
Free Inquiry Class - March 12
This Sunday we have Sam Hendricks leading the class in a discussion about the article linked below. Here are Sam's comments:
We will be discussing a 2018 article by Kjell Lejon, a Swedish academic, entitled "From Civil Religion to Presidential Public Theology - A Re-evaluation of the American Civil Religion Phenomenon. The Case of George H.W. Bush." A link to the article is attached.
https://link.edgepilot.com/s/7a41d5c8/4-j96glGrkujaZj9f9gxTw?u=https://revistia.com/files/articles/ejms_v3_i4_18/Lejon.pdf

A Word from Laura: Welcome Ariel
Ariel Nathanson Bolinja will accompany the choir and congregation on Sundays this spring as we look for a permanent music director. Ariel graduated from University of Hartford's The Hartt School in 2018 with a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance with a Pedagogy Emphasis and was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society.
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One Great Hour of Sharing
When we give to the One Great Hour of Sharing Special Offering, it supports projects in over 100 countries.
IF WE ALL DO A LITTLE, IT ADDS UP TO A LOT!

A Word from Laura
Western friends,
On behalf of the session, we appreciate all who turned out for our congregational conversation last week. You heard and discussed around tables aspects of our financial situation and some of the session’s thinking and decisions about moving forward.
Part of this process involves making changes to our congregational staffing model; you will be hearing more about this in the days to come. The most difficult aspect of these changes is the decision not to have a full-time administrative assistant. As a result, Shenella McGaskey will be leaving this role at the end of March.

Free Inquiry Class will consider “The Political Influence of Charismatic and Evangelical Christians.”
On Sunday, February 19, the Free Inquiry Class will consider “The Political Influence of Charismatic and Evangelical Christians.”
The session, beginning at 9:45 am in the Conference Room and on line, will be led by Matthew D. Taylor, a Protestant Scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies …

A Word from Laura: Farewell to Patrick
With a heavy heart, I share with you the news that our interim music director Patrick Merrill shared officially with me, the Personnel chair, clerk of session and choir this past week: that he is leaving Western to pursue an opportunity to work at St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church, where his wife Grace has served as a cantor for over a decade. (click to read more)