Happy Friday Westminster! Aren’t you loving all this sunshine? Someone shared with me this great saying yesterday – “If the grass seems greener on the other side of the fence – it is time to spread fertilizer”. =) I’ve been thinking about how important it is to apply this simple phrase in our lives. The Lord has blessed each of us with so much grace in this world yet we easily find ourselves burdened with feelings of loss, anxiety, and desire for “more”. I’ve loved the teachings of Anne Dungan and Tim Crais in “The Losses of Our Lives” Sunday school class this semester. I encourage you to read the book one day. The author does a fantastic job in teaching us to name our loss, grieve it, and then move on in life so that we can live it abundantly. The examples she shares and the classroom discussions we had were totally awesome. This coming Sunday, participants in this class will lead worship at both services. I appreciate the willingness of the five people who are going to share from the pulpit their experiences as well as the others who will serve as Liturgists. You will also get to listen to some of the scripture that we got to study in this class. The season of Lent is a very powerful season of the church life. I hope that you will embrace it and get involved in all the many programs that are in store for us. Buran will lead us off with the Ash Wednesday service this coming Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Please make plans to attend! On Wednesday nights following Ash Wednesday, we will hold our annual Lenten Series (soup dinner in Fellowship Hall then service in Sanctuary). If you never have been to one of these services – please try it. I bet you will find it very meaningful. Learning to take time out of our merry-go-round lives to sit, pray, and listen is a gift to be treasured. Ginny Baker is offering a “Breath of Life” prayer class immediately following the service. Books are available for $10 each and there is a signup sheet in the Schilling Gallery. The adult Sunday School class will hold a Lenten series class entitled “Learning Forgiveness”. It begins March 13. Hugs, Renee Wiesehuegel
I love teaching 3rd and 4th grade Sunday school. I find it is an age where children are beginning to have the ability to discuss topics and form their own opinions. I love watching children discover what the world looks like through their eyes.
Hello, my name is Debbie Babelay. This year I have the wonderful opportunity of teaching the 2-3 year olds in our Sunday School program. They are all precious to me. We have fun learning about God’s love and how each of us is a special child of God. I look forward to their smiling faces each Sunday morning. This is my 3rd year teaching in the Sunday School program. I have also worked with vacation bible school.
I have known Westminster my entire life! I grew up in the church since birth. My faith is rooted in so many wonderful experiences at Westminster such as going on trips with Choristers, Montreat, and a Mission experience to Mexico. I went to college in Alabama at Birmingham-Southern. After college, I lived in Birmingham where I worked in sales. I met and married my husband Wiley there. Jim Carter (former Westminster minister) married us at Independent Presbyterian in Birmingham. Wiley’s career has taken us to New Mexico and Arkansas, and now back to Knoxville. We have been here since 2011. We have 3 children, Ella (11), Grant (7), and Walker (5). I work as the Assistant Director of the preschool at Central Baptist which allows me to have a similar schedule to my children. My favorite job is being their Mom!
Bio: Junior at the University of Tennessee 
I am a senior at UTK majoring in Global Studies with a focus in Economics. I am currently in the process of apply to graduate school for CSP. I love to be outdoors and travel. I also work as an Resident Assistant at Volunteer Hall on campus and enjoy babysitting and baking.
My name is Malena D’Alessandro and I’m a junior studying marketing at the University of Tennessee. I’m originally from south east Michigan where I attended high school at Oxford High School. I am currently part of Spring Sports Ambassadors, Volunteer Team and Best Buddies at UT.