Bagels & Belief
January 5, 2014
Education Crisis?
Or is Poverty the Real Problem?
Rev. Sandra Strauss
February 2, 2014
Topic TBD
Rev. Sandra Strauss
All forums are held at 9:40 am in Fellowship Hall
kitchen during my interview for the DDB coordinator positon. I looked across the sea of faces eating in the dining room. Brenda must have seen the concern in my face. She said to me in a hushed voice, “don’t be scared, honey, you’ll do ok.”
Nineteen years is a long time to keep a good working relationship with a coworker. I think it was a testament to our mutual respect for one another and for our respect for the work. Brenda always knew that the most important thing in her job was consistency. The lunch had to be prepared; people had to be fed. That was the bottom line. Personalities, squabbles, politics, as uncertain as the weather, were of little consequence when one looked at the bigger picture; people were hungry and they had to have lunch.
Session Notes
Adopted a revised budget for 2014: Income $811,139
Expenditures $797,732
Approved further changes as proposed by Presbytery to Agreement for Commissioned Ruling Elder Kegerise
Determined to not disestablish position of Associate Pastor.
Brenda knew the meaning of kindness. She preached it with her hands. When a worker would stop by the kitchen on his way to work because he would miss lunch, Brenda would serve him coffee and bread, and pack him a little something to go for lunch. When a mother came to the kitchen with children, they never left without a little; something to hold them over until the next day.
When a baby came into the kitchen, Brenda knew to alert me immediately so that we could determine whether or not that baby had shelter, food, was receiving proper care. Before we had counselors at DDB there were many days when we went home 1 or 2 hours late because we had to make arrangement for a mother and her children.
Brenda knew her customers. She knew who was with whom, who was on drugs or alcohol, who had been incarcerated, who had a bad home life, who was smart, who couldn’t read, who lived on the streets, and who wasted his welfare check. She was part of the community. She helped the counselors and me keep abreast of our clients and helped us better understand them as individuals.
Make that New Year resolution and then keep it by having Breakfast with the Pine Street Men for "the best breakfast in town" on Saturday, January 11 This will be a time of fellowship and discussion. What a great way to start off the new year.
Brenda worked hard all of her life. She worked as a maid, a custodian, and then as the DDB cook and kitchen supervisor. After 28 years she deserves a rest and she deserves our thanks. As Senator Brubaker expressed to me in a note after a visit to DDB, “Elaine, you and your team (Brenda) have no doubt, made G-d Smile.” Brenda made everyone smile. I, along with the DDB staff, volunteers, and clients will miss Brenda more than we can say. We wish her all the best in her retirement.
New in the DDB Kitchen
by Elaine Strokoff
Please welcome the new full time cook/kitchen supervisor at Downtown Daily Bread. His name is Kobie White. Kobie trained with Brenda for the past several months, learning her special technique and menus. He also earned his Save Food Certification through the Central PA Food Bank. Kobie is eager to meet volunteers as well as clients and very much wants to carry on the DDB tradition of serving wholesome, nutritious food to all in need. Kobie knows that he has large “shoes to fill” in Brenda’s absence and he is dedicated to meet that challenge. Please give Kobie White a warm welcome when you meet him in the DDB kitchen.
Remember. . .
Prayer request cards are now in the pew racks. Just fill them out and place them in the collection plate.
Mr. Jimmie Cobb has stepped into the position of part time cook and weekend/holiday cook at DDB. Jimmie has a love of cooking and is thrilled to be a part of Downtown Daily Bread. He and his brother owned their own restaurant for a time in Chicago, Illinois. Jimmy has also held many other cooking positions over the years. Please wish Jimmy well as he works hard to keep the doors open at DDB on the weekends and holidays. I know that you will offer him your special welcome and support when you meet him at DDB.
Thank you all for supporting DDB & the DDB team…You are a part of us!
Best wishes for a Happy, Healthy New Year from the DDB staff to all of you!
Some of us begin the year by making resolutions with hopes of improving our lives in various ways. Many women have found that the Pine Street Women’s Retreat will do just that. You should make attending this year’s retreat a priority, and sign up now before your schedule gets too full and/or your bank balance too low. It really is an investment that will provide dividends in fellowship, education, and spiritual growth.
This year’s speaker, Debbie McKinley, is Senior Pastor of Lewinsville Presbyterian Church in Maryland. She was an Associate Pastor at Pine Street from 1982 until 1991. She was the first female called as a pastor by any church in Carlisle Presbytery. Those who know her are very excited to have this dynamic woman as our retreat leader this year. Don’t miss this opportunity.
Sign-ups have begun at the Welcome Center. Add your name to the list. You will be glad that you did.
Trustee Notes
Debbie Olson presented the concept for the Urban Vegetable Garden project. Trustees approved funds to obtain the necessary permits.
In 2014 Pine Street will increase the fees paid by DDB for administrative services and use of the building.
Three electric panels were replaced. It is hoped that this final correction will allow us to get insurance in 2014.
The leak in Memorial Hall is under contract to be fixed.
Pine Street Women’s Retreat
Speaker: Rev. Deborah McKinley
Topic: “Hitting the Pause ButtonSabbath Rest”
March 14, 15, 16, 2014 Friday 6:30 PM until Sunday 1:00 PM Camp Hebron, Halifax, PA
Cost: $175 including 2 nights, 5 meals
Motel-like accommodations
various items of office furniture, including numerous used (but still highly usable) task chairs, donated by Canon USA when they reorganized their local office space. Thanks to the quick thinking of Linda McLaughlin — and the heavy lifting efforts of the Planning Committee’s then Chair, Alex Lang (along with considerable help from the current one!) in collecting and moving everything to the church — we are able to reduce our estimated costs for furnishing certain instructional areas of the Center while repurposing items that might otherwise either have been destroyed or sent off to a landfill.
Another very beneficial lead for an in-kind contribution came from Frank Meehan whose association with Central Penn College put the Committee in touch with Tim Carraher, Central Penn’s IT Director, who immediately offered a good number of used computers as well as several monitors and a variety of related peripherals, all of which are now in our possession. While these may not all be the very latest technology, they are still perfectly acceptable for our classroom use and, more importantly, will allow us to begin providing instruction sooner rather than later. During our conversations, Tim Carraher not only expressed both his own interest in this project, but also Central Penn’s possible willingness to provide ongoing assistance to the Pine Street ALC Center, perhaps with faculty or student volunteer help with technical needs and/or computer literacy instruction. He sees this as the kind of valuable institutional collaboration that would continue Central Penn’s long tradition of engagement in the local community, a commitment which has been enthusiastically endorsed by Dr. Karen Scolforo, the college’s newly installed president.
And Now, Even Better News! Having received these grants and donations, the time has come to expand the planning process and to directly incorporate our most valuable resources — the members of the Pine Street community who have volunteered to offer their time and talents to bring the Center’s mission to fruition. With this in mind, the Planning Committee and the volunteer learning facilitators met together for the first time in December. This was an exciting opportunity to share the good news of the fundraising and other outreach activities as well as to re-emphasize the actual need for this Center as articulated by Jeff Woodyard, Executive Director of Tri-County OIC. Volunteers were able to ask questions and to begin to provide their own input, particularly with respect to teaching materials needs and selection, in-house training workshops,
Craig Kegerise to Become Commissioned Ruling Elder
Dr. Russell Sullivan, Pastor
You have seen Craig Kegerise on many a Sunday assisting in worship. He has been an outstanding addition to our worship leadership on Sundays. But now Craig is stepping up to wider responsibilities in the life of our congregation.
Several years ago Craig expressed an interest in becoming a Commissioned Lay Pastor (now called Commissioned Ruling Elders, or CRE’S) in our presbytery. A CRE receives special training in preaching, theology, and biblical studies, in order to be commissioned to serve a specific congregation that is without the services of an ordained minister. Craig has always wanted to offer these services, however, to Pine Street. With the support of Session and the approval of the Presbytery of Carlisle, Craig will become a Commissioned Ruling Elder for Pine Street. His service here will be a great help to us in this period of time in which we are making decisions about our future. His particular responsibilities will include occasional preaching, officiating at the Lord’s Supper, leading the confirmation class, directing a program of home communion, and assisting in the leadership of one of our outreach programs. This is not a replacement for the associate pastor position. Session still has decisions to make about that position. In fact, Craig’s commission is for a limited time and duration, but it will be an important contribution to our work. And it is wonderful to see an elder, like Craig, grow in faith, knowledge, and service!
Craig will be commissioned at the next meeting of the Carlisle Presbytery on February 25, 2014. Give him your heartfelt congratulations and gratitude for his contribution to Pine Street’s mission.
identification of possible outside consultants, and other essential preparatory and instructional issues. Subcommittees for these and other topics will be formed and start working as soon as possible in the New Year.
There is still time for even more Pine Streeters to get involved and to make their own contributions to this initiative. If you are aware of funding and/or equipment resources for the ALC or are interested in becoming a volunteer learning facilitator, please contact Kathleen White, ALC Planning Committee Chair. You can reach her by email at just.for.kwhite@gmail.com or by telephone at 717-737-4073 (be sure to leave a message if you don’t reach her when you call.)
January, 2014
8:30
8:30
9:40
Wednesday, January 1
Psalms 98; 147:1–11
Isaiah 62:1–5, 10–12
Revelation 19:11–16
Matthew 1:18–25
Thursday, January 2
Psalms 48; 147:12–20
1 Kings 19:1–8
Ephesians 4:1–16
John 6:1–14
Friday, January 3
Psalms 111; 148
1 Kings 19:9–18
Ephesians 4:17–32
John 6:15–27
Saturday, January 4
Psalms 20; 149
Joshua 3:14–4:7
Ephesians 5:1–20
John 9:1–12, 35–38
Sunday, January 5
2nd Sunday after Christmas Day
Psalms 99; 150
1 Kings 3:5–14
Colossians 3:12–17
John 6:41–47
Monday, January 6
Epiphany of the Lord
Psalms 72; 145
Isaiah 49:1–7
Revelation 21:22–27
Matthew 12:14–21
Tuesday, January 7
Psalms 46 or 97; 146
Deut. 8:1–3
Colossians 1:1–14
John 6:30–33, 48–51
Lectionary Readings for January
Wednesday, January 8
Psalms 46 or 47; 147:1–11
Exodous 17:1–7
Colossians 1:15–23
John 7:37–52
Thursday, January 9
Psalms 46 or 47; 147:12–20
Isaiah 45:14–19
Colossians 1:24–2:7
John 8:12–19
Friday, January 10
Psalms 46 or 47; 148
Jer. 23:1–8
Colossians 2:8–23
John 10:7–17
Saturday, January 11
Psalms 46 or 47; 149
Isaiah 55:3–9
Colossians 3:1–17
John 14:6–14
Sunday, January 12
Baptism of the Lord
Psalms 104; 150
Genesis 1:1–2:3
Ephesians 1:3–14
John 1:29–34
Monday, January 13
Psalms 5; 145
Genesis 2:4–9 (10–15) 16–25
Hebrews 1:1–14
John 1:1–18
Tuesday, January 14
Psalms 42; 146
Genesis 3:1–24
Hebrews 2:1–10
John 1:19–28
Wednesday, January 15
Psalms 89:1–18; 147:1–11
Genesis 4:1–16
Hebrews 2:11–18
John 1:(29–34) 35–42
Thursday, January 16
Psalms 97; 147:12–20
Genesis 4:17–26
Hebrews 3:1–11
John 1:43–51
Friday, January 17
Psalms 51; 148
Genesis 6:1–8
Hebrews 3:12–19
John 2:1–12
Saturday, January 18
Psalms 104; 149
Genesis 6:9–22
Hebrews 4:1–13
John 2:13–22
Sunday, January 19
2nd Sunday after Epiphany
Psalms 19; 150
Genesis 7:1–10, 17–23
Ephesians 4:1–16
Mark 3:7–19
Monday, January 20
Psalms 135; 145
Evening: Pss. 97; 112
Genesis 8:6–22
Hebrews 4:14–5:6
John 2:23–3:15
Tuesday, January 21
Psalms 123; 146
Genesis 9:1–17
Hebrews 5:7–14
John 3:16–21
Wednesday, January 22
Psalms 15; 147:1–11
Genesis 9:18–29
Hebrews 6:1–12
John 3:22–36
Thursday, January 23
Psalms 36; 147:12–20
Genesis 11:1–9
Hebrews 6:13–20
John 4:1–15
Friday, January 24
Psalms 130; 148
Genesis 11:27–12:8
Hebrews 7:1–17
John 4:16–26
Saturday, January 25
Psalms 56; 149
Genesis 12:9–13:1
Hebrews 7:18–28
John 4:27–42
Sunday, January 26
3rd Sunday after Epiphany
Psalms 67; 150
Genesis 13:2–18
Galatians 2:1–10
Mark 7:31–37
Monday, January 27
Psalms 57; 145
Genesis 14:(1–7) 8–24
Hebrews 8:1–13
John 4:43–54
Tuesday, January 28
Psalms 54; 146
Genesis 15:1–11, 17–21
Hebrews 9:1–14
John 5:1–18
Wednesday, January 29
Psalms 65; 147:1–11
Genesis 16:1–14
Hebrews 9:15–28
John 5:19–29
Thursday, January 30
Psalms 143; 147:12–20
Genesis 16:15–17:14
Hebrews 10:1–10
John 5:30–47
Friday, January 31
Psalms 88; 148
Genesis 17:15–27
Hebrews 10:11–25
John 6:1–15
