Jon Singletary preaches Oct. 9
Jon Singletary, our guest preacher for Oct. 9, was named dean of Baylor University’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work in 2016 after serving as associate dean since 2011. He has held the Diana R. Garland Endowed Chair in Child and Family Studies since 2010 and first joined the faculty in 2003. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor, an MDiv from the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond and master’s and doctoral degrees in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University. Jon directed Baylor’s Center for Family and Community Ministries, which studied congregational ministries that serve low-income communities. Recently his research has focused on contemplative practices and the Enneagram. Before coming to Baylor, he was a pastor and community organizer in Richmond, Virginia. Jon and his wife, Wendi, were Wilshire members in the early 90s. They were married here and he served as an intern in singles ministry. Jon and Wendi, a teacher, are parents to Haden, Harper, Ainsley and Abbott.
The Wilshire Pulpit. A diverse lineup of guests is preaching at Wilshire during our time of pastoral transition. Our pastoral residents will also preach about once a month.
Oct. 16: Marcus Ingram has been head of equity and inclusion at Greenhill School in Dallas since 2020. Known as a tenacious and effective change agent and leader, Ingram holds an MDiv from Wake Forest University School of Divinity and a PhD in education from the University of Virginia. He has held various roles in higher education, including assistant university chaplain at Wake Forest.
Oct. 23: Jaime Clark-Soles is a professor of New Testament and director of the Baptist House of Studies at SMU’s Perkins School of Theology. Her newest book is Women in the Bible, a volume in the Interpretation commentary series from Westminster John Knox Press. She holds an MDiv from Yale Divinity School and a PhD from Yale University.
■ Full schedule at wilshirebc.org/guest-preachers
Reception for Jessica Capps after worship, Oct. 9
Sunday we’ll honor Jessica Capps, who recently retired from her role as Minister to Senior Adults after 22 years on Wilshire’s staff. Worship will include a time of recognition, and all are invited to a reception in James Gallery after the service. The festivities were originally scheduled for Jessica’s last day, Sept. 18, but had to be rescheduled.
Library Book Fair is Wednesday, Oct. 12
The yearly Wilshire Library Book Fair featuring children’s books from Usborne Books & More will be held Wednesday, Oct. 12, in James Gallery from 9 to 10 a.m. and 2 to 7 p.m. Checks/cash/credit accepted. A portion of the sales will benefit the Wilshire Library and book projects at Cornerstone Baptist Church. Can’t make it on Oct. 12? Online shopping is available through Oct. 31: https://f12261.myubam.com/2440007.
Wednesday Night Live, Oct. 12
Koinonia Café
5 – 6 p.m. | Community Hall | Buffet-style Wednesday meals are back! No registration necessary. Cash/check/credit card accepted at the door. Kid-friendly options available. Full Meal: $10 for ages 10 and up; $5 for kids 4 to 9; free for kids 3 and under; $35 household max. Soup & Salad Meal: $7.
Music, Missions & More
6 – 7 p.m. | Age 3 – Pre-K | Fun activities and lessons focused on God’s love and caring for others.
KidConnect
6 – 7 p.m. | K – Grade 6 | This all-new children’s experience features a rotation of activities to help kids learn how to love God and others with every part of themselves. Each week will be different, with activities including art, music, recreation, science, puppets and cooking.
WSM Watershed
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. | Grades 7 – 12 | Wilshire Student Ministry’s time of weekly Bible study in the Youth Center.
Resident-led study
6 – 7 p.m. | Through Nov. 9 | 1205-L
Join the pastoral residents this fall for Toward Wholeness: Seeking an Integrated Faith, a series to help us chart a path away from disillusionment toward authentic, embodied spiritual formation through practices of the mind, body and soul.
Sanctuary Choir
7 – 8:30 p.m. | Choral Hall | Wilshire’s
primary adult choir is open to all. No audition necessary.
Childcare for infants to 2-year-olds whose parents are involved in church activities is offered 6 – 7:15 p.m.
Fireside Chat host homes sought
Wilshire will again host Fireside Chats at several members’ homes on Sunday evening, Nov. 13. The hope of this churchwide social event is to deepen relationships and connection and provide a space to express our collective gratitude in an intimate setting. Hosts will help determine the number of guests (20 max) at their location. Hosts will be provided a gratitude liturgy, refreshments and help with logistics. If you are interested in hosting or learning more about being a host, please contact Carolyn Murray at cmurray@wilshirebc.org by Oct. 17.
Evolving Faith, Oct. 14 & 15
Join Women of Wilshire for the Evolving Faith live virtual conference on Oct. 14 and 15. The event is an invitation to come “together to listen — to God and to one another … to reimagine and to rebuild, to remember and even to resurrect a faith that is truly good news.” Participants must register individually and will receive access to the live online gathering and recordings of all sessions until January 9. Gather with us at Wilshire for as much or as little of the live stream as you like. Contact Abbey Adcox at aadcox@wilshirebc.org for our group registration link and sign up for the discounted price of $109 each.
Single, Adoptive and Foster Care Parents Night Out, Oct. 14
Wilshire will offer free childcare (infant – grade 6) for single, adoptive and foster parents on Friday, Oct. 14, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Registration is required and closes Oct. 9; visit wilshirebc.org/registration. This childcare is offered the second Friday each month during the school year, with the exception of December and March.
Marriage Connections, Oct. 14
The next Marriage Connections will be held Friday, Oct. 14, at 6:30 p.m. In this monthly event, free childcare (infant – grade 6) is provided while parents enjoy a short program in James Gallery and then have the rest of the night, until 9:30, to themselves. Marriage Connections provides an opportunity for time with other couples or for just the two of you. Registration is required for childcare and closes Oct. 9; visit wilshirebc.org/registration. Contact Abbey Adcox at aadcox@wilshirebc.org to learn more.
Stay for lunch next Sunday, Oct. 16
Back by popular demand! All are invited to Community Hall after worship next Sunday, Oct. 16, for a churchwide Fellowship Lunch. No reservation necessary. Cash/check/credit card accepted at the door. $10 for ages 10 and up; $5 for kids 4 to 9; free for kids 3 and under.
Wednesday night parenting seminar starts Oct. 19
Wilshire will offer a free parenting seminar on Wednesdays, Oct. 19 – Nov. 9, at 6 p.m. Parenting the Love and Logic Way will provide simple and practical techniques for raising happy, responsible children. The class will be led by Candy McComb. Registration is requested; visit wilshirebc.org/registration to sign up.
New to Wilshire?
The monthly Wilshire Welcome Class, which helps guests and new members learn what Wilshire is all about, will meet Oct. 30 at 10 a.m. in the Prayer Room near McIver Chapel. Contact Carolyn Murray, coordinator of congregational life, at cmurray@wilshirebc.org.
Balance classes start Oct. 17
Physical therapists from Texas Women’s University will offer a five-week series of balance-focused exercise classes at Wilshire. The sessions are designed to help increase strength and flexibility, reduce the risk of falling and encourage active lifestyles. Classes will meet each Monday, Oct. 17 – Nov. 14, from 11 a.m. to noon in rooms 3301 and 3303. No reservation required; it’s OK if you can’t make it every week. Contact Parish Nurse Linda Garner at lgarner@wilshirebc.org.
Women of Wilshire book clubs
■ The WOW! Brown Bag Book Club meets one Thursday a month at noon in Room 1205-L. On Nov. 3, the group will discuss Erik Larson’s The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz. Contact: Carolyn Murray (cmurray@wilshirebc.org).
■ The WOW! Tuesday Evening Book Club meets in the Parlor monthly at 6:30 p.m. On Oct. 11, Pastoral Resident Brianna Childs will lead a discussion of How the Bible Actually Works by Peter Enns. Zoom available. Contact: Debby Burton (dburton@wilshirebc.org).
■ WOW! Fall Book Study. Women of Wilshire are studying Amy-Jill Levine’s The Difficult Words of Jesus this fall on select Mondays at 7:30 p.m. Remaining dates: Oct. 10, Oct. 24, Nov. 7, Nov. 28. Joannah DeMent is hosting at her home in Lake Highlands. Register at wilshirebc.org/registration.
CenterPeace conference
Wilshire will host the 2022 CenterPeace Conference, a gathering of LGBTQ+ Christians and their churches and families, Thursday – Saturday, Nov. 3 – 5. Exploring topics related to faith and sexuality, CenterPeace features a range of speakers, from Biblical scholars to parents who just want to love their LGBTQ+ children well. At every session, speakers will emphasize the need to approach this topic with grace and compassion, living out our call to love as Christ loves. Learn more at centerpeace.net/conference. Scholarships are available.
■ Wilshire folks are needed to serve as a hospitality team for the conference, and there will be a training session on Saturday morning, Oct. 22. Contact Abbey Adcox at aadcox@wilshirebc.org to learn more.
Brianna Childs ordination, Oct. 23
Pastoral Resident Brianna Childs will be ordained to the gospel ministry on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m. in the Sanctuary. A reception will follow in James Gallery. Brianna began the residency program in 2021 after graduating with a master’s degree in social work from Baylor University and a master of divinity degree from Baylor’s Truett Seminary.
Wilshire joins Big D Reads
Wilshire will participate in Big D Reads, a community-wide reading program, by holding a discussion of Jim Schutze’s The Accommodation: the Politics of Race in an American City. Long out of print and newly rereleased, the book examines the violent and suppressed history of race and racism in Dallas. Our talk will take place Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Sign up at wilshirebc.org/registration for the Zoom link.
Volunteers needed for One Starry Night, Dec. 16
Imagine Bethlehem on the night Jesus was born — the village bustling with merchants and artists, musicians and storytellers, beggars and royalty. Now, imagine you are a baker, potter, weaver, carpenter, scribe or palace guard and you are welcoming guests who have come from far and wide to shop in the colorful tents, register for the census and hear the news about the baby. You can do that and more on Dec. 16, when One Starry Night fills Wilshire’s Community Hall with the sights and sounds of a first-century village. It’s an interactive outreach event for the community and an intergenerational experience for church members and their families. It takes a village to pull off a village such as this, and there are many ways to be involved. Volunteers are needed for a variety of booths and activities: census, palace, scribe, stargazing, Bible storytelling, the manger, musicians, Bethlehem Inn, baker, carpenter, weaver, painter, potter, jeweler, herbs and spices. Help is also needed to set up during the week before the event and to clean up afterwards. Will you join the effort and the fun by playing a role? You can volunteer as an individual, a family, a group of friends or a Sunday School class. Look for the sign-up link at wilshirebc.org/registration or scan the QR code at left. For more information, contact LeAnn Hampton at kitel@tx.rr.com.
Mark your calendar. Senior Pastor Emeritus George Mason is involved with three upcoming events that may be of interest to Wilshire members.
Oct. 27: Maston Dinner honoring Faith Commons
Faith Commons, the nonprofit founded by George Mason, will be honored at the T.B. Maston Foundation Award Dinner on Thursday, Oct. 27, at Wilshire. The Foundation seeks to promote the life and teachings of Jesus as lived and taught by ethicist and writer T.B. Maston. Space is limited; reservations must be made by Oct. 14. Tickets and info at tbmaston.org.
Oct. 30: Luther Center event with Peter Marty
Peter Marty, editor and publisher of The Christian Century, will speak at an event hosted by Wilshire on Sunday, Oct. 30, at 4 p.m. Becoming More Human Through Worship is the theme of this year’s Herbener Lecture, presented by the Luther Center of North Texas and the Church Music Institute. George Mason will also appear on the program, which will be followed by a 5:30 dinner (by reservation) and a sung evening prayer at 6:30. The event is free with a requested donation for dinner. Register at luthercenter-northtexas.org.
Nov. 1: Ecological symposium at SMU
George Mason will be one of the speakers at a colloquium on religion and science at SMU’s Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. The free event, titled Confronting our Global Ecological Crisis, will feature religious leaders, scholars and scientists. No reservation necessary.