About

peace sign

THIS IS WESTMINSTER

Each Sunday the pinks and blues and golds of Northern New Mexico’s beautiful morning skies announce to me: Church! I always look forward to the worship service at Westminster Presbyterian, a small, pueblo-style church originally founded in 1893 as a place where Spanish-speaking Presbyterians could worship.

What draws me here is the intelligent, heartfelt preaching and informal style, the diversity and warmth of the congregation, the musical variety, the members themselves, their outreach to the poor and homeless, and the church’s forthright stand on issues of justice and peace.

Now, as the church celebrates its 120th anniversary, Westminster is a dynamic multi-cultural mix in which Hispanics, Anglos, African-Americans, Native Americans, immigrants, old, young, rich and poor worship together in Spanish and English. Although we are currently without a permanent pastor, four retired pastors are temporarily serving the congregation. The search for a new pastor is expected to get underway soon.

Small but vital, this church offers a myriad of programs–Christian education, vocal and bell choirs, a variety of musical instruments, Women of Westminster (WOW), Bible study, a prayer shawl ministry, a cooperative youth ministry with First Presbyterian, and  many opportunities for community service. Putting God’s love into practice, support for community outreach programs abound in this Christian community. One year recently, Westminster provided the largest number of participants of any faith community in the city’s annual CROP Walk for Hunger.

Over half of our members have volunteered for service in the Interfaith Homeless Shelter. The Boys and Girls Club del Norte is another of our special projects. Many members are committing to fast one meal each week and donate the savings to hunger relief. Further abroad, there is outreach to sister church relationships in Cuba, Mexican border ministries, and the Café Justo program for fair-trade coffee grown in Chiapas. Over the past few years Westminster has “adopted” a human rights worker and her family who were forced to flee Juarez in fear for their lives.

In the pews every Sunday, there are glimpses of God’s grace that, sometimes, surprise us with their power. One Sunday, during the part of the service in which the prayers of the people are voiced, a homeless man in the back of the church uttered an inspiring prayer, telling of his alcohol addiction, his struggle to stay sober and keep a job, and how only God who loves him unconditionally can help him. Reverent silence prevailed when he ended by praying for us, the congregation. I realized I was not the only one deeply touched by his honest, humble prayer as I saw many worshipers warmly greeting him at the close of the service. I departed thinking, as I always do, “Surely God is in this holy place.”

Jan Chesnut