Jottings from St. John's | March 2026
- Mar 3
- 9 min read
Jottings from St. John’s
Conservative Congregational Christian Conference
Loysburg, PA 16659............March 2026
St. John’s Women’s Guild February Meeting Cancelled
The Women’s Guild meeting was cancelled February 6 due to expected cold and
high winds. Shelley Vaughn arranged for Rhonda Flaugh from Ladies Encounter, to
speak at our February 22 worship service on the mission of the Ladies Encounter group.
They sponsor spring and fall events with inspirational speakers.
They provide encouragement, outreach, and create spiritual connections within churches and communities.
Rhonda urged all ladies to attend
the Ladies Encounter Spring Event on
March 21, 2026, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
at the Grace Fellowship Church, Duncansville, PA.
Emily Hill will be the speaker – mom, wife, social worker, minister, author, and
speaker – sharing how she was once consumed by darkness after a miscarriage and
marriage problems, but learned how to discover God in everyday moments.
This is a free event. Voluntary offering will be received. The day will include testimonials, music, shopping, prizes and snacks.
Our St. John’s Women’s ministry supports the Ladies Encounter ministry and encourages all to attend if possible.
Due to cancellations, Barb reached out online to solicit for the February 28
Spaghetti Dinner, and St. John’s Reformed Church came through with flying colors.
All items needed were finalized by February 15! Thank you all for your generous donations.
All proceeds from the dinner will be divided and distributed evenly to St. John’s children
attending summer camps. Please let Cindy or Marsie know if your children are going.
Our next meeting is Friday, March 13, at 6:00 p.m. Laurie Stiles has the program. J
ulie and Katrina are the hostesses.
We will be soliciting food items for the April 5 Easter breakfast following the Sunrise Service. Again, your generous donations are much appreciated.
--Respectfully submitted, Barb Thomas, secretary
Good Friday Cantata Preparations
The choir is diligently practicing each Wednesday evening in March at 6:30 sharp
for regular special music and also for a Good Friday cantata. “Lead Me to Calvary,” a
collection of scripture and songs, connected with short narrations written by Barb
Thomas, will be presented
April 3, at 7:00 p.m.
Please join us as we begin the journey to Calvary, remembering Jesus’ body broken and blood shed for our sin, and sharing a quiet moment of meditation for the ultimate sacrifice, given for us.
--Submitted by Barb Thomas
Valentine & Souper Sunday Fellowship
On Sunday, February 15, the children's classes enjoyed Valentine parties in their
classes during the Sunday school hour, and then congregants enjoyed a chili cook-off for
lunch after Sunday school. There were 11 kinds of soup/chili entered. As per tradition,
the crocks of soup were labeled with numbers and each given a name. Diners tried as
many soups as they could and then voted for their favorite. The first place winner was
Pastor Larry's wife, Valerie Weaver. There was a three-way tie for second place: Tina
Holderbaum, Steve Rodgers, and Mark Sell. Cans of soup/broth were also collected for
the food pantry as part of our Souper Sunday.
--Submitted by Joy Nelson
Chili cook-off winners
from left: Mark Sell, Tina Holderbaum, Steve Rodgers, and Valerie Weaver
(Photo submitted by Kim Rodgers)
Pastor Larry Weaver is having knee replacement surgery on April 1st. Cards of encouragement should be sent to this address: Larry (and Valerie) Weaver 236 Castle Farms Rd. Altoona, PA 16601 |
Easter Sunrise Service in the Works
The Youth Choir (Middler class and the Jr./Sr. High class) will practice each
Sunday between church and Sunday school to learn “This is Jesus,” a beautiful song they
will sing on April 5 at the 8:00 a.m. Easter Sunrise Service. Chris Kurtz is arranging
scripture and a short message for the service. The Women’s Guild will prepare breakfast
to be served immediately following the service, at approximately 8:35.
All are welcome and encouraged to attend. Bring family and friends!
The Youth choir will continue to practice each Sunday, singing occasionally for
special music. Each voice is much appreciated and needed! Thank you!
--Submitted by Barb Thomas, choir director
FROM THE CONSISTORY PRESIDENT
On February 1, 2026, following a delicious covered dish luncheon, St. John’s held
its annual congregational meeting with 27 members attending. Following the opening
prayer, the minutes from the 2025 meeting were read and accepted. The Consistory
proposed a 2026 budget of $116,865 and after no discussion the budget was accepted by
the Congregation. All organizational reports were reviewed and accepted as read.
Debbie Bowser nominated Matt Nelson and Brad Gable to retain their positions
on the Consistory. Denny Holderbaum seconded the motion and both were re-elected to
a four year term.
Under Old Business: Josh Gunnett reported the Pastor Search Committee
continues to meet on a regular basis every two weeks or as needed. Questions were
posed concerning the type of profile the committee is looking for in a pastor, i.e., age,
marital status, full time or part time. To date the candidates that have been looked at
have been on average in their mid forties, married with children, and looking for a full-
time position. Most have had wives who have held jobs in the outside workforce. The
committee will keep everyone updated as it proceeds through the process.
Steve Rodgers reported the parsonage work is coming along according to plan.
The painting is about 75% complete, and a thank you should be extended to Deb Bowser
who has done the majority of the painting. The floors have been sanded and the
polyurethane applied. Electrical issues have been fixed. Upstairs, the carpeting in the
bedrooms is being lifted and plank flooring installed. The back bedroom has a corkboard
wall which is good if you love to play darts, but not appealing over all. That room will
be studded and drywall installed. Total cost for the upstairs comes in at $3,168. Also,
Steve reported that the banister on the stairwell is out of compliance and recommends it
be replaced. Since that will affect the carpeting on the steps it is being removed and the
steps painted. The cost will be $1,500.
Last year the Consistory budgeted $5,000 for various missions. We requested to
increase that to $6,000 this fiscal year. The Congregation approved. Although we did
not add a new mission this year, we increased our giving to Children’s Outreach Ministry
and the Breezewood Trucker Traveler Ministry
(https://www.breezewoodtruckertraveler.org/) by $500 each. Our missions this year of
$1,000 each will go to Chinese Ministry, In One Accord, Samaritan’s Purse, Your Safe
Haven, Breezewood Trucker Traveler Ministry, and Children’s Outreach Ministry.
Jordan discussed his personal prison ministry at the Blair County Jail and inquired if the
church would be able to donate any money or gifts to that ministry. Because his is not a
registered nonprofit, St. John’s cannot donate any money but the Consistory will discuss
different ways we can help, possibly through the donation of Bibles or gifts for the
children of imprisoned parents. Chelsea offered that possibly we could use the offering
from VBS to help his ministry. Matt told the attendees he and Chris are incorporating a
mission moment into the offertory thought during the church service. If you know of a
mission you would like to share about please let them know. If possible, we may be able
to support that mission in the future.
The Church Retreat is tentatively scheduled for Sept 11, 12, and 13 at Camp
Mantowagan this year. Chris also suggested a community cleanup day, where we help
those in our community in need of yard cleanup and other outside chores. This would
occur during our annual church cleanup day, which is yet to be scheduled.
Several discussions during the roundtable involved obtaining a new credit card for
the church, as we have been without a credit card for quite some time.
Kim Rodgers reminded us to keep in mind if we wanted to participate this year in
the annual Christmas Light Show at the Southern Cove Power Reunion grounds.
With no further business on the agenda, Brad motioned and everybody seconded
that the meeting be adjourned.
Thank you all for coming and we pray you have a year filled with the Lord’s
blessings.
--Submitted by Joel Ritchey
FROM THE ARCHIVES:
Public Education —One-Room Schools to Northern Bedford Consolidated Schools
By David Snyder
Also, at some point before 1900 a two-story frame schoolhouse was built in
Loysburg (then named Pattonsville) with the top floor for Grades 5-8 and the ground
floor for Grades 1-4. The Loysburg school was in Pattonsville District No. 3, according
to the 1879 map. My dad and uncles (Harry, William, and Franklin Snyder) attended
school in this building in the very early 1900s. One of their teachers was my “Aunt”
Pearl Replogle Reiter (my dad’s first cousin). That building also served numerous times
as a summer “Normal School” to qualify teachers. It was replaced by a brick school in
nearly the same location. I haven’t been able to pinpoint the date the brick school
opened, but it was built with an auditorium upstairs, two classrooms on the end nearest
the street, and a full basement.
When the new brick 6-room township-wide elementary school opened in New
Enterprise in 1930, one-room schools were no longer needed as children were all bused
to New Enterprise. The Loysburg school building was sold to the local Grange organization (Patrons of Husbandry) and has since been used as a social hall by the
Southern Cove Volunteer Fire Company and currently by the Cove Lions Club. It has a
full basement which has been used for generations of public suppers and Sunday luncheons. While the auditorium is not used much these days it once housed Lions-
sponsored minstrel shows, which packed the house for performances in the 1940s and 50s.
The Lions Club has made a number of improvements over the years (new roof, new
windows) and recently a new entrance to the basement and new restrooms. Just this year
the Cove Lions Club inaugurated holding Bingo nights there in addition to their Wing
Nights and Sunday Luncheons.
The Replogle Elementary School built in 1930 was purchased by the Southern
Cove Volunteer Fire Company after Northern Bedford School District built its new
elementary school on the campus of the NBC senior high-middle school along Rt. 36
north of Loysburg in the early 2000s.
My mother, Laura Henry Snyder, taught elementary grades before her marriage in
one-room schools in Riddlesburg, Salemville, and Freedom Township, Blair County (and
possibly others). As a child, she and her siblings attended the closest one-room school to
their home, Bull Run School, which was listed on the 1879 map as Snyder District No. 4.
The building later served as a private home. It burned down more than a decade ago and
a new house was built there.
I know of two one-room schools still standing in the area. Others may have been
demolished or converted to dwellings. The two I know of are, one, along Potter Creek
Road near the border between South Woodbury and Woodbury townships. It has been
converted to an artist’s studio, but the exterior is still preserved as it was when a school.
The other is in Woodbury Township, Bedford County, on privately owned property
northeast of Woodbury.
I think it was in the 1840s that the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed a law
requiring all children to attend school through Grade 8. There was public resistance to
this in rural areas, where farmers wanted their teenage and younger children at home to
help with the farm chores. While in South Woodbury Township’s five villages –– New
Enterprise, Loysburg, Salemville, Lafayettville (“Flitch”), and Waterside–– residents
seemed more willing to accept the law and provided better/bigger schools to
accommodate the children in this community.
LOOKING AHEAD
Community Group Sunday, March 8, at 5:00 p.m. at Christopher & Chelsea
Kurtz's home
Women's Guild Meeting Friday, March 13, 6:00 p.m.
Cove Community Chorus presents "Made in the USA" on March 21st at 7:00
p.m. and March 22nd at 2:00 p.m.
Ladies Encounter Spring Event March 21, 2026, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Grace
Fellowship Church, Duncansville
Good Friday Cantata Friday, April 3, at 7:00 p.m.
Easter Sunrise Service Sunday, April 5, at 8:00 a.m.
VBS Monday, June 8-Thursday, June 11 in the morning.
MARCH PRAYER CONCERNS:
Eileen Adams, Andrea Chamberlain, Connie, Allen Detwiler, Anne Detwiler family
(grieving), Jim eshelman, Chris Foor, Joanne Hall, Randy Mackey, Charlie Mountain,
Doris Price family (grieving), Kelly Schibi, Zeke Shade, Molly Shirk, Jim Teeter, Jess
Walkowski & Baby Jane, Pastor Larry Weaver
CALENDAR
Acolytes:
March 1-Janie Russell
March 8-Sole Rhoat
March 15-Grayson Rodgers
March 22-Janie Russell
March 29-Sole Rhoat
Music Ministry:
March 1-Choir
March 8-Beverly Smith
March 15-Choir
March 22-Brad Gable
March 29-Children's & Middler Classes
Children's Moment:
March 1-Beth Clark
March 8-*volunteer needed*
March 15-Laurie Stiles
March 22-Joy Nelson
March 29-Beth Clark
Altar Flowers:
March 1 - Josephine Garman
March 8, 15, 22 - Barb Thomas
March 29 - Marsie Albright
Birthdays:
4-Steve Rodgers
5-Jeff Cottle
8-Charlie Mountain
9-Julie Russell
12-Scott Shirk
13-Janelle Nelson
14-Preston Howe
20-Jack Styer
20-John Thomas
21-Josh Gunnett
22-Tina Holderbaum
22-Joel Garman
27-Brad Gable
28-Amy Gable
**Any submissions for the April newsletter are due to Joy Nelson (22joylinette@gmail.com) by Tuesday, March 25th. |
