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News - News, October

Fall Back this Weekend

Don't forget to turn back your clocks one hour before bed on Saturday night. Daylight Savings ends early Sunday morning at 2am. Enjoy that extra hour of sleep! (If you forget - don’t worry, the countdown clock on the live stream page of the website will remind you!)

Sermon on the Mount Week 2

Watch the second session on our Journey class, The Sermon on the Mount a six week DVD study by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine. Click here to order her book. Click here to register for next discussion at 12pm Sun. Nov. 1. Click here to view Sunday's handout.

Thrift Shop Reopened!

Joy was the pertinent word as Westminster Thrift Shop volunteers welcomed customers to the reopening of the thrift shop last Tuesday. Click here to see pictures of the reopening. Click here to see the thrift shop has new business hours or click here for their donation guidelines. 

How to Stay Safe on the Internet

Watch Lynn George's presentation about How to Stay Safe on the Internet. Next Tuesday at 10am Nick Tortorello will talk about The Difference Between Protestantism & Catholicism. Click here to register for that discussion.

Faith & Politics

On Sunday we showed a 22 minute excerpt of Rev. Eugene Cho's sermon, Faith and Politics, from the Donegal Presbytery's September meeting. We received several requests to see the entire sermon. Click here to watch the whole sermon.

Catch Up on the Sermon on Mount

Watch the first session on our NEW Journey class, The Sermon on the Mount a six week DVD study by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine. Click here to order her book. Click here to register for next discussion at 12pm Sun. Oct. 25.

Judah Benjamin: The Jewish Confederate

Watch Dave Walter's presentation about Judah Benjamin: The Jewish Confederate for the Tuesday morning fellowship group. Next Tuesday at 10am Lynn George will talk about How to Stay Safe on the Internet. Click here to register for that discussion.

Learn about Labyrinths

Patti Stewart, our seminary intern explains what is a labyrinth, its purpose and shows off Westminster indoor and outdoor labyrinths. Questions about labyrinths? Contact Patti Stewart.

Stewardship Update!

We are very grateful for the 440 households who have pledged to support our mission and ministry in 2021, reaching 64% of our $2,023,747 goal. If you have not already pledged, it's easy to pledge online or by mailing your pledge card to Westminster. Questions? Contact Donna Harrison.

Thrift Shop Reopens Oct. 20!!

After a seven month closure due to the pandemic, and heavy damage incurred from the August hurricane rains, the Westminster Thrift Shop will reopen its doors on Tuesday. There have been several changes made to the thrift shop, complying with the CDC and state of Pennsylvania guidelines, which will provide a safe environment for thrift shop volunteers and customers, including the thrift shop’s new business hours and donation guidelines. The Westminster Thrift Shop Board of Directors, shop manager, sub committee members, and volunteers sincerely thank the Westminster pastors, painting crew, and congregation for the continued support and encouragement during this challenging journey. Click here to see photos of the damage and repairs.

Impact of COVID-19 on our Spiritual, Relational & Emotional Well-being

Watch a recording of Ann Hatfield's presentation to the Tuesday morning fellowship group on the Impact of COVID-19 on our Spiritual, Relational & Emotional Well-being. Join the group Tuesday, October 20 at 10am when Dave Walter will talk about Judah Benjamin: The Jewish Confederate. Click here to register.

Spotlight on Good Works

Good Works has been repairing homes and restoring hope for low-income families throughout Chester County for over 32 years. Normal circumstances are very challenging for the families we assist, but that is especially true during the COVID-19 crisis when many homeowners have been furloughed from work, forced to stay home due to underlying health conditions or need to care for an elderly parent or their school-aged children. Alarmingly, the degraded condition of their homes introduces physical and health hazards that present a greater risk than the virus itself.   During this difficult time, Good Works is prioritizing helping families living with the greatest health and safety issues, seniors, and those who may come in contact with the virus at work.  

 

Angie is an 82 year old, partially disabled Coatesville homeowner. After her hip replacement surgery in March, she was having tremendous difficulty descending two rickety flights of stairs to her basement every time she needed to use the bathroom – because that was the only bathroom in her house. Angie was amazed that Good Works would come out during the COVID-19 crisis and build a bathroom on the 2nd floor of her home. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, and the Good Works team is nothing short of extraordinary. Our volunteer Ambassadors are also making weekly telephone calls to address the relational and spiritual needs of homeowners struggling with anxiety, loneliness and depression.

 

Donations from individuals have been down from last year, which is no surprise considering how many people are not working. But, the dangerous and unhealthy situations these families live with will not improve without your help.   If you are able to volunteer with the Westminster Presbyterian Church Good Works team, please contact the Church Office, or consider making a generous donation today.   Your gift will buy the materials we need to transform lives and demonstrate God’s love to homeowners like Angie. 

This Sunday is Commitment Sunday!

Over the last few weeks you should have received a mailing including a brochure and a pledge card. Pledging helps the church budget and plan for the day-to-day costs of the church including staff salaries, worship, programs, missions, maintenance, utilities and operations costs. Commitment Sunday is when we dedicate pledges for 2021. Please mail your pledge card or pledge online by October 4 which will be dedicated during morning worship. Let us all join in fully funding the vision for our ministry in the coming year. Questions? Contact Donna Harrison.

Peace & Global Witness Offering

This offering is used to promote peacemaking efforts throughout the world. This year we will direct 25% of this collection to the Katie Cannon Scholarship Fund. While this offering will be dedicated on World Communion Sunday, you are invited to contribute throughout October. Click here to read more about the Peace Offering. Click here to learn about the Katie Cannon Scholarship. Thank you for your generosity! 

Walk the Indoor Labyrinth

The labyrinth will be in Spellman Hall Sunday-Thursday for individuals or households. All are welcome to come and walk. Walking the labyrinth is prayer in motion and invites us to be open to God who is on the journey with us. Click here to register for a time slot which is required. We ask everyone to abide by our COVID-19 safety policies. Questions? Contact Jennie Clark.

Greetings from your Westminster Family

On Sunday Ed McFalls brought his drone to our outdoor service and captured these moments as people were arriving for the the service. Click here to watch some of the footage. Click here to see photos of the outdoor service. See below for more information on our next outdoor service and other in person opportunities.

Third Edition of Westminster Bloopers

Well, it's October, which means we have another edition of the Westminster blooper reel! The bloopers included were either live, while recording parts of the service ahead of time, or during our tech run through which happens between 8:45-9:30am every Sunday morning. Enjoy the third edition of a few memorable Westminster bloopers. Click here to watch the first two editions.

Spotlight on Bridge of Hope Chester County

The vision of Bridge of Hope is to help end homelessness for single mothers and their children. This local branch of Bridge of Hope serves families who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness, in the Chester County area. As this organization works towards achieving long-term stability for these families, Bridge of Hope partners with them to provide rental assistance, intensive case management, and support from a network of Christian faith volunteers. Click here to learn more.

Personnel Care Update

Thank you to everyone who dropped off personal care items on Saturday for the West Chester Food Cupboard. We collected 441.5 pounds of personal care items which is more than we typically receive over an entire month!!