Prayer List

Friends, on this All Saints day, as we remember loved ones we've lost and as we ached for all the lives extinguished by senseless, cold-hearted violence and war, for some of us the grief is new and raw. Others among us have carried their grief for a longer time.

Let us pray, guided by the poetic insight of Jan Richardson, that "instead of trying to fit our grief into the timetable, we learn to move with, whatever this means for us: to move with hope, to move with memory, and most especially to move with the love that endures and keeps calling us into life."

From the moment it first laid eyes on you,

this blessing loved you.

This blessing knew you from the start.

It cannot explain how.

It just knows that the first time it sat down beside you,

it entered into a conversation that had already been going on forever.

Believe this conversation has not stopped.

Believe this love still lives—the love that crossed an impossible distance

to reach you, to find you, to take your face into its hands and bless you.

Believe this does not end—that the gesture, once enacted, endures.

Believe this love goes on—that it still takes your face into its hands,

that it presses its forehead to yours as it speaks to you in undying words,

that it has never ceased to gather your heart into its heart.

Believe this blessing abides.

Believe it goes with you always.

Believe it knows you

still.

~ Jan Richardson, Blessing That Does Not End

This week we pray for:

Erica Ewing's great-aunt Sue

Prayers for healing and comfort for Sue, who is undergoing rehab at the Wooster Hospital for a leg injury.

Julie Douglass-Gillespie's friend's mother

Prayers for strength for Joy who recently had 3 surgeries for a broken hip in Uganda.

Dawn Kridel's nephew John Walker

Prayers for safety and wisdom for John who was called back to active duty with the Air Force and was deployed to Kuwait.

Bob and Dorothy Iams

Continue to pray for Bob as he regains his strength and for Dorothy who is struggling with sciatic pain.

Susan Shaw's mother

Continued prayers also for Susan’s mother who has been dealing with a recurring infection that has not responded to medical treatment.

Joel Chupp

Continued prayers for wisdom and strength for Joel who responded to a call to serve as Interim Executive Director of the Viola Startzman Clinic, a longtime mission partner organization of Westminster.

Nahida Gordon

Continued prayers for healing for Nahida who sustained a wrist fracture this past week.

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 among us who are grappling with grief, illness and changing life circumstances;
• a renewed sense of connection with one another and God's creation;
• the people of Israel/Palestine - Our hearts grieve as we witness ongoing attacks of innocent people, all children of God. We pray for the cessation of violence, for aid and resources to reach those who are injured and caught up in war and violence;
• Ukraine, Russia, and all who live under threat and fear across the world;
• for justice and peace to guide the hearts of leaders in our communities and around the world;
• change in our culture and our media to stop normalizing and promoting violence. May we act to protect the wellbeing of children everywhere, not merely pay lip-service to it;

Friends, as we continue our ministry, may the fruit of the Spirit guide our hearts and minds in service and worship, bound together in love!

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, November 1

• Wooster Religious Studies Academy series – 7:00 pm – The Alley (Lower level of Lowry)

Sunday, November 5 - All Saints Sunday (TIME CHANGE)

• Worship service with Communion - 10:00 am - Mackey Hall
• Wooster Friends Meeting - 10:30 am - The Meeting Place

Monday, November 6

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

Tuesday, November 7

• Worship Committee Meeting - Time TBD - The Lounge
• Vegan Dinner with COW Students - 6:00 pm - Mackey Hall

Wednesday, November 8

• Journey Toward Advent study Pt. 3 - Joseph - 7:00 pm - The Lounge

Thursday, November 9

• Dance and Exercise - 8:30 am -The Meeting Place

Sunday, November 10

• Worship service - 10 am - Mackey Hall
• Wooster Friends Meeting - 10:30 am - The Meeting Place

All Saints Sunday Worship - November 5, 10 AM

Friend, this Sunday during worship we will host a service of thanksgiving and remembrance for loved ones who passed on, who nurtured and challenged us - who shaped us and our community into who we are today.

We'll have a prayer station installed near the communion table where you may light candles in memory of your loved ones. You are welcome to bring along a photograph of your beloved to be placed on a memorial panel at the prayer station.

Hope you join us at this service to worship, remember, and give thanks for

love that endures and keeps calling us forward into life!

A Journey toward Advent

Where: Westminster Church House Lounge (353 E. Pine Street)



When: October 11 & 25; November 8 & 22, @7:00pm

In our study, we will be guided by an inspiring little book titled Light of World, written by renowned scholar and teacher of the New Testament and Jewish Studies Amy-Jill Levine. Each week, we will watch a 10-minute video presentation by the author to start our conversation. We’ll have copies of the book ready for you.

Drawing on her insights, we will enter the familiar stories of Elizabeth and Zechariah, Mary and Joseph, the magi and shepherds to seek what they can tell us about finding hope in a world where “imperial” and “heavenly” values clash—where the ways of our culture come head-to-head with the alternative ways of God’s reign characterized by wholeness, peace and justice. We’ll engage these characters in the hopes that they will spark our imaginations, and help us to see “otherwise”… to see what is possible when we open ourselves to the divine creativity in the midst of our daily lives. 

If you seek to find courage and hope in the midst of challenging times, if you desire to experience community with “eyes that see otherwise,” this study is for you… and for your friend or neighbor who longs for a deeper sense of connection, an experience of the holy in our midst.

Hope you join us!

Community Vegan Dinner with COW Students

Friends, we are hosting another vegan dinner for students and members of our community on Tuesday, November 7 @ 6pm in Mackey Hall. If you'd like to help with setting up, cleaning up or making food to share, please sign up here.

Sunday Morning Hospitality & Liturgist

October

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.