News

Lenten devotions written by Derry members and staff are available to pick up on the bench outside the office entrance or download a copy.

Cash Flow – Operating Fund as of 1/31/21

Notes from the treasurer:

• Contributions are a touch under 2020, but in line with expectations.
• Mission & Peace spending is ahead of budget. All other variances are in line with expectations.

Derry’s “Mission Madness” featuring actual March Madness college basketball games with commentary by the inimitable Pete Steelman returns this year! Once again, proceeds will support scholarships for students at Presbyterian Education Board schools in Pakistan. Stay tuned for details.

That’s enough to fund not only the ten students we’ve been supporting, but more than 20 ADDITIONAL students attending Presbyterian Education Board schools in Pakistan! Thank you, Derry Church, for your amazing generosity.

It’s not too late to participate in this fundraiser that closes at the end of February and a final tally will be reported in March. Read on for details…

Meet Aman, One of Derry Church’s PEB Scholarship Recipients 

I would like to thank you for your support and love. It will help me a lot in my education. I live in the city of Sargodha, which is know as city of eagles. An air base is also in Sargodha. Dear donor, I am a good student and always take good grades. I want to become a doctor. Thank you again for your generosity and thoughtfulness.

For ten 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. 

Our goal is 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 Rev. Nancy Reinert’s message inviting you to participate. This fundraiser continues through February 2021.

We would like to thank the Derry congregation and staff for their cards, concerns, and prayers during Joe’s recovery.
Sandy & Joe Pushnik

Wear orange or an orange ribbon to support people revealing and countering the exploitation of females worldwide. Three sisters were arrested in Malaysia for trafficking 35 women for their day-cleaning business. 32 Indonesians and three Cambodians were locked in their home at night, denied phone use, and were not paid their monthly wages. Although overseas, this happens throughout the world. Wear Orange next Thursday.

Week #3 of Pastor Stephen’s class, “Epistemology and the Search for Truth.” This week you’ll learn about the “Nature of Justification.” Justification is a concept in epistemology used to describe beliefs that one has good reason for holding… in other words, you are justified for holding a belief whether it turns out to be a true belief or not. How do we determine if we are justified in believing a story, a report, a theory, or a belief?

While Penn State Health has not yet announced exact locations, there will be a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Hershey and volunteers are needed. The only requirements for volunteers are that you are able to work at least four hours at a time, and that you are able to stand and move freely. These roles are critical to the success of such a massive project, as they will assist members of the community to navigate the clinic, and will also assist clinicians in meeting the needs of those in the clinic. Hours of operation will be Monday-Saturday 7am-7pm.

As a logistics coordinator for this undertaking, and knowing how many of you would love to assist in efforts to curtail this awful virus, Derry’s own Julie Miller requests that anyone who might be interested in filling one of these roles contact her at jmiller25@pennstatehealth.psu.edu for more information.

Lent is all about spiritual renewal. It is a sacred time of preparation for Easter and a time to reflect on what God has done to redeem us and how we can live a whole and full life as a child of God.

Many of us see Lent as a season of penitence, fasting, service and contemplation — but at the top of our list should be a prayer for the acquisition of peace. In our devotional this year, we invite you to reflect upon the gift of shalom, the Hebrew word with a host of meanings: peace, security, well-being, health, completeness. Our spiritual goal: exploring how can we receive this gift of shalom and, in turn, bestow it upon the world.

Now, more than ever, we deeply crave shalom. Our world is in desperate need of peace. The United States has just come out of a contentious election, a struggle with a global pandemic, and painful racial violence. Poverty, misery and despair fill many corners of the world. Yes, we desire peace. We need peace.

Every week from Ash Wednesday (Feb 17) through Easter (April 4), this year’s devotional from Presbyterians Today Magazine focuses on shalom and what it can mean in our lives and how we can bring it to the world. Explore themes of justice, peace, healing, hope, repairing and reconciliation. Find Scripture readings along with beautiful meditations and prayers.

The Way to Shalom is free for download or print. You’re invited to use it, share it, excerpt from it and make it your spiritual companion this Lent.