Before there was a Declaration of Independence, before there was a Constitution, before there was a United States of America, there was First Presbyterian Church, established in York in 1762.

First Presbyterian celebrates its 245th anniversary with a special service at 11 a.m. Sunday, with festivities to follow.

"We will gather to celebrate the faithfulness of the many generations who have sustained and served First Presbyterian Church of York," said the Rev. John E. Morgan, senior pastor. "We are also thankful for other congregations who have joined the service of this congregation and become one with us in ministry: Faith Presbyterian Church and Calvary United Presbyterian Church." Faith Presbyterian was an African-American Church. To this very day, its members remain active at First Presbyterian.

Keynoting the celebration will be the Rev. Richard J. Oman, who served as senior pastor from 1963 to 1972. Retired, he now lives with his wife, Mary Ellen, in Anchorage, Alaska.

"It was during Dr. Oman's time here," Dr. Morgan explains, "that Faith Presbyterian Church merged with First, while the City of York struggled with racial tension. We give thanks for his courage and vision during this time ..."
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Writing about religion, the Rev. David W. Lovelace, rector of St. John's Episcopal Church, poses some interesting thoughts ...

"Christianity is not about doctrine, liturgical style, or anything we tend to intellectualize.

"From

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childhood through our adult life, church is about community. Church is about each and every one of us sharing our best for the benefit of others.

"Church is about feeling safe and cared for so we can face the world. We live in a world that longs for meaningful relationships and an authentic sense of community ..."
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Another thought about religion ... from James Madison, known as "The Father of Our Constitution" ...

"We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."
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Reminder ... "drive-through" flu shots 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at the York Expo Center. For a schedule of flu shot locations in the weeks ahead, call 771-9001.
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Nearly 3,000 Scouts and their adult leaders attended the safari at Wizard Ranch, Ronald Gard ner, the Boy Scout executive director, reports.
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Environmental note from York Rotary ...

--- Energy Star washing machines use 50 percent less energy than conventional machines ... 18-20 gallons versus 40 gallons of water.

--- Plant a tree ... the average tree in a yard cleans about 330 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air.
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By the way, if you buy an appliance featuring the Energy Star, Re-Stor-York will be happy to take your older, operational appliance for which you can claim a tax write-off ... details, 852-7574. Re-Stor-York is a nonprofit supporting the work of Habitat and Bell Socialization.
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Big Brothers Big Sisters reports that 13 school districts plus York Catholic High are involved in its mentoring program.
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SISTA, a peer-led program to prevent HIV infection among sexually active African-American women, offers free, confidential sessions that, among other things, teach coping and assertiveness skills ... details, Lettie Jackson, 854-9504.
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Kids are kind ... Kylee Robin son of Dover used her birthday party to collect donations for the SPCA. Caitlyn Bowman of Springfield Township made and sold canine cookies ... raised $200 for the animal shelter.
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Oppression of Muslim women is the major theme of sit-ins on college campuses next week. The poster of the week shows a teenage girl in Iran being buried to up to her waist, then stoned to death for alleged sexual offenses.
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Tomorrow is the last day to recycle your old phone books at the Resource Recovery Center, Queensgate, the West Manchester Mall, Saubel's Market in Shrewsbury and Circuit City or Borders.
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York City Recreation & Parks is sponsoring a "Great Balls of Fire Car and Truck Cruise-in" 12:15-4:30 p.m. Saturday at Veterans Memorial Park. To show your vehicle, register between 10 a.m. and noon. Spectators may enjoy the show free, says Jessica A. Hilt, of the parks department, 854-0211.
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Potpourri ...

--- Dover Library has a "huge" book sale scheduled 9 a.m.-8 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday, again noon-2 p.m. Sunday at Macy's in the West Manchester Mall.

--- Chicken barbecue, 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sunday ... benefit, York Catholic Music Association.

Columns by Hank Merges, a local writer, appear Tuesday and Thursday in The York Dispatch. Reach Hank at hmerges@yorkdispatch.com or 854-1575.