to affordable, high-quality child care and pre-k.
• Children can access an adequate and equitable high-quality public education.
• Each pregnant woman and child has access to affordable, quality health care. 
• Children can grow up in a home where they are safe and protected from abuse and neglect.

Our work across policy issues is centered in four key strategies: analyze and interpret data to inform our policy work as well as conduct high-quality research; work with stakeholder partners at various coalition tables to raise advocate voices; serve as an objective resource for the media on policies impacting kids; and educate policymakers at the state and federal levels on both sides of the aisle.

We are especially proud of recent accomplishments achieved through our advocacy work, including:

• A total increase in funding for pre-k of $79 million in the 2022-23 state budget – the largest in its history since the Pre-K Counts program was enacted in 2007. In the past eight years, pre-k programs have seen 187% growth in state support, currently serving over 65,000 eligible children statewide and over 1,600 in Dauphin County.
• For child care, funding in the 2022-23 state budget to support the sector’s workforce with $2,500 one-time recruitment and retention bonuses (using $90 million in federal stimulus funds) and an additional $25 million in state funding to increase eligibility for the Child Care Works subsidy program up to 300% of the federal poverty level, helping working families afford child care.
• Historic investments for K-12 education funding, which in addition to a $750 million increase for basic education also included additional support for special education and career and technical education, as well as $200 million for grant programs split between school-based mental health services and physical safety needs.  

In the remaining months of the year, we are excited to focus on some federal work, with reauthorization needed of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, or MIECHV, in US Congress. Often referred to simply as “home visiting,” these programs pair families looking for additional support and mentoring with their parenting skills with trained professionals such as nurses or social workers. These customized services impact outcomes ranging from improved child health, improved early childhood literacy, and improved family economic self-sufficiency to reduced instances of child abuse and neglect. 

PPC truly appreciates your support of the work we do. Without it, we would not be advocates on behalf of Pennsylvania’s children.