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Wesley Foundation News and Notes
The Wesley Foundation Volleyball Team is awesome.
Sadly, on November 17th, the Wesley Foundation volleyball team for the 2008 season played its final match. It was a hard fought battle, and the team has definitely improved with practice. Thanks to everyone who was involved!
General Information
For information on church closings due to inclement weather, visit
UUMC's webpage
Are you a student living on campus who would like a ride to and from our activities?
Then request a ride from the Wesley Wagon!
E-mail your name, location on campus, and when you need transportation to Erika
All ride requests must be received by two days before the requested ride.
Take Shuttle UM, the University-Operated Shuttle service. The College Park Metro Shuttle schedule can be found here.
- For Sunday activities at UUMC, use the Stamp Student Union stop.
- For Wednesday night activites at Memorial Chapel, use the
stop at the circle (with the big "M")
A University of Maryland ID IS NOT NEEDED
to ride this bus.
**NOTE**
On the weekends, Shuttle-UM service does not begin to the Metro
Station until 9:00 A.M. Use the Wesley Wagon contact above if you need a
ride to activities on Saturday or Sunday mornings before that time.
The University of Maryland Wesley Foundation became a Reconciling Campus Ministry!
On Sunday, April 22, 2007, the University of Maryland Wesley Foundation became a Reconciling Campus Ministry.
The United Methodist Campus Ministry (aka "The Wesley Foundation") at the
University of Maryland, College Park, affirms Christ's call to engage in
ministries that bring reconciliation and wholeness to all persons. Our
hearts, minds, and doors are always open to individuals of all races,
nationalities, sexual orientations, gender identities, and theological
identities. We strive to be a community of spiritual growth that reflects
compassion towards all God's children, engaging in prophetic and pastoral
outreach to Church and society.
Check out pictures from various old Wesley Foundation events:
pictures on snapfish (email Samantha for login info)
pictures on winkflash (email Adriana for
login info)
South Africa Benefit Concert
In conjunction with AIDS awareness week, the Wesley Foundation presented an a capella benefit concert featuring campus
groups Faux Pas, Kol Ish, and Pandemonium. Over $500 was raised to funding a student mission trip to South Africa in June 2007.
Students from the University of Maryland and Howard University traveled to South Africa to work at an AIDS counseling center and
with children in Diepsloot, a poverty-stricken area outside Johannesburg.
Volunteers in Mission: South Africa, Summer 2005
article by Christie Walsh
This is how everyone will recognize that you are My disciples - when they see the love you have for each other.
-- John 13:35 --
That verse was spoken by one of the pastors at Bryanston Methodist
Church in South Africa. He really touched my heart when he spoke of
respect and hospitality and the power of love because I could see that
these people in South Africa were really living this verse. From the
moment we landed, we could feel the warmth of the people around us. I
certainly felt right at home, thousands of miles away on a totally new
continent.
Every day I was surprised by a new outreach of Bryanston Methodist. On
Thursdays, a group heads to the river with bags of bread and warm soup for
the homeless and hungry. There is a counseling center right next to the
church, always ready to listen. We got to know the Akani Project in
Diepsloot very well. This huge outreach project involved building a place
for the children to be fed, take refuge, do homework and play games
safely. There is a lot of crime in this township, so it is very important
to have a place for the children to be protected and feel safe. We
physically worked to put desks together and sand and paint hundreds of
chairs, but we also had the chance to learn so much from the South African
children through songs, talent shows, and stories.
Working in South Africa on the Akani Project helped me find a lot of self
worth. I felt like I was really helping these people. I also learned the
importance of volunteers. They are needed everywhere, in the United
States as well as Africa. Now that I have seen the children of South
Africa, my heart will not allow me to let that go. I carry their memories
with me always and I will try to follow that verse until I die. We can
bring God's love deep into the poorest townships and empower the people
with hope and faith. We will show them that we are all children of
God - every color and nationality - and wherever we go we will be loved.
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