From Our Director of Family Ministries . . .
Sunday School – We are still collecting items for our spring Sunday School mission project Hygiene Kits for use by the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) program in Haiti. The Sunday School children have set a goal of making 100 kits and will gather the items between now and Sunday, April 11th, where we will spend the Sunday School hour assembling these kits for PDA. They are specific in what they want in each kit and I have listed the items from the PCUSA website that we will be collecting. The number next to each item is what I have collected so far towards our goal. http://www.pcusa.org/pda/help/goh.htm
Each kit needs:
1 – hand towel; approximately 16”X28”, no fingertip or bath towels (we have 69)
1 – washcloth (50)
1 – wide-tooth comb (27)
1 – nail clipper; no metal files or emery boards (32)
1 – toothbrush; in original packaging (43)
We have received enough soap, band aids, and zip lock bags.
Thanks to all of you who have donated items so far. We are getting really close to having enough items to complete our goal of 100.
Children’s Church – We need volunteers to lead Children’s Church April 18th and May 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th. If you are available and able to help with this ministry please contact me at 357-5750. Kelly Poff who has faithfully led Children’s Church for two Sundays a month this year is taking a break. She has a new job and doesn’t have as much time available to help with this ministry. We will not have Children’s Church on April 4th (Easter) or April 25th (Youth Auction).
Easter Sunday is April 4th and we will have our combined Sunday School Easter lesson and Egg Hunt. If you can donate plastic eggs and candy to help with this annual event, you may drop them to my office.
Adult Education brochures can be found in the literature racks. New Sunday morning classes “Simple Grace” and “Growing Up Again” begin Sunday, April 11.
Cheryl Kinnamon
Dates for Your Calendar:
June 4th, 5th and 6th – for our bi-annual All-Church Retreat (Friday evening through Sunday). The theme this year is Entertaining Beauty. There will be great food and activities for all ages. If you would like to help in a small or big way there are still many jobs left that need a person. Contact Greg Burkhart. Remember "Many hands make light work". A brochure for registering will be arriving soonish.
June 28th – July 2nd – for Vacation Bible School. The theme is Galactic Blast and it should be one. We are looking for help in all areas. If you are available to help set up, run or clean up and would like to be a part of this stellar experience please contact Greg.
Greg Burkhart, (360) 357 4210, for All-Church Retreat and VBS
The Youth Group spent the weekend of March 12th-14th at Tall Timber Ranch, near Leavenworth, enjoying a snow-filled Winter Retreat. The theme of the retreat was "Building Bridges with God and One Another". The youth bonded through snow sports, such as cross-country skiing and sledding. In the beautiful surroundings of Tall Timber, with mountains and trees on all sides, it was easy to feel a relationship with--and bridge to-- God. The youth enjoyed good food at camp, as well as tasty treats from the Bavarian town of Leavenworth.
The next big Youth Group event is the Annual Youth Auction! The Youth will be accepting new and gently used items, food products (like desserts!), service, and cash donations for this year's auction! The theme of the auction is "The Caribbean"-- as a tribute to the mission trip we have planned for this summer to Catadupa, Jamaica. We will be working in the small village in the foothill jungles about 30 miles outside Montego Bay. The youth will assist with local construction projects and evangelism through good works beside the local citizens of Catadupa. The trip will be from July 18th through July 24th. Eighteen youth and parent chaperones plan to attend. It should be a wonderful and eye-opening experience for our youth, as well as a great opportunity to share their many gifts with others.
We invite the entire congregation to attend the Youth Auction on Sunday, April 25th, starting at 9:00am. Food will be served, as it has in past years, and large donations will be sold through a live auction in the sanctuary, once silent auctions have closed.
The youth are looking forward to this lively event and, ultimately, to the trip to Jamaica!
Katrina Wyman, Youth Ministries Coordinator
Let’s Get The Church Grounds Ready for Easter!
The Buildings & Grounds Department will have a workday on Saturday, March 27 starting at 9:00am to clean up and trim grounds and landscaping. Emphasis will be on the memorial area and the area along the west side of the church and parking lot since the Fellowship Hall project has occupied most other areas. Bring a few tools and enjoy good work, fellowship and the great outdoors for a few hours. Everyone is welcome. Drinks and snacks will be provided.
Ernie Petermann, 456-4137, for Buildings & Grounds
All women are invited to the Presbyterian Women's luncheon Tuesday, April 2nd at noon. The soup luncheon will be hosted by the Naomi Circle with a presentation following about local ministries for homeless women and children. Because of spring break, childcare will be provided. Please call me, so we can plan for your child.
Carol Stoker, 459-5189, for the Naomi Circle
Music Notes...
Good Friday is April 2 this year and we would like to invite you to a very special evening of music beginning at 7:00pm in our sanctuary. The choirs of Westminster, Lacey Presbyterian, Cornerstone Presbyterian and The United Churches will be combining for this special service. We will present the cantata, The Weeping Tree. With narration throughout, the piece explores the symbols of Jesus' crucifixion both in word and in song while keeping the overall theme of The Weeping Tree (Jesus' cross) at the forefront- the symbol of both life and death. "She who was cut and fashioned by hatred and violence became a tree of life for the world." There will be time for fellowship with our sister churches following the service with refreshments provided by the Mission & Fellowship Department.
Did you ever want to sing with the choir just for one Sunday? Well, here is your chance! Sunday, April 11 is "Sing with the Chancel Choir Sunday" and we invite anyone to come sing our anthem with us that week. We will be singing, "I Love to Tell the Story." We will meet at 10:30am in the choir room and rehearse for 45 minutes. No commitment beyond that Sunday! Come join us in making music together!
Bell Choir update: The Bell Choir Director position is open and will be advertised outside of the church soon. We are looking to have someone in place by the start of next school year in September. If you know of anyone who might be qualified and willing, please feel free to get a name and number and I will follow up with them. This is now a paid position.
Thank You from Terry: I want to thank everyone for their care and prayers for me and my family over the past six weeks or so following my injury. The meals from the Chancel Choir were wonderful and much appreciated! I think I've told the story several times a week, so this might be a good way for everyone to know what happened. To keep it short, while in my weight lifting class, I was bench pressing and, in the middle of a set, my right pectoral muscle (large muscle that makes up most of your chest) decided to part ways from the bone that it is normally attached to the upper arm bone. It happened fast and my spotter heard it pop/rip/tear and grabbed the weight before it landed on my chest- this was a small miracle in itself. I don't recommend this injury to anyone. Anyhow, after a good, clean surgery, things are back in place. The recovery is about one year and I begin physical therapy Monday! However, I do ask that you do not touch my right side as it still causes considerable pain when touched or moved the wrong way. Again, Jennifer and I send our thanks and appreciation to a wonderful church!
Terry Shaw, Director of Music Ministries
Fulfilling The Vision – Fellowship Hall Project Update
Exciting changes are happening as construction on our Fellowship Hall and new Preschool additions continue to make rapid progress. The foundation on the Fellowship Hall wing has been completed and framing of the Fellowship Hall has begun. The foundation of the Preschool addition should be completed by the end of this week, and the framing of the Preschool should begin the first of next week.
The existing exterior church walls to the kitchen and the old Preschool area will not be demolished until the framing and roofing to the new additions are completed. According to the contractor’s schedule, we should not have to vacate our current kitchen before April 9th.
Parking continues to be a challenge at times, but the congregation is coping well by utilizing our overflow areas when need be. The contractor continues to provide three week interval schedule updates every week, which are posted in the narthex for your review. We will also post the schedule, with a summary of what to expect next, on the church website. Thank you!
Frank Sanborn, Project Coordinator, FH Steering Committee
Jim Morgan, Chair, Fellowship Hall Steering Committee
Disaster Response—Ways to help
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is the emergency and refugee program of the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA). It enables congregations and mission partners of the PCUSA to witness to the healing love of Christ through caring for communities adversely affected by crisis and catastrophic events. PDA’s core budget, including staff and administrative costs, is funded through the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS), and its program work additionally funded through designated gifts, such as to Haiti or Chile. Westminster Presbyterian Church will receive the annual OGHS offering Palm Sunday, March 28th.
Another way to help would be to volunteer to join the next Presbytery Mission Trip for hurricane recovery. We'll be turning our attention to rebuilding after Hurricane Ike (2008), the third worst hurricane in the history of the Texas Gulf Coast, sometimes called the "forgotten storm." On October 10 - 16, 2010 a Presbytery-wide mission group will be in Port Neches, Texas, at a Presbyterian Disaster Assistance site. Contact Rev. Steve Klump, pastor of the Toledo Presbyterian Church, at presbyter@toledotel.com or (360) 864-2482 if you are interested. Julie Johnson, Jeff Robinson, and Carol Vannerson can also tell you about their experiences on a similar mission trip in 2007.
Susan Engels, for the Mission & Fellowship Department
Reminder: WPC has a Couples Bible Study that meets in homes every other Friday at 7:30pm. We are currently studying the Gospel according to Luke. We would welcome new couples! For information, please contact: Lit Dudley, lndudley@q.com. 456-6996 or Julie Johnson, julieandcris@msn.com, 438-0405.
Mission News . . .
The Salvation Army (and the families you helped) would like to thank the members of Westminster for your support of families during the Christmas time. Interfaith Works would like to thank all the volunteers that worked with the homeless shelter, and thank you to the church for the use of their facilities. The Thurston County Food Bank also thanks Westminster for their continued support.
Glen Hunter, for the Mission & Fellowship Department
It’s time to start thinking about CROP Walk and begin asking for donations and/or sign up to be a walker. The Walk will be Sunday, May 2nd. There will be a table in the narthex Sunday with Crop Walk envelopes. By picking up your envelope now you will have plenty of time to gather sponsors. I have set a goal of $500.00. This amount would enable a woman from a third world country to start a business to support herself.
One fourth of the money raised stays in our community to support non-profit programs that provide food for hungry people, like The Salvation Army, Union Gospel Mission and Senior Nutrition. In 2009 there were 450 walkers in Olympia -- about 20 of them were from Westminster. We can do that again.
Elsa McLain, for Mission & Fellowship
