News

Luke Gawron has been a member of Derry Church since he was in confirmation class in 2006. In addition to working as Derry’s Sunday Sexton, he also teaches wood shop at Lower Dauphin High School. Luke lives in Elizabethtown with his two children and is also involved in Derry’s scouting program with Pack 200. He is also an artist: you may remember he created the painting on display above the welcome table in the Narthex. In his free time, he enjoys the great outdoors and cooking with his children.

Bill O’Keefe and his wife Ellen, a deacon at Derry Church, have lived in Quentin for the past five years. Bill worked for Siemens Fire Safety for 38 years in the Fire Safety Division. He is a 38-year Fire Fighter, Ex-Fire Chief, Fire Police Officer and a Life Member with the Green Township Fire Department (NJ), and for the past three years, a Fire Police member in Quentin, where he now serves as Fire Police Captain. Bill has two adult children and four grandchildren and share Ellen’s three children and eight grandchildren. Bill and Ellen love to travel in their 5th wheel RV with our beagle, Arvee, and go on an occasional cruise.

You’ll see both men around the church on Sunday mornings as they offer friendly greetings, oversee security, assist with room setups, clear walkways and more.

• Re-elected Greg Taylor as President and Tracey Kinney as Vice President of the Derry Presbyterian Church, Inc.
• Approved the use of the church building for the following events:
  • Susquehanna Chorale’s 2026 spring concert on May 15 of that year
  • Double Keyed concert and reception Sunday, October 26, 2025
  • Use of Fellowship Hall for pickle ball on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons from 3-4:30 pm. Derry member, Sandy Ballard, will oversee sign ups and scheduling.
• Approved the Sacrament of Baptism for Natalie Anne Talhelm, daughter of Lauren and Daniel Talhelm on Sunday, May 25.
• The Clerk presented the 2024 Church Statistical Report, which was reviewed and approved.
• Approved the schedule of communion services for 2025, including permitting the children in the sacraments class to help serve communion along with the parents at the Maundy Thursday service, and communion at the Women’s Weekend Retreat.
• The Personnel Committee submitted, and Session approved, revised nursery staff position descriptions that changed the titles of the positions and clarified reporting requirements.
• Approved a meeting of the College of Deacons and Elders for Saturday, May 3 from 9 to noon on the topic of emergency preparedness. A presentation from security specialist Bubba Fatula will be presented from 9 to 11 with the final hour addressing information specific to Derry. Anyone who has served as a deacon or elder at Derry is invited to attend.
• Session supported a request from Derry’s scout troops to open three new accounts at Northwest Savings Bank for Troop 2200 (girls’ troop), Troop 200 (boys’ troop) and Pack 200 (Cub Scouts).
• Reviewed a Capital Procurement Requisition from the Communications and Technology committee to purchase and install two TV’s in the Sanctuary Lounge so that worshippers using the space will be able to see the same service content as those in the Sanctuary. Also, upgrades will be made to the two existing narthex monitors and one monitor in the lower level library so that video distribution can be run to these TVs. Session will be voting on this CPR at the March stated meeting.

6 PM TUESDAY, APR 22 IN ROOM 2 AND ON ZOOM | RSVP REQUESTED

As Pastor Stephen reads and prepares for sermons and upcoming continuing education projects, he invites you to read along and then join him for a bimonthly book discussion. First up is Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind, a book that Pastor Stephen has often referenced.

In The Righteous Mind, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores the origins of our divisions and points the way forward to mutual understanding. His starting point is moral intuition —the nearly instantaneous perceptions we all have about other people and the things they do. These intuitions feel like self-evident truths, making us righteously certain that those who see things differently are wrong. Haidt shows us how these intuitions differ across cultures, including the cultures of the political left and right. He blends his own research findings with those of anthropologists, historians, and other psychologists to draw a map of the moral domain. He then examines the origins of morality, overturning the view that evolution made us fundamentally selfish creatures. But rather than arguing that we are innately altruistic, he makes a more subtle claim—that we are fundamentally groupish. It is our groupishness, he explains, that leads to our greatest joys, our religious divisions, and our political affiliations. Finally, Haidt shows what each side is right about, and why we need the insights of liberals, conservatives, and libertarians to flourish as a nation.

On Sunday morning, June 8, we’ll read and reflect on Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny: Lessons from the Twentieth Century.

9 AM – 12 PM SATURDAY, MAY 3 IN ROOM 7

Derry members who have ever served as elders or deacons are invited to a special workshop focused on emergency preparedness. Derry’s Session has invited Bubba Fatula of The Fatula Group to give a two-hour presentation on how to help people prepare for a crisis before it happens, as it happens, and after it happens. This comprehensive training will not only teach you how you will react in a situation, but how to take that reaction and use it to ensure your safety and the safety of others.

After the presentation, we’ll spend an hour talking about safety concerns specific to Derry Church, and learn what procedures and equipment are already in place to keep everyone safe.

Thank you, friend. Many prayers for you and your family, my dear friend! I am Imsal and because of your kindness and generosity, I’ve reached near my first step towards my goal. I am now in class 10. My teachers are very happy for me, as I always work hard and give out my best. Please continue your generous and kind heart open for me, and I promise you to become a strong pillar of my family as well as a strong lady to help the poor by becoming a doctor in future. My whole family is thankful to you. You are my support.

Friends of Sargodha’s goal is to continue to provide 11 scholarships every year. You can help.

One share is $40, making it easy to support a portion of a scholarship so that more children can receive a quality, life-changing education. A full scholarship is $400/year for a day student and $800/year for a boarding student.  

You can purchase one or more shares by writing a check to Derry Church notated “Pakistan Scholarship” or click here to read more and make your donation online. 

This fundraiser continues through February 2025.

If you could make or change one law, what would it be? Join Pastor Stephen and Derry friends as we take turns sharing our ideas about laws. Each person who shares will have two minutes to talk, then all participants can ask curious questions in order to better understand their neighbor’s thoughts and concerns. Grab a snack in Fellowship Hall and join the conversation. Everyone welcome!

Cash Flow – Operating Fund as of 1/31/25:

2-4 PM WEDNESDAYS, MAR 26-MAY 14 IN ROOM 7 • RSVP TO NURSE BECKIE • FREE! 

Many older adults have concerns about falling and restrict their activities. A MATTER OF BALANCE is an award-winning eight-week program designed to manage falls and increase activity levels. Sessions will be presented by Amy Bollinger, BSN RN TCRN.

This program emphasizes practical strategies to manage falls. Participants will learn to:

• View falls as controllable
• Set goals for increasing activity
• Make changes to reduce fall risks at home
• Exercise to increase strength and balance

Who should attend?

• Anyone concerned about falls
• Anyone interested in improving balance, flexibility and strength
• Anyone who has fallen in the past
• Anyone who has restricted activities because of falling concerns

Just two spaces remain in the spring class, then names will be added to the wait list. Class is limited to 20 participants.

4 PM SUNDAY, MAR 23 IN THE SANCTUARY | FREE WILL OFFERING

Under the direction of Tyler Canonico-Dilley, the 60-member Lebanon Valley College Choir will delight you by singing a variety of repertoire including Mack Wilberg’s arrangement of “Shenandoah,” Eric Barnum’s “The Sounding Sea,” Hye-Young Cho’s “Evocation,” and Daniel Jackon’s “Hold On.” Come and enjoy the music of our talented down-the-road neighbors, and bring a friend!

Dear Donor! Greetings in the name of Almighty God! Hello, how are you? I hope you are doing well. I am good as well. I am a student of Class 8. I live with my mother as my father passed away before my birth. My mother is a tailor. Recently, I have been promoted to class 8 with outstanding grades. It’s my dream to become a doctor and to save life and serve humanity. My mother’s earnings are not enough to support my education. I am grateful for whatever you have done for me whether it’s my education or the strong and beautiful building that you have built for us. Thank you so much for your love and kindness.

Friends of Sargodha’s goal is to continue to provide 11 scholarships every year. You can help.

One share is $40, making it easy to support a portion of a scholarship so that more children can receive a quality, life-changing education. A full scholarship is $400/year for a day student and $800/year for a boarding student.  

You can purchase one or more shares by writing a check to Derry Church notated “Pakistan Scholarship” or click here to read more and make your donation online. 

This fundraiser continues through February 2025.

Rob Zell’s last day as our Sunday sexton is February 23 as he prepares to move out of town. Hours for this part-time position are from 8 am – 1 pm on Sundays. The Sunday Sexton provides a consistent, recurring, centralized focal point for matters pertaining to hospitality, emergency management, and security of Church attendees. The sexton also provides operational support for church staff and programs on Sunday morning including preparing the church building and grounds and clean up of activities. Click here to download a job description. Those interested in the role are invited to send a resume to Pastor Stephen.

12:45 PM MONDAY, FEB 24 IN ROOM 7

Join Pastor Stephen and the Prime Timers to explore the question of whether America was founded as a Christian nation. Pastor Stephen will consider the relationship between the religious affiliation and views of the nation’s founders and the instituting documents of the nation, and reflect on what difference it makes for the Christian citizen today.

This study will be guided by Dr. John Fea’s book Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? A Historical Primer for Christians. Dr. Fea is a professor at Messiah University and has led classes on this topic at Derry. Everyone welcome: bring a friend!