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What the ‘outside observer’ gained from GAiN

LANCASTER — When I first got the call for this assignment, I was unsure what to expect. I did not know anyone associated with this event and I had never even heard of the Global Aid Network (GAiN). It was amazing to see how over 50 strangers in a bus changed in one day. In the wee hours of 6 a.m., we were bleary eyed and eating Munchkins, quietly chatting to our seat mates. I was sitting alone. However, by the road trip home, once-strangers were talking and laughing as if they had been friends for years. There was something unifying about traveling together and working on ...

Operation Christmas Child collections this week

Samaritan’s Purse kicks off its national collection week Monday for Operation Christmas Child, an annual holiday drive with the goal of donating shoe boxes full of gifts and necessities to children in need for Christmas. Operation Christmas Child has operated locally for the past 14 years and collected around 5,000 shoe boxes in 2018. This year’s shoebox collection dates and locations follow: • Pine Street United Methodist Church, 441 Pine St., Williamsport, noon-5 p.m. Monday; 2-5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 2-6 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m.-noon Saturday; 12:30-6:30 p.m. ...

Call for coats

With the onset of cooler fall weather and the prospect of even colder temperatures to follow, the West End Christian Community Center’s Clothes Closet is in need of warm outerwear, particularly coats for men, women and children of all ages and sizes. The Clothes Closet, one of the center’s ministries, sells clothing at very low cost, according to Todd Penman, director of the center. Coats can cost as little as $3, although Penman noted that if someone has a need for a coat but does not have the money, they will receive a voucher to receive a coat provided that they can find one ...

Buchanan to celebrate 150 years in countryside

For 150 years, a church has stood overlooking a beautiful country setting at 3240 Grimesville Road. Currently called Buchanan Baptist, the church was officially dedicated on Nov. 19, 1869, as Lycoming Baptist Church. A Rev. Kunkle served as the first pastor of the congregation until ...

Beloved pastor nearing 45 years of service

For at least one member of Buchanan Baptist Church’s congregation, the pastor drew her to call Buchanan her home church. “The first time I heard him preach, we knew this was the church,” she said. The current pastor, the Rev. Robert Regan, has been at the church since 1977. While ...

Area church offers griefshare program

With the passing of a loved one, each day brings challenges of dealing with the grief that at times can be overwhelming. The holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, can be especially difficult for those who mourn. With this in mind, a local church is hosting a program entitled, “Surviving the Holidays,” as part of the ongoing GriefShare series it offers at various times throughout the year. “GriefShare is a program for people who have lost a loved one and are grieving and need support,” said Nancy Perry, facilitator of the program, which is held at Northway ...