JUNE 2018 Volume 31 Number 6. Musings from Mark... (Continued on page 6)

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1 JUNE 2018 Volume 31 Number 6 Musings from Mark... Most of the Westminster community is aware, I believe, that I am working towards my Doctor of Ministry at Eden Theological Seminary. To bring you up to speed, I have three electives left and the D. Min. project. While I do not know exactly the shape of the project, it will have something to do with racism, intersectionality, and the multicultural church. While terms like racism, and multicultural are ones that most of us know, it is safe to assume few of us have heard the term intersectionality. Intersectionality was added as a new word to Miriam-Webster s dictionary in 2017, despite having been in use since the late 1980s. Although I attended college in the 1990s and seminary at the turn of the century, this was a new word/concept to me. Now that I am well into the D. Min. program, I am convinced it is a concept which can be helpful in our work in ministry together. So, what is intersectionality? Webster s dictionary offers the following definition. Intersectionality: the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups. 1 Basically, it is the idea that there are many ways in which inequality exists in the world. No one lens (gender, race, class, health or other characteristic) has the last word on oppression and inequality in the world. Each is needed to understand the complex ways in which people face discrimination and oppression in our society. Why do I believe this is important for Westminster? Well I just wrote a fifteen-page paper making this case, so I will not share it here. However, I was pleased to find that a few people have studied congregations similar to Westminster. Their evaluation and study of those congregations give us a wealth of information to better evaluate and plan our ministry. Assata Zerai is one of the scholars who has been doing this work. She lays out an important challenge to congregations like Westminster. I believe it can and must guide our work going forward. She says: Churches interested in building a cohesive multiracial congregation cannot ultimately be effective unless they acknowledge racism generally color-blind racism 2 in all U.S. institutions, (Continued on page 6) A Glimpse of God s Love on the Delmar Divide

2 Page 2 J U N E V O L U M E 3 1 N U M B E R 6 May 14, 2018 On the recommendation of our investment manager, Session approved the moving of the Westminster investment accounts to TDAmeritrade. The treasurer reported that as of the end of April this year $108,000 had been transferred from the endowment principle to supplement operating expenses. In 2016 our Presbytery s membership was reduced by 2.6%, with an average membership of 155 per church. Fourteen churches have 25 or fewer members. Eleven churches gained members and a few have over half of their members under the age of 45. Presbytery has provided a $2,000 grant to Union Communion Ministries for the Ivory Perry Park concerts. The COLA for General Assembly is on target for fund raising but still needs volunteers. The summer worship schedule will begin on May 27, with worship starting at 10:00 a.m. The church has a new and more satisfactory cleaning crew. The new LED light bulbs are in the process of installation. The heating system will need repairs and bids are being requested. The local 40% of the Pentecost Offering will be donated to the Crisis Nursery of St. Louis. Carole Anderson-Redd and Yvonne Willis volunteered to recruit and organize a schedule for two usher/ greeters each Sunday, one at the main entrance and one at the tower door. Lawson Calhoun volunteered to assist with the recruitment and scheduling of communion servers for those times when communion is served in the pews. Session agreed to have Westminster be the backup location for the Ivory Perry Park concerts in the event of inclement weather. At the request of the New Beginnings small group leaders, Session approved a bid to provide a real estate appraisal of the church building. The next Stated Meeting of Session will be June 11 at 5:30 p.m. Another choir season has come to a close, but there will be an encore before we finish up completely. June will bring us some marvelous solos and duets thanks to our section leaders. On June 17, the choir will return for the General Assembly weekend, bringing back a couple of favorite pieces from the past season. There will be several solos and a variety of instruments, coming together to truly represent Westminster for ourselves and our visitors. I m looking forward to another summer of worshiping together through a wonderfully diverse array of music. Katie Rush Choral Conductor We give thanks to Katie Rush for the musical arrangement she composed as a backdrop to the Scripture reading on Pentecost Sunday. It was truly awe-inspiring. Progress does continue on the repair of our organ. Over the past several weeks a few more stops have been put back into operation, adding more sound and color. The wind chests which are currently being re-leathered in Pennsylvania should be back and ready to be installed by late summer. Rick Burk Minister of Music

3 J U N E V O L U M E 3 1 N U M B E R 6 Page 3 PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN 03 - Jonathan Julion 04 - Mark Miller 11 - Charles Lowe 12 - Janice Tharp 16 - Toni Kirsch 18 - Mary Ellen Curtis 28 - Wally Diboll If your birthday is in June and does not appear on the above list, please notify the church office. Presbyterian Women give thanks for the good attendance at the congregational dinner/birthday luncheon on Sunday, May 20. Our collection for the three projects this year amounted to over $ at the end of the luncheon, with promises of more to come! Our speaker, Judy Goedecker, ambassador for the Crisis Nursery St. Louis, was very compelling and we are happy to have that organization in our regular budget. We will not meet regularly during the summer, but will gather once at the home of Sheila Cawns in order to complete the Bible study, So Great a Cloud of Witnesses. We will meet on Tuesday, June 19, at 10:00 a.m. with lunch following the Bible study. Regular meetings will resume in September. Tuesday, June 19 Bible Lesson # 9. At the home of Sheila Cawns. Are you a college student spending the summer in the St. Louis area? UKirk (the Presbyterian Campus Ministry in St. Louis) hosts fellowship gatherings for college students like you! Pastor Miriam (ukirkstl@gmail.com) to get on our contact list about planned events. (A June pool party is in the works!) Our last gathering for this summer is on July 31 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church; we'll meet for dinner and an information session about the Montreat College Conference (January 1-5, 2019).

4 Page 4 J U N E V O L U M E 3 1 N U M B E R 6 WORSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP June Worship Assistants Sermons in June Liturgists June 03 Mike Tolles June 10 Rodney Pearson June 17 Regina Triplett June 24 Rodney Pearson Communion Preparers Cynthia Jones & Lawson Calhoun June Fellowship Hosts June 03 June 10 June 17 Congregational Dinner June 24 June 3 Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Communion Rev. Venessa Hawkins Guest Preacher June 10 Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Mark 3:20-35 Family Trouble June 17 - Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Luke 8:26-37 Divided Minds June 24 - Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time Mark 4:35-41 Troubled Waters Sermons from Sunday are now online at Congregational Dinner Sunday, June 17 On Sunday, June 17, we will welcome visitors from the PCUSA General Assembly in worship and at a meal following worship. Meats and beverages will be provided. Those attending are asked to bring salads, vegetables and desserts to share with each other and our guests. Sign-up sheets are available in the parlor and elevator vestibule. Dine Out in the City June 6:30 p.m. GOOD FORTUNE 1641D TOWER GROVE AVENUE Please RSVP to Rick Burk by Tuesday, June 5 at or ricndar1@msn.com.

5 J U N E V O L U M E 3 1 N U M B E R 6 Page 5 STEWARDSHIP AND EDUCATION March Monetary Offerings Total budgeted income as of April 30: $ 29, Total actual income as of April 30: $ 29, P O On Sunday, May 20, we received a total of $ in contributions for this year s Pentecost Offering. Forty percent of that amount ($314.00) has been given to the Crisis Nursery St. Louis. Thank you to all who contributed so generously. C S The Worship, Music and the Arts Committee would like to compile a list of folks who are willing to serve communion. From this list a schedule will be put together letting you know in advance when you will be scheduled to serve. As an alternative, if there is someone who would be willing to solicit volunteers (using a sign-up sheet much like we do with liturgists), the committee would be agreeable to that approach as well. If you are interested in serving, please contact Rick Burk, Mary Diboll or Katie Rush. C E Children s Room Will resume in September. A S G Library Will resume in September. P W Home of Sheila Cawns. Bible Lesson #9. Tuesday, June 19 at 10:00 a.m. W A B S Parlor Wednesdays at 12:00 noon. The books of 1 & 2 Peter. PILGRIM FOOD PANTRY Please help Pilgrim s Food Pantry by bringing donations to the basket in front of the communion table in the sanctuary. You may also make a monetary contribution at any time. For the month of June we will collect diapers size 3 and above and wipes.

6 Page 6 J U N E V O L U M E 3 1 N U M B E R 6 (Continued from page 1) including but not limited to the church, education, politics, and economics and begin to work toward a unified vision of what it means to build God s kingdom here on earth. But, she goes on, What is missing (in many multiracial churches) is active work to dismantle racism, sexism, ableism, heterosexism, classism, and other aspects of the matrix of domination (p. 35, 36). 3 I believe that her challenge is one we need to take to heart and to give hands and feet. To live out the call to be, A Glimpse of God s Love on the Delmar Divide, there really is no other way. Peace and Grace, Mark Colorblindness is the racial ideology that posits the best way to end discrimination is by treating individuals as equally as possible, without regard to race, culture, or ethnicity. 3 Zerai, Assata. Intersectionality in Intentional Communities the Struggle for Inclusivity in Multicultural U.S. Protestant Congregations. Lanham: Lexington, Print. GA SUNDAY Plan now to be in worship on Sunday, June 17 as we welcome thirty or more visitors from the General Assembly. There will be special music presented by Éva Kozma on violin as well as the Westminster Singers and perhaps some soloists. Following worship we will all gather for a meal in the fellowship hall. We hope you will be on hand to help show hospitality to our visitors that day. For more information on the 2018 General Assembly go to GREETERS/USHERS Over the course of the past twelve to eighteen months the Worship, Music and the Arts Committee has been working on creating a current list of duties for a team of Greeters/Ushers to offer hospitality on Sunday mornings. Yvonne Willis and Carole Anderson- Redd have graciously offered to organize the list of volunteers into teams. If you would like to serve as a greeter/ usher, please let Yvonne or Carole know of your interest.

7 J U N E V O L U M E 3 1 N U M B E R 6 Page Ivory Perry Park Concerts Working To Bridge the Delmar Divide This year marks the 16th annual Ivory Perry Park Free Summer Concert Series, held the 4th Sunday in June, July and August, from 6-8 p.m. in Ivory Perry Park, located at 800 N. Belt Ave., two blocks north of Delmar on Belt (down the street from the former Connect Care and future Delmar DivINe). In the event of inclement weather, visit or call (314) after 4:30 p.m. for concert updates. June The series kicks off with pre-concert activities at 5:30 p.m. which will include delicious food, children s activities, chess, yoga and the community arts project. At 6:00 p.m. Kim Massie, one of the most recognizable vocalists in the Midwest, will take the stage and dazzle us with her expansive singing repertoire. She sings not only the blues, but rock, pop, country, gospel, funk and R&B too, earning two Best Female Vocalist of the Year Awards from the Riverfront Times and the Grand Center Visionary Award. Be blown away by her legendary voice packing a punch! July If dancing is what you want to get up and do, then join Sunshine s Performance Ensemble, a professional African dance group, that provides culture through West African drum, dances and song. Consisting of 28 members, the group provides the audience with a feel of Africa that will be unforgettable! Come witness the ensemble come alive as drummers, dancers, stilt walkers, as well as song bring a remarkable performance to Ivory Perry Park. August This date will feature one of the best blues bands in the St. Louis area. Skeet Rodgers & The Inner City Blues Band stars vocalists Sandra Carter and Charles "Skeet" Rodgers who are greatly inspired by the harmonics the band expresses. Other members of the band include lead guitarist Thomas Johnson, bass player Frank Dunbar, (who played with Chuck Berry, Johnnie Johnson, Albert King and was the bass player in Chuck Berry s movie, Hail, Hail Rock and Roll), saxophonist Blind Willie Dineen, and Sam Coleman, drummer for Gates of Heaven. Union Communion Ministries proudly presents the concert series, compliments of the Whitaker Foundation, Regional Arts Commission, Commerce Bank, Westminster Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), Pilgrim Congregational Church (UCC), Union Avenue Christian Church (DOC), the 26th Ward Alderman, Frank Williamson, The Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy, the City of St. Louis, and many others. These are unique and special events that brings people from all walks of life, race, and class together. Grab your friends, neighbors, congregation members, and family and head on over to Ivory Perry Park with your lawn chair or blanket to experience good music and a good time. Food and beverages will be available for purchase along with free activities for the children.

8 Page 8 JUNE 2018 VOLUME 31 NUMBER 6

9 J U N E V O L U M E 3 1 N U M B E R 6 Page 9 Saturday, June 9 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Bring gloves and garden tools if you have them, but we also usually have some extras available. Contact Susan Baron at (616) or susbaron@gmail.com if you have any questions. A big thank you to everyone who has helped keep the gardens going strong! Susan Church Work Day Saturday, June 2 9:30 a.m. 12:00 p.m. The Physical Resources Committee will be hosting a general work day at the church. Come for all or part of the time as we give special attention to preparing our facilities for our many guests who will be visiting on Sunday, June 17.

10 Page 10 J U N E V O L U M E 3 1 N U M B E R 6 S Westminster Congregation Ministers Rev. Mark R. Miller Pastor Rick Burk Minister of Music Church Administrator Fred Fairbanks Building Manager Katie Rush Choral Conductor Erwin Clark Security C O H While there are no set office hours, the church building is usually staffed Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. P C If you or a family member goes into the hospital or has other pastoral care concerns, please contact the church office ( ). If the church office is closed, please contact Pastor Mark directly at Thank you. S Sermons from Sunday are now online! T Westminster Church (@5300delmar) C C To see the most current information, take a look at the calendar online at our website. Go to In the upper right corner, click More and then Our Calendar. You will then be able to scroll to whichever month you choose. For more detailed information on an event, simply click on the calendar entry and the details will appear. This calendar is updated frequently, so it is the best source for current and correct information. OUR MISSION Westminster Presbyterian Church seeks to know Christ and to make Christ known. We are a diverse congregation, crossing cultural, racial, age, and class boundaries. We support each other in our journey of faith with joyful worship, engaging education, and caring fellowship. We strive to partner with our neighbors in this urban community through ministries of justice and compassion MEMBERS & FRIENDS DIRECTORY UPDATE Changes and additions appear in bold type. Please notify the church office of any changes to your contact information so we may keep the directory up to date. Thank you. B B P If you have a flyer, news article or other item which you would like to share with the congregation, please submit it to the Church Administrator, Rick Burk, for posting. L F A lost and found box is located in the church office. Westminster Presbyterian Church Phone: /Fax: Church Office westminsterstl@sbcglobal.net Facebook: WestminsterPresbyterianChurchInStLouis Website:

11 June 2018 Westminster Happenings S u n d a y M o n d a y T u e s d a y W e d n e s d a y T h u r s d a y F r i d a y S a t u r d a y Looking ahead to July: Thursday, July 5 - Restore the Core Saturday, July 14 - Garden Work Day Saturday, July 28 - Session Retreat 1 6:00 p.m. - Missouri Extension Lock-in 2 9:30 a.m. - Church Work Day 3 - Ordinary Time 9 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Good Morning Corner 10:00 a.m. - Worship/ Communion 4 5 8:00 a.m. - Union Avenue Breakfast (T.A.B. Company) 11:00 a.m. - Staff Meeting 6 12:00 p.m. - Bible Study 7 6:30 p.m. - Restore the Core (Good Fortune) 8 9:30 a.m. - Physical Resources Committee 9 9:00 a.m. - Garden Work Day 10 - Ordinary Time 10 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Good Morning Corner 10:00 a.m. - Worship 11:15 a.m. - Greeter/ Usher Meeting 11 5:30 p.m. - Session :00 p.m. - Bible Study Ordinary Time 11 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Good Morning Corner 10:00 a.m. - Worship 11:15 p.m. - Lunch :00 a.m. - Presbyterian Women (Cawns home) 3:30 p.m. - Worship, Music & the Arts 20 12:00 p.m. - Bible Study Ordinary Time 12 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Good Morning Corner 10:00 a.m. - Worship 11:15 p.m. - Prayers