It’s fitting that the same summer we celebrated Wilshire’s 75-year history, we also celebrate Darren DeMent’s 30 years of ministry among us. Alumni from Darren’s youth groups are now deacons, teachers, class directors, choir members, parents and leaders shaping...
By Kelly Akins As we come to worship today, the theme that keeps coming back to me is that of rest. Summer is a busy time, and many people take vacations, which are designed for us to get away from the constant occupation of life, to relax, reflect and renew so that...
One of the greatest gifts we can give a child is a caring adult who consistently shows up. Every Sunday, our children’s and preschool areas are filled with kids who are forming their first impressions of church, God’s love and what it means to belong to a faith...
Wilshire’s new pastoral residents, James Dolph and Bryce Shelton, have moved into their homes on Resident Row and will begin their two-year terms at Wilshire on Monday, Aug. 3. James (they/them) comes to Wilshire from Wake Forest University School of Divinity, where...
What brought you to Wilshire and when? An SMU scholarship for Charles brought us to Dallas in 1975. After visiting two other churches, we found Wilshire and visited. When singing the invitation hymn, we looked at each other and said, this is home. Who was pastor when...
By Timothy Peoples She asked, “Do you have nightmares?” I paused before answering. “Not particularly.” “What about dreams?” she asked almost immediately. “Uh ... not very vivid dreams,” I replied. I love my therapist. She’s perceptive enough to ask questions I don’t...
What brought you to Wilshire and when? In 1961, my parents were married at Wilshire in a ceremony officiated by Bruce McIver. When I was born in December 1965, I became an instantaneous member of the cradle roll department led by Nina Knox. What ministries or staff...
By Kelly Akins, Minister to Preschool I met Harrison Litzell in Vancouver, Canada, at the Godly Play Gathering, and then again when a group of us traveled to Waco for a conference on children’s spirituality and neurodivergence in the church. Harrison is a dynamic...
Annette Thornburg Owen, a Wilshire pastoral residency alum with experience in local church ministry and theological education, has been named director of Wilshire’s Pathways to Ministry program. She will start Aug. 31. Senior Pastor Timothy Peoples said, “We were...
By Darren DeMent As you prepare for worship this morning, I want you to do something that may seem a bit odd at first. I’d like you to think about the end of the service, specifically the benediction. It is likely that most of us think of the benediction as a...