Faith in 3D streams on Youtube Feb. 4, 5 & 6 at 7:30 p.m. In its seven-year history, Wilshire’s Faith in 3D has produced dramas, musicals, famous plays and lesser-known works. But never before has it done a socially-distanced, 100%-Zoom-recorded, YouTube-streaming play about a pandemic during a pandemic. Due to COVID-19, this year’s show, scenes from Anthony Clarvoe’s The Living, is being rehearsed and recorded entirely over Zoom with cast and crew working from their homes. It will be shown on Wilshire’s YouTube channel at 7:30 p.m. on three consecutive nights: Thursday, Feb. 4, Friday, Feb. 5, and Saturday, Feb. 6. Due to our contract with the publisher, the show will be available to watch only at 7:30 each night. Unlike worship and other church events, the videos will not remain on YouTube after premiering.
Reserve your Souper Bowl box. We can’t gather in Community Hall for lunch on Super Bowl Sunday this year, but we can still make a difference for hunger relief and food security through our adapted Souper Bowl of Caring benefitting Mission Oak Cliff. Wilshire is offering a special Souper Bowl Box that will include a Wilshire-branded 13-oz. food thermos plus recipes for some of your favorite soups from the church kitchen. Use the recipes to make your own soup for the big game on Sunday, Feb. 7, and share your photos on social media using the hashtag #WilshireSouperBowl. Souper Bowl Boxes are available for a minimum donation of $40 and can be picked up at the church on Sunday, Jan. 31, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the porte cochere, or Wednesday, Feb. 3, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or 4:30 to 6 p.m. (Koinonia Café To Go pickup times). Sign up here or visit wilshirebc.org/registration to reserve your box, choose your donation amount and select your pick-up time. Individual contribution receipts will be issued. If you have questions, contact Ministry Assistant Abbey Adcox at 214-452-3127 or aadcox@wilshirebc.org.
Koinonia Cafe To Go for Feb. 3. Takeout meals from Wilshire’s kitchen are offered for curbside pick-up each Wednesday, and the proceeds help defray the cost of paying our dedicated kitchen staff during the pandemic. Order and pay online by end of day Tuesday, then pick up your food at the church at lunch or dinnertime on Wednesday. Full instructions and ordering link are online.
Around the Table with Ashley & Leanna. Wednesdays, Feb. 3 & 10, 6 p.m. on Zoom. Led by Ashley Robinson and Leanna Coyle-Carr. Join two of our pastoral residents in the spiritual practice of eating together. Grab your laptop and your supper and meet us on Zoom to share holy conversation around the table. As we eat, we will ask God to nourish us through conversation, scripture contemplation, and reflection together. To participate, email Ashley (arobinson@wilshirebc.org) by noon each Wednesday to receive the Zoom link.
WOW! Girls Night In on Zoom, Feb. 5 at 9 p.m. Following the streaming of the Faith in 3D performance, the women of Wilshire will gather over Zoom for icebreakers and virtual fellowship. The Zoom link will be emailed to all WOW! members prior to the event.
The Sweet Sounds of the Organ: From the baroque to the delicious. Thursday, Feb. 11, 7 p.m. • YouTube. For his latest virtual organ concert, Associate Minister of Music/Organist Jeff Brummel is teaming with Chef Elizabeth Ferguson to take us on a culinary and sonic adventure through Italy, France and the Netherlands. We invite you to participate in making three simple, family-friendly desserts: Flourless Chocolate Cake, Raspberry Coulis, and Kletskoppen Cookies. Click here for the recipes. As you enjoy your creations, organ music will delight your ears with the sounds of Vivaldi, Daquin and J.S. Bach.
Blood Drive, Wed., Feb. 10. Reserve your time here to give blood at Wilshire’s next blood drive in the Wilshire parking lot from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sign up for Weekly Witness. Weekly Witness, an online presentation from Texas Impact, examines public policy issues through a faith lens and helps viewers discover ways to participate in the public policy process. Weekly Witness is broadcast live on Mondays at noon on Zoom and Facebook during the legislative session. Upcoming topics: Feb. 1: COVID & Public Health; Feb. 8: Texas State Budget; Feb. 15: Voting Rights; Feb. 22: Policing Reform. Register for the Zoom link at texasimpact.org. Each episode features a Texas faith leader, an “issue of the week” update by leading policy advocates and a Legislative Update segment and Action Alert. The Weekly Witness podcast features content from the live event and is usually available on Tuesdays. Texas Impact is a statewide grassroots network offering concrete strategies to help people of faith work for justice.
Gateway of Grace seeks volunteers. Wilshire mission partner Gateway of Grace is seeking volunteers to teach online one-on-one conversational English classes for one to two hours per week. If you’re interested, email Lauren Cuddihee, Gateway’s director of operations, at lauren@gatewayofgrace.org. In addition, Gateway needs volunteers with a counseling or psychology background to work with refugees dealing with trauma and depression caused by loneliness, struggles to integrate into a new country and separation from family. If you’re qualified and can help, email Executive Director Samira Page at samira@gatewayofgrace.org
MOPS spring registration open. Our theme this year is Decide to Rise. As mothers of preschoolers, we have had to make some tough decisions for ourselves and our families during this pandemic. So how do we Decide to Rise? MOPS has identified three steps: Be strong. Do your work. Chase joy. We are committed to doing this by providing a meaningful and engaging experience for our group — no matter the times. Find out more here.
Book clubs
• The WOW! Brown Bag Book Club meets on Zoom one Thursday a month at noon. On Feb. 4, the group will discuss Pam Jenoff’s The Lost Girls of Paris. Contact Abbey Adcox at aadcox@wilshirebc.org or Carolyn Murray at cmurray@wilshirebc.org to sign up.
• The WOW! Tuesday Evening Book Club meets on Zoom monthly at 7 p.m. On Feb. 9, the group will discuss Colson Whitehead’s Nickel Boys. Contact Debby Burton at dburton@wilshirebc.org to sign up.
• Wilshire’s Anti-Racism Book Club The next two dates for the Anti-Racism Book Club are March 25 and May 20. Titles to be announced. . Register at wilshirebc.org/registration.
Michael Waters book available. Copies of Stakes Is High by Michael Waters are available for $10. In the book, Waters, a local pastor and community leader, “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 can be purchased at wilshirebc.org/registration.
Benevolence gift cards. If you selected a Giving Tree tag for a Wilshire benevolence gift card, don’t forget to purchase the gift card and return it to the church. Gift cards can be returned at any time to the secure black mailbox outside the main church office.