If you need access to the building or would like to schedule a meeting or time in the sanctuary to pray, we ask that you contact the office by calling 309-827-8046 Monday through Thursday from 9am - 3 pm and Friday 9 am through 1 pm or sending an e-mail to [email protected]. Currently most staff members are working from home, please use phone or e-mail to contact them.
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{ WORSHIP SCHEDULE }
Join us for Worship this Sunday!
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(Sunday's worship service will be posted on our website by 9 am)
Spiritual Re-Set: Re-Charge with PRAYER
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Epiphany: Spiritual Re-Set
The New Year brings us a fresh opportunity to start anew and re-center with purpose and intention. Whether you are a person who likes to make “New Year’s Resolutions” or not, our Epiphany Series, “Spiritual Re-Set,” will help you get your spiritual life and relationship with the God who loves and empowers you, back on track.
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Join us in January and February as we:
- Renew Our Covenant (Jan. 3)
- Remember Our Baptism (Jan. 10)
- Recharge through Prayer (Jan. 17)
- Reconnect with Scripture (Jan. 24)
- Refresh through Generosity (Jan. 31)
- Re-energize through Service (Feb. 7)
- Revive our Witness (Feb. 14)
Better yet, you don’t have to do this on your own. COVID has been a lonely season, but the Church is about Community. If the year 2020 wore you out, a short-term sermon series, paired with the support of a small Covenant Group, will help get you back on track! Join together with a group of 6-12 friends for a weekly uplift. Covenant groups pray for each other, encourage each other, and help each other remember to trust in God.
Choose your own group – maybe a small group you’re already part of, maybe a few friends you miss seeing at church. Or contact Kathi Pritts to be connected with some new friends. You can find the meeting plan attached here. For more information contact Kathi Pritts or Pastor Sara.
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HUMAN RELATIONS DAY - SUNDAY, JANUARY 17
One of six churchwide Special Sundays with offerings of The United Methodist Church, Human Relations Day gives us an opportunity to make an impact in communities where people struggle because they don’t have the tools or resources to reach their God-given potential. During the challenges of the past year, we have seen how systemic inequality affects the most vulnerable people. When neighbors experience poverty and live in communities that have less access to community resources, as a denomination, we can do so much more together than we could ever do on our own. Our gifts are part of building beloved community through faith-based volunteer programs, community developers and programs that work with at-risk teens. As society begins to recover from this health and financial crisis, these programs are vital in strengthening communities that are most impacted.
You may give by writing a check to Wesley UMC with “HRD” written on the memo line or click here to give online.
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COVID-19 MITIGATION UPDATE
Governor Pritzker and Bishop Beard have announced a return to “Tier 2” mitigations in the Restore Illinois/Back to the Heart of Worship COVID recovery plans for our area.
For Wesley UMC this means we may return to welcoming 10 persons or less for funerals, weddings, committee meetings, small groups, etc., and that staff may return to covering building accessibility from 9-3 Monday through Friday.
Conversations regarding the lifting of further restrictions will be the purview of the newly-formed Re-Entry Task Force, which includes members of Administrative Council, the Coronavirus Response Team, and staff. The Re-Entry Task Force is led by Administrative Council Chair, Thay Sutimek, and will be meeting soon to explore our options. We do not plan to exceed the permissions granted by Bishop Beard or IDPH.
Both “Phase” and “Tier” levels are determined by IDPH and are subject to change as the rate of infection and the rate of available medical care fluctuates.
For more details and an expanded explanation of these plans and the metrics used to determine our status, please see these links:
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{ LOVING OUR NEIGHBORS – LOVING OUR CHURCH
STEWARDSHIP UPDATE }
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Thanks to the generosity of so many faithful members, we have received (as of Jan. 14) 203 “Love God, Love Neighbor, Love You” commitment cards, representing $833,920 for the coming year’s ministries. That brings us to about 64% of our budget goal of $1.3M. Thank you, Wesley, for your generosity!
Your Ad Council and Finance Committee will meet this month to determine next steps. If you have any questions or would like to submit a commitment card, please contact Myrna Simpson or Pastor Sara. We’d love to hear from you!
Commitment cards may be submitted in any of the following ways:
- Mail your commitment card to 502 E. Front St., Bloomington IL 61701
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Use the electronic commitment card found here.
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E-mail our Business Manager, Myrna Simpson
- Drop off the commitment card in a sealed envelope at the church
Monday - Thursday - 9am – 3 pm and Friday 9am - 1 pm
(Please call before coming)
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{ WEDNESDAY NIGHT PROGRAMMING! }
Paint The Town WESLEY
Paint the Town WESLEY is for everyone: families with kids,
empty-nesters, individuals, the young at heart, etc.
ALL are encouraged to participate and are welcome to invite friends!
Remember church, we're in this together! We can't wait to see you soon!
January 20 – Peace Poles
Join us on January 20th as we make Peace Poles for your front porch! In this season of uncertainty, we hope to spread the message of God's prevailing peace on earth by adorning our front porches with a message of hope. Swing by Wesley West to get your materials between 6-7pm then join us via zoom for a step by step tutorial together at 7!
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January 27
“Easier than Bob Ross Paint Night”
Join Kathi Pritts on zoom at 6 pm to paint/draw a picture of Wesley’s stained glass windows. It will actually be more like coloring with sharpies. Kathi will walk you through the process and provide supplies. For $3 per person or $5 per family you can end up with your very own reminder or reminders of our beloved sanctuary for your worship and study space until we can get back to it. Contact Kathi Pritts at [email protected] to get the zoom link and supplies for this activity. NO SPECIAL SKILLS ARE NEEDED.
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{ PAINT THE TOWN WESLEY REPORT } |
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January 13, 2021 - I Have a Dream
Our dreams are starting to roll in! If you’re out and about this next week, come take a look at the display that is being created on the Washington Street doors at Wesley. And while you’re there, make sure to leave your dreams for the future on a piece of paper in the box by the main parking lot entrance. Let’s keep dreaming for a bright future together!
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ADULT STUDY OPPORTUNITIES
In January (Wednesdays at noon) the men’s group will study Words of Life: Jesus and the Promises of the Ten Commandments Today. In this book of scripture and inspiration, bestselling author Adam Hamilton brings modern eyes to the most famous set of rules in history, recovering the Ten Commandments as more than just a set of onerous prohibitions. He considers the commandments in their historical context, unpacking the meaning of each commandment in Hebrew, how Jesus reinterpreted them, and how Jews and Christians have understood them over the millennia. He also explores how the latest research in science and psychology illuminates these commandments, rightly understood as a way of ordering one's life beautifully in the present day. In a culture marked by workaholism, materialism, and social media-driven envy, God has given us a time-tested path that leads to gratitude, confidence, and peace. Contact Greg Yount to get the zoom link.
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Everybody Always by popular author Bob Goff will be offered on Tuesday evenings. What happens when we give away love like we're made of it? In his entertaining and inspiring book, Bob Goff takes readers on a journey into the secret of living without fear, constraint, or worry. In Everybody, Always, Bob shows us the simple truths that:
- it’s easy to love kind, lovely, humble people, but you have to tackle fear to love people who are difficult;
- dark and scary places are filled with beautiful people who need our unconditional love; and
- extravagant love has extraordinary power to change lives, including your own.
The study will meet for five weeks (Jan 19-Feb 16) on Tuesday evenings, 6-7 pm beginning January 19th Contact Kathi Pritts for more information and the zoom link.
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DRIVE-THRU EVENT AT WESLEY WEST
Saturday, January 16th from 9-11:30 am
Free Paper Items & Food Boxes!
Paper items available will include
toilet paper, napkins, facial tissues,
diapers (all sizes) and diaper wipes!
We still need your help!
Needs: Facial tissue, Diapers sizes: Newborn, 4, 5 & 6, Depends (Men’s & Women’s), Feminine Hygiene items (pads), pens, scarves, ear warmers, face masks
You may drop off the items in the collection box
located at the entrance door of Wesley West
at any time, Monday - Friday.
Monetary donations are welcome!
(be sure to note WDM in the memo)
OR mail to the church at:
502 E. Front Street
Bloomington, IL 61701
For questions and to volunteer
(newcomers welcome!)
please contact Karen Daudelin at
or call 309-838-5723
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It is the desire of Wesley UMC to minimize potential exposure to the Covid-19 virus. As we gather, both indoors and outdoors, we ask that you remember the following:--
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Wear a facemask.
- Maintain a minimum of 6-ft distance from other persons.
- Practice frequent hand-washing or use of hand-sanitizer
- Stay home if you are experiencing symptoms of Covid-19 or have other illnesses.
- Stay home if you have been exposed to Covid-19 within the past 14 days.
- Stay home if you have a compromising condition due to age or other health conditions.
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January Just One collection for
Carle BroMenn Compassion Closet
Church & Society Committee has selected the Compassion Closet at Carle BroMenn Hospital as the January Just One Project.
When accident victims are ready to be released, they frequently do not have anything to wear. The Compassion Closet collects and provides sweat clothes to meet this need.
Current needs: Adult sweatpants & sweatshirts – sizes small, medium, large
Monetary gifts are also accepted.
(please be sure to mark your donation with the notation: Just One Project.)
Donations can be dropped off during the month of January in the collection box that is outside the East entry of the church on Tuesdays, 10 am – 2 pm and Thursdays, 2 pm – 6 pm.
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THANK YOU!
The Mission Committee expresses their thanks for the generous donations that were received for the Advent Offering. Several local and state organizations and domestic missions will benefit from the $6618 collected.
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The family of William Cherry who passed away on January 6th
The family of Shirley Wheeler who passed away on January 9th
The family of Bill McConnell who passed away on January 10th
The family of Donna Schnittker who passed away on January 13th
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Scott & Sarah Simpson on the birth of their daughter, Abigail Hazel on January 9th.
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If you have news to share with the Wesley family
let us know by e-mailing
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CHURCHES PLAN UNITY SERVICE FOR MLK Day
The Three Rivers Parish (Pleasant Grove, Ellsworth and Colfax UMC’s) and East Alton First UMC will host a virtual Unity Service in observance of Martin Luther King Day on Sunday, January 17 at 4 p.m.
Bishop Frank J. Beard, episcopal leader of the Illinois Area, will be the guest speaker for the event. Pastor Bobby Davis is the host pastor along with Pastor Ken Burgard of Downs UMC and Pastor Ed Granadosin of East Alton First UMC.
Click here to join the service on Sunday, January 17 at 4:00 p.m. There will be a running chat function during this service where people can greet one another, share prayer requests, or comment as they watch.
If you are not able to join on Sunday, click here to view the service on YouTube at any time.
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LET YOUR SHOPPING HELP OTHERS!
Are you shopping online with Amazon this year? Remember to shop Amazon using AmazonSmile to generate funds for Wesley UMC!
AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support Wesley every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at AmazonSmile, you’ll find the exact same prices and selection as Amazon.com, with the added benefit that AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to Wesley! Simply go to www.smile.amazon.com and enter "Wesley United Methodist Church" in the search bar and scroll down to the Wesley UMC in Bloomington, IL as your designated charitable organization. Happy shopping!
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{ DAILY DEVOTIONS }
Click here to enjoy a daily devotion from Pastor Sara,
Pastor Justin and other leaders in our church.
Ways to Connect:
look for our emails in your inbox.
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Wesley Emergency Numbers after Office Hours:
Rev. Sara L. Isbell 217.299.4870
Rev. Justin Iverson 701.809.1203
Rev. Sally Hamon 217.853.9117
Wesley United Methodist Church:
502 E. Front Street
Bloomington, IL 61701
Office 309.827.8046
You can also visit us on Facebook and YouTube
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