May - August 2025

Watching a caterpillar transform into a butterfly is a beautiful experience. When our children were little, we had bright orange butterfly weed in the yard to attract monarch butterflies. And did we ever! Every spring, for about 5 years, our family would “raise” monarchs and then release them.

Our children and youth at SSPC were able to enjoy the same experience. Over the course of April and early May, we were able to witness the birth of a butterfly firsthand with painted lady butterflies. Painted ladies are a wonderful type of insect to watch - they are hardy creatures, can drink nectar from at least 100 different kinds of plants. They migrate thousands of miles each year - both northward and southward from the United States to Mexico and Europe to North Africa, traveling up to 30 mph!

The painted ladies came to us as small caterpillar larvae, and we watched in awe as they grew to about an inch long and then entered the chrysalis stage. In early May, we released the butterflies outside to the delight of all the children.

The process takes about three weeks. What begins as a tiny larva—barely a quarter of an inch long—grows into a larger caterpillar in a container with special sticky food for its growth. The caterpillar then forms a chrysalis. After about ten days inside the chrysalis, a beautiful, orange, brown, yellow and black butterfly emerges.

New life in Christ is much like what happens to the caterpillar.

When we accept Christ as our savior, we begin a transformation. Just as the caterpillar changes and emerges more beautiful than before, so do we. This transformation happens in our lives here on earth, and it continues in heaven. Through Christ, we are made new.

The painted lady butterfly arrives as small larvae in a container, with food to sustain it as it grows several times its original size. When each caterpillar is ready to begin its transformation, it crawls to the top of the container, hangs upside down, forming a J (for Jesus!), and a few hours later, forms a chrysalis.

(Above) After about 10 days, the chrysalis, which was once brown in color, turns black, signifying a butterfly is about to emerge.

(Below) One of the painted lady butterflies rests on top of a flower before taking flight.

(Above) The painted lady butterflies emerge from their snug chrysalis. (Below) stopping for a drink from a dandelion before flying on.

Meet the Pierce family—Rick, Audra, and their sons Nathan, Nicholas, and Brayden—longtime members of SSPC and an active part of our church family. Whether it's catching a movie, enjoying dinner and ice cream, or heading to Orioles games in the summer, the Pierces love spending time together. This summer brings a new adventure: attending a rap concert as a family! They also make regular trips to Hershey Park and visit friends in Buffalo, where boating on Lake Erie is a favorite tradition. In the fall, you’ll likely find them at a Penn State football game cheering on Nathan and Nicholas, both students at PSU.

Rick has been a member of SSPC since 1967. He and Audra were married in the Sanctuary in 2001, and their sons were all baptized and confirmed here. Rick’s involvement spans decades—serving as a Trustee in the early ’90s, leading CORE Youth from 1996 to 2012, and playing church softball for an impressive 36 years. The whole family has participated in CORE, and Rick treasures memories of the 11 PM Christmas Eve candlelight services, sunrise services, and Youth Sundays.



Rick sees God in everyday moments—especially in the eyes of children. His years coaching football have been more about connection than competition. “It’s not the sport that matters, it’s the relationship,” Rick says, “and that begins with a relationship with God.” Audra adds that she feels God speaking through their three boys—each a blessing and their greatest accomplishment—and through the presence of loved ones who’ve passed, whose memory brings peace and comfort.

We’re grateful for the Pierce family and the many ways they enrich the life of our congregation. - Amy Meadows, Editor

Brayden Pierce will be a rising 10th grader in the fall!

Nathan Pierce will be a senior at Penn State in the fall, while Nick Pierce will be a sophomore.

Welcome New Members through Confirmation!

Six outstanding middle school students joined Silver Spring Presbyterian Church on Palm Sunday! From September 2024 through early April 2025, they completed a rigorous course that included lessons on the Old and New Testaments, Jesus's ministry and his disciples, church history, the gifts of the spirit and more! They also completed several service hours to the church.

Special thanks to Pastor Lisa Chase and Diane Lupia, co-teachers, and Jenny Bell, John Fider, Lisa Janson, Holly Lawrence, Mary Poague Rexford, and Austin Shoop, mentors.

From top and clockwise: RJ Holt, Brynn Hipp, Kyla Callahan, Morgan Crompton, Jayme Whittle and Charlotte Gillis.

From the Deacons, Shawn Marshall, Moderator

The Deacons continue to stay active in service. We recently prepared meals for two families during their surgeries, awarded a scholarship, and supported fellowship through coffee hour.

We’ve also been exploring ways to better serve the congregation. Soon, we’ll launch a new program that groups families by location, with deacons providing support and coordination assisted by members at large. More details to come!

Intergenerational Choir

The Intergenerational Choir has concluded for this school year. We will resume meeting in September on Sunday mornings at 10 am for 10-15 minutes at the beginning of Sunday School. We enjoyed singing with the congregations in both services this past year. Please consider joining us when we resume in the fall. We enjoy our time singing together and would love to have YOU! Please contact Tracy Wieseman for more information. 

From our Fun-Loving Fellowship Committee

The Fellowship Committee is excited to host several upcoming receptions to bring our church community together in celebration and fellowship.

• June 15: Join us for a Father’s Day reception, also between services.

• August 24: Don’t miss our End-of-Summer Reception on Hymn Sing Sunday—a joyful way to close out the season together.



Mark your calendars and come enjoy these opportunities to connect and celebrate with your church family!

Our Preschool - from Mrs. Cocores

Our last day of school is May 22! We're closing out the year with spring program rehearsals and creating memory books. Looking ahead, the new school year begins on September 2. Both weeks of our summer play school are already full!

Christian Education

.

VBS 2025

Operation Rescue: Jesus Saves!

June 22 - June 26

5:30 pm until 8 pm

Join us on an exciting adventure as we learn how the triune God rescues people in the Holy Bible. Beginning with Jonah, who was swallowed by a great big fish, we will learn about God's love as evident in God's son, Jesus Christ!

Sign up HERE for VBS!

Kate Hall traces a circle for a life ring to be used as a decoration for our Operation Rescue: Jesus Saves!

Songs, stories, crafts, games and so much more! A light dinner will be served. Cost is $15 for a family of 1 child (for the entire week), $25 for a family of two or more children. Please register online here by June 16th.

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 and recaps from your

Christian Education Committee:

•   Christian Education and the SSPC Youth working with the SSPC Preschool held the Annual Easter Egg Hunt at the end of March 2025. This event was used as an outreach to our community and was an overwhelming success! With over 125 children and three hundred in attendance, it was a spectacular day. Over eight hundred eggs and a dozen prizes were given out. The Easter Bunny again visited with the children. We had eight members of our youth group helping, along with several of our adult volunteers. We are excited to keep this event active at our church.

•   VBS, yes! The Christian Education Committee will again be presenting Vacation Bible School this coming summer. Details are being worked out, decorations are starting, and committees are working on the schedule, food, fitness, and lessons; look for flyers and more information coming soon. One detail that we have already decided on is the dates, June 22nd to 26th. The other detail we know is that it will be fun, with a great message, games, great food, and crafts. Signups have begun, contact the church office to find out how to register or check us out on Realm. Watch for further information soon.

•   End of School Year Bash! CE and CORE Youth will again be holding an End of Summer Bash, after the combined service on June 8th. There will be great picnic food, music, and games. Please sign up in the Gathering Place or on Realm and come out and join the fun!

•   Sunday School for adults and youth continue. Sunday School for our youth will end on Sunday, June 1st for adults. We will continue Sunday morning Sunday School, but both the Monday and Wednesday afternoon classes will end after June 1st for the summer.

•   Earth Care. The Earth Care Team is incredibly pleased to bring the Rev. Kevin Long, of the Harrisburg Intertwined Ministry to SSPC to hold and Adult Forum on June 1st, during the Sunday School hour, 10:10 am to 10:50 am. It will be held in Room 204; come early, seating is limited. The subject with be Environmental Justice.

•   CORE and Youth Events: A recap and coming events. The Youth enjoyed a busy time so far this year, participating in both Zeteo and Youth Sunday, along with serving at the March Meal with a Mission.

Upcoming events include the May Meal with a Mission, the Spring Lock-in, End of School Year Bash, a Sunday hike with Intertwined Ministry, attending a gospel concert in Hershey, a CORE night at Dave and Buster’s, and plenty of service days around the church and for congregational members! - Drew Crompton and Scott Pepperman, Co-Chairs

Earth Care

Tips to Help God’s Earthly Garden Thrive

According to the Native Plant Society of Pennsylvania (www.panativeplantsociety.org), native plants are those that grew in North America before European settlement. These include mosses, ferns, wildflowers, shrubs, and trees. Native species that thrive in Pennsylvania’s climate are easier to grow and more resilient to local weather conditions. In contrast, many non-native plants are invasive and pose a threat to native species.

To guide wise landscaping and gardening choices, the Society publishes two helpful online lists each year:

· The Dirty Dozen – invasive plants to avoid or remove from your property (e.g., Bradford pear and barberry, both banned in PA since 2021).

· The Birdy Dozen – native plants that support local ecosystems.

Other invasive plants to steer clear of include burning bush, orange daylilies, butterfly bush, and Japanese wisteria. - Tanya Wagner, Earth Care

Can't view email? Click Here.