Friends and fellow disciples,
It is Holy Week. Can you feel it?
This is the week that the church descends into the depths of Christ's own suffering, that we might most fully participate in the glory of the resurrection. We began this past Sunday, waving palms and celebrating as Jesus entered Jerusalem. But the whole story matters so, so much.
On Maundy Thursday, we will gather at 7:30pm, in the Sanctuary and online, to gather around the table with Jesus and the disciples for the final time. This service is truly one of the most important of the whole year. I hope you will join us.
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On Good Friday, we have two in-person experiences. At 11:00am, we have "Walk to the Cross." Part of our "Generations in Faith Together" (GiFT) series, "Walk to the Cross" is an interactive re-telling of the story of Holy Week, geared to children and their families, although all are welcome. At noon, we'll have a brief time of worship and prayer in the Sanctuary. It is crucial that we sit for a time in this part of the story, not try to explain it or figure out what it means, but to let it hold us in contemplation and in awe.
Then, and only then, will the full weight and joy of Easter come! We will have Easter worship at 8:30am and 11:00am with our Chancel Choir and Brass Ensemble, a fellowship brunch, live music in the Courtyard, and Easter egg hunts for the kids (toddlers-4th grade). It will be a huge, glorious, amazing, wonderful day. Bring some spring flowers from your yard to decorate the cross and come take part in the celebration!
If you have been sitting on the sidelines as the pandemic wanes or waiting for a time to jump back into the church habit, this is the time, friends. Christ is alive among us, and we are called to give thanks and rejoice.
I very much look forward to seeing you soon.
Chris
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2022 Easter Offering to Help Refugees
Every year, millions of people around the world are forcibly displaced. So far this year 123,000 Afghanis were evacuated by US Forces during the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, and 2.2 million more sought sanctuary in neighboring nations. More than 4 million people have fled Ukraine; 10 million are now “displaced,” which amounts to 25% of the population. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees calls it the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.
Your Global Missions Committee is offering you two opportunities to respond. First, consider giving to our 2022 Easter offering, which will be dedicated to World Relief Durham, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and Music Mission Kyiv. These Westminster partner organizations each serve refugees and immigrants. Second, consider becoming part of WPC's Refugee Resettlement Team if you'd like to move beyond donating money. Durham is privileged to be home to many refugees from all over the world. Organizations like World Relief Durham (WRD) help in the difficult process of resettlement. Our team is currently making plans to begin training with WRD so that we might collect home furnishings and set up an apartment to make it a home for an incoming family. We also hope to welcome families at the airport, transport them to their homes, and provide a warm meal. In addition, WRD is also looking for persons who can house a family or individual in their home for one to seven nights until their permanent housing is ready.
We feel so helpless seeing the suffering of our brothers and sisters, but there are opportunities for us to help! Please give generously to the Easter Offering and consider being a part of the Refugee Resettlement Team. Please contact Cara Bolton for more information.
Ways To Contribute to the Easter Offering:
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Give online now. Choose the fund “Easter Offering” and complete your transaction.
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Text WPCDURHAM Easter $50 to 73256 to give $50 to the Easter Offering fund using your text messaging. Change the amount to be whatever amount you want to donate. Standard text messaging rates may apply.
- Write a check to WPC with “Easter Offering” in the memo line and place it in the offering plate or drop it in the Finance Office door.
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WEDNESDAY: Aperture with Rich Gwaltney of Transitions Life Care –“Leave a Legacy, Not a Mess” April 20, 7:00pm, on Zoom
Inspired by the book A Beginner’s Guide to the End by Dr. BJ Miller and Shoshana Berger, this presentation offers practical tips for how to leave behind a legacy that will endure, coupled with strategies for cleaning out your physical and emotional attic. Register now
Rich Gwaltney serves as the community engagement representative for Transitions LifeCare. He has served nonprofit organizations in both education and spiritual care. Rich has a lifelong passion to engage people of all ages concerning the issues that matter the most in life.
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Nasher Museum Exhibit Tour: “Reckoning and Resilience: North Carolina Art Now,” Saturday April 23 at 11:00am, with Lunch at the Nasher Cafe
You're invited to a custom-guided tour of the Nasher Museum's new exhibit, Reckoning and Resilience: North Carolina Art Now, with WPC resident art expert Ruth Caccavale. See how North Carolina artists respond after two years of a global pandemic, political chaos, and ongoing deadly racism and environmental injustice. Exploring themes surrounding historical and current events, identity, trauma and healing, the artists use a variety of media to reckon with hard truths, seek healing, and demand transformative action. Register now
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