Prayer List

May this be the day

We come together.

Mourning, we come to mend,

Withered, we come to weather,

Torn, we come to tend,

Battered, we come to better.

Tethered by this year of yearning,

We are learning

That though we weren’t ready for this,

We have been readied by it.

We steadily vow that no matter

How we are weighed down,

We must always pave a way forward.

This hope is our door, our portal.

Even if we never get back to normal,

Someday we can venture beyond it,

To leave the known and take the first steps.

So let us not return to what was normal,

But reach toward what is next.

What was cursed, we will cure.

What was plagued, we will prove pure.

Where we tend to argue, we will try to agree,

Those fortunes we forswore, now the future we foresee,

Where we weren’t aware, we’re now awake;

Those moments we missed

Are now these moments we make,

The moments we meet,

And our hearts, once all together beaten,

Now all together beat.

Come, look up with kindness yet,

For even solace can be sourced from sorrow.

We remember, not just for the sake of yesterday,

But to take on tomorrow.

*Amanda Gorman, from “New Day’s Lyric”

This week we pray for:

John Mark, Lemoine Peart's cousin

Continued prayers for energy and love for John as he moves forward after the recent death of his wife.

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 grappling with grief, illness, and ongoing health worries in our midst;
• individuals and communities living with mental health challenges and do not have access to adequate care and support;
• the caretakers in our midst; we are grateful for their compassion, love and care for others;
• those in our community who are unhoused or do not have a safe and warm place to stay during these frigid days;
• all who are in the grips of war and violence;
• 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;
• 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

Thursday, February 1

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

Sunday, February 4 - Epiphany 5 - Scout Sunday

• Choir Rehearsal - 9:00 am - Mackey Hall
• Worship service with communion - 10:00 am - Mackey Hall - Launch of the WPC 150th Anniversary Mission Project
• Wooster Friends Meeting - 10:30 am - The Meeting Place

Monday, February 5

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

Tuesday, February 6

• Worship Committee Meeting - 1pm - The Lounge
• COW Great Decision Series - 7:30pm - Scheide Music Center

Wednesday, February 7

• Wooster Area Interfaith Partners - 9-10am - Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (3186 Burbank Rd.)
• Benevolence Committee Meeting - 2pm - The Lounge

Thursday, February 8

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

Saturday, February 10

• Muskingum Valley Presbytery Stated Meeting - 10am-noon - Zoom
• Chinese New Year Celebration - 12:30-2:30pm - Mackey Hall

Sunday, February 11 - Transfiguration Sunday

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

COW Great Decisions Spring 2024 Commenced

Let's Celebrate Chinese New Year!

Reservation is now closed. Look forward to seeing you!

Celebrate Black History Month

February is Black History Month. It is a time of reflection and celebration as we honor the achievements, contributions, and history of African, Caribbean, and Black Americans. While the tragedy of enslavement, Jim Crow, other forms of systemic racism (and so called “quiet racism”) have in many ways defined the Black experience, it’s important to remember that the story of Black Americans is not just a story of suffering, but a story of triumph. This year's theme "African Americans and the Arts," spotlights the indelible impact of Black Americans on visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, film, music, and cultural expression. 

African American artists have used art to preserve history and community memory as well as for empowerment. Artistic and cultural movements such as the New Negro, Black Arts, Black Renaissance, hip-hop, and Afrofuturism, have been led by people of African descent and set the standard for popular trends around the world." We can learn more from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). 

If you like documentaries, PBS and your local PBS station offer a list of films premiering this month, as well as programs available to stream in February. You

can also explore the works of Black American artists at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

May this time of reflection be a time of recognition and celebration of the gifts our African American siblings in Christ have offered to our communities, our churches, and the world. May we continue to work for creating a world where we see all people with the same delight and love and care that God sees all God's children in every place on this planet.

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

Saving Nature and the Planet Starts Here     

There ARE good aspects to staying in more during the winter months. I feel so lucky to live in a region where we can experience the changes of season. I find it more interesting to not have the same weather all year round. That's debatable, I know, but winter seems to encourage me to want to read more when I can’t garden outside. So I’ve packed this month’s Saving Nature with many excerpts of pages to read, listen to and explore which I hope will provide you information and stimulate your creativity as well. Maybe God gave us the cold of winter to help us reflect more on our role in nature, and use that reflection time to become better stewards of God’s creation. 

It’s Tax Time and if you do your own taxes, here are some helpful live links to click on to show you how to qualify for and receive the tax credits for Home Energy Improvements and for New Clean Vehicles, courtesy of the IRS. Also, Rewiring America provides a lot of information including this  Tax Credit Fact Sheet.

These credits are all thanks to the historic Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed by Congress in 2022. States, businesses and individuals are already benefitting from this legislation, whose programs are aimed at helping to achieve lower emissions of greenhouse gases and thus lowering the harmful effects of climate change.

I invite you to listen to this video interview with author Hannah Ritchie on “Amanpour,” with Hari Sreenivasan: Not the End of the World: A More Optimistic Approach to Climate Change.

Do you listen to the Podcasts from Living on Earth, a radio show broadcast on WKSU (NPR)? This past week’s show has a segment on New Forms of Climate Denial from January 26 which I recommend. Go to latest shows at https://www.loe.org/.  

Lastly,  HERE are a few cartoons from Yale Climate Connections because laughter (and action) is always the best medicine to counter useless feelings of doom. Show these to someone!

Your comments about any of the above to me in church or by email are always welcome.

Juli Douglass-Gillespie

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.

Annual Hearty Italian Soup

& 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

January & February

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.