Angel Tree Program

Westminster is participating once again in the annual Angel Tree Program. Run by Prison Fellowship Canada, this program aims to help inmates stay connected with their children while the parent is in prison. The basic idea is simple: the inmate identifies a gift that they would like to give their child and a donor takes care of purchasing the gift and delivering it to the child on behalf of their parent. The financial commitment is not huge: $35 per gift. Some children are local (in the KW Cambridge area), while others are out of town. For out-of-town children the gift is typically in the form of a gift card.

Beechwood Affordable Housing Project

Southside Development Group from London has proposed to build a six-storey apartment block backing up against Erb St. (but slightly below it), and a total of 12 three-storey townhouses (broken into two sections of six each) fronting on 555 Beechwood Drive. Although much of the development, including all of the townhouses on Beechwood, will be rented at market rates, the development on this site will exceed the Region of Waterloo’s normal requirements for affordable apartments by providing 40% of units meeting the Region’s affordability criteria. Westminster representatives are supporting the process by listening to community concerns and providing feedback.

Casserole Ministry

Could you help out with our Casserole Ministry? We are ready to restock the freezer for the winter season. Filled containers can be brought to church. If you need an empty container, they are available in the kitchen. Anyone is welcome to give a frozen meal to anyone in the community who could use a hand. For more information please speak with Cheryl MacLean: [email protected].

Fedge

Divest Waterloo/Faith & the Common Good received a grant from Waterloo Region to work with Grand River Food Forestry to plant fedges (food hedges) around the Region. As part of our climate action initiatives, Temple Shalom and Westminster congregations successfully applied to plant two fedges. In June 2021, volunteers from Westminster and Temple Shalom planted the initial fedge at The Cedars. The event was kicked off with an indigenous smudging. In August 2021, a second fedge was planted. This project is powerful not only because it naturalizes landscape, creates habitat and attracts native pollinators with low-maintenance, drought-tolerant native species but also because it builds community. By supporting ongoing engagement with the land that sustains us, it has the potential to change the relationships that citizens across the region have with each other and with our ecosystem. ​

Matthew's Distro Drive

In memory of Matthew MacGregor, our church pledged to support the Luther Food Distro in January 2022.  Martin Luther University College, federated with Wilfrid Laurier University, is an academic, spiritual, and social home to almost 500 part-time and full-time graduate and undergraduate students from 31 different faith traditions, as well as no faith tradition. University students have been particularly impacted by the pandemic, both in their ability to attend class, but also with respect to opportunities to seek employment to pay for their educational and living costs. Early in the pandemic Luther learned that students in our community were experiencing food insecurity. Luther, along with Laurier Students’ Public Interest Research Group (LSPIRG), responded by starting a weekly, informal food distribution program. What began with a single table offering non-perishable food has grown to a large distribution center providing fresh and non-perishable food, hygiene and menstrual products, cleaning supplies, and hot, prepared, homemade food to approximately 125 food insecure students each week. The “Distro” strives to provide fresh and nutritious food to students in a friendly, stigma-free environment. Westminster has provided financial support, member food donations, along with food donations from The Cedars vegetable garden. ​

Shawl Ministry

The Prayer Shawl Committee will meet on the last Sunday of each month. We will be meeting at the Temple end of the Sanctuary. Note that the time is changed to 10 a.m. Come and enjoy time well spent together.

Syrian Refugees

In 2016, Westminster welcomed Syrian refugees, the Mardini family, to a new life in Waterloo. We helped bring them here. It was a long journey! Our involvement began in 2015 when we joined the Tri-Faith Action Committee to help sponsor a refugee family. Back then, we raised $14,000 towards the cost of bringing the Mardini family from their temporary refuge in Lebanon to Canada. To our shared joy and relief, Khitam arrived first on October 10, 2016 (Thanksgiving Monday, how appropriate!), followed by the rest of the family on October 29, 2016.

Vernon Grieves Memorial Church

At one time, there were five churches in the remote First Nation community of Oxford House in northern Manitoba, 950 kms north of Winnipeg. The Bunibonibee Cree community continues to feel the impact of COVID as well as high rates of poverty and unemployment. But the spirit of the people is resilient, and Vernon Grieves United Church is central to the well-being of the community. This church performs all the baptisms, church-related marriages and funerals for the entire community. In addition, Rev. John Thompson and his wife, Rev. Elenor Thompson, help out with car repairs, school meals and a host of other community needs. For several years, our church has provided financial support to this community.
September 19, 2021 was a real highlight for them, as Elenor made history being the first indigenous woman to
be ordained in Oxford House. It was also the first Ordination to be officiated by the National Indigenous Council of which John Thompson is chair. ​

Donate to Westminster

Donate once or monthly, to honour an event, or to remember someone through Canada Helps.