News

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).