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THE WESLEYAN APRIL 2022

Letter From the Pastor

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, 


“For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but will have everlasting life.”  John 3:16


I don’t know about you, but sometimes I wonder why God puts up with us! How could he “so love” a world in which there is so much hatred, violence, war, greed, immorality, dishonesty, idolatry, selfishness – sin! God gave us a perfect world and we humans have corrupted it. We were made in God’s holy image, but we have distorted that image. Yet despite our sin, God loves us with a love that is patient, forgiving, full of grace. A love that is unconditional. You see, God wants to be in a relationship with us so much that he was willing to come into our broken world, take on all that sin and evil, and by his resurrection, prove that it will ultimately all be defeated. That there will be a new heaven and new earth where we will live together in peace, in love, in joy – forever! This is the promise of Easter. 


But the good news is that we don’t have to wait until the end of time for this promise. In Revelation, the Lord says, “See, I am making all things new.” And the truth is, God can make things new even here, even now, with our help. I said in my sermon last week that we humans can be part of God’s miracles. So we can participate in the miracle of Christ’s resurrection here and now, when we live as Easter people – living and loving others as Christ called us to.


Priest and theologian, Henri Nouwen wrote, “Whenever we love our enemy, we exhibit something of the perfect love of God, whose will is to bring all human beings together as children of one Father.  

Whenever we forgive instead of getting angry at one another, 

bless instead of curse one another, 

tend one another’s wounds instead of rubbing salt into them, 

hearten instead of discouraging one another, 

give hope instead of driving one another to despair, 

hug instead of harassing one another, 

welcome instead of cold-shouldering one another, 

thank instead of criticizing one another, 

praise instead of maligning one another… 

in short, whenever we opt for and not against one another, we make God’s unconditional love visible. We are diminishing violence and giving birth to a new community.” 


Yes, we can bring about resurrection – giving birth to a new way of living, when we seek to love others as God loves us.  


Lent reminds us that sin and evil exist – both in the world and in our lives. But Easter promises that sin does not have the last word. There is a new way, a better way, when we live in peace, love and joy together. Let us help God bring it about here and now and be part of the miracle of Easter!  


[1] Henri Nouwen, “Letters to Marc About Jesus”  


LIVESTREAM SERVICES

Link to LIVESTREAMED SERVICES.


SERMONS

Link to SERMONS.

HIGHLIGHTS FOR APRIL

Holy Week & Easter Read More

CALENDAR

See what's happening this APRIL

Children and Youth ~ Hannah Stelter

Upcoming Events:

Palm Sunday: Calling all youth! After church on Palm Sunday, we are going to stand on the sidewalk on Gifford Street to pass out palms to people who are driving by! This is one of three opportunities during Holy Week to earn a point towards our trip to Six Flags in June!!

Egg Stuffing Party: Following the Youth Lenten Study on April 14th, we are going to have an Easter egg stuffing party! Pizza will be provided and afterwards we will attend the Maundy Thursday service together. This is yet again, another opportunity to earn a point towards our trip to Six Flags in June!

Easter Egg Hunt: Join us for our community’s most-loved Easter Egg Hunt Saturday, April 16th from 10:00 to 11:00 am at John Wesley United Methodist Church! We offer four different age-appropriate hunting areas for crawlers through 4th graders (Crawlers & Toddlers, Pre-K & K, 1st & 2nd, 3rd & 4th Grade), thousands of eggs to hunt, multiple games, activities and crafts to participate in and even the opportunity to see the Easter Bunny in person! This is a rain or shine event. The hunt lasts a matter of minutes and we have plenty of space indoors for games, crafts and activities. Children are asked to bring their own basket for hunting and open their eggs at the church so we can hide even more eggs next year! This is the last opportunity during Holy Week for youth to earn points towards our trip to Six Flags, so please let Hannah know ASAP if your youth would like to volunteer!

Family Spring Activity Day | April 30 @ 10am: Join us in the Fellowship Hall for a morning full of Spring crafts and fun! We will be decorating birdhouses and pots, as well as playing some spring games! All children are invited for this family spring activity day!


Regular Events:

Sunday School: Each Sunday following the Children's moment, there is Sunday School for Kindergarten - 4th grade students! Every week there are fun activities and an interactive Bible lesson that helps the children learn more about God! Nursery Care is also available during the 9:30 service.

Youth Group: The Middle School Youth Lesson is Sundays from 4:00-5:00 in the youth room. In April, we are going to talk about Forgiveness. Afterwards, the high schoolers join us in the Fellowship Hall for dinner and group games! At 6:00, the middle schoolers leave and the high schoolers have their lesson until 7:00. In April, the high schoolers are going to talk about the different Habits of Jesus. If you would like to volunteer to make dinner for the youth, you can sign up by clicking this link!

Youth Lenten Study: Every Thursday until April 14th, all youth are invited to a Lenten Study! Each week, we look at two scripture passages and answer three questions: What does the text literally say, what does it mean, and how do we apply it to our lives.


Recap of Events:

Winter Retreat: 17 youth and 4 chaperones had the wonderful opportunity to go to Camp Berea in New Hampshire for our annual Winter Retreat at the beginning of March! We spent the weekend worshipping, playing games, and bonding! Click here to check out our recap video of the weekend!

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Worship Ministry Team ~ Diane Huban

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you

      Jeremiah 29:12

 

Thank you to everyone who took part in the prayer vigil. Whether you prayed from the chapel or at home. Whether you prayed for an entire hour, or simply set aside some special time to spend with God.  We joined together for thirty-six continuous hours of prayer – prayers for strengthening our relationship with God, prayers for our church, prayers for those whose are suffering because of the conflict in The Ukraine. What a powerful statement!


Our Prayer Wall provides yet another vehicle for you to lift your prayers to God in union with your brothers and sisters in faith. Everyone is invited to place your prayers, thoughts, concerns and hopes on the Prayer Wall outside the church. Instructions and everything you need to place your prayers on the wall are provided for you in the blue box on the bench. The Prayer Wall is a reminder not just for our church, but the entire community, how important it is to keep God out front and center in our lives. On Easter Sunday, all prayers will be collected and placed on the altar. Pastor Rebecca will lift them up and bless them during the service. 

 

We encourage you to continue your Lenten Journey by partaking in our Holy Week services:


Palm Sunday April 10th 9:30 am

Celebration of the Passion of Christ with special music offered by the children and adult choirs. Share in this special time of making the scripture come alive as we go back to Jesus’ last week on earth.


Prayer Walk  April 11th - 15th Mon & Tues 11am – 6pm; Wed & Thurs 9am – 4pm; Fri 9am – 11:30, 2:30 – 4pm

Stations will be set up throughout the sanctuary. Each station will feature a scripture reading, thoughts to consider and visuals to support reflection and prayer. You are free to walk through the stations at your own pace.  


Maundy Thursday April 14th  7pm 

This solemn, meaningful service is a time to share with Christ in his last night with his disciples. There will be Holy Communion, extinguishing of the candles and a litany of the nails as each one of us will be invited to hammer a nail into the wooden cross which will later be placed in front of the church.

Good Friday April 15th 12Noon-2pm 

Ecumenical service at John Wesley, with Pastor Rebecca and six other local clergy members preaching on the seven last words of Jesus from the cross. Interspersed with the meditations will be hymns, prayers, and silence. You may come and go as you please during this sacred time of remembering Christ’s suffering on the cross for our sins.


Community Easter Egg Hunt Saturday April 16th  10-11am 

For ages toddler to 4th grade! Age appropriate hunting areas, with hundreds of eggs. Also crafts, games, and even the Easter Bunny! Invite your friends to this special family-friendly event.


Easter Sunrise Sunday April 17th 5:45am 

Sunrise service at Nobska Point Lighthouse. We will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as the sun rises from the darkness on Easter morning!  


Easter Celebration Sunday April 17th 9:30 am 

We will celebrate featuring special music by a guest organist, a brass quintet, the adult choir, as well as an Easter message and song. There will be a special Easter Sunday School for kids Pre-K through 4th grade, and nursery case will be available. Coffee and goodies will be available in the fellowship hall after the service.  

Hospitality, Invitation & Fellowship ~ Colleen Karsner

Please contact Colleen if you plan to attend. Look forward to seeing you there!!

The Hospitality, Invitation, and Fellowship Ministry will hold a card-making extravaganza on Tuesday, April 5th, at the Karsner's home, at 10:00 AM. (This will involve stairs.) We have lots of upcoming celebrations and birthdays, and whether you're a beginner or advanced, we have a spot for you. You may bring supplies or use from the stash! We aim to stockpile a few for birthdays and nursing home residents, as well as Get Well thoughts to have on hand. You can make them for your own use or for community use at JW.

Church Mouse

Yawn!!! I’m back from my hibernation. I am sure I missed a lot while I was sleeping. Although, I do remember on some days my sleep was interrupted by noise, but I would hear the wind blowing and I decided to stay in my little cozy and warm hideaway. Thank you, Trustees, for keeping the heat on.  

I noticed some plants starting to sprout leaves and some yellow flowers are in bloom along the side of the church. Also, some of those little purple flowers are blooming. I noticed the red berries on the trees by the Chapel are gone, what happened to the berries?


I am hearing a lot of chatter about a new Pastor coming to JW and that Pastor Rebecca and John are retiring, whatever that means. Again, a mouse does not know what retiring means, but I think it is a good thing. I will miss Pastor Rebecca and her Sermons as I am learning so much. I will miss John too. He does a whole lot of maintenance around the church. I heard someone called Steve will try to take John’s place. I am very sad they are leaving. But I heard another Pastor will be coming to John Wesley, Pastor René and his wife Wanda. I heard she is a minister and her job will be something called District Superintendent, whatever that is I do not know. I overheard in one of the meetings that they are looking for a home to live in and that it is difficult to find a home this time of year on Cape Cod. I am fortunate to have a home at this church, thank you very much.  


I heard that 17 church youth went on a winter retreat to New Hampshire for a weekend. I heard that Hannah, Oz, Tim, and Tomra went too as helpers. I saw some of the pictures one Sunday on the church screen and it looked like they had a great time. I was a little dizzy watching the kids swing back and forth on a rope so I closed my eyes.


One day I saw lots of people gathered by that big Bell on the side of the Sanctuary and Pastor Rebecca led a small service and a man named Henry kept ringing the Bell. I heard other church bells ringing too. I did not know what it was about, but I overheard someone talk about a war in a place called Ukraine and the bell was rung 117 times to represent their independence. Not sure what a war is but I think it is bad.


When I woke up from hibernation I learned that Bonnie and Tim were in charge of the kitchen. I saw them cleaning out the refrigerators and organizing the kitchen. I hope they know I am around and that I can clean up the crumbs on the floor.  Please tell them to leave a few crumbs for me, because that is my job.


I miss the flowers on the altar. But Pastor Rebecca explained that this is a time of reflection during Lent. The people are talking about something called The Chosen and so many studies are going on in the church. People are talking about the disciples and Jesus. I think it has something to do with Easter, an egg hunt and some kind of celebration. Again, not sure what all this means but I will continue to listen and I will find out. 


I overheard Pastor Rebecca talking about a prayer wall. Did not know what that meant until I saw Diane and John putting up something outside the church. I see things hanging from the wall, not sure what that means but I will find out soon as I always hear someone talking about this and that. I think it has something to do with Easter.


People are gathering in the big hall again after church. That is good because that is where I find out a lot of things. I hide in my secret hideaway and can hear everything. I have good ears to hear all that is going on.


So much is going on in the church. People are having meetings every day. Some in the class rooms and some in the big hall. The big hall is used every day for meetings. The youth have a meeting every Sunday afternoon and evening. In between the meetings they have dinner. Please tell the people to leave a few crumbs on the floor especially Bonnie and Tim, it was a long winter.


Happy Spring everyone!!

Spiritual Growth ~ Sheldon Keller

Canonization of the New Testament

Why do we have just four gospels when many more were circulating in the early years of the church? How come the Gospel of Mark was accepted as canonical but not the Gospel of Mary? We have the Acts of the Apostles as part of the canon, but the Acts of Thecla was ultimately rejected. Why? And did the church ever officially declare that the 27 books of the New Testament – and those only – are to be considered canonical?

 

Sheldon Keller will hold a two-part series on how our New Testament came into being. Sunday mornings after worship on April 24 and May 1 we will gather in the Fitzgerald Room. Bring your Bible and a good spirit! All are welcome, but there are space limitations. Please sign up with Ruth at jwumcfalmouth@comcast.net


Lenten Study

During Lent, many in our church have been studying the widely popular series, “The Chosen,” which looks at the life of Jesus Christ and how he may have interacted with the people around him.

                   

Each week on Friday, Pastor Rebecca sends out the link to a new episode, along with study questions for you to consider.  We ask that you watch each episode prior to coming to the study.  There are just a couple of episodes remaining.  If you have not been a part of a group, you can still join for the last remaining sessions.

 

Study Sessions continue at the following times and places:

Sunday after worship with Mel Trott and Kim Black in the library.

Tuesday at 10:30 am with Betty Smith in the Fitzgerald Room (Extended to May 3rd)

Thursday at 1:00 pm with Pastor Rebecca in the library.

 All are welcome!

 

Prayer

“Praying with a prayer partner” ministry is available for those seeking to pray with a fellow parishioner after worship. This ministry is offered the second and fourth Sundays of the month. Confidentiality is observed. All are welcome.

 

The Prayer Chain remains active and is open to hearing your prayer concerns. Be in touch with Karen Camp at nerakpmac13@gmail.com.

And on Wednesday mornings at 11o’clock a group meets for prayer in the Fitzgerald Room. It is an opportunity for individual and corporate prayer and a brief devotional is also offered.


Outreach/Missions ~ Julie Immelt Wheldon

Change the World:

How can you CHANGE the world? Well, with your loose change! This month we continue to to collect for “A Place At The Table”. This new program was launched on the second and fourth Tuesday in March at the St. Barnabas parish house. It serves Free meals to anyone in need between 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. Meals are prepared by our own chefs Bonnie and Tim Valade. 

 

Food Collection:                                           

To help support “A Place at the Table” we will be collecting canned Vegetables, Chicken & Beef Broth, Diced Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce, Tomato Paste, Boxed Pasta, Cannellini Beans, Kidney Beans NO EXPIRED ITEMS. Please place these items in the bin in the fellowship hall. Thank you to those who have graciously already donated this past month.

 

Belonging to Each Other:        

The Martha's Vineyard Bank has a Charitable Community Grant that can be voted on until April 8th at 5PM. If you could please support Belonging to Each Other and nominate them for the grant. Bank Local - Martha's Vineyard Bank https://local.mvbank.com                               

 

Habitat for Humanity: 

Saturday April 16th we will be providing the baked goods and fruits for the Habitat for Humanity build in East Falmouth for 6 homes. Baked Breads, Muffins, Bananas, Clementines, anything edible by hand. This food we provide helps fuel these volunteers to literally build a house for those in need. If you are interested in joining me in delivering the snacks and join the devotional just reach out. When I went it was so moving to meet the volunteer builders and owners of the new houses. 

 

Altar Flowers White Containers: If you have received altar flowers in the past and still have the white containers please return them to the church kitchen. We save money by reusing these flower buckets when we get our flowers. Thank you so much. 

 

Missions & Outreach Committee: 

We will be meeting on April 20th at 6:30 pm this month if you would like to join us! Our meetings usually run from 1 hour to 1.5 hours. If you are interested in finding out more please contact me Julie Immelt Whelden. We love to have many people on our committee to help with so many ideas and projects. It is a lot of fun to be a part of this and work in the mission field!

Monday Morning Crafters

MONDAY MORNING CRAFTERS

The Monday Morning Crafters will begin meeting on Monday, April 18 at 10:00 in the Fitzgerald Room. We work on projects for the church Christmas Fair in November. We would love to have you join us whenever you are able. Whatever your talent is we welcome you, we are in need of some new ideas.

Some of the things we have made in the past that sell very well at the fair are: hats & mittens (all sizes), sweaters (all sizes), baby quilts, large quilts, Christmas ornaments, aprons, socks (all sizes) paintings, cards, pillows and tote bags to name a few.

If you have been cleaning out your craft area and find you have yarn you no longer want, we will be glad to accept your donations. Thank you.

Any questions please call Linda Duane at 508-457-4407 or e-mail at lynoncc@comcast.net

Announcements

Care Team for Allison

John Wesley is starting a Care Team for Allison Deyo. We will meet every other month to care for Allison during her time working abroad through prayer, emotional support, facilitating fundraising and assisting with communication with JWUMC. Our first meeting will be April 3 after Sunday service in the Chapel. Please join us. Contact Ali Armitage with any questions or if you are interested in joining our team. alexarmitage72@gmail.com


Racial Justice Group will meet April 6 at 5pm. We will be discussing a Lent devotional by The General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR). We are excited about how the faith traditions of Lent will bring justice and anti-racism to life. Please contact Ali Armitage at alexarmitage72@gmail.com if you would like more information.

Community Garden


JW GARDEN

GARDEN PLOTS AVAILABLE

$20 EACH


It’s not too early to start thinking about gardening. Something to look forward to. Are you interested in having a garden plot? I have a few available. They are approximately 12’ x 8’. We have it rototilled for you and it is fenced in and lots of sun for great produce. We have tools available to use. You can plant whatever you want and keep what you need and/or donate any excess to the church. All we ask is that you keep it neat and weeded. If you had a plot last year, please let me know if you want to continue with the same one. Thank you.

Contact Sharon Mulcahy

At (508) 457-0950 or smulcahy1@comcast.net

March Meetings and Events at JWUMC

Sunday April 3rd - Children's Choir Rehearsal 10:45 am

Sunday April 3rd - Allison's Care Team 10:30 am

Monday April 4th - Leadership Team 6:30 pm

Wednesday April 5th - Racial Justice Group 5:00 pm

Thursday April 14th - Maundy Thursday Service 7 pm

Friday April 15th - Good Friday Service 12 noon

Saturday April 16th - Community Easter Egg Hunt 10 - 11 am

Sunday April 17th - Easter Sunrise Service 5:45 am

Sunday April 17th - Easter Worship 9:30 am

Tuesday April 19th - Blood Drive 10 am - 4 pm

Tuesday April 19th - Finance Ministry Team - 4 pm

Wednesday April 20th - Outreach/Missions Ministry Team - 6:30 pm

Sunday April 24th - Canonization of the New Testament 10:30 am

Tuesday April 26th - Spiritual Growth Ministry Team 6:30 pm

Friday April 29th - Ginny Waight's Memorial Service & Collation 11 am

Saturday April 30th - Family Spring Activity Day 10 am


Weekly Meetings:

Sunday - Lenten Study 10:30 am (April 3rd & 10th)

Sunday - Middle School Youth Group 4 pm

Sunday - All Youth Free Dinner & Games 5 pm

Sunday - High School Youth Group 6 pm

Tuesday - Bible Discussion Group with Tim Cline 10 am

Tuesday - Lenten Study 10:30 am (April 5th - 26th)

Tuesday - Gudrun's ESL Class 6:30 pm

Wednesday - Prayer Meeting 11 am

Wednesday - Handbell Rehearsal 5:45 pm

Wednesday - Chancel Choir Rehearsal 7 pm

Thursday - Lenten Study 1 pm (April 7th & 14th)

Thursday - Youth Lenten Study 4 pm (April 7th & 14th)

Birthday Wishes for April: 2nd~ Tamica DeGrace, 4th~ Wendy Blomberg, Frances Shibata, 5th ~ Betty Smith, 10th~ Marilyn McFarland, Gary Bernhardt, & Carmen Espinosa, 11th~ Pearl Jurentkuff, 13~ Karen Camp, 15th~ Charles Bresnahan. 16th~ Cyndy Jones, 21st ~ Steve Adams, 25th ~ Noreen Byrne


Let us celebrate life among our church family. It's a great thing to have a birthday, a gift from God. Please give your birthday information by recording it on the calendar on the Fellowship bulletin board.

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John Wesley United Methodist Church, 270 Gifford Street, Falmouth, MA 02540

(508) 548-3050 www.johnwesleyumc.org


Rev. Rebecca Mincieli, Pastor

Hannah Stelter, Dir. of Children & Youth Ministries

Ruth Moulton, Office Administrator

Linda Brouder, Director of Music Ministries

George Cary, Treasurer

John Loewen, Sexton 


April, 2022


The storms of winter have now passed.

April showers nourish the earth,

Combined with sunshine to assure

An awakening and new birth.


The red-winged blackbirds have arrived…

Harbingers of spring are now here.

Cormorants are migrating north;

In Great Bay they will soon appear.


Spring bulbs are poking through the ground;

Singing songbirds now fill the air.

All of Nature is budding forth.

Such signs of spring are everywhere.


Harsh March winds have now disappeared;

Soft, gentle breezes herald spring.

The earth is alive with newness.

Such pleasures does this season bring!


We celebrate Easter this month,

A special time for us each year,

By worshiping the risen Christ,

Knowing that He is always near.


Thank You, God, for Nature’s bounty

May our souls be renewed within.

Just as April brings forth new life,

May we be absolved of all sin.


Joy Stosz

April, 2022

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