Wesley United Methodist Church
Thursday, October 18, 2018
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Calendar & EventsYou can also contact the church office at 413-549-1550 or office@wesleyfamily.org.
Check out the calendar or the Wesley Journal newsletter (pdf) for additional information about church events and activities.
Online Giving Now Available!
For your convenience, it is now possible to support Wesley with online giving. If you would like to make a credit card or electronic check donation to Wesley United Methodist Church, please click the button below. On this secure web service page, you will be able to set up your own account and make one-time and/or recurring donations to the church. For each transaction, you will receive an email confirmation, as long as you include your email address when setting up your account. Please contact Steve de Bruyn Kops with any questions or for more information.
 Need a ride?
Do you need a ride to worship or other church event? Is so, email us a ineedaride@wesleyfamily.org, and include your name, cell phone, and address. Or you could call the church office at 413/ 549-1550 and leave a message with the same information. Please let us know of your need by 5:00 pm on Saturday afternoon, so we can make the necessary arrangements.
Special Church Conference
The Trustees are calling a Special Church Conference for Wednesday, October 17, 2018, at 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss and approve the purchase of a replacement parsonage at 28 Western Lane, Amherst, and to approve the administrative procedures associated with the purchase. Feel free to ask a member of the Board of Trustees for information.
Save the Date!
Special Church Conference - Wednesday, October 17
Not Bread Alone - Saturday, October 27
Rake & Run - Sunday, October 28
Fall Craft Fair - Saturday, November 3
Have you been hearing about the flooding and damage from Hurricane Florence and wondering how to help? The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has a program specifically designed for disaster response, and the New England Conference recommends helping through UMCOR. We suggest 3 options:
1) Find one or more friends and fill a Cleaning Kit Ten buckets have been donated from Amherst College and can be picked up at church - please return your filled bucket by Sunday, October 21st. 2) Donate money to help fill buckets - make checks payable to Wesley UMC and designate for UMCOR buckets. 3) Donate directly to UMCOR's Disaster Response in the US . Please also continue to pray for those affected by the storms and the relief workers. You will also find more information on this including the list of items (PDF) to supply in each bucket, inside our October newsletter! Wesley Book Club
The Book Club will be meeting on Monday, October 15th at 7:00 pm at the church. The book we will be discussing is Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones. All are welcome!
Methodism 101
What is a United Methodist? How did we get that name? What do we stand for? How are we different from other churches? Have you wondered what the United Methodist Church is all about? A Methodism 101 class will begin after church on Sunday morning, October 14th to answer some of these questions. The class will meet for 3 Sundays until October 28th, from 11:30am-12:15pm. We will discuss the history, organization and distinctive theological and ethical positions of the United Methodist Church. All are welcome, whether you are a curious newcomer or a long time Methodist!
If you would like more information, please call Jim Harvey at 259-4404 or send him an email.
Stewardship Campaign
Our Stewardship Season will be kicking-off on Sunday, October 21st during our morning worship hour. We are celebrating Laity Sunday that day as well, and we will be looking at what stewardship really means and the many ways that we can be involved in the life of our church. Over the following three weeks, we will hear from several members of our Wesley family, as these individuals share their Faith Stories about our Wesley family. On Sunday November 11th, we will be welcoming Gary Melville, Director of Development for the United Methodist Foundation of New England, who will deliver the morning message. Our Stewardship season will culminate on Sunday, November 18th -- which we have designated as our Consecration Sunday -- when we will return our pledge cards during worship and share together in a special consecration liturgy.
We are also looking to support New England JFON financially by purchasing a table for their Annual Celebration and Dinner Fundraiser with silent auction on Saturday, November 10th at Trinity United Methodist Church. Tickets are $30/each, and we're hoping to get 8 people to purchase a full table. If interested in purchasing a ticket for the dinner, please let Moo know in September.
Join a Small Group!
It’s all about making connections. The Christian life is not intended to be lived alone. We were formed by God to be in connection: with God and with one an-other. Even though we each must take our own path, we need the support and strengthening of others to become more deeply committed Christians. It is in small groups where people receive encouragement and challenge to deepen their faith and to live out the calling of all believers to be disciples in the world.
We would love for every person in the Wesley family to be a part of at least one small group – this includes you! Please look through the list and find a group you would like to be a part of. Need more information? Look online for more complete descriptions of the groups, peruse the brochure available at church, or contact Julie Chalfant by email. Wesley UMC's food ministry includes a collection at the worship service on the first Sunday of the month.
Our November food collection will focus on Thanksgiving needs - more info coming soon! Thanks so much for your support to those in need in our community.
Craft Fair Workshops & Important Dates
There are a number of workshops scheduled, as well as other important dates, for the upcoming fall craft fair:
Sunday, October 14 - Start dropping off donations to the fair!
Books, Grandma’s Attic, Jewelry, and any Silent Auction items. Leave in alcove of west wing classroom.
Monday, October 15 at 5:30pm - Fair Committee meeting Thursday October 25 from 1 pm to 4 pm – Fall Fair workshop to finish up sewing/quilting and craft projects Saturday, October 27 from 9 am to 12 noon - baking pie crusts at WUMC kitchen Sunday, October 28 after church - pick up pie shells to bake your own pies for the fair Thursday, November 1 from 9 am to 12 noon at WUMC kitchen - apple peeling party Friday, November 2 from 9 am until done - apple pie baking at WUMC kitchen It may be possible to schedule an evening date if you or anyone you know would be willing to come for an evening meeting. There are several projects to finish. Also for anyone needing pint canning jars, Gerry has a couple dozen to share. If anyone needs a ride please have her/him contact Gerry at 413-259-4404. The Committee is working hard to build on the successes of prior year's fairs. Here is how you can help:
Wesley’s Annual Rake & Run
We will be lending a helping hand and raking church members' yards on Sunday, October 28th. We will leave from Wesley Church at 1:00 pm and carpool to various houses around town. Bring a rake, gloves, and a lot of energy! Please let Allison Roy know if you are able to come. All ages welcome! Make Music at Wesley this Fall!
The Omega Bell Choir continues to ring with joy…but we need 2 or 3 new ringers! Bell choir meets September through June, on Sunday evenings from 7:00pm to 8:15pm. Anyone 9th grade and above is encouraged to join us - we will teach you what you need to know. If you are interested, please contact director Tim Bennett by email or 413-835-5790. Please consider joining us!
Sanctuary Choir rehearses September through June on Wednesday evenings from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. We are especially looking for additions to our Soprano and Men’s sections. We sing a wonderful variety of music and pray together at every rehearsal. The choir is open to high school age and above or by special permission. If interested, please contact Cathy Bennett, Director of Music, by email or 413-404-0932. We would love for you to join us! Children’s choir is so much fun! We would love to restart this group. In order to do this, Cathy needs to know how many children are interested. Children ages 5 to 12 are welcome; with older ones having leadership roles. Rehearsals will be arranged based upon your schedule. Please contact her as soon as possible if you are interested at by email or 413-404-0932. Our Praise Group is comprised of amateur musicians and singers welcome all ages. We rehearse weekly September through June, and provide special music in worship one Sunday each month. Our current rehearsal schedule is Thursday evenings 5:50-6:30 pm in the Sanctuary. We would love to have a few additional singers and musicians (guitar, keyboard, percussion and more woodwind instruments are all needed). Being able to read music is not required, but it is a plus; we will help you. If you are a parent with a young child and you would like to participate, please know that you can bring your child along to rehearsals and they can join the group and play a “shaker egg” if they wish. Please contact Deb Henson or Bill Henson with your interest or to answer any questions you may have. United Methodist Women Announces a Charter for Racial Justice
Wesley Church has a posted copy of this charter in the Great Hall. UMW believes:
For all these reasons, Wesley Church has committed itself to study and action around Racial Justice. Please take advantage of the books and materials available to borrow in the adult classroom library.
Take a stand against gun violence!
In case you missed it, here are the actions from the call to action against gun violence that
Pastor Moo urged us to take in his recent sermon:
1. Please visit the website https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/ban-military-style-assault and sign the petition "Ban Military-Style Assault Weapons and Large Capacity Magazines Now."
2. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America https://momsdemandaction.org/ and Everytown for Gun Safety https://everytown.org/throwthemout launched a campaign in order to empower voter to find where candidates stand on gun safety, elect politicians who will fight for gun safety and throw out those who oppose stricter gun laws. They also use a Washington Post interactive to help people track donations by the NRA. https://www.washingtonpost.com/grap…/national/nra-donations/ Please pass the info to your families and friends who live in other states. 3. Please contact your Representative and Senator to reverse a ban blocking the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from studying gun violence. Currently there is a law, as a result of the NRA lobby, forbids the use of federal funds on studies that promote gun control. We need a public scientific research on gun violence. 4. Please tell your Representative and Senator to bring back the "Federal Assault Weapons Ban," which was in place for 10 years, from 1994 to 2004. Wesley's Spiritual Journey Group meets at the church every Thursday. We begin with spiritual sharing and prayer from 1 - 1:30 pm. The book study follows from 1:30 - 2:30 pm. Please contact Jane Sicks by email with any questions. New members are always welcome!
Monthly Healing Time after Worship
We invite you to partake of the healing graces of our loving God, either after service on the first Sunday of every month or during our Thursday evening prayer time. We also would invite you to join our healing group if you are able to make the commitment and are willing to learn the principles of faith healing. Please feel free to contact Cathy Bennett or Nancy Nash with any questions.
Safe Parking Reminder
Please remember that in an emergency, seconds really do count and there are times that, no matter how good the sprinkler system is, those systems could fail. All parking at Wesley needs to be in marked spots in our parking lot. Parking is only allowed in handicap spaces with the appropriate placard. Recently we have had an increase of cars parking in non-marked spots during events. This does not allow police, fire, and EMS vehicles to access the church appropriately in the event of an emergency. Several of the Hadley FD vehicles plus some of the ambulances from Amherst FD cannot make the turn into the lane next to the church’s entrance when cars are parked illegally. Please keep everyone’s safety in mind when parking here at Wesley.
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