Paupack Church celebrates some century marks

Three years of festivities to wrap up

with Michael Card concert

PAUPACK, PA — There will be a concert by the renowned Christian musician Michael Card at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 15, at the Wallenpaupack Area High School gym, Route 6, Hawley. The concert will be the culmination of three years of celebrations of important landmarks by the Paupack United Methodist Church.

The church started celebrating in 2004, the centennial of the Ladies’ Aid Society, the forerunner of today’s United Methodist Women’s group. In 2005, the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the church’s cornerstone was observed, and in 2006, the centennial of the dedication of the first church building was celebrated. This year, the bicentennial of the first Methodist services in Paupack in 1807, festivities have included a special worship service in March, when members from different generations shared their churchgoing memories with the rest of the congregation and a special service on July 8 featuring an original dramatic skit by Donna Stuccio. The skit depicted church members from the past, present and future, with printouts of the church’s history provided by Donal Coutts.

The upcoming concert will bring a nationally renowned Christian musician to the area. During his 25-year career, Card has recorded 22 albums, which sold more than 4 million copies, and has written more than 19 number-one hits, including “El Shaddai.” He’s also authored or co-authored 19 Christian books, hosted two radio programs and written for a wide range of magazines.

Card’s most recent album, “The Hidden Face of God (2006),” explores the concept of lament, or complaining to God, in the bible and in our lives. “If you look at the psalms, the biggest category is ones that lament, not praise,” he said. “Lament is a form of worship.”

Other albums like “A Fragile Stone” (2003) tackle the story of the apostle Peter and contain several musical styles including bluegrass.

Tickets for the concert are $20 and may be ordered by calling the church office at 570/857-1141, emailing ppackch1@ptd.net, or visiting itickets.com. Tickets may also be purchased at The Salt Shaker, 1043 Main Street, Honesdale (570/253-5251) and Gifts from Above, 908 Scranton-Carbondale Highway, Dickson City (570/558-2828).