11:00 p.m. Liturgical candlelight worship Observance of the Lord s Supper College Choir and solo by Taubert Nadalini

Transcription

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 61 No. 51 u December 22, 2013 Vision 20/20 leading to stewardship unified plan Worship Sunday School Worship Monday, Dec :00 a.m. 42 Monday Room 1205-G 6:00 p.m. College party Tuesday, Dec. 24 Church offices closed 4:00 p.m. Eve Service 5:30 p.m. Eve Service 10:15 p.m. Youth Choir Alumni, Seniors, & Juniors Choir Rehearsal 11:00 p.m. Eve Service Wednesday, Dec. 25 Church offices closed Thursday, Dec. 26 Church offices closed By Mark Wingfield Associate Pastor With the church s debt paid off and facilities in excellent condition, what s the next big stewardship need at Wilshire? Not a capital campaign for the first time in more than two decades. Instead, the Vision 20/20 strategic planning process is nurturing an idea to create a unified approach to financial stewardship that will move the church beyond the pattern of successive capital campaigns. The idea is to present to the church a realistic picture of all the ongoing expenses of doing the things we want to do together, taking into account both annual and long-term expenses, both current needs and new opportunities. The previous pattern has been to promote giving to several distinct needs: annual budget, special missions projects, Pathways to Ministry, capital needs, special projects. The new pattern strives to bundle all these vital needs together for a joint approach. Here s an example of what this means: The current year s church budget for operating expenses is $3.7 million. That number has floated between Continued on page 4 Today 8:30 a.m. 9:40 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Canticles of. More than 130 voices com- bined from Sanctuary Choir, Youth Choir, Shekinah and Nova to present an Advent program titled The Canticles of last Sunday. The event featured two original compositions by Michael Capps, plus a performance of Vivaldi s Gloria. View excerpts or the full concert on Wilshire s YouTube channel, Facebook page or the church website. Eve at Wilshire 4:00 and 5:30 p.m. Identical family friendly candlelight worship Music by Darren DeMent, Michael Prysock and John Jay Alvaro All ages welcome 11:00 p.m. Liturgical candlelight worship Observance of the Lord s Supper College Choir and solo by Taubert Nadalini Both the 4:00 and 11:00 services will be live streamed via

2 I always seem to grocery shop during rush hour. It s not like it s the only free time I have; it s simply that when I m hungry, I head out to hunt and gather. Of course this is the absolute worst time to go. My patience runs pretty thin when I m tired, bored, hungry or in a hurry. And why are the eggs and bread always on opposite ends of the building? I need a GPS on my shopping cart so I can find what I m looking for and to avoid the shopping cart traffic jam on aisle 7. Since moving to Dallas, I ve discovered how busy I am how busy we all are. Dallas is bustling when it isn t bumper to bumper but that doesn t mean we have to be overcome by its busyness. Some of us like being busy; it s in our DNA. Some of us stay busy to mask pain or insecurities. And some of us dislike being busy but it s a part of life in the business world. When grocery stores are sources of stress, maybe it s a sign that we need to slow down. The season of Advent points us to the coming Messiah, a time of longing and waiting, of hopeful expectation. It s a foreign concept to me. I don t like to wait, not when I m in a hurry, not when I m hungry, not when I m in Another Voice Hurry line at the amusement park. But what a good spiritual practice it is for us to slow down, to remember, to anticipate. We savor the moment so much more when we embrace the longing. I recently re-read a children s story by Abraham Heschel in his book Does God Have a Big Toe? In the book, he retells the story of Moses and the burning bush. He points out how the miracle was partially in the bush not being consumed by the fire to the point of ashes, but also how the miracle was in Moses stopping long enough to notice it wasn t being consumed. Bushes on fire weren t necessarily uncommon, but this one was, and Moses had the patience and took the time to see the miracle. I race through my day, through my life, only noticing something when it trips me up or slows me down. I m not seeing that moment through the eyes of wonder but through the eyes of annoyance and frustration. May we slow down enough this week to notice the bushes around us amidst the ordinary and slow-paced. We might just see a miracle born. Brent Newberry Here s what s Koinonia Cafe: Jan. 8 Assorted sausages on the carving board, chicken picatta, wild garden rice, steamed broccoli, sautéed carrots with chives, antipasto salad, wheat rolls, apple pie. KIDS MEAL: Spaghetti and meatballs. Jan. 15 Rotisserie chicken on the carving board, spinach-stuffed tilapia, lemon pepper fettuccine, green beans almondine, roasted tomatoes, spinach salad, oven baked rolls, fudge brownie. KIDS MEAL: Burgers with fries and fruit. Jan. 22 Chef s pasta sauté on the carving board, chicken enchilada casserole, charro beans, spanish rice, buttered corn, steamed spinach, super salad bar, bread sticks, chocolate cake. KIDS MEAL: Chicken tenders, mac and cheese Jan. 29 Honey glazed ham on the carving board, salisbury steak, garlic mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, grilled vegetables, dill cucumber salad, ciabatta bread, pecan pie. KIDS MEAL: Crispy beef tacos, beans and rice. Thuong Mai retires this month Thuong Mai will retire Dec. 31 from Wilshire s facilities staff after 18 years of service. Mai came to the United States in 1993 from Vietnam, where he was a police officer. After the Communist takeover, he was sent to a re-education camp for six years. Through the sponsorship of his brother-in-law, who already was in the United States, Mai and his family were able to come to America. He and his wife are members of Vietnamese Baptist Church of Garland. They are the parents of five children, all adults with professional careers: two engineers, a teacher, an eye doctor and a computer programmer. Tapestry (USPS ) is published weekly except 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 Wednesday programs off for two weeks. No regular Wednesday programming will be offered the next two weeks due to Day and New Year s Day. Regular Wednesday activities will resume Jan. 8. x Church office hours. The church offices will be closed on Dec. 24, 25 and 26, in observance of the holiday, and on Jan. 1 in observance of New Year s Day. Offices will be open on Dec. 23, 27, 30 and 31. Year-end contributions should be delivered to the church no later than Dec. 31 (or postmarked in the mail by Dec. 31) to count toward 2013 tax credits for charitable contributions. x Trip to Athens. Wilshire will take a missions team of current and retired educators to Athens, Greece, June 29 through July 5 to work with Bob and Janice Newell and teach a week of classes to local Albanian children. Space is limited. Contact Heather Mustain, minister of missions, at (214) or hmustain@wilshirebc.org. x Day of Service. Heather Mustain is planning a family service day on Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 20. If interested, contact Heather at (214) or hmustain@ wilshirebc.org. A new opportunity to learn Spanish as a second language will be offered at Wilshire on Wednesday evenings beginning Jan. 29. This flexible and accessible class will be led by Carlos Charco, Wilshire s current intern from Baylor School of Social Work. The goal of the program is to develop communication skills through activities specifically designed for Spanish as a second language. Activities will focus on developing oral, listening, reading and writing abilities in a variety of formal and informal contexts to start basic conversations. Classes will meet from 6 to 7 p.m. To register, contact Carlos at ccharco@ wilshirebc.org. Wednesday evening adult options refresh in January Wednesday evening programming will resume at Wilshire on Jan. 8, with a full range of options for adults, children and youth plus more delicious menus in Koinonia Café. All regular children s and youth programs Music and Missions, Bible skills class, Watershed will be back in session that night. Children s programming begins at 6 p.m. Watershed for youth begins at 6:30 p.m. Dinner is served in Koinonia Café from 5 to 6 p.m. See the box on this page for a preview of upcoming menus. Among adult study options, the ongoing Bible study in Community Hall will begin with a two-week arc on biblical biographies of Moses, led by Pastoral Residents Brent Newberry and Austin Almaguer. Jan. 22 will be devoted to a quarterly church conference and celebration of the Vision 20/20 initiatives. Then on Jan. 29, pastoral resident alumni will be in town for their annual reunion, and they will be featured in the Wednesday program. In February, the Community Hall Bible study will delve into the kinds of love found in the Bible, with leadership by Britt Carlson, George Mason, Brent Newberry and Austin Almaguer. A new six-week class called Mind, Body and Soul will begin Jan. 8 during the 6 p.m. Wednesday slot. This short-term class will be coordinated by Tiffany Wright. Its goal is to help participants improve overall health and wellness through presentations from a variety of experts. Topics include easy and healthy meal planning, fitness for all ages, how to have a successful doctor visit, understanding the connection between mind and body, nutrition needs for all stages of life, and a final session on heart health. Jeff Brummel will offer tours of Wilshire s Sanctuary organ on Wednesday, Jan. 8, and Jan. 15. He will demonstrate how the organ works, where its sounds come from and answer questions about this major part of Wilshire s worship life. Beginning Feb. 5, Minister of Missions Heather Mustain and others will introduce a four-week series titled What is Advocacy? These sessions will preview some of the work emerging through Vision 20/20 related to addressing predatory lending, homelessness, hunger and other local needs. If you want a clearer understanding of what social justice or social advocacy means, this class will offer guidance and a chance for dialogue. Foundations of Faith Class Foundations of Faith Class is about to start all over again, meaning this is an ideal time to get in the stream of this unique Wilshire class. In Foundations of Faith, we study the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, from beginning to end. The process takes about two years, but anyone is welcome to join or leave the class at any time, explained Henry Stone, co-director. We welcome both new and old students of Scripture. No prior Bible knowledge is expected or required. The intergenerational class meets during the Sunday School hour, from 9:40 to 10:40 a.m. Location is Room A new cycle, beginning with Genesis, starts on Sunday, Jan. 5. New class members and observers are welcome. A wide array of teachers guides our class of people from all walks of life as we share our thoughts about the Bible s stories and characters, Henry said. We study in order to see how the specifics of Scripture fit into the greater overarching story of sin, redemption and salvation that is found within the history of Israel and the life of Jesus. 3

4 4 Your unwanted men s suit, tuxedo, slacks or sport coat could help a deserving teenager attend prom dressed in style this spring. In partnership with the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Wilshire will conduct a men s clothing drive on Sunday, Jan. 12, to support BuzzFree Promises. This annual event provides free dress clothing to high school boys and girls who are in good academic standing, demonstrate financial need and pledge not to use alcohol or other drugs while attending prom. Last year, the program served 400 students from eight area school districts. This is a wonderful opportunity for church members to contribute to a really neat event and get some of their unused clothing out of the closet, said Heather Mustain, minister of missions. No prom dresses are needed at this time, only menswear. But the range of needed men s clothing is not limited to tuxedos. Gently used business suits, blazers, sports jackets, neckties and dress shirts are needed. Bring your donations to church on Sunday, Jan. 12. Due to limited storage space, donations cannot be accepted prior to this date. GIVING TREE DELIVERIES The Wilshire family provided gifts for 90 children and parents through this year s Giving Tree. Missions Committee member Abbey Adcox (left) is shown here with staff members at Genesis Women s Shelter, where some of the gifts were delivered. Vision 20/20 sparks stewardship concept Continued from page 1 $3.5 million and $3.8 million in recent years. And yet, overall giving to Wilshire causes has averaged just under $6 million per year over the last seven years. All told, we ve given more than $41 million through the church in the past seven years. What if we could give another $41 million in the next seven years? Why couldn t we? More importantly, why should we? That answer is easy. If we can continue our recent level of giving to all causes without the motivation of a capital campaign or a debt-retirement campaign we might envision a future without capital campaigns or debt. And this would be a future filled with expanded missions and ministries, a future with a fully funded Pathways to Ministry program, a future with facilities that are continually refreshed. This is the vision driving an ad hoc team of church leaders called together to figure out how to make a reality of the unified stewardship concept. Vision 20/20 already has set these big goals: x Launch a comprehensive Vision 20/20 stewardship campaign with a bold goal in spring or fall 2014 that combines budget, Building Reserve, Pathways and missions. x Establish a team to educate all ages about the biblical basis for giving, why giving is important, the story, vision and outcomes of giving. x Connect budgets to outcomes with quarterly investment reports to congregation. x Define and develop opportunities for legacy giving. Senior Pastor George Mason and I have been working with the following group of congregational leaders to move this idea forward: Kenton Keller, Vision 20/20 facilitator and former member of the Finance Committee, Endowment Committee and Stewardship Committee; Gladys Kolenovsky, former chair of the Endowment and Memorial Committee and a member of the Pathways Committee; Steve Brookshire, past chair of the Endowment and Memorials Committee; Jason Woodbury, outgoing chair of the Finance Committee; James Perry, past chair of the Finance Committee and incoming chair of the Personnel Committee; Debbie Meripolski, incoming chair of the Finance Committee; Bob Coleman, past chair of the Finance Committee and a current member of the Missions Committee; Gwin Morris, chairman of deacons; LeAnn Hampton, immediate past chairwoman of deacons; Steve Thurber, chairman of the Building and Grounds Committee; and Austin Almaguer, pastoral resident. As 2014 dawns, you ll hear much more about this unified stewardship approach. The big ideas behind it will be discussed at Wilshire Academy on Sunday, Jan. 19. On that day, individual sessions will be offered to explain what s behind each of the five key areas of Vision 20/20. Everyone is invited to come learn more that day and to find places of service within the strategic plan. In the meantime, if you re wondering how all this should effect your year-end giving to the church, here is guidance: x Year-end giving is essential to the church s overall financial health. Traditionally, 20 percent of the church s income is given in the month of December. Your continued giving to the Ministry Fund and all other Wilshire causes is important in these weeks. x If you re completing a pledge to the Crossings Campaign for debt-retirement, please keep doing so. Unless otherwise requested, additional contributions through Crossings will be applied to the Building Reserve Fund, which is our new way of anticipating capital needs and paying for them as they occur. x Special year-end gifts, over and above regular giving, always boost important Wilshire ministries like the Pathways to Ministry Endowment or the Pathways to Ministry operating fund, which currently has open a matching grant from the Baugh Foundation.

5 I Am Wilshire Vicki Briley-White At Wilshire s 11:00 service on Sunday mornings, Vicki Briley-White and her husband, Jim, always sit on the back row in the middle section. As a pew shepherd, Vicki makes sure to welcome everyone who shares the row with them. The Whites began attending Wilshire after each of them had suggested visiting other churches. I then suggested Wilshire, and Jim agreed, she said. We joined in I like the theological approach and the service style with no rock music. George is fabulous, and it s a wonderful thing to have a place where both of us feel comfortable. The Whites are members of BEST Class, where she has been director for several years. She has also served on the New Member Committee. Recently she was an active and enthusiastic participant in the SOAR 20/20 initiative. Born in Winters, Texas, Vicki and her family moved to North Dakota when she was a baby. My uncle founded the first Southern Baptist church in the capital, she said. After her parents divorced, she moved to Abilene, Texas, when she was in fifth grade. In addition to helping raise her younger sisters, she also kept busy running the 50-yard dash in a private program and participating in the College Teen Board s fashion competitions. At Abilene High School Vicki was a member of Future Teachers of America and Y Teens and served on the student council. Her family went to Crescent Heights Baptist Church, where she sang in the youth choir and was an active participant in other youth activities. At Hardin-Simmons University (which she chose as an alternative to business school) she majored in English and history and minored in education. Besides being a cheerleader and active in a local sorority, she was named to Who s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities. Much more meaningful was serving as an ROTC colonel, she said. In posthumous medal-award ceremonies for soldiers families, I will always remember standing at attention and looking into the eyes of the grieving families as the ceremony unfolded, Vicki said. It was one of the most profound experiences in my life. After her 1969 graduation, she taught ninth- and tenthgrade English at Sidney H. Lanier High School in Austin and was a cheerleader sponsor. After four years there came a major career change. I flew for American Airlines for 33 years, including 23 years of flying internationally, Vicki said. I loved Paris I could live there and I had some amazing adventures. I took people to Reagan s inauguration and on another occasion met Don Shula, Tex Schramm and Tom Landry. Once Prince Albert was on board, and I later visited him in Monaco. Flying didn t fulfill my need to make a contribution, so I got more involved in charity events, she said. Since then, she has continued to dive enthusiastically into whatever she tackles. She was involved in Cotes du Coeur, a wine auction and dinner for the American Heart Association, from 1992 to 2000, and she served as its board chair for two years. Vicki currently serves as an advisory board member for the Grief and Loss Center of North Texas and recently chaired its Celebrate Hope dinner. She has won awards from the Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association and previously was involved with the building fund for Booker T. Washington High School and for the Dallas Restaurant Association. She met Jim in 1995, when she was working on the Cotes du Coeur event. He came to a media luncheon, and he was smitten and persistent, but at first I was too busy with flying and the American Heart Association, she recalled. But I had to be nice to him because I had to be on his radio show to promote the event. We had our first date about two months later and were married in Vicki also has created events for the North Texas Food Bank and is involved in Café Momentum, a program for incarcerated juvenile delinquents. The organization provides mentors and teaches them food service, she said. The goal is to make enough money to create a restaurant. Café Momentum hosts dinners every few weeks. One group works in the front of house, and the others are the cooks, and they flip halfway, she explained. In 2005 Vicki founded Savor Dallas, a food and wine festival that she and Jim devote their full energies toward. It s a for-profit event with a charity component, she said. For example, we have raised more than $200,000 for our nonprofit partners: 100 percent of silent auction sales go to the North Texas Food Bank, and Savor the Arboretum is a fundraiser for the Arboretum s Education Department. For 2014, Savor Dallas events will take place in the Dallas Arboretum, the Dallas Arts District, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas and the Main Street Garden. The event will feature the talents of 65 top chefs. By the numbers Financial report for Dec. 15 Weekly Ministry Fund projected... $62,866 Weekly Ministry Fund received... $94,784 Annual Ministry Fund projected... $1,445,741 Annual Ministry Fund received... $1,519,933 Annual ahead/(behind)... $74,192 Crossings campaign this week...$3,690 Crossings campaign total received... $3,679,954 Pathways Endowment this week... $6,070 Pathways Endowment total received... $1,999,868 Special missions for year... $48,801 Sunday School Dec. 15 Officers Preschool Children Youth...85 Young adult Median adult Senior adult Total present Total previous week... n/a Total last year Condolences to: Roy Faulhaber on the death of his wife, Jean, Dec. 12. Mark Davis on the death of his mother, Nona Davis, Dec. 6. New members: Steven Murray Katie Murray Stephen Nickles Katie Nickles Bob Cato Karrie Cato 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) John Jay Alvaro (3154) Austin Almaguer (3155) Brent Newberry (3152) Britt Carlson (3153) Business offices Teresa M. Newtown (3131) Susan Kimball (3108) Dale Pride (3101) Sandy Allen (3150; sgallen) Lauren Crain (3111) 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) Holly Irvin (3106) Care ministries Tiffany Wright (3107) Debby Burton (3132) Missions offices Heather Mustain (3110) Sandy Allen (3150) Birthday party for Jesus Wilshire s preschool Sunday School classes held a birthday party for Jesus last Sunday. The enjoyed birthday cake and made crafts, and the kindergarteners shared gifts with members of the Harmony senior adult department. 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 Jeri Baker (3114) 6