Our world has been turned upside down over the last several months. Events have been cancelled, schools have moved into living rooms and kitchens, and just about all of our regular routines and rhythms have been forced to change. This has been challenging for all of us, but, I like to think that there have still been some positives to come out of this season.

That might be the eternal optimist in me talking, but I really believe that even in the midst of this crazy time, God has been at work. I don’t know about you, but I have learned a lot over these past few months. For one, I’ve learned a lot more about recording and editing videos, as our worship has gone virtual. I’ve also learned just how much I took for granted little things like going to the grocery store, making a trip to Target, or stopping on a run to get water at a local park. As I am growing our little one, I have been almost completely quarantined to our house. My only trips to the “outside world” are daily walks or runs, doctor’s appointments, and going to the church to record my sermon. This has been a huge transition and adjustment to my typically busy schedule at church and around town.

These transitions have allowed God to teach me some much-needed lessons, one being how much I need to learn to slow-down and rest in God’s presence. I am a person who thrives with a busy schedule and a full to-do list. I struggle with stillness and inactivity, and even though I am an introvert through and through, I struggle with being alone. This season has forced me to work on those areas where I tend to struggle, and I can definitely see growth. I have read more, listened to more sermons, and prayed a LOT more over these past couple months.

As we start a new month, I invite you to reflect on what you have learned over these past several weeks of quarantine. What has been hard for you? What have you really enjoyed? What has God been teaching you? As you reflect on these questions, I pray that we might all find new reasons to be joyful even in the midst of challenging circumstances.

Blessings,

June 2020

Wesley United

Methodist Church Mission Statement:

!

Pastor Sarah Kiviniemi McIntosh

826 NW 23rd Avenue Gainesville, FL

32609 Office: 372-2845 Fax: 372-9544

We are on Facebook!!!

Pastor’s E-mail:

pastorsarah826@gmail.com

Secretary’s E-mail: Terri Manche

secretary@wumc.cfcoxmail.com

Witness Articles E-mail: Sharren Gibbs

sharren2@cox.net Deadline for articles: 15th of each

month

Website: www.WesleyUMCon23.org

Weekly Sunday Activities

Sunday School Children’s Church 10:00 AM

(at Greentree Park) Adult Ages @ 9:30AM Worship @ 10:45AM

(Sanctuary)

Come join Pastor Sarah via Zoom from noon to 1:00PM on Tuesdays. We discuss a variety of themes and topics, but there is always rich discussion. All are welcome and we would love to

have you join us!

Barbara Baldwin Linda Baldwin

Micke Bergeron Diane Blucher

Agnes Burke Carolyn Clarke

Betty Dees Nancy Hardee

Rachelle Hines Barb Loehr

Beth Loehr-Moody Paula Mathis

Billy Moring Clydia Reichert

Beth Senn Polly Teele Clarence Witt

While we are sheltering at home, don’t forget to check out our Sunday Sermons! I have posted them in the church website, and Pastor Sarah also sends out a group e-mail to let us know the address on YouTube.com where they can be found. She includes some hymns to comple-ment the sermon, also on YouTube. You can see from the red paraments behind Pastor Sarah that this was her sermon on Pentacost. And you can see our growing new Methodist!

Check it out! Sharren

YOUR REGULAR GIVING TO WESLEY UMC: In this time of sequestering ourselves at home, don’t forget to send in your regular offerings and/or tithes to the church. Our expenses don’t stop and, in reality, neither does our church. You’re just participating in a different manner. So please mail in your offering to the church office. Terri is stopping by regularly to pick up the mail and put it in the office.

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WESLEY WEDNESDAY SUPPER

You’ve heard it over and over—we will not have a supper meeting this month due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope so sincerely to be able to get back together in September, but we will have to wait to see how things go.

In the meantime, stay safe, stay healthy, and stay in touch with friends and family. It’s always important, but more so now. Isolation is not healthy!

Donna Weseman and Barbara Cleveland attend the annual

Women’s Retreat at the Enrichment Center in

Lakeland. Looks like it was cold, but so

beautiful!

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MUSIC DEPARTMENT NEWS Where is GOD? When 2020 began with the familiar strands of Auld Lang Syne just a few

months ago who would have believed that a global pandemic was in the making, one that

now has killed nearly 400,000 people around the world. Who knew that the virus would

keep us from worshipping together in our sanctuary except by electronic means? There is

no school for children! Unthinkable! Massive government bailouts of over a trillion

dollars has been issued to keep us afloat. Who would have thought that racism in America

would raise its ugly head once again with murder in the streets, buildings burned, and

people forced to protest for their lives? Where is GOD in 2020? All of these happenings

have most likely caused more emotional stress and scars in our lives than we will dare admit. Where is

GOD? Many years ago, the Jewish people were facing exile and losing the Holy City of Jerusalem. They

were asking the same question, “Where is GOD?” But GOD reminded them very clearly in the midst of

their situation what his relationship was with them.

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing!

For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted. But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.”

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?

Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

Isaiah 49:13-16

We are experiencing terrible times but GOD is not out to lunch forgetting about us. Even though it may

seem that GOD has lifted his hand from us and is absent from the picture, GOD is right now working

through us. We may have come to a place where we don’t know what to do anymore and even more

frightening, we may be so emotionally tired, numbed, that we may not even want to do anything! And so,

we must pray for GOD to carry us through these wilderness times. “Carry us, O GOD, until we can get our

bearings. Carry us, O GOD, until we can regain our strength. Pick us up, O GOD, and renew our spirit. O Lord,

show us the way to go and give us the passion and drive to follow in it.”

I want to share with you one of my favorite hymns, How Firm a Foundation, and I want to give you a

spiritual assignment this week. Sometime in your quiet place, I would like for you to read these lyrics to

these five short verses. Read them slowly and think on each verse. As you read remember GOD’s words,

“Yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”

How Firm A Foundation John Rippon’s Selection of Hymns

1: How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord is laid for your faith in His excellent Word.

What more can He say than to you He hath said to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled.

2: Fear not, I am with thee; oh be not dismayed for I am thy God and will still give thee aid.

I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

3: When through the deep waters I call thee to go, the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow.

For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless, and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

4: When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie, My grace all sufficient shall be thy supply.

The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

5: The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose, I will not, I will not desert to its foes.

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

May GOD continue to strengthen you through these times. I look forward to seeing you all soon. We

will sing together again some day. Blessings, Jim Arnett

SAVE THE DATE!

July 12, 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM

Baby Shower for

Pastors Sarah and Shane

June Meetings No other in-person meetings—are there

any virtual meetings scheduled?

FUN AND GAMES Join the Canasta card club at Wesley United Methodist Church! Have fun and meet great people! Invite family and friends, the more the merrier! When: Thursdays, 12:00 Noon (except holidays) Where: Wesley United Methodist Church 826 Northwest 23rd Avenue Fellowship Hall

Call Harley or Pamela Christensen at 352-505-0694 for information. We have wonderful members waiting to teach you Hand and Foot Canasta!

Card Club Guidelines

Bring a sack lunch and beverage if you wish.

Please arrive on time if possible.

Please help clean up after the games end.

Please give us your email address and phone number in case of scheduling changes.

June Birthdays 1

st Chuck Adams

3rd

Barbara Loehr-Fox

9th Sam Adams

12th Bonniesue Humphlett

17th Robert Loehr

June Voyles

19th Jeffrey Carlin

23rd

Linda Crenshaw

25th Janis Bishop

26th Sonya Lynn Crenshaw

27th Doris Welsh

June Anniversaries 2

nd Sherry & Chuck Adams

16th Donna & Gary Weseman

Well, you’ve probably guessed this, but the YAHs will not meet for lunch any-where in the state. I hope you all have found a way to enjoy spending time alone at home. Hopefully, we’ll see you in July!