The Westminster Seminars offer a dynamic schedule of topics to help us live more fully as thoughtful Christians in today’s world. Everyone is always welcome. Come when you can – no preparation or homework.
The Zoom option makes it easy to catch a seminar if you aren’t at church. For most seminars, you can watch or listen later on the Westminster web page at: Westminster Seminars.
Join Zoom Meeting
The Zoom meeting opens at 9:30.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86753114914?pwd=UmxkMWF0RUdCT1FoV3AxUlZ4REhtZz09
Meeting ID: 867 5311 4914
Passcode: 209681
March 1
Becoming a Grounded Soul
Presented by Graham Standish, Samaritan Counseling, Guidance, Consulting
Our lives on earth aren’t accidents. We’re given life with an intentional purpose to become more of what God has called us to become. We’re eternal souls grounded in animal bodies, and the struggles we encounter force us to choose – will we live lives guided by spirit or in service to instinct, drives, and desires? Using insights from Scripture, Christianity, neuroscience, near-death studies, and more, Dr. Standish will help us become more intentional about how we live and what sources we choose to guide us.
The Rev. Dr. Graham Standish, PhD, MDiv, MA, MSW, is Executive Director of Samaritan Counseling, Guidance, Consulting, where he also serves as Director of Caring for Clergy and Congregations. The counseling center at Westminster is one of Samaritan’s locations, offering counseling to families and individuals, with sliding scale fees to ensure accessibility.
March 8, 15 (8:45), 22
Spiritual Pilgrimage
Presented by Donna Giver-Johnston, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
“To be a pilgrim is to seek out a space for oneself amidst the frenetic activity of the world in order to cultivate an interior space that others hardly know exists” (Colby Dickinson, Sacred Pilgrim, Secular Pilgrim). This Lenten series will examine the ancient spiritual journey of pilgrimage, exploring the history, theology, and geography. Dr. Giver-Johnston will share places of pilgrimage she has walked, including: Taizé (France), Iona (Scotland), Holy Land (Israel/Palestine), Malawi (Africa), and Camino de Santiago (Spain). We will discuss the current practice of pilgrimage and seek to discover how to be an everyday pilgrim. “Pilgrimage is the art of movement, the poetry of motion, the music of personal experience of the sacred in places where it has been known to shine forth.” (Cousineau, The Art of Pilgrimage).
The Rev. Dr. Donna Giver-Johnston has served at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary since 2023. As the Director of the Doctor of Ministry program, she manages the doctoral studies of pastors and ministry leaders from across the country and world. As a member of the faculty, she teaches courses in homiletics, research methods, and public theology. As an Ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), she has served in pastoral ministry for more than 20 years. She ministered in churches in New Jersey and Ohio before coming home to the church where she discerned her call to ministry, serving as the Pastor and Head of Staff at Community Presbyterian Church of Ben Avon in Pittsburgh from 2013 to 2023. From 2014 to 2020, she served on the Executive Committee and currently serves on the Committee on Preparation for Ministry of the Pittsburgh Presbytery.