Steve and Jessica Burkholder
It’s a Sunday morning and you walk into Colonial Park United Church of Christ; you are greeted with friendly smiles, and you know immediately that you are in a good place.
Many times, those welcoming smiles are from Steve and Jessica Burkholder.
The Burkholders were looking for a new church during the pandemic. That’s when CPUCC member and longtime friend Cindy Gnech, forwarded them the link of the CPUCC service. Jessica and Cindy had known each other for 20 years as their daughters attended grade school together and participated in Girl Scouts.
Like many people, Steve and Jessica connected to the church and started to attend in person in October of 2022. They officially became members in May 2023.
It wasn’t long before they became part of the CPUCC fabric by volunteering. Besides ushering and greeting church family members, they participate in the Meals on Wheels program.
Steve also provides manual labor by helping to open and close the thrift shop and working with others to make sure the grounds of the church and the Memorial Garden are maintained and perfectly groomed.
Jessica takes part in the Foose Reading Program helping to spread a love of reading to students. She often reads to the students and gifts them with books to take home a keep – a gift from the members of CPUCC. She also helped to review expenditures associated with the annual financial audit of the church.
The Burkholders are inspired by so many dedicated members of CPUCC who make things happen – people like Helen Ferguson, the thrift shop coordinator.
“The church hosts many outside groups which puts our facility to good use,” they said.
But we all know that our church builds communities and ignites friendships. Steve and Jessica have enjoyed social events like movie night and building comradery with others while volunteering. They both have made many new friends since coming to CPUCC.
The couple were both employed by the Commonwealth prior to their retirements (Steve in 2016 and Jessica in 2017). Surprisingly, neither of them misses working! 
It’s a good thing they don’t with all the volunteering they do.
Besides their work with the church, Steve enjoys spending time at his cabin in Bloserville near where he grew up in Newville. It also allows him to stay in touch with friends and family. A self-described “poor country boy at heart”, he likes to hunt, garden, and he makes sure to cut enough firewood for the cold months ahead.
Jessica, who started working at Burger King at age 14, volunteers at Hospice of Central PA in an administrative capacity and grocery shops for Carolyn’s House, an end-of-life facility. She feels that the exposure she had to hard work helped develop her into a dedicated and caring employee and person. When she gets a chance, she also enjoys meeting friends for lunch.
The couple have a daughter named Grace who lives in Camp Hill with her husband, Jordan. They are also the proud grandparents to Grace and Jordan’s dog Bentley. The family enjoys traveling together occasionally and Steve and Jessica make a few trips on their own each year.
Steve and Jessica Burkholder appreciate the blessing they have had in life. Everyone at Colonial Park United Church of Christ has been blessed to have them as part of our family.
So, when you go to church next week and you are likely to be greeted with smiles and handshakes from two warm people who will say, “Welcome. We are Steve and Jessica!”
November 2024
