Over the years of working at churches, I have been seen as the elusive young adult and have been asked to speak on behalf of all young adults. When I have interviewed for various positions in churches, there is one question that always comes up. This question even came up when I was being examined on the floor of Presbytery during my ordination. I was asked, “What can we do to get young adults to come to church?” At Presbytery I prefaced my answer with, “I don’t believe I should speak on behalf of all Millennials” but then I said, “There is no silver bullet.” I encouraged churches to ponder “Why do you want them here?” If pushed, I would explain that service and passion are often what drives young adult engagement.  

The original understanding of church engagement has been:

1. Visit a worship service
2. Start attending regularly
3. Become a member
4. Serve on a committee
5. Engage in service.  

With millennials and younger generations, this pattern flips upside down. Young people begin participating with service projects that align with their values and passion. Service comes first. Then through relationships, they may begin to come to the worship service, or will be happy to share about the service project they are engaging in with the church in an effort to garner support. Membership may or may not ever happen, but if it does, it’s the last thing.

Pew Research shows that 18-39 year olds attend church less than their 40+ counterparts. Only 28% of 18-39 year olds attend church regularly, whereas 40% of 40+  year olds attend church regularly I have found younger generations do not like to sign the attendance book on Sundays, are not interested in membership, and may attend on a semi-regular basis but have a strong resistance to committing to join the organization. The response from faithful church members is often, “They should come.” I believe our task as the church is to examine how we, as a church body, exemplify the values and passions that matter to these younger generations. Instead of asking them to conform to what the church is, how can the church participate in missional opportunities that parallel what these generations care about? Is there anything that turns these young people away from the church?  

This is the meaningful and challenging work of engaging with young generations. Simply existing is not enough to persuade these younger folk to attend church. We need to listen to how they see the church, then offer to partner with them in the ways that both support the church’s mission and the passion of these generations.

When I relocated to Hershey in 2009, homelessness was a situation I never thought I would see here. It does exist, although we cannot always see it clearly in our normal daily routines. Backing up a few years, I relocated to the Harrisburg area in 1989. There were frequent signs of people living on the street, most noticeably when I walked to and from work on Second Street near Market Square Presbyterian Church. Yet I assumed it was just that way in a city even as small as Harrisburg. 

One of the first jobs I had was volunteering to drive a box truck from Carlisle to Philadelphia early on Saturday mornings for the purpose of picking up, transporting, and distributing foods for Project SHARE.  This was in the early 1990s. I drove to a nondescript food distribution center in the city. It was there I first witnessed the human scale of lack of good food for so many, including the homelessness population in Central PA. Many local families were, and continue to be, served through this Christian ministry effort. Later on when I became a Derry Church member, I really learned about people living without a home in our area by volunteering to help deliver food to the Harrisburg homeless, often in very poor areas of the city.  The local crisis has not eased; indeed, it has become more pronounced today. 

Both Cumberland and Dauphin Counties have social service agencies and organizations to help displaced people who have no safe place to sleep, a kitchen to cook food in, or a roof to shelter from the elements. People often resort to staying in public parks, under bridges, behind storefronts in alleyways, and in their cars. The reasons are too numerous to mention for living in these places. I can tell you that living out of a car with all your tangible possessions is not a good feeling. Yes, local humanitarian organizations can and do provide help, but the help also needs to be accepted by the homeless recipient(s).  Help comes in different ways: counseling services, temporary housing, job skills training, access to medical care, education and community living skills. Regaining one’s independence is a tremendous experience!  

The Derry Church community helps many local organizations and people in multiple capacities. We provide stimulus funding to help people who live in a supportive environment with structure, learning, love, and Christian values. We continue to help meet the needs of many. Recently, a homeless young man came to Derry Church asking for help. The church provided enough to assist him with shelter, allowing him to regain some stability so he could work his way towards independence. This is who we are at heart.

The “Tiny Home” in Harrisburg greatly benefited from Derry’s support to construct one of several tiny homes built to help local homeless veterans. We have also helped a Syrian refugee family resettle in Hershey, and Derry members also give time and effort and financial contributions to these area non-profit organizations that sustain Harrisburg’s homeless population:

• Downtown Daily Bread
• The Harrisburg YWCA
• Interfaith Shelter
• Bethesda Mission for men and women
• Christian Churches United (CCU)
• Logos Academy
• Gather the Spirit for Justice (GTSFJ)

Let us never forget those who are in desperate need for the most basic of life’s needs including not only food, water and shelter but also love, kindness, someone who cares, and a healthy environment.

Isaiah 58:7 gives people the urgent command to share food with the hungry and provide shelter for the poor. Matthew 25:35-40 says that helping those who are hungry, thirsty, or without shelter is like helping Jesus. Showing compassion, kindness, and mercy to the homeless is something that we as members of Derry Church are called to do.

When people ask me what brought me to Derry Church, my answer has always been scouting. Shortly after we moved to the area, our first-grade son was interested in joining Cub Scouts and we were looking for the right unit, since there are many choices in the Hershey area. At that time, scouting units would assemble at the elementary school on Back to School Night and prospective scouts would visit the various tables and learn about each of the groups. We were drawn to Derry Church’s Pack 200 presentation mostly because they were so friendly and accepting – much like the greater membership at Derry. Having been raised Presbyterian ourselves, Jenn and I thought this would be a perfect fit for our son, and it was. 

I was a scout in my youth and was thrilled that my son was enjoying his scouting experiences as he worked his way through the Cub Scouting program and eventually bridged into the Troop 200 Boy Scouting program that Derry also sponsors. My daughters were never interested in the Girl Scouting program, but that all changed a few years ago when my youngest daughter Adele joined Boy Scouts (now named Scouts BSA). 

Most people know that for over a century, the Boy Scouts of America has been a well-established organization to provide boys and young men opportunities and experiences to make friends, develop leadership, and hone skills in diverse areas including first aid, cooking, athletics, outdoor appreciation, survival, faith, and personal development. But few people realize that in 2019, the national organization invited girls to join the program – allowing them access to all the same exciting programming that has been afforded to boys for over 100 years. 

At the Cub Scout level (students in grades K-5), there are “dens” for each of the grades – allowing youth to engage in activities with same-age peers. Girls can be integrated into each of these dens, or units can develop gendered dens (depending on the membership numbers). At the Troop level (ages 11-17), there are separate units for boys and girls. 

Troop 200 is the Scout unit that works with young men (and has been established at Derry for many years).  Troop 2200 is the “newer” unit (formed in 2019) that works with young women. Scouts in both units follow the same scouting guidelines when it comes to advancement, programming, and opportunities.And they follow the same scout oath: “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” All of the traditional Boy Scout awards and opportunities (such as Eagle Scout, summer camp, Order of the Arrow, and high-adventure outings) are now available to both boys and girls. Troop 2200 has had four young women earn the rank of Eagle Scout within the last 12 months. Their names are on a commemorative plaque in the Narthex, next to the Troop 200 Eagle Scouts. 

So why choose scouting? There are many activities for youth to get involved with and parents often get overwhelmed with choices. One of the greatest benefits of scouting is that the program is designed to help develop essential life skills such as problem- solving, confidence, adaptability, responsibility, and communication – in very fun ways. Most units have a meeting once a week for an hour with activities that focus on various scouting skills. At the Troop level, we participate in a weekend outing once a month, usually tent camping in the spring/fall, and cabin camping in the winter. Each outing is paired with activities such as high-ropes/climbing, hiking, rafting, biking, museums, swimming, and more.  

As the Scoutmaster of Troop 2200, a great benefit I see to the scouting program is that it is designed to allow individual scouts to progress at their own pace. Some youth are driven to complete requirements and earn badges at an aggressive pace, and they can do so without being held back by the group. Similarly, other youth are less driven for advancement and more interested in just participating in activities and enjoying the company of their friends, and this is OK, too. Another wonderful hallmark of the Scouting program (at the Troop level) is that it is youth-led. The scouts elect a “Senior Patrol Leader” and establish various other leadership roles within the unit. Adults are present to guide and assist, but most of the planning and execution of activities (as well as the reflection and adjustment) comes from the youth. This helps young men and women develop leadership skills in ways that most other youth organizations can not. 

We appreciate the church’s ongoing support of our scouting program and are always looking for ways to give back to the community. The scouts have participated in various service projects over the years, and would love to continue to do so. We also appreciate the support from the community when it comes to fundraising. We don’t have a large budget and the cost of providing opportunities for youth continues to increase each year. If you are interested in making a donation to one or more of the scouting units, you can send a check in to the church office and designate “Pack 200, Troop 2200, or Troop 200” as the beneficiary. Or you can make a donation during our spaghetti dinner on February 2.  

Cub Scouting is open to boys and girls in grades K-5. Pack 200 meets here at the Derry Presbyterian Church on Monday evenings from 6:30-7:30pm. If you are interested in learning more or joining the pack, contact Cubmaster William Day. 

Troop 2200 is open to girls ages 11-17. We meet at the church’s Scout House (located at the end of the parking lot past the cemetery) on Monday evenings from 5:45-6:45 pm. Contact me for more information or if you are interested in joining. Girls currently in 5th grade are eligible to join the troop this spring. Girls older than 5th grade are welcome to join anytime during the year: we have new scouts of all ages joining all the time.  

Troop 200 is open to boys ages 11-17. They meet at the Scout House on Monday evenings from 6:45-7:45 pm. Contact Scoutmaster Chris Kalmbacher for more information or if you are interested in joining. Boys in 5th grade are eligible to join the troop this spring. Boys older than 5th grade are welcome to join anytime during the year.

A Message from Eagle Scout Adele Hosenfeld

At my recent Eagle Scout Ceremony, I had the opportunity to reflect on my journey as a scout. I got to look back at everything that I learned and everything that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. And it was a very long list. Scouting has provided me with many opportunities to learn and practice so many skills, such as teamwork, communication, planning, first aid, leadership, organization, outdoor survival, and skills in all 42 merit badges that I have earned. But along with the many skills I have learned, I will also forever keep all of the memories that I made. 

Troop 2200 has allowed me to meet some amazing people who have become some of my really good friends. We have gone to some really cool places, including a camp on the Chesapeake Bay, Washington DC, the film location for Friday the 13th, high adventure courses, mountains, lakes, bike trails, waterfalls, Gettysburg, and so many more. Having the opportunity to go on one trip every month has really allowed me to get some great experiences and do all sorts of exciting things. 

As well as learning about all sorts of exciting topics including boating, shooting sports, arts and crafts, cooking, and so much more, I have participated in so many fun activities as I earned those merit badges. I have canoed and kayaked on lakes, prototyped my own chocolate bar, practiced my aim with a bow and arrow, designed and tested my own card game, and soon I will build and solder my own circuit for the electronics merit badge. These badges helped me learn about many different topics and fields that could potentially even be my career in the future. They have helped me explore what exactly is out there in the world. 

I look back at a lot of memories that have stuck with me. And most of them are from times that something has not gone the way we planned, whether it be a technology problem, a weather problem, or anything that has prevented us from doing exactly what we wanted to do. In all of those situations, we have had to be flexible and adapt. Flexibility is one of the most valuable skills that scouting has taught me and allowed me to practice. 

I would like to give a huge thank you to the church for being our chartered organization, and for partnering with me to complete my Eagle Project, which is the nature kitchen in the church playground.

Will you help change a life?

Derry’s Friends of Sargodha are asking for your help to provide an education to children in the third-world country of Pakistan. This designation means that there is high illiteracy, inadequate health care access and significant poverty, resulting in miserable living conditions.

The stories we hear from recipients of grants for education are both heartbreaking and heartwarming. In many cases, relatives of more than one family are living in one small home, because the adults aren’t able to support their families in any other way. The parents work very menial jobs. If illness or injury occurs, there may be no source of income at all. 

The Presbyterian Education Board provides an education to any child, even if the family cannot afford it. Grant money, in the form of outside donations, helps to fill the gaps between what it costs to operate several schools and educate their nearly 6,000 students and what the students actually pay in tuition, a sliding scale based on need.

One school, the Christian Girls’ High School of Sargodha, has been serving that community for over 100 years. Currently more than 400 students receive quality, transformative education from nursery school through grade 10. Students receive remarkable scores in the state board exams, and today, graduates are pursuing higher education and professional degrees in greater numbers than ever before. Their success translates into enhanced standards of living for their entire families.

Many in Derry’s congregation give annually to help support scholarships, and we sincerely appreciate their generosity and faithfulness. We invite even more friends to donate any amount from one “share” of $40, to $400 to support a day student for one year, or $800 to cover the cost of educating a boarding student for one year. Click here for details on how you can join with Derry Church to fund scholarships for children in need across the globe.

Shawl Ministry celebrated its 20th anniversary earlier this week. It’s a bit surreal to realize that we’ve been knitting and crocheting and praying and bagging and giving away cozy shawls nearly every month for the past 20 years – a total of 2,000 shawls! And that doesn’t count the dozens of baptism blankets or the dorm blankets we make for Derry’s graduating high school seniors. 

In that time we’ve sent completed shawls across the country and around the world. Some people who received one in the early years are now receiving a second shawl. Each shawl is a labor of love created by one of our talented makers. Several in our group are not Derry members, but have found us online and mail in shawls or bring them to our regular gatherings on the second Monday of the month. 

You may remember the Gospel miracle when Jesus turns jugs of water into fine wine at a wedding feast. That story of a miracle that starts from the most basic elements is one of the things I think about as we work on and pray over our handmade shawls. We begin with soft fibers: yarn hooked or knit into a pleasing pattern. As we work, we pray for the person who will receive the shawl. When we’re done making a shawl, more blessings happen as we pass each completed shawl around our circle. Then the shawls are bagged and delivered to someone in need. Usually it’s one of our own Deacons who makes the delivery.

We pray and we send, and we move on to the next shawl. Once in a while that miracle happens: we receive a note or hear from one of our recipients. “How did you know that blue was my favorite color?” “I took the shawl with me to the hospital.” “I really feel God’s presence when I’m wearing my shawl.” “I can’t believe someone made this just for me.” 

We read the notes at our gatherings: these are holy moments. What begins with a slip of yarn and a twist of a needle ends in reaffirming that God knows us, loves us, cares for us. Sometimes I can hardly believe this small soft thing has made such a big difference. In these moments I know God has used us for good, and we are the ones who have been blessed as much or more than the recipients themselves. 

I am grateful to the  women and men through the years who have supported this ministry with their time and talents and their generous gifts of yarn and donations. I don’t think God is done with us yet, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for this meaningful ministry. Let me know if you’d like to join us as we knit and crochet and pray our way into our third decade.

Shortly after I rejoined Derry Church, I was pleased to be asked to serve on the Board of Deacons. The Deacons are the caregivers of the church, the front line of people who are contacted when a church member or friend needs help. Since this is the type of thing I enjoy doing anyway, serving as a Deacon seemed like a natural.

After our ordination, we had our first meeting where we were asked to select our subcommittee: health, business, or personal care. I chose personal care, which gave me the opportunity to deliver meals and visit sick or homebound members. Initially, this kept me pretty busy as there were several Derry members who recently had been sick or hospitalized, and a home delivered meal would be very helpful to them. I made and delivered A LOT of vegetable and chicken noodle soup! Delivering meals was probably my favorite responsibility as a Deacon because it gave me the opportunity to meet people that otherwise I might not have met, and I made a lot of good friends.

The most difficult responsibility I had as a Deacon was overseeing a Shepherd Group. For most Deacons, this is a group of people who live close by and could easily be contacted or visited. Since I live in Carlisle, my Shepherd Group is made up of all the members who lived outside of the Hershey-Hummelstown-Palmyra area and covered about a 30+ mile radius. Fortunately, I worked with an outstanding (non Deacon) Shepherd Group Leader who stepped up and helped when contacts were needed.

As my time on the Board of Deacons comes to an end, I realize that my involvement provided me with numerous opportunities to meet and get to know several other church members, and this helped me to feel part of the church very quickly. I will continue to deliver meals and visit homebound members because “that’s what I do,” but I will always remain grateful for my time as a Deacon. As in many other church activities, you gain far more than you give.

Editor’s Note: On the first Thursday of each month, the eNews feature article highlights the mission focus for the month. In January we’re lifting up women’s equality, justice and opportunity.

For years, Derry Church has supported many missions focused on women’s issues. Bethesda Women and Children’s Mission has been one of these for more than 20 years. The shelter offers lodging, meals, clothing and other basic needs for women in addiction recovery and homelessness who need hope and healing, stability and safety.

In this Christ-centered shelter, women and children are offered a comfortable room and a chance for a new beginning in life. Residents are also given courses in nutrition and parenting and dress management. Classes also include counseling for addiction, Bible study, personal finances and budgeting. There are special programs for children and arts and crafts. These programs hopefully offer life- changing support either in a short term recovery program or a longer transitional housing program before moving out on their own again.

Derry Church not only supports Bethesda financially but also by providing lunch for women and children in the program.

Derry’s Mission & Peace Committee invites you to sign up to make food, serve lunch and talk with the residents. For our volunteers, this has been a rewarding experience to learn and understand more about addiction and homelessness by hearing their stories! Contact me for more information.

Derry’s 300th anniversary year is coming to a close. We’ve learned, traveled, sung, gathered, served, worshiped, and celebrated. Thank you all for the ways you have made this year such a success through your participation and giving. I have memories that will last a lifetime from this year. I hope you do, too.

I especially want to thank Pam Whitenack for her planning and leadership of the Derry 300 Committee. This year has been an enormous undertaking and she has led with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love. Many others contributed to the success of our anniversary year: I’m grateful to the Derry 300 Committee, the Heritage Committee, the Session, and many volunteers.

This 300th anniversary wasn’t just about Derry’s past, because Derry isn’t a church of the past. It isn’t something we’ll just look back on and remember. Derry is alive and active now, and Derry will be alive and active in the future. We have been celebrating Derry’s long history, its present, and its future. I’m just as excited about Derry’s 301st year of ministry in 2025 as I have been about this year, because good things are happening and will continue to happen.  

In just a few days we will celebrate the anniversary of God coming to us in the flesh to dwell among us. We don’t just remember that Christ came to earth long ago. We celebrate that Christ still comes to us and is present among us. Christmas isn’t a was, but an is, and ever will be!

So, while we remember that something wonderful happened in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago, we also remember all the ways Christ has been alive and active in this world throughout those 2,000 years — including the 300 years that Derry Church has existed. And we will give thanks that even as Christ is with and for us today, he will continue to be with us tomorrow and in the new year.

I wish you one more happy 300th Derry anniversary and a very merry Christmas. May we continue to celebrate and give thanks for Derry, and for Christ, through the end of this year, into next year, and throughout our lives. 

God is with us and God is for us. Love comes to us. That’s the message of Christmas. 

It’s still real, it’s still relevant, it’s still a promise, and it’s still true.

Derry Church’s mission is to Proclaim God’s Word, Share God’s Love, and Practice God’s Justice. While the means of pursuing this mission have changed over the years, these words describe the goals of Derry Church since its inception.

Mission work has evolved and expanded since Derry Church was founded in 1724. There is not much information about Derry’s early years since many of the church’s earliest records were destroyed in a fire in 1895. As a new church on the American frontier, it is likely that Derry Church would have been a recipient rather than a donor to mission work. However, by the 1790s, the region had become more settled. The Derry Church Trustees’ minute book, covering the years 1794-1895, records the financial activities of the church, including a 1794 contribution of $4 to enable missionaries to preach the gospel to the frontier.

Minutes, Board of Trustees, Derry Presbyterian Church – April 28, 1794

Resolved that the sum of 4 dollars be contributed to enable missionaries to preach the gospel to the frontier. 

Much of the effort to support missionaries fell to the women of the church. In 1818, the Ladies Missionary Society was established. Their efforts focused on education and fundraising. Unfortunately, the Society collapsed as church membership faltered during the second half of the 19th century. As membership declined from almost 100 members in 1811 to 16 in 1875, the church most likely did not have the financial resources to support mission work.

Even though church membership had shrunk even further to only 5 or 6 members by 1890, the establishment of the Derry Church Sunday School in 1883 breathed new life into the church. At first, the Sunday School operated independently , taking its own offering, and was responsible for the purchase of curriculum and supplies . From the beginning, Derry Church Sunday School demonstrated a significant commitment to supporting mission work beyond the immediate community. 

MISSION WORK IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY

In 1915, the first year that records exist, Derry Church Sunday School received $212.90 in offerings. That year, $78.45 was donated to mission work. As both the church and the Sunday School grew in membership, both organizations continued to collect offerings and manage their own budgets.

Derry Church members were asked to make two pledges to the church each year. One was for the church budget and supported the pastor’s salary, building maintenance, and other expenses. A second pledge was for the church’s mission work, or “benevolence.” Even though until 1928 Derry Church depended upon an annual contribution from Presbytery as well as gifts from friends of Derry, church members felt it was important to dedicate money to mission activities.

Derry Church’s earliest 20th century records show that both the church and the Sunday School made contributions to specific causes. Following World War I, those who had suffered because of the war received Derry’s mission dollars. Money was also allocated to supporting temperance and “Freedmen” (formerly enslaved people).

By the 1920s, more and more of Derry’s benevolence dollars were directed to the mission work of the Presbytery, Synod, and General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. Derry Church and the Sunday School also directed small contributions to local causes. National and international disasters also prompted Derry Church to contribute mission dollars. In addition to contributions members made to their benevolence pledge and the Sunday School general offering, many church organizations, including the revived Ladies Missionary Society, Women’s Guild, Friends in League, and some of the adult Sunday School classes also collected offerings and allocated a portion of their income towards charity.

Beginning in the 1930s, Derry Church directed a portion of their mission dollars to particular charities. The first such recipient was the Newville Home (established 1928), a Presbyterian home for the elderly and infirm located just west of Carlisle, PA. Beyond directing dollars to the home, Derry Church sought to become more personally involved. 

In 1940, Derry Church began holding a Harvest Home Festival in support of the Newville Home. At the worship service, Derry collected home canned fruits and vegetables, potatoes, onions and turnips, staple groceries including coffee, tea, cereals, flour, sugar, rice, and macaroni, kitchen and home supplies (table linens, towels, bed linens, books and sick room supplies), and gifts of cash.

This event was held for many years, and the goods were delivered to the Newville Home in time for its annual Harvest Home Day.

World War II sparked a broader awareness of and interest in the needs of the larger world. During the war, money was directed to the Wartime Service Fund and to Chinese relief. The Women’s Missionary Society offered mission study classes during Wednesday nights in November and. January, each month studying a particular group or issue such as Migrants or China to raise awareness of the worldwide need for financial support. 

MISSIONARY SUPPORT

In a similar fashion, the church identified two missionaries to receive mission contributions. Because the church’s mission dollars were divided between international and national mission projects, missionaries based in Arizona and in Iran received a significant portion of Derry Church’s mission dollars. These missionaries provided a personal connection between Derry and the mission world. Reverend Crouse Perkins served a rural community near Phoenix, Arizona, and Reverend Robert Bucher (pictured) served a church in Resht, Iran. Derry Church communicated directly with both mission efforts and provided additional support when unexpected challenges arose.

During these years, Derry’s women’s groups also became personally involved with particular charitable efforts, sending boxes of clothes and Christmas boxes to Mont Alto Sanatorium in western Pennsylvania and the Asheville Farm School for Boys in western North Carolina. In later years, women who enjoyed quilting gathered to create quilts that would be sold to raise money for mission.

These varied efforts towards supporting mission with charitable contributions continued into the 1960s. Derry members continued to make separate pledges for church operations and benevolence until 1966, when separate pledges were eliminated in favor of a consolidated church budget. A few years later, the Sunday School budget was also consolidated into the overall church budget.

Derry Church’s approach to supporting mission was largely limited to financial contributions, along with donations of clothing and food to local charities. While members may have been personally involved in supporting local charities with hands on help, there was no movement in the church to provide such opportunities until the late 1980s. 

PEACEMAKING: HANDS TO WORK

In 1986, a peacemaking task force formed in response to interest raised by the adult class’s study of peacemaking . This new group communicated opportunities for learning more about and acting on “things that make for peace.”

Peacemaking efforts were not limited to adults. For Christmas 1987, the 6-8th grade class organized Derry’s first “Giving Tree,” which provided gifts for 50 children. In addition, Presbyterian Women provided 50 Christmas stockings to the Dauphin County Manor nursing home.

Derry’s commitment to peacemaking led Session to establish Peacemaking as a standing committee and allocate $10,000 as a Designated Mission Fund. The Mission and Stewardship Interpretation Committee was responsible for determining how these funds should be distributed. Funds were donated to local charitable organizations and used to support church-organized mission trips. Derry was particularly supportive of its younger members. Church funds sent several of Derry’s youth on Presbyterian Synod mission trips to Alaska. 

The desire to do more to serve others continued to grow. Derry members sought out opportunities to help using their hands as well as their dollars. Led by Derry members Dale Ferguson and Ann Kroh, on June 20, 1989, 20 Derry members traveled to Yonkers, NY to spend a week working on a low income housing project to help reconstruct, scrape, and paint houses in need of rehabilitation (pictured). This project was organized by a local nonprofit organization, SWAP (Stop Wasting Abandoned Property). Derry Church continued to send mission teams to help rehab houses in Yonkers for several years. When the founder, Bill Daniel, established a program in Nicaragua, Derry followed.

That same year, Lend A Hand, a local disaster response and assistance program was established in response to the devastation of Hurricane Hugo. Derry member Skip Becker and John Daem, a member of Faith Presbyterian Church, envisioned a program that would send volunteers to help communities recover from natural disasters. In 1990, with the support of Christian Churches United, Pine Street Presbyterian, and Derry Church, Lend A Hand first sent volunteers to McClellanville, South Carolina to help residents rebuild homes and their community. In the following years, Derry Church and its members continued their support of Lend A Hand with funds and volunteers.

During the 1990s, Derry Church continued to expand its commitment to serving others. Derry became actively involved with Harrisburg poverty programs such as Bethesda Mission, Downtown Daily Bread, Harrisburg Boys and Girls Club, Meals on Wheels, Hershey Food Bank, and Derry Township Social Ministry.

The church continued to send volunteer teams to Yonkers and then to Mexico and Nicaragua. These trips not only helped support the communities by helping to construct well-built homes for residents but also provided volunteers an opportunity to know and appreciate another country and culture. Many of Derry’s mission projects were opportunities for parents to volunteer along with their children. In particular, the mission trips to Nicaragua usually had a few parent-teenager teams participating.

To highlight Derry’s commitment to serving others, Mission Week was established in 2000. Held in June, the week offered a variety of mission-focused opportunities for the congregation to both serve and learn more about opportunities for mission. Projects ranged from traveling to another country to build houses, traveling to Baltimore to work with Habitat for Humanity, to offering a Vacation Bible School for Milton Hershey School children. Opportunities were available for youth, college students, adults, and senior citizens.

Using the talents we have been given was at the heart of many of Derry’s mission programs. People with building skills volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and participated in mission trips to parts of the country damaged by storm and poverty. Cooks shared their talents to provide food for community meals at Bethesda Mission, Penn National Race Track, Family Promise.

The Shawl Ministry was established in January 2005 by a group of women who found joy in using their talents to create knitted and crocheted shawls and lap robes that were given to members and loved ones who might be ill, or grieving, in a nursing home or homebound, recovering, or in need of comfort. The 2012 group is pictured below.

As new opportunities emerged, Derry Church responded. In 2010, the church learned about the Presbyterian Education Board and the schools they operate in Pakistan for Christian and Muslim boys and girls. Debbie Hough, then Director of Christian Education, visited the schools in Pakistan and returned home to propose that Derry Church help support this mission by providing scholarship money for girls to attend the school in Sargodha. Several members traveled to Pakistan to learn more about the schools and how Derry’s support was making a difference there. Derry’s support grew over the next few years, and in 2019 Derry Church made. a three-year commitment and contributed $456,000 to build a wing on the Sargodha Boy’s school. 

Members often bring new ideas and mission projects to Derry. In 2016, Logos Academy, a Christ-centered community school serving children in Harrisburg, was brought to Derry’s attention by a new member who also served on the school’s board. While Derry’s initial contributions were modest, church members had opportunities to become more engaged, and many volunteer hours have been spent on projects to build and improve classrooms. 

In 2017, the Mission and Peace Committee conducted a review of its efforts so that Derry might better align its missional goals with its activities. The committee identified several mission goals, including caring for elders, the homeless, the hungry, and refugees, supporting access to healthcare, funding education for children, and addressing violence against women. With these goals in mind, Derry Church partnered with organizations serving these needs and communities.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted most of Derry’s hands-on mission efforts.Derry Church continued to fund its mission partners, but there were few opportunities for in-person mission. However, in 2020 Derry Church organized a Christmas Drive Through event, collecting more than 1,500 pounds of food for the Hershey Food Pantry, and over $4,000 in gift cards that were distributed to racetrack workers or others struggling with poverty. The success of the Christmas Drive-Through led to it being repeated the following year. 

In 2022, with COVID restrictions in the past, Derry Church resumed many of its mission activities, including serving meals for Family Promise, Downtown Daily Bread, and the Penn National Racetrack workers. The church again sent a team to the Dominican Republic to build two houses (2023 team pictured). Derry Church celebrated the Christmas season with a “Spread the Love, Share the Joy” drive that collected food for the Hershey Food Bank, clothing for the Allison Hill Community Ministry, and gift cards that were distributed to Racetrack workers, Stop the Violence Ministry, and the Derry Township Social Ministry.

300th ANNIVERSARY

As Derry Church prepared to celebrate its 300th anniversary in 2024, the 300th Anniversary Committee wanted the year to be an opportunity to not only look back but also look to the future. The committee encouraged the Mission and Peace Committee to consider how Derry might make a significant difference in our community in honor of our upcoming anniversary. Their proposal was to support two mission projects: funding the construction of a tiny home in a new community for homeless veterans in Harrisburg, and constructing a 5th grade classroom at Logos Academy Harrisburg so that the school could continue to expand. Derry members raised $100,000 to make both projects possible, while also contributing volunteer hours to help construct the new classroom.

When Derry Church was on the verge of collapse in the late 19th century, friends and the Presbytery believed that Derry was an important part of the Presbyterian family and offered financial support so that a new chapel could be built. Having a sturdy place to worship was an important part of Derry Church being able to reestablish itself and begin to prosper in the 20th century

As part of its 300th anniversary, Derry Church is continuing the tradition of churches helping churches by establishing a fund to support churches in the Presbytery who do not have the funds for needed capital repairs, projects, and growth, just as Presbytery churches helped Derry over a century ago. The “Churches Helping Churches” grant program will provide up to $10,000 to further the mission and ministry of their church. In this way Derry Church hopes to “pay forward” the support so that churches across the region continue to thrive.

Advent is upon us and Christmas is hastily coming, bringing the warmth of love. Soon we will be rejoicing, singing “Gloria in Excelsis Deo!” I invite you to come to Derry Church this Sunday, December 8 at 3 pm to  join the Sanctuary Choir and Derry Ringers as we look to the nativity story, where hope — born of a virgin mother and wrapped in swaddling clothes — was laid in a manger.

We remember that a world once shrouded in darkness has seen a great light! Works include “The Angel Gabriel” for choir and harp, Paul Manz’s “E’en So Lord Jesus Quickly Come,” and Mack Wilberg’s beloved “Gloria in Excelsis Deo,” featuring choir, orchestra, organ, and percussion. Reflecting on Pastor Stephen’s sermon series entitled “How Great Our Joy,” the Sanctuary Choir will perform two arrangements of this well-known tune. The first, arranged by Craig Courtney, is for choir and string quartet, gently building to the final stanza. The second arrangement, by Mark Grizzard, employs mixed meter and a brisk tempo, incorporating choir, four-hand piano, and drums to enliven our spirits. 

As we reflect on those surrounding the Christ child, we will sing “We Three Kings,” “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming,” and Seth Bingham’s stunning setting of “Away in a Manger.” The Derry Ringers will perform Douglas E. Wagner’s jubilant “My Spirit Be Joyful” arranged from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cantata No. 146, along with Sandra Eithun’s beautiful arrangement of the beloved “O Holy Night.” 

The congregation can look forward to singing familiar carols accompanied by the organ and orchestra, including “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” and John Ness Beck’s arrangement of “Joy to the World.” Featured soloists from Derry Church will include Charley Miller (Bass), Janice Click Holl (Soprano), Julie Miller (Soprano), and Loren Geeting (Tenor). A handbell quartet from the Derry Ringers will perform “What Child Is This?” in an exciting arrangement by Kevin McChesney. 

Come hear the story of the manger set to music, and let us reflect on the true meaning of love at Christmas. Lift your voices this joyous Christmastide with the choirs of Derry Church as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Join us and prepare your hearts for the love that has come down at Christmas!

Editor’s Note: On the first Thursday of each month, the eNews feature article highlights the mission focus for the month. In December we’re lifting up the Christmas Joy Offering.

The Christmas Joy offering has been a cherished Presbyterian tradition since the 1930s. Each year during the Advent and Christmas season, it addresses the support needed by some of our church leaders, current and retired, in their time of need. It aids future leaders at Presbyterian-related schools and colleges, equipping communities of color.

Joy is a powerful asset to have in our lives. There are many benefits that this emotion provides. Trusting God, valuing God’s work, and God’s presence in our lives. Experiencing joy can promote a healthier lifestyle, boost the immune system, fight stress and pain, and support longevity. In the midst of life’s challenges, this can provide the strength of the Holy Spirit within us.

Each year the Mission and Peace Committee designates a recipient in our community that presents a need to receive a portion of the Christmas Joy Offering. This year’s recipient is Gather the Spirit for Justice. This non-sectarian organization, located in the Allison Hill area of Harrisburg, is not new to Derry. Gather the Spirit for Justice provides essential support for an underserved community. It connects people with services and helps them to see their worth and value as human beings. It provides a safe environment for the neighbors in the Allison Hill area to gather, have breakfast, share conversation, and learn about services offered by the Gather the Spirit for Justice staff and volunteers.

Currently, First Church of the Brethren is Harrisburg is assisting Gather the Spirit for Justice by providing space in their fellowship hall on Saturday mornings. Some of the services provided besides a full breakfast on Saturday mornings include a toiletries closet where folks can select two items at a time, and English as a Second Language instruction. In addition, because people were having difficulty obtaining photo ID’s, drivers licenses, and birth certificates, aid is available to help them through the process. This in turn enables people to gain employment, apply for public assistance, cash a check, apply for housing and to receive medical care. 

The numbers of those attending the complimentary breakfasts has increased dramatically. To date, numbers have reached nearly 200 served on a Saturday. This has been steadily increasing over the last three months.

In this joyful season, be a blessing to others. Be generous! Promote joy so the underserved can endure life’s difficulties, having hope that a better day is coming.

My sister and I, along with other youth from our church, were blessed with the amazing opportunity to spend more than a week in Ireland this summer with the support of Derry Church. Going into the trip, we both admitted we were a little nervous. Not only because we had never traveled internationally before (& I was never even on a plane) but also, since COVID, our participation in the church had unfortunately decreased. Even after in-person church services resumed, we initially continued to watch church from home and became less involved in the youth group and with the congregation.

When the opportunity for the Ireland trip first came about, we were interested, but after not seeing a lot of our church friends for a while, we were nervous about how the trip would go. We worried they may have all grown stronger connections together during our absence and we were scared to venture outside our comfort zone. After some discussion, we both agreed that if we went, we would have each other and it would give us the opportunity to rekindle past friendships.

Following the Ireland trip, we have never felt more a part of our church community. This trip not only reconnected us with our church friends, but helped to reconnect us with God and the rest of Derry’s community, and even new friendships. We have been going to Derry Church since we were born, but we have never felt as connected to the congregation as we do now.

Our time in Ireland taught us the importance of coming together as a community and since then, we have been able to include it in our daily lives. In school, work, and church, we make new connections all the time and work to connect others through God’s love.

We have also started to increase our service in the church and community again. Allison works in the nursery every Sunday and has created incredibly strong connections with the kids. Kendall gets to connect with members of the congregation on Sundays through conversations with people, often about their shared love of sports, including basketball and field hockey.

Looking back on our trip, we cannot thank God and the church enough for giving us the opportunity to go to Ireland. We will never forget the wonderful memories and lessons we learned, and we will never lose the special bonds we made with everyone on the trip. Sometimes life takes us away from things that really matter, but through God, service, and our community, we can always find our way back.