Westminster This Week – Quick Links 

Worship on February 14 – Transfiguration of the Lord
We are grateful to the Flower Guild for decorating the Sanctuary for Lent. Beautiful and contemplative!
Is it Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras?
Whatever you call it, make sure there's pancakes

Shrove Tuesday is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. It’s a chance to indulge before the start of Lent, a tradition dating back to 600 AD when all animal products, not just meat, were banned during Lent. Christians made pancakes on Shrove Tuesday to use up their supply of butter, milk, and eggs before Lent. Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day and Mardi Gras, which means Fat Tuesday in French. The word “shrove” comes from the old middle English word “shriven,” meaning to go to confession.

In years past, we at Westminster would observe this tradition by feasting on pancakes just before our Ash Wednesday worship. That’s not possible this year, so we encourage you to mark Shrove Tuesday in your home. Cook up some pancakes, put on some music, decorate with Mardi Gras colors of green, gold, and purple, and maybe play a game or two. Snap some photos of your Shrove Tuesday celebration and share them with us at westminster@wpcdurham.org.
Ash Wednesday Service

Make plans to be part of this evening of reflection and preparation for Lent. Our Ash Wednesday service will be broadcast on YouTube on February 17, at 7:00pm.

As people who worship the Word made flesh, so many of our holiest rituals are inherently physical. There's no safe way to put ashes on each other’s foreheads from six feet away, so our worship staff has dusted off an ancient Christian practice that we can all do as a way of remembering Christ with our bodies. Learn more at worship on Sunday!
Diaper Drive for Iglesia Presbiteriana Emanuel
A letter from Riley Meath

Hello WPC! I have been assigned by my teacher at Voyager Academy High School to come up with an event to help those in our community less fortunate than us. I had an idea and need your support. While volunteering at the weekly Wednesday food distribution at Iglesia Presbiteriana Emanuel, I have noticed many cars with babies and young children and wondered if these families could benefit from receiving free diapers. I contacted Alex, Cherrie, and Pastor Julio, and they thought a diaper drive was a great idea! So I have planned one to be held during the car line at Iglesia Emanuel on Wednesday, March 10. I realize these are hard times for everyone, but please consider donating a small pack of diapers to help these families. There are a couple of ways you can contribute:


Thank you in advance for your consideration and your support!
Congregational Meeting on February 28 at Noon

There will be a Congregational Meeting via Zoom on Sunday, February 28, at 12:00 noon, for the purposes of approving the at-large slate members for the Nominating Committee and the Terms of Call for Cherrie Barton Henry, Alex Stayer-Brewington, and Chris Tuttle. The Zoom link will be sent out in next week’s newsletter.
From the Congregational Care Team: Calling All Young Adults!

Are you a young adult age 18-22? Are you the parent, grandparent, or friend of one of our young adults aged 18-22? Westminster’s Congregational Care Team would love to reach out in support with a care package to these members. Because this is a time in life when many young adults' contact information can change fairly often, we need your help.  Please let us know your – or your loved one’s – current mailing address by emailing westminster@wpcdurham.org. Also, if you can update your/their email so we can send them occasional emails, and update mobile numbers for the WPC directory at the same time, that would be most appreciated. Thanks for your help!