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Letter From the Pastor

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, 

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 

what is mankind that you are mindful of them, 

human beings that you care for them? Psalm 8:3-4

When we take a good look, we will see that what God has done is much more beautiful and amazing than what the world has undone. "Considering” used here is not only about thinking or pondering, it also has a visible and physical aspect to it. “Considering” means to physically behold and visibly gaze at our surroundings and come to the one conclusion that is only conceptually easy to understand: God loves us beyond measure. 

Dear John Wesley Family,

As the summer season begins to come to an end (not that anyone needs a reminder), I wanted to share with you some of the things that have kept us busy all summer, but busy in a good way. I want to start by thanking all of the volunteers who made so much happen this summer. I hope that what they’ve done can be a spiritual fuel for the rest of us as we start this new year. 

For starters, we had a pretty stellar group of people lead the vacation Bible school. I know a lot of work and creativity went into it, but showing up in the morning and seeing many smiling faces, especially the excitement of the kids and volunteers, and being greeted so cheerfully with “good morning” at 8:30 in the morning, was a sight to behold. I hope you can be at church this Sunday. We will have the opportunity to watch a VBS video that should put some smiles on your own faces.

We also had a couple of very special speakers this summer, Bishop Peggy Johnson, and Tracy Jaekel, a United Methodist Certified Lay Minister and new to the John Wesley family. Talking about new people, this summer, we also welcomed Bill Dorfner as the new director of children, youth ministries and young adult ministries, and Eloise Harmon, our new church treasurer. If you haven’t had a chance to meet them, I recommend it. 

But let me back-up a little. We had two successful Fundraising events, the Plant Sale and the Rummage Sale. The Beach Services were awesome. We enjoyed delicious ice cream on tasty Tuesdays. Bishop Johnson blessed our garden. The Falmouth Road Race was great. Some of us participated in the Falmouth Walk; and of course, we had a beautiful start to our summer with our Celebration Sunday. 

Personally, I have a lot to thank God for this summer. I hope you do too. I thank God for my first full year with you, and although I still have a lot to learn, I am grateful for how my ministry with you has been affirmed. In many ways this has been an amazing summer. We have done a lot together. Yet, I also realize that for some, it has been a very difficult one. That is why it is good to remember that, through it all, God will love us beyond measure, and that what God has done is much more beautiful and amazing than what the world has undone. 

Let us remember to take time to thank God for everyone who has been part of our journey. For those who have moved away and for those whom God has called His way; and as we begin a new year, let us be open to the whispers of the Holy Spirit. Be attentive to God’s calling to what can be in your life. Next week (September 10) we will celebrate Rally Day, and I want to invite you to take this as an opportunity to start over. To reset. To begin anew. To leave what is and embrace what God wants to do.

Peace and grace,

Pastor René

What do mustard seeds, pickup trucks and safety pins have in common? Read on to "Mustard Seeds" find out what you think........

Children and Youth

I am so excited to get the new school year going with a renewed vision for what God has in store for us this fall and throughout the year. Here’s a quick peek!

Pier270 Student Ministries: Same Values, New Vision

Our new theme of Pier270 Student Ministries has been launched. This is a new look for the student ministries at John Wesley United Methodist Church that will help to reach others in our community and grow in our own view and understanding of what it means to live out the Gospel.

This brings us to a few questions: How do we support each other? Are we meant to stay where we are, or to venture out of where we feel safe? Do we exist for just us, or to welcome others? Do we want this to be a safe place of refuge from the struggles of the world?

At Pier270, our purpose is to provide a safe and welcoming environment for ALL youth to experience the wide-open, spacious life that God intends for them. (2 Corinthians 6:11-13 Message translation)

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

Sunday night youth meetings are back! The middle schoolers (5th-8th grade) meet from 4:00-5:00pm. At 5:00pm, the high schoolers (9th-12th grade) join for dinner announcements, and large group activities! The middle schoolers head home at 6:00pm when the high school lesson begins. Please be sure to attend only the times for your grades, as lessons and activities are geared for specific age groups. All youth and their friends are welcome to join us each week!

Help feed the starving teenagers!

If you are interested in making dinner for the youth group, please see or email Bill Dorfner at youth.jwumc@gmail.com.

Sunday School: Every Sunday at 9:30am for Kindergarten-4th grade

We're Using Simply Loved Curriculum. Our lessons in September will be learning about some of the Parables Jesus taught us. On the first day of Sunday School; we will meet Mary and Martha.

Our children stay with their loved ones in Church at the start of the service; after the Children's Moment we will move to the Education Wing. Parents and Grandparents pick up their children after the benediction. A fully staffed Nursery is also available during the 9:30 service for children under 4

Just as the teacher in Ecclesiastes wrote words of wisdom for future generations; we invite you to share your wisdom and love of Jesus with our Children. if interested please contact Amy @ 508.274.1904 or email Amy 

September 10th is Rally Day! Worship is at 9:30am where we will have special music. the blessing of the backpacks, a VBS reunion, Sunday School will start and later, the youth groups will meet. Following the worship service there will be a celebration in Fellowship Hall. Sandwiches and cookies will be provided and you may bring other cold dishes or treats to share. It will be a great time off fun and fellowship!

 “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the Hose of the LORD!’” Psalm 122:1

As I write this, summer is winding down with our final worship service on Surf Drive Beach September 3^rd and Rally Day coming up on September 10^th. Welcome to the “new program year”! Are you eager to try something new?

Why "Church" anyway? Click on the link below to watch:

Chuck Knows Church YouTube video #111 “Define Church”



Are you being “called out” to enhance worship? 

Here are some ways to serve God and those who come to worship here, most of which do not require a large commitment of time:

Greeting is easy! Make people feel welcome and be willing to point out the welcome table, and restrooms if asked. Offer to escort someone to the nursery and restroom with a changing table if needed. Introduce them to someone and invite them to coffee hour after the service. Some of you have youngsters that like to greet folks; be sure to include them!

Would you like to be an Usher? Duties include distributing bulletins, counting the number of people in worship, and receiving the collection. Point out the "cut-out" pews to folks who use wheelchairs. Be prepared to answer questions and direct/escort guests to the nursery, restrooms, and fellowship hall. Straighten up the pews after the service.

We also have room for more Liturgist/Readers I’ll be happy to talk to you about this.

Perhaps serving in “the background” is more your thing. Altar Service includes setting out water for the pastor, accompanist, and liturgist/reader; turning the altar Bible around to face the congregation; setting the altar flowers on the altar; and being sure there is a box of tissues available. If there is no acolyte, light the candles about 10 minutes before the start of the service. After the service, turn the Bible to face the window, remove flowers to the narthex. Make sure the candles have been extinguished. Additional information about preparing elements for communion will be provided. If you like, you can pair up with another person to serve this way.

The above instructions are the "Readers' Digest version". I can provide you with more detailed information and training is available!

Of course, there is also a need for musicians and folks to serve in the media booth if that is where your interest lies. See Paula King about choir, bell choir, or children’s choir. Talk with Bill Dorfner about Contemporary Worship Band. Check in with Myles Lowery at the media booth to see how you may serve there.

See you in church!

Musicians wanted for our Contemporary Worship Team!

Do you sing or play an instrument, and have a heart for worship? We are looking to build our contemporary worship team at John Wesley UMC. You do not need to be an expert musician, and we are hoping to build a rotation of musicians to reduce the time commitment of our team members. If you are interested in being a part of our worship team, please see Bill Dorfner, or email him at youth.jwumc@gmail.com. Singers, keyboardists, bass players, drummers, guitarists, violinists, and other musicians are welcome!

When asked why Steve does what he does for our church, he shared how proud he is of our building and grounds and wants to keep it that way for future generations. In fact, Steve's parents were members here and he was very moved by the Christian care and ministry they received in their last years, (likely in that very fellowship hall), inspiring Steve in his own Spiritual growth. Steve is active in all our fundraisers, serves in Leadership and Investment Team, loves playing in Bell Choir, and is active in the Falmouth Community as current President of the Board of Directors for the Cape Cod Apartments, low income senior housing. He is a busy guy!

You know the phrase, “if these walls could talk?”

Well, what if our fellowship floor could talk?

That floor, and our facilities, would have a lot to say…

• We’ve hosted countless coffee hours, receptions, welcomes and goodbyes, where genuine Christian connection, concern, and nurturing love is shared.

• We’ve been the foundation for numerous Christmas Fairs, Plant sales, and Rummage sales, where we share our gifts, food, crafts, plants, “stuff”, and most importantly, our Christian love to the public.

• We’ve been the confidential rock for AA and Alanon meetings, prioritized and open all through Covid, serving approximately 120 people a day in life sustaining, life saving, transformational support in recovery.

• We’ve had our youth play games on that floor, run around on it, dance on it, all while growing their precious Christian faith.

• We’ve heard incredible music rehearsed by the Falmouth Chorale, Falmouth Chamber Orchestra, and hosted our Brazilian Church friend’s worship services.

• Our grounds have had children hunt Easter Eggs and Trunk or Treat.

Falmouth Road Race Recap

Thanks again to all who helped park cars; and who donated and distributed water, bananas, oranges and watermelon. It was just a perfect day. We parked 175 cars and collected $1,707 for JWUMC, and we reached out to over 300 runners with water and fruit. We saw lots of smiles and received many thanks for our support of the runners. Bonnie and Tim delivered left-over watermelon to the fire station, where it was heartily welcomed by hot and tired workers from the race.  

So, we raised some money and helped our community at the same time. And, just maybe, those people we touched had observed the kindness and abundance that only our Heavenly Father can give. 

Thanks again, Steve

Mustard Seeds

When you read these stories from our Road Race parking hospitality, do you see the mustard seeds being spread that day?

I came around to the front of the church, moved my table back in, used the bathroom and headed back to my truck to drive down to Water Station #1 (my 2nd gig). I met the family coming back - they missed the last shuttle, teenage daughter (clearly a runner in full crying meltdown, Dad yelling at her). So I interjected and said, "Hey, you're in Falmouth and we will take care of you". I put two family members in the cab of my truck and two in the bed and drove them to within a mile of the start line. They made the start because I saw two of them coming through Water Station #1 at the 2 mile mark. They will not forget the church or our hospitality.

Russ

For the last several years I have put out a bowl of pins in case runners needed them for their race number bibs. This year, more runners than ever before were elated to see pins! Some only had two pins, others had no pins. One exclaimed, "They told me there would be pins in my bag, but there weren't any!"



The folks who park at JW are "regulars" for the most part and can't say enough about how much they appreciate us and look forward to seeing us "next year"!

"WOW! You even have PINS!" Betty

Christmas Fair: Is there anyone interested in leading the dinner service for Friday November 10th at the Christmas Fair. Marilyn and I are very flexible on the menu. Keeping it simple is fine! If we can’t find an internal volunteer we may look outside to find a company who may be interested in Friday dinner service. Please contact Marilyn Sharp or Brent Finemore if you have questions or are interested.

Save the dates! The annual John Wesley Christmas Fair will be held Friday November 10 and Saturday November 11. “It’s the most most wonderful time of the year”!

We are in planning mode and faithfully counting on our ever enthusiastic volunteers to make this another tremendous success. We can use your help in many ways! Not only is it a chance for us to demonstrate our love to the community, but it also is a lot of fun!

If you are already one of the John Wesley elves, march on!

If you are looking to become an elf, contact Marilyn Sharp at mnmsharp@verizon.com or Brent Finemore at bfinemore36@comcast.net.

Men’s Breakfast on Saturday, September 16th, at 8:45 am in the Fellowship Hall: Men of John Wesley, join us for an hour of food, fellowship, and discussion. If you have questions or would like to help, contact Matt O’Connor connorscapecod@gmail.com. 

Wednesday Prayer group: 11 am weekly we meet in the Chapel. We pray for our church, for others as well as our country and world situations. Please join us. Take some time from your week to be with God and share your prayers.

Combining careful research with engaging prose, Tverberg leads us on a journey back in time to shed light on how this Middle Eastern people approached life, God, and each other. She explains age-old imagery that we often misinterpret, allowing us to approach God and the stories and teachings of Scripture with new eyes. By helping readers grasp the perspective of its original audience, she equips them to read the Bible in ways that will enrich their lives and deepen their understanding.

If you are interested or if you have another suggestion, please email Betty Smith.

Outreach/Missions is hosting coffee hour for the month of September.

Annual Falmouth Walk Thanks so much to everyone who volunteered, supported, walked, cheered, and served at the 2023 Falmouth Walk August 19! The morning was just gorgeous and the walk was a tremendous success! We are so grateful that JWUMC is a sponsor of the walk, and even more grateful that all the proceeds go directly to Falmouth nonprofits. We were definitely living our motto of “Love God, Love Others and Serve the World”!

I heard the beach service has one more Sunday at a place called Surf Drive. I again thought I would try to attend the beach service but decided not to attend. Maybe next year I can hitch a ride.

Meetings continue and the church is always busy with people coming and going. Groups in the morning, afternoon, and evenings. It is a busy place. There is always something to investigate.

Children from the church and the community attended Vacation Bible School for 5 days. I remember this from last year. Children come to the church each morning for a whole week. They sing, dance, play games and of course have a snack. The church was decorated to look like outer space. Not sure what outer space is, but it looked neat (just learned that word). The children really seemed like they were having fun. On the last day everyone was treated to a lunch. Everyone had a great time and I found a few crumbs, thank you.

One weekend church was held on Saturday afternoon and not on Sunday. I was surprised when everyone came to church a day early. Then after the church service Tim and Bonnie cut up something called watermelon and stored it in the refrigerator. They said it would be cold for tomorrow. The next day I was awaken before sun up from a deep sleep by noise. People were talking and making all kinds of noise. I investigated and saw people moving a table and chairs outside of the church by the side walk. They put water bottles and bananas on the table. I overheard everyone talking about the Road Race and that this was the 51^st year. A mouse doesn't know what years mean but I think it is a long time! I think people run from one place to another. Sounds crazy to me.

Then cars started entering the parking lot. Allen and Jim directed the cars into the parking lot, while Phil and Russ directed them where to park. They even parked on the GRASS. Everyone was happy as Betty, Pastor Rene, Clayton, and Donna handed out water bottles, and bananas. They even handed out safety pins and maps. People were using the bathrooms in the church and I saw Pastor Wanda checking on the bathroom supplies. So many people were walking by and the traffic was slow moving. I stayed out of the way because I thought I would get run over. Then the traffic stopped for a few hours so I took a nap. Several hours later everyone came back, ate watermelon, took more water, and drove off in their cars. After everyone left Jim was in the church office counting money. So many people helped to welcome all the visitors. The next Sunday Pastor Rene told the congregation that $1,707 was raised from parking cars for a few hours. Everyone clapped so I guess it was a good thing and good for the community.

I visited the garden only once this month. The plants are so big and there is a lot of red, green, and yellow things hanging from the plants. I heard they are called vegetables. People come and take the vegetables off the plants. They seem happy and talk about how delicious they will be and who they are going to share them with. I do not stay too long in the garden because the plants are big and it is scary. I run back to the church where it is safe. I have a secret place where I can enter and exit the church without being noticed.

I heard that summer is almost over and fall is coming. I heard that means the weather will get cooler and all the tourists will go home. I think I will stick around for another year.

P.S. Thank you for the crumbs on the floor.

Your friend the Church Mouse

September Meetings and Events at JWUMC

Weekly Meetings:

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

Wednesday ~ Prayer Meeting 11 am in the Chapel

Wednesday ~ Handbell Rehearsal 5:45pm and Choir Rehearsal at 7pm

September Meetings:

Tuesday 5th ~ Stewardship Committee 11am

Thursday 7th ~ The Leadership Team 6:30pm

Wednesday 6th ~Alternative Gift Market 3pm

Wednesday 13th ~ Staff Meeting 9:30am

Saturday 16th ~ Men's Breakfast 8:45am

Tuesday 19th ~ Finance Committee Mtg. 4pm

Wednesday 20th~ Outreach/Missions Mtg. 6pm

Wednesday 20th ~ ESL Sign Up 6:30pm

Thursday 21st ~ Worship Ministry Mtg. 1pm

Tuesday 26th ~ Trustees Meeting 5pm

Wednesday 27th ~ Staff Meeting 9:30am

Thursday 28th~Staff Parish Relations Team 5pm

Other dates of note:

Monday September 4th - Labor Day ~ The office will be closed

Saturday - 9th 11am - Memorial Service for Bobby Kean

Sunday 10th ~ Rally Day!

Birthday Wishes for September: 

Let us celebrate life among our church family. 2nd ~ Bobby Anderson, 10th ~ Helen Bresnahan, 30th ~ Julie Immelt Whelden

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.