Wesley United Methodist Church
Thursday, February 23, 2012
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Calendar & EventsFor up-to-date and future church events, please visit our calendar . You can also contact the church office at 413-549-1550 or office@wesleyfamily.org.
Check out the Wesley Journal newsletter (pdf) for additional information.
Bible Study - Parables & Stories of Jesus
Jesus was a great storyteller, and his stories were designed to make us think about important issues on our faith journey. They contain many of his central teachings in a way that is interesting and easy to remember. Starting February 12, and meeting each Sunday through February and March, a group will meet from 6:30 - 8 pm to hear these ancient stories and discover what they mean today. All are welcome. For more information, please contact Jim Harvey at 413/ 259-4404 or by email.
Do you have fond memories - and images - of a favorite vacation or trip, and want to share them with other travelers? Come share your photos and experiences with this new small group! This group is forming in February, and each session will feature one trip, with photos that can be shown in a variety of formats, as needed. It's an informal opportunity to share travel photos and memories with friends who are there because they are interested in your experiences. The first meeting is planned for February 17, but whether that date works for you or not, please let Cathy Bennett by phone (413/ 256-1502 or by email) know if you would be interested in participating in the group at some point.
There will be no Sunday School or Youth Group on Sunday, February 19.
Confirmation Class
A confirmation class will be taking place this spring. An initial meeting for youth and their parents is planned for Sunday, February 12 after worship. Please contact Rev. Wilson at any time for more information.
Ash Wednesday Service
To celebrate Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the season of Lent, there will be an evening service at Wesley Church on February 22 at 7 pm. All are invited to attend this meaningful time of worship and personal reflection.
Memorial Service for Mary Wyatt
Longtime Wesley Church member and active community organizer Mary Wyatt died just before Thanksgiving, and many people who cared deeply about her were unable to attend her funeral. In order to celebrate Mary's life and contributions to the community, a memorial service will be held at Wesley Church on Saturday, February 25 from 2 - 4 pm, with a reception to follow. Please plan to attend, and extend the invitation to those outside the church who might want to be included.
Support for Wesley Church in 2012
In the midst of Christmas preparations, please pause to consider the ways you can support this church in 2012. Pledge cards are still available in the Great Hall, so it is not to late to pledge your support of the church for the coming year. On the pledge card, there are places to list your gifts of time and talents in addition to your pledge of financial support. These are all important ways to contribute to the vitality of the church in the coming year. With thanks from the Finance Committee.
Methodism 101 Course
Beginning Thursday, February 2 from 6:30 - 8 pm, come learn what the United Methodist Church is all about. The class will meet on February 2, 9, and 16, and will cover basics on the history, organization, and distinctive theological and ethical positions of the United Methodist Church. All are welcome, whether you are a long-time Methodist or a curious newcomer. If you are interested, please contact Jim Harvey at 413/ 259-4404 or by email.
Rainbow Players Event Planning
Help is needed in the planning of another evening event for the Rainbow Players, tentatively scheduled for April. Last year, Wesley helped organize and sponsor the Rainbow Players Prom, an event for adults with disabilities. A new event is being planned by Denise Whitney, and interested Wesley members are invited to help. There will be a planning meeting on Monday, February 13 at 6 pm - all are welcome!
Please return unused key cards to the church office if you no longer need it. We've run out!
Each year, Rev. Kent Higgins leads an Alternative Spring Break mission trip as a part of his work at the UMass Campus Ministry, and we at Wesley have always played a crucial role in supporting this mission outreach. In order to make this support even more easy and convenient, a PayPal account has been set up to facilitate contributions. Please click on the link below to make your contribution in support of this important mission project.
Volunteer Opportunity - Worship Ministry at the Women's Prison
There will be a Chicopee Women's Prison orientation and training soon for anyone who cares to join Pastor Ron as a new ministry team member. Wesley Church offers worship at the prison about once every two months, for an hour on a Sunday afternoon. For those participating, it is a moving and rich spiritual experience of exchange between the imprisoned women and the ministry team. If you would like to attend the training, please contact Pastor Ron at the church or Louise Minks by email or at 413/ 367-2800.
Children's Choir
Wesley Children's Choir is now rehearsing every Sunday at 9:30 am. All children are welcome! If you have any questions, please contact the new director of the children's choir, Diana Peden by email.
Touching Hearts, Changing Lives, Offering Hope
A Three Year Financial Commitment Campaign for Ministry & Mission
Our new capital campaign is now underway. We are seeking to raise a minimum of $200,000 through the generosity of our parishioners to help with our financial deficit. We need to provide the means to enable Wesley to move beyond our current financial challenge and allow more long range sustainability efforts to be initiated, including planned giving programs related to increasing the endowment, allowing us to direct our energies towards fulfilling our mission. We are asking all Wesley parishioners to carefully and prayerfully consider what they can do to help. Everyone will be contacted in the next month and asked to consider a sacrificial gift for this endeavor. For more information, follow this link. Church Audio-Visual Training
The Audio-Visual Department is looking to train more members of the church family on the use of the A/V equipment. The goal is to create a broad group knowledge amongst the congregation so that those who help record Sunday worship, as well as occasional events by outside groups, can rotate on a regular basis. Participation in the training does not imply any obligation to serve in the regular rotation. Currently, the training takes place with one or two people each Sunday, starting at 10 am (for a brief introduction to the equipment) through the conclusion of the worship service. A big-picture workshop, to place the A/V mission in a larger context, is planned once several people have learned the basics. If you are interested in this training, please contact Andrew Bame (email or 413/ 549-0052).
Wesley Handy Helpers Ready to Help
Can't move that couch? Need help raking the yard? Got a wall that needs to be painted? How about that picture that you just can't get hung? The new Wesley Handy Helpers small group may be able to help you out. Please inform the church office of your needs, and the Wesley Handy Helpers will provide the labor or other needed assistance to get the job done. Right now, we're setting aside the third Saturday of each month to work on these projects. If your project can't wait until then, let the office know and we'll see if another time can be found.
Spiritual Journey Group
The Spiritual Journey Group has a new meeting time. This group now meets on Thursdays from 12:30 pm - 2 pm in the Education Wing. The group is currently viewing and discussing a series of videos entitled "Saving Jesus", in which a number of prominent Christian theologians and other specialists discuss distortions that have crept into contemporary representations of Jesus and his teachings. This gathering is open to anyone wanting to share his or her spiritual journey with prayer, study, and discussion.
For more information, contact the church office or Louise Minks (413/ 367-2800 or email). New members are always welcome!
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