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Weekly News                                Friday, May 31, 2013
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Change in Worship Time
On Sunday, May 26th we began our Summer Worship schedule at 10:00am. There will be no Sunday School during the summer months.  We will resume our 10:45am worship time on August 25th. 
Worship
June 2:
Second Sunday after Pentecost  
Scripture: Luke 7:1-10
Sermon:Jane DalPra,
Executive Director of the
Wayne County Habitat for Humanity will be sharing
the message.    
June 9:
Rev. William Joseph Yoder will be preaching  
Alumni Sunday

Join us on June 9th for The College of Wooster Alumni Sunday.  Alumni Rev. William J. Yoder will be our guest preacher.  Read more about Rev. Yoder on the Westminster website.  We hope you will join us!
 
 
Message from Dries

Being intentional about summer

IntentionalIn last week's mailing I extended an invitation for all of us to be more intentional this summer and enjoy God's Creation.  This week I am encouraging you to buy as much of your food as possible from local vendors.  On Saturday, June 1, the Downtown Wooster Farmers' Market will open.  Not only is this a great place to shop and support Downtown Wooster but a wonderful opportunity to see many people you know and visit with them. I also love being able to talk to the local farmers and have that personal contact with them.  

Another favorite place of many of us at Westminster is Local Roots Market & Caf�.  This year-around Farmers Market is becoming more and more the center for local food in Wooster. Here you can buy local produce or have lunch and visit with friends and family over a cup of locally roasted coffee.    

Beth and I know all too well that buying local can be more expensive and that it can be a financial strain on families.  At the same time we realize that we need to support our local economy and ensure the livelihood of our local farmers.   In her book, 50 Ways To Help Save The Earth; How you and your Church can make a difference, Wooster alum Rebecca Barnes-Davies wrote that small family farmers usually have smaller farms, are more responsible caregivers, and that "the self-reliance of small farmers around the world helps local communities to have 'food-sovereignty'.  Food sovereignty means that no international trade policies nor any global food crisis will make any one particular community extremely vulnerable to hunger".

Talking about food and eating local!

Eating is important here at Westminster as we see hospitality as

Joe Hartzler
� Dick Beery / 3 Oaks Enhancements

one of the core expressions of our calling to Social Justice.  Just in the past three years our food ministry has expanded through our Vegan and Social Justice Potlucks and this coming week in the Ohio Light Opera picnic.  Combine these meals with the wonderful refreshments our deacons serve after worship and you realize that our food ministry has taken on a life of its own and the need for better coordination has become important.

As a Church Community we are thankful for Joe Hartzler who has stepped forward and volunteered to be out "Church Host".  On Wednesday June 12 at 7:00pm we will have a meeting to explore how we can better coordinate our Hospitality Ministry and how Joe will help us be good stewards in the use of the kitchen and the purchasing of supplies.

I hope you will be able to attend this meeting and I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions.

Blessings,

Dries
Social Justice Potluck, June 2, after Worship 

Radical Hospitality Join us on this first Sunday of the month, Communion Sunday, as we "extend the table". On June 2nd after 10:00am worship, we will hear fromJane DalPra, Executive Director of the Wayne County Habitat for Humanity, about an upcoming Ecumenical Build that Habitat is planning in Wooster in the fall.  Jane will be in conversation with us as Westminster discerns whether we will choose to participate in this project and if so, in what capacity.  Jane will also be preaching during worship and share more about Habitat's story. 

Habitat Wayne County

Breakfast casseroles and bread will be provided. We ask those who stay for brunch (and we hope that's everyone!) to bring fruit,to round out the table. Sign up through Sign Up Genius  or to Carly Jones at cjones@wooster.edu.  

Ohio Light Opera Welcome Picnic, Monday, June 3rd

Join us on Monday, June 3rd from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. on the patio at Westminster Church House. Meet and welcome the cast, crew, and orchestra from the Ohio Light Opera to our neighborhood.   Last year we had about 140 volunteers and guests in attendance and had a wonderful time as we showed hospitality to our visitors.  This year we have also invited representatives from neighboring churches to give soloists and musicians the opportunity to sign up to participate in other churches' worship services as well as our own. 

Westminster, along with some help from Natalie from Local Roots, will provide good old summer fare, grilled chicken, pasta salad, green salads, homemade bread, and dessert.  It's not too late to contribute to the meal by making a dessert, coming to help, or just showing up to eat with and welcome our guests. Feel free to email Beth or give her a call at 330-317-9914 if you'd like to do something.  Join in on the fun that comes from working together to spread the joy of hospitality. Together let's give this summer's OLO team a warm Westminster welcome.

Outdoor Worship and Lunch at Oak Hill Park
Sunday, June 23, 2013

Oak Hill Park

Join us for worship at 10:00am Sunday, June 23rd at Oak Hill Park, located on Oak Hill Road, followed by a picnic lunch and time to explore the park. 

For lunch, Westminster will provide sandwich trays and drinks and we ask members of the congregation to bring chips, fruit, or dessert to share.

   

Several members of Westminster played an instrumental role in bringing this community park to fruition. Their involvement in this project reflects Westminster's members' spirituality which goes beyond the ministry of the church as expressed in their community involvement. 

As we gather to worship, we will reflect on how we as Christians are called to fulfill a twofold socio-ecological responsibility: to care for people and for our planet. We will explore in conversation and silence how to weave community and individual responsibility to God's creation and creatures with responsibility to those whom Jesus would call, centuries later, "least of these".

 

Please come dressed to go for a walk on the various trails for all abilities or sit and visit with friends.  

Green Tip of the Week

 

Everyone knows that eating locally and seasonally is
good for both you and the environment, but keeping track of what to buy, where it comes from and how to get it can be confusing. Shopping your local farmers' market is the easiest way to ensure that what you're buying is seasonal, fresh, and local. Read on for specific how-to's on making the most of your farmers' market experience, and for help finding a farmers' market in your neighborhood, plug your zip code into the Get Local Info tool on The Daily Green's homepage.

 

Presbyterian Church (USA) Weekly Blogs:

Two-day consultation wraps up with call to work for end to sexual violence May 24, 2013 Presbyterian News Service Jerry L. Van Marter HAVANA Building on a global effort led by the United Nations to address the issues of sexual and reproductive health, the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI) has concluded a two-day consultation here to develop plans for action in this region, one of the most hard-hit in the world by sexual violence. ...�

 

May 24, 2013 Religion News Service David Gibson WASHINGTON News that scientists had for the first time recovered stem cells from cloned human embryos prompted dire warnings from religious leaders who say the research crosses a moral red line and could lead to designer babies. ...�

 

May 24, 2013 Inter Press Service News Agency Daniela Pastrana distributed by Latin American and Caribbean Communication Agency MEXICO CITY Radio Totopo was founded in February 2006 in the Pescadores neighborhood, the oldest and poorest part of the city of Juchit�n in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. But the authorities closed it down in late March, even though Congress is debating a constitutional reform that would recognize community radio stations. ...�


Mark your Calendar:
Date                 Time                            Event                                       Location
June 2nd        11:00am                  Social Justice Potluck                        Mackey Hall
June 3rd         5:30-7pm                 OLO Welcome Picnic                         Patio or Mackey Hall
June 23rd       10:00am                  Outdoor Worship Service                     Oak Hill Park Pavillion
June 30th       11:00am                  Ferenc Relle Retirement Reception      Mackey Hall
What's happening at Westminster this week?
All events can also be found on our website

 www.wpcwooster.org
We hope to see you there!

 

Sunday, June 2, 2013
10:00am - Worship Service in Mackey Hall. Jane DalPra preaching.

11:00am - Social Justice Brunch following Worship in Mackey Hall

 

Monday, June 3, 2013

5:30pm- Ohio Light Opera Welcome Picnic on the Mackey Patio

 

Thursday, June 6, 2013

7:00pm - Dance Group in Mackey Hall


Sunday, June 9, 2013
10:00am - Alumni Sunday Worship Service in Mackey Hall.
               Rev. William Joseph Yoder will be preaching.
 
                 
Westminster Grafic Vertical
"We are an Intentionally Inclusive Church"
Westminster Presbyterian Church embraces the "house" metaphor for our community as we worship at the Westminster Church House and have a strong sense of hospitality and desire to be a welcoming and inclusive church for all. We endeavor to give voice to a "progressive" expression of Christianity that emphasizes among other things:  
  • intellectual integrity in matters of faith; 
  • acceptance of all people regardless of race, creed, age, cultural background, or sexual orientation; 
  • openness toward the value of other religious traditions; 
  • a strong commitment to social justice, peacemaking, and the care of our planet.
Sincerely,  
Andries J. Coetzee
Pastor, Westminster Presbyterian Church
353 East Pine Street, Wooster, OH 44691