Wesley eWeekly - 4th After Epiphany

Wesley UMC’s Vision Statement
We strive to quiet the conflict among all people by creating a compelling environment that fosters spirituality, community engagement, and social justice.
Wesley UMC's Inclusivity Statement
Persons of all races, ages, abilities, and sexual orientations are welcomed as full participants in the life and mission of this congregation.
United Methodist Church's Mission Statement
To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Join us with your
Prayers, Presence, Gifts, Service and Witness

- For the efforts to vaccinate our citizens against COVID with joy that the vaccine is available and hope that the difficulties are ironed out;
- For our Trustees as they meet next week;
- For Ken Gallager's mom with health issues;
- For Cindy Nix for ongoing health issues;

- For Dick Hart's daughter Caroline, an EMT in Chicago dealing with COVID every day;

- For Larry Haynes;

- For Judy Daka's ministry in Zambia struggling with both malaria and COVID.
- For Belinda Forbes' dental ministry in Nicaragua.

- For our Jericho Team as we do the work of breaking down walls and welcoming those LGBTQ individuals who have felt unwelcome in their homes, churches and society

- For our world as we endure the COVID pandemic and the surge of hospitalizations, deaths, food insecurity and unemployment;
- For our Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, our District Superintendent Taesung Kang, our Pastor Cheryl Meachen, our staff, our volunteer church leaders and each member and friend of Wesley.

You can also check out our archive of this week's service after it is aired, as well as previous services on our YouTube channel.
All services are available on CCTV Channel 22 the Tuesday following the premiere air dates, as well.

CCLI License #2293792

Good morning, Beloved,

This week I was blessed to be invited to participate in an all-day continuing education seminar by Tod Bolsinger, the author of Canoeing the Mountains, Tempered Resilience and Leadership for a Time of Pandemic.

Canoeing the Mountains refers to the expedition of Lewis and Clark seeking a practical route across the western half of the continent. They set out in canoes thinking that their route would be via a waterway that they would follow up the Missouri River and then easily downward toward the Pacific Ocean. Instead, upon reaching the Lemhi Pass, all that lay before them were the Rocky Mountains.

Imagine reaching a point in your

journey where you thought, "it will all be downstream from here" and instead you see these insurmountable obstacles ahead.

You are not prepared mentally.

You are not prepared in any way. This is 1804. You are a canoeist and these are 14,000 ft mountains.

Now think about Wesley. We are really very good at being the church for a certain time in a certain place.

But along comes COVID and we are plunged into an unknown territory with tools that are honed for a different type of work.

Make no mistake, those mountains existed before Lewis and Clark's journey and the future of the church was going to be different even before the pandemic, but we have been accelerated into a place where we need to think deeply about how to adapt to the change that is necessary to be the church for the future. Just as Lewis and Clark had to dismantle their canoes and fashion walking sticks to climb those peaks, so we need to let go of old systems that are no longer useful and imagine ways to survive and thrive in a whole new environment.

The mission is still the same, for Lewis and Clark to explore the West and for Wesley to Grow with God so that we can Go to Serve.

So that Wesley can strive to quiet the conflict among all people by creating a compelling environment that fosters spirituality, community engagement, and social justice.

So that Wesley can welcome persons of all races, ages, abilities, and sexual orientations as full participants in the life and mission of this congregation.

So that Wesley can make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

To be resilient in this time of deep change we must recognize the need to adapt to an ever-changing world, valuing our heritage AND ready to move into a very different future.

Change hurts because it is the loss of the way we knew and loved but I believe we can still love the past building on the foundation that has been laid and also love the future just as we love our childhood selves of the past and love our grandchildren, seeing great potential in the future through their precious eyes. The parts of our faith that are real and true, God-inspired, God-created and God-sustained will drive the transformation of the world.

We are already seeing incredible strides as society awakens to its own sinfulness with respect to 400 years of treating people of color as less-than. Programs that Wesley is involved in like the Friendly Kitchen, Family Promise and the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness are real and tangible efforts to bring an end to the injustice of poverty and hunger in our world. These are the very things Jesus taught us to pay attention to in Matthew 25: Feed the hungry! Welcome the stranger! Visit the prisoner!

We're also exhausted from all this change, all this COVID quarantining, all this bad news all the time. This is a time when our spiritual disciplines are more important than ever. By spiritual disciplines I do mean things like prayer, scripture, journaling, fasting and more, but I also mean Sabbath time, down time, time with God, rest. It is more important than ever before that we let go of fear and anxiety and simply "rest in the Lord, wait patiently on God and God shall give you rest." Ps. 37:7

And, it is critical that we take care of each other...that we CARE for each other, that we give each other space, always considering that the other person is going through things you have no idea they are going through AND that we draw close to each other in a virtual embrace, entering into each other's space ready to listen, ready to care, ready to help.

Know that I am ready to lead you in this time.

Know that the leaders of this church are inspired, compassionate, God-loving people who are particularly equipped and called by God to the work that is before us.

Know that like Moses against the Amalekites in Exodus 17:8-16, where Aaron and Hur stood by his side to hold his arms high when he was exhausted, we will stand side by side supporting and edifying each other as we do the work of the church in the world.

Know that God has called us, like Esther, to such a time as this and has equipped us. In fact, Jesus reminds us in Luke 9:1-5 MSG that we are called to this work, but need not bring canoes or hiking boots, that "we ARE the equipment."

One of the key components of my faith, is faith itself, faith in the unknown, unseen, faith even in this time of unknowing. God who made the Missouri River, Lemhi Pass and the Rocky Mountains and God who made Lewis, Clark and Sacagawea, God who made Wesley and God who "created a good work in you will be faithful to complete it." Philippians 1:6

Pastor Cheryl
Rev. Cheryl L. Meachen
Visit my blog at this link

The Business of the Church

One of Wesley's core ministries at this time is our support of the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness. I am delighted to share that this week, I was elected to the Board of CCEH and attended my first meeting. My prayer is that this connection will enable Wesley to engage even more deeply in tangible and productive ways with the agency in its justice work.

Our newly comprised Ad Board, under the leadership of Pat Neal, met for the first time this year on Wednesday evening, at which time we passed the budget, as published in the Church Conference booklet on November 15, 2020. I am so grateful that we've passed this budget which gives our talented staff 2.6% raises in their salaries, so well-deserved in this time of creating new ways to worship together and remain connected. I am deeply appreciative of your continued faithfulness in supporting the church in a time when we can make so much difference by reaching out in ministry to a community in need of prayer, financial and tangible assistance.

CCEH CORNER January 26, 2021

Thanks to everyone for supporting the Wesley UMC mission, Concord Coalition to End Homelessness. We have donated as of last week: A dozen pairs of winter gloves, toiletries and batteries. The coalition is very grateful for each donation. I imagine during this past week of unending cold weather, we have been keeping the homeless in our prayers and are anxious to continue helping CCEH to provide services.

There will be some additional opportunities for us to help as the new year unfolds. The annual Souperfest is scheduled for March 20th . It will be a different this year because of the Virus restrictions. Watch for details at a later date. We hope to be a player in this fund raiser for CCEH.

Thank you also for being so responsive to our requests for targeted donations for the coalition. It is helpful for them to be able to ask for specific things needed to run the program. We have a new list for the next couple of weeks:

Large packet of paper towels
Clorox Gallon jugs
Ziploc Sandwich Bags
Ziploc Gallon Storage Bags
Individual Bottles of Water
And of course warm weather items are always welcome.

If each church family could add one item to your shopping list every week, think of the amount of items we could donate! That’s exciting to think about. We hope that the yellow drop-off bin by the church door is proving to be handy for everyone. You can drop off every week, every other week, or once a month. Whatever is convenient for your family. And always remember that adding our mission to your prayer list is a blessing for the coalition and a blessing for you.

January 31, 2021 1-2pm Wesley UMC Parking Lot

Fill the Broad ricks’ car with food items that can be heated with a microwave if necessary.(Breakfast Bars, Ra men Noodles, Individual Mac & Cheese, Soups, Peanut Butter Crackers, Canned Fruit, Pop Tarts, Any single serving food item is appreciated!)

Second Start Alternative High School mission and approach:
Second Start Alternative High School provides students, who face various academic and emotional challenges, with a smaller, more individualized, supportive setting. Many of our students have not had success as a result of obstacles that are not of their own doing. Second Start supports students in overcoming these obstacles, through a focus on William Glass er's Choice Theory, The Change Model (Awareness, Thinking, Planning, Action, Maintain) and what we call The Five Skills (Listen, Control Behavior, Contribute Effectively, Tolerate Feedback, Accept Responsibility). It's our belief that this focus helps students breakthrough barriers, build-esteem, and competency, and gain critical life skills.

In addition to intensive, individualized academic support Second Start students also receive, counseling, life skills, and job skills coaching, internship placements, and transition planning for life after Second Start. Perhaps above all of this, what Second Start students receive is time, patience, understanding, and a bit of tough love from caring, experienced, and skilled professionals.

Virtual Choir Rehearsals
All are invited to attend Thursdays at 7:15 pm. We meet via Zoom at this recurring link each week: Meeting ID: 779 7127 5619 Passcode: 9M6QX9.

This week's Call to worship:

The Wisdom of God calls us to gather:
To learn from Love’s teachers, ancient and new.
The Wisdom of God is a companion in discernment:
Our guide through eras painful and distressing.
In community, we seek the knowledge of heaven, that we might:
Be delivered from evil.
Comfort and be comforted.
Practice lasting transformation.
With hope, let us welcome the wisdom of God.
Amen.

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

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