Month: March 2023

8:30 – 11 AM SUNDAY, APR 9 IN FELLOWSHIP HALL

Chef Charlie Koch and friends are serving egg casserole, scrambled eggs, pancakes (plain & chocolate chip), sausage and bacon, hash browns, cinnamon rolls, mixed fruit, orange & apple juices, milk, milk, coffee and tea.

Suggested donation of $10 per meal ($5 for children under 12) or $25 per family. All proceeds support the Bridges to Community mission trip in June going to the Dominican Republic.

9:15 AM SUNDAY, APR 30 HYBRID: ON ZOOM AND IN ROOM 7
9:15 AM SUNDAYS, MAY 7-14-21 IN THE JOHN ELDER CLASSROOM

The spring series of New Member Discovery Classes gives you the opportunity to learn more about the mission and ministry of Derry Church, and discover how you’d like to share your talents in the life of the church. First week is on Zoom (click to join) and in person, and you’ll also meet staff and leaders over the course of four weeks and tour the church. Those who decide to join will be received on Sunday, May 21.

Registration is appreciated by not required: sign up online or call the church office (717-533-9667).

Our 2023 “Shares for Scholarships” campaign has come to a close, and your response was overwhelming: 60 total contributors gave a grand total of $21,516! That’s $7,104 more than was raised in 2022!

Thank you for your generous outpouring of love for the children of Pakistan. Your gifts make it possible for 47 students to benefit from a year full of learning (in 2022, we supported about 30 students). This year’s campaign raised:

• 43 full scholarships for day students (each full scholarship = $400)
• Gifts of partial shares by 17 people that add up to another 4.5 full scholarships

This total doesn’t include what’s being raised right now through the Mission Madness basketball fundraiser, or the 18 scholarships funded by Derry members and friends outside of the Shares program, or the 5 scholarships given by the Mission and Peace Committee. Stay tuned for an exciting final report in coming weeks!

We can’t thank you enough for your kindness. Bless you and shalom from Derry’s Friends of Sargodha committee!

Presbyterian Women in Carlisle Presbytery: Spring Gathering
SATURDAY, APRIL 29 AT MECHANICSBURG PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Registration opens 9 am, gathering begins 9:30 am
The morning program is “Substance Abuse Disorder – What Is It?” After lunch, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank will give a presentation on their work. A light lunch is available ($5 donation). To carpool, contact Doris Feil.

Synod of the Trinity Presbyterian Women Gathering
JULY 10-12 AT THE PENN STATER, STATE COLLEGE
The keynote speaker is Susan Jackson Dowd, PW Executive Director. The gathering features an overview of the coming Horizons Bible study plus 11 workshops from which to choose. The Presbytery Coordinating Team authorized $100 scholarships for up to 20 women. Cost is $350 per person for a double room and $485 for single room. Registration deadline: May 31. Download a registration form, check the PW bulletin board for more details or contact Doris Feil.

Lasses & Lassies Banquet
6 PM SATURDAY, MAY 6 IN FELLOWSHIP HALL
This years’ program is Bridal Show with members of both churches modeling dresses worn in their own or a family member’s wedding. The menu includes appetizers, roast beef, ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, gravy and cake. Gluten-free and vegetarian options available on request. $15/person over age 12, $7 for ages 4-12. Purchase tickets on Sunday mornings, April 16 and 30. To participate in the bridal show, notify Jeanette Weaver or Doris Feil by Apr 2.

Plans are in the works for a family friendly Krislund Camp getaway weekend. Mark your calendars now and attend one of the informational meetings listed below:

6:30 PM SUNDAY, APR 16 AT BETH EL TEMPLE, 2637 NORTH FRONT ST, HARRISBURG • $20/PERSON INCLUDES SALMON DINNER SERVED AFTER SUNDOWN

The Freedom Seder is an interfaith event that commemorates the journey from slavery to freedom for Jews in ancient Egypt and for African-Americans in the United States. We celebrate these emancipations while acknowledging the forms of hatred and oppression that persist today, and committing to work against them together. We will sing, perform Passover rituals, share a meal, and and learn about modern-day systemic oppression as we explore how we can be United Against Hatred.Please RSVP by Apr 10. Questions? Contact Patty Brown at (717 232-0556).

Derry Church members are invited to play on our new pickleball court in Fellowship Hall. Call the church office (717-533-9667) to reserve your time slot and the equipment. Best days are Monday afternoon & evening, Wednesday afternoon until 6 pm, and all day on Friday. 

• Approved baptismal instruction and baptism for five families to occur over the summer months.
• Approved several building use requests:
  • July 21, 2023 Fellowship Hall & Nursery. Requested by Lauren Talhelm on behalf of the Partners in Medicine group at Penn State Hershey.
  • May 6 & 17, 2024 Sanctuary & Fellowship Hall. Susquehanna Chorale 2024 spring
    rehearsal & concert.
• Approved the creation of the new staff role and position description for a Faith Community
  Nurse. To support this position, a subcommittee of the Membership & Involvement Committee, known as the Health and Wellness Team, was created. This group will work closely with the Faith Community Nurse to help facilitate the health and wellness ministries of the church. The Personnel Committee has formed a search team, which will be identifying and interviewing candidates for the position.
• Reviewed February’s financial reports.
• The Stewardship & Finance committee submitted a Capital Procurement Requisition for 
  replacement of the roof on the Mansion Road property. The cost of the replacement is $12,225. This item will be reviewed over the next month by the church committees and voted upon at the April session meeting.
• Approved dates to serve communion in 2024.
• The children in the Children & Sacraments class will be permitted to assist with serving
  communion (with their parents’ help) at the Maundy Thursday worship service.
• The Mission & Peace Committee has spent time considering several hands-on community
  projects to coincide with Derry’s 300th anniversary. They presented two local projects at the meeting, which the Session reviewed and approved:
  • The first project partners with Veterans of Pennsylvania in constructing a “tiny home” village in south Harrisburg (next to the PennDOT building) to house and support homeless veterans. Derry will be sponsoring one of the homes at a cost of $50,000 to be contributed by the end of 2023. We will have the opportunity to assist with the construction when it begins in 2024.
  • The second project is assisting with the construction of the 5th grade classroom at Logos Academy in Harrisburg. Derry previously helped the school’s expansion of grades 2 and 3. The cost of this project is $50,000 and fundraising will begin in 2024.
• More information on both projects will be provided to all along with ways that individuals can contribute to these community mission projects.

11:45 AM SUNDAY, APRIL 30 IN FELLOWSHIP HALL • $10 PER PERSON • TICKETS AVAILABLE THROUGH APRIL 23

Get on board for a tropical three-course lunch served by our kid’s fellowship! It’s for anyone who considers themselves a senior. You’ll enjoy fresh greens and fruit, chicken kebabs over rice, and assorted pastries for dessert — plus the chance to fellowship around the table with Derry Church friends. Purchase tickets in the Narthex on April 2, 16 & 23, or call the church office (717-533-9667). 

8 AM-5 PM SATURDAY, APR 29 IN GRANTVILLE

Many hands needed – skilled and unskilled – to build a handicapped ramp at a home in Grantville. Lunch provided. Contact Pete Feil for more information and to sign up.

• It’s time to start collecting items for the hygiene bags for the Domestic Violence Center in Harrisburg. Items needed are wide-tooth combs, washcloths, disposable razors, tissue packets, toothbrushes, sample or travel sizes of toothpastes, lotions, shampoos, soaps, and deodorants. These can be left in the PW basket in the mission closet in the atrium library.
• Sign up to model your bridal dresses for the Lasses and Lassies Banquet program on May 6! If you’d like to model your own bridal dress (or your mother’s or grandmother’s), or if you’d be willing to lend dresses for someone else to model, contact Jeanette Weaver by April 2.

Cash Flow – Operating Fund as of 2/28/23:

Note: Many of the church’s annual expenses are backloaded, so it’s not unusual to find expenses under budget at the beginning of the year. And we are not paying an Associate Pastor’s salary, although that is included in the 2023 budget.

Bring your coins for the Alliance for Children Everywhere (ACE) Change 4 Children on Sunday, March 19. ACE helps Zambian moms and caregivers to raise SAFE kids, grow STRONG families, and build sustainable communities. In 2020, they launched ACE Transition Partners to guide institutions toward family-based care for thousands of children in Africa and beyond. Based on ACE experience, the consulting team provides services to organizations during the transition, with custom plans tailored to the specific institutional, social, and political contexts in which the ACE partners work.

Bring your change in zip-closed bags, remembering to bag any foreign coins separately. Check that the bag is free of paper clips, pins, batteries, buttons — anything that is not legal tender — as these clog the coin sorting machine.  

Change 4 Children for ACE is collected quarterly at Derry Church. The next offering will be received on Sunday, June 18.

As of Tuesday, April 11, evening worship services will begin at 6 pm.

START TIMES: 3 PM FRI MAR 24 & 8 AM SAT MAR 25 

Join the Gardeners Of Derry (G.O.D. SQUAD) and Building & Ground Committee to prepare the church grounds for the growing season. Bring your rakes, shovels, gloves, pickup trucks and leaf blowers along with a lot of energy as we tidy up in time for Easter Sunday.

7 PM FRIDAY, APRIL 21 IN THE SANCTUARY • FREE WILL OFFERING • AN ARTS ALIVE EVENT

The African Children’s Choir melts the hearts of audiences with their charming smiles, beautiful voices and lively African songs and dances. The “Just As I Am” tour combines traditional hymns with African cultural sounds and a stunning visual story of God’s faithfulness.

A free-will offering is taken at the performance to support African Children’s Choir programs, such as education, care and relief and development programs.

Music for Life (the parent organization for the African Children’s Choir) works in seven African countries such as, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa. MFL has educated over 52,000 children and impacted the lives of over 100,000 people through its relief and development programs during its history. By focusing on providing education, MFL’s purpose is to help Africa’s most vulnerable children today, so they can help Africa tomorrow.

The African Children’s Choir has had the privilege to perform before presidents, heads of state and most recently the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, for her diamond jubilee. The Choir has also had the honor of singing alongside artists such as, Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Keith Urban, Mariah Carey, Michael W. Smith, and other inspirational performers.

It’s time to start collecting items for the hygiene bags for the Domestic Violence Center in Harrisburg. Bags are being sewn and the goal is to deliver them by early summer. Items needed are wide-tooth combs, washcloths, disposable razors, tissue packets, toothbrushes, sample or travel sizes of toothpastes, lotions, shampoos, soaps, and deodorants.  These can be left in the PW basket in the mission closet in the atrium library.

10 AM TUESDAYS, APR 11 – MAY 30 • 8:30 AM TUESDAYS, JUNE- SEPT AT ROYAL OAKS GOLF COURSE, LEBANON

All skill levels welcome. If you have an interest in playing, please contact Ken Pearl or Dave Szczesny.

6:30 PM SATURDAY, MAR 18 IN ROOM 7

This presentation of “Engage: Stories” centers on the theme “I was wrong.” Each storyteller will share about a time they realized they acted wrong, thought wrong, or believed wrong and how that realization changed them.

• Andy Frieberg will share his desire to be different from others in his educational choices and how he learned that sometimes it’s okay not to be different.
• Andy Phillips will share about how he realized he was wrong to anchor his faith in the certitude of his belief system (the “what I believed”) rather than trusting in the God in whom he believed.
• Elizabeth Gawron will talk about the beginning pages of her journal from 2017 that speaks to marriage, motherhood and how wrong she was about her future. 
• Sandy Ballard will share she thought God had abandoned her to suffer at a big law firm.
• Charlie Koch will share about a time when work kept him from being where he needed to be.

Please join us for this special evening of storytelling, community, and questions.

6-8 PM MONDAY, APR 3 IN FELLOWSHIP HALL

Children in grades 2 and older and their parents/guardians are invited to learn more about the sacrament of communion in preparation for the children’s participation in Maundy Thursday worship at 7 pm Apr 6. Kid-friendly dinner included, child care available. Contact ME Steelman to register.

6:30-7:30 PM THURSDAY, MAR 23 • LOUNGE & FELLOWSHIP HALL 

Dads young and old will gather in the Lounge for a brief chat to get to know each other, then head to Fellowship Hall for some games, so wear active gear. We’ll play knockout and maybe basketball or kickball or other fun gym games we don’t often get to play. RSVP to Pastor Stephen.

• Drop off your Change 4 Children offering in designated baskets on Sunday, March 19 to support the Alliance for Children Everywhere (ACE). ACE helps Zambian moms and caregivers to raise SAFE kids, grow STRONG families, and build sustainable communities. In 2020, they launched ACE Transition Partners to guide institutions toward family-based care for thousands of children in Africa and beyond. Based on ACE experience, the consulting team provides services to organizations during the transition, with custom plans tailored to the specific institutional, social, and political contexts in which the ACE partners work. Bring your change in zip-closed bags, remembering to bag any foreign coins separately. Check that the bag is free of paper clips, pins, batteries, buttons — anything that is not legal tender — as these clog the coin sorting machine.  
• The March morning circle will meet a week early on March 20 at 10:30 am at the home of Joan Theal. The lesson will be Sabbath and Self-Care.
• Thanks to everyone who helped with the Lenten luncheon on Mar 1.  The donations of salads and cupcakes, the help preparing, serving and cleaning-up made the day feel quite relaxing. THANK YOU!
• On Saturday, May 6 the PW Ladies Banquet will be held in Fellowship Hall. Following the meal, a bridal fashion show will be presented. If you have your wedding dress and would like to  wear it, the organizers would love to have it in the show. If you choose not to model your dress, they will find someone who can wear it as long as the dress is available by April 15. All dresses will be returned that evening. For more information and to participate, please contact Jeanette Weaver by April 2.

Dori Hjalmarson will visit in Carlisle Presbytery March 25-28. There are several opportunities to connect with Dori while she’s here to learn about God’s work in and through the Presbyterian Church in Honduras:

Sunday, Mar 26: Dori will preach at 8:30 and 11 am at Lower Marsh Creek Presbyterian Church. She will also speak at the adult Sunday School classes between the worship services.

Sunday afternoon, Mar 26: Dori will give a presentation at the Gettysburg Presbyterian Church, time to be determined.

11:30 am Monday, Mar 27: Second Presbyterian Church, Carlisle is hosting lunch and conversation with Dori on the topic, “What Jesus Looks like from ‘The Other Side.'” Find out what life looks like from the perspective of rural Honduran women and children: these are the folks leaving their homeland and seeking asylum in America in huge numbers. Please RSVP by voicemail (717-243-4571 ext. 207) or email. 

7 pm Monday, Mar 27: Dori will speak at Monaghan Presbyterian Church.

The Presbytery of Carlisle seeks a part-time (20 hours/week) Communications and Technology Specialist. The focus of this flexible, work-from-home position is to: 

• Create and distribute communications of the presbytery that are timely and effective, across multiple platforms including email, social media and website management
• Manage the information technology of the Presbytery to ensure smooth operations and appropriate security
• Provide administrative support to Presbytery staff

The Communications and Technology Specialist is a member of the Presbytery staff, in service to the congregations and leaders of the presbytery. Click for a position description and qualifications.

Interested candidates may apply by emailing a resume to carlislepbyapplicant@gmail.com. 

Have you visited the Ruth Codington Library lately? It’s right inside the door on the building’s lower level. 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. Want to take something home? All you have to do is 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. March is all about FOOD and asks if you’re Hungry for a Good Book? Come borrow from our collection of cookbooks, learn more about religious eating practices (do you know what animals are considered Kosher?), and find out which book of the Bible has the most food references.

There is also a new graffiti wall to share what YOU would serve if Jesus came to dinner (can you guess which one of our staff members would be cooking an Irish themed feast?) So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

Derry Discovery Days Preschool has space in its Ladybug class. Students must be one by Sept 1 and walking. Children can attend two days a week (Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday) from 9 -11:30 am and will enjoy quality social and emotional time, songs, playtime, crafts and friendships.

Please contact Laura Cox, Director, for more information and to schedule a tour and meet the teaching staff.

5:30-6:15 PM THURSDAYS IN FELLOWSHIP HALL

Join Derry member Judy McMillen for the low-impact fun of Zumba Gold®️, which modifies traditional Zumba® moves with lower intensity, lower impact, and smoother transitions. Great for the beginner exerciser, active older adults, or anyone who prefers not to go “full-out” for whatever reason. An engaging blend of Latin and International-style music along with a bit of catchy pop keeps everyone moving as the group focuses on elements of cardiovascular, balance, range of motion, and coordination. $5/class or $45 for a 10-lesson punch card. Contact Judy for more information: 717-512-0484.

GREGG ROBERSTON, CHAIR • PERSONNEL COMMITTEE

The Associate Pastor Interview Committee (APIC) met on February 20 and, deciding that it has not found a candidate who would meet Derry’s needs, suspended its activities indefinitely. 

One of the considerations that went into this decision was the recent change in M.E. Steelman’s status, moving to full-time and expanding her responsibilities. 

Another consideration was that at its last meeting, the Personnel Committee recommended to Session that Derry create a new position for a Faith Community Nurse. That position would serve pastoral care needs in the congregation in situations involving health and wellness issues. Faith Community Nurses are registered nurses who are specially trained in pastoral care: click to learn more. Session reviewed information on what it would take to create such a position at its February meeting, and will vote on it at its March meeting. 

If, after a period of discernment about Derry’s staffing needs, it’s determined that an associate pastor is needed, Session may constitute a more formal search committee and process. On the other hand, we may find that gaps in meeting congregational needs may be better met with one or two part-time, non-ordained positions targeted at those particular needs.

APIC members volunteer in many of the areas where there may be gaps, such as youth and children’s ministry. We have asked APIC members to observe and evaluate these areas in their volunteer positions over the course of the next several months. The Personnel Committee will be soliciting their feedback this summer on their experience.

The Personnel Committee thanks the APIC for its thoughtful diligence and prayerful participation in this process. Their openness in allowing the Holy Spirit to guide the Committee in its deliberations and discernment have served this congregation well. 

9:15 AM SUNDAYS, MAR 5-26 IN ROOM 7 AND STREAMING ON DERRYPRES.ORG, YOUTUBE AND FACEBOOK

The internet, especially social media, has transformed the ways that we work, play, communicate, and even think. It is having a profound impact on the way that we worship and live together as religious communities. Christianity has experienced revolutions in communications before, such as the abandonment of scrolls, the spread of the printing press, and the genesis of radio and television.

Each time these developments have inspired new ways of experiencing faith and fellowship. We will consider the unique and unanticipated challenges and opportunities presented by our new communication technologies to the church.

5:30 PM SATURDAY, MAR 18: LIVE IRISH MUSIC AT THE UNION HOUSE TAPROOM & LIVERY, RICHLAND
Irish music is played from 5-7:30pm, and we can stay as long as we like. Meet the group there for our very own St. Patrick’s Day celebration (albeit a day late!) and order what you’d like to eat and drink from the expansive menu. RSVP by Mar 12 to Cathy Olson.

11 AM THURSDAY, MAY 11: “MOSES” AT SIGHT & SOUND, LANCASTER
The group enjoyed Sight & Sound’s production of “David” last year and looks forward to seeing this new show. We will eat lunch together after the show at Miller’s Smorgasbord, where you can choose the complete smorgasbord or just the soup, salad, and bread option. Show tickets are $75 per person and payment is required no later than Mar 12: bring checks to the church office. RSVP to Sue Whitaker, indicating if you would like to ride in the church van. The group is also looking for a qualified van driver.

1:30 PM TUESDAY, MAR 28 AT THE DI MATTEO WORSHIP CENTER/CHAPEL

Pastor Stephen will lead worship with communion, prayers, a meditation and hymn singing, with organ accompaniment by Dan Dorty. Fellowship and refreshments follow the service.

SATURDAY, MAR 18 AT THE QUENTIN FIRE COMPANY, 20 S. LEBANON ST., LEBANON

Volunteer lawyers are offering a Wills for Heroes Program for all active and retired Pennsylvania First Responders, and Pennsylvania Military Veterans, and all sworn personnel and their spouses or significant others (proof of affiliation will be requested).

Appointments for each person last approximately one hour and at the conclusion of it you will have notarized legal documents: a Will, Living Will, and Health Care and Financial Powers of Attorney (or any combination thereof). If you select that you are coming with a spouse/significant other, you will have back-to-back appointments, and the computer will automatically schedule a second appointment. You do not need to schedule a separate appointment. Click here to schedule your appointment using  the password WFH Lebanon.

Questions? Contact Hannah Suhr. For more information, visit the Wills for Heroes Foundation. Please note: If your estate exceeds approximately $750,000, this service is unavailable to you due to the complexity of your estate and the limited time to complete the legal documents. For determining if your estate is over $750,000, include your cash, personal property, stock and bonds, real estate equity, savings, cash value of a whole/universal life insurance policy only (not the amount of the insurance policy).

7:30 PM FRIDAY, MAR 3 & SATURDAY, MAR 4 AND 1:30 PM SUNDAY, MAR 5 AT HERSHEY HIGH SCHOOL •  CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION & TO ORDER TICKETS

Lionel Bart’s classic musical is based on the Charles Dickens novel, Oliver Twist. The Tony and Olivier Award-winning show is one of the few musicals to win an Academy Award for Best Picture and is widely hailed as a true theatrical masterpiece by actors and audience members alike.

The streets of Victorian England come to life as Oliver, a malnourished orphan in a workhouse, becomes the neglected apprentice of an undertaker. Oliver escapes to London and finds acceptance amongst a group of petty thieves and pickpockets led by the elderly Fagin. When Oliver is captured for a theft that he did not commit, the benevolent victim, Mr. Brownlow takes him in. Fearing the safety of his hideout, Fagin employs the sinister Bill Sikes and the sympathetic Nancy to kidnap him back, threatening Oliver’s chances of discovering the true love of a family.

Participating Derry Church youth include Ryan Hosenfeld as Bill Sykes, Mayangela Speicher as Old Sally, Katie Bortel and Mayangela as Governors, and Katie as a featured street vendor dancer. Let us know if we missed anyone in the cast, crew or orchestra and we’ll add to the list.

Reserved seats are $15 for adults, $10 for students/senior citizens, and $20 for general admission at the door. Senior citizen preview & family night: 6:30 pm Thursday, March 2. All seats for this show are General Admission and sold at the door. Senior citizens (65+) are free; students are $5; adults are $10.