Speaking at the 40th Anniversary celebration of Don Clapper’s tenure at Pine Street, I said the following: “the music program that you built and administered here at Pine Street has been of epic proportions. We might even go so far as to say that your effort here has been heroic. Your forty years have been an Odyssey — for you have truly left a trail of wonderful musical events and happenings so numerous and of such high quality that it is hard to put it all into words. Perhaps it would be better to have a poet here today to artistically manipulate our language and words which certainly I find inadequate to encapsulate and articulate.” That was said on Sunday, May 29, 1994. I meant those words then and I believe they are applicable today, 18 years later.
Don has been called a “Renaissance man” and “a man for all
seasons.” I believe this is because he did so many things at Pine Street and he did them all well. Children, youth and adults of the church all loved him dearly and responded to him with great zeal and affection. The choirs, singing and handbell, all blossomed under his leadership. His annual summer choir camp is legendary and many who attended still speak with the greatest respect and admiration of Don and of their memorable experiences. Who can forget the many theatrical productions that he staged with children, youth and adults? He built the stage sets, designed the costumes, taught the music, and rehearsed the spoken words that resulted in standing ovations time and time again. During worship services, Don had a knack for doing the right thing
A New Direction
by Rev. Alex Lang
In early April of this year, I invited everyone from the church community to participate in a brainstorming session where we would work to develop new ideas for our mission at Pine Street. I expressed to you in my sermons during Lent that I felt we needed to a new direction with our local mission outreach here at Pine Street. Though we have had a great impact on Harrisburg with Downtown Daily Bread, our congregation is not as involved as it once was in
Happy 4th Of July!
Summer Adult Forums
July 1
Clean Politics, Clean Streams
Franklin Kury
July 8, 15, 22, & 29
Christian Faith and Interfaith Dialogue
Dr. Lee Barrett
August 5
Youth Mission Trip
Pine Street youth
August 12
Games of Faith
Joanne Smith
August 19
Prison Ministry
Dr. Charles ‘Buz’ Myers
August 26
Militant Christianity: Saints, Angels, and Martyrs in Sparkling, Colorful Glass
Ken Hays
September 2
Singing the Faith: A Look at Our New Hymnal
Ron Poorman
All forums are held at 9:40 a.m. in Fellowship Hall
MISSION
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making DDB thrive. Due to the excellent work of Elaine Strokoff and others, DDB has moved well beyond its original mission of serving meals to the poor. Therefore, I believe the stage is set for a new mission at Pine Street to reinvigorate and reenergize our congregation.
Many of you came out to this brainstorming session and presented your ideas of what we could do to better serve the city. Your input is critical in moving forward to the next stage of this process. Russell and I have grouped these ideas into several categories: Inner City Youth/Adult Population, Medical Outreach, Affordable Housing/Property, The Elderly, Violence/Crime/ Legal Intervention. Our next step is to form research teams to explore each category and how these ideas could become a reality within our congregation.
The research will involve several components. We want to know if programs already exist that are presently serving needs within the category and whether or not we can interface with those programs. If a program does not exist, we want to understand
the startup costs, time and manpower required to execute a particular idea in a category. The goal of the research team is to provide as many tangibles as possible so that we understand everything involved in pursuing a particular idea. If you have an interest in helping to research any of these categories, please contact Russell or myself and we will discuss your participation.
All of this information will be gathered over the summer and presented at another meeting (or series of meetings) in the early fall. Following this meeting, we will try to get a sense of which way the majority of the congregation is leaning in terms of where we want to invest our time. Finally, all of this will be taken to the session to be debated so that implementation of whatever idea is chosen by the session can begin promptly in 2013.
Thank you for taking the time to provide your thoughts and ideas about how we at Pine Street can better serve our community. I hope you have a wonderful summer and I look forward to seeing you at our meeting in the fall.
Session Notes for June
Session approved this year’s Garden Produce Sharing project in Gathering space.
Cremonesi Committee reported grants made of $44,800 to eight entities.
Committees reported on their work in preparing budget requests for 2013.
Dr. Sullivan is a Commissioner at the 220th General Assembly which starts June 30th in Pittsburgh, PA
Elder John Cameron elected Clerk
Thank You!
Thank you to the Worship Committee and especially Marna Holt for the doves and balloons that descended on us during the 11:00 service on May 27th. By doing this we had a visual reminder that Pentecost is more than a day to wear our red clothing! It is a day to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Greeting on the Street
I am always amazed when some DDB clients greet me on the street. They always say, ‘Hello, Elaine, how are you?” When I inquire as to their wellbeing, they reply, “Fine,” “Can’t complain,” or “Okay, thanks.” Clearly, they are not “okay” by common standards. These folks are homeless, in transition, or suffering from any number of social, psychological, or physical maladies. They often have no family or friends and they eat in a soup kitchen. Still, they reply that they are “okay.” Some folks reference the weather, acknowledging a lovely day or commenting on the heat or cold. For the most part these people do not complain. Pleasantries are exchanged in a manner not unlike any other made on the street with friends or acquaintances.
I could ask my psychologist friends what is behind this type of exchange between two people. Are we conditioned to say that all is well even when it is not? Do we think that there is no use in complaining because the other person really is not interested? Or, can I assume that some people, even those living on the street, have an optimistic and positive attitude regardless of their social standing and unfortunate situation. Some of the poorest people I know are smiling and cheerful. This is certainly a gift. I am not one of those people. I should acknowledge that I also know the clients I should not address and those who do not want eye contact. Not everyone has “the gift” of a positive attitude.
Regardless of the answers to these questions, I am grateful for the pleasant exchange of words and greetings. It gives me hope. If a poor or homeless individual can smile and wish me well or comment on the weather, then there is hope for all of us. Perhaps for a few moments we can just acknowledge one another, focus on the positive, forget our troubles, and try to smile.
Peace! Elaine
Trustee Notes for May
Recognized that Chantal Atnip is stepping down as treasurer after faithfully serving for 21 years. Bob Wilson will take her place. All trustees are thankful for and appreciative of her work.
Thanked those trustees whose terms have ended: Roger Olson, Bill Mader, and Chantal Atnip.
Reviewed grants awarded by the Cremonesi Committee totaling $44,800.
Approved a change order to the contract with Restore N’ More concerning the outdoor sign boards.
Approved a proposal by Accurately Created to replace a defective drain in the rubber roof on the west side of the sanctuary.
3rd Annual
Junior High Youth
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at the right time. It was instinctive. He was a master at creating the drama, but always prayerfully while giving the glory to God. I cannot resist naming a few of the hymns and moments in worship that have been so meaningful to me and probably to many others who sang in the Chancel Choir or participated as part of the congregation. Here is my list:
• the hymn God of Our Fathers when Don would raise the key one-half step for each verse beginning with the dramatic trumpet fanfare
• his rich organ registration for the hymn O Sacred Head Now Wounded
• his gradual building-up of the organ as Marie Herbert so beautifully sang O Holy Night during the Christmas Eve service — the two of them leaving us breathless at the fortissimo conclusion
• his crescendo and swelling of the organ on the fourth stanza of When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
• the haunting dirge that Don improvised at the conclusion of the Tenebrae service complete with the slow tolling of the bell in the tower as the congregation left for their homes in silence
• his version of Joy to the World at the conclusion of the Christmas Eve service with all the Handbell Choir members wildly ringing with the tower bells rapidly descending the scale along with the full organ swelling to its loudest
• his version of the earthquake during the Dubois The Seven Last Words of Christ
• his organ registrations for Barber’s Adagio for Strings, and Handel’s Thanks Be To Thee
• the Primary Choir singing The Palms each year on Palm Sunday
• the combined choirs singing Come Gather ‘Round the Christmas Tree at the conclusion of the Tree of Carols Service
These represent a few of the many grand moments those of us who were privileged to sing and worship with Don experienced whether in the choir or in the congregation. I am certain that many of you who read this article will recall moments that you would add to this list.
Floor Refinishing in the Sanctuary
by George Kunkle
This summer the property committee is having the wood floors in the sanctuary refinished. The company refinishing the floors will not move the pews, therefore, the members of the congregation are being asked to help. They will not all be moved at the same time because the large pews cannot be removed from the sanctuary. The small pews will be removed one section at a time to Fellowship Hall and the large pews moved out of the way.
A schedule has been developed for moving the pews around and people will be asked to sign up to help as many times as possible. Pews need to be moved on:
• June 24th after church
• July 8th after church
• Saturday, July 14th beginning at 9:00 a.m.
• Friday, July 27th beginning at 10:00 a.m.
• July 29th after church
• Wednesday, August 1st beginning at 10:00 a.m.
• Friday, August 10th beginning at 10:00 a.m.
A signup sheet will be available at the Welcome Center.
I cannot conclude without mentioning the significant contribution Don made to Pine Street through his research and publication regarding the stained glass windows of the church building. What a great gift he gave to the church — for those of us who are members now and for generations to come.
Don was a great conductor, organist par excellence, teacher, mentor, role-model and friend to so many of us. Yet, the title Don chose for himself at Pine Street really says it all — Minister of Music. He was the greatest — and I consider it a great privilege to have been a part of the Don Clapper years at Pine Street, the church he loved so much.
Congratulations Class of 2012!
High School College
Sarah Anderson
Cumberland Valley High School
Sarah graduated from Cumberland Valley High School. She will attend Shippensburg University.
William Clark-Jones Family Foundation School
Will graduated from the Family Foundation School in Hancock, NY. He will be attending Centre College in Danville, KY.
Aaron Davis
Cumberland Valley High School
Aaron graduated from Cumberland Valley High School where he received the Distingushed Technology Education Award. He will attend Millersville University this fall, majoring in technology education.
Samuel Guenin
Lancaster Country Day School
Sam graduated from Lancaster Country Day School. He will attend the College of Architecture at Washington University in Kansas City, MO.
Andrew Guenin University of Pennsylvania
Andy received a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He has accepted a position with BlackRock, Inc., an investment firm in NYC doing financial modeling.
David Sullivan Case Western Reserve University
David received a BS in biochemistry from Case Western Reserve University. This summer he is working in Cleveland and this fall will begin his studies at Case Western toward a master’s degree in public health.
Pine Street Mission Sharing & Caring
Mission Trip to Tohono O-Odham Indian reservation in Sells, AZ April 7, 2012
Bill Bauer, Terry Seaton, Barb Seaton, Corky Mendez, Gretchen Ballaard, Matt Tingler, Sarah Pearce
Tour of Mission Central, Mechanicsburg
April 19, 2012
Shirley Leisure, Jo Dolbin, Jack Leisure, Sandy Cameron, John Cameron
Rebuilding Together Harrisburg
April 28, 2012
Matt Tingler, Bret Kern, Norriene Koozer, Barb Seaton, homeowner, Dorothy, members of the Unitarian Universalist church of Harrisburg, Terry Seaton
New Member Picnic Bob & Judy Hall’s house
June 3, 2012
Cheryl Goode, Jennifer Garman, Nathan Garman, Joanne Winger, Mikell Worley, Maxwell Sastre, Jackie Sastre, Joann Smith, John Goode
News From Our Church Family
Samuel Guenin, a senior at Lancaster Country Day, won a National Gold Key for his oil painting, "Wooden Bowl." It was on display at the Parsons New School For Design in Manhattan as part of Scholastic’s national Art.Write.Now.2012 exhibition.
Chelsea Hartman, a student at Ithaca College, received the Most Promising Student award for a freshman in her major, Communication Management & Design. She was selected as the recipient for her work in her classes, her participation in extracurricular activities, and her academic achievement, ending the year with a 3.92 GPA.
Bud Evans Memorial Garden Path
by Cheryl Goode
As some of you may know just about one year ago my in-laws moved into “The Woods at Cedar Run”. This is a lovely retirement place that serves those who are quite able to live on there own, and for those who need a little help. The feeling you get when you are there is this is home. They have many daily activities for the residents, and encourage families to come for events throughout the year as well. You are always greeted with a smile and a warm welcome.
The name “The Woods” amply describes the cozy setting on which
Freshman Allison Hartman pitched a perfect game during her high school softball team’s district playoff on May 18. She was featured on the front cover of The Patriot News’ sports section and in an article about the game. Allison also received the awards of Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player of the Susquehanna Township High School softball team for the 2012 season. She also was nominated to the Mid Penn All Stars 1st Team and the Mid Penn Conference Top 11 2nd Team.
the building is located. All around the building are lush greens, flowers and trees. There is a gazebo to sit in and take in all the beauty. Around the back of the building is a stream which babbles its way along rocks and is filled with ducks! Currently a landscaping project was done by member Scott Evans, son of Bud Evans, on the back patio. He designed a Memorial Garden path and has placed and dedicated a bench in Bud’s honor. Bud Evans was a long-time member of Pine Street church and lived at the Woods for many years later in his life.
Deaths
Georgetta Brickner
September 4, 1920May 15, 2012
Jean Dunlap
September 7, 1927May 22, 2012
Donald Clapper
October 6, 1928May 29, 2012
The family of Hays Dunlap would like to take this opportunity to express their gratitude to each of you who helped.
Jean endured these last few months with grace and her usual thoughtfulness. May you all receive God’s Blessing and Grace.
Pine Street Life (USPS 574-510) is published monthly by Pine Street Presbyterian Church, 310 North Third Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101. Periodicals Postage paid at Harrisburg, PA 17105. Postmaster: Send address changes to Pine Street Life, Pine Street Presbyterian Church, 310 North Third Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101.
