HERALDTHEA newsletter for the peopleof Hanover Presbyterian Church,Wilmington, DelawareMay 2020

What Lies Ahead for Hanover?Construction UpdateWere you wondering if it would

ever happen? Well, wonder nomore. The air conditioning installa-tion for Hanover Church will becomplete by the end of April 2020—not April 2021—but April 2020!

The gym is the last area to be com-pleted. The cost for the gymnasiuminstallation is coming from JeffersonStreet Center, through a grant fromthe Laffey McHugh Foundation.Once that is completed, we need tohave some warmer weather to testthe systems.

We want to add that we have beenvery pleased with those working onevery aspect of this construction,from the carpenter and roofer, to theair conditioning installers, to theelectricians. They have been kind tothe building and those using thebuilding and they have been skilledin their craft.

But wait! There is more! Youknow all about the kitchen renova-tion. You have seen pictures andeven witnessed a worship servicecelebrating the kitchen. There arefinishing touches that have yet to becompleted. We need to purchaseand install the freezer and refriger-ator, have some electrical workdone; more painting and odds and

As we continue to wrestle withthe daily struggles of living throughthis state of emergency, I would of-fer the following information withthe hope that we would provide an-swers in any places we have them.

At this time, the state of emergen-cy has not been extended beyondMay 15, and yet every indication isthat it will be. The most recent(13th!) modification of the order re-quires that every person over theage of 12 wear a face mask when inpublic. Last week Gov. Carney alsoannounced that schools will not re-open this academic year. When Del-aware will begin any process of re-opening, we do not know. Like ev-eryone, we will be watching careful-ly for the details of that processwhen it happens.

Given these restrictions thechurch will remain closed at leastuntil, and likely beyond, May 15.We will then follow the directiongiven by our civil authorities, withthe assumption those decisions arebased in science, medicine, andwhat is best for the community as awhole.

What This Means for HanoverThe church will remain closed to

all programs, ministries, and wor-ship until the state of emergency iseither amended or lifted. The foodpantry will continue to operate onThursday mornings. (The numberof volunteers is limited to 3 or 4, andno guests enter the building.) Wehave canceled the annual churchpicnic and Pentecost celebration atFox Point State Park, originallyscheduled for Sunday, May 31.

We are maintaining “officehours” Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to5 p.m. Twyla and I are working pri-marily from home so during the daywe have the church’s number for-warded to one of our cell phones soyou can still call 658-5114 and get ananswer. If we don’t pick up, leave amessage and we’ll get right backwith you. If you do not hear back,you may use our cell phones (Twy-la: 484-868-6657; Andy: 302-299-5704).

So, enough about what’s not hap-pening. Here’s what is . . .

Each week we are recording aworship service. At this time we arenot bringing additional people intothe building for the services. Asmuch as we would like to do that,we have decided to err on the side

Continued on Page 3 Continued on Page 3

Food Pantry Still HelpsNeither rain, snow nor pandemic

will keep the Hanover Food Pantrydown! We are still up and runningon Thursdays, just with a little dif-ferent method of operation. A “skel-eton” crew meets clients at the door[photo at left] and gives them a pre-packaged box of food.

We have been fortunate to still re-ceive donations of food from otherchurches as well as our own mem-bers who drop things off. The Giantsupermarket has been great. Wehave an abundance of meat, breadand desserts as well as other miscel-

Continued on Page 5

Page 2 • The Hanover Herald • May 2020 Hanover Presbyterian Church • Wilmington, Delaware

FROM THE PASTOR’S STUDYDear Hanover Saints,

As you can imagine there havebeen constant and voluminous re-sponses from religious communi-ties related to the global pandemic.Praise God for the endless stream ofprayers and devotions that clog theinternet. One of my new spiritualpractices born in this pandemic is tosurf the ‘net for words of solace thatcome from traditions other than myown.

I share this recent example of aprayer that soothed my soul andstrengthened by resolve:

Prayer for the ChristianCommunity

We are not people of fear: we are people of courage.We are not people who protect

our own safety:we are people who protect our

neighbours’ safety.We are not people of greed: we are people of generosity.We are your people God, giving and loving,  wherever we are,   whatever it costsFor as long as it takes wherever you call us.

—Barbara Glasson, president of theMethodist Conference (UK)

Many of you will know by thetime you read this that last Thurs-day was a landmark day in Ha-nover’s long history of landmarkdays. On that day we received veri-fication that two recent proposalsfor funds to complete the visionscaptured in our capital campaignwere granted. With the receipt ofthese funds we now have what weneed to proceed with all the projectsthat have been up to now dreams,hopes, plans, and prayers. In theend, by the grace of God, we haveraised nearly $590,000. See the Prop-erty Report in this issue for moredetailed information.

Even as we share in this gloriousand joyful news, it stands in contrastto the many and deep anxieties andfears we live with daily. How doesone receive, and celebrate, gifts con-sidering all that has been taken

away from so many? I cannot pro-vide an answer that makes it anyeasier. I can, however, offer this: asdisciples of Christ we are to receivethese gifts and blessings no differ-ently than any others: with greatgratitude and with deep humility.Most importantly, we are to receivethem with the resolve that they willbe used for the healing and the rec-onciliation of the world.

Which brings us back to theprayer. I had read it before our land-mark day. Soon after I prayed itagain. It was then that I realized it isnot just about what we do each dayin the world. It is about who we are,which is, yes, the engine for whatwe do. As a Christian community offaith—as Hanover PresbyterianChurch—we are people of courage,compassion, and generosity whogive, live, and love wherever weare, at whatever the cost, for as longas it takes.

Let this be the message in thislandmark. Even if we cannot expe-rience the joy as deeply because ofthe state of the world, let us none-theless be filled with the joy ofknowing who we are; for it is whowe have always been, and who wewill forever be. Yes, this prayer re-minds us what to do in these daysof pandemic. Even more, it remindsus who we are called to be, not justin times of crisis, but for all time.

Just as the gifts we have receivedare a blessing for us, so may theybecome a blessing for all of God’schildren. May all we do be a reflec-tion of who we are.

Peace, Andy

MUSIC MATTERSWe gratefully thank those who

have shared their musical talents inpreparing our recorded worshipservices: Eloise Downing, ChrisGarrett, Amy Harris, David Harris,Chris Jacob, Jonathan Jacob, Bill Tu-dor, Lorie Tudor, and Pastor Andy.These services, and especially dur-ing Holy Week, have given suchcomfort and inspiration to our Han-over members as well as beingshared with friends and family. We

truly appreciate you, and especiallyduring this time.

We are faithfully waiting for theday that we can gather safely again– I can guarantee you we will havethe most joyous of celebrations onthat Sunday! It will be an endlessAlleluia, and . . .

Soli deo Gloria (only for the gloryof God),

Twyla

FINANCE REPORTThe Finance Committee and the

members of Session are grateful forthe support from our Hanovermembers and friends. The Sessionmet (virtually) the evening of April21st. In the Treasurer’s finance re-port through March 2020, Hanoverreceived $69,078 in pledged and un-pledged giving, which is 34 percentof the budgeted amount at 25 per-cent of the year. We also continueto receive gifts for our capital cam-paign, and as of the end of Marchreceived $118,408 in gifts. Com-bined with the $20,000 from Han-over that is $138,408 of the pledgedamount of $147,740. Great news!

In the category of more goodnews to share, Hanover was ap-proved for the loan from the federalCARES Act payment protection plan.Hanover qualified for $38,995 loanat 1 percent interest, and the loancan be forgiven, if we document that75 percent of the amount is spent forpayroll. This loan application wasapproved by Session, as was thetransfer of $70,000 from the Fidelityaccount into the Hanover checkingaccount to cover the final bills forthe air conditioning installation.The Finance Committee will bemeeting again on May 4 so pleasedo not hesitate to get in touch, if youhave questions or concerns.

Once again, we acknowledge theprofound disruption in our lives,along with heartbreak and worry.There are moments of joy andthanksgiving too, and we are com-forted and encouraged by our Han-over connections.—Ellen Casson,Finance Chair

The Hanover Herald • May 2020 • Page 3Hanover Presbyterian Church • Wilmington, Delaware

ends, but the vast majority of thework and expense is behind us. Her-man Pulliam, Bill Tudor, and TimArnold are still able to walk, afterbeing on their knees for severalhours putting their own sweat equi-ty into installing the floor.

And if that is not enough, as youmay have read in the HanoverFlash, the JSC and Hanover haveenough funds in hand and prom-ised from foundations, to proceedwith the accessible restrooms andFood Pantry renovation project inthe Gathering Place, and to beginthe installation of a sprinkler systemin the gym and a new fire safetypanel and warning system. We haveasked the architect who put the con-

struction plan together for the rest-rooms and food pantry renovationto evaluate the bids from contrac-tors and guide us through that deci-sion process. We will be meetingwith Bear Industries next week to goover that sprinkler plan for the gym,which will begin in May.

We are excited and nervous at thesame time. Challenges are ahead ofus, but we feel we are ready to meetthem. We are also conscious of thedifficult time we are in, as so manypeople and businesses are sufferingfrom the impact of the coronavirus.We will proceed with caution andconcern for others and with hope fora positive outcome and a celebra-tion in the not too distant future.—The Gathering Place Group

In our ongoing effort to stay con-nected and extend support to oneanother, we have scheduled a week-ly Zoom meeting every Wednesdayfrom 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. If you do nothave internet connection, you canalso call in on a telephone. If you areinterested in being on the list offolks who are notified each week,send me a message that has youremail or phone number.

Each week there will be a subject,topic, issue or question to spark con-versations that address our sharedsituation. Next Wednesday we'lltalk about how, when, where, and

why we talk with God...For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who

call on you.Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my cry of supplication.In the day of my trouble I call on you, for you will answer me.

—Psalm 86:5-7How has your prayer life changed

during the pandemic?Praise God for a safe space to

learn and grow together—even inthe midst of crisis.

Peace, Andy

Coping with Covid-19 . . . an Online Discussion

of safety. We have been recordingthe services on Fridays and postingthem on Saturday evening. As weare using the church’s Joys and Con-cerns email list, please contact us ifyou would like to receive the servic-es and are not on that list.

We continue to receive positiveresponses to the services and thenumber of YouTube “visits” con-firms that many folks outside of theHanover circle are viewing them (ahigh of 230 for the Palm Sunday ser-vice—everybody loves Daphne!).

Many of our committees and theDeacons and Session continue tomeet using Zoom. As we now havean account, if you are interested insetting up a meeting for anythingchurch related, get in touch withTwyla or me. If you do not have in-ternet access or a computer with acamera you can still participate us-ing a phone. It is free and we haveincorporated all the suggested safe-guards to protect the privacy of allparticipants. What a joy it has beento be with our youth every Sundayat 1 p.m. on Zoom as we continue tomake plans and stay connected!

Since it’s in your hand or on yourscreen, you know that we continueto produce the monthly Heraldnewsletter and the weekly Flashelectronic mailing. Using all thesemeans, please let us know of anyprayer requests and we will getthem out so the grace of God wouldflow into the world through ourprayers.

One new offering is a weeklyZoom gathering on Wednesdaysfrom 5:30-6:30, called Coping withCovid-19. We offer it as a forum togather and share our experiences ofthe journey through the coronaviruswilderness, and to reflect spirituallyon these troubled times. [Read moreabout that elsewhere on this page.]

Most of all, know that we are noless available than before; in fact, weare even more ready to respond. Ifyou have any questions, issues, orneeds please reach out to your dea-cons, elders, and staff. Together, weserve, and together, we shall over-come.

Peace, Andy

Continued from Page 1

What Lies Ahead?Continued from Page 1

Construction: One Project Ending, Others Set to Go

The Hanover Herald • May 2020 • Page 4Hanover Presbyterian Church • Wilmington, Delaware

DEACON’S CORNERThis year, each Deacon is going to take a turn at highlighting members of

their Care Group. This month, Caroline Klawitter interviews Susie Watson.Born in Chester County Hospital and raised in Kennett Square, Pa.,

Susie Watson took home economics in high school and learned to sew.Moving to Wilmington in 1959, she married and raised four children,

Nathan, Trudy, Cary, and Orrin. Returning home from church camp,their father found a box turtle alongside the road, and asked the chil-dren if they wanted it. Of course they did. But it was Nathan who tookcharge of “Turt’s” care, and taught the turtle to eat out of his hand, andto use the newspapers on the kitchen floor to do its business. LaterNathan went to school in Oklahoma, and stayed there until he died in2015. Turt stayed with the family for over 20 years.

Fun fact: turtles hibernate in winter for 2-4 months. Turt’s favoriteplace to hide was a closet. Yet other times he could be found downstairsbetween the washer and dryer, sunbathing and stretched out in frontof a basement window enjoying the sun.

Trudy retired from Christiana Care Health System, but just wasn’tready to stay at home. So she became a Home Health Care Worker for5 years until her knees gave out. That’s when she took up quilting.Susie remembered seeing a large sign outside the Claymore SeniorCenter, offering lessons on Wednesdays, 10-2. She’d already boughtlots of books on the subject of quilting, and so called the center to seeif classes were still being offered. It was 2008 and the center’s directorsaid it was now more like a group of quilters who shared their knowl-edge with new members. “Come on down” was what Susie heard andshe did, where she met Esther who upon learning that Susie had sewnin high school, said she’d be a perfect candidate to quilt.

Susie has made quilts on her own and with the Claymore SeniorCenter group. For the annual Christmas party at the center, the quiltinggroup makes a quilt that is raffled off. Several members, includingSusie, drive south to Middletown and join the Bethesda United Meth-odist Church in February, to make quilted sleeping bags for the home-less. The bags’ inner batting layers are made from recycled bath towels,sheets, and mattress pads. Donated men’s ties are also used; two aresewn to each bag. They’re used to tie the bag together once it’s beenrolled up with a hat, scarf, socks, bar of soap, and copy of Our DailyBread placed inside. The goal is to have 50 bags made by lateSeptember/early October which are then delivered to the SundayBreakfast Mission here in Wilmington.

Her favorite subject to quilt? “Turtles!” The quilt on Susie’s sofa ismade from various shades of green, and shapes of turtles. Friends havegiven her pins of turtles as gifts. She has at least 40 and tries to wear adifferent one each Sunday at Hanover. Susie says “the pins are notmeant to stay in my jewelry box.” Susie has ceramic turtles and lampsin the shape of turtles. She even has turtle clocks; one from Italy was agift from a granddaughter.

While home during the virus lockdown, Susie has gone through herstash, and cut enough fabric in different colors to make a twin-sizequilt. However, she needs the larger table at the Center to lay it outbefore sewing it together. But she’s also making a Sunbonnet Sue quiltin various shades of purple for a great-granddaughter’s birthday inMay.

CALENDAR

May Birthdays 1  Herman Pulliam 3  B.J. Kennedy 4  Karen Hudson Jane Putscher 5  Del Boulden 6  Sanet Van Rooyen 9  Bill Klawitter10 Ralph Headley13 Kathryn Thompson14 Carl Nieberle16 Marc Pulliam19 Russ Buckley21 Nancy Bayard Mary Davis Jonathan Jacob22 Tommy Tucker26 Dessa Hattenfield Katie Leep27 Eloise Downing Miranda Garrett30 Ali Anderson Betty Bayard31 Lorie Tudor

WeeklyPrayer Circle, 8:30 a.m., MondaysHigh Noon at Hanover, 12 p.m.,

WednesdaysLiving with Covid-19, 5:30 p.m.,

WednesdaysFood Pantry, 8 a.m., Thursdays

Zoom Meetings and EventsDeacons’ meeting, 5:45 p.m.,

Tuesday, May 5JSC Board meeting, 7 p.m., Tues-

day, May 5From Surviving to Thriving, 7 p.m.,

Thursday, May 7Invitational Team, 4:30 p.m., Mon-

day, May 11Worship Committee meeting, 1:15

p.m., Tuesday, May 12Faith in Action, 5:30 p.m., Thurs-

day, May 14Session meeting, 7 p.m., Tuesday,

May 19

Important DatesSummer Worship Schedule, Sun-

day, May 24—10 a.m. WorshipJune Herald article deadline,

Thursday, May 28

Summer Worship Moves to 10 a.m. on May 24** If we’re open for services at 18th and Baynard, of course.

The Hanover Herald • May 2020 • Page 5Hanover Presbyterian Church • Wilmington, Delaware

Prayer Request: Say a littleprayer for the continued healthand safety of the staff at OpenArms Academy – they are adedicated team!

Bored At Home?Read a Good Book

Looking for something to dowhile you’re stuck at home? Howabout reading the upcoming selec-tions for the Hanover Book Group.Assuming we can gather by June 7,we will be discussing Tightrope:Americans Reaching for Hope by Pulit-zer Prize-winning authors NicholasKristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

The book addresses the crisis inworking-class America and is toldthrough the lives of real Americans.It focuses on solutions to mend ahalf century of governmental fail-ure.

Tightrope draws us deep into an“other America.” The authors tell

this story, in part,through the lives ofsome of the childrenwith whom Kristofgrew up in rural Ore-gon, an area that hasbeen devastated inthe last few decadesas blue-collar jobsdisappeared. About

one-quarter of the children onKristof’s old school bus died inadulthood from drugs, alcohol, sui-cide, or reckless accidents. And sim-ilar stories are found in many placesthe authors write about.

But here too are stories about re-surgence, among them: AnnetteDove, who has devoted her life tohelping the teenagers of Pine Bluff,Ark., as they navigate the chaoticreality of growing up poor; DanielMcDowell, of Baltimore, whose taleof opioid addiction and recoverysuggests that there are ways to solveour nation’s drug epidemic.

On Oct. 4 we will be discussing,Holy Envy, by Barbara Brown Tayloras part of the Peace Week Celebra-tion, opening our discussion to oth-ers in the Peace Week community.

Having left the clergy, Ms. Taylorrecounts how she found the sacredin unexpected places while teachingthe world’s religions to undergrad-uates in rural Georgia.

She weaves together stories fromthe classroom with reflections onhow her own spiritual journey hasbeen renewed by connecting withpeople of other traditions whosetruths are quite different from hers.

laneous items thanks to that store.A generous family in the neighbor-hood has donated peanut butterand jelly sandwiches, granola barsand juice boxes each week to add toour boxes.

Our clients leave with a smile anda heartfelt thank you to us. We havebeen averaging 40 families eachweek. Thanks to all of you Hanovermembers for your support of ourFood Pantry not only now but forthe 30-plus years we have been inthe business of showing our com-

munity that Hanover cares!If you can donate items, please

call the church office at 658-5114 toarrange a time to drop them off.

To give on line, go to our websiteat www.hanoverchurch.org andscroll down to the bottom of thescreen and you will see Online Giv-ing. Click on the yellow highlightedword Donate. The next screen asksyou if you are using a credit card orPayPal. Then follow the prompts—just make sure to write in the Notesection that your donation is for theFood Pantry.—Becky Arnold

What the Food Pantry Needs:Canned fruits, canned vegetables, tuna, peanut butter, rice

and spaghetti sauce

The Food Pantry Keeps on Going!Continued from Page 1

Page 6 • The Hanover Herald • May 2020 Hanover Presbyterian Church • Wilmington, Delaware

Hanover Street Presbyterian Church1801 N. Jefferson StreetWilmington, DE 19802(302) 658-5114Address Service Requested

Non-Profit Org.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDWilmington, DE

Permit #45

HANOVER NEWS & NOTESMother’s Day Request

For our May 10 worship service,we have planned a special day oftalking about mothers, and you'reinvited to participate! We wouldlove to have you send us a recordedmessage of you talking about a spe-cial mother or person in your lifewho has been a “mother” to you.

If you have a smart phone, it'seasy. Simply record yourself speak-ing or have a friend or family mem-ber record you. The recording needsto be under 2 minutes long so that itcan sent by email. Tell us who youwould like to lift up, what they havemeant to you, etc. Then save yourrecording, attach it to an email, andsend it to the church office at:churchadmin@hanoverchurch.org.We’ll take it from there! Please callthe office at 658-5114 if you haveany questions.

Family Promise UpdateLast month I wrote an article

about Family Promise, and askingfor a volunteer to take on the role ofco-coordinator from Hanover. Well,the call has been answered—MartiYates has happily agreed to take it.Marti and I spoke at length aboutwhat the role entails, and she is def-initely up for it. She brings her ownexperiences with working in foodpantries and clothing closets and

will be a wonderful addition to theFamily Promise group. It gives megreat peace to know that she hasbeen willing to step up as I transi-tion to retired life in Connecticut.Thank you, Marti, and welcome toFamily Promise!—Chris Garrett

Still Time for SharingDuring this time of isolation and

separation, Faith in Action is askingyou to remember being in commu-nity through giving to the OneGreat Hour of Sharing special offer-ing. Your gift will help people inthree ways: the Presbyterian Hun-ger Program, Self-Development ofthe People and Presbyterian Disas-ter Assistance.

This year there are several waysto make a donation. You may stillmail or deliver your check withOGHS on your memo line to Ha-nover. You may bring your dona-tion to the church office or put it inthe mail box on the outer door at theOpen Arms Academy/ church officedoor. Or, you may donate online viathe donation page for PCUSA:specialofferings.pcusa .org/make-a-gift/-info/oghs/.

The web form lets you enter ourchurch’s name so that Hanover re-ceives credit for your donation. Do-nations will be accepted into Maydue to the suspension of services.Thank you for your generosity!

Please RememberYour Pledge . . .

The work of Christ is goingstrong at Hanover, and we are re-lying on your pledges to keep usrunning smoothly.

Here are the ways that you cancontinue to give:

Mail: Send your check to: Han-over Presbyterian Church, 1801N. Jefferson Street, Wilmington,DE 19802.

Drop-off: You can go to the Jef-ferson Street Open ArmsAcademy/Church Office en-trance and put your envelope in-side the gray mailbox on the leftdoor. It is safe and secure there,and Herman and Twyla picks upthe mail.

Drop-off in person: If youwant to hand your check to theoffice in person, just call the officeat 658-5114, and we’ll arrange atime to be there to greet you.

And perhaps easiest of all...On line: Go to our website:

www.hanoverchurch.org—scrolldown to the bottom of the screenand you will see Online Giving.Click on the yellow highlightedword Donate. The next screenasks you if you are using a creditcard or PayPal. Then follow theprompts—make sure you writein the Note section where yourmoney is to go. Thank you forsustaining our ministries.