Deadline for the January/February Newsletter is Friday, December 29th.
From the Mayor
By: Gary Griffith 740.768.2632
Fall is definitely in the air here in the Berg! The cool evenings and mornings and a warm up in the afternoon. The changing of the leaves in and around the Berg makes for a colorful time of year.
Remember, if you have leaves raked and bagged, set them out by the street, and the Village will pick them up the first part of every week. If for some reason they don’t get picked up, let me know and someone will get them.
A big shout out and “THANK YOU” to Consumers National Bank for the paving job at the Bank- City Building -Post Office.
Village Council is work-ing with W.E. Quicksall and Associates of New Philadelphia, Ohio to obtain grants for street paving various parts of the Village. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that we qualify for the grants.
With the holidays coming upon us, the Village Light-Up-Night for the Christmas decorations will be November 26th, the Sunday after Thanks-giving, at 7:00pm at the Gazebo at the Village Parking Lot at Second and Jefferson Streets. DJ Chelsea Matta House-holder and Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause will be present for the little ones!
If you have a property that has a vacant building that needs removed, the Jefferson County Land Bank has grant money available. To receive this money contact: Tabatha Glover at 740-283-8655 of the Jefferson County Land
Reutilization Corporation. There is a form to fill out and it must be in her office by November 30, 2023.
As always, thank you to all Village Residents, both past and present, for what you do to make the Berg the envy of the Valley!
Mayor Gary Griffith
Bergholz Community Foundation
By: Nikki Klein
With much gratitude, but with sadness as well, The Foundation announces the retirement of Terri McConnaughy as trustee, treasurer, and vice-president. Terri became treasurer of the Foundation in 1995 and in 1997 she became a trustee as well. Over the years, she dedicated countless hours to handling the financial responsibilities for the Foundation. In addition, Terri was always willing to help with any and all Foundation projects and events. She is currently training the new secretary, Valerie Stine. Thank You Terri for everything that you have done, not only for the Foundation, but for all of the people and organi-zations that have worked with the Foundation over the years!!!
Total Medical Care hosted an immunization clinic in October at the Lawrence P. Crow Medical Building in Bergholz. Thanks to those who came out and took advantage of this resource. Thank you to Mallory Puckett for all you do for the community. Call 740-768-1001 on Mondays to make appointments. If it’s any other day of the week, please call 330-956-5236.
Insight Clinical Counseling and Wellness has office hours in Bergholz on Tuesday evenings and Wednesdays during the day. If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call 330-397-6007. You can also contact them through their website at www.insightclinicalcounseling.com.
We hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving and a Very Merry Christmas!
John Gregg Elementary PTO
Jamie Wiley, President
740.768.2100
John Gregg PTO is entering its busiest season! The holiday season is full of many special events for our students. In October, we have a dance for the 5th and 6th graders. Students can dress in costume if they would like. Dance activities include line dancing, playing games, capturing memories at the fall themed photo back drop, and sharing a meal together. Each homeroom class will have a Halloween party. John Gregg is blessed with many wonderful parent/guardian volunteers to serve as homeroom helpers for the parties. The kids will make a craft, play games, enjoy a cookie and each child receives a treat bag.
November kicks off with the fall book fair which is held in conjunction with the parent/grandparent lunches and the Veteran’s Day assembly. We are planning a fundraiser selling “Heavenly Dips” from November 14-28. We hope folks can use these yummy dip packets as gifts and special treats at their holiday gatherings. Before you know it, we will be on Thanksgiving break! We will have a dress up week to raise funds to purchase food to be donated to local food pantries. During this week, each day has a Different theme (for example, crazy hair day, hat day, pj day). Students can dress accordingly and bring in $1 to participate.
December will be full of Christmas celebrations! Santa will make a special visit to John Gregg. Following the visit, Santa’s workshop will be open for business! This gives students an opportunity to purchase gifts for their loved ones. Christmas parties will kick off Christmas break with loads of fun and Christmas cheer. John Gregg PTO would like to extend a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to our school families and friends in our community. May you all be blessed with health and happiness this Holiday Season!
WEBA Food Pantry
By: Ann Wiley 740.543.3972
Earlier this month, four (4) members of the WEBA board attended an informational meeting at The Urban Mission in Steubenville. The purpose of the meeting was to highlight the hunger issues in Jefferson County. Figures from the Urban Mission reveal that 40,999 persons have been served from January-September 2023. This is hard to wrap my mind around.
The WEBA Food Pantry does not have this number of clients. However, we do service 140-160 families per month. We are blessed with wonderful volunteers, all of whom volunteer their time. We are blessed with very generous and faithful donors.
We are thankful and grateful that we could have a 22kw generator installed to save losing freezers full of food during a power outage. Our board of directors continue to donate time to keep the pantry running.
WE ARE BLESSED.
November and December dates for produce and pantry pass out will change due to Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
Produce: November 17 & December 15
Pantry: November 18 & December 16
January 2024
Produce will be Friday, January 19.
Pantry will be Saturday, January 27.
East Springfield Community Recreation & Service Center
By: Sue Call 740.543.3700
We have one more scheduled event for 2023. We will host an indoor yard sale November 9th, 10th, and 11th. The time is 9am-4pm each day. There will also be food items for sale too. This is a great time to shop for holiday decorations and treats or to visit with friends before Old Man Winter makes his appearance. There is no cost to set up a table or two. Come visit with us.
The Community Blessing Boxes have been reinstalled in front of our Community Center. In case you are not familiar with these, The Junior Women’s Club of East Springfield started these. They are filled with food items, donated by members of the community, that are free for the taking, free of charge for anyone who is in need. It can also be a blessing to those who are able to fill it. They should be called Double Blessing Boxes!
Thank you to everyone who supported us this past year with our monthly dinners. We will take a break from these dinners until Spring. Please watch social media for announcements about occasional meals, bake sales, or other activities.
We hosted our annual Halloween Party on Tuesday, October 31st. It is one of our largest and favorite events of the year. Each year we are amazed at the creativity of the costumes. Thank you to everyone who attended this celebration!
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.
We wish everyone a blessed Thanksgiving and a joyous Christmas!
Something to Think About
By: Dave Miller
For some years I have wanted to make a visit to the FLT 93 Memorial in Shanksville, PA. On October 12, I was finally able to make that journey. With me were son-in-law Chriss, Daughter Kara, and friend Maxine.
The memorial covers 2,000 acres including a Visitor’s Center and a Tower of Voices that makes music only when the wind is blowing. The day we were there, the wind was calm, so no voice was heard.
The Visitor’s Center contains a bookstore. I purchased a book FLIGHT 93 by Tom McMillian. He gives incredible details about the terrorists who were responsible for taking down the United Airlines Flight 93.
In addition, the Visitor’s Center contains a display of the very small pieces that were taken from the crash site. It is understandable when one realizes that the airplane hit the earth at 563 miles per hour. A quite large crater was gouged in the earth. Eventually the crater was filled and a 17-ton stone placed at that spot where the plane hit the earth. Also in the Visitor’s Center, one can listen to phone calls made by passengers on the plane to family members when they became aware they were being hijacked. It was then they were told of planes hitting the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Most believe that the Al-Qaeda terrorists on Flight 93 were planning to destroy the Capitol in Washington. Something they were stopped from doing by the heroism of those on 93.
The memorial also contains 40 areas of trees planted in memory of the 40 crew and passengers who died that day. The grounds are meticulously cared for as a part of the National Parks System.
When I was in NY, the parents of the wife of one of the heroes of Flight 93 were members of my church. Their daughter was in college at that time, and I met her a few times when she was home and came to church with her parents.
On September 11, 2001, our son, David, was a chef in a restaurant in NYC about one mile north of the WTC. When he heard of the first plane hitting the WTC, he went outside, and while he could not see the second incoming plane, he saw that huge fireball created when the plane hit the second tower. He and his friend, Lou, took a cruise ship across the Hudson River so they could catch a train to their homes in New Jersey.
Our daughter, Kara, was a consultant at that time to the United States Depart-ment of State. She lived in Columbus and was in Washington for a meeting with the team she was a part of. They were some distance from the Pent-agon. While she had flown to Washington, she had to rent a car for the return trip home.
Of the crash of FLT 93 a Los Angeles fireman said, “A common field one day, a field of honor forever.”
I am glad we were finally able to make the trip, and I give thanks for the bravery and faith of those who surrendered their lives. It would be good to see America return to the spirit of patriotism seen in the days of 9/11/2001.
Faith Community Church
By: Chad Thompson 740.768.2835
740.512.3238
Hello to all of our Beautiful Bergholz community. This Year is already winding down, and we are now preparing to give thanks to our Great God and celebrate the birth of our Wonderful Savior! I hope and pray that you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving and a beautiful Christmas full of love, joy, and peace! No matter how you spend these holidays, KNOW that you are loved and prayed for by us at Bergholz Faith Community Church.
As we spend time with our families, enjoy filling our bellies with our favorite foods, wrap and unwrap presents, let us not forget that EVERY Good and Perfect gift we give and receive, comes from our Heavenly Father that always provides for us.
Right now, we have our woman’s group meeting to prepare for the upcoming season. The ladies support outreaches they assist with making blankets for the children’s care packages for those in need, and providing meals and prayers for those dealing with illness. Many of these wonderful sisters in Christ also make hats, scarfs, and gloves for our winter warming tree. We also collect socks for our sock tree as well.
For any upcoming events/info, please check 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. Thursdays at 6:30pm AA meets.
Please know that we are praying for you and here if you need us or have any questions. Happy Thanks-giving and Merry Christmas!
God Bless You.
Pastor Chad Thompson
East Springfield Christ UMC
By: Nicki Tennant 740.543.3002
We started November with All Saint’s Sunday to remember people of our church and community who have passed. It was a special time in our worship service.
The Wednesday 6:30pm Bible Study group is finalizing the study of the Book of Romans. We will start an advent study Prepare the Way for the Lord: Advent and the Message of John the Baptist. For centuries, Christians have turned to the story and message of John the Baptist in the weeks leading up to Christmas. In Prepare the Way for the Lord: Advent and the Message of John the Baptist, best-selling author and pastor Adam Hamilton explores the Advent themes of John’s life and ministry, and how John calls all followers of Jesus to prepare our hearts for his coming. In each of the Gospels, the story of Jesus is intertwined with that of his cousin John, the one whom the prophets foretold would come to “prepare the way of the Lord.” When we hear the message of John the Baptist, it makes us and our world ready to receive Christ.
Chapter topics include:
1. A People Prepared for the Lord
2. God Is Gracious
3. The Fruit of Repentance
4. Witnesses Testifying to the Light
Anyone in the community who wants to join us is welcome.
The Adult Sunday School Class is finishing the fall quarter with stories from the books of Joshua and Judges with lessons that teach us about success through obedience and failure through disobedience. Our winter quarter will include lessons of contentment and living in Christ.
Christ UMC will host a community Thanksgiving Service and Christmas Eve Service. We are still in the planning stages for the date and time. Please watch our Facebook page for final details for these two services.
In December we will assemble and deliver cookie trays to the more than twenty businesses in the East Springfield Community. On Saturday, December 16th we will once again participate in the Wreaths Across America program
We are collecting items for our Mitten Tree. Mittens, gloves, scarves, hats, and socks will be donated to the Urban Mission, John Gregg Elementary, and the Friendship Room in Downtown Steubenville. We continue to collect non-food items for WEBA. We were able to purchase twenty-eight (28) new coats to donate to the Urban Mission for their Annual Fall Coat Distribution.
The Blessing Boxes are back at the Community Center. Our Adult Sunday School has added the purchase of food items for these boxes to their regular tithing. Please stop at our Little Free Library and borrow a book or two. It is located along the sidewalk in front of the church.
We want to wish each and every one of you a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. If you are looking for a home church, or just want to stop in for a visit, Sunday School is at 9:45am and Morning Worship at 11:00. Please come and join us. You will be welcomed!
The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3 New King James Version
Over the River and Through the Wood
By Lydia Maria Child
Over the river and through the wood
To Grandmother’s house we go.
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh
Through white and drifted snow.
Over the river and through the wood
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes
And bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.
Over the river and through the wood
To have a first-rate play.
Hear the bells ring,
Ting-a-ling-ling!
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!
Over the river and through the wood,
Trot fast, my dapple gray!
Spring over the ground
Like a hunting hound,
For this is Thanksgiving Day.
Over the river and through the wood,
And straight through the barnyard gate.
We seem to go
Extremely slow…
It is so hard to wait!
Over the river and through the wood,
Now Grandmother’s cap I spy!
Hurrah for fun!
Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!
Amsterdam Community Church of God
8247 Bear Road SE
By: Tony Kovalesky 740.543.4041
Pastor David Guess
Church: 740. 543.3927
Parsonage: 740. 543.3036
Our continuing theme is “Bring Life (Jesus) to the “garden” God has placed you with your gifts, resources, and talents.” Our theme verses from Genesis 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” and Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Sunday, November 5, is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church with NEPAL as the emphasis for our time of prayer.
The church will hold their annual business meeting on Sunday, November 5, following the morning service as we celebrated 2023 accomplishments and share goals and set financial obligations for 2024.
The church will host their annual community Thanksgiving dinner from 4-6 on Saturday, November 18. This dinner will be a Sit-N-Eat and is a free dinner for all the communities around Amsterdam to express our thanks and promote community in our area. The meal will include turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, corn, drinks, and desserts. Invite your family and friends to attend. On Sunday, November 19, we will hold our Annual Leftovers Thanksgiving Dinner following our morning worship service (around noon).
This year’s Advent Christmas messages will focus on PEACE. Moments of peace are precious. When we find them, we hold on tight and pray they last. But there is a peace that goes beyond our understanding—beyond the pain and fear we face today. If you have been Missing Peace, come discover it with us.
The Advent season begins on Sunday, December 3. Advent is not only a time of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, but also a focus on the Second Coming of Christ where everything will be made right. With the hustle and the bustle of the holidays, it is rewarding to reflect on the reason for the season…the birth of our Savior, Christ the Lord.
Each year Christian Women Connection (CWC) (formally called Missionary Society) receives a Christ Birthday Observance Offering on the Sunday before Christmas to be used for Missions. This year’s theme is focused on the persecuted church in Pakistan. Our goal is $1,000.00. Each week of Advent leading up to this offering, an Advent Reading will be read during our focus on the theme.
The CWC will sponsor the annual Church Christmas Dinner on Sunday, December 3, at 6:00 pm. This covered dish event will be held in the church’s fellowship hall, and everyone is invited for a wonderful time of food, fellowship, and the singing of Christmas carols. During the morning worship service on Sunday, December 17, the children will present their Christmas program.
Join us for our annual Candles, Carols, and Communion Christmas Eve Service on December 24 at 6:00 pm. Have a blessed end of the year and beginning of a new year.
Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered ministry for anyone struggling with hurts, habits, or hang-ups of any kind. CR is a safe place to find community and freedom from the issues that are controlling our life. CR meets every Wednesday night at 6:30.
Our Sunday morning worship service starts at 10:30 each week with the children being dismissed during the service for an experience geared towards their ages. The youth (grades 6-12) meet on Monday nights at 6:00 and are fundraising for Winter Retreat in January 2024. On Tuesday nights at 6:30 we have Women’s Prayer and Bible Study. On Thursday nights at 7:00 we have Iron Sharpens Iron Men’s Prayer and Bible Study. There is also a Co-Ed Prayer and Bible Study held on Wednesday nights at 7:00.
Everyone is welcome as we are Becoming a Christ-Centered Church by Growing Christ-Centered Followers.
Let’s Fight Together
By: T.J. Anderson
740.512.3278 740.543.4353
Well, I just want to thank everyone this reaches that has ever supported Let’s Fight Together and supported local kidney dialysis patients. We’ve been fighting either to beat it or to support people with kidney disease or on kidney dialysis for over 20 years. Your support and the love everyone has shown me is 💯 appreciated.
Starting in 2024, we change to Let’s Fight Together Outreach where we will support local causes, but I’ll be taking some time off and won’t be doing the day-to-day fight for kidney dialysis patients. I just need a break from everything mentally.
I’ll still be doing the jerky for the outreach, and you’ll still see me at fundraisers and local benefits. So, the Fight will still continue.
Bergholz Fellowship /Chestnut Ridge Churches
By: Pastor Lee Iden
330.894.2389/330.614.4395
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who was born, lived, served, died, and was resurrected by His Father, the God of the universe! Summer is GONE! I am a winter person, and I cannot wait for those great cold and snowy days that will soon be upon us! I disdain 723the hot, humid days of summer. When the temperatures get anywhere near that 90-degree mark and the humidity ranges above 80%, I not only fight to breathe, I fight to keep even a little bit active! GIVE ME THAT 20-DEGREE STUFF! GIVE ME THAT SEVEN-INCHES OF SNOW STUFF! That is of course exactly why God created four-wheel drive, isn’t it?
My wife and I were blessed on October 1st to be able to invite the two churches to come to our home for an outdoor service on our back patio. The weather was VERY co-operative with temperatures in the mid-sixties, no rain, and a beautiful light breeze blowing. We shared a covered dish lunch following the service and as ALWAYS, the food was GOOD and PLENTIFUL!
We have had a BUSY summer at the two-new churches I am blessed to serve. Bergholz United Methodist Church (formerly) is now Bergholz Fellowship Church and the former Chestnut Ridge UMC, is now
Chestnut Ridge Church! All of the dirty stuff is done, and we are now officially independent churches worshiping God in Spirit and in truth. If you get a chance, drive by, or better yet, stop by and visit us on a Sunday morning at our 11:00am worship service and take a look at our new signs! They were graciously built by a local man who wished to remain anonymous, but they are BEAUTIFUL! And well made, I might add. We alternate between meeting at the two churches; even months at Bergholz Fellowship Church, (BFC), odd months at Chestnut Ridge Church (CRC). October, we are at BFC, November, back at CRC.
We are looking to expand our foot print in the community. In years past, the church was the focal point of activities in the community and while the other churches in the Bergholz area are very active and meet many of the local needs, we at our churches wish to help out with that process. There are so many needs in our culture and our society that there is plenty of work to go around for everyone! At some point in the near future, I would like to hold, perhaps on a semi-regular basis, what I will call a prayer summit. Worshipers, pastors and laity from the area churches will gather together somewhere, I would suggest BFC first, for a time of corporate prayer and worship. This would NOT be on a Sunday morning to interfere with the regular worship experience, but more likely on, say a Saturday afternoon when we can gather together and pray for the needs in the area; community needs, church needs personal needs and any other need the body has.
We are blessed to be in the place we are in, in the time we are in, and in the circumstances we are in, and I thank our God in heaven for all He has accomplished through His Son and by Him, through us!
AMEN
Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County
By: Jennifer Cesta
740.282.9782
BOOKMOBILE SCHEDULE
Thursdays
November 9th & 30th
December 21st
Grammy’s Diner Amsterdam
10am-11am
Bergholz Fire Hall
11am-12:00pm
Red Dog Road
Home Delivery
Contact the Library to learn about our Book Club dates and current titles.
What Should I Be Thankful For?
By: Patricia A Fleming
Now what should I be thankful for?
Now where do I begin?
Of course the greatest gift of all –
My family and my friends.
But it’s also all the little things
That touch my life each day
That I sometimes take for granted
Letting life get in the way.
Like my comfy bed that keeps me warm
As I sleep away the night
And that lovely glowing, smiling sun
That wakes me with her light.
Just lying there and taking time
To hear the world as she awakes.
The peaceful sounds of early morn
That nature starts to make.
The smell of breakfast cooking
My cat entreating me to rise
Breathing in the crisp fall air
And looking up at pillowed skies.
To be blessed with still another day
To laugh and love and live.
To have enough to care for me
And still have plenty more to give.
To smell and hear the rainfall
As it pitter patters from the sky.
To watch a snowy blizzard roar
While sitting safe and warm inside.
To look upon the bluest sea
As the gulls go soaring by.
To feel the salt upon my skin
As I lay beneath the sun to dry.
I’m so grateful that God still allows
Another child to be born
And that He opens up His heavens
To all those loved ones I mourn.
I feel blessed by each new moment.
Another chance to make things right
And for all good people in this world
Who love and give with all their might.
It’s important each and every day
To bring all our thanks to mind.
It’s tragic we’re so lost in life
That we seldom take the time.
But as for me, I plan to make a change.
It’s a simple change to make.
To thank God for all my blessings
Every morning when I wake!
An English Winter’s Day
By: Paul L. Kennedy
On those cold and frosty winter’s mornings when the grass crunches beneath your feet,
and you’re wrapped up in layers, hats and scarves, as is everyone else you meet
When each time you exhale a breath of steam quickly disappears into the chilled air,
and any part of you that is open or exposed is numbed and quickly covered, or beware
Often every outside surface is dusted with winter’s cold makeup white,
and Jack Frost at your nose your ears and fingertips tries to take a bite.
Icicles form to look just like the teeth of some long since past prehistoric beast.
Winter’s grip in some places on this our Earth holds on; we hope never ever to cease.
The winter sun is low in the sky and its weak rays have little warmth, if any.
God’s creatures brave the cold in search of food, but really not that many.
Snug in their winter’s long sleep, others see neither day nor night.
The world outside of which they knew now blanketed cold and white.
Eventually when the night draws in and there are no clouds and the sky is clear,
and the only light is from the moon, its silvery glow throughout the heavens appear.
The temperature drops until the very air you breathe chills your lungs with every gasp,
and even the tiniest sound seems to be magnified and its echo all around is cast.
And when the morning light again returns as the sun is again risen from its slumber,
the beauty of our treasured land we once more behold, with eyes of awe and wonder.
November Holidays
1st – All Saint’s Day
5th – Daylight Saving Time Ends
7th – Election Day
11th – Veteran’s Day
23rd – Thanksgiving Day
December Holidays
3rd – Advent Begins
7th – Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
8th – Hannukah Begins
21st – First Day of Winter
24th – Christmas Eve
25th – Christmas Day
31st – New Year’s Eve
