June Letter from Pastor Don
Summer is traditionally the time when the pace of things slows in our congregational life, or at least on the surface it seems that way. The choir and praise team take the summer off from June through mid-August (they’ll be back on August 24 th ). The youth don’t meet weekly, but they will have some summer activities, and the children’s Sunday school classes are combining with special summer Sunday school sessions. However, behind the scenes, there is a lot happening.
- Our pastors and three lay delegates (Michele Long, Julie Regennitter, Marcia Moulden)
will be attending Annual Conference in Peoria June 5 th -7 th .
- I’ll be directing a church camp (Catch the Spirit) at East Bay Camp in Bloomington from
Sunday, June 8 th through Friday, June 13 th .
- Watch for our church VBS float in the “Heritage Days” parade, Saturday, June 28 th .
- Vacation Bible School will be held Monday, July 21 st through Friday, June 25 th .
- The Wesely Christian Child Development Center (WCCDC) will be in full swing with
summer camp for school-agers along with all the regular infant, toddler and preschool
classes. They are planning lots of great outings for the school-age kids for which you
can volunteer to help (be watching for details).
- Most of our ministry teams and committees will continue to meet throughout the
summer.
Plus, something I’m looking forward to work on this summer that our Staff Parish Relations
(SPRC) Committee, with the pastors, started working in February, and has been endorsed by the Church Council this month, are two ambitious goals for 2025-2026. Those goals are as follows:
2. Engaging the community of Macomb through the work of relational evangelism.
I will be working through the summer to develop two teams, each with the purpose of praying, studying, and developing an intentional discipleship pathway (inward development), and a community connection plan (outward focus) for us as a congregation. If you’re interested in knowing more about these pursuits, and/or are interested in being a part of the work, please feel free to contact me.
Finally, the first thing I would ask is for you to pray about these efforts. Ask God to guide and bless our work, that we will be led to be a blessing in and beyond our church community.
Make it a great summer, and God bless!
In Surrender to Christ,
Pastor Don
- Our pastors and three lay delegates (Michele Long, Julie Regennitter, Marcia Moulden)
will be attending Annual Conference in Peoria June 5 th -7 th .
- I’ll be directing a church camp (Catch the Spirit) at East Bay Camp in Bloomington from
Sunday, June 8 th through Friday, June 13 th .
- Watch for our church VBS float in the “Heritage Days” parade, Saturday, June 28 th .
- Vacation Bible School will be held Monday, July 21 st through Friday, June 25 th .
- The Wesely Christian Child Development Center (WCCDC) will be in full swing with
summer camp for school-agers along with all the regular infant, toddler and preschool
classes. They are planning lots of great outings for the school-age kids for which you
can volunteer to help (be watching for details).
- Most of our ministry teams and committees will continue to meet throughout the
summer.
Plus, something I’m looking forward to work on this summer that our Staff Parish Relations
(SPRC) Committee, with the pastors, started working in February, and has been endorsed by the Church Council this month, are two ambitious goals for 2025-2026. Those goals are as follows:
- Develop an intentional discipleship system at Wesley UMC.
a. Utilizing the “See All the People” ministry through the General Board of
Discipleship we want to develop a personal and corporate discipleship model that
helps people cultivate and grow a personal relationship with God through Christ.
b. Identify the characteristics of a maturing disciple at Wesley: worship, community,
spiritual practices, generosity and service, and growth in Christlikeness.
c. Define the marks or measurements for growth in discipleship.
d. Develop the stages or pathways for discipleship growth.
e. Equip, empower, and encourage leaders, and mentors for the journey of
discipleship.
2. Engaging the community of Macomb through the work of relational evangelism.
a. Utilizing the “See All the People” ministry through the General Board of
Discipleship we want to identify, seek to understand, and institute intentional
ways to reach and connect with the people in our community
b. Commission a Mission Site report for Macomb and the surrounding area so that
we can better understand the demographics of our community.
c. Deepen our understanding of and commitment to living with the “Character of a
Methodist” as John Wesley wrote of it: “And while he thus always exercises his love to God, by praying without ceasing, rejoicing evermore, and in everything giving thanks, this commandment is written in his heart, ‘That he who loveth God, love his brother also.’ And he accordingly loves his neighbor as himself; he loves every man in his own soul. His heart is full of love to all mankind, to every child of ‘the Father of the spirits of all flesh.’ That man is not personally known to him, is no bar to his love; no, nor that he is known to be such as he approves not, that he repays hatred for his good-will. For he ‘loves his enemies’; yea, and the enemies of God, ‘the evil and the unthankful.’ And if it be not in his power to ‘do good to them that hate him,’ yet he ceases not to pray for them, though they continue to spurn his love, and still ‘despitefully use him and persecute him.’”
d. Develop intentional ways to go to the people in our community, rather than waiting for them to come to us; engage with the felt needs in our community rather than waiting for them to ask; connect with people in the community through direct acts of kindness rather than hoping the community will find us.
e. Identify contact points where those we engage in the community can connect
with our church, thereby cultivate and grow in their relationship with God through
Christ in discipleship.
I will be working through the summer to develop two teams, each with the purpose of praying, studying, and developing an intentional discipleship pathway (inward development), and a community connection plan (outward focus) for us as a congregation. If you’re interested in knowing more about these pursuits, and/or are interested in being a part of the work, please feel free to contact me.
Finally, the first thing I would ask is for you to pray about these efforts. Ask God to guide and bless our work, that we will be led to be a blessing in and beyond our church community.
Make it a great summer, and God bless!
In Surrender to Christ,
Pastor Don
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