Sermons
Sermon: A Great Multitude No One Could Count
Rev. Dr. Douglas J. Brouwer
Sunday, May 12, 2019 | Two services at 8:30a and 11:00a | We welcome back Rev. Dr. Douglas J. Brouwer as our guest preacher this Sunday. Dr. Brouwer has served a number of Presbyterian congregations and, most recently, the International Protestant Church in Zurich. Join us as he leads us in worship using Revelation 7:9-17 and John 10:22-30.
Sermon: The Mess That A Conversion Makes
Rev. Dr. Douglas J. Brouwer
Sunday, May 5, 2019 | Two services at 8:30a and 11:00a | Heritage Sunday with Communion | We welcome Rev. Dr. Douglas J. Brouwer as our guest preacher for this special service honoring and including our Fifty year and more members. Dr. Brouwer has served a number of Presbyterian congregations and, most recently, the International Protestant Church in Zurich. Join us as he leads us in worship using Acts 9.1-6 and “The Mess That A Conversion Makes.”
Sermon: Grief and New Beginnings
Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity
Sunday, April 29 | TWO services at 8:30 & 11:00 | Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity | As an artist, pastor, and retreat leader, Lisle works with communities of all kinds across the nation. She is the founder and creative director of A Sanctified Art LLC, a collaborative arts ministry providing multimedia resources for worshiping communities. Join us for this unique worship experience as we witness Rev. Lisle proclaims the Word visually.
Sermon: Telling a Truer Story
Rev. Jeremy Bork
Easter Sunday, April 21 | TWO services at 8:30 & 11:00 | Rev. Jeremy Bork | Near the end of Luke's account of the resurrection, when the women share the news with the apostles, their words sound like "an idle tale," and they don't believe them. What made the message so hard to believe, and what makes it difficult to believe today? What are the stories we believe about God, the world, and ourselves, and how might the hope of Easter invite us to believe and tell truer stories? Join us at 8:30 and 11:00 as we wonder into and celebrate resurrection.
Sermon: What Do your Poinsettia’s Look Like Now?
Rev. Fran Lane-Lawrence
| AThe Rev. Fran Lane-Lawrence is the Transition Co-Leader/Stated Clerk for the Presbytery of Lake Michigan. Fran serves on the Board of Trustees for Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, the PCUSA’s only historically black seminary; she also serves on the GA Racism Truth and Reconciliation Committee, and is past moderator of the GA Committee on Theological Education. Prior to her service as the Transitional Co-Leader/Stated Clerk, she served for 9 years at the First Presbyterian Church in Niles, MI, and prior to that as Executive Director of Laughlin Memorial Chapel, a faith-based community center, in Wheeling, WV.
Sermon: The Island of Misfit Toys
Rev. Dr. Bill Evertsberg
Sunday, April 7 | TWO services at 8:30 & 11:00 | Rev. Dr. William A. Evertsberg | We welcome Rev. Dr. William A. Evertsberg to our services this Sunday. Rev. Evertsberg is the Senior Minister at the Kenilworth Union Church in Kenilworth Illinois and served here at Westminster from 1990-1997. A graduate of Calvin College and Princeton Theological Seminary, Bill has also served congregations in Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
Sermon: The Spirit of the Thing
Rev. Paul Timothy Roberts
Sunday, March 31 | TWO services at 8:30 & 11:00 | Rev. Paul Timothy Roberts | The Reverend Paul Timothy Roberts Sr. is President of Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary in Atlanta, GA, a position he has held since the spring of 2010. We are happy to welcome his return to Westminster.
Sermon: Rock The Boat!
Westminster Youth
Join us in worship this Sunday for the presentation of the annual children's and youth musical at both services 8:30a and 11:00a. This year's title is Rock The Boat! and is the story of Noah and the Ark. The Carol Choir (grades 3-5) and the Chapel Singers (grades 6-8) have enjoyed working on the songs for this musical. The music is fun and tells the biblical story as well as including a message about taking care of our world.
Sermon: I’m Not Sure What To Do Next
Rev. Dr. Andrew Pomerville
Rev. Dr. Andrew Pomerville is the Chaplain and Director of Spiritual Life for Alma College in Alma, MI. He is a graduate of Alma and served The Peoples Church in East Lansing for seven years.
Sermon: Learning How to Squint
Rev. Dr. Tom Long
Sunday, March 10 | TWO services at 8:30 & 11:00 | Rev. Dr. Tom Long | Rev. Dr. Tom Long is the Bandy Professor Emeritus of Preaching; Director of the Early Career Pastoral Leadership Program at Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, GA. He is an award winning author of many articles and books.
Sermon: Expect the End of the World
Kyle Nolan
"See, now is an acceptable time; see, now is a day of salvation!” In the frenzy of our daily lives, the urgency of Paul’s invitation to be reconciled to God can strike us as odd, intrusive even. There is so much to do…can’t that wait? Ash Wednesday is an invitation to intrusion, to stillness, and most of all to freedom. It’s a reminder of the fragile, precious passage of our lives. Join us at 7pm for a traditional service of the Imposition of Ashes — an ancient rite of repentance and preparation for our long lenten pilgrimage to the cross.
Sermon: The Luckiest Moment Was Not Enough
Gene Ryan
Sunday, March 3 | TWO services at 8:30 & 11:00 | Gene Ryan | Gene is the Middle School Ministries Coordinator and Seminary Intern at WPC. A student at Western Theological Seminary, he holds a degree in Religion from Hope College. Join us for worship this Sunday as we hear how "The Luckiest Moment Was Not Enough."
Sermon: By Faith
Rev. Jen Porter
Rev. Jen Porter | When we read the great litany of faith in Hebrews 11, we find a list of fairly absurd, ridiculous and even unbelievable acts of faith. The list includes repeated sacrifice and hardship and many steps into what is unknown. And, none of them even received what they had been promised. And, that is the good news. Join us Sunday as Rev. Jen preaches about our faith and as we welcome another group of New Members into our congregation. Again, this week we will be a different church. Praise be to God for all the names and stories and lives that we share in this life of faith and at WPC.
Sermon: Guarding Our Treasures
Rev. Lynn Barger Elliott
Rev. Lynn Barger serves as Affiliate Faculty at Calvin College in the Congregational and Ministry Studies department where she leads the Ministry Leadership Fellows program. She is also on the staff at Mayflower Congregational Church where she directs Youth and Family Ministries and coordinates Pastoral Care. From 2006-2007, Lynn was on staff at Westminster as the Interim Director of Youth Ministries. While she was at Princeton Seminary, she did ministry internships under two of our previous pastors, Bill Evertsberg and Riley Jensen. Lynn and her husband Mark have three children and live in East Grand Rapids.
Sermon: Amidst the Cacophony
Rev. Jessica Tate
Jessica Tate is the Director of NEXT Church (www.nextchurch.net), a network of Presbyterians who are discerning how to be the faithful church in the 21st century. Prior to coming on board with NEXT Church, she served as Associate Pastor of Fairfax Presbyterian Church in Northern Virginia. Jessica is a lifelong Presbyterian, in fact, a joyful preacher’s kid. Upon graduation from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Jessica served as a Young Adult Intern for the PC(USA) at the denomination’s Washington Office. From there she went on to seminary at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, where she received a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Arts in Christian Education. Jessica and her husband John live in Washington, DC with their infant son, Huw and rescued chocolate lab -- both of whom regularly keep them humble with their gregarious affection.