Pastor Search Committee: candidate will preach Dec. 4
The following message was emailed to Wilshire members on Monday, Nov. 14. Next week’s Tapestry will include details about call weekend events and the Dec. 4 special business meeting.
Church,
It is our great joy to announce that the Pastor Search Committee has selected a final candidate to present to the congregation as our recommendation to be the next senior pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church. We will present our candidate to you during a call weekend which will take place the first weekend of December. To conclude that weekend, the candidate will preach in view of a call during worship on Sunday, Dec. 4.
Wilshire’s deacons voted on Nov. 14 to call a special business meeting immediately following the December 4 worship service so the congregation can vote to call our next senior pastor. More information is coming soon about how you can engage in our call weekend activities and interact with our candidate before they preach.
We will not be announcing the name of our final candidate at this time in order to honor the relationship they have with their current congregation and allow them the opportunity to share the news directly. Information about our candidate will be available to you by Sunday, Nov. 27, and we will share details soon on how you will be able to access that information.
Thank you for your continued prayers over these past 10 months. We are looking forward to seeing you in the pews on Dec. 4!
Andy, Anna, Bob, Brad, Collin, Colman, Evelyn, Jimmy, Katie, Meredith, Molly and Paula; Charles, Debbie and Doug (ex-officio)
Annette Thornburg Owen preaches Nov. 20
Annette Thornburg Owen, a Wilshire pastoral resident from 2011 to 2013, is our guest preacher for Nov. 20. Annette recently returned to Dallas from the Chicago area, where she was pastor of Community Baptist Church in Warrenville, Illinois. In August she was named coordinator of the Baptist House of Studies at SMU’s Perkins School of Theology. An ordained American Baptist minister, Annette has served in a variety of ministerial contexts. After her time at Wilshire, she completed a year-long CPE chaplain residency at Methodist Hospital, worked as a hospice chaplain and co-pastored Church in the Cliff. Originally from Ohio, she earned her BA in English and Religion at Denison University, served with AmeriCorps in West Virginia and earned her MDiv at the University of Chicago Divinity School. Annette and her husband David, along with their dogs, Fred and George, are currently enjoying getting to know the neighborhood around their new-to-them old house in Oak Cliff, where you can occasionally find her going for a run or enjoying some nachos at Gloria’s.
The Wilshire Pulpit
Nov. 27: Jason Coker is coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Mississippi as well as president of Together for Hope, CBF’s rural development coalition. He was previously a pastor in Connecticut and served as Wilshire’s minister of missions in 2006 and 2007. He holds a PhD from Drew University and masters degrees from Yale Divinity School and Yale University.
Dec. 4: Senior Pastor Candidate
Dec. 11: Doug Haney
Dec. 18: Heather Mustain
Dec. 24, 5 p.m.: Heather Mustain
Dec. 24, 11 p.m.: Darren DeMent
Dec. 25: Brianna Childs
Jan. 1: John Kelly
Gratitude Sunday
Nov. 20 is Gratitude Sunday and the culmination of our Giving is Giving stewardship emphasis. Please place your response card in an offering box on your way out of the worship service. If you forget to bring your card from home, there will be some available in each pew.
Family Advent Wreath Making Nov. 20 after worship
Families with children or preschoolers are invited to Community Hall after worship Nov. 20 to make an advent wreath to take home for the season. A kid-friendly snack lunch and wreath-making supplies will be provided. Children’s Choirs will not meet on Nov. 20.
Order poinsettias by Nov. 30
Help decorate the Sanctuary for Advent by providing poinsettias in honor or in memory of loved ones. Dedications will be listed in the worship folder for Hanging of the Green. Each plant costs $12, and donors may take the plants home after Christmas Eve services. Place your order using forms in the church office or at wilshirebc.org/registration. The ordering deadline is Wednesday, Nov. 30.
There will be no Wednesday Night Live activities on Nov. 23. Here’s a look at upcoming Wednesday nights:
■ Nov. 30: Called to Care
Adults and children will join together to assemble 50 art kits for mothers served by Genesis Women’s Shelter to share with their children. This project of local nonprofit Color Me Empowered provides Genesis’ clients with high quality art supplies and the ability to explore or express themselves through art. Funding for these kits was provided through a designated missions gift to Wilshire. Color Me Empowered was founded by Wilshire member Kristin Rice with the mission of inspiring children and engaging the community through art.
■ Dec. 7: Last regular week of Koinonia Café and preschool and children’s offerings. Heather Mustain will lead a 6 p.m. session on the Magnificat.
■ Dec. 14: The final Wednesday Night Live of 2022 will feature a preschool music program in McIver Chapel followed by cookies and cocoa in James Gallery.
Help decorate for Advent
The Wilshire Worship Guild is seeking volunteers to assist with Sanctuary decorations and to perform some simple tasks during Advent. Help is needed on Saturday, Nov. 26, to unpack decorations; Saturday, Dec. 3, to prepare poinsettias for Hanging of the Green; Sunday, Dec. 4, after Hanging of the Green for just a few minutes; and Sundays during Advent to “pre-light” candles in the chancel Advent wreath. No special decorating skills required. Look for a SignUpGenius link at wilshirebc.org/registration.
Sign up kids to build nativity set
Children in grades 1 through 6 can sign up to help build the Sanctuary nativity scene by carrying an element to the chancel during worship. We will begin the first Sunday of Advent, Nov. 27, and build the scene week by week until it is complete at the 5 p.m. Christmas Eve service. The sign-up link can be found at wilshirebc.org/registration. Spots will fill quickly! Contact: Julie Girards (jgirards@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 Dec. 1, the group will discuss Anna Quindlen’s Still Life with Bread Crumbs. Contact: Carolyn Murray (cmurray@wilshirebc.org).
■ The WOW! Tuesday Evening Book Club invites all Women of Wilshire to “Christmas Cookies & Conversation” on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 10:30 a.m. in the Parlor. The event will include a brief discussion of John Grisham’s Skipping Christmas. Contact: Debby Burton (dburton@wilshirebc.org).
■ WOW! Fall Book Study. Women of Wilshire have been studying Amy-Jill Levine’s The Difficult Words of Jesus this fall. The final session will be held Monday, Nov. 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the DeMent home.
My Soul Magnifies the Lord: Wilshire Advent 2022
The Magnificat, the Song of Mary (Luke 1:46–55), is a powerful and beautiful piece of Scripture. As we journey through the season of Advent together, this prophecy from the mother of Jesus invites us to magnify the Lord in our own ways. We might learn how to rejoice anew in God our Savior, to cast down the mighty, and to remember God’s promise of mercy. May we be open to whatever the Spirit wants to teach us as we wait.
Hanging of the Green
Sunday, Dec. 4 | 6:30 p.m. | Sanctuary
Kick off the season with this beloved tradition where the Sanctuary is decorated to the sounds of Wilshire’s music groups. Themed “Let All the World in Every Corner Sing,” the service will feature Sanctuary Choir, Nova, Youth Choir, Shekinah and combined Children’s Choirs. R.G. Huff, Wilshire member and church music expert, will offer reflections. Reception to follow.
Special choral music on Dec. 11
Morning worship on Dec. 11 will feature selections from Sanctuary Choir with orchestra. The choir will sing two settings of the Magnificat, one by Antonio Vivaldi and one by American composer John Ferguson.
Wilshire Winds & Carillon Ringers Holiday Concert
Sunday, Dec. 11 | 6:30 p.m. | Sanctuary
This joint concert from Wilshire’s instrumental ensembles will feature music from each group and the groups together. A reception will follow in James Gallery.
Preschool music program
Wednesday, Dec. 14 | 6 p.m. | McIver Chapel
Wilshire’s preschool choirs will present a program on Wednesday, Dec. 14. A reception with cookies and cocoa will follow in James Gallery.
Christmas Eve
■ 5 p.m. Family service
■ 11 p.m. Liturgical service with communion. Youth Choir Alumni will sing.
Christmas and New Year’s
On Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, there will be no Sunday School and worship will be at 10 a.m. The Dec. 25 service will be held in McIver Chapel.
Giving Tree is up; gifts due Dec. 7
Select a tag from Wilshire’s Giving Tree in James Gallery and fulfill a Christmas wish for a child or adult served by one of these local mission partners: CitySquare, Viola’s House, Community Partners of Dallas, Gateway of Grace, Genesis Women’s Shelter, Interfaith Family Services and Wilkinson Center. Gifts are due back to Wilshire by Wednesday, Dec. 7.
■ There’s also a Virtual Giving Tree. Find the link at wilshirebc.org/registration.
Opportunities to serve
■ The Interfaith Family Services Christmas Store will be held Dec. 6, 7 and 8. Volunteers are needed to assist shoppers, wrap gifts and lead kids’ activities. Volunteers must be at least 18. First-time volunteers: Complete an application and select “Christmas Store” as the assignment at interfaithdallas.org/get-involved/volunteer.
■ Owenwood Farm & Neighbor Space needs assistance with food and diaper distribution in East Dallas on Saturday, Dec. 10. All ages welcome. Sign-up link at wilshirebc.org/registration.
■ Wilkinson Center needs volunteers to shop with clients, wrap gifts, restock toys and act as runners at its Toy Drive and Distribution on Saturday, Dec. 17. Also needed: two Santas to take photos with kids! Outfit provided. Location is Eastminster Presbyterian Church (6550 Samuell Blvd.). Ages 16+ welcome; 12 – 15 if with an adult. Volunteers must sign up in advance; see link at wilshirebc.org/registration.
One Starry Night Interactive Bethlehem Experience
Friday, Dec. 16, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Bring the whole family and invite friends and neighbors. Community Hall will be transformed into the village of Bethlehem, with shops, tradespeople, food and storytelling about the whispered birth of a special baby. This event is especially suited for families with children but will be fun for all ages.