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Spaghetti Lunch is March 1; auction items needed
The annual Youth Choir Spaghetti Lunch and Silent Auction will be held Sunday, March 1, in Community Hall after the 11 a.m. service. This event will help fund the group’s summer mission tour to Kansas City to sing, serve and sightsee.
• Your donated items and services are needed for the silent auction. Suggestions include restaurant gift cards, new household items, sporting equipment and event tickets. Professional services make great donation items, so if you’re a musician, tutor, photographer, baker, designer, accountant or have a service to provide, consider donating a gift certificate of your time or service. Donations are kindly requested by Sunday, Feb. 15. Visit wilshirebc.org/events/slsa for donation information and contribution forms, or email wycauction@gmail.com.
Faith in 3D is coming March 4 & 7
Wilshire’s Faith in 3D team will present Songs of the People: Life’s Lessons from Folk Songs on March 4 and 7. The show will include a wide array of songs, from the lighthearted to the intense, the obvious to the symbolic, the personal to the universal, and the secular to the sacred. Nancy Poynter and Ralph Manuel return as director and musical director, respectively, with musical help from Jeff Brummel, Darren DeMent, Ariel Merivil and Amy Pottkotter. Songs of the People will be presented Wednesday, March 4, at 6:30 p.m., and Saturday, March 7, at 2:30 p.m. The three Ds in Faith in 3D stand for drama, dialogue and dessert.
Two Ash Wednesday services on Feb. 18
Noon | McIver Chapel
6 p.m. | Sanctuary
Wilshire will offer Ash Wednesday services at noon and 6 p.m. on Feb. 18. Both will include the imposition of ashes. The 6 p.m. service will be held in lieu of regular faith formation offerings; children and youth are encouraged to attend the service. Childcare will be available for preschoolers. Koinonia Café will be offered at 5 p.m.
Unified Budget Update
YTD Budget: $215,209
YTD Income: $233,986 ($45,800 short of expenses)
YTD Expenses: $269,786
Pathways Endowment YTD gifts $995
Pathways Endowment Jan. balance $11,330,258
Baptism Team seeks larger pool of volunteers
Looking for an easy way to serve? The Baptism Ministry Team is seeking volunteers. Team members are contacted as baptisms are scheduled and may serve as a baptism host — meeting with the individual being baptized, showing them to the baptistry and lighting the candle — or by helping with robe and towel laundry afterward. These roles require minimal time but offer meaningful support to those being baptized. For more information or to sign up, contact Chelsea Hopkins at chopkins@wilshirebc.org.
Get in on the 75th anniversary fun
Wilshire will mark its 75th anniversary this year, culminating in a festive June weekend, and we need your help! From planning to hosting, there are lots of ways you can be involved in our milestone celebration. Visit our SignUpGenius and see where you can plug in.
Save these 75th anniversary dates!
Saturday, June 13 | 4:45–7:30 p.m. | The church will be open for you to come, see and gather. At 6 we’ll meet in the Sanctuary for reflections and remembrances.
Sunday, June 14 | 11 a.m. | 75-Minute Worship Celebration.
Adventurers Boston trip has room
Sign-ups are underway for the Adventurers’ Sept. 20–25 trip to Boston, and we still have room for a few more travelers. Visit wilshirebc.org/events/boston-trip to learn more and email Barbara Clayton (bclayton@wilshirebc.org) to learn how to register through our travel partner, Road Scholar. Adventurers is a fellowship group for anyone 60 and above.
Faithworks to hold conference
Advocacy partner FaithWorks (formerly Fellowship Southwest) will hold its Compassion and Justice Conference on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 20 and 21, in Austin. Racial justice will be the focus, and speakers will include Malcolm Foley, Agustín Quiles, and Robert P. Jones. Wilshire members can use the code “FWChurch” to get 40% off the registration fee. Learn more and register at faithworks.com.
Your voice matters in primaries
Texas primary elections in March determine which candidates appear on the November ballot, yet only about 10% of Texans participate. Several important dates are approaching: the voter registration deadline is Monday, Feb. 2; early voting runs Feb. 17–27; and Primary Election Day is Tuesday, March 3. Check your registration status, see a ballot preview and find polling locations at marchmatters.org.
Preschool Playdate on Feb. 28
Preschoolers and their families are invited to a Preschool Playdate on Saturday, Feb. 28, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the home of Jessica and Andy Brookshire. Contact: Minister to Preschoolers Kelly Akins (kakins@wilshirebc.org)
Historical photos, video wanted
Planners for Wilshire’s 75th anniversary celebration are hoping church members, especially those who’ve been around a while, can help us gather Wilshire-related photos and video from bygone decades. If you have anything, even if it’s not digitized, reach out to Communications Director Mark McKenzie.
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Wednesday Night Live: Feb. 18
Koinonia Café
5 p.m. | Community Hall | Buffet dinner with kid-friendly options. Cash/check/credit. Prices at wilshirebc.org/events/wnl. Feb. 18: Taco salad bar, ground beef, black beans, cilantro lime rice, chips and salsa, tortilla soup, choco flan, cookies, jello. Kids: Cheese quesadillas, black beans.
Ash Wednesday Service
6 p.m. | Sanctuary | Head to the Sanctuary after dinner for our 6 p.m. Ash Wednesday service, which will be held in lieu of regular faith formation offerings. Children and youth are encouraged to attend the service. Childcare will be available for preschoolers.
Preschool Music & Missions – will not meet Feb. 18
6 p.m. | Age 3–Pre-K | Preschool choir plus fun activities and lessons focused on God’s love and caring for others.
KidConnect – will not meet Feb. 18
6 p.m. | K–Grade 5 | A rotation of activities to help kids learn how to love God and others.
Watershed – will not meet Feb. 18
6:30 p.m. | Grades 6–12 | 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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Lunch & Learn
Everyone is invited to Community Hall the first and third Wednesdays every month at 11:30 a.m. for a buffet lunch ($10) followed by Bible study. The next Lunch & Learn will be held Feb. 18.
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.
Women of Wilshire Book Clubs
• Tuesday Evening Book Club | March 10 | 6:30 p.m. | Parlor | The Thursday Murder Book Club by Richard Osman. Contact Debby Burton.
• Brown Bag Book Club | Thursday, March 5 | Noon | 1205-L | The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hauck. Contact Carolyn Murray.
Men’s Book Club
Tuesday, Feb. 17 | 7 p.m. | Parlor | New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton. Contact: Scott Spreier (swspreier@gmail.com) or Mike Meripolski (meripolski@att.net)
Change to Library hours
The Library will have reduced hours for several weeks while Librarian Barbara Peterson recovers from back surgery. The Library will be open Sundays, 9:30–10:45 a.m., Wednesdays, 6–7:15 p.m., and will be closed other days.
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.