Month: February 2023

• Members of the Personnel committee led a discussion on a proposal for a new staff role at Derry, that of Faith Community Nurse. This position would foster whole person wellness for the members and staff of Derry, and the surrounding community, complying with the Scope and Standards of Practice of Faith Community Nursing. Specifically, the FCN would provide spiritual care surrounding health issues and be a health advocate for those in need, promote whole person health and disease prevention integrating faith and health through visits, counseling, education, support groups and training of volunteers. Elders and their committees will be discussing this concept, and there will be multiple opportunities for the congregation to learn more about this proposal.
• Approved several building use requests:
  • March 11 Fellowship Hall & Kitchen. Requested by Sue Fox for a baby shower.
  • March 12 Sanctuary & Fellowship Hall. Requested by Scout Troop 200 for Eagle Scout Ceremonies.
  • April 20-22 Use of church facilities for the African Children’s Choir including overnight stay and concert on Friday, April 21. Requested by Arts Alive committee.
  • March 24, 2024 Sanctuary. Requested by Market Square Concert Series for a concert featuring the Poulenc Trio.
• Reviewed January’s financial reports.
• Approved an amendment to Derry’s Capital Procurement Policy which increases the threshold for submission of a Capital Procurement Requisition from $5,000 to $10,000. Approved proposed guidelines for Derry’s Ruth Codington Lending Library.
• At the request of the Personnel Committee, the Session approved the transfer of $20,000 from the Futures Fund to the Search Expense account to balance the account and provide funds for future personnel search expenditures.
• Set the date of March 11, 2023 at 9:00 am for a meeting of the College of Elders & Deacons.
• The Mission & Peace Committee has contributed $5,000 to Presbyterian Disaster Relief to support the organization’s earthquake assistance in Turkey and Syria. The Session approved the Committee’s request to solicit additional donations from the congregation.
• Re-elected Duncan Campbell as President and elected Tracey Kinney as Vice President of The Derry Presbyterian Church, Inc.

9 AM – 12 PM SATURDAY, MAR 11 IN ROOM 7 

All Derry members who have ever been ordained as an Elder or Deacon are invited to next month’s “College of Elders and Deacons.” This is an opportunity to share your thoughts, experiences, concerns, and joys as Derry has transitioned out of COVID. Together we will build on what is going well and identify where gaps may be in our ministry. We’ll talk about the possibility of a Faith Community Nurse position at Derry, and what that means for our staff, our members, and our ministry, and learn about 300th anniversary plans. We hope many of our past and present leaders will join us as we look to the future and our 300th anniversary at Derry Church. 

If you will be attending, let us know by signing up here.

4 PM SUNDAY, MAR 26 IN THE SANCTUARY • AN ARTS ALIVE EVENT • FREE WILL OFFERING

Felix Mendelssohn described “the essence of the beautiful is unity in a variety.” Inspired by this idea, Mendelssohn Piano Trio explores richness of the genre in three stylistically different compositions with their March 26 program. From Tyzen Hsiao’s “Formosa” Trio, a poetic tribute to natural beauty of Taiwan, and Beethoven’s uplifting Piano Trio Op. 70, No. 2, to Mendelssohn’s passionate Piano Trio in D Minor, this program offers a bird’s eye view of piano trio’s expressive range and historic development.

Since its founding in 1997, the Mendelssohn Piano Trio has performed over 500 concerts in the US, Europe and Asia. The group has also recorded 15 CDs including most recently a cycle of the complete Haydn Piano Trios released on Centaur Records. The Mendelssohn Piano Trio’s extensive repertoire of over 100 works embraces music from all periods of the genre’s history.

Ya-Ting Chang, pianist, is from Taiwan; Peter Sirotin, violinist, is from Ukraine; and Fiona Thompson, cellist, is from England. The Washington Post described their Brahms as “unfathomably beautiful” and “electrifying,” while praising their “technically immaculate” and “rich in psychological insight” Tchaikovsky. European reviewers noted “freshness and energy” in “unusually emotional” interpretations of Haydn piano trios, while Audiophilia magazine praised these recordings as “warm, sonorous and lively.” The Mendelssohn Piano Trio performances and recordings can be heard on many classical radio stations including NPR’s Performance Today, as well as WETA’s Front Row Washington.

DROPOFF DEADLINE: FRIDAY, MAR 24

Derry Church is hosting its annual Easter egg hunt on April 1, and we need your help: please drop off bags of individually wrapped, nut-free candies in the “Easter Treats” basket in the mission closet in the atrium library by Friday, Mar 24. We’ll be filling dozens of eggs for multiple age groups, so any and all donations are welcome and appreciated.

As Lent begins, Derry Church begins receiving the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering, continuing through Easter Sunday, April 9. This year the Mission and Peace Committee has set a goal of $18,000 for this offering. Half  will go to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and half to Bridges to Community for construction of a house in the Dominican Republic. OGHS envelopes are in the pew racks or give online.

A NEW Journey In Faith (JIF) group is forming! Women’s Journey in Prayer will gather on select Sunday evenings in the Lounge from 6:30-8 pm. The group will begin with prayer, include a short story/devotional, then take time for discussion and conversation, and most importantly, learning how we can be there to support one another in everyday life.

The group will use “Small Graces: The Quiet Gifts of Everyday Life” by Kent Nerburn for discussion topics and stories. 

All women are welcome as we pause from the craziness of life and gather for a special time together.

Here’s the schedule: 

Sunday, Feb 26
Sunday, Mar 12
Sunday, Mar 26
Sunday, Apr 16
Sunday, Apr 30
Sunday, May 14

Contact Elizabeth Gawron for more information.

6:30 PM MONDAY, FEB 27 AT RUBBER SOUL BREWING COMPANY, HUMMELSTOWN

Dads, this is a brand-new fellowship group that offers you the chance to enjoy time with other Derry dads. This group will meet monthly at a variety of locations over the course of the year. For more information, contact Pastor Stephen.

The Presbyterians Today team is taking a “sacred pause” after the March/April edition to dream and discern how best to tell the stories of the PCUSA. Readers will still receive a monthly newsletter keeping them up to date on their efforts and sharing stories gathered along the way. Their Facebook page will be available with prayers, articles, video stories and updates on what’s being discovered as the team plans and prepares for what is to come. They welcome your prayers and questions: email editor@pcusa.org.

Throughout the month of February, Presbyterian Women are collecting for the Blanket Offering. When difficult times come, a kind and loving response can make all the difference. That is why the Church World Service Blankets Program was created: to give a kind, loving and tangible response to someone facing difficult times, reminding them that they are not alone. The program focuses on three main objectives:

• Eiminate hunger and poverty
• Help displaced persons
• Respond to disasters

In Jackson, Mississippi, two disasters fell on top of each other. Heavy rain caused much flooding and cause damage to the water plants. Many people were without clean water or any water. A church became a water distribution center. They also distributed school kits to help children who had to do online schooling. Also hygiene kits and cleanup buckets. Recipients called to resources helpful, necessary and life-savers.

Click to watch a short video introducing the Blanket Offering

Please give to the Blanket Offering as generously as you are able. Gifts can be placed in the boxes at church, mailed to the church office or given online.

Hello dear donor! I want to say Thank you for all your support towards me. I am Areeba from Class 3. I study in EMS Girls High School. My father is a carpenter. My mother is a house wife. We are a big family. I wish to  continue my studies and wish to become a designer. My all dreams can be fulfilled because of your kind support. You are an angel on the Earth for many. I am one of them. Thank you for being my support. I always pray for you and your family.

For 12 years, Derry Church has maintained a partnership with the Presbyterian Education Board in Pakistan. PEB operates 25 schools, primary through high school, including some boarding schools, that serve more than 5,900 students. Derry, through the Friends of Sargodha group, has a particular relationship with the schools in Sargodha. 

Friends of Sargodha’s goal is to continue to provide ten scholarships every year. You can help.

A full scholarship for a day student is $400 a year, about a dollar a day. We are dividing that amount into ten shares, $40 each, to offer you the opportunity to support a portion of a scholarship. 

You can purchase one or more shares by writing a check to Derry Church notated “Pakistan Scholarship” or online through the church website.

Read Debbie Hough’s message inviting you to participate. This fundraiser continues through February 2023.

Cash Flow – Operating Fund as of 1/31/23

Have you visited the Ruth Codington Library lately? It’s right inside the door on the building’s lower level (entrance #1). A committee of Derry library lovers have been working diligently to grow and organize our diverse book collection. You can even search the online catalog  (also accessible via the Derry Church homepage).

Want to take something home? Just remove the card from the back of the book, write your name and the date on it, and place it in the box on the shelf. Easy!

Check back often to see our new monthly library themes. February encourages us to Fall in Love with the Library. You’ll find love titles on display, love quotes from our library authors, and a list of Bible verses that remind us of God’s unending love. There is also a graffiti wall to share YOUR favorite words of love, and a section dedicated to staff favorites (Can you guess who fell in love with a Mitch Albom book?)

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

The 7.8-magnitude quake on Feb 6 and its aftershocks have left more than 35,000 people dead and thousands more injured. Buildings have been reduced to rubble, and roads and bridges have been severely damaged, resulting in dangerous conditions for first responders. In some places, such as Aleppo, this destruction is compounding the damage of the now 11-year war in Syria.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is providing emergency relief and short-term recovery in the impacted areas through long-standing partners in Syria, in addition to ACT Alliance members in Syria and Turkey, all of whom are already on the ground. PDA will remain active throughout the entire recovery process, accompanying our partners in the area as they determine long-term program needs and providing financial support for building and resilience.

Derry Church’s Mission & Peace Committee is sending $5,000 in support of PDA’s relief efforts, and you’re invited to add to that amount by clicking this link or writing checks to Derry Church notated “Earthquake Relief.”

Throughout the month of February, Presbyterian Women are collecting for the Blanket Offering. When difficult times come, a kind and loving response can make all the difference. That is why the Church World Service Blankets Program was created: to give a kind, loving and tangible response to someone facing difficult times, reminding them that they are not alone. The program focuses on three main objectives:

• Eiminate hunger and poverty
• Help displaced persons
• Respond to disasters

A program in Jersey City, New Jersey has partnered with the founder of American Doll company to distribute sewing machines to refugees coming from Ukraine, Cuba, Afganistan and Central America. One client, Mona, is utilizing her existing skills to generate income. She is making clothes for herself and family and working as a seamstress. This program will serve 5,000 clients in 2023 helping refugees to earn a sustainable living.

Please give to the Blanket Offering as generously as you are able. Gifts can be placed in the boxes at church, mailed to the church office or given online.

Hello friend! How are you? My name is Hossana. I study in class 4. My school is the best school in the whole city. I am grateful to you for your support towards me and my family. Because of you I can continue my studies at PEB EMS Girls Sargodha. My dad cannot fulfill the full fee of my school. I am thankful to you for holding my hand. I request you to please support me throughout my studies. We pray for you daily. I promise you, I will work harder and will become a doctor in future. May God bless you and your family.

For 12 years, Derry Church has maintained a partnership with the Presbyterian Education Board in Pakistan. PEB operates 25 schools, primary through high school, including some boarding schools, that serve more than 5,900 students. Derry, through the Friends of Sargodha group, has a particular relationship with the schools in Sargodha. 

Friends of Sargodha’s goal is to continue to provide ten scholarships every year. You can help.

A full scholarship for a day student is $400 a year, about a dollar a day. We are dividing that amount into ten shares, $40 each, to offer you the opportunity to support a portion of a scholarship. 

You can purchase one or more shares by writing a check to Derry Church notated “Pakistan Scholarship” or online through the church website.

Read Debbie Hough’s message inviting you to participate. This fundraiser continues through February 2023.

Krislund Camp is in full swing preparing for the return of summer campers for their 60th year of ministry. Registration is open for all summer programs, so don’t wait to get your camper signed up for a week or more: click to register.

Krislund is also looking for summer staff. If you know anyone age 17-24 years old who may be interested, email Kealy at Programdirector@krislund.org or call the office at 814-422-8878. 

5-7:30 PM TUESDAY, FEB 21 AT ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH PARISH HALL (LOWER LEVEL OFF THE PARKING LOT), 310 ELM AVENUE, HERSHEY

Laissez les bons temps rouler! Join your friends at All Saints and “let the good times roll” on Shrove Tuesday. This year’s pancake supper takes a Cajun twist with New Orleans favorites like jambalaya, gumbo and King cake. We’ll end the evening by praying Compline and burning the palms from last year in preparation for Ash Wednesday.

Suggested donation: $7 per person / $25 cap for families. All proceeds benefit our Refugee Resettlement partnership with All Saints.

Kits for sewing simple drawstring hygiene bags are ready for pickup in the Presbyterian Women’s basket in the mission closet in the downstairs library. Each kit contains fabric for ten bags plus ribbons, instructions, and a sample. Please sign the paper on clipboard if you take a kit.

All bags should be completed by mid-March. Questions? Contact Doris Feil.

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. My name is Tabish. I am from Sargodha, a city famous for its oranges. I am a student of class 10. Thank you very much for your kind support and helping me in my studies. I want to become a doctor. My favorite subject is biology. I want to become helpful for my community in future. Your support is life giving in my ambitions to me. Thank you once again.

For 12 years, Derry Church has maintained a partnership with the Presbyterian Education Board in Pakistan. PEB operates 25 schools, primary through high school, including some boarding schools, that serve more than 5,900 students. Derry, through the Friends of Sargodha group, has a particular relationship with the schools in Sargodha. 

Friends of Sargodha’s goal is to continue to provide ten scholarships every year. You can help.

A full scholarship for a day student is $400 a year, about a dollar a day. We are dividing that amount into ten shares, $40 each, to offer you the opportunity to support a portion of a scholarship. 

You can purchase one or more shares by writing a check to Derry Church notated “Pakistan Scholarship” or online through the church website.

Read Debbie Hough’s message inviting you to participate. This fundraiser continues through February 2023.

Did you know that Derry Church is host to three scouting programs? 

• Pack 200 (boys and girls K-5) meets 6:30-7:30 pm on most Mondays at Derry Church: contact hersheypack200@gmail.com 
  or visit scoutpack200.com
• Troop 200 (boys grades 6-12) meets 6:45-7:45 pm Mondays at the Scout House: contact Chris Kalmbacher.
• Troop 2200 (girls grades 6-12) meets 5:30-6:30 pm Mondays at the Scout House: contact Brian Holley.

When you see these young people in worship on Sunday morning, ask them about their scouting experience. Click for more info.

2 PM SUNDAY, MAR 5 IN THE JOHN ELDER CLASSROOM

All females 1-day to 100+ years are invited to the 2023 Winter Tea. The first hour is devoted to sharing a story or picture related to the theme for this year, sharing a memory of a church leader who had an influence in your life. This can include a pastor, church school teacher, camp leader, choir director, etc. It’s a great time to get to know fellow members and children better. Afterwards, everyone can enjoy the tea and treats. RSVP to Doris Feil by Mar 1.

8 & 10:30 AM  SUNDAY, FEB 19 IN THE SANCTUARY

Join us for a worship service planned, written, and led by our youth around the theme “the joy of the LORD is our strength.” Youth will explore the joy of the LORD through prayers, music, dance, puppets, and a message. The youth hope you will come and share in their joy on Sunday, Feb 19.

When Derry Church hosts the mid-day Hershey Ministerium Lenten service and lunch next month, many hands are needed: volunteers to help set up, serve and clean up, as well as donations of congealed salads in 9″x 15″ pans and/or two dozen cupcakes.

Deliver food items to the kitchen any time on Tuesday or by 9 am on Wednesday, Mar 1. Contact Doris Feil if you can help in any of these ways.

#1: Donate Items on the Wish List
Good news: our refugee family has moved from the temporary Love INC house to an apartment in Hershey. The house was furnished, so now furnishings for the new apartment are necessary. You can help by providing gently used furniture and household items from this wish list. Drop off items in Room 1.

#2: Providing Transportation to Preschool
During the month of February, volunteers are invited to provide afternoon transportation for Layan and a parent to and from their new home at Briarcrest Apartments and Derry Church (Discovery Days preschool). One parent must accompany her during travel (approximately six minutes one way). The parent will then need to be transported back to the apartment. Click to sign up. DDD starts promptly at 12:30 pm and ends at 3 pm Monday through Thursday. 
Contact Kathie Parsons (717-215-8197) by phone/text for more information.

To offer more ways to help, please contact Pete Feil or Marilyn Koch.

SATURDAY, MAR 18 AT GRACE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, HUMMELSTOWN 

Round up your friends, rally your family, gather your church small group, or assemble a few of your colleagues for this friendly competition to support people in need.

This amusing event features an 18-hole miniature golf course *indoors* on what is typically a cold and dreary day in March. Gift cards will be awarded to each member of the first and second-place teams in a given flight. In addition, a hole-in-one prize will be awarded at a designated hole.

20 teams can play during flight times set for 10 am, 12 pm and 2 pm. Cost is $100/team and proceeds benefit Love INC of Greater Hershey. For more information and to register your team, click here

At its January 18 stated meeting, the Session voted to approve the purchase of the Steinway grand piano in memory of Lee Ann Taylor. More than $146,554 has been pledged toward the $150,000 price. To support this effort, send checks notated “memorial piano” to Derry Church, 248 East Derry Road, Hershey PA 17033 or give online:

Blessings in Christ! My dear friend, hope you are doing well by the Grace of God. My name is Imsal. I study in class 8. It is a great blessing for me to have you in my life. You are a great help for many on the earth. I wish to become a lawyer and work for the sake of justice and peace and and thanks to be God for helping me through your kind heart. My parents can’t afford my full fee. Thank you for helping me and for supporting me. We remember you in our daily prayers. 

For 12 years, Derry Church has maintained a partnership with the Presbyterian Education Board in Pakistan. PEB operates 25 schools, primary through high school, including some boarding schools, that serve more than 5,900 students. Derry, through the Friends of Sargodha group, has a particular relationship with the schools in Sargodha. 

Friends of Sargodha’s goal is to continue to provide ten scholarships every year. You can help.

A full scholarship for a day student is $400 a year, about a dollar a day. We are dividing that amount into ten shares, $40 each, to offer you the opportunity to support a portion of a scholarship. 

You can purchase one or more shares by writing a check to Derry Church notated “Pakistan Scholarship” or online through the church website.

Read Debbie Hough’s message inviting you to participate. This fundraiser continues through February 2023.