This page is usually updated Fridays.
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For guests and new members
• Wilshire Welcome is a one-hour session to help you learn about Wilshire. Held in the Prayer Room near McIver Chapel. Upcoming date: Oct. 12.
• Time with Tim is your chance to meet and chat with Senior Pastor Timothy Peoples in an informal group session in his office. Upcoming date: Sept. 14.
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Wilshire Author Fair is Sept. 14
Come browse and buy books from a variety of church member authors at the Wilshire Author Fair on Sunday, Sept 14, from noon to 2 p.m. in Community Hall. Titles span a wide range of genres and topics: short fiction and novels; stories for children; and nonfiction including music, poetry, memoirs, culture, lifestyle, devotionals, photography, recipes, heritage, sermons, self-help and biblical commentary. Presented by the Wilshire Library. If you are an author and haven’t been contacted about participating, email Jeff Hampton.
Songwriter Vespers: Townes Van Zandt, Sept. 14
The music of Townes Van Zandt will be the focus of Wilshire’s Songwriter Vespers on Sunday, Sept. 14, at 4:30 p.m. in Choral Hall. As with the John Prine Vespers in March, the event will be a blend of a coffeehouse performance and a worship service, with readings and liturgical elements interspersed with Van Zandt songs played by Associate Pastor Darren DeMent and others. Coffee and light snacks will be served. Van Zandt (1944–1997) was a Texas-born “songwriter’s songwriter” known for his poetic lyrics and melancholic style.
Drop-In Winds: Sept. 14
Anyone who plays (or used to play) a woodwind, brass or percussion instrument is invited to play an easy piece with Wilshire Winds during worship on Sunday, Sept. 14. Even if you didn’t make the Sept. 7 rehearsal, you’re still welcome to come play; we’ll run through the piece at 9 a.m. Youth who play in band are welcome, and we’re also looking for pianists to play melodic percussion. Don’t have a horn? We may have one to lend you. Contact Shana Gaines.
Preschool Playdate on Sept. 13
Preschoolers and their families are invited to a playdate on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the home of Rachel and Sam Murphy (6230 Berwyn Ln.). Contact Minister to Preschoolers Kelly Akins
Deacon Nominations
The Deacon Nominating Committee asks Wilshire members to submit names of persons to be considered for deacon service. Nominations are due Sept. 26. Learn more and make nominations >
Committee Interest Form
Wilshire’s Committee on Committees is beginning its work to nominate members for 2026 committees. If you are not currently on a committee and are interested in volunteering yourself or suggesting someone for consideration, please complete our online form. All names received will be considered and evaluated against current committee openings and needs. The Committee on Committees’ final report will be presented at January’s Annual Church Conference for approval. The deadline for submissions is Sunday, Sept. 28. Questions? Contact Carolyn Murray at cmurray@wilshirebc.org. Committee on Committees: Ed Francis, Jill Granberry, Patty Latham, Steve Melton, Juliana Moore, Rachel Murphy (chair), John Skinner, Laura Smith, Price Tinsley. Staff Liaison: Carolyn Murray
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Let’s Organize! meets Sept. 17
Are you interested in working with others to create positive change in our community? Join Abbey Adcox and Georgia McKee on Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m. for the next meeting of Let’s Organize!, which will be held in the Parlor the first and third Wednesdays each month this fall.
Next Lunch & Learn is Sept. 17
All are invited at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17, for a buffet lunch ($10) followed by Bible study. Pastoral Resident Georgia McKee will lead as we continue through Acts. No RSVP needed; pay at the door. Lunch & Learn is held the first and third Wednesdays every month.
Sign up for Sept. 17 Blood Drive
Carter BloodCare will hold a blood drive at Wilshire from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17. There is a critical need for several blood types, including A+, A-, O+, O- and B-. Visit wilshirebc.org/events/blood-drive to make an appointment or scan the QR code.
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Wednesday Night Live: Sept. 17
Koinonia Café
5 p.m. | Community Hall | Buffet dinner for the whole family with kid-friendly options available. Cash/check/credit accepted at the door. Full Meal: $10 for ages 10 and up; $5 for kids 4 to 9; free for kids 3 and under; $35 household max. Soup & Salad Meal: $7. Sept. 17: Beef and chicken fajitas, onions, bell peppers and toppings, rice and beans, chips and salsa, tortilla soup, chocoflan, polvorones (Mexican cookies), jello. Kids: Chicken tacos, beans and rice.
Preschool Music & Missions
6 p.m. | Age 3–Pre-K | Preschool choir plus fun activities and lessons focused on God’s love and caring for others.
KidConnect
6 p.m. | K–Grade 5 | A rotation of activities to help kids learn how to love God and others with every part of themselves. Each week is different! Activities include art, music, recreation, science and more. Kindergartners will have choir as part of KidConnect.
New Bible Study Series: HERstory
6 p.m. | Community Hall | What do you think of when you think of women and the Bible? Perhaps Mary, mother of Jesus, or the other Mary, who shares the news of the resurrected Christ. This series during September and October will highlight the voices of various women in the Bible, using feminist insights to show the expansive ways these women’s unique experiences reveal the work of God and witness to the gospel.
Watershed
6:30 p.m. | Grades 6–12 | Wilshire Student Ministry’s weekly time of Bible study and
music in the Youth Center.
Sanctuary Choir
7 p.m. | Choral Hall | Wilshire’s main adult choir rehearses weekly. New singers are always welcome, and there’s no audition.
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Friday Friends needs volunteers
The Wilshire Friday Friends program is in need of a few additional volunteers for socializing, fun and games. Friday Friends is a respite program for people caring for a loved one with dementia. On the second and fourth Fridays of most months, the caregivers drop off their loved ones with Friday Friends and then have a four hour break from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to have time to themselves. Volunteer duties are simple — stay with the assigned participant, engage them in conversation, encourage them in our activities and just generally enjoy their company. We have a busy four hours, and Wilshire provides lunch for everyone. Because the program’s emphasis is on building friendships and knowing our participants, we ask that volunteers be consistent in their attendance with the caveat that an occasional absence is unavoidable. Expertise with dementia is not required. Training will be provided. To volunteer or learn more, contact Terry Wade at 817-454-5620 or twade2618@aol.com.
“Swords made into plowshares” at gun disposal event
On Sept. 7, 47 unwanted guns were dismantled to be made into garden tools at the Guns to Gardens event co-sponsored by Wilshire and held at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration. Each gun came with its own story, and while each may seem like a small drop in the ocean, it confirmed for volunteers that “action is the antidote to anxiety.” While gun violence continues to escalate in our country, we can be proud that there are now 47 “swords made into plowshares.”
Immigration Court Observer Training on Sept. 20
Wilshire will host a training for immigration court observers on Saturday, Sept. 20, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Community Hall. Neighbors across Dallas are coming together at immigration court to bear witness and stand alongside our immigrant neighbors. This orientation led by Noemi Rios of Vecinos Unidos (Neighbors United) DFW will introduce you to what’s happening in Dallas immigration courts and how you can be a welcoming, supportive presence. Volunteers assist families by helping them find their courtroom, offering ways to engage children while they wait and observing hearings to take notes. Join us to learn how your presence can bring dignity and hope in a challenging space.
• All are invited to join local faith leaders in a weekly prayer vigil at ICE’s Dallas field office at 8101 N. Stemmons Fwy. The vigil is held every Monday from 8 to 10 a.m. Contact Abbey Adcox (aadcox@wilshirebc.org) to learn more.
Monthly service opportunities
• A Wilshire group serves the fourth Friday morning each month at the Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation’s Mobile Food Pantry. If you can help, contact Charlie Estee at cesteedallas@gmail.com.
• Cindy Estee coordinates volunteers to serve as food pantry assistants at the Wilkinson Center the third Tuesday each month from noon to 3:45 p.m. Contact Cindy at
cesteedallas@aol.com.
• A team of Wilshire volunteers serves lunch at The Stewpot on the second Thursday every month. Contact David Cossum at dc@cossum.com to join the team or learn more.
Faith in 3D auditions
Wilshire’s Faith in 3D initiative will celebrate its 12th anniversary in March 2026 with an original production, Songs of the People: Life’s Lessons from Folk Music. The show will include a wide array of folk songs, ranging from the lighthearted to the intense, the obvious to the symbolic, the personal to the universal, and the secular to the sacred, all the while providing valuable lessons to young and old alike. To learn more and to register your interest in auditioning to be a soloist, a narrator or a folk instrumentalist, visit wilshirebc.org/faith-in-3d-auditions by Monday, Sept. 22. Auditions will be scheduled soon thereafter.
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Music ministry kickoff on Sept. 28
Worship on Sunday, Sept. 28, will feature most of Wilshire’s music groups as they kick off another year of music ministry. “Our ensembles will collaborate to lead our hymn singing and anthems in worship,” said Minister of Music Ariel Merivil. “This is a wonderful opportunity to experience Children’s Choir, Youth Choir, Sanctuary Choir, Carillon Ringers and Wilshire Winds as we celebrate the gifted musicians who share their gifts with our congregation each week. I hope you’ll join us.”
Drop-In Bells: Sept. 28
Come play with Carillon Ringers during worship! Handbell experience will be helpful but is not essential as long as you can read basic notes and rhythms. Join us for a run-through in the Sanctuary on Sunday, Sept. 28, from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. Please register your intention to participate by Wednesday, Sept. 24, by emailing Carol Cabaniss (ccabaniss@wilshirebc.org). Questions? Contact Ralph Manuel (rmanuel@wilshirebc.org).
Save the date for hymn festival
The Plymouth Choir from First-Plymouth Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, will be joined by Wilshire’s Sanctuary Choir in presenting a hymn festival at Wilshire on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 7:30 p.m. Ariel Merivil served on staff at First-Plymouth before joining Wilshire as minister of music.
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Library help needed on Sundays
Librarian Barbara Peterson is looking for Library volunteers to work Sundays from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. a few times a year in rotation with others. Tasks include shelving and checking out books. Contact Barbara (bpeterson@wilshirebc.org) if you can serve.
Medical personnel sought
Parish Nurse Linda Garner is compiling a list of Wilshire medical personnel to serve in case of an emergency or to simply be a resource. If you are a physician, registered nurse, nurse practitioner or any kind of healthcare professional, please contact Linda at lgarner@wilshirebc.org.
A note from the parish nurse on flu and COVID vaccines
It is time to get your flu and Covid-19 shots. Both illnesses are still present and can make you miserable for several days. It is safe to get both vaccines at the same time. This year, not all pharmacies are giving them, so call before you go to be sure you can get it at your usual place. The vaccines are recommended for all adults over 65 and those with chronic health problems. Other adults need the vaccines as well, even though some official recommendations have changed. They are also recommended for children. If you have symptoms, you can get tested. Stay home until you are fever free for one day. Then if symptoms are getting better you do not have to stay home, but wear a mask for five days.—Linda Garner
Save the date for 75th anniversary
Wilshire will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2026, culminating with special events on Saturday, June 13, and Sunday, June 14. Planning is underway, and more information is coming soon about how you can get involved. For now, mark your calendars for next June 13 and 14, and plan your summer vacation so you don’t miss the festivities.
Men’s Book Club
The Men’s Book Club will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16, to discuss The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt. The group will meet in the Parlor at 7 p.m. Contact: Mike Meripolski or Scott Spreier.
Women of Wilshire
• Tuesday Evening Book Club | Oct. 14 | 6:30 p.m. | Parlor | Year of Wonders by
Geraldine Brooks. Contact Debby Burton.
• Brown Bag Book Club | Oct. 2 | Noon | 1205-L | Carnegie’s Maid by Marie Benedict. Contact Carolyn Murray.
Elevator update
The replacement of the north elevator is now projected to take place in early 2026. Needed parts will not arrive until late this fall. Once the project begins, it should take four to five weeks to complete. Thanks for your continued patience as the elevator remains out of service.
Adam’s Baskets
Wilshire’s Adam’s Baskets ministry, created in memory of Adam Malcik upon his passing in 1987 by his parents Vy and Michael Malcik, provides members the opportunity to keep our food pantry stocked. Our small pantry meets immediate needs when a neighbor stops by for assistance. Wicker baskets are located around the church, and you can place nonperishable items into a basket at any time. Proteins, peanut butter and pop-top canned goods are most needed. Items are collected from the baskets on the second Sunday each month.