Willow Street Church UCC is commemorating its past while looking to the future.

The church, located at 2723 Willow Street Pike, is observing its 150th anniversary and recently launched a daytime community program called WeConnect. WeConnect is held the third Thursday of each month from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

"While it was created with older adults in mind, it is open to anyone seeking social connection and community, and the program focuses on bringing people together in a welcoming, inclusive environment," said Marty Durham, Willow Street Church's community communications director. The program is free, and a light lunch is provided.

Registration is appreciated but not required. To register, call the church office at 717-464-3462.

"We do like them to let us know that they're coming so that when we plan lunch, we have enough to feed everyone," outreach coordinator Linda Overly said.

Overly added, "WeConnect is an opportunity for people from the community, from our church, to come together, to make connections. We saw one of the biggest deficits in the area is there is no senior center here in Willow Street. Although we have a large number of people in our congregation from Willow Valley, they're not in need because they have things going on all the time. But the people that live in the community here have nothing that they can connect to."

Everyone is welcome. "I would say the vast majority of our attendees are seniors, because of availability. Other people are still working," said Overly. "We always start with an icebreaker so that the people at the tables can get to know a little bit more about each other. But we've had a lot of varied activities. We begin with game playing, because we found that that's an area of interest for a lot of people."

WeConnect meetings feature board games, card games, puzzles, and arts and crafts. "We've had chair yoga," Everley said. "We've had chair exercises. We had healthy cooking (lessons)."

Bright Side Baptist Church in Lancaster city offers a lot of programming to senior citizens, including exercise classes, chair yoga, cooking classes, and social events. As an offshoot of WeConnect, Willow Street Church will partner with Bright Side for a free weekly exercise and strengthening class that will be held every Wednesday from 1 to 1:45 p.m. and began on April 8. The class is led by Bright Side Baptist Church but takes place at Willow Street Church.

Willow Street Church UCC will celebrate its 150th anniversary Saturday, May 16, and Sunday, May 17. The festivities will begin with a hymn sing on May 16 at 6 p.m. It will be held outdoors, weather permitting. Guests are encouraged to bring a lawn chair.

On May 17, a service honoring the church's 50-year plus members will be held at 9:30 a.m. Former pastors will also be recognized, said Sue Myers, who is the chairperson of the 150th anniversary committee

A celebration banquet will also take place on May 17 at 11:30 a.m. at Meadia Heights Golf Club, 402 Golf Road, Lancaster. Everyone is welcome, and the meal will be free. Register no later than Saturday, May 2, by calling the church office.

The plated meal will include salad; fruit; dessert; and an entree of either stuffed chicken, pork tenderloin, or a gluten-free vegan option.

Former Lampeter-Strasburg School District superintendent Robert Frick will be the guest speaker.