The Weekly Word at Western Boulevard Presbyterian Church

Thursday, August 11, 2022

THIS SUNDAY AT WBPC

Worship Service – 10:30am – Click HERE for the bulletin.

@The Table Worship – 5:00pm on Zoom. Click HERE for the order of service, which includes the link for the Zoom gathering.

No Sunday School until Fall – Sunday school and Children’s Chapel are on summer hiatus. The start of Sunday School will be on Rally Day, September 11!

BLESSING OF THE BACKPACKS – AUGUST 28

The summer is flying by! Soon it will be time to start a new school year. Students following a traditional calendar will return to school on August 29. How can the church family help the children and youth know that they venture into a new school year with our prayers and blessings? All school-aged kids are invited to bring their backpacks to the worship service on August 28 where Pastor Frank will lead the congregation in bestowing a blessing of these backpacks. Come help us fulfill our baptismal promise of nurturing these young ones as they grow and learn!

SCHOOL SUPPLY DONATIONS

At the same time we are blessing our children as they begin their school year, we have an opportunity to help the children of our community have a great start to their year, too! We’ve been contacted by the social worker at Dillard Drive Middle School asking if we could assist with specific supplies that their teachers have requested. We also have heard from our partners with Avent West Children’s Mentoring, which we host during the school year, that they also have needs for start-of-school supplies. So, here is a list for both schools: composition books, backpacks (sturdy ones), quality band-aids, feminine hygiene products, quality tissues, 5-subject notebooks, post-it notes, hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes, 24-count Crayola crayons, Crayola colored pencils, Crayola thin markers, Wide rule filler paper, Spiral notebooks (1 subject yellow, green red & blue), #2 wooden pencils, yellow highlighters, index cards, Ziploc bags (quart and gallon), Elmer’s glue sticks, pencil sharpeners, pink erasers. There are collection bins in the narthex of the sanctuary and in the hallway outside Frank’s office. Please bring your donations throughout August, and we will dedicate them on August 28 when we have the Blessing of the Backpacks in worship. Thank you for your generous support!

MISSION OUTREACH: WELCOMING OUR NEIGHBORS

The Shams family moved into our neighborhood last month after escaping Afghanistan with the US military in September. The family has been in Raleigh for a few months and we are excited that they now have a house for their family of 7. Because of the father's work with the US Army, they fled on a 60 hour journey from Kabul to New Mexico where they stayed for two months in a camp. They are adapting to life in a new country while they speak little English and have had to move a few times already.

Four of the children will attend AB Combs in the fall and the father is working at a printing company. They are working with Lutheran Family Services for support in many areas. There are certainly needs that WBPC and our neighborhood can assist with. As we determine those needs we will be reaching out to anyone interested in helping out.

We had a lovely gathering of neighbors and church members who came on July 16 to meet and welcome the Shams to our community. Thank you to all who came! If you'd like to learn more about them and how we might be able to support them, please email Kevin Fischer at wkfischer1@gmail.com.

RESPONDING TO FLOODING DISASTERS

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is actively responding to the flooding disasters that have happened this summer in Kentucky, Virginia, St. Louis, and Illinois. To learn more about their efforts, click HERE. If you wish to make a monetary donation to PDA, you can donate to Western Boulevard and mark it “Disaster Assistance,” and we will forward it on to PDA. Thank you for your generous response to our neighbors in need.

MISSION OUTREACH

Presbyterians Engage in God's Mission: Senator Chris Coons Returns to His Presbyterian Roots - Click HERE to learn more.

BIBLICAL JUSTICE FORUM – AUGUST 15

BJF will meet on August 15, 22, 29, and will not meet on Labor Day, September 5. We are discussing new curriculums to use starting September 12. Our meetings in August will delve into issues that affect our community and how we can be faithful citizens as God's people loving our neighbors. 

On August 15, Sandy Irving will share information about Universal Health Care, PCUSA support and how this would further the ministry of Jesus who was the "original Universal Health Care Provider." (Rev. Copeland, NCCC)

On August 22, Becky Burmester will update us on the local affordable housing crisis and how we can respond and advocate as faithful Christians.

On August 29. two members of BJF from West Raleigh PC, Pam Wilson and Kathy Huffstetler, will update us on their Dismantling Racism Task Force that has been meeting for about two years. They will share what they have been doing those two years and talk about goals - which are ever evolving.

We will continue meeting via zoom at noon on Mondays. All are welcome to join our discussions. Click HERE for participating in Monday's meeting. 

EVANGELISM: OUTREACH & INCLUSION COMMITTEE – AUGUST 15

On Monday, August 15, at 2:30 pm, the Evangelism: Outreach & Inclusion Committee will meet on Zoom. Click HERE to join through the Zoom link. This committee seeks to effectively communicate the programs and opportunities available at WBPC to our members and the greater community. If you have questions or would like to participate, please contact Becky Burmester (919-395-1373; rebeccaburmester@gmail.com)!

JAZZ VESPER SERVICE – AUGUST 28

We are excited to share that we will have a Jazz Vesper Service on Sunday, August 28, at 5:00pm, in the sanctuary. This will be our @ The Table Service for that day, and Van-Anthoney Hall and Lacy Haith (trumpet) will provide the music for this special service. The service will be recorded and posted to the church’s YouTube page, and a freewill offering will be collected to support the Yahvre Jire Children’s Orphanage in Haiti. Plan to come and invite your friends and family for this wonderful opportunity to worship God!

UPDATE ON FELLOWSHIP HALL

We are making progress in repairing the Fellowship Hall after it flooded in July. The tile removal is scheduled to take place August 16-19. In 2006, WBPC answered the call to perform mission work in hurricane and flood affected areas of the US and its territories. From Louisiana to Mississippi to New Jersey to 3 areas in North Carolina to South Carolina and to Puerto Rico, we have sent teams to work where we were called to go. Initially, it was mostly adults with some college-age young adults. Gradually, it became mostly senior high youth. Finally, it has changed to youth led trips where the older high school youth teach and pass along the skills they have learned to the younger youth. Working side by side, the adults have taught the older youth and the older youth have taught the younger youth. This model has worked very well for the past 8 years.

One of the best skills our youth group has developed is installing vinyl plank flooring. A group of current and former youth are coming together for the first time to install the new floor in the Fellowship Hall. They are providing a $5000-$5500 service to this congregation. It is their way of thanking the congregation for the love, prayers and support they have received during their mission trips. On Saturday, August 27, they will install our new floor in the Fellowship Hall. If you have never had the opportunity to witness the work that they can perform on missions, you are welcome to stop by on the 27th and see for yourself what these young people have learned!

If you would like to learn more or help with this project, please contact Larry Shelton (919-795-4099; lsheltonnc@gmail.com). We thank you for your continued patience and support during this time, and we look forward to having the Fellowship Hall back in use very soon!

DIVORCE CARE

If you are considering separation or divorce, don’t try to go through it alone. Connect with a DivorceCare group either in person or online. You’ll find caring people who understand the issues you face and practical counsel for decision making and managing stress. Contact DivorceCare HERE or speak with a Deacon or Elder for a list of several groups that meet in The Triangle area, churches or online.

PRAYER CHAIN REQUESTS

If you have a prayer concern, please contact Frank Mansell (frank@wbpresbyterian.org), Marcia Bennett (sen1969@hotmail.com), or Betty Dean (betdean@nc.rr.com) and request that it be added to the Prayer Chain. Please note that any confidential prayer requests will not be added to the Prayer Chain.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS: August 14-20

Sunday, August 14

   10:30am       Worship Service

   11:45am       Session Meeting (Youth room)

     1:30pm       Church Officer Nominating Committee (Parlor)

     5:00pm       @ The Table Service (Zoom)

Monday, August 15

   12:00pm       Biblical Justice Forum (Zoom)

     2:30pm       Evangelism: Outreach and Inclusion Committee (Zoom)

     7:00pm       Mission and Outreach Committee (Zoom)

Wednesday, August 17

     9:30am       Wednesday AM Prayer Group (Parlor)

Thursday, August 18

     6:30pm       Bible Study (Zoom)

RESERVATIONS, PICTURES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please refer to the Calendar if you have questions about meetings. If you want to reserve a room, please email admin@wbpresbyterian.org. If you have photos from Church events this year, please share them with us. You may upload your pictures directly to our shared Church album by clicking HERE.

If you would like your birthday included on the monthly birthday list, please update your personal information on Realm or contact the church office.

WE'RE HIRING! WBPC is seeking an Administrative Assistant AND a Director of Christian Education & Community Engagement. If you or someone you know is interested, please click HERE for more information.

As we search for a new Administrative Assistant, please send any announcements for the bulletin or Weekly Word to both admin@wbpresbyterian.org and frank@wbpresbyterian.org. Thank you!

Click HERE for August birthdays!