SCPC Weekly Update - October 8, 2026

The Weekly Update

October 8, 2026

Join us for Worship

Sunday, October 11, 2026

9:00 am - Sunday Childcare Available through age 3 in Room 101

9:30 am - Worship Service

Children, Worship, & Song will take place in Room 11 after the Children's Message

10:30 am - Exploration Hour

Read below for more on:

Events and Opportunities this Week
Upcoming Events
This Week's Prayer Concerns
Beyond SCPC

Events and Opportunities this Week

Director of Family Ministries Job Opening

With Deannine Shipman’s retirement at the end of August, we are searching for our next Director of Family Ministries.

This position will help lead and support our ministries with children, youth, and families, including Sunday programming, LOGOS, FISH, special events, retreats, and more. We are excited to find someone who will join our staff team, build meaningful relationships with our families, and help our children and youth grow in faith and experience God’s love.

If you are interested in the position, or know someone who may be a good fit, please share this opportunity with them. You can find the full position description, qualifications, salary information, and application details on our website.

Game Day Parking Fundraiser

On PSU home football Saturdays, full-day parking will be offered in the church parking lot on a first-come, first-served basis for $40. Proceeds will benefit Stay and Play Preschool and the Hekima Place Service Trip. Enjoy convenient parking for the games while supporting a meaningful cause!

The parking lot will open at 10:00 am on Saturday, October 11, for the Penn State White Out.

Guest Preacher on Sunday, October 11 - The Rev. Dr. Anne K. Ard

Anne K. Ard retired in September 2022 after serving for 25 years as Executive Director of Centre Safe, a domestic violence shelter and rape crisis center in Centre County, PA. In that role, she provided leadership at both the state and local level, recently completing 15 years on the Governor’s Advisory Commission for Women.

In retirement, Anne serves on the Leadership Team of 100 Women Who Care, Centre County, the Centre Foundation Board of Directors, and the Centre Co. Interfaith Coalition for Gun Safety.

An ordained Presbyterian minister, Anne came to Penn State in 1981 as a campus minister specializing in women’s issues and social justice, a position she held for nearly ten years. Anne received her BA from Centenary College, a Master of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary, and her Ph.D. from Penn State. She is married to Tom Poole, and they have two adult children, Katy and Russell Jordan (married to Alexandra Gordon).

Every year, we make cards for incarcerated people through a project with Centre Peace. This is an all-ages mission opportunity. Full names and addresses are never shared with recipients (or even Centre Peace!). Nevertheless, the impact of your very human and imperfect work can be enormous.

“These cards are small acts of kindness with profound impact. They remind recipients that grace reaches behind bars, that the spirit of Christmas belongs to everyone, and that healing can begin with a single envelope. … One recipient wrote simply, “I didn’t think anyone remembered me. This card made me cry.” (Centre Peace)

This year, we’d like to deliver more than 100 cards. Instructions and ideas can be found here. Feel free to gather a group in your neighborhood to create, or make some in your study group, or before your committee meeting.

If you plan to attend, please reach out to Laura Green in the church office at officescpc@gmail.com.

Strategic Implementation Team

Do you wonder what is happening with the Strategic Implementation Team? Stay up to date with their work and progress by visiting their page on our website: https://www.scpresby.org/strategic-implementation-team/

SCPC Deacons Connect with High School Graduates

The Deacons have been regularly reaching out to our high school graduates to offer support, provide updates about SCPC activities, and to let them know that we care and are praying for them. In September we assembled and mailed thirteen "Care Packages" containing treats, a gift card, and a personal note from the Deacons. The transition from high school to whatever comes next is an important time to be supported and cared for. We are grateful to God for each of our graduates. We also thank God that He has placed us in a role where we can share His love and encouragement.

Upcoming Events

November, December, and January Edition of the PresbyPost

The deadline to submit articles and information for the November-January 2026 PresbyPost is October 16. Please email all submissions to Laura Green at officescpc@gmail.com by the deadline. Thank you.

Wandering Women's Hike - October 17

All women of the church are invited to join the Wandering Women walk on Saturday, October 17, from 9:00 -11:30 a.m. Meg Moose will be leading our time together. We will be exploring Millbrook Marsh, 548 Puddintown Road. (If you are coming from Lemont or Bellefonte, don’t forget that Puddintown Road is closed at its intersection with College Ave. and there is a detour in place.) The walk is a flat, 2-mile round trip.

We will meet at the Marsh’s gravel parking lot at 9:00 a.m. Dress for the weather, bring water, and consider sunscreen and/or bug/tick spray. We usually walk in light rain, but will cancel if the weather is stormy. Look for any cancellation information due to weather conditions on SCPC Facebook and via email.

If you have any questions, please contact Meg at moose763@icloud.com.

Candlelight Choir Rehearsal

Our Candlelight Service is planned for Sunday, December 13, at 4:00 pm. Rehearsals will be on Sundays from 4:00–5:30 pm in the Choir Room (200) starting October 18. The dress rehearsal is planned for Saturday, December 12. Anyone who likes to sing is welcome to join us. Please contact Heike if you have any questions.

YoPro Games is a casual monthly gathering for young adults to relax, have fun, and spend time together. The group meets in the Fireside Room for an afternoon of games, snacks, drinks, and plenty of conversation and laughter.

There is no need to be a serious gamer—just come ready to hang out and enjoy some friendly competition. Any interested young adult is welcome to join!

Young at Heart - Friday, October 30

Young at Heart is a monthly gathering for individuals 55 and older, typically held on the fourth Friday of each month.

The evening begins at 5:30 pm with a potluck dinner. Our speaker for October is Marcia with Organized and Loving It, which is a professional home organizing and decluttering business dedicated to making your space feel calm, functional, and easy to maintain.

If you have any questions, please contact Mary Ann Sesler at masesler@gmail.com.

This Week's Prayer Concerns

This Week's Prayer Concerns -

Craig Colwell was transferred to Geisinger Danville and will be having surgery this week.
Jack McKinley was in the hospital last week but is now home recovering

God of all creation,

We praise you for your creativity made manifest in the gifts of tribes, ethnicities and cultures across the world. Each one bears your mark of goodness and grace.

In this Hispanic Heritage month, we especially praise you and thank you for your children with Hispanic heritage — the descendants of Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America. We find you in the beauty of their art, the joy of their song and the commitment to building community. We hear you in the call for a more just world — one of solidarity and liberation.

We know you better because of the witness of their faith. May our faiths be bound together by your love, that spirit of unity, respect and empathy for which there is no substitute. Keep all those with Hispanic heritage in your care, hold them in your love and make us fierce advocates and allies for welcome, inclusion and the common good.

Help us all to learn and celebrate this heritage this month.

Bendícenos Señor, Dios de amor, Dios de la creación,

Te damos gracias por los tantos dones de la comunidad latinoamericana. Gracias por toda la creatividad y belleza que crea esa comunidad. Por la belleza del arte, la alegría de los cantos, y la fortaleza del pueblo.

Escuchamos hoy la llamada de crear un mundo mas justo, una llamada a la solidaridad y la liberacion. Haz que nos damos cuenta del don de nuestra fe, una fe en Dios que nos une con un espiritu de respeto, de empatia, y del amor.

Te pedimos hoy que proteges esta comundidad latinoamericana, con un abrazo divino de amor, danos el don de la sabiduria, sostienenos en ayudar a los demas,

Siempre dando una mano a los mas necesitados.

Rezamos con Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, patrona de las Americas. We pray with Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of all the Americas. Amen.

source

Archived Prayer Concerns

If you have a prayer request or an update, send us an email or give us a call at

814-238-2422, or text us at 833-234-1326.

Beyond SCPC

As Presbyterians, we believe in being civically engaged! (PCUSA resources here)

In Centre County, you can vote "by mail" without ever worrying if your ballot is going to make it in one direction or the other. There is lots more information here, including what to do if you know someone who needs help physically getting their ballot, and how to vote large-print on election day.

This year, there is a group leading a non-partisan parade to the drop box. If you are voting a mail ballot, but miss the civic celebration of election day, head for Central Parklet on Saturday, October 17th. The party starts at 1:00pm, with the ballot parade (to the State College Municipal Building) beginning at 2:00. No partisan or protest signs, please.