Month: April 2024
Derry Church is Hiring!
April 24, 2024Derry Church seeks a dedicated part-time Assistant Property Manager to join our team. The ideal candidate will have experience in property maintenance oversight. Click for more details and to apply now.
Susquehanna Chorale Will Present “A Thousand Beautiful Things”
April 24, 20247:30 PM FRIDAY, MAY 17 AT DERRY CHURCH
7:30 PM SATURDAY, MAY 18 AT MARKET SQUARE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, HARRISBURG
4 PM SUNDAY, MAY 19 AT HIGH CENTER, MESSIAH UNIVERSITY
PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE OR CALL 717-691-6036 OPTION 1
The inspiration for the Chorale’s 2024 spring concerts comes from Craig Hella Johnson’s setting of the Annie Lennox piece, 1000 Beautiful Things. It describes the beauty of life and encourages us to savor those exquisite moments that cause us to pause and appreciate what we have.
Under the artistic direction of Linda L. Tedford, the Chorale will present works including Handel’s Sing Unto God, Thomas Tallis’s If Ye Love Me, Mendelsohn’s Richte Mich Gott, as well as Ola Gjeilo’s Iam Sol Recedit and Lux Beata Trinitas. The Chorale will perform gospel spirituals such as Walk Together Children by Anthony Leach and a men’s barbershop-style version of It is Well with my Soul.
Derry Church singers are Greg Harris and Janice Click Holl. Dan Dorty provides accompaniment.
Thank You, Derry!
April 17, 2024
The Welcome Team would also like to thank all who have so generously contributed their hours and efforts to make this family’s resettlement in a new cultural environment successful. Countless hours have been spent in securing housing and furnishing an apartment, establishing helpers to teach English to the family, finding jobs, enrolling in school, social security, healthcare and welfare programs, providing pro bono dental care, transportation for shopping, to medical appointments, to soccer games, and learning to drive. In addition, donations of a car, bicycles, bedding, clothing, school supplies, playdates, sports equipment, and the interaction with LOVEINC, Cocoa Packs, and the Derry Township Food Bank have all been very much appreciated.
After more than a year-and-a-half of helping to resettle our Syrian refugee family in Hershey, the Welcome Team has been able to step back and to entrust the family with self-managing their lives. There are still some instances however, where an explanation or interpretation of cultural differences is required! Throughout, the Welcome Team has consisted of Derry and All Saints members. As the Haikal family celebrates Ramadan, they would like both congregations to know that they are being held in their prayers, and that the family is very thankful for all of the help which they have received from so many people. The parents have jobs, the children are doing well in school, and the family is currently awaiting issuance of their Green Cards.
This very personal and intensive effort to help a refugee family relocate in Hershey could not have been done without the financial and faithful commitment of so many. THANK YOU!
The Welcome Team: Seated: Alan Olson, Cathy Olson, Marilyn Koch. Second row: Fred Hartman, Cheryl Leidy, Doris Feil, Claudia Holtzman, Rosemary Hartman, Kathie Parsons. Third row: Marion Alexander, Pete Feil, Charlie Koch, Bill Alexander, Jane Robertson, Gregg Robertson. Not pictured: Colleen Mullikin; Sue Whitaker; Al Reed; Kristen and Duncan Campbell
Introducing Derry’s First Wellness Connections Group Bicycle Ride
April 17, 2024DEPARTING FROM DERRY CHURCH 12:30 PM SUNDAY, MAY 19
All bike riders are invited to join Derry Church’s first Wellness Connections group bicycle ride and outdoor fellowship. No prior group bicycle ride experience is necessary. No one will be left behind.
We gather in the fellowship hall, ready to ride at 12:30 pm. A short pre-ride orientation will provide riders an opportunity to choose from one of two group rides:
- A 16-mile rolling rural out and back for experienced “road riders”
- A 10-mile casual paced residential ride around the rolling hills of the Milton Hershey School campus
Feel free to ride (or transport) your bicycle to 10:30 am worship and enjoy the snacks, drinks and fellowship at 11:30 am. Changing areas are available in the restrooms located on the lower level.
No special attire is necessary. Bicycle helmets are required, and youth must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
RSVP by calling or texting David Whitenack at 717-881-0757.
April 2024 Financial Snapshot
April 9, 2024Cash Flow – Operating Fund as of 3/31/24:
| YTD | BUDGET | |
| Income YTD: | $435,436 | $327,700 |
| Expenses YTD: | $305,111 | $338,865 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) YTD: | $130,325 | ($11,165) |
Save the Date: 2025 Women’s Retreat
April 9, 2024FRIDAY EVENING, FEB 21 THROUGH NOON SUNDAY, FEB 23 AT CAMP KENBROOK, LEBANON
It’s been a few years since the women of Derry Church gathered for a weekend of fun and faith, and the Christian Education Committee is delighted to bring back this popular offering with leader Nancy Reinert. Her theme is “God, the Master Gardener,” a biblical look at our responsibility for creation and the environment. Save the date and watch for more details.
Would you like to serve on the planning team? Contact Claudia Holtzman.
2024 Lasses & Lassies Banquet
April 9, 20246 PM SATURDAY, MAY 4 IN FELLOWSHIP HALL • $15 FOR 12 AND OLDER • $5 FOR AGES 4-11 • FREE FOR CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN 4
“Herstory at Derry” (300 Years of Herstory) is the theme for the 2024 Lasses and Lassies Banquet.
On the menu: appetizers of fresh vegetables and cheese, a tossed salad, stuffed chicken breast, green beans, creamed corn, rolls and butter, and cake.
Tickets can be purchased on Sunday, April 21 and 28. For gluten-free and vegetarian options, contact Doris Feil or Marilyn Koch. Men available to serve and help clean up will enjoy a free meal: contact Doris or Marilyn.
Volunteers Needed for the June 2 Church Picnic
April 9, 2024CLICK HERE to help with Derry’s awesome church picnic! Many hands needed, from setup and serving to cleanup afterwards. Questions? Contact Karen Carns.
Brian Keck is our 2024 Mission Madness Grand Champion!
April 9, 2024Taking the Grand Prize is Brian “Comeback” Keck, who not only wins the Victory Trophy but also gets his name engraved on the Plaque of Champions!
The following folks had a great run, and are deserving of their Top 5 Overall Medal:
2nd Place: Julie “Legacy” Yutesler (Grand Champion in 2018!)
3rd Place: Andy “No Look” Cook
4th Place: Tyler “Half Court” Hempel
5th Place: Katie “Kick” Gavazzi
Winning medals for the subgroups are a wide range of Derry faithful:
Best in Session: Julie “Legacy” Yutesler (2nd Overall)
Best in Music: Colleen “Bionic” Mullikin (7th Overall)
Best in Children (0-11): Brion “Vegas” Knepp (8th Overall)
Best in Retirees: Dave “Bell-Ringer” Gloeckler (18th Overall)
Best in Youth (12-18): Joey “Tirico” Owsley (37th Overall)
Best in Staff: Stephen “Highlands” McKinney-Whitaker (101st Overall)
Awards will be presented on a Sunday morning when most of our winners are available.
PW Birthday Offering
April 9, 2024For the next four weeks we will celebrate the Birthday Offering of Presbyterian Women. This offering started in 1922 when women were challenged to give a penny for each year of their life. This was to be a “birthday gift” to a girls’ school in Japan. Through the years the projects and dollar amounts have changed, but Presbyterian Women’s caring for others in the US and around the world has not changed.
Birthday Offering grants focus on capital improvements. The money collected last year will fund two projects. The first is Bethel Hills Project in Marthasville, Missouri. They plan to renovate a villa into four apartments housing eight individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
The second project is Café Gingko in Louisville, Kentucky. Prior to the pandemic they served an average of 30 meals each Monday in an economically disadvantaged area. After shutting down for Covid, they need to renovate the kitchen to reopen with expanded capacity.
Funds collected this year will support next year’s projects. Please give as generously as you are able. Gifts may be given online, or by using offering envelopes in the pew rack, or by check: place in the offering boxes or mail to the church office. Please notate checks “Birthday Offering.”
Learning Tour: A Local Legacy of Native American Peoples
April 3, 20249:30 AM – 3 PM SATURDAY, MAY 4 DEPARTING FROM DERRY CHURCH
Join us to learn about the history and legacy of Native American Peoples in our region. Darvin L. Martin will lead us on a driving tour throughout Dauphin, Lancaster and York counties so we can learn about the interactions between Native Peoples and European colonists. The group will make several stops so participants can walk on sites where this history played out, which involves some brief walking with an optional longer hike. This tour is geared toward youth in middle and high school and adults.
Darvin L Martin spoke to the Issues Class in January. He has written and lectured extensively on the historical local context of Native Americans and colonialism. His interest is spurred by his own family history, seeking to understand how his ancestors, as immigrants, interacted with the original peoples of this region. He has served as a history advisor for the Lancaster Longhouse (part of the 1719 Museum) since the construction of the Longhouse in 2011.
Participants will travel in the church’s 15-seat passenger van, as well as private vehicles if needed due to group size. Bring your own lunch, or sign up to purchase a bag lunch from the church for a $5 donation. Church lunches will include 1/2 sandwich ham/American cheese, 1/2 sandwich turkey/American cheese, bag of potato chips, small bag of carrots & celery, apple sauce, cookies, and an 8 oz. bottle of water. Gluten free options available.
Save the Date: Lasses & Lassies Banquet
April 3, 20246 PM SATURDAY, MAY 4 IN FELLOWSHIP HALL
Women, mark your calendar! This year’s banquet theme is Herstory at Derry (300 Years of Herstory). Details & tickets available soon.
Arts Alive Presents: Anthracite Marimba
April 3, 20244 PM SUNDAY, MAY 5 IN THE SANCTUARY • AN ARTS ALIVE EVENT • FREE WILL OFFERING
Percussionist Bob Nowak takes the stage with five talented musicians to play some of his favorite tunes for marimbas, including “Bolero,” selections from “Carmen,” March from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Joplin Rag Medley.”
Bob played timpani for our Easter Sunday services, and for the past 20 years it’s been an annual tradition to welcome him and the marimbas in Sunday morning worship. Arts Alive is pleased to welcome Anthracite Marimba for their first Derry Church concert.