Octorara townlively.com
MARCH 8, 2023
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL XXXIII • NO 1
Octorara field hockey team sets clothing drive, clinic BY FRANCINE FULTON
Members of the Octorara field hockey team are currently gathering donations of clothing, shoes, accessories, household items and stuffed animals. Items are being collected on Wednesdays through May 31, weather permitting, at the blue field hockey concession stand, located next to the Octorara Elementary School,
104 Highland Road, Atglen. Items should be placed in plastic garbage bags. In the event of rain, bags should be brought back for donation on the following Wednesday. “This is our third year collecting items (as a team fundraiser),” said field hockey coach Christina Ruth, who is also a special education teacher at Octorara Junior-Senior High School. “Last year, we collected over 400 bags.” See Octorara field hockey pg 2
Leading Parkesburg Mennonite Church is the pastoral team of Elvin Kennel (left), Wendy Kennel (center) and James Westmoreland.
BY FRANCINE FULTON
hile most church members turn to their pastor for leadership and guidance, congregation members at Parkesburg Mennonite Church actually benefit from a pastoral team of three, which has been put in place to meet their needs and guide them into the future. Members of the pastoral team are James Westmoreland, former pastor at Newlinville Mennonite Church in Coatesville, and Elvin and Wendy Kennel, who are associate pastors credentialed through LMC, formerly known as the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. The team assumed its duties on Nov. 1, 2022, to replace J.W.
served as pastor of Newlinville until it closed in 2018. Elvin and Wendy raised their two children in the church and have been part of the church community for the last 22 years, serving in various roles in the church. Elvin is the former principal of West Fallowfield Christian School and Lancaster Mennonite High School, and Wendy is a registered nurse who spent most of her career in home health nursing. Each has assumed his or her own roles in the church. “James preaches twice a month and I preach once a month,” said Elvin. “Wendy does worship planning and leading, and I do more of the administrative (work). We all give some pastoral care.”
Freedom Life to host Daddy-Daughter Dance BY FRANCINE FULTON
The FL Kids Team at Freedom Life Church will host a Daddy-Daughter Dance on Friday, March 17, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The event, which will feature a ’50s Sock Hop theme, is open to girls accompanied by their fathers, grandfathers or uncles. FL Kids director Gina Turk said this is the fifth time that the event has been hosted by the church. Because more than 260 people attended last year, the dinner and
See Pastoral team pg 8
dancing portions of the ending will be separated. “It was tight (last year), so we are going to have dinner and dessert downstairs in the large auditorium and the dance party in the elementary auditorium,” she said. “For dinner, it will be diner style - burgers, hot dogs and fries and ice cream bars and root beer floats for dessert.” Attendees will enjoy games and activities throughout the evening, and there will be a photo booth available. See Daddy-Daughter Dance pg 4
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Sprunger, who had to step out of ministry to care for his wife, who was dealing with a serious illness. “We have a bishop that met with the congregation, and through it all, it became evident that the three of us would (become the pastoral team),” said Elvin. “We stepped up in new ways. We felt like the Holy Spirit was nudging each of us and saying, ‘Here is where you should be.’” “We were already doing some leadership roles,” Wendy added. “Elvin and James had been leading worship, and I had been playing piano and doing music and visitation.” Westmoreland was an English teacher in the Coatesville Area School District for 32 years and
The Octorara field hockey team is holding a clothing drive and planning a hockey clinic for youths.
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Pastoral team leads Parkesburg Mennonite Church