Octorara townlively.com
DECEMBER 15, 2021
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL XXXI • NO 43
Church To Present Live Nativity, Holiday Services BY FRANCINE FULTON
Impact Church, 101 E. First Ave., Parkesburg, will present a live Nativity drive-through on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 18 and 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. The event will feature live animals, music, characters and scenes that will transport visitors back to the first Christmas. Participants can enjoy the free event from the warmth of their John Walton (left) and Timothy Kirk light candles during a contemplative worship service held on Christmas Eve at the Sadsbury Friends Meeting House in Gap.
cars. The program will be about six minutes in length, during which time attendees can listen to a narrative via a phone or computer tablet. “They will click on a link to our website that will open up a YouTube audio,” explained Linda Wendling, administrative assistant at Impact Church. “There will be a sign at the entrance that tells them the website or a QR code they can scan. They will need a smart device.” See Live Nativity pg 5
Constructed in 1747, the Sadsbury Friends Meeting House is one of the oldest houses of worship in Lancaster County.
Sadsbury Friends Meeting To Host Christmas Eve Program he Sadsbury Friends Meeting House, which was constructed in 1747, making it one of the oldest houses of worship in Lancaster County, will be site of the sixth Contemplative Christmas Eve program on Friday, Dec. 24, from 4 to 5 p.m. The event will include candle lighting, a time of silent prayer, a poetry reading, readings from Scripture and music. The event was canceled in 2020 but is resuming this year. According to www.sadsburyfriendsmeeting.org, the quiet, thoughtful program is designed as a “contrast to the modern consumer culture that surrounds the Christmas season.” The underlying theme for the program will be “Light in the Darkness” as told through the traditional Swedish legend “The Christmas Rose.” “We have divided the story into four parts, and each part (will be) read by a different reader,” said Connie Webster, a member of the Meeting. “This will be interspersed with music and a few moments of silence.”
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Following the service, weather permitting, the group will gather outside for refreshments and fellowship. “We usually have people go downstairs to the community room, but we are not doing that this year,” Webster said, adding that the Christmas Eve program is open to all, but because of the pandemic attendance is limited. To register for the event, visit www.eventbrite.com and search for “Contemplative Christmas Eve Program.” A link to register is also available at www.sadsburyfriends meeting.org/events. Following CDC guidelines, masks are strongly recommended, and every attendee will be asked to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test taken within the last 72 hours. The Sadsbury Friends Meeting House, 1089 Simmontown Road, Gap, is located one half-mile east of Route 41. For more information, visit the previously mentioned website or search for “Sadsbury Friends Meeting” on Facebook. E HOURS
weekdays 8AM to 6PM
saturdays 8AM to 5PM
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Engle Printing Co
Closing at 3pm on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve
Impact Church will present a live drive-through Nativity.
Brandywine YMCA Names New Executive Director
Diabetic Eye Disease Information Posted . . . . . .2
BY FRANCINE FULTON
Business Directory . . . . . .8
“When I think of the YMCA as a wellness facility, there is so much more than coming to work out,” stated Jess Rigo, who was recently named the executive director of the Brandywine YMCA in Coatesville. “It’s about your mental health and physical well-being, being connected to community and having a safe place where kids can come after school.
Art Association Honors Award Winners . . . . . . . . .9
See Brandywine YMCA pg 4
Gifts for everyone on your list!
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Community Calendar . . . .3 House Of Worship . . . . . . .6
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .9
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The fireplace will be lit in the meetinghouse for the occasion, and the entire event will take place by candlelight. “When we start at 4 p.m. there is still some light outside, and we light a few candles on our candle tables early in the program,” said Webster. “We have three times when attenders - the congregation - can come up and light little tea lights. By the end, the rooms have a soft illumination.” Those who have never visited the Quaker meetinghouse will notice that the building has a partition in the middle of the main floor, dividing it into two rooms. “They used to have separate men’s and women’s business meetings, so they made these movable partitions,” Webster explained. “They are in the center of the building. They could shut them and open them for worship. “Since we are a small group at Sadsbury, we usually just use the one room for our regular Sunday worship every week,” she added. “(For the Christmas Eve event) people will space out and we will open the partition.”
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BY FRANCINE FULTON