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Weekly News Friday, April 18, 2014
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Get Involved
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Joe Hartzler is the April Hospitality Coordinator. To help Joe make Westminster the warm and inviting place we are called to be, 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 t he 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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One Great Hour of Sharing
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 On Easter Sunday, April 20th we will be collecting donations for One Great Hour of Sharing. Since 1949 Presbyterians have joined with millions of other Christians through One Great Hour of Sharing to share God's love with our neighbors-in-need around the world. Your generous gifts to this Special Offering help provide relief those affected by natural disasters, provide food to the hungry, and assist in helping to empower the poor and oppressed.
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Pastoral Care
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 Join us after worship on April 27th in The Lounge if you feel called to care for our homebound members and those in need. If you are interested but not able to attend the meeting please contact Pastor Dries.
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Event Canceled
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 It is with regret that we have cancelled the May 17th & 18th event with author Jack Nelson Pallmeyer at Westminster. We hope the event will be rescheduled in the future.
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Women of Ciudad Ju�rez
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College of Wooster to Present 'Women of Ciudad Ju�rez'
April 21-23
"Women of Ciudad Ju�rez," a dramatic tribute to the hundreds of women who were raped, tortured, and murdered during the past two decades in the Mexican border city that lies south of El Paso, Texas, will be staged at The College of Wooster April 21-23. Performances, which are free and open to the public, begin at 8:15 p.m. each evening in Freedlander Theatre. ...>>>
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Reflection of the Week
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 This coming Sunday, April 20, our Lenten focus to "Overcome Violence: The Power and Promise of Peace", will reach its culmination on Easter. These past weeks in worship we have been mindful, reflecting on our lives and culture, and how we contribute to our culture of violence through word and deed. This Sunday we will contemplate on the Easter events and the new reality t hat death cannot overshadow. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible for many to contemplate the reality of this new life as it is difficult for us to understand resurrection. Barbara Brown Taylor wrote, based on John 20:1-18;
"so many of us continue to focus our energy:on that tomb, on that morning, on what did or did not happen there and how to explain it to anyone who does not happen to believe it too. Resurrection does not square with anything else we know about physical human life on earth. No one has ever seen it happen, which is why it helps me to remember that no one saw it happen on Easter morning either."
When Mary and the first disciples arrived at the tomb, all they saw was an empty tomb with two piles of clothes in it. Jesus was not there;
"The risen one had people to see and things to do. The living one's business was among the living, to whom he appeared not once but four more times in the Gospel of John. Every time he came to his friends they became stronger, wiser, kinder, more daring. Every time he came to them, they became more like him.
Those appearances cinch the resurrection for me, not what happened in the tomb. What happened in the tomb was entirely between Jesus and God. For the rest of us, Easter began the moment the gardener said, "Mary!" and she knew who he was. That is where the miracle happened and goes on happening -- not in the tomb but in the encounter with the living Lord.
In the end, that is the only evidence we have to offer those who ask us how we can possibly believe. Because we live, that is why. Because we have found, to our surprise, that we are not alone. Because we never know where he will turn up next. Here is one thing that helps: never get so focused on the empty tomb that you forget to speak to the gardener."
See you on Easter Sunday!
Blessings,
Dries
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Worship at Westminster
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18: Good Friday
6:00pm Meditative Service in The Meeting Place
20: Easter Sunday
6:30am Sunrise Worship at Oak Hill Park pavilion
9:00am Brunch in The Meeting Place
10:00am Intergenerational Easter activities
10:45am Easter Service with Communion
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Easter at Westminster
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 The Westminster Hospitality Team will be hosting the annual breakfast on Easter morning at 9:00am. Volunteers will supply the main dish and those attending the breakfast are asked to bring fruit or bread to add to the meal. We will also need volunteers to help prepare the Meeting Place after the breakfast (10:15 am) for the Friends. |
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This Sunday ... Give to the One Great Hour of Sharing
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  | | Planting Seeds for Stronger Communities - The Presbyterian Hunger Program |
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Children's Education
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As part of our Easter celebration this upcoming Sunday, we will be baking cookies at 10am. Everyone is invited to join us following the Easter Brunch at 9am and we will get started with cookies! The cookies we make will be used for fellowship following the Easter Worship Service.
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Mass Incarceration
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Stations of the Cross: Mass Incarcerations
Traditionally, the Stations of the Cross are a series of 14 paintings or carvings representing successive incidents during Jesus' progress from his condemnation by Pilate to his crucifixion and burial. In this adaptation, the artist Mary Button invites viewers to see Jesus' suffering in light of our modern practice of incarceration and imprisonment. Particular stations address: the War on Drugs, mandatory minimums, 3 strikes legislation, racial disparities in sentencing, the violence endemic in American prisons, the privatization of prison labor, and more. You can preview the full series here.
Christian Leaders Call For Ending Drug War, Mass Incarceration
As the Easter holiday approaches, several Christian leaders called for the U.S. to end the war on drugs and mass incarceration of offenders. The faith leaders said they hoped the story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ inspires the resurrection of people and communities devastated by what they said was failed U.S. drug policy. ...>>>
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Easter Flower Dedications
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Easter Flowers are given
to the Glory of God
in Memory or in Honor of:
J. Arthur Baird by Mary Baird
Herold & Helen Brazee by Jean & Ross Brazee
J. Garber & Dorothy W. Drushal
Jayne Loree Drushal
Family of Allyson Gray by Linda Rea
Robert A. Jones by Christine C. Jones
Donald R. MacKenzie by Ruth MacKenzie
Jeffrey M. Mork by Jean & Ross Brazee
Donald & Alice Noble by David & Gayle Noble
Jim Rea by Linda Rea
Donald & Marie Roth by Jean & Ross Brazee
Parents & Grandparents of Linda Saif by Linda Saif
Rev. William A. Smith by Elaine Smith Snyder
Margaret Hanford Smith by Elaine Smith Snyder
Jim Snyder by Linda Rea
Al Van Wie by Judy Van Wie
Raymond S. Wagner by Jean & Ross Brazee
Lois J. Yeakel by Josie & Rich Drushal
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Thank You from Gomes
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Last weekend Westminster hosted the Gomes Choir in the Church House for the 35th year! Thank you for all who helped this weekend continue to be a success!
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Green Tip of the Week
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Unplug chargers or use the new Surge Protector Power Strip. Electronics that sleep on a standby setting continue to pull a current even when "turned off."
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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!
Friday, April 18, 20146:00pm - Good Friday Meditative Service in The Meeting Place
Sunday, April 20, 2014- Easter Sunday 6:30am - Sunrise Service at Oak Hill Pavilion
9:00am - Brunch in The Meeting Place
9:30am - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
10:00am - Intergenerational Easter Activity in the Kitchen
10:45am - Easter Worship in Mackey Hall
Tuesday, April 22, 2014 8:30am - UKirk Agape Latte in Old Main Cafe
2:00pm - Congregational Life Cohort in the Pastor's Study 9:30pm - UKirk Candlelit Labyrinth Walk
Wednesday, April 23, 2014 10:00am- CAMO Volunteer Days (meet in church parking lot at 9:30am to carpool)
7:00pm - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
Thursday, April 24, 2014
6:30pm - Dance Group in Mackey Hall
Saturday, April 26, 2014
11:00am - Ken Shafer Sr. Memorial Service in Mackey Hall
Sunday, April 27, 2014
9:30am - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
9:30am - Adult Education in the Lounge
9:45am - Sunday School in the Sunday School Room
10:45am - Worship Service Recognizing College of Wooster Seniors in Mackey Hall
6:00pm - UKirk Adios! at the Coetzee Residence
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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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