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On Sunday we will join many in celebrating Mother's Day. For many churches, it is not a given to celebrate a "Hallmark holiday" and it is certainly not here at Westminster. The reality in the US, is that next to Easter and Christmas Eve, Mother's Day has the highest worship attendance. Yet in our culture there are many mothers and women who do not fit the "norm" created by our increasingly commercialized and dehumanizing culture, and find themselves increasingly disenfranchised and isolated, even in the midst of communities of faith.
As a church striving to be "Intentionally Inclusive" and where the hurts of the world are felt and addressed, we see this coming Sunday, with its celebration of Mother's Day, as an opportunity to meditate on and be mindful of the the nuances and complexity of motherhood and womanhood in general in our culture.
On Sunday during worship we will join Pastor Dawn Hutchings from the Holy Cross Lutheran Church, a small progressive Christian community just north of Toronto in the town of Newmarket, in reflection. In her blog pastordawn, she posted an entry on May 10, 2013 entitled, "Another Option for Preaching on Mothers's Day - Bring Many Names", saying that,
"Until we can fully recover images and names for God that include the feminine, it will continue to be difficult for many to see the face of God in women and girls."
In our attempt to explore feminine names, attributes, images, and activities of the Divine we will sing new hymns from the Presbyterian Church (USA) Hymnal, Glory To God as well as meditate on the following poem entitled "Womanly God" by Mary Ann Ebert [1].
Womanly God, who are you?
The weaver of warm garments and magic tapestries;
The homemaker, welcoming and accepting;
The sister, second half - disturbingly other;
The listening, reassuring friend, silent consolation;
The delightful daughter, discovering and dancing;
The encouraging teacher, suggesting new words, new vision;
The backbreaker planter of fields, weeding, reaping; the treader of wine;
The nurse with full breasts and herbal remedies;
The virgin bride, the fulfilling wife, the desolate widow;
The free creative maiden; the long-living treasury of wisdom;
The wind that make the heart sing.
This week we also invite you to take action with the Presbyterian Church (USA) for women, who count as the majority across the globe as those who are most vulnerable and marginalized, to Unite Against Fast Track and the TPP.
I am looking forward to seeing you in worship on Sunday as we contemplate together.
Blessings,
Dries
[1] A seen in Liturgy for the Celebration of Life, Easter 6B/Mother's Day, 2012. Liturgies from a Progressive/Post-Liberal Theology, Revd Rex A.E. Hunt, Uniting Church in Australia.
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Parking for Sunday, May 10, 2015
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 Baccalaureate, a farewell worship service for the members of the Class of 2015, will be held in McGaw Chapel on Sunday, May 10 at 10:00 a.m. Family and friends of graduating seniors, as well as the entire College of Wooster community, are invited to attend. Click here to find out more about the service and this year's speakers.
Due to The College of Wooster Baccalaureate, parking will be a challenge on Sunday. Please allow extra time as you might have to park away from the Church House. See this challenge as an opportunity to make a difference in our environment by walking, biking, or carpooling to worship.
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  Sunday, May 10 at 9:30 am Join us in discussion on the current issues affecting women this Mother's Day. Sunday, May 17, 2015 at 9:30am Discuss our garden projects and plans for Discipleship gatherings over the summer.
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"Fish and Loaf" by Hazel Shreve
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Worship is at 10:45am in Mackey Hall in the Westminster Church House, 353 E. Pine Street. At Westminster we believe that worship is everything we do, both inside and outside the church. The worship life of our community is defined by our calling to peacemaking, a more just future for our world, and our desire to be mindful and "Intentionally Inclusive" as symbolized by the mosaic that is purposefully positioned for worshipers to see as they leave Mackey Hall. The fish was the first symbol to be used by Jesus followers with the bread and fish combined referring to Jesus' miraculous feeding of the multitude.
Sunday, May 10
A Reflection on Mother's Day from a Social Justice perspective, connecting the day of celebration to its historical roots. ...>>>
Joint Worship with The Wooster Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) focusing on the US/Mexico Border crisis and family detention with Wooster native and immigration attorney Brian Hoffman as guest speaker. Worship will be followed by a fundraiser lunch to support pro-bono work for families at the Dilley Family Detention Center. ...>>> |
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Service of Celebration in Memory of Jeanne Bruce
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Join us on Saturday, May 9th at 10:30am in Mackey Hall for a Service of Celebration for the life of Jeanne Bruce. The service will invite us to bring into the present the things we want to recall, to share common memories, to listen to music, to share in silence, and to sing hymns of praise and thanksgiving in celebration of her life.
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Faith in Action: Immigration, Sunday May 17
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Westminster and The Wooster Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) will host a joint worship service focusing on the US/Mexico Border crisis and family detention with Wooster native and immigration attorney Brian Hoffman as guest speaker. Worship will be followed by a fundraiser lunch to support pro-bono work for families at the Dilley Family Detention Center
Click here for more information on the event.
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Help individuals who have disabilities get jobs.
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Very appropriately for Mother's Day you are invited by one of our graduating seniors, Katherine (Olya) Tuttle, to bring gently used designer purses as donations that will be used in an auction to raise money for Two Foundation, a non profit organization in Chagrin Falls OH, that raises money to help individuals with disabilities obtain employment. |
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Stand in the "GAP" for Nepal
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Presbyterian Disaster Assistance responds to earthquake disaster in Nepal
The death toll from the massive earthquake in Nepal continues to rise. Nearly 4,000 are known dead and more than 6,000 were injured when the 7.8 quake struck just west of the capital of Kathmandu on April 25. The quake, the worst in more than 80 years, along with many serious aftershocks has also caused damage in parts of India and Bangladesh.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is providing emergency relief and short-term recovery in the impacted areas with our partner, ACT Alliance and its members who are already on the ground. Immediate response will help provide needed food, water, supplies and medicine to the impacted towns and villages. As long term recovery plans are developed, PDA will accompany and further financially support our partners in the area to insure that a comprehensive recovery is sustained.
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Unite Against Fast Track and the TPP
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The Senate and House are poised to vote on Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), commonly known as "Fast Track", later this month. Faith communities in Washington DC, and across the country are standing up for fair trade legislation, and uniting against fast track.
Fast Track Trade Authority would allow Members of Congress to vote on impending trade agreements in a way that thwarts the democratic process. Fast Track would remove Congress' authority to debate fully the merits of trade agreements, because Fast Track bypasses the amendment process and limits their time to read and debate the text at hand.
It is particularly important that we stand against Fast Track, as it would serve as the gateway to passing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP. The TPP stands to impact 45% of the global economy - yet it's contents have remained a secret. For six years, the TPP has been constructed without any form of true transparency, and while corporations have had an influence on the negotiating process, everyday people - even members of Congress - have been kept in the dark. What little information we have gleaned on the TPP has been a result of Wikileaks, and what has been publicized is deeply concerning.
We are no longer in a time where trade agreements simply redefine tariffs. Today, the terms of trade negotiations also impact health, labor, and environmental regulations. Major trade deals in the past have wrecked havoc in developed and developing countries around the world. Our mission partners contend that trade has damaged communities and further deepened the divide between the rich and the poor. As a people of faith, we are called to care for the least among us, and part of that means opposing Fast Track and the TPP.
Together, let us caution our Members of Congress against an economy of exclusion.
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Keeping your tires properly inflated can save an estimated 2 billion gallons of gas each year. In tandem with keeping tires trim, make sure to get regular tune-ups and filter changes-proactive maintenance will help you burn less gas while saving you from car trouble.
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What's happening at Westminster this week?
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Sunday, May 10th
10:00am - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
For the latest and most up-to-date information visit Westminster's calendar here. |
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