Please give a warm Westminster Presbyterian Church welcome to Thankam Regala, our Intern for the academic year of 2021-22!
Thankam will begin her internship on Sept 12th and will spend 10 hours with us weekly during her internship. You will see her in worship, attending small groups of the church, doing a bit of teaching, and using some of her healthcare administration background to help us better understand the affinity groups and connections members have with each other and WPC so that we can have a better picture of who we are.
Here’s a bit more about Thankam:
Thankam Rangala is a third year MDiv student at Duke Divinity School and is a candidate for ordination in the Boston Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). She completed a pastoral care internship at the UNC Hospitals, Chapel Hill campus this summer. Originally from Bangalore, India, Thankam comes to us from North Easton, Massachusetts where she has lived for most of her adult life. With a long career in healthcare administration, she most recently served as Administrator and Head of Patient Care Services at a Mission Hospital in India where she lived and worked for 5 years caring for her nonagenarian mother. She is a long-standing member and ordained elder of the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, Easton, MA. Fueled by a deep faith, an enormous capacity for love, and a sense of perspective that this precious life is to be lived with meaning and purpose for God and for our 'neighbor,' Thankam longs to give back to her community the joy, peace, and love that God has given her through her life experiences. Thankam loves making friends and developing meaningful relationships. She loves working with diverse and vulnerable people in dynamic and/or challenging situations, and coaching/mentoring women. Her hobbies include reading, writing and travel – she loves nature and wildlife.
We are thankful to God for this opportunity to be a teaching congregation in ministry with Thankam!
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Westminster This Week – Quick Links
Worship at Westminster, September 5 & 12
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Are You Ready to RALLY?
Westminster, it’s time to rally! It’s time to revive, restore, recover and reassemble as the community of faith, a community ready to do and be all that God has called us to! For many, Rally Day marks a new start, a restart, or a renewal of our commitment to the life of Christian discipleship. This year’s Rally Day, September 12, will be both celebrative and informative… and mainly outdoors! We hope you’ll come!
Rally Day Schedule:
9:45am Lawn Games, community crafts, light refreshments
Registration & Information tables (courtyard + Fellowship Hall Terrace)
10:10am Welcome and introductions (courtyard)
10:30am Children’s & Youth Classes meet their leaders (outdoors)
Adult Faith Formation Classes and Learning Opportunities
11:00am Worship for all ages
Godly Play Begins (Parlor)
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Attention All Youth!
The Youth Group is hosting a gathering for 6th and 7th Graders in the Courtyard from 5:00pm to 6:00pm Friday, September 10. Alex and a few of the older youth will be there to lead some games and help our youngest youth get ready for an exciting year with the Youth Group.
Youth Group begins again Sunday, September 12! All youth (6th grade and up) are invited to join us from 5:30pm to 6:30pm in the Courtyard for an evening of good times, games, and reconnection. There will be a meeting for all parents and guardians of youth at 5:30pm in the Sanctuary. We'll discuss summer trips, plans for the year, and answer all your questions.
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Fall 2021 Worship Volunteers Needed – Many Opportunities to Serve!
WPC staff and worship leadership are deep into fall worship planning and need your help! It takes a lot of volunteers to make worship happen! Please visit our online sign-ups to check out all the ways you can serve your church on Sunday mornings. We’ve grouped the volunteer needs by worship dates (rather than by role) to help you find multiple ways you can serve and maybe also partner with friends and/or family members to serve together. Sign up now at www.bit.ly/F21WorshipVolunteers11am.
We are especially in need of sound technicians and live stream technicians for our newly expanded Audio-Visual Team. Training is provided by experienced volunteers. Please contact Mark Hill ( cmhill@gmail.com) if you are interested. |
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School Supply Drive a Resounding Success!
Wow! The support and generosity of this church was AMAZING. Our team was tasked to collect school supplies for Githens Middle School and Hope Valley Elementary. The bin in the Mission Center had to be emptied twice and the online donations totaled over $2,600. These two schools were so thankful for the donations and the Principal at Githens personally came out to say "thank you". Three car loads later, all supplies were delivered to both schools just before school started so every child could have a backpack and the supplies needed for a great start to the school year. Thank you to each of you for supporting this mission and our neighborhood elementary and middle school students!
- Elsa Woods, Betsy Mangum, JP Hanczaryk & Katie Hanczaryk
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From the Racial Equity Team
Coming This Year: Holy Circles
Each Sunday we state that “we are a community, a Covenant people.” We are here sharing common, but not identical, views about God, the church, and how we are to live our lives. We also talk about listening for the Spirit. A Holy Circle is a way to listen to what the Spirit is saying around a particular subject area. It is a way of sharing what is in our own heart about the matter and listening for what is in the hearts of others.
Circles are open to all members of the congregation on a strictly voluntary basis. You do not have to do anything to prepare for a Holy Circle. Simply sign up if you feel drawn to the topic that is the focus and come with an open heart. People speak what is alive in them around the topic and listen when others speak. There is no discussion, no agreements, or next steps at the end. There is simply giving sacred space for the Spirit to speak through us and to us. Circles have long been used in the area of spiritual formation and it is wonderful how, when two or more are gathered in Christ’s name, we can trust that God will be there with us. The Holy Circles convened this year are part of the Racial Equity Team’s effort to bring God’s guidance to efforts to end racism and bring God’s will to earth.
Click here to learn more about our inaugural Holy Circle, Sunday, September 26 from 3:00pm - 4:30pm.
WPC Outing! Experience the Black Farmer’s Market!
Join your WPC friends on a trip to the Black Farmer’s Market after worship on September 12! If you’re interested in carpooling, meet in the back parking lot near the basketball hoop at 1pm and sign up here. The Black Farmers’ Market happens rain or shine bi-monthly rotating between Durham and Raleigh to provide access to fresh foods from farms directly to customers. Questions? Contact Melinda Vaughn (mggj.vaughn@gmail.com).
Black Farmer’s Market Durham Location: Golden Belt Campus, 930 Franklin St., Durham, NC 27701
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Praying for Others
Please consult the prayers & cares list to pray for many in our congregation who are having difficult times - and those who want to celebrate good news in their lives. Visit https://bit.ly/InOurPrayers to see the list of those who need prayers.
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Important Update on Iglesia Emanuel’s Food Ministry
Don’t forget! Beginning in September, Westminster’s volunteer sign-up will merge with Iglesia Emanuel’s main sign-up for its food ministry. The need for food has not gone away, so please continue signing up to help weekly or monthly. Sign up and details: www.bit.ly/IglesiaPresEmanuel
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