March 28, 2021 — Palm Sunday; Pastor Enikő's Service of Ordination and Installation at 3pm.
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A Word from the Pastor
The month of March has been recognized as Women’s History Month in the US since 1987—a time to celebrate “women’s contributions to history, culture and society,” as the site, history.com puts it. I must confess, I struggle with such “commemorations” or “celebrations” because I find it ironic that we need to designate a month to recognize the myriads of ways women contribute their gifts and skills and shape our world as if somehow women were latecomers to our collective human story.
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As we journey through Lent this year exploring the theme of healing—individual, communal and environmental, we are invited to recognize anew the fractures in our communal, interpersonal relationships. This Lenten season reminds us of the ways we lord it over other human beings; of the barriers and systems we devise to discriminate and oppress our sisters and brothers based on gender or sexual identity, skin color, social status, religious or political views. Yes, we are invited to recognize our brokenness, but we are also called and empowered to re-envision our life together and celebrate the varied gifts and perspectives each of us offer to the common good. Looking at Women’s History Month (or Black History Month, which we celebrate each February) through this Lenten lens of healing our communal brokenness helps us to remember that re-envisioning our life together by celebrating the gifts and contributions of African American members or women in our society is a conscious commitment that ought to reach beyond a month.
For me, reflecting on women’s contributions to our society takes on an added significance this year because of my approaching service of ordination as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA) on March 28th—the culmination of a long, winding journey with many unexpected twists and turns. As I look toward this day, I am filled with special gratitude for all the women who have shaped and guided me, encouraged and empowered me along the way, first and foremost the many strong women in my family:
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my grandmothers caring for their family alone while their husbands were in the army during World War II,
- great aunts who showed me that women can have successful professional careers breaking through restrictive societal norms,
- my mother, who modeled to me what serving the community looks like as a pediatrician,
- a cousin who was among the first generation of women to be ordained as a pastor in the Hungarian Reformed Church in Transylvania, Romania.
I am also grateful for women who have served the church in a variety of ways, women who have paved the way for me to be able to serve as a pastor in the Reformed—Presbyterian tradition, women whose stories are still in process of being uncovered and recognized. I invite you to look at the Presbyterian Church (USA) project titled “Expanding the Narrative: Women and the Reformation,” in which I had the honor and privilege to participate. (You can access the six-part educational video series we produced HERE) It’s been exhilarating and inspiring to work together with women belonging to the Reformed tradition from variety of racial, ethnic, gender and social backgrounds. We shared stories that move the historical conversation about the Reformation from focusing primarily on the Western European context and solely on magisterial reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin to highlighting stories of African Protestants of color in England and prominent women leaders in Spain, Germany, France, and Hungary. I have felt empowered by so many examples of courage, of fortitude, of innovation—an amazing array of ways through which sisters in times past and present have loved, served and challenged the church towards more wholeness despite efforts to silence, disregard and even destroy them.
Westminster Church, as we prepare for this moment of celebration on March 28, I invite you to join me in reflecting on women who have and are still forming you, who have had a significant influence in the life of our larger community. I hope you will share your stories with me and with each other so that we may find inspiration and courage as we continue our journey.
May we be filled with resilience and hope as we seek healing and wholeness for our church, for Wooster and the world—seeking to “do the work that our souls must have,” in the words of my former professor and mentor Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon, the first African American woman ordained by the Northern Presbyterian Church.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Enikő
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Highlights From This Month's Session Meeting |
The Westminster Session met by Zoom on February 24, 2021. The following are highlights from the meeting:
- Sue-Min Lee and Bill Weiss will be installed, Candy Relle will be ordained and installed as ruling elders of Class 2023 during the February 28 Worship Service
- Approval was given for a Maundy Thursday Service through Zoom
- Approval was given for a pre-recorded Good Friday Service
- Thanks was given for the gifts of Soup and Bread, as well as the delivery of the Lenten materials by the Benevolence and Congregational Care Committees
- The Finance Committee has been asked to prepare a template for generating a monthly report in addition to the current documents that are received
- The following statement was received from the Finance Committee:
In December we received a report from Trinity United Church of Christ on its findings from our joint audit for both churches. A team from Trinity UCC (Jack Senn and Phill Starr) reviewed our financial records during the summer and fall of 2020, and reported "no major findings" with our financial procedures. The report contained eight suggestions to improve our financial security and operations. The Finance Committee has expressed its appreciation to Trinity UCC. A team from Westminster (Bill Weiss and Caryl Slater) will now begin the process of reviewing Trinity UCC's financial records and procedures.
- Session will be working with Pastor Enikő to define additional training opportunities for the Elders as they support the life of the church
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This one-page financial summary was added to the Annual Report after the Annual Meeting. Please click HERE to view it.
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Please use the link below to join our Zoom worship service and fellowship time. If you would like to dial in by phone, please use the phone number listed below. If you need help using Zoom, there are instructions linked to the button that says "Click Here." If you have trouble connecting the day of, please email Jack Veney.
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Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 853 5983 3772
Passcode: wpcworship
Dial by your location
+1 929 436 2866 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 853 5983 3772
Passcode: 4252716912
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Please note that the Church Office will be closed on the following dates:
March 8
March 11–12
All emails and voicemails will be returned in the order in which they were received once the office reopens. A reminder of these closures will be included in the Sunday morning emails.
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Wooster Head Start Program |
The Benevolence Committee continues to sponsor our local Head Start Program. We have been tasked with collecting items that they cannot purchase via their grant monies. Currently, they are asking for larger sized new packages of both boys' and girls' underwear and sweatpants. The sizes needed are 6X-7. You can place these items in the marked tub in the Narthex, or call the Church Office to arrange for porch pickup.
Thank you so much for your support of this wonderful program!
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Save Your "Our Family" Labels! |
When you purchase Our Family products at Buehler's, please be sure to clip and save the UPC labels. Then, turn in your labels to the tub inside the Narthex at the Church House, or call the Church Office to arrange for your labels to be picked up. Sue Coleman will continue to organize and bundle all donated labels to benefitWestminster.
For each bundle of Our Family UPC barcodes collected, participating nonprofit organizations can earn $25.
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One Great Hour of Sharing Offering |
For more than 70 years, One Great Hour of Sharing has provided us a way to share God's love with our neighbors in need. In fact, OGHS is the single, largest way Presbyterians come together every year to work toward a better world. |
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The three programs supported by One Great Hour of Sharing — Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Self-Development of People — all work in different ways to serve individuals and communities in need. From initial disaster response to ongoing community development, their work fits together to provide people with safety, sustenance, and hope.
This denomination-wide offering concludes Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021. There will be two Minutes for Mission in March to highlight ways donations are used.
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Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities |
Click the links below to learn more about Westminster's ongoing volunteering projects.
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Ongoing Fellowship Opportunities |
Click the links below for more information on Westminster's ongoing fellowship opportunities. Please note some of them have paused or moved online due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
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