JUNE 2018 Vol. 52 No. 6

Transcription

1 Westminster NEWS JUNE 2018 Vol. 52 No. 6 The Clearing in June... in the Heart of the City by Sarah Brouwer, Associate Pastor These last months in The Clearing on Wednesday evenings, we embraced the darkness of winter with Lenten candlelit worship, and celebrated the change of seasons with Sounds of Creation. In June, the season will shift yet again from spring and Eastertide to summer which really should be a liturgical season in Minnesota! We will soak up the warm weather while it lasts, and enjoy laidback summer nights under the tent on the Plaza for casual cookouts and simple dinner worship. The theme for The Clearing this June will tie in with Day Camp, as we worship in the Heart of the City. In addition to grilled food by Laura Lee Moffett and her crew, there will be weekly musical collaborations, with plenty of festive singing and merriment. We will also plan on taking prayers in the heart of downtown, collecting them on Nicollet Mall each week and reading them A Month of Celebration Turn to page 8 to see all of the happenings from this past May, from the All-Church Celebration, to our Global Partner gatherings, to Windows into Palestine. It was an exciting month at Westminster! alongside scriptures about God s care for the city. Music, prayer, and God s Word will form our brief service, and the rest will be dedicated to fellowship enjoying God and one another! If you re coming from school or work and want to stop by earlier we will have games and fun for all ages on Westminster Green starting at 5 pm. It s rumored the giant beach ball will make an appearance! We hope you will stop by Wednesday evenings at 6 pm, June 6, 13, 20, and 27. And, to entice you even more, we promise an ice cream truck to kick things off on June 6! The June offerings are intergenerational and family-friendly, so feel free to invite friends and neighbors. The cost for dinner is $7 per person, free for three and under, and a $20 family maximum. Questions? Contact Sarah Brouwer at sbrouwer@wpc-mpls.org. Associate Pastor for Mission and Justice by the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee The Associate Pastor Nominating Committee (APNC) is pleased to announce the selection of the Rev. Alanna Simone Tyler as the nominee for Westminster s Associate Pastor for Justice and Mission. Rev. Tyler s nomination was confirmed by the Committee on Ministry (COM) of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area at its meeting on May 21. During the last 12 months, the APNC has searched for a PASTOR continued on page 9. Westminster Presbyterian Church 1200 Marquette Avenue Minneapolis, MN westminstermpls.org

2 In Gratitude for a Recent Legacy Gift by Mary Hess, Director of Stewardship I will sing of thy steadfast love, O Lord, forever. Psalm 89: 1 One of the reasons Westminster will sustain God s work into the future is because of those who remember the church with a Legacy Gift in their wills or estate plans. Legacy Gifts are invested to benefit the church and future generations in perpetuity. Westminster is grateful for a recent gift from Kay McCune, a Westminster member for 46 years. Thanks be to God for her legacy. For information on how you can create a Legacy Gift to Westminster, contact Mary Hess, Director of Stewardship, mhess@wpc-mpls.org or or see westminstermpls.org/legacy-giving. Special Adult Education Offering After our Wednesday summer worship on June 20, Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman and Tim Hart-Andersen will lead an exploration of The Future of Communities of Faith. Make time in your summer schedule to attend this interesting dialog at 7 pm in Westminster Hall. Baccalaureate Sunday is June 3! If you haven t sent in graduate information yet, contact Meghan at mgage-finn@wpc-mpls.org. Traveling in Paul s Footsteps by Sara Donaldson, Westminster Member I am happy to report that, unlike the Apostle Paul who was flogged, jailed, and run out of cities, our Westminster Traveling Seminar to Greece received much better treatment at the hands of the Greeks. Revs. Kathy Michael and Sarah Henrich guided our group in our goal to follow in Paul s footsteps. They helped us sense the remarkable distances Paul covered and led us over the actual ancient stones of the Via Egnatia where Paul almost certainly trod. We imagined Paul s Philippi jail cell and, with their help, began to understand the broader world in which Paul lived. At the Parthenon we prayed where Paul preached to the Athenians near the very same ground covered by Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. When not tracking down Paul, we floated across the Aegean Sea, visited precarious rocktop monasteries, and learned about the ancient Greek gods and goddesses, ably taught by our charming guide Eleni. Eleni was able to uncover the dense layers of Classical Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and modern Greek history sometimes all while standing in one spot. Together our group prayed and laughed, picked our way through ancient ruins, learned about the early church, and came closer to knowing Paul. Why We Pledge by Nancy Etzwiler, Stewardship Ministry Team Westminster has inspired my family spiritually. Its music stirs our souls, its Sunday services challenge and inspire us, and its wonderful clergy, congregation, and staff have supported us in times of need. Westminster has helped shape how we think about justice in the larger world. For all these reasons and more, we make a financial pledge Pictured: Dan O Neill, Nancy Etzwiler, Laura O Neill every year to support the work of the congregation. We encourage you to do the same! Pledge online, westminstermpls.org/pledge, or contact Mary Hess, Director of Stewardship, June 2018 westminstermpls.org

3 From Our Pastor Dear Friends, Back in 1999, before our family moved to Minnesota to start our sojourn with Westminster, a church member sent me The Singing Wilderness by Sigurd Olson. I had never heard of the author, but I soon became a fan. His writing mirrors my own spiritual longing for the quiet beauty of nature. Here s Olson: Joy comes from simple and natural things; mist over meadows, sunlight on leaves, the path of the moon over water. Even rain and wind and stormy clouds bring joy. Olson is right, and his words ring even truer in our time, with the 24-Hour news cycle and multiple ways to stay connected. It is good to be connected and helpful to stay in touch with friends and the news of our community and world, but it is also good to have some down time. We are restored when we go intentionally quiet. Summer is upon us. Our family will spend a week in a cabin outside Ely. We will sit on the dock in the morning mist, paddle silently through the water for a picnic on a wooded shore, listen carefully for loons in the evening, and watch the stars stretch across the dark dome over the campfire. I hope each of you finds a way to discover anew the joy of simple and natural things this summer. It could be an hour or two on a park bench, or a rented canoe on Bde Maka Ska, or a stroll along the Mississippi. Find time to relax into what Wendell Berry calls the peace of wild things. I encourage you to link the joy of a quiet summer day with your own spiritual life. We are, after all, creatures of the Creator of this wondrous world. We belong in the wild. Deep in our beings we ache to re-discover the heart of God in the splendor of creation; let us offer gratitude when we do. Here s Olson again: Wilderness to the people of America is a spiritual necessity, an antidote to the high pressure of modern life, a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium. We Minnesotans are blessed with lakes and rivers, meadows and forests, urban parks and quiet streams, refreshing rain and abundant sun. Let us go forth into the natural magnificence in which we live and praise the Creator, from whom all things come! See you in church. Grace and peace, Clergy & Staff Staff Leadership Rev. Dr. Timothy Hart-Andersen, Senior Pastor Rev. Meghan K. Gage-Finn, Executive Associate Pastor Janice Teliczan, Executive Assistant Rev. Daniel Vigilante, Associate Pastor, Outreach, Uptown Congregational Care Rev. David Shinn, Associate Pastor Deb Wagner, Administrative Assistant Angelique Kingsbury, Coordinator of Volunteers & Senior Center Congregational Life Rev. Sarah Brouwer, Associate Pastor Sheila Delaney, Events Manager Deb Wagner, Administrative Assistant Kristin Kieft, Communications Coordinator Vanessa Uzong, Wedding Coordinator & Receptionist Educational Ministries Dr. Carmel Tinnes, Director of Educational Ministries Drew Smith, Administrative Assistant Barbara Mauk, Librarian Faith in Action Rev. Matthew Johnson, Interim Associate Pastor Vanessa Uzong, Administrative Assistant Families, Youth, and Children Jim Cochrane, Interim Director of Youth Ministries Marie Kruskop, Coordinator of Early Childhood & Family Ministries Kasey Collver, Nursery Coordinator Drew Smith, Administrative Assistant Music and the Arts Dr. Melanie Ohnstad, Minister Music/Arts, Organist Dr. Rodney Allen Schwartz, Director Gallery & Archive Barbara Prince, Program Assistant; Director Global/ Chamber Choirs Brad Ollmann, Dir. Early/Middle Childhood Music Ryan LaBoy, Director, Youth Music Mark Kieffer, Director, Handbell Choir Finance & Stewardship Julie Champ, Director of Finance Kienan Mick, Accounting Manager Deborah Kiescnick, Accounting Clerk Mary Hess, Director of Stewardship Anna Gram, Stewardship Associate Operations PJ Eichten, Director of Facilities Chris Brown, Todd Bushy, John Seagard, Richard Wilder, Facilities Staff Emeriti Rev. Elizabeth D. Heller Rev. Byron Thompson Rev. Katherine S. Michael Rev. Douglas Mitchell Samuel G. Cooke Parish Associates (Volunteer Clergy) Rev. Dr. James Brasel, Rev. Denise Dunbar-Perkins, Rev. Judy Allen Kim, Rev. Judy Landt, Rev. David Liddle, Rev. Dr. Margaret McCray Westminster Camp Ajawah Sofia-Bella Vitale-Gill, Registrar Westminster Counseling Center Rev. Dr. Margaret McCray, LMFT, Director Peter Bruhn, MA, LADC Sherri Dunham, MA, LPC Laurel Severns Guntzel, M.Div, MA, LPCC Rev. Judy Landt, M.Div., JD, Mediator Ben Thompson, MA, LPCC Rev. Susan Thornton, M.A., M.Div., LP Jennifer Aden, Office Manager Westminster Town Hall Forum Susan McKenna, Director June 2018 westminstermpls.org 3

4 WPC Happenings Earth Day Every Day Rescheduled Event June 3 11:30 am Join us at Butter Bakery for a bite to eat and then help clean up the gardens and do some planting at Nicollet Square (3710 Nicollet Avenue). Contact Marie with questions to mkruskop@wpc-mpls.org. The New Old: June Book Read June 13, 20, 27 10:30am-noon Join author, writer, and poet Anne Simpson discussing her latest book, Do you feel as old as you are?, a series of personal reflections and essays on aging in a society that often fears death and aging. Come for one or all three sessions you do not need to have read the book to join in. For more info or to purchase books, contact Nancy Slaughter, or nan1200@visi.com. FEAST June pm Help serve a meal to the hungry in the church neighborhood. Sign up at the reception desk or contact Vanessa Uzong, vuzong@wpc-mpls.org. What Are Your Kids Doing this Summer? Holy Mother Earth, the trees and all nature, are witnesses of your thoughts and deeds. - A Winnebago wise saying Camp Ajawah is a rustic, outdoor, nature-based summer camp that provides a time for kids to unplug and just be themselves. Campers learn to swim, canoe, and sit around the campfire and sing songs. Ajawah has two separate two-week camping sessions for boys and girls who have completed 1st - 9th grade. For more info or to register, please contact the Camp Ajawah Registrar at ajawah@wpc-mpls.org or visit ajawah.org. Nursery Volunteers Needed We promise to love, encourage, and support you... Westminster s baptismal promise We are in need of two adults to join our nursery staff team, providing drop-in child care on Sunday mornings two or three times a month and/or on Wednesday mornings beginning next fall. Basic responsibilities include helping provide a nurturing, stimulating, and safe environment for young children. Lessons and activities planned by our Early Childhood Ministries team. Joining our team is a wonderful way to act on Westminster s baptismal promise. Contact Carmel Tinnes, ctinnes@wpc-mpls.org to apply. Deadline to apply is July 15. Small Group Ministries Update A small group discernment team has been meeting since November to develop a plan for supporting small group ministries at Westminster. The team will disseminate a survey to the congregation in June. Please respond so that the Adult Education Council can plan for the future. Questions? Contact Carmel Tinnes, ctinnes@wpc-mpls.org. Daily Phone DEVOTIONS June 1 Deuteronomy 5: Corinthians 4: Mark 2:23-3:6 4 Psalm 78:1-4, Exodus 16: John 5: Psalm Genesis 3: Corinthians 4:13-5:1 10 Mark 3: Psalm Revelation 20: Luke 11: Ezekiel 17: Psalm 92:1-4, Corinthians 5: Mark 4: Psalm Revelation 21:22-22:5 20 Luke 6: Job 38: Psalm 107:1-3, Corinthians 6: Mark 4: Psalm Acts 27: Mark 6: Wisdom of Solomon 1: Lamentations 3: Corinthians 8:7-15 IN MEMORY Bettyann Ungemach April 29, 2018 Pat Berg May 4, 2018 Hazel Mayo May 7, 2018 William Ogden May 11, 2018 Judy Strausz-Clement May 13, June 2018 westminstermpls.org

5 Year-Long Meisel Scholar by Meghan Gage-Finn, Executive Associate Pastor The Meisel Committee is pleased to announce the addition of a new Meisel Scholar for 2018: Katie McCreary. Katie has just graduated from the University of MN-Morris, with a bachelor s degree in biology. Beginning in the late summer, she will spend the next academic year in the Graduate Naturalist Training Program at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in Finland, MN. She will serve alongside other naturalists, teaching classes to visiting students and learning the theoretical aspects of pedagogy, which will help prepare her for future academic endeavors in environmental education and sustainability. In Katie s own words, Nothing brings me more joy than showing others the wonders of nature. I hope that my time at Wolf Ridge will help strengthen my skills as a naturalist and give me valuable experience working with children from diverse backgrounds. Throughout the program I hope to develop skills in interpretation and teaching so that I can make a career out of sharing the natural works with kids. Resources from the Meisel Scholar Fund will support Katie s learning and vocational development over the next year. She will be celebrated and commissioned in worship, with the other 2018 Meisel Scholars, on June 10. Gathered at Five Plans by Meghan Gage-Finn, Executive Associate Pastor Plans for the long-anticipated Sunday evening service are underway. We are working toward an early August start date for the immediate Westminster community, with a full launch to the broader community in September. We encourage you to spread the word about this service, especially to those friends and neighbors who are looking for a church home. This worship will be in Westminster Hall, and will be friendly to those who do not have as much experience with church. More details about Gathered at Five and ways you can participate and volunteer will soon be available. Gathered at Five Welcomes a New Music Director by Meghan K. Gage-Finn, Executive Associate Pastor As we prepare for our new musical styles and genres as a pianist says, David will bring a deep commitment, joyous spirit, and creative intel- Sunday evening worship service, Gathered at Five, to begin and vocalist. We were impressed with his creative ligence to the musical leadership of the in August, we have been focusing our attention this month on visioning and planning for what worship will look spirit, the depth of his repertoire, and his readiness to serve as a worship planning partner. Dr. Melanie Ohnstad 5 pm Sunday service. His musical gifts, understanding of liturgy and network in the Twin Cities are expansive. and feel like week after week. We know that much of the identity of the service will be around music and are excited to announce the addition of a new person to our team. David Ostenso Moore will begin in June as part-time music director for Sunday evening worship. David comes to Westminster with years of experience composing, arranging, collaborating, and performing a variety of I am honored to join the staff at Westminster, and am eager to see what kind of beauty we can create together to enhance the spiritual life of the downtown area. David Ostenso Moore June 2018 westminstermpls.org 5

6 Summertime Family Fellowship Events by Marie Kruskop, Coordinator of Early Childhood & Family Ministries Day Camp by Carmel Tinnes, Director of Educational Ministries Join us for these family-friendly events as your schedule allows this summer. Hope to see you there! Please note: In the event of rain or severe weather, events will be cancelled. When RSVPing to Marie at please provide your phone number so she can reach you with updates. Spring into Summer B.Y.O.P. (Bring Your Own Picnic) June 4 pm Triangle Park at East 54th Street & Edgewater Boulevard, Minneapolis To celebrate the start of summer, all families are invited to join us for our Spring into Summer B.Y.O.P. Bring a blanket and picnic dinner (including beverages) for your family; we ll provide dessert. If you have a favorite outside activity to share with the rest of us, bring that too! RSVP to Marie by Thursday, May 31, so we ll know how much dessert to provide. Lake Harriet Bandshell July 5:30 pm Join us for live outdoor music at Lake Harriet where we ll hear the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra. Bring a blanket and picnic dinner, and meet us behind the bandshell benches (between the path and the playground) for an evening of music and fellowship. RSVP to Marie by Thursday, July 12. Izzy s Ice Cream Gold Medal Park August 4 pm Join us at Izzy s Ice Cream to grab a cone then enjoy our ice cream at nearby Gold Medal Park. RSVP to Marie by Thursday, August 16. Playdates - in the Heart of the City We are hoping to play off the Heart of the City theme of Westminster s Day Camp by offering come-as-you-areable, stay-as-long-as-you like playdates in the heart of the city June These playdates will take place the same week as Day Camp, but you need not have other children attending Day Camp to take part. Morning playdates will begin at 8:45 am at Loring Park (1382 Willow Street), just a few blocks west of Westminster. Afternoon playdates will begin at 1 pm at the Loring Greenway play area, located a block-and-a-half west of Nicollet Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets. These are drop-in playtimes so come to those that fit your schedule and enjoy some great outdoor time with your children! Contact Marie for more information at mkruskop@wpc-mpls. org. Day Camp applications have closed with more children attending than last year! It will be an exciting week exploring Westminster as The Heart of the City. Children will explore justice issues including housing, food, transportation, and government. We need adult volunteers to be on-site in the mornings, as well as assist with field trips in the downtown areas (June 18-21). We are also looking for those who are nurses or physicians to volunteer to be with our program during the mornings. If you can be here one of these mornings, please let Carmel know, ctinnes@wpc-mpls.org. Teacher Resource Room Reorganization Over the summer the teacher resource room in the education wing will be re-structured and organized. Church School teachers have been asked to identify items used in their classrooms that are currently stored in the room. Carmel is looking for a group of volunteers to get this project completed in a day! Mark your calendar for Saturday, July 14, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Lunch will be provided for those who RSVP to Carmel at ctinnes@ wpc-mpls.org by Wednesday, July June 2018 westminstermpls.org

7 Join Us for a Lively Father s Day: Vibrant Cuban Music and Congregational Meeting by Tim Hart-Andersen, Senior Pastor On Sunday, June 17 Fathers Day Westminster s Cuba Team invites the congregation to a light lunch and lively Cuban music on Westminster Plaza, following worship and the Congregational Meeting called to elect the Rev. Alanna Simone Tyler as our new Associate Pastor for Justice and Mission. Charanga Tropical, a Minneapolis based band specializing in Cuban danzón music, will perform. These types of music are original to Cuba, and Charanga Tropical is known as one of the best danzón orchestras outside Cuba. They were the only foreign band invited to the prestigious danzón music festival last year in Matanzas, Cuba. The group is led by Westminster member Doug Little, who Family, Youth, and Children Summer Interns by Carmel Tinnes, Director of Educational Ministries visited our partner church in Matanzas for Easter, where he played flute in the service! Lunch will be provided at minimal cost. Plan to join in this celebration of fathers and enjoy summer weather and fantastic Cuban music on the Plaza! Downtown Area Churches Celebrate GLBT Pride Festival by Phil Asgian, Westminster Member The Twin Cities Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Pride Festival will take place Saturday and Sunday, June 23 and 24, in Loring Park in downtown Minneapolis. Again this year, Westminster will be joining other churches of the downtown area in sponsoring a booth at the festival. This is a great opportunity to work collaboratively with members of other faith traditions. Last year members and guests from nine congregations supported this community effort. Please consider joining us to help staff the booth by signing up for a two-hour block of time on Saturday, June 23, or Sunday, June 24. For more information or to volunteer please contact Phil Asgian at We re pleased to welcome two summer Family, Youth, and Children interns: Hannah Hill and Jonathan Michael Thomas will be involved in Day Camp and youth mission trips, as well as other activities this summer. Hannah is an education major a Macalester College. Jonathan is a religious studies major at St. Olaf College. Please greet them when you see them! June 2018 westminstermpls.org 7

8 A Festive May filled with Celebrations at Westminster Clockwise from top: Vice President Walter Mondale speaking at the May 5th All-Church Celebration for Open Doors Open Futures; Global Partners from Cameroon, Cuba, and Palestine under the tent on Westminster Plaza; the Market at the Windows Into Palestine: Palestinian Arts and Culture Festival; Cuban and Cameroonian leaders singing in Sunday worship on May 13; the clergy at the All-Church Celebration; food and fun at the All-Church Celebration. 8 June 2018 westminstermpls.org

9 PASTOR continued from page 1. candidate who demonstrates a deep faith in God, a love for the church, and a commitment to justice and mission programs. With her professional experience, passion for justice, and personal style, Alanna (pronounced a-lay-na) embodies the vision for this position. Alanna currently serves as Associate Pastor at Park Avenue Methodist Church in Minneapolis. In her broad role, she helps with worship leadership and congregational care and supervises the youth, children s, and mission teams. Her experience with Park Methodist s partnerships with a bilingual preschool and a medical and a legal clinic will be valuable to her work with Westminster s local and international mission partnerships. Prior to her call to ministry, Alanna worked for Hennepin County for 17 years, rising in the ranks to become purchasing manager and finally head of countywide volunteer program development. The skills she developed in these positions will be pivotal to her role in advocacy with Westminster. Alanna holds a Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary in St. Paul and a Bachelor of Arts from Grinnell College. She is a longtime resident of Minneapolis and maintains deep connections in North Minneapolis, where she served as an elder at Liberty (formerly Kwanzaa) Church. Please plan to attend the Congregational Meeting following the 10 am worship service on Sunday, June 17, when we will formally introduce Alanna and act upon the recommendation of the APNC to call her to Westminster. Rev. Matt Johnson to Serve as Interim Associate Pastor for Families, Youth, and Children At the May Session meeting, the Elders received a report from the Interim Associate Pastor Nominating Committee (IAPNC), the team tasked with interviewing and selecting an Interim Associate Pastor to lead Westminster s Families, Youth, and Children. The IAPNC (Jock Donaldson, Katrina Heinze, and Ed Cunnington) presented Matt Johnson as the candidate for this position and the Session voted in the affirmative. The search team was impressed with the skills and experience Matt can bring to this ministry area over the next year, until a new Associate Pastor can be called. Matt served for a year in an internship with Augsburg University, where he led interfaith and Urban Plunge experiences for middle and high school youth, supported the Augsburg Youth Theology Institute, and co-led Augsburg s Alternative Spring Break Trip. Immediately preceding that internship, he served as one of 15 adult participants in a Bethlehem Lutheran Church mission trip to New York City with 75 high schoolers. Matt sees a strong connection between the relationships he has built over the last year in Faith in Action and those he will move into in FYC. I have come to know and love the Westminster community and its members and staff over the last nine months, he says. In particular, I have positive working relationships with our Directors of Education and of Youth Ministries. The relationships we have built will serve us well in exploring new ways to foster multigenerational connections within the Westminster community and in furthering efforts to integrate various ministry areas. We are delighted that Matt will continue to be part of the Westminster staff and community. He will continue working with the Faith in Action ministry area through June; in July he will shift to his new role as the Interim Associate Pastor for Families, Youth, and Children. Introducing the Corner Gallery by Rodney Allen Schwartz, Director, Westminster Gallery and Archive Hopefully everyone has experienced the delightful, ever-changing colors of sunlight streaming into the corner at the south end of Westminster Commons. Hidden just around that corner is a hallway leading to the bell tower. We recently installed an exhibition of social justice art made by women artists, and I have been playfully calling the area Rodney s Secret Gallery because you don t know that it is there until you are in it. I am pleased to announce that the window and gallery has been officially named the Corner Gallery. Be sure to check it out! June 2018 westminstermpls.org 9

10 Conflict in an Either-Or World by Rev. Judy Landt, Mediator, Westminster Counseling Center Conflict and divisions between people are as old as humanity. Most of Paul s letters were written to churches experiencing some type of conflict. First century folks disagreed about whether one could become a Christian without being a Jew first, whether to eat meat sacrificed to idols, and much more. Today, disagreements about values and beliefs seem to have become more personal. We judge one another morally based on where we stand politically. Increasingly, we seem to believe our political opponents are driven by bad motives, rather than legitimate differences of opinion. When we surround ourselves only with those who share our opinions, there are limited opportunities to practice the skills of constructive disagreement with those who see things differently. It s no surprise that when we do engage in disagreement, it often doesn t end well. As a mediator who works with people in conflict, it is my observation that people are becoming more convinced of their own rightness, less open to understanding the viewpoints of others, more easily offended, and less willing to seek common ground or make Windows of Hope in the Westminster Gallery by Rodney Allen Schwartz, Director, Westminster Gallery and Archive The long-awaited Windows Into Palestine has ended, but the exhibition of art Windows of Hope remains in the Westminster Gallery until June 24. Life on the ground for Palestinians is very difficult as their lands are gradually taken away and their livelihoods are threatened. The Christian population is shrinking and the art and culture in danger of being forgotten. Westminster s partnership with Christmas Lutheran Church and the Dar Al-Kalima University, College of Art and Culture in Bethlehem is based on preserving this art and culture. The exhibition includes paintings and photographs depicting the bleak reality of contemporary life and also images offering hope for the future. A diverse group of artists give us visual food for thought as they invite us in to experience both the joys and concerns of their lives. In addition to the exhibition, Westminster s collection of Palestinian art is also on view. Come and see how this art might inform your views of life in the Holy Land. compromises. As followers of Christ, we can work for good in these challenging times. Values such as justice for the poor and hospitality for the stranger are grounded in Scripture, but reasonable minds can differ as to what sorts of policies and practices most effectively implement these values. The City of Love, in spite of everything, by Yousef Katalo, sand and oil colors on canvas, Hebron, Palestine, So let s practice humility when we disagree, listening carefully and remaining open to the views of others. Let s stand against all kinds of name calling, stereotyping, and personal attacks. Above all, let s model our conviction that every human being is a child of God, entitled to be treated with dignity, courtesy, and respect.