Prayer List

Friends,

We continue our Lenten journey, following a curriculum developed by the group A Sanctified Art, "Wandering Heart: Figuring out faith with Peter."

This week, may our reflections be guided by the words of a poem written by Rev. Sarah Speed titled All This Time.

I put my headphones in.

I walk quickly.

I look toward the ground.

I create one million barriers

of independence,

but still God seeks after me.

God leans a rainbow over the sky.

God sends sun after the rain.

God blankets the earth with wildflowers.

God allows music to carry

and laughter to rise,

all so that I might notice.

And when I do notice,

the unfurling that begins in my soul

is slow and holy and burning.

I am not alone.

God has been chasing after me

all this time.

This week we pray for:

Joshua Amimo

Blessings to Joshua as he moves to Philadelphia to begin a new job on Friday. We are grateful for the many ways you enriched our lives and inspired us during your more than a decade long tenure at Westminster. Godspeed!

Dave Noble

Prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving for Dave who received the great report that his tumor has shrunk about 60%. We continue to hold you in our love and rejoice with you.

Tom Ewing, Erica Ewing's dad

Prayers for Tom and their family as Tom heals from a brain surgery. We rejoice with the family that Tom is doing well. Having had the tumor successfully removed yesterday, he will resume radiation treatments soon.

Tom Battles

Continued prayers for Tom who grapples with unstable blood pressure; we hold both Tom and Elaine in our prayers and love in this new season of life with Tom living in a nursing home.

Kathleen Paul, Linda Barbu's sister

Continued prayers for strength and peace as Kathleen continues her cancer treatment.

John Dryer

Continued prayers for John as he is undergoing testing regarding his heart arrhythmia in the coming weeks.

Deb Hostettler

Continued prayers for Deb, who is still experiencing fatigue - a side effect from her medication.

Barbara Mykkanen

Continued prayers for Barb as she participates in a study to help others with similar cancer diagnosis.

We pray for

• those who are healing from medical procedures, and who are dealing with ongoing health concerns in our midst;
• those in our community who are unhoused;
• those who are lonely, yearning for belonging;
• all who are in danger - physical, emotional, or spiritual;
• an immediate ceasefire in Gaza; for aid to be allowed into communities in desperate need, and for a justice to be established in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel;
• those affected by the mass shooting in Kansas City;
• all who mourn the death of Aleksei Navalny, Ukrainian freedom fighter, who was inspired to engage in the struggle for justice by his deep Christian faith;
• in thanksgiving for all who use their skills and resources for the common good;
• our Westminster community as we plan our 150th anniversary celebration in May.

Friends, may we embody God's light, love, compassion, and hope to all we encounter.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, February 21

• WPC Session Meeting - 7:00 pm - The Lounge

Thursday, February 22

• Dance and Exercise - 8:30 am - The Meeting Place
• WPC Lenten Study - 7:00 pm - The Lounge

Sunday, February 25 - Second Sunday of Lent

• Choir Rehearsal - 9:00 am - Mackey Hall
• Worship service - 10:00 am - Mackey Hall
• Wooster Friends Meeting - 10:30 am - The Meeting Place

Monday, February 26

• Scout Troop 61 - 6:30 pm - Mackey Hall

Thursday, February 29

• Dance and Exercise - 8:30 am - The Meeting Place
• WPC Lenten Study - 7:00 pm - The Lounge

Sunday, March 3 - Third Sunday of Lent - Communion Sunday

• Choir Rehearsal - 9:00 am - Mackey Hall
• Worship service followed by Annual Congregational Meeting - 10:00 am - Mackey Hall
• Wooster Friends Meeting - 10:30 am - The Meeting Place

WPC 150th Anniversary Mission Project

Friends, we launched our anniversary mission project on February 4 and are excited about the progress. Share the information with friends, family, co-workers. Let's sow seeds of goodness in our community!

PLUS additional $2,100 of donations sent to Westminster Church

Join us on our Lenten Journey

This year we are following the Lent curriculum Wandering Heart: Figuring out Faith with Peter developed by our beloved group of creatives A Sanctified Art.

In our worship and our small group studies, we are focusing on the life and faith of one of Jesus' most famous disciples. Peter is a person who is steadfast and unsteady, a dear friend and a betrayer, a follower and a wanderer. In Peter, we often see ourselves. By following Peter's journey, we find the story of Jesus unfold through the eyes of a human being, much like us, who is trying to figure it all out.

We have Lenten Devotionals ready for you to pick up. We'll be using these reflections, as well as visual art and poetry to inspire our explorations.

This is a wonderful opportunity to invite a friend along -

Look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Lenten Wandering with Peter

Thursday, February 22 - 7 pm - The Lounge

Thursday, February 29 - 7 pm - The Lounge

Thursday, March 7 - 7 pm - The Lounge

Thursday, March 14 - 7pm - The Lounge

Thursday, March 21 - 7 pm - The Lounge

Thursday, March 28 - Maundy Thursday Service - Mackey Hall

Tuning Our Hearts During Lent

Throughout Lent, I will be sharing resources that you may find meaningful as we seek the presence of the holy in our lives, as we strive to deepen our relationship with God and with one another.

Questions for Reflection

1. What are the first things you were taught about God? 

2. When was the first time you felt God’s presence?

3. Have you every pivoted in your life to follow a new calling?

4. What do you need to leave behind to follow God’s calling now?

*******

I encourage you to also check out Diana Butler Bass' book Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence (Harper Collins, 2021).

In this book, Butler Bass helps us rediscover Jesus in multifaceted ways. Her reflections invite readers to depart from narrow definitions and culture wars and reacquaint ourselves with Jesus as a loving companion in our faith journey. 

Make Your Vote Count

Fair Districts Ohio, www.fairdistrictsohio.org/citizens-not-politicians-amendment, is seeking signatures, now through June 30, on a petition to amend Ohio’s constitution on the process for drawing Ohio’s State and Congressional Districts. Once the required number of signatures is verified, the amendment will be placed on the November ballot for Ohio voters to accept or reject. 

If approved, it will:

• Create a 15 member Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission of 5 Republican, 5 Democrats and 5 Independent citizens who broadly represent the different geographic areas and demographics of the state of Ohio. 
• Will ban current or former politicians, political party officials, lobbyists and large political donors from serving on the Commission.
• Require fair and impartial districts by making it unconstitutional to draw voting districts that discriminate against or favor any political party or politician.
• Require the Commission to operate under an open and independent process.

This amendment is endorsed by The League of Women Voters, Common Cause Ohio and Fair Districts Ohio.

If you would like to sign the petition, please contact Lemoine Peart at church or by calling or emailing. 

On behalf of The League of Women Voters,

Lemoine Peart

330-624-7506 Home & Msgs

LWMN@bright.net

Food Waste in Wooster

The Interfaith Justice Committee of Wooster is proposing a citizen run program to collect individual household food waste and turn it into compost that people can then use mainly for gardening purposes, therefore reducing the amount of food waste going to landfills.  We are trying to get the word out to churches, different groups in Wooster, organizations and businesses like Local Roots and anyone we can think of about this idea of organizing a Food Waste Program here in Wooster. There are many examples of cities around the country with all kinds of programs. We are trying to compile a list of names of those interested in discussing and participating this project. We would then call a meeting to get everyone together. This has been tried on a small scale, but nothing large-scale or sustainable has existed in Wooster so far.

Please contact  Juli Douglass-Gillespie if you are interested in an initial meeting to brainstorm ideas about a possible program. We would like that meeting to happen in early February.

Serving Meals this Winter

Westminster has joined with other area churches to serve dinner at the Salvation Army Severe Weather Shelter during the winter months.

Members of the Benevolence Committee are coordinating these efforts to show care to our unhoused neighbors during these frigid days.

Westminster prepares and serves dinner on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month through March.

If you are interested in getting involved, contact Candy Relle here.

Final Week for Hearty Italian Soup Sale

Olive Oil Soap

Sale Continues

Choose regular with Italian sausage or vegan for $8 a quart or with Sue-min’s homemade bread for $9. (Same price as in past years.)

We also have olive oil soap from Palestine for $3.50. It is a good moisturizer in this cold weather!

Pick up after church on Sunday or call 330-263-2398 to pick up during the week.

Thanks for your continued support!

Your Benevolence Committee—

Linda Barbu, Shelley Peterson, Heather Hettick, Candy Relle, Lemoine Peart

Sunday Morning Hospitality & Liturgist

February & March

Westminster's worship and fellowship time is an important way to build relationships among all attending.

We invite you to participate as a liturgist, assistant, provide flowers to decorate our alter or supply treats for our after worship fellowship time.

If you are able to fill one of these areas,

please click here to sign up.

Thank you for your contribution to our worship service.