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Weekly News Friday, September 12, 2014
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You Can Help
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 ADA Bathroom
We need $1,500 more!
You can help Westminster be more inclusive. Donate to our ADA Bathroom project here. Read more here
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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 sheet in Mackey Hall, or by contacting Carly Jones (330-263-2398330-263-2398) in the church office.
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Worship At Westminster
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
Worship service at 10:45am in Mackey Hall. Dries preaching. At 9:30am children and adults are invited to join College of Wooster Nursery School staff for a tour of the transformation of our play yard into a Wild School Site.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Worship service at 10:45am in Mackey Hall. Dries preaching. Adult Current Affairs Discussion at 9:30am. Children will help pack CWS school kits after worship. No Children's Education at 9:45am.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Worship service at 10:45am in Mackey Hall. Collegiate ministry organization, UKirk, leading worship. Adult Current Affairs Discussion and Fellowship at 9:30am with Children's Education at 9:45am.
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People to People Donations
|  This month Westminster will focus our efforts on providing applesauce and canned fruit to People to People. Beyond this, there is a special need for peanut butter, jelly, canned chicken noodle soup, and pork and beans. Cleaning out your linen closet? People to People is experiencing a shortage of blankets, shower curtains and new or gently used bath towels.
It's never too soon to be thinking about the Christmas Toy Project! In order to use toy donations for the 2014 project, they must be received by Dec. 2. Teen and age 6-11 gifts are very welcome!
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Success once again!
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Thanks to your diligence and generosity, we have collected enough school supplies to complete at least 100 kits. We'll pack both hygiene and school kits after worship on September 21st. We will need about 40 GALLON SIZE FREEZER BAGS and 6 MEDIUM MOVING BOXES (from Lowes) and many volunteers. Please contact Linda Barbu if you can assist with purchasing items or packing kits.
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Reflection of the Week
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For several years Westminster has been a co-sponsor of the LGBTQ Future Pastors Retreat of Presbyterian Welcome, with Mieke Vandersall as its Executive Director. The reason we support this ministry year after year is because of its impact on participants and our denomination and its leadership. One anonymous participant shared the following:
"Your contribution is helping save lives of many who have been wounded and abused by the church. Thank you for helping raise up and support a new generation of pastors who are called to live out the fullness of God's love
to our LGBTQ sisters and brothers. Without your support we couldn't fulfill our call."
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Presbyterian Welcome - GLBTQ Future Pastor Retreat Indiegogo
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This coming weekend we are called as a church to do the same for our great state of Ohio as Westminster is the co-sponsor of a "Non-Discrimination" workshop for LGBTQ people with Equality Ohio. You might not know it, but,(to quote Equality Ohio's website):
"Discrimination Against Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender People is Generally Legal in Ohio.
It is legal in Ohio to be fired from your job, denied an apartment, or refused service at a movie theater, restaurant or hotel because of your sexual orientation or gender identity. In many cities and counties in Ohio and for many government employees, these practices are prohibited, but there are no statewide nondiscrimination protections that protect all Ohioans.
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Save the date for the 6th Annual
Open the Door to Equality Rally
co-sponsored by Westminster
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21 of the 50 states currently protect people from discrimination based on their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, putting Ohio at a competitive disadvantage for recruiting and hiring the best and brightest professional talent. Many employers across the country and here in Ohio have extended nondiscrimination policies to cover LGBTQ people, but millions of Ohioans remain unprotected. Protections are needed for everyone".
As a community of faith that follows the ways of Jesus of Nazareth, it is our responsibility to work against discrimination of any kind. Please join Beth and me this Saturday from 10:00am until 1:00pm as we work together to prevent
"LGBTQ Ohioans from being judged on anything other than their job performance; it would allow all LGBTQ Ohioans the ability to obtain the housing of their choice; and, it would allow LGBTQ Ohioans to be served equally at restaurants, movie theaters and hotels everywhere in the state."
Read more about the workshop here, or sign up here.
Blessings,
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September Vegan Meal
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 We look forward to seeing you at the Vegan Potluck next Thursday, September 18th, at 6:00 p.m. in Mackey Hall. Just bring a pot-luck dish containing no meat, dairy, or eggs (no need for students to bring a dish). This month's program will feature our "Cooking with a Conscience" chef, Natalie Friedrich, who will demonstrate an easy and delicious recipe. Natalie is not only a wonderful chef, but she is an instructor who knows how to make food preparation fun and do-able! This presentation will take place during the meal instead of before, to give more people an opportunity to experience Natalie's class. Sign up through Sign Up Genius, on the sign up board in the back of Mackey, or through contacting the Church office. |
Inter-generational Tour of our new Wild School Site
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 This Sunday, September 14 Westminster children and adults are invited on a garden tour! College of Wooster Nursery School director Joyce Murphy and teachers, Margaret Bourne and Apple Hopkins, have graciously offered to share their motivation and vision for the play yard beside Mackey Hall. Join us at 9:30am on the Mackey patio and get a firsthand tour of the exciting transformation taking place right in our backyard.
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Travel Dates for Dries & Beth
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At its August meeting Session approved the following travel dates for Dries:
1) Tuesday, September 23 through October 15 Dries will be in South Africa. For the first week he will be building relationships with the South African Church community and the Israel Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Synod of the Covenant of the Presbyterian Church (USA). On Monday, September 29, Beth will join him and they will celebrate Dries' parents' 50th wedding anniversary with the rest of the family. On Friday October 10, Beth and Dries will also attend the opening of a "Therapeutic Garden" at the TC Newman Hospital in Paarl, South Africa which was completed through the generous donation of Gayle and David Noble through Westminster Presbyterian Church. Beth and Dries will be back in the office on Thursday, October 16.
2) Wednesday, October 22 through Saturday, Oct. 25, Dries & Beth will attend the Annual Meeting of the Israel Palestine Mission Network in Chicago, IL.
3) Friday, November 7 through Saturday, Nov. 8 Dries will be attending the Stated Meeting of the Synod of the Covenant in Maumee, OH.
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Conversations with People You Know
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 WHAT: 3-hour training at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Mackey Hall, to lift up listening as a spiritual practice. Learn and refine how to craft and share our stories about why we care about LGBT people and changing laws to make life better for all. We will explore how to engage people we know in conversation about LGBT people, with faith and value messages, especially as it relates to transgender justice and the freedom to marry.
WHEN: Saturday, September 13, 10:00am - 1:00pm (lunch provided)
WHERE: Westminster Presbyterian Church, 353 E. Pine St. Wooster
WHY: Personal conversations, especially with people of faith, are one of the most effective ways to encourage anyone to open their hearts and minds about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It is a social justice strategy that is very effective in communities of faith.
GOAL: To inspire and enable friends and family to listen and share about each others' attitudes, support, and misgivings about LGBT people. We hope to build a team of justice-seeking, faithful conversationalists throughout Ohio.
REGISTER: Sign up here or contact Pastor Dries for more information.
Some components of our training and our work in creating a team of conversationalists:
- Giving people of faith who are supportive or leaning to support an opportunity to talk with each other
- Focusing on Listening as a Spiritual Practice -- how do we listen with empathy and understanding
- Crafting our stories with faith messages
- Practicing listening and curiosity in the training with each other
- Making a list of whom you want to contact for a conversation
- Building a huge team of conversationalists in Ohio
- Connecting our conversations to Equality Ohio's work towards gaining protections for LGBT people in the workplace, housing, and public accommodations, in addition to Why Marriage Matters Ohio's public education campaign for marriage equality
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Ohio Power Summit
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Practice Spirit,
Do Justice
Ohio Power Summit:
A Leadership Training for all People of Faith
Where: Fairlawn West United Church of Christ, 2095 West Market Street, Akron, OH 44313
When: 4 pm Friday, September 26 through 4 pm Sunday, September 28.
Come and be part of an inspiring statewide community of faith to support LGBTQ inclusion! In Ohio, the state legislature will be considering a vote on statewide protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) people in the workplace, housing and public accommodations.
This training will prepare over 200 people of faith to make a bold impact within their congregations for LGBTQ justice; to educate people about the harms caused to LGBTQ people by discrimination; and, to ready their congregations, lay leaders and clergy to build relationships with legislators around Ohio. Sponsoring faith organizations include: the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Institute for Welcoming Resources, Integrity Episcopalians, More Light Presbyterians, Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ, Reconciling Works: Lutherans for Full Participation, Reconciling Ministries Network, Equality Ohio Education Fund, the Ohio Faith Council.
Training topics are for people at the beginning of their welcoming journey and for those who have been on the path for a while.
These include:
- Why is transgender justice key to an LGBTQ welcoming movement of faith?
- How can we increase our skills and knowledge about transgender people's needs in our congregations and in public life to become the best ally we can be?
- Understand and use Conversations with People You Know to lift up listening as a spiritual practice within individual conversations and learn how people you know feel about LGBTQ inclusion.
- Learn how to be a congregational leader and effectively develop teams of people to advance LGBTQ justice through strategic key activities including: educational conversations, visibility, letter-writing to legislators, letters to the editor, relationship building with questioning legislators and non-welcoming people of faith.
If you are interested in attending or would like more information, contact Pastor Dries.
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Boy Scout Troop #61 Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser
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Please support Westminster's favorite Boy Scout Troop on Monday, October 6th from 5-7:30pm in Kittredge Dining Hall (535 E. Wayne Ave. on COW campus) for their annual Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser. They are promising to serve up the usual outstanding spaghetti dinner with their own homemade meatballs. We hope to see you there.
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| Wooster Friends Opportunities |
 The Wooster Friends' Meeting invites everyone to the following activity on September 21: Mike Hinshaw will speak to us about the "schisms" that divided American Quakers during the 19th century, and the echoes of those divisions among Friends today. The program will begin at noon and last for about an hour (or longer, for those who want to stay and continue the discussion).
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Christian Children's Home Fall Event
|  Christian Children's Home of Ohio's Second Annual FallFest 5K is Saturday, Oct. 4, at 9:30 AM and features a competitive run, leisure walk, kids' fun run and activities, awards to top three male/female runners in seven age categories, and post-race party. Info and registration for this charity event to support CCHO's Christian mission to hurting children and families is at www.ccho.org. |
| Green Tip of the Week | 
Bring Your Own Utensils
The B.Y.O.S. (Bring Your Own Sticks) movement took off in Asia after statistics showed the massive forest devastation caused by disposable chopstick production. The Chinese government estimated that China cuts down 25 million trees a year to make 45 billion chopsticks, all of which are eventually thrown away.
Meanwhile, a piece of disposable cutlery in the UK is used for just three minutes
before it's tossed, creating a lot of unnecessary plastic pollution, much of which ends up in our oceans. Making a commitment to bringing your own utensils next time you eat out isn't hard, if you find the kind that fits your needs and style.
Information provided by 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!
Saturday, September 13th
10:00am - "Conversations with People You Know" Equality Ohio Training in Mackey Hall
Sunday, September 14th
9:30am - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
9:30am - Inter-generational Sunday School led by College of Wooster Nursery School Staff
10:45am - Worship in Mackey Hall, Pastor Dries preaching
Tuesday, September 16th
8:30am - Agape Latte
7:00pm - Session in the Lounge
Wednesday, September 17th
6:00pm- Zionism Unsettled Book Study in the Lounge
7:00pm - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
Thursday, September 18th
6:00pm- Vegan Potluck in Mackey Hall
6:30pm - Dance Group in The Meeting Place
Sunday, September 21st
9:30am- Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
9:30am- Adult Current Affairs Discussion in The Lounge
10:45am - Worship in Mackey Hall, Pastor Dries preaching
12:00pm - Packing of Church World Service School Kits 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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