Friday Newsletter

August 29, 2025

This weeks bulletin

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This Sunday

10 am: Worship Service

11:15 am: Coffee Hour

View Live Stream Here

Upcoming Events

Sept. 2nd @7pm: Yoga

Sept. 3rd @10am: Tai Chi

Sept. 3rd @3:30pm: Dance Class

Sept. 7th @11am: NextGen Meeting

Sept. 8th @6pm: Women's Night Out

Sept. 9th @7pm: Yoga

Sept. 10th@ 3:30pm: Dance Class

Sept. 14th @11:30am: Presbyterian Beliefs Class

Sept. 15th: Tree Cutting Day!

Sept. 16th @6pm: Men's Night Out

Sept 16th @7pm: Yoga

Sept 17th @3:30pm: Dance Class

Sept. 21st @11:30am: Presbyterian Beliefs Class

Sept. 22nd @1pm: Blood Drive

Sept. 23rd @7pm: Yoga

Sept. 24th @3:30pm: Dance Class

Sept. 28th @11:30am: Fall Festival

Sept. 30th @7pm: Yoga

Pastor's Corner

Summer 2025 is in the books! A shout out to all the artists who creatively brought this epic story to life with color, imagination and fantasy as well as with pen & paper, wiki-sticks, stones, and clay.

Officially there are 14 more days left of summer but here at Westminster we are already transitioning into the fall. The summer carpet cleaning is finished and worship is back in the sanctuary each Sunday at 10am. Here’s a brief snapshot of what is underway this month:

Stewardship is ramping up for their 2026 campaign
Next generation ministry is getting calendars ready for children’s programs
Fall festival (9/28) is well underway with congregational vitality
The choir and the bells have already had their first rehearsal of the year
The youth group meets this week and kicks off the Salem Youth Collective on 9/21
And the Presbyterian Beliefs class beings on 9/14.

Our Sunday morning September series, Back to the Beginning: Genesis & the ministry of members, starts this week as we circle back to the first chapter of Scripture with the first of two creation stories. If you would like to follow along, the lectionary readings can be found here WP-Narrative-Lectionary-2025-26-John.pdf. As we explore these foundational stories in the Old Testament, we will also take a look at the foundational principles of the Presbyterian (PCUSA) tradition. Presbyterian polity is laid out in two parts – the Book of Confessions (part 1) and the Book of Order (part 2). Throughout the month, we will explore different sections of our ministry as set out in section F-1.0404 in the Book of Order.

As it participates in God’s mission, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) seeks:

a new openness to the sovereign activity of God in the Church and in the world, to a more radical obedience to Christ, and to a more joyous celebration in worship and work;
a new openness in its own membership, becoming in fact as well as in faith a community of all people of all ages, races, ethnicities, abilities, genders, and worldly conditions, made one in Christ by the power of the Spirit, as a visible sign of the new humanity;
a new openness to see both the possibilities and perils of its institutional forms in order to ensure the faithfulness and usefulness of these forms to God’s activity in the world;
and a new openness to God’s continuing reformation of the Church ecumenical, that it might be more effective in its mission.

The “F-1.0404” stands for “Foundations” and reflects our shared wisdom over the ages about who and what we are in our Presbyterian tradition. You can read the entire section about the ministry of members in the online, interactive Book of Order: 2025_0724_Book_of_Order_Interactive_2025-2027.pdf

Fall Festival and Youth Sunday

Join us for a double-feature of fun and fellowship! 🤝

First, support our amazing youth at Youth Sunday! Help them raise funds for their upcoming events and projects. Every contribution makes a difference!

Then, the celebration continues at our Fall Festival in Boulder Hall! This festive event is for everyone:

🎪 All committees are invited to share information

📝 Stewardship Pledge Kick-off

🍂 Family Potluck/BBQ (bring a dish to share!)

One day, two great ways to connect and support our community. See you there!

Youth Group

Youth Group this Sunday, September 7^th, after the 10am church service. Come and hear about hear from our delegation that went on a Mission Trip to Tucson AZ. We will also be planning for Youth Sunday on September 28th.

Changemaker's Lab VBC

Changemaker's Lab VBC Was A Success!

The numbers are finally in! Three churches (WPC, St. Paul's Episcopal,

and Salem 1st Pres) combined to serve 19 kids, with 11 youth and more

than 25 adult volunteers involved! We all enjoyed fifteen hours of fun

and education over five days, at five different locations within our

church building and grounds, learning how to live Godly lives from five

different Bible stories. We collected $132.72 in a "change" offering

for Family Promise, and are also giving them 30 hats for their use!

Numbers aside, the love of God supported the entire week. It was

embodied in all of God's people there, from those young in years to

those young in spirit. The kids all learned each day about a different

way that they can change our world for the better, and we have seen a

change in them already!

A big thank you to everyone who helped in any way with Vacation Bible

Camp! We couldn't have done it without the support of our WPC

congregation. If you want to access the VBC slideshow for a look into

what we experienced during the week, you can find it here:

https://youtu.be/yBMe_PZJSAA

--Terri Crall (she/her)

A Note From The Office

We are reorganizing the office workroom to make it more useful. The large wooden desk will be donated, so all the items on it and around it on the floor need to be moved as soon as possible.

We will display the items that haven't been claimed on two Sundays - Sept. 14 and 28.

You may take what you need. Anything left at that point (Sept. 30th) will be donated.

We are brainstorming ideas of how best to use the open space after the desk is moved out. If you have ideas, please submit them to the office by September 30th.

Interested in volunteering in the office? sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4DA9A92BABFDC25-57977862-thursday

The Library is going to be getting rid of the DVD's. Please take what you want for FREE. everything left over will be donated by September 30th!

Get Involved

Want to participate in Moral Mondays at the capital with the Oregon Poor People’s Campaign? We meet every Monday, 12pm, at First Presbyterian Church. Contact Michele (michelehare25x2@gmail.com ) or Paul Negstad (pandd.negstad@gmail.com) to join or just show up! Next: Monday, September 8, 2025. Learn more: poorpeoplescampaign.org.

Bible Study

Tuesday Bible Study with Pastor Kelly is starting back up this month each Tuesday at 10:30am. You can find the Narrative Lectionary here: WP-Narrative-Lectionary-2025-26-John.pdf. Contact the office for more information (office@salemwestpres.org).

Night Out!

Deacon Update

The deacons would like to invite you to attend Reflections on the River.

It is at Riverfront Park on Sept. 18th from 7:30 - 9:00 pm.

This event is to remember and honor loved ones who have died. You can follow the

luminaria lit pathways that include grief support activities and music.

Personalized luminaries for the River Walk can be purchased at

wvh.org/Reflections. For more information, contact Theresa Hart at

donorservices@wvh.org

Sunday School Teacher

Congregational Vitality Committee - Photo Directory

The Congregational Vitality Committee (CVC) is reminding everyone that the Westminster Photo Directory is being updated this summer. The first directory was published in December, 2023, and the plan is to provide an updated version for the congregation twice a year.

There are three reasons why you might be interested:

1. You missed getting your name, contact information, and/or photo submitted last fall, or

2. You need to correct or update your contact information, or

3. You want your photo updated or added.

There is a “Seasonal Photo Selfie Spot” set up in Boulder Hall , and it is available each Sunday for the remainder of the summer. Here are the guidelines:

1. Use your own camera/cell phone (there should be lots of folks to help out during coffee hour)

2. Submit your photo to office@salemwestpres.org; include your name in the subject line.

3. You may also submit your name/contact info/photo at anytime during the month of August to office@salemwestpres.org.

This is for anyone who wants to update any information already in the directory or for anyone who has not had their name included before. The newest version of the Westminster Church Photo Directory will be published in late September, so any information to be included needs to be sent to the church office email address (office@salemwestpres.org) on or before August 31, 2025. If you have any questions, please contact Katie Nelson, nelsonkatieallstar@gmail.com or 503-580-5631 (text or call)

Presbyterian Beliefs Class

Presbyterian Beliefs Class: a five week led by Pastor Kelly to learn more about the basic tenets of our beliefs, traditions and faith. These classes are open to anyone, whether a frequent visitor or a member. The sessions will be from 11:30-1:00 in Russell Hall on 9/14, 9/21, 10/5, 10/19 and 11/2. Sign up by contacting the church office (office@salemwestpres.org or 503-364-3327).