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THIS SUNDAY AT WBPC
Parlor Class - 9:30am
Sunday School – 9:30am
Adult Sunday School Class – 9:30am
Worship Service – 10:30am – Children's Chapel will be available for children ages 4-Second Grade.
@TheTableWorship – 5:00pm – Click HERE for participating on Zoom and click HERE for the @TheTable bulletin for this Sunday.
RESPONSE TO RISING COVID CASES
The Reopening Task Force met on January 6 to discuss the high transmission of Covid-19 cases in our community and how we need to respond as a congregation. We recognize that each person has to make decisions that they feel most comfortable with in terms of her or his safety, and we hope that we can continue to provide the variety of ministry opportunities that meet people where their comfort level is. In light of that, we will be doing the following:
- We will continue with in-person worship, Sunday school, and other Sunday activities as previously scheduled, with mandatory mask-wearing at all times inside the facility, and physical spacing as much as possible.
- We will suspend congregational singing starting this Sunday, and rely on small groups, soloists, and instrumentalists to lead our music in the morning service.
- While cloth masks are good, surgical or N95/KN95 masks are better; we would encourage you to wear those higher quality masks if you have access to them.
- If you are not comfortable coming in-person for worship, we encourage you to join the @ The Table Service on Sundays at 5:00pm on Zoom, or to watch the recording of the morning service, which can be accessed through the church's website, Facebook, and YouTube pages.
- All groups are encouraged to do what they feel most comfortable doing in terms of meeting (in-person/virtual/hybrid), and to let the Task Force or church staff know how they can best help them with their needs.
- We will move forward with the planned Sunday breakfast and Wednesday Night Live supper and program next week, but note the schedule details for WNL, and we would strongly encourage people to sit in family groups and safely space apart from other family groups.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact any member of the Task Force (Jenny Fleming, Kevin Fischer, Denise Weeks, Beth Ware, Grace Odum, Elizabeth Davis, Anna Raab, Bobbi Cross, Frank Mansell). Thank you for all you're doing to keep one another safe during these challenging times, and we pray for an end to this current surge as quickly as it developed.
ENDOWMENT FUND UPDATE
Please click HERE for a message from the Endowment Fund Committee. Also, please note that WBPC’s Endowment Fund is available for utilization to support the benevolent, education, and mission work of the church. These funds cannot be used for the operation of the church or its regularly budgeted program. Requests for these monies are made via the Endowment Fund Request Form. Completed requests may be sent to Phil Westerman (westerma@ncsu.edu).
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION NEWS
In addition to the Parlor Class and the Adult Forum Class, we are offering a new adult Sunday school class called the Lectionary Class. This class will meet in the Fellowship Hall at 9:30. Adults are invited to meet with others to read and reflect on the lectionary scriptures upon which that Sunday’s sermon is based. Relaxed conversations about God’s Word and message accompany coffee, juice, and pastries.
Please click HERE for the Christian Education brochure.
BIBLICAL JUSTICE FORUM – JANUARY 17
BJF meets via zoom on Mondays at noon to 1:30pm. On January 17, Becky Burmester will be leading us in an episode on "Scene on Radio". All are welcome to join. Click HERE for participating in Monday's meeting via Zoom and click HERE to tune in to January 17 episode 12 More Democracy.
On January 24, BJF will begin studying the book: Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance by Edgar Villanueva. FYI: Wake County Library does not have this book. Quail Ridge has a copy and can get more in 3-4 business days at $20. The Kindle version is $9.99 online.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT LIVE – JANUARY 19
The Fellowship Committee invites you to join us Wednesday, January 19 for a simple supper of rice and beans. In this simple meal, you’ll be eating as 60% of the world’s population does every day. This event is an effort to raise awareness of food insecurity in our community and around the world. Please bring donations, food or cash, for the Urban Ministries Food Bags.
Dinner will be served at 5:45pm. If you are not comfortable dining in, feel free to join us at 6:30pm to learn more about hunger in our community. Additionally, to-go plates are available if you just want a grab-and-go dinner.
We are also in need of volunteers to bring dessert and help with cleanup. Please indicate your willingness to volunteer on the Sign-Up Genius.
Please RSVP if you plan to join us for dinner, and indicate dietary restrictions by Monday, January 17 using the Sign-Up Genius link HERE, emailing the Fellowship Committee at fellowship@wbpresbyterian.org or calling the church office at 919-851-4713.
CONGREGATIONAL ANNUAL MEETING – JANUARY 23
The Annual Meeting of the Congregation will be held on January 23, immediately following the conclusion of the Morning Worship Service for the purpose of presenting the approved 2022 Budget to the congregation and voting on Terms of Call for Rev. Frank Mansell.
ORDINATION AND INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS – JANUARY 23
As part of our morning worship service on January 23, we will ordain and install newly-elected elders and deacons to their terms of service at Western Boulevard Presbyterian Church. We are grateful for Martha Barrick and Barbara Tierney (deacons) and Lydia Smith, Lily Fleming, Larry Shelton, Suzanne Smith, Andrew Craven, and Becky Burmester (elders) for their commitment to serve our congregation in this important way!
INSTALLATION SERVICE FOR FRANK MANSELL – JANUARY 30 – 3:00PM
You are invited to join us for the Installation Service for Rev. Frank Mansell III as pastor of Western Boulevard Presbyterian Church on Sunday, January 30, at 3:00pm. A commission of elders and ministers from New Hope Presbytery will be leading this service, and it is a service of celebration to formalize Frank as Western Boulevard’s permanent pastor. We hope you can be present for this special day in the life of our church!
WELCOME AND SAFETY TEAM ON SUNDAYS
As we have come back to a full schedule of Sunday morning activities over the last few months, we are reminded again of how many people give their time and talent to provide a welcoming, safe, and positive place for us to be a community together. Teachers and care givers in the nursery, musicians and singers, ushers and greeters, technicians and volunteers – if it weren’t for all of these dedicated disciples, we wouldn’t be able to worship and grow in God’s Word in-person on Sunday mornings.
In addition to these, a key position each Sunday morning is the member of the Welcome and Safety Team. This individual welcomes people as they arrive, coordinates and communicates with the nursery and Children’s Chapel volunteers, monitors the church campus while worship is happening, and is available to respond to emergencies that might happen on Sunday mornings. The Worship Committee is grateful for those who have served in this important way, and will be reaching out to others in the church to assist with this crucial need. It is our hope that the more people who serve on the Welcome and Safety Team, the fewer Sundays throughout the year each person will have to make such a commitment. If you’d like to learn more or have further questions, please feel free to reach out to Frank Mansell (frank@wbpresbyterian.org), David Johnson (david_t_johnson@hotmail.com) or Janet Rakes (janet_rakes@ncsu.edu). Thank you to all who allow us to gather on Sunday mornings to learn, worship, and serve!
NEWS FROM THE SESSION
Highlights from the stated Session meeting on January 9 include the following:
- Approved holding a Called Session Meeting on January 22, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. via Zoom for the purpose of examining and approval of installation/ordination of the officers for the Class of 2024.
- Received a report from the Finance/Stewardship Committee on the 2022 Budget and approved the 2022 Budget.
- Received a report from the Reopening Task Force regarding COVID protocols which will remain the same for the near future.
- This was the final Session meeting for Elder Susan Cummings, Elder Kenlee Fischer, Elder David Johnson, and Elder Beth Ware. They shared their reflections on their time serving on the Session and appreciation was expressed for their service.
Click HERE to access the December financial report. For a list of committee chairs and contact info, click HERE.
CHRISTMAS JOY AND CHRISTMAS EVE OFFERINGS
THANK YOU for your generosity in the Christmas season for supporting those in great need. We collected $1,455 for the Christmas Joy Offering, one of the four special offerings of the Presbyterian Church (USA) that supports retired church workers and their families, and students at racial-ethnic colleges of the PC(USA). You also gave $2,287 on Christmas Eve and during the year, which will be sent to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance as they help the victims of the December tornadoes in December. Click HERE to learn more about this relief effort. Thank you for sharing the love of Christ in these transforming ways!
NOTES FROM THE ADMIN DESK
The Church Office will be closed on Monday, January 17, in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We will have normal office hours the remainder of each week.
Please refer to the January Calendar and February 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.
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.
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