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 we reflect on Peter's struggle to grasp why suffering and death is part of Jesus' journey (Matthew 16:21-23). May this prayer adapted from Rev. Sarah Speed guide us:

Gracious God,

We do not want to stay stagnant, but growth is never easy.

When our own growing pains catch up with us, remind us that even Peter had to change his mind.

Bless our growth. Bless our curiosity. Bless this winding journey as we find our way home, again and again and again. Amen.

This week we pray for:

Deb Hostetler

Prayers for Deb, who suffered a heart attack (SCAD - Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection) on Monday. She is being discharged from the hospital in Canton today. Please hold Deb and her family in your love and prayers as she returns home. We specifically pray for comfort and peace of mind so Deb can focus on next steps in her cancer treatment, and for strength to get through this.

Bob Hass, friend of Bill and Cheryl Weiss

Prayers of comfort and peace to the family and close friends of Bob Hass, 77, who passed away under Hospice care for metastatic esophageal cancer this past week-end in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Bob, who had introduced Cheryl and Bill Weiss fifty-five years ago, had been a very close friend of theirs ever since that time and was considered family. He was "Uncle Bobby" to the Weiss children and grandchildren. 

Stewart Gamage, sister of Pastor Enikö's friend Anne Ferrell

Prayers for Stewart, who is in ICU in Richmond, VA. She is on a ventilator, sedated with sepsis, Covid, and organ failure.

Tom Ewing, Erica Ewing's dad

Prayers for continued healing as he prepares to resume radiation treatments soon.

Joshua Amimo

Prayers for Joshua who is settling into his new life in Philadelphia. He found a place to stay, and has the first week at his new job under his belt. Continued blessings. You may reach out to him at the following address:

Joshua Amimo

9501 Tulip Street

Philadelphia, PA 19114

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 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.

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 fear 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 who strive for justice, may their voices be heard and heeded; 
• 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, March 6

• Wooster Area Interfaith Partners - 9:00 am - Zoom
• COW Science Cafe - 7:00 pm - Spoon Market & Deli - David Vanata, Ph.D. - "The Science of Supplements"
• COW Great Decision Final Event - 7:30 pm - Gault Recital Hall - Sound the Alarm film+discussion with director John Trainor '16

Thursday, March 7

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

Sunday, March 10 - Fourth Sunday of Lent

• 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

Monday, March 11

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

Tuesday. March 12

• Worship Committee Meeting - 1 pm - The Lounge

Wednesday, March 13

• Benevolence Committee Meeting - 2 pm - The Lounge

Thursday, March 14

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

Sunday, March 17 - Fifth 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

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, 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. This week we are reflecting on Matthew 16:21-23.

Questions for Reflection

1. Jesus shares a hard truth with Peter that challenges his faith (Mt. 16:21-23).

What truths or events have challenged your faith?

2. What is a good thing in your life that you cling to?

3. What do you need to hold loosely?

4. In this season, what are you learning?

*******

Check out Brian McLaren's book Faith After Doubt: Why Your Beliefs Stopped Working and What To Do About It (St. Martin's Essentials, 2022).

In this book, McLaren researched many theories for human and faith development and synthesized the patterns he saw into four stages of faith: Simplicity, Complexity, Perplexity, and Harmony. He describes these stages in detail in this book.  

WPC 150th Anniversary Mission Project

Friends, we are excited about the progress we are making on our anniversary mission project. You can find more information on the project at https://wpcwoo.org/rip.

Share the information with friends, family, co-workers. Let's sow seeds of goodness in our community!

PLUS additional $3,200 of donations sent to Westminster Church - we raised 61% of our goal

Read the Daily Record article about our Mustard Seed Project here.

Help Us Celebrate WPC's 150th Anniversary

Make Your Vote Count

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.

Sunday Morning Hospitality & Liturgist

March & April

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.