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 Something that draws people to Westminster is our multi-generational identity. Members and friends of the congregation with children, like our family, appreciate the opportunities for all ages to connect at Westminster. There aren't multiple programs keeping children separate from adults, but we do the best we can to include all generations in our activities, especially worship. This fall we want to expand our inter-generational interaction as we endeavor to give expression to our identity rooted in peacemaking and following the ways of Jesus of Nazareth.
This coming Sunday, August 23rd, you (children, parents, interested adults) are invited to stay after worship to continue imagining our journey together as an intergenerational family of faith. Over past years the Congregational Life Cohort has developed the following values and ideals for our children's faith formation: - Adult involvement in our children's lives (feeling valued by and connected with caring adults, including college students)
- Experience of journeying with a community of faith (belonging, our faith is expressed in community, children's decision-making affirmed)
- Love for Church (including worship skills, familiarity with the Bible and other spiritual teachings)
- Equality and Social Justice (service projects, peaceful conflict resolution, faith rooted advocacy)
Come ponder and plan how Connecting with Kindness (pdf. download) can affect our children's relationship to the church. We need your help as we embrace all the members of our church family!
Speaking of the beauty of small churches, Sue Washburn, who is a freelance writer and bi-vocational pastor at Reunion Presbyterian Church in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania wrote:
"For many of us faith is a collection of small things - glimpses and whispers. We are connected to God by a series of small moments that have eternal impact. God comes as a deep understanding around a bonfire at church camp. God connects us to something bigger than ourselves when we accidentally brush hands while passing communion bread. God cradles us while we sing "Silent Night" with a cheap, white candle. God shows up in the tears we find on our cheeks when a child we've never seen before gets baptized. God calls to us through the familiar scent of our childhood.
God is big, eternal, and infinite, and, yes, we are a small church. But make no mistake, small matters."
Join us on Sunday as we explore how we can grow in faith together.
See you in worship,
Dries
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As we approach the end of summer we look forward to fall and the changes it brings with our children going back to school, the return of College of Wooster students and the arrival of first year students. Fall also brings with it Stewardship in which we look at our commitment to discipleship and where we can grow in our faith. These coming weeks please consider making a commitment to one or more of the following opportunities for spiritual growth and fellowship.
 Consider joining the Westminster Choir Rehearsals begin next week on Wednesday at 7:00 in Mackey Hall. Here at Westminster our choir fulfills a tremendous role in leading worship and supporting and enhancing congregational singing, in guiding us in prayer and praise through song. This is one of the main reasons our choir sits among the congregation as they help us express our collective voice in worship.
Many of our choir membership see their participation in choir as stewardship of their talents and time and find friendship and fellowship among choir members. The commitment among choir members varies and we welcome and are thankful for all levels of involvement. Some singers commit to sing in the choir for a particular season, resulting in varying groups of people serving as the choir throughout the year. Some singers commit to rehearse for five or six weeks, preparing for a specific Sunday or season when a larger choir is needed. We also welcome children to be involved with the choir on specific Sundays, or as families can commit. Here at Westminster we are also blessed to have Choral Scholars from the College of Wooster who enhance our congregational singing through solos and the strengthening of various sections of the choir.
If you are considering singing in the choir please contact Roseanne Rohr.
 Consider joining the Women's Bible Study We will begin our new study on September 8, 2015 at 10:00am in The Lounge, the second Tuesday of each month through June 12, 2016. This year's study will be Come to the Waters by Judy Record Fletcher. "In this study, we consider the waters of chaos in Genesis, and the River of Life in the last chapter of Revelation, where chaos is no more. Water plays a central role in the stories of creation, the delivery of God's people (through the parting of the Red Sea and the crossing of the Jordan River), judgment of a people weak in faith, and the adoption of the people of God through baptism. Sometimes there is too much water (think Noah) and sometimes there is too little water (think drought in the desert). Together, we will explore some of the Bible's 800 references to water." If you are interested contact Elaine Smith Snyder for more information or pick up a copy in the office or after worship.
 Consider joining the Men's Breakfast We meet the first Tuesday of every month at the downtown Buehler's at 7:45 am. Sometimes we are many gathered for conversation and other times we are only two, but I can personally affirm that it is always a meaningful time of friendship and fellowship. Please contact Bill Weiss for more information.
 Consider joining a new Book Study by Pastor Dries on the book Faith Rooted Organizing. Mobilizing the Church in Service to the World. "With so many injustices, small and great, across the world and right at our doorstep, what are people of faith to do? Since the 1930s, organizing movements for social justice in the U.S. have largely been built on assumptions that are secular origin - such as reliance on self-interest and having a common enemy as a motivator for change. But what if Christians were to shape their organizing around the implications of the truth that God is real and Jesus is risen? Alexia Salvatierra has developed a model of social action that is rooted in the values and convictions born of faith. Together with theologian Peter Heltzel, this model of "faith-rooted organizing" offers a path to meaningful social change that takes seriously the command to love God and to love our neighbor as ourself." I have not identified a time when this study will take place but please contact me as we discern together when we will gather in cultivating the "Gift of Justice". Contact Dries Coetzee for more information. |
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Westminster's regular worship hour of 10:45am will resume on August 30th.
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On Aug. 30th we will welcome first-year and returning College of Wooster students during worship followed by our traditional "brownie reception" on the Mackey Patio. We encourage everyone in our community of faith to join us in hospitality. Please make a point to wear your name tags next week in an effort to be more welcoming towards those who have been gone for the summer or are new in our midst. Student ministry is an important part of our identify. Join in making Westminster feel like students' "church home away from home"!
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We look forward to seeing you at the first Vegan Potluck of the new school year on Thursday, August 27th, at 6:00 p.m. in Mackey Hall. This meal is a great opportunity for WPC members, Wooster community members, and College of Wooster students to enjoy delicious food and good fellowship while learning more about sustainable living. Just bring a pot-luck dish containing no meat, dairy, or eggs (no need for students to bring a dish).
The program for the month of August will feature Cheryl Weiss and others discussing the How/What/Why of the Vegan Meal. RSVP through Sign Up Genius, emailing the church office, or the sign up sheet in the back of Mackey during fellowship.
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Invitation from the Wooster Friends
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The Wooster Friends have made arrangements to have two speakers on Sep. 20 from noon to 1:00-1:30. They will speak about the challenges of low-income housing in the Wooster area: availability, affordability, and oversight of absentee landlords. The speakers are:
- Stan Popp, Executive Director of Wayne Metropolitan Housing Authority
- Krista Kidney, Supportive Services Coordinator at Liberty Center Connections
We would love to welcome members of Westminster Presbyterian to this program!
Best wishes,
Sharon Shelly
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Hygiene/School Kit Update
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Thanks to all of you who have purchased school supplies or provided money to purchase them. It's amazing how quickly we have been able to amass supplies!
This Sunday, Aug. 23rd, after worship we will work together to pack the hygiene kits for Church World Service. Please join us as part of a bigger discussion on how we can "Connect Through Kindness."
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Buy secondhand. Next time you're in the market for something new, consider secondhand stuff. Remember: If it's new to you, it's still new. And by buying used merchandise, you are helping to reduce the environmental costs associated with the manufacturing and distribution of new products. Check out your local consignment, thrift, and secondhand retailers to find all kinds of treasures: furniture, housewares, clothing, artwork, jewelry.
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What's happening at Westminster this week?
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Sunday, August 23rd
10:00am - Worship in Mackey Hall, Pastor Dries preaching
11:00am - Fellowship in Mackey Hall
11:00am - "Connecting through Kindness", hygiene kit packing and intergenerational
brainstorming
7:00pm - Garden volunteer time at GreenPoint Garden
Tuesday, August 25th
7:00pm - Session Meeting in the Pastor's Study
Wednesday, August 26th
7:00pm - Choir Rehearsal in Mackey Hall
Thursday, August 27th
6:00pm - Vegan Potluck in Mackey Hall
6:30pm - Dance Group in the Sunday School Room
Sunday, August 30th
10:00am - Worship in Mackey Hall, Pastor Dries preaching, Student Welcome Sunday
11:00am - Fellowship on the Mackey Patio
7:00pm - Garden volunteer time at GreenPoint Garden
For the latest and most up-to-date information visit Westminster's calendar here.
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