Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) delivers immediate aid to those impacted by Hurricane Florence. Initial assessment suggests catastrophic destruction, but the full scope of the damage will not be known for months. Our financial gifts are needed to assist with relief efforts. Click here to support the work of PDA or make checks payable to Westminster Presbyterian Church, memo line: Hurricane Florence. We will send the collected funds to PDA. For updates on response efforts click here.
Last Sunday, pastor Don showed a portion of a video that aired at the Global Leadership Summit. It’s about a man named Vinh Chung – his family’s escape from Vietnam, rescue, adoption by a church in Arkansas, and his training to be a physician. The remaining three minutes describe Dr. Chung’s expanded ministry support in Cambodia and Rwanda. If you didn’t see it on Sunday, or want “the rest of the story” - it’s worth seeing!!
Are you unable to attend the PJ Whelihan's Dine and Donate event next Monday? You can still support Rise Against Hunger by making a direct donation. We have obtained a grant from Kraft Heinz to help us reach our goal of 75,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger. They will match all money donated or raised, up to $5,000. That's over 17,000 meals.
Reminder: The Vision Quest 2023 team is revealing our God Sized Dreams at Sunday worship services in October. Please join us each Sunday in October as we unveil four strategic initiatives, aimed at moving our great faith community into the future with continued strength and vigor. Questions? Contact Bill Davis or Gary Liddick.
Westminster’s Preschool has an immediate opening for a part-time preschool teacher’s aide for several mornings a week. If you like working with young children, our preschool is the place for you! Please contact the Preschool Director, Jackie Steinmetz, for more information or to apply.
Commitment Sunday is when we dedicate pledges for 2019. Please bring your pledge cards to worship on September 30 to be dedicated during morning worship, or make an online pledge. Let us all join in fully funding the vision for our ministry in the coming year. Questions? Contact Donna Harrison.
The Women’s Weekly Bible Study invites women of all ages to enjoy the special fellowship. Each week includes snacks and discussion around Priscilla Shirer’s book The Armor of God. And in December we end our study with a celebration brunch! Signup here. Questions? Contact Kathy Smedley or Ellen Musser.
The Farm Bill, which includes funding for fighting hunger, expires on Sept. 30. The House and Senate are meeting now to resolve differences in their two bills. The House bill would increase the already significant work requirements for SNAP (food stamps) eligibility and would reduce the program by $20 billion. Tell Congress to preserve and strengthen our efforts to prevent hunger. Questions? Contact Burt Rothenberger.
Each fall, Westminster contributes to the special offering of the PCUSA. Our donations are used to promote peace, justice, and reconciliation around the world. To participate in this offering, please look for the letter and donation envelope sent to your home. To learn more about our work of global witness click here. Questions? Contact Ann Hatfield. Thank you for your support.
Another enriching year of KidsConnect is underway. Our loving staff is generously supported by volunteers like you, who help us do what we love to do week after week. We are looking for helping hands in the nursery for any of the three services. Sign up here. Current clearances mandatory. Questions or for more info, contact Patrice Stilley.
Stephen Ministers bring distinctively Christian care to those in need. They use words and deeds to express Christ’s care for others, calling on the training they received, and employing tools of the faith. Our next Stephen Ministry Training Class begins January 2019, and our we are looking for people who feel called to be a Stephen Minister. To learn more about the application process, contact Ann Hatfield. Applications for the class are due by October 28.
Over the past nine months we engaged in three congregational listening sessions, looking at the past, present and future of Westminster. We also held many focus group sessions over the summer, including a congregational session on July 29. The feedback has been prayerfully received, discerned, and accumulated.
With Session’s blessing and approval, we are now ready for the unveiling of our God-sized dreams and initiatives for the next several years. Some of these ideas will be venturing into new arenas of involvement, while some will be building on and expanding our current ministries. All will require our continued focus, support and prayers as we move forward.
Our God-Sized Dreams will be presented individually to the congregation during Sunday worship on the four Sundays in October. Each Sunday the services will focus on a different initiative.
From that point, four teams will be established, and charged with implementing proposals related to each initiative. We already have volunteers who have expressed their desire to be part of this effort and we are looking for more to join them. Please prayerfully consider where your heart may be calling you.
Please join us each Sunday in October as we unveil the four strategic initiatives, aimed at moving our great faith community into the future with continued strength and vigor.
If you are a young adult looking to find ways of connecting at Westminster, we are currently planning opportunities for the fall. In the meantime, you are welcome to a young adult small group that meets on the 4th Thursday of the month at Pastor Jon’s home. It is a time of fellowship and conversation on a theme relating to Christian spirituality. Questions? Contact Jon Frost.
Going on Vocation: Exploring Work as it was Meant to Be
DVD Series, Sept. 9-Oct. 7, led by Sue Spotts and Jennie Clark.
Do you. . .
- Find your job fulfilling?
- Spend most of your time at a job that seems to have no purpose or meaning?
- Work just so you can pay the bills?
- Work for a difficult boss or with toxic people?
- Wonder if you missed your calling somewhere along the way?
- Wonder what comes next after retirement?
- Think about leaving a job to stay home with your children?
“Going on Vocation” is a documentary series that explores such questions and more. Through personal stories of ordinary people at work and insight from some of today’s leading voices on faith and work, you will discover that vocation or calling is about much more than your paid job. This series will challenge us to look at work in a completely new way and reap the positive returns of connecting our identity in Christ to our daily vocations. “If we don’t connect our faith to the world of work, then Christianity just becomes a leisure-time activity.”- Dr. Greg Forster
Come share your own story and hear the stories of other companions on this journey of discovering our vocation or calling. People are welcomed to join in for any or all four sessions.
Sept. 9 You are Called/Finding Your Calling Jennie Clark
Sept. 16 The Meaning of Your Work/Living Your Callings Sue Spotts
Sept. 23 No Journey Class (WPC Ministry Fair)
Sept. 30 Your Calling & the Common Good/ Your Calling Will Bear Fruit Sue Spotts
Oct. 7 Discipleship & Thorns and Thistles/Call to Work for Restoration Jennie Clark
Psalms in the Fabric of Our Lives
Exploring the Psalms, October 14-18, led by Sue Fry
Come journey with us on an exploration of the intersection of the psalms with the basics of our lives. In our individual lives and in our community life, a lot happens. There are wonderful times, exuberant times, uncertain times, and times that are deeply sad. Sometimes the way for our life is clear. Sometimes the path is difficult. When we meditate upon the psalms, they enter the fabric of our lives, touching the deep places and giving expression to the fullness of our emotions. People are welcomed to join in for any or all three sessions.
Sue holds a Master's degree in Education from Kent State University and an M. Div. from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She received a Ph.D. in Old Testament from Fuller Theological Seminary. Sue has taught in both private and public education in the U.S. She has also taught higher education for universities in Lithuania and South Korea. Additionally she has conducted intensive courses as a visiting teacher in Indonesia and Singapore. Sue and her husband, Rev. Bill Fry, are active in our Westminster community.
Oct. 14 Psalms in the Fabric of Our Lives
Oct. 21 Psalms in the Fabric of Our Lives
Oct. 28 Psalms in the Fabric of Our Lives
A Short Gospel with an Enduring Message: The Gospel of Mark
Nov. 4-25 led by Ed Brandt
Mark is considered to be the first of the Synoptic Gospels composed. The book immediately begins with the Proclamation of the Gospel, the “Good News.” There are no dreams, manger or angels appearing before Jesus’ birth. In fact, the word immediately appears 27 times in this short book of sixteen chapters. During our four sessions, we will explore the intent of the writer, the audience, and how the book of Mark provides a template for Matthew & Luke. Everyone is asked to read the chapters for each session and to bring their favorite Bible to the study. The variance of versions will provide a richer understanding of how to interpret the words selected by this writer. This journey through Mark will include presentations on the material followed by in depth discussion. People are welcomed to join in for any or all four sessions.
Ed Brandt currently serves Westminster Presbyterian Church as a Parish Associate and serves the National Guard Bureau, Arlington, VA as the Sr. Army National Guard Chaplain and US Army Deputy Chief of Chaplains, ARNG. He has served pastorates in PA, DE, and CA and deployed to Iraq 2008-2009. Ed and his wife, Jane, split their time between Arlington, VA and Wilmington, DE. They spoil their two grandchildren and their Akita named Brownie.
Nov. 4 A Short Gospel with an Enduring Message: The Gospel of Mark
Proclamation to Parables [Mark 1-4]
Who was Mark? Why did he write this gospel? When was it written? Why such a fast paced narrative and the overuse of the word, “immediately”? We will look at what was happening culturally during this period, sources for the Gospel writer, as well as compare the flow of this gospel to the other Gospels.
Nov. 11 A Short Gospel with an Enduring Message: The Gospel of Mark
Demons to Demand for a Sign [Mark 5-8]
Healings and miracles are noted by the writer, and for what purpose? We’ll look at the variety of conversations Jesus has with people from Synagogue authorities to unnamed woman to frightened disciples on a boat being tossed about on troubled waters. We will explore how these things might be interpreted and what Mark is trying to convey to the reader.
Nov. 18 A Short Gospel with an Enduring Message: The Gospel of Mark
Transfiguration to Wicked Tenants [Mark 9-12]
We are given a glimpse of Jesus’ powerful actions and instructions to his disciples to tell no one. It’s called the Messianic Secret. Coming down the Mount following the Transfiguration the disciples are told to tell no one about what they had seen. He heals a boy with a troubled spirit. He blesses children, has a conversation with a Rich Man, foretells his death and resurrection and has an uncomfortable conversation with James and John. This all leads to the Triumphal Entry and the Cleansing of the Temple.
Nov. 25 A Short Gospel with an Enduring Message: The Gospel of Mark
Destruction to Resurrection [Mark 13-16]
We conclude our study of Mark with a discussion on being watchful, the Passover, Betrayal Foretold, Peter’s Denial, the Crucifixion and Resurrection.
The Dramatic Personae of Advent
Dec 2-16 led by Jak Maxwell
As we journey through Advent making our way towards Bethlehem, we will consider anew some key characters in the drama of the incarnation- the coming of Christ. Jack Maxwell invites us to ponder with him the significance and implications of the roles of those who are included in the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah and the roles of his parents, Joseph and Mary. People are welcomed to join in for any or all three sessions.
Jack Maxwell currently serves as Theologian in Residence at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Berwyn, PA. He is honorably retired and has served pastorates in PA and DE. He received his B.A. from University of Texas at Austin, his M.Div. and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary and attended Harvard University Graduate School of Business Institute for Educational Management. He served as President and Professor at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and was Instructor in Homiletics and Liturgics at Princeton Theological Seminary. He has also taught courses at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, La Roche College, and Union Theological Seminary
Dec. 2 The Dramatis Personae of Advent: The Genealogy of Matthew
Dec. 9 The Dramatis Personae of Advent Joseph: Claiming the Mystery
Dec. 16 The Dramatis Personae of Advent: Mary: A Protestant Point of View
