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Weekly News                                Friday, June 7, 2013
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Worship
June 9: 
C.O.W. Alumni Sunday
Rev. William Joseph Yoder '63 will be preaching.
Scripture: Isaiah 65:17-25

A service celebrating the "Men of the Church"
Pastor Dries 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!
The College of Wooster Alumni Sunday, June 9
COW
Members of Westminster are invited by The College of Wooster Alumni Office to attend the Wooster Choral Reunion Concert at McGaw Chapel at noon on Sunday, June 9.  Celebrating the continuing tradition of choral excellence at Wooster, choral alumni will perform together at noon on Sunday, under the direction of Dr. Lisa Wong, Associate Professor of Music, and Mr. Jack Russell, Professor of Music, emeritus. 
Message from Dries
Beth and Tamatoes Last week Beth and I finally got our vegetable garden planted! We do not have a huge garden, but big enough for our own enjoyment.  For us planting our own vegetables has become a spiritual discipline as it helps us to experience the goodness of God in the daily and ordinary events of our lives.  For our family, it is so exciting to harvest our own tomatoes, okra, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, and gem squash.  We also enjoy taking the time together to prepare and eat them!
As you many of you know, I lost a lot of weight this past year and a half and I do believe that gardening was one of the big contributing factors in helping me accomplish my goals.  Growing one's own vegetables helps you to become more mindful of the food we eat.  If you grow vegetables yourself it is much more exciting to eat them, just ask our kids!
Beth and I have also experienced that planting our own garden has made us more aware of what it takes to grow vegetables, and now when we go shopping at our local farmer's market, we are willing to pay our local growers a fair price for their produce.
I do not think we always realize that we do not need a big garden to grow vegetables. We can grow many vegetables, like tomatoes, in containers.
Happy growing and eating!

 

Blessings,

Dries

Departure of Mike Raunick
Mick RaunickIt is with regret (for Westminster that is) that Mike Raunick accepted a position as the choral director at  North Central High School in Indianapolis.  We have been fortunate to have Mike as our Music Director at Westminster for the past year and will miss him tremendously!  
On his Facebook page Mike had the following to say about his resignation and future; "It is with great excitement and bittersweet feelings that I announce that as of yesterday afternoon, I resigned as the director of Waynedale High School's choir program, and accepted a position as the new choral director at North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Cara and I (and Tonton our cat) are excited about moving to Indianapolis, and I cannot wait for the opportunity to work with the unbelievable program at North Central, and to carry on the tradition of excellence that is in place there. However, I will also miss the friends, colleagues, and students that I have met and had the opportunity to work with in the Waynedale community. You will always hold a very special place in my heart, and I am so proud of what we have accomplished together over the past five years.  This next year will be quite an adventure, and I can't wait to see what it holds."

Mike and Cara will be missed at Westminster and we pray God's richest blessings on their path forward.  They will join us in worship on Sunday, June 23rd at Oak Hill Park to so we can extend our appreciation to them.
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat Wayne County
Last Sunday, we were pleased to have Jane DalPra, the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity in Wayne County, speak during the service about this organization's fine work in our community. During our Social Justice potluck after church, we enjoyed a great meal and were able to ask Jane DalPra and John Muskopf (from the Church Relations Committee of Habitat) all our questions and hear more about how we might participate in the upcoming Ecumenical Build on Mechanicsburg Road (groundbreaking is July 20, with a target finish date in late November).

Westminster's Session has expressed its desire by consensus for our participation in the Ecumenical Build, and now would love to hear your thoughts about your willingness to give time and money to this project.  Please let a member of the Mission Cohort know if you would like to see Westminster participate with other area churches in this Ecumenical Build by contacting Shelley Peterson, Elaine Smith Snyder or Nahida Gordon.  

Food Ministry Meeting, Wednesday June 12 at 7:00pm
© Dick Beery / 3 Oaks Enhancements
Eating is important at Westminster as we see hospitality as 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 Potluck, Social Justice Potluck, and this past week we hosted 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.  Since it is such a large part of our mission, there is a need for better coordination to make the ministry work efficiently.
As a Church Community, we are thankful to Joe Hartzler who has stepped forward and volunteered to be our "Church Host". On Wednesday, June 12th 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.

Looking forward to see you,
Dries
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

The Benefits of Organic Gardening  

 

You've been trying to eat more organic foods, both to decrease the amount of pesticides you and your family consume, and to help protect the environment from overloading with toxic chemicals. But organics can get a bit expensive, we know. Luckily, there's a way to grow your own delicious, fresh produce, while having fun and learning at the same time: organic gardening!

Here are some easy tips on how to start your own organic garden. 

Presbyterian Church (USA) Weekly Blogs:

June 3, 2013 Religion News Service Omar Sacirbey WASHINGTON Oklahoma is probably one of the tougher places to be a Muslim in America, but Muslims have stepped in to help with the cleanup of a massive tornado that killed 24 people. ...»

May 31, 2013 World Council of Churches BEIRUT, Lebanon "We do not live in the mentality of the ghetto, nor in the mentality of a minority complex, nor do we live as dhimmi (dependent) people," said Bishop Munib A. Younan. "We have always been, as Arab Christians, building our societies, loyal to our countries and nationalities, bringing hope in hopeless situations." ...»

May 31, 2013 Religion News Service Adelle M. Banks WASHINGTON Now that Boy Scout delegates have taken their long-awaited vote and permitted openly gay Scouts, will there be a mass exodus by religious groups? It depends on who you ask. ...»


Mark your Calendar:
Date                 Time                            Event                                       Location
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 9, 2013  
10:00am - Alumni Sunday Worship Service in Mackey Hall. Rev. William Joseph Yoder will be     preaching.

 

Monday, June 10, 2013

9:30am- Mackey Hall Re-Imagining Committee Meeting in Mackey Hall

12:00pm - Building Committee Meeting in The Lounge

 

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

7:00pm - Food Ministry Meeting in The Lounge

 

Thursday, June 13, 2013

7:00pm - Dance Group in The Sunday School room


Sunday, June 16, 2013  
10:00am - Worship Service in Mackey Hall. Pastor Dries 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