Free tickets to Oct. 21 virtual fundraiser with Diane Ravitch. Education policy analyst and author Diane Ravitch will speak at a Pastors for Texas Children fundraising luncheon on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 10:30 a.m. Join in on Zoom to hear about the state of U.S. education, privatization efforts and Diane’s new book, Slaying Goliath. Evan Smith of the Texas Tribune will be moderating. As an event sponsor, Wilshire has five complimentary tickets, each of which comes with a copy of Slaying Goliath. Contact Abbey Adcox at aadcox@wilshirebc.org to inquire about the tickets or for more information.
Sacred Films – Resident-led study, Wednesdays, Oct. 7, 14 & 21,6 p.m. on Facebook Live. Have you ever watched a film and felt that you experienced something sacred? Maybe the beauty of it overwhelmed you. Perhaps the soundtrack was a balm for your weary soul, or there was a character who made you feel seen and understood. Films can transport us to another world or help us understand our world better. For three Wednesdays in October (Oct. 7, 14 and 21) join Pastoral Resident Leigh Curl on Facebook Live at 6 p.m. to discuss some films that may leave you feeling like you experienced something sacred.
Facebook Live Bible Study. Various teachers lead the Facebook Live Bible Study Sundays at 10:15 a.m. on our Facebook page. Pastoral Resident Jenna Sullivan teaches Oct. 18 and 25.
Sanctuary Choir enjoys great outdoors. On Sunday, Oct. 11, Wilshire’s Sanctuary Choir gathered to sing in person for the first time during the pandemic. Associate Pastor Doug Haney led 31 masked and socially distanced singers in rehearsal in the church’s “back yard” along Springside Lane. Two more outdoor rehearsals are planned to augment the choir’s regular Zoom sessions as they prepare to create another virtual performance video for Hanging of the Green on December 6.
Last year’s first graders receive hymnals at last. A Wilshire tradition disrupted by Covid-19 finally came to pass last Sunday night, when Associate Pastor Doug Haney presented several Wilshire children (now second graders) with personalized copies of the Celebrating Grace Hymnal during the Sunday Night Live event in the north parking lot. The hymnal presentation is usually made to first graders in May at the year-end children’s choir program, which had to be canceled this year. The director of the Music Makers 1 choir is Susan Kimball.
Fall Festival fun had by all. On Saturday, Oct. 10, around 160 people took part in Wilshire’s Fall Festival in the north parking lot. Organizer Carolyn Murray reports, “Pumpkins were decorated, the striker was struck, duckies were retrieved from the pond … a fun time was had by all!” Thanks to our volunteers: LeAnn and Jeff Hampton, Lydia Tucker, Pat Spikes, Teri and Mike Korson, Amy Lee, Candy McComb and Vic Henry, Afton and Aldon Crissey, Linda Eggert, Helen Jerman, Linda Garner, Julie Girards, Barbara Clayton, Kelly Akins, Kim and George Mason, Peggy and Sam Tinsley, Charlene Law, Ann Lamm, Desiree Krieger, Virginia DeMent, David Duncan, Mary Carver, Laura and Eric Mirochna, Renee Brown, Joshua Brown, Joan Hammons, Abbey Adcox and Carol Cabaniss Photographer: Garrett Woodbury Music: Michael Prysock, George Gagliardi, Darren DeMent. See pictures here.
Pizza means peace for border pastor. This story first appeared Sept. 24 on Fellowship Southwest’s blog. Earlier this year Wilshire helped fund the purchase of a van for Pastor Ortiz’s border ministry, and Wilshire’s Oct. 18 worship service will feature an interview between Associate Pastor Heather Mustain and Marv Knox, field coordinator of Fellowship Southwest. Read the full story here.
Thanksgiving baskets for the Wilkinson Center. Are you, your Sunday School class or another group you’re part of interested in providing Thanksgiving baskets to families in our community? Wilshire has committed to providing 75 baskets to our missions partner, the Wilkinson Center. The baskets will go to families with someone enrolled in one of the center’s adult education classes. Each basket costs $50 to $75 to put together. To participate, sign up at wilshirebc.org/registration. Full instructions and a list of recommended items can be found at the registration link. Baskets should be delivered to Wilshire on Wednesday, Nov. 18, between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. under the porte cochère. Contact Abbey for more info at aadcox@wilshirebc.org.
Online Book Fair benefits library. From Oct. 12 through 25, you can buy books for your own family and help Wilshire’s library get new books at the same time. During that timeframe, every dollar you spend at Usborne Books via Usborne consultant and Wilshire member Rachel Laird, will result in a 50% matching gift in books for the Wilshire library. Shop here: https://d6902.myubam.com. For help or more info, contact Rachel at rachel.laird.ubam@gmail.com or Wilshire librarian Barbara Peterson at bpeterson@wilshirebc.org.
Anti-Racism Book Club hosts author Michael Waters, Nov. 19. On Nov. 19, Wilshire’s newest book club will be joined by Rev. Dr. Michael Waters for a discussion of his book, Stakes Is High. A local pastor, civil rights historian, activist and community leader, Waters can be expected to bring words of hope and empowerment. Stakes is High “blends hip-hop lyricism and social justice leadership, creating an urgent voice demanding that America listen to the suffering if it hopes to redeem its soul.” Reading the book is encouraged, but all are welcome. You can register and buy the book for the discounted price of $10 at wilshirebc.org/registration. Questions? Contact Abbey Adcox at aadcox@wilshirebc.org.
Waging Peace author event Oct. 29. Wilshire will host Diana Oestreich, author of Waging Peace: One Soldier’s Story of Putting Love First, in a Zoom conversation Thursday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. Oestreich is an activist, veteran and sexual assault nurse who serves as Key Relationships Officer with global missions partner Preemptive Love Coalition. She first heard God’s call to love her enemies on the battlefield of Iraq, and is using her story of solider turned peacemaker to empower us to identify our own rural, urban, political or religious divides, to cross our own “enemy lines” in order to remake the world and heal all that’s tearing us apart. Reading the book is encouraged, but all are welcome. Sign up at wilshirebc.org/registration to receive the Zoom link. Contact Abbey Adcox at aadcox@wilshirebc.org for more info.
WOW! Book Clubs
The WOW! Tuesday Evening Book Club meets on Zoom monthly at 7 p.m. Upcoming dates and titles: Nov. 10, The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd; Dec. 8, A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg. Contact Debby Burton at dburton@wilshirebc.org to sign up.
The WOW! Brown Bag Book Club meets on Zoom monthly on Thursday at noon. On Oct. 1, the group will discuss Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross. Contact Abbey Adcox at aadcox@wilshirebc.org or Carolyn Murray at cmurray@wilshirebc.org to sign up. WOW! suggests ordering through Bookshop.org to support independent book sellers or ordering through a Black-owned bookstore such as The Dock Bookshop or Pan African Connection.
Stephen Ministry – Expressing Christ’s Care for Others. Stephen Ministers bring distinctively Christian care to those in need. They express Christ’s care for others by listening and comforting, calling on their training and employing the tools of faith. If this description interests you, consider joining our next training class starting in January. To find out more, contact Linda Garner at lgarner@wilshirebc.org or 214-452-3151 or Michele Blaker at mgblaker@sbcglobal.net or 214-843-1865. The deadline to apply is Nov. 1. Fill out and return this Stephen Minister Application by mail to Wilshire Baptist Church, ATTN: Linda Garner, 4316 Abrams Road, Dallas, TX 75214 or by email to lgarner@wilshirebc.org.Learn more at wilshirebc.org/care/stephen-ministry.
Free Senior Adult Webinar. Seniors will focus on unlocking the “depth of love that is within you” during Fellowship Southwest’s Second Half of Life webinar, Oct. 29 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Zoom. The event will feature Sherrye Bass, a mindfulness meditation teacher and Christian spiritual director, and Andy Stoker, senior minister at First United Methodist Church in Dallas and also a mindfulness meditation teacher. “There is a depth of love that is within you. Learn ways of unlocking the love so that you can stand with courage, act with faith and pronounce that love in every moment,” Bass and Stoker said. “The second half of life is a journey within to discover ‘The One Who Knows’ through a Way of the Heart, a mindful contemplation method.” Register here for the Zoom link.
Fall Prevention Sessions (Community Wellness Project) . Physical therapy students from Texas Woman’s University will host a six-week exercise and wellness education program via Zoom for Wilshire’s older adults. Community members are also welcome. Classes will be held Mondays from Oct. 12 to Nov. 16 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Each class will begin with an exercise program followed by an educational topic and Q&A. Topics include exercise and meditation, stress management and mental health, nutrition, sleep hygiene, fall prevention and proper use of assistive devices. Each participant will receive a folder with exercise bands and weekly handouts. Distribution will be announced later. Please register by Oct. 11 at wilshirebc.org/registration. To learn more, contact Linda Garner, parish nurse, at 214-452-3151 or lgarner@wilshirebc.org.