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Weekly Greeting from Your Pastor

July 28, 2020

In his book, Spiritual Direction: Wisdom for the Long Walk of Faith, Henri Nouwen gives us a guided meditation on Psalm 46:10 – Be still and know that I am God.

I invite you to take a few moments of your day to slow down and read slowly through the meditation.  Let God calm your troubled soul.

Be still: Be quiet….Be silent….Be tranquil. Be present….Be now….Be here….

The first task of the disciple is to be with the Lord….to sit at His feet, to listen and to be attentive to all He says, does, and asks.

Our Lord is all we need and want….Our stronghold, our refuge, our shepherd, our wisdom. God cares for us, feeds us….gives us life….

Be still….It is hard….It means to let God speak to us….breathe in us….act in us….pray in us….Let God enter into the most hidden parts of our being….let God touch us even there where it may hurt us and cause us pain….

To be still is to trust….to surrender….to let go….to have faith.

Be still….God is and God acts….not once in a while….not on special occasions….but all the time….Be still and listen to the one who speaks to you always, feel the actions of the one who acts always….and taste the presence of the one who is present always.

Know: Come to know….real knowledge….full intimate knowing.

A form of diagnosis….a knowing through and through. A knowing with the heart, a knowing by heart….Be still and know. Come to that still knowledge. There is a very restless knowledge, a confusing, distracting, dividing knowledge….but knowing God….is a knowing of the heart….of the whole person. It is a knowing that is also seeing, hearing, touching, smelling.

Be still and know that I am God.

That is not meant to be a fearful knowledge….but a peaceful knowledge. God is not a God of the dead, but a god of the living. God is not a revengeful God, but a God of Love. Know that I am God….your God. The God who is only love….the God who touches you with his limitless and unconditional love.

Be still and know that I love you….that I hold you in the palm of my hand….that I have counted the hairs of your head….that you are the apple of my eye….that your name is written in my heart….”Do not be afraid….it is I.”

There is nothing in us that needs to be hidden from God’s love. Our guilt…our shame…out fear…our sins…He wants to see it, touch it, heal it…and make himself known. There is no other God than the Lord of Love.

Be still and know that I am God. God is not in the storm, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but in the still, small voice, the gentle breeze, and the sheer silence…

Be still and know that I am God. Take these words with you in the week to come…let them be like a little seed planted in the good soil of your heart and let it grow…

Be still and know that I am God.

To God Alone Be Glory, 

Pastor Daniel

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The Upper Room

To support churches and subscribers during this time of pandemic when distribution of the devotional guide is more difficult, the publishers of The Upper Room have made available to us the July/August issue. To download: open cover image, right click, and select “save as.”

Daily Prayer in the Westminster Sanctuary

12 p.m. Tuesday
6 p.m. Wednesday

We will continue to provide this opportunity to gather in groups of fewer than 50 until we are ready to resume Sunday morning worship with a larger crowd. Here's how it works:

  1. One service offered 2 times during the week. Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. and Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. Since it is the same service, you only need to attend once a week.
  2. The service will last about 30 minutes and includes Scripture, prayer, and a brief devotional. Music is also part of the service, but because of C-19 transmission concerns, we will refrain from singing for the time being.
  3. C-19 precautions will be taken, including limited seating and appropriate social distancing from one another before, during, and after the service. Hand sanitizer will be provided. Face masks will be provided and are required.
  4. No nursery is provided, but children are welcome. They are also required to wear a face mask.

Being the Church Amid the COVID-19 Crisis

  • From the WPC Session: As a community that has made a choice to be disciples of Jesus Christ and provide for the spiritual needs of our community, Westminster has multiple responsibilities to our congregation and to our surrounding friends and families.  In the current situation of a worldwide pandemic, we must continue to meet the needs of the people for worship and fellowship, as well as comply with CDC, DHEC, and City of Charleston regulations limiting the size and closeness of any gathering of people.  With the potential for transmission of illness from person to person, we acknowledge a responsibility to love, protect, and care for those that are most vulnerable to the viral infection that is spreading through our community.  Consequently, we will extend our suspension of in-person worship and meetings. We hoped to resume in-person Sunday worship by now, but the growing number of C-19 cases in SC and Charleston in particular mean we are not yet ready to assume those risks. We will continue to monitor the situation and make sounds decisions. In the meantime, we will utilize available technology and other means of communication to carry out the mission and ministry of the church.
  • Office hours are Monday-Thursday, 9:00 – 5:00, Friday 9:00 -1:00. The Food Pantry is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
  • Indoor meetings and gatherings (with the exception of Daily Prayer in the Sanctuary) are exclusively virtual. Outdoor gatherings are permitted with the following protocols: Hand sanitizer available; 6ft social distancing; all meetings scheduled through the church office.
  • Pastoral care is being provided according to guidelines set forth by state and community policies. If you have a need, please reach out to the church office 843.766.8311
  • The latest information is available through periodic emails from the church and Westminster’s Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube accounts.
  • All worship services are accessible online at the appointed times. In addition to being able to worship via Facebook Live, you can now live stream the 11:00 service on the Westminster YouTube channel, and on our website, www.westminstercharleston.org. The Daily Prayer Service is recorded Tuesday and available anytime on the Westminster YouTube channel. Worship bulletins will be available at westminstercharleston.org

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