News

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.

• Members of the Personnel committee led a discussion on a proposal for a new staff role at Derry, that of Faith Community Nurse. This position would foster whole person wellness for the members and staff of Derry, and the surrounding community, complying with the Scope and Standards of Practice of Faith Community Nursing. Specifically, the FCN would provide spiritual care surrounding health issues and be a health advocate for those in need, promote whole person health and disease prevention integrating faith and health through visits, counseling, education, support groups and training of volunteers. Elders and their committees will be discussing this concept, and there will be multiple opportunities for the congregation to learn more about this proposal.
• Approved several building use requests:
  • March 11 Fellowship Hall & Kitchen. Requested by Sue Fox for a baby shower.
  • March 12 Sanctuary & Fellowship Hall. Requested by Scout Troop 200 for Eagle Scout Ceremonies.
  • April 20-22 Use of church facilities for the African Children’s Choir including overnight stay and concert on Friday, April 21. Requested by Arts Alive committee.
  • March 24, 2024 Sanctuary. Requested by Market Square Concert Series for a concert featuring the Poulenc Trio.
• Reviewed January’s financial reports.
• Approved an amendment to Derry’s Capital Procurement Policy which increases the threshold for submission of a Capital Procurement Requisition from $5,000 to $10,000. Approved proposed guidelines for Derry’s Ruth Codington Lending Library.
• At the request of the Personnel Committee, the Session approved the transfer of $20,000 from the Futures Fund to the Search Expense account to balance the account and provide funds for future personnel search expenditures.
• Set the date of March 11, 2023 at 9:00 am for a meeting of the College of Elders & Deacons.
• The Mission & Peace Committee has contributed $5,000 to Presbyterian Disaster Relief to support the organization’s earthquake assistance in Turkey and Syria. The Session approved the Committee’s request to solicit additional donations from the congregation.
• Re-elected Duncan Campbell as President and elected Tracey Kinney as Vice President of The Derry Presbyterian Church, Inc.