Dear friends and fellow disciples,

What a gift it has been to have some slightly warmer days and signs of spring, with the sun shining and trees beginning to bloom. But we see these signs knowing also that as we move into the heart of the Lenten journey, the road will become difficult. This is part of the paradox of the season - as life begins to bloom, we know we are moving towards Jerusalem and the cross. Let us pray that as we settle into Lent we might guided by prayer, for each other and for the world.

This Sunday we continue our Lenten series on “ The Confession of Belhar .” Alex will be preaching, and we'll be treated to special music by our handbell choir. Please be sure to read the Confession and some background , along with the accompanying devotional you can purchase at church. Here's what we'll move towards over the next few days:
Aperture: Third Wednesdays - "The Confession of Belhar"
Written in 1986 but added to our denomination’s Book of Confessions in 2016, “The Confession of Belhar” helps us see how the church has offered faithful proclamation in complex times – in this instance, in Apartheid-era South Africa – but also points us to ways we might follow Jesus today. Join me for Aperture next Wednesday, March 20 , as we dig into “Belhar” and examine its themes of unity, reconciliation, and justice. Come for dinner at 5:45; the program begins at 6:30pm in the Music Room. Please sign up for dinner by Monday, 12:00 noon.
"After-Group" Lenten Conversations for WPC Youth
For the next few Sundays, from 7:00-8:00pm, WPC Youth will have a space to engage in deeper discussions about life and the Bible and how God shows up in all our relationships. All youth are invited; friends are always welcome! Contact : Alex Stayer-Brewington
Reminder: Soccer Family Fun Day is Saturday
Bring your soccer gear and make plans to join us this Saturday, March 16, 3:00-5:00pm , at Forest Hills Park for some pick-up soccer. Come for great fellowship and good exercise! We’d like to get a head count, so please let us know if you’ll be there: http://bit.ly/WPCsoccerday .
March 31 is Undy Sundy!
“What in the world is Undy Sundy,” you ask? So did I. Here’s the answer: The Mission Stitches team is collecting donations of new underwear for children in the Haiti Outreach Ministries’ schools. We’re asking everyone to bring their donations to church on  March 31, henceforth referred to as Undy Sundy. Fun! Contact : Helen Harrison
Search Committees Up and Running
Our search committees have officially begun their work, starting with an orientation and training from the Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry earlier this week. Thanks to all our team members, including Monica Nichols, our awesome Search Teams’ Logistics Coordinator: 
  • Director of Christian Education: Thelma Allen, Michelle Ferguson, Kathe Graves, Collin Phillips (youth), Fritz Simonson, Mercer Stanfield
  • AP for Congregational Care & Mission: Linda Barnett, Mitch Dozier, Susan Landis, Evan McIntyre (youth), Rachel Meyen, Helen Tharrington, Woody Warburton
  • AP Youth and Their Families: Anne Beckwith, Cameron Carrow (youth), Katie Donoway, Molly Furman (youth), Paul Garcia, Mark Hill, Ashley Messick, Shannon Wylie (youth), Jeff Young
Looking Ahead: A Question to Consider
I'm at a short conference at Davidson for a day and a half on the intersection between our Reformed theological tradition and a liberal arts education. How are we called to love God with our heart and soul, mind and strength? What role do these kinds of institutions play in cultivating learning and virtue for the greater good? The lecturer on Wednesday evening, reflecting on his days in leadership at Davidson, said he liked to tell graduates their alma mater would follow them all their lives and haunt their dreams if they did not understand that their education   only   had value if they sought to answer the question, "How am I to live in service to the world God loves?" What a charge this season, so appropriate for Lent.  How will you live in service to the world God loves?

I look forward to the ways we'll offer that question, and our lives, to God this season.