October 20, 2021
Greetings, friends!
This past weekend, 19 high school students and four adults from Westminster packed themselves into four cars and drove to Wrightsville Beach for a weekend of rest, reflection, and reconnection. They left behind social obligations and lost valuable study time. They exchanged comfortable beds for space on a couch. They even handed over their cell phones and committed themselves to a practice of presence.
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These young people are my heroes. There are a thousand reasons why it would’ve been easier to stay at home, but that’s not what they decided to do. In today’s 24-hour cycle of social media posts and our over-programmed pursuit of academic or athletic accolades, pumping the brakes just to play and relax is almost heretical. And yet, this is exactly what Christ is calling us to.
When Jesus ascended into heaven he left us with one another. This was a direct reflection of a message he’d preached throughout his entire ministry: Love God by loving one another, serve God by serving one another. Faithfulness to God is quite often – maybe even most often – expressed through faithfulness to one another. Showing up for birthdays, baby showers, weddings, and funerals. Waking up early to get dressed and make it on time to Sunday School every week. Waving to folks in the Courtyard after worship. These simple graces may seem small and insignificant, but each time we prioritize sacred connection over worldly pursuits we are building up the kingdom of heaven right here in Durham.
Peace,
Alex
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Westminster This Week – Quick Links
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Opportunities to Serve
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Ushers and Acolytes needed for 11:00am worship. Training is provided. Sign up now
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Iglesia Emanuel’s Food Bank/Distribution: Help families get the groceries they need. Get the details and sign up now
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Last week to donate yarn, knitting needles, and crochet hooks for the Haiti Outreach Ministry schools! Leave them in the bin by the Mission Center main doors by Sunday, October 24. Thanks!
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Worship at Westminster
Sundays at 10:45am in October Gather in the Courtyard to learn and sing a new song to prepare our hearts and minds for worship, "Come All You People."
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TONIGHT: Aperture Welcomes Pauli Murray Center Board Chair Mayme Webb-Bledsoe, October 20, 7:00pm on Zoom
Mayme Webb Bledsoe is a native of Durham's West End neighborhood and serves as Board Chair of the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice. Join us for this month’s Aperture as she shares stories of the Center’s history, Pauli Murray’s life, and how it intersects with her personal story as someone who grew up in the same area as Pauli did. Read more about Mayme here. After she shares, participants will be welcome to ask questions and engage in casual conversation. Register now – It's not too late!
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SATURDAY: Visit the Childhood Home of Pauli Murray
at 11:00am followed by lunch at GRUB Durham
Join us as Barbara Lau, Executive Director, offers a tour around the grounds of Pauli Murray’s childhood home (906 Carroll Street). While the inside of the center is currently closed, the art installation offers a safe, socially distanced way to learn more about Pauli Murray, her family, the home built in 1898 where she grew up, and some of the ways her work and vision have continued to impact the world. After the tour, we’ll head over to Grub Durham to enjoy lunch together outdoors. Come and join us! Register now
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BIG NEWS! Y Learning Comes to WPC Starting Monday, October 25
In March, the Session approved planning towards a second capital campaign to pay off our beautiful new Fellowship Hall and “launch” it into the community. This new space must be genuinely for the whole community and have a transformative effect on it. The Session set up a team to find a way –through our space and financial resources – that we might have a positive impact on our broader community. That team of Jennifer Feiler, Bo Ferguson, and Kim Tupper met into the summer, consulting with the deacons from our Mission Committee and Neighborhood Mission Team and reaching out to community partners. How can we use this building for our neighbors? What does our community need right now?
One answer soon became apparent – pandemic learning loss and lack of social and emotional engagement have been difficult for so many children. Those conversations resulted in the Session approving a partnership with the YMCA to sponsor a Y Learning program on Westminster’s campus. Starting Monday, October 25, a bus will pick up 25 students from Hope Valley Elementary and bring them to our campus for tutoring to help build their reading skills.
Y Learning serves students who are struggling to meet school system benchmarks and live in under-served neighborhoods. It also offers other supports for families, such as Backpack Buddies (hunger relief) and Presents for Peace (Christmas Santa’s Workshop shopping for families). YMCA teachers and staff will run the program on our campus, Mondays-Thursdays, 3:00-6:00pm. We will also be supporting the program with funding from the campaign.
These students will be on different parts of our campus – sometimes the Fellowship Hall or Mission Center classrooms or the playfield. The Y team has assured us they can be flexible based on our needs for an afternoon class or project or a campus-wide event like a funeral. While the Y will run the program, we’ll be working on ways to get to know these students and families as well. We will be sharing more with you about this exciting new partnership in the days to come. In the meantime, please join us in praying for a successful partnership and young students who can learn and excel in their reading skills. You may contact Chris Tuttle with any questions.
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Stewardship 2022: “Draw Near to the Lord”
God had just liberated the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. God's people marched through the Red Sea and danced and sang on the other side - they were free! They were exhausted, but also knew they had more difficult days ahead.
Through a pandemic and continued mounting crises, many of us can understand in some small way how the Israelites might have felt. When will we get there, God? Will we ever be able to truly rest with all of this behind us? We are weary, to our bones.
But amid their hunger, God called together the Israelites' leaders, Moses and Aaron. The people were hungry and complaining, yet God, always generous, told the people that God would provide for them and accompany them every single day. Moses instructed Aaron to say to the people, "Draw near to the Lord." God has heard your cries. God takes care of you. God calls us to be more fully connected to God and all of God's people.
As a community, we’ve been disconnected for much of the past 18 months. While this pandemic is not over, we are still finding beautiful ways to be connected. Our staff and committees have tackled the challenges of gathering with creativity and dedication. Through it all, God has not only remained faithful; God has shown us new ways to be together, to listen and learn and advocate for justice, and to care and pray. We have learned and grown, completed a major construction project, made other essential investments in our campus, and provided numerous gifts to the community.
In this Stewardship season, as you are considering how you might support the church in the coming year, we invite you to consider:
- How has God accompanied you in this time?
- When have you struggled? When have you felt God draw near?
- What have you seen and learned in this time?
Sunday, October 31, is Stewardship Dedication Sunday, when we bring our pledges to worship and give thanks to God. We will “draw near to the Lord” and to each other, singing “Amazing Grace” together in the Courtyard as we present our gifts to God.
If you have already sent in your pledge or pledged online, THANK YOU! If you haven't yet, please take time to review the Stewardship packet and prayerfully consider how you might give to support Westminster's many vibrant ministries in 2022.
If you have any questions, please reach out to any of us directly, and we will find the answer for you. We are excited to share this journey with you!
With gratitude from the Stewardship Committee: Chuck Byrd, Rachel Chang, Kim Garcia, Chris McLaughlin, Anne Sherman, May Stanfield, David Wilcox, and Lee Willard
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SUNDAY: Shower for Baby Stayer-Brewington
On behalf of the whole congregation, the Youth Group is honoring Alex and Caroline with a baby shower this afternoon. This will be a youth-only event due to Covid-19 limitations. In lieu of gifts from the congregation, Alex and Caroline are asking folks to contribute diapers and wipes, which the youth will package and deliver to the Diaper Bank of North Carolina. Donations can be dropped off at Alex’s office. Questions? Please contact Helen Tharrington.
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Book Drive for Book Harvest
Cub Scout Pack 451, based at WPC, is collecting children’s books for Book Harvest, a nonprofit based in Durham. Book Harvest provides an abundance of books and literacy support to families and children -- over 1.5 million books since 2011!
Donate new and gently-used children’s books. Book Harvest always needs board books, graphic novels, and children’s books written by diverse authors and/or featuring diverse characters. Adult books, religious books, textbooks, encyclopedias, magazines, activity/coloring books, and damaged books are not accepted.
Please bring donations by November 8. Book donation bins are located at the Mission Center main doors and on the porch of the Calhoon Cabin. Thanks for your help!
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