Tapestry. Make your mark on Lenten art. Meet Mozart at Wilshire next month. This Week at Wilshire

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1 This Week at Wilshire Tapestry Weekly newsletter of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas Building a community of faith shaped by the Spirit of Jesus Christ Volume 64 No. 8 u February 21, 2016 Meet Mozart at Wilshire next month Mozart is coming to Wilshire. Not the actual Mozart, of course; he s long dead. And not just his music, which sometimes shows up in organ or choral works at Wilshire. This time, it s Mozart s life story that is coming in the form of scenes from the stage play Amadeus. The play will be presented two nights, March 3 and March 4, in Community Hall. Admission is free. After the drama, everyone is invited to stay for dessert and dialogue. Thus the event is named Faith in 3-D. This is the second year for this concept that emerged from Wilshire s Vision 20/20 process. Amadeus, by Peter Shaffer, is a provocative play that revolves around a speculative confrontation between mediocrity and genius exemplified respectively by Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The conflict is dramatized through an intriguing web of old-fashioned envy, lust, hatred, revenge, deceit and overweening ambition. Amadeus received the 1981 Tony Award for Best Play, and in 1985 the movie received the Academy Award for Best Picture. Max Hartman, a Lake Highlands High School alumnus and frequent performer Continued on page 3 Make your mark on Lenten art To complement Wilshire s Lenten worship theme, The Word is Near, adults and children alike are invited to participate in a weekly art project as part of worship. Strips of white and purple ribbon are available in baskets at every entrance to the Sanctuary and in the South Atrium and North Atrium. Also in the two atria are writing tables with markers ready for use. Take a ribbon and write on it a brief prayer or a Bible verse appropriate to the season. Think of ways the Word of God comes near to you. Then place your completed ribbon in the marked baskets. Over the next six weeks, the ribbons will be displayed within the building in a temporary art installation. After Easter, they will be gathered and incorporated into a woven remembrance of this year s Lenten season. All ages are welcome to participate, and everyone is invited to write out a prayer or Bible verse each week. The theme of The Word is Near will be used in all Sunday morning worship services during this season. Each week s worship also will include a focus on a Psalm and an epistle reading. Today 8:30 a.m. Worship 9:40 a.m. Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Coffee and Conversation with George Pastor s Study 11:00 a.m. Worship 12:00 p.m. Adoption and Foster Care team Room 1100-C 12:00 p.m. Christian Advocacy Room 1205-G 12:00 p.m. Finance Room :00 p.m. Library Room 1100-B 12:00 p.m. Missions Room 1205-L 12:00 p.m. Personnel Room 1205-H 12:00 p.m. Vision 20/20 Grow Team Room :30 p.m. Nova 3:00 p.m. Youth handbells 4:00 p.m. Youth Choir and Paradiso Choral Hall 4:00 p.m. Carillon Ringers 5:00 p.m. New member fellowship 5:30 p.m. Shekinah Monday, Feb :00 a.m. 42 Monday Room 1205-G 11:30 a.m. Cardiac support group Room 1205-L 2:00 p.m. Rusty Caboose exercise class Room :30 p.m. Deacons meal and meeting Comm. Hall 7:00 p.m. Wilshire Winds 7:00 p.m. Amadeus rehearsal Tuesday, Feb :15 a.m. Chair yoga Room :15 p.m. Yoga Room :00 p.m. Inclusion and Diversity group 7:00 p.m. Amadeus reh. Continued on page 2

2 Hangry, a word Urban Dictionary defines as when you are so hungry that your lack of food causes you to become angry, frustrated or both. For Lent this year, I have given up meat and am embracing a 40-day vegetarian diet. Well, it s really a pescatarian diet because I am still eating seafood. On the third night of fasting from meat I dreamed about a big, juicy bacon cheeseburger with extra bacon on the side. So the following morning when my husband ate his breakfast burrito filled with seasoned chorizo I officially became hangry. I know the point of Lent is not to be angry the entire 40 days over a first-world luxury you have given up; rather, practicing in Lent is learning to lean into a season that is supposed to be uncomfortable. Giving up a piece of the way you have been living your entire life is very difficult. I grew up on a ranch raising grass-fed cows that were cooked medium well, placed between two buttered buns and accompanied by two crisp pieces of maple bacon. To let go of what you know and love is hard work, and when our Another Voice Hangry lives become uncomfortable our first response is usually anger. I find the hardest part of journeying through an uncomfortable season is actually going to church. Last Sunday, I went to church not fully aware of my anger tagging along. I unconsciously brought with me an inner tantrumthrowing toddler whose irritation was triggered over the smallest things: that hymn was not my favorite, the Sunday School lesson was boring, and the coffee was too strong. Then my stomach grumbled as I sat in the pew for worship and I remembered my Lenten fast. At this moment I stopped focusing on the external annoyances with my church and became aware of my spiritual journey with the community I love. My superficial hunger was a reminder of a deeper hunger, a craving to see the kingdom of God at work. Maybe it is good to be hangry. Maybe we should be more hangry seeing our world starving for truth, justice, mercy and love. Erica Whitaker This Week at Wilshire Continued from page 1 Wednesday, Feb. 24 9:30 a.m. New Song, Choral Hall 11:00 a.m. Koinonia Café, Community Hall 12:00 p.m. Bible study, Community Hall 5:00 p.m. Children s handbells 5:00 p.m. Koinonia Café, Community Hall 5:00 p.m. Spanish as a Second Language, Room :00 p.m. Bible study, Room 1205-L 6:00 p.m. The Good and Beautiful God, Room :00 p.m. Simply Christian discussion, Room :00 p.m. Music and Missions and Bible skills 6:00 p.m. Gallery Café, James Gallery 6:00 p.m. MOPS steering, Room :15 p.m. Yoga class, Room :30 p.m. Watershed, Youth Center 7:00 p.m. Sanctuary Choir, Choral Hall Thursday, Feb. 25 1:30 p.m. Knit Unto Others, Parlor 2:00 p.m. Rusty Caboose senior adult women s exercise Room :00 p.m. New Song concert 7:00 p.m. Amadeus rehearsal Friday, Feb. 26 Women s retreat 6:30 p.m. Adoption and Foster Care Ministry Saturday, Feb. 27 Women s retreat This Wednesday at Wilshire The traditional Bible study at noon and 6 p.m. focuses on important Anabaptist and Baptist theologians. In the evening, also choose from a resident-led study of the book The Good and Beautiful God or a study of the Wilshire Reads book, Simply Christian. Koinonia Café on Wednesdays Feb. 24: Carved Cajun sausages, chicken piccata, vegetarian jambalaya, peas and caramelized onions, steamed broccoli, sautéed squash medley, vegetable salad, baked wheat rolls, Italian cream cake. Congratulations to: x Kate and Adam Cox on the birth of their son, Samuel Alexander Cox, Feb. 12. Grandparents are Mike and Donna Rosamond. Condolences to: x Joannah and Darren DeMent on the death of Joanna s grandmother, Virginia Herbert, Feb. 6. x Dena Farnsworth on the death of her grandmother, Zeffie Montoria Greenly, Feb. 8. Tapestry (USPS ) is published weekly except Christmas week by Wilshire Baptist Church, 4316 Abrams Rd., Dallas TX Periodicals postage paid at Dallas, TX. Telephone: (214) Website: Editor: Mark Wingfield. Contributing writer: Sue Coffman. Postmaster: Send change of address to 4316 Abrams Rd., Dallas TX

3 Briefly x Ushers needed. Additional ushers are needed for the 11:00 services on Sundays. Being an usher is a rewarding and easy ministry and a vital part of our weekly worship. Children, youth and adults of all ages are needed because ushers are a visible expression of the diversity of the congregation. Ushers serve once a month, and scheduling is flexible. Contact Tiffany Wright, minister for care ministries, at twright@ wilshirebc.org or (214) , or Abbey Adcox, administrative assistant, at aadcox@wilshirebc.org. x Spring break observance. Wilshire traditionally suspends Wednesday evening activities for preschoolers, children and youth during spring break. However, Dallas-area schools have scheduled spring breaks over a three-week period this year. The week on which Wilshire will not have Wednesday evening activities is March 9. x Thiering takes leave. Pastoral Resident Josh Thiering has begun a three-month leave of absence from the program for personal reasons, with approval from Pathways to Ministry leadership and the Personnel. x Last call for Branson trip. This is the final week to sign up for Wilshire s senior adult camp in Branson, Mo., which will be April 4-8. Brochures are available in the church office or at A few spaces remain, but a final count must be determined this week. Contact Kathi Lyle at klyle@wilshirebc.org or (214) Missions openings You are invited to consider participation in three upcoming missions experiences. On March 8-11, participate in a stay-at-home spring break event. Instead of traveling this year to a destination, Wilshire has invited two churches from Shaw, Miss., to come to Dallas to help with tornado relief. Each year these churches host volunteer groups for our ministry partner Delta Hands for Hope; now it is our time to host them, explained Heather Mustain, minister of missions. I am looking for people who would be willing to host two to five men in their homes, host dinners, make lunches, and volunteer alongside the group. From May 19 through 29, a Wilshire vision team will travel to Kumasi, Ghana. Shoot 4 Life Ministries was a 2015 Missions Plus recipient, using Wilshire funding to build the first basketball court in a public school in the entire country of Ghana. Volunteers will travel to Ghana to visit the court and join Baylor University in hosting basketball clinics for 300 children. The group also will travel to the coast to visit a castle used to export slaves. Scholarships are available. From Sept. 23 through Oct. 1, a small group from Wilshire will participate in a Mission Learning Lab in Barcelona, Spain. The goal will be to learn how better to minister to refugees in Dallas. Prior to the trip, the team will take part in a six-week class that will cover cultural learning, missiology, leadership and spiritual formation practices. Upon returning home the team will meet four times to discuss how to bring home what was learned. This team is limited to five participants, and scholarships are available. For more information about any of these missions opportunities or to sign up, contact Heather at (214) or hmustain@ wilshirebc.org. Mozart coming to Wilshire next month Continued from page 1 with theater companies throughout the Dallas area, portrays Antonio Salieri. Wilshire member Andy Brookshire portrays Mozart. Constanze, the wife of Mozart, is played by Wilshire member Megan Wilson. Other cast members include Steve Brookshire, Gary Looper, Adam Dunsworth, Beverley Denman, Meredith Mosley, Julie Owen, Allie Magee, Joe Groner and Timothy Peoples. Both performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Community Hall. The event is free and open to the public. However, in order to ensure adequate preparation of desserts, a sign-up list is being kept in the church office. These are not binding reservations but merely an attempt to estimate attendance in advance. Call the church office at (214) or frontdeskreceptionist@ wilshirebc.org. 3

4 Inclusion group asks for participation Wilshire s Inclusion and Diversity Study Group has invited the congregation to join in its work through two upcoming events, a series of informational seminars and roundtable dialogues. Here are some frequently asked questions about this process. Q. Why should I participate in an information seminar? The study group has spent more than four months reading, listening and distilling vast amounts of information about same-sex attraction, Scripture, Christian tradition and science. The information seminars are an attempt to present highlights of all this information in a condensed format that is accessible and relevant. Based on their own experience, the study group believes there is a need for basic education and information to help everyone make informed decisions. In our Baptist tradition, we advocate the priesthood of all believers, which is predicated on being as educated as possible while listening for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Q. Who are the presenters at the information seminars, and is there any difference between one day and another? All presenters are Wilshire members, including members of the Inclusion and Diversity Study Group and staff. There are no outside presenters. Most of the presenters have some area of professional expertise to contribute to their assigned topics. Each seminar will be identical, except that on a few occasions a presenter may be different; however, the content will be exactly the same. Q. The Bible is clear to me on this issue already. Why should I come hear this presentation? 4 Understanding what the Bible says often is easier than understanding what the Bible means. These seminars will attempt to delve beyond just a simple reading of biblical texts to explore the contexts in which they were written, the language used and both historical and modern ways of interpreting those texts. The presentations are not designed to advocate for any particular interpretation but are intended to identify and explain various perspectives. The study group s hope is that those who have firmly held views of any kind might gain understanding of how other people come to different perspectives. Q. I cannot attend any of the dates offered for the information seminars. Is there another way to access this information? One of the seminars will be videotaped, and that video will be available after the last seminar has been offered. Also, manuscripts of all the presentations will be published in printed form and online. Q. Should I attend an information seminar before attending a roundtable dialogue? Ideally, yes. But you are welcome to access the process in the way that suits your interest and schedule best. The study group believes the dialogue sessions will be more successful if everyone present has heard the information seminars first and shares a common core of background information. Q. What is the purpose of the roundtable dialogues? While the information seminars are for the study group Information seminars will be offered at the following times: x Sunday, March 6, 9:45 a.m. to noon, Community Hall x Sunday, March 13, 9:45 a.m. to noon, Community Hall x Monday, March 14, 7 to 9:15 p.m., McIver Chapel x Saturday, March 19, 9:45 a.m. to noon, McIver Chapel Roundtable dialogues will be offered at the following times: x Wednesday, March 9, 6 to 7:30 p.m., James Gallery x Tuesday, March 15, 7 to 8:30 p.m., James Gallery x Saturday, March 19, 1 to 2:30 p.m., James Gallery x Sunday, April 3, noon to 1:30 p.m. (lunch provided) to communicate with the congregation, the roundtable dialogues have the opposite purpose: to allow the congregation to communicate with the study group and with each other. In a 90-minute format, the roundtable dialogues will center around a series of discussion prompts to engage participants in talking with each other, sharing stories and ideas. The goal is to hear from each other and to gain greater appreciation of the diverse opinions present within the congregation. At the same time, members of the study group will be hosts at each table and will take notes on what is said in order to report back general impressions to the study group. Q. Is there really that much diversity within the Wilshire community? Everyone I know shares my view. On the whole, Wilshire is a diverse community of faith. Like many churches, people tend to gather in small groups that more closely reflect their own life stages and perspectives. The Wilshire experienced in one Sunday School class, for example, might be different than the Wilshire experienced in another Sunday School class. Q. Will the study group hear what we say at the roundtable dialogues, and will that input make any difference? Yes. The roundtable dialogues are an important part of the study group s information-gathering process. What is said there will help shape the direction of the study group s final report to the deacon body. Q. Would it be appropriate for my child to attend either of these opportunities? Older youth are welcome at the information seminars and roundtable dialogues. Child care is available for preschoolers and elementary-aged children. Q. What happens after the information seminars and roundtable dialogues? Although not working on a specific timeline, the Inclusion and Diversity Study Group will at some point report its findings and recommendations to the deacon body. In part, that timeline will be shaped by the feedback received from the information seminars and roundtable dialogues.

5 The numbers Report for Feb. 14 Sunday School Officers Preschool...84 Children Youth Young adult Median adult Senior adult Total present Total previous week Total last year Generosity Unified Budget received $46,730 Unified Budget projected $85,930 Unified Budget YTD $348,129 Unified Budget projected $638,338 Pathways Endowment received YTD $10,855 Pathways Endowment current fund value $3,416,262 December 31 goal $4,910,290 December 1 goal $4,296,503 November 1 goal $3,952,783 October 1 goal $3,559,960 September 1 goal $3,216,240 August 1 goal $2,798,865 July 1 goal $2,406,042 June 1 goal $1,988,667 May 1 goal $1,546,741 April 1 goal $1,203,071 March 1 goal $810,198 February 1 goal $466,478 Unified Budget Mike Murphy always enjoyed challenges, but no challenge has been quite as great as looking for a new church home. One Sunday morning he tuned to WRR-101 and heard George Mason preach. His sermon rocked my world, and I called my wife, Debby, Mike recalled. I told her that morning that we have to visit Wilshire. When we visited, we felt like God was telling us, This is your home. Wilshire folks connect with each other in powerful and unusual ways, Mike said. Debby and I immediately felt welcomed and appreciated when we joined a year ago. I feel like here there s no limit to what I can do to show my Christian faith. I ve always been a joiner, he said, and I m trying to latch on to every opportunity to serve at Wilshire. When the opportunity arose, he volunteered to serve on the Missions. The Murphys are active in Cord of Three Class, where he supports the class internal care team. I ve always loved church, but I ve never had such a powerful Sunday School experience until now, he said. I can t tell you the difference it has made in my life. A Dallas native, Mike grew up in Richardson. At Richardson High School he was active in a variety of school activities. The more I could do, the better, he said. I became really interested in art and design at that time. I thought I would have an art career that included design, printmaking and ceramics. I wanted to go to the University of Texas at Austin, but my parents wanted me to make a different choice. My sister was at Texas Tech University, which had a good design and art department, so I went there after graduating in At Tech Mike pursued his art degree and met Debby on a blind date arranged by his roommate. We had an immediate connection, although I Am Wilshire Mike Murphy it took me about four years to figure out that she was the one, he added. We were married in 1975, right after graduation. The Murphys have two grown children. Megan, a pediatrician, lives in San Antonio, and she and her husband have a 3-year-old son. Kevin, a teacher, lives in Frisco, and he and his wife have a son and a daughter. Several people have challenged Mike. He counts a Texas Tech professor as a key mentor. He recommended that I get a teaching certificate because career prospects for art majors were somewhat limited, and he felt that I had some potential talent in the educational arena, he said. Following that advice, Mike earned a master s degree in elementary education at Tech. In 1995 he earned an Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of North Texas. In his career he has served in a variety of positions. After graduation from Tech, my wife and I moved to Richardson without jobs, he said. Soon after we came back to this area, I was hired to teach sixth grade at Hamilton Park Elementary School, an innovative magnet school in Richardson that was originally created to resolve the city s attempt to address its diversity. My four years there were both challenging and extremely rewarding. From 1981 to 1987, Mike served RISD as both an assistant principal and a principal of elementary schools. I then asked for a different challenge and experience, he said. So I was asked to be the principal of Aikin Elementary School, which was struggling with economic and radical demographic changes. The hurdles were huge, but the experience made a great difference to me. Although not always successful, I learned from my mistakes. Moving to RISD s central office in 1992, he was director of planning and program evaluation for the district s 49 schools. The next year, the Southlake Carroll Independent School District hired him as assistant superintendent for curriculum, planning and research. In a leap of faith I accepted. It was the right time to leave Richardson, he said. I had a great experience in Southlake. Tiring of his long commute and wanting to spend more time with his family, Mike accepted a position as director of programs for the National Staff Development Council in Working from home, I conducted leadership training for clients in the U.S. and Canada, he explained. This position transformed the way I thought about educators and leadership. In 2003, Mike Moses, then superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District, tapped him to consult full time with DISD principals. As one of my mentors, he taught me how to communicate and work with people to be decisive and yet appreciative of people, Mike said. Beginning in 2005, Mike spent a little more than four years as director of education for the Salesmanship Club s Youth and Family Centers. He then formed his own company, Educational Success Systems. Now my work is comprehensive. I coach school leaders on topics such as planning, evaluation, and how to motivate people everything related to leading schools and districts. 5

6 Wilshire contacts To any member of the Wilshire staff, use the first initial with the full last name and then To phone staff, dial (214) 452- and the four-digit extension: Pastoral offices George Mason (3132) Debby Burton (3132) Mark Wingfield (3128) Kathi Lyle (3130) Pathways to Ministry Geri McKenzie (3159) Erica Whitaker (3156) Matthew Broyles (3154) Timothy Peoples (3153) Joshua Thiering (3155) Business offices David Nabors (3157) Lori Gooden (3131) Susan Kimball (3108) Dale Pride (3101) Holly Irvin (3150) Beverly Faubion (3111) Adam Scheuermann (3136) Wilshire Baptist Church 4316 Abrams Rd Dallas TX PERIODICALS RATE Age-graded ministries Jessica Capps (3129) Darren DeMent (3102) Julie Girards (3103) Joan Hammons (3141) Carol Cabaniss (3106) Care ministries Tiffany Wright (3107) Debby Burton (3132) Missions/advocacy offices Heather Mustain (3110) Katie Murray (3126) Abbey Adcox (3127) It s time to order Easter lilies to adorn Wilshire s Sanctuary on Easter Sunday. The flowers may be given in honor or in memory of others. A complete list of honorary designations and memorials will be published in the Easter Sunday Tapestry. Cost is $12 per plant. Place your order using forms available in the church office or online at Deadline for inclusion in the listing is Sunday, March 20. Music offices Doug Haney (3123) Sarah Stafford (3121) Barbara Clayton (3125) Jeff Brummel (3122) Food services Chris Terry (3117) Weekday Education Mary Browder (3115) Parish nurse Linda Garner (3151) Library Barbara Peterson (3114) Reception desk (214)