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Friday Newsletter

May 26, 2023

This Sunday--Pentecost



Worship Service: 10 am

Nursery Care available

Coffee Hour: following service

Regular Youth Groups

Worship Notes


It’s Pentecost this Sunday! If you have some red items, feel free to wear them as we celebrate the ‘birthday of the church.’ We will also be passing the peace in the many languages that are spoken throughout the congregation – peace, shalom, pax, paz. And then, to close out Pentecost we will make a real circle in the sanctuary as we sing Draw the Circle Wide. 


Sunday Music Spotlight

Having become one of the few hymns that has crossed into the secular realm, "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" is a staple of our Christian hymnody. In 1752, a young Robert Robinson attended an evangelical meeting to heckle the believers and make fun of the proceedings. Instead, he listened in awe to the words of the great preacher George Whitefield, and in 1755, at the age of twenty, Robinson responded to the call he felt three years earlier and became a Christian. Another three years later, when preparing a sermon for his church in Norfolk, England, he penned the words that have become one of the church’s most-loved hymns: “Come, thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace.”

Using imagery of Christ as the giver of living water and the shepherd gathering his sheep back into the fold, this hymn reminds the worshipper of the ever bountiful grace of God. Like Robinson, we too are “prone to wander,” and are quick to seek redemption through our own power. But God continues to bring us back from our wandering, until, songs of praise on our lips, we dance forever before the mount of His redeeming love. [www.hymnary.org]

Participate


Help out at VBC this year--contact Teri Mohney (ctmohney@comcast.net or 503-851-6160) to discuss how you can help with this fun, impactful event. Forms with various roles will be available at church on Sunday.


Take a moment to sign a card for our high school graduates in the narthex--we will honor them in service on June 11.


Plan to attend the Congregational Meeting on June 11 immediately following the worship service. The purpose of the meeting is to approve a plan for the reorganization of the Boulder Hall loan. An informational session will be held Thursday, June 8, at 7 pm via Zoom.


The Pastor’s Bible Study on Tuesdays @ 10:30am is shifting into its summer schedule with a variety of interesting topics. They are open to everyone--feel free to drop in any week!

  • May 30: TED talk w/ Kelly
  • June 6: Off
  • June 13: Movie w/ Michele
  • June 20: Movie w/ Michele
  • June 27: Off


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

Childcare Task Force Update


The Childcare Task Force is moving forward with preparing our building to accommodate a full-time childcare center this Fall. 

 

  1. We received funding from the Presbytery's New Ministries Team to pursue our conditional use permit with the city. Thanks to the quick work and preparation of Ted Burney and Maggie Sather, our initial planning meeting has been waived and we have saved about $800 which we can use for other needs as they arise. We are moving forward with completing our conditional use permit application. 
  2. State-provided grant funds have been postponed to the Fall. If funding re-opens in the fall, we will be submitting an application for funding for capital improvements, classroom supplies, and staff support. At this time, no capital improvements are planned. 
  3. Creative Discoveries has completed their education year and begun moving their materials out of the building. You may see a storage container parked in the church lot soon. This will be gone by their exit date of June 24. 

Thank you for your support and flexibility as we work to provide affordable and accessible childcare to families in South Salem! Questions? Contact vik@salemwestpres.org 

 

Vik Schaaf on behalf of the Childcare Task Force 

FYI


The nursery will be closing for the summer after June 4. This will give our worker and volunteers a much-needed break. Many thanks to Children’s Ministry for stepping in to fill a leadership void while the nursery is in transition. The transition will be discussed during the summer with a hope of revitalizing this ministry before fall. The space will be available as an "escape room" if needed with service streaming capabilities. Please contact Teri Mohney or Suzanne Taylor for more information. Sunday School also takes its summer hiatus after May 21 and youth groups after May 28. A reminder that worshipers of all ages are welcome in the sanctuary when we gather and practice together how to be the body of Christ!

Session is meeting on May 31 instead of May 17 this month.


Access the full church calendar here.  


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

Prayers for


Audrey's cousin Daniel, who is struggling with illicit drug use


**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


The Cancer Resource Center provides free head coverings to patients undergoing cancer treatment. We have wigs, hats, and scarves to give to patients no matter where they are being treated. As the weather warms up, some patients ask for scarves rather than a wig. This year we have very few large square head scarves. If you have a large head scarf you do not wear, would you please donate it? You can take it to the CRC in building C at Salem Hospital or you can drop it off in the church office. I will take the donations to the CRC. If you have questions, or would like to learn about the blessings of volunteering in the CRC, please contact Lynnea Lyman.


Salem For Refugees is looking for Good Neighbor Teams for a Burmese family of 4 arriving in mid-May and a Central African Republic family of 6 expected mid-May or end of May. Good Neighbor Teams are volunteer teams paired with a newly arriving refugee family to provide hospitality, friendship, and community connection. This is a great way for families, small groups, friends, or neighbors to welcome a refugee family. If you are interested in learning more about how to create a Good Neighbor Team or how to join one, please contact Tania Wilson Moran at tania@salemforrefugees.org or via phone at 503-606-8099. 


Salem For Refugees is looking for host homes for single individuals and small families. Our most urgent need for our New Neighbors is a safe and welcoming home where they can land, take a breath, and adjust to their new environment while we secure their permanent home. If you have a spare room that you would consider opening for up to 4 weeks and wish to be an active participant in the resettlement of our New Neighbors please contact David Glavnik at david@salemforrefugees.org

Westminster Presbyterian Church

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3737 Liberty Rd. S 

Salem, OR 97302

PHONE: 503-364-3327

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