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.


Barefoot School Is Back!

A favorite week at Westminster Church is the week of Barefoot School, or Vacation Bible School. For the past 46 years the staff and members of Westminster Church have offered a thrilling week for kids of all ages! Last year due to COVID a modified backyard version of Vacation Bible School was offered in people’s homes. Now we are ready to return with tons of fun and excitement. Kelly Ralston and B…

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Between Here and There -- June 2021

Forgive me if I’ve tread this ground before, as it has become a foundational thought in both my life and faith, one that I return to often. Abram’s call, found in the 12th chapter of Genesis, begins with the line “Go to the land that I will show you.” When we think of Abram’s (later named Abraham) faith, we most commonly think of his willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac. It occurs to me, however, …

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Message from Jo Forrest -- June 2021

Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. – Joshua 1:9 In early January snow blanketed the ground and most of us isolated in our homes as the virus raged. I learned to preach to “Stand Lee,” a music stand adorned with a smiley face, and an empty building. Ugh. I could write more of the emptiness but imagine you were as frust…

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Mission on the Move -- June 2021

Hawassa Hope – Ethiopia Becky Weber, Elder and Outreach Liaison for Hawassa Hope Our Westminster Outreach Commission looks to find partners both locally and abroad who are engaged and successful in their mission to help others in God’s name. Hawassa Hope is a small but mighty U.S. based mission partner that works in the Sidama region in southern Ethiopia. Hawassa Hope’s ultimate goal is to come to th…

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Summer Book Study

Wednesday mornings June 30 – July 21 10:00 a.m. North Courtyard Stop by this summer for a great book discussion on Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli. “Messy Spirituality was written for the silent majority of us who have been convinced that we just don’t do Christianity right. Mike Yaconelli dares to suggest that imperfection and messiness are, in fact, the earmarks of true Christianity, and glori…

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Summer Reading at Westminster

Have you read a good book lately? Are you in need of a spiritual uplift or want to explore what role faith plays in racial justice? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, the church library has a special invitation for you! From Memorial Day to Labor Day, books recommended by members of our congregation on these topics will be available in the church library. The Adult Spiritual…

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The Wider Lens

“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.” -- Luke 12:27 What a fun command – Jesus directs us to “consider the lilies.” He doesn’t tell us to simply look at the lilies or glance at them but to “consider the flowers of the fields.” In Greek “κατανοέω,” to consider, means to perceive, observe, understand, fix one's eyes o…

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Westminster Deacons Collection for Presbyterian Disaster Agency

photo credit (clockwise): David Fine, Greg Henshall, Sarah Partridge, Andrea Booher. Presbyterian Disaster Agency works to serve people who are in need. When there is a natural disaster such as a wildfire, hurricane, or tornado, they send out teams of people to assist with cleanup who bring resources to people who have been affected. One resource PDA provides is buckets, called Gifts of the Heart…

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