Weekly News From Westminster Presbyterian Church

Weekly News Friday, July 19, 2013

Quick Links

www.wpcwooster.org

Worship

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.

Volunteers Needed

We need volunteers who are available Tuesday morning, July 23rd at 8:30 am to help de-clutter and clean Mackey Hall. We have several projects and we need people of all skill levels. Please contact Dries at acoetzee@wooster.edu if you can help.

Church World Service Donations

Our annual collection for Church World Service (Presbyterian Disaster Assistance partner) is on! We need toothbrushes and nail clippers for hygiene kits. For school kits, we need crayons (24 count only please), pencil sharpeners, lots of #2 pencils (new), and lots of 70-page spiral notebooks. Thanks for your donations to this important cause! Church World Services

Lament from a White Father

by Jim Wallis 07-15-2013

It's time for white people - especially white parents - to listen, to learn, and to speak out on the terribly painful loss of Trayvon Martin.

If my white 14-year-old son Luke had walked out that same night, in that same neighborhood, just to get a snack he would have come back to his dad unharmed - and would still be with me and Joy today. Everyone, being honest with ourselves, knows that is true. But when black 17-year-old Trayvon Martin went out that night, just to get a snack, he ended up dead - and is no longer with his dad and mom. Try to imagine how that feels, as his parents. ...>>>

Message from Dries

We are moving ahead! This coming week you will see many visible changes in Mackey Hall as our Re-Imagining Committee (Gayle Noble, Nahida Gordon, Heather Veney, and Vivian Holliday, with Pastor Dries Ex-Officio) chose a new paint color, which our in-house painter Joe Hartzler will work hard to complete by Sunday, July 28th. The reality is that Joe cannot do everything by himself; therefore, we are inviting those in our congregation who are able to come help de-clutter Mackey on Tuesday morning, July 23rd at 8:30 am. Mackey is badly in need of clean up, preparation, and organization. Beth and I will be there ready to work and we hope to see many of you join us.

As we start the painting of Mackey, with the Narthex to follow early next month, we as a Congregation have to face one reality; and that is that not all of us are going to like the color! To me, if we like the color or not is somewhat beside the point. Our Re-Imaging Committee has put a lot of thought into their choice, as well as consulted with a color expert from local paint company. What is important to me is that we as a Congregation cannot afford to play it safe with middle-of-the-road beige or white. This is symbolic of our life together as a community of faith and Christianity as a whole. Now is the time that we need bold leadership that is willing to take risks and try something new and daring. We need people who are willing to take a stand, who are not afraid of making mistakes, and who have the perseverance to try again.

Blessings and see you in worship,

Dries

Habitat Fundraiser at The Shack

Support Habit for Humanity's Ecumenical Build: Celebrate everything Summer at

The Shack on Sat. July 20th.

Sit on the patio or grab a booth inside. Either way, it promises to be an evening of good food, good music, good times, the best season and a great reason......Building hope by building homes!

Just like Summer, these tickets are hot. Don't get left out in the cold. Tickets available at Habitat or The Shack.

Ice Cream Outing at Hartzler's

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!
Calling all families with children! It's finally summer in northeast Ohio...big time! Let's get together and cool off. You are invited to gather at Hartzler's Ice Cream Shoppe (5454 Cleveland Road) on Tuesday, July 23 at 7pm. Come have a treat on Westminster and enjoy the company of your church friends. Grandparents are welcome to bring your grandchildren out, too. Hope to see you there! Let's savor the goodness of summer together.

Flowers, Greeters, and Goodies Oh My!

As we gear up for a busy fall, we are going to start doing monthly signups for Sunday flowers, greeters for worship, and fruit and goodies for fellowship time after worship. If you are interested in helping, please sign up through Sign Up Genius or by contacting Carly Jones (cjones@wooster.edu or 330-263-2398) in the church office.

Social Justice Potluck, August 4th

Join us on this first Sunday of the month, Communion Sunday, as we "extend the table". On August 4th after 10:00am worship, Charles Cureton will share the experience of First Presbyterian Church, Wooster in moving towards full inclusion of Gay Flag & Cross

LGBTQ members. Charles will also lead us in discussion about the two movements within the Presbyterian Church (USA), More Light Presbyterians and Covenant Network and the benefit in joining these organizations.

A lunch of quiche will be provided. We ask members of the congregation to bring fruit, salad or dessert to round out the table. RSVP through Sign Up Genius or to Carly Jones at cjones@wooster.edu.

Ducky Race Results

MacKenzie Duck Wins Westminster Derby

The valiant duck owned by Ruth MacKenzie of MacKenzie Stables was victorious in the championship heat at the Westminster Duck Derby on Sunday, July 14, 2013. Alazar Coetzee, the famous duck jockey, skillfully urged his duck to a win in the final race to edge out Dallas Jeffery Rhinhart, who came in a close second. In the junior division, a new face on the scene, Logan Kotulock, forged ahead to capture the first place prize, with second place going to Kaarle Spangler.

All competitors swam good races in the double Rubber Duckies 2013 1

elimination competition. The event raised $255.00 for the Habitat for Humanity Ecumenical Build. Spectators and participants dined on the traditional Duck Derby fare - coffee, lemonade, crackers, cookies, pineapple and ice cream bars.

Volunteers Needed for Central American Outreach (CAMO)

CAMO Logo

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

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

5 Reasons to Stop Drinking Bottled Water

1) Bottled water isn't a good value

It costs manufacturers roughly $.05 an ounce to bring you bottled water and just over $.02 an ounce for gasoline.

2) No healthier than tap water

In theory, bottled water in the United States falls under the regulatory authority of the Food and Drug Administration. In practice, about 70 percent of bottled water never crosses state lines for sale, making it exempt from FDA oversight. Whereas water systems in the developed world are well-regulated by the EPA.

3) Bottled water means garbage

Bottled water produces up to 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year. According to Food and Water Watch, that plastic requires up to 47 million gallons of oil per year to produce. And while the plastic used to bottle beverages is of high quality and in demand by recyclers, over 80 percent of plastic bottles are simply thrown away.

4) Bottled water means less attention to public systems.
Only the very affluent can afford to switch their water consumption to bottled sources. Once distanced from public systems, these consumers have little incentive to support bond issues and other methods of upgrading municipal water treatment.

5) The corporatization of water

Multinational corporations are stepping in to purchase groundwater and distribution rights wherever they can, and the bottled water industry is an important component in their drive to commoditize what many feel is a basic human right: the access to safe and affordable water.

What can you do?

There's a simple alternative to bottled water: buy a stainless steel thermos, and use it. Don't like the way your local tap water tastes? Inexpensive carbon filters will turn most tap water sparkling fresh at a fraction of bottled water's cost. Consider taking Food and Water Watch's No Bottled Water Pledge. Conserve water wherever possible, and stay on top of local water issues. Want to know more? Start with the Sierra Club's fact sheet on bottled water.

Presbyterian Church (USA) Weekly Blogs:

Seminary news 07-15-2013 13:24:52 PM

July 15, 2013 Presbyterian News Service Jerry L. Van Marter Theological Seminary has announced two major appointments to its faculty. ...�

Pope Francis: Christianity is incompatible with anti-Semitism 07-15-2013 13:24:52 PM

July 15, 2013 Religion News Service Alessandro Speciale VATICAN CITY In his first official meeting with a Jewish delegation, Pope Francis on June 24 reaffirmed the Catholic Church's condemnation of anti-Semitism and vowed to further deepen Catholic-Jewish relations. ...�

Study of 1001 initiative leads to action 07-15-2013 13:24:52 PM

Congregation brings church to neighbors, hopes to start new worshiping community July 12, 2013 Flyer used to promote experimental 1001 new worshiping community service at brand new health club -courtesy John Hembruch, First Church, Edwardsville Paul Seebeck, Communications Ministry 1001 New Worshiping Communities Louisville Call it a classic Presbyterian moment - a congregational ministry team proposes to study the 1001 New Worshiping Communities initiative during Lent. ...�

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!

Saturday, July 20, 2013

5:00-10:00pm - Hog Roast at The Shack to benefit Habitat for Humanity.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

10:00am - Worship in Mackey Hall. Pastor Dries will be preaching.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

8:30am - Mackey Clean- Up

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

7:00pm - Ice Cream Outing for Families with Children at Hartzler's

Friday, July 26, 2013

7:00am - Dance Group in Mackey Hall.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

10:00am - Worship in Mackey Hall. Pastor Dries will be preaching.

"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

acoetzee@wooster.edu