From the Mayor
By: Gary Griffith
740.768.2632
The Berg is in full bloom! Hopefully everyone has been enjoying the warm weather we’ve been experiencing!
With May being cleanup month in the Village, we will be having two cleanup days in May. On Thursday, May 4th, the Springfield Township Trustees, along with the JB Green Team, will be collecting unwanted items at the Springfield Township Garage. A full list of what can and cannot be disposed of is available on the JB Green Team website. Then on Saturday, May 6th, the Ruritan Club along with the Village will be at the Springfield Township Garage to collect what is left over from Thursday, May 4th. With the lack of volunteers, because everyone is getting older and some dedicated individuals that were always there to help being unable to anymore, I’m asking that if you can, please bring it either day May 4th or 6th to the township garage. If you can’t, please put it out in front of your residence on Thursday May 4th. We have more help that day, and it will be
picked up. If not, someone will get it on Saturday May 6th. All your help in cleaning up our village is greatly appreciated!
With the Homecoming in June and wanting to make the Village picture perfect for former residents coming home to visit, Saturday June 3rd, the Bergholz Community Foundation will be offering a final cleanup day to get rid of unwanted items previously missed in the May cleanup. This will be Saturday June 3rd at the Bergholz Village Garage, 901 Washington St. This will be from 7:00am to 12:00pm. Let’s all do our part to make the Berg picture perfect!
Bergholz Village Council would like to welcome its newest member, with Council voting to place Ben Carpenter on council to fill the rest of Tara Givens term because of her resignation from the seat. There are two council seats up for reelection this November 7th. Anyone wanting to run for the seats must go to the Jefferson County Board of Elections, pick up a petition and get 10 signatures from registered voters to be eligible to run for the seats. Return it to the Board of Elections with the proper paperwork. The petitions have to be in by the 1st of August.
Chad Hazelip and TJ Blaint will be taking care of the mowing and keeping the Village spruced up this summer. Chad has been out picking up trash along 164 and the Village Streets. If you see either one of these guys give them a Thank You!
With this I want to wish everyone a great summer with your family and friends! Remember it takes all residents both past and present to keep the Berg the envy of the Valley!
Bergholz Community Foundation
By: Nikki Klein
Wow, I can’t believe it’s almost time for our 30th Anniversary! If you haven’t already heard, the foundation will be hosting a Homecoming like the homecomings Bergholz had in years past. We are so excited about this event! I can’t wait to see the lights, sounds of the rides, and smell of the food. I hope you are all as excited as we are! The Homecoming will take place June 15th 5-10pm, June 16th 5-11pm, and June 17th 2-10pm. Admission and rides will be free. We also have some spectacular entertainment lined up. Chelsea Matta will be performing on Thursday June 15th 6-9pm and the Easy Street Band will be performing on Saturday June 16th 6-9pm. Come out and dance a little, or just sit back, relax, and enjoy the music. There will be a variety of fair favorite foods. The Bergholz VFD and EMS will also be serving up some delicious food in the firehouse. Last, but not least, there is going to be a Homecoming Parade, just like we used to have years ago. The parade will take place on Friday, June 16th at 6pm. Prizes will be awarded for the best animal, best antique/classic vehicle, best motorized/non-motorized vehicle, best marching group, and best safety vehicle.
Trustees will be available at the entrance if you would like to talk to someone about becoming a member of the Foundation or if you would like to make a donation. “Invest in your community. Invest in the Bergholz Community Foundation”
We are still in need of some volunteers. If the foundation has made a positive impact in your life, we would love for you to come out and be a part of this. Please contact Ryan Boyd if you would like to volunteer in any way. (740)632-2527
We have chosen the scholarship recipients for the 2023 graduating class. They will be announced at the Senior Awards Banquet on May 21st.
Bergholz VFD
By: Dwayne Morley
740.543.3306
It’s going to be a busy summer here at the department with a lot of community events. The following dates we will be serving food at the department to provide additional funding for new equipment. So mark your calendars for :
SATURDAY – May 20 – Homesteaders Rendezvous – 9am till 5pm
THURSDAY – FRIDAY – SATURDAY – June 15,16,17 – Bergholz Homecoming Event – Times: Thursday 5-10, Friday 5-11, Saturday 2-10
SATURDAY & SUNDAY – August 25 & 26 – Weekend of Dinners – Times and dinners to be announced.
So please come out and support your local fire department and the volunteers who dedicate their time and efforts to protecting our village.
Bergholz EMS
By: Don Rowe
740.768.2659
Congratulations to Shane McCoy, Mike Barnhouse, and Casey Barnhouse for becoming our newest EMTs here in Bergholz! That makes 5 new EMTs serving our community. We thank them for their time and commitment to serving not only our community, but the surrounding area as well. And as usual, we have been a busy bunch since the last newsletter. Volunteers are always welcome. We should be having our next class this fall. Kids will be out of school soon so please be on the lookout for them on our streets, especially around the various playground areas in our community. Keep an eye out for us at the Bergholz Homecoming in June!
Ruritans
By: Don Lyons
740.768.2680
We will have three young adults getting scholarships this year through our club. Names will be published in the next newsletter. We continue to serve our community with placing the flags on the poles during the various holidays and events here in town. New members are always welcome, and we could really use some younger people to help out. Remember Town Clean -Up is Saturday, May 6, starting at 7am, and we are done at 9am. Make sure your stuff is out by the curb starting on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday to be picked up. Finally, we will not be celebrating July 4th this year here in the village. This is due to the fact we will have 3 days of Homecoming in June which is two weeks before July 4th. July 4th will return in 2024! We hope everyone understands.
East Springfield Memorial Day Parade
By: Sue Call
740.543.3066
The Annual Parade will be Monday, May 29th. Line-up will be at the Old School Apartments on State Route 43 beginning at 9am.
The parade is scheduled to start at 10am. It will travel State Route 43 from the Old School to The East Springfield Community Center. A program with music and guest speakers will be held, followed by a covered dish dinner.
There will be a variety of prizes in different categories including floats, horses, and novelty.
All who desire are invited to attend. Please contact Sue Call for registration or more information.
WEBA Food Pantry
By: Ann Wiley
740.543.3972
To all our friends who expected a yard sale in early April, we are sorry it could not be held. Easter weekend, fresh food delivery, U-Haul delivery of food, and pass out, prevented us from following through with our original date. A new date has been set: Friday & Saturday, May 12 & 13 is the new date. The hours will be from 9am-2pm both days. There is always something for everyone. Be sure and come and check it out.
It is with a heavy heart that we must announce that one of our long-time volunteers has passed away. Sallie Curry died on April 1, 2023. She is survived by a son, Rich, and a grandson, Connor, of Fort Myers, Florida.
Produce and pass-out days are as follows:
Produce –
Friday, May 19 & June 16
Pantry –
Saturday, May 27 & June 24
Again, many thanks must be mentioned to our wonderful, faithful volunteers. Your devotion makes this operation work.
Northeast Jefferson County Food Pantry
“Our mission is to serve God and eliminate hunger in our community “
We take this opportunity to thank the Amsterdam Church of God for their two recent donations of $100.00 each to help our pantry supply the needs of our community!
Please keep the following dates in mind: Our next food pantry dates are:
Food Pantry (cont)
Thursdays, May 18 and June 15, between 8am and noon. Our next Work Food Assistance Program will be on Saturdays, May 6 and June 3, between 10am and noon. A current paycheck stub will be needed for visual verification of work status for the Saturday program. Please remember if you come to the food pantry, you cannot come again for the Work Food Assistance Program!
Both distributions will be behind the Presbyterian Church on 2nd Street.
Donations can be made to the pantry at any time. We are a 501-C program for your donations and can be included as a deduction on your income taxes. You can mail your donations to: Northeast Jefferson Co. Food Pantry – P.O. Box 613 – Bergholz, Ohio 43908-0613
You can contact Presi-dent Ronnie Shockley at: 330-627-4080 or Director: Kathy Warner at:740-543-3590 or by email at: [email protected]
John Gregg Elementary PTO
Jamie Wiley, President
740.768.2100
In March and April, John Gregg PTO organized several events. To celebrate Dr. Suess day, we welcomed three special guests from Consumers National Bank! Ralph Lober (President and CEO), Derek Williams (SVP Retail Banking and Operations) and Nikki Howell (Senior Relationship Banker) visited each homeroom to read a Dr. Suess book to the students. The spring book fair was a huge success! Parent and grandparent luncheons are held in conjunction with the book fair. This scheduling allows students to shop with their family…. Which they love!!!
On March 31st, we had our monthly popcorn day, and the spirit corner was open for business. The Easter bunny (Mrs. Emma Gallagher) visited John Gregg on April 5th. Our bunny hopped from classroom to classroom to take pictures with the students, deliver candy, and participated in the egg hunt.
We are quickly approaching the end of the school year and for John Gregg PTO… that means it is time to spring into action!!! In May we will be helping with an organized field day, Relay for Life, the end of the year celebration, 6th grade picnic and 6th grade graduation!! We are extremely grateful for those in our community that are willing to donate their time to visit John Gregg. Your generosity and kindness are appreciated more than you could ever know!!!!!!
East Springfield Community Recreation & Service Center
By: Sue Call 740.543.3700
Join us for our monthly dinner. It is the second Thursday of each month. The time is 4-6:00 pm. On Thursday, May 11th, we will have Baked Steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, bread, drink, and dessert. The cost will be $10.00. Come join us for a filling dinner and visit with your neighbors. We sure could use extra help during these meals. Let me know if you are available or just show up! The June 8th entrée will be Cabbage Rolls.
Check social media or flyers posted in the community for details of all Center activities. The Center is available to rent. Please contact me for prices and availability.
Faith Community Church
By: Chad Thompson 740.768.2835
740.512.3238
Hello to all of you in our beautiful com-munity. It often seems like Spring has just sprung and the next moment it has already bounced us straight into Summer. I hope you have had a great Spring, and you are excited to begin an even greater Summer.
We would like to congratulate all of our area’s Class of 2023 Graduates. Please know that you are all in our prayers as you begin the next chapter of your life.
At Bergholz Faith Community Church, we were blessed to have an incredible Easter week celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus. And I would like to thank all of you that joined/supported us as we were able to have yet another a mazing Christ Walk on Good Friday. If you would like to join us next year, please look for the info for the 2024 Event.
All of us at Bergholz Faith Community Church are looking forward to an exciting Summer full of opportunities to serve those in our community and to enjoy spending time together. We would love for you to come and join in the fun with us!
Please check us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fellowshipwithfaith/ Church Services are Sunday Mornings at 10:45am, Our Youth will continue to meet Wednesday at 6:00pm, our Ladies Group meets on the 3rd Monday of the month at 6:00pm. On Thursdays at 6:30pm AA Meetings.
Please know that we are praying for you and here if you need us or have any questions. Have a blessed, safe, and awesome Summer!
God Bless You.
Pastor Chad Thompson
Chestnut Ridge/ Bergholz Churches
By: Pastor Lee Iden
330.894.2389/330.614.4395
HE IS RISEN, HE IS RISEN INDEED! Those words typify the Christian attitude and our Christian hope. If Jesus had not been raised from the dead, our faith would have to be just as dead. His resurrection is what makes our faith different from any other ever in existence. We have a LIVING God! We have a God who has lived as we have lived and experienced what we have experienced. He got hungry, He got thirsty, He felt pain and sadness, just as we do. He got frustrated and angry just as we do. I rather imagine He rolled His eyes at some of the things people said back then just as we do today. He also had to work for a living just as we do! Carpentry in the days of Jesus was a noble and needed profession. Carpentry today is a noble and needed profession! My father was a carpenter and a pretty good one. My uncle Duke was in the cabinet making business for many years and has cabinets all over the USA and maybe even a few foreign countries as well. Jesus’ earthly father, a carpenter, from Nazareth had such a HUGE responsibility in raising the very Son of God! WOW, I’m glad it was him and not me! Although there would be some comfort knowing that the God of the Universe was sleeping upstairs. Yup, I can see definite advantages to that!
The Easter season is behind us now. We celebrated Maundy Thursday with Holy Communion, and a brief message concerning Jesus’ last week in Jerusalem. Good Friday our small church in Bergholz was open for a time of prayer and reflection. Easter Sunday morning, we were GOING to have an outdoor service at the Gazebo in Bergholz but with the temperature hovering at a BRISK 34 degrees, we opted for the warmth of the sanctuary…maybe next year.
We are well into the process of leaving the United Methodist Church at Bergholz and Chestnut Ridge churches. We have developed our new names, Bergholz Fellowship Church and Chestnut Ridge Church. We had to exclude anything even remotely related to Methodism including the UMC hymnals that have been in the church for decades! We will have to change the signs in front of both churches to reflect the new names. We have drawn up our own doctrines, bylaws, constitutions and are now in the process of acquiring the necessary permits for being tax exempt as religious organization, filing for articles of incorporation and all that other fun stuff and hoops that we have to jump through. God is good and it’s going pretty well. There have only been a couple minor hiccups, and we’ll get those ironed out soon enough. Please keep us in prayer as we navigate this process. All of this must be finalized by our June 7th through the 10th annual conference at the John S. Knight center in Akron, and it will be. If you don’t have a home church, please pray about joining us on our first Sunday as independent churches on the first Sunday in July! We are still alternating between the two churches. April, we are in Bergholz, May, Chestnut Ridge, June back in Bergholz and our first Sunday as churches on our own will be at Chestnut Ridge Church on July 2nd. Gonna be a CELEBRATION!
Mother’s Day is fast approaching, and we’ve got something special lined up for moms.
God has blessed us in SO MANY WAYS! Thank you Bergholz for supporting us all of these years, and we look forward to serving you for MANY MORE YEARS to come!
In HIS HOLY NAME.
Shalom
Pastor Lee
Something to Think About
By: Dave Miller
Recently, in a sermon I was talking about the Old Testament practice of sacrifice. God had commanded the nation of Israel to perform five different kinds of sacrifices as a means of worship.
Then I turn over to the New Testament and found in I Peter 2:5 that we today ought to offer “spiritual sacrifices.” There are at least four spiritual sacrifices mentioned in the New Testament. One of those is found in Hebrews 13:15 where the Bible writer says, “Through Jesus, therefore let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of our lips that confess his name.” In other words, what kinds of words come from our lips? In a time when there is so much dirt spoken on TV, how about we speak words of praise, thankfulness, and kind-ness.
What kind of words do we say at a sporting event when the official’s call is against our team? I’ve heard some words I would not like to hear when we have to stand in line longer than we would like at the checkout. I’ve heard of those who have experienced angry, profane words when someone feels they have been cut off in traffic. I must confess, that while I have not used profanity in those situations, I have called other drivers “idiot” because their actions cut me off!
Another verse of scripture that is a life challenge is found in Ephesians 4:32 where the Apostle Paul writes, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.” In our dog-eat-dog world just a bit of grace or kindness can go a long way in making someone’s day better. A smile, a thank you, sometimes even “How are you doing today?” can be a great pick me up for a person having a tough day.
Please be extra careful driving in the village. Since the weather has gotten warmer, I see children walking or riding their bikes. I cannot believe how fast some cars travel through the village streets. Please be cautious driving in the village.
As I mentioned praise to God earlier, have you noticed how beautiful the redbud trees look this Spring? Just gorgeous!!
A further Spring note. Travelling from the Village to Mt. Zion Church, I frequently encounter deer. Sometimes quite a few. One of the signs of Spring coming is to note the change in their coat color. It is good to see the color change from black to light tan!
On a personal note, to those asking about my health, on the advice of my physician, I will have another test at the end of May. Your concern and prayers are deeply appreciated.
Amsterdam Community Church of God
8247 Bear Road SE
By: Tony Kovalesky 740.543.4041
Church:740. 543.3927
Parsonage:740. 543.3036
[email protected]
April was a blessed month for us as we celebrated Passion Week with a Palm Sunday celebration, Maundy Thursday Seder Passover, a Tenebrae Service on Good Friday and on Easter Sunday a Sunrise Service at the Amsterdam Gazebo, breakfast, and an Easter worship celebration. On Sunday of April 16, we celebrated our 113th Anniversary as a fellowship of Christ-followers gathering together to worship in Amsterdam.
On the weekend of April 21-23, the annual women’s retreat was held at Century Farm in Carrollton. This event drew 60 women to a wonderful time of fellowship, food, and challenging messages with the theme: Pick Up Your Mat and Walk (John 5:8).
May 14th is Daughters of the King Day and all daughters in the church will receive a special gift and recognition. On Father’s Day morning, June 18th, we will honor and recognize all the Sons of the King in attendance with a gift. July 16th is our annual picnic following morning service at Elkhorn Valley with a cookout, games, and swimming.
On Saturday, May 20th, the Amsterdam Community Celebrate Recovery (ACCR) will be hosting a HOG ROAST/Potluck Dinner with fun and games to kick off the summer. All ages are invited to attend. More details are coming. Amsterdam Community Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered program with large and small groups where everyone can find freedom from any hurts, hang-ups and habits that are controlling their life, meets on Wednesday at 6:30 pm. We want everyone to find a sense of family at ACCR so after small group, everyone is invited for dinner in the Warrior Way Café located in the fellowship hall. We provide infant-toddler care and also have classes for kids ages 5-11 in the Celebration Place and grades 7-12 in The Landing.
Sunday, May 21st, we will celebrate with those students who are graduating this year from high school and college with recognition during the Sunday morning service followed by a Taco Bar Luncheon.
Several children will be attending Camp Stillwater in June at the NEO Church of God Retreat Center where they will make lifelong friends, eat great food, play fun games, learn about Jesus, and have the time of their life in a spectacular setting.
Vacation Bible School is July 31-August 4 with a program and cookout on Sunday August 6. The theme this year is STELLAR- SHINE JESUS LIGHT where kids will be launched on a cosmic quest where they will have a blast shining Jesus’ light to the world. Stellar VBS rockets kids on an out-of-this-world adventure that’s light years of faith-building fun. Stellar VBS is a Bible-rich program grounded in hands-on, multi-sensory learning experience that kids will be talking about for years to come. More info will be placed on Facebook or call the church office.
Youth (6th-12th Grades) meet on Mondays at 6:00 with a meal, games, and Bible Study. Once a month we plan a special activity. On Sunday, May 7th we plan to go bowling on Sunday afternoon and on May 28 we are going hiking at Nelson Ledges.
Our worship service starts at 10:30 AM on Sundays along with children’s church. The youth meet on Monday evenings at 6:00, Celebration Recovery on Wednesday at 6:30, a Mixed Adult Bible Study on Wednesday at 7:00, a Women’s Book and Bible Study on Tuesdays at 6:30, and a Men’s Bible Study meets on Thursday at 7:00.
Like us on Facebook or contact us at 740.543.3927 or [email protected]. A place where imperfect people are welcomed.
