The Spire Online

Welcome to the online version of the Spire.

If you prefer a printable version, view and download a printable PDF copy of any previous issue here.


Between Here and There -- May 2021

I’d like to invite you to join me in a project that I’ve embarked on over the past few weeks. I’ll be very clear about this invitation: I would genuinely love for you to reach out to me. Perhaps you’ve noticed that I end each of these notes with a line something like, “I’d love to hear your thoughts…” Yes, I actually mean it. I’m hopeful that you’ll join me in this. Westminster is looking out at a brand-new landsca…

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Bread for the World -- Racial Wealth Gap Simulation

Saturday, May 15 9:30 a.m. – noon on Zoom We can’t end hunger without ending poverty – and we can’t end poverty without addressing the racial wealth gap. You have probably heard the statistic that the ratio of White wealth to Black is on the order of 10 to 1. According to the Brookings Institution, the average White household wealth in 2016 was $171,000; the same statistic for Black families is $17,150…

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Grow Living Stones

St. Catherine of Sienna in Beechview This is yet another volunteer opportunity for our church to lend a helping and caring hand. This program provides both hot and cold meals to those in need. It also provide essential items such as coats, clothing, etc., depending on season and availability. Whether you're preparing or serving meals or helping to set up, it is a humbling experience. It's those…

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Introducing Mission on the Move

Mission agencies are doing so much good work around the corner and around the world. Each month Westminster’s Outreach Commission will occupy a corner of the Spire to share stories about the impact your giving, time, and talents are having on our various mission partners’ efforts. Some of our partners, such as SHIM, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s Produce to People, and City Mission, engag…

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Message from Jo Forrest -- May 2021

To endow is to provide with a quality, a resource, or an asset as in “God endowed her with the gift to sing.” To endow is also to fund with financial resources to ensure future viability. We rejoice in the ways members have endowed Westminster with their vision and talents. In 1995 a few visionary members of Westminster met to imagine an endowment fund and begin the work to secure funding, def…

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Surprised by Joy

Are we surprised by joy or sadness? Our world in which we live wants to surprise us with sadness. News reports keep telling us about murders, conflicts between countries, the pandemic, political strife. You don’t have to go far to see images of hatred, violence, and cruelty toward one another, often the more sensational the better. Indeed, the powers of darkness want to surprise us with human m…

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Treasures for Troops -- May 2021

Treasures for Troops Collection May 15 - 24 To honor our troops for Memorial Day, the Deacons are hosting a donation drive for Operation Troop Appreciation. OTA is a local organization dedicated to the active and veteran members of our Armed Forces by providing them with items that contribute to their morale and well-being. All donations are used for OTA’s “Active-Duty Wish-List Program” and “Vete…

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Westminster Book Group -- May 2021

Wednesday, May 26 Noon – 1:15 p.m. The next meeting of the Westminster Book Group will be on Zoom and in Room 238. The zoom link can be found in the meeting announcement on the church website. Our book this month is The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. “A wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very long time.” – Garth S…

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