SHAMOKIN - Election of officers for the new calendar year and a discussion on possible fund-raising efforts for the group's emergency fund highlighted the final meeting of 2011 by members of the Shamokin Area Ministerium of Churches Thursday at the Christian Missionary and Alliance Church, North Second Street.
The Rev. David Byerly, pastor of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Shamokin, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Gowen City, was named president for a two-year term beginning Jan 1. He succeeds the Rev. John Silliman, pastor of St. John's United Church of Christ, whose term expires at the end of 2011.
Incumbent officers elected for one-year terms are Frank Stoshak, lay representative of Our Lady of Hope Church, vice president; the Rev. Kay Painter, pastor of Oak Grove United Methodist Church, treasurer, and Sam Ballavia, pastor of Christian Missionary and Alliance Church, secretary.
Silliman said it was an honor to serve the group and the Christian communities of Shamokin and Coal Township. He mentioned several of the successful events conducted by the ministerium, including community-wide worship services on Good Friday and Thanksgiving and participation in the opening program of the annual Anthracite Heritage Festival Memorial Day weekend. The organization also sponsors a number of other community religious services on specific days and times for residents of Mountain View: A Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and high rises in Shamokin and Coal Township. It also participates in the annual baccalaureate services by seniors at Shamokin Area High School.
The organization of ordained ministers and lay representatives, which maintains an emergency fund to help provide home heating oil and other necessities to those in need in the twin communities, discussed possible projects to obtain additional funding to continue the program. Among the suggestions were the placement of canisters in local churches for donations of loose change by congregation members and sponsorship of a spaghetti dinner combined with a pie auction for the entire community. The projects will be investigated further.
Silliman reported on the need for continued support of Manna for the Many, a local food pantry, one of the community projects sponsored by the ministerium. Harry Deitz, a member of Manna's board of directors, said the number of clients increased substantially during the Thanksgiving holiday period when the distribution center was "overwhelmed" by residents in need. Churches throughout the area are assisting Manna by designating special Sundays for food and monetary donations each month to help augment the pantry's inventory of food commodities.
Stoshak, a spokesman for LARC (Lutheran, Anglican and Roman Catholic) reported on a successful gift-giving service conducted Nov. 27 for a project conducted each year for donations by congregations of gifts including toys and clothing to help make Christmas brighter for needy children in this area. As a result of the annual effort, this year more than 150 gifts were collected and distributed, Stoshak said.
An community Thanksgiving service on Nov. 20 at Restoration Ministries was well attended. Pastor Paul Eby, of the host church, delivered the sermon. Other members of the ministerium participated.
Ballavia, host for the December meeting, offered devotions. The next meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, at St. John's United Church of Christ, with Silliman as host.
Attending the December meeting were the Revs. Silliman, Byerly, Painter, Ballavia, Alfred Bashsore, Jean Eckrod, David Hauck, Richard Hazzard, Karyn Fisher, Zach Hopple and David Widoner, and lay representatives Deitz and Stoshak.