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Weekly News Friday, December 20, 2013
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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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Church Office Hours During the Holidays
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Monday, December 23
8:00am-3:00pm
Tuesday, December 24 9:00am-noon
Wednesday, December 25 Closed
Thursday, December 26 Closed
Friday, December 27
Open by appointment
Monday, December 30
Open by appointment
Tuesday, December 31
Closed
Wednesday, January 1
Closed
Thursday, January 2
Open by appointment
Friday, January 3
8:00am-3:00pm
On days when the office is closed, we will continue to check voice-mail and e-mails. If you have pastoral concerns during this time, please contact Pastor Dries on his cell phone at 330-621-4269.
There will be no Weekly News on Friday, December 27th or January 3rd.
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Children's Education
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This coming Sunday, December 22nd our children will prepare for worship.
Sunday School will resume January 12, 2014
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Adult Education
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There will be Adult Education this Sunday, December 22nd as we discuss chapters nine and ten of Living the Questions.
Our discussion will then continue of Sunday, January 5th, 2014 discussing chapters eleven and twelve of the same book.
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Congregational Meeting
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Session has called a Congregational Meeting on Sunday, December 22nd following worship for the purpose of electing Elders and Deacons for the Class of 2016.
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Message from Dries
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As I was searching for a graphic to go with my message this week, I stumbled upon this ornament that I have used in the past. I like it, as it not only connects me with South Africa and my family, but also reminds us of who we are as followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Here at Westminster we embrace this international connection, celebrating the ministry of Jesus, whether local or global, knowing that even the smallest deed can have a global impact. These past weeks through Advent we have celebrated these small changes that we can make as a community, working together to make visible the Incarnate One and the kin-dom that he brought about in the world we live.
This coming Sunday we will talk about partnership with God and  community to bring about the kin-dom, and also introduce the other important theme of Advent ... patience.
For the Fourth Sunday of Advent our children will lead the service and participate through liturgy and music. Beth will read the children's story Christmas Farm, by Mary Lyn Ray and illustrated by Barry Root. This story will help us reflect on how God partnered with humanity through Jesus and how we can make his birth a reality by working together as followers of the Way. The story shows that this journey takes patience as we work and wait to bring his kin-dom near.
In preparation for Sunday I invite you to reflect on the following prayer written in memory of Oscar Romero (1917-1980), entitled "A Future Not Our Own".
It helps now and then to step back and take a long view.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of
saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession
brings perfection, no pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives include everything.
This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one
day will grow. We water the seeds already planted
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of
liberation in realizing this.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning,
a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's
grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.
This coming Sunday we encourage you to bring your children, grandchildren and neighbor's children as we partner across generations to make Jesus' life and ministry a reality.
Advent Blessings and see you in worship,
Dries
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On The Westminster Blog
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 My sermon of last Sunday, December 15th is now posted on Westminster's blog. In my message I explored the different nuances of the theological term, "God's Covenant to Israel" in the new Presbyterian hymnal, Glory to God, and how it impacts our relationship with a wider community, including Palestinian Christians and Jews.
Thank you for helping us stay true to who we are as a community of faith by expressing yourself!
Dries
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Farewell to the Chewachongs
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 Join us this Sunday as we say farewell to the Chewachong family as they will be moving back to Cameroon after Christmas. Godwill graduated from the OARDC with a Ph.D in Plant Pathology in early December. After worship we will have a cake reception to wish them Godspeed as the family travels home and will be reunited with their family. |
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Worship at 10:45
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Sunday, December 22
Fourth Sunday in Advent. Beth will read the children's story Christmas Farm, by Mary Lyn Ray and our children will participate in worship. You are invited to stay for a short Congregational Meeting following worship for the purpose of electing Elders and Deacons for the Class of 2016. During the time of fellowship we will say our farewells to the Chewachong family who will be moving back to Cameroon before the new year.
Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24 Our Christmas Eve Worship will be a Service of Lessons and Carols at 7:00pm. Communion will be celebrated. 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 in 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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Ways to share the Christmas Spirit this Advent Season
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 7th Annual Bethlehem Prayer Service
In Bethlehem, Palestinian Christians continue to bear witness to their faith this Christmas, as they have done for generations. Once again, let us join our voices with theirs in seeking and offering hope for a better future. Prayers, readings, and hymns alternate between Washington, DC and Bethlehem via the Internet, bringing together people of different lands, languages, and ethnic backgrounds in celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peace.
A joint simultaneous service with the people of Bethlehem at the
Washington National Cathedral
Washington, DC 20016-5098
Saturday, December 21st, 2013
10:00 AM EST in Washington, DC
Join live on-line at www.nationalcathedral.org.
2) Olive oil soap is still available from Linda Barbu. Purchasing this soap will make a difference in the lives  of the villagers of Zababdeh, Palestine, who makes this soap by hand. Westminster also offers olive oil for purchase in partnership with Import Peace and Caanan Fair Trade. Canaan Fair Trade uses the fair trade concept to empower marginalized Palestinian rural communities caught in conflict so they can sustain their livelihoods and culture. They have built direct working relationships with these communities, paying sustainable prices for their agricultural products to ensure fair wages for labor along the supply chain. Please talk to Don Gordon if you would like to purchase olive oil.
3) Westminster is supporting the Hope Fund by preparing and selling our
Famous Italian Soup. As those cold November winds chill our fingers and toes, let's warm our bodies and hearts by sipping soup and helping to make life better for those preparing to enter the work force. Any day is a soup day! Order form are available on Sunday mornings before and after worship.
4) Help
extend the Table on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is a time of togetherness and hospitality. At Westminster we do practice extravagant hospitality and the Deacons are asking for your help to make it possible. We are looking for 5-10 people to supply two dozen cookies or brownies and a few people to bring a savory item to share. Please sign-up on Sunday on the name-tag board in the back of Mackey Hall or you may notify Carly in the church office.
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Ruth MacKenzie's 95th Birthday Celebration
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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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Alternative Giving Through the Presbyterian Church (USA)
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Green Tip of the Week
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The time for cozy fires is here. Reuse your old newspapers to make fire logs. Roll sheets of newspapers up tightly in the shape of a log. Tie them tight with string and use them in your fireplace or on a camp fire for great kindling.
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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 22, 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 - Congregational Meeting in Mackey Hall
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
7:00pm - Christmas Eve Worship in Mackey Hall, Pastor Dries Preaching
Saturday, December 28, 2013
2:00-4:00pm - Ruth MacKenzie 95th Birthday Celebration
Sunday, December 29, 2013
10:45am - Worship 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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