Westmoreland News and Notes

The Spirits, 14 men from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., will present an hour’s mix of popular, jazz, classical, and world music on Friday night (March 5th) at 9 p.m. at Westmoreland (parking at Briggs) as they make their way south for a series of traditional spring concerts. The music is all arranged and directed by members of the group. It includes everything from Georgian chants to John Legend to traditional Wesleyan songs, says Devon Hopkins, nephew of Fran and Will Irwin and one of three members of the group from the Washington area.

“Oh, Jonah!” is the title of the music which our children and youth are presenting this Sunday, under the direction of Joey Shortall. It’s lively and engaging, and I know you will enjoy it as much as they are enjoying getting it ready. It’s the major focus of the 10 a.m. service of worship. There will be no Sunday School, however the nursery will be open. In preparation, you might want to re-read the Old Testament book of Jonah – it’s not very long. No Bible Study class this week, because of the 8:30 a.m. Fellowship Breakfast (in the Social Hall this week), but Bob will be sending out some study notes. Also, because of the musical, our regular monthly communion will be held on March 14, although the post-service Chancel Communion will be held, celebrated this week by the Rev. Sharon Graham.

And, after the service, it’s Girl Scout Cookie Sunday – one of my favorite Coffee Hours of the year! All-you-can-eat cookies, and no doubt some Girl Scouts will be there with whole boxes for you to purchase!

See you in Church…
Rich

Among the books of meditations on the coffee hour Library Table is Eugene H. Peterson’s Praying with the Psalms: a year of daily reflections on the words of David. The hymnal of early Israel still speaks to us today. So even if you don’t subscribe to the much later idea that David wrote all the Psalms consider borrowing this volume to either follow the daily meditations or to browse and choose readings that appeal to you. Psalms is the poetry book of the bible but we will also have on the table a couple of books of more recent religious poetry.

Oh, Jonah! (written by Allen Pote and Carole McCann) is “a whale of a tale,” a story “about a fish and a man named Jonah, who was a lot like you and me.” Based on the book of Jonah, it follows Jonah as he struggles to take responsibility and follow God’s call to do something he really doesn’t want to do. God approaches Jonah and tells him to go to the great city of Nineveh at once and cry out against it because the Ninevites have not been living in God’s way. Immediately, Jonah runs off in the opposite direction and hitches a ride aboard a ship headed to Tarshish. But when a big storm comes along, Jonah, thrown into the sea, is swallowed by a large fish. After thinking things over in the fish for a few days, Jonah promises to live up to his responsibility, and he is saved as the fish spits him up. Now back on dry land, Jonah heads to Nineveh and proclaims God’s message to the Ninevites. To Jonah’s dismay they repent, and Jonah sulks away angrily. God gets the final word: He uses a tree to teach Jonah about real responsibility and that “everyone and everything is precious in the sight of the Lord.”

Join us on Sunday, March 7 as the children and youth of Westmoreland present this wonderful musical during worship.

Chris Matthews’ visit has been cancelled, but we will have a meaningful service of worship on Sunday morning – about the only thing we’re changing is the sermon, which will be by me instead of Chris (I’ll now be able to list among my accomplishments, “Filled in for Chris Matthews!”)… It will be based on Luke 13:31-35 (subject of Bob’s Bible Study at 9 in the Parlor) and is called “God is NowHere.” That’s an intentional typo: does it mean “God is Nowhere” or “God is Now Here?” Come, listen, engage, and decide!

For the second week in a row the Choir will be singing a favorite anthem of mine, this time Mozart’s “Laudate Dominum,” (I’ve directed this be sung at my funeral, many, many years from now)! They will also sing the Kyrie from a Schubert Mass. At 9 there is a rehearsal for the youth musical, “Oh, Jonah!” which will be the focus of worship next week.

Each week we have a little more parking as the snow melts, and now the Massachusetts door is safe to use, although the Children’s Center entrance is still blocked off for everyone’s safety. Hopefully the winter is about over!

See you in Church….
Rich

We’ve dug out for the second time in less than a week. The walkways around the church are clear, and while the parking lot has been plowed, there are mountains of snow taking up many of the usual spaces. It just had nowhere else to go! At this point there is virtually no street parking either, so we urge you to carpool on Sunday, and offer to pick someone up! We have decided in view of all that to postpone the previously scheduled Jazz Sunday service until May 2 (the next available date for the Rick Whitehead Trio), and do the service we had planned for LAST Sunday — the one based on Luke 5:1-11 (you should already have the study notes), along with a Volunteer Corps Mission Moment and Communion (so Sunday School starts with class and joins us later).

Bob will hold Bible Study in the Parlor at 9. And there will be a great Coffee Hour! For the status of board meetings, check with your chairperson.

Bob’s regular Wednesday class will meet on Monday, next week only. And next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, so we’ll have a Pancake Supper at 6:30 followed by a service of Ashes at 7:30. If it’s Lent, the spring thaw can’t be far behind!

Stay warm, safe and dry. Look in on your neighbors, particularly elderly ones who can’t easily get out. See you in Church…

Rich

Due to the aftermath of the great “snow event” all Sunday activities, including worship, have been cancelled for February 7th.

We had a lot planned for this weekend, but it looks like we’ll be shoveling snow instead! The Church Office will be closed tomorrow, and the Leadership Retreat has been postponed till next week. However, assuming the blizzard ends Saturday night and the roads and parking lot get plowed, we will have our Sunday morning service! And if we can do that, we’ll also have the Fellowship Breakfast (with eggs made to order) at 8:30.

The planned service will be based on Isaiah 6:1-8 and Luke 5:1-11, with my sermon “Put Out Into the Deep,” along with the sacrament of Holy Communion. It’s “Souper Bowl Sunday,” and so during Coffee Hour, Middle School Youth will be selling soup and handmade bowls as part of their Faith through Service curriculum. Make a donation for a cup of hot soup or buy a beautiful handmade bowl in our silent auction (opening bid $25). Proceeds will benefit N-street Village that provides a wide range of services to homeless women in DC. You can also bring a can of soup to donate to Manna Food Bank. Thank you for supporting our youth as they do good work for the community!

Watch your email for any changes, or check the website, or call my cell phone: 301-325-1878. And if travel appears unsafe to you, by all means stay home, read the scriptures and Bob’s study notes, and offer your prayers there. We’ll see you next week!

See you in Church–
Rich

Check back on the Westmoreland home page for updated weather-related cancellations. As of now, everything will go on as scheduled.

Saturday, February 6, 2010, 5:00-7:00PM

Start in the Social Hall and finish in the Sanctuary

Learn about the different aspects of worship and participate in an informal worship service.

Have you ever wondered
*how to play the organ?
*what the chalice is for?
*what the congregation looks like from the front?
*how to read scripture from the big, huge Bible?

Potluck Supper at 5pm–If you last name begins with A-J, bring a main dish; if your last name begins with K-T, bring a side dish; if your last name begins with U-Z, please bring a dessert.

Worship Station Exploration at 6pm–You will have an opportunity to learn about the worship service components by touring different “stations” in the sanctuary.

Informal Worship Service–We will put together the ingredients and worship together in an informal, participatory, inclusive way.

Questions–Call Rev. Jessica Petersen, Minister for Children, Youth, and Families at 301.229.7766 or email her at jpetersen@westmorelanducc.org

Hope to see you next Saturday!