October 9, 2020
Whenever I’m feeling uninspired and unexcited – when I’m short on patience and friendly faces start to look like an angry crowd – I make it a point to get down to the coast as quickly as possible.
Last Friday I woke up early, poured my coffee into a metal cup and drove three hours to Harker's Island, North Carolina. From there I caught a boat over to Shackleford Banks, an undeveloped island south of Cape Lookout. I pitched a tent and spent the weekend going for walks, watching the water (it was too cold to swim for more than a couple minutes), and picking up shells.
My time away was profoundly unexciting. I didn’t come home with any interesting stories to tell. I didn't take any cool pictures for social media. I did, however, come home refreshed, rested, and grateful. Through the magic of the sea the Holy Spirit set my heart at ease.

I imagine that you know the feeling I’m talking about – how even a short time away can help you to return fresh and enlivened to the possibilities of the familiar. Jesus knew this feeling, too. We read in the Gospels that he would periodically walk away to find a quiet place to rest and pray.
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Our culture tells us that getting away is about taking luxurious and indulgent vacations. While those can be exciting (and impressive to our envious friends), it’s also vitally important that we reclaim time just to rest and reflect. An hour walking in the woods. An afternoon watching bugs in the grass. A weekend sleeping in a sandy tent free from phones and screens and separated from the need to be productive. However you find it, I pray that in the midst of busy lives and an uncertain world you’re able to carve away some time for yourself.
Peace & blessings,
Alex
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Westminster This Week - Quick Links
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October is Stewardship Month
In exile, far away from home and with much they knew destroyed, God’s people held onto a stubborn hope. It was a hope not in themselves and their strength, but in who God was. This passage from Jeremiah 31 has meant much to the Stewardship Committee in recent months, especially verse 2: “Thus says the Lord: The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness.”
Grace in the Wilderness. Even in this most difficult time, we have found grace – or more correctly, grace has found us…in creation, in each other, in the ways God has accompanied us and continued to teach us. God made promises to the people in exile then, and God continues to make promises to God’s people now.
We believe now is not a time to “hold steady” until things can be “like they were.” We believe we are called to use this time to be even more fully who God calls us to be, our faith renewed and strengthened. As we grieve all we continue to lose, and as we reach towards an uncertain future, we listen for the Spirit’s call to be a people that worships with thoughtfulness and joy, gathers in community to learn, and reaches out to help our neighbors in need.
This year’s Stewardship Campaign, Grace in the Wilderness, is a time for reflecting upon our common life and listening for the Holy Spirit’s leadings on our giving to the church. Where have you seen grace in the wilderness these last several months? How is God calling you to give back to WPC and our community? We invite and challenge you to reflect on these questions as we journey through October.
Please take time to read and reflect on the stewardship resources we recently sent out, and join us in worship for incredible sermons on Jeremiah 31: 1-8 and moving messages from your WPC family, as you consider your giving to the church for 2021.
With gratitude from the Stewardship Committee: Elizabeth Feiler, Kim Garcia (chair), Chris McLaughlin, Anne Sherman, Amy Simonson, David Wilcox, and Lee Willard
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Child & Youth Protection Policy Training
Our top priority is to maintain a safe and wholesome environment for children and youth in all of Westminster’s programs – even those that take place online. Westminster has a Child & Youth Protection Policy (CYPP) in place for the protection of children, youth, and the adults who care for them. We will offer CYPP training via Zoom on Thursday, October 15, at 7:00pm. Training will be led by the Rev. Kerri Hefner from New Hope Presbyterian Church and Alex Stayer-Brewington.
Our policy states that all volunteers who have contact with children and youth should participate in a CYPP training annually. At least once every three years, that training must be in real time (Thursday’s Zoom session counts towards this). Other options may include the online Training Module on our website. Please contact Marietta with any questions.
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Community: Race, Place, & Religion
with Dr. Malinda Maynor-Lowery
Aperture: Third Wednesdays,
October 21 at 6:30pm
Join us for Aperture via Zoom as we welcome Dr. Malinda Maynor-Lowery. In this intimate conversation, we'll consider what brings a people together and makes them a community. Malinda is a professor of history at UNC-Chapel Hill, Director of the Center for the Study of the American South, and a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. She has published widely on the Lumbee people and the food, music, and religion of the American South. Ahead of our gathering, please consider reading Malinda’s excellent article “The Low Hum.”
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WPC Youth Group is Back!
All middle and high school students are invited to bring a mask and a chair and gather on the second and fourth Sundays (Oct 11 & 25) to talk about God and life. Friends are always welcome!
Middle School, 4:00-5:00pm
- 6th Graders meet at WPC in the Cabin front yard
- 7th Graders meet at WPC in the Courtyard
- 8th Graders meet at the Fergusons’ (3752 St. Marks Rd, Durham)
High School, 5:30-6:30pm
- 9th Graders meets at the Vaughns’ (3010 Glenwood Dr, Durham)
- 10th Graders meets at WPC in the Courtyard
- 11th Graders meet at the Stanfields’ (3940 Nottaway Rd, Durham)
- 12th Graders meet at the Furmans’ (3817 Chippenham Rd, Durham)
But wait, there’s more! On Saturday, October 24, Collin Phillips, a WPC 10th grader and cycling enthusiast, will lead us on a bike ride on the American Tobacco Trail. Just imagine: fall leaves, a cool breeze on your masked face, friends a mere six feet from you on a bicycle. What more could a young Presbyterian want? Sign up now!
Join the WPC Youth Group listserv to receive Alex’s weekly emails with details on all our Youth Group happenings, plus inspiration and encouragement for these crazy times. Contact Alex to get on board.
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News from Your Session
By Linda Van Gombos, Class of 2021
Sunday, September 27, was the first Session meeting of the year with our new officers. We enjoyed Zoom time together learning a little more about each other and shared how we are moving forward in these hard times with God’s grace, guidance, and support.
We were happy to vote yes to a baptism request and yes to our wonderful Clerk of Session, Sally Keener, for another year of service. We discussed stewardship for the new year and the fact that we still need to be committed financially to our church.
We discussed what other local churches are doing about worship and specifically how and why WPC’s COVID-19 operating policies are being formed. In-person worship is still not happening at WPC, and we miss that connection. People at other congregations when offered some chance at in-person worship are still choosing to stay home. We are grateful that our technology has improved so much, allowing us to be together-apart for worship each week. We miss each other.
With new officers on both the Session and the Diaconate, we have a number of new committee chairs coming on board. Here is a look at “who’s doing what” for the 2020-2021 church year:
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Session Committees & Chairs
Christian Education:
Children & Youth – Jennifer Feiler;
Adults – Margaret Falkovic
Nominating: Kim Garcia
Personnel: Russ Lange
Stewardship: Kim Garcia
Ways & Means: John Messick
Worship: Mark Hill and Jim Ketch
Youth Council: Margaret Falkovic
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Diaconate Committees & Chairs
Assimilation: Mike Meyen
Congregational Care: Peggy Force Fellowship: John Lockhead
Global Missions: Jami Howell
Local Missions: Mark Foskey
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Responding to Disasters During the Time of COVID
From the Global Missions Committee
What can we do in the face of hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, and other disasters that tear people’s lives apart while we are social distancing? For a few frenzied days, the news is full of the latest disaster, our hearts go out to the people affected, and then the news and our lives move on. However, the people at ground zero must still deal with the devastation for months or years to come.
In the past, we've collected contributions for a particular disaster and even sent teams of volunteers to places such as Tarboro and the Gulf coast. We may do both of these things again in the future, but in the meantime, we wanted a way to support you in individual giving or volunteering during the pandemic. We've identified three organizations you may want to consider. Please prayerfully reflect on how God may be calling you to respond.
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The Red Cross is always one of the first organizations to provide food and shelter for disaster victims.
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Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is our denomination’s disaster program through which you can both give and volunteer. Click here to read an update on how PDA is responding to victims of Hurricane Laura.
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All Hands and Hearts – Smart Response is a nonprofit that works globally and has received the highest ratings from Charity Navigator for finance, accountability, and transparency. According to its website, All Hands and Hearts comes early, stays late, and listens to the local people to understand their needs. The organization’s focus is rebuilding homes, schools (which are often neglected by other disaster relief programs), and infrastructure that are disaster-resilient.
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Volunteers are needed every Wednesday afternoon at Iglesia Presbiteriana Emanuel. Anyone age 14 and older can help on-site, which involves helping to direct traffic, count vehicles, and load groceries. You can also help at home by bagging beans and rice for Iglesia Emanuel’s food pantry. Watch a video to see our volunteers in action and learn more about this much-needed ministry in our community. Sign up now
Mark your calendar for WPC Virtual Courtyard on Sunday, October 18, after the worship service. Get the Zoom link. |
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