Fall 2011 Wesley@CMU Board Les Keepper Chair Linda Darrow Vice Chair Cindy Hales Development Bill Zehnder Treasurer Kaitlyn Buzalski Student President Emily Whittier Student Treasurer Curt Jensen Charlie Farnum Director Sherry Anderson Personnel Creating Christian Community for CMU Students Home for Homecoming: Wesley @ CMU to Host Open House With the Leadership Residence at Wesley finally complete, a new phase in the life of Wesley @ CMU has begun. Currently, the house is full with eight students residents, four of which also work at Wesley. These eight students came with varying ideas, backgrounds, and personalities, but have all found a home in the new residence. The goal of these students is to form an intentional Christian community with regular practice of spiritual disciplines and planned activities. The students eat dinner together, worship together, and have already grown closer since the start of the semester. The Leadership Residence and the individuals who live there have brought a new life to Wesley and the weekly events that they attend. We want all of our alum to be able to experience the „new‟ Wesley as well. If you would like to see it firsthand, please stop by our open house the weekend of CMU‟s homecoming. WHEN: October 15-16 WHERE: 1400 S. Washington, at the Center and the Leadership Residence WHO: Wesley alum, friends, and family WHAT: An open house at the new Leadership Residence, a post-game party at the Center, a special worship service Sunday at 11:00, and a dinner Sunday night at 6:00 We hope that you‟ll join us to see all of the changes in Wesley since you were a student here! David Hills District Superintendent Naomi Garcia Coach Consultant Lynn Pier-Fitzgerald Board of Higher Ed Jonathan Keaton Bishop New Topic for Wednesday Night Bible Study Inside this issue: Life in the Leadership Residence Canoeing & Camping Helping Students Find a Family that Lasts for Decades Buy a Brick for Wesley! At the start of each semester, Wesley‟s Director, Charlie Farnum, tries to find out from the students what they would like to talk about in Wednesday evening Bible Study for the next few months. This year, Charlie introduced the idea of having a “Bible study about the Bible”. The students thought, “Isn‟t every Bible study about the Bible?” The answer is yes, but this is a different way to approach an old subject. In this type of Bible study, the students would get an overview of the entire book in one semester. Covering the entire bible this quickly allows indi- viduals to piece together the stories that they‟ve heard through the years, line events up sequentially, and put the big picture together. The students voted to make this the topic for the semester. Thus far, they‟ve covered Genesis through Joshua and have learned some hand motions to help them remember the most important stories. The students have also had time to discuss how these stories relate to life today, including how one can listen to God‟s calling. Thus far, this study has been very informative and interesting for all those involved. Page 2 The Wesley Connexion Abbie Parker—Life in the Leadership Residence Abbie Parker is a sophomore in the education program, and a resident and employee at Wesley. We asked her to give us a sneak peek at life in the Leadership Residence, and here‟s what she had to say: “Welcome back to Wesley! There have been many changes going on around Wesley in the last few months, including the completion of the Leadership Residence. This Residence is an eight bedroom, four bathroom house with a kitchen, dining area, laundry room, and living room. The residents living in the house have a covenant that they‟ve created between themselves and Charlie. This covenant is a spiritual covenant as well as a house rules covenant. Some of the spiritual rules that are in place at the Leadership House include a promise to fast at least one meal a week, participate in a devotional every night, have a community meal once a week, and attend a church service at Wesley once a week. We also have a prayer board up in the house that we are encouraged to write on, and read so that we can be praying for others‟ needs as well. Living in the Leadership Residence has really been an amazing experience so far. Getting to know the people who live here, and focusing more on God on a daily basis are just a few changes that the Residence has brought to my life. I‟m really looking forward to the rest of the year at Wesley.” Annual Canoeing and Camping Trip a Success Each fall a group of Wesley students take a weekend to canoe the Chippewa River, and camp at Deerfield Park in Mount Pleasant. This year eight students participated in the trip, which was September 9-10. The students had fun „roughing it‟, and getting a chance to take a vacation from the hustle and bustle of college life. Around the campfire, they played 20 questions, learned the story of Gideon, and got to know each other a little better. With only one canoe capsizing the entire trip, the adventure was deemed a success. Overall, the weekend was a great chance to relax, regroup, and refocus on God. A good time was had by all. Director’s Corner I love being a Wesley director. We are all about creating Christian community— helping unconnected individuals come together as the body of Christ. In August I had the privilege of visiting the home of Bob Kleinhans, a 1975 CMU Wesley alum. Bob has been gathering friends of Wesley at his home for years and I saw one fruit of Wesley‟s work— people gathering together as good friends, decades after their Wesley experience. Recently, current students shared examples of God‟s grace for which they were thankful. After hearing many others thank God for the love they had received from their families, one student said “I never received love like that from my parents— but I‟m thankful that I finally found a family, here at Wesley.” The work continues. Page 3 The Wesley Connexion Stay Connected Have alumni news to share? Send us an email and mark it “for newsletter”! We‟re always looking for more “I am.” stories— tell us why YOU are Wesley! Include a good photo and put it in a format similar to our back cover and you may find yourself in a newsletter or on our website! Buy a Brick—Support Wesley! The Leadership Residence is complete and we owe a great deal of thanks to our generous donors for helping us make it a reality! However, we still need your help. There is a substantial balance yet to be paid on the mortgage, and any donations toward reducing this debt would be greatly appreciated. You can help by ordering a brick which will be placed in a patio outside the Residence. Bricks will be engraved with the text of your choice (up to 14 characters per line, including spaces.) Visit http://CMU.MiWesley.org/buyabrick to order, or fill out the form below and return to: The Wesley Foundation at Central Michigan University Director Charles Farnum director@CMU.MiWesley.org 1400 S Washington Ave 989-545-1761 Mt Pleasant, MI 48858 ______________________ ____________________ Name Phone ______________________ ____________________ Address Email ______________________ City, State, Zip I would like to give $100 and order a 4”x8” brick with 3 lines of text. I would like to give $250 and order an 8”x8” brick with 6 lines of text. I have written my text on the grid below, one character per box. No more than 14 characters per line, including spaces. I have enclosed my check made out to Wesley@CMU. I will pay later—please bill me. Please send me information on how I can support Wesley as a regular donor. Text for my brick $250—3 more lines October 15-16—Leadership Residence Open House October 7-8—Weekend Retreat in Alma October 2—Mt. Pleasant Area CROP Walk September 24—Highway Clean-Up Project on M-20 Other Upcoming Events at Wesley Friday: 7:30 Movie Night Thursday: 7:30 Movie Night Wednesday: 7:00 Free Kickboxing Class; 9:00 Worship and Bible Study Tuesday: 7:00 Free Zumba Class Monday: 7:00 Free Pilates Class Sunday: 11:00 RETHINK Service; 6:00 Free Student Dinner These are a few of the events that take place at Wesley on a weekly basis: A Week In The Life Of Wesley Creating Christian Community 1400 S Washington Mount Pleasant, MI 48858 Phone: 989-545-1761 E-mail: director@CMU.MiWesley.org Creating Christian Community for CMU Students.
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