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Westminster Presbyterian Church, Ann Arbor, MI Volume 23, number 4: April 2010
by Rev. Stephen Carl
The season of Lent has passed quickly for me this year. I don’t know why, but the forty days plus Sundays) that stretch between Ash Wednesday and Easter seem to have gone more quickly than I remember them ever going. This year I haven’t done what so many do (and I as well in years past) during Lent by giving something up, like sweets or meat or something else. One friend of mine each year keeps a pebble in her shoe to agitate her just enough to remind her to pray and to give thanks for the things she takes for granted–like not having a pebble in her other shoe, or having no pebble in either shoe for most of the year, or that she has shoes to wear at all.
Such disciplines remind us multiple times daily that we’re in the season of Lent and what Lent is about – sort of. Perhaps not taking on such a discipline this year has played a part in the season passing quickly for me this year. Yet there have been many other things that have reminded me daily of the season’s significance. In years past I’ve sunk into the emphasis of sin and separation from God that bring an exclamation to the celebration of resurrection on Easter. This year, however, I have found myself experiencing aspects of gratitude for the post-resurrection time in which we live. Yes, I’m aware–as much as any of us can be–of the sin that is a gulf between us and God. Yet I’m even more aware of the power of resurrection life that stares the darkness in the face, both in our own hearts and in the world, and gives us the power to be “more than conquerors,” as Paul puts it in his letter to the Romans.
These words are part of the passage that is often read at funerals and memorials – what we call “A Service of the Remembrance of the Resurrection”– since the emphasis is not on death, but on the life we are promised and we even receive in the midst of our days.
The words found in Romans 8:31–39 are a good reminder that though we face things that seem to have the power to defeat us in one way or another, they really have no ultimate power over us. Paul wrote these words to early followers of Jesus who thought that the end of the world and Jesus’ promised return would occur any day – certainly within their lifetimes. They would never have thought that two millennia later things would be going along pretty much the same way – there are still ways that sin and death have penultimate power, yet the words of Paul to the Romans are words to which we can hold tightly: “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The seasons of the calendar help us to order our days, and the seasons of the church help us order our lives, but no matter what season or month, we are resurrection people, more than conquerors through the One who loves us.
Westminster member Allen Flynn, an Ypsilanti Medical Clinic volunteer, has been named the Daniel D. Heffernan Humanitarian of the year. This annual award recognizes a Washtenaw county resident who demonstrates his or her love of Christ through volunteer service to the county’s poor. The award will be presented at the Hope Clinic Annual Spring Banquet on April 29, 2010.
You can read more about Allen’s mission work and leadership in the Hope Clinic newsletter or on the Westminster media center in the entry to the fellowship hall.
We are honored to have Allen in our congregation, encouraging us to follow his example of serving the poor. Thank you, Allen, and congratulations!
by Rev. Cathi King
This is the time of year when we venture out into the garden and begin to poke around. Remembering that there were tulips planted here, hostas under this tree, hyacinths along this path, we brush back the dirt, flick away the loose stones, and search for green. We know it’s there. Impatient from the long winter, we dig to catch a glimpse of the new life . . . any sign of spring. And we fear that something won’t come back this year. Carried away by critters or lost to the harsh conditions of the winter, we know that no matter how much dirt we push away, we’ll never see again some of our favorite garden friends. The landscape will have changed. It always does. But there’ll be some new friends too. Those we didn’t plant and don’t expect. There will be some new surprises . . . perhaps gifts offered by the very critters that carried off something else. Such is the life of a garden.
What of the landscape of our hearts? Which of the seeds planted over the course of the last year will have taken root and begin to show new life? Where is the ground still too rocky . . . the soil too hard . . . the conditions for growth all wrong?
And so, as I pick around in my garden, I ponder God, the Master Gardener, picking around in my heart. Where is there evidence of new growth? Have I received the lessons offered to me by the truth-tellers in my life and allowed them to change my patterns? Have the amazing new insights I’ve learned from digging deeply into the Scriptures with Bible study groups transformed my decision-making, or altered my perspectives? Have I listened to my own preaching? Have the new people God brought into my life widened my understanding of community? Have they truly become my brothers and sisters? Has my vision changed? Am I listening more compassionately? Is my presence becoming more gentle? Where is there evidence of the image of Christ, budding anew in my heart . . . in my life?
And where is the pick axe needed? Where is the ground so hard from built up resentments and calcified ideologies that merely brushing aside loose dirt won’t do? Where are the layers of unproductive behaviors so deep that seeds of new life must struggle to break free? Where does my resistance to change need to be cracked wide open? How thankful I am that God is not finished with me yet.
Come again, patient and persistent Gardener. Water the dry and parched places of my spirit. Pry open my hardened heart. Reveal to me the signs of life you see. Encourage me anew.
Westminster’s new photo directory is available online as well as in print. If you are in the new print directory, then you have access to the online version.
There is a link to the directory on the church web site home page as well. For your first visit, click the “Forgot password” link. You’ll be prompted to enter the email address associated with your name in the Westminster database, and you’ll then receive log in information at that email address. If you have difficulties with this process, please contact Marti Burbeck.
Once you’ve logged in, you can change your user name and password, and you can add, show or hide address, phone and other information.
Please treat your log in information in the same manner as all computer user names and passwords. Access to this directory is for the convenience of Westminster members only and is restricted to that group of people.
Come, Holy Spirit,Women’s Spring Retreat, April 30–May 1 Michindoh Conference Center, Hillsdale, MI
“Like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks.” This verse, from Acts 2:3 (The Message), sets the stage for our women’s spring retreat. Pastor Cathi King will guide us in exploring the work of the Holy Spirit in and among us. We’ll have time for quiet study and prayer, group discussions, music, faith journey stories, fellowship and recreation. Michindoh Conference Center is surrounded by natural beauty and provides us with comfortable lodging and good food.
The registration fee is $85, covering lodging, three meals and retreat materials. Please sign up on the poster in the entry to the fellowship hall, and fill out and return a registration form available on the poster. Registration forms must be turned in by April 18. Please contact Cathy Daniels or Sharon Flynn with questions.
As March comes to a close, the Finance Committee thought it would be beneficial to provide a more detailed financial update for the present fiscal year as well as our thoughts looking forward as we commence the budgeting process for the 2010–2011 fiscal year.
Given the economic environment that southeast Michigan continues to experience, we have been monitoring our financial results carefully each month. Through February, our year-to-date receipts have totaled $446,718 and year-to-date disbursements have totaled $443,828 for a year-to-date surplus of $2,890. Our pledge receipts through February appear to be on track relative to budget. However, the non-pledge offerings of approximately $29,000 are significantly lower than the $42,000 at this time last year. This shortfall has been partially off set by a 60% increase from last year in rental fees for renting out of our facility to other organizations. Many thanks to Karen Neilson in the church office and the Property Committee for their efforts. On the disbursements side, year-to-date disbursements are approximately $22,000 lower than last year. Th ank you to all of our staff and committees for keeping an extra focus on expenses this year.
We do want to highlight that the year-to-date receipts include transfers of $11,783 from savings (reserve funds). Without these transfers, we would have a year-to-date deficit of $8,893. The fiscal year budget included projected total reserve fund transfers of $37,658. Although we appear to be running better than budget, we do expect to use a signifi cant portion of the budgeted transfers by the end of the fiscal year. As previously communicated last year, the Session did not make the decision lightly to use these reserves to balance the 2009-2010 budget, and we recognize that we cannot operate in this manner indefinitely. Looking forward to the next fiscal year, many of the challenges and choices we had to consider in finalizing last year’s budget appear likely to repeat themselves.
We are grateful for the continued generosity of the members of Westminster and the continued prayerful support of its ministries. I encourage you to call me, the pastors, or one of the Session elders if you have any suggestions, concerns or questions as we continue to support God’s mission work here at Westminster and beyond.
Blessings, Jeff Kennedy, Westminster Treasurer
| Pledges received | $43,938 |
| Other income | +6,491 |
| February expenses | -55,581 |
| Receipts minus expenses | <5,151> |
| Year-to-date balance | <$2,889> |
Questions or concerns? Please contact Jeff Kennedy, Treasurer or David Hammond, Financial Secretary.
What is the purpose of the garden?
• To produce fresh vegetables to share with the hungry of our community. Weekly harvests will be collected for the Riverside Community Gathering Wednesday night meal. Additional groups identified to receive fresh vegetables from our garden include Hope Clinic and Food Gatherers.
• To provide a sacred space for the neighborhood. Our garden design will include a prayer walk with Scripture verses for quiet reflection.
• To educate. Families are encouraged to participate in the planning and care of the garden teaching stewardship and care of God’s creation, the process of food provision from seed to plate, nutritional benefits of naturally grown food and the importance of gardening for sustainable communities. Sunday school teachers are encouraged to creatively use the garden to bring to life agricultural teachings of Jesus. Where possible, biblical herbs and plants will be incorporated into the garden.
• To join other faith-based congregations as a partner of the Faith and Food Network of Washtenaw County. For more information about this initiative, see the Growing Hope website.
Where will the garden be?
Tentatively, the garden will be located in the northwest corner of the property near the pine trees, with vegetable gardens on either side of the sidewalk. There is a water source nearby, the pine trees provide privacy for the sacred space, and this location provides good sun. Before digging begins, the neighbors will be invited into the conversation and the utility companies will be contacted.
What will the design of the garden look like?
This is still yet to be determined. If you are interested in submitting a garden design, your ideas are most welcome! Pictures of the location are on the website, but a walk through the area will be helpful for your design process. Designs should be clearly marked and placed in the Mission Committee mailbox by Easter Sunday for consideration. Designs will be chosen for efficient vegetable production, aesthetic quality, maintainability, and incorporation of natural landscape.
How will the garden be maintained?
Care and maintenance of the garden will be provided by anyone in the congregation with a passion to participate. Th e hope and dream is that this ministry will be multigenerational.
How can I be a part of this exciting “growing” ministry?
The large bulletin board in the entrance to the fellowship hall is currently dedicated to this project. Add your name to the growing list of interested people and look for more details to come! For more information, please see one of the following people: Gail Arnold, Robin Hess, Arthur Howard, Marie Howard, Jeff Kaiser, Joanne Keeling, Pastor King.
Jeff Buck is an elder serving on the Administration Committee.
You might not expect to
meet your future spouse
in a summer school engineering
course, but God
does work in wonderful
and mysterious ways. Jeff,
a native of Indiana, met
Greta, who grew up in
Minneapolis, in a summer
school Dynamics
class while he was doing
his undergraduate work
at Purdue. Following a
“dynamic” college courtship, they were married soon
after graduation. After he received his bachelor’s degree
in mechanical engineering from Purdue, he earned a
master’s degree in the same field from the U of M. Greta
had been a co-op student with 3M-Sarns in Ann Arbor,
and when she was offered a permanent position there,
they made the move to Ann Arbor. During his career,
Jeff has worked on the first high-volume anti-lock brake
systems for GM and was an engineer and engineering
manager with Federal-Mogul. He has since moved into
sales and is the vice president of North American sales
for a global supplier of wire harnesses.
After enjoying DINC (dual income no children) status for a number of years, Jeff and Greta now have two daughters, Audrey, 12, and Margaret, 9. About them he says, “Both girls were baptized at Westminster and have always known Westminster as their church home. We’ve been blessed by all the saints that have been part of their lives and the friends that they have in the church family.”
About his faith history: “After moving to Ann Arbor, Greta and I started looking for a church. Greta grew up as a Lutheran and my little bit of church-going in my youth was as a Presbyterian. We tried a few local churches but didn’t connect with any. After seeing an ad in the newspaper, we attended Westminster and immediately felt at home. We’ve been here ever since (about 20 years). The first years we enjoyed attending on Sundays, but didn’t get too involved. Eventually we became more involved and have benefited from everything we’ve done at Westminster. Overall my participation in the activities has allowed me to build relationships with the wonderful people of Westminster and to strengthen and grow in my faith.”
Jeff was an elder and church treasurer about ten years ago, and has been a member of the Stewardship and Finance Committee since that time. Using his engineering and homeowner skills (and muscles), he was a part of the first mission trip to Reynosa with Minestario de Fe and has helped with Habitat For Humanity projects sponsored by the church. He served on the nominating committee that called Cathi King, and has led a couple of adult education classes, which he found greatly rewarding.
What gets him excited? “Over the last few years I’ve taken up (or become addicted to, as some would say) endurance sports. I’ve completed four marathons and will run in the Boston Marathon this April. During the summer I participate in triathlons.”
Jack Collins is an elder serving on the Missions Committee.
Jack was born in Detroit
and grew up in Pontiac
and later in the Birmingham-
Bloomfield Hills area.
As a youth, he attended
the Sunday school classes
at the First Presbyterian
Church in Birmingham,
and he says this is where
the seeds of his faith were
planted. Aft er high school,
Jack earned a bachelor’s
degree in history from
Eastern Michigan University.
Aft er college, Jack served in the US Army, stateside
with the 82nd Airborne, and in Viet Nam in the 101st
Airborne. He was a paratrooper and a reconnaissance
scout, and fl ew combat helicopter missions. Aft er his
military service, there were moves to Hawaii and Colorado
before returning to Michigan. Back in Michigan,
Jack met Rosemary, and they were married in 1981. A
few years ago, they renewed their wedding vows on
their 25th wedding anniversary. The ceremony was
here at Westminster, led by Pastor Cathi King. Jack and
Rosemary have no children; they do have a well-loved
one-year-old golden retriever named Sunshine. Jack is
currently a motor coach operator for the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority.
Westminster has been Jack and Rosemary’s church home since the late ’80s. Jack has taught Sunday School, been an elder and a deacon, and has participated in a number of mission trips.
Favorite activities for him are hiking outdoors, traveling, reading and playing chess. Jack says that he thanks the Lord every day for his blessings and is grateful for the Westminster church family.
Kim Hughes is an elder serving on the Youth Committee.
Growing up in the family
homestead on Lake
Columbia just outside of
Brooklyn, MI, Kim developed
a natural love of everything
having to do with
water. She spent her youth
and was confirmed at the
First Methodist Church in
Jackson, and very much
enjoyed the youth group,
bell choir and short term
mission trips.
After high school, there were four years at Hillsdale College, earning a degree in elementary education with an endorsement in early childhood education. Hillsdale is also where she and her husband, Phil, met. Kim taught for eight years in the Adrian and Clinton public schools, working with pre-K through second grade classes. As part of her experience in the Adrian Public schools, she investigated and instituted a multi-age strand for grades one through four.
Kim and Phil have two children, Claire, in the eighth grade at Emerson, and Alex, in the fifth grade at Lawton. Currently she teaches reading intervention in Pinckney one day a week, substitute teaches at Emerson School, and when she can, dedicates a number of hours to the activities at Claire’s and Alex’s schools.
Although she had been a member of Methodist churches in Jackson and Adrian, friends in her Community Bible Study group recommended Westminster when Kim and Phil moved to Ann Arbor. “Westminster is like a family to me. The time I spend in worship and fellowship helps my faith grow deeper. I feel very fortunate to walk my faith journey with the members of Westminster.”
Besides travel (Kim and Claire are going to Japan over spring break), relaxing next to an ocean, reading “anything,” and spending time with the family, she finds pleasure in golf, walking their two dogs, and volunteering at the Ann Arbor Thrift Shop. There is also a family cottage in Harbor Springs that provides much enjoyment for the family, summer and winter.
Dorothy (Dot) MacArthur is a deacon serving Care Group David.
Dot spent her youth with
her family in Woodbridge,
New Jersey, 25 miles south
of New York City. She has
a liberal arts degree from
Thomas Edison State College
in Trenton, NJ. A lifelong
Presbyterian, her
parents instilled in her a
feeling of obligation and a
desire to serve the church.
Dot has sung in church
choirs since her childhood,
and has served as a deacon and elder in her church in
New Jersey.
She is married to John (Jack), and together they raised two sons. Their older son Donald is deceased, and their younger son James (Jay) is married to Kelly. Jay and Kelly, who live in East Lansing, recently presented Dot and Jack with their first grandson, Oskar. (I’ll bet you a proud and happy Grandma could show you baby pictures if you asked–or even if you didn’t.)
Jack and Dot came to Ann Arbor in 2004 to be near Jay, a school teacher in Ann Arbor. Prior to the move, Dot had retired after working for a number of years for the Mercer County Improvement Authority as the Mercer County Recycling Coordinator.
Clearly Dot loves music: She is a member of the Ann Arbor Cantata Singers and is a past member of the Arbor Opera Theater Board of Directors. She also belongs to the Friendship Circle at West Side Methodist Church and finds pleasure in reading, listening to music, exercising at Curves and walking.
Friday, April 16, St. Andrews Fellowship Hall
Lunch and program beginning at noon
Ten Thousand Villages works with over 130 artisan groups in more than 38 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East to sell fair trade jewelry, home decor, gifts and more. A representative from the Ann Arbor store will tell us more about this organisation that helps artisans earn a fair wage and realize a better quality of life. RSVP to Phoebe Vance (734-971-4870) or Bonnie Terpstra (734-668-8677).
Men’s Breakfast, Saturday, April 10, 8 am
Westminster men and friends will view the DVD Rediscovering God In America which explores the important role that religion played in early America. A walking tour of Washington, D.C. shows the reflection of our forefathers’ religious beliefs in the architecture of many government buildings in our nation’s capitol. Bring a friend for breakfast and great conversation.
Friday, May 14, 7 pm; $5 per person
Time to dust off those cowboy boots, plaid shirts, bandanas and poodle skirts for a square dance at Westminster. A professional caller will start promptly at 7:30 pm.
Even if you’ve never square danced before, you’re guaranteed a great time. Sixth graders through adults, singles and couples, are encouraged to come and enjoy the evening. The dancing will end around 10 pm.
Bring some snacks to share. Drinks will be provided. Please contact Al Banning (734-971-6163) with questions and sign up in the entry to the fellowship hall.
Saturday, May 22, 11 am
Start at Mitchell Field, 1900 Fuller Road
Get your bike ready now for a Ride for the Hungry to support the Hope Food Bank. This is a family-friendly ride along Washtenaw County’s Border to Border Trail. Fill your backpack, panniers, and trailers with nonperishable food items. The Hope Clinic web site lists current needs. Elizabeth Tidd, ride captain, can answer your questions (734-662-0205).
Still in a quandary to find some fun and exciting things to do with the family this summer? The 37th annual Westminster campout will fill the bill. There are plenty of fun things to do: crafts, swimming, bicycling, outdoor worship, and of course campfires and s’mores.
The weekend is August 6–8 at the Port Huron KOA. Campsites and cabins are available. Please contact Al Banning for reservations by June 13. This is a great opportunity for members new and old to spend time together and get to know each other better.
Phoebe and Roger Vance bring greetings from Julie Chamberlain. The Vances recently were in Costa Rica on a mission trip with Methodist friends. They were delighted to also spend time with Julie, who was on the Westminster staff here some years ago and who now directs the Spanish Language Institute near San Jose.

Adult Education classes encourage discussion, reflection, prayer and disciplines of life-long learning, discernment and faithful and Christ-centered action in the world. You are welcome to join any class at any time.
Bible study: Exodus An in-depth study, led by Andy King. A variety of resources and perspectives are used to explore this foundational book of the Old Testament. Meets Sundays at 10 am in room 32 on the lower level.
A Deeper Look at Resurrection What does it mean to be human? Join us as we draw upon biblical anthropology and neuroscience to explore anew such theological concepts as the resurrection, the “soul,” and sin, freedom and salvation. The class is led by Pastor King and Bill Kuhn and meets Sundays, April 11, 18 and 25 at 10 am in room 30 on the lower level.
Looking ahead to May Rent-a-Kid is Sunday, May 2 at 10 am. This is your opportunity to get some spring chores taken care of and support our youth program at the same time. Adult classes will not meet.
Sundays, May 9, 16 and 30 and June 6, Andy King will lead a class entitled Creation Care.
This one in a series of meditations on hospitality taken from the book God’s Welcome: Hospitality for a Gospel-Hungry World, by Amy G. Oden.
And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!” (Matthew 13:3–9; NRSV)
This sower sowed seeds in all kinds of soil, seemingly throwing seeds everywhere. We might think this sower a bit wasteful, sowing seeds even in rocky or thorny soil. The extravagance in this story is striking: the sower plants seeds regardless of the likely outcome. No soil testing is conducted first, no cost analysis of where to invest the seeds to ensure profit. The sower is simply intent upon sowing.
One of the hardest disciplines of a spirituality of hospitality is giving over the outcomes to God. We want to know that we are good stewards of our church’s resources, that our investments will produce results. We want to know that our efforts to be hospitable will (literally!) pay off .
Yet our expected outcomes are not always fulfilled. When we don’t get the response we expected, we may feel rejected or disappointed. The visitor we greet never returns and we conclude that our welcome failed or was a waste of time. The person we welcomed from rehab relapses back into substance abuse, and we may think our welcome was squandered. Perhaps God feels the same disappointment when God’s welcome extended to humanity seems to have little return on God’s investment. Still, God’s hospitality does not depend on our response. God does not keep score or run a risk analysis before extending hospitality to us. God keeps planting seeds in us, whether our soil is rocky and dry or rich and fertile.
We are sharing God’s welcome, and the outcomes belong to God. The real outcomes, the ultimate results, are not necessarily the immediate ones. Sometimes our welcome of others in fact plants seeds in them that will blossom elsewhere at a later time that we may never see. This is hard. Why bother planting seeds when there is no guarantee of what it will produce? I can only imagine the disciples’ incredulous response to Jesus’ parable of the sower: “Why are we doing all this then?”
Perhaps it’s no surprise that Jesus immediately offers another story about seeds, the parable of the mustard seed (Matt. 13:31–32). In this one, a minuscule seed grows into a lush shelter for birds and animals. Staring at a small seed in your hand, it’s hard to imagine the mature plant it will become. If you had never seen a watermelon, could you possibly imagine it just from looking at the seed? Laying down our expectations, or at least carrying them lightly in our hands, can be aided by the use of our imaginations. The outcomes of our hospitality may look nothing like the seeds we plant. While our original expectations may not be fulfilled, God is at work creating outcomes we may miss if we’re not careful. Which leads us to a caution here: releasing outcomes to God does not mean having low expectations, or guarding against investing ourselves in our eff orts toward hospitality. Quite the opposite. We can expect God’s welcoming spirit to do amazing work among us. It just means we stay clear that the outcomes belong to God alone.
Experiment In prayer, think about someone or something you want to welcome. As you lift up this person or area of your life, lay your hands in your lap, palms up. Rest the backs of your hands gently on your legs and feel the air on the surface of the skin on your palms. Feel the emptiness and openness there to receive whatever outcome happens as a gift from God. Open hands represent a hospitable openness to the area or person you are lifting up and a grateful heart, ready to receive whatever outcome emerges. You may find this posture of openness and gratitude aids other prayer as well.
Read about Allen Flynn’s service to the poor.
Information about Westminster news and events is kept up to date on the News page. You’ll find focused updates about specific groups (e.g. Men’s Fellowship, Women’s Ministry, Sixty Plus Club, and so forth) on pages devoted to each of those groups.
Sermon recordings are placed online early each week. You can listen on your computer or on your mp3 player; subscribe to the rss feed to automatically receive the podcast as soon as it’s online.
For the most up to date calendar information, check the online calendar.
The Westminster Weekly, plus sermon title and Sunday Bible readings are placed online on Fridays. Get the week’s news early, and give God opportunity to prepare your heart for Sunday’s worship.
Westminster Presbyterian Church 1500 Scio Church Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 734-761-9320 | westpresa2.org