|
|
Dear Friends,
I don’t know where to begin to express my gratitude.
But before I say thank you, I want to say it is important that we now respect a new boundary line. I am no longer your pastor. I cannot come back for weddings and funerals without Pastor Cheryl’s invitation. I will be reluctant to return even with her invitation. I want you to bond with her and my continued presence could complicate that important process. I hope we do run into one another from time to time and we may have occasion to talk with each other. It is important that we do not talk about Wesley Church. I have loved being here and leaving is as hard for me as it is for you. The cleaner the exit, the easier it will be deal with the change.
Thirteen years of ministry together has been energizing and fulfilling. Your love, encouragement and faithfulness have been a source of vitality. Thank you for the gift of sharing this ministry.
Thank you for the generous gifts you have given to us as we depart. I don’t know how many others can honestly say they were given a toilet as a parting gift and had it presented with such grace and creativity!
Thank you for the kind words spoken. Some were shared publicly, and others were shared more privately.
Thank you for the glorious sendoff. The special music by EP, the beautiful dance by the Sacred Dancers, and Ken’s fabulous prelude and postlude, will live in my soul for the rest of my life.
When a preacher gets applause at the beginning of their ministry, it is an expression of faith. The applause in the middle is an expression of hope. The applause at the end is love. “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three, and the greatest of these is love.”
I say thank you for all our yesterdays and ask God’s blessings on all our tomorrows.
Grace and peace,
Peter
On June 30th we welcome to our pulpit, The Rev. Dr. Robert K. Sweet, Jr. He has served United Methodist churches in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and was appointed District Superintendent for 86 churches in Rhode Island and southeastern
Massachusetts for six years. His last appointment was for fourteen years at Old South Church, Reading, MA. before retirement in 2001.
Bob grew up in Upton, Mass., graduated from the University of Massachusetts and Hartford Seminary where he also earned a Doctor of Ministry degree. He has been married to Betty for 59 years. Their home is in Marlboro, NH. They have a son, a
daughter, and six grandchildren.
Fifth Sunday Food Collection
June 30th
For Second Start’s Alternative High School students
Suggestions:
Cup of Soup Granola bars Oatmeal Cereal
Any single serving food item is appreciated!
WESLEY'S SUMMER SCHEDULEOur summer schedule has begun. It is as follows:
4 p.m. Casual Service, Saturday
8:30 a.m. Breakfast Church, Sunday
10:00 a.m. Sanctuary Service, Sunday
Please take note this is a change of one half hour earlier for the Sanctuary Service. Praise singing will begin at 9:45 a.m. and the prelude will play at 10:00.
VBS 2019
7/15-7/19
Explore where God's power can take you at this year's VBS "To Mars and Beyond" July 15-19 from 9 a.m. to noon. Wesley's VBS is free and open to all children ages 3 yrs.-6th grade. Online registration is available at concordwumc.org. Many volunteers are needed. Contact Betsy Buck at bbuck@hdsd.org if you can help with this important and joyous ministry.
Please be sure to wear your name tag during this time of pastoral transition. If you do not have a name tag please see Jane Broadrick about getting one made.
PLAY BALL!
Monday, July 1, our softball team will be playing at 6 p.m. at Bug Field located on Rt. 3 in Boscawen just before the split with Rt. 4. The field is in a park on the left across from the Town Library. There is a fenced parking area near the road with a path through the woods to the field.
New England Conference Laity Statement: A Response to General Conference-Check it out!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdAhwyYbXedDa33maWKGkE_5_4EgND_PQWCcotAa6BzUw0q8Q/viewform?fbclid=IwAR3UTymuol-O7geu615-h_rMfBN1mT0mwg5jbkvEnHEQBXRKModlAmBLRPU
PRAYERFUL REFLECTIONOur church has been blessed with an outstanding, talented musician in Ken Gallager. He gifts us with beautiful preludes and postludes each Sunday at the Sanctuary Service, giving us an opportunity to quietly put our own lives in God's hands and to meditate on how God is leading us to a fuller life in God's care.
Please be respectful of this time for prayerful reflection.
CAN YOU HELP WITH SUMMER MUSIC?
Do you play an instrument or sing? If you do please sign up in the narthex to provide music during the offertory at one of our summer services. Accompaniment will be provided as needed! We look forward to having your musical gifts shared.
ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL
EZEKIEL
The adult Sunday School, which meets in the parlor at 9:00 a.m. every Sunday, is now studying the book of Ezekiel. No homework, just come and join in the study of the Word of God for fellowship and growth.
PRAYER MESSENGERSThe Prayer Messengers gather in the Chapel each Sunday at 10 AM to pray together for Wesley Church, its pastor, its people and special concerns through INTERCESSORY PRAYER- a prayer to God on behalf of others. Jesus prayed for others and taught his disciples the Lord's Prayer. When we pray to God, we are not simply saying, "God, remove all these problems and make everything easy. Snap your cosmic fingers and make it all better." Following a short devotion, we pray to God, consciously thanking God for our blessings and inviting God into our struggles. You are welcome anytime during this prayer time. In this way we empower ourselves to fulfill our mission in the world. Paul instructed in Ephesians 6:18, "Pray in the spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." For more information contact Norma Kane, at momkane2002@yahoo.com.
ONLINE GIVING
Did you know you now have the option of online giving to Wesley?
Through this secure webpage you may donate specifically to Wesley using debit card, credit card or PayPal.
Request for Volunteers!
Education for women in areas of Sub-Saharan Africa is not a priority. This is even more true for groups of citizens who have had to flee their homes to live in refugee camps elsewhere. I have been teaching a class in citizenship for a year. Some of our students are illiterate having had, as they say, zero schooling.
Larissa Phillips has developed a very structured program for teaching reading to adults. We would like to use it to help our students. It relies on volunteers working one-on-one with students. Larissa says that lack of teaching experience is not a handicap and, in fact, may be an asset.
Larissa is able to come from New York to Havenwood Heritage Heights on July 25 and 26 to train volunteers. The training will be in the mornings probably from 9 to 12 on Thursday and Friday. The actual volunteer teaching would be one afternoon a week.
If you have even a little interest please contact me, Lindley Kinerk, at 603 998 7761 or sajlrk@hotmail.com.
|
SAVE THE DATE
NH District Summer Outing
Saturday, August 31st - 4:00 pm
Wesley UMC - 79 Clinton St., Concord, NH 03301
Potluck BBQ, Fun, Games, Music and More
|
|
The United Methodists Kairos Response is seeking your help moving an important legislation forward in Washington. It's purpose is to halt US funding of Israeli incarceration, abuse and denial of parental or legal representation of Palestinian children. This link makes your influence easy to accomplish.
https://umkr.salsalabs.org/actionalertmay2019?wvpId=36acba6e-afa0-4469-a90a-f4364d3dcbe2
Mindful Improv Showcase
June 29, 2019 - 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Bow Mills UMC - 505 South St., Bow, NH
Bow Mills will host this hands-on, audience-friendly, interactive event. Be part of the audience and enjoy an evening of amusing, surprising, and thought provoking improvisational entertainment with Facilitators Jim Readey and Tyler Paterson.
Learn more about this sometimes silly, sometimes profound, but always liberating and enlivening opportunity called improv...and we want to make it easy for you to try! Relaxed and informal, there will be time for your questions and discussion! Further info, contact Jim at YogaPhile@yahoo.com Cost: Free! Donations appreciatively received.
|
Choose your study...
Mission Study 2019 Special Publication
Women United for Change: 150 Years in Mission Led by Rev. Elizabeth Batchelder Smith
United for Change by Ellen Blue is the first in a two-year study commemorating United Methodist Women’s 150th anniversary in 2019. It will provide a historical survey of United Methodist Women and its predecessor organizations and amplify the voices that shaped the work through an overarching story of United Methodist Women changing the fact of mission. This study is about women who established vibrant societies to support mission. First organized in the United States, those societies sent missionaries overseas and later engaged in mission at home. Each was a heroine who was willing to stand over and against what her culture—and sometimes even her church—expected of her. Learning about the early female leaders who created what would become today’s United Methodist Women can help us understand who they truly were beyond who we expected them to have been.
Spiritual Growth Mission Study: 2019
Practicing Resurrection: The Gospel of Mark and Radical Discipleship Led by Marie MacDougall (English) and Jeongseung Lee (Korean)
In Mark and Radical Discipleship, author Janet Wolf explores what it means to live a life of radical discipleship today using the Gospel of Mark as the foundation. Wolf explores the timeless issues of poverty, gender, justice, liberation, equality, and others using Mark as a guide. The stories of the women in Mark are a particular focus in this study and how, although often unnamed, they are prominent among Jesus’ followers and in Mark’s recounting of the gospel story.
Children's Mission Study: 2019
MARKED: A Mission Journey with Jesus in the Gospel of Mark Led by Tammy Verity and Aileen Stumpf
In MARKED: A Mission Journey with Jesus in the Gospel of Mark, Rita Hays invites children to join Jesus on an exciting lifelong pilgrimage of discipleship and mission.
Throughout the Gospel of Mark, Jesus engages with all types of people, especially individuals who find themselves on the margins of society. Jesus appears as an inclusive Savior, inviting children to practice discipleship by sharing compassion, love, and kindness toward others. Jesus also beckons to children to practice their faith through positive decision-making.
Youth Mission Study: 2019 Who Do You Say That I Am? Meeting Jesus through the Eyes of Mark Led by Sherry Culver
In Who do you say that I am? Meeting Jesus Through the Eyes of Mark, Carolyn Poling guides youth through the Gospel of Mark, helping them to define who Jesus is to them, who he says he is in scripture, and how this impacts how we live our lives.
The goal of this study is to help youth explore scripture in new ways so they can develop their own faith and put it into action. This is the mark of a true disciple.
In Mark, Jesus models for us how to live our lives as Christians, reaching out to those who are left out, offering compassion and healing. The author of Mark not only describes God’s kin-dom through Jesus’ teachings, but also models it for us. Through his actions, Jesus shows us that he has come for everyone. Therefore, God’s kin-dom is for everyone. The author’s message offers a chance to those who feel left out, cast aside, and forgotten. It offers belief to those who need physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
