PSL Fall 2026

Pine Street Life The Newsletter of Pine Street Presbyterian Church

︱Harrisburg, PA

Fall 2026

In This Edition Welcome Home 2-4 Dates for Your Calendar 5 Music Ministry and MAPS 6-7 Blessing of the Backpacks 8 Churchtrac Attendance 10-11 Evangelism and Outreach 12-13 Many Voices, One Song 15

Welcome Home!

Pastor’s Letter Did you see The Odyssey? I admit, I’m a sucker for a summer blockbuster.

After watching it more than a few times, I jumped down a rabbit hole, consulting various translations and commentaries, and reading critiques of Nolan’s interpretation. I’m not sure why it stuck with me so much. But I also have to admit there’s something compelling, almost primally so, about the story of a person fighting to get home.

In the aftermath of traumatic violence and war, Odysseus longs to return to a place that represents life before. Only, when he gets there, he finds that home is more complicated a thing than he realized, and, ultimately, there’s no going back to the way things are before.

And in Homer’s world, surrounded by large palaces of the previous Myceneans that dwarfed anything the early Greeks could construct, the story was re-told about a past civilization that already came and went--a distant remembered home to which they could never return.

In the world of the Odyssey, not too far removed from the biblical world, hospitality (between elite men) was paramount. But, as Odysseus finds, it’s also a more complicated thing than the positive associations we have with the word “hospitality” today--something easily taken advantage of or manipulated.

The Bible is clear on the importance of hospitality, despite all of its complications, but “home” is a bit more fraught a question.

The house of God is a spiritual reality different from our own earthly pilgrimage, “for in this tent we groan, longing to be further clothed with our heavenly dwelling” (2 Corinthians 5:2).

Repeatedly, Christ calls his disciples away from the comfort of their own homes, even telling them to “hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself...” (Luke 14:26). Yeesh.

So why the name “Welcome Home Sunday” to kick off a new program year?

On the corner of Third and Pine, we find ourselves surrounded by a magnificent building once fuller than it is today. We know well the amount of work it takes to build a home and the challenges that come with fighting to maintain it in the face of world’s scarcity. In our ministry with Downtown Daily Bread right over on South Street, more and more of our neighbors fight a complicated relationships with home, and one that is bleakly simple.

But precisely because home is a spiritual reality, we can find it anywhere. And precisely because it takes work--more work than one person can bear--we find it especially at the place we gather together, where the saints who went before us started a work which goes on still today.

As Jesus says, “in my Father’s house there are many dwelling places...And you know the way to the place where I am going” (John 14:2-4).

We know the way—no cyclops, sea monster, or contending suitors required. This October, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the major building project that led to our sanctuary in its current form, when our predecessors literally “raised the roof.” There’s no going back to those days, but what is ahead is much more than we can even expect.

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Pastor’s Letter (Continued) The way forward for us is not upward—it’s outward. Because of the faithfulness of our saints, the work in front of us is not about building spaces, but building relationships—the work that makes a house, or a church, a home.

Hospitality can be a fraught thing—sometimes it’s easier to dive down the rabbit hole of housework than to simply being at home. What we do together takes work, but it’s really all about the work that God is already doing.

So, this church year, I invite you into the work of homemaking, for yourself and for others. In this edition of Pine Street Life, there are highlights of incredible ministry we’ve accomplished over the past few months and yet more opportunities to dive in. As we welcome ourselves into a deeper reality of home, may you find at Pine Street respite from the world’s stress, restlessness to face the world’s great need, and encouragement that God dwells around us and within us, always.

Yours in Christ, Stuart Seelman Pastor

Summer Highlights In July, Pine Street Elders, Deacons, and Trustees gathered for the annual Officer’s Retreat.

Sanctuary Steward and Deacon Moderator Keith Perago trains leaders on Sunday morning worship duties.

Joseph Garrison and Constance Todd facilitate a session on hospitality, and attendance-tracking.

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September Aug 30

4pm

Sept 13 Worship

Sept 18

Many Voice, One Song at Second Pres. Carlisle

11am

Welcome Home Sunday Blessing of the Backpacks Ministry Fair

6pm

Third in the Burg

October Oct 4

Oct 11 11:30am Historical Presentation and Luncheon with Kenneth Hays Oct 16

Sept 27 11:30am

Worship Stewardship Campaign Launch and Stewardship Forum Worship World Communion Sunday and World Communion Offering

6pm

Third in the Burg

Encounters Class Oct 18 Worship 50 Year Member Recognition

November Nov 1

Worship

Nov 15 Worship

Nov 20

6pm

Nov 22 Worship

Oct 25 Worship Consecration Sunday 4pm MAPS Concert

All Saint’s Day Gulliver’s Run

December

Hunger and Homelessness Sunday

Dec 1

5:30pm Hanging of the Greens

Third in the Burg

Dec 13

4pm

Service of Lessons and Carols

Service of Healing and Wholeness

Dec 18

6pm

Third in the Burg

Dec 20 Worship Christmas Joy Offering Nov 26

Thanksgiving Day Dec 24 7:30pm Christmas Eve Service

Nov 29

8am 4pm

Advent Breakfast MAPS Concert

Dec 27 Worship Hot Cocoa Carol-Sing

Every Sunday: 9am Formation, 10am Worship, 11am Fellowship

A Season to Celebrate: Music at Pine Street 2026-2027 Joseph Garrison

Music at Pine Street begins its thirty-fourth season with a special celebration: the centennial anniversary of Pine Street’s historic pipe organ.

The instrument was built by the Ernest M. Skinner Company and dedicated in October 1926 as part of the transformation that gave our sanctuary its present form. Later expanded by M. P. Möller, the organ now comprises four manuals, 83 ranks, and 5,219 pipes. Throughout the coming season, MAPS will celebrate this remarkable instrument and the musical legacy it has inspired for a century.

Our opening concert on Sunday, October 25, at 4:00 p.m. features internationally acclaimed organist David Higgs. His return is especially meaningful because he also performed during the inaugural MAPS season in 1992. A second anniversary recital later in the season will feature distinguished concert organist Damin Spritzer.

The season also offers chamber music, handbells, and congregational singing, along with Pine Street’s beloved Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, one of our largest annual events and a cherished Christmas tradition throughout the wider Harrisburg community.

Season at a Glance Organist David Higgs A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Organist Damin Spritzer The Erinys Quartet A Community Hymn Festival led by Bruce Neswick The Hershey Handbell Ensemble

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Our Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols will be presented on Sunday, December 13, at 4:00 p.m. The candlelit service brings together scripture, congregational carols, choral music, organ, brass, and percussion in celebration of Christ’s birth.

The complete season brochure, including dates and information about each artist and program, will be mailed soon. As always, admission to every MAPS concert is free, and complimentary parking is available in the South Street Garage.

Made Possible by Our Donors Music at Pine Street is sustained by the generosity of individuals and families who believe that exceptional music should be accessible to everyone. Their gifts help underwrite artist fees, travel, lodging, publicity, and other costs associated with presenting a professional concert series while allowing every program to remain free and open to the public.

We are deeply grateful to our faithful donors and invite others to join them in supporting the coming season. Gifts of any amount are welcome and may also be made in honor or in memory of someone special. When making a contribution, please designate your gift for Music at Pine Street.

Help Us Welcome Our Guests Receptions will follow each concert, and members of the congregation are invited to provide refreshments or serve as reception hosts. You may sign up during the Welcome Home Sunday event or at the Welcome Center.

To make receptions easier and allow those preparing and hosting them to attend the concerts, we recommend simple refreshments that require little preparation, serving, or cleanup. Cookies, brownies, bars, and similar items are especially welcome. A gracious reception need not involve a chafing dish!

If you’re interested in hosting a reception but have questions, please speak with a member of the MAPS Committee: Alicelyn Sleber, Barbara Neff, or David Colestock.

We also need volunteers to serve as ushers and house managers. These roles are essential to providing the warm welcome for which Pine Street is known. Please consider helping with one or more concerts during this very special season.

Join us as we celebrate one hundred years of Pine Street’s historic organ and another season of exceptional music in an extraordinary space, shared freely with our community.

Grace and peace, Joseph Garrison Minister of Music and Worship, Artistic Director of MAPS

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Giving Barrel: Blessing of the Backpacks Mission Committee Pine Street’s Giving Barrel is collecting backpacks and school supplies for Camp Curtin students in grades 6–8. As the new school year approaches, these donations will help provide local middle school students with some of the supplies they need to begin the year prepared and confident.

Requested items include: Backpacks Spiral notebooks Markers Binders Folders

Pens and pencils Colored pencils Highlighters Pencil cases Individual tissue packs

Shopping Alert!

A special thank-you goes to two of Pine Street’s “super shoppers” who have been scouting out some great backpack deals in theHarrisburg area! Here are a few options they found: Boscov’s: Puma and Champion backpacks for approximately $20.00, half-price.

Ollie’s: High Sierra backpacks for approximately $12.99. Be sure to look through them carefully to find styles and sizes that are appropriate for middle school students. Some of these same backpacks are selling for more than $30 at Boscov’s.

Costco: Puma backpacks for approximately $25.00.

Whether you purchase a backpack, a few school supplies, or simply make a contribution, every donation makes a difference. Thank you to everyone who continues to support the Giving Barrel and our community. Your generosity helps local students start the school year with the tools they need to succeed. We will bless these backpacks and school supplies in worship on September 13, Welcome Home Sunday.

If you have questions about the Giving Barrel for July and August, please contact Alicelyn Sleber.

Thank you kindly for your continued generosity and support!

Every month, members of Pine Street collect needed items in our Giving Barrel for our mission partners involved in direct service work.

Summer Highlights (Continued)

This summer, Pine Street youth Amelia Ernst, Thomas Ernst, and Ellen Kamps joined Pastor Stuart and more than 30 high schoolers in the Presbytery of Carlisle for Weave Week, learning about issues of faith and social justice, serving with local mission partners, and sharing a lot of fun along the way.

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Keeping Track, Staying Connected: A New Way to Care for our Pine Street Family Constance Todd For nearly 170 years, Pine Street Presbyterian Church has been a place where people gather—not simply to worship, but to belong. From the 42 members who formed our congregation in 1858 to the generations who have worshiped in our beautiful sanctuary, Pine Street has been shaped by people who showed up for one another.

Throughout our history, Pine Street has opened its doors to neighbors, supported those in need, and built a tradition of worship, service, and community that continues today through many ministries of care, compassion, music, and fellowship, like Downtown Daily Bread, the Homeland Center, refugee resettlement efforts, support of Camp Curtin Academy and more. At the heart of all of this is something wonderfully simple: people matter.

More Than a Headcount Christian community extends beyond Sunday mornings, and many important members of our community are not or cannot be present every Sunday. Not to mention, life happens.

So, Pine Street’s leadership is introducing a new way of keeping track of participation in worship, classes, Bible studies, small groups, and other gatherings through ChurchTrac. At first, attendance may sound like simply keeping numbers. But for us, it is about something much more meaningful: staying connected.

In addition to enabling outreach and care for all members, this will give us important information for the use of space and supplies, volunteers, and event planning. Attendance is an important tool to help us be thoughtful stewards of the time, resources, and legacies of ministry entrusted to us.

A New Tool for an Old Tradition So, starting on Welcome Home Sunday, September 13, our worship Deacons will greet you at the sanctuary entrances with iPads. Churchtrac will allow them to quickly enter your name and log your attendance, and also update your information. Visitors and guests can give their information to sign up for Around the Church and set up conversations about joining and getting involved in the life of Pine Street. Our Deacon greeters can also quickly validate parking.

This means that members and guests are requested to enter the sanctuary through one of four entrances: the Third Street Ramp Door, the corner door on Third Street and Pine Street, the Gathering Place Sanctuary entrance, and the entrance to Memorial Hallway. See the diagram on the following page.

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Thank you to our ministry leaders and volunteers who will help make this new process successful.

And thank you, members and friends of Pine Street, for adjusting to a new way to enhance our gathering.

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Pine Streeters Reaching Out: Outreach and Evangelism Committee Spring/Summer Highlights At the end of this Spring, we held two Encounters Classes for prospective and existing members, developed and led by Pastor Stuart. Joyfully, new member Killian Brady made the decision to be baptized at Pine Street and was welcomed publically in worship as a member. We plan to offer these Encounters Classes at routine intervals throughout the year and as needed to welcome new members into the life of Pine Street and to deepen the involvement of existing members. These classes give an opportunity to learn about the history, foundations and structure of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), in general, and Pine Street Presbyterian Church, specifically. It is also a time to explore our own faith journey with each other. Contact Pastor Stuart at stuart@pinestreet.org to sign up for our next Encounters Class on Sunday September 27 following 10am worship.

"We wouldn't think of asking anyone else to do Pet Blessings than you (Pine Street)!" An enthusiastic, warm affirmation from Gulliver's Run celebrating their 14th year of supporting research and treatment of canine cancers. Pine Street is honored to again provide Presence, Connection, and Blessings to the animals and their humans at Pinchot State Park. Information about Pine Street programs, including MAPS, will be shared.

Sadly, WoofStock is not occurring this year. We have enjoyed many years (Rain or Shine!) of meeting, greeting, providing blessings to the pets and people, and listening with care as people share their joys and concerns. Some folks, who have attended Lessons & Carols, MAPs or other events have mentioned they met us at WoofStock. How cool is that!

July brought the 34th annual Pride Festival and an energetic team of Pine Streeters including Pastor Stuart, Stevi Sharp, Sharon, Sally and Scott Miller, Greg Land to represent God's love, care and acceptance as we shared wonderful Origami (a la Marna) , laughter in choosing and applying "No needle tattoos" and listening. Hearing, more than once, "thank you for being kind", "Does your church believe what the loud guy with the megaphone says?", "I haven't been to a church in a long time". We extended invitations to get involved in Pine Street Life, and to "check us out " on Livestream or YouTube.

Prayer requests submitted will be prayed for by our Prayer Team and follow up will be made if contact info was given.

3rd in the Burg and "The Gallery at Pine Street" continue to be a wonderful way of connecting with people in our wider community. We have provided a lovely venue for many artist's first public installation of their artwork as well as an event to meet and greet the public and share their passion, insights & creative process. The artists often refer or recommend other artists to show their works at Pine Street. The musicians also enjoy our amazing acoustics and beautiful setting and their warm welcome.

They too recommend us to other performers and are glad to return to play. Guests appreciate the warm but "not overbearing" welcome, free light refreshments, the music, art, speaking with the artist, and a mini tour of the sanctuary.

What can YOU do? Become a "regular" at 3rd in the Burg on the 3rd Friday of the month from 6p to 8:30p, March to October, and bring a friend or a new acquaintance. Think friends from Card Club, Mahjong, Silver Sneakers, Garden Club, the hairdresser, the person next to you in any line and the person near you at the next MAPS concert...and bring them or meet them here! Say “YES” when we ask you to volunteer to be a Co-Host. We'll show you the ropes! Do you have any suggestions of artists and musicians?

Contact Beth Alwine (b_alwine@yahoo.com).

Sign up to help at any of the community events that we do to engage with our neighbors. Remember personal invitations and accompaniment MATTERS! Upcoming on our to do list is developing a way of "shepherding" long term visitors and new members, as well as examining and updating our online presence.

Welcome, Michael Tencariu!

Joseph Garrison We are pleased to welcome Michael Tencariu as Pine Street’s new Sound Technician. Michael is an audio engineer, guitarist, and composer who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Technology from Penn State University.

His experience includes recording, engineering, and producing music in a wide range of styles, from classical and jazz to rock, metal, and electronic music. At Penn State, Michael’s studies included live audio, recording techniques, mixing and mastering, spatial audio, sound synthesis, and programming for musicians.

Michael also performed as a guitarist in Penn State’s classical guitar, jazz, and rock ensembles.

Michael brings both strong technical training and broad musical experience to this important ministry.

He will oversee sound for Sunday worship and special services, helping ensure that worship can be heard clearly both in the sanctuary and through our livestream.

Please join us in welcoming Michael to Pine Street!

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More Summer Highlights

Pine Street members celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with historical presentations, a potluck luncheon, USA trivia, and patriotic songs.

Many Voices, One Song: More than Music – An Inspirational Afternoon of Worship, Food, and Connection Presbytery of Carlisle

In an age of separation and division – even among Christians – hundreds of Christians from the Presbytery of Carlisle will soon come together around Jesus and our common identity as brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s a family reunion when we’ll meet relatives we never knew we had!

Many Voices is for Everyone. Really. We want all ages and all members from EVERY congregation and new worshipping community to come. In short, we want EVERY VOICE. Most gatherings of the Presbytery of Carlisle are primarily for Pastors and Elders. Many Voices includes regular folks in the pews who may have never met other local Presbyterians outside of their congregation. Children and youth may sing with the Many Voices intergenerational choir; youth will also have special places to gather with their friends (both old friends and new).

The guest preacher for Many Voices, One Song is The Rev. CeCe Armstrong, Co-Moderator of the 226th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Many Voices, One Song will take place on Sunday, August 30 at 4pm at Second Presbyterian Church, Carlisle, 528 Garland Drive, Carlisle, justt off of I-81. Worship is at 4pm; picnic dinner will be around 5:30pm. Rain or shine.

Interested in volunteering or joining the choir? Register at the linke reached by the included QR Code Link.

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Information & Volunteer Registration