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.


People of Hope

Recently at JAM, we have been discussing hope. What do we hope for? What gives us hope? For me, hearing 5th and 6th graders share their hopes certainly filled me with hope. “For my family and friends to be happy.” “To grow up into a good person.” “For other kids to have it better than me.” Likewise, hearing about where they find their hope was inspiring. “When I come to JAM, and there are other people here w…

Continue reading

Book Review -- Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

book by Bryan Stevenson Many books addressing social justice have an edge, but Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy has a heart. This is a book of stories, full of heartbreak and hope. There is the story of Henry, whom Bryan meets on death row, waiting to be assigned his execution date, not wanting his family to know when it is coming for fear of the pain it will cause them. There is the story of Walter w…

Continue reading

Mission on the Move -- Open Hand Ministries

Westminster, through our Outreach Commission, has supported Open Hand Ministries for many years. This support is oriented to long-term change as Open Hand (OHM) contributes to making Pittsburgh a just city for all. Why is this important to Westminster? Justice is a critical concept in over 20 Bible references, such as Isaiah 30:18 that states that “the Lord is a God of justice,” as well as many oth…

Continue reading

Mission on the Move -- Maoni Orphan Care in Malawi

In 2012 Kenneth and Christine Nsona, seeing a great need to support the children of their hometown of Blantyre, Malawi, founded a daycare program that today supports 100-150 children ages 2 to 4, with an energetic curriculum that includes engaging them in needed preschool lessons, singing, socializing, and just having fun. Many of these children have been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic in Malawi.…

Continue reading

WROC Talk -- "What's It Worth?" Antiques Road Show

Tuesday, February 15 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Fellowship Hall (masks required) Cost: Free; registration required Instructor: Michael Ivankovich via Zoom Join us as we welcome author, auctioneer, appraiser, and radio show host Mike Ivankovich via Zoom in Fellowship Hall. Mike will begin the program with a brief discussion on the “10 Factors That Will Always Impact the Value of Your Treasures.” He will then …

Continue reading

Racial Wealth Gap Learning Simulation

Sunday, February 6 2:30-4:30 p.m. Fellowship Hall Sign up here. What is the Racial Wealth Gap? We all know that Black families struggle financially more than White families. But without Googling it – just take a guess – what is the comparative median wealth of White families to Black? Maybe twice the wealth for White families? Maybe five times? You might be surprised to know that, according to the…

Continue reading

WPC logo

A Righteous View of Healthy Eating

With the start of the new year, many of us are thinking about how to eat and live more healthfully in the year ahead. We have many different prophets telling us that they have the word on what really constitutes healthful eating and living. Obviously, good health and good food come in many different forms in many different cultures. In her new book, How the Other Half Eats, Priya Fielding-Singh…

Continue reading