The Messenger

We are all Presbyterian women.

Dear friends,

We are the product of our elders—both those we are directly related to and those we are not. On the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, the women of Village Church will begin the Advent season by celebrating four wise, strong women from the Old Testament: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. Please join us for this beautiful and special annual event. In celebration of your own families, invite your female family members to join you. The more generations, the better. Please save the date. More information will be forthcoming in the weeks ahead. Remember, anyone who identifies as a woman is invited—whether or not they are a member of Village Church.

With gratitude,
Patty Slentz-Howard, Presbyterian Women Board Chair

We mingled, bingo‘d, and raised money!

Not only did we have a ton of fun catching up and playing Bingo last week at O’Neills’ restaurant, $555 was collected for the Food Pantry at Mingle & Bingo! Thank you to all who came and to our guest speaker, Rev. Maggie Johnson Phillips, who talked to us about her favorite poet, Mary Oliver. What a great night.

Treasurer‘s Update

Thank Offerings collected in October/November are a “thank offering to her Lord.” It has continued to be an important part of giving done by Presbyterian Women. One third is used to support medical missions throughout the world. The balance is used for new, creative areas of mission. Specific projects are selected by the Creative Ministries Offering Committee from submitted proposals. If you wish to donate, it can be done online or during Circle meetings. Last year, we donated more than $900. Thank you! –Lisa Mann

This month’s featured Circle: Circle One-derful

Meet the wonderful ladies of Circle 1! This Circle meets the second Tuesday of each month (September–May) from 8–9 a.m. This Circle was started in the early 1990s by Shirley Meneilly, Judy Cooper, and Pat Jacquard. They had schedule conflicts during the usual Circle meeting times. This led them to start an early morning Circle. Circle 1 is led by Mary Bertsch. Pam Wood, Melanie Mann, Margaret Boomer, Julie O’Connor, and Kim Higgins take turns serving as Bible study leaders. Nancy Gatewood has faithfully served as treasurer for many years.

The ladies of Circle 1 enjoy being together. After the hour-long Circle meeting, they typically adjourn to the Village Cup for continued fellowship. As a Circle, they often participate in mission projects such as Star Families during Advent and donations of toiletries to a women’s shelter. This Circle always contributes generously to the annual Thank Offering and the general PW budget.

Mary Bertsch describes Circle 1 this way, “We call ourselves ‘Circle One-derful‘ because our members are thoughtful students of the Bible lessons. We have respectful and intelligent discussions every meeting and share concern and love for each member, their families, and Village Church. Many of our Circle sisters actively participate in and contribute to multiple Village Church programs. We enthusiastically welcome new members.”

The study this year is titled, “Finding Resilience, Joy and Our Identity in Jesus Christ” by Rhashell Hunter. Mission Campus Circles are held on 2^nd Tuesdays; Antioch Campus Cirlces are 2^nd Mondays. Interested in joining a Circle? Email Dee Couch.

Weekly Bible studies are as follows:

• Alive Now Bible Study – Wednesdays, 9-10:30 a.m., Room 230, Mission Campus
• Thursday Women’s Bible Study – Thursdays, 1:30-3 p.m., Room 136, Antioch Campus
• Especially for Women Bible Study – Fridays, 9-11 a.m., Room 126, Mission Campus

Nominations are now being accepted to honor women who support the mission of Village Church, nurture their faith and that of others, work for peace, justice and promote an inclusive community through leadership and service to Village Church. Please send nominations to Patty Slentz-Howard by Oct. 21. Honorees will be recognized on April 14, 2026 at the annual Celebration of Faithful Women event.

Compassion, Coffee, & Conversation

• Our next Coffee & Conversation with Ginger Rothhaas will be Wednesday, Oct. 1 in Room 309. This season, we will explore love through the lens of world religions. If you have missed a session, do not fear. Village Church’s Communications team records Ginger’s discussions and uploads them to their YouTube Channel.
• The next Coffee & Conversation at Antioch Campus with Dr. Kate Unruh is at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16. This group meets once a month on third Thursdays.
• MOTS (Moms of Teens) – 8:30-10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 8 in the Young Adult Space (Mission Campus). We weren’t meant to do life alone. Meet up and share wisdom with other moms of teenagers over coffee.

More Save-the-Dates:

• Wednesday’s Women Fellowship – Wednesday, Oct. 8. Come to Wednesday Family Dinner at 6 p.m. (Mission Campus); program brings at 6:30. Topics vary each month. In October, we will watch author David Brooks’ interview about his book “The Second Mountain” and discuss emerging from loneliness to find renewal.
• Sunshine & Stroll – 1:30-3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12, Mohawk Park (67th & Lamar). Soak up some sunshine, take a stroll around the park, or sit and chat with other women. Kids are welcome, too!
• PW Dining-Out Group – 6-8 p.m. Oct. 27, Panera Bread Co., 6800 W. 135th Street

Book Clubs

Love to read? The Amazing Graces Book Club meets year-round—usually on the first Wednesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. Feel free to join us whenever you are able. Bring an appetizer, dessert, or a beverage to share (not required). We meet in homes so please contact Sara Wallace to be added to the email list. Here are our upcoming book picks!

• Oct. 1 – “Unsheltered” by Barbara Kingsolver
• Nov. 5 – “The Emperor of Gladness” by Ocean Vuong
• Dec. 3 – “Theo of Golden” by Allen Levi
• Jan. 7 – Meeting to choose books for 2026

Page Turners – 4^th Tuesdays. Next one? Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 10 a.m.-1 p.m. B.Y.O. Lunch, Mission Campus, Room 127.

Antioch quarterly book club– meets at 7 p.m. in the Conference Room. At our November gathering, we’ll discuss books for 2026. Join us!

• Nov. 13 (date change!) “The Midwife of Auschwitz” by Anna Stewart

Doing the Good

Mission Sewing Needs Sewists and Fabric Donations – Hospitals need blankets for adults receiving chemo. Mission Sewing is asking for cotton prints of assorted designs (a minimum of 1 yard), clean and unused. Drop off at the south entrance at the Mission Campus. We also invite sewists of all abilities and those who want to learn—to join us as you able or sew from home! We have two groups who meet at the Mission Campus, Room 15: Tuesdays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and Thursdays, 10 a.m.-noon. Interested? Contact: Sallie Veenstra (Tuesdays)— or Betsy Wiley or Nancy Cantril (Thursdays). 

Operation Breakthrough – needs volunteers to help with year-around tutoring program one hour/week. Volunteers work one-on-one to assist the children with literacy and mathematics. Email Charlotte Davison with questions and to volunteer.

Be the Church Night – 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, Mission Campus. Pizza and cookies at 5 p.m. in Friendship Hall, then 5:30-6:30 p.m. we have a variety of engaging service projects for all ages! Give back during this annual night of service.

Warm Welcomes – We’re looking for friendly volunteers to serve as ushers to welcome guests and help with the offering on Sunday mornings. It is just a 2-4 hour commitment per month. Contact Carol to help out.

Help Host at Memorial Services – Helping families when they have lost a loved one is a gift from the heart. If you could usher or host at a memorial reception, we would appreciate it. Volunteers serve as their schedules permit—helping for about 2-4 hours at the most. Contact Linda Alley at 913-671-2327 or send Linda an email.

Look for upcoming ‘Village Serve’ dates each month HERE.

2025-2026 Board members:

• Melissa Anderson, Spiritual Growth Co-Coordinator
• Barb Brown, Secretary
• Dee Couch, Circle Activities Coordinator
• Anne Darby, Spiritual Growth Co-Coordinator
• Sarah Emerson, Village on Antioch Representative
• Kay Findlay, Amazing Graces Representative
• Linda Lieffring, Christian Action Coordinator
• Lisa Mann, Treasurer
• Sharon Marsh, Treasurer-Elect
• Heather McCoy, Membership Coordinator
• Patty Slentz-Howard, Board Chair