It doesn t take much more than a few minutes outside to realize that summer is here and in full swing! The days are longer, the temperatures are

Transcription

1 It doesn t take much more than a few minutes outside to realize that summer is here and in full swing! The days are longer, the temperatures are higher, and more and more people seem to be going on vacation. It can feel like there is a lull that happens during the summer, especially in the church. But, we actually have a lot of exciting things going on at Wesley right now! Our Veterans Ministry is always growing! It seems like each week there are more and more people at whittling on Wednesday, and Danny and his crew probably have enough furniture to fill a mansion at this point. But something that some people probably don t know yet is that we are in the process of putting in several raised planting beds in the area by the playground. This will be part of our brand-new community garden with the help of the Honor Center, PRRC, and UF/IFAS. And in addition to this new community garden, we will also begin hosting a support group for veterans who are moms in our nursery. It is so exciting to see all these new ministries starting and flourishing I don t know about you, but I can t wait to see our ministry with veterans in Gainesville continue to grow and bear fruit! I think what I love most about these new ministries is the way they have organically grown out of a partnership that started in the fall. I still remember the first week our whittling group met, there were only five or six people there, and now it isn t abnormal to have people present on any given Wednesday. This should remind all of us that we should never underestimate the potential for something big to grow out of a small step of faith. Sometimes things start out small, but that doesn t make them any less important, successful, or meaningful. In fact, usually we have to be willing to start small and trust the process and trust that God is leading us forward together in mission and ministry. I challenge each of you to not look at this summer as a lull in the life of the church. Look at it as an opportunity to take a small step of faith and trust in God s ability to do something incredible through it. Let s take some chances!

2 Wesley United Methodist Church Mission Statement: Come join Pastor Sarah from noon to 1:00PM in the Conference Room on Tuesdays. We discuss a variety of themes and topics, but there is always rich discussion. All are welcome and we would love to have you join us! 826 NW 23rd Avenue Gainesville, FL Office: Fax: ! We are on Facebook!!! Pastor s PastorSarah@wumc.cfcoxmail.com Secretary s Terri Manche secretary@wumc.cfcoxmail.com Witness Articles Sharren Gibbs sharren2@cox.net Deadline for articles: 15th of each month Website: Weekly Sunday Activities Sunday School Adult 9:30AM 10:45AM (Sanctuary)

3 Barbara Baldwin Carolyn Clarke Betty Dees Sharren Gibbs Paula Mathis Barb Loehr Clydia Reichert Margaret Singh Lucas Van Alstyne George Winburn Agnes Burke Joan Croft Kay Frazier Betty Holder Pam McCormick Beth Loehr-Moody Beth Senn Polly Teele Lester Wigglesworth Jr Clarence Witt Thanks to all of you who have sent your prayers, warm wishes, cards and calls to my mother, Joan Croft, as she recuperates following a fall and broken hip. She s doing well God is good! Donna Weseman Singers! The Chancel Choir is in need of more voices can we count on yours? Contact Jim Arnett at jearnett51@gmail.com. We have room for sopranos, altos, tenors and basses, so come on up!

4 Adult Class 9:30AM Worship Service 10:45AM Committee Meetings 6:00PM Choir Practice 7:00 PM 826 Northwest 23rd Avenue Gainesville, Florida Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Noon Pastor s Class 6:30PM Nightingales Noon Pastor s Class AM Morning Stars Noon Pastor s Class Noon Pastor s Class Noon Pastor s Class 4 Office Closed :30PM Wesley Whittlers 18 2:30PM Wesley Whittlers 6:00PM Missions 25 2:30PM Wesley Whittlers 6:00PM Admin Council Noon Card Club 12 11:00AM Veterans Moms Support Group Noon Card Club 19 Noon Card Club 26 11:00AM Veterans Moms Support Group Noon Card Club

5 We all know they build houses, but that s not all! They also build people! To qualify for home ownership a person must be interviewed by a volunteer Family Selection Committee who looks at issues like a family s financial situation and stability. Prospects must live in substandard housing, but have a steady job and have bills which are less than 40% of their income. People who qualify for the program then must put in at least 400 hours of sweat equity (200 hours building homes for others and 200 hours building their own homes), must attend classes on home ownership, and must pay $300 to $450 per month mortgage payments for 30 to 40 years. Habitat is not a free give away program by a long shot! Habitat was established in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller. He was an attorney who gave up his fortune so others could have decent housing, and the initiative has since spread around the world. The Gainesville Chapter started in 1989 and has built more than 100 homes, with more to be finished very soon! Habitat has a Thrift Shop at 2317 Southwest 13th Street and welcomes volunteers in many capacities, not the least of which is financial! The phone number is and their website is Storytime in the Park We ve taken a break for the summer!! But we will be back with more fun with Story Time in the Park! Look for future dates to meet up every Sunday morning at Greentree Park at 10:00 AM!! Check out our website for dates and details. Have a wonderful and blessed summer. Remember- God loves you!!!!! Children s Church Team

6 The six week Bible Study - Life Lessons from Women in the Bible - concluded on May 14 th. Together we studied the lives and relationships many biblical women had and how they related to God as HIS plan for each life unfolded. The study gave us insight into the culture of the day and how it influenced their daily lives, their families, and the decisions they made regarding the one true God they worshiped. We met women like Ruth, Sarah, Eve, Lydia, Esther, and Mary Magdalene and learned of their attributes as women of faith, servants of the Lord, and generous disciples. During the next five weeks we discovered life lessons from Wives in the Bible, Mothers in the Bible, Working Women in the Bible, Women Leaders in the Bible, and Wounded Women in the Bible. The vital lessons we gathered from their experiences will impact our lives today as we grow in our faith journey. This was an excellent study and the ladies enjoyed our time of fellowship, the group discussions, and times of sharing common experiences through the study of God s Word. Look for information on the next Women s Bible Study in the fall as we continue to grow together in our faith and study of God s Word. Have a blessed summer! Sandy Miller The CARE team will be assisting Becky Knight and Cindy Holmes with assembling Blessing Bags this year! Agape, Nancy Case We continue to collect fun items for the girls. I dropped off 20 goodie bags this month. Inside were patriotic T-shirts, bracelets, make-up bags, and word search games, among other fun items including some snacks. There are 18 participants in the program right now. My next visit will be for Thanksgiving. Thank you again for your commitment to this ministry and to our Lord Jesus Christ. Joyce Welsh

7 Just wanted to touch base with everyone about our school Involvement project with Metcalfe Elementary School. Last year we had five people volunteering regularly at Metcalfe...Linda Baldwin, Diane Blucher, Sharren Gibbs, Cindy Holmes, and Nancy Slaydon. Cindy and Denise Pompili volunteered at their Fall Festival and Jan Ripley delivered snacks to teachers and staff every month. A big THANK YOU to all our volunteers! However, Metcalfe could certainly use more volunteers either on a regular basis working in an assigned classroom or for special events. Please let me know if you are willing to help in either way. Metcalfe is getting a new principal this year - Jacquatte Rolle. I have requested a conference with Ms. Rolle and Assistant Principal Mrs. Rainer for after July 1st. I will have more info after this meeting. Cindy Holmes Wesley's Metcalfe Coordinator A Shout Out to Our Community Recognition Bakers GHS - Paula Mathis Westwood Middle School and Sidney Lanier School - Donna Dotts Stephen Foster Elementary - Janis Bishop Glen Springs Elementary - Denise Pompeli Fire Station #5 - Kitty Manasco J J Finley Elementary and GPD - Cindy Holmes ANNUAL CONFERENCE It was such an honor for Becky Knight and me to represent Wesley at the Florida United Methodist Annual Conference. We had attended only the Memorial Service last year since our brother who passed away last year had kept his membership in the Florida Conference. This year's conference was an amazing opportunity to see so many Methodists joining together. We both felt such pride to be a part of this wonderful conference. The emphasis Methodists place on equality, acceptance, and respect for individuals on gender, race, lifestyle, and ways of worshipping was very evident. Yes, we were exhausted at the end of each day...lots of walking to get to the auditorium, lots of sitting, stand up, sit down, people to talk with, meeting new people from all over our state...an awesome experience! Thank you for allowing us to represent you! Cindy Holmes

8 We had a great group of folks meet at Cedar River Seafood on June 15th. Great food and fellowship! We are taking a little break and will not meet in July. Look for an announcement about our August lunch in the next Witness. Have a blessed time of rest and relaxation! Blessings, ~Donna Cindy, Yvonne, Helen, Denise, Sandy, Sharren, Paula, Becky, Linda, and June The Whittlers group has been a big success, with 20 or more people attending each week, both men and women! Join this fun group on Wednesdays at 2:30 PM for conversation, refreshments, and some good ol whittlin! Newbies are welcome, too someone will help you get started on your project. Bandaids available as needed As usual, we always appreciate donations of nonperishable food, end tables, desks, lamps, chairs, cookware, etc. to assist our vets in setting up their own apartments. Danny Aguila ( )

9 Deepest thanks to everyone who has signed up to provide flowers for the sanctuary I hope you ve noticed them. Cindy Holmes has provided the flowers this month! We only have one month not spoken for next March. Are you the person to finish this project? Give Sharren a call. Just as a reminder, here are the parameters for size: Dimensions: Height 25 (+/- 3) inches including vase Width/diameter: inches The Board of Trustees continues to serve WUMC with the sacred responsibility to keep God s House in order and oversee all related facilities. At this time there are no new areas of concern for repair or replacement around the church campus. The replacement of the septic tank and drain field at the parsonage continues to be an on-going project at this time. Things are moving along slowly as there are permits to be pulled and inspection reports to be rendered along the way. It s nice to report, however, that the master bathroom is now in full working order!! Only two projects remain on the to be finished list : repair the right alcove wall at the front entrance to fellowship hall, and paint the repaired area around the A/C exhaust stack that goes into the kitchen and fellowship hall. Danny Aguila is taking care of both projects but due to recent hand surgery he is taking some healing time off. Many thanks, Danny, for all you do in taking care of these pop-up projects around Wesley. The Florida Trail Association blessed Wesley and our Veterans Ministry with a very nice donated storage shed last month. Mr. Kent from the Shed Ranch in Bronson moved and set up the shed complete with hurricane straps. The move was funded with monies the veterans earned from their plant and garage sales during the year. The shed will provide a much-needed storage space for the veterans needs, supplies, and donated items. Sandy Miller, Chair

10 Donna and Andrew Weseman are back from the Life Enrichment Center Grandparents and Me camp looks like they had a great time! Among other activities, art was high on the list of things to do isn t this a wonderful painting? Andrew commented he learned that God is always with us.

11 7/18 6:00PM Missions Committee 7/25 6:00PM Administrative Council 15 th Cindy Holmes Gary Weseman 16 th Nancy Case 17 th Frank Nosko 23 rd Lindsey Adams 30 th Derek Mallard 3 rd Karen & Chris Teele 14 th Misty & Thad Martin 31 st Yvonne & John Hodges FUN AND GAMES Join the Canasta card club at Wesley United Methodist Church! Have fun and meet great people! Invite family and friends, the more the merrier! When: Thursdays, 12:00 Noon (except holidays) Where: Wesley United Methodist Church 826 Northwest 23rd Avenue Fellowship Hall Call Harley or Pamela Christensen at for information. We have wonderful members waiting to teach you Hand and Foot Canasta! Card Club Guidelines Bring a sack lunch and beverage if you wish. Please arrive on time if possible. Please help clean up after the games end. Please give us your address and phone number in case of scheduling changes. A sign-up sheet will be passed for volunteers to come at 11:30AM to set up and make coffee.