A Message from our Pastors                 Rev. Janet and Rev. Jerry Duggins

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
Welcome to Westminster Presbyterian Church!  Thank you for visiting our website, which we try to keep current with information about what's happening in worship and in various other aspects of our church life.   We hope it will help to put you in touch with upcoming happenings and opportunities, whether you are a long-time participant in Westminster or just learning about us.  If you are just finding us, we encourage you to check out what's going on, read a sermon excerpt, learn something about Presbyterian beliefs, and see some pictures.  Hopefully, this will give you a little sense of who we are.  But even better - join us for worship or another event, and meet us in person.  You will be warmly welcomed!

We are not a very large congregation in numbers (we have about 275 members) but we are large in spirit, concerned about the world around us, caring and praying for each other, interested in learning and exploring new ideas.  We strive for Worship that is lively, thoughtful, theologically sound, and welcoming to all.   We offer Christian Education for all ages from preschool through adult, and also a variety of other activities geared to specific needs or interests:  youth group, choir, social outings, a womens depression support group, a knitting and prayer group, volleyball, faith book club and more.  We welcome lay participation in leadership in all areas of church life.  We put our caring about human needs into practice as we support both Presbyterian projects and local ministries that extend compassion to sisters and brothers who are hungry, homeless, and hurting.   We represent a wide range of ages, interests, perspectives, and beliefs... and strive always for an openness of heart and mind, to welcome all in the name of Jesus Christ, who welcomes us to his table and his church.

We believe that a faith community is an essential in today's busy and sometimes disconnected world.  Sure, you can believe in God all by yourself, but it's better to have company and encouragement.  Sure, you can try and follow Jesus on your own, but when Jesus invited people to follow him, he invited them to be part of a community.  In his name, we extend that invitation to you.

In the spring of 2011, our Session adopted a new "intention statement" to focus and and guide us as we make decisions about the ministry of our congregation:

            At Westminster Church, we live a whole life
                in response to God
                    attentively
                        together
                            engaging the world
                                for the good of all
                                    following Jesus Christ.  *

At the same time, we determined that our congregational theme and focus for the next year will be "HOSPITALITY."    We will learn about some of the many Bible stories dealing with this subject, think about what God's loving welcome means to us,  and explore ways in which we can extend Christian hospitality to others.    In Spring 2012, we hope to welcome a guest from Cuba to spend several weeks with us as part of the Presbyterian Church's "Mission to the USA" program.   

 We are continuing to discover what it means to "live a whole life,"  respond to God, love the world, and live with conviction and compassion in the name of Jesus.  We'd love to have you join us.


Peace and blessings,

Pastors Janet & Jerry Duggins



            *  The book, On Our Way, edited by Dorothy Bass and Susan Briehl (2010, Upper Room Books, Nashville) provided both inspiration and much of the substance of our statement.