Dear Westport Presbies, family and friends,
Brrhhhh! We pray for your safety and that your power is on, and that if it went off (a number of us lost power), it’s back on, and that you are driving and walking with caution during these winter storms.
We also pray for Carly Simon as she recovers from serious back surgery. She is making progress every day and is now in KU Rehab. We praise God and medicine/surgery and Carly’s courage. Jeff Kuhn was in the hospital last weekend, but is released and doing well. Jeanne Reiss is doing better after a bad cold. We pray especially for 4 year old Mason (Raach family) in his cancer treatments and for Belva Berlekamp.
And we are praying with Elidah Chibanda (she has returned to Kansas City) for her family and all the people of Zimbabwe in the current crisis. Imagine! The government raised gasoline prices to what amounts to $12 a gallon. Think of the consequences of that! We pray for peaceful, nonviolent protests and for social justice in a nation that lived under dictatorship for so long. Food and water shortages! Unemployment! The pastor who has led social justice movements has been arrested during a “Stay Away” protest.
Next Monday, Jan. 21, we celebrate Dr. King’s birthday at church with an always joyous jazz concert by the Doug Talley Quartet. 12 noon.
Then the Westport Center for the Arts is opening an art exhibit at church on Friday, Jan 25, 7:30 p.m (reception and talk). The artist, from Colombia, is Juan Jose Castano Marquez: La Mano Izquierda: Fe de Erratas (The Left Hand: A List of Errors and Their Corrections). Juan is especially focused on the erasure of LGBTQ identity in his home country and around the world. He is a KU graduate, now teaching at Ball State University in Indiana.
We are exploring working with God’s Family Art Ministry in Minneapolis to create a unique SUMMER PROGRAM for children and youth in our church and community—-one week of arts, Bible, science and spirituality. In the early spring, we will bring the leader, Anni Brink, to our church to train people in creating this one week ministry either at the start or end of the coming summer.
This Sunday, we continue to celebrate EPIPHANY with the Miracle of the Wedding at Cana and the miraculous ministry of Dr. King through our singing and inspirational prayers and spoken words of worship and liturgy.
We continue to need food for our food sack pantry!
Church leader training (GROW conference) is coming Saturday, Feb. 2. Sign up at church for an interesting, inspiring day sponsored by Heartland Presbytery.
Photos attached:
1. God’s Family Art Ministry: NATIVITY
2. Doug Talley Quartet
3. Juan Jose Castano Marquez
4. Watching Winter in the city
Keep the faith….Rev Scott
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