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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, February 8, 2015
Worship service at 10:45am in Mackey Hall, Westminster Church House. In celebration of Scout Sunday, Troop 61 and Girl Scout Troop 1695 will be assisting in leading worship. Pastor Dries sharing a meditation.
Sunday, February 15, 2015 Worship service at 10:45am in Mackey Hall. Pastor Dries preaching. Sunday, February 22, 2015 Worship service at 10:45am in Mackey Hall. First Sunday in Lent. Pastor Dries preaching. |
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Soup Sale
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 During these cold winter months, the Benevolences Committee will have soup for sale at the back of Mackey Hall each Sunday. You are invited to donate $8.00 for a quart of original recipe, vegan or gluten free Famous Hearty Italian Soup. Those who need a hand up to secure employment will thank you. The proceeds from these sales go to Wayne County Common Good/Hope Fund, who work with individuals to complete the GED requirements and obtain jobs.
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People to People Donations
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For the months of January and February we will collect soup and crackers for People to People. All kinds of soup, canned, dried, Campbell's, Progresso, Our Family, Mrs. Grass', broth, bouillon, - if it's soup, it's welcome. The People to People box is in the narthex under the coat rack bench.
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| Congregational Meeting |
 Unable to make it to the Annual Congregational Meeting on February 1st? Extra copies of the Annual Report are available in the church office. Stop by to pick one up, or e-mail Carly and we will put one in the mail for you or download the pdf here.
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Save the Date!
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 Save the date for a piece of cakeFebruary 24, 2015 at 6:00pm in Mackey Hall
Support Cub Scout Pack 61!
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| Reflection of The Week |
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On Sunday, February 8 we will celebrate Scout Sunday.
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This past weekend was truly amazing at Westminster as we made Romans 2:3-8 a reality; "For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness."
On Saturday morning Westminster hosted a free showing of the movie Selma with about 200
people in attendance. The inter-generational audience,
racially and socioeconomically diverse, attending this inspirational and moving movie about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s three-month campaign to secure equal voting rights, broke into applause at the end of the movie.
At the same time, a group of Westminster members & friends gathered at the Church House to cook Westminster's "Hearty Italian Soup" for our Annual Meeting of the Congregation this past Sunday, February 1st. For the lunch, a donation will be made from Westminster's Hospitality budget to the Wayne County Common Good/Hope Fund to support individuals who are working to complete GED requirements and obtain jobs.
Also on Saturday morning a group from Westminster gathered at West View Manor, reaching out to some of our homebound members, to celebrate Jack and Mary Vimmerstedt's 62nd wedding anniversary through music and a singalong. Reflective of another dimension of our ministry, Nahida and Don Gordon have represented Westminster at the United Methodist Church in downtown Wooster as guest leaders of Sunday morning Adult Education Classes on Israel/Palestine peacemaking for the past 2 weeks.
The energy was clearly visible on Sunday morning during worship, table conversations, lunch, and the Annual Meeting of the Congregation. As one of our longtime parishioners shared with me; "It is so heartwarming to see so many people present and feeling passionate about Westminster." I am very thankful for the fruitful table conversations, and as a Session, we are looking forward to continuing the conversation. As it is in life, we sometimes think of something after the fact that you wish you would have mentioned or maybe worded differently. If you are experiencing one of "those" moments, please don't hesitate to contact me and share you thoughts and I will pass them on to Session.
In case you haven't had a chance to read Westminster's story of 2014, I encourage you to do so. If you don't have a hard copy you can read the pdf here.
Looking forward to seeing you in worship on Sunday as we celebrate the presence and activities of Scout Troop 61 and Girl Scout Troop 1695 during worship.
Blessings,
Dries
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Ash Wednesday Service
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In what has now become an annual tradition, you are invited to attend a joint Ash Wednesday potluck and service between First and Westminster Presbyterian Churches on Wednesday, February 18. Our churches take turns hosting the service and this year it will take place at First Presbyterian Church, 621 College Avenue.
At 6:00pm we will gather in Bruch Hall for a potluck in which we will share our abundance with one another. Please bring enough food for your family and others who might join us (We will finalize arrangements shortly). At 7:00pm we will gather in the Sanctuary for a meditative worship service with the imposition of ashes and communion.
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| Per Capita |
 You can further support the mission of the Presbyterian Church (USA), as well as helping offset costs from Westminster's budget, by writing a check to Westminster Presbyterian Church for $28.68 for each confirmed member in your family and marking it in the memo line as "Per Capita."
| General Assembly | $7.07 | | Synod of the Covenant | $3.25 | | Muskingum Valley Presbytery | $18.36 | | Total | 28.68 |
First, what it isn't.
The per capita apportionment is not a tax, although it has been called the per capita tax or 'head tax'. By definition a tax is mandatory, not voluntary. The General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission in 2003 reaffirmed an earlier ruling: "a church may neither be compelled to pay nor punished for failure to pay any amounts pursuant to such [per capital system] plan." There is no force or compulsion here, only a request for you to support the work of the larger church.
Just what is per capita, and why are we asked to pay it?
It is the apportionment, or equitable distribution, of the administrative costs of the presbytery, synod, and General Assembly on a per-member basis. Churches with larger membership and more resources pay more than small churches with limited funds. Each of these governing bodies establishes by vote the amount of apportionment and then makes it known to the sessions of our churches.
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Souper Bowl Statistics
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 You have made a difference in Wooster! On Super Bowl Sunday our children collected $240 from the congregation for a local food program. In addition, canned goods were donated by those attending Westminster's free showing of Selma towards the Souper Bowl of Caring. Thank you for your generous contributions toward helping those in need in our community.
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| Ohio has announced that there will be no executions in 2015. |
 | | Ohio's Death Penalty in 2014 |
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction made the move to reschedule this year's executions after it was unable to secure the necessary drug cocktail for the current lethal injection protocol. This will mark the first year Ohio goes without carrying out an execution since 2000.
We have a lot of work to do in this unexpectedly execution-free year as we seek to implement crucial death penalty reform in 2015.
Yours in the struggle,
Kevin Werner
Executive Director
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Join Pastor Dries in strengthening our Non-Violent Voice
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 Considering the Challenges to Nonviolence: Practical and Theoretical Saturday, March 28, 2015
Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio.
ACN's first conference aims to respond seriously to challenges, questions, and objections to nonviolence. Our keynote speaker, Robert Brimlow of St. John Fisher College and author of What About Hitler?, will consider the challenge about nonviolence in the face of injustice. Although the concept of nonviolence is often considered only in relation to political and international matters, we expect to also host presentations that consider the challenges to nonviolence in the nation, in communities, in families, and in personal relationships. The conference is interdisciplinary and will consider challenges from a variety of areas, whether practical or theoretical, such as religion, business, education, the social sector (e.g. family), arts and entertainment, government, and media.
Regular rate: $65
Student regular rate: $25
Conference fee includes lunch and access to all sessions, exhibits and conference materials.
All fees are nonrefundable after February 28. Cancellation prior to February 28 will incur a $15 processing charge per registration.
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Advocacy Training Weekend 2015 - April 17-21, 2015 in Washington, D.C.
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"Breaking the Chains: Mass Incarceration and Systems of Exploitation"
Everywhere people are facing severe human rights violations for political and economic gain.
- The United States holding nearly a quarter of the world's prisoners.
- Young children forced to work in mineral mines in the Congo.
- African Farmers forced off their land as part of corporate land grabbing.
- Low-income people in the United States whose education has been systemically neglected
How can we the church turn these tragedies into triumphs? Come to Advocacy Training Weekend to take a long hard look at these issues and seek solutions that are theologically and biblically based. Training will kickoff April 17, 2015 with Compassion, Peace and Justice Training Day, a special pre-conference for Presbyterians. Learning will continue with our ecumenical sisters and brothers during Ecumenical Advocacy Days the remainder of the weekend."As people of Hope, we are reminded that Jesus' radical message was one of liberation for all and restoration of right relationships. Through prayer, worship, advocacy training, networking and mobilization with other Christians, we will face the reality of mass incarceration and corporate exploitation, and call for national policies that bring liberation both to the prisoner and to a world in need of restoration - all culminating with EAD's Congressional Lobby Day on Capitol Hill." ...>>>
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Presbyterian Church (USA) Weekly Blogs:
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| Green Tip of the Week | 
Creating Less Food Waste
Did you know that Americans spend $90 billion each year on food that never gets eaten? That 40% of our food ends up in the trash instead of our stomachs?
Shop Wisely. Plan meals, use shopping lists, buy from bulk bins, and avoid impulse buys. Don't succumb to marketing tricks that lead you to buy more food than you need, particularly for perishable items.
Buy Funny Fruit. Many fruits and vegetables are thrown out because their size, shape, or color are not "right".
Learn When Food Goes Bad. "Sell-by" and "use-by" dates are not federally regulated and do not indicate safety, except on certain baby foods. Rather, they are manufacturer suggestions for peak quality. Most foods can be safely consumed well after their use-by dates.
Mine Your Fridge. Websites such as www.lovefoodhatewaste.com can help you get creative with recipes to use up anything that might go bad soon.
Use Your Freezer. Frozen foods remain safe indefinitely. Freeze fresh produce and leftovers if you won't have the chance to eat them before they go bad.
Request Smaller Portions. Restaurants will often provide half-portions upon request at reduced prices.
Eat Leftovers. Ask your restaurant to pack up your extras so you can eat them later. Freeze them if you don't want to eat immediately. Only about half of Americans take leftovers home from restaurants.
Compost. Composting food scraps can reduce their climate impact while also recycling their nutrients. Food makes up almost 13 percent of the U.S. waste stream, but a much higher percent of landfill-caused methane.
Donate. Non-perishable and unspoiled perishable food can be donated to local food banks, soup kitchens, pantries, and shelters. Local and national programs frequently offer free pick-up and provide reusable containers to donors.
information provided by www.earthshare.org
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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, February 8th
9:30am- Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
10:45am - Scout Sunday Worship in Mackey Hall, Pastor Dries preaching
Monday, February 9th
noon- Building Committee Meeting in the Lounge
Tuesday, February 10th
8:30am- UKirk's Agape Latte in Old Main Cafe
10:00am - Women's Bible Study in the Lounge
Wednesday, February 11th
7:00pm - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
Thursday, February 12th
6:30pm- Dance Group in Mackey Hall
Sunday, February 15th
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.
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Andries J. Coetzee
Pastor, Westminster Presbyterian Church
353 East Pine Street, Wooster, OH 44691
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