Manheim Central townlively.com
NOVEMBER 29, 2023
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXIV • NO 44
Beware of the Belsnickel BY CATHY MOLITORIS
Inviting people to Mountain View Baptist Church are (from left) Karen McCoy, Tim McCoy and Ken Olenderski.
Teaching biblical truths ountain View Baptist Church is a place were everyone is invited to learn and grow in their faith, said Karen McCoy, whose husband, Tim, is the pastor. “I would love to see people come and check us out,” she shared. “They’re going to get the Bible, and it’s prayerfully going to become real to them. Jesus will become real to them, and salvation will become real to them.” The couple started Mountain View Baptist Church about a year ago. The congregation meets on Sunday mornings in the exhibit hall on the Manheim Community Farm Show property, 502 Adele Ave. Worship begins with a Bible study
M
at 10 a.m., followed by a service at 11 a.m., lunch and then an afternoon Bible study at about 1 p.m. “If we get done with lunch, and it’s not time for Tim to start the afternoon service, we’ll play cornhole,” said church member Ken Olenderski.
“I love the Bible. I love to teach the Bible.” “It’s a little bit different setup maybe than other churches, but it’s been a great way to really get to know people. It’s been a lot of fun.” The McCoys, originally from Kansas, came to Lancaster County about five years ago. Their granddaughter, then 8, had been diagnosed
with terminal cancer, so they wanted to be nearby while she received treatment in Philadelphia. She was given an experimental drug, and it saved her life. “At first, we stayed in the area because it seemed like God kept us here,” Tim recalled, noting that he began helping at a church in Millersville. “Then we felt like God would have us start a little church.” Tim had been a pastor for more than 20 years before coming to central Pennsylvania, and he said he can’t imagine doing anything else. “I love the Bible,” he said. “I love to teach the Bible. I think there ought to be a church on every corner, and everybody ought to go to church every Sunday.”
See Belsnickel pg 8
Creating safe spaces BY ANN MEAD ASH
Responding to the mental health needs of teenagers Today’s teenagers are facing issues unfamiliar to their parents and grandparents, and according to Susannah Moore, clinical social worker/therapist with Integrate Therapy and Wellness Collective in Bird-in-Hand, that can make it hard for generations to relate. “Those of us who graduated high school before COVID-19 hit and before social media took over the way it has, simply can’t understand what it means to be a teen today,” said
Moore. As a former school social worker, Moore is especially familiar with the issues facing students. “(Teenagers) have had their entire world shifted over and over,” Moore commented. “They haven’t had the sense of stability that most of us had.” Mental health issues among teens were rising prior to the advent of COVID-19 restrictions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 10-year Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that in 2019, nearly 40% of high school students reported periods of feeling
See Church pg 10
See Safe spaces pg 3
Picture Perfect
400 Long Lane at Marticville Road (Rt. 741 & 324)
717-872-9311 www.cherryhillorchards.com
• Trees • Wreaths • Garland • Greens more ffor your d decorating! PLUS lots Mon.-Sat. 8-6
R102101
FRASER RASER F FIR IR PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Engle Printing Co
POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER NOV. 29, 2023
Postal Patron
MC1
BY CATHY MOLITORIS
When you’re out and about in Manheim this holiday season, keep an eye out for the Belsnickel. The crotchety, fur-clad Christmas figure will be roaming the streets and shops of town, checking to see if you’ve been naughty or nice. “It’s something new and different we wanted to try,” said Susan Williams, president of the Manheim Historical Society. The organizaKeep an eye out for the Belsnickel when you’re in tion is encouraging Manheim this holiday season. people to post pictures on the historical society’s Facebook often carries a broom to use to page of the Belsnickel when they spot knock on doors and windows; gives out candy, nuts and fruit; and him. “Many of the people who origi- visits in the weeks leading up to nally settled in Manheim came Christmas, disappearing about a from Germany, and that’s where week before the holiday. Williams noted that the historical the Belsnickel tradition comes from,” Williams explained. The Belsnickel society cleared the Belsnickel’s visit