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Thursday Newsletter

August 15, 2024

This Sunday


10 am: Worship Service in Boulder Hall

11:15 am: Coffee Hour

11:30 am: All-Family Meeting

1:00 pm: VBC Volunteer Orientation


Nursery care available

Don't forget to check your garden to add to the Plethora of Produce this week. Leave a veggie, take a veggie at Sunday service!

All-Family Meeting! 


Parents – Please attend an in-person session on THIS SUNDAY Aug 18 @ 11:30am to let your voice be heard as Westminster discerns a way forward for our youth, children, and infant programming. Read more from Pastor Kelly about possible changes here and view the accompanying informational slides here.


Questions? Contact Rachelle Hughes (wsbandmom@comcast.net), Susan Tanabe (malarkeyt5@comcast.net), or Luanne Barnes (luannebarnes91@gmail.com). 

From the Pastor's Desk


In late July and early August, I had a chance to spend some quality time with my eldest son, Zack. We traveled, ate, talked and laughed. I am deeply appreciative of the ways Westminster takes care of my family and me through vacation time for rest and relaxation. It is much appreciated and we had a great time! Here’s a quick synopsis:

  • Best part: Riding bikes in Amsterdam
  • Worst part: Getting the flu for 2 days
  • Most impactful: Dachau concentration camp (more on this in the coming weeks)
  • Most surprising: A surfable river in Munich
  • Most sweet: Visiting family friends

It is good to be back in the saddle, and behind the scenes Westminster is gearing up for the fall. We have two more Sundays of worshipping in Boulder Hall. We have some special things planned for both days:

  • Aug 18: Julie Taylor, the Executive Director of the National Farm Workers Ministry (www.nfwm.org) will provide the Minute 4 Mission. She will also be available during coffee hour as well as from 12-1pm for an informal, open-invitation lunch gathering at Thompson’s Brewery and Public House. Pastor Kelly is preaching on 1 John 1:5-10, take a look here.
  • Aug 25: The Budget & Finance team has a special presentation to share with the congregation the Boulder Hall loan payoff plan. Come hear the good news. Pastor Kelly is preaching on 1 John 2:9-11; 4:19-21, get a jump start on reading the text here.


Power to the peaceful,

Pastor Kelly

Looking Ahead


June 25-August 20: Tuesday Bible Study (10:30 am)

July 7-August 25: Sunday Morning Worship in Boulder Hall 

August 18 @ 11:30 am: All Family Gathering

August 18 @ 1:00 pm: Vacation Bible Camp Volunteer Training

August 26-August 30: Vacation Bible Camp

September 8 @ 11:30: Church Picnic & Fall Festival for teams and committees to share what they are working on and invite new volunteers


Access the full church calendar here. To add or correct something, please email office@salemwestpres.org.

The Youth Mission trips are complete. We invite you all to attend Youth Sunday on October 6 to hear about the summer! We will be serving fresh beignets and tropical treats after the service in Boulder Hall! 


I have checked in with all our friends in Puerto Rico follow Hurricane Ernesto. The island lost power for about 700K residents. Almost all of our friends lost power for 24 hours, but it is back on now. There is a lot of flooding and damages are unknown at this time. Prayers for the island as they recover once again! -Vik

Opportunities


Men's Night Out is Tuesday, August 20, at 6 pm. Please RSVP to John Dalen (john.m.dalen@gmail.com).


Fall Festival - Congregational Vitality Committee (CVC—formerly Outreach) is spear-heading a church-wide Fall Festival event on Sunday, September 8, after worship in Boulder Hall. The purposes of the festival are: (1) to showcase the ministries, activities and partnerships of Westminster, and (2) for members of the congregation to find points of attachment to the life of the church. Round tables in Boulder Hall will be set up according to the six core ministry areas: Outward Mission, Worship & Music, Community Life, Next Generation, Administrative Ministry, and Building Operations. Additionally there will be an area for local non-profit organizations that we support. Anyone is welcome to sponsor an area or committee—which includes, but is not limited to: Elders, Deacons, Committee Chairs, and Staff. To reserve a spot, please contact Katie Nelson, nelsonkatieallstar@gmail.com; 503-580-5631. Deadline is Wednesday, September 4


Presbyterian Beliefs Class - This is a six week class that will be led by Pastor Kelly. It is designed as an inquiry class that will cover the foundations of theology and church. Anyone is welcome to sign up who wants to delve deeper into what it means to be Presbyterian, whether you are already a church member or not. It is designed also as Part 1 to joining membership in the spring of 2025. Please mark your calendars for September 22-October 27; time and location: 11:30-1:00 in Russell Hall (Library)—bring your own lunch; specific dates to be determined. There are signup lists in Boulder Hall, or contact the church office to add your name to the list. 



Tuesday morning Bible studies continue (10:30 at the church) this summer. Anyone is welcome to join!

FYI


The office manager will be out next week. For limited office support, please visit or call during the hours of Mon-Wed 9am-12pm. The next full newsletter will be published August 30. Thank you!


Family Directory - Last opportunity to submit information and/or photos is Thursday, August 29. A limited number of copies of the updated directory will be available by September 8, 2024, and a new electronic copy will be sent out again.


A friendly reminder that Blue Bells Childcare is running a state-licensed operation on our grounds. Their staff are not set up to handle on-the-fly requests during the day. Should any concerns arise with the childcare please do not contact the staff or families of the childcare. Please direct all concerns to Vik Schaaf or Jill Whitney at the childcare task force. (Vik@salemwestpres.org) 


A couple name changes--Our Mission/Peace/Eco-Justice Committee (MPEJ) will now be known as Outreach for Social Justice (OSJ). Our Outreach Committee will now be known as Congregational Vitality Committee (CV).


Deadline to include information in the Fall 2024 Special Edition newsletter is Aug 23 to be published the following week (office@salemwestpres.org).

Give


We are still needing help to fill our Table of Plenty bins which are located by the drinking fountain. Needed? canned vegetables and fruits, canned beans--black, navy, garbanzo, kidney, and baked--cooking supplies, soups, tomato sauces, chili, canned spaghetti, ravioli, cereals, pastas, peanut butter, and canned meats and fish. No perishables, only canned or packaged foods, and not opened. Let's fill those bins!


Next week is the last week of our School Supply Drive. It is not too late to help with this important need. All contributions are appreciated … paper, pencils, crayons, notebooks, calculators, etc. The Congregational Vitality (Outreach) Committee will be delivering the supplies to the designated schools during the last week of August. Please donate by Sunday, August 25. Thank you to those that have already dropped off supplies and helped make this annual drive a success.


Vacation Bible Camp is approaching! August 26-30 is almost upon us. We still need volunteers for crew leaders, station helpers, snack helpers, Monday and Tuesday registration, Sunday setup, and Friday cleanup. If you can't be there all week but can give time one or more days, Terri can fit you in! There will be a Volunteer Meeting Sunday, August 18, at 1:00pm in Boulder Hall. All VBC volunteers should plan to attend to learn about plans and procedures for fun and safety! Contact Terri Crall (tcrall71@gmail.com) with questions or to sign up.

Pray


The Mohney family as Teri's mom, Pamela, passed away this week.

Westminster Presbyterian Church

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3737 Liberty Rd. S 

Salem, OR 97302

PHONE: 503-364-3327

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