Wednesday Night Live
For everyone
Family Dinner on the Grounds
5 – 6 p.m. (new start time) • Weekly
Each Wednesday evening begins with a chance to eat together outdoors behind the church along Springside Lane. Bring your own food or, better yet, pick up Koinonia Café To Go. Drinks and dessert will be
provided by the church. Arrive when you can; tables will be open starting at 5 p.m.
Preschool – Grade 6
Music, Missions and More
6 – 7 p.m. • Weekly except the first Wednesday of each month. Fun, age-based activities and lessons for 3-year-olds through sixth graders, including music and missions-related topics. Children in kindergarten through sixth grade will learn Bible skills while preschoolers will engage in activities that focus on caring for others.
Please register your child in advance to help us plan better. Find the link at wilshirebc.org/registration or scan the QR code. (One-time registration.)
Childcare for infants to 2-year-olds whose parents are involved in church
activities will be offered Wednesdays,
6 – 7 p.m., in the preschool area.
For Adults
Resident-Led Study
6 – 6:45 p.m. • Sept. 8, 15 & 22 • Parlor
As we journey through incredibly difficult times together, we want to encourage you to pause and observe all that you might be feeling in this season. To do that, we’ll be looking at the theologies of three men often called The Trinity of Wholesomeness: Fred Rogers, Bob Ross and Steve Irwin (“The Crocodile Hunter”). Each used his life to teach us how to love others, love ourselves and love creation. Join residents Brianna Childs and John Kelly for the next three Wednesdays as we remind each other of these foundations for living.
Depolarizing Conversations About Race
Monday, Sept. 13 • 6 p.m.
Join us Sept. 13 from 6 to 9 p.m. in Community Hall for a “skills workshop for difficult (and necessary) conversations between white Americans about race and public policy.” While open to all, the workshop is designed for self-identified white people who believe in the equal worth and dignity of persons of all races and are concerned about our nation’s problems with race. The free event will be presented by Braver Angels, a nonprofit organization aiming to unite red and blue Americans in a working alliance to depolarize the country.
• Boxed meals are available for purchase and can be picked up in James Gallery starting at 5:30 p.m. and enjoyed at tables in the Prayer Garden before the workshop. Meals are $8.50 each and include a wrap (chicken salad, turkey or veggie), two sides, a cookie and bottled water.
• Register for the workshop and purchase a meal at wilshirebc.org/registration.
Koinonia Café To Go goes great with Family Dinner on the Grounds
To eat your evening meal at the outdoor tables set up for Wednesday Night Live, pick up your order as usual. A microwave will be provided in James Gallery to heat your entrée.
• Takeout meals from Wilshire’s kitchen are offered for curbside pickup each Wednesday.
• Ordering for Sept. 8 is open now on the church website. Order and pay by end of day Tuesday, Sept. 7, then pick up your food Wednesday.
• Pickup times: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. & 4:30 – 6 p.m.
• Email eferguson@wilshirebc.org for information about meatless options.
• Full instructions at ordering link.
Get a flu shot at Wilshire Sept. 18
It’s time to get your flu shot for the year. Shots will be available on Saturday, Sept. 18, from 9 a.m. to noon in the north parking lot. There is no conflict with getting a flu shot and a COVID vaccination close together or even at the same time. Please bring your Medicare Insurance Card and ID. A portion of each fee will be returned to Wilshire for ministry activities. To schedule an appointment and download a consent form, visit wilshirebc.org/registration. Questions? Contact Parish Nurse Linda Garner at 214-452-3151 or lgarner@wilshirebc.org.
Coffee and Conversation with George this Sunday
• Coffee and Conversation with Senior Pastor George Mason will be held this Sunday, Sept. 5, at 10 a.m. This informal time in George’s study (Room 2203) is an opportunity for guests and new members to meet George and ask questions about Wilshire. Future dates are Oct. 31 and Dec. 5.
• The monthly Wilshire Welcome Class is designed to help guests and new members quickly learn what Wilshire is all about. Topics include our philosophy of worship, Bible study options on Sunday mornings and during the week, mission and advocacy partners and ways Wilshire serves in the community and beyond. Sessions are held during the Sunday School period in the Prayer Room (Room 1100B, McIver Chapel hallway). Upcoming dates are Sept. 19, Oct. 17, Nov. 14, Dec. 12.
• Questions? Contact Carolyn Murray at cmurray@wilshirebc.org.
Gift made for New Orleans relief
The Missions Committee has again been able to rapidly respond to a crisis because of your gifts to Wilshire’s unified budget. A financial gift was made to St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans to support their efforts to care for their neighbors in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. New Orleans could be without power for as long as six weeks, and the full extent of needs across the Gulf Coast are still being evaluated. We will continue to monitor and communicate updates as they are received.
Collection for Afghan evacuees
• Refugee Services of Texas needs items for those resettling in the area following evacuation from Afghanistan with Special Immigrant Visas. Items most needed are razors, bars of soap, toothpaste, diapers of all sizes, diaper rash cream, diaper wipes and U-shaped bicycle locks. Collection bins can be found outside the main office, at the north entrance and in the North Atrium through Sunday, Sept. 5. An Amazon wishlist is linked at wilshirebc.org/registration and can be used to order items and have them shipped to Wilshire by Sept. 5.
• Gateway of Grace has settled 10 Afghan families in the area and has created an Amazon wishlist of needs that can be accessed at wilshirebc.org/registration. Additional needs for these families will be communicated as we become aware of them.
Marriage Connections Sept. 10
Marriage Connections will meet Friday evening, Sept. 10. In this monthly event, free childcare (infants – grade 6) is provided at the church while couples enjoy a speaker’s presentation and then head out to dinner on their own. Childcare is provided only for couples participating in the programming. Register at wilshirebc.org/registration through Sept. 5. Childcare dropoff starts at 6:30 p.m. and the program begins at 6:45 p.m. Pick up kids by 9:30 p.m.
New option for online worship
Those unable to attend worship in person are invited to view the 11 a.m. livestream with a group on Zoom. The Zoom session will begin each Sunday at 10:45 so participants can chat before the service. To get the link, email Pastoral Resident Ashley Robinson at arobinson@wilshirebc.org.
WOW! Book Study: Rachel Held Evans’ “Inspired”
On Sept. 27, Women of Wilshire (WOW!) will begin a study of the Rachel Held Evans book Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water and Loving the Bible Again. Sessions will be held at 7:30 p.m. every other Monday unless noted otherwise. Joannah DeMent will lead the study, which will meet in the DeMents’ backyard.
• About the book: If the Bible isn’t a science book or an instruction manual, what is it? What do people mean when they say the Bible is inspired? When Evans found herself asking these questions, she began a quest to better understand what the Bible is and how it is meant to be read. What she discovered changed her — and it will change you too.
• Register at wilshirebc.org/registration.
Women of Wilshire book clubs
• The WOW! Tuesday Evening Book Club meets in the Parlor monthly at 6 p.m. On Sept. 14 the group will discuss Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West and Mary Lynn Kotz. Contact: Debby Burton (dburton@wilshirebc.org).
• The WOW! Brown Bag Book Club meets one Thursday a month at noon in Room 1205-L. On Oct. 7 the group will discuss We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter. Contact: Abbey Adcox (aadcox@wilshirebc.org).
Youth Choir, Shekinah start Sept. 12
Wilshire’s Youth Choir and the select ensemble Shekinah will resume rehearsals on Sunday, Sept. 12. Students will eat a provided snack lunch on the back lawn from 11:45 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. followed by Youth Choir rehearsal from 12:15 to 1:15 and Shekinah from 1:20 to 1:50. Rehearsals will be held in Choral Hall.
Children’s Handbells start Sept. 15
Children in grades 3 through 6 are invited to join Children’s Handbells. Rehearsals will be held Wednesdays from 5 to 5:30 p.m. starting Sept. 15, and the group will meet in the Handbell Room next to Choral Hall on the second floor. No handbell or music-reading experience needed. Director Kelly Akins can be contacted at 214 452-3139 or kakins@wilshirebc.org. Note: this group will meet every week, even the first Wednesday of each month.
New Song resumes rehearsals
New Song Community Choir is looking forward to its 16th year and will resume in-person rehearsals on Wednesday, Sept. 8, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in Choral Hall. Guests and new members are always welcome. Auditions are not required and singers don’t have to know how to read music. While based at Wilshire, New Song includes senior adults from over 30 local churches. Director Sarah Stafford says, “We concentrate on three things we have in common: we love the Lord, we love to sing, and we love to have a good time.” For more information, contact Sarah at 214-232-9212 or sarah@newsongchoir.org. Masks are required for now in keeping with Wilshire’s COVID protocols.
Enroll for piano lessons
Wilshire’s Academy of Fine Arts is enrolling piano students for the academic year. The cost is $40 per 30-minute lesson. To sign up, contact Jeff Brummel at jbrummel@wilshirebc.org.
Want to sing Christmas music with Sanctuary Choir this year?
Come visit a rehearsal any Wednesday in September at 7 p.m. in Choral Hall. An Advent/Christmas Music Retreat will be held Saturday, Sept. 18, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Music will include carol arrangements, excerpts from Messiah and John Rutter’s “What Sweeter Music” and “Joy to the World.” Contact Doug Haney at dhaney@wilshirebc.org for more information.
Preschoolers need your loving attention
Do you enjoy playing with preschoolers? If so, we would like to give you the opportunity to get paid to work with us in Wilshire’s preschool ministry. If you’ve forgotten how to play, the preschoolers will gladly teach you!
Wilshire is now hiring paid preschool workers who are available on some Friday mornings and Friday evenings. In addition, we often need paid workers on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings. Feel free to share this opportunity with others who might be interested.
Preschool workers must wear masks and be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. For more information, contact Joan Hammons at 214-452-3141 or jhammons@wilshirebc.org.
Blood Drive
Wednesday, Sept. 22 • 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Wilshire north parking lot
Contact: Linda Garner, Parish Nurse. lgarner@wilshirebc.org
Photo ID required
CarterBloodCare.org
800-366-2834