November 11, 2021
Dear Westminster friends,
Rejoice with those who rejoice. As the headlines filled with the news that children ages 5-11 are now eligible to be vaccinated, many of Westminster’s families are celebrating their children’s first jabs. Thanks be to God for this long-awaited milestone!
Weep with those who weep. Yet, so many families are dealing with serious challenges as their children and youth struggle to adjust to being back in school, often dealing with anxiety and depression, and some witnessing violence and even death amongst their network of peers and their families. It continues to be a difficult time for many.
What can we do to support these precious children of God? How can we, as the Household of Faith, siblings in Christ, help? At the heart of who we are as Jesus’ disciples, we can pray for them, reach out to them, and let them know we care. Our support can include a text or note of encouragement, perhaps a helpful book, a recommendation of a good counselor, or a link to a simple spiritual practice such as this practice of mindfulness (you might want to try it too!).
But how can we be that community of support when we have been apart for so long, and it feels as though we barely know one another? Advent is the perfect season to reconnect with your church family. This year we will return to some old traditions and offer some new ways to gather as the Household of Faith.
Our annual Christ the King Festival for All Ages is a beloved tradition of crafting and wreath-making. It will be our first all-church event held in the new Fellowship Hall on Sunday, November 21. But that’s not all! We will continue to offer intergenerational gatherings on Sunday mornings from 9:45-10:45am on all the Sundays of Advent. Finally, our annual Christmas Pageant, on December 12, will be open to anyone – adults, youth, and children! I hope you will participate in these opportunities to join with your Family of Faith so that we can become the community of hope, support, and love that Christ has called us to become. I look forward to seeing you!
Peace and blessings,
Marietta
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Westminster This Week – Quick Links
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Opportunities to Serve
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Offering Counters are needed starting Nov 28. With online giving in place, this job is easier than ever! Sign up now
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We really, really, really need Ushers on Sunday mornings. Sign up to welcome your church fam to worship.
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Volunteers are needed to help beautify the Memorial Garden on November 20 at 10:00am – Details below!
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Want to help kids improve their reading? Become a Y Learning Mentor at WPC
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Help families get the weekly groceries they need with Iglesia Emanuel. Sign up to help
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There’s still time to make your 2022 pledge of giving if you haven’t yet. Pledge now by clicking any of the options below. Your commitment of financial pledges is critical to Westminster’s mission and ministry and the future of this church. Thank you for all the ways you support WPC!
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Aperture Welcomes Rev. Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan on African American Spirituals, Wednesday, November 17, 7:00pm
Books will be available for purchase at a discounted price. Join a Sunday or midweek group – or form your own small group – to continue the conversation throughout the season of Advent!
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Rev. Kirk-Duggan served as Professor of Religion and Director of Women’s Studies at Shaw University Divinity School for 17 years and is now transitioning to full-time consulting, writing, and music-making. Her consulting practice focuses on grief management and writing excellence. She is an ordained minister in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and has written and edited more than 25 books about Black Spirituals and their continued relevance today.
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Help Make the Memorial Garden a Place of Beauty
During the pandemic, our Memorial Garden became a peaceful place for families to gather and remember their loved ones in a safe, outdoor setting. Now the Memorial Garden could use some tidying and TLC – can you help? Volunteers ages 12 and up are needed on Saturday, November 20, at 10:00am. No experience is necessary. Bring garden shears, pruning tools, and shovels, and help make our Memorial Garden a place of beauty for everyone. Many hands make light work! Please contact Betsy Mangum if you’d like to help.
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Spread the Joy: Donate a Stocking to Families Moving Forward
The Local Missions Committee invites you to donate a Christmas stocking to give to a child served by Families Moving Forward. You can pick up a stocking and view gift ideas in the Courtyard on Sunday, from 9:30am-12:30 pm. Please sign up, take a stocking, fill it with small toys, games, and candy. Return stockings on Sunday, November 21 for worship on Christ the King Sunday. Please contact Pat Trost with any questions or if you need until November 28 to fill your stocking. If you don't like to shop or go into crowded stores, Pat will be happy to do the shopping for you – simply send a check to WPC and put “FMF Stockings” in the memo line. Thank you for your support!
Children are invited to bring their stockings and join in a special processional into the Sanctuary as we open our Christ the King worship service on November 21. We ask that children planning to participate line up in the Courtyard at 10:50am. Please contact Marietta Wynands with questions.
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Do You Hear What I Hear? Christ the King Festival is Back! Sunday, November 21, 9:45-10:45am
Have you heard the good news? The Infant King Jesus is soon to be born! Join us on Christ the King Sunday as we begin to make preparations for the coming of our Prince of Peace. Christ the King Sunday is the last Sunday of the liturgical year, and one week before Advent begins. Start the morning on the Terrace for some light refreshments, then come into the Fellowship Hall for a variety of crafts all centered around the song, Do You Hear What I Hear? Make a lamb, a shepherd boy and a King – all who share the good news that this Child, sleeping in the night, will “bring us goodness and light.” Your household can make an Advent wreath with natural greenery. If you have a candle ring from previous years, please bring it along! Donations of $5 - $10 to help cover costs are welcome but not required.
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Share Your Blessings, Share Your Christmas
For more than 45 years, "Share Your Christmas" has provided holiday gifts to some of our most vulnerable Durham neighbors. This program is coordinated by the Durham County Department of Social Services and Triangle Nonprofit and Volunteer Leadership Center. This year Westminster has committed to serving 145 people. Sign up now to share your Christmas!
Please spend a minimum of $65 per individual on new items. Be sure to wrap your gift(s), include a gift receipt in an envelope inside each package, and attach the name and case number securely onto the outside of each gift. Gifts can be delivered to the bin in the church office at the following times: Sundays before or after worship; Monday -Thursday, 9:00am - 5:00pm; Fridays, 9:00am - 12:00 noon; and Sunday Sunday, December 5, 5:00 - 6:30pm (Courtyard collection and gift delivery deadline). If you’d be willing to help with sorting and/or delivering gifts, please contact Emmy Huckabee.
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Save the Date! WPC Greet & Gift at Bull City Fair Trade, December 6, 6:00-8:00pm
An invitation from the Global Missions Committee
As we have done for years, the WPC Global Missions Committee encourages you to make shopping at Bull City Fair Trade part of your Christmas tradition. For those who are new to the area, Bull City Fair Trade (formerly One World Market) is a nonprofit retail store, focused on providing fair wages to low-income craft persons. They work with artisans who live in more than 70 developing countries and the US, giving them access to the US market to sell their handmade crafts. All of the artisans are paid under Fair Trade standards, ensuring that they make a livable wage for their country. Visit their website to get an idea of the variety of gifts available. New on the website is the heading “Shop by cause.” If you especially want to purchase eco-friendly merchandise or products that empower women, fight human trafficking, aid refugees, keep families together (the list goes on!), you can find them here.
While it’s fine to order through the website, there is more in the store than what’s online. Come and do some in-person browsing on Monday, December 6, 6:00-8:00pm. The store will be closed to the public but opened exclusively to WPC members and friends. Not only will you have a chance to purchase gifts that help change the world, but you’ll also get a chance to greet the WPC staff you may not have seen in a while. You can come and go anytime during the event, but do stop by to say hello to our hard-working staff who have been dealing with so much this year and miss seeing you!
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