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Peacemaking Offering
Peace is active, not passive; peace is doing, not waiting. On October 2nd, World Communion Sunday, we will be collecting the Peacemaking Offering to help bring about change in our world. The PCUSA will receive 50% of the offering to help promote peace and reconciliation across the globe. Our local Presbytery will receive 25% of the offering to help support peacemaking work in our local communities. The last 25% of the offering will be used by our church to support our sister church in South Africa, Newcastle Congregation to help them keep their vital soup kitchen in operation. Together we are building God’s household of peace through this offering.
Small Group Ministry Offerings
EVOL - Small Group is forming - 1st and 3rd evenings this Fall from 7 - 9 pm.
A time for rEVOLutionary LOVE! EVOL is love spelled backward. Practicing love for each other not as the world loves, but as God loves! Participate in this new small group of grace, where we will seek to glorify God; extend compassion, welcome, and acceptance to one another and ourselves; nurture relationships; and steward God’s gifts through…
- Deep Listening
- Contemplative Practices
- Prayer
- Silence
The group will be led by Beth Biery, who was introduced to this process in Rev. Melton’s Lighthouse Group. She went on to take classes and learn more about discernment and contemplation. She has experience leading such groups at McBIC. To join this small group as it forms at SSPC, contact Pastor Lisa, (717) 766-0204, ext. 3104.
New small group offerings (in addition to the many the church has) will be offered in January 2023. Some of the small groups proposed are a Cold-Case Christianity Class, Oral History Project, and some craft programs. Pastor Lisa is developing an etiquette, ballroom dance, and leadership program for middle school students. More information about small group offerings will be soon provided.
Sunday School this week
We meet at 10 am in Rooms 201 and 202. The adults will be doing a Bible study in Room 201 and the children will be doing their Bible study in Room 202. All will gather in Room 202 to start, as we practice for the first 5 minutes with the Intergenerational Choir. Those who are not interested in singing may go to their Sunday School rooms, for class to begin at 10:05. This week we will be studying 2 Timothy 1:1–14, as we study readings that illuminate a living faith from age to age and grief to grief; through the tears of captive Jerusalem likened to a widow in mourning, Come and join us!
Blessing of the Animals on Saturday, October 1
The animals and other critters in our lives teach us about unconditional love, and they are important parts of our lives. They teach children about gentleness, responsibility and care. From the bowl of goldfish to the large dog, living life with one of God’s creatures makes life richer in so many ways. Our cats, dogs, reptiles, horses, etc. are a blessing and provide much support to us.
To honor this special relationship, Silver Spring Presbyterian Church will hold a Drive-Thru Blessing of the Animals event on Saturday, October 1, from 1 pm until 3 pm. Many Protestant and Catholic Churches hold Blessing of the Animal Events to honor St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. This event will be held regardless of the weather.
Pastor Don and Pastor Lisa will be stationed by the front of the Gathering Place to greet the family (who will drive up to the prayer stations) and pray and bless the animal. Members will enter the church's grounds from Silver Spring Road and drive to the front of the Gathering Place, and after the blessing, exit onto Presbyterian Drive. We ask that the animal be on a leash and in a harness and we will pray for them by the owner’s car, so that we can keep the animals away from each other. As one of our Confirmands Outreach projects, we also ask for donations of dog and cat food, and toys that we can donate to a local animal shelter. Thank you for participating!
Fall Faire - Saturday, October 8, 2022, 8:00 am - 2:00 pm
One week till the Fall Faire! As you can see in the hallways, preparations are underway for our Annual Event! There’s still time to help in many ways:
1. All White Elephant donations must be dropped off by Sunday, October 2. Beginning Monday, October 3 we will begin the sorting, displaying and pricing process. We can use help every morning next week with this job.
2. Take a look at the sign up sheets in the Gathering Place and volunteer where you can. There are still plenty of open spaces!
3. Bring your crafts, stitchers, art, home canned goods and perennial plants to the Gathering Place on Monday through Thursday.
4. Bring your baked goods and pies on Friday to the gym.
5. Kid’s jeans and shirts and hats for scarecrow making can be placed in the box next to the sign up board.
Spread the word and invite the community!
Fall Faire Parking for ALL SSPC Members
This year remote parking for the Fall Faire will again be at the Waugh-Wilson House, 404 Silver Spring Road. SSPC members who work at or visit the Fall Faire between 7:00 am and 12:30 pm are asked to use this remote parking site to free up parking for our visitors during the busy morning hours. The area for parking will be on the flat grassy area to the right as you enter the driveway. Please park perpendicular to Silver Spring Road and leave a wide center lane.
A shuttle will be running between the Fall Faire and remote parking site from 7:00 am until 12:30. By then, SSPC members who will rely on the shuttle should move their cars from the remote site to a church parking lot.
SSPC members with crafts/goodies for the Faire may drop them off at the church, and then proceed to the remote parking site. Please remember the road in front of the gym and Gathering Place will be one-way from the upper parking lot (closest to the Manse) to the lower parking lot (behind the Meeting House). Thank you!
Circle Rebekah (Bible study and fellowship for women)
Our next meeting is October 13. We gather at 1:00 pm in the Chapel in person OR online via Zoom. This year we are using the PW/Horizons Bible Study: "Celebrating Sabbath – Accepting God’s Gift of Rest and Delight” by Carol M. Bechtel. This month's lesson, “Sabbath and Creation”, will be led by Pastor Lisa. The key idea: Sabbath celebration is something that God has built into the structure of creation. Receiving that gift is part of what deepens our friendship with God, others, and the rest of creation.
If you would like to socialize before the Bible study, bring a sack lunch to the Parlor between 12:00 and 12:15. Dessert will be provided by the hostess of the month, Lynne Jackson. All women of the church are welcome. For more information and the Zoom Link contact Emily Krebs, 717-805-5778.
Lunch Group - Tuesday, October 11, 11:30 am
Join us for lunch at the Center Street Grill, 4 Center Street, Enola, on October 11. There is a sign-up sheet in the Gathering Place. Questions? Contact Lynne Jackson, 717-761-0940.
Dining Out Group - Wednesday, October 26, 5:00 pm
Join us for dinner on October 26 at the Pizza Grille, Camp Hill. For questions, contact Angie Katzenstein, 386-846-8500. All are welcome!
Membership Badges
A new drive for membership badges has begun. The new badges will be larger, black print on white, with the first name most prominent. The cost for each badge is the same as before, $6.00. You can order the badges by emailing Scott Pepperman at [email protected], or calling him at 717-389-5100. Payment can be a check made out to SSPC. An envelope is in the Gathering Place, along with a sign-up sheet if you prefer to sign up. We need the first and last name that you want displayed on the badge. Badges will be magnetic, but if you prefer or need the pin on type that can be made as well. God called us by name at our birth, how nice to be able to call each other by name as well!
Help Needed for Refugees
Church World Service is facilitating the resettlement of refugee families from around the world. The Presbytery of Carlisle is seeking volunteers to assist them with this resettlement. The primary need is for a small group of caring persons who will provide intentional friendships and who will visit on a regular basis. If you are interested in assisting with this very important project, additional information is available by clicking HERE.
Pastoral Care Process Update
It is important that our congregation knows our ministry teams are ready, able and willing to provide assistance, depending on what the need is.
Since Barbara Shoun’s retirement, Don and Lisa have worked to define and improve the pastoral care process that includes the deacons, the Health Ministry Team, Stephen Ministers and the pastors. The following information will be helpful if a member of Silver Spring Presbyterian Church finds him/herself in emotional, spiritual or physical need:
First, if there is a pastoral emergency, the quickest way to get in touch with Pastors Don and Lisa, is to call the church’s main number (717) 766-0204. If the call goes into voicemail, the first message you will hear is one about pastoral emergencies. Please listen carefully, follow the process and leave a detailed message. The church’s phone system is programmed to call their cell phones to relay the message. Also, one of the pastors is usually in the office during office hours and can be reached that way as well. One of the pastors will respond back to the call as soon as possible. In addition to addressing pastoral emergencies, the pastors are able to provide short-term pastoral counseling, until a referral to a trained counselor or support group can be made, if necessary.
If a member of the congregation needs any kind of health information – referral for a health facility, or information on a diagnosis or a procedure, the member is to call Priscilla who will take down the information and relay it to Pastor Lisa, who will then call the health ministry team volunteer on-call. This trained volunteer (a nurse or a physician) will then call back the member with the question and needing information and provide assistance that way. Please note that confidentiality is carefully observed.
If a member is in need of support during a time of transition (e.g., someone is in the hospital, the birth of a child, a death of a family member), please call the church and let us know. The Deacons provide much outreach, and the issue may be one that a Deacon can also address.
Finally, our Stephen Ministers are trained and able to provide short-or-long term emotional support and compassionate care to members in emotional and spiritual need. Depending on the issue, there may be a referral to a bereavement or another type of support group or counseling.
It is important for our members to reach out and ask for help if it is needed. This is an important part of the church’s community. We are here for one another!
So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. (Romans 12:5)
Part-time Custodian Needed
Silver Spring Presbyterian Church is looking for a part-time employee or independent contractor to work on Fridays and handle backup coverage for our full-time church custodian. To read the complete job description, click HERE.
THANK YOU to all who attended the PW luncheon on Saturday, Sept 24. It was a wonderful gathering and the first in over three years. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, the camaraderie and the inspirational talk about the services provided by Beacon Clinic to the underserved and uninsured in the Harrisburg area. Deb McLain shared many heartwarming stories about patients and how grateful they were for the care they have received from Beacon Clinic personnel. Health care services include physical, dental, dermatological, and treatment of the whole person. Sometimes it is just a matter of letting know people are there to care. Volunteers are always welcome, not only in the health services, but also in marketing or financial services. Silver Spring has been at the forefront of the beginning of Beacon Clinic and it is hoped that more join in this wonderful work. Many thanks to Deb McLain for her message.
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