COVID-19 Task Force survey. Wilshire’s COVID-19 Advisory Task Force would like to thank the 417 congregants who completed its latest survey. The Task Force will be working through the results, and a summary will be published in Tapestry and made available at wilshirebc.org/covid on Friday, November 20.
Church in the Lot. Sunday, Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. In-Person Worship outside in the North Parking Lot. Wear your mask and join Wilshire for the second edition of Church in the Lot. Just like last month, there will be socially-distanced outdoor seating (please bring your own chair) as well as an option to stay in your car. Advance sign-up is required by noon the day before. Complete event details and instructions can be found at the sign-up link at wilshirebc.org/registration. Free.
Facebook Live Bible Study. This class is taking a break. If this was your primary Sunday School option, Associate Pastor Darren DeMent can help you connect with another class. Watch past videos here.
Start to Finish stewardship emphasis. Take a long walk at White Rock Lake and you’ll see multiple “Start” signs chalked on the sidewalk. Each one represents the place where a group of people set out together on a competitive race or a charitable walk. We don’t know how many of those people got to the finish line or how long it took them. We just know they got started, and starting is everything. In this first week of our Start to Finish emphasis, in which we’re highlighting our journey together as the people of Wilshire, we look at what it takes to make a good start in our giving. Read more here.
Unified Budget update
October gifts: $293,775
October budget needs: $341,122
YTD budget gifts: $3,023,898
YTD budget needs: $3,428,761
YTD budget income deficit: $404,863
Wilshire welcomes author Michael Waters, Nov. 19. Rev. Dr. Michael Waters, a local pastor, activist and community leader, will discuss his book, Stakes Is High, in a Zoom session of Wilshire’s Anti-Racism Book Club on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to all, regardless of whether you have read the book or attended book club events before. 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.” The book is available for the discounted price of $10. You can register for the Zoom info and buy the book at wilshirebc.org/registration. Questions? Contact Ministry Assistant Abbey Adcox at aadcox@wilshirebc.org.
Time to order Sanctuary poinsettias. Help decorate the Sanctuary with poinsettias for the upcoming Advent season. Although we are not worshiping in the building this year, the festive flowers will be visible in our online worship and other videos. Just as in years past, the poinsettias are provided by congregants in honor or in memory of loved ones, friends, family members and teachers. Dedications will be listed in the worship folder on the second Sunday of Advent, Dec. 6. Each plant costs $10, and orders can be placed online at wilshirebc.org/registration. The deadline for ordering is Wednesday, Dec. 2.
Wilshire’s Got Talent: Holiday Edition. YouTube premiere Dec. 19. Performer videos due Dec. 9. The streaming sensation of the summer is getting a wintertime sequel! So get your act together and sign up to perform in Wilshire’s Got Talent: Holiday Edition, our Christmas-themed virtual talent show. All kinds of holiday acts are welcome. You could sing or play a song, juggle some jingle bells, recite some Dickens or tap dance like Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. Videos should be under five minutes long and cannot include copyrighted recordings or video. The big YouTube premiere is Saturday night, Dec. 19, and the deadline for submitting videos is Dec. 9. To RSVP as a performer, email Shana Gaines (sgaines@wilshirebc.org) for complete details and instructions.
Thanksgiving Organ Concert. Wilshire’s Associate Minister of Music and Organist Jeff Brummel will present a Thanksgiving-themed online recital on Tuesday, Nov. 24. The brief program will premiere on the church’s YouTube channel at 7:30 p.m. and will be available to watch later as well. Jeff will play Edward Elgar’s beloved Nimrod along with works by Sigfrid Karg-Elert, Henry Purcell, Dan Miller and Jeff’s teacher and mentor, Al Travis. Many of the pieces are arrangements of familiar hymn tunes, including three Thanksgiving hymns.
Awaking Wonder: Finding Christ in Coronatide. New Wednesday series led by Pastoral Resident Leanna Coyle-Carr, Nov. 4, 11 & 18, 6 p.m. on Facebook Live. Pandemic fatigued but somehow itching to drag out the Christmas decorations? Stressed about everything but craving adventure? Wonder, friends, is one thing we’re needing in these days of waiting, worrying and working to do well by one another. Pile in with Leanna Coyle-Carr over Facebook Live and rekindle your connection with the mundane, liturgical and spiritual practices that can fan your heart aflame. What a wonder — Christ is with us even now.
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.
Canned Food Drive. In lieu of our traditional Thanksgiving Food Sacks, Wilshire is collecting canned goods to benefit our mission partner White Rock Center of Hope. Items should to be delivered to the church by Wednesday, Nov. 18. Donations will be collected during the Koinonia Café To Go pickup times on Nov. 4, 11 and 18. Those not picking up a meal can leave donations on the cart outside the office door in the south parking lot. To order canned goods to ship directly to White Rock Center of Hope, an Amazon link is available at wilshirebc.org/registration, or email Abbey Adcox at aadcox@wilshirebc.org. White Rock Center of Hope is a non-profit, ecumenical organization that makes a difference in peoples lives by providing a place where the community can share God’s blessings by satisfying basic human needs.
Donation collection dates and times: Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 11 and 18, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 – 6 p.m. Collection will also be held at Church in the Lot on Nov. 15.
Requested Items:
Canned ham, chicken and/or tuna
Chef Boyardee canned meals
Chili
Boxed Stuffing
Macaroni & Cheese
Cranberry Sauce
Green Beans
Bolsinger, Franklin headline Perkins Convocation. Anyone can register for the Perkins School of Theology Fall Convocation, which will take place online on Nov. 15 and 16. Keynote speakers are author Tod Bolsinger and Grammy-winning gospel artist and Fort Worth native Kirk Franklin. Bolsinger is the author of Canoeing the Mountain: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory. Senior Pastor George Mason told Baptist News Global that Bolsinger wrote the book “for Christian leaders who find themselves in uncharted territory needing to improvise constantly. Our pastoral residents and I are reading ahead, preparing for his visit to Perkins.” “Kirk Franklin Speaks from the Heart about Leading into Change” is the theme for Franklin’s presentation on Sunday night, Nov. 15. Bolsinger will present three sessions on Monday, Nov. 16. The convocation also offers a Monday morning worship service and several workshops on Monday afternoon. Registration for the full conference is $85 with an option of Sunday night only for $15. Learn more and register here or call 214-768-3664.
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 Dec. 3, the group will discuss The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd. 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.