OUR MISSION is to love and praise God, love and nurture our church family, and love

and serve our neighbors,

   through worship, prayer, fellowship, education, hands-on work, financial support

    and compassionate care,

     in order to follow Jesus and make known the Kingdom of Heaven.

OUR VISION is to be a grace-filled family of faith sharing Christ’s love with all.

OUR VALUES:

• Glorify God: Glorify and praise God through worship, discipling, sharing faith

and serving with love

• Show Compassion: Compassion expressed as care and concern for all
• Share Hospitality: Inclusive hospitality through welcome, acceptance and fellowship
• Nurture Relationships: Nurture relationships through respect, support and communication
• Steward God's Gifts: Faithful stewardship of all God's gifts

WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS

This Sunday we conclude our 5-part Sermon Series entitled “The Work of the Spirit.” Before his ascension, Jesus promises his disciples that he will send them an advocate, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will remind them of his teachings and help them keep his commandment to love God and one another with their whole being. In effect, the Spirit will be his continuing presence with them. [John 14:15-19, 25-27] Do we experience the Holy Spirit as Jesus’ continuing presence with us?  How might we live differently if we focused more on that? 

Come on Sunday and find out! 

Sermons in this series:

The Work of the Spirit

April 19         Part 1: "The Gift of the Spirit"  

[Acts 2 :14a, 36-41 - Peter calls new converts to repentance and baptism]

April 26         Part 2: “The Community of the Spirit” 

[Acts 2:41-47 - Believers live with mutual care and generosity]

May 3            Part 3: “The Courage of the Spirit”  
[Acts 7:51-60 - The testimony and martyrdom of Stephen]

May 10           Part 4: “The Witness of the Spirit” 

[Acts 17:16-32 - Paul witnesses to the Athenians]

May 17           Part 5: “The Advocacy of the Spirit”

[John 14:15-19, 25-27 - Jesus promises the Spirit will guide the disciples after he is gone]

Thank You

Many thanks to all who made last Sunday’s reception in honor of my 10^th anniversary such a moving and festive occasion. I was overwhelmed by your heartfelt appreciation. It was yet another confirmation of what a warm family of faith we are!  Thanks again to you all.

-Don

Vacation Bible School: 
August 3-7, 2026

VBS is Monday, August 3^rd through Friday, August 7^th from 9:00 am to 12 noon. Children will learn that our God IS an Awesome God!!! There will be snacks, music, crafts, Bible stories and FUN, FUN, FUN for the kids! We welcome children turning 3 (must be completely potty-trained), and older children entering PreK-5th grade in the fall.

As always, many hands make for light work. If you are interested in helping in any way, contact Pastor Lisa or Scott Pepperman, co-chair of Christian Education. We need help with food, decorations, crafts, music, and of course teaching!

There is a $25 registration fee per family for the whole week to help offset the cost. To sign up your child for VBS through Realm, click HERE. There are also paper forms in the Gathering Place. Please sign up by July 19. Space is limited to 50, so sign up early!

The Health Ministries Committee invites you to our continuing lecture series on Healthy Living. 

Please join us on May 17th at 9:30 am in Room 204.  Please note the earlier time schedule due to the 11 am outdoor service. 

If you are unable to attend, please join us on Zoom. The lecture will be presented by our own Melanie Pepperman.The title of the lecture is: “The Life of a Seeing Eye Puppy”. We look forward to seeing you on Sunday for what is going to be a very interesting and informative discussion. 

Calling all Musicians! 

We are looking for singers and instrumentalists for our Special Music this summer during our Traditional Worship Services. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the choir room. Please see Tracy if you have any questions, or you can email her at tracy@silverspring.org. 

Attention, Sanctuary Choir Members! 

There are no more Wednesday night rehearsals until we start back up again at the end of August. We will meet at 8:20 a.m. on Sunday, May 24, and 8:30 am on Sunday, May 31 and June 7.

Adult Forum and Sunday School

No Sunday School this week. We will attend the Health Ministries Adult Forum about the Seeing Eye Puppy Raising Program, featuring "Declan"!

Youth Church Meets on Sunday, May 17th, 9:30 - 10:30 am

We meet in Room 112 in the preschool. We will study about Jesus and the Bible, sing, do crafts and play games. This class is for children from 5 to 17! Parents and grandparents are invited to attend along with the children.

The Pre-K/K Youth Church, this week 9:30 - 10:30 am

PreK – K Youth Church will meet this week in Room 108. Each class will include singing, a lesson, and play time! 

The Intergenerational Choir will practice this Sunday, May 17th at 9:30 am

The Choir is again practicing for a special Flag Day presentation! The choir is made up of children, young families, parents, grandparents and friends. All are invited to participate. Come and sing and join us in this very special way to praise the Lord! 

Monday Bible Study - May 18th

All are invited, come and join this unique study. We meet 1 pm to 3 pm, every second and fourth Monday of the month, in Room 204. We continue our in-depth study of the Gospel of John, by Pastor Skip Heitzig. Come and join this growing group of interested adults, men and women! Learn and discuss.

New Men's Bible Study Introduced!

CE is excited to present our new Men's Bible Study Class that started on Monday, May 11th, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. What does the Bible say about the role of men on earth and in life? What about how to act in marriage, at work and in the community. How does this correspond to how we live and act in today's world. What questions do you have as men, what answers does the Bible provide. We will explore this and more from some of the leading teachers and clergy of today. We will discuss our thoughts, questions, and our opinions. We will meet in Room 204, every second and fourth Monday of the month. We will meet next on May 25th, even though it is Memorial Day. Suggestions for courses of study are welcome; contact Scott Pepperman at puppytrainer52@aol.com. This class is for all SSPC congregation men and friends, ages 18 and above.

Wednesday Bible Study

Our Wednesday afternoon Bible Study continues to meet weekly in the Parlor from 1 pm to 3 pm. The group will be starting a new Max Lucado book. This class is for adults from 19 to 99, both men and women are welcome. Come and learn, come and discuss.

Faith Walk Fellowship

Beginning on Friday, May 22^nd, and every nice-weathered Friday after that, join Pastor Lisa at church for a “Faith Walk Fellowship” time, from 9:30 am. – 11am. While walking around our beautiful campus, we will pray for people on the prayer chain, listed in the bulletin, members of the congregation, and situations going on in the world. Please make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes and sunscreen! Lisa will meet any interested walkers at 9:30 am on Fridays (no rainy days!) in the Gathering Place. No need to sign up to participate! (We won’t be walking June 26^th or July 3^rd, as Lisa will be at General Assembly).

Young Adults Christian Education Group, the Pathfinders!

CE and young leaders from SSPC started a new group for young adults over 18 called "Pathfinders!" For further information, contact Ty Headley. Currently, the group is studying from the Book of Matthew. Come and discuss, come and learn!

Dining Out Opportunities in May

• Lunch on Wednesday, May 20th at 11:30 am: Join us for lunch at Red Lobster, 4711 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg.
• Dinner on Wednesday, May 27th at 5:30 pm: Join us for dinner at Outback Steakhouse, 3506 Capital City Mall Drive, Camp Hill.

Please sign up at church or call Sara Derr at 717-763-5748.

Tinner-Fehr Scholarship

Thanks to the Tinner/Fehr families, SSPC students have a wonderful opportunity. Applicants for this scholarship must be current, active members of SSPC and either a high school senior or college student committed to a career in human healthcare and/or a human healthcare-related field of study. To apply for the scholarship, they must write a short essay that includes, but is not limited to, listing of the colleges to which they are applying, chosen major, career goal, and explaining how SSPC has influenced their lives and future career choices. Please submit your essay to the Deacon Moderator (Megan Crompton) or to the church office by May 15th.

Laundry Ministry Update - Loads of love!

The SSPC Youth and CORE members continue their new ministry here at the church, the Laundry Ministry. We continue to collect quarters in the Gathering Place, in the laundry basket and purchase laundry cards to hand out to patrons at local Morris Laundromats.

Update: Members of our youth CORE group visited the Morris Laundromat in Dillsburg this past Saturday morning. We had our most active outing to date, visiting with 20 patrons and handing out 10 laundry cards. The youth performed with the Holy Spirit as servant leaders. Everyone thanked us and asked about where we came from and about SSPC. Our next outing will be to the Morris Laundromat in Enola. Thank you for your contributions and faith in our efforts. Blessings.

Storyboard Ministry

The Youth have an easel in the Gathering Place with Post-it notes and markers for your prayer requests (no names, please). Each Sunday we collect the requests and pray for them at our CORE meetings. Whatever is on your heart, put it on the storyboard and we will pray for each request. If you see a request that you would like to take with you and pray for, feel free to do so. If you want to add one, please do as well. Our new box for answered prayers is beside the Storyboard. Feel free to place any answered prayers that you are thankful for in the box. God does indeed answer prayers! Blessings.

Manna Project

Over 15 years ago, SSPC began welcoming newcomers through the Manna Project. Each year, volunteers sign up to welcome visitors with a loaf of bread and to share information about SSPC along with what the church means to them. Many visitors have joined our church family because of a Manna Visit. Please consider participating in this project to welcome our new visitors. There is a new sign-up sheet in the Gathering Place. For any questions, please contact Shannon Leary.

Earth Care - Did you know?

On average a piece of clothing is worn 7-10 times before being discarded. Fashion is responsible for 2-8% of global gas emissions and 20% of industrial water pollution.

Susquehanna Chorale Spring Concerts

Join the Susquehanna Chorale for a special spring concert celebrating Linda Tedford's 45-year career with her favorite American choral classics, honoring our nation's 250th birthday. The 2026 spring concert series, "My Favorite Things," runs May 15-17: Friday, May 15, 7:30 pm at Derry Presbyterian Church in Hershey, Saturday, May 16, 7:30 pm at St. James Episcopal Church in Lancaster, and Sunday, May 17 at 4:00 pm at Market Square Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg. Join the Susquehanna Chorale for this special concert filled with joy, memories, and beautiful music honoring a life that is truly a legacy in song.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please click HERE.

Christian Churches United - United in Love Conference, Saturday, May 16th, at Camp Hill United Methodist Church, 9 am - 3 pm

Since CCU's founding, together we have sought to love our neighbors well in the midst of crisis. Together we have walked with individuals experiencing homelessness, poverty, and incarceration. We have seen and heard countless stories of lives being changed because, together, churches in Harrisburg sought to love well.

This May we invite you to gather together to dream of ways that we can continue to be United in Love. We invite you to respond to the call to embrace our neighbors, to educate ourselves in best practices, and dream of how we might embody the way of Jesus in our ever-changing world. Gather with other churches, all called and committed to love the people of Harrisburg well. Together we will imagine a way forward for loving our neighbors experiencing homelessness, poverty, and incarceration.

Click HERE to register for the United in Love conference.

New Hope Ministries

Needs for MAY include: canned pasta, tuna, and apple sauce. Items can be placed in the bin outside the Chapel. Thank you for your help to our local community!

CORE Youth

There will be Core tonight from 6PM-8PM. We will have a lesson, prayer, and time for games. I hope to see you out there :)

Prayers of healing and comfort:

Kris Carpinello and her parents, the Arbogasts, Carol Boyer, Gail Bumsted, Roxanne Dagino, Carol Gebert, Margaret Glockner, Ron Kutz, Pat Miller, Rich Morelli, Betsy Neilson, Deb Pfaff, Kathy Rutledge, Chris Sebring, Jim and Harriet Shoop, Millie Swatt, Tanya Wagner, Amy Wentz, Chris Winning

Prayers for sympathy: Barb and Tim Wiggin and Jacob, Noah and Rachel; Family of Don Spangler; Pat Miller and family of Ken Miller; Susan Hudson and family

Prayers for our Military Members & First Responders: Olivia Chase, Jacob Flenner, Wyatt La Pointe, Justin Ledvina, Josiah Scandle, Chloe Scott

Memorial Services:

Memorial services are scheduled for Ken Miller on Friday, May 15 at 11:00 am, and for Curt Hudson on Saturday, May 16 at 11:00 am.

SERVING THIS WEEK

Ushers:

CORE Youth Members

Deacon Servers:

Eleanor Resser

Deb Pfaff

Downtown Daily Bread

for May 22nd:
Jo Day

Tracy Bryan

SUNDAY WORSHIP ATTENDANCE

May 3

9 am Traditional Service - 126

9 am YouTube views - 89

11 am Gathering - 60

11 am YouTube views - 15

Sunday School - 33

May 10

9 am Traditional Service - 167

9 am YouTube views - 66

11 am Gathering - 42

11 am YouTube views - 21

Sunday School - 15

GIVING OF YOUR TITHES AND OFFERINGS ELECTRONICALLY:



1- Direct Link to our Website:

https://onrealm.org/silverspring/-/give/now



2- If you’d like the church to set up contributions for you, please complete and return the attached form by clicking here.

For questions, please email Diane Rabold, Business Manager, at dianer@silverspring.org.

Please Note:

To submit information for the weekly announcements, please email Priscilla in the church office by Thursday morning. Please note that we reserve the right to edit articles due to space and can only publish information directly related to church-sponsored events.