The Link ere s a word you might try to squeeze Salvation is a word that is central to the Let us open our hearts this season as we in this issue

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1 The Link Westminster Presbyterian Church, Ann Arbor, mi Volume 23, number 12: December 2010 Advent Heralds God s Love for All Here s a word you might try to squeeze into a conversation with someone sometime: soteriology. It is the fancy word for the study of salvation, as in, Concerning the soteriological message of the Gospels, I prefer the Lukan account. And h ere s an even better one: Heilsgeschichte. It means salvation history. It s about the history declared in scripture of what God has done in regard to deliverance. Try slipping this in at the office Christmas party: Heilsgeschichte is such a dominant theme that crescendos in the event we celebrate on December 25th. As we enter Advent, we enter a time when we hear the herald, the call, the shout of salvation the promise and the fulfillment. Reading a book on Heilsgeschichte (whenever I heard that word in seminary I always wanted to say gesundheit! ) will display the rich history recorded in scripture of what God has done and the many ways that God s work of salvation is manifest. Not only are there times when God s people were delivered from oppression, enemies, danger, and pestilence, there are numerous passages about the promise of salvation yet to come. Salvation is a word that is central to the expression of faith for many, but for some it is loaded with negativity images of damnation, hell, an angry God, pressure tactics used by heavy-handed preachers and much more. Yet the word (or meaning of the word) is richer than either the one who gleefully embraces it or the one who abhors it give to it. The Old Testament is not usually referenced when someone begins to think of salvation passages. Yet the story of God declared in the Old Testament is laced with salvation. If one were to edit the Old Testament message of salvation, then there d not be much left after Genesis 3. The New Testament, however, refines the understanding of salvation. Interestingly, salvation in the New Testament takes three different tenses the past tense, the present tense and the future tense: As in, I was saved, when Jesus died on the cross an event in the past; I am being saved, as in the work of the Holy Spirit to refine and transform me into the likeness of Christ; and, I will be saved, as in a future event when the kingdom will be consummated. During Advent, our worship emphasis will be Salvation: God s work of deliverance which, of course, we celebrate with the biblical witnesses in the promised birth of The Messiah. It is my that the faith of everyone will be enriched and engaged as we reflect on and give thanks for the salvation we receive in Jesus Christ. Though salvation is a mystery, the gift of salvation is really a simple and profound blessing. There s no need for big theological words to capture the meaning of what God does to demonstrate the unending, unconditional, incomprehensible love God has for all the world. Let us open our hearts this season as we journey toward Bethlehem... open them to the blessing of God s mercy that never ceases. And let us be aware of the many ways that God calls the Church to proclaim in word and deed the salvation we know as we see the hungry, homeless, the broken, forgotten, neglected, marginalized and frightened and wounded and lost. Blessings, Stephen Carl As we enter Advent, we enter a time when we hear the herald, the call, the shout of salvation the promise and the fulfillment. in this issue Deacons sponsor gift baskets, 2 Flour Power happening, 2 Brookhaven Praise and Prayer, 2 Communion bread stories, 2 Strangers in a Foreign Land, 3 Donations aren t limited, 4 December calendar, 5 Events & announcements, 6 7 Christmas Eve Worship Friday, December 24 at 5, 7:30 and 10:30 pm

2 Deacons sponsor gift basket program Each year, Westminster provides Christmas gifts to several families in the Ann Arbor area. Wish lists are posted on the Deacon bulletin board next to the elevator. Gifts are due at church by Wednesday, December 15. Cash donations are also welcome for trimmings for the families gift baskets, and will be received during the first two Sundays in December. Please join us in spreading the joy of Christmas to some folks in need in our surrounding community. From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. (John 1:16 NIV) Song and praise brighten the winter for seniors Friday, January 21, 7:15 pm Join us on a chilly Friday evening as we bring the warmth of praise and fellowship to the residents of Brookhaven Manor, 410 W. Oakbrook Drive. We welcome many participants to help us sing, pray, and visit with the seniors. What a wonderful opportunity for Westminster men and women to reach out and share God s grace and love with our members who live at Brookhaven as well as many Flour Power happening makes bread for the hungry Do you like to make bread? Would you like to learn to make yeast bread? Let s start making some at church on Saturday, December 4, 9 am to about 12:30 pm. Let s gather to make both bread and Christmas cookies. We ll make a bread that can be shaped like a Christmas tree, and during the rising time we ll make some Christmas cookies. We ll make enough so we can sample the results, though most will go to the bread offering on Sunday, December 5; and the bulk of the cookies will be taken to Riverside. Look for a sign-up sheet in the fellowship hall entry to help us plan ingredient amounts but you re welcome to come even if you do not sign up. All ages are welcome; young folks should bring an older helper. Bring an apron, a smile and willing hands. Questions? Please contact Marjorie McRoberts ( or marjorie1324@yahoo.com). Communion Sunday bread offering brings blessings to Riverside members by Sue Flynn What happens to your loaves of bread that you bring to church on Communion Sundays after they have been blessed at the Communion table? They become a blessing to guests at Riverside. Let me tell you a few stories. At first we planned to serve the bread with our meals and we did this on a couple of occasions. But since each of the loaves is unique, we now offer them as gifts to our guests. We put the breads out on a table and invite the guests to take a loaf home. Some go for the nut breads; others the yeast breads. Everyone is so appreciative. One Wednesday we had spaghetti. Johnny, our cook, made a huge batch and so there was extra for folks to take with them. As I was driving home, I saw one of our guests walking home. In one hand he had a container other residents. Rev. Cathi King will be our speaker and Jeannette Faber will accompany our singing. Our evening will end with refreshments. Please sign up in the fellowship hall entry to let us know you re coming, and indicate if you are able to bring cookies. Please contact Barb Greschaw ( or bgreschaw@comcast.net) for more information. of spaghetti. In the other hand he had a hearty loaf of homemade bread. You could tell from his body language and the smile on his face that he was happy. Another loaf bore a Post-It Note attached by its Westminster baker. It simply said God bless. It was such a loving, personal touch and it meant so much to the person receiving it. Then there is Jim, very conscious of what he eats. For him, dinner includes neither bread nor dessert. Jim greatly appreciated the bounty of the Westminster garden that appeared this summer in the weekly salads. His eyes lit up in October when he saw a huge, round loaf of bread full of seeds and whole grains. He took it in his hands and said he didn t need anything else for dinner! Then in November he spotted a hearty whole Gift of bread, continued on page 6 2

3 Ministering Together as Strangers in a Foreign Land I Need to Get Out More... O God of exiles and strangers, find the homeless parts of me; guide them toward yourself, for you are my promised land. Take the stranger inside of me and find familiar soil for it. Keep me mindful of the Emmanuel, whose sojourn brought a glimpse of home. Joyce Rupp Throughout the year, I ve been posting monthly reflections using the book May I Have This Dance? by Joyce Rupp as my thematic guide. Many of the women of Westminster purchased this book back in January and have been reading and sharing from it each month. I ve begun my Link reflections with an excerpt from Rupp s poems opening each chapter. This month, Rupp s theme is Homecoming and she writes of our yearning to return to the heart of God, our home, from our exile pilgrimages. I, however, have a different restlessness coming into this Advent season. I don t feel as if I ve been wandering and yearning to return home. Rather, I feel as if I ve been home and am in need of a bit of wandering. Not particularly feeling like I am in exile, this Advent season, I intend to put myself into exile... to become the stranger... to, in our recent adult education hour guest Bruce Martin s words: go where I don t belong. And there, I hope and pray to engage in incarnational ministry. God has awakened in me the reality that I have been resting comfortably in the womb of the church where it is not in any way risky to talk about Jesus. I have no resistance to the living of my faith, in fact, I m paid to do it. Everybody in the church knows the language I speak and most nod in agreement. Jesus is my Lord. Yep, mine too. The Bible is constantly teaching me new things... even after I ve heard the same story over and over, God still has something new with which, to grab my heart. I know! Me too. I love going on mission trips and worshipping and praying together. Me too. And for me, the church will always be home. But when I hear some of you express guilt for not having more time to devote to church, because you re busy with your lives families, sporting events, work I ask myself, Why do we think faithful discipleship only happens at church? How can we, with full courage, find our voices of faith in all of the aspects of our lives? And then I think, that s easy for me to say. For the past five years, my work has been inside a faith-based venue. So, this Advent season, I am praying for new places to go. I m changing the line in Joyce Rupp s poem to say: Take the familiar inside of me and find stranger soil for it. I m praying for opportunities to be the stranger in a foreign land and to listen to what I hear there and to allow God s grace to work through me there. Some of you have shared with me your stories of living your faith in the workplace and in the daily walks of your life. You ve been an inspiration to me and I pray for opportunities that we will share stories with each other to encourage each other as a growing body of disciples. Maybe this Advent season you ll join me in getting out more... out into unfamiliar territory to listen and learn how we might minister together as strangers in a foreign land. For God is the God of exiles and in us and through us God speaks and heals and loves and works. Cathi King 3

4 Donations aren t limited to general operating fund As 2010 comes to a close, please remember that contributions must be delivered to the church or postmarked on or before December 31 to be counted as a donation for the current tax year. A calendar year contribution statement for tax purposes will be available for pick-up after the first of January. Donations can be made in various forms: cash, check, stock transfers or mutual fund transfers. Westminster maintains a Vanguard Group money market account to accommodate direct Vanguard Fund transfers. Please contact David Hammond for specific account numbers and procedures for the transfer of stock or mutual fund donations. The majority of funds donated are non-designated because they go into the general operating fund and are disbursed according to the will of the congregation as expressed through Session. In some instances, an individual will designate that their donated funds should be Session Approved Funds and Mission Outreach Programs used for a specific purpose. This purpose can include specific funds within the church or specific mission outreach programs (see below for Session-approved funds and programs). If you choose to make a designated donation, please remember to clearly indicate the designation with your donation (e.g. notation on the memo line of a check). As always, we want to thank you for your continued financial support of the ministries of Westminster. If you have any questions regarding donations, please contact Jeff Kennedy or David Hammond. Blessings, Jeff Kennedy, Treasurer, Stewardship and Finance Committee ( ; annandjeff@aol.com) David Hammond, Financial Secretary ( ; david_hammond@comcast.net) Designated Funds Deacons Endowment (General, Building, Children and Youth, and Missions) Mission Outreach Library Member Health & Living Memorial Garden Memorial Gifts Reserve (Capital Obsolescence, Operating Contingency, Pastoral Housing, and Vision Initiatives) Mission Outreach Programs (* denotes Faith Promise Cause) Campus Crusade for Christ (Paul and Janet West) PC (USA) Special Offerings (Christmas Joy, One Great Hour Detroit Presbytery Shared Missions, PC (USA) of Sharing, Disaster Assistance) *Ecumenical Center and International Residence (ECIR) *Prison Fellowship Ministries *Friends in Deed, Ypsilanti Riverside, Ypsilanti Frontier Fellowship, PC (USA) (Harold Kurtz) Samaritan Counseling Services, Ypsilanti *Greentree Ministries, Philadelphia (Mark and Gwen Potter) *Spanish Language Institute, Costa Rica (Julie Chamberlain) Hope Clinic, Ypsilanti *Staples Family Center, Salvation Army, Ann Arbor *House by the Side of the Road, Ann Arbor Theological Education Fund, PC (USA) *IHN Alpha House, Ann Arbor *Undesignated Faith Promise (distributed equally to all Faith Promise causes) International Teams, Romania (Mike and Elvira Babcock) Westminster mission trips *Medical Benevolence Foundation, PC (USA) *Ministerio de Fe, Mexico *Young Life, Washtenaw County Youth with a Mission, Ghana (Maxwell and Rachel Smallish O. C. International, Brazil (David Kornfield) Dziku) 4

5 Worship with communion at 8:45 and 11:15 am; classes at 10 am 11 am Sacred Dance (5 th graders) 12:30 pm Sacred Dance (teens) Last day to submit worship survey Worship at 8:45 and 11:15 am; classes at 10 am 10 am Retirement Celebration for Eileen Helm 11 am Sacred Dance (5 th graders) 12:30 pm Sacred Dance (teens) 12:30 pm Teens Christmas caroling 7:30 pm Westm. Choir 6:30 pm Missional Monday* meetings committee December 2010 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday * Missional Monday committee meetings include Administration, Adult Education, Children, Endowment, Fellowship, Membership, Mission, Stewardship and Finance, Worship, and Youth and Young Adults. A few committees meet at other times. Meeting locations and times are online at See also Today s Meetings on the church media center. Music Festival Sunday: Worship at 8:45 and 11:15 am; classes for all ages at 10 am noon Sarah Circle 7 pm Session meeting 1:30 pm Hymn Sing at Saline Evang. Home 5:45 pm Alphas; Wednesday Night Live! dinner and activities 7 pm Omegas 7:30 pm Westm. Choir 1 pm Ladies Bible Study 5:15 pm Advent Dinner Deadline for January issue of The Link 1 pm Needlecrafters 5:45 pm Alphas; WNL! dinner and activities 7 pm Omegas 7:30 pm Westm. Choir 7:30 pm Westm. Choir :15 am Small group 7 pm Bell Choir and music ensembles 9:15 am Small group 7 pm Bell Choir and music ensembles 9:15 am Small group 5:30 pm Women s Conversation and Coffee at Sweetwaters Café 7 pm Bell Choir and music ensembles; Property Committee; Deacons 9:15 am Small group 7 pm Bell Choir and music ensembles pm Til Midnight (Alphas and Omegas) noon Sixty Plus Club , 7:30 and 10:30 pm Christmas Eve worship 9 am Flour Power bread-baking 10 am Angel Tree party 8 am Men s Breakfast 1 pm Music Festival Sunday rehearsal 6:30 pm Christmas by Candlelight (teens) CHRISTMAS DAY Worship at 10 am 3 pm Helm-Fulton wedding and reception Church office closed Church office closed The Link mailing party Please note: The official church calendar is maintained in the church office by Office and Facilities Manager Karen Neilson. All event dates and room assignments in our building must be cleared with her. Wednesday Night Live! December 1 and 15 only; Wednesday Night Live! resumes January 5 5:45 6:30 pm Dinner (fellowship hall; $5 per person; $15 per family) 6:00 7:30 pm Childcare for infants age 5 (nursery) 6:30 7:25 pm Children s Choir (grades 1 6) Adult classes and small groups 7:30 9 pm Westminster Choir (sanctuary) On our web site Be sure to fill out the worship survey, before December 5. Find the link to it at the top of the home page. Your opinion matters! A concise list of events in the near future may always be found at Keep up with Westminster s outreach efforts, and find out how you can be involved, at Listen to sermons online or subscribe to the podcast at www. WestPresA2.org/sermons. Sign up to receive The Link via on the web site home page. 5

6 Swing your partner, do-si-do Westminster Square Dance Saturday, January 8 6:30 9 pm; $5 per person Set aside January 8 to show off your cowboy boots and hats, bandanas and hooped skirts. If you missed the square dance last spring, here's your chance to allemand left and do-si-do your partner. Whether you re experienced or a first-timer, you ll have fun. Childcare will be available. We ll provide beverages and suggest that you bring a snack to share. Singles, couples and young people in grade five or above are invited, including friends and neighbors. Sign up in the fellowship hall entry. Questions? Contact Al Banning (banninga2@comcast.net or ). Getting to know you... at Dinners of 7, 8 or 9 February 19, March 19, April 16 Have you ever wished you knew the people sitting around you at church better? The ever-popular Dinners of 7, 8 or 9 are just the opportunity you ve been hoping for. Singles, couples, folks new at Westminster, and those who ve not participated in the past are encouraged to sign up, either as a regular or as a substitute member. In addition to the three evenings of conversation and relaxation, you ll share in the delicious food prepared by your dinner-mates. Please sign up in the entry to the fellowship hall, beginning in December. Note in the signup information the options for not hosting a meal on a specific date and for obtaining substitutes for a meal you cannot attend. Need more information? Contact Al Banning (banninga2@comcast.net or ). Continued from page 6 Gift of bread on Sunday blesses many on Wednesday grain bread that he couldn t resist opening. About a quarter of the loaf disappeared along with his meal. He said it was the best bread he had ever eaten. Finally there s the story of the ugly loaf of French bread. Someone brought a loaf of bread that looked like something really didn t work right. It was wrapped and tied with several bright ribbons. A note said that it was an ugly loaf of French bread, but that it tasted good. A man who looked as if he too had been through a lot chose that as the one for him. None of us who volunteer at Riverside Community Gathering knows who bakes the various loaves of bread, so we can t personally tell you the story of who took your bread. All we can say is, Thank you and so we do. Westminster Presbyterian Church We believe those who claim Jesus is Lord are the church called by the Holy Spirit as a demonstration and instrument of God s mission in the world. We are a caring community of Christians devoted in joyful worship and service to Jesus Christ, called by Him to reach out to all people so together we may: Know God s saving grace and call on our lives through, word, devotion, relationship with God Grow in devoted discipleship through service, faith development, small groups, leadership development, mentoring Show our faithful thanksgiving through worship, praise, caring ministry, community of faith, fellowship, relationship with others, hospitality, stewardship Sow Gospel seeds of hope and love through mission (locally and around the world), calling, witness, grace, compassionate outreach, encouragement, invitation, volunteering, using gifts, contributing time and talents KNOW GROW SHOW SOW Westminster staff: All staff members may be contacted by calling the church office ( ) or by . The Rev. Stephen R. Carl, Pastor, Head of Staff revsrc@westpresa2.org The Rev. Catherine King, Associate Pastor cdking@westpresa2.org Eileen Helm, Director of Children s Ministries ehelm4kids@westpresa2.org Tina Shaw, Interim Director of Children s Ministries Leslie Picken, Director of Youth Ministries lesliepick@yahoo.com Shawn McDonald, Minister of Music smtenor@yahoo.com Linda Lang, Director of Sacred Dance lglangm3@aol.com Karen Neilson, Office and Facilities Manager wpcoffice@westpresa2.org April Wright, Bookkeeper/Assistant Financial Secretary alwright@westpresa2.org Marti Burbeck, Director of Media and Communications thelink@westpresa2.org Isaias Celestino, Custodian Florence Westrum, Organist Emerita Officers: David Hammond, Financial Secretary Linda Harnisch, Moderator, Board of Deacons Jeff Kennedy, Treasurer Margaret Klammer, Clerk of Session The Link is published at the beginning of each month. The deadline for each issue is the 15 th of the prior month. The editor is Marti Burbeck, thelink@westpresa2.org or Submit articles electronically or in the Link mailbox in the church office; the editor will always confirm receipt of articles submitted electronically. Articles may be edited for length or content. The Link is also on the world wide web at westpresa2.org; you may sign up there to receive notification of web posting of each issue. To receive print copies by mail, please call the church office at

7 Sixty Plus members walk in Jesus steps Friday, December 17 Lunch and program beginning at noon Fayola and Debbie Ash provide our program this month: In the Steps of Jesus, recounting their recent trip to Israel. RSVP to Bonnie Terpstra ( ) or Phoebe Vance ( ). Authors are needed in the new year Do you like to write? Would you like to get to know more people at Westminster? We re looking for people to write short biographies, for publication in The Link, of our newly elected church officers. If you re interested, please contact Link editor Marti Burbeck ( ; On the road... to Brookhaven A team of dedicated volunteers has been faithfully providing rides to church for our Westminster members living at Brookhaven who no longer drive. For the past year and a half this group has provided transportation to and from the second service for five or six of our church members. Conversation, laughter and friendship have evolved from this caring ministry. Special thanks go to Al and Sue Flynn, Mary Lynn Thomson and Betty Shelburne, Linda and Ron Harnisch, and Anne Gensheimer and Sharon Cloke. And thanks go also to our substitutes, Roger and Phoebe Vance, Patty and Peter Quiroz, and Nancy Lunsford. If you would enjoy being a regular or substitute driver for this lifting ministry, please call Linda Harnisch at many Thanks to all who participated in Project Angel Tree, providing gifts for children of incarcerated parents. Please note that all gifts are due at church December 1. Westminster finances are reported October 2010 Budget Actual Pledges received 46,697 55,964 Other income 9,244 +5,622 July expenses 55,941 50,870 Receipts minus expenses = $10,715 Year-to-date balance: 10,886 Questions or concerns? Please contact Jeff Kennedy, Treasurer or David Hammond, Financial Secretary. Men s to hear guest speaker at December breakfast Saturday, December 8, 8 am $3 per person for breakfast Guest speaker, and brother of Ann Renfer, George Baisley, will speak to us about prison ministry. Come enjoy a delicious breakfast and encouraging conversation, while learning about a vital service opportunity. For more information, please contact Ralph Lange or Jeff Flynn. A simple gift that keeps on giving Thanks to all who have put cancelled stamps into the box on the table in the fellowship hall entry. Two shoe boxes full of stamps were recently sent to the little town of Bielfield in Germany. They are processed there by a community of physically and mentally impaired residents who then sell them and send the proceeds to third world countries. So many people benefit from this project! In the next few weeks you will receive Christmas cards: Please cut off the stamps, including at least a quarter-inch border, from the envelopes and place them in the box at church. Westminster gives a unique gift Westminster Church gave a distinctive gift to Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church in Detroit to thank its members for their hospitality to the Omega/Norristown mission team this summer. The gift is a late 1920s photograph of Jefferson Avenue Church that Roger and Phoebe Vance came across in their basement. Roger s mother, Edythe Ellis, was a member of that church as a girl and young woman. She and her sister Nora worked with the youth programs there. We believe the photo was taken by MacGregor and Vallin commercial photographers whose studio was on Woodward Avenue. The Mission Committee had the photo framed, and presented it to Traci Smith, the associate pastor at Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church. 7

8 Westminster Presbyterian Church 1500 Scio Church Road Ann Arbor, Michigan Non Profit Organization us Postage Paid Ann Arbor, mi Permit #677 Sunday worship, 8:45 and 11:15 am; Classes for all ages, 10 am Wednesday Night Live! Dinner, classes, choir rehearsals for all ages beginning at 5:45 pm The Link a Cantata for Christmas by Joseph M. Martin Sunday, December 19, 8:45 and 11:15 am The story of Christmas is presented in music and dance, with our 50-voice Festival Choir, full orchestra, and Stepping Stones and Word in Motion dance groups. Familiar carols are interwoven with new ones, and the congregation will join the choir for the sumptuous and inspiring finale. Bring family and friends for this wonderful and moving celebration of the Advent of Christ.