March 2022

Holy Week Schedule

Palm Sunday, April 10

Worship services at 9:00 and 11:00 am

Live-streamed service at 9:00 am from the Meeting House

One Great Hour of Sharing will be received

Maundy Thursday, April 14

Supper and communion at 6:00 pm in the Gathering Place

Good Friday, April 15

Service of Tenebrae, 8:00 pm in the Meeting House

Saturday, April 16

Easter Egg Hunt at 11:00 am - sign up here.

Easter Worship Celebration, April 17

Worship services at 9:00 and 11:00 am

Live-streamed service at 9:00 am from the Meeting House

Lenten Film Discussions

Lenten Film Discussions are being held Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm, concluding April 6. Join us on Zoom for a discussion of the classic movie “Places in the Heart,” for which Lead Actress Sally Field and Writer/Director Robert Benton won Oscars. Together, we will discuss the many Lenten themes woven together so skillfully in this beautiful and powerful film memoir of Robert Benton’s childhood in Depression-era rural Texas, including perhaps the single most powerful depiction of Christian love, forgiveness, and reconciliation on film. See the Friday announcements for more details on how to participate.

Christian Education Update

The Christian Education Committee supports the worship life of our congregation by helping Silver Spring members and friends address our inherent hunger to know and love God with our minds as well as our hearts.

Here are upcoming events from your Christian Education Committee:

• Sunday School has started for children pre-K to 12th grade. The Christian Education Committee chose the “Seasons of the Spirit” curriculum. We meet in the gym, promptly at 10:00 am following the first service. Children and parents as well are invited as we sing, pray, read scripture, tell stories, and work on projects.
• Nursery care is back! Teachers are available every Sunday during both services to watch infants and toddlers in our preschool area. Children should be 0 – 3 years old.
• The Committee is joining together with the SSPC Preschool to hold an Easter Egg Hunt at SSPC on Saturday, April 16 at 11:00 am. All children from Sunday School are invited. Please sign up at https://ttsu.me/sspceaster.
• The Committee is planning a Lenten project for Sunday school attendees during the Lenten season, a Lenten Garden, which will be delivered to those members of SSPC who cannot attend services on a regular basis. Bring your children to Sunday School and stay and help them put together their projects.
• The Committee has room for two more members. If you would like to become a member and assist with building our curriculum and events for our Sunday School classes, please contact Scott Pepperman or Laura Shoop.
• Vacation Bible School is coming in August! The dates are August 1 to August 5. Counselors from Camp Krislund will be leading. There is no cost for any child whose family is a member of SSPC. We hope to invite other local churches to join us. Look for a signup sheet in the Gathering Place, starting on March 27. There is no limit, but there will be a cutoff date, so sign up early, and bring a friend. Volunteers are needed!
• Adult Bible Study and Sunday School continues Sundays in Room 204. We have started a five-part Lenten Study by religious author Max Lucado titled, “He Chose the Nails.” For those who attended our Advent Study by the same author, you will thoroughly enjoy his Lenten Study. This course is for young adults, young adults with families, members of our Bible Study group, Adult Conversation group, and Adulting classes. We bring together the best of each, studying the scripture, making it relevant to our lives today, and enjoying the narrative by an award-winning author. Study guides are provided for all who can attend.

Join the Intergenerational Choir

Sunday School is back, and so is a time for singing! Sunday School meets in the gym at 10:00 am on Sunday mornings and is for children ranging from pre-K through 12th grade. Each Sunday we will begin with a time of praise through singing. We are hoping to create an Intergenerational Choir through this time of music for ALL ages, both children and adults. We hope you can join us for this time of worship through song. 

We will be singing in the Gathering Service with the Gathering Band the last Sunday of each month throughout the school year beginning on Sunday, March 27. We would eventually like to start singing in both the Traditional and Gathering Services as the choir continues to grow. Please contact Tracy Wieseman if you have any questions or would like more information. 

Choir Updates

The choir continues to rehearse most Wednesday evenings from 7:15 to 8:00 pm. We sing most Sundays. We are ALWAYS looking for new members. 

The choir will sing for Good Friday and Easter as our focus in rehearsals, in addition to most Sunday mornings. Come to rehearsal on Wednesday nights to join us!

The Gathering Band is always looking for singers and musicians. Please email Kyle Weary if you are interested in playing or singing!

A Note from our New

Associate Pastor

Dear Silver Spring Presbyterian Church family,

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

I am thrilled to be joining you as Silver Spring’s Associate Minister! From the first phone call with the APNC, then the meetings, it has been a wonderful, welcoming process to be able to join you all. The church’s core values resonate deeply within me, and I look forward to serving you and working with Pastor Don. Thank you for welcoming me and Randall with open arms and your wonderful hospitality.



I love working with families, children and youth – I always say that my favorite age group is the one I am with, when together, doing a Bible Study, creating a craft project or serving the community through mission outreach. My church work as a Children’s and Youth Director, Pre-K/K assistant director of a Bible Study, and a director/teacher of a secular, character-building, leadership program has involved intergenerational and family programming, which included family gatherings, game nights, mission outreach projects, Bible Studies, and even dance nights (!), involving children and youth of all ages.

I enjoy worship planning, singing in the church choir, and teaching, and providing compassionate pastoral care, prayer and special programming for all ages, for the congregations I’ve served.

Finally, I am passionate about environmental justice issues, including planting pollinator gardens, advocating for clean water systems, reducing medical debt for communities, and caring for God’s Creation. I look forward to getting to know every one of you, worshiping and serving together, and growing in faith.



With God's Love, Blessing and Peace - Lisa

SSPC Preschool 

The preschool is fully enrolled for the fall! Thank you for your continued support of our preschool!

Please join us on April 16 at 11:00 am for a church and preschool Easter Egg Hunt. Everyone is welcome! Please register by April 5 at https://ttsu.me/sspceaster to ensure there are enough eggs for everyone. In addition to the egg hunt, there will be a photo spot for families to take pictures.

April Service Project - Earth Care Weekend April 24 - 1:30 pm

We are excited to partner with the Earth Care Committee for our April service project! We will help prepare to place native plant gardens at the church! This includes loosening the soil, adding some compost or wood chips, and removing some grass. Come help us be good stewards of God's creation on April 24 at 1:30 pm!

CORE Lock In is May 20-21!

Join us for this staple event of the year! It is from 8:00 pm on May 20 to 8:00 am on May 21. This is an epic all-nighter filled with games, snacks, and fun with friends, new and old. Of course, we will have our traditional Walmart Scavenger Hunt and Sheetz run.



CORE Mission Trip to Blue Knob with Team Effort! - June 19-25

CORE Youth Ministry is going back to Blue Knob this summer! We had such a blast with Team Effort last summer, that we have decided to go back! We helped repair a fence and did some gardening for a wonderful organization called The Door. They help at-risk teens and young adults find their way in life by providing resources, tools, and skills in life to be successful! Let Bryan know if you would like to come so he can secure you a spot by emailing Bryan: [email protected] 

Mission Opportunities!

Handy Helpers is looking for small projects to do and people to help work on those projects. Please contact Jon Service or Roy McLain if you have some work that needs to be done or if you can help with work.

The Mission Committee will be sponsoring a drive for laundry supplies for the unhoused population through Christian Churches United. The drive will be ongoing with bins available to drop off items. There will be a list of needed items posted in the Gathering Place and in the weekly announcements, including laundry detergent pods, bleach pods, and fabric softener pods or sheets. The drive will end with a one-hour drive-through drop-off on Saturday, April 2 from 1:00 until 2:00 pm in the church parking lot.

Recently, the Mission Committee sent Disaster Relief money to support the Derry Presbyterian Church in their efforts to respond to the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis brought on by the invasion of Ukraine.

SSPC is Planting Natives

This spring, SSPC is adding two new gardens comprised solely of native plants. Plants native to North America are those that have grown and evolved here over time. The two gardens, which will be located on the northeast and eastern sides of the building near the preschool, will add beauty and color. In addition to the wildflower plot, these plantings will provide vital habitat and nutrients to native birds and insects, especially helping our struggling pollinators. The Earth Care Committee, joined by the CORE youth group, will meet on April 24 at 1:30 pm to prepare the soil and possibly begin planting the new gardens. All are welcome to join!