From the Pastor's Desk

Dear Friends,

You are invited to the Good Friday service this evening with the labyrinth at 6pm and the service at 7pm. Our “Modern Day Passion: Gun violence and our children” is a time for us to tend to the sorrow of children killed in their own classrooms as well as frame our grief in terms of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. What is it in us that needs to rise out of the ashes on Easter morning? Just as we would not say that the crucifixion of the innocent Jesus was simply the price to be paid for life in the Roman Empire, we would also not say that massacring our own children is the price to be paid for the American Empire. Blessings to you this Holy Week and blessings to our Jewish siblings as they enter Passover – two traditions ritually marking the movement from oppression into liberation. May it be so.

A Church that does not feel as her own, the anguish, the distress, and the suffering of the people cannot be the authentic Church of the Redemption. – Oscar Romero, Good Friday, 1978

Ever onward,

Pastor Kelly

Participate

Invite all the kids you know to the annual Easter egg hunt on Saturday, April 8. Registration begins at 9 am.

Consider adding a plate of cookies to the spread for our mini Easter brunch following service.

The youth geranium fundraiser is happy to offer you Egan Garden's BEAUTIFUL Geraniums for pre-order!!! Flowers are $6 each and hanging baskets are $30 each. Flowers can be picked up on Sunday morning, May 7th from 9-11:30 AM. Delivery is available for $10 if necessary. Pre-Orders are due this week by April 12th. We will have a limited amount for sale out front at Westminster on Sunday, May 7th. Please make checks payable to Westminster Presbyterian Church with "Youth Missions" on the memo. All proceeds will benefit City Camp and the Puerto Rico Mission Trip. Order here.

Pick Up Sticks, our annual grounds clean up, is next Saturday, April 15 from 9am-1pm (come when you can). This year the focus will be on clearing out downed wood in order to reduce fire risk. This is an easy and family-friendly way to participate in Earth Month by helping to care for the land we steward! 

A Congregational Meeting will take place on Sunday, April 16, at 11 am for the purpose of electing elders (Bill Faust, Steve Kandra, Teri Mohney), deacons (Angie Willoughby), and the nominating committee (Nancy MacMorris-Adix, Jackie Hilfiker, Sandy McLean, Susan Tanabe, and Kelsey Weber). More details and nominees to come.

Watch episode 1 of Current Revolution, the featured film of Faith Climate Action Week 2023, here on your own then join a small group discussion after service on Sunday, April 23.

Bring a beloved pet to receive a blessing from Pastor Kelly at our Blessing of the Animals event on Saturday, April 29, at 10 am on the church grounds. Pets of all kinds or photographs welcome.

New Members Classes will take place Sundays April 30 and May 7, 11:30-1:00. If you have considered joining Westminster or just want to come and find out more information about membership, the Outreach team is excited to meet you. Please RSVP to the church office (office@salemwestpres.org or 503-364-3327) by 4/27 at noon.

Sign up to be a greeter once in a while--be the welcoming face everyone sees on a Sunday morning. For more info please contact Katie Nelson at nelsonkatieallstar@gmail.com.

Save the Date

Families lunch: 5/21 after service. Activities for children and youth planned.

Vacation Bible Camp: 6/26-6/30 for current Kindergartners-5th graders. Register here or pick up a form in the narthex.

FYI

Session and the members of the Worship Committee have been hosting our Listening Table since January as we began the Blended Services. We have collated your comments and will continue to consider your feedback as future worship services are planned. Thank you for your help!

When hosting events or doing work around the church, please consider what items you make use of and put things back when you are done. Thank you for everyone's efforts to keep our space looking great and our supplies ready for the next person!

Children's Easter books are on display in the church library! Check one out to enjoy at home.

April is Earth Month. Check out the all-new Creation Care page on the church website here.

Access the full church calendar here.  

Deadline for placing info in the Friday Newsletter is every Thursday at 9 am!

In the Community



Join SWAN and neighbors of Fircrest Park (with Ted Burney) to celebrate Earth Day at a park clean-up event in the church's own neighborhood. Friday, April 21 & Saturday, April 22, 10 am-3pm. Focus will be removing invasive plants, soft trail maintenance, and planting understory shrubs in the Fircrest Pollinator & Bird Enhancement Area. Family-friendly. Bring gloves and small hand tools.

John Dalen, our own tuba player extraordinaire, invites us to a concert with film "The Blue Marble" put on by the Salem Symphonic Winds on April 16, 3:00 pm, at South Salem High's Rose Auditorium. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

Pray for

**If you would like a written prayer included in Sunday's worship bulletin, please email or call the church office (krisha@salemwestpres.org; 503-364-3327) or fill out the prayer request form on the website by Thursday at 10 am each week.

Give

Nancy MacMorris-Adix, board chair of Family Building Blocks, invites us to participate in their 14th Annual Diaper Drive. The most urgent need is for sizes 4-7, including pull-ups, and wipes. Drop off at a Les Schwab or a community partner (more info here).

Westminster Presbyterian Church