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JOIN US AT WORSHIP THIS WEEK FOR
COSTA RICA SUNDAY...APRIL 28TH!
We will hear stories from our Costa Rica Mission Team this Sunday, sing some songs that they learned while serving and worshipping there, and be inspired into more faithful living! April 28 is also youth Sunday (every 4th Sunday), so they'll be assisting in worship leading as well!!
AccessAbility Update
By now you hopefully have received a pledge card in the mail for our AccessAbility Capital Campaign. We hope to receive those completed cards on Sunday, May 5 in worship. If you are unable to make it to worship, please mail the card into the church office, c/o Jim Grosh, our financial secretary. Jim will be the only one to see the cards and tally our campaign totals for us. If you would prefer to use the internet, go to gowestsidechurch.org/accessability in order to submit your response. We are excited to increase access to all things West Side Church - both physically and digitally!
Save the dates:
April 28 - after worship we will offer the opportunity for a Q & A about our plans for the funds raised via the AccessAbility campaign
May 5 - pledge cards will be turned in and we invite you to join us for a Celebration Luncheon after worship!
On the way there,
Pastor Adam
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“If something inside of you is real, we will probably find it interesting, and it will probably be universal. So, you must risk placing real emotion at the center of your work. Write straight into the emotional center of things. Write toward vulnerability. Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it." - Anne Lamott
A group of us from the West Side had the opportunity to sit in the Michigan Theater and soak up the wisdom of Anne Lamott. Anne Lamott is known for being her most vulnerable self in her writings. The event at Michigan Theater was sold out. I believe every seat was full because people are drawn to those who are authentically themselves, aiming to speak the truth. I hope this is something we can strive to be at West Side, a church where we feel secure in God's love and are free to be vulnerable and known by each other. I highly recommend one of her twenty excellent books if you haven't read them. Her most recent one, Somehow: Thoughts on Love, would be worth doing a five-week book study. If anyone is interested, please let me know.
I asked the kids what they liked about church and what they wanted to change. Here are their responses. Enjoy!
Samantha Tidball
Associate Pastor
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If you are interested in becoming an educator for the Michigan Gun Violence Prevention campaign, the next training session on Zoom is May 16 at 8pm. For more information & to register go here or contact Marilyn Kirking at 734 358 7985 or Mkirking@umich.edu.
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West Side Thursday Morning Bible Study
Our spring ZOOM Bible Study will begin Thursday, May 2 at 11:00am. This Bible Study is on ZOOM because we have members that were once at Westside, but have moved out of state. It is an amazing group that enjoy prayer and group support as we discuss Bible study curriculum in a safe, nonjudgmental space. We take turns facilitating the group, though this is definitely not a requirement to be part of the group.
We will be studying Christianity and World Religions by Adam Hamilton. Lisa, our office manager, has ordered the book. It is available in the West Side Office for $11 and/or can be ordered on Amazon.
To prepare for the first session we will plan on reading the introduction and Chapter 1 - The Wise Men. If you have any questions, please text, call or email Ann Andraska @ 734-751-7456 or yellowstonefun4@gmail.com
Recurring ZOOM link for the sessions:
Topic: Bible Study - Christianity and World Religions
Time: May 2, 2024 11:00 AM Eastern Time
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87505688146
Meeting ID: 875 0568 8146
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Memorial Garden Assistance
The Memorial Garden is quickly covering the soil with green foliage. Three sections are without a "garden helper" for the 2024 season. A little attention every two weeks keeps the entire garden a place of beauty, peace and reflection for neighborhood families as well as members of our church family. Please, three from our church family contact me to fill in Memorial Garden sections in need of care.
Doug Brewer 734 665-5840 (or a few minutes on Sunday)
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No Elevator Service for 1 More Week Due to Maintenance
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Get ready for another wild ride with some very interesting women of the Bible. We will finish the book on Wednesday, May 15th at 10:30 AM. We gather around the fire place in the hospitality area and study a different woman each week. If you have to miss a session, that’s ok.
This class is an 8 week class filled with laughter and discovery. It’s very informal and the discussions are lively. If you ever thought you might like to try a Bible study, but were afraid, thinking you didn’t know enough or you don’t have time for a lot of homework, this is the study for you!
The book is available on Amazon for around $13 and I have found 4 used books that I have put in the office. They are free to the first 4 people who want one. Please call Betsy Doepken (317-437-0971) to have any questions answered.
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NEW Facebook Page
Our new Facebook page is live! Like us to be updated on what's going on around at West Side.
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Prayer Concerns
If you would like to include a prayer concern to be listed in this section of our Weekly email, please email the church office with the name, and if you would like, you may add a brief description, eg. surgery, cancer diagnosis, death in the family, etc. This concern will be listed for 8 weeks. You can request the office to leave the name on the list for a longer period as well.
Andy Siddall (Tom Hams’ nephew)
Fay Cozadd
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West Side Bookworms
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The West Side Bookworms will be meeting on Thursday, May 2nd at 10am. Please join us around the fireplace to discuss The Alice Network by Kate Quinn. Need a copy? Call Betsy Doepken at 317-374-0971
May 2 The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
June 6 Throwaway Children by Diney Costeloe
NO MEETING JULY 4
Aug. 8 The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck
Sept. 5 The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
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West Side Reads
Our April, 2024 book will be: How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith.
Goodreads summary: “Beginning in his own hometown of New Orleans, Clint Smith leads the reader through an unforgettable tour of monuments and landmarks-those that are honest about the past and those that are not-that offer an intergenerational story of how slavery has been central in shaping our nation's collective history, and ourselves.”
This book is available on Audible, Kindle, new in hardback through Thrift Books on-line or Amazon, local bookstores in Ann Arbor and through Ann Arbor District Library.
Because we have Westside friends that are no longer in Ann Arbor, we will continue to have our discussions via zoom. Please join us on ZOOM in April as we continue reading and learning about Social Justice in our world.
April 28 at 7pm
Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/82801441457
Meeting ID: 828 0144 1457
If you have any questions at all, please contact Cindy Heflin Pelo at heflincl@gmail.com or Ann Andraska at yellowstonefun4@gmail.com
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Library Book of the Week
A full-color celebration of the American religious tradition of church signs features a wide range of whimsical, reverent, and inspiring examples from all parts of the country, in a volume that includes such entries as "Families are like fudge.mostly sweet with a few nuts" and "Looking for a lifeguard? Ours walks on water."
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Crafty Christians
Bring yourself, a craft or a coloring page for a fun time! We meet Fridays from 11am-1pm. All are welcomed for fellowship and laughter. Please contact Judy Smith with any questions.
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April
Community Offering:
Growing Hope
Growing Hope fosters an equitable and sustainable local food system where all people are empowered to grow, sell, buy, prepare, and eat nourishing food.
Ypsilanti is a community where all people–particularly those with barriers due to race, class, culture, language, ability, and mobility–have access to nourishing local food that is culturally appropriate and affordable, can grow and prepare their own harvests, and may earn a living as a food grower, producer, or entrepreneur.
Growing Hope distinguishes itself in the realm of food justice and food access, addressing our food system’s most pressing challenges by advocating at a local and regional level and implementing innovative solutions. In 2006, Growing Hope ensured that the Ypsilanti Farmers Market was a pioneer as we became one of the first farmers markets in Michigan to accept food assistance as a form of payment, and we continue to advocate for food assistance expansion throughout the state.
Supporting Growing Hope and the Ypsilanti Farmers Markets helps ensure finances are not a barrier to accessing life-sustaining, fresh food.
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In Memoriam
Frank J. Siller
April 30, 1930 - September 2, 2022
Nancy Brewer
January 14, 1944 - September 2, 2022
Judith Oakes Fraleigh
November 21, 1935 - January 18, 2023
Edith Laura Semark
August 18, 1934 - February 3, 2023
Trenna Elizabeth Garner
January 8, 1935 - January 14, 2023
Carol Kreischer
December 28, 1930 - February 25, 2023
Joyce Weldon Clark
September 28, 1935 - February 27, 2023
Richard "Rip" Kinney
March 17, 1934 - April 21, 2023
Graham Robert Putnam
April 11, 1947 - October 31, 2023
Stephen Lacoe
February 10, 1936 - February 15, 2024
Marguerite Fisher
November 21, 1923 - February 16, 2024
Elizabeth Audette
May 31, 1960 - April 21, 2024
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Giving Generously & Virtually
If you are able to, please consider giving virtually in the upcoming weeks by visiting our giving tab from our website here, or using our text-to-give function (instructions on how to do this can be found here). Thanks for all that you do to support the West Side family!
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Pastor
Adam Bissell
adam@westside-umc.org
Associate Pastor
Samantha Tidball
samantha@westside-umc.org
Director of Music Ministries
Jacob Carroll
jacob@westside-umc.org |
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Office Manager
Lisa Mayne
westside@westside-umc.org
Church Office Hours - Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10am-2pm
900 S. Seventh St
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
734-663-4164 |
This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.
-Jeremiah 6:16a
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