If your device does not show the images contained in this email, you may view the newsletter from our website where you will be able to see the images.

Letter From the Pastor

Remembering to Dream

Several years ago when I first moved to Massachusetts, I was part of a district training

that was meant to inspire some of our clergy and laity. I don't remember much about

that day, or what was said or who was there. I mean, it was great! There was good

music and delicious food and a lot of excitement, yet, of all the information that was

shared on that day, what was etched on my mind was the answer to a question which

came out of a discouraged crowd. 

Someone asked  the  guest  speaker why she  thought  so  many  United  Methodist

churches were struggling to survive. Her answer was simple yet it was profound and, at

some level, had so many ramifications that since then I have tried to identify. Her

answer to the question was “because they have forgotten how to dream.” That was not

an earth-shattering answer by any stretch of the imagination. It was simple and so true.

Why didn’t I know that? In all honesty, I was taken aback by the answer and it kept me

mesmerized as I tried to understand what that meant for me as pastor. 

Although I have always considered myself to be somewhat of a visionary leader, on that

day, when I heard that answer, I realized that I too had forgotten how to dream. Not the

kind of dream that we all get when we go to sleep, but the dreaming that happens when

we take time to pray and imagine God’s plan and will for us. Unfortunately, life can get

so busy. Chores. Tasks. Meetings. Honey-do-lists. Cooking. Cleaning. Paying bills. Of

course, they are all necessary, but so is dreaming. 

Dreaming is God’s gift to the church, to the believer. Dreaming is faith-work and it puts

us in touch with parts of our brains that are there to co-create with God, to believe in the humanly unimaginable but divinely possible. To know that there is hope even for those who live by the seat of their pants. Dreaming gives us a bird’s-eye view of God’s

potential reality. It gives us hope. It nurtures our faith. It challenges our assumptions. It

connects us with what we don’t yet know. It encourages us to see what we have

ignored; and it takes us a step closer to the vision God has for a better life. For a better

world. 

That is why we dream: because even though we could live without it, we cannot thrive

without it. Dear John Wesley Church, I invite you to keep dreaming with me. Let the

great things that have happened here, fuel the dream for the new things that can come.

Let God show us how. 

Pastor René

Children and Youth ~ Hannah Stelter

Kid's Service: October 2nd

This year, we are so excited to be trying a few new things with our Sunday School children! On the 1st Sunday of the month beginning in October, instead of our regular lesson, after the children’s moment, we will meet in the Chapel to sing and dance to some of our favorite songs from Vacation Bible School! Afterwards, we will participate in a small service project together for our church. When our project is complete, we will rejoin our families in the Sanctuary for communion. This month we are making thank you cards for some of the volunteers in our church! Kid's Service is for all children Kindergarten - 4th grade!

Youth Serve Saturday: October 15th:

This year, we are adding a special once a month program for the youth to become more active volunteers in the community. This is called Youth Serve Saturdays and it will be the third Saturday of the month starting in October. We will meet at 9am for a short devotional and some donut holes before starting our service projects. On October 15, we will be picking up trash along Gifford St. and Jones Rd. Pick up will be at 12pm

Sunday School: Every Sunday at 9:30am

Sunday School for Kindergarten - 4th Graders takes place during the 9:30 service! We start in the Sanctuary until the children's moment before we go back to the Education Wing. We have two Sunday School classes. This month, we are going to continue learning about King David before talking about some of Jesus' miracles!

There is NO Sunday School on October 30th because it is the 5th Sunday of the month. Children are invited to participate in the worship service with their families.

Youth Group: Sundays | MS: 4:00-6:00 | HS: 5:00-7:00

Youth Group is back in full swing! The middle schoolers (5th-8th grade) meet for their lesson from 4:00-5:00pm. This month, we are going to discuss 4 Acts of Love. At 5:00, the high schoolers (9th-12th grade) join for dinner and games! The middle schoolers head home at 6:00 when the high school lesson begins. This month, we are going to discuss Identity. All youth and their friends are welcome to join us each week! 

There is NO Youth Group on October 9th (School Holiday) or October 30th (Trunk or Treat). The Youth Group Halloween Party will be October 23rd (Time TBD).

Dinner Volunteers:

We are in need of volunteers to make dinner each week! Food is an important way that people connect and we are so grateful for all of those who have made dinner for us so far! All the ingredients and a recipe are provided if necessary. Please click here to sign up or send Hannah an email!

Confirmation: 8th Grade & Up

We are so excited to start a confirmation class next month! Confirmation is for 8th graders and up who have not yet ben confirmed. If you missed our interest meeting last month, please click here to download the information packet and calendar. Please let Hannah know by October 31st if your youth will be joining the class! 

John Wesley Youth Recreation Center: Tuesdays & Thursdays | 2:45-5:00pm

The John Wesley Youth Recreation Center (JWYRC) is up and running! We have had a few different youth visitors and it has been awesome so far! The JWYRC is an after school hang out space for 5th-8th grade youth and their friends! We are open two days a week and we hope that your youth will join us! 

Open House and Dedication of JWYRC: October 30 - 10:30am

On October 30th, the John Wesley Youth Recreation Center will be open for the congregation to check out! We will have a small dedication ceremony as well. More details coming soon! 

Trunk or Treat: October 30 - 4:00pm

Trunk or Treat will be here before we know it! We are so excited for this year's celebration and can't wait to see all the decorations! Trunk or Treat is an important outreach community event and we need all the trunks we can get! Please click here to sign up to decorate your trunk! We are also accepting candy donations in the Narthex. 

Gaga Ball during Youth Group!

Sunday School crafts!

Enjoying the beautiful weather while we have it!

The Worship Ministry Team has enjoyed working with Pastor Rene, Hannah and Paula on creating our Fall Worship Series - Drawn In: Reaching for God’s Dreams. While it may bring some of us just a tad out of comfort zone; it is our sincere hope that by engaging in the process, you will be drawn into a closer relationship with God and with those around you. 

We are also delighted to see that many of you are taking advantage of our Time for Contemplation and Communion on Sunday mornings. In addition to the opportunity to receive communion, we will also be providing a scripture reading and reflection question each week. 

Looking ahead, mark your calendars now for Hanging of the Greens. This will happen following our 9:30 service on November 20^th. We encourage everyone to grab a quick cup of coffee after the service and then start decorating! There is plenty to do so everyone (young and old) are welcomed! Once the job is complete, we will be offering some more “hefty” refreshments and special activities. 

The JW mugs featured at our Welcome Center are now being offered for sale. The cost is $10.00 a mug. You will need exact change or a check made out to JWUMC with mug in the note line. 

From the Silent Auction Chairs…………….Christine Quesnel & Maryellen Geoghan

We have started thinking about baskets themes.

Last year our total contribution was $970.00 in basket donations. That was 23% of the total Silent Auction contributions. We are aiming for at least 30% of the total in Silent Auction proceeds.

Last year’s themes were:

• Baking Accessories
• Hot Chocolate Items
• Spa accessories
• Romantic Table for 2
• Fall Basket
• Tea Basket
• Italian theme
• Kappy’s Wine which were part of other baskets (Italian)
• Yankee Candle
• All things Bird related including a feeder and food

If you have any other ideas, please let us know. We will make the baskets, or should I say Christine will be making them!!!

Most importantly if you have items that can fill the baskets noted above, kindly put your items in a bag marked Silent Auction and leave in the Spirit Closet. 

You can also contact Christine or Maryellen for pick up or questions.

Christine c_quesnel@yahoo.com

Maryellen@maryellengeoghaninc.com

If you are soliciting gift cards or items from your local establishments boutique/salons there are tax exempt forms on the counter in Ruth’s outer office. These should be given to the donator.

Once the flyers are printed, we would encourage you to also give them to the donator. We will also leave them in Ruth’s outer office.

Blessing on all everyone who make this fair a success. 

Christine & Maryellen

HOSPITALITY NEWS

If you know someone from church who isn’t feeling well, could you please email me so I can send a card from the church. (I may not know about it.) Thank you.

Karen Camp  nerakpmac13@gmail.com

Men’s Breakfast on Tuesday, October 18 at 7:30 am in the Fitzgerald Room: After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, we are bringing back in-person Men’s Breakfast this month! Men of all ages are invited to attend an hour of Christian discussion, prayer, and fellowship. A light breakfast with coffee and juice will be provided. Going forward, Men’s Breakfast is planned for the third Tuesday of each month. If you have any questions or would like to help, please contact Matt O’Connor at oconnorscapecod@gmail.com.

Are you a teen or young adult? Maybe you would be interested in forming a Praise Band. I would love to hear your ideas.  Sign up sheets are in the Fellowship Hall at the Music bulletin board. Parents can fill out an interest sheet for their child and drop it in the manila folder.

Chancel Choir (7pm) and Bell Choir (5:45pm) rehearsals are Wednesday evenings beginning September 7th. Children's Choir/instrumental group rehearsals will begin Sundays in September following Sunday service.

See me after any Sunday service or contact me at paula.JWUMC@gmail.com with any questions.  

God Bless,

Paula King

UKRAINE UPDATE

Bud and Sally Tracy continue to collect medicines, medical supplies and donations for Ukraine especially during October and November as the war goes on and the people there face the cold and uncertainty of the approaching winter. We coordinate our collections with St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Jamaica Plain and plan to deliver all supplies and monetary donations during Thanksgiving week.

A box will be available in the Music room with a small Ukrainian flag for donations. Medicines should be unopened. A list of suggested supplies is available in the Narthex. Monetary donations by check should be made out to Center Makor, a Jewish Philanthropic organization that helps both ship supplies and purchases medicines in European countries less expensively and gets them to Ukraine where they can be transported to the most needed areas. Cash if desired may be given to the Tracy’s who will make checks as above. We always note on the bottom “For Ukraine” so as not to be confused with other philanthropic funding. We continue to thank you for your generosity in this and so many other Outreaches of John Wesley.

Belonging to Each Other will be opening their two homes in Falmouth to shelter homeless men and women for the winter months. November 1^st will be their opening and they will stay opened until the end of April. We would like to collect toiletries for them. They cannot afford to buy these much needed items which cannot be purchased with any food benefit they may have. They are in need of:

• Body Wash
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Unscented body lotion
• Q-Tips
• Toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Washcloths
• Toilet paper and tissues

Look for the poster in the Narthex where there will be a container to leave the items. Please, only unopened products. We will be collecting these items in October and November.

Service Center There will also be a collection site in the Narthex for the Service Center’s Food Pantry. For the month of October, the most needed items which have not been available from the food bank are:

•  rolled or quick oats
•  cheerios
•  ketchup
• mayonnaise
• canned dog food
• canned cat food
•  size 6 diapers

If you have a desire to reach out and help people in need, our group is who you are looking for. We meet the third Wednesday of every month at 6 pm and would love to have you join us. Bonnie bvaladecc@comcast.net

Changing the World for October is going to Belonging to Each Other.  Our gathered change for August and September for "Tommy's Place" total up to $181 which the Mission Ministry team has "rounded up" to a $200 donation.  It all adds up!

The Church Mouse

I was away last month, family emergency. It’s Fall, the weather is cooler and all the extra people have gone home. I heard people calling them Tourist. The town is much quieter. I enjoy the fall with all the trees turning different colors and the cooler weather.  Those noisy birds are finally gone from the nest on top of that pole in the front parking lot. They make such a mess on the parking lot. I do not make a mess in the church. I keep my private space clean.

The church was very busy again this month with meetings and other people using the church. It is hard to remember all that is going on. People seem so happy to be here.

Our new Pastor Rene seems very nice. I stay out of his way because I am not sure if he likes mice. Please tell him that I am no bother and I do not make a mess. In fact, I clean up all the little crumbs that I find on the floor. Although, Bonnie and Tim do a great job cleaning up after food is served in the big hall and in the kitchen. Bonnie & Tim are still reorganizing the kitchen. They have cleaned out that closet next to the kitchen back door. I hear the Brazilian Church people are very happy to have some room in that closet for their kitchen supplies. The Brazilians have their church service in the chapel and I like the music, singing and praising. I don’t understand their language but the music it is very enjoyable. I feel very moved.

One Sunday the church had a celebration called Rally Day. Everyone wore their JW red tee shirts or a red shirt. The church was celebrating the return of the Sunday School kids and the return of other Church activities. The kids back packs were blessed by Pastor Rene and food was served after the service outside. That is one thing I like about this church you always have food.

I heard that the multimedia team is looking for volunteers to help on Sundays. I did not know what the multimedia team did until I was listening to Bill talk about the microphones, cameras, and the live stream computer. They run the equipment so we can here the speakers and the music on Sunday. Also, they run the live stream of the service whatever, that means.

I heard the Sunday Beach service is now over and the church service will continue at 9:30 each Sunday. The choir and the bell ringers are back. I like the choir. There is something special about the bells ringing on Sunday morning. Not sure why, but I like the bells. Something new during the service, the ushers are passing a plate each Sunday and the people are putting money in the plate. I heard that this was done before the Pandemic. So, I guess it is not new but a return to normal. That’s what I heard. Also, the Chapel will be open Sunday morning at 9:00am for anyone who wants to take communion. I heard that is new. They can come pray or meditate and receive communion. I like the chapel it is very peaceful with the sound of the water trickling and the garden with all the plants. I heard that Diane Huban takes care of all the plants. Good job.

One month, members of the church dropped off cans of soup for the Falmouth Service Center. I heard that over 500 cans of soup were collected and taken to the Center. I heard this Center collects and purchases food to give away to families who need food. These families do not have enough money to buy food. I heard our church helps support the Center by collecting food and give money thru our Outreach/Missions Team. I attend one meeting in secret by hiding in the room and they do a great job helping many people. Volunteers are building 6 homes in Falmouth thru the Habitat for Humanity program. Our church provides snacks for the group on the 3^rd Saturday of each month. Other churches do the same thing. Another program is collecting medical supply and money for Ukraine. Bud and Sally Tracy drive the supplies to Jamaica Plain. Then an organization sends the supplies to the Ukraine. I heard this is a Jewish Organization. Everyone was impressed.

I heard voices in the Education Wing one night and investigated. I did not recognize some of the voices. It was a foreign language. I investigated and found out it was an ESL program. That means English as a Second Language. Church members were teaching people to speak English. I was interested to listen to how the people learned English as each week progressed.

The old Bike Lab in the back area of the church is now called The John Wesley Youth Recreation Center. This is a large room for the youth to have a place to come after school and a place to have other youth functions. I traveled down the spiral staircase from the big hall to the new Youth room and the area is nice. No one was there so I could investigate the area. I heard that it is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:45 – 5:00pm and is for 5^th – 8^th graders and it is a place for the youth to come after school and be safe. This is a good thing.

Announcements

Allison's care team will meet on October 16 after 930 service. We will be signing christmas cards for her. Please bring any small presents or notes of encouragement you would like to include in a care package. We will also meet to pray for Alison. Please contact Ali Armitage at alexarmitage72@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Racial Justice Team continues to meet. Please contact Ali Armitage at alexarmitage72@gmail.com if you are interested in joining us. 

Connections Expo: Sunday, October 23^rd following the 9:30 am service: Any vital church relies on the time, energy, passion, and dedication of its members to meet the needs of its congregation. At John Wesley, our ministry teams serve this function. Are you familiar with the various ministry teams of John Wesley? Do you know what the ministry teams do, who is on these teams, and what opportunities they offer for you to contribute to the missions of John Wesley? To answer these questions and more, we will hold a Connections Expo following the 9:30 am service on Sunday, October 23^rd in the Fellowship Hall. The Expo will be an opportunity for you to learn more about the various ministry teams and talk with the people who serve on them with the purpose of helping you to decide how you might apply your skills and interests to the missions of the church. Come learn how to strengthen your commitment and connection to John Wesley on Sunday, October 23^rd!! If you have any questions about the Expo or have a church group you would like to be represented, please contact Matt O'Connor at oconnorscapecod@gmail.com 

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! There are 100s of books 📚 available to pursue in our JWUMC Lounge Library. If you have any questions, see/email Karen Camp (nerakpmac13@gmail.com), our new librarian. Take a book - bring a book!  Check it out! 😉

Altar Flowers: There are openings for altar flowers on the following dates:

November 6th, December 4th and 11th. If you would like to purchase the flowers for any of these dates, you may sign up on the flower chart which is outside the Sanctuary or call or email the office (Ruth) 508-548-3050 or jwumcfalmouth@comcast.net. 

October Meetings and Events at JWUMC

Weekly Meetings:

Monday ~ Crafters 10 am

Tuesday ~ Bible Study Group with Tim Cline & Ted Burt 10 am

Tuesday ~ 12 Disciples Study 10:30 am

Tuesday - Gundrun's ESL Class 6:30 pm

Wednesday ~ Prayer Meeting 11 am

Wednesday ~ Handbell rehearsal 5:45 pm & Chancel Choir at 7 pm

October Meetings:

Tuesday October 4th SPRMT 4:30

Wednesday October 5th - Staff Meeting 10am

Thursday October 6th ~ TLT 6:30 pm

Monday October 10th - Holiday Office Closed

Thursday October 13th ~ Spiritual Growth Ministry Team 6:30

Sunday October 16th - Allison D.'s care team 10:30

Tuesday October 18th ~ Men's Discussion Breakfast 7 am

Tuesday October 18th ~ Blood Drive 10am - 4 pm

Tuesday October 18th ~ Finance Ministry Team 4 pm

Wednesday October 19th - Alternative Gift Market 3 pm

Wednesday October 19 ~ Outreach/Missions Ministry Team 6:30 pm

Thursday October 20th - Worship Ministry Team Meeting 9 am

Sunday October 23rd ~ Ministry Team Expo 10:30 am

Tuesday October 24th ~ Trustees Meeting 5 pm

Sunday October 30th ~ Trunk or Treat 4 - 5 pm

Birthday Wishes for October: 2nd ~ Phyllis Clough, 6th ~ Dick Sherman,

17th ~Cathy Opaluch, 20th ~ Bob Dinsmore, 27th Marie Syverson

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.