Westminster Logo
Weekly News                                Friday, July 12, 2013
Quick Links

Visit our blog

Like us on Facebook

Archive Button
Join Our Mailing List!
Worship
Sunday, July 14
Scout Awards Sunday.  Pastor Dries will be preaching. 
Sunday, July 21
Service of Wholeness and Healing with silence, prayer and a meditation by Pastor Dries. Following Christian tradition we will also anoint those who wish with oil.  
Sunday, July 28 
Service of Social Concerns with Pastor Dries preaching.
Deacon's Meeting
There will be a Deacon's Meeting in the Mackey Kitchen following worship this Sunday, July 14th. 
 
Parish Gathering Reminder
Members of Janelle Collier, Peggy Schmitz, and Kathy Hothem's Parishes (or anyone who wasn't able to attend the other parish gatherings) are invited to a gathering at Peggy and Mike Schmitz' house at 1646 Morgan Drive (off East Wayne Avenue) on Sunday, July 14th at 5:00. RSVP to 330-263-7631 by or on July 12.
 
Tune In
 Monday, July 15th at 9:00am, Pastor Dries will be talking about diversity on Wooster's local radio station 104.5 FM.  Tune in to support Westminster and hear what he has to say! 
Message from Dries
Shared Space 2013











Last week Beth and I returned from Chicago where we attended an ecumenical Collegiate Ministry Conference, entitled "Shared Space", along with College of Wooster students Evangeline Smith and Emi Donato. It was exciting to meet with others involved in similar ministries from across five denominations, some in similar settings to Westminster.  Most insightful and affirming was that we learned from one another through speakers, affinity groups, fellowship, and shared meals as we talked with church pastors, student workers, campus ministers, and Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly representatives. Definitely the highlight of this conference was the keynote speaker Diana Butler Bass, "a church historian focusing on the history of Christianity and a leading voice in progressive Christianity". As we talked with others and listened to Diana Butler Bass we were energized about the ministry of Westminster as she encouraged churches and denominations to embrace a "more humble form of faith ... an active, authentic way of life in line with biblical practices of hospitality, forgiveness, friendship, service, and generosity. ... It is time for people of faith to be our very best, most creative, most open-minded, most neighborly selves, not otherwise" (Dianna Butler Bass, The Future of Faith). Beth, Evangeline, Emi, and I are very thankful that you sponsored us to attend this conference and we are looking forward to sharing our experiences and insights with you in these coming weeks.    
Talk about excitement, this weekend promises to energize you as we join in worship and fellowship. This Sunday, we will welcome several of our young scouts and their families as they join us in worship to receive their God & Me and God & Family awards. During worship we will also commission Alazar Coetzee as he heads out to attend the Presbyterian Church (USA) Youth Triennium, July 16th through the 20th at Purdue University. 
After worship, we will join in our Second Annual Rubber Ducky Race, as we begin to raise money for Westminster to participate in the Habitat for Humanity's Ecumenical Build.  At its June Session meeting, Westminster committed our community of faith to contribute $5,000 to this project along with volunteers to help build the house.  In the coming weeks we will share more about this project and how we will go about in raising the funds to fulfill our pledge.

Blessings and see you in worship,
Dries
2nd Annual Rubber Ducky Races!
Ready for some summer fun? Interested in supporting Westminster's Habit for Humanity Ecumenical Build Pledge?
You and your friends are invited to our Second Annual Rubber Ducky Races Fundraiser Event!  After worship on Sunday, July 14
on the patio, we will hold a double-elimination duck-racing tournament using "rain gutters" and straws! 
We have an amazing selection of rubber duckies from which to choose. A $5 donation includes race participation AND duck ownership! We hope to see you at the 2nd Annual Rubber Ducky Races!
Volunteers Needed for Central American Outreach (CAMO)

Would you be interested in being part of a pool of people from which a team of 4 -5 would volunteer monthly?  

CAMO Logo As most of you know, Westminster has developed a volunteer connection with Central American Outreach (CAMO) in Orrville. CAMO depends on volunteers to regularly lend a hand in their Orrville warehouse to sort and pack the generous donations of supplies for their health care services in Santa Rosa de Cop�n, Honduras.  Kathy Tschiegg, CAMO founder (and winner of the inaugural REAL Award in the General Healthcare category), has spoken at Westminster in the past and this spring Claudia Caballero, Operations Manager, attended Sunday worship with David & Gayle Noble, who have been instrumental in the building of the Women's Shelter in Santa Rosa.  The two volunteer days Westminster organized with Claudia in 2012 were such a success that we began to think of volunteering on a regular basis.  When there is a particular need at CAMO, Westminster is one of the organizations Claudia feels confident in contacting.  In April a group from Westminster was able to help out with CAMO's quarterly newsletter mailing.  Also this spring, member and teacher Kristen Smith organized an end of the year collection of school supplies at Cornerstone to donate to CAMO.  This summer while CAMO Volunteer Day volunteering at CAMO, Becky Pratt and Claudia discussed volunteer needs at the CAMO warehouse and the possibility of a regular monthly volunteer time for Westminster.  Claudia has suggested that it would be helpful if a group of 4 or 5 volunteers could help sort and pack supplies on the 4th Wednesday of the month.  The Missions Committee realizes that no one is able to commit to every month, but if you would be willing to be part of a pool of 10 - 12 people we could draw on to serve this need, please contact Beth at bcoetzee@wooster.edu or 330-287-3540.  The work is not too strenuous and the cause and camaraderie are uplifting.  Nothing lifts spirits like giving and nothing builds community like working together!  To find out more about CAMO's amazing work, visit their website at http://www.camo.org/.

Green Tip of the Week

 Ways to Reduce Your Water Consumption

Here are a couple water saving tips.  Find more at
 MintLife Blog.  

 

 

  • Where have you been all our lives, dishwasher quick cycle? Your ability to produce hot and steamy dishes in 38-minutes is a major bonus. Sayonara 1:54-minute regular cycle. Mama's got a move on!
  •    A secret of professional house cleaners is to skip any work a machine can do. Let your dishwasher wash. 
  • Mulch is super cheap - about $2.50 for two cubic feet - and helps soil retain moisture in your soil. If you layer it on three inches thick, weeds are less likely to grow. Double win!
  • Use a 2-in-1 shampoo conditioner concoction, soaping up and rinsing once does save time. And water.
  • Only grow edibles, which means every drop of water we pour into our garden eventually comes back as food.
  • Drought-resistant plants are a no-brainer, especially if you live in a dry climate. Rosemary and thyme are two of my favorites because they are edible, too!
Presbyterian Church (USA) Weekly Blogs:
Celebrate with us! 07-08-2013 11:16:03 AM

PC(USA) partners in Egypt share the 'good news' of the unfolding revolution July 4, 2013 Much of the discontent with former President Morsi was surrounding a lack of basic services for Egyptians and a failure to manage the country well - garbage collection, or lack of it, being one particularly stinky manifestation. -Erin Dunigan By Erin Dunigan Cairo On a recent solidarity visit to the Synod of the Nile, the PC(USA)'s partner church in Egypt, a delegation including Moderator Neal Presa, had the opportunity to meet with Egyptian brothers and sisters and to hear their stories. This is one story in an ongoing series. ...�

Behind the curtains 07-08-2013 11:16:03 AM

A PC(USA) mission letter from Zambia July 3, 2013 Special to Presbyterian News Service Kari Nicewander NYIMBA, Zambia It was the fifth house, and I had no idea what we would find behind the curtain that hung in place of a door. So far we had prayed through the coughing of a woman with tuberculosis, witnessed the faithfulness of an HIV-positive grandmother, and sung praises in Chichewa with an elderly woman whose eyes could no longer see. I took a deep breath and followed the church ladies through the curtain. Sitting in the corner of the small, dark house, a young woman looked up at us with a radiant smile. In her arms a tiny little face glowed with life and vitality, and I was introduced to her brand-new son, a beautiful baby named Vincent. ...�

Presbytery and Synod News 07-08-2013 11:16:03 AM

July 3, 2013 Presbyterian News Service Bethany Daily LEXINGTON, S.C. - Trinity Presbytery's Migrant Ministry program, which is supported through its Father's Day Offering, began June 4 and will run for nine weeks this summer. Migrant workers will be bused from their various camps to Batesburg-Leesville Presbyterian Church, where the meals, devotions, and recreational activities will be held.  The migrant workers are very appreciative and look forward each year to the meals, devotions and fellowship time enjoyed together. The presbytery is also hosting an educational event, Trinity Fest Light, on Aug. 24 at Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church, in Columbia, S.C. It will be a morning ... ...�

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, July 14, 2013
10:00am - Worship in Mackey Hall. Pastor Dries will be preaching.
11:00am- Deacon Meeting in the Mackey Kitchen.

11:00am - Rubber Ducky Races in Mackey Hall
5:00pm - Open House for Schmitz, Hothem, and Collier Parishes at Schmitz Home.   

 

Friday, July 19, 2013

7:00am - Dance Group in Mackey Hall.

 

Sunday, July 21, 2013
10:00am - Worship in Mackey Hall. Pastor Dries 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