CROSSFIRE
Interchurch Singles Ministry
430-A Colonial Road, Harrisburg, PA 17109-1537
Office: 717-545-0005 Link Line: 717-545-0017 Website: www.cfire.org
Newsletter – May 2012 – Volume 34, Issue 5
Every issue is numbered consecutively in a series that may not be broken by assigning numbers to issues omitted.
MISSION: “Connecting single adults to God and each other in authentic, Christ-Centered
community” Reaching single adults in Central PA – Harrisburg / Carlisle / Lancaster areas
Calendar – May and June
 Thursday nights - Small Groups meeting at CF office weekly through May 31, 6:30pm
 Sundays biweekly – Small group for Under 40 Singles at CF office, 6pm – Meeting May 13, 27 and June 10, 24
 Sat. May 5 – Movie night – 2 locations – Barb Edwards’ home in Enola and the Crossfire office
 Mon. May 7 – Crossfire Leadership Meeting, 6:30pm at CF office
 Tue. May 8 – CF-New Genesis Leadership Meeting, 6:30pm at St. Paul’s Church, Carlisle
 Fri. May 11 – CF-Lancaster Dinner/Speaker, 6pm at Salem UMC, Manheim
 Sat. May 12 – Outreach at Central PA Food Bank, 1pm (sign up by May 5)
 Sat. May 12 – CF-New Genesis Potluck Dinner and Dance, 5:30pm at Carlisle Fish & Game
 Mon. May 14 – Crossfire Board Meeting, 6:30pm
 Thu. May 17 – CF-Lancaster Leadership Meeting, 6pm (dinner at Cactus Willie’s with meeting)
 Fri. May 18 – Community Night, 6pm at Full Gospel Church of God, Camp Hill
 Fri. May 18 – Lancaster - Ballroom Dancing Lessons, 6:30pm at St. Paul’s Lutheran in Lititz
 Fri. May 18-Sun. May 20 – Camping weekend in Denver, PA (register in advance)
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Sat. May 19 – Crossfire Wellness Summer begins – 10am at CF office (weekly meetings)
 Sun. May 20 – Hike at Wildwood Park, Harrisburg, 1:30pm
 Sat. May 26 – Games Night, 7pm at CF office
 Sun. May 27 – Lancaster - Picnic at Shady Grove Campground, Denver, 2pm
 Mon. May 28 – Memorial Day Picnic at Adams Ricci Park, Enola, noon
 Sat. June 2 – Dining Out at Caddy Shack, 5:30pm
 Sat. June 9 – Mini-Golf at Hummelstown, 6pm
 Sat. June 9 – Carlisle Theater, Phil Dirt and the Dozers, 7:30pm (Advance ticket $30 payment due by June 1)
 Thu. June 14 – Harrisburg Senators baseball game, 6:30pm
 Sat. June 16 – Day Trip to Flight 93 Memorial and Falling Water home (Frank L. Wright), 8am-8pm
(Advance ticket $22 payment due by June 1)
 Sat. June 23 – Whitewater Rafting at Jim Thorpe, 9am carpools from Lititz and Harrisburg
(Advance deposit $40 due by May 25)
 Sat. June 23 – Games Night with Potluck Dinner, 6pm at CF office
 Sat. June 30 – Chicken BBQ Fundraiser (help needed from 9am-2pm), at Full Gospel COG, Camp Hill (get your
tickets in advance for $8.00 each; pick up your dinner(s) at the BBQ or at CF office)
AMAZING GRACE
Lately the Lord has been sending messages about His Grace to me from every direction. I
shared with our small group that I believe He has been doing that so that I can pass on some of
the thoughts to each of you! Grace is often simply defined as the “unmerited favor of God,”
meaning it’s His gift to us, best seen in the salvation we have been given through Jesus’ death
on the Cross for our sins. But that is the TIP OF THE ICEBERG on grace! There is so much
more God wants us to know and receive from Him about Grace. By His grace we have the
power to live as Christians. Grace is the extension of God’s hand to us which we see every
day in His blessings, His strength to face trials, His healing for our sicknesses, His forgiveness
for our shortcomings and His answers to our many prayers. Without the grace of God, Jesus
could not have faced the Cross. Jesus is filled with Grace and Truth. We are living under
Grace, not under the Old Testament Law – which means we live connected to Him in a personal
relationship. Through the Grace of God we receive joy and freedom and love! I could go on
and on….but let’s just say, Thank God for His Amazing Grace!
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times,
having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Cor. 9:8
Blessings,
Patti Gilbert, Crossfire Interim Director
Office 545-0005; Cell 480-0524 pattigilbert@cfire.org
DONATIONS TO CROSSFIRE
Your donations sustain the quality of this ministry and allow us to reach out and meet the
needs of more single adults in central PA. Will you pray about giving to Crossfire on a
regular basis? Event fees do not cover our operating expenses, so we count on your
additional donations. Crossfire is a 501c-3 non-profit organization. All donations are taxdeductible. Send donations to: CROSSFIRE at 430-A Colonial Road, Harrisburg, PA 17109
NEWSLETTER & eMail NOTICE
Events for all of Crossfire, including CROSSFIRE-NEW GENESIS (Carlisle) and CROSSFIRELANCASTER (Ephrata) are included in this newsletter. New participants receiving the
newsletter by mail will be asked to make a donation of $15.00 per year to cover the cost of
printing/mailing after 6 months. The newsletter is always available free by download from our
website. Our weekly email blast goes to over 500 people – to be added to the list, send a
request to info@cfire.org or sign up on the website using the event/newsletter form.
DIRECTIONS TO CROSSFIRE OFFICE, 430A Colonial Rd. Harrisburg PA
From West Shore, via Rt. 81 North - exit at Progress Avenue, at light go straight thru 1.5 miles on Valley
Road. Turn left into church parking lot (Crosspoint United Methodist), just before coming to light at Colonial
Road. You may have to drive around the back of the church to get to our upper parking lot area.
From Rt. 581/83 - Take Rt. 83 North to Jonestown Road Exit, follow right lane to light at Colonial Road (next
to Colonial Diner), go through light, along west side of Colonial Park Mall to third light, turn left on Crums Mill
Road and immediate left into the CrossPoint UM Church parking lot. CROSSFIRE OFFICE is at top of hill on
left, in the ranch house (annex).
REGISTER FOR EVENTS
Please register for upcoming events via the website www.cfire.org or by calling 545-0005 and
leaving a message, including your name and the event name. You may also send an email to
info@cfire.org to register. (No need to register for dances or games nights.)
CF Community Small Groups
Coming soon:
A small group in Carlisle
A Series on Grace by Pastor Frank Miller
A Series on Discipleship by Patti Gilbert
Details to be announced in next newsletter
Living on the Edge (Study of Romans 12)
May 3 - 31, 6:30pm, Thursdays at CF office
This 8-week group is taking an in-depth look at the Romans 12, using a DVD series by Chip Ingram. We
are discussing many of the Bible passages on grace and looking at true spirituality. The group is open
to single men and women and new participants are welcome! Facilitated by Patti Gilbert and Niles
Miller. Cost $15.00/person for materials and a donation of $3/week to support Crossfire is suggested.
Register by calling Crossfire and call Patti at 480-0524 if you have questions.
Small Group for Younger Singles
Sundays at 6pm biweekly – May 13, 27, June 10, 24
Meeting biweekly at 6pm at the Crossfire office, this group is for men
and women under age 40. Using the contemporary NOOMA video series
and other materials, this group discusses the challenges of living as
devoted Christians in our American culture. Co-leaders Darren and
Janee also hope to host some social events specifically for younger
singles. Cost of the group will be based on materials being used and a
donation of $3/week to Crossfire is suggested.
Register your interest by email to info@cfire.org. If you have questions, we’ll be glad to reply or
speak with you directly.
OUTREACH TO CENTRAL PA FOOD BANK
Saturday, May 12 at 1-4pm (sign up by May 5th)
We have scheduled Crossfire to assist with the National Association of Letter
Carriers (NALC) Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive event. The local food bank will
receive the community donations collected by four local post offices. Crossfire
will be one of several groups helping on Saturday, May 12 from 1:00-4:00pm to
transfer and sort the mass quantities of food donations that will arrive that day.
In addition to sorting, we will have the opportunity to pack the mixed grocery
boxes to give to community members in need. If you can help, please reply to
this email or call Crossfire at 545-0005 by May 5 so we can assemble our team
(up to 15 people are needed!) The team will meet at Central PA Food Bank, 3908
Corey Road Harrisburg at 1pm and Joan Lehman will host the group from
Crossfire.
East Shore/West Shore Movie Night – 2 locations
Saturday May 5, 7pm
Get together to relax and watch a movie on DVD at your choice of location (Enola or
Harrisburg). Barb Edwards will host up to 16 people at her home (One Hillcrest Dr.,
Enola); please call 732-4423 to register. Patti Gilbert will host a movie at the Crossfire
office (living room) and you can register by calling Crossfire at 545-0005. We’ll have a
selection of movies and let the groups decide (movies will be PG or PG-13). Please plan
to bring a snack or beverage or dessert to share. A donation of $3 to support Crossfire
is suggested.
CROSSFIRE Community Night
Friday, May 18, 6pm at Full Gospel Church of God, 220 St. John’s Road, Camp Hill
Our May gathering will be a home-cooked dinner and a fresh look at the
Grace of God from Pastor Frank Miller. Cost is a suggested donation
of $7.00 to support Crossfire. Community nights are a great way to
meet people in Crossfire and get to know them. Dinner is a casual
fellowship time plus we have speakers who are interactive and able to
relate to single adults. And sometimes there are fun icebreakers as
well. Please register by Wednesday of the week of the event so we can
plan the amount of food we are preparing.
Directions: Rt. 581 to Exit 4, Mechanicsburg/Trindle Rd.; turn right on Rt. 641 and go to first light; turn right on
St. Johns Road; church will be on the left.
Spring Hike
Sunday May 20, 1:30pm
Craig Zindler and Carolyn Hoffman will host a hike around Wildwood Lake
(about 3 miles), just north of Harrisburg's HACC campus. There will be
plenty of natural plant and animal life to be enjoyed. Sneakers are fine,
bring bottled water. Meet at the Wildwood Nature Center (100 Wildwood
Way, Hbg) in the parking lot at 1:30 PM. Leaders are Craig Zindler (6719603) and Carolyn Hoffman (432-5191). A donation of $1 per hiker is
suggested to support Crossfire. Please register by email or call the CF office.
Monthly Games Nights at CROSSFIRE office
Saturday, May 26 at 7pm
Please bring a snack, beverage or dessert to share and your favorite board game or
cards. The games nights are hosted at the Crossfire office, which is inside a ranch
home, so we can use various rooms to set up games tables. Enjoy a casual night of
fellowship with your Crossfire friends. Hosted by Sandy Ricci, Sue Danley, Lue
Kramer and/or Patti Gilbert. No need to register, just come and have some fun!
Saturday, June 23 at 6pm (with dinner)
Our June Games Night will include a potluck dinner – we’ll use the sunporch area weather permitting
and we may even grill some hot dogs. Please come at 6pm and bring a main dish, side dish or dessert,
enjoy dinner together and then stay for games night.
Memorial Day Picnic
Monday, May 28 at Adams-Ricci Park, Enola at Noon
Come out from Noon to 5pm and enjoy food and fun with us at our annual
Memorial Day Picnic at Adams-Ricci Park in Enola. Please bring a side
dish or dessert to share and $7.00 donation. Please REGISTER by
previous Friday so we can plan the amount of food needed. CROSSFIRE
will provide the paper goods, water and iced tea, hotdogs and
hamburgers. In the park, there is a nice walking trail, sand volleyball area
(we’ll provide the volleyball), tennis courts (bring your equipment) and the
great Imagination Station, an enormous wooden play area for children.
Location: 100 East Penn Drive, Enola (corner of East Penn Drive and
Magaro Road). Look for the CROSSFIRE signs to find Keystone Pavilion.
Dining out at Caddy Shack
Saturday, June 2, 5:30pm
We will be going to dinner at the Caddy Shack, 800 Orrs Bridge Road,
Mechanicsburg where we can enjoy the outdoor deck area weatherpermitting. Cost for your meal will be about $15-20 and they have great allAmerican food and wings. Please register by Friday June 1 so we can
confirm the registration. The restaurant is located at the Armitage Golf
Course, midway between the Carlisle Pike and Wertzville Road. Ask for the
Crossfire group when you arrive. Patti Gilbert will host this event.
Mini Golf
Saturday, June 9 at 6pm
We'll meet at the mini golf located at 366 Middletown Road, Hummelstown at 6:00
pm. Please feel free to call Barb Edwards at 802-1609 if you have any questions.
We'll go out to the Soda Jerk restaurant in Hummelstown afterward. Cost is $7.00
per person for mini-golf.
HARRISBURG SENATORS BASEBALL GAME
Thursday, June 14 at 6:30pm
Meet at the ticket area on City Island and bring CASH so we can buy seats
together for the game by 6:30pm. Tickets are $9.00 each and there is a
small charge for parking. You will be on you own for food inside the
ballpark. Call Tony at 829-6049 or Niles at 329-5209 to meet the group.
Extra treat for this game – appearances by the famous “Cowboy
Monkeys”.
Crossfire-New Genesis Events
SPRING DINNER & DANCE (CF-New Genesis)
Saturday, May 12 Dinner 5:30; Dancing 7:00-10:00 PM
We are hosting the annual covered dish dinner and singles dance at the traditional location - Carlisle
Fish and Game, 1421 W. Trindle Road, Carlisle. Your admission is $8.00, plus
bring a covered dish to share - suggestions are appetizers, meat dishes,
casseroles, salads, vegetables, fruits, desserts, etc. Please, no bags of snacks
this time. If you do not bring a covered dish, the price of admission for dinner
will be $12.00. Paper goods and beverages will be provided. The food will be
served at 5:30pm and dancing will begin at 7pm with DJ Bob Yeingst. You are
welcome to bring a lawn chair to enjoy the outdoors during dinner.
Directions: From I-81 traveling South - take Exit 49 / PA-641 towards High Street and
turn left onto PA-641/Trindle Road; travel approx. 3 miles to Carlisle Fish & Game
entrance on your right. From I-81 traveling North – take Exit 48 / York Road/ PA74. Turn right onto York Road; turn left onto Fairview Street; turn right at light to stay on
Fairview St. and then turn right onto Trindle Road / PA-641. Go less than 3 miles to Carlisle Fish & Game entrance
on your right.
Phil Dirt and the Dozers & Pentagon at Carlisle Theater
Saturday June 9 at 7:30pm – Advance tickets only!
PHIL DIRT & THE DOZERS are America's premiere "Rock 'N R'oldies" review (and
the most popular vintage rock and roll show in the nation). Recapture those
wonderful days! With their musical talent, high energy and contagious sense of
humor, Phil Dirt & The Dozers will transport you to another time and place . . .
namely, the 50's, 60's, and 70's of Rock and Roll! Also appearing will be
PENTAGON, another great Rock and Roll band! A block of 20 seats has been
reserved and your ticket is $30 – tickets must be purchased in advance by June 1st
by sending a check to Crossfire leader Joann Miller, 565 F Street, Carlisle PA
17013.
CF-New Genesis Events being planned:
 Saturday Breakfast fellowship in June (date to be determined)
 Small group fellowship starting in June
 Horseback Riding
 Hikes
 Attending SummerFair
 Attending Street Rod Show
 Pig Roast & Dance – September 15th at Carlisle Fish and Game
Crossfire-Lancaster County Events
Get to know more about CROSSFIRE and meet other Christian single adults who live in
Lancaster County. Crossfire leader Dianne Mathias and Director Patti Gilbert and our
leadership team are hosting the gatherings and events. Check out the new singles group
forming in the Ephrata/Lancaster/Lititz area. Please register by calling 545-0005 or send
an email to info@cfire.org.
Dinner and Speaker on Friday, May 11, 6pm
Hosted at Salem United Methodist Church, 140 N. Penn St., Manheim. We’ll enjoy a
meal cooked for us by the church. Cost is a $7.00 donation to Crossfire. Our
speaker is Pastor Mindy McKonly and she’ll be speaking from her experience as a
single woman in ministry, bringing a message of encouragement to single adults.
You will get acquainted during the fellowship time, dinner and icebreaker game. Please register by
Thursday May 10th. If you would like to contribute a dessert let us know.
Ballroom Dance Lessons on Friday, May 18 at 6:30pm
We will host this fun dance night at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 200 W.
Orange St., Lititz. Learn Ballroom, Swing and ChaCha dancing from professional
instructor Alan Hatz. Two hours of lessons from 7-9pm. Please invite your friends and
bring a snack or dessert to share; plan to make at donation of $5.00 to cover the cost of
the lessons. Register by email to info@cfire.org or call Dianne at 615-7179.
Shady Grove Camping Weekend on May 18-20 (1 night or two)
One of our Crossfire leaders, Deb Garman will host a camping weekend for singles at Shady Grove
Campground, 65 Poplar Drive, Denver on May 18-20. She has stayed there many times and hosted
camping weekends for single adults. The cost is $10 per person per night and
children under 18 are free. You can arrive Friday evening or anytime on Saturday.
There will be line dancing at 7pm on Saturday night. There are two rustic
cabins that sleep 4 each, possibly can fit a few more with air mattresses; the cabins
will be for woman only and will have to be paid in full to reserve. There are 6 tent
sites which can hold more than 1 tent per site, depending on the tent size; male
participants are encouraged to share their tent with other men and women with
other women. The cabins and tent sites have electric. The bathrooms with hot showers are close by.
To register contact Deb by May 12th at 717-361-9725 or by email to hummingbirdz41@aol.com. More
info at http://shadygrovecampground.com/.
Directions: From the PA Turnpike, Take Exit 286; turn right onto Rt. 272 (N. Reading Rd.), at the next light
turn left onto Rt. 897 (W. Swartzville Rd.) and Poplar Drive will be on your Left.
Picnic at Shady Grove Campground on Sunday, May 27, 2pm
Our first Lancaster area picnic for this year! Please bring a potluck dish and/or
dessert to share. Beverages, paper goods and condiments will be provided. Cost
is a $5.00 donation to Crossfire. Hosted by Dianne Mathias and other leaders from
the Lancaster group. Get to know the single adults in the area! Please register by
Friday, May 25 by calling Dianne at 615-7179. Shady Grove Campground, 65 Poplar
Drive, Denver has a picnic area and a room we can use in case of rain. Nice area to
take a hike as well. Directions: From the PA Turnpike, Take Exit 286; turn right onto
Rt. 272 (N. Reading Rd.), at the next light turn left onto Rt. 897 (W. Swartzville Rd.) and
Poplar Drive will be on your Left.
Day Trip to Flight 93 National Memorial and Frank Lloyd
Wright’s “Fallingwater” Landmark Home
Saturday, June 16, 8:30am-8pm
We will carpool to see two great sites on this day trip. We’ll leave from
the Crossfire office at 8:30am and drive 2 hours west to see the Flight
93 September 11th Memorial at Shanksville. Because of the actions of
the 40 passengers and crew aboard Flight 93, the attack on the U.S.
Capitol was thwarted. After spending about 1 hour there, we’ll have
lunch at a local restaurant and then drive to the architectural
masterpiece and National Historic Landmark designed by Frank Lloyd
Wright in 1935. Cost for the tour of Fallingwater is $22.00 and tickets
must be pre-paid by June 1st. Mail your check to Crossfire, 430-A
Colonial Rd. Harrisburg to reserve your spot for this event.
Additional costs for the day trip – gas/tolls $15 (our trip will be
about 350 miles so each person will need to contribute to the cost
for turnpike and gas) plus food for lunch and dinner approximately
$25. Feel free to bring your own bottled water and snacks. We’ll
stop for dinner on the way home and expect to arrive back at the
Crossfire office by 8pm. If you can drive, please let Patti Gilbert
know in advance so we can be sure to have enough cars for the
trip.
Whitewater Raft Trip on June 23 carpooling at 9am
Go along on a fun raft trip on the Lehigh River Gorge at Jim Thorpe.
Departure carpools from both St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran
Church, 200 W. Orange St., Lititz and from Crossfire office in
Harrisburg at 9am. Rafting will start at 11:20am. Cost is $70 which
includes raft trip, taxes, park fee, insurance and tips. Please plan to
donate $10 for gas and bring a bag lunch and cash for dinner on the
way home. We need your deposit of $40 by May 25 and remaining
$30 by June 1. Send your name, phone and email to Crossfire
leader Kathy Ross at katlankster@yahoo.com to obtain address for
mailing deposit or call the Crossfire office at 545-0005. Let us know if you can drive so we can
plan the carpools!
CHICKEN BBQ FUNDRAISER
TICKETS ON SALE - $8.00
Includes half-chicken, baked potato, roll, applesauce or cole slaw
June 30, 10am-2pm at Full Gospel Church of God
220 St. Johns Rd., Camp Hill
Come to the event or pick up your dinner(s) at the Crossfire office at Noon on June 30 upon
advance request. Order your tickets now! Mail check to Crossfire, 430-A Colonial Rd.
Harrisburg, PA 17109 or see the leaders at Crossfire events to purchase tickets.
CROSSFIRE Singles Ministry
430-A Colonial Road
Harrisburg, PA 17109-1537
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Harrisburg, PA
Permit No. 403
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
May & June 2012 CROSSFIRE events and
CF-New Genesis & CF-Lancaster County
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Dining Out
Community Nights
Small Groups
Games Nights
Hiking
Movie Nights
Day Trips
 Dances and events in Carlisle
 Ballroom dance lessons
 Camping weekend Lancaster Co.
 Memorial Day Picnics
 Whitewater Rafting at Jim Thorpe
Special thanks to the following churches for their support of CROSSFIRE
through giving and hosting events:
Camp Hill United Methodist
Capital Area Christian Church
Chambers Hill United Methodist
Colonial Park Community Baptist
Full Gospel Church of God
Mechanicsburg Brethren in Christ
River of God Church
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Carlisle
Salem United Methodist Church, Manheim
Celebration Community Church
Charlton United Methodist
CrossPoint United Methodist Church
First Alliance Church
Glenvale Church of God
New Hope Church
Silver Springs Presbyterian Church
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Ephrata
LifeSpring Fellowship, Lititz