Tapestry. Humor will ensue at anniversary roast. Portraits begin; new dates open in September. 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 62 No. 31 u August 3, 2014 Humor will ensue at anniversary roast What could possibly be said at a roast of Senior Pastor George Mason? Find out on Friday, Aug. 22, when 18 alumni of Wilshire s pastoral residency program take the stage of the Lakewood Theater to give their regards to George on the occasion of his 25th anniversary at Wilshire. Residency alumni confirmed as attending include Jake Hall, David King, Andrew Daugherty, Anne Jernberg, Sean Allen, Amy Grizzle Kane, Brad Jernberg, Ryan Heritage, Jason Edwards, Julie Merritt Lee, Matt Marston, D.J. Reed, Tasha Gibson, Chris Aho, Scott Dickison, Garrett Vickrey, John Jay Alvaro and Annette Thornburg Owen. Master of ceremonies for this evening roast will be Jim White. This will be a night of laughter and celebration intentionally held in a vintage movie theater as a reminder that Wilshire got its start in just such a place 63 years ago. In that time span, Wilshire has had only four pastors, and two of those (Bruce McIver and George) together account for 55 years. Free child care will be provided at the church, and a shuttle bus will run from the church parking lot on a first-come, first-served basis. Children in elementary school and older are invited to attend the roast with their parents. Multiple restaurant options are located within walking distance of the theater, should you choose to eat dinner before the program. All seating will be general admission. Admission is $10 per person, with sign-ups taken at the church office reception desk or online at www. wilshirebc.org/registration. See the reservation form on the back of this Tapestry. Inside: Pathways Celebration Dinner information Portraits begin; new dates open in September Photography begins this week for Wilshire s new pictorial directory. Appointments are still available for this week and next. Also, appointments now are available for select dates in September, to accommodate those who cannot be photographed in August. There is no charge to participate in the directory, and every household photographed will receive one free portrait. Those photographed will receive printed copies of the directory. Those not photographed may only receive directories as supplies are available. If you have not yet made an appointment: x Please make an appointment as soon as possible by visiting or by calling Kathi Lyle at (214) If you have made an appointment: x Please arrive a few minutes early and follow the signs to the middle of the third floor, where a receptionist will greet you. Today 8:30 a.m. Worship 9:40 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Worship 12:00 p.m. Youth first Sunday lunches 12:00 p.m. Sanctuary Choir focus group Room 1205-H Monday, Aug. 4 9:45 a.m. Youth visit C.C. Young 10:00 a.m. 42 Monday Room 1205-G 12:00 p.m. Praying for Justice Tuesday, Aug. 5 8:00 a.m. Bright Fellowship Bible study 11:15 a.m. Youth Tuesday missions 6:30 p.m. Stephen Min. continuing ed. 6:30 p.m. Stephen Ministry supervision Wednesday, Aug. 6 11:00 a.m. Koinonia Café Comm. Hall 12:00 p.m. This is My Story program 6:30 p.m. Youth summer Wednesday nights Thursday, Aug. 7 11:15 a.m. The Bridge/ Stew Pot 12:00 p.m. Women s ministry brown bag book study 1:30 a.m. Knit Unto Others Room 1205-G

2 Trafficking Two weeks ago Wilshire hosted a conversation on human trafficking in McIver Chapel. A night spent with 30 others listening to four local and courageous women share their deepest shame and secrets with a seemingly unfamiliar audience. These women who sat before us had been trafficked and sexually exploited in our own backyard. In Celtic spirituality it is believed there are moments where the veil between heaven and earth is lifted and just for a moment one catches a glimpse of God s glory; mystics refer to these moments as thin places. Sharlande Sledge describes thin places in a poem: Thin places, the Celts call this space, Both seen and unseen, Where the door between the world And the next is cracked open for a moment And the light is not all on the other side. God shaped space. Holy. No one could predict what would happen that evening; no one could predict how Gwendolyn s story would pierce the depths of our souls and break forth light. That evening vulnerability was no longer an ideal, but a reality we all experienced. Gwendolyn s bravery in bearing her own soul allowed the rest of us the same opportunity. A recovering addict found hope in learning from Gwendolyn that secrets only kill and she no longer allowed shame to define her. We learned that evening one of the women who had Another Voice been sexually exploited saw speaking at Wilshire as an opportunity to give back to a church who met her in her deepest need. She had been a recipient of Wilshire s encouragement ministry cards and many of our people s prayers. After these responses we had a chance to ask questions; the women were asked how the church and/or Christians had responded to them to which they all hesitantly laughed. The answer was not pretty. I asked Gwendolyn, How would you have liked the church to respond to you?, to which she said, Without judgment. I know that evening I walked away a changed person, forever impacted by Gwendolyn s courage and story, and it didn t take long for this empathy to be put into action. The next day a woman walked through our doors battered and bruised, needing help in finding emergency shelter. She was yet another victim at the hands of another. Gwendolyn s voice repeated in my thoughts, but more importantly within my heart. We sat together for two hours and called every domestic violence shelter in existence within the DFW area only to be turned down time and time again. After 12 phone calls, we finally secured shelter for her, seriously a gift from God. This was the best way I could honor Gwendolyn s story; by offering the compassion that Gwendolyn herself once looked for from the church. That evening McIver Chapel became a thin place for many to catch just a glimpse of God s glory and how thankful I was to be a part of that moment. Heather Mustain This Week at Wilshire This Wednesday at Wilshire Come enjoy lunch at Koinonia Café from 11 a.m. to noon, followed by This is My Story programs at noon. This week s This is My Story presenter is Jessica Capps, minister to senior adults. Upcoming speakers are Faye Lynn Dodge (Aug. 13) and Jeff Ellison (Aug. 20). Koinonia Café August 6: Barbeque chicken, brisket sandwich, corn on the cob, grilled tomatoes, steamed broccoli, onion rings, potato salad/cole slaw, jalapeño cornbread, fudge brownies. Condolences to: x Laura and Keith Wright on the death of Laura s father, July 18. x Lawanna and Mike Robinson on the death of Lawanna s mother, Ila P. Mays, July 23. New members: x Christine Wicker Briefly x Family garden initiative. Wilshire will join the Dallas Coalition for Hunger Solutions to roll out a new initiative. The Family Garden Initiative provides gardens for low-income families that often are unable to purchase fresh produce. Wilshire will provide 10 gardens to families on Saturday, Sept. 13, as well as continued follow-up with these families throughout the fall. Volunteers will be needed on Sept. 13 and after. Contact Christian Advocacy Specialist Katie Murray at (214) or kmurray@wilshirebc.org. x Transform team meeting. The next meeting of Wilshire s Vision 20/20 Transform Team will be at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 19 at Jubilee Center in the Jubilee Park neighborhood of Dallas. The staff of this center will offer a tour and conversation about how their advocacy dream became a reality. This meeting will be beneficial to anyone who wants to join the Transform Team to address issues including hunger, education, payday lending, and more. The Jubilee Center is located at 907 Bank Street. Contact Katie Murray at (214) or kmurray@wilshirebc.org. x Volunteer financial coaches needed. Consumer Credit Counseling Service helps low- to moderate-income families with education, counseling and coaching to move toward financial stability. Coaches do not have to be financial experts but instead provide accountability to clients. Most coaching sessions will last 30 minutes and will be done over the phone three times per year. A training session will be held on Sept. 13. To learn more, visit or contact Katie Murray at (214) or kmurray@wilshirebc.org. 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 Pathways Dinner serves residency s future One of the enduring legacies of George Mason s 25-year tenure as Wilshire s senior pastor is the pastoral residency program. To celebrate that legacy and ensure its continued success, the Personnel Committee has planned a Pathways Celebration Dinner on Saturday, Aug. 23, at 3015 at Trinity Groves. The purpose of this dinner is to celebrate the success of the Pathways program, thank those who have supported it so far and encourage future support through current gifts and planned giving, including from estates and memorials. Anyone who is interested in learning more about how to secure the future of the Pathways program financially is invited to attend. The evening will feature testimonies by key lay leaders, live music by the Garrett Wingfield Quartet and a delicious dinner prepared by our own chef, Chris Terry. Transportation is on your own, but ample free parking is available. Trinity Groves is located at the west end of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Tickets to the dinner are $60 per person, and reservations may be made at the church office reception desk or online at Wilshire Welcome The Wilshire Welcome Class begins a new cycle of information sessions about the church for prospective members this week. All interested adults are invited to attend this special class at any point in the cycle. It meets at 9:40 a.m. on Sundays in a classroom by McIver Chapel. Aug. 3: Wilshire Tour. Learn the history of the church as you take a tour of the building. Aug. 10: Worship and Learn. Hear how the church is structured, be introduced to the staff, committees, goals and vision of the church. Aug. 17: Coffee and Conversation. An informal hour with Senior Pastor George Mason, in his study, Room Let us get to know you and give you an opportunity to ask questions about Wilshire. Aug. 24: Serve, Care and Give. Learn about Wilshire s missions partners, opportunities of service and ways to get involved. Aug. 31: Learn. A brief overview of adult Bible study offerings. Members of the new member committee will even escort you to a class of your choice. Year-round youth internship returns Wilshire s youth ministry will take a page from the past with the return of a permanent part-time student ministry intern. Tim Cruise, who has been the student ministry summer intern this year, will continue in the year-round role beginning Aug. 15. He is a May graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University and will begin graduate studies this fall at Brite Divinity School of Texas Christian University. While pursuing seminary studies, Tim will work about 20 hours a week at Wilshire, assisting Minister to Students Darren DeMent. His employment will be part of the Pathways to Ministry program, encouraging the development of young clergy. This is similar to the model of youth ministry previously used at Wilshire, when Darren himself first came here as a year-round intern with then-minister to Students John Brashier, said Mark Wingfield, associate pastor. We believe this staffing model will provide both stability and energy in the youth ministry, and it fits with our model of being a teaching congregation. The position was approved by the Personnel Committee and will require no new funding. Mindy Ward Logsdon, who has been serving in a parttime role as director of the YourCall vocational discernment program for high school students, is stepping down from that role effective Aug 15, due to increased demands of her graduate studies in counseling at SMU. In the new configuration, Darren will take on responsibility for YourCall, which will continue as it has been otherwise. Over the summer, youth Sunday School has begun a transition to a new mixedgrade model that will be fully implemented on Promotion Sunday. Instead of individual classes for each grade, the new structure combines seventh and eighth graders in one class, ninth and 10th graders in another class, and 11th and 12th graders in a class. Each class will be supported by an array of adult leadership, including rotating teachers. Special optin classes will be offered on occasion as well. Artisans sought for Makeshift Mission Do you create stitches, purls or delicious canned jams? Then come be a part of Wilshire s Makeshift Mission. This market, to be held on Sunday, Oct. 5, will showcase both local and global artisans. Vendor booths are free. The planning team only asks for a voluntary donation to benefit our mission partner CitySquare. You may also be a part of this effort by sponsoring a vendor with a matching contribution. Get to know someone new, learn about their art and match their gift to CitySquare. Of course, shoppers will be needed. Mark your calendar and get a jump on your holiday shopping. You ll find one-of-a-kind items and support CitySquare s efforts to help the poor here in Dallas. The Makeshift Market will be held at Wilshire on Oct. 5 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. artisan + global market 3

4 Scenes from Cooking Camp II Last August, as Vision 20/20 was taking shape, more than 500 congregants were interviewed one-on-one about their experiences with and aspirations for Wilshire. Beginning this week, the Tapestry will feature excerpts of some of these firstperson reports. Judy Coleman Wilshire is a place to grow, and it gives everyone an opportunity to serve, says Judy Coleman, and her face lights up when she recalls leading Wilshire s Family Pathfinders team in the late 1980s. The program helped single mothers break away from poverty and welfare and ultimately achieve self-sufficiency. With the encouragement of church staff, Judy organized a Family Pathfinders committee and then all the members were trained on how to work with people in poverty. The committee helped a Dallas woman find employment as well as an apartment and furnishings for herself and her children. There were some successes as well as some failures, but the work was always gratifying, she says. 4 Jim Austin Wilshire will welcome you and put you to work quickly if you are willing and ready. Just ask Jim Austin. Not long after Jim and his wife Pat came to Wilshire, he was asked to take a leadership role in the Crossings Campaign to pay off the church s debt. Specifically, Jim was asked to chair an affinity group of other recent new members, and the experience put him on the front lines of what was happening at his new church home. What s more, he had the opportunity to work closely with church staff and to help propel the church onward to the new goals and strategic plans that have been set by Vision 20/20. Sarah Stafford When Sarah Stafford was called to be Wilshire s associate minister of music, it was a revelation and an affirmation. At other churches she was told that a woman couldn t be a minister, but at Wilshire she was told she could minister to members of all ages and not just through music. Sarah says she also has been encouraged to minister to people in a way that comes naturally, which for her is through encouragement and drawing people in with the excitement of what might happen. Nowhere is that more evident than with New Song, Wilshire s choir for senior adults that has become a vital community ministry. I am excited about New Song blossoming, with 87 members from 25 different churches getting outside of themselves to do something they couldn t do alone, she says. When not leading New Song, the Carillion Ringers handbell choir, children s choirs and musicals, Sarah often will be found with her sleeves rolled up working on any number of projects, from assembling furniture for local people in need to helping load a truck full of supplies for victims of Gulf Coast hurricanes. I don t like just being in the music ministry. I like being a part of the whole church, she says.

5 The numbers Report for July 20 Sunday School Officers...23 Preschool...84 Children...78 Youth Young adult...72 Median adult Senior adult Total present Total previous week Total last year Generosity Unified Budget received $55,478 Unified Budget projected $103,897 Pathways Endowment received this week $4,663 Pathways Endowment received YTD $9,336 Pathways Endowment current fund value $3,016,283 December 31 goal $2,534,090 December 1 goal November 1 goal October 1 goal September 1 goal $830,000 August 1 goal $415,000 Unified Budget During a job interview in 2004, Christie Michie was asked what her greatest regret was. She replied that she and her husband, Ian, had decided not to have more children after the death of their first child, Ziggy, who lived only two days. He had a rare condition, vasa previa. When my water broke, a blood vessel on the umbilical cord broke, she explained. When this tragedy struck, Ian and Christie were members of Fellowship Church and were looking for a new church home. Fellowship was not as good for married couples as for singles, she said. We quit going to church, and I couldn t be anywhere where there were children. Church was a very dangerous place for me; I was afraid of comments people might make. In 2005, the Michies were blessed with a son, Duncan, and then in 2008 fraternal twins, Claire and Finn. I was nervous about having twins, but the situation with Ziggy was so rare, and I had a good therapist who was very careful with me and reassured me every step of the way, Christie said. The twins were born at 36 weeks, so they didn t have to stay in the NICU, she said. It s been a fun ride watching their relationship with each other. When the Michies oldest, Duncan, was a newborn, the family came to Wilshire through Christie s involvement in the Mothers of Preshoolers program, or MOPS for short. It was hard for me for a really long time, and it has taken me a long time to get to the place where I feel like I m worthy of what I have, she said. MOPS was a big part of that. Hearing about other mothers and their struggles, I I Am Wilshire Christie Michie found out how much we had in common. I was involved in MOPS for six years and was coordinator for two years. When Diana Hardin invited me to MOPS, I was also invited to church, she said. She had gone to Oak Cliff Presbyterian Church for most of her life and was uncertain about becoming a Baptist. However, after talking to George Mason, she was baptized in Christie and her family lived in Oak Cliff until she was in third grade, when her family moved to Ramsey, N.J. I loved it up there, she said. I didn t want to move back because I had great friends there. The family returned to this area just in time for Christie to begin ninth grade at Duncanville High School, where she was a member of the flag corps. Graduating in 1983, she chose Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches because she loved the campus. Christie began as a fine arts major but soon realized this wasn t her calling. After taking an elective as a sophomore, she conferred with an academic advisor and settled on a criminal justice career path. To gain experience, she did several internships with attorneys in Nacogdoches. After graduating in 1987, she went to paralegal school in Houston. I had to choose between the corrections system and the legal field, she explained. Christie then worked for several law firms until taking a job as volunteer coordinator for Scottish Rite Hospital in A cousin who worked there had provided the link to the hospital, and Christie knew she didn t want to continue working in the legal field. I supervised junior and senior high school volunteers and planned their events, she said. I loved working with that age group and felt like I had more flexibility. In 1994 Christie met Ian through a singles Bible study group at Fellowship Bible Church. They were married in In 1995 she began work on a master s degree in counseling at the University of North Texas while working part-time jobs. A supervisor of mine at the FDIC talked me into returning to school while I was single and had no children, she said. I graduated the week before we got married, then became an academic advisor at the University of Texas at Dallas. Now spending her days taking care of her children, Christie is thinking about returning to part-time work at some point. She currently serves on the PTA board at Mohawk Elementary School in Richardson and is in charge of the programs. She teaches 3-year-olds in Sunday School, and she is serving her second year on the Churchwide Social Committee, which plans events such as the annual Thanksgiving dinner and the Fourth of July celebration. The Michies are members of Seekers Sunday School Class. Christie appreciates Wilshire s level of commitment to children and preschoolers, the attitude of the pastoral staff toward people on different levels in their beliefs, and the traditional worship service. 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) Austin Almaguer (3155) Brent Newberry (3152) Britt Carlson (3153) Erica Whitaker (3156) Matthew Broyles (3154) Business offices Teresa M. Newtown (3131) Susan Kimball (3108) Dale Pride (3101) Sandy Allen (3150; sgallen) Beverly Faubion (3111) Age-graded ministries Jessica Capps (3129) Darren DeMent (3102) Julie Girards (3103) Joan Hammons (3141) Holly Irvin (3106) Care ministries Tiffany Wright (3107) Debby Burton (3132) Missions/advocacy offices Heather Mustain (3110) Katie Murray (3126) Sandy Allen (3150) Wilshire Baptist Church 4316 Abrams Rd Dallas TX Anniversary Roast Friday, August 22, 7:00 p.m. Lakewood Theater Please reserve for me seats at $10 apiece = PERIODICALS RATE $ Music offices Doug Haney (3123) Sarah Stafford (3121) Barbara Clayton (3125) Jeff Brummel (3122) Food services Chris Terry (3117) I would like to make an additional contribution to Pathways Endowment in honor of George: TOTAL: $ $ Weekday Education Mary Browder (3115) Parish nurse Linda Garner (3151) Library Jeri Baker (3114) Name: Preferred contact: Tear out and return to church office to register for the Anniversary Roast event related to George Mason s 25th anniversary at Wilshire. Registration also available online at 6