Dear friends,

They’re back! By back, I mean North Carolina’s version of grapes – scuppernongs and muscadines. Alex found the vine on the back of our WPC campus as Chris, Marietta, Alex, and I had the rare chance to be on campus together in preparation for Rally Day.

I love this time of year. It’s a mellow, earnest, remembering time of year as we plow into our work, finally burned out on summer’s heat and sobered by winter’s coming cold. The muscadines and scuppernongs take me back to a time when every fall I would gather the “Wee Presbyterians,” a group of 3-5-year-old saints from Calypso Presbyterian Church, to teach them how to suck in the sweet, meaty pulp of a scuppernong, spit out the seeds, and eat (or not eat, according to personal preference) the thick skins of this native grape. We would talk then about how grape juice and even wine was made. We'd bake some bread and talk about Jesus and communion in the church. I sure miss those sweet days of communion with those children, many of whom now have children of their own.

Henri Nouwen once wrote about how when we come to the communion table this side of the Great Feast of Glory, we drink from a common cup that refreshes and yet leaves us thirsty for more. We eat bread that nourishes but also churns our stomachs with deeper hunger. During this time of COVID-19, I have felt the truth of this in regards to many things, haven’t you? We have so much, and yet we long for so much more.

This fall I invite you to look for the scuppernong and muscadine grapevines that grow wild and domesticated here in North Carolina. Find someone (maybe yourself) who needs to learn to eat one of these grapes like a real North Carolinian and ponder our communion at this time -- how it was, how it now is, and what it will be again one day. Think about all those vine and grape and vineyard stories from the Bible. We have quite a few of them coming up - one, in fact, this very Sunday. A man with a vineyard had two sons . . . .

See you soon!

Cherrie

Westminster This Week - Quick Links 

Continue the conversation from September’s Aperture event in this three-week Fall Church School elective, facilitated by Geoff Vaughn. This class will serve as an extension of the Aperture event, but attendance at that initial session is not necessary. (Watch the recording of September’s Aperture). We will continue our investigation of how the myriad current stressors in our communities continue to generate significant internal stress, as well as ways we can find relief, comfort, and support as this season of uncertainty wears on. This class will meet October 11, 18, and 25. 

As we are zooming into Fall, we now do so with some experience in hand when it comes to navigating through the pandemic season. It’s been a month since our WPC campus usage and meeting application form and process went live. We’ve hosted a successful Rally Day. We’ve hosted people on campus for a variety of reasons and as we have, we’ve learned things.

This update and the rest of our current regathering guidelines are summarized in the table below. The full set of our COVID-19 Operating Guidelines – now reflecting the most recent updates from our state and local governments – is available online. As we move forward together as a community, seeking both spiritual and physical health, we’ll share more updates as they develop. In the meantime, if you have any questions and/or suggestions as together, we navigate these times, please share them with us at connecting@wpcdurham.org. Thanks for your support and care.

Our top priority is to maintain a safe and wholesome environment for children and youth in all of Westminster’s programs – even those that take place online. We have a Child & Youth Protection Policy for Preventing Sexual Abuse in place for the protection of children, youth, and the adults who care for them. Volunteers who wish to serve in our ministries for children and youth must complete Westminster’s Child & Youth Protection Policy Training and renew their training every three years. We will offer CYPP training via Zoom on Thursday, October 15, at 7:00pm. Training will be led by the Rev. Kerri Hefner from New Hope Presbyterian Church and Alex Stayer-Brewington. Register now or contact Marietta Wynands with any questions.

Growing Through Grief provides a weekly gathering (via Zoom) for persons who have lost a loved one. Attendees listen to a 10-20 minute presentation on Zoom, then break out into small groups for discussions led by facilitators. The next programs will be on September 29: Bill Dahl, “Where Exactly Am I Now?”

If you or someone you know might be interested in joining the group or in serving as one of its presenters, please contact Cherrie Barton Henry.