Good Afternoon Westminster,
What an eventful week we have had here at Westminster! Calls keep coming in about how awesome our Chancel Choir’s performance of Brahms’ Requiem was on Tuesday night. Thanks go out to Peter Van Eenam and the entire choir for gifting us with such a meaningful service! The energy, dedication, and talent that went into such a powerful service is greatly appreciated! God is Good – All the Time!
Last night’s Stewardship program was also a great time together. I am thankful to Cameron, Byron, Buz, and Tom for all your hard work. The power point presentation was incredible! I liked having the combination of the lighter side of Stewardship (Cameron’s creativity is amazing), the reality of the expenses that we must incur to keep this vibrant church’s ministry alive, and the impact of our support to the youth when they shared their summer retreat experiences. As I pray and ponder on the selected biblical text for this year’s stewardship campaign (Psalm 116:12) – I realize that it is the combination of both my time and my talents that I need to return to the Lord for all what he blesses me with – day in and day out. 24/7. I see him in worship, in the fellowship, in the music, in the prayers that are lifted up for loved ones in time of need, in the celebrations of newborns, new members and positive test results – in the sunshine as well as in the rain. I see his involvement in both the CARE team ministry and the Prayer team, his participation in the classes offered on Wednesdays With Westminster, and his guidance in the youth of our church as they journey to have a personal relationship with him. It is exciting to see so many congregational members who give back to this church so freely when they come to maintain the facility and the grounds, to volunteer to teach a class or participate in a choir, to deliver food to the poor, to the flower guild who graciously adorns our sanctuary each and every Sunday, to the people who take care of the refugee family we are sponsoring, to our involvement while building a Habitat house, and to simply come to Westminster and “be”. We are blessed to serve an incredibly amazing Lord! When we give back to the Lord through our involvement with Westminster, we also get to bless others along the way when we share our facility with a multitude number of community groups that use this place daily for meetings. The Lord’s gift to each of us is a gift that keeps on giving…
Dedication Sunday is this coming Sunday – November 8th. Please place your stewardship pledge in the offering plate. Extra cards will be placed in the pew racks. Extra Time and Talent forms can be found in the Schilling Gallery or you can enter one directly on our website (www.wpcknox.org). My mom always reminded me of the team concept – that many hands do make the load lighter. If we all continue to pull together – just think what we can give back to the Lord!?!
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.