News

5:30 PM TUESDAY, AUG 15 AT MIKE & KAREN LEADER’S FARM, HUMMELSTOWN • RAIN DATE: AUG 17

This year’s corn roast features delicious corn on the cob roasted over hot coals, plus hot dogs and soft drinks. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share.

There’s a pond for fishing (bring your own gear) and plenty of activities and games for all ages to enjoy.

The corn roast is free. Your RSVP is required by Aug 8 to help the Leader family prepare for this large all-church event. Please fill out the form below to register.

If you’d like to make a donation to help offset the cost of the corn roast, you can do so at the event.

Need directions? Call the church office: 717-533-9667.

Many hands needed to set up and clean up: email Jess Delo to volunteer.

• The Coordinating Council of the Presbytery of Carlisle recently drafted a new Purpose Statement and solicited comments on the statement from the various church sessions. As requested, Derry’s session reviewed and commented on the statement. Pastor Stephen will pass our comments to the Council.
• May’s financial reports show that year-to-date actual income continues to be ahead of expenses.
• Approved awarding a Brong Scholarship to Natalie Taylor for her final year at Messiah College.
• Stewardship & Finance requested that persons authorized to open a new Vanguard account be updated to Craig Kegerise, Pastor Stephen and Sandy Miceli. This authorization does NOT include access to the funds in the Vanguard accounts or ability to change any investment directives. The sole purpose is for the opening of a new account. The request was approved.
• The Health & Wellness Team requested approval to permit Derry member, Bob Foster, to use Fellowship Hall to conduct Shin Shin Ryu classes, a form of martial arts based on Japanese swordsmanship. The practice emphasizes presence of mind and calmness. There is no sparring or fencing. Participants utilize wooden and blunt swords to improve individual technique. The classes would be open to Derry members as well as community participants. The session approved the request subject to times and days that coordinate with the church calendar.
• Reviewed a Capital Procurement Request to fund landscaping work in the church cemetery. After restoring the cemetery (upgrading the walls, removing several trees, restoring the tombstones) there are high and low spots which need to be leveled and reseeded. The cost of the project is $10,937. Elders were asked to share the CPR with their respective committees, and the session will vote on the proposal at a future meeting.
• Approved Stewardship & Finance’s request to add Patrick and Lindsey Plassio as committee members. The Plassios, who recently joined Derry, live in Texas and will be joining the committee meetings via Zoom. We are happy to welcome their participation.
• The Personnel Committee brought three matters before the session which were approved:
  • After conducting a review of M.E. Steelman’s performance six months into her new position, the committee recommended increasing her salary to $50,000 (an increase of $4,000).
  • Sue George submitted a request for a 20-day sabbatical in April 2024 to coincide with the 300th anniversary trip to Ireland and Scotland. During that time, she will be photographing the sites and gaining a deeper understanding of Derry’s past. Sue plans to document the experience with pictures, stories, and reflections in a format that those who are not on the trip can easily access.
  • As Pastor Stephen, Sue George and Kathy Yingst will be participating in the 300th anniversary trip in 2024, Debbie Hough will be contracted to assist with office coverage while they are away.

Last month Derry’s mission team in the Dominican Republic helped to build these two houses along with a crew from Morgan Stanley NYC. Here they are with fresh coats of paint, all ready for sheltering their new owners.

4-6 PM SATURDAY, JULY 8 ON MARKET STREET, ELIZABETHTOWN

Derry member and artist Elizabeth Gawron is one of the many local artists who will be creating works and demonstrating techniques along Market Street for Elizabethtown’s Tiny Art Walk. Stop by and say hello!

Derry member Luke Gawron has started on the art installation to be placed in the Narthex by the end of the year. He measured and cut a 7′ x 3′ piece of masonite, then primed it so it’s ready to be painted with images of Derry Church life. Learn more about Luke’s project in this short video.

9:15 AM SUNDAYS, AUG 6-13-20 & 27 IN THE JOHN ELDER CLASSROOM

The summer series of New Member Discovery Classes gives you the opportunity to learn more about the mission and ministry of Derry Church, and discover how you’d like to share your talents in the life of the church. You’ll also meet staff and leaders over the course of four weeks and tour the church. Those who decide to join will be received on Sunday, Aug 27.

Registration is appreciated by not required: sign up online or call the church office (717-533-9667).

In July, travel across America through the pages of our books. Follow John Lewis’s fight for justice across Alabama and Tennessee. Try Caleb’s Crossing, a story set in Martha’s Vineyard where Puritans intermingled with native Wampanoag people and both yearned for higher education. Or have a laugh in Swivel, Wisconsin where the Jackson farm turns theme park after a miracle calf is born bearing the image of Jesus Christ.

Browse books all summer in our online catalog or stop in to see the new shelf displays (the library is just inside Entrance #1). While you’re there, visit the Staff shelf to find out who can’t take a roadtrip without Cheez-its and who recommends a fabulous museum in Louisiana. Find out what Nat King Cole and the Bible have in common. Then, head to the graffiti wall and add to the congregation’s I Love America playlist.

1 PM MONDAY, JULY 31 ON ZOOM: CLICK TO JOIN

Scammers and fraudsters target Pennsylvanians every day in an effort to gain access to our money or personal information. They target our emotions in hopes that we will let our guard down and believe the scams they are perpetrating. From robocalls to social media messages, texts to emails, Pennsylvanians must be on the lookout for these “too good to be true” hoaxes. This presentation will break down the top 10 scams currently being used in Pennsylvania.  

This special Tech Time presentation on Zoom will be given by Jerry Mitchell, an Outreach Specialist with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Jerry has been working in state government for 18 years, specializing in computer application development, cyber-crimes, and fraud. Bring your questions!

Attention all families participating in the fall retreat at Krislund Camp: payment is due by July 1 and you can leave checks in the church mailbox in the Krislund folder. Checks can be made out to Derry Presbyterian Church notated “Krislund family retreat.” 

The next meeting is Sunday Sept 10 at 9 am, location TBD. We are excited for the Krislund family weekend. Have a great summer!

Three cheers to Derry’s mission team that traveled to the Dominican Republic last week: along with a group of workers from Morgan Stanley NYC, they built two homes for families in need. The Derry crew included Mark Dear, Doris Feil, Claudia Holtzman, David Whitenack and Pete Feil.

Cash Flow – Operating Fund as of 5/31/23:

	ACTUAL	BUDGETED
Income YTD:	$555,889	$541,667
Expenses YTD:	554,169	571,201
Surplus/(Deficit) YTD:	1,720	(29,534)

9 AM SUNDAY, JULY 9 IN THE SANCTUARY

Everyone who loves to sing is invited to the choir loft to rehearse an easy anthem that we’ll sing for the 10:30 am service.