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Rally Day!
Rally Day is scheduled for September 11. Please remember to sign up for the indoor picnic at the welcome center. Children should arrive for Sunday School by 8:30 am. There will be no Adult Forum but informative tours of our architecture and stained glass from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm as part of the 34th Annual Harrisburg Gallery Walk. We will also be celebrating Rev. Heather Sigler’s re-retirement.
What a beautiful sight! Look at all those backpacks and supplies for the Joshua Learning Center. Many of the backpacks are also stuffed with supplies! Thank you so much on behalf of the Extending God’s Love team.
Blessed Backpacks Create Bountiful Blessings
Backpacks and school supplies donated by our generous church members were received with much gratitude by the teachers at the Joshua Group Learning Center. Many thanks for so enthusiastically embracing this mission. We donated thirty-six backpacks, thirty-three notebooks with filler paper, ninety-six spiral notebooks, thirty-three pairs of scissors, seventy-seven boxes of crayons, over seven hundred pencils (!!!), and an ample supply of glue, glue sticks, and pens. Contributions also included: fifty-two highlighters, twenty-eight folders, pencil erasers and sharpeners, as well as eight composition notebooks. Additionally, some gave monetary donations. The Extending God’s Love Team thanks you for recognizing the value of education and the need to embrace the challenges of at-risk students.
A Season of Peace
Beginning on September 4, 2022, and sponsored yearly by the PCUSA, a season of Peace is a month-long pilgrimage to deepen the pursuit of peace by congregations, families, and individuals. The season ends on World Communion Sunday, October 2nd, when we participate in the Peace and Global Witness Offering.
Twenty-Five Percent of the offering is directed to a local peacemaking project. This year, the EGL Team has selected the International Service Center as our local peacemaking project. The congregation is very acquainted with the Center, having contributed money, food and grocery gift cards, clothing, household goods, and other supplies to support ISC’s Afghan refugee resettlement project. We have also joined with Market Square Presbyterian Church to form a volunteer group to provide ongoing support for an Afghan refugee family. The Center’s director, Dr. Truong Phuong, was our speaker at last Sunday morning’s Forum.
You may register for daily reflections on peace here: //PCUSA.org/subscribeSOP
Welcome Back, Michelle!
After being invited by the Personnel Committee, Michelle Ortega will return to the staff of Pine Street Presbyterian Church on Sunday, September 11. She will be setting up and maintaining hospitality supplies for our fellowship time before and after worship. We are grateful for her willingness to help and are excited to have her back in our midst!
Our Giving Barrel For September:
Camp Curtin Academy
Camp Curtin Academy is a middle school in the Harrisburg School District that serves students in the 6th to 8th grades and is located on Sixth Street in the Uptown Harrisburg area. Students attending this school come from Downey Elementary School, which is located on Cameron Street and sits on the periphery of William Howard Day Homes, Hillside Village, and Smith Homes housing projects.
The Extending God’s Love team would like to establish an ongoing relationship with a neighborhood community school and has chosen this school to be the recipient of our care and love. On Sunday, September 18th, Gia Johnson, the social worker at Camp Curtin, will be with us to present our Focus on Mission.
To begin our relationship with this school, the Extending God’s Love team would like to help the students obtain school uniforms which is a requirement for this new school year. A uniform is comprised of a pair of long pants and a collared polo shirt. The pants can be khaki, black, or navy-colored and the shirts can be of any color. Pants that have drawstring waists are fine. It is not necessary to purchase a whole outfit or an outfit of matching sizes. The shirts and pants are often given out separately on an as-needed basis at the school. To help with the shopping, the EGL team would be happy to purchase items for you if you would prefer.
Other items needed for these children include: deodorant, hair ties, boxes of tissues, brushes/combs, bookbags, sanitary napkins, liquid bottles of clothes detergent, handheld pencil sharpeners, eraser tips, pencils, notebooks, colored pencils, thin markers, folders, black footies, and black socks. A complete list of these items and sizes will be available at the Welcome Desk. If you have any questions or need assistance shopping, please contact Alicelyn Sleber at 717-652-7990.
Adult Forum and Café Conversations
Beginning on September 18, Adult Forum will undergo an experiment in flexibility. We will be meeting AFTER worship in-person in Fellowship Hall (no lunch), with a zoom option. Times will be from approximately 11:30 am to 12:30 pm.
September 18, and 25, and October 2, and 9, our first series will be led by our theologian-in-residence, Matt Drumheller. This 4-week series is entitled “Wrestling With Scripture.” Stay tuned for more information.
Adult Café Conversations will resume on September 11 at 9:00 am at the round table just inside Fellowship Hall. Marna Holt will lead again this year. Topic information coming soon.
August Giving Barrel Mission Complete!
August’s Giving Barrel project involved preparing and delivering a lunch of Moroccan Chicken with Roasted Vegetable Couscous, salad, bread, and desserts, along with children’s books for residents of Bethesda Women and Children’s Shelter. Lunch team members for this project included Deb Gruver, Judy Himes, Suzanne Hogarth, Milicia Knepp, Greg Lane, Lisa Milletics, Stevi Sharp, Alicelyn Sleber, and Pam Wingfield.
Pine Street Book Club
Pine Street Book Club will meet in Harrisburg at the home of Eileen Kunkle on Sunday, September 18, at 7 PM. Joan Landis will review “The Wish” by Nicholas Sparks. Please contact Eileen or the church office if you plan to attend.
COMING SOON! – The 2022-2023
MAPS Concert Schedule
And here’s a way you can be part of it. The events will feature 3 Happy Hour music presentations and two gala events. The MAPS Committee is looking for individuals who would like to support a Happy Hour event where they would host and arrange for the food and beverages to be served. This portion of the evening is over when the music begins, and the evening of entertainment is ready to be enjoyed! The dates for the MAPS Happy Hours are Friday, September 30th at 7:00 PM, Friday, November 18th at 7:00 PM, and Tuesday, April 11th at 7:00 PM. If you have any questions and would like to schedule to host a Happy Hour, please get in touch with Alicelyn Sleber. Stay tuned for the full MAPS concert schedule coming soon.
Elders-on-Call
Pine Street leadership has begun a new program for providing continuous support while Matt is away. For times when Matt will be away and unavailable, two elders will be “on-call.” This means that they will be available to respond to pastoral emergencies and church needs. If a pastoral need arises (for example, a death in the family) while Matt is away, you are encouraged to contact the church office or one of our Elders-on-Call directly.
Matt will be away September 6-10. The Elders-on-Call will be Amy Chick (September 6,7,9,10) and Beth Alwine (September 6-10). You can find contact info for them in the church directory.
Memorial Service for Jerry Rothenberger
Jerry Rothenberger, a longtime Pine Street Presbyterian Church member, passed away on August 21, 2022. A memorial service celebrating his life will be held at Pine Street on September 16, 2022 at 11:00 am. Memorial gifts may be made out to Pine Street Presbyterian Church.
Current COVID Procedure
Pine Street Presbyterian Church will follow CDC guidelines to ease masking requirements and allow in-person gatherings, including food. While Dauphin and Cumberland Counties are in the low or medium community levels (according to the CDC’s “COVID-19 by County” page found at:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html). Masks will be optional for all Pine Street events, including worship. Session and staff will monitor the community levels and change health and safety guidelines if the local counties are high. Worshipers are welcome to wear masks if that helps them feel comfortable in worship.
Dates for your Calendar
Sunday, September 4 — Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost – NO Adult Forum — 10:00 am Worship – Matthew Drumheller Preaching
Monday, September 5 — Labor Day — Church offices closed
Sunday, September 11 — Rally Day — Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost — 8:45 am Children’s Sunday School | 9:00 am Café Conversations at the round table in Fellowship Hall | 10:00 am Worship — Matthew Drumheller Preaching — Rally Day Indoor Picnic following worship — NO Adult Forum | 1:00 pm Stained Glass and Architecture of Pine Street Q& A as part of Gallery Walk
Sunday, September 18 — Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost — 8:45 am Children’s Sunday School | 9:00 am Café Conversations at the round table in Fellowship Hall | 10:00 am Worship — Matthew Drumheller Preaching | 11:30 am Adult Forum in Fellowship Hall and via Zoom — “Wrestling with Scripture” Part 1 led by Matt Drumheller | 7:00 pm — Pine Street Book Club meets in-person at the home of Eileen Kunkle
Sunday, September 25 — Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost — 8:45 am Children’s Sunday School | 9:00 am Café Conversations at the round table in Fellowship Hall | 10:00 am Worship — Matthew Drumheller Preaching | 11:30 am Adult Forum in Fellowship Hall and via Zoom — “Wrestling with Scripture” Part 2 led by Matt Drumheller