Finding A Place At The Table

Summer is starting...

As we move toward summer,  here's some news about what's happening at West...

We invite you to join us for PeacePrayers, an informal time of worship and prayer, on June 1 at 5:00 PM.  We will also gather for PeacePrayers on the first Sundays in July and August as well.

On June 8, West Church begins our summer schedule, with our Sunday morning Service of Worship moving to 10:00 AM.  We will continue to worship at 10 AM on Sunday mornings through Labor Day weekend.  Following the Service of Worship on June 8 the congregation will journey to Fox Point State Park for our annual church picnic.

West Church is sponsoring Worship @ The Beach again this summer on a periodic basis.. Our gathering schedule is a bit more "relaxed" this year than last.  Please see the Worship @ the Beach website for more information about our gathering times and places during the summer.  To reflect some dreams and hopes for this gathering, we anticipate changing the name from Worship @ The Beach to Safe Harbor Community.

The PCUSA General Assembly meets in late June in San Jose.  Please keep the commissioners to the Assembly in your prayers.

West Church "adopted" a section of the beach in Cape Henlopen state park this year.   There's a picture of the sign on the beach on West Church's web site.  We recently had our first beach clean up day, and will have another one this coming fall.

Also, our our web site is a picture of some of the baptismal banners that were created by long-time member Marie Goss. 

PeacePrayers

At 11 homicides already in this calendar year, our City will almost certainly far exceed the 14 that occurred in 2007., and could easily far exceed the record of 22 which happened in 2006.  Clearly there is something wrong with the fabric of our community, our city and our society.  Despite real needs that can only be met by government, surely there is a significant role that the faith community is called to bring to the issue.   One place to begin to figure out what we are called to do, is to go to God in prayer.  We begin to work for peace by asking God for peace, and by asking God to help us discern what God calls us to do to be peacemakers in our community

We invite the community to join us for PeacePrayers, on Sunday, May 4 at 5:00 PM.  Through this service of scripture, song and prayer we will bring our fervent prayers for peace to God, even as we seek to determine what God is calling us to do to be an effective witness for peace in our community.  Please join us for PeacePrayes; and please join us in praying daily for peace in Wilmington.

Praying for Peace

Being concerned about the rate of violent crimes in our city, and especially in our neighborhood, we encourage everyone to commit themselves to praying for peace regularly.  Please, pray for peace in our city.

We also invite all to a special service of worship and prayer, called PeacePrayers.  PeacePrayers will be a service of prayer, song and scripture in which we remember the hope we have in God and in which we pray for peace in our city.  Please join us for PeacePrayers on Sunday, May 4 at 5:00 PM at West Presbyterian Church.

Events of Interest

The Interfaith Coalition: Building Blocks for Wilmington, will have their monthly meeting tonight, at 7 PM here at West.    All are invited.

The Interfaith Coalition: Building Blocks for Wilmington is sponsoring a Governor Candidates Forum on Saturday April 26, 10 am until noon in the Community Hall of Westminster Presbyterian Church.  The focus of this forum will be on the candidates vision for and commitment to Wilmington's inner city neighborhoods. 

West Church has "adopted" a portion of the beach, and will have our first clean up day on Saturday, April 19.  More details available on Sunday, April 13 during the service of worship.  We will celebrate Earth Day during the Service of Worship on April 20 at 11:00 AM.

The adult spiritual formation group continues its conversation about globalization on April 13, 20 and 27.  Join us at 9:30 AM on Sunday mornings.

Lenten Oil

I read recently a small news item in the Christian Century (February 26, 2008 issue) about a campaign called "Less Oil for Lent" in which some churches in Harrisonburg, Virginia have been involved.  People in those churches have pledged to use less fossil fuel during Lent as an expression of concern for climate change and the war in Iraq, as well as to call attention to our use of oil in the United ates.  People in those churches were asked during Lent to make an effort to consume less oil by doing things like walking or riding a bike to church, eliminating or reducing the consumption of meat, turning down hot water heaters, or keeping homes in winter a few degrees cooler.

While we are well into Lent, perhaps this is an idea worthy of consideration for Holy Week this year for us.  What if this year we made a real, concerted effort during the week that begins on Palm Sunday to significantly reduce our consumption of oil?  Drive less, keep our homes a little cooler, eat more locally grown vegetables and fruits, eat less meat, be more mindful of lights being on in unused rooms of our houses, etc.     While attending carefully to our consumption of oil for one week might not significantly change the destruction of the environment, it might make us more aware of things we can do year round to care for God's creation.

Amazing Grace

This past Sunday a group of folks gathered to watch the movie, Amazing Grace.  This film, which was directed by Michael Apted, tells the story of a 20 year attempt by William Wilberforce to abolish slave trade and slavery in England.  The film is beautiful, moving and powerful as it shows a man who felt God's call and experienced God's grace, being transformed and then seeking to transform the world around him.  Despite continual setbacks along the way, he continued to pursue justice vigorously. 

As I reflected on the film and the convesation the group had following I found myself pondering a variety of questions and issues:

• Does experiencing God's grace necessarily lead to our comfort and ease?  Or, does it sometimes invite us to journey outward in love, compassion and concern for others in ways that may challenge us as we challenge the world?
• Is there similarities between the arguments used by those who supported slavery and slave trade in England and the arguments used by the abolutionists, wiht the the arguments used today to around our own imigration policies?
• At one point, Wilberforce thought he had to choose between doing the work of God and doing the work of a political activist.  Is there a line between doing God's work and working through the political system to bring about justice and love?
• John Newton, the author of the hymn, Amazing Grace, was once the owner of a slave boat.  He became clear that those actions were wrong and his hymn Amazing Grace, becomes a central inspiration for Wilberforce's work to abolish slavery.  At one point, Newton writes a "confession"  in which he details what he had done as a slaver.  He invites Wilberforce to publish that document, recognizing, in his words that he was a "great sinner and Christ is a great savior."  Does forgiveness compel action for us? 
• Where in our world do we continue to see people enslaved today?  How does God call us to respond to those situtions and people?
• How do we experience God's amazing grace today, and how is that changing us?

The film raises tough questions; but they are questions that just may go to the very heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

New rulings

This past week the Permanent Judicial Commission of the General Assembly issued decisions in three cases related to the movement toward inclusion in our denomination. The rulings are sad for those of us who work for, hope for, and pray for a day when the Presbyterian Church (USA) will demonstrate a love and a justice that is as big and as gracious as God's. These decisions represent a set-back. It appears that these decisions overturn the Authoritative Interpretation passed by the 2006 General Assembly by saying that candidates for ordination may be permitted to depart from an ordination standard related to belief, but not from a standard related to behavior.

Following these decisions, Michael Adee of More Light Presbyterians issued a statement which includes the following reflection on the particular paragraph in the Book of Order which has created so much pain (see More Light's web site for complete statement):

The anti-gay discriminatory ordination policy of G-6.0106b of "fidelity in marriage, chastity in singleness" was added to the Book of Order in 1997.  It has brought nothing but pain, division and discrimination in our Church.  It has worked against the principles and the realities of peace, unity and purity within our Church.  It has driven people out and driven people away from our Church.  It is a barrier to people knowing that they are children of God, created in the image of God, unconditionally loved by God and welcome in our Church.  It is an impediment to faith and grace.  It is a scandal to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

That All May Freely Serve says of these PJC rulings:

In a decision handed down on February 12, 2008, the highest court in the Presbyterian Church (USA) has ruled that the controversial ordination standard of fidelity in heterosexual marriage or chastity in singleness is a requirement for all persons in ordained office.  The ruling perpetuates the mistaken and destructive prejudice that sexual orientation is a matter of behavior and not identity.  Further, the ruling puts a wedge between faith and practice, as though to believe one thing and act differently were not the very definition of hypocrisy.  The ruling severely damages movement toward greater flexibility, graciousness, and discernment as put forward by the actions of the last General Assembly.

The decision, however, puts stark relief to the necessity for swiftly and finally removing the homophobic and heterosexist policies from the Presbyterian constitution.

The Witherspoon Society maintains a web site that includes links to the PJC decisions and other news covereage and analysis of them. 

West Church continues to work for, hope for, and pray for the day when all of God's children are truly welcomed by our denomination. 

Capital Punishment?

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, since 1976 Delaware has executed 14 people, and executed 62 prior to 1976.  There are currently 18 people on death row in delaware (all are males).  As we journey toward holy week and ponder Jesus' execution, we may wish to think about whether the death penalty is consistent with what we believe about God and what we understand in the Bible.

Is it ever justified for one person (or a government) to kill another?  Does the death penalty deter crime?  How do  beliefs about God and understanding of the Bible inform our position on the issue?   People who support the death penalty point to studies which suggest the death penalty reduces violent crime.  Those who oppose it, however, cite other studies that indicate that the death penalty does not reduce violent crime at all.  Those who oppose the death penalty often ponit out that it is arbitrarily applied, that racial and gender bias play a part in who gets the death sentence, and that the quality of legal representation has a significant impact on who is sentenced to die and who is not.

But, what do we believe as Christians?  How does our faith inform our position on this issue?  The Adult Spiritual Formation Class will explore capital punishment on Sunday mornings from February 17 through March 16.  We will use as our discussion guide a DVD based study produced by Living the Quesitons and narrated by Sister Helen Prejean.  Please join us at 9:30 AM on Sunday mornings.

Sister Helen Prejean is a strong advocate for the abolution of the death penalty, has ministered to inmates on death row, and authored two books based on those experiences, Dead Man Walking and The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions.

Some places to find more information include Sister Helen Prejean's website,  Amensty International, Death Penalty Discourse Network and Death Penalty Focus.

Spending $720 Million Per Day?

How individuals, churches and nations spend their economic resources says a lot about priorities, about who and what we trust, and about the vision we have of who we are called to be.  What does the $720 million we spend per day on the war in Iraq say about our priorities?  What does it say about who and what we trust and about our faith and hope?  There's a  video from the American Friends Service Committee that looks at what the $720 million spent per day on the war in Iraq could fund.  Watch the video.  How do you think we should be spending  $720 per day? 

Scruples and Departures

Recently there have been a couple of developments in our denomination that are of interest to those of us who are working and praying for a denomination that is inclusive and just. On January 15 the Presbytery of San Francisco approved Lisa Larges as "ready for examination with departure". Read more about this on TAMFS web site. See also More Light's statement and the Covenant Network of Presbyterians statement about this historic decision.

Lisa has been a candidate for ordination for 22 years. Although this is not the end of her journey toward ordination, it is a very significant step towards it, and towards that day when the Presbyterian Church truly welcomes all of God's children to serve the church and the world with the gifts God has given. 

The Presbyterian News Service reports that Presbytery of the Twin Cities restored the ordination of Paul Capetz as minister of word and sacrament. Capetz had laid aside his ordination in 2000.  According to the Presbyterian News Service, in asking for his ordination to be restored Capetz declared a "scruple" indicating that he could not affirm G-6.0106b  because it would require homosexuals to take a vow of celibacy if they wished to seek ordained office.  He indicated such vow is inappropriate because a person's sexuality is "inescapable"  and that a vow of celibacy would create a "false kind of works righteousness" according to the Presbyterian News Service.     The Presbytery of Twin Cities declared that his scruple did not constitute a failure to adhere to the essentials of reformed faith and they restored him to the exercise of ordained office.