From the Pastor's Desk

The ANGELS are coming! We begin Advent this week and we are launching a new series called Angels Among Us. Inspired by both the angelic beings in Jesus’ birth narrative (they are everywhere in Luke 1 & 2) as well as the Global Angel Wings Project (check it out here) whose motto is “to remind humanity we are the angels of the earth,” we are going to explore the re-enchanting of our own world. Ancient people experienced the world in ways that were surprising and mystical, they never knew when they would encounter the divine breaking into humanity to give them a little help or at other times to play a little trick. Daily life was a rich tapestry of the sacred and the secular, the holy and the mundane which gave their experience a depth and texture that often has been lost in our modern living. There will be angel crafts for the kids at the prayground, angel trivia for all-ages as well as Westminster’s very own angel wings photo op (for Instagram, if you prefer).

Between now and then, I hope each of you have the very best Thanksgiving.

Ever onward,

Pastor Kelly

Looking Ahead

November 27 @ 7 pm (TONIGHT): Ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve Service at St. Paul's Episcopal

November 30 @ 10 am: Deck the Halls (church decorating)

December 8 @ 11:15 am: Budget Info Discussion

December 9 @ 6 pm: Women's Night Out Cookie Exchange

December 15 @ 12:30 pm: Youth Collective Christmas Party

December 16, 1-6 pm: Red Cross Blood Drive

December 22 @ 10 am: Christmas Cantata

December 24 @ 5 pm: Christmas Eve Children & Family Service

December 24 @ 8 pm: Christmas Eve Service

December 25-January 3: Church Office Closed/Staff Out

January 4 @ 3 pm: Doug White's Memorial Service

February 2 & 9 @ 11:30 am: New Member Class

Access the full church calendar here. To add or correct something, please email office@salemwestpres.org.

Opportunities

Deck the Halls--we need all hands! Advent is coming, and we need help decorating the church. Please join us for the annual decorating party on Saturday, November 30, from 10 am 'til we're done, or maybe around 1 pm. Many hands make light work! (Un-decorating will happen Saturday, January 11.)

Women's Night Out at WPC! Cookie Exchange is Monday, December 9 at 6 pm. Bring five dozen cookies to exchange and a salad to share.

FYI

Many thanks to Chet Flick for putting in many, many hours using his excellent woodworking skills to stabilize the name tag rack slots. Remember how frustrating it was when the tags fell off so easily as the rack was swiveled? Now you can be sure that your name tag will stay securely in its spot, but it does take some extra care to tuck the tag in at the bottom. And if your tag still has the clip feature, our name tag specialist, Nancy MacMorris-Adix, will replace it with the magnet style feature, which will fit more easily into the racks. 

THERE'S A CHANGE! The Table of Plenty Boxes have been moved to Boulder Hall, and are located on the left hand side of the entrance. Also, we are designating the third Sunday of each month as TOP DAY! Any time is fine, but the TOP crew will be taking our food offerings to Table of Plenty on the third Tuesday of each month. December 22 will be our next "3rd Sunday/TOP DAY"! Thanks to all for supporting this endeavor. The folks who shop at TOP are a very grateful group.

Give

Join and help save lives at a community blood drive in Salem, Oregon — Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. That’s why Westminster Presbyterian Church in Salem is on a mission to help save lives by hosting a blood drive on December 16 from 1:00pm to 6:00pm. The community is invited to take part in this special event and donate blood for hospital patients in our neighborhoods and across the nation. The need for blood is constant, but only 3 percent of the U.S. population donates! By rolling up a sleeve, donors can play a critical role in the treatment of accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease. To make an appointment or to learn more, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Completion of a RapidPass® online health history questionnaire found at RedCrossBlood.org/rapidpass is encouraged to help speed up the donation process. All the best to you this joyous and giving holiday season. Bill Nelson: (503) 576-1278 and the rest of the Blood Drive team at Westminster!

The Presbyterian Giving Catalog celebrates its 10th Anniversary with the 2024-2025 issue. No wrapping is needed for the 40+ gifts available through the catalog, not to mention no waste! Generous gifts to the Presbyterian Giving Catalog are signs of our gratitude: feeding the hungry, comforting the brokenhearted and sharing our faith with young and old. The catalog includes gifts that represent causes close to anyone's heart, such as hygiene kits, cookstoves, teacher training, and beekeeping supplies. 

The Caring Tree Project, a cherished tradition at Oregon State Hospital, helps make the Holiday Season special for OSH patients. Patient tags, each carrying a heartfelt wish, will adorn our Caring Tree in Westminster's narthex. These tags represent safe gifts requested by patients. With your help we fulfill some of those requests to brighten their lives. OSH officials report past contributions from Westminster members and friends have created lasting memories and brought smiles to the faces of OSH patients. We are excited to continue this tradition of kindness, and hope you will again join us spread Holiday love at OSH. Look for the Caring/Giving Tree in our Narthex, soon!

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Pray

For the family and friends of George Genevro, who passed away this week at the age of 102.

For Barb Friday's sister, Terrie, who suffered a relapse to her long COVID this week.

Westminster Presbyterian Church