In worship Sunday, October 21, Gene Locke and Dick Redding spoke movingly about the importance of supporting outreach from our congregation to the community and wider world through benevolence and social justice activism. One of the most important ways Westminster has reached out to our community since our founding more than 75 years ago has been through University mission.

Earlier this year, after a period of discernment extending back to Jim Baker’s retirement and Laura Sugg’s call to Wheat Ridge Presbyterian Church in Colorado, Westminster’s Session concluded our congregation was ready to call two associate pastors, Lynne Clements and a second associate pastor for University ministry and social justice work. With Presbytery’s approval, our congregation elected an associate pastor nominating committee (the “APNC”) on June 10, 2018 to search for that second associate pastor whom God is calling to serve with us.

The APNC, comprised of Winston Barham, Taylor Beard, Susie Bruce, Kathy Redding, Heather Warren, Ken Young, and Ron Wiley, has been working since then. The committee has met ten times and continues to meet twice monthly. We are pleased to inform the congregation that our Ministry Information Form (MIF) has been posted and we have begun a national search for this position. If you simply click on the links provided in this article, you can read over the MIF and job description.

The APNC anticipates many potential candidates will contact the committee through the Church Leadership Connections system. The committee also will advertise the position in various progressive Presbyterian publications and, probably, through social media. The committee certainly will welcome referrals of interested candidates.

The APNC has great faith (and some trepidation!) many well-qualified candidates will apply and the committee’s difficult mission will be to discern the one God is truly calling to serve with us here at Westminster in reaching out to the University, community, and world. The committee believes this opportunity, as envisioned in the MIF and detailed in the position description, will be very attractive to candidates seeking a called position. The APNC prays we may discern God’s call in a candidate who will help Westminster for many years continue to find its way home to our University and social justice mission. The committee expects that prayerful discernment of whom God is calling to take several months. Keep us in your prayers.

Ron Wiley, Associate Pastor Nominating Committee, Chair

As of this week, 183 households have returned their pledge cards as part of our financial stewardship campaign. Thank you so much for your faithful and generous response supporting the ministries and programs at Westminster. We extend a special thank you to those who stepped in this year to pledge for the first time, including our new members, and those who stepped up and increased their pledges. Again, many, many thanks.

The 183 pledges received thus far represent just over 73% of the households that pledged last year and about 86% of the financial goal set by the stewardship committee to support what we are called to do next year to love God and our neighbors. So, if you have not yet returned your pledge card, we ask that you please do so. If you’ve misplaced it, you can pledge online at www.westminsterva.org or call Kate Brinkley  in the church office (293-3133), and she will be happy to mail you another pledge card or full stewardship package.

There are some of you who might still be considering whether to pledge this year. In the minutes for mission over the past few Sundays and in the stewardship town hall two weeks ago, you heard how your pledges will support what God has called us to do together in 2019. Much of this is reflected in our ministries and programs that extend God’s love to our neighbors in Charlottesville and beyond. But, it is also reflected in the work we do to love and support each other here, as was shown two Sundays ago when so many came forward at the end of the services to pray with Ken and Lynne, seeking God’s comfort with them and through them. So, for those of you who are still prayerfully considering whether to pledge, please consider not only how your pledge extends God’s love to our community neighbors, but , as we were reminded that Sunday, how your gifts will extend God’s love to those sitting next to and around every Sunday morning.

As I mentioned at the stewardship town hall a few weeks ago, my involvement with stewardship committee this year has been one of the more meaningful experiences in my own faith journey, in large part because of my increased appreciation of stewardship as a spiritual practice, a keener recognition of the many gifts God has provided to me, and a deeper understanding of the amazing impact those gifts can have through the work of Ken, Lynne and so many of you in our ministries and programs. For those who have not yet pledged, please join me and many others in the congregation in this spiritual practice of stewardship. Together, let us commit a portion of what God has entrusted to us to further God’s work at Westminster, and in our community and world.

Jim Cauthen, on behalf of the Stewardship Committee.

“I have lived all of my life with violence. My children are the reason I am fighting. I want them to live without all of the suffering I have experienced. Living in the church – this is the first time I can breathe; the first time I can sleep; the first time I have not felt afraid.” – María Chavalan Sut

“Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church is proud to offer sanctuary to María, and we consider her a member of our faith community. We join in her cry for justice. We implore any and all necessary authorities to intervene so that María can be free! We do this because María is a child of God, imbued with dignity by her Creator. Offering sanctuary to her is not a political act; it is an act of faith. In Christ, there is no such thing as citizenship, borders, or political parties. Christians have been offering Sanctuary for thousands of years. As United Methodists, our social principles “urge the Church and society to recognize the gifts, contributions, and struggles of those who are immigrants and to advocate for justice for all.” We are here and will be here for María until she is free.” —  Rev. Isaac Collins, Wesley Memorial UMC.

Specific ways that you can help:

Visit this google form to sign up for ways you can help! Included are accompaniment (providing presence and security within the church), fund raising, grocery shopping, health care, hospitality needs, interpretation/translation, and media/communications.

WPC members interested in accompaniment,  please contact Gene Locke, ,  or Gail Wiley, . We plan to have a brief training after the 11:00 service in the coming weeks.

Groceries, shopping, hospitality, please contact Irene Townsend,

Support Maria in using her skills to contribute to sanctuary expenses:

1. Tailoring and alterations: Your request will be translated and pricing & timing information will be sent back to you. If you would like to contribute fabric and sewing accessories, contact  & she will pick them up after 12/1.
2. Cooking/catering: contact Irene Townsend,  or email your request, .

Donate:

Write a check; Memo: Maria… to Wesley Memorial UMC, 1901 Thomson Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22903

Help tell Maria’s story:   LIKE the Facebook page:  Hands Off Maria!

The Westminster Organ Concert Series continues its 39th season on Sunday, November 11, at 4:00 pm, with a concert by classical guitarist Paul Vondiziano, joined by Jonathan Schakel on harpsichord and organ.  A native of Cyprus, Mr. Vondiziano has given concerts throughout Europe and the United States.  He has made six solo recordings, including two recordings of music by J. S. Bach and one of his own compositions. The program will include music by J. S. Bach, C. P. E. Bach, Rudolf Straube, and Fernando Sor.  The concert is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception.