August 21, 2019

Dear friends and fellow disciples,

Today construction workers are readying the old Fellowship Hall for demolition and preparing the site for construction of the new Fellowship Hall. By the time Sunday comes, our campus may look quite different! 
 
Beginning today, we are adjusting our parking and building access patterns to help keep everyone safe during construction. The information below outlines the changes, so please read it carefully.

We have also created a Campus Arrival Team to guide us in navigating the changes on Sunday morning. Andy Collins has graciously agreed to lead this effort, which will require the help of many volunteers. Please consider signing up at http://bit.ly/arrivalteam , or reach out to Andy (919-599-5966).

New Parking Patterns & Campus Safety
  • Enter our parking lot by the entrance closest to the Sanctuary. Proceed all the way around the lot to the spaces behind and adjacent to the Holderness Mission Center and near Calhoon Cabin. There is also an overflow gravel parking lot on the new property.
  • Parking spaces adjacent to the Sanctuary and Courtyard are reserved for those who have limited mobility and require easier access to our buildings. Your cooperation is appreciated.
  • We recommend you build an extra 15 minutes into your arrival plan for church on Sunday mornings. Allow plenty of time to drive slowly and carefully through campus, walk a bit farther from the parking lot than usual, and observe and greet the people around you. Parents, please keep a careful watch on your children at all times. 

Accessing the Sanctuary and Holderness Mission Center
  • You may access the Mission Center from the first floor using the Preschool entrance or the entrance by the playground. Use the stairs or elevators to take you to the second and third floor classrooms or to the second floor to exit the Mission Center and enter the Courtyard and head to the Sanctuary.
  • You may also use the walkway near the playground that leads to the Courtyard and Sanctuary and second floor entrance to the Mission Center.
  • The walkway adjacent to the Fellowship Hall and walkway leading from the Preschool entrance and past the Memorial Garden will be not be accessible during construction. For your safety, please avoid these areas at all times. Please do not walk around the construction fencing to get to the Sanctuary, as this area will be unsafe due to incoming traffic on Sunday mornings.

Our Campus Arrival Team will be on hand to direct you and answer any questions. A uniformed police officer will also be on site to provide additional security. If you have any questions about parking or access to our buildings during the construction, please contact Dana Lange , chair of the Fellowship Hall Building Committee, or Sharon Morgan , WPC Business Manager.  
New Staff Member
Welcome, Jerre Graham, our new Financial Assistant! Jerre is a Durham native and a retired banker, and will be helping Sharon Morgan with the church finances. You may hear from her if there’s a question about a contribution you’ve made or a reimbursement you’ve requested. Jerre knows how important church is and how important it is to the community. She’s happy to join the Westminster team and looks forward to working with everyone! Please make her feel welcome.
An Update from the Search Committees
As the Search Committees have been working, we’ve all benefited greatly from the work of two excellent interims this year. At its last meeting, the Session approved extending the contract of Alex Stayer-Brewington into early November. This gives the Search Committee for the Associate Pastor for Youth Ministry more time, and the youth and Alex clarity to work together on plans to begin the year for our youth and their families. 
 
The Session was also informed that Kristina Gilbert has accepted a position as the Interim Director of Christian Education at Highland Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem and will begin there on September 16. Highland is a great church (you may remember Heather Ferguson served there some years back), and they will benefit greatly from Kristina’s work, as we have. We'll have time to say our farewells on Rally Day, but in the meantime, please offer Kristina gratitude for her time with us and congratulations on her new position.
This Sunday, in addition to coming early and taking your time, spend some extra energy noticing the people around you as you get out of your car. Do you know them? Do they seem like they could use a little guidance? Paying really careful attention to each other, with patience and generosity, is one of the many wonderful opportunities of this season of change.

There will likely be a big crowd here on Sunday, and we'll ordain and install a new class of officers for the year to come. We'll pray God's blessing on them, on our church, and all of God's world. I'm excited for the opportunities the next few weeks bring as we move into a new year together!