Current News

by | Jan 24, 2025 | Tapestry News

Note: This page is generally updated on Fridays.

Time with Tim on Feb. 23
Time with Tim, an informal chance for guests and new members to meet and chat with Senior Pastor Timothy Peoples, will be held Sunday, Feb. 23, at 9:45 a.m. in Timothy’s office. Contact: Carolyn Murray

Souper Bowl of Caring is Feb. 9
The annual Souper Bowl of Caring will be held Sunday, Feb. 9, at noon in Community Hall. Join us after worship for soup and all the fixings and donate an amount equal to what you would spend at a nice restaurant for lunch. This year’s beneficiaries are Together for Hope and Wilshire’s Rental and Utility Assistance Program. Together for Hope is engaged in the 338 counties of persistent rural poverty in America, holistically focusing on four priorities of hope: education, health and nutrition, housing and environment, and social enterprise. Wilshire’s Rental and Utility Assistance Program, launched last year with Missions Plus funds, provides crucial one-month support to help local families bridge financial gaps. Souper Bowl of Caring is the main fundraiser for Wilshire’s Phil Strickland Hunger Offering. Strickland was a longtime Wilshire member and a leader in Texas Baptist life.

Spaghetti Lunch is March 2 — auction items needed
The annual Youth Choir Spaghetti Lunch and Silent Auction will be held Sunday, March 2, in Community Hall after worship. This event will help fund the choir’s summer mission tour to Chicago to sing, serve and sightsee. If you’d like to donate items or services to the silent auction, contact Sara Tinsley at saratinsley1@yahoo.com. 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. 16.

Wilshire and Royal Lane collaboration: Feb. 16 & 23
Wilshire and Royal Lane Baptist Church will collaborate by swapping worship leadership on two February Sundays. Congregants are encouraged to attend their respective churches both weeks. “By participating in this swap with our most like-minded local sister church,” Timothy said, “we are embracing our shared faith and practicing what it means to be community as the church universal.”
• On Feb. 16, worship at Royal Lane will include preaching from Wilshire Senior Pastor Timothy Peoples. Wilshire Minister of Music Ariel Merivil will co-lead the music, and the combined choirs from both churches will sing. (At Wilshire, Sunday School and worship will be held as usual, with Pastoral Resident Georgia McKee preaching.)
•On Feb. 23, Royal Lane Senior Pastor Victoria Robb Powers will preach at Wilshire, and the combined choirs will sing again as Royal Lane Minister of Music and Worship Harry Wooten co-leads the music with Ariel.

Kitchen adds sous-chef
Monique Roberts began work Jan. 27 as a full-time sous-chef in the Wilshire kitchen. The church created the new role and made other adjustments after evaluating the kitchen’s budget and staffing needs. As sous-chef, Monique will be second in command to Haley Garcia, food service director. Monique holds the same food handling certification as Haley, which will allow more flexibility in scheduling for the kitchen. Monique spent the last five years as kitchen manager for a meal delivery and catering company and has experience in project management.
• Kitchen staffer Luke Munion has been named prep cook. While still part-time, Luke will be working more hours with expanded responsibilities.
• Wilfredo Velasquez-Cruz remains as a full-time staffer and has a new job title, steward.

North elevator update
Wilshire is soliciting bids to replace the elevator on the north end of the building. The current elevator, which is decades old, has proven increasingly unreliable despite repeated repair attempts, and for safety reasons it will remain out of service until the new one can be installed. The process could take several weeks. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Street work around church
The city of Dallas is working to install curb cuts and ramps on street corners and sidewalks surrounding the church. This will ultimately make our building more accessible but may cause some temporary inconvenience while work is being done. Street parking on Ravendale Lane and Springside Lane may be reduced, and entrances from Ravendale into the south parking lot and the porte-cochère drive may briefly be inaccessible. While timing of the work is out of our control, we hope disruptions on Sundays and Wednesdays will be minimal.

Parent series offered Sundays and Wednesdays
Nurturing faith in kids will be the topic of a series for parents on Sunday mornings from Jan. 26 to March 2 (except Feb. 9). Minister to Children Julie Girards will facilitate a discussion of the book Woven: Nurturing a Faith Your Kid Doesn’t Have to Heal From by Meredith Miller. The series will meet Sundays from 10 to 10:40 a.m. in Room 3208 (Labyrinth Class). Check in with your regular class and then join us. The five sessions will also be offered Wednesdays from Jan. 29 to Feb. 26 at 6:05 p.m. in Room 2230.

Preschool Playdate at NorthPark
Preschoolers and their families are invited to a Preschool Playdate at NorthPark Center on Saturday, Feb. 15, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. The group will enjoy a performance by Bandan Koro, an African drum and dance ensemble, and then all who are able are invited for lunch in the food court. Contact Minister to Preschoolers Kelly Akins.

Adventurers Valentine’s trivia
The Wilshire Adventurers will enjoy lunch ($10 ea.) and a Valentine’s trivia game on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 11:30 a.m. in Community Hall. Sam Tinsley will serve as emcee. No RSVP required. Adventurers is a fellowship group for those 60 and up.

Wednesday Night Live: Feb. 5
Koinonia Café | 5 p.m. | Community Hall | Buffet dinner. Cash/check/credit accepted. See prices at wilshirebc.org/events/wnl. Feb. 5: Chicken and sausage gumbo, rice, succotash, salad, bread pudding, pecan pralines, jello. Kids: Chicken tenders and tots.    
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. Activities include art, music, recreation and more.
Bible Study: Four Baptist Freedoms | 6 p.m. | Community Hall | What does it mean that we’re a Baptist church? And why would anyone want to be Baptist? Our February series will explore the “Four Fragile Freedoms” of Baptist identity as outlined by historian Walter Shurden: Bible Freedom (Feb. 5), Soul Freedom (Feb. 12), Church Freedom (Feb. 19) and Religious Freedom (Feb. 26). Whether you’re new to Wilshire or a lifelong Baptist, this series will deepen our understanding of who we are and why it matters. Pastoral Resident Georgia McKee will lead, with Pathways Director Charlie Fuller subbing on Feb. 19.  
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 | New singers are always welcome in our main adult choir. No audition.

WNL: Virtual Edition on Feb. 12
Those who engage with Wilshire mainly online are invited to a monthly Zoom session hosted by a staff member. Minister of Music Ariel Merivil will host the next meeting on Feb. 12 at 5:30 p.m. Central. Find the link at wilshirebc.org/events/wnl-virtual closer to the event.

Lunch & Learn 
All are invited the first and third Wednesdays every month for lunch ($10 ea.) and Bible study. See the winter/spring schedule at wilshirebc.org/events/lunch-learn.

Register for Feb. 14 Marriage Connections
Marriage Connections will meet on Friday night, Feb. 14. In this event, held on select Friday nights at 6:30, free childcare (infant–grade 5) is provided while parents enjoy a short program at the church and then have the rest of the night, until 9:30, to themselves. Registration for childcare is required by Sunday, Feb. 9.

Single, Adoptive and Foster Parents Night Out is Feb. 14 
Wilshire will offer free childcare (infant–grade 5) for single, adoptive and foster parents on Friday, Jan. 10, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Registration for childcare and closes Sunday, Feb. 9.

Men’s Book Club 
Wilshire’s Men’s Book Club will discuss Erik Larson’s The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m. in the Parlor. The group meets the third Tuesday each month. Contact: Mike Meripolski or Scott Spreier.

Women of Wilshire 
WOW Tuesday Evening Book Club | Feb. 11 | 6:30 p.m. | Parlor | Washington Square by Henry James.  Contact Debby Burton
WOW Brown Bag Book Club | March 6 | Noon | 1205-L | Camino Island by John Grisham. Contact Carolyn Murray.
■ Evening knitting group. Anyone who enjoys knitting is invited to Peggy Tinsley’s Garland home one evening each month, usually the third Thursday, to work on their projects in fellowship with others. The group is open to knitters of all skill levels. Contact Sara Tinsley for more details.

Library is open
The Wilshire Library is open after being closed for the installation of new shelving and other enhancements. Library hours are: Sundays, 9 to 10:45 a.m.; Wednesdays, 2 to 7 p.m.; other weekdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; closed on Saturdays.

Weekly Witness podcast
With the Texas legislative session underway, now is a great time to subscribe to the Weekly Witness podcast produced by advocacy agency Texas Impact. The podcast is a way for Texans of faith to learn about important public policy issues through a faith lens and find out timely opportunities to participate in the public policy process. Find out more at texasimpact.org/weekly-witness-podcast-2023.

Advocacy Action Groups
The 89th Texas Legislature and 119th U.S. Congress convene in January. Consider joining an Advocacy Action Group to receive educational resources and action alerts regarding local, state and national issues. From the Missions and Christian Advocacy Committee. Sign up here >

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.