It was a spectacular musical, we are told, presented by Elizabethtown College in their Leffler Chapel Performance Center, scheduled, fortunately, in between our two major snow storms.  Our own Debra Ronning Ritsch of the faculty music department was the featured pianist.

         Our sympathy to Ann Gecelosky and family on the death the Ann’s father, Bruce Kegerize.  Many of our members would not know that Ann’s family were Donegal members during her childhood, so many of us knew her family well.  And we like to think that we helped encourage Ann’s artistry of the piano and organ for which we now benefit and are truly grateful.

         A recent news article on backyard fruit growing featured Tim Elkner who is Lancaster County Senior Agricultural agent and has long been involved in growing fruit trees and grafting to produce new varieties.

         We commend Beth Sturgis on her being on the dean’s list her first year at Shippensburg University.  We also note that Richard Koetzle can be very proud of his grandson, James Yarnell who is captain of E-town Area High School’s Brainbuster team. They are doing very well in competition.

         English Presbyterian Church at Marietta now has a new stated supply pastor, the Rev. Allison J. Beaulieu, their second woman pastor.  In addition to their worship services, the Marietta church invites anyone to attend their monthly Saturday breakfasts, next one, Feb. 27, 8 to 10 a.m., and their occasional Gatherings, a coffeehouse event with music, games and fun for the whole family.

         You may have heard that Penn State's latest dance marathon "Thon", raised $7.8 million, nearly $348 thousand more than last year.  But are you aware of the Donegal connection?  The fund was begun in 1972 by Charles and Irma Millard, Terry Millard's uncle, in memory of their son, Chris, who died at age 14 of cancer. Since the fund was taken over by Penn State, they have raised almost $70 million in support of more than 2,000 families of children with pediatric cancer being treated at Penn State Milton Hershey Children's Hospital.

         Regarding women in many top governing roles, we now, suddenly, have women as mayors in three of our four surrounding cities, also the new head of Donegal Presbytery, the Supervising Principal of Elizabethtown Area Schools, and Elizabethtown Borough Manager are women.  All these offices were formerly dominated by men.  Have they voluntarily taken a back seat?   

Mount Joy’s Milanof-Schock Library is requesting a copy of our Donegal Church history to add to their collection of local history in collaboration with the 250^th anniversary celebration that Maytown is observing this year. It is most appropriate that Donegal should be included as our church and community were already here almost 40 years earlier.  Don and Joan Betty, whose daughter-in-law has a library position there, will be presenting the book published in 1995 by the Donegal Society.  We have copies of the book still available for sale at $20. 

Those attending Donegal’s Lenten Series are appreciating a nice variety of tasty food, but more importantly young and older are learning a lot from the DVD, “Walking the Bible.”  The series began Ash Wednesday breaking bread agape style remembering Jesus and his life given for our redemption, all leading up to our Easter celebration.

 

What good things have you seen or heard recently?

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“HISTORY   MATTERS”

 

 

            There is a vacancy in our narthex to be filled due to the lending of our old communion table to the Winterthur Museum near Wilmington, Del.  They also are borrowing three pieces of our pewter communion service, which has been kept in the bank vault for many years, except when removed for special observances.

            Representatives from the museum visited Donegal last June to see and thoroughly inspect our table.  It is definitely from the 18th century with church legend saying it was first used in our log building of 1721, along with the one chair—the one that shows signs of much wear and replacement of the seat. (The other is a recent reproduction made by Jim Hindman.) The table and chair then were probably used in our present stone building until 1772 when a large walnut tree was sawed into boards and given to the church to construct a pulpit.  This was placed high on the side wall with a sounding board overhead.  Pews at that time faced the northwest wall with the double doors toward the cemetery being the only entrance. The 1851 remodeling moved the pulpit to its present position, somewhat lower and without the sounding board.

            The Winterthur representatives came again more recently to see our pewter communion service, identified as being made in London in the 1700’s.  It includes four plates, unusual and more valuable for their fluted edges, four chalices, and two large flagons. The museum is borrowing one piece of each for this special exhibit, Furniture of Southeastern Pennsylvania, 1725-1850.  It will run at Winterthur from April through December 2011.  We are certain that our “treasures” are highly insured and will receive the utmost special care.  We are honored by their appreciation, and grateful that we have been able to preserve these items these many years.

            Regarding the interior of our church prior to the 1851 remodeling, there is a church near Chambersburg named Rocky Spring that was closed more than a century ago, and the interior has remained exactly as it was originally.  That interior is almost identical to that of Donegal before 1851.  It was included on a tour of historic churches a number of years ago by a group from Donegal and walking into it was just as though it was “long ago” Donegal.

 

 

            We have learned that Rocky Spring church is now under the care of the DAR and is open the second Sunday of June at 3 p.m. with a special service. If there would be any interest in attending this service and also seeing other sights of the area, please speak to Kurt Enck, chair of Donegal Historians, regarding the possibility of several cars going.

            Some items of interest “came to light” recently when Al Withers found two old deeds that had been put into his safekeeping back in the 1960’s by Pat Fridy, when he and probably Al also were church elders.  The large documents are parchment and in excellent condition. One is the deed for 208 acres of the church “glebe” land sold to James Moorhead, a member of the congregation in 1787. Decision to sell that portion was due to church financial difficulties. What remained was a 30-acre area.

            The second deed was for a tract of land in the name of the Wilsons, quite likely one of the two shown on the warrantee map that would have been on either side of Colebrook Road and extending from the church area almost to what is now Rheems. 

            Paula Leicht is looking into the best method of framing these beautiful old documents so they can be viewed but also remain well preserved.  Meanwhile they have been put in the vault with other church valuables. 

Carol Compton had the pleasure of attending the first event of the year long celebration of the 300th anniversary of the first permanent European settlers in Lancaster County as presented by the Lancaster County Mennonite Society.

There was a more than capacity crowd in attendance for the joyous celebration featuring numerous denominations and nationalities, with every type of music and song.  Those from other countries expressed their gratitude in being able to come here with their families.  Carol found it a very moving service.

 

                                                   Mary Karnes