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Weekly News Friday, May 9, 2014
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Get Involved
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Help 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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College of Wooster Baccalaureate and Parking
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Baccalaureate, a farewell worship service for the members of the Class of 2014, will be held in McGaw Chapel on Sunday, May 11 at 10:00 a.m. Family and friends of graduating seniors, as well as the entire College of Wooster community, are invited to attend. Click here to find out more about the service and this year's speakers.
Due to The College of Wooster Baccalaureate, parking will be a challenge next Sunday. Please allow extra time as you might have to park away from the Church House. See this challenge as an opportunity to make a difference in our environment by walking, biking, or carpooling to worship.
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Summer Worship Time
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 Mark your calendars! Starting Sunday, May 25th, Westminster will move to a 10:00am worship time for the summer months.
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People to People Summer Collections
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The Benevolences Committee would like to concentrate on providing cereal and oatmeal to People to People during May through August. With children home during the summer, cereal makes an easy snack as well as a breakfast and the pantry always seems to need it.
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Hymns for summer worship
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 This summer we are inviting you to suggest your favorite hymns or new ones you would like to learn for inclusion in the summer worship services. Please list up to three hymns, from our new Presbyterian Hymnal and place this sheet in the offering basket, return it to the church office, or e-mail it to Carly. We encourage you also to give a reason t he hymn is one of your favorites. At each service this summer, we will include at least one hymn chosen from those submitted. Thanks for your participation. -Dries
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PC(USA) Action Alert
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 Rep. Frank Wolf (R., Va.) is calling on the Obama administration to send former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to South Sudan to help end mass ethnic violence. Please contact President Obama and urge him to support Rep. Wolf's call and appoint the former presidents to help bring about a negotiated settlement and an end to the violence engulfing South Sudan.
The conflict is ominously similar to the Rwandan genocide 20 years ago. Thousands have died in the conflict between the Dinka tribe and rebel forces composed of former Nuer people. Rebel fighters have been urged to rape women of specific ethnicities and attack those seeking refuge in hospitals, mosques, and churches. Residents in the ethnic Dinka town of Bor recently killed dozens of Nuer people taking shelter at a United Nations base. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has warned of a possible genocide in South Sudan.
Click here to send a message to the President today!
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Reflection of the Week
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 | | From the first Mother's Day for Peace |
Beth and I are back from California where I officiated at the wedding of a friend. A special word of thanks to the Rev. Jim Collier for leading worship last Sunday and for his ministry among us here at Westminster!
This weekend I am inviting you to take the time and reflect on Julia Ward Howe's Mothers' Day Proclamation, dated 1870, but sadly still relevant today:
"Arise, then, women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts, whether your baptism be that of water or tears!
Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have taught them of charity, mercy and patience. We women of one country will be too tender of those of another to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
From the bosom of the devastated earth, a voice goes up with our own. It says, "Disarm, Disarm!" The sword of murder is not the balance of justice. Blood not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail & commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesars but of God.
In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality may be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace."
See you in worship on Sunday, Blessings, Dries |
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Presbyterian Church (USA) Alternative Gift Market- Mother's Day Ideas
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 Find out more ways to show the Mother's in your life how much you care through your support of Presbyterian Online Giving. |
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Prayer for Mother's Day
|  For Mothers by Rebecca Todd Peters
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was with God
and the Word was God
and She was known as Sophia.
Present at the beginning of creation
you blew breath into our very souls;
groaning in travail, you gave birth to creation.
God, our Mother, hear our prayer.
Rejoice with us in the pleasure of our joys:
for mothers
who sing lullabies and rock songs to soothe
and entertain their babies,
who play endless games of Hi Ho CherryO
and Chutes and Ladders,
who braid hair, potty-train, cook, clean,
and do laundry,
who learn something new about what it means
to love by being a mother.
Mother God, the delight of our children fills
our hearts and our souls with joy.
We give thanks for the myriad ways that they bless
our lives and communities.
Weep with us in the pain of our laments:
for mothers who bleed
from abortions of unwanted or impossible
pregnancies,
from rape and assault,
from domestic violence and homicide.
We need better birth control, sex education,
and a transformation of our culture of violence.
We pray for the will and the strength to get involved
in facilitating this transformation.
For mothers who cry
when they can't make their rent,
when their children go hungry,
when they lose their children to drugs,
prison, or gang violence,
we need affordable housing, social safety nets,
and community alternatives for idle teens.
Help us commit ourselves and our churches to
making these changes in our local communities.
For mothers who have had enough
of asthma attacks and hospital rooms when
there is no insurance,
of losing jobs for staying home with a sick child,
of low-wage, dead-end jobs,
we need universal health coverage and new ways
of envisioning work and life.
We ask for imagination and the political courage
to make this a reality.
For mothers who are lonely, tired, hateful, loving,
energetic, absent, overbearing, fun, silly, sad,
courageous, ill, angry, soft-spoken, old, young,
and in-between;
for women who mother their own children or the
children of others;
for adopted moms, and birth moms,
and single moms and grand moms;
for the moms we had and the moms we want to be-
we thank you, O God, our Mother.
Help us to remember that no one mothers in isolation
and that all mothers need support, courage,
assistance, and friendships to make it through.
Help us remember what it means to be communities
of Christ in the world,
and help us work to support mothers in our
communities and in our nation.
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Adult Education
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The Adult Education class will continue its discussion of Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer's book
Authentic Hope: It's the End of the World as We Know It but Soft Landings Are Possible this Sunday May 11 2014. The discussion will begin as usual at 9:30 and run to 10:30 in the lounge.
This week's discussion will cover Chapter 3, "Equity, Politics, and the Common Good." The chapter examines the present inequalities created by corporate-driven politics. We will consider the many benefits that arise in our common life with greater political and economic equality and reduction of the exploitation of the earth's natural wealth. Specific topics to be discussed are: evidence of inequality, inequalities we find very disturbing in light of our religious values, views that see inequality as part of human societies and as good for human advancement, the politics promoting inequality, the importance of equality and of governmental policies in achieving equality, and how our politics needs to be revitalized to achieve greater equity.
The current unspoken mantra of our society seems to be greed is good and exploitation of the earth's natural resources and its peoples as our means to achieve individual and national wealth and well-being. As a religious community we must certainly see such a view as unacceptable and yet we participate in this exploitation.
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Green Tip of the Week
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Golf and the Environment
Next time you are out on the greens, think about whether your own actions are "green."
- Walk the course instead of using a golf cart. If you do use a golf cart, keep your cart on the designated path.
- Urge your golf course to replace its carts with electric-powered ones, which greatly reduce both air pollution and noise pollution.
- Carry your trash with you until a waste container is available.
- Recycle glass, aluminum, and plastic on the golf course. If your course doesn't have its own recycling program, urge them to start one.
- Adhere to local rules that may restrict access to environmentally sensitive areas on a golf course.
- Buy recyclable products (biodegradable golf tees, golf balls made of rawhide instead of plastic).
- Accept the natural limitations and variations of turfgrass plants growing in a natural environment. (e.g., brown patches, thinning, loss of color). Be willing to play on brown grass during periods of low rainfall.
- Patronize courses that are environmentally friendly.
- Recognize that golf courses are managed land areas that should complement the natural environment. Respect environmentally sensitive areas of the course.
- Support golf course management decisions that protect or enhance the environment and encourage the development of environmental conservation plans.
- Support maintenance practices that protect wildlife and natural habitat.
- Encourage maintenance practices that promote the long-range health of the turf and support environmental objectives. Such practices include aerification, reduced fertilization, limited play on sensitive turf areas, reduced watering, etc.
- Commit to long-range conservation efforts (e.g. efficient water use, integrated pest management, etc.) on the golf course and at home.
- Support research and education programs that expand our understanding of the relationship between golf and the environment.
Taken from www.earthshare.org.
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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, May 11, 2014
9:30am - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
9:30am - Adult Education in the Lounge
10:00am - College of Wooster Baccalaureate Service in McGaw Chapel
10:45am - Worship in Mackey Hall, Pastor Dries preaching
Monday, May 12, 2014
12:00pm- Building Committee Meeting in The Lounge
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
10:00am - Women's Bible Study in The Lounge
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
7pm - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
Thursday, May 15, 2014
6:30pm - Dance Group in Mackey Hall
Sunday, May 18, 2014
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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