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Weekly News Friday, November 8, 2013
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Worship
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Sunday, November 10
"Stewardship is Faith in Action"
At Westminster, mission is the heart of our response to God's call to ministry. On this Mission Sunday, Pastor Dries will preach on stewardship and our Mission Cohort will lead us in considering Westminster's vision for outreach in 2014.
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Children's Education
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This past Sunday the kids worked on cards for our homebound members. Thank you to our in-house artist Barbara Tartir for ministering to our children and homebound members.
This Sunday we will be helping the deacons pack fall bags for our homebound members in the back of the kitchen at the start of the Sunday School hour (9:45). With the time we have left Dorothy Iams will talk to us about holiday mission opportunities with People to People. Come help us discover ways to help others.
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Office Hours
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Carly will be out of the office Friday afternoon, November 8th. If you need assistance, please leave a message and someone will get back to you.
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Ecumenical Build
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Check out these updates on the exciting time we're having with the six churches involved in the Ecumenical Build!!
Thank you all for being a part of this, we couldn't do it without you.
God bless you,
Beth Weaver
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Be a part of Westminster's Radical Hospitality!
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Here's how you can help keep Westminster a warm and welcoming community of faith! Sign up to be a Sunday morning greeter, to provide flowers, clean up after communion, or bring goodies for fellowship time after worship. If you are interested in helping, please sign up through Sign Up Genius, on the sign up board to the right of the name tags in the back of Mackey Hall, or by contacting Carly Jones ( cjones@wooster.edu or 330-263-2398) in the church office.
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Soup Sale
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 Don't miss out! The soup sale is going on now with proceeds going to the HOPE (Helping Others Prepare for Employment) fund. Use the attached Order Form to reserve your soup today!
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Contributions to the Weekly News
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Contributions for our Weekly News are due by 8:00am on Thursday mornings. If received later, they will be published in the next week's edition
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| Mission: a call to life-giving witness | |
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Message from Dries
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 Some weeks ago I was invited to participate in a committee meeting in another town that lasted pretty much the whole day. At the end of the meeting I was asked to join the committee and it was very easy for me to decline the invitation as I felt frustrated and restless. As I was driving back to Wooster I was not quite sure why I was so irritable. In my attempt to calm myself, and also to keep up with my weight loss and not eat my frustrations away, I stopped at a well known chain to buy a cup of decaf coffee. As I was standing in line to wait, my eye caught a banner in which the company boasted of how I am making a difference by drinking their coffee as they are are committed to fair trade coffee, which improves the lives of coffee farmers, supports local communities, and works against climate change. As I continued driving, I realized where my feelings of discontent came from. Through drinking my cup of decaf, I felt that I had made a bigger difference than through attending that meeting of our denomination. Isn't this true for many of us? That we want to make a difference and in the process be transformed ourselves. As we contemplate Stewardship and "Pursuing Fruitfulness" for Westminster Presbyterian Church, we invite you this week to contemplate how Westminster is about transformation and making a change in the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Our worship on Sunday will attempt to draw our attention to Risk-taking Mission and Service. In this context, mission and service refers to "the projects, efforts, and work we do as a Congregation to make a positive difference in the lives of others in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, whether or not they will ever become part of the community of faith. Risk-taking mission pushes us out of our comfort zone, stretching us beyond service to people we already know, exposing us to people, situations, and needs that we would never ordinarily encounter apart from our deliberate intention to follow the ways of Jesus"[1].
Worship will include songs, prayers, readings, reflections, and silence. "Through many voices and many images of God, we will lift up the teachings of Jesus regarding risk-taking, mission, and service as we believe that despite the divisions, violence, and injustice in the world, God continually brings forth renewed hope for love, justice, and mutuality to and through each one of us" [2].
See you in worship on Sunday,
Dries
[2] Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer and Bret Hesla, 2005: "Worship in the Spirit of Jesus: Theology, liturgy and songs without Violence". The Pilgrim Press: Cleveland, Ohio
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Alternative Gift Market
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 On December 1st, Westminster and other area churches invite you to First Presbyterian Church in Wooster for the 2013 Alternative Gift Market from 12:00 to 2:30. This festive event is an opportunity to get an early start on your Christmas shopping and simultaneously support various life-giving projects from around the world, including our own neighborhoods. You will be able to purchase $5.00 shares on any of thirty projects that provide food for the hungry, care for the sick, shelter for the homeless, renewal for our endangered planet, and much more - truly meaningful alternatives to the usual holiday gifts - in honor of your family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and children's teachers. Those shares then can be sent to friends and family on your Christmas mailing list.
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Women's Bible Study
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 Join Pastor Dries this coming Tuesday (the second Tuesday of the month) for the Presbyterian Women's Bible Study at 10am in the Lounge. We will be using the study published by Horizons entitled "An Abiding Hope: The Presence of God in Exodus and Deuteronomy" by Janice Catron. The class will continue through May 12th, 2014. The study books are available in the office.
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Al Van Wie Classic
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 The Wooster Rotary Club has sponsored this event for nearly a decade, which brings together several events which have the goal of helping to restock the Food Bank at People-to-People Ministries in Wooster. The theme is built around the Wooster Rotary/Al Van Wie Classic Basketball Tournament held in the heart of the Thanksgiving season.
The Youth Basketball Skills Clinic will be on Sunday, November 10, 2013; College of Wooster Timken Gym, 2-4 pm, all girls and boys grades 3-6 and youth coaches invited to attend. Admission- food donation or $2 for People to People.
The School Food Drive/collection- week of November 11 at all local schools with Rotary volunteers collecting donations and delivering to People to People.
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| "Pursuing Fruitfulness" Stewardship 2014 |
This fall we met our challenge of "Pursuing Fruitfulness". You helped Westminster raise $20,000 in total with $5,000 for our contribution to the Habitat Ecumenical Build and $15,000 for our Mackey Re-imagining Project. On Saturday, October 26, many of you participated in one way or another to make our contribution to the Habitat Ecumenical Build a huge success.
Now we ask you to do the same for Westminster's annual stewardship drive. In the coming weeks we urge you to prayerfully reflect on your commitment to Westminster for the coming year and to consider how your giving can transform your life and that of others.
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Sunday, November 10
"Stewardship is Faith in Action"
At Westminster, mission is the heart of our response to God's call to ministry. On this Mission Sunday, Pastor Dries will preach on stewardship and our Mission Cohort will lead us in considering Westminster's vision for outreach in 2014.
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Sunday, November 17
"Commitment Sunday"
We ask that you prayerfully consider how thankful giving can transform your life in response to God's generosity. We invite you to bring your completed pledge cards to worship in support of the mission and ministry of Westminster in 2014.
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November Vegan Potluck
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 Holiday dishes "vegan-style:" November 21st, 6:00 p.m.: Mackey Hall
In November we will focus on identifying the "flavor memories" that we revisit at holiday time and help each other discover delicious and satisfying plant-based dishes to serve at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Some of your favorite recipes may be plant-based already or just need slight modification. We will discuss ways to make substitutions in traditional recipes and discover some new favorites. Dig out an old favorite or search out a new recipe to try for the holidays.
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News from the Synod of the Covenant
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 The Synod Assembly started at Christ Presbyterian Church in Toledo, Ohio. Russell Brandt of Mackinac Presbytery was elected Moderator and Andries Coetzee of Muskingum Valley Presbytery was elected Vice-Moderator. Worship followed with Neil Presa, the Moderator of the 220th General Assembly installing the new officers and preaching a sermon entitled "Once Upon a Time: The Story(ies) of Life".
In conjunction with the Mission To The USA partners, the Synod Assembly held a conference on the Confession of Belhar. The participants were GA Moderator Neal Presa, Pieter Grove of the Uniting Reformed Church in South Africa; Dawid Kuyler the Scribe of the General Synod, URCSA; Chris Iosso of the PCUSA Witness Policy Staff; and Cynthia Holder Rich of the GA Special Committee on the Confession. Raafat Zaki chaired the discussion. An informative and challenging presentation followed. The MUSA Partners from South Africa present were Ms. Violet Baloyi, Rev. Jaco Bester, Rev. Catherin Cornelissen, Rev. Johanna Gaborone, Rev. Pieter Grove, Rev. Dawid Kuyler and Rev. Mukondi Ramlondi. They have completed a four week stay in congregations within the Synod of the Covenant. The MUSA emphasis for the next 3 years will be with partners from the Middle East.
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| Building An Inclusive Church |
As Westminster strives to be "Intentionally Inclusive", I invite you to join me in attending the "The Building an Inclusive Church" training as it will help us to design and implement a process for our congregation to publicly and intentionally welcome people of all gender identities and sexual orientations. The "Building an Inclusive Church" training will equip us with ways to create dialogue and deepening relationships throughout the congregation rather than sparking debate and division. There are two upcoming training opportunities in our area in 2014:
Feb. 21 - 22, 2014, Columbus, OH
Feb. 28 - March 1, 2014, Cleveland, OH
Please e-mail me if you are interested in joining me and specify your preferred date.
Dries
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The Call to Knit (or Crochet) and Pray our Way to GA
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 Once more, the season for knitting and praying our way to the PC(USA) General Assembly is upon us. It is time for us to get the Redheart Mexicana yarn, pull out the needles or crochet hook, and pray for justice with each stitch, asking others to join us.
Since 2008, rainbow scarves have been a delightful and anticipated witness to God's love for all God's children. They have been a wonderful success at each assembly because of the faithful, creative effort of hundreds of you across the church. They astound people with their artistry and generosity as each person stepping to the MLP, CovNet or TAMFS booths chooses a scarf, prays with a volunteer and promises to tell the story of the scarf if anyone admires it. They also promise to give it freely to that person if they want it to share the story of God's love symbolized by the rainbow. ...>>>
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Mark your Calendar: Upcoming Dates
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Stewardship Sunday, November 17th: In our "Pursuit of Fruitfulness" we invite you to pledge your commitment to Westminster for 2014.
Alternative Gift Market, December 1st:
First Presbyterian Church in Wooster from 12:00 to 2:30
December Social Justice Potluck, December 8th
Soup luncheon with speaker who has benefited from the HOPE (Helping Others Prepare for Employment) fund.
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Presbyterian Church (USA) Weekly Blogs:
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What's happening at Westminster this week?
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All events can also be found on our website
www.wpcwooster.org
We hope to see you there!
Saturday, November 9, 2013
11:30am-1pm - Evelyn Camp Craig reception at the Wooster Inn
Sunday, November 10, 2013
9:30am - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
9:30am - Adult Education in the Lounge
9:45am - Children's Education in the Sunday School Room
10:45am - Worship in Mackey Hall, Pastor Dries Preaching
12:00pm - Mission 2014 Conversation in Mackey Hall
12:00pm - Deacon's Meeting in Mackey Kitchen
Monday, November 11, 2013
12:00pm - Building Committee Meeting in the Lounge
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
10:00am - Women's Bible Study in the Lounge
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
5:00pm - Personnel Committee Meeting in Pastor's Study
7:00pm - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
Thursday, November 14, 2013
7:00pm- Dance Group in Mackey Hall
Sunday, November 17, 2013
9:30am - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
9:30am - Adult Education in the Lounge
9:45am - Children's Education in the Sunday School Room
10:45am - Worship in Mackey Hall, Pastor Dries Preaching
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"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,
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Andries J. Coetzee
Pastor, Westminster Presbyterian Church
353 East Pine Street, Wooster, OH 44691
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