Friday Newsletter

November 14, 2025

This weeks bulletin

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This Sunday

10 am: Worship Service

11:15 am: Coffee Hour

View Live Stream Here

Upcoming Events

November 15th: Bowling Party!

November 16th: New Member Class

November 16th: Youth Collective Thanks Giving at St. Paul's

November 23rd: Advent Craft Day!

November 28th: Christmas Decorating Day

December 7th: The Trinity Choir at St. Paul's

December 14th, 10:00 AM, Children's Program "Light of the World"

December 21, 10:00 AM: Christmas Cantata

PLEASE REMEMBER

If you are the last person to leave,

kindly turn off all the lights.

Thank you for helping us be good stewards.

Pastor's Corner

Q. Each week in worship, why does Pastor Kelly say “Welcome to worship on this 33^rd Sunday in ordinary time?”

A. The Christian calendar is different than the Gregorian calendar. The first one will start anew on Nov 30, 2025 with the first Sunday in Advent while the second one will restart on Jan 1, 2026 with New Year’s Day. Our Methodist friends have put together a helpful description of the liturgical calendar and you can read more about it here.

We are near the end of the Christian year. Over the next 2 weeks, we will explore two important prophets: Isaiah 9:1-7 & Jeremiah 29:1-14 before cycling back to the ‘beginning’ with the story of Jesus’ birth during the 4-week season of Advent. Isaiah and Jeremiah both write about the end of an era, chapters in Judah and Israel’s history that are preludes to the new visions that are ushered in during the life of Christ. These two prophets represent two kingdoms, northern and southern. In both places, although for different reasons, the people are suffering from violence and cruelty. They are wondering when it will all end and how long they must hold on.

Isaiah and Jeremiah continue to inform our work in our own moment in time. At the Fall Presbytery meeting (Oct 24-25, hosted by Westminster) the member churches and delegates from Oregon overwhelmingly voted to make our Christian prophetic witness a public stance. The resulting resolution states that “Violence has no place in our politics or our communities” and draws this moral conclusion, in large part, from these very Old Testament voices. You can read the full text here: Oct 25, 2025 Resolution. The prophets continue to call us into light-bearing and hope-crafting in our own time.

Ever onward,

Pastor Kelly

P.S. The Presbyterian Outlook recently published an adjacent story about the faith community in Portland which is a worthwhile read. https://pres-outlook.org/2025/11/an-authority-for-love-portland-faith-leaders-stand-with-immigrants-outside-ice-facility/

Bible Study

Tuesday Bible Study @ 10:30am schedule:

11/18 Leader: Pastor Kelly

11/25 Leader: Pastor Kelly

Pre-Worship Bible Study:

The pre-worship Bible study (9:00 - 9:45 a.m.) is going well. We are studying the Gospel according to Mark. We welcome new participants and drop-ins. Participants should bring a Bible with them to class. If you forget, borrow one from the sanctuary or Russel Hall.

Although this is an "adult" Bible Study, youth are welcome to join. Children are invited to bring coloring books or small toys when or if they accompany an adult.

Please join us in Eastminster.

Table of Plenty

Thanks to the congregation for the 270 lbs. of food donated to TOP

this week. Table of Plenty has been swamped the last three weeks with families in need of some assistance with their "daily bread" and this need will continue until the Snap (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) issue is over. In the meantime we can help these families by bringing food to fill our TOP boxes here at Westminster. You can be assured the food will hastily be taken to TOP.

Thanksgiving is a time for all of us to be thankful for our blessings and how fitting it is that we can share our thanks by providing food for those whose pantries are empty. Those of us who are at TOP on Thursday evenings witness the appreciation and thankfulness of these folks, and it is YOU and YOUR CONCERN that they are really thankful for!

Advent Craft Day

We are seeking donations of purple 6-10-inch (purple only) taper candles for the Advent Wreaths we are making at the Advent fair. Please drop off any donations to the basket in the Narthex.

We will decorate the church for Advent on Friday, November 28, at 10 am. A soup and bread lunch will be served for all who help. No skills (other than following directions!) required. For questions, call or text Nancy MacMorris-Adix 503-999-8148.

Music

December 14th, 10:00 AM, Children's Program "Light of the World"

The children will perform some short songs and solos during this service. They have been working musically to sing and ring the chimes for December 14th. All are welcome.

December 21, 10:00 AM: Christmas Cantata

Children & Youth Corner

11/16 Sunday school 9:30-11:30am (Teacher: Heberlyn)

Thanksgiving at Youth Collective this Sunday, Nov. 16th. 12:30 to 2:30 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church 1444 Liberty St Se, Salem, OR 97302. There will turkey, Thanksgiving activities and an escape room. Come and find your way to the turkey.

Night Out

Get Involved

Want to participate in Moral Mondays at the capital with the Oregon Poor People’s Campaign? We meet every Monday, 12pm, at First Presbyterian Church. Contact Michele (michelehare25x2@gmail.com ) or Paul Negstad (pandd.negstad@gmail.com) to join or just show up! Next: Monday, November 17, 2025. Learn more: poorpeoplescampaign.org.

Watch more about Rev. Barber and the Poor People’s Campaign here: https://open.substack.com/pub/ourmoralmoment/p/moral-movements-expose-evil?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&timestamp=8.0

Give. Act. Pray.

GIVE:

Financial support for relief efforts can be made online by clicking HERE, by phone at (800) 728-7228, ext. 5885, or by check made payable to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) with “Hurricane Melissa” written on the memo line and mailed to:

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

P.O. Box 643700

Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700.

ACT:

Download and use thebulletin insert.

Stay informed and like us onFacebook, download resources and share updates with your congregation.

PRAY:

Gracious and loving God,

We lift up before You the people and places affected by Hurricane Melissa. You are our shelter, our refuge, our strong tower in times of trouble.

We ask that You walk with every family, every home, and every neighborhood facing winds, rain and uncertainty.

May Your Spirit surround the most vulnerable and those at greater risk.

The Trinity Choir at St. Paul's

The Trinity Choir at St. Paul's will present the first part (Advent/Christmas) of G.F. Handel's Messiah with orchestra on December 7th after the service of Evensong at 4:00pm. This masterpiece is beloved the world over and will be presented in its entirety over three concerts during the 2025-26 year. This concert will last approximately 55 minutes and will include soloists from the choir.

Part I of the oratorio focuses on the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah's coming and the Nativity of Christ, beginning with themes of comfort and anticipation from texts by Isaiah, and moving to the joyful announcement to the shepherds. Composed in 1741 by Handel, the libretto was created by Charles Jennens.

The concert is open to the public with free-will donations accepted at the door or through the Music Guild fund on the church website.

Live-stream can be found at stpaulsoregon.org

Classes

End of Dance Class Sessions

We are concluding our pilot dance sessions for now, and I want to sincerely thank everyone who participated. It was a joyful time of movement, music, and community, and I’m grateful for each person who joined us along the way. We’ll take what we learned as we explore future possibilities. Thank you again for being part of it. 💛

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