We hope that the start of 2024 has brought you peace and joy, or at least moments of peace and joy! 

The One Book, One Church Committee is excited to share Geraldine Brooks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Horse, with our congregation in February!  Our OBOC series of events is as follows:

February 4, 9:30 am  We will gather in the Library to break into small discussion groups.  This has been one of my favorite experiences of One Book, One Church.  This is an opportunity to get to know others beyond Coffee hour chit-chat.  Please come even if you haven’t finished the book.  There will be opportunities for you to contribute and learn from each other.  (On the 4th there will only be one service, at 9:30, followed by WPC’s Annual Meeting in the sanctuary.  A lunch will be served following the Annual Meeting)

February 11, 9:30 am, Fireside Room.  We will be welcoming Dr. Emerson Powery, Professor of Biblical Studies at Messiah University.  He has spoken before at WPC and is a good friend of Dr. Joe Modica. Through the lens of Horse, he will present and facilitate a discussion on how the Bible has been used to both justify slavery and to fight against slavery, and ultimately how the enslaved found liberation and hope in the faith of their oppressors.  

February 18, 9:30 am, Fireside Room.  We will be welcoming Tony Holland, a great friend of many at WPC. Tony is a leader in technology and also in his church where he regularly facilitates transformative conversations. He is a coach in Villanova's Executive MBA Program, sits on several charitable advisory boards, and is committed to helping level the playing field in US education. Tony is interested in pulling on the literary thread of the horse Lexington, and the lives he touched, from his enslaved groom Jarret to the women's rights activist Mary Barr Clay. Through Lexington's story, Tony will consider several themes of the novel: how horses can bring people together and create a sense of belonging, the struggles of enslaved people, and the enduring legacy of one of America's most iconic racehorses.

March 3, 2:00 pm, People’s Light Theatre in Malvern - The church has purchased a block of 30 tickets for the performance of  “the ripple, the wave that carried me home.” showing. Centered on the movement to desegregate community swimming pools, this play takes us on one family’s journey through the decades, from 1930’s acute segregation to Rodney King. Sharing this performance will be a meaningful way to close out our 2024 One Book, One Church which honors Black History Month.  The tickets will be for sale at our group discount price of $34.00.  We will be collecting names of folks who are interested in attending.  If more than 30 people are interested, then we will hold a lottery drawing!  

We are hopeful that the One Book, One Church programming around Horse, will provide us with many opportunities to explore diverse topics and get to know each other a bit better.  Each class can stand on its own, so come when you can!  If you have any questions please just ask!

Janice Mack

Betsy Girard

Jan Frohner

Mary Bollinger

Rick Davis

Lora Davis

Kristin Laws

Anne Sieger

Nancy Devos