Current news at westminster
Click here for the June 2020 newsletter
Click here for the May 2020 special newsletter
Phased Reopening Plan
Session has decided to continue online worship through at least the month of June.
There will be no in-person worship until the beginning of July at the earliest; the target date will be reassessed based on changing developments.
As Westminster begins to resume public activities, please know that we will do so through a careful process of discussion and discernment, with an abundance of caution and concern for those who are most vulnerable, upon consideration of the best scientific knowledge at our disposal, in the spirit of constant prayer, and with full trust in the grace and love of God.
In that spirit, Session has adopted a plan for a phased return to public worship. The founding principle of this plan is that life is sacred, and so it’s worth protecting. We are grateful that there are faithful ways to continue being the church, even thrive and grow as the church, in this time.
Phase One, pending any new developments, will initiate on June 15, and will reopen our buildings to staff, individuals, and small gatherings of no more than 12 people (masked and distanced). Session has authorized a team to review requests to gather, on a case-by-case basis. Approval is required before meeting, and will depend on the need to meet and the likelihood of the group abiding by safety protocols.
At the same time, the church will be instituting increased risk reduction and cleaning measures and procuring personal protection equipment, such as masks and hand sanitizer stations. If your group would like to meet, please submit a request to the church by calling or emailing.
Phases Two and Three will gradually lead us to sanctuary worship and a resumption of public ministries. We won’t know when we can move to the next phase until we see how phase one goes and until we know the status of the virus at that time. More information will be shared when we are prepared to move to the next phase.
Read the complete text of Pastor Patrick's email about phased re-opening here.
How to watch Facebook Live
We've made joining worship on Sunday really easy. All you have to do is go to the church's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/westminsterauburn/ at our regular worship time 9:30am on Sunday morning (you can also view the video later on the Facebook page if you can't join us live), scroll down below the banner image and see the top post on the feed; it should be the Facebook Live video (if it's not there, we haven't started yet; try again in a minute). Click on it. Now, you're worshiping with us! You can watch the video even if you don't have a Facebook account.
You can participate by adding comments, liking/reacting to the video, and sharing the video. If you have prayer concerns for yourself or your immediate family, prayer concerns you want publicly shared (remember this is live on social media), you can post those in the comment section, and they'll be included in the prayers of the service. Please do not share any prayer requests for anyone other than yourself or immediate family, and only with express permission.
Upcoming sermons
May 31: "Not us, God in us," a Pentecost sermon about the gift of the Spirit
June 7: “The Trinity: Let’s Have a Conversation,” an interactive exploration of the meaning of the Trinity
June 14: A number of options are being explored for this Sunday
June 21: “The True Life,” a sermon about costly, blessed discipleship, alongside our Baccalaureate celebration of graduates and scholarship recipients
June 28: “Love or Justice—Must We Choose?” a sermon about a God of both law and grace
Sermons can be read here the week following each Sunday service.
Offering
Please remember that the ministry of the church continues, and it depends on your offerings. You can mail a check, set up automatic pay with your bank, or donate online. Don't forget our loose change offering either! In May, the loose offerings support Westminster's education fund for Darius and Solomon, two young brothers in Uganda who are the nephews of Agnes, the "adopted" daughter of Bob and Beverly Miller. In June, loose change will support the NAACP school supplies drive.
Refresh
All women of Westminster, as well as any interested friends, are invited to join the Refresh Women’s study group on Saturday May 30 at 10am for a virtual zoom session. They will complete their study of women in the New Testament with a focus on Sapphara (Acts 4:32-5:11). Anyone interested should email refreshwithin@yahoo.com for the zoom invitation and the study questions. This is a time for women to connect, learn a little something about God’s Word, and share some prayer time and fellowship.
Interfaith Pride Service
Auburn will celebrate its second annual LGBTQ+ Pride Week during the week of June 21. On Wednesday, June 24, a car parade will lead to Finger Lakes Drive-In, where we will enjoy a virtual Interfaith Pride Service during the evening. More info to come.
New Member Class
On Sunday, June 14, at 1 pm, over Zoom, Westminster will host a new members class. We will explore our spiritual journeys and discern whether we are led to become members of the holy community that is Westminster. Our time together will walk us through the process of becoming a member, discuss what it means to belong to a Presbyterian church and to Westminster in particular, and explore how our passions, callings, and gifts could joyfully come alive at Westminster. Participating in a class is not a commitment; it's just learning more. Please share this invitation with others, and email pastor@westminsterauburn.org if you'd like the Zoom link. A call-in option is also available. If you're not available at that time, let us know, and we'll explore scheduling another class.
Virtual Community Nights
In an attempt to help with the boredom, restlessness and stress many of our children and youth are facing (adults too), REACH is offering virtual family and community nights on Wednesday evenings at 5:00pm. We will be able to connect through Zoom to play trivia, virtual games and some other surprise activities. There are still a lot of opportunities to connect so if you haven’t already checked out the Westminster REACH Facebook group, go the page, press the "join" button, and stay up to date with what’s going on. Email Chris Patch at chrispatchtmt@gmail.com for more information about REACH, community nights, and other on-line activities for kids and families.
Westminster Book Group
The Westminster Book Group will meet on Zoom Thursday, June 18, at 7pm to discuss Lisa See’s novel The Island of Sea Women. The novel introduces us to the fascinating world of the female divers of Jeju Island in South Korea, and the friendships and rivalries among families in the years spanning Japanese colonialism in the 1930s, World War II, the Korean War, through the era of cell phones and wet suits for the women divers. Linda Russell will lead the discussion. Email Ann Wiley (ann@annlwiley.com) for a Zoom invitation.
REACH on-line
Youth forums and the Children's Worship Center continue on line. Chris Patch and Noel Lardeo offer videos and Zoom chats on the Westminster REACH Facebook group page. Join the group to take advantage of educational offerings for children and families!
Contemplative Hike
Contemplative hikes are back! Spent partly in silence and partly in conversation, our hikes offer renewal as we reconnect with God, the earth, and ourselves. On Saturday, June 27, from 10 am to 12 pm, we will hike among the stunning woods and waterfalls of Fillmore Glen State Park. This is a beautiful but strenuous hike, involving incline. It's about 30 minutes from Auburn. We will spread out for the sake of safe distancing. Email pastor@westminsterauburn.org.
Day(s) of Service
We originally planned to hold the second annual Day of Service on Saturday, May 16, going out in full force to participate in service projects around the city. Although we have to postpone the Day of Service this spring, we can replace it with individual acts of service spread over many days! There are plenty of ways to help others even while quarantined. Perhaps you could pick up the phone and call a church member who lives alone. Or send a note to let someone know you’re thinking of them. If you’re cooking or baking, is there someone you could take a meal to? Start a garden and plant an extra row of vegetables for the food pantries or Hunger Task Force. Sew a face mask for yourself and for a friend. Consider mowing your neighbor’s lawn. Go through your old books or magazines, and put them in the church’s Little Free Library. Make a donation to an organization on the front line of helping homeless, hungry, sick, or unemployed folks. The spirit of the Day of Service can inspire us to make every day a day of service to others.
Citizen Column
Westminster is featured in a monthly column in the Auburn Citizen.
2020 columns:
Patrick Heery's May 17 column: How the church's closing may be its salvation
Jill Fandrich's April 19 column: "Remaining a church through quarantine"
Audrey McNally's March 21 column: Brahm's Requiem: Comfort for the living
Kimberly Patch's February 23 column: "Following Jesus' response against domestic violence"
Jill Fandrich's January 26 column: "Change is a constant"
Older columns can be found here
Click here for the May 2020 special newsletter
Phased Reopening Plan
Session has decided to continue online worship through at least the month of June.
There will be no in-person worship until the beginning of July at the earliest; the target date will be reassessed based on changing developments.
As Westminster begins to resume public activities, please know that we will do so through a careful process of discussion and discernment, with an abundance of caution and concern for those who are most vulnerable, upon consideration of the best scientific knowledge at our disposal, in the spirit of constant prayer, and with full trust in the grace and love of God.
In that spirit, Session has adopted a plan for a phased return to public worship. The founding principle of this plan is that life is sacred, and so it’s worth protecting. We are grateful that there are faithful ways to continue being the church, even thrive and grow as the church, in this time.
Phase One, pending any new developments, will initiate on June 15, and will reopen our buildings to staff, individuals, and small gatherings of no more than 12 people (masked and distanced). Session has authorized a team to review requests to gather, on a case-by-case basis. Approval is required before meeting, and will depend on the need to meet and the likelihood of the group abiding by safety protocols.
At the same time, the church will be instituting increased risk reduction and cleaning measures and procuring personal protection equipment, such as masks and hand sanitizer stations. If your group would like to meet, please submit a request to the church by calling or emailing.
Phases Two and Three will gradually lead us to sanctuary worship and a resumption of public ministries. We won’t know when we can move to the next phase until we see how phase one goes and until we know the status of the virus at that time. More information will be shared when we are prepared to move to the next phase.
Read the complete text of Pastor Patrick's email about phased re-opening here.
How to watch Facebook Live
We've made joining worship on Sunday really easy. All you have to do is go to the church's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/westminsterauburn/ at our regular worship time 9:30am on Sunday morning (you can also view the video later on the Facebook page if you can't join us live), scroll down below the banner image and see the top post on the feed; it should be the Facebook Live video (if it's not there, we haven't started yet; try again in a minute). Click on it. Now, you're worshiping with us! You can watch the video even if you don't have a Facebook account.
You can participate by adding comments, liking/reacting to the video, and sharing the video. If you have prayer concerns for yourself or your immediate family, prayer concerns you want publicly shared (remember this is live on social media), you can post those in the comment section, and they'll be included in the prayers of the service. Please do not share any prayer requests for anyone other than yourself or immediate family, and only with express permission.
Upcoming sermons
May 31: "Not us, God in us," a Pentecost sermon about the gift of the Spirit
June 7: “The Trinity: Let’s Have a Conversation,” an interactive exploration of the meaning of the Trinity
June 14: A number of options are being explored for this Sunday
June 21: “The True Life,” a sermon about costly, blessed discipleship, alongside our Baccalaureate celebration of graduates and scholarship recipients
June 28: “Love or Justice—Must We Choose?” a sermon about a God of both law and grace
Sermons can be read here the week following each Sunday service.
Offering
Please remember that the ministry of the church continues, and it depends on your offerings. You can mail a check, set up automatic pay with your bank, or donate online. Don't forget our loose change offering either! In May, the loose offerings support Westminster's education fund for Darius and Solomon, two young brothers in Uganda who are the nephews of Agnes, the "adopted" daughter of Bob and Beverly Miller. In June, loose change will support the NAACP school supplies drive.
Refresh
All women of Westminster, as well as any interested friends, are invited to join the Refresh Women’s study group on Saturday May 30 at 10am for a virtual zoom session. They will complete their study of women in the New Testament with a focus on Sapphara (Acts 4:32-5:11). Anyone interested should email refreshwithin@yahoo.com for the zoom invitation and the study questions. This is a time for women to connect, learn a little something about God’s Word, and share some prayer time and fellowship.
Interfaith Pride Service
Auburn will celebrate its second annual LGBTQ+ Pride Week during the week of June 21. On Wednesday, June 24, a car parade will lead to Finger Lakes Drive-In, where we will enjoy a virtual Interfaith Pride Service during the evening. More info to come.
New Member Class
On Sunday, June 14, at 1 pm, over Zoom, Westminster will host a new members class. We will explore our spiritual journeys and discern whether we are led to become members of the holy community that is Westminster. Our time together will walk us through the process of becoming a member, discuss what it means to belong to a Presbyterian church and to Westminster in particular, and explore how our passions, callings, and gifts could joyfully come alive at Westminster. Participating in a class is not a commitment; it's just learning more. Please share this invitation with others, and email pastor@westminsterauburn.org if you'd like the Zoom link. A call-in option is also available. If you're not available at that time, let us know, and we'll explore scheduling another class.
Virtual Community Nights
In an attempt to help with the boredom, restlessness and stress many of our children and youth are facing (adults too), REACH is offering virtual family and community nights on Wednesday evenings at 5:00pm. We will be able to connect through Zoom to play trivia, virtual games and some other surprise activities. There are still a lot of opportunities to connect so if you haven’t already checked out the Westminster REACH Facebook group, go the page, press the "join" button, and stay up to date with what’s going on. Email Chris Patch at chrispatchtmt@gmail.com for more information about REACH, community nights, and other on-line activities for kids and families.
Westminster Book Group
The Westminster Book Group will meet on Zoom Thursday, June 18, at 7pm to discuss Lisa See’s novel The Island of Sea Women. The novel introduces us to the fascinating world of the female divers of Jeju Island in South Korea, and the friendships and rivalries among families in the years spanning Japanese colonialism in the 1930s, World War II, the Korean War, through the era of cell phones and wet suits for the women divers. Linda Russell will lead the discussion. Email Ann Wiley (ann@annlwiley.com) for a Zoom invitation.
REACH on-line
Youth forums and the Children's Worship Center continue on line. Chris Patch and Noel Lardeo offer videos and Zoom chats on the Westminster REACH Facebook group page. Join the group to take advantage of educational offerings for children and families!
Contemplative Hike
Contemplative hikes are back! Spent partly in silence and partly in conversation, our hikes offer renewal as we reconnect with God, the earth, and ourselves. On Saturday, June 27, from 10 am to 12 pm, we will hike among the stunning woods and waterfalls of Fillmore Glen State Park. This is a beautiful but strenuous hike, involving incline. It's about 30 minutes from Auburn. We will spread out for the sake of safe distancing. Email pastor@westminsterauburn.org.
Day(s) of Service
We originally planned to hold the second annual Day of Service on Saturday, May 16, going out in full force to participate in service projects around the city. Although we have to postpone the Day of Service this spring, we can replace it with individual acts of service spread over many days! There are plenty of ways to help others even while quarantined. Perhaps you could pick up the phone and call a church member who lives alone. Or send a note to let someone know you’re thinking of them. If you’re cooking or baking, is there someone you could take a meal to? Start a garden and plant an extra row of vegetables for the food pantries or Hunger Task Force. Sew a face mask for yourself and for a friend. Consider mowing your neighbor’s lawn. Go through your old books or magazines, and put them in the church’s Little Free Library. Make a donation to an organization on the front line of helping homeless, hungry, sick, or unemployed folks. The spirit of the Day of Service can inspire us to make every day a day of service to others.
Citizen Column
Westminster is featured in a monthly column in the Auburn Citizen.
2020 columns:
Patrick Heery's May 17 column: How the church's closing may be its salvation
Jill Fandrich's April 19 column: "Remaining a church through quarantine"
Audrey McNally's March 21 column: Brahm's Requiem: Comfort for the living
Kimberly Patch's February 23 column: "Following Jesus' response against domestic violence"
Jill Fandrich's January 26 column: "Change is a constant"
Older columns can be found here