Get Ready for a New Season of Christian Education for All Ages! |
|
Come to campus, greet Westminster pastors and program staff, and gather information on the coming year of Christian Education programs and opportunities. We’re kicking off a brand new year of Christian Education with Rally Day on Sunday, September 13!
We'll get started in the morning with Zoom meet-ups for all ages, then gather online for worship. From 1:00-3:00pm, you’re invited to come to campus and enjoy a Drive-Through Car Rally for a Season of Zoom, featuring drive-through stations for Children & Families, Adult Christian Education, Youth Group, Local Missions, and Fellowship. Bring boxes of cereal to support families served by Iglesia Presbiteriana Emanuel’s food distribution ministry.
Rally Day is an all-ages event to celebrate and embrace our commitment to Christian Education at Westminster, as we discover wonderful new ways to learn about God and walk the disciple’s path in these together/apart times. We hope you will make plans to part of this unique event in the life and history of our church. See you there!
|
|
Rally Day Schedule of Events
Contact Marietta for Zoom links
9:45 - 10:00am All-Church Zoom
10:00 - 10:15am Adult Classes Video Introductions
10:15 - 10:25am Preschool/K & Elementary Classes Zoom
10:30 - 10:45am 5th/6th grade Zoom
10:30 - 10:45am 7th grade Zoom
10:00 - 10:45am Confirmation (including parents)
10:30 - 10:45am High School Zoom
11:00am - 12:00pm Worship Online
1:00 - 2:00pm Car Rally Drive-Through: Last names A - M
2:00 - 3:00pm Car Rally Drive-Through: Last names N - Z
|
|
NEW: Introducing CommUNITY Groups!
Nurturing Faith in CommUNITY Together/Apart
Jesus’ ministry began with an invitation to two curious young adults: “Come and see.” Soon, a small circle of men and a few women followed Jesus, leaving behind their old ways of life and learning about and living into the Kingdom of God. Through this small group, lives far beyond its members were healed and transformed and the good and subversive message was spread.
Jesus’ followers today are also invited to “Come and see.” It is through deep, often challenging relationships that we experience the living Christ, that lives are upended, and the very world we inhabit is made new. Forming bonds of kinship, however, is difficult in normal times, even more so in this age of physical and social distancing. But it is clear that connection and supportive fellowship is more important than ever.
That’s why Westminster’s Christian Education teams for Adults, Children, and Youth decided that a primary goal for this fall needed to focus on nurturing faith in CommUNITY - together/apart. Key to this effort will be a new initiative - CommUNITY Groups. CommUNITY Groups are for anyone who's willing to go on a new adventure in relationship-building here at WPC. We are even creating space on Sunday mornings for our new groups to meet once a month!
CommUNITY Groups connect two to four households (8 to 12 members) around a shared interest. Groups meet at least once a month and may choose to meet on CommUNITY Sunday which typically falls on Communion Sunday, the first Sunday of the month, during the Church School hour (Our first CommUNITY Sunday will be October 4). CommUNITY Groups may also choose to meet at a different time that is convenient to the group. Click the button below to get all the details and sign up!
|
|
Aperture Returns September 16, 6:30pm
“In These Challenging Times: A Class on Fearing, Coping, and Hoping,” a Conversation with the Whole Congregation (online)
Facilitated by Geoff Vaughn
2020 has been a year like no other in recent history. Our local, national and global communities have and continue to endure challenges in unfamiliar ways and at unprecedented levels. As this season of stress wears on, our abilities to cope with chronic fear and find some acute relief are increasingly strained.
We kick off Aperture, a monthly series that engages speakers from the community and congregation, with Geoff Vaughn, who will offer a platform for discussion. We will start by looking at some fundamentals of stress-inducing environmental events, their origins and characteristics, and how we perceive and react to them as individuals and as groups. We will then move into a discussion about stress and its physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual impact. This will lead us to an investigation of strategies to better manage this stress – ways to instill an increased sense of hope and strength as we all move forward in this uncertain time.
Geoff Vaughn is a Medical Family Therapist at the Duke Cancer Institute. His clinical focus is on coping with traumatic experiences. Geoff provides psychotherapy for teens and young adults with cancer. He's also an active member of the church and one of our new Class of 2023 elders.
|
|
Fall Church School Elective: “In These Challenging Times”
Continue the conversation from September’s Aperture event in this three-week Fall Church School elective, also facilitated by Geoff Vaughn. Two separate groups will meet for three Sundays each:
- Group A: For parents of Confirmands. Meets September 20 and 27, October 4
- Group B: Open to anyone, but limited to 10 participants. Meets October 11, 18, 25
|
|
WPC Youth Group Fall Kick-Off Coming Soon
Our Youth Advisors, Youth Council, and Alex have been working up plans for a new year of WPC youth group. There will be a Youth Group Kick-off meeting for all parents and youth on Sunday, September 20, at 6:00pm, to talk about what Youth Group will look like this Fall. The youth team is putting the finishing touches on its fall activity calendar for WPC Youth, which will include a mix of small, in-person groups and online gatherings. Come to Rally Day to say hi to Alex and learn more!
|
|
Chancel Choir Resumes on Thursday, September 17 (via Zoom). Won’t you join us?
A special invitation from Monica
The pandemic has brought us to the start of a choir season unlike any other in our lifetimes. But we plan to approach it with positivity and creative energy. Please consider joining us for choir rehearsals –held via Zoom –beginning Thursday, September 17, at 7:30pm.
Why should you join us now, of all times? There are many reasons! Here are a few:
1. We will be singing wonderful music together. I am aiming for comfort, beauty, & peace in the midst of the chaos our world continues to throw at us. The anthems & hymns we will focus on this fall fill the bill – they are timeless & much beloved.
2. It is true that choir rehearsals via Zoom will be different, but I am working hard to make them as engaging, educational, & fun as they can possibly be. In addition to singing along on anthems while I play and sing and direct (granted, singers will have to be muted due to latency issues), rehearsals won’t be very lengthy but will be quite varied. Sometimes we’ll be singing along with a YouTube video I share with everyone. At other times, I’ll be giving background information about musical styles or composers, or even bits of music theory, history, and interpretation that influence how we approach music. Sometimes we will lapse into discussions about how a particular piece strikes us, what it means, what music means generally in our lives, etc. We will learn so much from one another.
3. One of the (few) silver linings about doing virtual rehearsals Is that singers can join us no matter where they live, as long as they have internet access. That’s a great thing, and I am hoping we can regularly include folks who have moved away from our area. Geography is no barrier now! Getting to church on Thursday evenings is also no longer a barrier, no matter what weather or other conditions are thrown at us. Just sing along and participate in our discussions from the comfort of your home. It couldn’t be easier!
4. Some of our singers will want to participate in our ongoing Acapella recording projects (for use in online worship), and of course I encourage that. Our rehearsals will help with these projects too, but they will not be the primary focus. The music & fellowship alone will be worth your time, even if you never participate in an Acapella project.
One thing I will have to ask: Please let me know if you want to join us in choir this season, simply so that I can send you a music packet before September 17. You’ll need it to be fully engaged in rehearsals.
That’s it...now plan to sing with us! We look forward to welcoming you to our fun-loving group of music-lovers! Please contact me with any questions.
|
|
Westminster This Week - Quick Links
|
|
PLEASE REMEMBER: Westminster’s campus is CLOSED. Only church staff and essential facilities personnel are permitted on campus and inside the buildings at this time. Utilize emails and phone calls to conduct any church business you may have. For safety reasons, please avoid “stopping by” and/or entering the buildings. Thanks for understanding, and stay safe! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
‌
‌
‌