I grew up going to church each Sunday in a Presbyterian church in West Virginia. My grandmother played the organ, and all of my family including grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins went there. Going to, and being involved in church was a central part of my life, and it was important to me as I had my own family, that we would continue to do so.
My husband and I, along with our two children recently decided to find a new church community, and after several visits to other churches, we knew that in Westminster we had found a place that was welcoming of all ages, with programs and activities for everyone. Westminster fit our family’s values and we were grateful to have found a place with an engaging service including a strong music ministry as well as outreach opportunities.
We started coming to Westminster around the time of Lent/Easter and enjoyed the themes surrounding the 23rd Psalm. Recently, our family has truly been uplifted by the ‘Summer at the Movies’ theme, watching each movie prior to church and having discussions around them. Regardless of where our summer travels took us, we tuned in to church, whether in person or online, and enjoyed finding deeper connections to God in daily life. My son in particular was really engaged and could not wait to discuss the movie ‘Up,’ which is one of our family’s favorite movies.
We appreciate that Westminster is present in the community, and has a wide variety of ways to get children/youth involved in mission, as our children have already been involved with filling back-to-school backpacks. With our children, we emphasize giving, not only financially, but through the intentional giving of our time to others. Our family has served others in the community through activities such as coaching Special Olympics and volunteering at Night to Shine. We were integral in starting the Community Gardens at Embrace Waynesboro Community Center and found this to be a wonderful opportunity to teach our children about generosity, as they were involved with all aspects of the project, including building the garden beds, weeding and harvesting, as well as hosting evenings of giving away free produce.
We look forward to continuing to find ways to give our time and strengths to Westminster to contribute to the mission and serve others. Our biggest hope is that other families will come to Westminster and be inspired by the community and family atmosphere, just as we were!
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