Windsor Presbyterian Church

2011-12-31T10:09:00.001-06:00

6301 University - Windsor Heights, Iowa 50324

Click here for a Google Map and photo of our location.

Additional parking is one block west on University Avenue. This is the lot directly south of 64th and University Map and photo of parking lot.

Sunday School 9:30 a.m.
Worship 10:30 a.m.
Fellowship: 11:30 a.m.

Online Calendar: www.my.calendars.net/wpchurch/

Phone: 515-277-8379

Fax: 515-277-5200

Email: windsorpresby@yahoo.com

New Website

2011-03-09T11:01:00.004-06:00

Welcome to Windsor Presbyterian Church!
We now have a new website. It is: http://www.windsorpc.org/. There is a link located under "Links" that will take you directly to our new website. Please check it out! This blog site will be gone eventually so please make note of the new website. Thank you!

Mission - Doyle Hansen House of Hospitality

2011-02-03T08:35:00.004-06:00

Jesus said: "I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Matthew 25:36

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Hebrews 13:3

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 1 Peter 4:9

The Doyle Hansen House of Hospitality was started in 1979 by the Rev. Bob Cook based on the above Bible verses. It was named in honor of the Rev. Doyle Hansen, who along with his daughter, tragically drowned on a family trip to a lake. He was the pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church when this happened in 1978.

The house is located at 1521 6th Avenue, Des Moines, IA, and houses 17 men. It is a place for men released from prison or the criminal justice system. It is not a state run institution nor a halfway house. It is a privately funded hospitality house. Rules are simple--no drugs, no alcohol, go out and find a job. There is no set time limit for the men to stay. They do need time to refocus and get their life together. The average stay is 5 and 3/4 months.

They are hoping to get another house for a transitional house. It would be an independent living unit where the residents pay rent to establish a rental hisotry in order to move on to their own living space. They need furniture, kitchen utensils, bed and bath items, and basic housekeeping supplies.

There was a wonderful article on the Doyle Hansen House of Hospitality in the Des Moines Register on Sunday, January 2, 2011. You can read it online or it is posted on the mission bulletin board (next to Ward Hall). Basically, Brian Kelly dropped off a $2,000 check for the men for Christmas. It was decided to split the money 17 ways with one stipulation--each had to give away half of the money. The article tells what happened--the joy the men found in giving to others.

Doyle Hansen House of Hospitality is one of the organizations that our congregation supports through the Mission Committee. Thank you to everyone for your support of all our mission projects!

February Sermons

2011-02-03T08:33:00.001-06:00

Living a Blessed Life--Lessons from the Beatitudes
February 6 - The Pure in Heart
February 13 - The Ones Who Make Peace
February 20 - The Persecuted Ones
February 27 - Salt of the Earth

To the flock...

2011-02-03T08:24:00.003-06:00

Sometimes all we need is a little direction, a roadmap, to get to where we want to be. If where you want to be is in the middle of a life that God is blessing, Jesus lays out a roadmap in the opening of his Sermon on the Mount. He doesn't start with a joke or even a story, though he tells some good stories later in the sermon. He begins with eight simple statements about being blessed.

We are midway through our study of living a blessed life. We have discovered that in these opening remarks, Jesus mines the Hebrew scriptures for great truths and arranges them in a way that lay out the roadmap for a blessed life. It is simple--the truly happy life is one lived increasingly focused on God. Each step of the beatitudes takes us deeper into relationship with our maker. Jesus shows us how to re-focus, re-center, our lives to be in alignment with God's plans for us. Our attention cannot be on the things of this world--success, money, possessions. The blessed life is lived with God first.

Now that the Beatitudes have shown us that God must be the primary focus of a blessed life, the remaining verses begin to turn our attention to those around us. I hope you will join us as we delve deeper into God's word to better understand the kind of life God wants us to live, the kind of life God wants to bless. If you want to live a happy, blessed life, the Beatitudes point you in the right direction. It is simple, but not easy.

See you in worship!

Shamaine

Epiphany Worship Service

2011-01-05T10:28:00.002-06:00

We will celebrate Epiphany on January 6 with dinner and taking down the "Greens" and other Christmas decorations. Epiphany is the traditional feast day where we remember the visit from the wise men and the gifts they brought to Jesus. It is the twelfth and final day of Christmas. The worship service will include song and prayer. It will be child friendly and short.

Dinner is at 5:30 p.m. followed by worship at 6:00 p.m. After worship, we will take down and put away the Christmas decorations, those who haven't eaten can eat, and at the end, we will have dessert and say a last day of Christmas blessing.

January Sermons

2011-01-05T10:26:00.001-06:00

Living a Blessed Life--Lessons from the Beatitudes
January 2 - The Poor in Spirit
January 9 - The Mourners
January 16 - The Gentle
January 23 - The Hungr and Thirsty for Righteousness
January 30 - The Merciful

To the flock . . .Small Blessings

2011-01-05T10:13:00.003-06:00

It seems like most of us have more stuff than we need, and still, I loved looking at the presents under the tree, wondering what might be in them. It reminded me of the saying, "Good things come in small packages." Or was it "great" things, or "big" things... When I was small, my siblings and I always clamored for the biggest packages first. Before the presents were even unwrapped, we would protest if someone else had a bigger box under the tree than we did. But as I grew, I learned to treasure the small package--it could contain something wonderful, unexpected.

I have begun to understand Windsor Presbyterian as a kind of "small package" blessing. Our congregation is not large and neither is our budget. However, this "small package" church is a great place to belong and grow in faith.

Our church has a wonderful and rich history. There were many good ol' days; and yet, I am convinced that God's Spirit is at work at Windsor and that the best days of this church still lie ahead of us. I see signs--we are growing in faith, we are growing in love for God's word, we are praying, we are attracting more people who need a place to belong and believe, and we are walking faithfully into our future together. God is blessing our congregation. What better way to celebrate God's blessings, than by counting them? In worship, we will start the new year by reflecting on the Beatitudes to learn about living a life blessed by God.

It is my prayer that in 2011, God will bless each of you with increased faith, help you grow as a person, and surround you with a supportive community of faith, friends, and family. The session is calling the congregation to a Season of Prayer from Epiphany (January 6) through Pentecost (June 12). Please join us in praying as we discern God's plans for our church. The session prepared a Guide for Prayer to help focus your prayers. It is a good starting place and guide for your daily prayers. Pray without ceasing!

May you know God's blessing this year!
Shamaine

Christmas Eve Service

2010-12-01T09:50:00.001-06:00

Christmas Eve Service

Friday

December 24, 2010

6:30 p.m.

Windsor Presbyterian Church

6301 University Avenue

Des Moines, IA 50324

To the flock. . .

2010-12-01T09:39:00.004-06:00

In Greek, the word parousia means "coming" or "advent." According to the Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, parousia is "a term used for the 'coming of Christ,' most usually focused on the 'second coming' or future advent..." In advent, we remember Mary, waiting for the birth of the Christ Child, but we also are aware that we, too, wait. We are waiting for Christ's promised return. We are waiting for God's kingdom to come fully and finally.

In the Lord's Prayer, we pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." So, we are waiting. While we wait, we are called to pray and act to do what we can to bring about God's kingdom, to do God's will, right here, right now.

Our Advent worship at Windsor Presbyterian will focus on the final doxology of the prayer "For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, we will think about what it means to expect the arrival of God's kingdom, power, and glory.

Shamaine

Joint Thanksgiving Service

2010-11-17T10:30:00.002-06:00

Windsor Presbyterian, Windsor United Methodist, and Windsor Heights Lutheran Churches are joining together this year for a joint Thanksgiving Service. It will be held at 5:00 p.m. Sunday, November 21, at Windsor Heights Lutheran Church, 1240 66th Street. The service will include elements and leadership from the three congregations while following a contemporary Lutheran liturgy. There will be a supervised children's worship activity in the back of the sanctuary as part of our worship. As has been our tradition in the past few years, the service will include a time for congregational sharing to remember what we are t hankful for this year. Our joint choir, led by Bert Wilson, will be singing. A reception will follow in their fellowship are.

Come join us in inaugurating the holiday season by worshipping with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thanks be to God!

To the Flock . . .Small is Good

2010-11-17T10:20:00.003-06:00

Windsor Presbyterian was a very large church in its heyday. Many of you remember those days with fondness and long for a time when Windsor will be that vital again. As I have walked these halls, worshipped in the sanctuary, shared food and conversation with you in the fellowship hall, and been in ministry with you within these walls and without, I have become aware that while those may have been the "good old days," these days are also good, very good. True, we are a small fellowship and do not boast the membership numbers of the 70's, but we are not without strengths.

As a small church, our church offers a place to belong and grow in faith that feels much more like a family than a corporation. Our size fosters a homey feel and authentic worship. Everyone is needed and important in our church family--we all need to pitch in, using our gifts to further the ministry and mission of the church. Being a small church brings certain challenges but it also opens up many opportunities to do amazing ministry.

There are certain challenges of being a small church, including:
* really connecting with our visitors, so they can feel like part of the family and not an outsider
* making sure that our members are engaged--growing as disciples, praying together, and sharing our faith with others, and limited resources of people, money, and time.

As we continue to move into the future that God is preparing, we can celebrate what God has done at Windsor in the past without letting that success overshadow what God is doing right now. We are a vital community. We come together to worship as this small but mighty manifestation of the Body of Christ, and we follow Christ out into the world to love and serve as he has called us.

Remember, God always uses the small, the unlikely, the weak, to do great things. God measures success in changed lives, not in numbers in the pews or money in the coffers. While those things are important, if we concentrate on the most important things, like the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, God will take care of the rest.

See you in church!
Shamaine

All Saints Sunday Dedication Service

2010-10-29T12:38:00.003-05:00

You are invited to All Saints Sunday

at Windsor Presbyterian Church.

We will remember those who have

joined the church eternal.

Following our worship service,

we will formally rename our fellowship hall

in Memory and in Honor of

L. Hume and Alice Ward.

November 7, 2010

Worship Service: 10:30 a.m.

Reception and Dedication following

in the L. Hume and Alice Ward Hall

Windsor Presbyterian Church

6301 University Avenue

Windsor Heights, Ia 50324

To the flock. . .

2010-10-29T12:24:00.004-05:00

There is one question that has been on my mind constantly since I began my ministry at Windsor: What kind of church is God calling us to be?

Many of you are concerned about our shrinking numbers. You want to grow, add more members. This is a valid concern. Without growth the viability and vitality of our congregation is at stake. Although numerical growth is important, it is vital that we first ask a few questions about the strengths of our congregation and what kind of church we want to be. With clarity of purpose, we will be better able to move forward confidently.

Prayer is the foundation for our ministry and our growth as Christians. In a posture of prayer, we can ask the questions of what kind of church we want to be and what kind of Christians we want to send into the world.

The session, our church's leadership, has decided to enter into a Season of Prayer about our future together. We invite you to join us praying for discernment about God's purpose and will for this congregation. We pray that God will help us grow deeper in faith as we follow Jesus in His ministry. Please spend time in prayer daily, remembering to pray for your church.

As part of this Season of Prayer, we will spend the fall addressing the question, "Why (and how) Do We Pray?" using the Lord's Prayer as our guide in our worship time. In our intergenerational Sunday School class we will study Discipleship, as we explore how we follow Jesus in our daily lives. This is an exciting time in our congregation. I hope you will join us as we continue on the journey! Shamaine

To the Flock...

2010-07-28T09:47:00.004-05:00

After months of reading our way through the Hebrew Bible, we have finally come to the gospels, the good news of Jesus of Nazareth.

We have been becoming biblical scholars. We know most of the major people of the Bible and why they are important. We know most of the major stories of the Bible. We even know where some of t hem are in the Bible and how they fit into the larger story. We can recall the whole story of the Old Testament from creation through the important families to Egypt and the Exodus and the promised land. We remember the judges and kings (can you name three Israelite rulers?), the kingdom divided, conquered, and restored. In knowing these stories, we come to know more about our God and about ourselves.

As we look back over the stories of the Old Testament, we begin to see that God has been setting the stage for the most important part of the story, the sending of God's Son! I hope you will continue reading as we quickly make our way through the New Testament and learn more about God's plan for us and for the world. God's wowrd is a gift to us, how we learn about who God is and what God is doing in the world.

We are becoming a congregation that knows and is shaped by God's story, lives into God's purposes, and is sent into the world to bear witness to God's grace. Join us on this journey learning more about God and God's word, glimpsing God's grace, growing in faith and discovering how God is calling us to live out our faith. See you in church!

Shamaine

To the Flock. . .

2010-07-28T09:38:00.002-05:00

We have made a commitment this year to worshipping, studying, reading our way through the Bible. The year is half over and we have made it th rough the Old Testament. The people of Judah have returned home, rebuilt the Temple, rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem. Yet they are still ruled by a foreign power and are threatened on all sides. They long for a Savior. Their prophets warn them to be faithful and promise that God is sending a deliverer. That longing continues to grow over the 400 years or so in the inter-testamental period, the times between the Old Testament and the New Testament. They dream about what that deliverer will be like, the feeling of freedom, the taste of revent...

The stage is set for the Messiah to come. Beginning July 25, we will turn our attention to God's revelation to all humanity in Jesus of Jazareth. We have been increasing our biblical literacy. We have been studying the whole story of the Bible to better understand God's story and our place in it. It is our hope that our learning together will make us a congregation that understands God's word and God's plan. The story of salvation is our story. It is my hope that we all become more confident in our biblical knowledge so that we better understand God's plans for humanity, our church, our families, and ourselves.

If you haven't been reading or are behind, now is a great time to catch up. Just as the Israelites had to wait about 400 years for their Savior, we will have a break of about four weeks before continuing our journey through God's word on July 25 when we celebrate Christmas in July. See you in church!
Shamaine

Summer Intern

2010-06-04T10:42:00.001-05:00

Windsor Presbyterian was invited to participate this year with the Southwest Regional Partnership’s summer internship program. Each year the partnership invites a seminary student or recent graduate to spend the summer shadowing the pastors of that area. The internship was initiated to serve the need for pastors-in-training to experience what it would be like to minis-ter in a small church setting. A majority of those who go to seminary come from churches with memberships over 1,000. However, most of those students go on to pastor small congrega-tions. The hope is to expose the interns to the particular joys and challenges of ministering in a small church setting.
All the churches in the partnership are rural and at this time, each is served by a male pastor. Windsor was invited to partici-pate this year to round out the student’s experience. The intern chosen this year is Patti Spencer Burdette, a member of Fort Des Moines Presbyterian. She will be at Windsor the first two weeks of June, shadowing the pastor and learning all she can about the congregation. She will preach on June 13 in our regular worship service. Please welcome Patti as she begins this unique learning opportunity.

To the flock...

2010-06-04T10:28:00.001-05:00

Summer is here. As long and difficult as the winter was, it has quickly passed from our thoughts. Around the church, and probably around your homes, now we are mowing instead of moving snow, run-ning the air conditioners instead of the furnaces, repairing ice damage to the roof and building, welcoming home our college
students, and getting ready for weddings, summer mission trips, vacations, and special outdoor worship services.
In our speedy trek through the Bible, we are nearing the end of the Old Testament and will finish it this month. It is difficult reading. The leaders and the people do not remain faithful to God, the nation is falling apart, and the prophets warn of the coming destruction and eventual salvation. The people are taken into ex-ile. Even after they return, the bitter memory of their exile stays with them, shapes who they are as they rebuild their lives. It shapes them and informs their future, much as an Iowa winter shapes and informs who Iowans are and how they enjoy the rhythms of summer.
Join us for worship this summer. Come as you are. Finish the difficult reading of the Old Testament and prepare for the prom-ise of salvation that is fulfilled in the pages of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

To the Flock...

2010-04-29T09:53:00.002-05:00

Reading the Old Testament can be difficult. The Bible is not always what we want it to be. We want it to be a book of good advice, a book of rules (maybe to get our kids, or others, to behave), a neat and orderly book of stories. But the Bible is about God, the faithfulness of God, and it is about people. It is messy—real life.
As we read through The Story or our Bibles, we encounter the God who created the universe and humanity and named them good, very good. The story quickly becomes one of human foolishness and God’s faithfulness. Humans rebel. God reconciles. Humans turn toward evil. God takes what is meant for evil and turns it for good. God chooses one man, Abraham, to create a nation through which all the world may be blessed.
In Exodus, God does not abandon humanity in their injustice and oppression. God saves one child, Moses, and calls him to be God’s mouthpiece to end the grief of God’s people. God sides with the oppressed. God confronts the oppressors. God liberates the oppressed. Once liberated, the people begin a process of being formed into God’s people to live in God’s land. God gives them ten commands to strengthen them and guide them, to liberate them from internal oppression so they can live in freedom and peace.
The Bible story is filled with battles—a little bloody for our modern sensibilities. As we read about the period of the kings, there seems to be more strife than peace, more corruption than justice, more evil than integrity or virtue. Yet, God’s messengers urge the people toward God, toward faith, toward peace, toward justice, toward blessing, toward the time of God’s kingdom.
So we read these stories. We learn about God and God’s faithfulness. It helps to see how we fit in God’s story. It helps liberate us and form our character. It helps us search for sign’s of God’s kingdom—right here, right now.
I see signs of the kingdom breaking in at Windsor. Our worship community is growing, lending new energies and ideas to our ministries. We have a wonderful new administrative assistant at the church who is learning to help keep us organized. Our church family is striving to know and do God’s will right here where God has brought us. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done....

Leatha Torode Celebrated her 100th Birthday!

2008-09-21T12:10:00.000-05:00

Leatha's birthday is September 17. Her birthday party followed

worship on Sunday, September 21. Doesn't she look great?!!!!!

Leatha Torode, Pastor Shamaine Chambers King,

and Maralynn Allender, Leatha's daughter

One of Leatha's birthday cakes for the party!

Thanks to all who came and helped celebrate this special day!

Many thanks to Helen Jones and kitchen crew!

Outdoor Evening Worship and Picnics

2008-07-28T11:52:00.001-05:00

August 24, 2008

July 20, 2008

Outdoor Worship at Nation's Green

Arnold Heuton and Dwight Tomes, singing; Brenda McConahay, pianist

Pastor Shamaine Chambers King

Arnold Heuton and Dwight Tomes, special music

Good food!

Kristina Cox

25-Year + Membership Recognition

2007-06-01T10:38:00.000-05:00

Duncan Leitch (Eunice not pictured) 27 years
Ron and Glenna Grohe 32 years
Dean Johnson 28 year
Jeaunette Nall 31 years
Not pictured:
Jean Carlston 25 years
Kathleen Jones Hewins 38 years

2007-05-28T10:45:00.000-05:00

Keith Ankeney 49 years
Leon Sanderson 48 years

Lucy Sanderson 48 years
Ramona Shaver 47 years
Barb Pomeroy 47 years
Dewey Heaton 41 years
Keith and Nancy Baker 40 years
Sonja Hatfield 39 years
Pat Bassarear 43 years
Helen and Claude Jones 40 years

2007-05-26T10:58:00.000-05:00

Bill O'Neill 60 years
Norma McWilliams 55 years
Peggy Lemons 51 years
Robert Baldwin 50 years
LaVon Keese 50 years
Maxine Dolan 58 years
Betty Rains 50 years
Leatha Torode 53 years

James "Bud" McCoy 54 years