Upcoming Events - April, 2024

Help us come together to package as many as 30,000 meals to help communities facing hunger to meet their basic needs. It starts with a meal, and it starts with you! Volunteer for a 1.5 hour shift. Click here to register. Unable to volunteer? We need donations too! It costs 40 cents per meal to run this event. $85 will fund meals for one child for a full school year. Donations to Rise Against Hunger can be made online or by check to Westminster Presbyterian Church with RAH in the memo field. Questions? Contact Angela Emrich.

Join the Lunch Bunch for a time of fellowship and a delicious relaxing informal lunch at Longhorn in Exton. They meet on the 4th Thursday each month. RSVP to Carol Olver or Carol Edwards if you wish to attend so we can reserve a spot for you!

How do I motivate someone with Alzheimer’s? What should I NOT say to someone with dementia? If you are asking questions like these, then please join others for a monthly support group. We will gather at 6 pm in Spellman Junior or on Zoom on the 4th Tuesday of each month excluding August & December. For more info or to receive the Zoom link to join virtually, please contact Pastor Ann or Page Hinkle.

Join us for the second season of Pickleball at Westminster, where fun and fellowship meet on the court! We’re thrilled to announce that with four courts now available, there’s more room than ever for everyone to enjoy the game. Whether you’re picking up a paddle for the first time or an experienced player, we’ve got you covered. Starting April 15th at 6:00 pm, we’ll offer instructional play on two courts for those looking to learn and improve.  For our seasoned players, the other two courts will be open for spirited matches.  We will also be playing on Wednesday evenings as well. Come for the play, stay for the community, and let’s make the most of the daylight together.

We will be using the Team Reach app (Instructions below)and calling ourselves the Westminster Divine Dinkers. The code is WPCdink. Going forward this will be our main means of communication.  This is where you will sign up and communicate with others. Please feel free to invite others to join. If you have any questions or have trouble downloading the app. contact Laureen Smith or Tim Jaques.

Instructions:

Install TeamReach on iPhone 
Install TeamReach on Android 

Join us for an evening spent together experiencing God’s creation through the spiritual/song and children’s book He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands by Kadir Nelson. We will continue on a prayer walk/hike at beautiful ChesLen Preserve, hiking, playing, and discovering how God’s got the whole world in God’s hands. We will regather for prayer and picnic dinner. Bring your own food and drinks, chairs and blankets. (There are no picnic tables at the pavilion.) We will provide the makings for individual "dirt desserts!" It is a preserve, so we must remove all of our own trash. Dogs are welcome at the preserve but they must be leashed at all times and cleaned up after (please provide your own means of disposal.) Click here to RSVP. Questions? Contact Jon Frost or Jill Reichert.

This year we are again holding our women’s retreat on site at Westminster. Women of all ages, 16 years and older, are invited to slow down, breathe deeply and enjoy a rich time of fellowship and spiritual renewal. Our theme is "Soul Tending at the Threshold." When the life we've known gives way, and it’s not yet clear what will emerge, we're at a threshold. The threshold is a space in-between which can be disorienting and unsettling. Yet, it can also be energizing, ripe with possibility and full of creative potential.  At the threshold, practices of soul-tending deepen our engagement with each other and awaken our curiosity, that we may be drawn into the current of God’s love. Come as your schedule allows - for the full retreat on Friday and Saturday, or only for Friday or Saturday. 

Retreat Schedule 

5:00 - 8:00 pm Friday
Dinner, conversation, and opening reflection on Soul-Tending At the Threshold.

8:45 am - 5:00 pm Saturday 
Light breakfast, connecting with others in small groups, deepening our
reflection on our retreat theme through Scripture small group conversation, and engagement with contemplative practices designed to tend our souls at the threshold.  After lunch, there will be more small group time, a closing reflection on ‘Crossing the Threshold’, and closing worship with communion. 

Meet Cheryl Galan 
Women’s Retreat Speaker
Cheryl is a Presbyterian minister who recently retired from the role of Interim Executive Presbyter with Carlisle Presbytery.  In more than 40 years of ministry, she also served as a Director of Christian Education at Derry, Faith and Market Square Presbyterian churches, as a pastor with congregations in NY, Kansas, and Wisconsin and as Transitional Leader with the Presbytery of Elizabeth in NJ.  A graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and Grove City College, Cheryl is drawn to practices of relationship-building and spiritual formation. Through words and images, in body, mind and spirit, she seeks connection with the life-giving, community-forming, world-healing Spirit of Christ.  In retirement, Cheryl enjoys walking in nature, yoga, and dabbling in watercolor. She and her husband Jack also savor time with family and friends.

Pricing:
Friday ($35/person)
Saturday ($40/person) 
Friday & Saturday ($50/person) 

Meals:

Friday, April 19, 2024
Catered by Arianna’s. All sandwiches/wraps come with BLT Pasta side..

• Cobb Salad w/Turkey
• Gourmet Chicken Salad
• Turkey Croissant w/Cran Mayo
• Roasted Vegetable Wrap
• Dilled Tuna Salad on Honey Wheat

Saturday, April 20, 2024
Catered by Dixie Picnic. All Sandwiches come with fruit side. All selections have a deviled egg and Upcake... 

• Goat Cheese Praline Salad
• Nutty Chicken Salad
• Caesar Salad w/chicken.
• Roast Turkey Sandwich on Sourdough
• Virginia Baked Ham w/Swiss on multigrain

Click here for more info. Click here to register. Questions? Contact Ann Hatfield.

The thrift shop needs women's spring clothing, jewelry, men's clothing (no suits), housewares, home decor, small pieces of furniture, collectibles, antiques, books, puzzles, and board games. Drop items off at their annual spring drop-off.

Do you have dining tables and chairs, mattresses, couches, or large furniture that you would like to find a new home for? The Community Warehouse Project of Chester County can help! They are a service organization that collects and redistributes donated furniture to individuals and families in need within the region. Westminster will pick up your used furniture and deliver them for you!  Just email Nancy Tuttle with your name, address and pictures of the items you wish to donate, and we will make the arrangements. They also need some strong bodies to volunteer - please contact Nancy to volunteer.

The men’s retreat returns after four years! Men of all ages, 16 years and older, are invited to travel down to the beautiful Chesapeake Bay to enjoy a rich time of fellowship and spiritual renewal. Their speaker this year is Rev. Steve Clark and their theme is Driving Lessons: Guidance for the Road(s) Most Travelled. 

Getting from Here to There in a car is a near-universal (and sometimes frustrating) experience for us. At this retreat we’ll take a look at the challenges and surprises we encounter on those journeys, and reflect on what they can teach us about navigating the path of walking with Christ. (Spoiler alert: expect a lot of “recalculating” along the way.)

The weekend starts with check-in from 4-6pm on Friday, April 24 at Sandy Cove Retreat Center. Activities begin with dinner on Friday from 5:30-6:45pm, followed by a Welcome and Session 1. The retreat concludes around noon on Sunday, April 26, following our time of worship.

• Friday Evening:  Where Do You Want to Go?
• Saturday Morning:  Driving in Traffic
• Saturday Afternoon:  Road Signs
• Saturday Evening:  Recalculating
• Sunday Morning:   On the Road Again

Sandy Cove Retreat Center
Located at the confluence of the Northeast River and the Chesapeake Bay, the setting of Sandy Cove Retreat Center provides the ideal backdrop for an opportunity to reflect, refresh and renew. Complimenting this bucolic location are dining facilities and room accommodations that will provide ample nourishment and comfort. The retreat includes five meals and room accommodations.

Pricing:

• Single room: $429
  Early Bird discount: $395
• Double room: $299
  Early bird discount: $265
• One day: $175 
  includes 3 meals

 Click here to register. Click here to read more. Questions? Contact Gerry McShane.

10:45 am Sunday, April 7, 14 & 21  • Spellman Jr. & Zoom

In celebration of Earth Day on April 22, our Journey Classes will focus on caring for creation in April.  As people of faith, we believe God created this world, called it good, and entrusted humans to care for it.  We are blessed to have this sacred task.  Join us in person or via Zoom for two presentations on earth care. Click here to attend via Zoom. We end the month with an Earth Day Fair.

April 7: Roy Manno, Director of Facilities for Kendal Crosslands Communities in Kennett Square, will speak about greening sacred spaces, ecological landscaping, developing policies and programs. He will share examples of the decision making process at Kendal Crosslands,  history uncovered and preserved, and how we are called to care for God's creation here at Westminster.

April 14: Brandon Hough, Executive Director of Homegrown National Park, will speak about their mission to encourage millions of people to restore habitat by planting native plants and removing invasive species. Plants and animals evolved over millions of years to survive in symbiosis. Replacing native plants with foreign exotics such as turf grass or invasive vines, can disrupt the delicate ecological balance. At a time of heightened awareness of the effects of climate change and the mass extinction of wildlife, Home Grown National Park provides an opportunity for everyone to make a difference. Brandon will discuss what the biodiversity crisis is, and how we can be part of the solution.

April 21: Westminster's Care for Creation Team hosts their annual Earth Day Fair which features ways for the congregation to recycle, reuse, reduce, and REFUSE!! Join us for a great walk thru exhibition of many ways to be better stewards of the planet and answer the call to care for God’s creation!