Wesleyan - Wesley United Methodist Church

wesleyan                                   MARCH 2021 EDITION

Pastor’s Column…..........……....2   Discipleship…….………….…....8&9

Worship.……..………………...…3             UMW…………………………..10&11

Outreach………………….…...4&5             Birthdays…………...……..………12

Children ,,,,,,,,,,,.…………………6       Financial Update………..……… 13

Governing Board………………..7

What is your vision for community?
My final-year-thesis for divinity school was about a vision for community. I still have
it somewhere in a box. I pulled it out a couple of years ago. As I reread it, I realized
that I’ve been wrestling with how to build sustainable community for a long time and
that my notion of community has evolved over the years.
My earliest vision of community came from my childhood. Church was a second
home for me. My parents lost a child before I was born. Their commitment to their
church coupled with the way that congregation loved them through their grief had a
profound affect on me growing up. Looking back, it’s no surprise I have a church-
oriented vocation.
The church I grew up in had a strong sense of community. That was true for most
churches. But things have changed. From the time I left high school to start training
as a pastor to the time I graduated seminary and was appointed to my first church,
the church changed. Church no longer held the prominent position of being the
center of community.
While I won’t bore you with the steps I’ve taken (missteps, really), there are a couple
of things I’ve learned. Some of you may recall the early attempts the denomination
made to address this problem. There was a fixation on population percentages.
Typically, it turned out that 8% of the population had an affinity to being United
Methodist. Do the math and that’s 16,000 people in Aurora. Clearly not the case!
So, what is going on here? Our vision for community is too narrow. I confess that
I’ve been complicit in thinking of community as those who look like me, think like me
and act like me. I’ve had to address my own “isms.” I know I can do better.
Don’t get me wrong, the church does do good! Our congregation at Wesley United
Methodist church is one example of all the good the church is doing! But, if we
want to be faithful in our witness to building community, we need to think differently.
We need to do better.
Our worship series for Lent is about confessing our complicity in perpetuating pov-
erty and asking the question, “what is our vision for community?” What we are of-
fering in worship is an invitation to envision crowded tables with the poor, where we
break down socioeconomic barriers in favor of a common table where all are fed
and treated as equals. I am asking you to prayerfully consider and act on how we as
a congregation might fulfill this vision of community. What is God calling you to do?
What is God calling Wesley United Methodist Church to do?

Fellowship Time
Whenever worship ends, you are encouraged to hop on over to zoom and join us in
a half-hour of fellowship. You can participate by video or by phone.
Zoom Link
https://zoom.us/j/93861562876?
pwd=OW10ZURMVUY2eEwwSEwyUUlWMVJmQT09
Meeting ID: 938 6156 2876
Passcode: 933177
Dial in: +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

                   Join us for fellowship time after the service!

Rainbow Covenant: The Tree of Life Ministry
The Tree of Life Ministry in South Dakota works to address the needs of the Rosebud
and Pine Ridge reservations. This ministry is part of the working hands and feet of
God serving the mind, body and soul. They provide groceries and meals to the hun-
gry, repair substandard homes, support local teachers as they reclaim native culture
and language.
The Warm Welcome helps provide hot meals for breakfast or lunch, elderly meal box-
es, and food boxes to supplement evening meals. They also provide Thanksgiving
and Christmas meals. With the help of donations, they are able to provide meals to
the homeless, children, elderly and the working poor.
Ur Boutique Tree of Life Thrift store provides household goods, furniture, appliances,
as well as gently used and new clothes for all ages. The store provides families with
the opportunity to purchase affordable items and with the pride of knowing that they
can provide for themselves. The store also provides donations to five of the twenty
communities on the Rosebud.
The ministry also has a construction project that helps by doing repairs on homes.
They have a mobile construction trailer fully equipped for teams to provide profession-
al service to the most remote communities.
The ministry also has a Volunteers in Mission program that provides a cross-cultural
experience. Missionaries that visit get first hand experience at learning about the cus-
toms and rich culture of the Lakota Nation.
You can help us support this ministry through our Rainbow Covenant offering by mail-
ing a check to the church office with “Tree of Life’ in the memo line or clicking here
and entering any amount next to “Tree of Life Ministry” in the box provided.

  Thank You
  from
  Hesed
  House

Mutual Ground Dinner
Outreach provided dinner for Mutual Ground residents on Tuesday February 16,
2021. Mutual Ground provides services and shelter to adults, children, and families
that have experienced domestic violence and/or sexual assault. Beatriz, with the help
of Jacqueline and Lilliana Jaramillo, delivered a delicious meal from Buona Beef. The
meal was made possible due to the generous donations that were left over from the
collection for our December Hesed House Family Shelter meal. Outreach would like
to thank everyone once again for their donations which made this meal possible.

 Thank You from Mutual Ground
 Hi Beatriz,

 Many, many thanks for the delicious meal that you recently donated to the Mutual
 Ground shelter and on-site staff! I heard everyone especially loved the Buona Beef
 dinner! It was definitely a hit with all our families.

 We do appreciate you supporting our agency in this generous way. The shelter
 families were very grateful for the meal and to have the night off from cooking.
 Your support truly offsets our food costs, helps a local restaurant, and makes our
 clients and staff feel extra special.

 Please let me know if we can thank you publicly for the meal on our social media
 accounts. Again, thank you for this kindness.

 Julie Ford

Celebrate Wonder: Virtual Children’s
Church
Virtual Children’s church has been meeting at 11am
on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month. We’ve
been spending time together learning how to love in
our community through inclusion and joy!

If your child is interested in joining us, please email
Michelle Curiel at

michellecuriel.wumc@gmail.com.

Here are our lesson plans for the month:

March 7 - Jesus Washes Feet

   Scripture: John 13:1-17

   Lesson: As our Bible story begins, Jesus and his disciples are sharing an even-
   ing meal together. It is just before Passover, and Judas’ betrayal is already in
   motion. Jesus knows he will not be with the disciples much longer, so he per-
   forms an act of service for them to show love. He washes their feet, something
   servants usually did at that time when a person came in from walking in sandals
   on dusty roads. Jesus says it is an example of how they should love others
   when he is gone.

March 21 - Praying in the Garden

   Scripture: Luke 22: 39-46

   Lesson: This story provides us with a model for prayer, in that Jesus takes his
   sadness and his fear and turns it over to God—as we are taught to do. Jesus
   asks for what he wants but ultimately submits to what God wants—as we also
   are expected to do. Jesus goes to a special place to pray.

We are pleased to announce new
             Governing Board Members at Wesley!

Meet Jessica Garza

Hello! My name is Jessica Garza and I have been a member
of Wesley United Methodist Church since 2015. My husband
Lazaro and I have 3 daughters; Ashleigh (22), Samantha (14),
and Cameron (12). We live near Aurora University and have
3 dogs. I work for SD129 at the best school in the district,
Hope D. Wall School! I love working with children. I love
Wesley and I am blessed to be able to be a part of this
thoughtful, compassionate and devoted congregation. I see
great things in Wesley United Methodist Church and I will
work hard be raise them up.

Our other new Governing Board Member, DiAnn Wiley, was featured in last
month’s Wesleyan.

Let’s Go Adult Fellowship
Let’s Go is a social group open to all adult members and friends of Wesley. Due to the
pandemic we have not been meeting live since March 2020. We are planning a Zoom
Let’s Go St. Patrick’s Day Party on Saturday, March 20. If you are interested, let me
know and I will be sure to include you in the invitation! More details will be emailed to
those on the list, but we have games and prizes in store for all who attend! We hope to
be able to start planning live events again sometime, keeping safety in mind first and
foremost. Our first event will be a joyous Welcome Back to Live Fellowship Party! Stay
tuned for details. Please contact Meredith Lindgren if you are interested, 630-788-
6911 or psalmmom418@gmail.com.

Tuesday Crafters
Tuesday Night Crafters are currently holding virtual gatherings via Zoom. At this time,
we are sharing projects we have been working on. Please contact Vicki Martin at 630-
859-2320 or vickimartin2@comcast.net if you are interested in joining the Crafters on
one of these meetings.

Mug Club
Enjoy a cup of coffee and conversation. This is a social group of men with lots to talk
about and too much time on our hands. We have not had too many solutions, but
we’ve had lots of fellowship. We invite you to join us! For more details call Herb at
630-264-2892.
When: Each Thursday at 9am (temporarily meeting via Zoom)

Bad Girls Bible/Book Study
The Bad Girls are meeting weekly on Tuesdays on Zoom, at 7:00pm, until further no-
tice. We are almost finished reading “Untamed” by Glennon Doyle and will be dis-
cussing what to read next at our meeting on March 2. If you are interested in joining
us for lively discussion, please contact Kari Nicholson-Rigaud so she can send you
the link for Zoom. Her email address is nich16@gmail.com. For more information,
contact Meredith Lindgren at psalmmom418@gmail.com, or call me at 630-788-
6911.

NDY (Not Dead Yet) Group
NDY is currently on hiatus and not meeting in person. Remember this group is NOT
just for Wesley members. All are welcome! We are discussing the idea of the Zoom
lunch to help us stay connected. Stay tuned! Connect with Wendy Evans for details
at: kaileysboppy@gmail.com.

Knitters and Knotters!
THANK YOU! For all your help with the items sent to Alaska. THANK YOU! THANK
YOU! THANK YOU

Let’s get together and celebrate, and get ready for our next ball (of yarn).

Topic: Knitters and Knotters March
Time: Mar 10, 2021 09:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81128413842?
pwd=NFU0Z0NaMWVNRENZTVJuaXdBWWJkUT09

Meeting ID: 811 2841 3842
Passcode: March10

See you there and then : )

Betty and Claudia

Wesley Meetup in Florida!
Wesleyans Larry Miller and Jude Dunn, who now live on Marco Island, drove to
Bay Forest in Naples to visit Carol Stoffel and also Aurora friends, Dave and
Joyce Brown. Jude brought the beautiful flowers. We had a carry out lunch from
Royal Scoop, and then walked to the bird sanctuary. It was fun to be together!

Wesley United Methodist Women
                Requests your favorite Recipes!
           The UMW is gathering recipes to create the

  Wesley United Methodist Women’s Cookbook
Please share a recipe along with a story or memory that
        makes it special to you and your family!
               Due by: March 31st, 2021
           Send to: Kari Nicholson-Rigaud
            Via email: nich16@gmail.com
             Mail: Kari Nicholson-Rigaud
                     1121 McConnell Ave.
                     DeKalb, IL 60115
Cookbooks will be available for purchase for all to enjoy!

How to Make:
Submitted By:
What you’ll need:

What you’ll do:

I love it because:

March Birthdays
Camille Sapnu 3/1
Tara Geyer 3/2
Mary Cook 3/3
Monica Winfree 3/5
Rich Brown 3/5
Nancy Verbic 3/10
Erin Connell 3/11
Lin Waid 3/13
Phil Studdard 3/21
Shirley McKnight 3/22
Cameron Garza 3/28
Madison Burns 3/29
Iliana Rigaud 3/29

Rev. John Bell
Senior Pastor

Bad Girls Bible Study                Mug Club                     United Methodist Men
Meredith Lindgren                    Herb John                    Herb John
630-788-6911                         630-264-2892                 630-264-2892
psalmmom418@gmail.com                herbjohn@ymail.com           herbjohn@ymail.com

Caregiver Support Group              NDY Group                    United Methodist Women
Wendy Evans                          Wendy Evans                  Mari Curless
630-897-5149                         kaileysboppy@gmail.com       630-892-9373
kaileysboppy@gmail.com               Ruth Ann Little
                                     ruthann32@icloud.com         Welcome Desk Volunteers
Fine Arts Committee                                               Jennifer Pawlowski
Jamie Reynolds                                                    jennifer.wumc@gmail.com
                                    Prayer Shawl Ministry
630-460-3989                        Mari Curless
Supernatural_Winchester@outlook.com 630-892-9373
                                                                  Wesley Gardeners
Hesed House                                                       Meredith Lindgren
                                     Special Events Coordinator   630-788-6911
Bob McKnight                         Lynn Burnett                 psalmmom418@gmail.com
630-896-5287
redwoodcats@sbcglobal.net            le.burnett@yahoo.com
                                                                  Wesley Golfers
Let’s Go Fellowship                  Sunday Morning               Ralph Breazeale
Meredith Lindgren                    FaithLink                    630-897-6657
630-788-6911                         Emmy Lou John                jrbreeze47@comcast.net
psalmmom418@gmail.com                630-264-2892
                                     emmyloujohn@yahoo.com        Yoga Classes
                                                                  Ann Merk
Morning Needle Crafters                                           630-454-4349
Claudia Smith & Betty Aquize         Tuesday Crafters
                                     Vicki Martin                 asm52@yahoo.com
Claudia:                             630-859-2320
                                     vickimartin2@comcast.net