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May 2022

News for SSPC families & young adults

As we continue to celebrate the Easter season and look forward to the mighty rush of wind and flame on Pentecost, we offer this fifth issue of the Enlighten newsletter to present opportunities and useful information for young adults, families with children, and recent (or soon-to-be) empty nesters.

FAITH

Welcome, Associate Pastor Rev. Lisa Chase!

Please congratulate SSPC’s new Associate Pastor, Rev. Lisa Chase! Lisa was ordained and installed at a special service here at SSPC on May 15. Pastors and Elders from all over the Presbytery participated, with guest preacher Professor Lee Barrett from Lancaster Theological Seminary bringing the message from Matthew’s Beatitudes. Our very own Sanctuary Choir and Praise Band performed, along with a bagpiper! Did you miss the service? You can see a recording of the service on YouTube here.

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Lisa and Randall Chase at her ordination service.

New! Live Stream of the Gathering

Join us online for the live stream of the Gathering worship service! The service will be live-streamed at 11:00 am on Sundays. The link will be available via email and on our website. If you miss the live stream – no worries! You can always catch the service later on YouTube. Come and join us in person in the chapel or online for this informal, intimate, and interactive worship experience!


Wear Red on Pentecost

Join us for Pentecost Sunday, June 5! Please wear red to help celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit as it enlivens and energizes Christ’s church, beginning with the disciples and continuing to this present day here at SSPC. Rev. Chase will be preaching.


June 2022 Sermon Series on Acts

Rev. Chase will be preaching a series of sermons based on Acts:

June 5

  • Sermon title: The Day the World Changed
  • Pentecost Sunday
  • Wear red!
  • Communion Sunday

June 12

  • Sermon title: The Trinity: Role of the Holy Spirit
  • Trinity Sunday

June 19

  • Sermon title: Words from the Wise
  • Acts, Chapter 5, key individual - Gamaliel, noted Jewish teacher and member of the Sanhedrin

June 26

  • Sermon title: Key Themes in Acts


Confirmation Classes Starting in the Fall

Attention rising middle schoolers who will be in 7th and 8th grade in the fall of 2022!

 

This is a special time for you in the life of the church and your personal faith journey, as you can be confirmed in the church. Beginning in the fall, Confirmation classes will be held during the Sunday School hour. The Confirmation service will be planned for sometime after Easter, which is April 9, 2023. Many fun and thoughtful activities and lessons are being planned.

 

The classes will be taught by Mrs. Diane Lupia, a seasoned confirmation educator and teacher, and Pastor Lisa Chase. Look for a letter that will be mailed to the eligible families during the week of May 23. The schedule will be sent out sometime over the summer. Any questions, please call Pastor Lisa at 717.766.0204 ext. 3104 or email at [email protected].

 

Christian Education Update

The Christian Education Committee supports the worship life of our congregation by helping Silver Spring members and friends address our inherent hunger to know and love God with our minds as well as our hearts.

Here are upcoming events from your Christian Education Committee:

  • Sunday School continues for children Pre-K to 12th grade. The Christian Education Committee chose the “Seasons of the Spirit” curriculum. We meet in the gym, promptly at 10:00 am, following the first service. Children and parents of SSPC are invited by the teachers as we sing, pray, read scripture, tell stories, and work on arts and crafts.
  • The latest addition to the SSPC Music Ministry, the SSPC Intergenerational Choir, continues to perform during the last Sunday of each month. The newly formed SSPC Intergenerational Choir will perform with the Praise Band and the choir, so come out and support us, or join in and sing with us. We are made up of grandparents, parents, and kids.
  • Nursery care is available every Sunday. Teachers are available during both services to watch infants and toddlers in our preschool area. Children should be 0 – 3 years old.
  • The Christian Education Committee has room for two more members. If you would like to become a member and assist with building our curriculum and events for our Sunday School classes, please contact either of the co-chairs.
  • Vacation Bible School is coming in August! The dates are August 15 to the 19. Ages are first grade to sixth graders, inclusive. The counselors from Camp Krislund will be leading. There is no cost for any child whose family is a member of SSPC. We hope to invite other local churches to join us. Look for a signup sheet in the Gathering Place coming soon. There is no limit, but there will be a cutoff date, so sign up early, and bring a friend. Adult and teenage volunteers are needed to help one day or multiple days.
  • Adult Bible study and Sunday School continue each Sunday in Room 201. The study is on Bible scriptures, what they meant, when they were written, and what they mean in our lives today. This study is for adults, from 19 to 99 and above. Come join us for Christianity, Conversation, and Coffee.
  • On June 5, we thank and recognize our teachers and nursery care workers. Please thank them and congratulate them on the restart of our CE program.
  • Coming soon, the CE Committee will be sponsoring a couple of different fund-raising opportunities to support our VBS effort and our CORE activities for the summer. Details will follow in Friday announcements and future Enlighten issues. 


Join the Intergenerational Choir

Come join our Intergenerational Choir! We meet in the gym at the beginning of Sunday School at 10 am on Sunday mornings. This choir is for all ages. We hope you can join us for this time of worship through song. We have sung in two Gathering Services with the Gathering Band and as part of the outdoor service along with members of the Sanctuary Choir. We are slowly growing and would love to have you! Please contact Tracy Wieseman if you have any questions or would like more information. 


Sanctuary Choir Update

The Sanctuary Choir will resume rehearsals the Wednesday before Labor Day for next season. Plans are in the works for a beautiful December cantata.

FAMILY

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Family Profile:The Kavuliches

Carrying on a Kavulich family tradition of being highly involved members of SSPC, Chris, Bethany, and their boys John and Mark are an integral part of the SSPC congregation both upfront on Sunday mornings and behind the scenes. Chris grew up at SSPC, where the Kavulich family has long been members, and Bethany began attending in 2008 when she moved to Pennsylvania. Bethany has participated in music ministry by being in the sanctuary choir, praise band, and bell choir, and has also served as a deacon and on the Christian Education committee. Chris has served as the IT committee chair, on the nominating committee, as an elder for the last three years, and on the church softball team for almost 20 years. Chris and Bethany have 14 years of shared memories at SSPC, but their favorite way to build memories now is to watch the kids who attend The Gathering play in the gym after the service.



CORE Youth Ministry

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Summer Kick-Off is

June 5, 4 - 7:00 pm

Join us for this summer's kick-off! At this all-church event, we will grill some food, tie-dye Pentecost T-shirts, and play some games! Let Bryan know if you can make it so there is enough food and supplies. 



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Backyard Mission Trip: June 20-24

We are pivoting to a backyard mission trip this summer! It will be the same week, just local mission. We will help the church and other local ministries. If you have any ideas for service opportunities, let Bryan know.

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Upcoming Events

June 5: Summer Kickoff from 4:00 to 7:00 

June 12: CORE from 6:00 to 8:00

June 20-24: Backyard Mission Trip

July 3: No CORE. Happy 4th of July!

July 10: CORE from 6:00 to 8:00 

July 17: CORE from 6:00 to 8:00


For questions or ideas related to Youth Ministry, please contact Bryan Corbin.

FELLOWSHIP

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All Church Summer Kick Off - June 5, 4-7 pm

The Summer Kick Off will be in the gym and just outside the gym. This is now an all-church event including the preschool! We will do Pentecost tie-dye shirts with the youth. Of course, we will have some food to share a meal together. Also, we will have some games and activities for all ages.

Thank you from Rev. Chase

Dear SSPC!

I want to thank you for making my ordination service so special! From Dr. Kyle, the Praise Band, the Choir, the musicians, thank you for the beautiful music. To Ellen and her spectacular Fellowship team who made the most delicious food - it was all so glorious and special - Thank you! Also a special thank you to Priscilla and John for their efforts as well as for helping me get ready with the bulletin and room set up, etc. Thank you to all who attended in person and watched online. I am incredibly blessed to be serving as your Associate Pastor. Thank you for this amazing opportunity.

With God’s love,

Lisa

 

MATE ROAR Trip

This is a reminder that the ROAR Team will be returning to Farmington, Maine this summer. MATE stands for Mission At The Eastward and has been helping people in need for over 60 years. SSPC has been participating in this rural ministry in central western Maine for over 25 years. The ROAR Team is not a specific group of people; they are a group of SSPC volunteers who are God’s hands and feet on the ground at a specific mission location.     

 

The Team generally arrives in Farmington on Saturday, July 30 and will depart on August 06, 2022. As always, departure time may vary for some people. The Saturday arrival allows us to worship together on Sunday morning at the Fairbanks Union Church and tour the project sites on Sunday afternoon. We have breakfast and dinner as a group in the St. Jo’s fellowship hall and prepare our lunches to take to the job sites every day.

 

We are registered to be at MATE July 30th - August 6th, 2022 and are scheduled for rooms in a dormitory at the University of Maine, Farmington Campus. At this point in time the college is requiring people who have been vaccinated to have their shot record card with them when we check in at the dorm. People who are not vaccinated will need to take a rapid COVID test after three days (that doesn’t make sense but that is their current policy). Updated information from the college will be passed along when it is available.

 

If you know anyone who is interested in being part of the MATE ROAR Team, church member or friend of the church, please let them know about the dates and have them contact Terry Reed, 717-766-2714, or see him in church.

 

Spotted Lanternfly- Stop the Invader!

Beginning in 2021, you may have noticed a relatively large insect with gray-pink wings and lethargic movements climbing up the trees in your yard. This was probably the adult stage of the Spotted Lanternfly, an invasive pest that arrived in Pennsylvania in 2014 from Asia, and is now moving westward through Pennsylvania. This species moves around much like grasshoppers, jumping and flying short distances to get from place to place. These movements are clumsy and slow; in fact the species' rapid spread is more likely due to their indiscriminate choice of egg laying surfaces, which includes the undersides of cars and trucks, as well as more natural surfaces like trees and shrubs. Our highways have likely transported millions of lanternfly eggs into Cumberland County in the past few years, and now we are beginning to see the adults, even as local as our own church grounds. After hatching in spring, individuals go through 4 life stages (called instars) before emerging as adults in late July. Adults climb into trees, where they will gather en masse, and suck the sap from an assortment of trees and vines. This feeding can stress trees and lead to long-term weakening of established plants. Their favorite plants are grapevines, maples, and black walnut, as well as another invasive tree called Tree-of-Heaven. In fall 2021 a small Tree-of-heaven grove on the west end of SSPC campus was discovered with Spotted Lanternfly adults. These trees have since been killed to help slow the spread of lanternflies on campus.  


You can help slow the spread of Spotted Lanternfly on your property by trapping adults as they move up trees to lay eggs. These traps can be made with everyday household items, and directions are available at the following link: https://extension.psu.edu/how-to-build-a-new-style-spotted-lanternfly-circle-trap. At SSPC we plan to install several of these traps to gauge the presence of spotted lanternfly on our campus.


Another way to reduce infestations on your trees is by scraping away egg masses in late fall to early spring. Check your trees, cars, and outdoor equipment (furniture, mowers, firewood) for rough, gray splotches 1-2" long. These egg masses contain 30-50 eggs each and should be removed (use a butter knife or scraping tool), then placed in an alcohol solution (rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer), or thoroughly smashed.


As a fairly new invader, we are still learning how best to handle this pest. Spotted Lanternfly is just one of the many problematic species we've introduced to our landscape, and in time, we hope that eradication efforts are useful in reducing its spread across the Commonwealth.

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