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Weekly News Friday, October 17, 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 sheet in Mackey Hall, or by contacting Carly Jones 330-263-2398) in the church office.
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Worship At Westminster
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Sunday, October 19, 2014
Children's Sabbath worship service at 10:45am in Mackey Hall. Pastor Dries Coetzee preaching. Child-friendly worship. There will be a Congregational Meeting following worship to elect Elders Rich Drushal, Ferenc Relle, and Bill Weiss to the class of 2017.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Worship service at 10:45am in Mackey Hall. Pastor Dries Coetzee preaching.
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People to People Requests
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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!
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Date Change for Power Summit
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Fairlawn West United Church of Christ, 2095 West Market Street, Akron, OH 44313
*NEW DATE*
4 PM FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24 through 4 PM SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25
Special Clergy session,
10 AM - 3 PM, Friday, October 24
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Reflection of the Week
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It is good to be back in Wooster after our time away in South Africa visiting my family, celebrating my parent's 50th wedding anniversary, and also meeting with church leaders from the Uniting Reformed Church of South Africa, the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa, and members of Kairos Southern Africa. In the next weeks I am looking forward to sharing some of my experiences with you in the Weekly News as well as in worship.
This coming Sunday in worship, we will join thousands of churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and other faith communities across the country in celebration of Children's Sabbath as we engage people of faith in improving the lives of children and their families.
"Sponsored by the Children's Defense Fund, the National Observance of Children's Sabbaths Celebration is a way for faith communities to celebrate children as sacred gifts of the Divine, and provides the opportunity for houses of worship to renew and live out their moral responsibility to care, protect and advocate for all children.
This celebration is a part of a broader children's movement that aims to unite communities and religious congregations of all faiths across the nation in shared concern for children and a common commitment to improving their lives and working for justice on their behalf. In that respect, each action is bigger, more powerful and more inspiring than the efforts of any one celebration." See more.
What makes this year's celebration special is that we will welcome Andria Bannourah in worship ( see below). In addition to Pastor Dries preaching, Andria will give us a glimpse of the reality faced by Palestinian children living under occupation.
I am looking forward to seeing you again in worship on Sunday!
Dries
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Action Alert for Children's Sabbath
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 The Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip during July and August 2014 claimed the lives of 501 Palestinian children. [ 1]Children were killed in their homes as they slept, with their parents as they fled for safety, and in UN shelters where they were told they would be safe. Some, like 3-year-old Ibrahim Omar,[2] sought refuge and medical treatment only to be killed as Israeli forces targeted hospitals where they lay recovering. Up to 1,000 children have been permanently disabled through the loss of limbs, blindness, or burn injuries. These deaths, injuries, and ruined lives were not collateral damage. They were preventable.
In August, a UN Commission of Inquiry was established to investigate war crimes during the conflict and hold war criminals accountable, but the US voted against it - it was the only country to do so - and the UK abstained from the vote. We need your help to show our representatives that we support the investigation.
Both President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron are facing tough politics at home, and don't want to be associated with the killing of children. If we raise our voices right now, we can push their administrations to lend their support to the investigation.
Children in Gaza deserve justice. A UN investigation, backed by President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron, will show Israeli authorities that they will be held accountable for the death and injury of Palestinian children and force them to take measures to prevent the deaths of children in the future.
Sign the PetitionTo President Barack Obama, Prime Minister David Cameron,
I urge you to support the United Nations Human Rights Council Commission of Inquiry into possible war crimes in Gaza, to achieve accountability for the 501 children killed in the 2014 Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip. Sign Here
(From Defence for Children International Palestine)
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| When Ebola Comes to Church |
Posted on the Huffington Post 10/11/2014 by George Mason Become, Senior Pastor, Wilshire Baptist Church
If Thomas Eric Duncan, for whatever reason, had not gotten on an airplane from Monrovia, Liberia, to Dallas, Texas, he would have become another nameless, faceless person who died of Ebola in Liberia. But because he did get on the plane -- unaware that he already was infected with the deadly disease -- he has put a face on a disease we Americans have tried hard to ignore. ...>>>
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 Welcoming our Mission to the USA Participant | 
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 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 6th 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 21st, 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 these meals he showed us that a different reality is possible.
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Voices Across the Divide
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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. |
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Wooster Friends Program
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The Wooster Friends Meeting would like to let you know about a program that we've scheduled for Oct. 19, and that any and all are welcome to attend. On Oct. 19, we will welcome Greg Coleridge, Director of the Northeast Ohio office of the American Friends Service Committee. The program will begin at around noon, following Meeting for Worship. Greg will update us on their recent work in promoting service, development, and peace. For information about AFSC in NE Ohio, you may visit: http://afsc.org/category/topic/northeast-ohio
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| Green Tip of the Week | 
Eco-friendly Painting Tips
- Dispose safely. Never pour thinners, solvents or paint down the drain. Put them in tight-fitting jars or cans and have them picked up or delivered to a hazardous waste disposal site. For information about collections in your area, contact your local municipal or state government.
- Reuse. Paint thinner often can be reused. Over time, paint sludge settles on the bottom of the container. Pour the clean solvent off the top and use. When the thinner is gone, stuff an absorbent material into the can to dry the sludge before throwing the can into the trash. Consider giving unused paint thinner or stripper to local furniture refinishing shops or paint contractors.
- Air out cans before disposal. If there is a small amount of latex paint left in a can, leave the can open in a well-ventilated place. When it is completely dry, the can may be placed in the trash.
- Donate. Consider donating leftovers to a local theater group, parks department, school, or organization, or take it to a community exchange. Many towns have "drop and swaps" once or twice a year.
- Reduce waste. If you have more than half a gallon left over, try to use it for another project. Try mixing several colors of similar paints together. Make sure cans are properly labeled.
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!
Sunday, October 19th
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- Congregational Meeting in Mackey Hall following Worship
Tuesday, October 21st
8:30am- UKirk's Agape Latte in Kauke Old Main
10:00am- Mission Cohort Meeting in the Lounge
1:00pm - Food Ministry Meeting in the Lounge
2:00pm - Congregational Life Cohort Meeting in the Pastor's Study
Wednesday, October 22nd
7:00pm - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
Thursday, October 23rd
6:30pm - Dance Group in Mackey Hall
Sunday, October 26th
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
3:00pm - Memorial Service for Ross Gooch 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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