A PCUSA Congregation on Scio Church Road
Westminster Presbyterian Church sits at the corner of Scio Church Road and Greenview Drive on the west side of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the corner lot is hard to miss. The church's six core values - Love, Compassion, Connection, Inclusion, Earth-Care, and Service - fly above the parking lot, shape the worship services, and are impressed upon the hearts of the people who pass through. Westminster is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and the building includes a sanctuary, an office wing, a fellowship hall, classrooms, and a wing that houses the Uno Dos Tres preschool.
For decades the congregation has described itself as an open and welcoming Christian community in service to God and its neighbors. That description is not a slogan so much as a working identity. The church commits itself and its resources to the spiritual and physical needs of its church family and the wider Ann Arbor community, and it welcomes everyone, without exception, into the full life of the church.
Six Values, One Community
Westminster's core values are not generic aspirations. The church lists and explains them, and the list runs through almost everything the congregation does.
- Love. The church is anchored in the good news of the Gospel - that God came into the world and revealed God's self in the person of Jesus.
- Compassion. Westminster believes God calls the community to "do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God," following the words of Micah 6:8, and to love neighbors in practical ways.
- Inclusion. No matter a person's age, race, gender, sexual identity, or any other human marker, all have a place in the household of God and can be called into leadership.
- Connection. Faith is a process, a journey that lasts a whole life, and the community tries to live it together.
- Earth-Care. Care for creation is one of the six named values, not a side program.
- Service. Westminster pursues sustainable hands-on ministries as well as financial support opportunities, partnering with other organizations to care for neighbors near and far.
These values, the church says, "surround and inform all that we do as a community." They are visible in the parking lot flags, present in the sanctuary, and carried by members into the wider world.
Sunday at Westminster
Sunday is the heart of the week. Worship begins at 11:00 a.m. and runs about an hour, drawing on a traditional Presbyterian pattern of gathering as God's people, listening for God's word, responding to that word, and departing to serve neighbors. Hymns, prayers, Bible readings, and a sermon give time and space for individual and corporate worship, for contemplation, and for growing in faith. In summer - from roughly the third week of June through Labor Day weekend - the service shifts to 10:00 a.m., with a summer worship schedule running June 21 to September 6.
Sunday worship is recorded and published online the following Monday morning through a podcast feed, so anyone who cannot be in the sanctuary can still follow the lectionary, the sermon, and the music. The bulletin for each week is also posted online.
Dress ranges from Sunday best to casual, and the church's standing invitation is simple: come as you are. Greeters meet people at the front door, and ushers can provide a large print bulletin and hymnal or a wireless unit for hearing assistance. Children of any age are welcome in worship, either in the pew with caregivers or in the PRAYground within the left alcove of the worship space.
Music in the Sanctuary
Music carries a significant share of the liturgy at Westminster. The choir rehearses weekly and helps lead worship, presenting an anthem each Sunday and occasionally performing larger choral and instrumental compositions. A bell choir also plays periodically in worship, rehearsing as needed. The Director of Music, Shawn McDonald, welcomes new singers and ringers into both groups.
The hymns in a typical service draw from the Presbyterian hymnal and lean traditional. Recent Sundays have featured songs like "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," "God of Grace and God of Glory," "Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive," "There's a Wideness in God's Mercy," "Will You Come and Follow Me," and "All Creatures of Our God and King." The music program, the congregation says, is a key part of the meaningful worship experience members value.
The PRAYground, the Nursery, and the Children
Westminster takes the presence of children seriously. The nursery is open on Sunday mornings from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. (9:45 to 11:15 a.m. in summer) for infants through four-year-olds, and the room is described as up to date, with age-appropriate toys and a written Nursery Policy on file.
For children who stay in the sanctuary, the PRAYground offers quiet activities and age-appropriate worship materials in a space at the front of the worship room. Parents and caregivers may sit in a nearby pew or on the floor with the children. The PRAYground opens at 11:00 a.m. during the school year and at 10:00 a.m. in summer.
On the second and third Sundays of each month at 9:30 a.m., children and youth gather for Faith Formation during the Education Hour, covering Bible stories and topics in age-appropriate ways.
Learning and Growing Together
Two adult education classes meet regularly on Sunday mornings during the Education Hour, which begins at 9:30 a.m. (9:00 a.m. in summer). One is a Bible study group; the other gathers to discuss relevant books and other topics of interest. Both meet in the Fellowship Hall. Classes cover a broad range, from Bible study to book studies to current events and topical discussions.
Education is part of Westminster's stated mission. The church commits to the joyful worship of God, engaging in regular study, reflection, prayer, and the sharing of faith. Members who completed the 2024 Congregational Assessment Survey identified providing a meaningful worship experience and engaging in acts of charity and service to those in need as the two tasks Westminster does especially well.
An Outreach Church, Near and Far
Westminster divides its outreach into two streams: local and global. The list of partner organizations is long and concrete.
Locally, Westminster provides material and volunteer support for the Children's Literacy Network, the Daytime Warming Center of Washtenaw County, Fed Up Ministries, Friends in Deed, Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley, Hope Clinic, House by the Side of the Road, House N2 Home, Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County, and Ann Arbor Public Schools. Members also serve the Washtenaw County Department of Health and Human Services Holiday Assistance Program through Deacon Christmas Baskets, build wheelchair ramps, and run collection drives throughout the year.
One of the most visible local efforts each year is Sack Lunches for Hope Clinic. The Mission Ministry Team collects individually wrapped, ready-to-eat food and pop-top canned goods and packs roughly 96 lunches at a time to help Hope Clinic distribute around 100 lunches a day to people in need. Members can also give funds, which the team uses to shop on their behalf. Collection bins sit at both the Scio Church and West entrances during the drive.
Globally and nationally, a portion of Westminster's contributions goes to the Maji Development Coalition in Ethiopia, One Collective in Romania, the Medical Benevolence Foundation, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) seasonal offerings, and PCUSA Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. The church sends regular support to these partners and members are encouraged to specify where they would like their giving directed through Faith Promise giving.
Walking Through a Pastoral Transition
Westminster is currently in a season of pastoral transition. The Rev. Hannah Lundberg began serving as the church's stated supply pastor in September 2024 and moderates the Session, the church's elected governing body. Her call to ministry is rooted in a desire to help facilitate spaces where people can feel known, valued, loved, and needed for God's work in the world. She completed her Master of Divinity at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and her Bachelor of Arts in English and Global Development Studies at Grinnell College in Iowa, and is originally from Southern California. In Ann Arbor, she enjoys paddle-boarding on the Huron River, being outdoors, and spending time with her partner, Rachel, and cat, Theo.
Because the role is part time at 25 hours a week, Rev. Lundberg leads worship approximately three times a month. Director of Media and Communications Nate Veldhoff and Sean Eaton, who is completing lay preacher training through the Synod, also preach on a regular basis.
To help the congregation think carefully about its next chapter, the church has partnered with Transitional Ministry Pathways, a coaching and consulting firm co-founded by the Rev. Jan Nolting Carter and the Rev. Paul Rhebergen, who together bring more than 50 years of transitional ministry experience. In February 2024, around 50 people - equal to Westminster's regular worshiping community - gathered for a weekend retreat to begin the work. The resulting Holy Vision 2024 report, completed later that year, included a Congregational Assessment Survey completed by 69 people and Listening Sessions attended by 55, with strong participation across age groups.
The survey underscored a few things members wanted the next settled pastor to embody: a Minister of the Word and Teacher of the Congregation, and a friend and fellow traveler. It also acknowledged that the way previous pastors handled LGBTQ issues was one of the biggest challenges in the past, and that the congregation has come to love and appreciate how warm, welcoming, and inclusive it is now.
Life's Milestones: Baptisms, Weddings, and Funerals
As an inclusive congregation, Westminster welcomes everyone to consider having a service of Christian marriage in the church. Baptisms are celebrated in the context of Sunday worship, in which those being baptized are claimed by God's grace and welcomed into Christ's church. Baptisms are scheduled after a consultation with the pastor and are approved by the Session.
When a member of the community dies, the church offers spiritual care and support. In funerals and memorial services at Westminster, the community gathers to celebrate the gift of life, comfort one another in grief, and hold fast to God's promise of resurrection. The Memorial Garden Committee maintains a garden for interment, and the church has a written Funeral, Memorial, or Committal Service Policy on file.
Deacons and Caring for One Another
Deacons are ordained officers of the Westminster community. They coordinate care and support for members, family, and friends of the church, focusing on both physical and spiritual needs. Deacons make a concerted effort to keep members informed of ongoing changes and opportunities, and to keep the church office and pastor updated on changing situations as appropriate. They pray for and reach out to church members, regular attenders, and others through phone calls, emails, cards, flowers, visits, and other demonstrations of concern, love, and support.
Anyone who would like to be in touch with their deacon can contact the deacon moderator listed in the weekly bulletin.
Game Day and Beyond: The Football Parking Tradition
On Saturdays in Ann Arbor in the fall, the church is a popular stop for fans heading to Michigan Stadium. Westminster's lot is open any time on game day, and the building opens by 7:00 a.m. Parking is $30 per spot, with cash or Venmo accepted; RVs are welcome the day of the game, though there is no overnight parking. The church offers tailgating space on pavement or lawn, clean indoor restrooms, a warming space for cold or rainy days, and easy in-and-out access off Scio Church Road. A portion of the funds raised goes to support local missions in the Ann Arbor community.
Sharing the Building
Westminster's building and grounds are available for rental by outside groups. The facility can comfortably accommodate large or small groups of all ages, and the sanctuary, fellowship hall, classrooms, and other spaces can be configured for many kinds of events. A Building and Facilities Use Policy, Facility Use Regulations, and rental application are all available.
Beliefs, in Westminster's Own Words
Westminster's statement of beliefs is short and direct. The community believes in the good news of the Gospel: that God came into the world and revealed God's self in the person of Jesus. It believes God calls the community out into the world to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. It believes that no matter a person's age, race, gender, sexual identity, or any other human marker, all have a place in the household of God and can be called into leadership. And it believes that God constantly reveals God's self in new ways, that learning and asking questions matter, and that faith is a process lasting a whole life.
Getting There and Getting Involved
Westminster is at the corner of Scio Church Road and Greenview Drive and is easily accessible by car or by bus. The main lot and a smaller lot to the west of the building, plus on-street parking on Greenview, give visitors several options. Handicapped parking is available in both lots.
Office hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The phone number is (734) 761-9320. Visitors can sign up to receive regular emails about announcements and opportunities, give online, listen to past sermons on the podcast, and follow the church on Facebook and Instagram. Members of the congregation find many ways to serve - in adult education, building and grounds, children, congregational care, photography and social media, music and the arts, the office, event planning, welcoming, worship, and youth.
For those new to the community, the path to membership runs through informal new member conversations with the pastor and other members. People join by letter of transfer from another Christian church, by reaffirmation of faith, or by baptism and profession of faith, depending on their background.