Current news at westminster
Click here for the January/February newsletter
Online-Only Worship
With COVID cases continuing to increase in our county and in the nation, and with regional hospitals becoming increasingly overburdened, Westminster's Session has adopted to continue our online-only worship, with no public in-person worship for the time being. Worship will continue on Facebook Live, and if you'd like help using this technology, please inform the church. Session will review this decision each month, and we will notify you when a change is made. At this time, the church buildings remain open to church business and small group gatherings. Please practice caution when visiting the church, wearing masks, distancing, using hand sanitizer, and staying home if sick or in contact with someone sick.
Upcoming Sermons
Jan. 3: "A Christmas adoption," a sermon about our search for belonging
Jan. 10: "Baptized with purpose," a sermon for our celebration of new members and new officers
Jan. 17: "The path to true change," a sermon about witness and transformation
Jan. 24: Kim Patch preaching
Jan. 31: "Here be dragons," a sermon about resistance to change
Feb. 7: "Mount up with wings like eagles," a sermon for Scout Sunday
Feb. 14: "Who is Jesus?" a Transfiguration of the Lord sermon
Feb. 17: Ash Wednesday
Feb. 21: "Orphaned," a Lenten sermon about parental death
Feb. 28: "Who am I now?" a Lenten sermon about retirement and other life changes
Sermons can be read here the week following each Sunday service. We also have a new YouTube channel, where we are posting the video versions of sermons each week. Complete services are always available to watch on our Facebook page.
Book Group
The Westminster Book Group will meet on Zoom the third Thursday of each month at 7pm to discuss the following books. Email ann@annlwiley.com for more information. The book group will resume in-person meetings when it is safe to do so. Upcoming books are:
January 21 and February 18, Presidents of War, Michael Beschloss, chapters on World War I and World War II, led by Tony Gero.
Lenten Sermon Series: Aging with God
Throughout Lent, the Rev. Patrick Heery will lead a six-part sermon series on discerning God's presence and guidance in the midst of getting older. Drawing upon years of pastoral counseling and upon resources such as physician Atul Gawande's excellent book "Being Mortal" and psychologist Alexander Levy's "The Orphaned Adult," this sermon series will explore topics such as Alzheimer's, life transitions, parental death, mid-life crises, healthcare decisions, and the loss of control. Together, we will walk with Jesus as he, and we, face difficult decisions, seeking God in the midst of getting older.
Offerings
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. Loose offerings in January support our neighbor, the Auburn YMCA-WEIU, who continue to provide health and education offerings to the community despite the onerous challenges of Covid.
Refresh
All women of Westminster, as well as any interested friends, are invited to join the Refresh Women’s study group on Saturday mornings for virtual Zoom sessions. 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.
Contemplative Hikes
Spent partly in prayerful silence and partly in conversation, our contemplative hikes offer renewal as we reconnect with God, the earth, and ourselves. There is great meaning to be found in experiencing God's creation in all four seasons, so don't let the wintry weather deter you. There is no peace on earth quite like the quiet of a snow-covered forest. Do note, however, that for winter, we will shift our hikes to the afternoon, meeting at 1 pm. On Saturday, January 23, at 1 pm, we will hike the brand new Owasco Bluffs Nature Preserve, protecting over 1,100 feet of undeveloped, pristine shoreline of Owasco Lake. The short one mile trail features forested bluffs and meadows, ending at a wooded hillside with spectacular lake views. Learn more: www.fllt.org/owascobluffs.
On Saturday, February 27, at 1 pm, we will hike at Montezuma Wildlife Refuge, taking advantage of the excellent opportunity to see white-tailed deer, fox, small mammals and resident birds such as woodpeckers, nuthatches, cardinals, and chickadees. The refuge is about 20 minutes from Auburn. Both hikes will be easy to moderate, though heavy snowfall may make them more challenging. RSVP is requested. Please contact Patrick (pastor@westminsterauburn.org, 315-253-3331). Detailed information will then be provided.
Ode to Joy Skinner Organ Restoration Campaign
Westminster has embarked on a three-year capital campaign to help pay for the full restoration of our magnificent Skinner pipe organ (Opus 579) built in 1926. The Ode to Joy campaign was launched last fall when members and friends of Westminster Church were sent a special mailing, including a letter, brochure, and pledge card. Please read the Ode to Joy materials and consider how you might joyfully respond. Through congregational and community support, foundational grants, and loans, Westminster Church's Skinner organ will continue to make a joyful noise to the Lord for many generations to come.
Closed captioning on Facebook Live
Did you know you can turn on closed captioning for Facebook Live worship? If you are hard of hearing, or want to keep the volume low on your computer, or find that closed captioning helps you follow along better, just follow these simple instructions: https://www.facebook.com/help/427723640933279
Citizen Columns
Westminster is featured in a monthly column in the Auburn Citizen.
2020 columns:
Patrick Heery's December 28 column: Finding joy when you don't feel joyful
Jill Fandrich's November 29 column: Finding the good in change
Patrick Heery's November 2 column: From Protestantism to protest
Jill Fandrich's October 4 column: Being a sailboat church
Audrey McNally's and Jill Fandrich's September 7 column: Ode to Joy, Restoring Auburn's 1926 Skinner Organ
Jill Fandrich's August 9 column: Faith evolves through doubt
Kimberly Patch's July 12 column: Small acts bring change
Patrick Heery's June 14 column: Jesus says, Black lives matter
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
Annual Meeting January 31
The Annual Meeting of the Congregation/Corporation of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Auburn, will be held January 31, at 10:30am via Zoom, immediately following worship. The purpose of this meeting is to review the annual reports of the boards, committees and staff of the church, review the 2020 financial reports and the 2021 budget, vote on the changes in the terms of the pastor’s call, and conduct any other business which might come before the congregation.
Coat Tree
The Mission Committee has set up the Coat Tree in the hallway of the Education Building to provide coats, gloves, hats and scarves to members of our community in need of warm winter clothes. If you have gently used, clean coats (adult’s or children’s), please consider donating to the coat rack. Please hang your coats on the rack and place winter hats, gloves and scarves in the boxes below. The Coat Tree is suspended until further notice due to Covid-19 concerns.
The Little Free Library
The Little Free Library in front of our church is always in need of good quality books for children, youth, and adults. You can leave donated books in the library itself or drop them off to the church office. And while you're there, check out the Little Free Library for some new reading material for yourself!
Online-Only Worship
With COVID cases continuing to increase in our county and in the nation, and with regional hospitals becoming increasingly overburdened, Westminster's Session has adopted to continue our online-only worship, with no public in-person worship for the time being. Worship will continue on Facebook Live, and if you'd like help using this technology, please inform the church. Session will review this decision each month, and we will notify you when a change is made. At this time, the church buildings remain open to church business and small group gatherings. Please practice caution when visiting the church, wearing masks, distancing, using hand sanitizer, and staying home if sick or in contact with someone sick.
Upcoming Sermons
Jan. 3: "A Christmas adoption," a sermon about our search for belonging
Jan. 10: "Baptized with purpose," a sermon for our celebration of new members and new officers
Jan. 17: "The path to true change," a sermon about witness and transformation
Jan. 24: Kim Patch preaching
Jan. 31: "Here be dragons," a sermon about resistance to change
Feb. 7: "Mount up with wings like eagles," a sermon for Scout Sunday
Feb. 14: "Who is Jesus?" a Transfiguration of the Lord sermon
Feb. 17: Ash Wednesday
Feb. 21: "Orphaned," a Lenten sermon about parental death
Feb. 28: "Who am I now?" a Lenten sermon about retirement and other life changes
Sermons can be read here the week following each Sunday service. We also have a new YouTube channel, where we are posting the video versions of sermons each week. Complete services are always available to watch on our Facebook page.
Book Group
The Westminster Book Group will meet on Zoom the third Thursday of each month at 7pm to discuss the following books. Email ann@annlwiley.com for more information. The book group will resume in-person meetings when it is safe to do so. Upcoming books are:
January 21 and February 18, Presidents of War, Michael Beschloss, chapters on World War I and World War II, led by Tony Gero.
Lenten Sermon Series: Aging with God
Throughout Lent, the Rev. Patrick Heery will lead a six-part sermon series on discerning God's presence and guidance in the midst of getting older. Drawing upon years of pastoral counseling and upon resources such as physician Atul Gawande's excellent book "Being Mortal" and psychologist Alexander Levy's "The Orphaned Adult," this sermon series will explore topics such as Alzheimer's, life transitions, parental death, mid-life crises, healthcare decisions, and the loss of control. Together, we will walk with Jesus as he, and we, face difficult decisions, seeking God in the midst of getting older.
Offerings
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. Loose offerings in January support our neighbor, the Auburn YMCA-WEIU, who continue to provide health and education offerings to the community despite the onerous challenges of Covid.
Refresh
All women of Westminster, as well as any interested friends, are invited to join the Refresh Women’s study group on Saturday mornings for virtual Zoom sessions. 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.
Contemplative Hikes
Spent partly in prayerful silence and partly in conversation, our contemplative hikes offer renewal as we reconnect with God, the earth, and ourselves. There is great meaning to be found in experiencing God's creation in all four seasons, so don't let the wintry weather deter you. There is no peace on earth quite like the quiet of a snow-covered forest. Do note, however, that for winter, we will shift our hikes to the afternoon, meeting at 1 pm. On Saturday, January 23, at 1 pm, we will hike the brand new Owasco Bluffs Nature Preserve, protecting over 1,100 feet of undeveloped, pristine shoreline of Owasco Lake. The short one mile trail features forested bluffs and meadows, ending at a wooded hillside with spectacular lake views. Learn more: www.fllt.org/owascobluffs.
On Saturday, February 27, at 1 pm, we will hike at Montezuma Wildlife Refuge, taking advantage of the excellent opportunity to see white-tailed deer, fox, small mammals and resident birds such as woodpeckers, nuthatches, cardinals, and chickadees. The refuge is about 20 minutes from Auburn. Both hikes will be easy to moderate, though heavy snowfall may make them more challenging. RSVP is requested. Please contact Patrick (pastor@westminsterauburn.org, 315-253-3331). Detailed information will then be provided.
Ode to Joy Skinner Organ Restoration Campaign
Westminster has embarked on a three-year capital campaign to help pay for the full restoration of our magnificent Skinner pipe organ (Opus 579) built in 1926. The Ode to Joy campaign was launched last fall when members and friends of Westminster Church were sent a special mailing, including a letter, brochure, and pledge card. Please read the Ode to Joy materials and consider how you might joyfully respond. Through congregational and community support, foundational grants, and loans, Westminster Church's Skinner organ will continue to make a joyful noise to the Lord for many generations to come.
Closed captioning on Facebook Live
Did you know you can turn on closed captioning for Facebook Live worship? If you are hard of hearing, or want to keep the volume low on your computer, or find that closed captioning helps you follow along better, just follow these simple instructions: https://www.facebook.com/help/427723640933279
Citizen Columns
Westminster is featured in a monthly column in the Auburn Citizen.
2020 columns:
Patrick Heery's December 28 column: Finding joy when you don't feel joyful
Jill Fandrich's November 29 column: Finding the good in change
Patrick Heery's November 2 column: From Protestantism to protest
Jill Fandrich's October 4 column: Being a sailboat church
Audrey McNally's and Jill Fandrich's September 7 column: Ode to Joy, Restoring Auburn's 1926 Skinner Organ
Jill Fandrich's August 9 column: Faith evolves through doubt
Kimberly Patch's July 12 column: Small acts bring change
Patrick Heery's June 14 column: Jesus says, Black lives matter
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
Annual Meeting January 31
The Annual Meeting of the Congregation/Corporation of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Auburn, will be held January 31, at 10:30am via Zoom, immediately following worship. The purpose of this meeting is to review the annual reports of the boards, committees and staff of the church, review the 2020 financial reports and the 2021 budget, vote on the changes in the terms of the pastor’s call, and conduct any other business which might come before the congregation.
Coat Tree
The Mission Committee has set up the Coat Tree in the hallway of the Education Building to provide coats, gloves, hats and scarves to members of our community in need of warm winter clothes. If you have gently used, clean coats (adult’s or children’s), please consider donating to the coat rack. Please hang your coats on the rack and place winter hats, gloves and scarves in the boxes below. The Coat Tree is suspended until further notice due to Covid-19 concerns.
The Little Free Library
The Little Free Library in front of our church is always in need of good quality books for children, youth, and adults. You can leave donated books in the library itself or drop them off to the church office. And while you're there, check out the Little Free Library for some new reading material for yourself!