Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church

2013 Annual Conference

Sunday, May 23, 2013 @ 4:00 p.m. - Church Meeting, "Future Plans for Wesley Memorial"  All person interested in the future of our church are invited.

One-On-One Challenge
86% of people come to church through a personal invitation or connection to a friend, neighbor or family member.  Wesley Memorial, you have been challenged to invite ONE, just one, person to come experience God with our church family.  It can be anybody!  One of our members made a connection with a grocery clerk at Publix through a mutual love of General Hospital.  That connection opened the door for her to invite him to church. We daily come into contact with people who just need an invitation to be a part of something bigger and deeper.  Put on your “God-goggles” and tune in with who God is putting in your life to nurture a relationship with them through the body of Christ.

Join Wesley Memorial UMC
If you are interested in becoming a member of Wesley Memorial UMC, or learning more about what it means to be a United Methodist, email or call Jeri Katherine, the pastor of Wesley Memorial; she would love to meet with you and get to know you and answer your questions! jerikatherine@gmail.com

a word from our pastor…

Recently I have hungered to feed my soul in a way I believe the ancient spiritual discipline of fasting will do. I was reminded in the book that I am reading, The Daniel Fast, by Susan Gregory that almost every leader in the bible fasted: Moses--Exodus 34:28, Elijah--1 Kings 19:8, Ezra--Ezra 10:6, Daniel--10:3, Esther--Esther 4:16, Anna--Luke 2:37, Jesus--Luke 4:1-2, Paul--2 Cor. 11:27, Cornelius--Acts 10:30. Their fasts were connected to a spiritual issue; they restricted food for a spiritual purpose, not as a way to diet. There is a difference in dieting and fasting; fasting is, as Gregory points out, "is to draw closer to God...it is an intentional choice to 'turn down the noise of the world' and focus on your relationship with your Father." The Daniel Fast is a partial fast. I won't just be drinking water and eating bread. Rather Daniel's Fast is based on Daniel 1 and 10 when Daniel--in the face of an oppressive king when Daniel was determined to remain faithful to God--"ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into [his] mouth, nor did [he] anoint [himself] at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled." It is a biblically-based fast that is entirely plant based with only water to drink. I think my morning cup of Joe is going to be one of the hardest to give up, but I am determined during this time of fasting to stick with the Daniel fast plan to help me grow in God, or rather the best way to say it is to allow God to grow in me as I pray about how to lead our church in this day and age, so that like Daniel, I can live faithfully even when all those around me seem to be abandoning God for other man-made gods.
 
I am intentionally beginning the fast on the first full day of the SC Annual Conference when church leaders--both clergy and laity--gather in holy conferencing to worship, fellowship, learn and talk about the ways we can make disciples for the transformation of this world. Gregory encourages those who participate in the Daniel fast to "identify the top three or four issues in your life that cause you stress or concern. Ask yourself, 'If I could change three things about my life, what would they be?'" At the heart of this question, for me, is the United Methodist Church--both locally and globally--and how we can grow to be a vibrant and relevant church again in the lives of people everywhere. My four-fold focus this fast will be for the 1) SC United Methodist leadership, 2) the people and leaders of SC, 3) what is my role, as a minister and constituent of this state, in embodying and preaching the Good News in SC, 4) how can God move through the people of Wesley Memorial to better minister in our context. My prayer is that I will grow as a leader, so that I have a better discernment of where and how God wants to use me to further his kingdom--especially within the conference and church I am currently serving for the next year. So here it goes...a 21-day journey in the fast lane :)

Share your thoughts with Jeri Katherine on her blog: provocativepreacher.blogspot.com*

Up Coming Events

Sunday, June 16, 2013

THRIVE! Mind, Body & Spirit
9:00am Work your Body
9:50 am Work your Mind & Spirit - Contemporary Worship

Morning Worship Service (traditional) 11:00 a.m.

Pastor Jeri Katherine Sipes -  “Miracles”  
Women in the pulpit Sunday

Monday, June 17, 2013

9:00 a.m. Men's Pray Secession

 
Tuesday, June 18, 2013

 Coffee Chat 1:00 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Drip, 729 Saluda Ave, Columbia, SC 29205 http://dripcolumbia.com/

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

"The Story" Reading for June 12 - "Birth of the King", pages 291- 319
6:30 p.m.

Thursday, June 20,  2013

Fittness Fellowship  6:30pm

 
AA Meeting Monday - Saturday, 12 noon, Queen St. entrance. Brown Bag Group

Church Calendar for 2013

SC Conference Calendar

Future Events

Registration Form for VBS