Youth Choir Spaghetti Lunch & Silent Auction
April 10, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. • Community Hall
After a one-year absence that feels longer, the Youth Choir Spaghetti Lunch and Silent Auction returns Sunday, April 10. It’s the main fundraiser for the choir’s summer trip to Denver to sing, serve and sightsee. It’s also one of Wilshire’s signature churchwide events, so everyone is invited for a tasty meal and fellowship. There are seatings at 11 a.m. and noon, and the silent auction will close at 1 p.m. Donate any amount for lunch.
There will also be a bake sale in James Gallery starting at 9:30 a.m. Cash, checks and credit cards are accepted.
Some of the items up for bid:
■ Cajun meal made by the DeMents.
■ Songwriting session with George Gagliardi.
■ Handmade quilts and baby blankets.
■ SMU football & basketball: Four tickets with parking and field or floor passes.
■ Baylor football vs. Texas State in Waco, Sept. 17: Four tickets with parking.
■ Jesus Christ Superstar, Fair Park Music Hall: Two orchestra-level seats on Easter Sunday.
■ Tickets to Women’s Chorus of Dallas and Turtle Creek Chorale.
■ SMU Women’s Soccer Camp.
■ Tutoring, babysitting, basketball lesson.
■ Dinner on Resident Row.
Holy Week & Easter
Order Easter lilies by April 10
April 10 is the deadline to order Easter lilies for the Sanctuary. Dedications in honor or in memory of loved ones will be listed in the worship folder on Easter. Each plant costs $15; order in the church office or at wilshirebc.org/registration.
Wednesday: final session for resident-led Lenten study
April 13, 6 p.m. • Parlor. Join Wilshire’s pastoral residents as they conclude their series inspired by this year’s Lenten devotional guide, Vincent van Gogh and the Beauty of Lent.
Outing to Immersive van Gogh exhibit is Saturday, April 16
As part of our Lenten exploration of Vincent van Gogh, Wilshire is taking an outing to the Immersive van Gogh Exhibit on Saturday, April 16. This cutting-edge digital experience utilizes animation and large-scale projections, and has been called a completely new way of encountering art. The cost is $43 per adult. A bus will leave Wilshire at 2 p.m. for a 3 p.m. exhibit entry. Reserve a spot at wilshirebc.org/registration.
Holy Week videos
A brief devotional video will be released each weekday of Holy Week on Wilshire’s YouTube channel and social media platforms.
Maundy Thursday service features Seven Last Words
April 14, 7:30 p.m. • Sanctuary. Always one of the year’s most meaningful services, Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with the Apostles. In addition to Scripture readings and the Lord’s Supper, this year’s service will include Sanctuary Choir’s presentation of Seven Last Words, a seven-movement work by American composer Michael John Trotta. The choir will be accompanied by oboe, flute, French horn and piano, and Choral Scholars Amy Tippin and Matthew Merritt will be featured soloists.
Easter Sunday, April 17
■ Sunrise Service, 6:30 a.m., T.P. Hill at White Rock Lake.
■ Worship in the Sanctuary, 9 and 11 a.m.
■ Columbarium Service of Remembrance. Senior Pastor George Mason and Pastoral Resident Brianna Childs will lead a brief service of remembrance in the Columbarium at 10 a.m. The service is geared toward those with a loved one inurned or memorialized in the Columbarium, which will be open for visits from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Easter.
■ The Flowering Cross. Stop by anytime Easter morning to place a flower into the mesh-wrapped wooden cross outside the Sanctuary. Bring your own fresh-cut flowers or take one from a limited supply provided by the church.
One service on May 1 for George’s final sermon as senior pastor
Wilshire will hold one worship service, at 11 a.m., on Sunday, May 1, as George Mason preaches for the final time as senior pastor before retiring from the role. The service will include a special time of recognition for George. George and Kim’s adult children, grandchildren and other family members will be on hand. George will remain senior pastor until Aug. 31, and Sunday, Aug. 28, will bring another chance to recognize him in worship and to celebrate his ministry in special events.
Guest preachers begin May 8
Beginning Sunday, May 8, the Wilshire pulpit will be filled by a diverse lineup of guest preachers along with our pastoral residents. Residents will keep to their normal rhythm of preaching about once a month, including May 29. Here’s a look at our guests for the first few weeks:
May 8: Molly Marshall, a pioneer among Baptist women in ministry, is president of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her nearly 40-year career in theological education began at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where she was the school’s first female theology professor and associate dean. She later served Central Baptist Theological Seminary for 25 years, the last 16 as president. Marshall has been a youth minister, campus minister and pastor.
May 15: Milton Brasher-Cunningham is known to Wilshire as a beloved youth camp pastor and mentor to Associate Pastor Darren DeMent. Brasher-Cunningham has been a pastor, youth minister, chaplain, English teacher, chef, blogger and editor. He is ordained in the United Church of Christ.
May 22: Priscilla Pope-Levison is research professor of practical theology at SMU’s Perkins School of Theology. She and her husband, Jack, have attended Wilshire since 2018. An ordained United Methodist minister, Pope-Levison’s research interests include the history of American Christianity, contextual theology, evangelism and ecumenicism.
June 5: Jonathan Walton became dean of Wake Forest University’s School of Divinity in 2019 and was previously a professor of Christian morals at Harvard. He is a social ethicist whose scholarship focuses on evangelical Christianity and its relationship to media and political culture. Walton’s latest book is The Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World.
New around here?
■ Coffee and Conversation with Senior Pastor George Mason will be held Sunday, April 24, at 10 a.m. This informal time in George’s study (Room 2203) gives guests and new members a chance to ask questions about Wilshire.
■ The monthly Wilshire Welcome Class, which helps guests and new members learn what Wilshire is all about, will meet Sunday, May 1, at 10 a.m. in the Prayer Room (1100B).
■ Questions about these events? Contact Carolyn Murray at cmurray@wilshirebc.org.
Baked goods still needed
Wednesday, April 13, is the deadline to provide baked goods for the cake walk at Gateway of Grace’s Easter egg hunt. See recommended items and sign up at wilshirebc.org/registration and drop off your items near the church office. Items should be packed in clear wrapping.
CRT, Book Bans and Me, April 19
Join us Tuesday, April 19, at 6:30 p.m. in Community Hall for a panel discussion about critical race theory, book bans and how our local schools are being impacted. Panelists include Charlie Johnson of Pastors for Texas Children and Casey Boland, Lake Highlands High School history teacher.
Women of Wilshire book clubs
■ The WOW! Tuesday Evening Book Club meets in the Parlor monthly at 6:30 p.m. On April 12, the group will discuss Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library. Zoom option by request. Contact: Debby Burton (dburton@wilshirebc.org).
■ The WOW! Brown Bag Book Club meets one Thursday a month at noon in Room 1205-L.
On May 5, the group will discuss Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth. Contact: Abbey Adcox
Ramadan Dinner, April 25
Wilshire will host Dialogue Institute Dallas for an interfaith dinner on Monday, April 25, at 7 p.m. in Community Hall. The event will help us learn from our Muslim neighbors and break bread together in the holy month of Ramadan. The evening will begin with a welcome followed by a Ramadan presentation. Tasty home-cooked meals will be served. The fast-breaking time is at 7:54 p.m. sharp, and the evening will end after dinner. Space is limited, and RSVP is required via wilshirebc.org/registration.
Adventurers welcome Jill Rumbley Beam, April 25
The Wilshire Adventurers will enjoy lunch and a program by humorist Jill Rumbley Beam on Monday, April 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Community Hall. The cost of lunch is $10 per person; reservations are required. RSVP at wilshirebc.org/registration or contact Barbara Clayton at 214-452-3125 or bclayton@wilshirebc.org. Adventurers events are open to those 60 and older.
Blood Drive, May 4
Carter BloodCare will conduct a blood drive at Wilshire on Wednesday, May 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, but you can avoid a long wait time by making an appointment at [link]. Photo ID required. Need for blood is critical, and all blood types are needed.
Wednesday Night Live – April 13
Family Dinner is back!
5 p.m. • Community Hall. We are once again offering tables in Community Hall for on-site dining on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. Bring your own food or, better yet, order Koinonia Café To Go. Drinks and dessert will be provided by the church.
Music, Missions and More
6 p.m. • Weekly except the first Wednesday of each month. Fun, age-based activities and lessons for 3-year-olds through sixth graders, including music and missions-related topics.
Final session: Embracing Beauty with the Residents
6 p.m. • Parlor. Join Wilshire’s pastoral residents as they explore our Lenten theme through the paintings of van Gogh.
Coming April 20 & 27: What is a Trauma-Sensitive Congregation?
6 p.m. • Parlor.
Trauma is a word you’ve heard frequently, but you might be wondering how to define it or how to apply trauma sensitivity in your spaces, especially at Wilshire. Join Pastoral Resident Brianna Childs for a two-part series on creating trauma-sensitive congregations. Brianna says, “We’re already doing good work, but I hope this is a discussion we can continue to have in order to be an even more inviting, inclusive and trauma-informed place for every body.”
Koinonia Cafe To Go
Takeout meals from Wilshire’s kitchen are available for curbside pickup on Wednesdays, and on-site dining is offered at 5 p.m. in Community Hall. To eat your evening meal at the church, pick it up on the first floor. A microwave is available to heat your entrée.
■ Ordering for April 13 is open now on the church website. Order and pay by end of day Tuesday, April 12, then pick up your food Wednesday.
■ Pickup times: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. & 4:30 – 6 p.m.
■ Email eferguson@wilshirebc.org for information about meatless and allergen-friendly options.
■ Full instructions at ordering link.