Dear Westminster Family –
“Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won’t show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we’d rather the test showed our failure than yours. We’re rooting for the truth to win out in you. We couldn’t possibly do otherwise. We don’t just put up with our limitations; we celebrate them, and then go on to celebrate every strength, every triumph of the truth in you. We pray hard that it will all come together in your lives.” (2 Corinthians 13:5-9 The Message).
I love the way Eugene Peterson chose to paraphrase this passage of Scripture. In doing so he reminds us of the importance of regularly evaluating our faith and attempting to measure our growth. These “spiritual checkups” play an important role in making sure we continue to move in God’s direction.
We are calling this coming Sunday at Westminster “Grow Sunday” because we will have the opportunity to examine these things together. Through hearing stories of God’s work in people’s lives and looking at the people and places where we “fit” the steps necessary to grow in our faith will hopefully become clear. There will also be an opportunity after both of our worship services to learn more about some of our ministries and how they are designed to connect us with others as we strive to become more like Jesus.
Also: This Sunday the BAM & Berean classes will meet together at 10:45 in the CLC along with anyone else who would like to attend…to hear Ethiopian, Desta Langena share his story. (In 1998 a group of 10 Ethiopian men was sent to India on a mission trip. Desta Langena was among them…well trained as a physics teacher, then as a missiologist. Desta is a man of prayer who learned to seek God’s face. He would go to the top of a mountain and pray by himself, but soon others followed. Now over 100,000 pray where Desta used to pray alone. Young people began surrendering their lives for missions and this grew into a mission society of over 300 Ethiopian missionaries.)
I hope you will be able to join us. See you in church!
Pastor Matt
KCIS 630 AM – A CLOSER LOOK
Hear Gary on the radio with co-host Pete Talbott
Thursdays at 1:00-1:30 PM
Sundays at 9:00-9:30 AM
THIS WEEKEND’S EVENTS: September 7 & 8
THE LANDING – 7:30-9:30 PM, Room 311: Celebrate Recovery’s The Landing program for 6th – 12th grade students. Come discover God’s coping skills for life. Questions: moc.l1701932848iamg@1701932848RCret1701932848snimt1701932848seW1701932848
CELEBRATE RECOVERY – Fridays, 7:00-9:00 PM, Fireside Room: Childcare provided. Contact Neal at 425-747-1461, ext. 147 or moc.l1701932848iamg@1701932848RCret1701932848snimt1701932848seW1701932848.
THIS SUNDAY: September 9
WORSHIP SERVICES – 9:00 & 10:45 AM, Sanctuary
WELCOME CENTER – Visit our Welcome Center in the foyer for visitor information and warm hospitality. Limited sermon CDs and Our Daily Bread devotionals are available in the Library.
BREW – Sundays, 9:00 – 11:00 AM, Foyer: Is this your first time here? Stop by our café to enjoy a complimentary coffee. We look forward to meeting you.
GROW SUNDAY – Sunday, September 9, Both services: Discover opportunities to become who God is calling you to be.
MENTORING KICKOFF- Sunday, September 9, 9:00-12:00PM, Atrium: Would you like to know more about what mentoring is all about? Join us on Grow Sunday for our Mentoring Kickoff on Sunday, September 9. If you know God is calling you to be part of the mentoring ministry, go to westminster.org/mentoring and fill out the Mentoring Profile Card. The driving motivation of Westminster Mentoring is to encourage and support individuals to achieve personal growth and develop spiritual maturity. Questions? Email gro.r1701932848etsni1701932848mtsew1701932848@gnir1701932848otnem1701932848
UPCOMING EVENTS:
WESTMINSTER LANGUAGE ACADEMY – Fall Quarter Classes: September 10 – November 16: Experienced instructors provide conversational English classes at all levels. Private instruction also available. Information at www.westminsterlanguageacademy.org Contact Kathie Stabbert at gro.r1701932848etsni1701932848mtsew1701932848@seih1701932848tak1701932848 or 425.460.4061
TUESDAY MORNING WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY – Starts September 11, 9:15 AM, CLC: This year there are 6 electives from which to choose. Prices vary depending on the course you select. For details of each course, and to register, please go to www.westminster.org/woman. Children’s Program (ages birth-Pre K) Cost is $45 for 1 child, $65 for 2 or more. Questions? Contact Jenny at gro.r1701932848etsni1701932848mtsew1701932848@rynn1701932848ej1701932848
WEDNESDAY EVENING WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY – Starts September 12, 6:45 PM, CLC: 3 choices for Wednesday night studies! Pricing is for the year and varies depending on the study you select. For details go to Westminster.org/women. No childcare available. Contact Jenny at gro.r1701932848etsni1701932848mtsew1701932848@rynn1701932848ej1701932848
ALPHA – EXPLORE LIFE, FAITH, MEANING – Starts Sunday, September 16, 6:00 PM, Atrium: A series of interactive sessions exploring the Christian faith. Contact Sylvia at gro.r1701932848etsni1701932848mtsew1701932848@raiv1701932848lys1701932848
FLOURISH@WORK FOR WOMEN – Thursday, September 20, 6:00 PM, Fireside Room: Join us for an evening of community with women who seek to live out their faith in the workplace. The September Guest Speaker is Holly Pankratz, Westminster Chapel’s Minister to Care and Equipping. Cost: $10 includes appetizers and beverage. Questions? contact Jenny at gro.r1701932848etsni1701932848mtsew1701932848@rynn1701932848ej1701932848 SAVE THE DATE FOR FUTURE FLOURISH@WORK EVENTS – 11-8, 1-10, 3-14, 5-9
AWANA – Wednesdays, September 19 – May 8, 6:30-8:00 PM: Awana reaches kids for Christ through fun, Scripture-rich experiences that lead them to know, love and serve Him. Join us for exciting games, Scripture-based memory work, thrilling stories and awesome awards that help kids develop lifelong faith in Christ. Join us Wednesday nights during the school year from 6:30-8 pm. Our clubs include Cubbies, Sparks and T&T which are for ages pre-school – 5th grade. Mark your calendar for September 12 which is Awana Registration Night. Parents, drop-in from 6:30-7:30 PM to register your children, sign forms, make payments, and pick up applicable club items. Questions? Contact Kay Bonikowsky at moc.l1701932848iamg@1701932848ykswo1701932848kinob1701932848k1701932848. Reserve Your Spot at www.westminster.org/EVENTS
MIDDLE SCHOOL LASER TAG – INVITE NIGHT – Friday, September 21, 6:00 PM, Cost: $20: Bring a friend as we meet at Westminster at 6 PM and drive down to Laser Quest for some Laser Tag Action! Register online at Westminster.org/events
THE GAP (FOR MEN) – Begins Thursday, September 27, 6:30 AM, Fireside Room: Learn what it means to stand in the gap! Teaching and discussion with Pastor Gary and other guests with time for questions and accountability. Questions? Contact LuAnne at gro.r1701932848etsni1701932848mtsew1701932848@zenn1701932848aul1701932848
SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES:
RECYCLE AND REPURPOSE!! Your old sheets could become part of a beautiful handmade quilt by the Helping Hands ministry. You may drop off your donated sheets at the Welcome Center. Be sure to label them for Helping Hands. Questions? Contact Marilyn at moc.l1701932848iamg@17019328481nyli1701932848ramre1701932848txab1701932848
TALKTIME: AN EASY WAY TO REACH BEYOND – Thursday, 6:30 PM, Atrium: Serve as an ambassador to our intercultural community. Help guests from around the world practice speaking English over dinner and guided conversation. Questions? Contact Mark Pedrin at gro.r1701932848etsni1701932848mtsew1701932848@pkra1701932848m1701932848
REACH BEYOND! WORK WITH YOUTH – Be a middle or high school leader and impact lives for God. Contact Ceri at gro.r1701932848etsni1701932848mtsew1701932848@fire1701932848c1701932848
RESOURCES/OPPORTUNITIES:
GROW GROUPS – Various times & locations throughout the week: These groups meet in many sites and aim to be places where you can GROW with others. No matter where you are, there is a Grow Group that can help you take your next step in community. Visit www.westminster.org/belong for more information.
BAPTISM – If you would like more information on what it means to be baptized, or about the course itself, you can email Pastor Matt at gro.r1701932848etsni1701932848mtsew1701932848@ctta1701932848m1701932848
WEEKLY GIVING:
As of 9/4/18
Expectation for the Week $51,300
General Giving for the Week* $65,125
Expectation to Date $700,200
General Giving to Date* $668,320
Annual Expectation $3,600,000
*General giving includes weekly and non-designated special gifts.
NEXT CHAPTER GIVING:
Original Project Cost $22,000,000
Payments to Date $18,713,700
Current Mortgage Balance $3,286,300