Juniata County Christmas 2022

Operation Christmas Child spreads joy and hope

BY GREG WILLIAMS Sentinel reporter gwilliams@lewistownsentinel.com

THOMPSONTOWN

– Dave and Tina Goll of Huntingdon share stories about bringing joy and hope to needy children around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the good news of God’s love through Operation Christmas Child.

There was a little boy in Africa who received winter gloves. As he was trying them on, he started crying. Volunteers distributing the boxes asked why he was in tears, and he said it was because now when he takes his food off the fire, he won’t burn his fingers.

Each tale tugs at your heartstrings a little more than the last.

“The boxes are a tool for pastors and church leaders to draw people into church, so we are equipping them to do that,” said Tina, an area coordinator for the Juniata Valley Area Opera tion Christmas Child Team along with husband, Dave.

“The boxes are filled with three things: school supplies, hygiene supplies and a ‘Wow’ item like a Beanie baby or another toy,” she added. “It’s al ways the last thing packed, so it’s the first thing the children sees when they open the box.”

In another country, Tina said a mother of twins re ceived a single box and was worried how she was going to distribute the items in side evenly to her children. However, much to her sur prise, when she opened the box, it miraculously had two of each item inside.

Finally, there was a child who desperately needed shoes and not only happened to get a box with shoes in them, but they happened to be the right size.

This year, the Juniata Valley Area team, which covers Juniata, Mifflin and Huntingdon counties, has collected more than 10,100 shoe boxes to surpass their goal of 10,039 boxes. The boxes were taken to a pro cessing center in Baltimore

on Nov. 29, where they will be distributed world-wide. “We did very well,” Dave said.

The Juniata Valley Area team has six drop-off loca tions: Thompsontown and Richfield in Juniata Coun ty; Belleville and Reeds ville in Mifflin County; and Huntingdon and Maple ton Depot in Huntingdon County. A team member runs each one.

Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samar itan’s Purse, is the world’s largest Christmas project. Since 1993, more than 200 million shoe box gifts have been delivered to children in more than 130 countries.

Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evan gelical Christian organi zation providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the pur pose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus

Christ.

“The reason why Dave and I do this is that Mat thew 28, which ends with the Great Commission, says to go make disciples of all nations,” Tina said. “They are equipped with shoe boxes to fulfill the Great Commission.”

According to their web site, the amazing journey of a simple shoebox gift begins with donors and re sults in evangelism, disci pleship and multiplication.

Volunteers – from chil dren to seniors – pack shoe boxes full of gifts each year to bless children in need around the world. Parents often use the project to teach their kids about giv ing. Dave said year-round volunteers support these efforts.

Churches and groups of all sizes collect boxes from their communities. Some churches also serve as drop-off locations for shoeboxes during the third week of November.

Thousands of volun teers inspect and prepare the shoeboxes for inter national shipping. Every hour, work stops for a few minutes to pray for the children who will receive the boxes.

Long before the shoebox es arrive around the globe, volunteer national leader ship teams train pastors and community leaders who want to share the mes sage of the Gospel and bless children. The leaders learn how to host child-friendly outreach events, and how to implement The Greatest Journey follow-up disciple ship program.

Pastors around the world host outreach events in places where people might not know Christ and invite them to follow Him. Other churches use the boxes as resources for outreach in orphanages and other atrisk areas.

Before the children open their boxes, they receive “The Greatest Gift,” a Gos

pel story booklet Samari tan’s Purse developed for shoebox recipients and in vite children to participate in The Greatest Journey discipleship program.

As result of what they learn in “The Greatest Journey,” boys and girls grow in Christ and share with family and friends. The students also invite others to their graduations where the Gospel is shared.

This often brings par ents, siblings and friends to accept Christ and be come active members in the local church. Fami lies are reached, churches grow, new churches are started, and communities are transformed.

There’s still time to do nate a shoebox by visiting samitaritanspurse.org/ occ. You can build your

Submitted photos

Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. Above right, volunteers fill shoe boxes for shipment.

Continued from Page 3

own box online and ship ping is included in the cost.

“You get to know what goes into the box,” Tina said. “You can also attach a photo and send a note.”

New this year, donors can also dedicate the box in memory of a loved one or for someone’s birthday.

“The materials that go with them are in 95 differ ent languages,” Dave said.

The Golls, who got in volved with this project in 2009, are always seeking volunteers year-round to join their team. “A lot of new churches have been planted because of this program,” Tina said.

For more information, call (267) 275-5906 or (215) 378-0250, or e-mail OCC. JVAT@gmail.com.

Submitted photo

Operation Christmas Child drop-off location.

The beauty of Christmas in Juniata County

BY JORDAN FORTSON Special to The Sentinel

Christmas in Juniata County is unique, with many special and deep traditions. Not only is Juniata County one of the most picturesque settings in the nation during the Holidays, the valleys of the county are home to farms and fertile farmlands. The vast, expansive landscape increases in slope that borders purple mountains as they curl through Pennsylvania into the northern tier and into southern New York.

During the Holiday season, festively-decorated homes and barns celebrate Christ mas amid a backdrop of rolling idyllic countryside. The vision soothes the spirit as winding highways meander through the county and lead to other areas of the state.

Like most communities, everyone knows someone in their neighborhood who goes above and beyond with Christmas light decorations. In Juniata County, large Christ mas displays that lit up the night had been abundant. In recent years, Russel and Gay Hochenbrock had a large yard display that has been an inspiration for many in the county.

Juniata County is beautiful when sprinkled with snow, making for a picture perfect postcard setting. The county is home to a plethora of great food stores for baking cookies and pies, and a car ride through the valley almost feels like you’re riding through a town where Christmas traditions were invented.

There are many Christmas events to enjoy this year in Juniata County. The Bun kertown Brethren Church will be hosting a Live Nativity on Dec. 10, and also a youth Christmas party along with Christmas Caroling on Dec. 18.

Lyndon B. Stimeling

Vintage Juniata County postcards.

Memories of Christmas in Juniata County

BY LYNDON B. STIMELING Special to The Sentinel

I have lived my entire life in Juniata County. I now live behind Evendale. I am actually a transplant from the hollow (or holler, whichever you prefer) near Kellerville. As a child, I had many memories of the holiday season, it seems they were all tied together in some way. We all looked forward to the big Thanks giving meal when other family members would join us. Of course, Thanksgiv ing was always connected to deer season, which came on Monday back then.

Even while we were eating the Thanksgiving meal, the conversation would often be about prepa ration for Monday and the expectation of getting a big buck. After two weeks of deer season, Christmas was only two weeks away. I never slept much the night before Christmas. I was all excited about the next day and the gifts I would receive. After Christmas, came the New Year celebra tion, when people would have parties and shoot their guns at midnight.

Along with all the holi day festivities, we would also travel up to Hog Hol low near Cross Keys and join in the pig butchering time. The aunts would be scurrying around get ting pots and pans, as well as cleaning up. The men would often put the ladle in the butchering kettle and get a nice piece of meat to taste. While some of the uncles were tasting the pot, pap would be tasting the fermenting cider in the cellar.

To focus on Christmas, I must put the ladle into the kettle of simmering memo ries, and lift those experi ences of Christmas out of the pot. Our family’s prepa

ration for Christmas would often begin 3-6 months be fore December. My mother would be saving orange and grapefruit peel to put in the fruitcakes. We would crack walnuts that came off the trees by the drive way, and add some English walnuts in the batter. Then we put in red cherries and some other ingredients, and we were ready to bake the cakes in November.

There was also the homemade cranberry rel ish that mom made, it was delicious. I can still hear the squishing of the cran berries as they go through the grinder. My family tries to make that same rel ish and share it with other siblings and their families during the holiday season. We were not a high society family. We would often go up on the ridge and cut a scotch or young white pine tree to decorate. Even to day, a simple tree that you can harvest off of your own property, seems to hold more sentimental val ue than one that you go out and buy.

Within the county, many of the local towns would put up some type of dec orations. Various homes would have bright colored lights, manger scenes, San ta and his sleigh, or lights in the trees and bushes in the yard. Some people chose to leave those lights strung on their houses the entire year. In mid-August, when the temperature could be 90–100 degrees, the lights were still there though unlit.

Many of the local churches would be practic ing for the Christmas play several weeks in advance, and preparing for the large crowd that would come. It was always a time of com petition for the kids - all the boys wanted to be Joseph and all the girls wanted to be Mary. There was also

caroling in the community, it could be rather harsh if it was windy and cold with snow or ice.

It was around this time of the year that some of the churches would hand out huge navel oranges along with a small box of candy. Those childhood memories stayed in my head until I was older; then I wanted to give that experience to other children. So we got permission to do just that; we bought navel oranges and a small box of candy and gave them out to the children in all the Sunday School classes at church.

As a child, we always had gift giving at home. Some families had a lot of money for a lot of gifts, others were less fortunate.

Looking back, I believe the kids who only got a few gifts were the ones who were truly blessed, even though they didn’t know it. Their monetary situation created a spirit of thanks giving, contentment, and love in the family.

Back then, most of the businesses were closed on Christmas and also on Sundays. Things certainly have changed. Christmas has become more commer cialized. Money and ma terial things have become more important than chil dren and family members. Today, many parents teach their children about Santa Claus, (a fictitious person), but forget about Jesus, the real reason for the season.

In Scripture it refers to the Seed of the woman who will bruise the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). In Isa iah 53:2 it says, “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.” Verse 4-5 says, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.”

These verses were foretell ing the coming of the Mes siah, the Christ, the baby who came in the manger.

In the New Testament, Peter refers back to Christ when he makes this state ment in I Peter 1:20. “He was indeed foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was mani fest in these last times for you.” And Revelation 13:10 speaks of “the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world.”

All of these verses are

Lyndon B. Stimeling Vintage Juniata County postcard.

A Jazzy Christmas coming to Juniata County

GREG WILLIAMS Sentinel reporter gwilliams@lewistownsentinel.com

McALISTERVILLE–

Just in time for the holi days, Ernie Haase and Sig nature Sound are bringing A Jazzy Little Christmas Tour to Juniata County.

The multi-Grammy nominated group will per form at the Bunkertown Brethren Church, 52 Bun kertown Rd., McAlister ville, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15.

“We did a gospel show there two years back,” Haase said. “They loved it so much; they’re bringing us back.”

Featuring true, four-part harmony and a three-piece jazz band, the tour presents numbers from the quartet’s Billboard Top Ten Jazz Al bum with the same name.

Ranked by the “Los An geles Times” as one of the best Christmas Albums of 2019, “A Jazzy Little Christmas” evokes mem ories of the Rat Pack and Tony Bennett. This was Ernie Haase and Signature Sound’s third Christmas Album.

“It’s filled with famil iar songs,” Haase said. “I picked these songs because they were my favorites. They turned out stellar.”

His personal favorites

Memories

referring to Jesus, who came to earth as a baby in a manger. He that was Spir it, took on flesh, so that we who are flesh might take on spirit in newness of life to His praise, honor, and glo ry.

Jesus is the real reason for the season; He is the gospel message from Gen esis to Revelation. Is He in your life - is He in your home?

include “Happy Holiday/ It’s the Holiday Season,” “O Holy Night,” “We Three Kings,” “Happy Holidays” and “Mister Santa.”

There are also two orig inal songs, written by the quartet, “Christmas in Manhattan” and “Love You Remember.”

The tour has 15 stops, including McAlisterville. They’re mostly smaller venues, including the Lan caster Mennonite School in Lancaster on Dec. 16. Other stops include Middleport and Marion, Ohio, Kannap olis, N.C., Easley and Newberry, S.C., Salem, Ill., Mangham, La. and Mansfield, Mexia and Spring Texas.

Since the release of “A Jazzy Little Christmas,” Ernie Haase and Signature Sound has received consec utive Grammy nominations, marking nine individual nomina tions for Haase and four collective nominations for the group.

They also won two GMA Dove Awards for Southern Gospel Artist of the Year and Southern Gospel Art ist of the Year. Their most recent project, “Decades of Love,” released earlier this year, landed in the Top 10 on the iTunesPop Albums chart alongside the likes of Be yonce, Harry Styles, ABBA

•••

Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writ ing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published three books, Common Thoughts on The Word in 2016 and Eye of a Needle in 2017 and Com mon Thoughts on The Word II in 2019. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children’s book. His articles on faith often appear on The Senti

and

The band’s production company and bus are based in Nashville, Tenn.

James Taylor.

Haase and his wife, Lisa, make their home in Stow,

Submitted photo

Ernie Haase and Signature Sound See Jazzy

Jazzy

Ohio, the foundation for StowTown Records. He started the legendary quar ter in 2003. Then, in 2011, Haase and good friend Wayne Haun founded this specialty Southern Gospel record label.

“Music was always in my home growing up,” Haase said. “My mom and dad were always playing the Four Platters or Frank ie Valli and the Four Sea sons. I was raised in the Christian genre of music.”

At a very young age, Haase shared with his par ents the desire to sing for Jesus. He dreamt about singing with the Cathedrals Quartet.

“I remember going to hear them sing anytime they were near my home town,” said Haase, who first saw the Cathedrals perform at age 16. “When I was a teenager, I would al ways show up early, some times even before they did, and help them un load their bus. It was my dream to sing with them one day.”

That dream became a re ality in 1990, when the then 25-year-old Haase received the call to join his favorite quartet. At the time Haase,

who had previously sung with renowned songwriter Squire Parsons in his quar tet, Redeemed, was doing solo concerts, and travel ing in his car wherever he was invited to sing.

In the spring 1990, Haase was invited to sing at his alma mater, Oakland City University. The Cathedrals were also scheduled to per form at the concert that night.

Little did Haase know that his performance would serve as an unofficial audi tion for the legendary quar tet. The Cathedrals’ bass singer, George Younce, was waiting in the wings, back stage, watching and listen ing to Haase’s Performance.

Obviously, Younce liked what he heard and saw because, within a week, Haase was making his way to meet the group for his first performance as the Cathedrals’ tenor.

Shortly thereafter, Haase had the opportunity to meet the entire Younce family. Haase’s attention was quickly captured by Younce’s daughter, Lisa, and following a whirlwind courtship, the two married in December 1990.

After the Cathedrals retired in 1999, Haase em barked on a solo career for a few years. He also per formed with Younce, Jake

Hess and Wesley Pritchard as part of the Old Friends Quartet.

When that quartet dis banded due to the ailing health of Younce and Hess, Haase founded the Signa ture Sound Quartet Inc. The group was rebranded by their record label, Gaith er Music, to Ernie Haase and Signature Sound to capitalize on Haase’s popularity.

“The group started be cause I was recording a solo Christmas record and I felt like it needed a quar tet,” Haase recalled. “So, I called in some old friends.”

One of those friends, Doug Anderson, is still with the quartet as an orig inal member.

The quartet received their third Best Roots Gos pel Album Grammy nom ination for “Something Beautiful,” an homage to the Bill and Gloria Gaither song of the same name.

They’ve become one of the most popular and be loved quartets in all South ern Gospel music, singing and selling albums to mil lions around the globe with their unique performances and unmistakable four-part harmonies.

For ticket information, call (717) 463-3572.

Ernie Haase

Lyndon B. Stimeling

Live Nativity becoming a tradition in East

BY TOM LAUB Lifestyles editor tlaub@lewistownsentinel.com

EAST WATERFORD —

The Christmas Season is filled with traditions that stretch back through the decades. There are many community, family and personal activities that reflect the spirit of the season. They range from parades and decorating contests to more solemn and deeply religious cere monies that recognize the Birth of Jesus Christ.

A Live Nativity in East Waterford, now in its sec ond year, is becoming an event to celebrate the Ho liest Day of the year. The South Juniata Baptist Church will present this year’s Live Nativity on Friday, Dec. 23 from 6 p.m.8 p.m. at the East Waterford Carnival Grounds as part of “Christmas Up the Gap.”

The Nativity will fea ture live animals provid ed by Daniel Love, owner and operator of Lovetwo Eat Farm. Like others in volved, Love hopes the event continues to gain at tention and grow.

“Last year was the first and was very strong and well attended,” he said.

Caleb Burd, Pastor of South Juniata Baptist Church, provides an over

view for 2022.

“Christmas up the Gap” is an event of South Juni ata Baptist Church, but we like to partner with people in the community when ever possible,” Burd said. “Dan (Love) is one of those people. Obviously, since the animals are his, he is involved with the planning and organizing of that side of the event (the Live Na tivity), but we’re respon sible for the event, itself which includes food and drinks, crafts for kids, and singing Christmas carols around a campfire.”

2021 was the debut of the Live Nativity in East Waterford. Some changes have already been imple mented for this year.

“This is the second year we’ve done the Live Nativ ity, but the setting is much different,” Burd said. “Last year we did it in conjunc tion with a Christmas con cert by Matt Papa at the church, but this year it’s at the Carnival Grounds.”

All traditions have their beginnings. Pastor Burd is hoping this becomes a long-standing one.

“We are always looking for ways to bless the com munity, but especially at Christmas,” he said. “The message of Christmas is that God loved people and had such a concern for their salvation that He sent

Jesus for them. We want to love people in a way that shows them God’s love, so I’m sure we’ll keep doing Christmas events and out reaches. Whether or not it looks exactly like this year’s event in the future, I’m not sure.”

The Nativity scenes will be handled by church mem bers playing various parts.

“Our youth group will play parts in the Nativity scenes while adults tell the story of Christmas,” Burd said. “There will be three scenes set up. Various peo ple from the church will be helping with the other parts of the event.”

Presenting a Live Na tivity along with the other events requires the time and assistance of many volunteers. Pastor Burd is thankful for his church members and others who have offered their time and services.

“We’re grateful to Dan for his help and to the East Waterford Fire Company for allowing us to use the Carnival Grounds,” he said. “We don’t really have any idea how many people will come, but we hope it’s a lot. We’d love to have you join us!”

“Christmas Up the Gap” is Friday, Dec. 23 from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at the East Waterford Carnival Grounds.

Above and lower left, members of

Nativity in 2021.

The event is free to the public. For more informa tion, visit https://www. facebook.com/southjbap tistchurch/.

Submitted photos

the South Juniata Baptist Church at the Live

Lyndon B. Stimeling

Vintage Juniata County postcard from 1922.

Submitted photo

Members of the South Juniata Baptist Church at the Live Nativity in 2021.

Lyndon B. Stimeling Vintage Juniata County