Since the cool, crisp days of autumn are upon us, we will collect cans of pork and beans and canned vegetables for People to People during the month of October. Thanks for your generosity!

 

The 2014 Midterm elections on November 4 are just one month away! Are you registered to vote? You can still register to vote in 25 states. What is your plan-- are you voting early or voting on election day? Are you encouraging your friends, neighbors, and members of your church to vote? If you are outside of the state in which you are registered to vote, make sure to request an absentee ballot in time (this is different for every state). For those who aren't eligible to vote, use your voice to encourage other people to vote! Voting is both one of our fundamental rights as citizens and is a vital way we speak to the values of the kingdom of God in the political realm.

 

Click here  to take a pledge to vote today.

 

 

As a member of a congregation, how is your congregation getting out the vote? You might assume churches can't be involved in elections because of their non-partisan 501(c)(3) status, but there are many ways that you can. Here are some do's and don'ts of congregation and clergy involvement in political action.

 

Westminster Presbyterian Church will welcome Andria Bannourah, a 27-year old man from Bethlehem, Palestine on Sunday October 19 as part of the Synod of the Covenant Mission to the USA program. Andria lives with his family in Bethlehem where he is a medical engineer and is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church. Motivated by his faith and volunteer work through his church, he is an active member of the Palestine Youth Movement where he mentors young people, and he actively works to address the political situation in Israel/Palestine by improving relationships among all peoples, Christians, Jews, and Muslims. He also works to alleviate poverty and addresses issues related to living under occupation.   As part of the Christian community in Palestine, Andria will bring a unique perspective to Westminster as he shares with us what life is like in the West Bank under Israeli Occupation.

 

During his time in Wooster, Andria will also share his perspective on the Kairos Palestine document, a statement from Palestinian Christians speaking strongly against the illegal occupation of Palestinian land and the oppression of its people.   Andria will be with us for three weeks until November 6^th after which he will leave for home.

 

We are hopeful that members of Westminster will extend hospitality to Andria while he is with us in Wooster. If you would like to invite him for dinner along with your family and/or friends we encourage you to contact Carly Jones to set up a time. As pastor Dries said in his sermon on Sunday, September 21^st, this is a wonderful opportunity for us to join in the work of nonviolence and peacemaking as a community of faith who follows the way of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus ate with many people and through eating he showed us that a different reality is possible.

 

Join us on Saturday, November 1st from 10am-noon in the lounge for a viewing of the Documentary "Voices Across the Divide". Voices Across the Divide is a powerful documentary and oral history project exploring the Israeli/Palestinian conflict through rarely heard personal stories. It is narrated by Alice Rothchild, an American Jew raised on the tragedies of the Holocaust and the dream of a Jewish homeland in Israel. "The film follows my personal journey as I begin to understand the Palestinian narrative, while exploring the Palestinian experience of loss, occupation, statelessness,and immigration to the US." To read more click here.