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Weekly News Friday, October 31, 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, November 2, 2014
10:45am Worship service with Communion. Pastor Dries preaching. Monthly Social Justice Potluck at noon following worship.
Sunday, November 9, 201410:45am Worship service. Pastor Dries preaching on Stewardship. Sunday, November 16, 2014 10:45am Worship service. Stewardship Commitment Sunday with Pastor Dries preaching. Sunday, November 23, 2014 10:45am Worship service. Pastor Dries preaching. Sunday, November 30, 2014 10:45am Worship service. First Sunday of Advent with Pastor Dries preaching.
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Men's Breakfast
| On the first Tuesday of the month, join Pastor Dries at the Downtown Buehler's for the Westminster Men's Breakfast. They will meet at 7:45am on this Tuesday, November 4th. Hope to see you there!
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Reflection of the Week
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 This is Family Weekend at The College of Wooster and we will welcome students and their families on Sunday, November 2nd in worship and lunch. I always feel honored and blessed when students bring their parents to worship and want to share their precious time they have together with us. Just this past week I had lunch with one of our first year students who is so excited to bring his mother to worship on Sunday so she can experience Westminster! Not only does this speak to the priorities of the students and their families, but also to the connection they have made with our community of faith. I sometimes think we take for granted the accepting and welcoming spirit of Westminster. This coming weekend is a good time to reflect in thankfulness on our ministry of extravagant hospitality.
Just a reminder that all are invited to our Social Justice Potluck after worship. The tradition of eating together and opening our table goes way back, not only here at Westminster, but for Christianity. In the Mediterranean world hospitality was very important, especially welcoming the stranger into your midst and making sure they are comfortable and have enough to eat and drink. The Bible tells us that Jesus practiced hospitality as well. According to the Scriptures, He had radical dining habits, as He sat down at the table and broke bread with tax collectors, lawyers, rich elites, and poor peasants. In so doing, people experienced God as Jesus proclaimed that God's gracious love and abiding presence knows no bounds and all share in God's Kin-dom. "A Kin-dom where: all are welcome, worthy, and invited; lives are transformed and empowered; and the fruits of God's gentle justice bloom throughout all Creation [1]."
As we prepare our food for Sunday and sit down at the potluck after worship, may we be reminded of our commitment to the ways of the Kin-dom as we practice equality, compassion, generosity, and inclusive community. At the potluck we will bring what we can to the meal, as to give is only a small response to the limitless generosity beneath all life. We give because we are thankful for the riches of the earth, not scarce and held back per our behavior, but freely and carelessly given by the spirit. It is this generosity that guides our living, as we invite everyone who comes to eat whether or not they brought food, as to do so we build a society based on generosity. "A potluck is not only a great way to eat, but also a concrete demonstration of what we value in our lives: equality, inclusion of all, compassion, and generosity [2]".
It is not too late to sign up for the meal on Sunday. Please see the information below and join us as we extend the table.
Blessings and see you on Sunday,
Dries
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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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Daylight Savings Time Ends
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Don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour on Saturday, November 1st before you go to bed and enjoy an extra hour of sleep!
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November Family Weekend Social Justice Potluck
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Join us on November 2nd, Communion Sunday, after 10:45am worship as we "extend the table". Linda Patten will be providing Westminster's main dish of rustic savory tarts and we ask those attending to bring a side or dessert to round out the table. (Students and their families need not bring a dish; just come!)
The program at this month's Social Justice Potluck will feature the Synod of the Covenant's Mission to the USA partner Andria Bannourah, a 27-year old man from Bethlehem, Palestine. Andria will be speaking to us about "Life in Bethlehem Under Occupation".
We are excited to have the families of our College of Wooster students joining us to experience the warmth and ministry of Westminster Presbyterian Church. RSVP through Sign Up Genius or by contacting the church office.
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| Westminster Makes a Difference |
 | | Ferenc & Candy Relle and grandchildren practicing hospitality by greeting worshipers on Sunday, October 26 |
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Andria Bannourah, Synod of the Covenant Mission to the USA participant from Palestine, joined the Westminster Central American Medical Outreach volunteers on Wednesday, October 29 to make a difference in Honduras.
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Seven delegates from Westminster attended the Israel Palestine Mission Network conference of the PC(USA) in Chicago
Don & Nahida Gordon not pictured. (Photobombed by David Cuthill)
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Choral Scholars rehearse with Roseanne for Sunday's quartet
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| Green Tip of the Week | 
Go Organic!
When it comes to buying fruits and vegetables that go easy on the earth, it's hard to beat organic. But what does organic really mean?
"Organic" refers to an earth friendly way of farming and processing foods using no synthetic chemicals to control bugs or weeds.
- Buy Organic (for less) at Farmers' Markets.
- Most Important to Buy Organic: If you are picking and choosing the organic foods you buy keep in mind that not all organics are equal.Many fruits and veggies have been shown to have high levels of chemicals. Apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, grapes (imported), nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, spinach, and strawberries all can have high levels of pesticide residue.
- Least Important to Buy Organic: While it would be nice to support organic farming all the time there are fewer environmental health reasons for buying organic asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, kiwi, mangos, onions, papaya, pineapples, and sweet peas. They all have consistently low levels of pesticide residue. Organic seafood can still contain mercury and other contaminants. Avoid fish high in mercury (like tuna and swordfish).
- Benefits to Buying Organic: You've heard the old adage that you should wash your produce before you eat it, but why? Farms that use pesticides are permitted to distribute produce that have pesticide residue on the outside. While a single piece of organic fruit or vegetable produce may not carry specific health benefits over purchasing a non-organic product of the same variety, the way this produce is farmed certainly does. Because pesticides aren't used on plants and hormones aren't fed to animals, organic farming is much safer and healthier for the environment.
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, November 1st10:00am - Anne Rothchild Film Discussion in the Lounge Sunday, November 2nd9:30am - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall 10:45am - Worship in Mackey Hall, Pastor Dries preaching 12:00pm - Family Weekend Social Justice Potluck in Mackey Hall Tuesday, November 4th
7:45am - Men's Breakfast at the Downtown Buehler's
8:30am - UKirk's Agape Latte in Kauke Old Main Wednesday, November 5th
7:00pm - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall Thursday, November 6th
6:00pm - UKirk Meeting in the Meeting Place Sunday, November 9th
9:30am - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
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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