December 16, 2015 Newsletter - Westminster Presbyterian Church

Westminster Presbyterian Church “...and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 December 16, 2015

Friends and fellow disciples, This is a time of year when it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. There is a lot going on, and we have many things to juggle. We are making plans (or trying to make plans), and coordinating with friends and family can get pretty stressful. Add to that the difficult state of much of the world – fear of terror, further Middle East conflict, violence and anger, and uninspiring leadership on many fronts. All of this makes me want to shut down. I’d pull the covers over my head and stay there if I didn’t have so much to do… But here’s how it works: when you feel overwhelmed and weighed down, the remedy is found in giving. In this season, I want to challenge you to give an extra gift. You can give money: • To our Christmas Eve offering and the three amazing originations who do so much for those in need (see page 2). • To the church. We are a little behind where I’d like us to be at this point in the year, and your generosity remains so important. (I would love for you to give to the Christmas Eve offering and the church. But, if you must choose for your own good reasons, please give to the Christmas Eve offering.) • To another good organization you love. • To a person you know who might need a little something extra this season, perhaps as they struggle with someone they love who is sick or out of work. You can give helpful items to the shelter downtown or your local school. Be sure you are bringing exactly what they need (examples of Urban Ministries’ needs can be found at www.bit.ly/UMDneeds). You can give love, time, a meal, or a healthy snack. I bet all of you have a neighbor it would mean the world to if you walked over and took them something simple, or scheduled a time for a cup of coffee or a short walk. Even if you don’t feel like you have time for it, even if you aren’t in the mood, GIVE. In doing so, you will find your own way to participate in the healing of the world this season. When we give, we do so in response to the God who loved us so much as to join us here, to become one with us, flesh and blood, in Jesus the Christ. God gave the gift of God’s own self in Christ. God pours out this love upon us and the world, day after day. Let’s share some small bit of joy in response this season. Give just a little bit more, stretch yourself, and see what happens.

Chris

Westminster Presbyterian Church is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA).

In this Issue Concerns & Celebrations 2015 Christmas Eve Offering Christmas Caroling Christmas Eve Worship Services January WOW: First Wednesdays Responding to Fertility Grief January 20 Worship & Wonder Save the Date 2016 Sacraments Class Welcome, New Members! Glimpses of Carols by Candlelight Strategic Planning Progress WPC Men's Basketball Help Improve Westminster's Website Westminster School for Children Church Finance Overview Make Your Pledge in myWPC Preaching Schedule Worship Volunteers

2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 6 7 7 7 7 7 8 8

Please Note: The church office will be closed on December 25 and 28, and January 1. We will have only ONE worship service on Sunday, December 27, which will be held at 11am. If you are a regular attendee of the 8:30am service, be sure to mark your calendar for this change. Please note also that Church School and Godly Play will not be held on December 27. The Chancel Choir will rehearse at 10am in the Music Room.

December 16, 2015

Concerns & Celebrations

Please remember the following in your prayers this week. Don Cleaver Andy & Shirley Collins' friend Marge Enberg's sister Mark Howell Judy Lamon's friend

David McQuay's friend Donald & Shirley Rufty's friend The death of Grant Service's mother Richard Watson

2015 Westminster Christmas Eve Offering At Westminster, we have a tradition of giving generously to the Christmas Eve offering, which goes entirely to local missions. Last year, the congregation gave more than $31,300 to organizations in need! Here are the details for this year's offering: -- The offering, supporting the agencies below, will be collected at the Christmas Pageant and both Christmas Eve services -- You can drop a check off to the church office OR give online at www.bit.ly/wpcG-CEveO any time before Christmas. -- All donations to the offering will be matched by a Stewards Fund challenge grant, which means they'll go twice as far. Open your heart and give generously as you come into Christ’s presence this Christmas.

Senior PharmAssist

Families Moving Forward

Durham Habitat for Humanity

www.seniorpharmassist.org

www.dihn.org/merger

www.durhamhabitat.org

Senior PharmAssist helps Durham residents 60 and older remain as healthy and engaged as possible – for as long as possible – by helping them: pay for medications if they have limited incomes; use medicines safely, effectively, and cost-effectively; access other vital community resources, such as Medicare subsidies; and make informed decisions about Medicare health and drug coverage. After participants work with Senior PharmAssist for two years, they report a 51% reduction in hospital stays, among many positive outcomes. Senior PharmAssist focuses its comprehensive care on seniors with extremely limited incomes; however, its insurance counseling is available to any age/income Medicare beneficiary in Durham. The support of the Christmas Eve offering will help Senior PharmAssist provide care for at least 2,000 neighbors this year.

Families Moving Forward will be the name of Genesis Home and Durham Interfaith Hospitality Network when they combine forces and resources at the end of December to better serve families with children in the crisis of homelessness in Durham. Over 20% of Durham’s homeless population is families. Another 10,000 families struggle to pay their rent or mortgages. One family emergency could cause job loss and homelessness. The "Under One Roof" capital campaign is a component of the merger. The campaign's leadership is raising $450,000 to renovate the shelter facility at Genesis Home from 15 family units to 21. They will raise an additional $150,000 for the initial two years of program costs for Aftercare, an innovative program that will help families move out of the shelter more quickly. The program will provide professional case management and volunteer support for up to one year. -2-

Durham Habitat builds and sells, at 0% interest, new homes to low-income families each year. But did you know that Durham Habitat repairs the homes of low-income families who are already homeowners each year too? Our repairs families are often elderly, disabled, or veteran neighbors who are in danger of being displaced from their homes because they cannot afford maintenance, accessibility features, and critical repairs. Durham Habitat recognizes that affordable housing is a big problem, and seeks to help current homeowners maintain their homes in addition to building new homes. Each year the Durham Habitat Repairs Program receives about 200 applications from neighbors in need, but only has funding to do about 40 home repairs per year. With the Stewards Fund grant, your donations will help grow the capacity of this program that empowers Durham families through neighborhood revitalization.

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Intergenerational Christmas Caroling Wednesday, December 16, at 6:15pm

Be part of the Westminster tradition of Christmas caroling at the homes of some of the beloved members of our community. Meet in the church parking lot at 6:15pm. Carolers will return to Westminster afterward for warm drinks and snacks in the Parlor.

All are welcome!

Christmas Eve Worship Services Westminster will offer two services on Christmas Eve: 1. Family Service of Readings and Carols at 5pm 2. Service of Readings, Carols, and Lights with the Chancel Choir and Brass Ensemble at 8pm. Preludes for this service will begin at 7:30pm. We hope you will join us on Thursday, December 24, for the final part of the Advent journey! Childcare will be available for children age 5 and under in the nursery during both services.

WOW: First Wednesdays

InterPlay

Wednesday, January 6 6:15-7:15pm with dinner from food trucks available at 5:30pm Join us for WOW: First Wednesdays on January 6 for dinner from local food trucks and a fun, interactive program from InterPlay for all ages. InterPlay, which led WOW in February 2015, is an easy-to-learn creative process that invites participants to express themselves through storytelling, movement, and voice. It offers methods of play where participants can have fun while discovering new things about themselves and others. InterPlay is firmly based in affirmation, looking for the good, and setting aside any sense of needing to do things perfectly or correctly. You don’t need to think of yourself as a creative person in order to do InterPlay, but chances are you will find that you are much more creative than you thought. InterPlay facilitators Brian Herring and Roger Adkins will lead us in an hour of creative connecting with others at Westminster! Please sign up for dinner to help our food trucks be prepared, and for childcare (age 2 & under) if needed at www.bit.ly/wpc1-6WOW. -3-

"For me, it was a really fun way to get to know people. There were some people I already knew whom I got to know better and I also made some nice connections with some people I had not met before. l thoroughly enjoyed it." – Eileen McAvoy on InterPlay's program at WPC last February

December 16, 2015

Christian Education news

If you…

New Adult Church School Elective

Responding to Fertility Grief Sundays, January 3 - February 7 9:45-10:45am in Room 204

Join us starting January 3 for a new adult Church School elective! Open to all regardless of personal experience with the topic, this class will explore infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss within the context of faith and the worship community. In each session, we will learn more about different aspects of these topics, informed by readings from Project Pomegranate's "Though the Darkness Gather Round: Devotions about Infertility, Miscarriage, and Infant Loss." We'll consider how Westminster can provide faithful ministry and support to those experiencing these losses.

• have faced infertility, miscarriage, or infant loss at any point in your life; • have a friend or family member dealing with fertility grief and are seeking ways to support them; or • just want to help the members of your church family feel welcomed and cared for ...we hope you will join this class and learn some practical ways the church can engage with these topics. Books will be available for $15 in the Mission Center after December 17. Contacts: Erin McClain ([email protected]) or Heather Ferguson ([email protected]).

2016 Sacraments Class “Baptized children who are being nurtured and instructed in the significance of the invitation to the Table and the meaning of their response are invited to receive the Lord’s Supper, recognizing that their understanding of participation will vary according to their maturity.”

Worship & Wonder, WPC's program for parents and K-5th grade children, meets monthly on the third Wednesday with food trucks from 5:30-6:30pm and the program from 6:307:15pm. This year's focus is “Learning Our Bible Together.” Worship & Wonder will not meet in December, but will pick back up in January and begin asking some big picture questions: What is the Old Testament all about? If we have the New Testament, why do we need the Old? Register at www.bit.ly/wpc1-20WandW for the January 20 Worship & Wonder. Childcare will be available for children under 5. Contact: Heather Ferguson ([email protected]).

Save the Date: Spring Women's Retreat March 4-6, 2016 The Spring Women's Retreat will again be held in Wrightsville Beach. Stay tuned for more details and mark your calendar now!

- PC(USA) Book of Order W-4.2002 We will offer a two-part class in Room 105 on the sacraments for children who are currently in 2nd grade or older and at least one parent. Lunch will be included in our time together and childcare is available for younger siblings upon request. 1. Sunday, January 10, 12:15-1:45pm (Lunch included) Remembering Your Baptism: You Are God’s Beloved 2. Sunday, January 24, 12:15-1:45pm (Lunch included) Welcoming Children to the Lord’s Table: Communion Visit www.bit.ly/wpcScmtC16 to register yourself and your child for the class, childcare, and/or special dietary needs. Contact Heather Ferguson ([email protected]) with questions. - 64 -


welcome,

new members! Emily & Duncan Berry were married last March in St. Simons Island, GA, and moved to Durham shortly thereafter. Originally from Marietta, GA, Emily is an alumna of the University of Georgia and now works at a digital marketing company in the Triangle. Duncan grew up in Spartanburg, SC, attended Davidson College and the Medical University of South Carolina and is currently a resident in Ophthalmology at Duke. They are excited to be a part of Westminster and are eager to get involved in the church community!

Jo Ann Lytle-Olson was born in Wilmington, DE, and was a member of the New Castle Presbyterian Church, built in 1707, in New Castle, DE. Prior to returning to school, she worked as a manufacture's rep for contract furniture companies in New York. Jo Ann moved to Cary to be closer to her parents and sister. She retired from teaching in June of 2014 after having taught Reading and Language Arts in Durham and Wake counties for twenty years. She became a National Board Certified Teacher, LiteracyReading/Language Arts in 2004, and graduated with a MST in teaching from Potsdam State, New York. Jo Ann is married with a grown son, daughter, stepdaughter, and three grandchildren. Her hobbies include, hiking, cooking, reading, and gardening, and she has participated in the Monday morning Bible study since January.

Glimpses of Carols by Candlelight "Monica’s beautiful piano music, Chuck’s comments on each carol that we sang, and all the smiling faces found around the Music Room made the evening an extraordinary way to begin the Christmas season. Friends of all ages were there, from little ones to grandparents and everyone in between!” - Rayner England

"No better way to start the season than with carols by candlelight. Singing some of the classic Advent carols along with some of the new ones in the new hymnal was a great way to prepare for Advent. The fellowship and intergenerational experience was very uplifting." - Paul Garcia -5-

December 16, 2015

Strategic Planning Progress Westminster's Strategic Plan has a lot of moving parts. We'll use this space in each newsletter to update you on its progress. Learn more at www.bit.ly/wpcSPp3. Wednesday Committee Night To help us be better stewards of our resources, Wednesdays at Westminster will look like this each month starting in January: 1st Wednesday

2nd Wednesday

3rd Wednesday

4th Wednesday

5:00 5:15 5:30

we•form kids

5:45 6:00

(please sign up for dinner so the food trucks can be prepared)

6:15 6:30 6:45 7:00

Dinner: Local Food Truck

WOW:

First Wednesdays

7:15

we•form kids

we•form kids

Committee Meetings: Ways & Means

(please sign up for dinner so the food trucks can be prepared)

Assimilation

Dinner: Fellowship Committee

Youth Council

Evening Prayer Committee Meetings:

Dinner: Local Food Truck

Worship & Wonder

Stewardship

7:30 7:45 8:00

Christian Ed Fellowship Local Missions

we•form kids

Committee Meetings: Committees that need to reschedule

Dinner: Fellowship Committee Evening Prayer Committee Meetings: Personnel Worship Adult Christian Education

Global Missions

• Every Wednesday: we•form kids, for K-5th graders, meets from 5-6pm. • 1st Wednesday: Our intergenerational WOW: First Wednesdays meets from 6:15-7:15pm, with dinner at 5:30pm. • 2nd Wednesday: Committees meet at either 5:30 or 7pm with dinner and evening prayer between to increase fellowship and collaboration across our leaders. -- Committees meeting at 5:30pm: Ways & Means, Assimilation, Youth Council -- Committees meeting at 7pm: Stewardship, Christian Education, Fellowship, Local Missions, Global Missions • 3rd Wednesday: Worship & Wonder, for K-5th graders and parents, meets from 6:30-7:15pm, with dinner at 5:30pm. • 4th Wednesday: Committees that gather less frequently or that need to reschedule from 2nd Wednesday meet. -- Committees meeting at 5:30pm: those that need to reschedule from 2nd Wednesday -- Committees meeting at 7pm: Personnel, Worship, Adult Christian Education Facilities Review Task Force The Facilities Review Task Force is compiling the data they have received from you and the groups and ministries that meet at Westminster. They will meet in January to review the data. -6-


WPC Men's Basketball Interested in fun, fellowship, and good exercise? Try joining the Westminster basketball team! WPC has played in the Hope Valley Baptist Church Basketball League for over 10 years. The league offers fun, competitive action in an atmosphere appropriate for church groups. Starting in early January, we play 1-2 nights a week for about two months. Anyone at least 16 years old is eligible – basketball skill or experience is far from mandatory. Contact Darren Skeen ([email protected]) with questions or to sign up before December 31.

Help Improve Westminster's Website

Church Finance Overview

Ever have a hard time finding what you're looking for on Westminster's website? Have some ideas about how to make www.wpcdurham.org more user-friendly and intuitive? We want to hear from you!

Westminster shares an overview of its finances in the newsletter each month. Contact Office Manager Elizabeth Takla with questions ([email protected]; 919489-4974, ext. 122).

Westminster's website is an important tool for helping you get connected to the life of the church. If you're interested in helping improve its ease of use, email Communication Coordinator Kara Pearce ([email protected]).

The students of Westminster School for Young Children spent the last week before our holiday break celebrating Christmas together. Our two-year-olds made special gifts for their parents, and the three-year-olds visited "Santa's Workshop." Our four-year-olds danced joyfully at their Mexican Fiesta, and made beautiful music at "Junk Jam" hosted by the Scrap Exchange! Children, teachers, and parents enjoyed decorating gingerbread houses and baking gingerbread cookies.

Budget Actuals through November 2015 Income $880,736 Expense $978,142 Pledges represent 93% of our operating budget. If you have not yet made a pledge for 2016, please prayerfully consider doing so. Pledges can be mailed to the church, brought to the church office, or made online in myWPC (see below).

Make Your Pledge in myWPC If you haven't yet made a pledge to Westminster's 2016 operating budget, you can do so online via myWPC. 1. Log into myWPC at www.bit.ly/myWPClogin. If you've forgotten your password, click Forgot your password or user name? below the sign-in box. 2. Click the Pledge Now button under My Giving Summary. 3. Complete your pledge information. Be sure that the date is set "from 01/01/2016 until 12/31/2016". 4. Click the Save button.

Our annual Christmas Sing-Along will be held on Friday, December 18. The children are excited about singing for their families, and then we'll all sing carols together. Hopefully, Santa will make an appearance! Many thanks to Chris, Betty, Taylor, Monica, and Heather for teaching us about the meaning of Christmas through their stories and songs at our weekly Celebrations visits. Thanks to all of you for joining with us in supporting the Durham Rescue Mission through "Megan's Wish." Your donations will help to provide a happy holiday for many young children in our community. We also thank you for your continued support of this preschool program. Our students and staff are blessed to be a part of Westminster. School will reopen on Monday, January 4. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Kathy Stickley Director

Paper copies of the pledge forms are available at the front desk of the Mission Center. Please return them to Office Manager Elizabeth Takla's office (108) and contact her with questions ([email protected]). -7-

December 16, 2015 Westminster Presbyterian Church 3639 Old Chapel Hill Rd Durham, NC 27707 Phone: 919-489-4974 Fax: 919-493-4553 [email protected] www.wpcdurham.org www.facebook.com/wpcdurham The next WPC newsletter will be published on January 6. The deadline to submit material is December 30. To submit material for publication, contact Communication Coordinator Kara Pearce ([email protected]; 919-489-4974, ext. 101). The newsletter is emailed. If you prefer to receive a paper copy by mail, please contact Kara Pearce.

Preaching Schedule December 20 - Fourth Sunday of Advent Preaching: Taylor Lewis Guthrie Hartman December 27 - First Sunday after Christmas, Birthday Sunday Preaching: Betty Berghaus (one service only; see below) January 3 - Communion Sunday Preaching: Chris Tuttle January 10 - Baptism of the Lord Preaching: Taylor Lewis Guthrie Hartman

Worship Volunteers for December 20, 27*, January 3, and 10 *Please note that there will be no 8:30am worship service or Church School on Sunday, December 27; the Chancel Choir will rehearse at 10am in the Music Room. ACOLYTES 12/20 Logan McElroy, Grace Ferguson 12/27 Carson Ruffing 1/3 Shannon Wylie, Rivers Oviedo-Sauls 1/10 Abbie & Lyndsay Mangum LECTORS 12/20 8:30 11:00 12/27 8:30 11:00 1/3 8:30 11:00 1/10 8:30 11:00

John Graham Lynn Leubuscher No Service Patrick Lang Andy Collins Jeremy Trantham Chuck Byrd Gene Brannon

OFFERING COUNTERS 12/20 8:30 Lois Bender, Sue Murphy 11:00 Blair & Laura Chesnut 12/27 8:30 No Service 11:00 Bill & Barb Burig 1/3 8:30 Mike Meyen, Volunteer Needed 11:00 Blair & Laura Chesnut 1/10 8:30 Volunteers Needed 11:00 Harriette Frank, Tali Benignus

USHERS 12/20 8:30 11:00 12/27 8:30 11:00 1/3 8:30 11:00 1/10 8:30 11:00

Andy & Shirley Collins; Donald & Shirley Rufty Chris, Molly & Henry McLaughlin; Emmy & Jimbo Huckabee No Service Lee & Sue Murphy, Volunteers Needed Dean Lanier, Linda Van Gombos, Dave & Sara Pottenger Volunteers Needed Bill & Jackie Whitt, Gary Ferrell, Stephen Harward Jeremy & Laurel Trantham, Volunteers Needed

NURSERY Monthly Coordinator: December - Melissa Katrincic; January - Volunteer Needed Every Sunday: Infants, Toddlers, 8:30 2-5 yr olds - WPC Nursery Staff 12/20 2-3: Jennifer & Mike Feiler; 4-5: Cindy & Ray Soloe 12/27 2-3: Jenny Whitman, Carolyn Holmes; 4-5: Amy & Fritz Simonson 1/3 2-3: Danielle & Zach Bishop; 4-5: Anne & Ashley Vann 1/10 2-3: Erica Hill, Monica Nichols; 4-5: Jan & Holland Hale SOUND TECHNICIANS December 8:30 Doug Wellemeyer 11:00 Mark Hill January 8:30 Gordon Cleaver 11:00 Blair Chesnut

Westminster Presbyterian Church is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA).