December 31, 2021
Dear friends and fellow disciples,
There's something about the beginning of a new year that lifts the spirits of even the most cynical among us. I think it is the possibilities.
No matter what has happened in the past year, in our lives, or in the world. No matter what you have done or left undone. Regardless of it all, a new year is a chance to begin again.
Each Sunday, after the prayer of confession and a time for silence, one of us will offer an assurance of grace. Sometimes we say something like, "The old life has gone, and a new life has begun. Know that you are forgiven, and be at peace." In Christ, with Christ, through Christ, possibilities exist that we cannot even dream of. Even after a year like this one!
I suspect a few of us may want to hold onto 2021. I, for one, am glad it's over, and I bet you are, too! Yes, we saw some glimpses of hope with pandemic ebbs and flows, but the door could well shut on us again. Many children went back to school, but not how we would have liked it to be. So much of life remains masked. Many of us were vaccinated and received our boosters. There were shouts of joy when teens and some children could receive them as well, but not all of us can just yet.
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And so much of all of this has been stuck in the grip of bitter partisanship when it shouldn't be – Christ calls us to work for our neighbor's health and safety. Violence and illness and dysfunction, endless Zoom meetings, and all sorts of economic anxiety seemed to follow 2020 into 2021. It has been a tough time for all.
It has been a challenging year at Westminster, too. How do we stay connected? How do we remain a community, a covenant people, when we must be apart so much? We have missed seeing each other in the same ways, and staying connected via technology alone has been difficult.
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Even in difficulty, Christ has been offering opportunities for us to be faithful. An excellent team has built a platform for online worship that gives members with health concerns the chance to stay connected and help expand the church’s reach. As we jumped back into in-person worship in June, so did our friends at La Nueva Jerusalen, our partner Hispanic congregation that meets a few times each week on our campus. If you're around the church in the evening, you might see the scouts playing games and growing. The Westminster School for Young Children hired a new director this year and has navigated another Covid year so well.
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Our ministry with children and with youth continues to adapt in ways that amaze me, meeting outside for laughter and conversation. Once vaccines were approved for children, the numbers we saw around in our programs in November and December exploded! It made me excited about what was to come. Our racial equity team hosted conversations, and the time spent learning about Pauli Murray was a gift. There will be more to come in the new year as we learn more of Durham's stories. We dedicated a beautiful new building that has hosted some gatherings inside, but many more on the wonderful covered terrace, from Confirmation classes to officer training to funeral receptions. |
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I want to tell you about something beginning next week that I'm so excited about. As a part of the planning for an upcoming second capital campaign to pay off and launch the new Fellowship Hall, a team from the Session assessed potential community partners. They asked, “How can we use this space to make even more of a difference?” Thanks to a partnership with the YMCA, the Y-Learning program is set to begin on January 4. The Y will bring to WPC about 20-30 children from Hope Valley Elementary who are in need of extra academic and social support. The counseling staff from the school identifies the families and works with the Y to get them enrolled. The Y will transport the children to our campus, and they'll work with Y staff – and eventually also WPC volunteers – to continue to learn and grow. We all know the tremendous toll the pandemic has taken on our children. Using our facility and the financial support we are contributing allows the Y to expand the number of children they can serve. As many of you may remember, WPC first began meeting in the old Hope Valley School back in 1968 (the Courtyard bricks in the photo above came from the old school). Now, children who attend this school will come to Westminster’s campus to continue their learning and growth. So exciting!
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Think about it: Even in a pandemic, as the new year begins, our campus will be full of preschool children in the morning and Y Learning young people in the afternoon; scouts and other groups in the evening, and La Nueva on some evenings and on the weekends. We have a few more significant community events on the calendar in the spring. And as in-person events ramp up in the new year – and yes, even with all of the Covid uncertainty, I am hopeful that as the year goes on, we will be doing more and more things safely and creatively together – we truly have a chance to be a mission outpost and hub of community activity here in southwest Durham, that all of this area might be better and stronger and more connected and more faithful. |
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Thanks for reading all of this. As you can tell, I'm excited about what is ahead. I pray this new year is filled with many good possibilities for you and yours. I look forward to the ways we'll share in all of it. Together.
Chris
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Westminster Quick Links – New Year's Eve Edition
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