Thank you all for your steadfast spirit these past few months as we took considerable time to seek God’s direction for Salem Wesley Church. It is so evident that your hearts are committed to becoming the body of Christ in more effective ways. Forgive my seafaring references, but it has taken your time, efforts and prayers to keep this “ship” on course, as we weather the storms that seem to be prevalent these days.
We have a new “Vision” Statement ...
Reaching People God’s Way
and a new “Mission” Statement ...
- By faith alone we believe in the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
- By grace alone, we believe that all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will have eternal life.
- For God’s glory alone we choose to reach out to all people with unconditional love as disciples of Jesus Christ.
- We trust and obey in the Holy Spirit’s leading: through persevering prayer, relying on the word of God, passionate worship, gracious hospitality...equipping all people through the spiritual gifts given to us by God in order to carry out the Great Commission spoken in Matthew 28:16-20
Even with all we have accomplished there is more to do. Take a look at your gifts and abilities as well as your passion. Has God given you the gift of administration? A heart for missions? Please stay alert for ministries here at Salem Wesley where you could use these gifts and passion for Jesus Christ. I have listed below a couple of ministry options needed here this month. Perhaps just waiting for your service?
May God bless you as we continue this adventure together.
In Christ,
Pastor Ron
What's Up at Wesley
Vacation Bible School
August 4 - 8, 6:00 to 8:00 pm - So many people first heard about the saving grace of Jesus Christ at Vacation Bible School. Here is a great chance to make a difference in a life, and be used by God to bring a child to Himself.Contact Cassandra (978) 998 1223 for more information.
Summuh time, and the living is easy…
Summer is just around the corner. It’s a time to relax and enjoy God’s incredible creativity. We have our vacation plans in order and are thinking about days on the Cape or in the mountains.Unfortunately, some New Englanders think it is a time to vacation from church as well as work. In fact, summer is a time to draw CLOSER to the Lord, praising Him for all His blessings. We have more time to spend with Him, in prayer, in communion with His Spirit, and fellowshipping with the Body of Christ.
When in town, make sure you schedule your Sundays around our services. Your tithes and offerings are just as necessary in the summer as in the winter, as the monthly expenses continue even though you are not here.
If you are out of town, having a blast
somewhere else, don’t forget to either send in your offerings for that week, or place them in the offering plate before you leave or when you get back. And don’t forget to send us a postcard and we’ll put it on the bulletin board!
Community Breakfast
ay saw the inauguration of our Community Breakfast. It rose out of a desire to serve the community around Wesley Church in a concrete and specific way. Word on the street was that it was delicious and healthy. Thanks Breakfast Committee for all your hard work!Opportunities to Serve...
Radical Hospitality Organizational Meeting -
June 1st, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm in the Conference Room. If you like to help people, and have one or two Sunday mornings a month to serve here at Salem Wesley, then you have what it takes to be a member.of our team. Make sure you let us know on the sign up sheet in the Chapel. See you at the meeting! For more information, contact Jeannie Lynch.
Missions Team - If you have a heart for Missions both domestic and international, sign up for the Missions Team. For more information contact Pastor Ron.
Consecration Sunday Team - Pastor Ron is forming a Consecration Sunday Team. If you don’t know what this is, make sure you talk with Pastor Ron. Your service here could make a vital difference in the life of Wesley Church.
What Does “Radical Hospitality” Look Like?
We adults have been talking a lot about “radical hospitality” here at Wesley Church these past few months. As a Sunday School teacher, I have come to realize that our children are way ahead of us. Let me explain.
In our class we have an autistic 3 year old little boy named Christian, who is full of life and fun! But as is the trademark of autism, Christian is more interested in objects than in people.
Therefore, when he sees a stack of blocks, he doesn’t think about those blocks belonging to another child, nor does he think how mean it would be to knock them down......which is exactly what he did during free play one Sunday morning. And as is expected, the other children were not happy to have their hard work come crashing down!
I have explained autism to the other children in the class, but I didn’t really think they were going to accept my explanation that Christian didn’t realize what he had done and that I wasn’t going to discipline him for it (when they all know they wouldn’t get away with knocking down someone else’s block tower!)
However, instead of complaining, one of the older girls in the class sat Christian on her lap. The rest of the kids rebuilt their tower and when they were finished, they yelled “Christian!” and the girl holding him let him go....and off he we went to joyfully destroy their handiwork. The class clapped and cheered, and the game began again.
As I mentioned before, Christian is more interested in objects than in people - he would be perfectly content to walk around the class room checking out the decor and not interacting with the class at all. These kids could have easily ignored him because he was “different” and gone about their play. But they didn’t. Instead they said “He’s part of our group....if he can’t play the same way we play, we’ll change the way we play so he can join us!”
How often are we adults too rigid in our routine to recognize the need of someone else? Furthermore, how often do we go through the sometimes grueling process of change to meet the need of someone else? How often do we forsake our beloved possessions and accomplishments to serve those amongst us? In this one interaction, these children did all of these things! Radical Hospitality indeed!