Posts by Joye Hodges Douthart

Rise Against Hunger Meal-Packing Day
Saturday, March 7, 10:00-12:00 noon
Hope Valley Baptist Church Gymnasium

We’re excited to be partnering with the congregation of Hope Valley Baptist Church to pack meals for Rise Against Hunger on Saturday, March 7, 10:00-12:00 noon, in the HVBC Gymnasium.

Over the years, WPC has worked with Rise Against Hunger on 11 events and packed 114,324 meals!

At just 34 cents per meal, 80% of Rise Against Hunger’s meals are distributed through global partners that administer school feeding programs, orphanages, health clinics, and vocational training.

Make plans to take part in this fun, educational, highly-interactive, highly-impactful event. Meal-packing is suitable for ages 5 and up. Please consider also donating toward the cost of the meals. You can register or donate toward our $3,451 event fundraising goal (or both). Thanks!

“Learning from the Witness of Ann Atwater” with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
Wednesday, February 19, 6:30pm l Music Room

The 2019 documentary, “The Best of Enemies.” tells the story of how Ann Atwater, a civil rights activist, and C.P. Ellis, a local leader of the Klu Klux Klan in Durham, ended up co-chairing a committee in 1971 to help desegregate Durham’s local schools.

In February, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove returns to Westminster to share his experiences of “Learning from the Witness of Ann Atwater,” drawing from the documentary and his deep personal relationship with this remarkable woman who transformed this city. This Aperture event introduces WPC to our Lenten series. Details coming soon!

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove is a celebrated spiritual writer and sought-after speaker. A native of North Carolina, he is a graduate of Eastern University and Duke Divinity School. In 2003 he co-founded Rutba House, a Christian intentional community in Durham’s Walltown neighborhood. In 2006, he founded the School for Conversion, a popular education center committed to “making surprising friendships possible.” He taught workshops there alongside his mentor and freedom teacher, Ann Atwater, until her death in 2016.

Contact:  Marietta Wynands, Director of Christian Education

Mission Day is February 9 – Focus: Homelessness

Join us for Mission Day on Sunday, February 9, 9:45-10:45am, as we learn more about homelessness from our community partners.

On Mission Days, we feature a single mission focus across all our Church School classes. The goals are to get all our members excited about the important work our church does, and equip you with ideas and opportunities for hands-on involvement.

Come and hear what some of our community partners are doing to end homelessness in Durham and how you can help.

• preK-–2nd grade – Families Moving Forward
• 3rd-–4th grades – Urban Ministries of Durham
• 5th-–7th grades – CASA + Housing for New Hope
• 8th grade thru Adults – Families Moving Forward

“On Being a Quiet Christian” – A New Church School Elective
February 2 – February 23, 9:45 -10:45am
Facilitated by Geoff Vaughn

This is a class for adolescents and adults who want connection at church, but also crave quiet and reflective time – perhaps by themselves – for spiritual growth. It’s also ideal for those…

• Who need time alone with God at least as much as they need time with a church community;
• Who relate to the solitude and quiet spaces in the Bible and the figures who sought them out;
• Who, when alone, often find greater calm, clarity, and creativity as Christians; and
• Who simply may be looking for new ways to reflect on and engage with the upcoming season of Lent.

Join us in exploring these topics and more through four Quiet Practices that will involve reading, prayer, breathing, meditation, and writing, among other ways of engaging with oneself and God. All are welcome!

Contact:  Marietta Wynands, Director of Christian Education

Our Spring Women’s Retreat, on March 20-22 at Holden Beach, promises to be a weekend of fun, study, fellowship, and relaxation. Won’t you join us?

Program:  Some say hospitality is a special gift that some people have and others don’t. But God’s love for us is the greatest example of genuine hospitality. During our retreat together we will spend time listening for God’s hospitality extended to us. You are warmly invited to experience hospitality to God, from God, to ourselves and to each other.

Program Leader:  Margaret-Jean Junkin (M-J) is a graduate of HeartPaths DFW spiritual direction program in Dallas, Texas, and holds a master’s in Christian education. She has worked in churches of all sizes and currently works as a certified spiritual director in Frisco, Texas. M-J has a passion for listening to faith stories, noticing our encounters with God, and being an advocate as we journey through this thing we call “life.”

The cost of the Retreat is $80 per person, plus lodging. View the lodging details/pricing and download the registration form, or register online now.

Retreat Planning Committee:  Suze Bear, Helen Harrison, Carol Mansfield, Mary Todd Peters, Anne Wolf.