IN THIS ISSUE: CHURCH TO HOST MEN’S SEMINAR page 5
Octorara JANUARY 8, 2020
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL XXIX • NO 50
CRAFT PROGRAM
Atglen Public Library, 413 Valley Ave., Atglen, will hold a “Kid Crafternoon� program on the third Thursday of each month, beginning on Jan. 16, from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. The expanded story time for students in kindergarten through grade three will feature a story and related craft and snack made by the participants. This is a drop-off program, but parents are asked to stay within the library. Preregistration with a notation about any food allergies is required. To register, visit www.atglenpubliclibrary.org/Events. SCIENCE SATURDAY
Chester County 4-H will hold a Science Saturday for youths ages 8 to 14 on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Government Services Center, 601 Westtown Road, West Chester. The topic will be Game Changers. Participants will learn how to use computer science to create games and solve problems through physical activities and puzzles. Separate fees have been set for 4-H members and nonmembers. The fee includes 4-H membership. The registration deadline is Friday, Jan. 10. To register, contact the Extension office at chesterext@psu.edu or 610-696-3500. More information about 4-H is available at https://extension.psu.edu/ programs/4-h.
Veterans Receive Christmas Presents pg 2 Youth Center Receives Award pg 3
RTCM Event To Discuss Marriage pg 5
Burns Night To Support Historic Church By Marcella Peyre-Ferry
Burns Night, an evening of everything Scottish in honor of poet Robert Burns’ birthday, will take place on Saturday, Jan. 25, at Historic Beale Manor in Parkesburg. The Octorara Covenanter Presbyterian Foundation will host the event. The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with a social time to fiddle music by Tom Knapp, founder of local Celtic band Fire in the Glen. Piper Thompson McConnell will also provide music throughout the evening and will lead the haggis ceremony. Haggis, a traditional Scottish dish made from a sheep’s stomach, will be part of the evening meal. It will be carried in as part of a procession that is accompanied by a reading of Burns’ “Address to the Haggis.� “People love (the ceremony). It’s kind
of a grand thing,� said Donna McCool, treasurer and event committee co-chair for the Octorara Covenanter Presbyterian Foundation. A full dinner will include a selection of Scottish foods, as well as haggis. After dinner, Clayton Margerum will present Burns’ narrative poem “Tam o’Shanter.� There will also be toasts and readings of Burns’ works. As the evening draws to a close, the entire group will join in singing Burns’ songs, ending with the classic “Auld Lang Syne.� Visitors are encouraged to get into the spirit of the evening by wearing their tartans, but it is not required. The third annual Burns Night is a fundraising event to help maintain and preserve historic Octorara Covenanter Presbyterian Church. Located at 1188 Valley Road, Quarryville, the church was originally constructed in 1752 and is considered the oldest See Burns Night pg 2
Inviting the community to Burns Night at Historic Beale Manor in Parkesburg on Jan. 25 are members of the Octorara Covenanter Presbyterian Foundation (from left) John Girvin, Donna McCool, Barry Girvin and Jonathan Welch. The event will be a tribute to Scottish poet Robert Burns.
SUPPORT GROUP
The BASIS support group,
UPCOMING MEETING
Members of the Strasburg Senior Citizens will hold their upcoming meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 15, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Strasburg Fire Hall, 203 W. Franklin St. The meeting will feature “Jukebox Memories,� a musical tribute to the oldies. The Strasburg Senior Citizens group welcomes new members from Strasburg and from Lancaster city and Lancaster County. The club offers fellowship, musical entertainment, an annual picnic, a Christmas banquet, bus tours, bingo, refreshments, and more. Visitors are always welcome. For more information, call Bill at 717-687-9072.
More Than A Shelter
Groups Spread Holiday Cheer Through Good Works
Crisis Housing To Open In Paradise
By Francine Fulton
By Ann Mead Ash
On a chilly morning in November 2019, Adam Nagle, director of The Factory Ministries in Paradise, posed a question to a group of community members preparing to tour the crisis housing facility still under construction in the basement of the Together Community Center. “If you have a mother, a 12-year-old girl, and a 16-year-old boy, and they are facing homelessness, where can you send them for help that they can keep the family together?� asked Nagle. See Crisis Housing pg 5 The
Adam Nagle (center), director of The Factory Ministries, gives a tour of the family crisis housing center that was under construction in the Together Community Center in November. The Factory hopes to open part of the center by the end of January.
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough A Honeymoon in the Hills Is Much More Than a Walk in the Woods
Requests From Your Guests Things Your Family and Friends Want You to Know (But Are Too Polite to Say)
Local Wedding Spotlights
The spirit of Christmas was evident during the 2019 holiday season as local charities, churches and other organizations took part in charitable community service projects. Oxford Presbyterian Church (OPC) once again provided the ingredients for Christmas dinners for families in need in Oxford and the surrounding community, a tradition that goes back 60 years. As part of the annual effort, food boxes were given to 137 families. For two months prior to the distribution, congregation members, local schools and Cub Scout Pack 213 collected canned goods to fill the boxes. Additionally, local merchants provided financial support. The Chester County Food Bank donated all of the turkeys to See Holiday Cheer pg 4
Mariana Izraelson (right), La Comunidad Hispana’s new chief executive officer, helped give out coats to children during the agency’s annual Warm Wishes coat distribution.
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for bereaved parents and their families, will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. The focus will be “Guilt Surrounding the Death of a Child.� Readers may call Calvary Monument Bible Church, Paradise, at 717-442-8161 for the meeting location and directions.
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