By Marsha MacKinnon – Contributor/Web Editor

The Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania supports food pantries in eleven counties. The Presbytery of Lake Erie includes many of these counties. According to Second Harvest, 88,170 individuals in northwest Pennsylvania are food insecure. Of this total 29% are children under the age of 18. In addition, Second Harvest reports that 1 in 12 veterans in this region are food insecure. Second Harvest also reports, 14.8% is the average poverty rate throughout the eleven counties.

In the City of Erie, Data USA reports the following on Poverty & Diversity:

• 24.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Erie, PA (22.3k out of 90.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is (significantly) higher than the national average of 12.6%.
• The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 – 34, followed by Females 18 – 24 and then Males 18 – 24.
• The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Erie, PA is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

• 44 million people in the United States are food insecure (Total population:US Census Bureau 332 million)
• 13 million children in the United State are food insecure
• 49 milllion people turned to food programs in 2022
• (Source: Feeding America’s annual report – Charitable Food Assistant Participation)

These numbers give us facts about hunger in our communities, our commonwealth and our country. While giving thanks, we also need to remember that these numbers represent people who are food insecure. For America – the land of plenty – these numbers tell us        that too many are going hunger. 

“I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason, I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.” Ephesians 1: 15-16

Presbytery Friends, Every morning I wake up grateful for the love of Christ being expressed through faithful disciples in our Lake Erie Presbytery.  Every day my prayers are full of joy for your commitment and service.  In my role as General Presbyter, I am privileged to see a broad view of church life in this presbytery.  I see ordinary acts of faith expressed consistently year after year.  I also see extraordinary expressions of loving service.  Both often go largely unnoticed as dedicated Christians quietly serve in Christ’s name without fanfare or applause.  With this in mind, I started “Anita Applauds.” Every month, I will highlight a mission or ministry of one of our churches that valiantly reflects the love of Christ.  I hope that you will join me in giving thanks for these ministries.

This month, Anita Applauds . . . our wonderful Lake Erie Presbytery staff!  I have the privilege of working with the best people!  As you know, we have had a few staff transitions lately and I want to begin by applauding the LEP Personnel Committee for calling excellent, qualified individuals to fill vacancies in our staff.  The Personnel Committee (Chair Dale Shidemantle of First Covenant, Kathleen McArthur of First, Meadville, Rev. Emily Zeig Lindsey of Fairview, Colleen Loeslein of Wayside, and previously, Sue Kellerman of Harborcreek, Doug Ebert of Elmwood Ave., and Chris Tombaugh of Belle Valley) worked hard to bring new, capable individuals onto your staff.  On May 23^rd, we voted in a new Stated Clerk, Rev. Dr. Timothy Harmon, also pastor of Second Presbyterian, Oil City, and he is already proving to be an invaluable colleague.  Then, a few weeks ago, Mr. Nickolas Barber was hired to be our LEP Financial Administrator for 15 hours/week.  Nick, whom I have worked with previously at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Erie, brings strong skills and more than 10 years of experience for replacing our excellent Financial Administrator for the past 9 years, Barb Sundberg.  We scarcely believed that Barb, with all that she has given to our presbytery, could be replaced!  Keith Sundberg, Resource Presbyter, has also been invaluable to us. Marsha MacKinnon has quietly managed our website. Then, there’s Melinda Wingenbach, our Administrative Assistant.  Words cannot truly describe how valuable Melinda is to our collective work as a presbytery!  In short, she’s fantastic!  Am I blessed, or what?!  I get to work every day with these gifted, wonderful people.  I am bold to say that you are also blessed by them!

General Presbyter Rev. Anita Bernhardt  – Presbytery of Lake Erie

Overnight Shelter for Erie’s homeless needs donations: The First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant has hosted an Overnight Shelter for Erie’s homeless during the winter months for more than a decade. This year, First Covenant, will host homeless guests for four weeks. During each two week period more than 300 guests will have shelter. First Covenant is asking churches in the Presbytery of Lake Erie to consider having a “donation drive” for supplies over the next few weeks.

Please bring any donations to the next Presbytery Meeting – November 14^th, in Utica, PA or you may drop them off at First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, Erie, PA.

• Winter hats men & women – for very cold weather
• Winter gloves men & women  – for very cold weather
• Men’s underwear (ONLY boxers) – Med, Large, XL
• Women’s underwear – (ONLY briefs, no bikini, etc) – sizes 5-12
• Men’s white undershirts – Med, L, XL
• Men’s white crew socks – all sizes
• Combs and brushes
• Sample size toothpaste
• Sample size deodorant – men’s and women’s
• Razors
• Sample size body lotion
• Chapstick
• Depends for Men – Med, Large and XL
• Feminine Pads and Tampons

Should you have additional questions please feel free to call or email, Karen Weichman at 724-456-0408 or karenlynnweichman@gmail.com

Rev. Josh Heikkila (PCUSA World Mission Co-worker, Ghana; West Africa Liaison) will be in Presbytery of Lake Erie in November. He will be attending the Presbytery Meeting on November 14th in Utica, and will be available to preach on Sunday, November 19th. You are invited to attend the 22nd Annual PCUSA GhanaJosh recently visited our Ghana Partners in the Upper Northern Presbytery, so he will have lots of first-hand news to share. He will also have news on some changes happening within PCUSA World Mission. 

Some ideas (and invitations) for you to consider:
-Lunch with Josh before the Presbytery Meeting on November 14
-A gathering with Josh – potential dates include November 17 & 18
-Sunday Worship Service with Josh on November 19
-An afternoon or evening gathering with Josh on November 19
-Breakfast with Josh on November 20

Would you be willing to plan or attend with combined congregations? How might we make the most of Josh’s visit to Lake Erie Presbytery? Your ideas and suggestions are welcome. Please contact Donna with questions and suggestions. Also let Donna know if you are interested in connecting with Josh or would like more information. Thank you!

Gaia Magdalena, is a peacemaker and humanitarian activist, working on the front lines between Poland and Belarus. She is available for engagment opportunities throughout the presbytery.

Gaia Magdalena Luczak, PCUSA International Peacemaker from Poland, will be in the Presbytery of Lake Erie from Thursday, September 21 to Wednesday, September 27. Gaia Magdalena is an activist who provides humanitarian assistance to people in crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border. To learn more follow this link from Presbyterian Mission: Activist from Poland

If your church or community would like an opportunity to engage Gaia Magdalena Luczak during her visit to our area or have a special event she could meaningfully attend, please let Melinda know in the presbytery office at  adminasst@pbylakeerie.org or call 814-868-4891 Ext 3.  First come, first serve! Gaia Magdalena’s Video Promo.

Looking Forward: Church, Hope, and the Future of Congregations
What is the future of small congregations? Join us for lectures, workshops, worship, and conversations that will inspire your leadership; and receive practical, usable wisdom for giving your congregation a future. The Pittsburgh Theological Seminary welcomes this year’s keynoter, Will Willimon. Dr. Willimon  has been listening to pastors and congregations in hundreds of American churches and has a hopeful, Christ-centered word for small churches and their leaders. He is the author of What’s Next? a book to help contemporary pastors lead their congregations forward. Dr. Willimon will present the Henderson Lecture on Church and Ministry, “Hope for the Many Churches Where Few Are Gathered,” Monday evening, September 25, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in-person and online. For more information and to register follow this link: Henderson Leadership Conference

The newest version of the Book of Order is available for order and should be released in print version in early July.  There is a volume discount so if your congregation would like to order copies, please contact Melinda at the Presbytery Office and let her know if you would like to order from the PLE. Otherwise, if your church wants to order its own copies,  you can follow this link to the PCUSA Store (Here)  If you haven’t updated your copies of the Book of Order since the 2019 version, you have an outdated copy. In addition,  the entire Discipline section has changed with the 2023-2025 version. Since there are so many changes,  now would be a good time to update all your copies of the Book of Order.