Current news at westminster
March/April newsletter here
Church Building Closed; All In-Person Programs Canceled
Any church event on your calendar is now either online or canceled, no exceptions. This includes the contemplative walk scheduled for this Saturday. We are practicing social distancing in order to keep you and everyone else safe. Only staff and certain committee chairs are allowed in the building in order to continue the ministry of the church. Melanie and Patrick will still be checking the phone's voicemails and will get back to you as soon as possible.
March 20, 2020
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.
Make sure the volume is turned on (the speaker icon in the lower right hand corner of the video). Click full screen if you want (the icon immediately to the left of the speaker icon; looks like four little arrows going in different directions).
You can participate by adding comments, liking/reacting to the video, and sharing the video (we encourage you to share, so others can see it too). 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 we'll include them 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 (if I'm worried that a prayer request may not have the consent of its subject, I won't share it). You can also email me your prayer concerns in advance.
Patrick
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 via Paypal. Don't forget our loose change offering either! In March, the loose offerings support the ARISE personal care pantry which offers cleaning supplies, toilet paper, and toiletries (all items which SNAP doesn't cover) to persons who need them. When you write a check or donate via Paypal, simply make a memo stating what percentage or amount you'd like to go to your pledge, the loose offering, or any other designation. If you're doing automatic pay, send Melanie an email with that information. We don't want ARISE and its vital ministry with people with disabilities to get shortchanged because we're not meeting in person.
March 17 2010
Dear Westminster Presbyterian Church,
I wish words were sufficient to convey to you just how much we've been praying for you, deliberating on your safety, and holding you in love during these uncertain times. Whether you're feeling afraid, confused, or confident, you are not alone. Your church, which is always God's church, stands with you.
On Monday night, March 16, the Session voted unanimously to close Westminster Presbyterian Church, all its buildings and programs, at least until April 14, at which time we will reassess the situation. Vital worship and programs will be offered remotely. We are encouraging staff, as much as possible, to work remotely. Staff will however continue to keep a thorough eye on the buildings and will maintain all essential ministries. The following will be offered virtually: Sunday worship, Youth Forums, Wednesday Lenten studies, Maundy Thursday service, Good Friday service, and Easter services, as well as other programs to be determined. Mailings will be sent to those who do not have access to a computer, smart phone, and/or Internet. A call-in option may also be available. You can expect frequent communications, digital and otherwise.
The church and its leaders will still be accessible by phone and email. I will be available for any and all pastoral care, which will be offered remotely except in crisis situations in which appropriate safety measures can be taken. Deacons will be attending closely to your needs.
All church meetings are canceled, unless they choose to meet through video or teleconferencing; please wait to hear from their respective organizers. All use by community groups is canceled: employment counseling, AA, support groups, and other meetings---though they too may find other ways to connect.
I know that this is quite stunning. And yet, I am filled with remarkable hope. When the Apostle Paul wrote those words in Romans, stating that nothing---not coronavirus, not social distancing---can separate us from the love of God, or the love of one another, he did so remotely. All those epistles from Paul, they were all written from afar, sometimes from prison, sometimes from illness, sometimes across whole continents. The Word of God can travel any distance. The Church does not close. We may not be together physically, but we are always the body of Christ, and that body cannot be broken. Paul used letters; we'll use the Internet. We'll find new ways to be connected: phone calls, letters, daily devotions, and always prayer. Reach out, talk with each other, check in with how you're feeling, see what needs aren't being met, find out who in the community is suffering, be a friend.
The Church of God does not close; it simply finds new ways of being.
As Jamie Tworkowski writes:
Conversations will not be cancelled.
Relationships will not be cancelled.
Love will not be cancelled.
Songs will not be cancelled.
Reading will not be cancelled.
Self-care will not be cancelled.
Hope will not be cancelled.
May we rest in what is everlasting: the God who loves us.
In God's grace and peace,
Rev. Patrick D. Heery
Upcoming sermons
During Lent, Pastor Patrick's sermon series will take up this question: What in our lives needs to die so that that part of us can be reborn? And should we allow that part of ourselves to die, should we brave the dark uncertainty of the cocoon, of the tomb, what hope is there for us?
March 1: "The wilderness of the soul," a Lenten sermon about moral compromises
March 8: Testimonies from church members about rebirth in their lives
March 15: "Is it time for the church to die?", a Lenten sermon about religion and Spirit
March 22: "Only the blind can see," a Lenten sermon about pride and humility
March 29: "When life goes wrong," a Lenten sermon about broken plans
April 5: An extended, holy reading of the Gospel interspersed with questions for reflection and silence, as we transition from Palm Sunday to the Passion on the Cross
April 9: "We are Jesus' guests," a Maundy Thursday reflection
April 12: "The real you," an Easter sermon about resurrection and hope
April 19: A Special Easter Lessons and Carols Service
April 26: Guest Preacher Shavonn Lynch
Citizen Column
Westminster is featured in a monthly column in the Auburn Citizen. Here are:
Kimberly Patch's February 23 column: "Following Jesus' response against domestic violence"
Jill Fandrich's January 26 column: "Change is a constant"
Patrick Heery's December 29 column: "Are Christmas angels real?"
Jill Fandrich's December 1 column: "Actively waiting during Advent"
Patrick Heery's November 3 column: "We should love God's earth better"
Shavonn Lynch's October 6 column: "A place to come alive"
Jill Fandrich's September 8 column: "What does 'All are Welcome' really mean?"
Kimberly Patch's August 11 column: "Creation Care is Self-Care"
Jill Fandrich's July 14 column: "Worship God outdoors"
Patrick Heery's June 16 column: "The pastor is proudly LGBTQ affirming"
Kimberly Patch's May 19 column: "Can God be mother as well as father?"
Jill Fandrich's April 21 column: "Living the Easter faith through service"
Patrick Heery's March 24 column: "Why the cross is a sign of faith"
Chris Patch's February 24 column: "Why is Westminster offering kids' culinary classes?"
Patrick Heery's January 27 column: "It's ok to be faithful failures"
Jill Fandrich's December 29 column: "The Work of Christmas"
Patrick Heery's December column: "Is it Christmas yet?"
Jill Fandrich's November 4 column: "The ordinary holy lives of saints"
Patrick Heery's October 7 column: "How paternity leave made me a better father"
Jill Fandrich's Sept 9 column: "How storytelling helps us believe"
Jill Fandrich's August 12 column: "The good side of evangelism"
Jill Fandrich's July 15 column: "The Radical history of Sunday School"
Patrick Heery's June 17 column: "What would Jesus say about school shootings?"
Jill Fandrich's May 20 column: "How families can pass faith on to children"
Patrick Heery's April 22 column "When God calls your name"
Jill Fandrich's March 25 column "Telling the Holy Week stories to children"
Patrick Heery's Feb 25 column "Lent: The time is now"
Jill Fandrich's Jan 28 column "Westminster grant supports show based on neo-Nazi rally"
Audrey McNally's Dec 31 column "How sacred music has shaped my faith"
Patrick Heery's Dec 3 column "Where you'll find God this Christmas Eve"
Jill Fandrich's Nov 5 column "What comes after 'thoughts and prayers'?"
Patrick Heery's October 15 column "Finding the strength to fix our democracy"
Jill Fandrich's September 10 column "Church starting new caregivers group"
Patrick Heery's August 13 column "New Hiking Ministry Offers Renewal"
Jill Fandrich's July 16 column "The Redefinition of Missionaries"
Patrick Heery's June 18 column "Sabbath: a bus pass to paradise"
Patrick Heery's May 21 column "How does a pastor grieve?"
Jill Fandrich's April 23 column "The Gospel According to Flatland"
Audrey McNally's March 26 column "Discovering the Psalms"
Patrick Heery's Feb 26 column "Lenten Journey: Death and Beyond"
Jill Fandrich's Jan 29 column "Are We Ready For Another Reformation?"
Patrick Heery's Jan 1 column "When the Holidays Hurt"
Jill Fandrich's Dec 4 column "Need for Community and Conversation"
Annette Bell's Nov 6 column "Saints Among Us"
Patrick Heery's Oct 9 column "Does Auburn need a hero? No, it needs you"
Patrick Heery's Sept 11 column "Seeing Beyond Doom" (15th anniversary of 9-11)
Jill Fandrich's August 14 column "Auburn Youth Reflect on Triennium"
Patrick Heery's July 17 column "Where is God in times of violence?"
Jill Fandrich's June 19 column "Ordinary Time"
Patrick Heery's May 15 column "Why I Have Come to Auburn"
Jilll Fandrich's April 24 column "Church Doors Open Out,"
Dwain Lee's March 27 column "Saying Goodbye to Westminster."
Church Building Closed; All In-Person Programs Canceled
Any church event on your calendar is now either online or canceled, no exceptions. This includes the contemplative walk scheduled for this Saturday. We are practicing social distancing in order to keep you and everyone else safe. Only staff and certain committee chairs are allowed in the building in order to continue the ministry of the church. Melanie and Patrick will still be checking the phone's voicemails and will get back to you as soon as possible.
March 20, 2020
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.
Make sure the volume is turned on (the speaker icon in the lower right hand corner of the video). Click full screen if you want (the icon immediately to the left of the speaker icon; looks like four little arrows going in different directions).
You can participate by adding comments, liking/reacting to the video, and sharing the video (we encourage you to share, so others can see it too). 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 we'll include them 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 (if I'm worried that a prayer request may not have the consent of its subject, I won't share it). You can also email me your prayer concerns in advance.
Patrick
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 via Paypal. Don't forget our loose change offering either! In March, the loose offerings support the ARISE personal care pantry which offers cleaning supplies, toilet paper, and toiletries (all items which SNAP doesn't cover) to persons who need them. When you write a check or donate via Paypal, simply make a memo stating what percentage or amount you'd like to go to your pledge, the loose offering, or any other designation. If you're doing automatic pay, send Melanie an email with that information. We don't want ARISE and its vital ministry with people with disabilities to get shortchanged because we're not meeting in person.
March 17 2010
Dear Westminster Presbyterian Church,
I wish words were sufficient to convey to you just how much we've been praying for you, deliberating on your safety, and holding you in love during these uncertain times. Whether you're feeling afraid, confused, or confident, you are not alone. Your church, which is always God's church, stands with you.
On Monday night, March 16, the Session voted unanimously to close Westminster Presbyterian Church, all its buildings and programs, at least until April 14, at which time we will reassess the situation. Vital worship and programs will be offered remotely. We are encouraging staff, as much as possible, to work remotely. Staff will however continue to keep a thorough eye on the buildings and will maintain all essential ministries. The following will be offered virtually: Sunday worship, Youth Forums, Wednesday Lenten studies, Maundy Thursday service, Good Friday service, and Easter services, as well as other programs to be determined. Mailings will be sent to those who do not have access to a computer, smart phone, and/or Internet. A call-in option may also be available. You can expect frequent communications, digital and otherwise.
The church and its leaders will still be accessible by phone and email. I will be available for any and all pastoral care, which will be offered remotely except in crisis situations in which appropriate safety measures can be taken. Deacons will be attending closely to your needs.
All church meetings are canceled, unless they choose to meet through video or teleconferencing; please wait to hear from their respective organizers. All use by community groups is canceled: employment counseling, AA, support groups, and other meetings---though they too may find other ways to connect.
I know that this is quite stunning. And yet, I am filled with remarkable hope. When the Apostle Paul wrote those words in Romans, stating that nothing---not coronavirus, not social distancing---can separate us from the love of God, or the love of one another, he did so remotely. All those epistles from Paul, they were all written from afar, sometimes from prison, sometimes from illness, sometimes across whole continents. The Word of God can travel any distance. The Church does not close. We may not be together physically, but we are always the body of Christ, and that body cannot be broken. Paul used letters; we'll use the Internet. We'll find new ways to be connected: phone calls, letters, daily devotions, and always prayer. Reach out, talk with each other, check in with how you're feeling, see what needs aren't being met, find out who in the community is suffering, be a friend.
The Church of God does not close; it simply finds new ways of being.
As Jamie Tworkowski writes:
Conversations will not be cancelled.
Relationships will not be cancelled.
Love will not be cancelled.
Songs will not be cancelled.
Reading will not be cancelled.
Self-care will not be cancelled.
Hope will not be cancelled.
May we rest in what is everlasting: the God who loves us.
In God's grace and peace,
Rev. Patrick D. Heery
Upcoming sermons
During Lent, Pastor Patrick's sermon series will take up this question: What in our lives needs to die so that that part of us can be reborn? And should we allow that part of ourselves to die, should we brave the dark uncertainty of the cocoon, of the tomb, what hope is there for us?
March 1: "The wilderness of the soul," a Lenten sermon about moral compromises
March 8: Testimonies from church members about rebirth in their lives
March 15: "Is it time for the church to die?", a Lenten sermon about religion and Spirit
March 22: "Only the blind can see," a Lenten sermon about pride and humility
March 29: "When life goes wrong," a Lenten sermon about broken plans
April 5: An extended, holy reading of the Gospel interspersed with questions for reflection and silence, as we transition from Palm Sunday to the Passion on the Cross
April 9: "We are Jesus' guests," a Maundy Thursday reflection
April 12: "The real you," an Easter sermon about resurrection and hope
April 19: A Special Easter Lessons and Carols Service
April 26: Guest Preacher Shavonn Lynch
Citizen Column
Westminster is featured in a monthly column in the Auburn Citizen. Here are:
Kimberly Patch's February 23 column: "Following Jesus' response against domestic violence"
Jill Fandrich's January 26 column: "Change is a constant"
Patrick Heery's December 29 column: "Are Christmas angels real?"
Jill Fandrich's December 1 column: "Actively waiting during Advent"
Patrick Heery's November 3 column: "We should love God's earth better"
Shavonn Lynch's October 6 column: "A place to come alive"
Jill Fandrich's September 8 column: "What does 'All are Welcome' really mean?"
Kimberly Patch's August 11 column: "Creation Care is Self-Care"
Jill Fandrich's July 14 column: "Worship God outdoors"
Patrick Heery's June 16 column: "The pastor is proudly LGBTQ affirming"
Kimberly Patch's May 19 column: "Can God be mother as well as father?"
Jill Fandrich's April 21 column: "Living the Easter faith through service"
Patrick Heery's March 24 column: "Why the cross is a sign of faith"
Chris Patch's February 24 column: "Why is Westminster offering kids' culinary classes?"
Patrick Heery's January 27 column: "It's ok to be faithful failures"
Jill Fandrich's December 29 column: "The Work of Christmas"
Patrick Heery's December column: "Is it Christmas yet?"
Jill Fandrich's November 4 column: "The ordinary holy lives of saints"
Patrick Heery's October 7 column: "How paternity leave made me a better father"
Jill Fandrich's Sept 9 column: "How storytelling helps us believe"
Jill Fandrich's August 12 column: "The good side of evangelism"
Jill Fandrich's July 15 column: "The Radical history of Sunday School"
Patrick Heery's June 17 column: "What would Jesus say about school shootings?"
Jill Fandrich's May 20 column: "How families can pass faith on to children"
Patrick Heery's April 22 column "When God calls your name"
Jill Fandrich's March 25 column "Telling the Holy Week stories to children"
Patrick Heery's Feb 25 column "Lent: The time is now"
Jill Fandrich's Jan 28 column "Westminster grant supports show based on neo-Nazi rally"
Audrey McNally's Dec 31 column "How sacred music has shaped my faith"
Patrick Heery's Dec 3 column "Where you'll find God this Christmas Eve"
Jill Fandrich's Nov 5 column "What comes after 'thoughts and prayers'?"
Patrick Heery's October 15 column "Finding the strength to fix our democracy"
Jill Fandrich's September 10 column "Church starting new caregivers group"
Patrick Heery's August 13 column "New Hiking Ministry Offers Renewal"
Jill Fandrich's July 16 column "The Redefinition of Missionaries"
Patrick Heery's June 18 column "Sabbath: a bus pass to paradise"
Patrick Heery's May 21 column "How does a pastor grieve?"
Jill Fandrich's April 23 column "The Gospel According to Flatland"
Audrey McNally's March 26 column "Discovering the Psalms"
Patrick Heery's Feb 26 column "Lenten Journey: Death and Beyond"
Jill Fandrich's Jan 29 column "Are We Ready For Another Reformation?"
Patrick Heery's Jan 1 column "When the Holidays Hurt"
Jill Fandrich's Dec 4 column "Need for Community and Conversation"
Annette Bell's Nov 6 column "Saints Among Us"
Patrick Heery's Oct 9 column "Does Auburn need a hero? No, it needs you"
Patrick Heery's Sept 11 column "Seeing Beyond Doom" (15th anniversary of 9-11)
Jill Fandrich's August 14 column "Auburn Youth Reflect on Triennium"
Patrick Heery's July 17 column "Where is God in times of violence?"
Jill Fandrich's June 19 column "Ordinary Time"
Patrick Heery's May 15 column "Why I Have Come to Auburn"
Jilll Fandrich's April 24 column "Church Doors Open Out,"
Dwain Lee's March 27 column "Saying Goodbye to Westminster."