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News - News, February

Help Support Community Volunteers in Medicine

CVIM provides free, high quality healthcare to uninsured working people with low incomes to help them live healthy, productive lives and to assure health equity in the Chester County Region. In March, donate the items to support this ministry partner in our local community: 

  • Toothbrushes (Adult and Childrens) Soft Bristle
  • Toothpaste with Flouride
  • Dental Floss and Flossers
  • Interproximal Brushers
  • Mouthwash (MUST BE ALCOHOL FREE)
  • Feminine Hygiene Pads

Place the items in the marked bins located in Café 10 Westminster or mail them to Ann Hatfield at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Questions? Contact Angela Emrich

Registration Open for Youth Retreat

May 10 & 11 • Ocean City, NJ

We are heading to the beach for our Spring Retreat! We will explore themes of identity, belonging, and purpose for youth as created in the image of God and empowered to serve in the Spirit of Christ. Open to any youth in grades 6-12, the weekend includes games, recreation time at the beach, worship together, small group conversations, art, prayer and so much more! Cost is $100/person. Click here to register. Questions? Contact Chris Clark.

Our littlest of littles need you!

Do you recall making these vows?“… in the name of the whole church of Christ, we undertake with these parents the Christian nurture of this child so that in due time she/he may confess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?”  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we fulfilled these Baptismal promises by helping care for them during our times of worship and special events?

Our Nursery Care Team needs volunteers to nurture for our youngest ones - 6 months through 4 years. Volunteer on your schedule. Background clearances are required, but we will help you acquire them. To learn more, contact Child Care Coordinator, Mary Maina.

A Message from Pastor Jennie

Dear Westminster Sisters, Brothers and Friends in Christ,

Words cannot adequately express my gratitude for the beautiful sendoff you gave me on Sunday, February 11, as I concluded 8+ years of pastoral ministry with you! I cannot thank you enough.

Thanks to all who made it possible to combine worship services for my final Sunday at Westminster: the staff, the choir, the contemporary music team, the worship support volunteers and the children’s ministry team who flexed to make this happen.

It meant the world to me to be able to gather at the same time to worship and glorify our Lord. I am grateful for everyone’s contribution to this profoundly meaningful service. I am eternally blessed by the laying on of hands and the beautiful sending offered as I stood at the center of the sanctuary following the benediction.

Thank you for the amazing celebration and reception in Spellman following the service. You blew me away! Your mindful attention to the details of theme, food, decoration, and hospitality blessed me immensely. Thank you to all who organized and contributed to make this a wonderful celebration! Reading your messages printed in cards and reflections, as well as your spoken words, have touched me in ways you’ll never know.

Thank you to the Westminster children and children’s ministry team for the gift of dandelions and the sweet painting presented to me with colorful fingerprints, reminders of seeds of faith that may have been planted in children’s lives during my time at Westminster. I pray that those seeds will take root and flourish over the coming years.

Thank you to the congregation for the thoughtful gifts of backpacks and walking sticks to be used for travels and adventures that lie ahead. And thank you all for the VERY generous financial gift given to me that will enable those travel adventures to happen.

It has been my joy and honor to serve in Christ’s ministry at Westminster along with an amazing staff and congregation. I could not have asked for a better church family in which to complete 41+ years in pastoral ministry. You are loving and faithful witnesses to our Lord Jesus Christ, serving as his disciples to one another, to the wider community and to God’s world. The light of Christ shines through you!

As I enter retirement, I carry each of you with me in my heart and prayer. I repeat what I said to you in my final benediction at Westminster: “I love you. God be with you. And remember who (and whose) you are!”

With much gratitude and love,

Jennie

Support One Great Hour of Sharing

For 75 years, One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) special offering has provided avenues of partnership with those who have the least. The ministries supported by OGHS - Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Self-Development of People - work in a variety of ways to rebuild and restore the lives of families and communities. OGHS is the single, largest way Presbyterians come together to work for a better world by advancing the causes of justice, resilience, and sustainability. Each donation to OGHS helps change the lives of people who are in these challenging situations. Please consider donating during the season of Lent. Click here to donate to One Great Hour of Sharing. Thank you for your generous support!

Faith & Justice Lenten Devotionals

The Lenten season is a perfect time to try a devotional for your spiritual practice! We suggest one or all of the four devotionals published by Unbound which is a PC(USA) publication for intersections of faith and justice. Pocket-sized copies with QR codes are in the Narthex if you want to have one available on the go or click the names below. Questions? Contact Chris Clark.

  • Journey Throughout the Mist: A Spiritually Guided Lent: Throughout the season of Lent and other seasons of our lives, we may find it hard to be still, reflect, and simply to just be. Journey through the Mist: A Spiritually Guided Lent holds space for us to find time to breathe and cultivate spiritual practices that center us, make us more mindful, and reorient us toward wholeness.
  • Disabling Lent: An Anti-Ableist Lenten Devotional: This devotional reflections for Ash Wednesday, each Sunday of Lent, and Holy Week is written by voices who live with a disability. 
  • With Creation: A Native & Indigenous Lenten Devotional: This devotional reflections for Ash Wednesday, each Sunday of Lent, and Holy Week is written by native and indigenous voices as they explore creation. 
  • Ashes to Rainbows: A Queer Lenten Devotional: A Lent devotional written by queer people of faith and allies offers reflections for Ash Wednesday, each Sunday of Lent, and Holy Week. It features an array of voices and perspectives, thought-provoking theologies, and a new way to think about the time in which we call Lent. In this season we reflect, challenge, and await the resurrection of the Christ who loves us all…no matter who God created us to be. 

Registration Open for Camp SPARK

Monday-Friday June 24 - 28 (8 am - 12 pm with optional afternoon component from 12-4 pm)

Camp SPARK (Spiritual Practices And Recreation for Kids) is a NEW summer children's program
This camp will share the worship, ministry, and mission of Westminster with our community. We hope you’ll join us! This year's theme is I'm So Blessed! The morning activities will focus on Worship Arts or things you experience in worship while the afternoon will focus on Westminster's ministry and mission.

Pricing*: 

  • $150/child for morning only camps (Family max - $250)
  • $250/child for full day camp (Family max- $500)

*Scholarships/Sponsorships available as needed
*
Discounts available for adult family members who volunteer

Register: 

  • Register for Full Day Camp SPARK (Rising K-5th Grade)
  • Register for Morning Only Camp SPARK (Rising K-5th Grade)
  • Register for Pre-K (4&5 year olds)

Questions or for more info, contact Jill Reichert.

Volunteer for Camp SPARK

We are launching a new summer program this summer! Camp SPARK (Spiritual Practices And Recreation for Kids). Monday-Friday (June 24-28) 8am-12pm with optional afternoon component (12-4pm).

Ages: Pre-K (4-5, one year prior to Kindergarten) – Morning Only
K-5 (rising) – Morning and Optional Afternoon

We need LOTS of adult and youth volunteers to help workshop leaders in the morning and afternoon, and just general help to keep the cogs turning throughout the day:

Morning Workshops: Creative Words in Worship, Drumming, Music/Chorus, Dance/Movement, Worship Technology, Storytelling/Drama

Afternoon Workshops: Baking, Knitting/Weaving, Wood Projects, Gleaning Garden/Care of Creation, Art, Outreach/Service Projects, Rec/Games, Pickleball

If you can help a workshop leader or offer general help, please sign up TODAY!

  • Register to volunteer for Full Day Camp SPARK
  • Register to volunteer for Morning Only Camp SPARK
  • Register to help with Pre-K

All adults must have background clearances completed. Please connect with Jill Reichert. We are excited to share the worship, ministry, and mission of Westminster with our community. We hope you’ll join us!

Missing Something?

We've setup a lost and found table in Café 10 West until February 25. All items not claimed at that point will go to the Westminster Thrift Shop. We have shirts to stuffed animals. Please collect anything that is yours.

Register for the Men's Retreat

April 12-14 • Sandy Cove Retreat Center
Getting from here to there in a car is a near-universal (and sometimes frustrating) experience for us. Led by Steve Clark, the retreat's theme is Driving Lessons: Guidance for the Road(s) Most Traveled. We’ll take a look at the challenges and surprises we encounter on those journeys, and reflect on what they can teach us about navigating the path of walking with Christ. (Spoiler alert: expect a lot of “recalculating” along the way.) Click here for more info. Click here to register. Questions? Contact Gerry McShane.

Register for the Women's Retreat

April 19 & 20 • Westminster Presbyterian Church

This year we are again holding our women’s retreat on site at Westminster. Women of all ages, 16 years and older, are invited to slow down, breathe deeply and enjoy a rich time of fellowship and spiritual renewal. Our theme is "Soul Tending at the Threshold." When the life we've known gives way, and it’s not yet clear what will emerge, we're at a threshold. The threshold is a space in-between which can be disorienting and unsettling. Yet, it can also be energizing, ripe with possibility and full of creative potential.  At the threshold, practices of soul-tending deepen our engagement with each other and awaken our curiosity, that we may be drawn into the current of God’s love. Come as your schedule allows - for the full retreat on Friday and Saturday, or only for Friday or Saturday. 

Retreat Schedule 

5:00 - 8:00 pm Friday
Dinner, conversation, and opening reflection on Soul-Tending At the Threshold.

8:45 am - 5:00 pm Saturday 
Light breakfast, connecting with others in small groups, deepening our
reflection on our retreat theme through Scripture small group conversation, and engagement with contemplative practices designed to tend our souls at the threshold.  After lunch, there will be more small group time, a closing reflection on ‘Crossing the Threshold’, and closing worship with communion. 

Meet Cheryl Galan 
Women’s Retreat Speaker
Cheryl is a Presbyterian minister who recently retired from the role of Interim Executive Presbyter with Carlisle Presbytery.  In more than 40 years of ministry, she also served as a Director of Christian Education at Derry, Faith and Market Square Presbyterian churches, as a pastor with congregations in NY, Kansas, and Wisconsin and as Transitional Leader with the Presbytery of Elizabeth in NJ.  A graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and Grove City College, Cheryl is drawn to practices of relationship-building and spiritual formation. Through words and images, in body, mind and spirit, she seeks connection with the life-giving, community-forming, world-healing Spirit of Christ.  In retirement, Cheryl enjoys walking in nature, yoga, and dabbling in watercolor. She and her husband Jack also savor time with family and friends.

Pricing:
Friday ($35/person)
Saturday ($40/person) 
Friday & Saturday ($50/person) 

Meals:

Friday, April 19, 2024
Catered by Arianna’s. All sandwiches/wraps come with BLT Pasta side..

  • Cobb Salad w/Turkey
  • Gourmet Chicken Salad
  • Turkey Croissant w/Cran Mayo
  • Roasted Vegetable Wrap
  • Dilled Tuna Salad on Honey Wheat

Saturday, April 20, 2024
Catered by Dixie Picnic. All Sandwiches come with fruit side. All selections have a deviled egg and Upcake... 

  • Goat Cheese Praline Salad
  • Nutty Chicken Salad
  • Caesar Salad w/chicken.
  • Roast Turkey Sandwich on Sourdough
  • Virginia Baked Ham w/Swiss on multigrain

Click here for more info. Click here to register. Questions? Contact Jennie Clark.

Introducing Camp SPARK

Monday-Friday June 24 - 28 (8 am - 12 pm with optional afternoon component from 12-4 pm)

We are excited to announce the launch of a NEW summer children's program, Camp SPARK (Spiritual Practices And Recreation for Kids)! 
This camp will share the worship, ministry, and mission of Westminster with our community. We hope you’ll join us! The morning activities will focus on Worship Arts or things you experience in worship while the afternoon will focus on Westminster's ministry and mission.

The morning: Bible storytelling/drama, drumming/percussion, liturgical movement, singing/music, worship tech, creative reading, freeze frame/tableaux. 

The afternoon: Baking, wood projects, weaving, knitting/crocheting, gleaning garden & care of creation, pickle ball, outreach projects, games/rec, and more. 

Pricing*: 

  • $150/child for morning only camps (Family max - $250)
  • $250/child for full day camp (Family max- $500)

*Scholarships/Sponsorships available as needed
*
Discounts available for adult family members who volunteer

Register: 

  • Register for Full Day Camp SPARK (Rising K-5th Grade)
  • Register for Morning Only Camp SPARK (Rising K-5th Grade)
  • Register for Pre-K (4&5 year olds)

*Scholarships/Sponsorships available as needed

*Discounts for adult volunteer families

Questions or for more info, contact Jill Reichert.

We also need volunteers! Click here to see some roles needed. Adults will need background clearances; we are glad to help you through the clearance process!

Volunteer for Camp Spark

Monday-Friday June 24 - 28 (8 am - 12 pm with optional afternoon component from 12-4 pm)

Volunteer for Camp SPARK

We are launching a new summer program this summer! Camp SPARK (Spiritual Practices And Recreation for Kids). Monday-Friday (June 24-28) 8am-12pm with optional afternoon component (12-4pm).

Ages: Pre-K (4-5, one year prior to Kindergarten) – Morning Only
K-5 (rising) – Morning and Optional Afternoon

We need LOTS of adult and youth volunteers to help workshop leaders in the morning and afternoon, and just general help to keep the cogs turning throughout the day:

Morning Workshops: Creative Words in Worship, Drumming, Music/Chorus, Dance/Movement, Worship Technology, Storytelling/Drama

Afternoon Workshops: Baking, Knitting/Weaving, Wood Projects, Gleaning Garden/Care of Creation, Art, Outreach/Service Projects, Rec/Games, Pickleball

If you can help a workshop leader or offer general help, please sign up TODAY!

  • Register to volunteer for Full Day Camp SPARK
  • Register to volunteer for Morning Only Camp SPARK
  • Register to help with Pre-K

All adults must have background clearances completed. Please connect with Jill Reichert. We are excited to share the worship, ministry, and mission of Westminster with our community. We hope you’ll join us!

Help Support ACT in Faith in February

This month bring in items for ACT in Faith of Greater West Chester, which is an interfaith organization that helps individuals and families with immediate needs. Staff and volunteers work to stabilize households, encourage self-sustainability, and build community.  Please bring in full-size items of bar soap, toothpaste, deodorant (male/female/unisex) during the month of February and place them in the marked bins located in Café 10 West. Questions? Contact Ann Hatfield