A Message from our Pastors Rev. Janet and Rev. Jerry Duggins
Welcome to Westminster Presbyterian Church! Thank you for
visiting our website, which we try to keep current with information
about what's happening in worship and in various other aspects of our
church life. We hope it will help to put you in touch with
upcoming happenings and opportunities, whether you are a long-time
participant in Westminster or just learning about us. If you are
just finding us, we encourage you to check out what's going on, read a
sermon excerpt, learn something about Presbyterian beliefs, and see
some pictures. Hopefully, this will give you a little sense of
who we are. But even better - join us for worship or another
event, and meet us in person. You will be warmly welcomed!
We are not a very large congregation in numbers (we have about 300
members) but we are large in spirit, concerned about the world around
us, caring and praying for each other, interested in learning and
exploring new ideas. We strive for Worship that is lively,
thoughtful, theologically sound, and welcoming to all. We offer
Christian Education for all ages from preschool through adult, and also
a variety of other activities geared to specific needs or interests:
youth group, choir, social outings, a womens depression support
group, a knitting and prayer group, volleyball, and more. We
welcome lay participation in leadership in all areas of church life.
We put our caring about human needs into practice as we support
both Presbyterian projects and local ministries that extend compassion to
sisters and brothers who are hungry, homeless, and hurting. We
represent a wide range of ages, interests, perspectives, and beliefs...
and strive always for an openness of heart and mind, to welcome all in
the name of Jesus Christ, who welcomes us to his table and his church.
We believe that a faith community is an essential in today's busy and
sometimes disconnected world. Sure, you can believe in God all by
yourself, but it's better to have company and encouragement.
Sure, you can try and follow Jesus on your own, but when Jesus
invited people to follow him, he invited them to be part of a
community. In his name, we extend that invitation to you.
The Spring/Summer of 2010 marks a special time of renewal - a Sabbath time - for Westminster. Thanks
to a Clergy Renewal Grant from the Lilly Foundation, we will be on
Sabbatical from May 1 throught the end of August. The theme is
"In the Garden." We will use this time away from parish ministry
to travel, visit gardens, work in our own garden, and focus on
spiritual growth in reading, reflection and writing. We are very
grateful to have been given such an amazing opportunity, and for a
congregation so willing to support it.
This time will be a time for renewal and growth for the church as well. The congregation will read and discuss together the book Receiving the Day
by Dorothy Bass. Lay people will challenge themselves with new
responsibilities for worship leadership and caring ministry. A
guest preacher will talk about caring for God's creation.
Hands-on local mission projects will provide opportunities to
serve others. The church will host a week-long day camp, in
partnership with our Presbytery's Camp Greenwood. The Session
will initiate some discussions about a new mission statement for the
church. Worship will be interesting and varied. And, of
course, compassionate and experienced ministers will be on call
throughout the summer for pastoral care needs.
We're very excited about the opportunities for growth, service, and
renewal this time offers for the congregation, as well as for us.
And we look forward to returning to join together again in
ministry with renewed energy and purpose.
