Month: November 2022

For the past six months, it has been my joy and honor to be Derry’s Administrative Assistant in the church office. For those of you who have ever wondered, I can confirm that the church office is a very busy place!

I was fortunate to have started in April, as we were easing into the summer months.  While the office was active, the steady workflow allowed me time to become acquainted with the responsibilities, procedures, and machinery associated with this position. Now that we are into fall programming with Derry Discovery Days in full swing and Advent just around the corner, the pace has definitely picked up. 

I’m sure many of you have wondered what it’s like to work in the Derry Church office. To give you some insight, I thought it would be interesting to answer a few of the burning questions that I’m sure you’ve always wanted to know but were afraid to ask:  

1. What has been the most challenging thing to learn in your new job?
   Definitely using Adobe InDesign software. This is the program used at Derry to design most of our print and digital media, including the weekly bulletins and eNews. Sue George is a skilled teacher, and with her guidance I’m becoming acquainted with some of the tools and layout capabilities of this robust program.
   
2. What do you like least about the job?
   There really is very little that I don’t enjoy doing, however, the saddest part of my job is preparing funeral bulletins when a member of our congregation passes away. Each one of you is a blessing and joy, so it’s with a heavy heart that I prepare the programs for the memorial services.
   
3. What has been an unexpected bonus associated with your new position?
   At the end of every day (or most days), I turn out the office lights and move into the sanctuary to play the Aeolian-Skinner organ. What a beautiful instrument this congregation has dedicated to the glory of God. No matter what type of day I may have had, playing this rich instrument brings peace.
   
4. What is the most surprising duty you have?
   One duty I was not expecting is overseeing the use of the church van. With the purchase of the new van, several new policies were put into place. To reserve the use of the van or to become qualified to drive the van, I’m the contact person in the office.
   
5. In what ways has this position impacted your role as Clerk of Session – does it make it easier or harder?
   I think being in the office makes my job as clerk easier. Being on staff helps me keep up to date with activities at church and how they impact the various church committees. I have access to Derry’s minute books and membership registries so I can include any changes as they occur. Having access to the computer and copier makes preparing the minutes, session agenda, and other documents very convenient.
   
6. What is your favorite office machine?
   Definitely the folding machine. It’s one of the oldest machines in the office but it makes quick work of folding letters and other types of printed paperwork. It’s a unique machine that is just plain fun to use!
   
7. What is an unexpected joy associated with your job?
   I love greeting all who enter the building and working with other staff members. Derry is rich with talented, generous people who are dedicated to supporting each other and our community.  I love spending time with every one of you.  Feel free to stop by, grab a piece of chocolate, and say “hello!”

It is hard to believe that Advent is right around the corner, but in a few short weeks we’ll see the world around us transformed with lights, decorations, commercials for the latest toys and gadgets, parties & social events, festive music playing everywhere we go, wonderful concerts & performances, favorite holiday traditions carried out, gatherings with family & friends, visits with Santa, creating and checking off our shopping lists, wrapping all the presents, sending out holiday messages & cards, and probably so much more that I can’t think of in early November. 

As the person in charge of children’s programming at the church, I imagine you all assume that the Steelman family practices our faith nonstop. Maybe the image you have is a family gathered in prayer before each dinner, ending each day reading stories from our many childrens bibles, or talking to each other with great kindness and love. I’ll let you in on an honest assessment of our faith formation at home… it is struggling. We are in the phase of life that has us running seven days a week to all kinds of programming and by the time we get home, stop running, and finally gather as a family, we are lucky if we are able to include a blessing during our mealtime. I am sure many others can relate.  

Being “in the trenches” with our church families helps me stay real when offering new faith formation opportunities for folks to try at home. Before sharing a family faith formation idea with you all, I have a few rules that I have set for myself:  opportunities must be realistic, they must be fun and a way to bring family together, they need to include messages that all ages can relate to at their developmental stage of life, and they need to be something that I will do with my own family.  

The other day I was looking at one of the many Facebook pages I follow that have ideas for children’s ministry, faith formation and/or Christian education. One of the pages posted about the return of the “Wandering Wisemen” and it caught my attention. I started to read a little and quickly realized this was a wonderful idea.  The concept is simple… the Three Wisemen spend the season of Advent wandering around preparing for the birth of Jesus. The journey of the “Wandering Wisemen” will conclude on Epiphany (January 6), the day they meet the Newborn King.

This Advent season I invite you to join our family as we have fun following the Three Wisemen. This will be fun for ALL ages!  All you need is a creche, or nativity set. You will use the Three Wisemen from your set and you can either create your own journey, find “Wandering Wisemen on Facebook and follow along with their suggestions, or you can email me and be put on our “Wandering Wisemen” email list. I will send an email each Saturday morning with ideas for the upcoming week, including a description of what the Wisemen see/endure/do each day. Your family can then enjoy going on a hunt each day to find your wisemen and talk about what happens along their journey.

Don’t have kiddos living in your home? No worries! You can do this as adults or you can make this activity a fun new holiday experience to do remotely with your grandchildren. With the use of video messages and live video conversations, you can have fun with your grandchildren’s faith formation this Advent season by talking with one another each day and going on a hunt together in your home to find the wisemen. What a great way to connect with one another and also learn from each other as you journey along with the “Wandering Wisemen.”

I invite you to join us for a fun adventure as we journey along with the “Wandering Wisemen” to help bring the Christmas story new meaning and also welcome it into our daily lives as we enjoy this year’s Advent season. Joining the fun is easy: make up an adventure of your own, follow “Wandering Wisemen” on Facebook for ideas, or email me and I will add you to our email list.  

Another fun way to celebrate this Advent season is joining us for Advent Wreath making on Sunday, November 27 after 10:30 am worship in Fellowship Hall. Click here to RSVP and join us. This is a wonderful opportunity for all ages to gather together for fellowship and create an Advent wreath to use in your home to help make this holiday season more meaningful.

“Called to make a difference.”  You have heard this message to be Derry Church’s stewardship theme for this year.  I would ask you to think about the meaning of these words and how they might relate to you.

I believe that I was called to make a difference when I started a term on Session in 2021.  With this Session appointment came a committee assignment, Stewardship & Finance. I would have been happy to serve any of our committees, but Stewardship & Finance seemed to make sense. I like numbers.   balance our checkbook at home.  While I’m not a banker, per se, I work in the banking industry so I’m around numbers for a living. And, I’ve led stewardship campaigns at a previous church. All of these things seem to have pointed me to where I would make the most meaningful difference as a Derry Church volunteer.

Now, I will be honest: I had not anticipated being called to make a difference as the Chair of the committee at my first meeting, but as we know, God works in mysterious ways. And so, I write to you today asking that you think about the ways in which God may call on you to do something of meaning—something of difference.

There are many ways that we can make that difference at Derry.  Just read the eNews on Thursday to see all of the wonderful things that our congregation is involved in, from helping individuals and families in need through our various mission initiatives to facilitating multiple study groups for spiritual nurturing and delivering critically important youth programming and children’s ministry.  And everything in between.

I encourage you to give of your time and of your talents as volunteers. There is a place for all of us to accept this invitation.

As you think about the leadership role that Derry Church takes in our community, we can only do so because of generous financial giving by the congregation. Year after year, the congregation responds during our stewardship campaign. You are called to make a difference, and you do so by sharing a significant piece of your personal treasure.

We have tremendous pastoral leadership, the highest caliber of music programs, mission initiatives that literally change people’s lives for the better; and so much more.  Now more than ever, we need to recognize that these programs don’t just happen on their own. They happen because of the  congregation’s financial commitment—a commitment that results from our love of God and the pride in which we all feel about our Derry Church home.

Derry does so much for so many.  And, we can do even more. We are all called to make a difference during this stewardship campaign. I hope that you will join Kristen and me as we increase our pledge for 2023. But most importantly, I hope that you will give what you can, whatever that may be. Together, we can make a difference.

Editor’s Note: On the first Thursday of each month, the eNews feature article highlights the mission focus for the month. In November  we’re lifting up access to health care in the Harrisburg and tri-county areas. 

For many years Derry has supported Hope Within Ministries, Christ Lutheran Church Health Ministries, and the Community Check-up Center. 

Hope Within Ministries, founded in 2002, is a volunteer, donation-based organization which serves Dauphin, Lancaster, and Lebanon Counties. Hope Within offers free, primary health care services for medically uninsured, low-income residents (250% of the federal poverty level or less). Appointments are required: this is not a walk-in clinic. As one of the few providers in the region, Hope Within offers counseling services on a self-pay, income based sliding scale, and in 2020 dental services were added. Hope Within was very helpful in supporting Derry Church’s efforts in the early stages of resettling our Syrian family by providing necessary physicals and immunizations. 

Christ Lutheran Church Health Ministries in Harrisburg provides a free, nurse-run, walk-in clinic Monday-Friday. Patients have access to simple lab tests, basic physical evaluations, health education, and some social services. For three days/month with an appointment, patients can receive dental care and a weekly, walk-in oral hygiene clinic. A prenatal clinic for low-income, low-risk women is available, and a partnership with Holy Spirit Hospital provides advanced care and labor and delivery. A free, non-emergency urgent care clinic run weekly (by appointment only) is available.

The Community Check-up Center in Harrisburg’s Hall Manor area is another health care provider supported by Derry for many years. This non-profit organization provides services to men, women, and children in acute situations and to those managing chronic illnesses. Preventive health screenings, and immunizations are available. The Check-up Center also provides free gynecological and family planning services for women who are uninsured and meet age and income eligibility requirements. 

These non-profit organizations are heavily dependent upon contributions for the support of their programs. Derry Church provides assistance to all three of these essential ministries through our  Mission & Peace Committee, which receives a portion of the church’s annual budget. Thus, your pledges and contributions are essential in helping to support a variety of health care services to those in need across the Central Pennsylvania region.