Aug. 20 after worship: churchwide BBQ lunch in Community Hall.
Not everyone is promoting to a new Sunday School class today, but everyone’s invited to stay after worship for a BBQ lunch in Community Hall. The event will include a special performance by the Lake Highlands High School Wildcat Wranglers country-western dance and stunt team. If you’ve never seen this group and they’re flying, twirling choreography, you’re in for a real Texas treat. The Wranglers will have a place in their routine for our Wilshire kids to participate, so bring the whole family! Cost for the meal is $10 per adult, $5 for kids ages 4 to 9 and free for 3 and under. No reservation needed. Cash/check/credit accepted at the door.
Wednesday Night Live resumes Aug. 23
Koinonia Café | 5 – 6 p.m. | Community Hall | Buffet-style dinner for the whole family, with kid-friendly options available. Cash/check/credit card accepted at the door. 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. To-go meals available.
Why is it called Koinonia Café? From the Greek word for communion, koinonia simply means Christian fellowship — the kind we experience around the table on Wednesdays. Hence the name, Koinonia Café. This fall we’re bringing back some pre-pandemic traditions: announcements and weekly birthday celebrations for all ages. In other words, it’ll be fun!
Music, Missions & More | 6 – 7 p.m. | Age 3 – Pre-K | Preschool choir, plus fun activities and lessons focused on God’s love and caring for others.
KidConnect | 6 – 7 p.m. | K – Grade 6 | KidConnect features a rotation of activities to help kids learn how to love God and others with every part of themselves. Each week is different, with activities including art, music, recreation, science, puppets and cooking.
Bible Study: Love in the Hebrew Bible | 6 – 7 p.m. | McIver Chapel | Senior Pastor Timothy Peoples and other ministers will lead Bible study at 6 p.m. in McIver Chapel this fall. Timothy will start with a six-week series, Love in the Hebrew Bible. About the series: Christians insist that love stands at the heart of who God is. Yet, when we talk about love in the Hebrew Bible, how much do we really know? Love is integral to the ways in which relationships, both among people and also between humanity and God, are imagined in the Hebrew text. Love thus is a vital component of the ideology and theology of the Hebrew Scriptures, and an understanding of it remains fundamental to our knowledge of the biblical text.
Also on Wednesday nights
Watershed | 6:30 p.m. | Wilshire Student Ministry’s time of weekly Bible study in the Youth Center.
Sanctuary Choir | 7 p.m. | Wilshire’s main adult choir rehearses weekly in choral hall. New singers welcome. No audition.
Childcare for infants to 2-year-olds whose parents are involved in church activities is offered 6 – 7:15 p.m.
New to Wilshire?
■ Wilshire Welcome, which helps guests and new members learn what the church is all about, meets Aug. 20 at 9:45 a.m. in the Prayer Room near McIver Chapel. The next Wilshire Welcome will be held Oct. 15.
■ Time with Tim is an informal chance for guests and new members to meet and visit with Senior Pastor Timothy Peoples. The next session will be held Sunday, Sept. 17, at 9:45 a.m. in Timothy’s office (Room 2203, second floor).
■ Questions about the above events? Contact Carolyn Murray at cmurray@wilshirebc.org.
Friday Friends resumes
Friday Friends will resume on Aug. 25 and is seeking volunteers. The ministry provides a twice-monthly respite for caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. The group meets at Wilshire the second and fourth Fridays every month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with activities followed by lunch. No special skills or experience are needed to volunteer. To learn more, contact Marilyn Morgan at 214-662-9451 or jakermo@gmail.com.
Mason books in office
If you still don’t have your copy of George Mason’s book, you can pick it up in the church office. Each Wilshire member household gets one free copy of The Word Made Fresh: Preaching God’s Love for Every Body, a collection of sermons from George’s 33 years as Wilshire’s senior pastor.
Children’s and Youth Choirs resume Aug. 27
■ Children’s Choirs for Kindergarten through grade 6 will resume rehearsals after worship on Sunday, Aug. 27. The kids will enjoy a free snack lunch in Room 2221 before choirs meet from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m.
■ Youth Choir, for all students in grades 7–12, also resumes Aug. 27. Students will eat a free snack lunch in the Youth Center before heading to Choral Hall. Youth Choir rehearsal starts at 12:30 p.m. and ends at 1:30.
Blood drive is Aug. 30
Carter BloodCare will be at Wilshire for a blood drive on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 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 appointments are recommended. Make an appointment: https://ww3.greatpartners.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/137985. Contact: Linda Garner (lgarner@wilshirebc.org)
Lunch & Learn resumes Sept. 6 with speaker Bill Bruster
At the next Lunch & Learn, on Sept. 6, Wilshire member Bill Bruster will speak about the origins of the moderate Baptist movement, including the birth of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Lunch & Learn will now be held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 11:30 a.m. in Community Hall. The first Wednesday each month will feature a speaker or entertainment, and the third Wednesday will feature Senior Pastor Timothy Peoples leading Bible study. Open to everyone. Lunch costs $10 per person. No reservation needed. Contact: Barbara Clayton (bclayton@wilshirebc.org).
WOW Fall Study looks at Psalms
Women of Wilshire are invited to study Sandra McCracken’s Exploring the Psalms on six Monday evenings this fall. The video series provides a fresh take on the Psalms via reflections and music from McCracken, a prolific songwriter and author. Study materials will be provided. Sessions will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the home of Joannah DeMent. Dates are Sept. 11 and 25; Oct. 9 and 23; and Nov. 6 and 27. Please register at wilshirebc.org/events/wow-psalms.
Let’s play mahjong!
Join other Women of Wilshire for mahjong on the first Friday of each month at 10 a.m. or the second Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. All skill levels are welcome. Please sign up so we’ll know how many to prepare for. Visit wilshirebc.org/events/mahjong for a SignUpGenius link.
Women of Wilshire book clubs
■ The WOW Tuesday Evening Book Club meets monthly at 6:30 p.m. in the Parlor. On Sept. 12, the group will discuss The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. Contact: Debby Burton (dburton@wilshirebc.org)
■ The WOW Brown Bag Book Club meets one Thursday a month at noon in Room 1205-L. On Sept. 7, the group will discuss Horse by Geraldine Brooks. Contact: Carolyn Murray (cmurray@wilshirebc.org)
Go deep on housing with Collective Consciousness Cohort
You can become an equipped advocate for housing-first solutions and affordable housing by joining Wilshire’s new housing-focused Collective Consciousness Cohort. Led by Associate Pastor Heather Mustain, the cohort will give participants in-depth knowledge on policy and perspective nuances and the chance to hear from experts as they gain the tools necessary to bring about awareness and change. The cohort will meet from 5:45 to 7 p.m. on six Wednesdays: Sept. 6, 13, 20 and 27 and Oct. 4 and 18. The housing group is the first of a new cohort-based approach to advocacy at Wilshire. Cohorts will be formed around other issues in the future. Contact Heather at hmustain@wilshirebc.org for additional information.
Marriage Connections, Sept. 8
A new year of Marriage Connections begins on Friday, Sept. 8 at 6:30 p.m. In this event, held on select Friday nights, free childcare (infant – grade 6) is provided while parents enjoy a short program at the church and then have the rest of the night, until 9:30, to themselves. On Sept. 8, Wilshire member Micki Lacker will speak on “Listening: The Universal Love Language, a Stephen Ministry skill anyone can do.” Registration is required for childcare and closes Sunday, Sept. 3; visit wilshirebc.org/events/marriage-connections. Contact: Abbey Adcox (aadcox@wilshirebc.org)
Single, Adoptive and Foster Care Parents Night Out, Sept. 8
Wilshire will offer free childcare (infant – grade 6) for single, adoptive and foster parents on Friday, Sept. 8, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Registration is required and closes Sunday, Sept. 3; visit wilshirebc.org/events/pno.
Compassion & Justice Conference
Fellowship Southwest will present a Compassion & Justice Conference on Friday, Sept. 8 and Saturday, Sept. 9 at Life in Deep Ellum. Eugene Cho, Kaitlin Curtice, Alexia Salvatierra and Jemar Tisby will speak, and topics will include hunger, indigenous rights, immigration and racial justice. The $99 fee includes all plenary sessions plus two of four workshops, lunch on Friday and a T-shirt. Learn more and register at fellowshipsouthwest.org.
Grandparents Day Celebration
Wilshire will celebrate Grandparents Day with a luncheon after worship on Sunday, Sept. 10, in Community Hall. The event is open to: Wilshire families with older preschoolers through elementary-aged children (ages 3 to 12) and their grandparents, Wilshire members or not; Wilshire grandparents and their children and grandchildren, Wilshire members or not; families who need a local “grandfriend” and older adults wishing to connect with a young family. The event will include family photos, a craft, entertainment, a presentation, resource table and more. Cost for the meal is $10 per adult, $5 for ages 4 to 9 and free for age 3 and under. Register at wilshirebc.org/events/grandparents-day.
Wilshire hosting AWAB event
Wilshire will host the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists’ Annual Lectureship on Monday, Sept. 11, at 6:30 p.m. A dessert reception will follow. The event’s speaker will be Rev. Dr. Susan Shaw, a professor of women, gender and sexuality at Oregon State University. An ordained Baptist minister who now makes her home in the United Church of Christ, Shaw’s most recent book is Reflective Faith: A Theological Toolbox for Women. She is a contributor to Baptist News Global, HuffPost and other publications. Wilshire members receive a discount on the registration fee. To learn more and register, visit awab.org/lectureship.
Border experience with CBF
Wilshire has spots for five people to join an educational experience at the Texas-Mexico border from Oct. 22 to 27. Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel and global missions staff will lead the experience, which is designed for those who have not previously participated in a border trip. Costs include airfare, hotel and food. To reserve your spot, contact Abbey Adcox at aadcox@wilshirebc.org. Scan QR code for more information.