Wesley United Methodist Church March 2022 Newsletter What’s inside: From the Desk of Pastor Zeke Golf Scramble Info Parsonage Work
From Pastor Zeke Page 1 From the Desk of Pastor Zeke Firm Foundation “Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise person who built their house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish person who built their house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell- and great was its fall!” Matthew 7:24-27 As many of you know, I grew up fishing with my family. On way too many occasions, I have encountered storms while out in a boat. It sort of goes with the territory. One storm, in particular, I will never forget. We were night fishing for crappie, and we were catching them like crazy. Off in the distance, we began to see flashes of lightning. It grew closer and closer. However, we were still catching fish, so we stayed. It was still calm where we were and everything seemed okay at the time...until it wasn’t. And when the storm hit, it hit hard and fast. We pulled up anchor just as five foot swells began. The boat motor cranked over just before we were blown into a cliff by the raging wind. We had a long way to go back to the vehicle and most of that way required us to be on the open water. Dad told us all to lay down in the bottom of the boat. We were terrified. I remember the gigantic waves and the horrific sound of the boat going over the waves and soaring so high that the motor came out of the water whirling as we zoomed through the air, only to then collide with the next wave. Dad got us under a bridge where we tied up and rode the storm out for the next hour, thankful that we survived. I’ll never forget that unmoored, wave-tossed, tempest of a pickle we were in that night. I share this story because it has been on my mind. With news coming in the last few weeks about the postponement of the General Conference gathering of the United Methodist Church and the announcement of the launch of the Global Methodist Church (GMC), I have witnessed many who have felt “unmoored” in the church. Our denomination continues to make national and local news as these things have unfolded. These are tempest-laden times to be certain. However, I want to share a few things that I believe are helpful. First, some things shared with me from a gathering with the Bishop and the clergy of the Northwest District: Continued on Next Page Wesley UMC Newsletter April 2022
Pastor Zeke Cont., Golf Scramble Page 2 Pastor Zeke Continued No church is required to vote on anything The UMC is still the UMC and churches wishing to continue being United Methodists will just keep doing and being themselves The results and effects of the launch of the GMC on May 1st is still unfolding Second, as your pastor, I have been and continue to be called and serve within the United Methodist Church and continue to do so. Third, I value the diversity of theologies and personalities within our church family and will do my best to lift up and nurture those within the church as a whole. Fourth, our focus will continue to be on the Gospel of Jesus and his command for us to love God and to love our neighbor as our self. This will be our focus and way forward. Lastly, let us not forget Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:24-27, where He reminds us of the solid foundation of the Gospel. Our church is built on the solid foundation of Jesus and that foundation holds true - in times of calm and in times of storm. Trust that mooring. And may all of us be known by our love - of God and others. Just as my dad knew exactly how to steer us to safety in the midst of a great storm, I believe God will guide us and steer us safe and sound to exactly where we need to be. And maybe, just maybe, we will also have a lot of fish to show for it! -Keep the Faith Strong, Rev. Zeke Allen Meet the New Pastor! Informal drop-in meet and greet with Rev. Jana Green at Cavanaugh from 10:00-12:00 We are collecting Change Jar donations for the month on Sunday, April 3rd. All donations collected will go to the: Next Step Day Room Wesley UMC Newsletter April 2022
Parsonage Remodeling Page 3 Parsonage Remodeling! We are only a few months away from our new pastor Rev. Jana Green and her family from joining us at Wesley/Cavanaugh. They have decided to call Cavanaugh’s parsonage home. With that comes some necessary work to completed before move in day. Starting on Wednesday, April 6, we will begin working inside the parsonage. This project is NOT a one or two person job. Some of the work will be hired out to contractors, but the real work is in the removal of the flooring, deck renovation, painting, and baseboard removal. These items, the churches can help with. Helping in these areas will also save untold $$. The first days for demo work will be April 6-8 and April 11-15. We will have a roll-off dumpster during those days at the parsonage for demolition items. We will need a minimum of 6 volunteers each day during these days. I will send a request for volunteers for painting as those days approach where we will need at least one person per room and sometimes two depending on the size and scope of work. Please give your time for this worthwhile project. Chase, Jana, and Charlie will be appreciative of the work and love poured into the parsonage remodel. Please contact Chris Rink with any of the dates and times you are available to help. 479-997-5701 or at dcrink@gmail.com. “CHAZOWN” I have learned a new word just recently: “chazown.”Pronounce it “khaw-ZONE.” Its meaning is vision and comes to us from our Hebrew ancestors. Proverbs 29:18 Clearly and plainly states, “Where there is no ‘chazown,’ the people perish.” So I challenge you: do you have your own personal chazown? Do you have chazown for your family? What about chazown for Wesley and the UMC? Expand the idea of chazown to different areas of your life. Find and follow your chazown. - Blanche Wesley UMC Newsletter EASTER SUNDAY—Help us flower the cross and celebrate the resurrection of Christ! April 2022
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