iowa state university
Wesley foundation
A primary change is the addition of a new worship experience, tentatively called "Nucleus". While plans aren't yet finalized, Nucleus will be very different from the other worship experiences currently a part of the ministries at Collegiate United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation.
Nucleus will, most likely, happen on Thursday nights. The location will shift...sometimes outdoors (ISU's central campus or the patio in front of Collegiate), sometimes indoors on campus or in Collegiate/Wesley's buildings. Moving worship around will increase the likelihood of ISU students "stumbling across" this exciting, new worship experience and the non-traditional settings will be designed to be more inviting to unchurched and minimally churched folks.
The ambience will typically be "unplugged" with music provided by unamplified instruments and voices. Plans call for students active in the Wesley Foundation to share the message approximately 80% of the time... sometimes in a more traditional "sermon", other times through poetry, graphic or performance arts, music and more. Speakers will be encouraged to share their insights about:
The Love of God
Their Growing Relationship with God
Their Faith Journey
What an Active Faith Means to Them
Their Most Significant Spiritual Moments
How They See God at Work in the World
Where God is Calling Them/What God is Calling Them to Do
...and more!
We ask your prayers as we continue to shape this new worship experience so, along with all our other Wesley Foundation activities, it might help many students begin and strengthen their relationship with God and discern God's will for their lives.
Coming NEXT month...some of the "electrons" (activities and events) which will revolve around this worship Nucleus!
Dear Pastor Jim,
I wanted to say thank you to you and the congregation for opening up your community of faith to me. Today was my last Sunday worshiping with Collegiate/Wesley. I will be graduating on Friday and moving back up to Minnesota, where I am from.
I was only a part of the church since August, but I am so thankful for the being a part of an amazing congregation. My first couple weekends in Ames I tried out a couple of churches. One I went to was a Mega church. I felt so lost in the crowd. It seemed more like a rock concert for Jesus than a time of reflection and giving thanks. For me it was not a good fit, but luckily I decided to attend a service at Collegiate/Wesley. I felt a sense of closeness and common beliefs with this church. I was reminded of my hometown church and being here on Sundays took away some of my homesickness. I was blessed to meet so many kind people and grow a little deeper in my faith.
Thank you for allowing me to volunteer with the Emergency Residence Program children. I had a great time getting to know those kids. My only regret is not being able to volunteer more. Being a graduate student made that a little difficult.
Finally, thank you for all the prayers. I am excited to hear back from the University of Minnesota Dental School on if I got accepted into the Dental Therapy program. The prayers of the church have been so helpful.
Julie
(footnote...a few days later Julie sent me another note...She was accepted into the Dental Therapy program at the University of Minnesota! Congratulations Julie and blessings as you continue your education and your journey of faith and service.)
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The Spring Break trip to Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas was refreshing and motivating. We had the opportunity to do service work for the maintenance, livestock, and garden crews at the ranch. In addition, we did many team-building activities within our group and with the other college groups from Emporia State, Samford and McPherson College, all culminating in a poverty simulation where we stayed in "Thailand".
Maybe most importantly, we learned about Heifer's work and used their model to create a project to bring back for the betterment of our home communities. Our project is to collaborate with the other three Wesley Centers in Iowa to create a video highlighting the importance of the Wesley Foundation through personal stories.
Hopefully this video will be seen by churches all across the state to increase awareness of our ministries. A hard copy of the finalized project will be sent to the Annual Conference leadership to give them insight in their decision making. We are currently looking for a project leader for Iowa State's section of the team!
This got really serious sounding, but I want you all to know that service trips are an essential part of our ministry! They are invigorating and strengthen a sense of community in unimaginable ways.
Jackson Griffith
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Heifer Ranch provided space to look at places where I could make change in my own life.
It encouraged individual, as well as communal responses to the injustices we see in our everyday lives. I also appreciated being able to serve at the ranch.
My favorite day was helping out in the garden. Overall, it was a life-giving week for me.
Jannalee Nieuwenhuis
These wonderful young people make up the ISU Wesley Foundation group spending their Spring Break trip on a service-learning trip at the Heifer Project Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas. They'll gain a much greater understanding of Heifer's mission around the world, participate in service projects with livestock, gardening and Ranch management, spend 24 hours in Heifer's Global Village and grow closer to themselves, one another and God.
Watch this space next month for some personal testimonials!
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i-vitamins to take to the Philippines on a Volunteer in Mission trip in March. Multi-vitamins for children and women are especially needed. You can give them directly to Maureen or Bev or leave them in a specially marked basket in the church office. Thanks!
Collegiate United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation | 515-292-6936 | 2622 Lincoln Way | Ames | IA | 50014 |
