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9-10 AM SUNDAY, FEB 13 •  ISSUES CLASS LED BY DERRY MEMBER WALTER A. PATTON, PH.D., DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY, LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE • CLICK TO JOIN • SIMULCAST IN ROOM 7

By now we all recognize the image of a SARS-CoV-2 (or COVID) virus particle. One protein is so critical for all its nastiness. We will take a look at that protein, discuss mutants, and examine the meaning of the word enthalpy. (And why mother nature always has enthalpy on her side and uses it in her favor, for good things and for bad…nature just can’t help herself.) 

NEXT WEEK ON ZOOM:  “An Unconventional God: The Holy Spirit According to Jesus and the Gospels” led by Debbie Hough.

2-4 PM SUNDAY, MAR 6 IN THE JOHN ELDER CLASSROOM • RSVP BY FEB 28 TO DORIS FEIL (7l7-566-8250).

This year’s theme is “Family Heritage” and our Presbyterian Women invite females of all ages to attend. What do you know of your family heritage or genealogy? Do you have an heirloom or something symbolic of your heritage? Even if you know next to nothing of your heritage, come and join the fellowship. We’ll enjoy a time of sharing during the first hour, followed by refreshments.

The Derry Brass — Derry Church’s own volunteer brass ensemble — is looking for horn, trombone, euphonium and baritone players in high school and up to join them in providing music for Sunday morning services. 

Enjoy this two-minute clip from the Nov 21, 2021 as the Derry Brass plays a medley for Christ the King Sunday. For more information, contact Scott Ramirez or Grant Wareham (717-533-9667).

This year the Hershey Ministerium is offering three midday Lenten worship services:

• 12:10 pm Wednesday, Mar 2 at St. Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church, led by John Triscik of St. Joan and Michelle Miduri of Love INC of Greater Hershey.
• 12:10 pm Wednesday, Mar 23 at Derry Church, led by Rev. Cindy Brommer of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and Rev. Marie Buffaloe.
• 12:10 pm Wednesday, Apr 6 at All Saints Episcopal Church, led by Rev. Christina Fidanza of Church of the Redeemer United Church of Christ and Rev. Anjel Scarborough of All Saints. 

Face masks are required for those attending in person. All services will be live streamed. Lunch will NOT be provided by the host congregations this year.    

The Ministerium is also offering a 6:30 am sunrise service at the Hershey Gardens on Easter Sunday, April 17 led by Pastor Jennifer Williams and the worship band from Fishburn United Methodist Church. 

The Monday evening study group will gather at 7 pm on Zoom to discuss the following books:

MAR 7: “The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times” by Jane Goodall. Discussion led by Kris Englund-Krieger.
APR 4: “The Sentence” by Louise Erdrich. Discussion led by Chris Gawron.
MAY 7: “How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America” by Clint Smith. Discussion led by Eleanor Schneider.

Faithful Readers will gather at 2 pm Sunday afternoons on Zoom to discuss these books:

FEB 13: “Every Heart a Doorway” by Seanan McGuire
MAR 13: “The Seeker and the Monk” by Sophronia Scott
APR 10: “Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science” by Jeanine Atkins
MAY 15: “The Parted Earth” by Anjali Enjeti

Greetings from Sargodha. I am Tabish. I study in class 8. I live in Sargodha, the city which is famous for its oranges. It’s been two and a half months our school reopened after lockdown, effect my daily life and study bitterly. Nowadays I am preparing for my exam which are going to held in November. Thank you very for choosing me for scholarship. It is like a lifeline in these circumstances.Thank you very much again.

For 11 years, Derry Church has maintained a partnership with the Presbyterian Education Board in Pakistan. PEB operates 25 schools, primary through high school, including some boarding schools, that serve more than 5,900 students. Derry, through the Friends of Sargodha group, has a particular relationship with the schools in Sargodha. 

Friends of Sargodha’s goal is to continue to provide ten scholarships every year. You can help.

A full scholarship for a day student is $370 a year, about a dollar a day. We are dividing that amount into ten shares, $37 each, to offer you the opportunity to support a portion of a scholarship. 

You can purchase one or more shares by writing a check to Derry Church notated “Pakistan Scholarship” or giving online through the church website and selecting “Pakistan Scholarship.” 

Read Claudia Holtzman’s message inviting you to participate. This fundraiser continues through February 2022.

Presbyterian Women will be collecting the Church World Service Blanket Offering during the month of February.

The needs are still great for suffering people around the world. A $10 donation provides a blanket or other emergency help. Blankets were distributed to homeless on the streets of New York during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. New arrivals who fled violence and persecution in their homeland and are seeking refuge in the US were provided blankets and hygiene kits. People suffering the effects of the hurricanes last year in North Carolina were given clean-up kits to begin their recovery.

From January to June 2021, 23,610 blankets were packed and delivered wherever they were needed. The needs keep coming. Your donation to the Blanket Offering will help Church World Service continue their work. Click to give online, use offering envelopes available in the pews, or write checks to Derry Church notated “Blanket Offering.”

This summer, Derry youth are going to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, Maine! They will experience God’s creation, worship together, and take time to connect and reconnect with church friends. They’re excited to be able to travel together again and to experience God in new ways.

The trip fundraiser kicks off on Youth Sunday, Feb 20. When you make a donation, you’ll receive sponsorship benefits as described on the chart. Each tier has its own special benefits and rewards,  designed so that the youth can share the trip and their adventures with you!

Youth will be in the Narthex to sign up sponsors and receive donations after both services on Feb 20, as well as on select Sundays in March, April, and May.

Click to watch as our youth invite you to help make the trip a reality!

Pictured left to right are scouts from Derry’s Troop 200 and Troop 2200 at summer camp, and a combined group from Nov 2021: their Scouting for Food project collected more than 1,500 items for the Hershey Food Bank!

Pack 200 (boys and girls K-5) meets 6:30-7:30 pm on most Mondays at Derry Church: contact William Day
Troop 200 (boys grades 6-12) meets 6:45-7:45 pm Mondays at the Scout House: contact Chris Kalmbacher.
Troop 2200 (girls grades 6-12) meets 5:30-6:30 pm Mondays at the Scout House: contact Brian Holley.

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SUNDAYS, FEB 6 & 20 •  ISSUES CLASS SERIES ON ZOOM LED BY DEBBIE HOUGH • CLICK TO JOIN • SIMULCAST IN ROOM 7

The answer to this question may be more assumptions than biblical knowledge. In these two class opportunities we will challenge our assumptions of the Holy Spirit and explore Old Testament and New Testament texts (not including Acts), which will give us a much broader and deeper picture of the Holy Spirit and what the Spirit does. Both sessions will be based on the works of Jack Levison, Professor of Old Testament Interpretation and Biblical Hebrew at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Have your Bibles ready!

FEB 6: A Boundless God: The Holy Spirit According to the Old Testament
When you first think of the Holy Spirit, do you think of the story of Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles? Jack Levison challenges our Christian assumptions of the Holy Spirit and guides us into an understanding that before the Holy Spirit was associated with the church, it was associated with the tabernacle, temple and synagogue. If we don’t understand the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, we will fall short in our understanding of what it is doing in the New Testament. Levison uses words for the actions of the Holy Spirit like: blowing, breathing, coming, resting, passing, pouring, filling, cleansing, leading and guiding. Join in as we explore how the Spirit’s story begins.

FEB 20: An Unconventional God: The Holy Spirit According to Jesus and the Gospels
We usually look to the writings of Paul or the Acts of the Apostles to gain our New Testament knowledge of the Holy Spirit. Jack Levison challenges us to focus on the four Gospels alone. Here we will witness how uncommon, astonishing, unconventional the Spirit is. Here we will witness the Spirit as part of a lifelong drama, consisting of conflicts whose flames Jesus fans. The uncommon presence of the Holy Spirit spanned Jesus’ entire life and in only one occurrence was Jesus rejoicing. Come and explore a new way of envisioning the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ and our lives. 

7 PM WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 IN THE SANCTUARY AND LIVE STREAMING

This contemplative hour-long service led by Pastor Marie will include a sermon and celebration of the Lord’s supper along with imposition of ashes made from last year’s palm branches.

Because this Ash Wednesday service occurs on the first Wednesday of the month — our traditional night for committee meetings — those attending committees should be aware that the day or time of their March meeting may have changed. 

As Pastor Marie sorts out the books and treasures that accumulated in her office over the past 25 years, she is offering an assortment to the congregation. Maybe you’d like a small buffalo or a book of encouragement from Marie’s office shelves. Stop by the Narthex and help yourself to any of the items displayed on the tables outside the kitchen.

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