Westminster Presbyterian Church - Gainesville, FL

Check out this excellent brief summary of what it means to be Presbyterian

We are incredibly excited to welcome Shift Church to our community building starting in February. We look forward to hosting and partnering with another faith community that shares our values and welcomes all

We are moving!

Moving to a NEW location and a NEW time.

Starting Feb. 4th we will be meeting in Westminster Presbyterian’s community building at 11 am.

We are excited to be partnering with a local church we share values with.

On to bigger and better things 👏🏼👏🏼
゚viral 🌈

Our donations to Rural Women's Health Project are already making a difference!

Thank you Dance Marathon at UF and https://wpcgainesville.com/

In community, our joy expands. When we can’t rejoice, we can carry each other’s joy. That is what Elizabeth and Mary do for each other. The good news begins to take shape in Elizabeth’s womb, but scripture tells us that she stays secluded, hiding her pregnancy from others—that is, until Mary arrives at her door, also pregnant. Perhaps Mary’s arrival is the inbreaking that changes everything for Elizabeth, for in that moment, her child leaps in her womb and she is filled with the Spirit. She can’t help but to rejoice. Her joy is contagious and wraps around Mary like a hug. Through the prophet Isaiah, we hear God speak tender words of comfort; this is the comfort we can give to and receive from each other during this season.

AA Sanctified Art LLC

Christ was born into a weary world. King Herod ruled the land with a legacy of ruthlessness. The Romans treated the people of Israel with contempt, imposing harsh taxes and land seizures that forced many into subsistence farming. Poverty and destitution were pervasive. And yet, Christ was born, bringing good news of great joy for all people.

As Advent comes again to a weary world, we ask, “How does a weary world rejoice?” This year, we will follow the stories in the opening chapters of Luke’s Gospel. As we hold space for our weariness and our joy, we will seek a “thrill of hope” in our hurting world. This Advent, may we find many ways to rejoice.

A Sanctified Art LLC

Pastor Becca shared the following poem by the Rev. Drew Paton in her sermon on Sunday:

If ever they ask you,
“Which side are you on?”
Tell them, plainly,
“I side with the people.”

With the precious ones, all, the integral,
the soft and the fierce, irreplaceable,
the beloved, if only
by God and trees, who were born,
who breathe and survive;

Say I side with those who keep watch,
beneath the bright screaming arc of bombs;
with those who hide in dark doorways
or who through the moonlight flee;
with those who stay and fight,
and with those kept up all night,
by hunger and grief and terror and rage,
by desperate, unruly hope;
who are good and green at the root;
who are more than the worst that they’ve done;
who do their best to love, and still pass on
the hurt in themselves that they hate.

But what
when they take sides ‘gainst each other?
The people – against even themselves?

Side with whatever is human in them,
what is fragile and feeling and flesh.

Side with the truth of our stories.
Side with the fact of our pain.
Side with defiant insistence on freedom
Side there again and again.
Side there today and tomorrow.
Side there the rest of your life.
Side there together, until we belong
each one to every other.

If ever they ask you, “Which side are you on?”
Say, “It doesn’t work like that.”
Tell them you side with the people.
And abide where the people are at.

(Artwork: A World Divided, by Richard Bradshaw)

As part of her doctoral work at Columbia Seminary, our own Wendy Dever has been writing devotions every week. They're intended for people of all ages. For this week, you're invited to listen to the attached song and reflect on the text below:

"God calls us by name. God knows us personally. God reaches out to us every day. God loves us and we are God’s children. We are always welcome in God’s arms. Isaiah 30:18 says The Lord waits to be gracious to you, he will rise up to show mercy to you. God waits for us.

"Psalm 139 reminds us that God knows all about us. God knows our thoughts, our ways and is always with us. God made us, each one of us. God wants us to want God. We have that choice each day. God waits for us. God’s patience does not ask for perfection, it simply asks for us because God loves us."

Cochren & Co. - Running Home (Official Lyric Video) Download or Stream the song & album at: http://cochren.lnk.to/runninghomeWritten by Michael Cochren, Jeff Pardo & Matthew West Video shot & edited by Diego B...

Westminster in the News! Specifically, we're mentioned in this article about faith communities in Gainesville and environmentalism.

“We believe that care of creation is inherently tied to justice and for advocating for those who are the most vulnerable and those who are poor and oppressed,” Putman said. “What happens to the Earth affects those who are the most vulnerable. It’s not just something we do because we think butterflies are pretty. Our butterfly garden is pretty, but that’s not the central reason why we do this.”

Gainesville places of worship advocate for environmentalism as tenet of faith - WUFT News Environmentalism and religion may not seem like they have much in common, but a growing number of local places of worship advocate for the environment.

Pastor Becca will be at this event to support HRC. Have you wondered about the organization that has an office and often is having events in our building? Come find out more and support the amazing work they do for immigrants and our community as a whole!

Pastor Becca preached this morning on Pharaoh and all the times he said no to Moses and all the times Moses stood up for justice and was denied by the powers that stand in opposition to God's dream for humanity. This is a particularly hard time to live in Florida, as the laws that were passed by our legislature begin to take effect and threaten immigrants, LGBTQ+ folks, and so many others, but to quote the call to worship she used from A Sanctified Art, "human injustice will never unravel God's dream that all might be free and all might know love." So what do we do? We remember something that has been widely quoted since William Tyndall first wrote it: "Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God." How do we do that? Big ways and little ways. She gives two ways in the sermon for how people in Florida can resist: refuse to answer your immigration status if asked, and get and use a community ID, even if you can get a state-issued one.

When Humans Unravel God's Plans for Justice This is Pastor Becca's sermon from the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost - July 2, 2023. Exodus 7: 8-23 is the basis for the sermon.

For the next several weeks, Pastor Becca will be preaching on the theme of Unraveled. Here, we explore Peter’s walk on the water and what it means for our faith, especially when we’re overwhelmed

Not Unraveled by Uncertainty This is Pastor Becca's sermon from the Third Sunday after Pentecost - June 18, 2023. It is based upon Matthew 14: 22-33 and utilizes art work and ideas from ...

Tomorrow is Trinity Sunday! How does this complicated theological doctrine impact our lives? Does it even matter? Join us in person or on Zoom to find out

Join us tomorrow for our special Earth Day event!

Today is Maundy Thursday! Join us tonight at 6pm at Grace Presbyterian Church for an Agape meal, worship, and the sacrament of communion

Pastor Becca says this about her sermon, “This past Sunday was supposed to be my final sermon in my series on countering Christian Nationalism. The sub theme was violence. Then something violent happened, and the Holy Spirit called me in a slightly different direction. In my intro, I pointed out that Hosanna means “save us” in Hebrew, and all our Palm Sunday hymns mention children for a reason, but we had to read a little farther to hear where they come in. Spoiler alert: the children are crying out “save us” and political and religious leaders scoff. Maybe this has some relevance? I also share a poetry prayer from the brilliant Katy Stenta.”

April 2, 2023 This is Pastor Becca's sermon on Palm / Passion Sunday in Lent. It is based upon Matthew 21: 1-16.

Two days until trivia night!

This year for Lent Pastor Becca is doing a sermon series on how the Church can and why the Church must counter Christian Nationalism. The first week's sermon was on the temptations of Christian Nationalism in conversation with the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness

February 26, 2023 This is Pastor Becca's sermon on the First Sunday of Lent. It is based upon Matthew 4: 1-11.

Join us on Thursday!

Here are some important reminders as we go through this busy bit of the holiday season. If worship is something you're looking for, we will be having a candlelight lessons and carols service at 6pm on Christmas Eve and a joint worship service with our friends from Grace and Covenant Presbyterian Churches at 10am on Christmas Day.

"God called me by my first and middle name,
which always means business,
and said:
Who told you that you were too much?
Sugar, there is so much room for you here."

— Excerpt from “Room” by Rev. Sarah Speed |

"While creating this image, I spent a lot of time with the women mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy because I had a resounding echo of shame in my body that I had received from engaging with these narratives in my childhood... I had to do some work to unbind myself from the limitations my church had placed on these stories, and I tried to visit these women with a fresh mind and an open heart. What I realized was that these women—despite the loathsome, corrupt systems they were in—found a way to claim their voice and found enough power to survive."

— from the artist statement for "Genealogy of Christ" by Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman |

Advent starts this Sunday!

The stories, scriptures, and traditions of the Christmas season have been passed down to us throughout the generations. Many of us enter this season with a swell of memories and emotions as vast as the cultural and religious rituals this holiday holds. Like a tapestry woven throughout time, the Christmas story weaves us in—to remember how God has shown up in the past, to continue the work of collective liberation, to behold the presence of God in flesh and bone. The work of God is always unfolding—in and through us. This Advent, may you remember that you belong—to a story etched into the wrinkles of time, to generations that have come before and will come after, to a love that won’t let you go.

Join us for worship Sunday at 9:30am either in person or on Zoom. This Sunday we will have the Rev. Dr. Holly Inglis in the pulpit and will be celebrating the baptism of Pastor Becca's daughter Kathryn!

Fun fact: the PC(USA) symbol is full of imagery to represent who we are and what we believe. One of the pieces represents a baptismal font. It's highlighted in the picture.

The Rev. Dr. Ina Boyd’s sermon for Pentecost Sunday!

June 5, 2022 This is the Reverend Ina's sermon from June 5, 2022. This is the Day of Pentecost. The Scripture passage is John 14: 23-27.

From the Alachua County Faith Leaders Alliance (of which Pastor Becca is a member)

Racial hatred, gun violence in Buffalo must be denounced, countered with love We reject all ideologies, theologies, teachings and beliefs that propagate supremacy of any race or creed.

This Sunday’s sermon on Revelation 21 and 22

May 22, 2022 This is Pastor Becca's sermon from May 22, 2022. This is Sixth Sunday of Easter. The Scripture passage is Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5.

This is Pastor Becca's sermon from April 17, 2022. This is Easter Sunday. The Scripture passage is Luke 24 1-12 and the message focuses on the women discovering the empty tomb. He is Risen!

April 17, 2022 This is Pastor Becca's sermon from April 17, 2022. This is Easter Sunday. The Scripture passage is Luke 24: 1-12 and the message focuses on the women discove...

Earth Day is coming up! Check out this beautiful write up from the Presbytery of St. Augustine. On Sunday, we'll be celebrating Earth Day in worship. After worship, the Earth Care Committee will have tables set up with information, activities, a plant exchange, and an opportunity to write to our politicians to show our care of God's creation.

Westminster Earth Care Westminster Presbyterian Church in Gainesville has been an Earth Care Congregation since 2016. Their butterfly garden is a Certified Wildlife Habitat and they are committed to environmental activis…

Maundy Thursday begins the Three Days of remembering the new commandment that Christ gave us in word and deed as he taught us how to love one another, washing our feet as a servant.

On Friday April 15th at 7pm, we will be holding a Good Friday worship service both in-person and on Zoom. Contact the church office if you need the Zoom log in. We hope to see you there!