AOTS is the men's club. AOTS stands for "As One That Serves". Members enjoy the camaraderie of sharing, supporting, searching, studying and serving together. The AOTS at Westminster United Church is a very active group. Not only do they meet monthly for regular meetings, form work bees to work on the church, decorate the church for thanksgiving, attend conventions, arrange rides for those who can't get to church services, meet and greet at Sunday morning church services, support many outreach initiatives, and sponsor/support children's camps, they also host a large number of special events each year here at the church including two Fish Fry Dinners , a Ham and Scallop Supper, an Easter Sunday Brunch, a Ladies Night, and a Strawberry Social. In addition, you will likely find the AOTS helping out at the annual local Plowing Match or at the local mall in November and December selling the 'old fashion Claxton Christmas Fruit Cakes'.

All in all, the AOTS Men's Club form an integral part of our church and we are so pleased to have them!

Check our Calendar of Events to see what the AOTS has lined up for this year.

We perform the Sacrament of Holy Baptism a number of times throughout the year. We baptize babies, children and adults. If you or a loved one is interested in being baptized and would like more information, please give us a call.

The Bible Study Group meets at the church every Wednesday morning (excluding summer months) 10:30 to noon. It is led by the minister and discussions are scripture based. However, many day-to-day issues that have their roots in the Bible give this group a wide range of topics and questions to ponder. If you would like to join our Bible Study Group, give us a call.

Three or four times a year, several of our dedicated people prepare and host a homemade hot meal at the church following a church service. The meal consists of 3 or 4 courses and is delicious. Even though our budget won't allow us to offer this delicious meal for free, we can offer the next best thing. A homemade meal at a very low cost (i.e. Adults $5 and children $2!) Check out our weekly newsletter or our monthly Calendar to see when the next Chez Westminster is coming up.

Perhaps you would like to join our Senior Choir or have children that would like to join our Junior Choir (Westminstrels). Both choirs practice weekly on Thursday nights: Westminstrels at 6:15 to 7:00 and Senior Choir at 7:00 to 9:00. Both choirs break for the summer months.

Perhaps your gifts and talents can be used to serve on any of our committees:

• Official Board
• Session
• Trustees
• Stewards
• Christian Education and Stewardship
• Ministry and Personnel
• Lay Supervision
• Nominating

The Sacrament of Holy Communion is offered a number of times throughout the year during the church service. It can also be arranged in private for the elderly, sick or infirmed.

If you visit our church "in the cornfield", on the little oak table at the back of the church you will find an assortment of various things that collect there from time to time and then disappear. These things include grocery bill tapes, used postage stamps, Campbell soup labels, hearing aid batteries, prescription eye glasses, pop and beer can tabs, knitted squares, and baby blankets to name a few. All of these items are used in some way to make things a little bit better for babies, children and adults not only in our community but throughout the country.

Also, at the front entrance to our church, you will find a big Rubbermaid bin. In it we collect various food items each week to help the local food banks and The Salvation Army Soup Kitchen.

Additionally, portions of our fund raising proceeds from dinners and various sales are given to various outreach causes. And, whenever we can, we facilitate community benefit events using our church facilities usually at no charge.

If you or your family would like to become full members of Westminster United Church, you can attend our confirmation classes which are usually held weekly for one hour for 6 weeks. Classes are held at the church and are led by the minister. If you would like more information, give us a call.

Our church session members host a Fellowship Time after service on the 1st Sunday of each month (excluding summer months). Complimentary refreshments are served while friends and family get together albeit for a brief time following what is usually a busy week.

Westminster United Church can offer pastoral care to grieving families. Perhaps we can be of help to you or your family during this time. Please call the church office to make arrangements.

Westminster United Church has an active Environmental Committee. Their driving force is based on the "5 R's of Going Green" - Reverence, Reduce, Repair, Reuse, Recyle! In support of the tremendous challenge this committee faces, Westminster recently banned the use of Styrofoam both in our church facilities and at our church events. It's a start!

Westminster has been blessed with having a large number of musically talented individuals in our congregation. Young and old(er), we have singers, pianists, organists, drummers, and guitarists. We also have our very own country and gospel band - John Wayne and Friends! Three of the members are in our senior choir performing weekly. You can see all of them perform throughout the year and particularly at special events like our Christmas Variety Show or at our spring and fall Country and Gospel Nights.

We have a nursery adjacent to the sanctuary. The room, which contains a large window looking out on the sanctuary is sound proof, and is set up with a speaker system. The room is equipped with rocking chairs, an ensuite, lots of toys, and books for babies and toddlers. Parents can still listen in to the service while attending their children in the nursery.

You might not see too many churches advertising parking availability - but we do! Afterall, we're located in a rural area - known as "the church in the cornfield"! We have a great (paved) parking lot! Wheelchair access and an Elevator! We also have a FM system for the hard of hearing. We can accommodate a lot of busy events so if you're planning a family function, give us a call.

We have a Ride program in place in case someone from our congregation needs a ride to the Sunday worship service or to any of the dinners or special events. Ride is supported by our AOTS Men's Club.

Sunday School is held every week (excluding the summer months) on Sunday mornings during the church service which starts at 10:30 am. The children listen to a short story presented by the minister during the early part of the service. The story is followed by a prayer and then the children are sent off to the Sunday School classroom located in our auditorium area. All children are welcome.

Our Sunday worship services and special services are recorded. Tapes are delivered by Westminster volunteers to those who are unable to attend church because of health issues or other circumstances but still enjoy listening to the services. If you or a loved one would like to participate in our Tape Ministry, just let the church office know.

Each summer we hold a week long (mornings only) Vacation Bible School. All children 4 years old and up are welcome to this fun filled event. There is no charge and snacks are provided. (Registration is required.)

If you are planning a church wedding, be sure to give us a call. Depending on availability of the church facilities and the minister, we might be able to accommodate you on your special day.

Should you visit our church sometime, please feel free to ask for our "Welcome Package". This package contains additional information on our church, our services, our activities, programs, calendar of events and all sorts of goodies to help get you acquainted with who we are and what we do.

Do you have young people that would like to join our Westminster Wildcats? This youth group meets every second week (excluding summer months) and enjoy many healthy and interesting activities. We are always looking for more youths (and youth leaders.)