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Weekly News Friday, November 29, 2013
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Thanksgiving Office Hours
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Due to the Thanksgiving holidays, the office will be closed Thursday & Friday, Nov. 28th & 29th. If you have pastoral needs, please call Pastor Dries on his cell phone at 330-621-4269. Have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving!
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December Social Justice Potluck
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 Westminster will have its monthly Social Justice Potluck on December 8th following worship. Soup will be provided by the Mission Committee. Others are welcome to contribute salads, bread, or dessert. The speaker will be an individual who has benefited from the HOPE (Helping Others Prepare for Employment) fund. Sign up through Sign Up Genius or by contacting Carly in the church office (330-263-2398).
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Dec. Hospitality Sign Up
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 Be a part of Westminster's Radical Hospitality! Sign up to be a Sunday morning greeter, to provide flowers, 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 (330-263-2398) in the church office.
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| Thank You! |
 As in past years we are thankful to the Drushals for a handpicked Christmas tree grown on the 4-J Farm with love and care! (This year they had some much welcomed helpers!)
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Message from Dries
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On behalf of Westminster Presbyterian Church, I wish you and yours a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving Holiday. Thank you for all the ways you support this community of faith!
 This coming Sunday, December 1st will mark more that the beginning of a new season in the church year with the First Sunday in Advent, as it is indeed a new year, celebrating new life. Our theme this year is "Simply Christmas" as we become more mindful of the transformation that God calls us to undergo this time of year as we make the newness wrought about by God in the world, a reality. The commentary series, Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary based on the NRSV-Year A, states that; "Advent invites us to awaken from our numbed endurance and our domesticated expectations, to consider our life afresh in light of new gifts that God is about to give[1]." With our theme Simply Christmas, we invite you to not only wait for the "new gifts that God is about to give," but to make those gifts a reality. We believe that it can be fairly simple to make those gifts a reality by making small changes in our lives. For the next four weeks our Weekly News will include several easy to accomplish opportunities for you to make a difference during Advent and Christmas.
1) This Friday marks the beginning of the shopping season. Please consider alternative gift-giving as a way of honoring your loved ones and at the same time helping to make God's kin-dom a reality.
- Participate in the Alternative Gift Market at First Presbyterian Church on Sunday, December 1st after worship.
- "Give a gift of hope today" through the Presbyterian Church (USA) Mission Agency. Not only are you making a difference in the world, but you are also supporting the mission of the Presbyterian Church.
2) When you buy Christmas cards, consider:
- buying custom cards through the Presbyterian Church (USA) Mission Agency. With this difference you donate valuable mission dollars to the Presbyterian Church while remembering your loved ones.
3) In making real God's "new gifts" advocacy is important. Help bring about Middle East Peace by considering:
- participating in the Presbyterian Church (USA) boycott of products made by enterprises in illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.
See more information about all these opportunities below as we work, pray, and journey together this Advent and Christmas!
Blessings,
Dries
[1] Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV, Vol. 2: Year B Hardcover - January 1, 1993 by Walter Brueggemann (Editor) , Charles B Cousar (Editor) , Beverly Roberts Gaventa (Editor) , James D Newsome (Editor)
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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. Come for lunch and stay to shop for good!
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Thanksgiving Wishes from Troop 61
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In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Boy Scout Troop 61 extends its deepest appreciation for Westminster's support. In a thank you note to the church Westminster member and elder, John Veney wrote; "The leaders want you to know, that we thank the church for all the years of support. Giving us a place to meet each week and store our stuff is invaluable to us." The photo was taken at the Troop traditional Thanksgiving camp out in November, where in addition to hiking, working on scout advancement, and generally having a good time, we prepare a full thanksgiving meal in Dutch ovens.
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Worship at 10:45
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Sunday, December 1
First Sunday in Advent with Pastor Dries preaching. Following worship you are invited to join other area churches at First Presbyterian Church for the 2013 Alternative Gift Market from 12:00 to 2:30.
Sunday, December 8
Second Sunday in Advent with Pastor Dries preaching. Following worship you are invited to a soup luncheon provided by the Mission Committee. The speaker will be an individual who has benefited from the HOPE (Helping Others Prepare for Employment) fund.
Sunday, December 15
Third Sunday in Advent with Pastor Dries preaching.
Sunday, December 22
Fourth Sunday in Advent with Pastor Dries sharing a meditation. Children and families will participate in worship, be it song, dance, reading, etc.
Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 25
Our Christmas Eve Worship will be a Service of Lessons and Carols at 7:00pm. Communion will be celebrated. Pastor Dries will share a short meditation. We invite all to stay after worship for a time of fellowship arranged by our Deacons.
Sunday, December 29
We invite you to join us for morning worship for an intimate gathering in Mackey Hall to celebrate the birth of Christ with Scripture, Carols, and a Christmas Story.
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Children's Education
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It is crazy how fast the calendar year has flown by! As we approach the end of the year, we have some exciting things coming up for our Sunday School children. Here is a breakdown of the upcoming weeks of the Advent season at Westminster.
12/1: No regular Sunday School. Families are encouraged to lunch and shop at the Alternative Christmas Market at First Presbyterian.
12/8: Regular Sunday School at 9:45. We will be making gifts for our loved ones, as we think about what it means to celebrate "Simply Christmas" with and for others.
12/15: Regular Sunday School at 9:45. Children will be decorating a seasonal window in the church under the tutelage of Joe Hartzler!
12/22: Regular Sunday School at 9:45. This is the Sunday that kids are asked to participate in worship, be that song, dance, reading etc. We will be thinking and talking about what each can do before this Sunday.
I'm looking forward to the rest of the year with everyone. It has been a privilege and a joy to plan and lead Sunday School thus far. Thank you for all your support.
Evangeline Smith
Student Intern
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Christmas Poinsettia Orders
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 As in the past we will decorate Mackey Hall with poinsettias that congregation members purchase in memory or in honor of loved ones. We will be ordering a maximum of 20 poinsettias, but will print all dedications in the bulletin. Any additional funds will be donated to People-to-People ministries.
Please download the order form in PDF and return it with a check made out to Westminster with the word "poinsettia" in the memo line to Carly Jones by Sunday, December 15th.
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Alternative Giving Through the Presbyterian Church (USA)
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Activism
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Support the General Assembly Call to Boycott: Who, What, When, Where, Why
At its July 2012 meeting the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) spent considerable time discussing actions that it could take to help further the peace process between Israel and Palestine. After much study, discussion, and prayer regarding the prospect for peace between Israel and Palestine, the 2012 General Assembly passed a resolution that:
- Calls upon all nations to prohibit the import of products made by enterprises in Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.
- Directs the Stated Clerk to communicate this action to all other PC (USA) councils and entities and invite and strongly encourage those groups and organizations to endorse this boycott until significant progress toward Palestinian rights and independence can be reported to the General Assembly or General Assembly Mission Council.
This call for a boycott of products from illegal settlements on Palestinian land is consistent with past church
endorsements of boycotts as a vehicle to help resolve serous situations of social justice and oppression. It is an effort to promote a just and sustainable peace for Jews, Muslims and Christians in Israel and Palestine. The boycott is not against people or the state of Israel; it is against specific Israeli government policies and practices that destroy hope for a just settlement to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Read more about the General Assembly call for boycott of products made in illegal settlement colonies in Occupied Palestinian Territories and how you can take actions to participate in this boycott.
This Holiday Season: Boycott SodaStream! Click Here
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Christmas Joy Offering
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 Supporting Past, Present, and Future Leaders
Whether providing financial assistance to current and former church workers and their families or providing opportunities for deserving students to attend Presbyterian-related racial ethnic colleges and schools, your generous gifts to the Christmas Joy Offering will shine the One True Light of Christ's love. Westminster's collection of the offering will be on Sunday, December 22nd at the 10:45am worship service.
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This Thanksgiving: Scrape don't rinse
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Today's dishwashers are very efficient, and it's usually not necessary to rinse dishes before loading them. Scraping the food off with a spatula or sponge should be sufficient. If you must rinse, use cold (not hot) water. (Click here for more tips)
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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!
Sunday, December 1, 2013
10:45am - Worship in Mackey Hall, Pastor Dries Preaching
12:00pm- Alternative Gift Market at First Presbyterian Church
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
7:45am - Men's Breakfast at Downtown Buehler's
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
8:00am - Mission Committee meeting 7:00pm - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall Thursday, December 5, 2013 6:00pm - UKirk meeting at the Coetzee Home
7:00pm - Dance Group in Mackey HallSunday, December 8, 2013 9:30am - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
9:30am - Adult Education in the Lounge
9:45am - Children's Education in Sunday School Room 10:45am - Worship in Mackey Hall, Pastor Dries Preaching 12:00pm - Social Justice Potluck in Mackey Hall
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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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End your promotion with a kick -- consider a postscript to reinforce one of the key product or service benefits.
Sincerely,
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