Blessings Without Number

By: Melanie Ohnstad, Minister of Music and the Arts

Counting is part and parcel of a musician's practice. The beats that I have counted since my girlhood seem more numerous than the stars on a clear North Shore summer night. Like the pulsing of the human heart, a steady beat creates a framework in time in which music can flow. Its predictability brings both stability and excitement to musical performance. If you count music as a blessing, you probably already know that counting in music is also a blessing! A spiritual director once told me that counting blessings was a good way to begin developing a spiritual practice. She urged me to name a blessing from each day before going to sleep at night. While I have not been as diligent about counting my blessings as my beats, I do recognize two things: 1) that counting blessings is a blessing, and 2) that my blessings, too, are more numerous than the stars on a clear North Shore summer night. 

Westminster accounts for a galaxy of my life's blessings. Like a piece in ¾ time, let me count some of the “stars” of my blessings: 

1. Being part of a community of caring, committed people who make my life so rich and make Sunday the best day of the week
2. All we can do together that we could not do alone
3. All we can do alone from the strength gained from our togetherness

1. Having place to develop and share the gifts that I have been given
2. Creative and talented colleagues whom I enjoy and trust without exception
3. Freedom of thought and expression that allow the Spirit to take us to new places

1. Brad Ollmann's and Kela Wanyama's skill and delight in working with our young singers
2. Jere Lantz's energy and musical understanding in directing the Global and Westminster Choirs
3. Nancy Carter's love of handbells and her ability to share the joy of their music

1. Barbara Prince's creamy voice, administrative foresight and Chamber Ensemble leadership
2. Rodney Allen Schwartz's enrichment of our space and lives with art
3. The hundreds of people who devote thousands of hours to offer music in our worship

1. The joy of hearing the congregation sing the great hymns of faith
2. The diversity of music that deepens my faith and provides me a way to worship God
3. The Christmas Dinners that bring in the holiday season and celebrate the Westminster family

Music: Cantus, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"

Children of the Church

by Tom Northenscold, Elder and Church School Teacher

The youth of Westminster are a blessing to us all. They bring an energy and vitality to our lives that makes our days brighter and gives us hope for the future. They also bring a unique perspective to the blessings we all enjoy through Westminster Presbyterian.

To bring that perspective to Counting Our Blessings, we asked the seventh and eigth graders to roam the church making photographs of people, places and things that remind them of the many blessings that are bestowed on us and that we bestow on others. This slideshow is a compilation of those images.

It won't be too many years until these youth are leading us in service on Youth Sunday, telling us of their plans for the future–and we will pay rapt attention. The work we all do in nurturing these children of the church in their faith blesses us all in abundance. The children that grow up within Westminster Presbyterian feel it. They know this to be a place where they can be themselves and are safe. We should all take pride in the amazing things these youth go on to do. The youth of Westminster are truly a blessing. Let's always remember to celebrate that.

The Blessings of Community

By Rodney Allen Schwartz, Director, the Westminster Gallery and Archive

I was attracted to Westminster and became a member in the early 1980s because of the beautiful music and the inspirational sermons preached. For a number of years I was one of those churchgoers who walked in, sat through the service, and then disappeared quickly through the Nicollet doors. A few years later, I was invited to become a Deacon. Engaging with clergy and church members through that gathering of officers, and being assigned an aisle as an usher, changed my relationship with the church and its members for the better.

The construction of the Marquette wing and the subsequent creation of the Westminster Gallery in 2002 provided the opportunity to connect with the congregation and visitors in a profound way. I started as a volunteer along with Liz Heller as co-chairs of a task force to start the gallery. Nine years later I find myself on staff and seem to hold court in the gallery at every opportunity. Conversations before church and during the coffee hour afterwards, tours, and special events give me the chance to discuss art with anyone.

People find inspiration, are challenged to think, and learn in a variety of ways. Some prefer to read, others listen, maybe they are moved by music, and yet others respond to art. In this Westminster community of believers, and in the community of those drawn to art, I have found my place of usefulness.

The Westminster Gallery is sponsoring an open house and reception this coming Friday, October 14 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. This opportunity to visit with artists and other art lovers is part of the Twin Cities Fine Arts Organization annual Art on the Town. Please join us, enjoy the conversation, the art and the cake, as we count our blessings as a community.

Just a Closer Walk with Thee…

by Meghan Gage-Finn, Associate Pastor for Children, Youth & Families

“Just a closer walk with thee…”

These were the opening words of Anna's solo this past Sunday as we welcomed Confirmation students into membership and heard as they shared their faith stories with us. The song speaks of the desire to walk closer with Jesus, understanding that Jesus is our strength and guide. (Scroll to the bottom of this post and click the link to listen to Anna’s incredible singing in worship.)

In their Statements of Faith, our Confirmation students shared with us what they believe and what they hold onto as they grow in their faith, but they also shared their doubts and their questions. They expressed their wonderings about how big God is, how complex the Holy Trinity is, and how hard it is to grasp God’s saving love for us. These 20 young people gave voice to the questions so many of us wrestle with, and with honesty and integrity they took risks together this year as individuals and as a class. It is with joy and thanksgiving that we welcome them into the membership of Westminster and Christ’s church. They have a vision for Westminster Confirmation Class, September 25, 2011the church and their place in it. In the words of one of our students:

“When I think about Westminster, I think of an inviting and friendly place, where I know I am always welcome. I think that is one of Westminster’s roles, to be welcoming to anyone who wants to worship with us. Another one of our church’s roles is to get involved with important issues in the community and to help people who need it. I believe our church fulfills these roles. I think my role in our congregation is to listen and learn from leaders in the church. I also think it is to be a part of our youth group, and to help serve others with the church.”

It is truly a privilege to walk with our Confirmation students and their mentors through the year of listening and learning and discernment. My own faith is strengthened by the challenging questions they ask of me and of each other. They build us up as the Body of Christ and as a church and they reflect the grace, love, and nurturing they have received as children of Westminster over the years. These 20 new members are indeed a blessing, and we are blessed to be part of a church family where the promises of baptism are real and abide from generation to generation!

Just A Closer Walk With Thee, sung by Anna K.