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"Hospitality is a form of generosity but goes a bit further. Hospitality is what generosity looks like in a relationship. Make your home a place where people can gather and where you serve them. Increase the frequency that you invite guests over, telling them that they don't have to bring anything 'other than themselves'. Through hospitality, you're not simply being generous but you're also developing meaningful relationships which are essential to Kingdom living. Furthermore, if you want to show hospitality the way Jesus describes, make sure you're inviting people over that you normally would not think to invite! One time Jesus told a story about the Kingdom and in the story he says to 'go out into the streets and invite the excluded to come in and sit down at the table'. So, be hospitable, but be hospitable with people who who are often excluded."
From 5 Practices Toward A More Radical Christian Life
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| Our community of faith celebrated Sarah Veney and Dallas Davis on Sunday, May 31, as they will graduate from Wooster High School on Sunday, June 7 at 2:00pm
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This week we invite you to celebrate our community of faith and who we are!
This past week volunteers worked at the Wooster GreenPoint garden, gathered in fellowship at the Coetzees on Friday night, and reached out in hospitality to area churches and the cast and crew of the Ohio Light Opera.
This week we invite you to continue to educate yourself on Israel/Palestine with a presentation on Saturday morning at Westminster, to enjoy two more opportunities to work in GreenPoint garden today and Sunday, to explore a new worship experience on Sunday morning at 7:30am at Oak Hill Park, and once again to extend hospitality to The College of Wooster alumni as they join us in worship on Sunday with Dr. David L. Petersen '65 as our guest preacher.
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 It is said "a picture is worth a thousand words." This week I invite you to reflect on the following pictures of our Ohio Light Opera (OLO) Picnic. We are thankful for all our volunteers who helped make it possible.
Working in the serving line is always a fun place to interact with guests. Dorothy Iams, Shelly Peterson, and Sandy Schmidt chat with one of our guests from the OLO.
This year Westminster hosted four local churches who also participated in the sign-up of OLO musicians. They were Trinity UCC, Wooster United Methodist Church, Oak Chapel United Methodist Church, and First Baptist Church. Pictured here are Ken Shafer and Carly Jones signing up musicians.
Many conversations take place around the grill. Here are Tom Graves and Jim Collier talking to Peter Gooch, grandson of the late Cinny and Ross Gooch, who graduates from Wooster High School Sunday and is playing in the OLO orchestra this summer before heading to Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in the fall.
We are grateful for our grilling team, Greg Barbu and Dave Schmidt, who did an excellent job!
How many times have we seen Jean Brazee pull up with her van full of delicious food for a Westminster potluck? Here is Jean bringing a triple batch of pasta salad and a chocolate cake for our lucky OLO diners.
As always the evening ends with dessert. Here are Janelle Collier with Sherry Miller adding to the desert table.
Blessings and see you in worship on Sunday!
Dries
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Baha Hilo: A Voice from Palestine
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This Saturday, June 6, you are invited to join Westminster for a morning of conversation with Baha Hilo at 10:00am in the Lounge. Baha is visiting from Palestine by invitation of the Israel Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA). We are happy to present this opportunity for you to hear the Palestinian narrative first hand and learn what life is like for Palestinians and Israelis in light of the illegal Israeli Occupation of the West Bank.
Baha, a native Palestinian currently living in Beit Sahour, has worked with various education and advocacy groups over the years including the Israel Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Baha is a graduate of Bier Zeit University in Ramallah, where he earned his BA in Sociology. He has put his education to use working for the United Nations Works and Relief Agency in the West Bank, as a Coordinator with the National Council of the YMCAs in Sri Lanka, and working with youth as a camp counselor with the Silver Bay Association in New York. Baha served for six years as the Campaigns Officer for the Joint Advocacy Initiative of the East Jerusalem YMCA and the YWCA of Palestine. There he oversaw the Olive Tree Campaign which partners international visitors with Palestinian farmers whose land and livelihoods are under direct threat from the Israeli occupation. The Campaign educates the visitors on the realities of life in Occupied Palestine, helps the farmers harvest their olives, and also plants or replants land where olive trees have been destroyed and uprooted by Israeli settlers or military. Baha is currently working on a new initiative, To Be There, which provides educational tourism programs, information, and services that seek to bring about justice, equality, and freedom for all Palestinians. See here for more information.
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Early Worship at Oak Hill Park this Sunday, June 7th
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| | Oak Hill Park Easter Sunrise Service 2015 |
This summer we invite you to a new worship opportunity led by Pastor Dries, entitled "Walking in Mindfulness," at Oak Hill Park on the first Sunday of each month June through September at 7:30am. This worship opportunity is in addition to our regular worship in Mackey Hall at 10:00am.
Maybe you are looking for a different worship opportunity in nature, maybe you want to come to worship early and have the rest of the day free, or maybe you just want to get some steps in while walking in community. Join us on the first Sunday of June, July, August, and September.
Our rain location will be Mackey Hall. Dries will be updating our website if there is a change of plans or let Dries know if you are interested and he will be sending group texts. The weather will really have to be bad for us to cancel. E-mail Dries at acoetzee@wooster.edu if you are interested.
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Garden Opportunities This Weekend
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| | April Gamble visits with Eric Miller and Dave Schmidt at the GreenPoint Garden |
For more information visit our website.
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"Fish and Loaf" by Hazel Shreve
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Worship is at 10:00am in Mackey Hall in the Westminster Church House, 353 E. Pine Street.
Sunday, June 7
For the College of Wooster Alumni Weekend our guest minister will be Wooster alum, Dr. David L. Petersen '65, who retired in 2013 from Candler School of Theology, Emory University. All alumni are welcome to join us for worship at 10:00am followed by a reception. ...>>>
Sunday, June 14
As Presbyterians we confirm that "In life and in death we belong to God" (The Brief Statement of Faith). This comforting reality of God's presence in times of terminal illness and death is often overshadowed by the palpable pain of loss and grief, as we seldom talk about death, dying, and end of life issues in the midst of life and consequently leave such conversations to when we have no choice.
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Christian Children's Home Grill-Off
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 Christian Children's Home of Ohio's Third Annual Great Grill-Off is Sunday, June 14, from 12:30-4:00 p.m. at 2685 Armstrong Road, Wooster. The event includes a burger tasting contest from area restaurants and teams, picnic foods, live music, children's games and crafts, hayrack rides, Poplar Ridge Stables open house and miniature horse rides. Admission is free; simply make a monetary donation at the gate. Info and registration for this charity event to support CCHO's Christian mission to hurting children and families is at www.ccho.org or 330.345.7949.
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People to People Donations
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What's for lunch?
This month Westminster is collecting tuna fish, mayonnaise, peanut butter and jelly for the People to People box in the Narthex.
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Improve your own environment. For lush, luxurious plants, give them an occasional spot of tea. Reuse/recycle old tea bags to re-brew another batch of tea and use it to water your plants instead of water once in a while, or work already-brewed wet tea leaves into the soil instead of putting them into the trash.
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