Word from the Pastor

When Peter, my now almost 24-years-old buddy was 4 or 5, he just bombarded us with questions about everything he observed in the world around him. “Why?” was a constant refrain in our lives. Peter wanted to know more about every single thing that captured his imagination. Why people did certain things? Why they responded a certain way to things? Why things of the world of the world appeared a particular way? Why? Why? Why? 

Yes, of course there were moments when we, the people in his little world would grow impatient and just wanted to distract him from the constant probing. Yet, as I ponder Peter’s passionate curiosity to understand better, to know more about the big questions of life, I’m reminded that Jesus urges his disciples to live with such child-like openness and inquisitiveness… to not take what is before us, what we have inherited, or even what we experience for granted. Instead, like Peter has done, ask questions, wonder, seek to know more. 

After our Advent dinner gatherings, one of you shared that even though you have been part of the Westminster community for over 30 years, through these intentional conversations you learned all kinds of new things about your friends here, things that you had no idea about prior. I think this observation captured what many of us are yearning for. We long for deeper connections with one another and our neighbors, a deeper understanding of the mysteries of faith, of God’s workings in our midst, of our place and role in shaping the world. 

As the Worship Committee was reflecting on creating space for such communal reflecting and seeking, we welcomed the Lenten study by A Sanctified Art that invites us to seek “honest questions for a deeper faith.” This Lenten season beginning on February 22, Ash Wednesday, we invite you to engage in the spiritual practice of seeking. We encourage you to stay curious, open, and nimble. Our hope is that in the process of seeking we will soften our assumptions and expand our perspectives. We pray that as we practice suspending judgment and free ourselves to wonder, we will create a safe space to explore—to be drawn more deeply into the fullness of life, into the heart of God. 

Perhaps the word “seek” reminds some of us of the famous verse “seek and you shall find” (Matthew 7:7), and we may think of faith as something static, a given, something that we either have or not. For this verse often has been interpreted in such a transactional way: “if you just try harder, you’ll get it.” Yet, we know that life and faith do not operate within a predictable, merit-based system of seeking and finding, asking and receiving. Our Lenten study invites us to explore what may it look if we embraced a seeking faith, a faith that is ever-growing, adaptive, resilient, and filled with awe. 

We will be engaging stories of Jesus encountering people who are seeking: Nicodemus comes to him in the veil of night, he approaches a Samaritan woman at a well, he heals a man born without sight. In these stories, each person is seeking a new beginning, a different life, a deeper faith. What unfolds is an exchange filled with questions and exploration. Often, an unveiling occurs—assumptions are disrupted, a new perspective is revealed, mystery grows. Some of the questions we hear will feel restorative: “Can these bones live again?” Some will feel like a charge or challenge: “Who will we listen to?” Some questions are hopeful and curious: “How do we begin again?” Our questions won't necessarily lead to answers, but they can help us find clarity and a new perspective. Ultimately, we pray they will lead to a new beginning, a restoration, a wider grace. 

Like the characters in our Lenten scriptures, we are also seeking many things: clarity, connection, wonder, justice, balance. We are seeking our calling, the sacred, and how to live as a disciple. We are living through the third year of societal upheaval in which many of our disparities, vulnerabilities, and differences are more exposed. We find ourselves asking big questions about our purpose, our faith, our identity, our future. And so, this Lent, we invite you to bring those big questions to God. We invite you to engage in the spiritual practice of seeking, staying curious, porous, and malleable. Like Nicodemus, can we let go of what we used to know in order to begin again? Like the Samaritan woman at the well, will we let ourselves be fully seen? Like Mary at the empty tomb, can we recognize God’s resurrection when we encounter it?” 

Friends, this Lent may we open ourselves to the Spirit. May we let her undergird our wonderings, the space between ours question and our yearning for answers. This Lent, let us seek good questions rather than rush to easy answers. 

Grace and peace,

Pastor Enikö

Our Lenten journey begins on Ash Wednesday - February 22

with a joint Westminster/First Presbyterian Church worship service.

Time: 7:00pm

Location: First Presbyterian Church (621 College Avenue)

Lenten Study - on Thursdays, beginning March 2, @6:00pm

Beginning from March 2, Pastor Enikö will lead a Lenten study on each Thursday during Lent. We will read an article related to our weekly theme, which you'll receive in the mid-week email a week prior to our gathering. Our Lenten study series will conclude with our Maundy Service on April 6. The weekly gathering will take place in the Church Lounge.

Lenten Devotional

A beautiful daily devotional that includes scripture reflections, art, poetry, music, and prompts for journaling will guide our journey of seeking. You will be able to pick up your devotional after worship on the First Sunday of Lent, February 26.

Lenten Icon

The intricate icon for our series that you see above captures some of the themes that we will explore through the 6 weeks of Lent. I invite you to read the description of its various layers and themes provided by A Sanctified Art below. Look for these themes in the weekly worship. I invite you to share your insights and questions during the sharing time in worship and at the weekly Lenten studies beginning March 2.

Black History Month - Celebrating the Contributions of African Americans to Our Shared Lives

African Americans have been enriching the Presbyterian Church for more than two centuries.

The first ordained African American minister in the Presbyterian Church was John Gloucester. Rising from slavery and oppression, he formed the first African American Presbyterian congregation in the early 1800s in Philadelphia. Many years later, in 1974, PC(USA) ordained the first black woman, the Rev. Dr. Katie Cannon, to ministry. Cannon would go on to establish the Center for Womanist Leadership at Union Presbyterian Seminary, in Richmond, VA. These are just two examples of African Americans who have played important roles in the lives of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the US. In February, we celebrate their contributions.

For more information on notable African American Presbyterians, check out these resources:

• Historical Firsts: African Americans in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) - infographic created by the Presbyterian Mission Agency, 2020

• African-Americans Have Rich History in the Presbyterian Church - article by the Presbyterian News Service, 2019

PC(USA)’s Racial Equity and Women’s Intercultural Ministries (RE&WIM) is launching a virtual Bible study to celebrate Black History Month. The series is called “Models of Black Resistance Past and Present.”

It will stream on the RE&WIM Facebook page at 5 p.m. each Wednesday from February 15 through March 15. 

Annual Hearty Italian Soup

Sale Continues

 Hearty Italian Soup Sale Update

Soup sales will end in February. If you have any empty soup containers, please bring them to the kitchen.

Saving Nature and our Planet Starts Here

February 2023  

Juli Douglass-Gillespie

[If you have trouble accessing the links I give out, PLEASE let me know by sending a quick email to the church.]

For this month, during the cloudy, dull, and cold (but warmer than last year, have you noticed?) winter days, I offer you three things to read, all worth checking out. I am constantly receiving and searching for articles and information about climate change and how we, as God’s children, can participate in solutions to this huge problem which we are responsible for creating and continuing. 

 First is a Quiz about the varied importance of different actions you can take to limit your carbon emissions. It looks really easy, but look out! You’ll be surprised at the correct answers. If you get 5 or less wrong, please tell me – you’d be super smart. Remember, the list of 15 does not include everything you can do personally. And then there are degrees to which you can participate in some of them. 

• Quiz: What’s the best way to shrink your carbon footprint? (Scroll down a bit for the Quiz.)  Quiz HERE

• Suggestion: What can I do? Some very doable practical advice. Energy saving

Good opinion piece, trying to strive for some realism vs. extremism about the part you play in the big picture. Climate guilt

Volunteer Opportunities for the Viola Startzman Clinic

The Benevolence Committee is now offering support to The Viola Startzman Clinic.

They are seeking volunteers to send cards and notes of cheer to their clientele. You can write your own notes at home and drop them off directly to the clinic. If you do so, please mention that you are participating through Westminster Presbyterian Church.

You can also volunteer to do this at the clinic and they will provide the cards, pens and addresses. The Benevolence Committee is considering doing this as a group. If you are interested, please reach out to any member of the Benevolence Committee or contact Shelley Peterson for further information.

33rd Annual Souper Bowl of Caring - Sunday, February 12

Tackle Hunger, a national nonprofit that is home of the Souper Bowl of Caring, encourages schools, businesses, faith-based organizations, civic groups and individuals to participate in this annual event to tackle hunger and poverty in their communities.

Since 1990, over $170 MILLION in dollars and food has been generated while benefiting thousands of soup kitchens, food banks, meal programs and other hunger-relief charities in local communities.  This year's Souper Bowl of Caring goal is to raise $5 million, which would provide 15 million meals to people suffering from hunger across the U.S.

February Collection Items

Spaghetti Sauce

Party Crackers (Ritz, Club, etc.)

Syrup

Ready to Serve Soups

Hygiene Items

Deodorant for Men & Women

Small Dish Soaps

Body Wash

Can always use toilet paper and paper towels

February - March

Hospitality & Liturgist

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 or provide flowers to decorate our alter. 

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.

Public Health Safety Update

WPC Current Status is:  Mask Optional. 

As masks may be required in specific, private areas,

please make note of any exception signage. 

Westminster Church will continue to encourage safe health practices 

and will adjust our guidelines as needed.

Thank you for your understanding and support to keep all of us safe.