By Timothy Peoples It was 14 years ago this week when a church much like Wilshire allowed me to preach as their pastoral intern. I was a junior in college, afraid as all get-out and not fully ready to preach at the 8:30 and 11 o’clock worship services. The only thing...
It’s Trinity Sunday, and for most of us the concept of the Trinity is confusing and even a daunting idea to comprehend. This one God broken into three aspects may not seem as monotheistic in the way our brain would like to comprehend. Eleventh-century theologian...
The year was 1978 in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. A group of five teenage boys came together and created a band, New Edition, so named to indicate they were a new edition of the Jackson 5. The group reached the height of its popularity in the 1980s and...
Dear Wilshire, I’m writing to give a quick update on our yearend giving, even if it doesn’t hold all the final pieces. I apologize for not reporting sooner, but we were patiently waiting for the last batch of mail postmarked for December, which we believe came...
End of year need: $83,396 Every Sunday growing up, the late Rev. Charles Henderson would come up during the alter call and say, “It’s prayer time.” As soon as those words were spoken through the dented microphone, there either grew a hush in the sanctuary or a wailing...
It was the yearly church fishing trip, and it was quite exclusive. My uncle, the pastor, gave up on trying to teach me the right catfishing technique. As I started to cry, Rev. Tate took me aside, and she worked with me for hours. She first taught me that the best...
End of year need: $196,147 A couple of weeks ago we honored the life of Phil Laquey. If you ever met Phil, you knew he was one of the sharpest dressers around — much like Charlie Burgin — and had a smile that could charm a snake. During the memorial service, a family...
Each year, 150 to 200 of us bring ornaments to place on our large extended-family Christmas tree. There is one ornament my grandma puts on the tree every year: it’s a little ornament in the shape of underwear. It’s her reminder to us to always have on a fresh pair....
End of year need: $331,245 Each month the full Wilshire staff gathers in Community Hall for lunch and an activity. It has become a time to better know those we work and prepare worship with. Activities have ranged from a “Chopped”-style dessert challenge to building...
End of year need: $525,884 It happens every year! It’s a staple in our church; you could even say it literally holds together old and new, as great traditions do. Every year during the Youth Choir home concert after choir tour, they sing Psalm 139. It is at that...