Westwood Presbyterian Church

Nurture our diverse congregation in experiencing the grace of God with multiple programs in Christian study, prayer, growth, support, and fellowship.

WOMEN

The Women's Ministries at WPC are vibrant. Every September we have a weekend retreat that allows time apart for discussion, reflection, and faith discovery. Our presenters have included Dr. Judy Yates Siker, Professor of New Testament at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, and Sr. Ruth Fox, Benedictine author and leader in spiritual formation.

Every other year our women's board hosts a Spring Tea in the home of a member. This is an elegant and convivial highlight for women at WPC.

Women Reading meets the last Wednesday of the month (September through April) at 7 p.m. for lively discussion of books (usually) written by women.

Our Women's Prayer Breakfast is held every Wednesday from 8:15 to 10 a.m. Pastor Krong and lay members of the group share leadership. We use various prayer resources, including Lectio Divina (prayer-based Scripture readings).

First Fridays are held the first Friday of every month at 6 p.m. for those with a heart for crafts, including quilting, scrapbooking, and needlepointing, accompanied by plentiful supplies of laughter.

All women are welcome to any of these groups.

MEN

WPC men get together for dinners and occasional retreats. They have had presentations by economists, newspaper columnists, authors, and leaders in the human service sector. Each year their pre-Lenten pancake breakfast celebrates Mardi Gras with Lee Thornburg and his Dixieland jazz group.

                ART & SOUL

        Art and Soul is an umbrella program in which the arts and faith intersect at WPC. Our Poetry and Spirit group is led by Pastor Peggy Krong. Movies at Westwood is an ongoing, fluid group formed to view and discuss movies. We have discussed films on far-ranging topics, from controversial The Passion of the Christ to issues of faith and spirituality in Chocolat. In our annual Celtic Celebration, held on St. Patrick's Day, we have enjoyed a Celtic harper, Gaelic poets and storytellers, "Irish" tenors, Highland dancers, and a Scottish country dance troupe. Art and Soul participants occasionally take informal museum excursions such as "Rembrandt's Late Religious Portraits" at the Getty Museum.

                FUN & FELLOWSHIP

        Social events enliven and build community. Quarterly we meet at members' homes for informal potlucks. Members of the group choose and help plan the activities, such as the Hollywood Bowl. Through Tables of Eight church members and friends enjoy social time together in small groups that gather monthly for self-selected events for a four-month time period. Athletes find fun and exercise through participation in community athletic leagues.

                GROWING IN FAITH

        In addition to prayer groups and adult Bible study, WPC offers Gifts for Ministry classes designed to help participants discover their spiritual gifts and where they can best use those gifts to serve Jesus Christ and participate in the community of faith.

WPC employs the ministry of Small Groups to enhance faith development of our members and to build relationships in the community of faith. Small Groups meet weekly for a specified time (usually six weeks) to discuss faith issues, using a book as a point of departure for faith exploration. In the past we have used such books as Henri Nouwen's The Return of the Prodigal Son, Annie Lamott's Traveling Mercies, and C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity.

Daily lectionary Bible readings are available on the PC (U.S.A.) website at http://www.pcusa.org/cgi-bin/lectiond.cgi.

                NEWS FROM WPC

        Each week Westwood Presbyterian Church publishes a lively newsletter, "News & Concerns," that describes the many opportunities for ministry, mission, and fellowship in the congregation. The editor of "News & Concerns" is Mayra Newbon.

If you would like to receive the newsletter by mail, please .

See News from WPC and the church Calendar for more information on activities at WPC.