Month: October 2024

Editor’s Note: On the first Thursday of each month (or close to it), the eNews feature article highlights the mission focus for the month. In November we’re lifting up Access to Health Care. 

Every Wednesday, I sit in the waiting room of the medical outreach clinic wearing my clerical collar and a simple sign which reads “Free Prayer.”  I’ve been doing this regularly enough that there are what I call “regulars” who come in to talk and pray with me.  They tell me about their families, their struggles with addiction, trying to stay housed or gain employment, and physical healing they need.  It’s a time I wouldn’t trade for anything.  

One particular Wednesday, the door to the waiting room opened and a man stuck his head in and said, “can someone help me?” The nurses were all occupied on the other side of the clinic and didn’t hear the man. I went over to the door, opened it to the stairway, and found the man sitting on the steps, shirtless.  I said, “Can I help you?”  He responded, “I need a shirt.” It was clear that he needed more than a shirt.  I went and got a nurse to help the man.  It turned out the man had overdosed on a drug.  The nurses helped him as much as they could, which included calling an ambulance for additional assistance.  All this effort saved his life that day.  

Our free dental clinic has been busy as ever. After one particular dental clinic day, the dentist on duty told me that they worked on a patient who required seven extractions which helped prevent infections. That’s a lot of work on one person. And it’s the type of care that will offer healing not just for their mouth but for the whole person.  Thinking about their time at the clinic, this same dentist told me, “I love my days at the clinic.”  

I often talk about Christ Lutheran Church as a wheel, where healing is the axle that everything is connected to.  The health ministries, comprising our three free clinics, offer healing in a variety of ways – physical, mental, and emotional.  They are a vital healing presence in Allison Hill and the larger community. Each month between 800-1000 people visit our clinics to receive this healing.  

In the coming months, we will be undertaking the replacement of some old plumbing that serves the medical outreach clinic. In the spring, we’ll begin much needed repairs to the bell tower which flanks the sidewalk people use to access the medical outreach clinic. We’re also looking forward to hosting another work day for a group of volunteers on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day who will be working on some paint projects. And we are finalizing our plan for an exciting expansion of our dental clinic, moving it from the second floor down to the first floor. This will improve access to care, as well as help us meet more needs. Currently we are only meeting approximately 50% of the need.  

We couldn’t do this without your support. I’m grateful to Derry Church for all the ways that you support the health ministries. You are a blessing and you make the healing possible.

I was born into the church. Baptized at a young age, I can hardly remember a Tuesday afternoon I didn’t spend at Derry during my grade school years. Church gave me many of my fondest memories, and helped me develop many of my proudest character traits. 

Derry gave me a lot, and I tried to give back. I contributed to helping the A/V team, I shared my worship and prayer, and joined in joyous music. However, this all came to a sudden halt when COVID hit. My parents moved to a different church, and I joined them there, but it just wasn’t a fit for me. So I decided to come back to Derry, but I was afraid. It had been well over a year since I had gone. Would I recognize anyone? Would anyone still remember me? Would I be alone in the pews? 

My fears were strong, yet they were no match for the overwhelming love I felt from Derry upon my return. Countless members came up to me to share how overjoyed they were to see me. But this love wasn’t exclusive to those who recognized me. Some didn’t recognize my long hair, my patchy facial hair, and still came up to me with kindness to share with me.

There was so much love that I knew I couldn’t keep it all to myself. I needed to take this love Derry gave me, and share it with the congregation, the community, and even the world at large. I made myself a more active member, working at the A/V desk again, and joinin the youth group on any service events I could attend. And still, Derry kept showing its love for me. Members continued to notice my contributions, and would continually come to me with praise and adoration for even the smallest of things. So I kept contributing as much as I could. I volunteered at VBS and worked as an A/V intern over the summer. 

And still, my cup runneth over. I was able to go to Ireland in June with the Youth Group due to the church’s love for its youth, and its contributions of time and money. There, I was able to help share the word of God, and work on my own personal and professional development. This unrelenting cycle of unconditional love from church to member to community started long ago. I was born into the church, and that was the greatest act of love I can imagine. At a young age, I didn’t realize it, but the love and joy that makes Derry so special was all around me. To middle school Austin, this love actualized itself in the chicken nuggets and mac and cheese at Terrific Tuesdays and I shared my love and joy with the congregation by asking absurd and hilarious questions during the conversation with children (or so I’m told). 

Today, my cycle of love looks very different, and sadly involves less chicken nuggets. But, I hope that my story, and my life, is proof that sharing God’s love for God’s children is a domino effect that can lead to a greater congregation and community, and can even have an impact on the whole world.

With the 1929 stock market crash and the resulting depression, Derry Church faced many challenges including a delay of the planned expansion of the Chapel due to limited funds.

The worldwide economic crisis did not hinder Derry members from continuing the church’s operations and commitment to supporting Christian education and mission work.

Reverend Taylor resigned as Derry’s pastor on June 27, 1932, after serving for 16 years. His reason for resigning was that he felt that Derry Church desired a younger man to lead the church. He was 72 years old.

The next pastor to serve Derry was Reverend John C. Corbin, who was installed as pastor in August 1932. Reverend Corbin was 27 years old and Derry Church was his first call. He brought much energy to his tenure. During his pastorate, his commitment and strong leadership had a dramatic impact on the growth of the church.

Derry Church was fortunate to weather the Great Depression fairly well. Thanks to employment opportunities created by Milton Hershey, Derry was able to meet its financial obligations. Studying the church’s financial records of those years, Derry struggled in 1932, having to reduce the sexton’s salary and other expenses, and make a special plea to the congregation that members satisfy their pledges before the end of the fiscal year. With a new pastor, Derry Church turned the corner in 1933.

Reverend Corbin attracted many new families and began to broaden the church’s charitable contributions. Derry Church began its support of the Newville Home, (established 1928), a Presbyterian home for the elderly and infirm located just west of Carlisle.

Derry began to invest in its music program. Purchasing an organ had been part of the pre-Depression plans to expand the Chapel. In 1933 Derry purchased a three-manual Midmer-Losh organ that had originally been built in 1926 for Thomas A. Edison’s Orange, New Jersey recording studio. Interestingly, it was the organ that Charles Seibert Losh, the organ’s builder, had offered to Derry back in 1928. The purchase was completed in 1933 and installed that summer. A formal recital was given on August 24 by Paul Allwardt, a young, up and coming organist at Union Theological Seminary.

As Sunday school attendance continued to grow and the economy improved, ground was broken for the John Elder Memorial Chapel on January 1, 1935. The addition included four classrooms, a kitchen, and an assembly room. With a $20,000 gift from Milton Hershey, a vestibule was added to the Chapel entrance along with new chancel furniture and architectural elements. The church also installed new carpet and purchased furniture and equipment for the new classrooms. The Chapel was dedicated on December 8, 1935.

With the addition of the new transept, Derry was able to create a choir loft. The choir quickly expanded, growing from a few women to 18 members. Rehearsals began in early 1936 with the hiring of Mrs.Robert Young as director. Choir gowns, donated by the Derry Church Ladies Bible Class, were worn starting the following year. The choir quickly became an integral part of worship, providing special music at both Sunday services (10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.), as well as at several community worship services held at the Community Center’s Little Theater in downtown Hershey.

Prior to the 1935 expansion of the Chapel, the church had limited space for other Sunday activities. Derry Church introduced its first nursery for infants to school age children in November 1937. An article in the November 1937 monthly newsletter read:

Little children are always welcome in Church. They never “bother’ the Minister. Nevertheless, it has come to our notice that many parents are hesitant to bring their children who are under school age into the Church services. Therefore, to free parents of young children for Church attendance, we have established a Church Nursery.

For many years prior to the Depression, Derry Church offered a Sunday evening “Lawn Service” in the summer. In 1936, Lawn Services were reinstituted and featured pastors and speakers from the surrounding region. The Lawn Services became very popular and served as an outreach to the broader Hershey community.

As Derry Church expanded, more lay leadership was needed. Prior the 1938, Derry’s Session consisted of six Elders and six Trustees who also served as Deacons. In 1938 Derry Church voted to establish a separate Board of Deacons, who were charged with the pastoral care of the congregation.

Reverend Corbin also encouraged Derry Church’s interest and support of missions. Through the missionary program of Derry Church and the Presbyterian Foreign Missions Board, the congregation contributed to a Chinese relief mission that ministered to 60 million homeless Chinese. A financial report for July and August 1937 indicated total gifts to missionary endeavors to be $119.92. At that time $25.00 would feed, clothe and educate a Chinese youth for one year. Later, Derry Church supported a missionary, Ashbel Green Simonton of West Hanover Township, who served in Brazil.

After eight years of serving Derry, Reverend Corbin resigned in 1940 to accept another call to First Presbyterian Church in Jeannette, near Pittsburgh.

As war clouds spread in Europe and Asia, Derry installed another young and dynamic pastor, William V. Longbrake, on April 25, 1941.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Derry Township Defense Council requested to use Derry’s basement as a wartime emergency first aid station, which was never used. Reverend Longbrake’s pastorate included the turbulent World War II years when 65 Derry members (including three women) joined the armed forces. To help connect with Derry members living away from home, Reverend Longbrake wrote a monthly newsletter, “Today,” mailed to servicemen and students studying away from home. The Deacons also worked to strengthen ties to those away from home. providing a daily devotions book, “Strength for Service to God and Country” to all Derry members serving in the military. At home, a special flag, emblazoned with a star for each member enlisted in the service, was displayed in the Chapel. In November 1946, this flag was replaced with a bronze memorial plaque bearing their names.

While Derry Church had celebrated the Christmas season with a special evening service, gathering as a congregation on Christmas Eve was not introduced until 1944. That year, Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday. This tradition has continued every year since then.

Reverend Longbrake had a keen interest in the history of Derry Church. In 1949, Derry Church celebrated its 225th anniversary with a weekend-long series of events. On October 30, 1949, during a special afternoon service, he spoke about the history of Derry Church and its cemetery. The service included music provided by Hershey Industrial School (Milton Hershey School) Band. Special guests included members of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the American Revolution. Following the service, new grave markers were dedicated honoring Revolutionary War soldiers and patriots buried in our churchyard.

Derry Church Sunday School continued to grow during these years. Operating somewhat independently of the larger church, the Sunday School program grew from 351 to 533 members during the 1940s. Programs for teenagers and young adults grew as an important part of Derry Church’s ministry.

Derry Church membership continued to expand under Reverend Longbrake. While the John Elder Memorial Chapel had been expanded in 1935, that addition did not provide adequate space for the growing congregation. By 1950, membership had risen to 506 people and the effectiveness of church programs was limited by the crowded facilities. As Hershey returned to peacetime, Derry Church began discussing plans to expand. Before Reverend Longbrake resigned in 1950, plans to enlarge the church building had already been approved.

Throughout the Great Depression and World War II, Derry continued to serve God and the surrounding community. While people in Derry Township and beyond benefited from Derry’s time, service, and money, new church programs, staff, and expanded facilities helped the congregation to proclaim God’s word, share God’s love, and practice God’s justice.

The only prospect scarier than moving across the ocean is finding a new church to call home. Leaving our jobs, schools, and established life in England meant a lot of new opportunities for change. One of the most important considerations in our move was to find a church that would get us involved together as a family.  Luckily, Derry has so many opportunities to feel included.

The first area we became involved in was Sunday morning Bible study where a warm cup of coffee and a safe place to have deep conversations was available.  During this time, our daughter, Brooke began to make friendships and music with the kid’s ministry.  As the weeks progressed, it soon became clear that Terrific Tuesdays were an important part of church life.  Unfortunately, we had a clash on Tuesday nights with soccer practice which meant Brooke could only attend a few sessions of Tuesdays last year.  Brooke was so eager to attend Terrific Tuesdays this year that we changed her soccer team to better allow us to come along regularly!  To see Brooke confidently participating in the front of the church with handbells and singing is a testament to the inviting atmosphere Brooke has thrived within.

In addition to Tuesday nights, I have come along to many of the Sunday evening Journey in Prayer sessions where I have been made to feel so welcome.  It has been a fantastic place to get to know many of the women at church on a deeper level.  Austin has attended many of the Derry Dude’s sessions where he has been able to experience ax throwing and fellowship amongst friends and food.  We attended the Corn Roast where happy memories of fishing and mini-golf were made. Vacation Bible School was a chance to invite loved ones to experience God’s love (and act as secret agents).

Coming from Britain it has been a pleasure to see the strong links of Derry Church to Ireland and Scotland. Most recently having the pleasure of meeting David Latimer made Brooke feel at “home.” She remarked that David reminded her of her grandad back in England and was delighted to get a picture with him. This connection and link to our neighbors across the pond has further cemented the sense of community we feel at Derry Church.

It has truly been a pleasure to sense the love, community, and warm welcome that has been shared with us in the last few months. Getting involved has helped us immensely in settling in. We are so excited and grateful we have found a beautiful community to worship alongside. Thank you, Derry, for making us feel welcome!

Editor’s Note: On the first Thursday of each month, the eNews feature article highlights one of our mission partners. This month the focus is on The Joshua Group in Harrisburg.

On behalf of Joshua Group and the children we serve, we wish to express our sincere gratitude for your generous donation of $3,500, which will give deserving Harrisburg city children a chance at a quality education—and a brighter future.

We deeply appreciate your support for our students, as this donation aids in the efforts of the Joshua Group helping over 200 disadvantaged young people living on Allison Hill in Harrisburg trying to improve their lives through education.

Our summer program served 140 1st through 9th grade students in a seven-week program. They received breakfast and lunch each day along with academic and enrichment activities. Our students participated in nutrition classes, cooking classes, financial literacy classes, robotics demonstrations and educational field trips in addition to reading, writing and math focuses. Our 8th grade boys participated in a program with Recycle Bicycle where they learned how to build, repair, and maintain bicycles and learn how to safely ride. At the end, they were gifted their own bicycle to take home.

Our J-Crew After-School Program, which supports students from 1st grade to 12th grade, living in Harrisburg, gives access to the critically important educational support they need to have a successful academic career. Our after-school program gives our students a safe nurturing environment to be in after their school day. They get a hot meal, homework help, mentoring and unconditional love. We provide enrichment opportunities along the experiences and exposure in areas they might not have otherwise. Our younger students have enrichment activities such as art, cooking, crafts and reading. Our older high school students learn about vocational opportunities and internships and have opportunities to apply for summer work. Our seniors are taken on college visits as most of their families do not have the ability to provide that opportunity for them. Our dedicated staff and volunteers work tirelessly to ensure our students have all the tools to learn and be prepared for post-secondary education or a self-

sustaining career.

Last year, the students in our programs earned an average GPA of 3.03 and had an average attendance of 92% and a graduation/promotion rate of 100%. Your support will help ensure our students continue to thrive and so we can break the cycle of poverty through education.

Again, we are deeply appreciative of your support. Thank you for investing in our students and in this organization. Your donation enables us to continue to offer access to education to students who would not have a chance otherwise.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.