Souper Bowl of Caring: Feb. 5 after worship.
Our annual event benefiting the Phil Strickland Hunger Offering, will be held at noon on Sunday, Feb. 5 in Community Hall. Please donate an amount equal to what you’d spend at a nice restaurant. Cash, check and credit cards accepted. The meal will feature these soups plus toppings and grilled cheese sandwiches:
- Chicken Noodle (dairy free)
- Tomato Basil (vegetarian)
- Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo (dairy free)
- Chicken Tortilla (gluten free, dairy free)
- Cheeseburger Soup
Donations welcome. If you can’t participate but wish to donate to the hunger offering, simply earmark your cash, check or online gift to Souper Bowl of Caring.
Proceeds to benefit food pantry. This year’s event will benefit Empowering the Masses (empoweringthemasses.org), a local nonprofit with a mission of providing short-term training that will yield long-term results. Empowering the Masses serves 350 families weekly at its food pantry, and our funds will help transition the pantry to a client-choice pantry and help Empowering the Masses add on-site health screenings.
Offering of letters. In conjunction with Souper Bowl of Caring, the Christian Advocacy Committee invites you to participate in an offering of letters in support of allowing low-income students in vocational and technical degree programs to access the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) while in school. Information will be available at Souper Bowl tables.
Lunch & Learn with Timothy rescheduled for Feb. 8
Wednesday, Feb. 8 | 11:30 a.m. | Community Hall. New Senior Pastor Timothy Peoples will speak at the February edition of this monthly event, which was postponed from Feb. 1 due to inclement weather. Lunch costs $10 per person. No reservation needed. Contact: Barbara Clayton (bclayton@wilshirebc.org)
Plans taking shape for Feb. 26 installation service
Mark your calendars for an installation service for senior pastor Timothy Peoples, to be held during morning worship on Sunday, Feb. 26. The message that day will be delivered by Timothy’s special guest, Rev. Dr. Almeda Wright, an associate professor of religious education at Yale Divinity School.
Sunday School visits
Timothy is visiting Sunday School classes across the age spectrum during the coming months. Associate Pastor Darren DeMent is working with class directors on a schedule.
Wednesday Night Live: Feb. 8
Koinonia Café
5 – 6 p.m. | Community Hall | Buffet-style dinner for the whole family. Pricing at wilshirebc.org/wednesdays. Feb. 1: Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Vegetables, Veggie Noodle Soup, Salad, Bread, Desserts. Kids: Buttered Pasta, Meatballs w/ Marinara, Carrots w/ Ranch.
Music, Missions & More
6 – 7 p.m. | Age 3 – Pre-K | Fun activities and lessons focused on God’s love.
KidConnect
6 – 7 p.m. | K – Grade 6 | This 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 is different. Activities include art, music, science, puppets and cooking.
Global Missions Update
6 – 7 p.m. | Parlor | Ever wonder how Wilshire engages in global missions or how God is moving around the world? In this series some of our global missions partners are sharing how they see God transform communities as a result of our giving and partnerships. Moderated by Pastoral Resident Brianna Childs.
Also on Wednesdays
- Watershed | Grades 7 – 12 | 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. | Youth Center
- Sanctuary Choir | 7 – 8:30 p.m. | Choral Hall | No audition necessary
Racism, Racial Mythologies and the White Church
Saturday, Feb. 11 • 9 a.m. – noon | Community Hall. Baylor University professor Greg Garrett will return to Wilshire on Saturday morning, Feb. 11, for a workshop called Racism, Racial Mythologies and the White Church. For more than 400 years white people have cultivated myths about people of color to create artificial hierarchies. This is America’s original sin of racism, and facing this sin is an essential component of repentance, moving us a step closer to reconciliation. Greg will help us recognize and acknowledge some of the most hateful racial myths and discuss with us how we might move forward to correct these narratives. A longtime friend of Wilshire, Greg’s preaching and teaching have called us to continue our journey forward on issues of race and justice. His most recent nonfiction book is A Long, Long Way: Hollywood’s Unfinished Journey from Racism to Reconciliation. Registration is requested. Visit wilshirebc.org/registration.
Wilshire app is winding down
The Wilshire smartphone app will be discontinued as of Friday, Feb. 10, due primarily to a dramatic increase in the monthly fee charged by our app vendor. Most features of the app are available on our website. The church library catalog can be searched on our website at wilshirebc.org/learn/library. Sermons can be found on our YouTube channel, and we are looking into launching a podcast to deliver sermon audio. Wilshire members are encouraged to download the Realm Connect mobile app, available in your device’s app store. Realm Connect makes giving and event registration easy and can be used as a church directory.
Spaghetti Lunch and Silent Auction set for March 5
The annual Youth Choir Spaghetti Lunch and Silent Auction will be held Sunday, March 5, after worship in Community Hall. The event, a Wilshire favorite, will be the main fundraiser for the Youth Choir’s summer mission tour to San Francisco. More details to come.
February Sunday School option: Faithful Women
Pastoral Resident Brianna Childs is leading a Sunday School series, Faithful Women, on the four Sundays of February at 9:45 a.m. Brianna says, “We will dive into the lives of some extraordinary women in history who changed Christianity as we know it. Though many have tried to erase their influence, their stories have persisted and are meant to be told for generations to come.” The class is meeting in McIver Chapel and will be a good option for anyone not connected to a class or those new to Sunday School.
Reserve childcare by Feb. 5 for Feb. 10 Marriage Connections
The next Marriage Connections will be held Friday, Feb. 10. As usual, there will be free childcare at the church (infant – grade 6) from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., but this month there will be no program; couples will have the whole night for a Valentine’s date. Registration is required and closes Feb. 5; visit wilshirebc.org/registration. Contact: Abbey Adcox (aadcox@wilshirebc.org)
Single, Adoptive and Foster Care Parents Night Out, Feb. 10
Wilshire will offer free childcare (infant – grade 6) for single, adoptive and foster parents on Friday, Feb. 10, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Registration is required and closes Feb. 5; visit wilshirebc.org/registration.
Blood Drive on Wednesday, Feb. 8
Carter BloodCare will be at Wilshire for a blood drive on Wednesday, Feb. 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Carter is still feeling the effects of a decrease in donations during the pandemic. Walk-ups are welcome, but for an appointment, look for the link at wilshirebc.org/registration or scan the QR code in the ad on page 14. Contact: Linda Garner (lgarner@wilshirebc.org)
Chronic illness support group
Wilshire’s support group for those experiencing a chronic or undiagnosed illness meets on Zoom the second and fourth Tuesdays every month at 6 p.m. To learn more, contact group leader Annette Miller at annette.a.miller@gmail.com.
Preschool/ECLC breakfast, Feb. 12
Preschoolers and their families are invited to a breakfast before Sunday School on Feb. 12. The event will start at 9 a.m. in James Gallery. Early Childhood Learning Center families are invited to the breakfast and encouraged to stay for Sunday School and worship. Please RSVP for the breakfast by Feb. 8 at wilshirebc.org/registration. Contact: Minister to Preschoolers Joan Hammons (jhammons@wilshirebc.org)
CPR and AED class planned
On Jan. 2, NFL player Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during a game and was given CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and AED (automated external defibrillation). You may know what these terms mean, and you may even know that there are 10 AEDs at Wilshire, but do you really know what to do in an emergency? Parish Nurse Linda Garner is planning a class for those who would like to learn or refresh their skills. If you’re interested, contact Linda (lgarner@wilshirebc.org) or find the sign-up link at wilshirebc.org/registration. The class will likely be offered on a Friday or Saturday morning, depending on the wishes of the group.
Adventurers Valentine’s lunch to feature singer
Singer Toney Walsh will entertain at the Adventurers Valentine’s Luncheon on Monday, Feb. 13, starting at 11:30 a.m. in Community Hall. Lunch is $10 per person; no RSVP required. Walsh will perform Great American Songbook standards made popular by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Nat King Cole.
Women of Wilshire book clubs
- The WOW! Tuesday Evening Book Club meets monthly at 6:30 p.m. in the Parlor. On Feb. 14, the group will discuss The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri. Contact: Debby Burton (dburton@wilshirebc.org)
- The WOW! Brown Bag Book Club meets one Thursday a month at noon in Room 1205-L. On Feb. 9, the group will discuss Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Contact: Carolyn Murray (cmurray@wilshirebc.org)
WOW: Women of Wilshire Mini-Retreat
Wise Bodies: Coming Home to Trusting and Loving Ourselves is the theme for the WOW mini-retreat on Saturday, Feb. 25, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Community Hall. Pastoral Resident Brianna Childs will lead. Learn more and sign up at wilshirebc.org/registration.
Do Timothy and Valerie a favor: update your photo in Realm
Let’s update our profile pictures in Realm to help new Senior Pastor Timothy Peoples and his wife, Valerie Lott, learn names and faces.
- Open the Realm Connect app on your mobile device.
- Tap your picture or the empty icon next to your name. (If you don’t see your profile picture, choose More from the bottom menu to go to the next screen, then look in the top left corner.)
- Tap the pencil icon in the bottom right of the icon circle.
- Chose New Profile Photo and then select a photo from your phone’s camera roll. Tap Apply to set the photo.
- If you access Realm on a computer, click your name in the upper right corner, then choose Realm under My Profile Views. Click on your photo, then the pencil icon. You can then upload a photo from your computer.
- Need help? Contact Susan Kimball (skimball@wilshirebc.org) or Carolyn Murray (cmurray@wilshirebc.org).