News

The excitement! The fun! The epic emails written by commissioner Pete Steelman! Yes, folks: it’s almost time to make your “March Madness” bracket picks in support of Derry Church’s “Mission Madness” fundraiser that benefits student scholarships for the Sargodha School in Pakistan.

A suggested $10 donation per entry can be made on the church’s secure online giving portal. If you participated last year, you should be automatically re-enrolled in the Yahoo site where you will enter your picks. If you are new, or unsure if you played before, or have a new email address, just email Pete Steelman and he will add you to the mailing list.

You may pre-register on Yahoo now, although picks cannot be made until “Selection Sunday” in mid-March.

A trophy and engraved plaque for the overall winner will be presented next month, as well as multiple engraved medals for winners of subgroups (Best Youth, Best in Staff, Best on Session, Best in Music etc). And yes, you can also look forward to Pete’s traditional nicknames, updates, and jovial banter that recaps the action after every round of games.

Derry member Courtney McKinney-Whitaker has combined her academic training in history, literature, and children’s librarianship, and creative writing into an exciting new venture: The Hourglass House. It’s a supportive online space for families to engage with history together and find joy and meaning in that process. 

For the Hourglass House, Courtney and Pastor Stephen filmed an interview last week where they talked about what he learned when he served as a judge for the Frederick Douglass Oratorical Contest in January, and how it relates to his sabbatical project on peace and reconciliation. Read the blog post here, then sign up at the bottom of that page to stay informed when new articles are posted on the site. 

9-10 AM SUNDAY, FEB 27, ISSUES CLASS ON ZOOM LED BY ELIZABETH GAWRON • CLICK TO JOIN • SIMULCAST IN ROOM 7

The Montessori Method is (very simply) respecting the child and guiding them through their natural human development. It is incredible that all infants/children across time and cultures follow the same developmental stages. Our language, behaviors, and ideas are a result of where we were born and what family we were born into.

Join Derry member Elizabeth Gawron in her Montessori classroom as she shares how her work aligns with following the way of Jesus’ teachings, and find out what we can learn about God from the children in our own congregation

NEXT WEEK: Lee Barrett of Lancaster Theological Seminary joins us in Room 7 and streaming on YouTube, Facebook and the church website for the first class in a four-week series on “The Church of the Future: Problems, Perils, and Possibilities.”

• Reviewed and received the annual Statistical Report prepared for PCUSA.
• Approved a transfer of membership for Alan Brechbill and Carol Schneidereit to Palms Presbyterian Church, Jacksonville Beach, Florida due to their relocation.
• Approved the baptism of Aiden Paul Matthews, child of Sara and Bruce Matthews, on March 13, 2022.
• The Treasurer reported that contributions and expenses are currently in line with budget expectations.
• Tim Mosher presented an update on Covid infections in our area, which indicated a downward trend in the local test positivity and infection rates.
• After reviewing the recommendations of Derry’s Covid Task Force, the session approved the following motions:
  • Starting March 6, masks will be optional for the 8:00 am Chapel service
  • Starting March 27, masks will be optional for food gatherings in Fellowship Hall. Participants are encouraged to continue to wear masks when not eating.
    The Task Force will meet again in March and may have more recommendations at that time.
• The session approved moving forward with the proposed upgrades to Derry’s exterior signage. The approximate cost for the new signs is $36,000 with funding coming from Derry’s Capital Facilities Restricted Fund. 
• The Building & Grounds Committee submitted a Capital Procurement Requisition to obtain architectural specifications for: safety upgrades to the interior Chapel bell tower, a new stairway between the rear parking lot and the lower Mansion Road building entrance, and gutter and downspout repairs to direct roof runoff away from the building. The approximate cost for the specifications is $12,000 with funding coming from Derry’s Capital Facilities Restricted Fund. This proposal will be reviewed by Derry’s committees and voted upon at the Session’s March meeting.
• Approved the annual March Mission Madness with proceeds to go toward Presbyterian Education Board scholarships in Pakistan.
• Approved a request from Claire Folts to work with children in the church to complete a project for her Master’s Degree on Tuesdays after KIC Club. The sessions will be voluntary for children in 2nd grade and up who would be in the church building with parental permission. The project focuses on developing elementary students multi-cultural sensitivity through music education. 
• Approved a May 15, 2022 Scout fundraising luncheon to begin after the 10:30 am worship service, with eat in and carry out options utilizing the kitchen and Fellowship Hall.
• Received the following new members: Jim & Bethany Cunningham, John & Barbara Lefko, Taylor Ross, Deanna Santos, Chris & Amy Yengo.

3 PM SUNDAY, MAR 27 IN THE SANCTUARY AND STREAMING

We’re planning a celebration on Rev. Marie Buffaloe’s last Sunday at Derry Church before she retires. The program will be held in the Sanctuary, with a reception following in Fellowship Hall. For those unable to attend in person, the program will be streamed on derrypres.org and YouTube.

Cards for Marie can be brought with you that day or mailed to Derry Church, 248 E. Derry Rd, Hershey PA 17033. Write “Marie” beneath your return address label to make it easy to sort cards from the regular church mail. 

Worship that morning will be led by Pastor Marie at 8 am in the Chapel and 10:30 am in the Sanctuary and streaming. 

Thanks to many who participated in the blood drive on Sunday, our first since December 2019. We had 32 donors provide 96 blood products to the Central Pennsylvania Blood Bank. One of them was first-time donor Joey Owsley, one of our Youth Sunday leaders.

Friday is Orange Day — when Presbyterian Women asks people to wear orange or an orange ribbon to show support for those working to end female exploitation.

Promised $500 a month, room and board and legal immigration to the US, some women thought they had found the American dream. Instead, the new job was working 16 hours a day cleaning private homes, office buildings and stores. Victims were provided little or no pay to support themselves or their families in the Ukraine. Free room and board was a dirty mattress in a room shared with five others. They were kept from leaving by beatings and threats to their families. This story of trafficking in Pennsylvania not unique. Wearing orange on the 25th of each month raises awareness of the plight of women like these who are being exploited.

PW BOOK DISCUSSION: Join on Zoom to discuss “Caste: The Origin of Our Discontent” by Isabel Wilkerson, a presentation by the PW Justice & Peace Book Group at 6:30 pm Monday, March 14. A copy of the book is available in our library. Click to register.

WEDNESDAY EVENINGS, MAR 9 – MAY 11 AT CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST, 500 W CHOCOLATE AVE, HERSHEY • CONTACT MICHELLE MIDURI (717-835-0101)

Love INC of Greater Hershey is in urgent need of three babysitters each week for its upcoming “Faith and Finances” series. All adults need their child abuse clearances (PA State Criminal background check, PA State Child Abuse clearance, and FBI Criminal background check). One teen would be permitted as the third helper provided there are two other cleared adults. While finding volunteers that will commit to all 10 weeks is great, we understand that some people may only be able to help on one or a few weeks: this is fine.

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am from class 9. Thank you very much for the love that you show in choosing me. It is like a silver lining in my life. Nowadays everyone is sad and disturb because of corona virus and lockdown. Being a student of board class I was also very disturb for my exams. A big relief came when our school is open. Nowadays I am preparing for my exams. We are praying for whole world, you are always in my prayers. Thank you very much. People like you are make this world worth to live in.

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.

Cash Flow – Operating Fund as of 1/31/22

	ACTUAL	BUDGETED
Income YTD:	$105,666	$104,167
Expenses YTD:	88,395	107,832
Surplus/(Deficit) YTD:	17,271	(3,665)

Note from the treasurer:

• Nothing major at this point. Income is in line with budget and expenses are slightly less than budget.

9:10-9:25 AM WEDNESDAY, MAR 2 IN THE SANCTUARY 

Our Discovery Days Preschool children will gather on Ash Wednesday for a chance to learn about Ash Wednesday and receive ashes, either on their hands or foreheads or on a sticker. Our pastors will offer the short service and anyone from Derry Church congregation is welcome to attend and receive ashes. 

Derry members and outside groups who are interested in applying to use space at Derry Church for meetings or events can now apply online. A link to the form is available on the church website: go to the CONTACT tab, then click on ASK US. Access the form by clicking on the blue button at the bottom of the page. Remember that all uses of the church building must be approved by the Session.