Hanging of the Green – Sunday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m., via YouTube. A virtual version of Wilshire’s beloved holiday tradition will feature new performances from our choral and instrumental groups. Dramatic interludes written by Wilshire member Jeff Hampton will connect past to present by depicting life in Dallas during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic.
Order Advent 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. The deadline is Wednesday, Dec. 2. Contact Michele Stinecipher at 214-452-3130 with questions.
Submit video for Hanging of the Green montage– Your videos are needed! Hanging of the Green will include a video montage of congregants decorating their homes for Christmas. Please submit a video (10 seconds max) of someone from your household placing an ornament, hanging a wreath, etc. Videos are due Dec. 1 and can be sent via text message or email to David Hammons at 214-499-3998 or davidhvideo@gmail.com.
Hopes & Fears Devotional Videos – Video reflections from Wilshire members on the Hopes & Fears theme will be released twice a week on social media channels or email beginning Tuesday, Dec. 1. If you would like to view these in an email, sign up here (for devotional videos via email).
Giving Tree and Virtual Giving Trees. As always, our Giving Tree will be adorned with gift tags representing the wishes of children and parents served by our mission partners. It will be located in the Narthex and you can make in-person selections on Sunday, Nov. 29, and Sunday, Dec. 6, from 1 to 5 p.m. while the Sanctuary is open for the Honest Advent Experience. The gifts for the Narthex Giving Tree are due back to the church by Dec. 9. Two virtual Giving Trees will also be offered (See signups below.).Gifts are due back either Dec. 2 or Dec. 9, depending on agency deadlines. Gifts may be dropped off at the main church office during the first two Sunday Advent Experiences, on Wednesdays during Koinonia Café To Go pickups, or by arrangement with Abbey Adcox. Contact Abbey at aadcox@wilshirebc.org with questions or for more information.
- Dec. 2 Virtual Giving Tree Gifts for these children are due back to the church by Dec. 2.
- Dec. 9 Virtual Giving Tree Gifts for these children are due back to the church by Dec. 9.
Honest Advent Experience—Sunday afternoons during Advent. The Wilshire Sanctuary will be open for a guided experience each Sunday during Advent from 1 to 5 p.m. Each week, we will explore the weekly liturgical theme (Hope, Peace, Joy, Love) through art by Scott Erickson, Scripture, prayers and prompts for reflection. Each visitor will receive a postcard-sized print of one of the art pieces and a tapered candle to take home. You are encouraged to come all four weeks as materials will be refreshed weekly. The experience will take about 15 minutes to complete, and family units should move through the experience as a group. Read more here. Advance sign-up is required. Free. Sign up below (via SignUpGenius):
- Nov. 29 Advent Experience
- Dec. 6 Advent Experience
- Dec. 13 Advent Experience
- Dec. 20 Advent Experience
Cookies & Carols, Saturday, Dec. 12 at 4 p.m. Join us in person in the north parking lot for a safe social event with live Christmas music and treats packaged to enjoy on site or to take home. Free. Advanced registration required. Sign up here to attend.
Wilshire’s Got Talent – Holiday Edition. Videos due Dec. 9 • YouTube premiere Dec. 19. 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.
Canned Food Drive a success. White Rock Center of Hope was the beneficiary of Wilshire’s Thanksgiving canned food drive. Items were collected at the church, and donors also had the option to shop on Amazon and ship items directly to the nonprofit.
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.
Blood Drive on Saturday, Dec. 5. Carter Blood Care will have a bus in Wilshire’s south parking lot on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please consider stopping by to donate. Blood is always essential, but it is crucial to maintaining a healthy blood supply during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of blood drives have been cancelled since March, resulting in more than 52,000 lost blood donations. Find out more and sign up.
Koinonia Cafe To Go. Sick of cooking at home? Tired of the same old restaurants? Want to support our dedicated kitchen workers? Those are a few great reasons to try Koinonia Café To Go. Place your order to pick up on Wednesday, Dec. 2.
Resident Vespers service. On Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 6 p.m. on Wilshire’s Facebook page, the Wilshire pastoral residents will present a vespers service for Advent called Grace and Peace. Tune in to be blessed.