Volume 33 #8 August 2018

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The Encounter Periodical Postage Rate

At Fresno, Calif.

Wesley United Methodist Church 1343 E Barstow Ave Fresno, CA 93710-6309

(559) 224-1947

CORE VALUES

Spiritual Growth Social Justice Inclusiveness

Did you know? Our church has a committee: That offers ongoing Christian fellowship through personal contact, prayer, concern, support, and hope to members who are hospi-talized, in skilled facilities for rehabilitation, living in assisted care facilities, or who are confined/restricted to their homes by illness or disability.

This is the mission of the Wesley Nurture & Care Committee

If you are interested in joining the committee or ever have information on a church member who may need the support of the team, please contact Lynn Slaw Severson 559-706-3672

Worship, Education, Compassion, & Fellowship

Hymn Sing in Worship 8/19 & 8/26! What are your three favorite hymns? Send a message to Pastor Karen

or fill out a slip in worship 7/29 & 8/5

Monday Book Study—Meets Every Monday in Winterberg #3 Weds. Book Study—New Book Selected, see article inside

Thursday 10am Women’s Bible Study—Reading “Bad Girls of the Bible” Won’t meet 8/2 Monday Study at Parsonage 6:30pm—See Directory for Address or ask

Pastor Karen. We are reading the gospel of Luke.

Evangel Home Needs 50 Pillows We are collecting NEW bed pillows for the women & children of Evangel Home

in Fresno. Bring a NEW pillow to worship. Talk to Barb Bray about help with cutting out and/or sewing a pillowcase!

National Night Out, August 7th, 5pm to 8pm Come meet our neighbors, enjoy a hot dog, welcome folks to Wesley

Wesley Dines Out! August 14th, 6:30pm Dinner at Lin’s Fusion on Blackstone

Sundae Sunday After Worship August 12th

Bring a topping to share

All Church Family Camp

SAVE THE DATES Fri/Sat/Sun 8/31-9/2

Community UCC in Fresno would like to invite you to come to their All Church Family Camp at Camp Tamarack near Shaver Lake on Labor Day Weekend. More

reasons to attend include: You’ll be settled into your routine after school starts, the weather will be cool, the 8-10 feet of snow will be melted, fellowship will be FUN, you will enjoy delicious food, AND you will have Monday to “recover,” if needed, before

returning to “reality.” Those of you who are able, are invited to remain in Camp Sun-day afternoon and night and Labor Day Monday afternoon (without a camp fee) to help pack up Camp Tam for the winter. It is truly a fun and rewarding experience.

Questions? Contact Annie Van Patten, Family Camp Director (209) 902-2033

teechrannie@comcast.net

Lydia’s House Saturday, August 11 — 9:00 am to noon in the Fireside Room

(Please note this is the second Saturday in August)

Title: “Meditation: Taming Ego, Tending Soul All women are invited. Bring mug, fruit (cut up) and bakery item to share. For information call Sally Adlesh 324-9608 or Sylvia Pethoud 438-7705.

15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you. Ephesians 1:15-18a What is your hope for Wesley? We have been talking about our hopes and dreams for our church in small group settings, at potlucks and in worship. My hope is that we can work together to make Wesley an even more vibrant, welcoming and growing place for long time attenders, new attenders and people yet to come through our doors to grow in faith, find community and engage in work that helps others. I hope to see you in worship in August where we will be exploring the letter to the Ephesians. We will be meeting together after worship on August 12th to celebrate and talk about ideas presented at previous gatherings, all the while enjoying a dish of ice cream. I join the writer of Ephesians to encourage you to be open to the spirit of wisdom and revelation. Be open to hearing from others their hopes and dreams and be prepared to share your own. Keep the eyes of your heart enlightened and may hope abound! I am beginning a time of study at the Academy for Spiritual Formation. I will be out of the office from July 29th through August 3. I will be fasting from all electronic media and will return emails, texts and phone calls when I return to the office on August 6th. Peace, Pastor Karen

*Wesley Finances Feedback from the church gatherings included requests to hear more about our church’s finances and ways we are saving money. Here is a brief report:

+ Change of Parking Light Lots—We have changed parking lot lights to LED fixtures. This has saved the church $8000 this year!

+ Change in Water/Sewage Rates—Reviewed with the city our rates for water/sewage. This has saved the church $3500 this year!

+ Change in IT—We did not replace the server but switched to the Microsoft cloud, volunteers are updating our website and maintaining computers. This saved $5000

Finance Report (From Jan to June 2018) Income $ 191,399 Expenses $ 198,188 Deficit ($ 6,789)

1) Giving Amounts from Members and Attenders are ABOVE budgeted. 2) Weekly - Monthly Groups, and Special Event Bookings for Church Complex are above budget-ed. Several NEW people using our facilities. Who do YOU know? 3) Donations of ACTUAL Ministry needs are helping to keep expenses BELOW budgeted. (e.g. Copier Paper, Baking Skills & Supplies, Info Table Markers) 4) Cost-Saving Measures are starting to show up in REDUCED Monthly bills.* 5) ALL of US working together --- Every little bit of Prayer, Discussion, and Following Through with your planned actions --- is Making a Difference!

“The Encounter” (USPS 742-130) is published monthly by Wesley United Methodist Church, 1343 E. Barstow Avenue, Fresno CA 93710. Periodical postage is paid at Fresno, CA 93706. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Encounter, 1343 E Barstow Avenue, Fresno, CA 93710

The Wednesday Book Group is ready to undertake a new book. Beginning August 1, they will be reading and discussing My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor. The first Hispanic (with a family from Puerto Rico) and the third woman appointed to the US Supreme Court, Sotomayor tells her story with humor and candor. She recounts her life from a Bronx housing project to the federal bench, a journey that offers an inspiring testament to her own extraordinary determination and the power of believing in oneself. The group is open to all who wish to read and discuss the book. If you have been considering joining the reading group, a new book is the perfect time to fit right in. It meets each Wednesday morning at 10:00 in the church Library (in the office building).

Contact CJ Pitcher at 559-301-2357 with any questions.

Wild Wesley Women Hostesses 2018

2nd Sunday @6pm

August 12 …….…...………...Shari Wilcox September 9 …….……..Susan Giocalone October 26 - 28…………Retreat at ECCO November 11…….....No meeting—retreat December 9 …….………Kathryn Johnsen

The Pink Cow Needs Summer Volunteers!

Tuesday and Thursday: 9am to 2:30pm First Saturday of each month: 9am to 1pm First and Third Monday of each month: 9am to 12 noon

Even a few volunteer hours are greatly appreciated!

For more info: visit The Pink Cow or call (559)978-5882 ~Joellyn

Days for Girls Contact Barb Bray to Help and Find Out the Next Work Day 559-284-7836

In Kenya, Celeste Mergens woke up with a nagging question: “What are girls doing for feminine hygiene?” She ran to the computer and sent an email to an orphanage that had swelled from 400 children to 1,400. The Assistant Director replied right away. “Nothing....... They wait in their rooms.” Girls were sitting on cardboard for several days each month, often going without food unless someone would bring it to them. This set in motion the first intervention - disposable pads. But they quickly discovered a major problem - without any place to dispose of the pads, this was not a viable or sustainable solution. It was time for plan B: a washable, long lasting pad. What would eventually become clear in the years following was just how much of a difference hygiene solutions would make in assisting women and girls to break the cycle of poverty and live lives of dignity. Today, Days for Girls has reached more than one million women and girls in 116+ countries with kits and menstrual health education. This translates into over 115 million days of dignity, health, and opportunity! Days for Girls is committed to supporting a girl throughout her entire lifecycle, from providing her with a DfG Kit, to teaching her health education, to offering training for her when she grows older, so that she can produce DfG Kits and support hygiene needs in the community.

Come Visit the Wesley Library Wesley has a library in the church office with hundreds of books with a wide range of spiritual, ethical, and justice topics. This summer we added the following new titles: “Our Strangely Warmed Hearts: Coming Out into God’s Call” by Bishop Karen Oliveto “Wake Up: Hip-Hop Christianity and the Black Church” by Marlon Hall & C. Kirk-Duggan “Unbelievable: Why Neither Ancient Creeds Nor the Reformation Can Produce a Living Faith Today” by John Shelby Spong

Dear Wesley UMC, 7-1-18

Thank you for hosting the monthly meetings of Lydia’s House. We are so grateful and excited to be moving to the Fireside Room. We hope more women of Wesley will join and share their spiritual stories with us. Sally Aldesh & Sylvia Pethoud, Lydia’s House

My Dear Wesley Family, 7-1-18

Thank you for your cards, prayers and hugs, during this difficult time in my life with the passing of my beloved husband John. Words cannot express my gratitude for your love! Hugs, Jan Martin

Thank you Wesley Church for sending my kids to Camp SHINE! . Without you guys giving them the scholarships my husband and I wouldn’t be able to afford to send our kids to a summer camp. Thank you for giving our girls the opportunity to do something with their summer! Thanks again! The Jackson Family (mom is Margaret) We all enjoy camp and are thankful to do it.—Mariah Thank you for sending me to Camp SHINE!- Aaliyah (Ed. Note: The Jackson girls come to Sunday school at Wesley)

‘C’ for Ciara

Pastor Karen & Wesley UMC—Your warm welcome and radical inclusive hospitality meant the world to me last Sunday. Please let your congregation know that I will be actively seeking work in Fresno so that I can serve alongside my new Wesley family. Deep Peace, Steven Vogel

Sunday Scripture Sermon

Aug 5 Ephesians 4:1-16 Building Equipment

Aug 12 Ephesians 4:25-5:2 Building Community

Aug 19 Ephesians 3:14-20 Built with Power

Aug 26 Ephesians 6:10-20 Built with Prayer

Volume 33, #8

Wesley United Methodist Church Phone 559-224-1947

wesleyfresno.org

Greeters Media Techs Liturgists Ushers

Aug 5 Hospitality Team Myra Cubos Kathryn Johnsen

Aug 12 Hospitality Team Alice Hawke Linda Bennett

Aug 19 Hospitality Team Estelle Parenteau Susan Wilshusen

Aug 26 Hospitality Team Estelle Parenteau Susan Coberly

Worship Leadership for August

Save the Date! Sunday Sept 9 Rally Day

Welcome Back to Sunday School with

BBQ, Watermelon, Games Plan to stay after worship to enjoy all

the fun and fellowship! Sunday School & Adult Forum Resume 9/16

SAVE THE DATE!

Wild Wesley Women Retreat

October 26 to 28, 2018

Learning from

Women Mystics

Registration forms will be available in September

Contact Wesley's Staff Pastor Karen Stoffers-Pugh karen@wesleyfresno.org Office Secretary Myra Cubos myra@wesleyfresno.org Bookkeeper Sharon Sanchez sharon@wesleyfresno.org Music Director Elizabeth Layous Accompanists Peggy Copp, Carol Presley Custodians Dolores Lopez, Stella Venegas Our United Methodist Connection California-Nevada Annual Conference Phone (916) 374-1500 www.calnevumc.org Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño/Debra Brady, Central Valley District Supt. Email: debrab@calnevumc.org

August Sundays Mondays Tuesdays Wednesdays Thursdays Fridays Saturdays

9:15 AM - 11:30 AM Childcare 9:15 AM Meditation Group 10:30 AM Worship 11:30 AM Coffee and Tea Fellowship

11:00 AM Monday Bible Study 1:00 PM Holiday Gift Bag Sorting 6:00 PM Bible Study @ Parsonage

8:00 AM Tuesday Crew 10:00 AM-2 PM Pink Cow Open

10 AM Book Study Group

9:00 AM Food Pantry Open 10 AM-2PM Pink Cow Open 5:30 PM Base Camp 10 AM Women’s Bible Study

OFFICE CLOSED

9:00 AM Food Not Bombs (except 2nd & 3rd Sat)

Saturday

the 4th

9 AM- 1 PM Pink Cow Open

Tuesday

the 7th

5 PM - 8 PM National Night Out

Wednesday

the 8th

7 PM SPRC

Thursday

the 9th

6 PM Worship Team

Saturday

the 11th

9 AM- 12 PM Lydia’s House 9 AM Days For Girls @ Kerman LDS

Sunday

the 12th

11:30 Sundae Sunday 11:30 UMW Board 11:40 Bronze Bell Rehearsal 2 PM PFLAG 6 PM Wild Wesley Women - Shari Wilcox

Sunday

the 5th

11:40 Wesley Bronze Bell Choir Rehearsal

Tuesday

the 14th 6:30PM Wesley Dines Out Lin’s Fusion 5155 N Black-stone

Saturday

the 18st

8 AM- 9:30PM Mission U

Sunday

the 19th

8 AM- 10: 30AM Mission U 2 - 4 PM LGBTQ & Allies Potluck

Tuesday

the 21st 2 PM - 4 PM Nurture & Care

Wednesday

the 22nd 6 PM Trustees

Thursday

the 23rd 6 PM Finance

Friday

the 17th

3 - 9:00PM Mission U

Special Calendar Events

Weekly Calendar Events

Food Offering August 26th