Chestnuthill column
Planning ahead
McMichaels UMC has let its congregation and friends know that already the church is collecting for Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child.
For July, parishioners may bring hairpins, barrettes, headbands, rubber bands for hair, and nailclips. In August the request is for glue sticks, Scotch tape, rubber bands, small staplers and staples.
Effort UMC is also planning ahead. That church's UMW is collecting school supplies to make backpacks for the upcoming school year.
Needed are new backpacks themselves, eight-pack crayons, kindergarten size crayons, washable markers, colored pencils and watercolor paints.
Donations may be dropped off during church office business hours or brought to any of the worship services.
Rotary speaker
Rotarian Jill Rehrig, president of the West End Rotary for this year, will be the presenter during the West End Rotary's July 26 breakfast meeting at 7:30 a.m., at the Western Pocono Community Library in Brodheadsville. She's doing an article review from The Rotarian magazine.
What plants?
Master Gardener volunteer Jenna Cook, Ph.D., from Penn State Extension in Monroe County, was the speaker at the recent meeting of the Western Pocono Lions Club. She spoke about native plants and invasive plants.
Using her laptop and projector she showed many of the plants and told of what benefit or lack thereof, each plant was.
During the business agenda for the meeting, it was announced that the club, in light of its monetary gifts to the Northeast Eye Bank over the years, has attained the Humanitarian level of donors.
Chestnuthill Senior Center
The Chestnuthill Senior Center, at Zion Lutheran Church in Brodheadsville, will be open on Friday, July 27. The luncheon menu calls for roast turkey breast.
Attendees should register with Center manager Doris Philips at (570) 992-6988 a day or two before the date to expedite her planning.
Italian Heritage Club
The Italian Heritage Club of Monroe County is open to Americans of Italian birth or decent and all others who appreciate, understand and respect the Italian culture. Along with the club's social activities the group also donates to charities, including The Pleasant Valley Ecumenical Network among others.
The club meets monthly at 2 p.m. on the third Sunday at the Chestnuthill Park meeting room.
On Aug. 26, the group plans to attend the Iron Pigs versus Yankees minor league baseball game at Coca Cola Park in Bethlehem. Reserved is a box of 30 field level seats attached to an air conditioned room with lounge chairs. Included in the ticket price per person is food and soft drinks (burgers, hot dogs, pasta, chicken, steak, all the fixings, chips and dips, etc.)
On Dec. 16, the club will hold its Christmas Party, with planning still continuing.
Anyone with questions may contact jebara@ptd.net
New Leo Advisor
Pleasant Valley High School's Leo Club has a new adviser. Although the club does not meet in the summer, once school begins, Melissa Dennis will assume supervisory duties.
PIC report
The Pride in Chestnuthill (PIC) group of volunteers finished its spring litter cleanup days. With the help of volunteers, the group picked up over a ton of litter from the roadsides.
A donation of flowers and plants from The Flower Tent in Brodheadsville was planted in the barrels at the township building.
The Chestnuthill Township Beautification Award is one of the group's projects. This honor is given to a business in the township for their outstanding beautifying of their property. Previous winners not only had a clean, well kept property, but also planted a host of different beautiful annual flowers.
PIC will not have meetings in July and August but the group hopes to see new volunteers in September.
Coming home
The Rev. Sean Carpenter, assistant pastor at Our Lady Queen of Peace, will return on the weekend of Aug. 4 and 5. He is currently continuing his studies of Spanish, having begun the second session of his studies earlier in July. He will say the Mass in Spanish for the first time at 1:30 p.m. here on Aug. 5.
There will be a reception in the hall following Mass.
