Weekly Wednesday Night Dinners Begin August 28 at 5:15 P.M.
Each Wednesday begins at 5:15 p.m. with dinner prepared and served by caterer Barley to Rise. Dinner will be freshly prepared each week and will include options for children and persons with special food requests. Barley to Rise has catered Wednesday meals and other church events for the past two years and has been well received. Upcoming menus are posted online and advertised weekly. 

• Dinner is served from 5:15-6:15 p.m. in McWhirter Hall.
• Meals are $10 for adults and $5 for children (ages 3-10). First child eats free with 2 adults present and a family maximum of $30.
• Please RSVP for dinner each week by Noon on Monday. Trouble remembering to RSVP each week? Sign up for a standing reservation and then simply let us know when you cannot be there.
• Payment can be made online or at the door.

RSVP by visiting westendumc.org/rsvp.

Parents are also welcome to take their children to the gym each week from 5:30 - 6 p.m. for open play. Children’s choirs will begin at 6 p.m. this year. 

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Wednesday Night Classes: Growing In Mind, Body and Spirit
Wednesday nights are for more than fellowship. Join us for a variety of spiritual formation opportunities each week. Classes have been expanded this year to include options before and after dinner. Please note, childcare is only available for classes starting after 5:30 p.m. Early fall offerings include: 

1. The Power of Holy Conversation with Pastor Carol Cavin-Dillon
   August 28 - September 11 // 6:15-7:15 p.m. // Room 306
   For three weeks this fall, Pastor Carol will offer a study based on her doctoral thesis entitled “Mystic Sweet Communion: Holy Conversation and the Sanctification of the Church.” If you would like to do some homework ahead of time, you can read Paul’s letter to the Ephesians as well as Jonathan Haidt’s book The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. Register at westendumc.org/convo by August 26.
    
2. God Can’t: A Book Study with Pastor Brandon
   August 28 – October 2 // 4:15–5:15 p.m. // Room 317
   Join Pastor Brandon for an in-depth exploration of Nazarene/Wesleyan theologian Thomas Jay Oord’s recent book, God Can’t: How to Believe in God and Love After Tragedy, Abuse, and Other Evils. How do we make sense of the co-existence of God and all sorts of evils and hurt in our lives? Oord suggests the answer lies beyond our misunderstanding of God as an all-controlling force. But what would it mean to discover that God is uncontrolling. Oord says, “A God who causes or allows evil is not someone we can trust…We can trust the God of uncontrolling love.” Join us as we discover God’s love anew through Oord’s compelling work. A registration fee of $20 covers the cost of the book. Register by August 23 at westendumc.org/godcant. 
    
3. Play and Worship Class for Preschoolers and Parents on Wednesday Nights
   September 4, 11, 18, and 25
   Preschoolers and parents are invited to join Pastor Maggie on the 4 Wednesdays of September for Play and Worship!  We will gather for about 45 minutes to learn Bible stories together through play and singing.  This class will meet from 6 - 6:45 p.m. in Room 409.
    
4. Breaking the Silence: Mental Health, Family and the Church with Katie Minnis
   August 28 - October 2 // 6:15-7:15 p.m. // Room 317
   Spiritual Formation intern and Vanderbilt Divinity student Katie Minnis leads this series of discussions around the intersections of mental health and faith. Participants will read Sarah Griffith Lund’s book Blessed Are the Crazy: Breaking the Silence about Mental Illness, Family and Church. Lund brings to the surface many things that often go unspoken or only whispered about in the church and reframes the notion of “crazy” in order to remove the shame from addressing our mental health needs. From the cover: “In (her book) Sarah Griffith Lund looks back at her father’s battle with bipolar disorder, and the helpless sense of déjà vu as her brother and cousin endure mental illness, as well.” Join us for frank, honest, and open discussion around this ever-relevant topic. A registration fee of $15 covers the cost of the book. Register by August 23 at westendumc.org/silence. 
    
5. Help, Thanks, Wow!: A Prayer Workshop
   September 18 - October 2 // 6:15-7:15 p.m. // Room 304
   In this 3-week prayer workshop, we will experiment with various acts of prayer and devotion. Each week, our time together will be based around one of the three movements of prayer found in Anne Lamott’s short book Help, Thanks, Wow!: The Three Essential Prayers. Lamott’s book is not prescriptive but rather a series of essays that suggest prayer is simply the daily act of opening ourselves to moments of needfulness, thankfulness, and awesomeness (wowness?) in our lives. Join us as we read together, pray together, and center ourselves in the God who lives and works through each and every person, place, and moment. A registration fee of $10 covers cost of the book. Register at westendumc.org/prayerworkshop by September 13.
    
6. Tai Chi with Tom Turnbull
   Weekly // 6-7 p.m. // Gym 
   Join West End member Tom Turnbull as he guides participants in weekly Tai Chi sessions. Tom will help participants learn basic movements and techniques of this ancient Chinese practice. Tai Chi is a wonderful combination of low-impact exercise and meditative focus. This class is suitable for persons of all ages. Tai Chi meets each Wednesday night at 6 p.m. in the gym and is open to all comers. No registration necessary.