News

9 AM – 12 PM SATURDAY, MAR 11 IN ROOM 7 

All Derry members who have ever been ordained as an Elder or Deacon are invited to next month’s “College of Elders and Deacons.” This is an opportunity to share your thoughts, experiences, concerns, and joys as Derry has transitioned out of COVID. Together we will build on what is going well and identify where gaps may be in our ministry. We’ll talk about the possibility of a Faith Community Nurse position at Derry, and what that means for our staff, our members, and our ministry, and learn about 300th anniversary plans. We hope many of our past and present leaders will join us as we look to the future and our 300th anniversary at Derry Church. 

If you will be attending, let us know by signing up here.

4 PM SUNDAY, MAR 26 IN THE SANCTUARY • AN ARTS ALIVE EVENT • FREE WILL OFFERING

Felix Mendelssohn described “the essence of the beautiful is unity in a variety.” Inspired by this idea, Mendelssohn Piano Trio explores richness of the genre in three stylistically different compositions with their March 26 program. From Tyzen Hsiao’s “Formosa” Trio, a poetic tribute to natural beauty of Taiwan, and Beethoven’s uplifting Piano Trio Op. 70, No. 2, to Mendelssohn’s passionate Piano Trio in D Minor, this program offers a bird’s eye view of piano trio’s expressive range and historic development.

Since its founding in 1997, the Mendelssohn Piano Trio has performed over 500 concerts in the US, Europe and Asia. The group has also recorded 15 CDs including most recently a cycle of the complete Haydn Piano Trios released on Centaur Records. The Mendelssohn Piano Trio’s extensive repertoire of over 100 works embraces music from all periods of the genre’s history.

Ya-Ting Chang, pianist, is from Taiwan; Peter Sirotin, violinist, is from Ukraine; and Fiona Thompson, cellist, is from England. The Washington Post described their Brahms as “unfathomably beautiful” and “electrifying,” while praising their “technically immaculate” and “rich in psychological insight” Tchaikovsky. European reviewers noted “freshness and energy” in “unusually emotional” interpretations of Haydn piano trios, while Audiophilia magazine praised these recordings as “warm, sonorous and lively.” The Mendelssohn Piano Trio performances and recordings can be heard on many classical radio stations including NPR’s Performance Today, as well as WETA’s Front Row Washington.

DROPOFF DEADLINE: FRIDAY, MAR 24

Derry Church is hosting its annual Easter egg hunt on April 1, and we need your help: please drop off bags of individually wrapped, nut-free candies in the “Easter Treats” basket in the mission closet in the atrium library by Friday, Mar 24. We’ll be filling dozens of eggs for multiple age groups, so any and all donations are welcome and appreciated.

As Lent begins, Derry Church begins receiving the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering, continuing through Easter Sunday, April 9. This year the Mission and Peace Committee has set a goal of $18,000 for this offering. Half  will go to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and half to Bridges to Community for construction of a house in the Dominican Republic. OGHS envelopes are in the pew racks or give online.

A NEW Journey In Faith (JIF) group is forming! Women’s Journey in Prayer will gather on select Sunday evenings in the Lounge from 6:30-8 pm. The group will begin with prayer, include a short story/devotional, then take time for discussion and conversation, and most importantly, learning how we can be there to support one another in everyday life.

The group will use “Small Graces: The Quiet Gifts of Everyday Life” by Kent Nerburn for discussion topics and stories. 

All women are welcome as we pause from the craziness of life and gather for a special time together.

Here’s the schedule: 

Sunday, Feb 26
Sunday, Mar 12
Sunday, Mar 26
Sunday, Apr 16
Sunday, Apr 30
Sunday, May 14

Contact Elizabeth Gawron for more information.

The Presbyterians Today team is taking a “sacred pause” after the March/April edition to dream and discern how best to tell the stories of the PCUSA. Readers will still receive a monthly newsletter keeping them up to date on their efforts and sharing stories gathered along the way. Their Facebook page will be available with prayers, articles, video stories and updates on what’s being discovered as the team plans and prepares for what is to come. They welcome your prayers and questions: email editor@pcusa.org.

6:30 PM MONDAY, FEB 27 AT RUBBER SOUL BREWING COMPANY, HUMMELSTOWN

Dads, this is a brand-new fellowship group that offers you the chance to enjoy time with other Derry dads. This group will meet monthly at a variety of locations over the course of the year. For more information, contact Pastor Stephen.

Throughout the month of February, Presbyterian Women are collecting for the Blanket Offering. When difficult times come, a kind and loving response can make all the difference. That is why the Church World Service Blankets Program was created: to give a kind, loving and tangible response to someone facing difficult times, reminding them that they are not alone. The program focuses on three main objectives:

• Eiminate hunger and poverty
• Help displaced persons
• Respond to disasters

In Jackson, Mississippi, two disasters fell on top of each other. Heavy rain caused much flooding and cause damage to the water plants. Many people were without clean water or any water. A church became a water distribution center. They also distributed school kits to help children who had to do online schooling. Also hygiene kits and cleanup buckets. Recipients called to resources helpful, necessary and life-savers.

Click to watch a short video introducing the Blanket Offering

Please give to the Blanket Offering as generously as you are able. Gifts can be placed in the boxes at church, mailed to the church office or given online.

Hello dear donor! I want to say Thank you for all your support towards me. I am Areeba from Class 3. I study in EMS Girls High School. My father is a carpenter. My mother is a house wife. We are a big family. I wish to  continue my studies and wish to become a designer. My all dreams can be fulfilled because of your kind support. You are an angel on the Earth for many. I am one of them. Thank you for being my support. I always pray for you and your family.

For 12 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 $400 a year, about a dollar a day. We are dividing that amount into ten shares, $40 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 online through the church website.

Read Debbie Hough’s message inviting you to participate. This fundraiser continues through February 2023.

Cash Flow – Operating Fund as of 1/31/23

Have you visited the Ruth Codington Library lately? It’s right inside the door on the building’s lower level (entrance #1). 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  (also accessible via the Derry Church homepage).

Want to take something home? Just 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. February encourages us to Fall in Love with the Library. You’ll find love titles on display, love quotes from our library authors, and a list of Bible verses that remind us of God’s unending love. There is also a graffiti wall to share YOUR favorite words of love, and a section dedicated to staff favorites (Can you guess who fell in love with a Mitch Albom book?)

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14