Lampeter-Strasburg DECEMBER 12, 2018
IN THIS ISSUE: ANNUAL BIRD COUNT SCHEDULED page 2
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LV • NO 37
JINGLE BELL RING
The Central Pennsylvania Handbell Festival will sponsor the Jingle Bell Ring on Saturday, Dec. 15. Handbell musicians will play holiday favorites during the festive Visit With Santa event hosted by Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square and Lancaster County Convention Center, 25 S. Queen St., Lancaster. Ringers will perform for 30 minutes at 11:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. There is no admission fee, but nonperishable food items will be collected to benefit Autumn’s Food Pantry. Ringers interested in participating can contact Jeff Clouser at centralpahandbellfestival@gmail.com for details and to register. COMMUNITY MEAL
Ascension Lutheran Church, 600 E. Penn Grant Road, Willow Street, will host Joseph’s Table, its Third Thursday free community meal, on Thursday, Dec. 20. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m., and dinner will be served from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The dinner will feature a taco bar, including beef and chicken, as well as beans, rice, and apple pie. If Lampeter-Strasburg School District closes or cancels school, the dinner will be canceled. For details, call 717-464-5683. “COUNTRY CHRISTMAS”
130 Tennyson Drive, Lancaster, will host a “Country Christmas” worship event on Saturday, Dec. 15, at 6:30 p.m. The one-hour worship service will feature old and new country-style songs of the Christmas season and also a brief message. Musical accompaniment will be provided by the band Deep Holler Revival. Dress is casual, and the atmosphere is relaxed and informal. The service will celebrate the message of Christmas and the joy and hope that it brings. All are invited to attend, and there is no admission charge. For more information, readers may call the church office at 717-393-9182 or call 717-615-0525.
521 Club To Offer ALCATHON pg 12
Road Runners Plan Christmas Eve Activity pg 14
Journey To The Manger The community is invited to journey to the manger when Willow Street Mennonite Church, 399 E. Penn Grant Road, Willow Street, hosts its biennial live Nativity event on the evenings of Saturday, Dec. 22; Sunday, Dec. 23; and Monday, Dec. 24. During each evening, guests will be organized into groups that will be dismissed at approximately every half hour from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The groups will then be escorted by an informative guide as they travel to scenes inside the church and to a neighboring barn. Scenes will include two prophets foretelling the birth of Jesus, the birth announcements delivered by an angel to Mary and in dreams to Joseph, and accounts from shepherds and angels. The groups will walk along a path lit by luminarias, concluding in a barn, where they will see Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus surrounded by live animals.
At the manger, pastor Joe Sherer will give closing comments, and attendees will be invited to spend additional time in reflection in the church’s community room, where there will be quiet music and visuals. Guests may also return to the multipurpose room, where there will be cookies, hot chocolate, live music, and a children’s activity corner. “This is an event that is enjoyed by all ages,” said publicity coordinator Mari Cunningham. “Families come together before or after other events and have the opportunity to put aside the busyness of the season, step back in time, and relive and reflect on the simplicity of that first Christmas night.” Attendees should dress appropriately for the outdoors. A golf cart will be available to transport visitors with mobility challenges to the barn. Every group will be taken back to the church in a tractor-drawn wagon.
Willow Street Mennonite Church will host its biennial live Nativity event on Dec. 22, 23, and 24. While there is no cost to attend the event, guests will have the opportunity to make a donation for Homes of Hope. Homes of Hope is a ministry of Love
INC that serves families facing homelessness by providing transitional housing for four to six months. Partnering churches provide finances for rent and See Live Nativity pg 8
GCCWS Will Host “A Great Celebration” Model Train Layout Will Open Temporarily By Dayna M. Reidenouer
As a special treat for the public, toy train enthusiast Al Strausner and his 11-year-old grandson, Matthew Palmeri, have built a model railroad in the lower
level of West Willow United Methodist Church (UMC), 118 W. Willow Road, Willow Street. The layout will be open to the public free of charge on Saturdays, Dec. 15, 22, and 29, and on Sundays, Dec. 16, 23, and 30, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. See Model Train Layout pg 7
BLOOD DRIVE
Lancaster General Hospital will hold a blood drive at Mellinger Mennonite Church, 1916 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster, on Monday, Dec. 17. Donors will be received from 2 to 7 p.m. No appointment is needed. For more information, visit www.lghealth.org/giveblood or call 717-544-0170, option 2.
Grace Community Church of Willow Street will offer seven services to commemorate Christmas on Dec. 22, 23, and 24. Inviting the public to attend are staff members (front, from left) Patty Deiter, Alyssa Mayersky, (back) David Julian, and Mike Sigman. By Dayna M. Reidenouer
The theme for Christmas at Grace Community Church of Willow Street (GCCWS)
this year is “A Great Celebration.” “During a staff meeting, (lead pastor) Mike (Sigman) said, ‘We’re going to have a great celebration. Bring me your See “A Great Celebration” pg 4
Al Strausner (left) and his 11-year-old grandson, Matthew Palmeri, are building a model train layout that will be open to the public at West Willow United Methodist Church on Dec. 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, and 30.
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A Fine And Folksy Tradition pg 13