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At its annual assembly celebrating its 75th year of faith-based service in Lycoming County, the United Churches of Lycoming County honored a longtime member who has been a pillar of work for the organization.
Gwen Bernstine, the former executive director of the United Churches of Lycoming County, was awarded the ecumenical service award for three decades of service in the community.
"None of us do anything special," Bernstine said as she accepted the award. "We just do a little bit every day."
"Anything I've done, I've never done alone. It's always been us," Bernstine said. "Thank you for being 'us.'"
Before being presented her award, Bernstine delivered a presentation on the history of the United Churches, facilitated in a question-and-answer format by Charles Getchell.
The United Churches of Lycoming County is an interfaith cooperative group that seeks to complete faith-based service in the community. The group unites 130 churches from 43 religious traditions and denominations.
Tammy Aichner, the current executive director of the United Churches Lycoming County, reflected on what the organization means to the community.
"We are so much stronger together. That's what humanism is. Focusing on our strengths rather than fighting over our differences," Aichner said.
Bernstine charted the organization's growth through its budget. In 1947, the organization had an operating budget of $1,725, which increased to $2,500 in 1956. Since then, the budget has swelled to $280,852 in 2020, which speaks to the volume of growth in the services the organization provides to the community through its outreach through programming.
Those services include the Shepherd of the Streets outreach ministry, campus ministries at Penn College, worship services at nursing homes, editorials and devotions, newsletters and other media and an interfaith dialogue commission.
As Bernstine concluded her reflection on the past of the United Churches of Lycoming County, Rev. David Trostle presented her the highest award the ministry can give: the Ecumenical Service Award.
Tammy Aichner, the current executive director, considers Bernstine a mentor.
"She knows everybody. She will find something about you and encourage it," Aichner said.
"Tammy Aichner is just a wonderful successor for me. She's enthusiastic, brings new ideas, she's got a heart for ecumenism, a heart for our county, a heart for our churches and most of all, a heart for God," Bernstine said.
Bernstine first joined United Churches of Lycoming County in 1991, where she accepted her friends' encouragement to apply to write the organization's newsletter--the most interesting role of the executive director of the organization.
"Everyone said I should. I said no, but I couldn't get it out of my head," Bernstine said.
After looking over the job description and person description, Bernstine said, "It looks like a good job," and sent in an application. She did not think it would make it very far in the process.
But, the night after a fateful interview, Bernstine received a call confirming she was selected for the position.
That propelled her into 30 years of generous service with the United Churches of Lycoming County.
Bernstine's favorite memory was of the fifty-year anniversary in 1996, where she collaborated with historians Louise Schaeffer and Elmer Koons to piece together the United Churches of Lycoming County's first 50 years of existence.
"On the 50th one, I helped to write the 50-year history of united churches," Bernstine said. "The 50th was more interesting because I hadn't known the history of the united churches, but for the 75th, I had lived it."
Throughout her years, Bernstine also enjoyed helping with "Faith Odyssey," a television show the united churches put on from 1999-2005 produced by the Lycoming College communications department. The show aired monthly on Suscomm cable.
"That was a neat thing to do," Bernstine said. "I enjoyed everything about it except being on TV. I found I couldn't think and talk together at the same time--I had to have it written out first!"
Eventually, the television program ended when Lycoming College closed its communications department and Suscomm lost its local channel.
Another form of outreach that started during Bernstine's time takes place in the Sun-Gazette. Religious editorial, Bernstine said, helped carry faithful through the dark times of the pandemic.
"People were looking for a ray of home to get them through some dark days when they didn't know what they were going to do. Those editorials were really good. I have always been grateful we had them, but during COVID they've been amazing, and they still are because we're hanging in there."
Additionally, the united churches provide daily devotionals. They used to record the minute-long messages in a studio to be played over the radio, and have them played during the opening and closing of each day, according to Bernstine. However, now many of those radio stations have regionalized and no longer provide that service.
So, Bernstine said now, the united churches has a phone line set up with an answering machine that is programmed daily.
"They can call into this telephone lie and get a new devotion a day," Bernstine said. "We get calls from Boston--we have gotten calls from all over the world."
Another important aspect Bernstine enjoyed were the interfaith panels that brought protestant, Catholic, Jewish and Islamic individuals into Williamsport School District classes. These panelists answered students' questions mostly pertaining to health and family living, Bernstine said.
Bernstine said the increasing workload of institutional ministries has also been a source of pride--especially in the 800 yearly worship services the united churches provide to the community, nursing homes, assisted living centers and prisons.
"People in nursing homes, people who were used to going to a worship service every Sunday don't have a place to go," Bernstine said. "They look forward to singing those hymns and hearing the word of hope proclaimed. It brightens their day and gives them something familiar."
However, Bernstine said the most important thing she learned through her time at the United Churches of Lycoming County is to make connections, get to know one another and appreciate one another. She encouraged others to get to know the gifts of those around them, make opportunities, and encourage them toward those opportunities.
"We, together in all the congregations and people in united churches, look out or reach out or go out into the community offering, providing, welcoming, healing, hope, understanding, kindness, assistance and love as the family of God," Bernstine said.