February 16, 2022
Dear friends and fellow disciples,
Aperture is happening on Zoom tonight at 7:00pm featuring our own Forrest Perry, who serves as a regional vice president of the YMCA. If you know Forrest or have talked or worked with him, you know how thoughtful and engaging he is. And, the Y is an important community institution at an exciting time in its history (I'm sure he'll speak to its downtown project). The story of the Y and Durham are bound up in important ways, and learning them will help us be good neighbors and better citizens of this great town.
But tonight's program has an even more important context because the Y is now a partner of ours.
Ever since our beautiful new Fellowship Hall there was completed about a year ago, the Session has been wrestling with this question: Even in a pandemic, how do we open our doors for mission, for community, for faith? What opportunities exist, and what needs can we meet? A group from the Session spent some time last summer reaching out to community organizations and other folks we knew to ask, “What does this neighborhood need?” The conversations kept coming back to children. The real disparities across our education system were made even worse during the pandemic. The psychological and emotional toll, as well as the learning deficits from the loss of quality instructional time, means a lot of children in our community are now in deep need of additional support.
The group from your Session circled back to a conversation with the YMCA that happened a few years ago. The YMCA operates "Y-Learning," a standardized academic support program for K-8th grade students that struggle to reach school system benchmarks, at a handful of DPS schools. The timing for a Y partnership with WPC wasn’t right back then – we didn’t have the space needed – but our new Fellowship Hall would now allow the Y to expand its reach and help more kids and their families. So, the Session committed four years of our room and our time and money to enroll 25 children in Y Learning at Westminster.
The Y worked with the guidance counselors at Hope Valley Elementary School to identify students that need academic support. A bus brings the students here each afternoon for snack and playtime, and structured academic support activities to help build tools for these children and better support their families. As the pandemic recedes, we are working to find appropriate ways to get to know these children and their families and offer our support.
As the year unfolds, we hope to open our doors even wider to the community. Let me tell you what a joy it is to be on campus during the week and see the preschool in action in the morning, Y Learning in the afternoon, scout activities in the evenings and weekends, and our friends from La Nueva Jerusalén here on Fridays and Saturdays and worshiping in the Sanctuary on Sunday afternoons. This web of partnerships is vital to the ways we live out our faith here at Westminster.
So hop to hop on Zoom tonight and enjoy a great conversation with Forrest...and let's keep on dreaming together about the ways we can continue to love our neighbors in these difficult times.
Chris
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TONIGHT: “Who, What, When, and Y?”
Aperture: with Forrest Perry, YMCA Regional Vice President and WPC Member, 7:00pm on Zoom
Hear from WPC member, dad, and Regional Vice President of the Y, Forrest Perry, shares about his life-long passion for and experience with the YMCA. Learn about its history, current mission, and vision, as well as the good things happening right here at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Register now
Forrest Perry, a North Carolina native, has worked for the YMCA for 27 years. He got his start with the Y at 16 as a camp counselor and now serves as a regional vice president overseeing operations in Durham, Orange, Chatham, and northern Wake counties. He has found his YMCA career to be a true calling and a blessing as he's walked alongside many people in their own personal and spiritual development. Forrest and his wife, Rebekah, joined WPC in 2013. They have been married 14 years and have two adorable children, Turner (8), and Merritt (3).
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Westminster This Week – Quick Links
This Sunday at Westminster – February 20
9:30am Nursery for Infants and Toddlers
9:45am Adult Church School Classes – Mission Center and Zoom
Church School Elective Class: “The Pilgrim's Compass”
Church School for Children and Youth – Mission Center
"Strings & Sounds" Music for 2’s-K – Mission Center
Confirmation Class – Youth Suite
WPC Parents’ Fellowship Time – Mission Center Reception Area
11:00am Worship in the Sanctuary and on YouTube
12:15pm Capital Campaign Team Meeting – Fellowship Hall
5:00pm Diaconate Meeting – Zoom
5:30pm Youth Group – Field Trip to Historic Stagville (Meet at church first)
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Reserve Your Spot for the Durham Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope, April 1- 3, 2022
The Durham Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope is an opportunity to connect Durham’s story, your own story, and God’s story. Through a weekend of visiting important places, hearing the stories of leaders who have shaped the city, and engaging in Biblical reflection with a cohort of fellow pilgrims, participants reckon with the challenges Durham has faced and witness the hope in our community. Westminster Presbyterian Church will be going on a pilgrimage April 1, at 3:00pm through April 3, at 4:00pm. Join your fellow WPC pilgrims on this unforgettable walk! The cost is $150 per person. Register now
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Looking Ahead to Lent
Wednesday, March 2, 7:00pm
Ash Wednesday Service in the Sanctuary and on Zoom
Sunday, March 6, 9:45am
Lenten GiFT (Generations in Faith Together) in the Fellowship Hall
Wednesdays in Lent, 12:30pm
Midweek Prayers in the Sanctuary – All are welcome!
Holy Week and Easter info coming soon!
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Lent & Easter@Home Packs for Families
The seasons of Lent and Easter are essential to the Christian faith. Our Lent & Easter At-Home Pack will help families explore simple ways to experience the richness of the season together. This year’s pack will include a special gift from WPC – a newly published book by Traci Smith called Faithful Families for Lent, Easter, & Resurrection (while supplies last). You’ll also receive some simple activities and tools for your family to create sacred moments at home. Reserve your family pack now
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WPC Blood Drive
Tuesday, March 15
11:00am - 3:30pm
Save the date
Details coming soon!
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