Collegiate United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation: Recent Episodes
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You may have seen the news of big changes at Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice (IMMJ)–which some of you may remember is a successor organization to the longstanding United Methodist ministry called Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON). Collegiate Wesley has long been a supporter of the work JFON and now IMMJ have done with and for immigrants across Iowa.
This long relationship–and the deep need for support for our immigrant neighbors in recent years–made it especially hard to read the news in July of steep cuts to IMMJ’s funding and, as a result, to their staff and the services they are able to provide. Here’s a link to the IMMJ press release on this subject.
Donna Vandehaar of our congregation has been part of the Ames immigration support work that has involved many of our folks. She shared this information with those Ames volunteers, and we thought it was important to share this info with our congregation as well. (See below.)
It’s worth noting that our Collegiate/Wesley Endowment Board and Byrne Endowment funds have been an important source of funds to IMMJ–and are part of what makes the continuation of the Ames legal clinics possible. God bless those who had the foresight to make those funds available, those who continue to support this important work, and those who carry out this important work among these individuals who are our neighbors.
July 9, 2026
Story County Immigration Legal Clinic Update
You have probably heard of recent losses in funding for Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, perhaps having read recent articles in the Des Moines Register and the Ames Tribune. Iowa MMJ has lost several large grants that supported a considerable amount of their legal assistance. The loss of so much revenue in such a short period of time has meant some changes at Iowa MMJ, although rest assured that the organization itself and its commitment to support and advocate for immigrants will continue.
These losses have led to the elimination of some legal staff positions and to rethinking strategies for their legal assistance programs. Some of their immigration legal clinics will have to restrict what kinds of legal support they are able to provide. HOWEVER, we want you all to know that, thanks to the regular and ongoing financial support of our very, very generous community, Story County immigration legal clinics will NOT be impacted by the staffing reductions and there will be NO CHANGES to Story County clinic offerings. You are likely hearing that the Iowa MMJ legal clinics are being cut back and will be serving fewer clients, but please know that will not be the case for the Story County clinics, at least as long as we are able to maintain the amazing funding support we have received since our inception.
This does underscore the importance of the funding the Story County clinics have received from some generous funding organizations and the continuing support of you—our community. We will be needing that support into the future.
We ask that you please help spread the word among your members and the community that the Story County clinics are still here and will continue to see the same number of clients and to support them at the same level as we have always done.
Meanwhile, we will all be hoping that Iowa MMJ is able to find new funding sources as we face the overwhelming attack on immigrants in our country and the challenges that legal services for immigrants face. We thank you for your ongoing support of the Story County clinics, and if it is within your ability, please consider supporting Iowa MMJ with a donation as well at this crucial time.
Susan Benner and Donna Vandehaar
The post An Ames Update on Our Colleagues at IMMJ appeared first on Collegiate United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation.
Friends, over this past year, we have been blessed to share in ministry with our ELCA neighbors. During this season of rebuilding Lutheran Campus Ministry at Iowa State, I have had the privilege of welcoming ELCA students into our community while serving alongside Interim Campus Minister, Pastor Erika Uthe. I am deeply grateful for Erika’s faithful leadership, vision, and care during this important season of transition.
Today, it is my joy to introduce the next chapter in that ministry.
Pastor AJ Olson (they/them) has been called to serve as Director for Campus Ministry with Lutheran Campus Ministry–Ames (LCM). AJ is a recent graduate of Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque. They bring a deep passion for accompanying students as they ask big questions, seek belonging, and discover God’s presence in their lives.
AJ has shared that they hope to build relationships across campus and throughout the Ames community, creating spaces where students experience welcome, grace, compassion, and the expansive love of God. Those are values we hold dear as well. I am excited about the opportunities to continue partnering together in serving the students of Iowa State.
As part of that partnership, we have entered into a one-year space-sharing arrangement that provides AJ an office on our main staff hallway and, working with our Wesley Center ministry, other spaces here at CW for shared and separate ministry activities. Along with amounts to offset their occupancy expenses, LCM will share in the costs of supplies for shared ministries such as food and drink offered through our Student Lounge.
Please join me in extending a warm Collegiate/Wesley welcome to Pastor AJ Olson. We give thanks to God for the ministry that has already begun through Lutheran Campus Ministry, and I look forward to what God will continue to do as we work together for the sake of our students.
Welcome, AJ!
Pastor Jena
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The AMOS Convention on Sunday, August 30 is almost here. I’m delighted to report that we have, as of this morning, 34 people from Collegiate/Wesley who have already committed to join in. That’s wonderful progress toward our goal of 60 of us showing up together!
That’s 34 of our goal of 60, more than halfway there! Woot!
Ready to join us? Here’s the sign-up link!
We wanted to share a bit of additional info that will be helpful, whether or not you’ve already signed up:
What is this event again?
On Sunday, August 30, from 3:00-5:00 pm, we’ll join nearly 1,000 people from AMOS member institutions across Iowa to celebrate 30 years of community organizing and to engage local, state, and national candidates around issues that emerged from conversations with nearly 2,000 Iowans earlier this year. Those priority issues include water quality, EMS response times, a Silver Alert (similar to Amber Alert, for vulnerable seniors), public education, and immigrant and refugee support.
Where is it?
It’s at the Horizon Event Center at 2100 NW 100th St. in Clive–not far from Living History Farms. There’s plenty of parking and there will be people to direct you to a registration table when you arrive. It’s an air-conditioned venue with ample bathrooms. Please plan to arrive with some time to spare to get settled.
What is our role?
Our Collegiate/Wesley delegation will be seated on the main floor alongside those coming from dozens of other churches and community organizations. Each group, including ours, will have an assigned seating area–hence the importance of knowing our numbers! When you reach your seat, you’ll be handed a piece of rainbow-striped fabric, a simple “stole,” that we’ll each drape around our necks to visibly identify us as a group. If you have a Collegiate/Wesley t-shirt, it would be great if you’d wear it!
You won’t be expected to speak publicly, tell your story, or engage individually with political leaders. Simply by showing up, you’ll help demonstrate what organized communities can accomplish when they work together.
What about transportation?
There’s an Ames bus! It will depart from Ames UCC, 217 6th St., at 1:30 pm, and arrive back by about 6:30 pm. This is a great option for those who’d prefer not to drive–plus your check-in will be managed on the bus so you can go straight to your place in the venue upon arrival. The bus has its own registration; click here to reserve your seat!
We’re expecting more attendees from Ames than the number of seats on the bus, so if you’re interested in car pooling–either because you’re willing to fill the car you’re driving, or because you’d prefer not to drive yourself–please plan to arrive at Ames UCC before 1:30 pm and we’ll get folks connected, or invite folks to fill any empty seats on the bus. There’s parking east of Ames UCC in the lot just north of the Ames Public Library (free because it’s Sunday), or on street in that vicinity.
Is this a family-friendly event?
We are encouraging attendance by our middle school and high school youth! Many of our middle and high school youth participated in our Circle Conversations last winter. They reminded us that young people know they have a stake in the future of their communities—and that their voices matter. Our Children, Youth & Families director, Lauren Loonsfoot, is hoping we can fill the Collegiate/Wesley bus with this age group, and some of their parents/family members. She’ll be in touch with families to make these arrangements. (But still, please, go ahead and sign yourselves up!
Child care for younger children is available during this event at Ames UCC, with trained, screened child care workers. If you’re interested in child care, please be in touch with Jordan in our church office, 515/292-6936 or jordan@cwames.org and she’ll gather and pass along the needed information.
Still have questions?
Please be in touch with Pastor Lee (lee@cwames.org) or 515/423-0771 (cell, incl. text). Or simply ask one of the folks who’s wearing a “I’m IN” sticker on Sunday morning, and see what they can tell you.
One more thing: On Sunday, August 23, we’ll take a moment during worship to recognize and bless those who are participating before we head to Clive the following Sunday. It will be a joy to celebrate everyone who is able to be part of this day.
In June, Pastor Lee wrote that this event on August 30 is about us “practicing being the people we claim to be.” Do take a look back at that Weekly Word if you need a little encouragement. Whatever policies emerge from this work, showing up together is itself an act of discipleship. It’s one way we embody our commitment to the flourishing of our neighbors and to the common good.
If you’ve been thinking about coming, this is a great time to sign up. How cool will it be when 60 of us show up together as Collegiate/Wesley on August 30!
The post Showing Up Together on August 30 appeared first on Collegiate United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation.
Last week, I had the privilege of attending the United Methodist Campus Ministry Association
(UMCMA) Summer Institute ’26 in Evanston, Illinois. The event brings together campus
ministers and chaplains serving at colleges, universities, and technical schools of every size.
Some are appointed by local churches, some are employed by their schools, and others raise
their own support. No matter our setting, we share the same calling: walking alongside
students as they navigate one of the most formative seasons of their lives.
It was wonderful to reconnect with friends from last year, meet new colleagues, and learn from
one another. The workshops were practical, inspiring, and incredibly relevant.
At Annual Conference this year, I met Rev. Jordan Derhammer, who began serving as Campus
Minister at THREEHOUSE in Cedar Falls on July 1. I encouraged her to attend the Summer
Institute and even told her I’d pay her registration if needed. That’s how valuable I believe this
gathering is.
Jordan had been a student at THREEHOUSE while attending the University of Northern Iowa
and had even served as an intern under Rev. David Glenn-Burns.
Jordan wasn’t sure what her budget looked like or whether she’d have time away to attend.
“This isn’t a vacation,” I assured her.
She understood. If she goes-one condition.
“If we’re going to Chicago,” she said, “we have to go to IKEA!”
I’d never been there, but I’m up for an adventure.
Jordan laughed.
Now I understand that IKEA is less of a store and more of…an experience. The place is
enormous!
As Jordan described the items she and Megan were hoping to find for their home, I wandered
into the main aisle to get my bearings. We were about half way through the store. That’s when
I looked up and saw a shopping cart being pushed by a young man wearing an Iowa State T-
shirt. Walking beside him was his mom.
I smiled.
Then I laughed.
I recognized them from Iowa State orientation back in June.
“Great shirt!” I said.
His mom laughed and admitted they had noticed my shirt, too, but weren’t sure if the cardinal
on it represented Iowa State or something else.
“Nope,” I said. “That’s 1978 Cy—the one wearing the boots.”
She smiled. Both she and her husband are Iowa State graduates, and their son will be a
freshman this fall.
Perfect.
“So,” I asked, “have you looked at any campus ministries yet?”
“No.”
“Well,” I said, “let me introduce myself properly. I’m Pastor Jena, campus minister with
Collegiate Wesley—the church right across the street from Friley Hall.”
Her eyes lit up.
“I know exactly where that is!”
We talked for a few minutes about campus life, and I explained that while many campus
ministries share similar goals, each has its own personality and approach. I also told them
something I believe deeply:
“A campus ministry gives students instant friends—people who help them navigate campus,
survive classes, ask hard questions, and grow in their faith.”
I handed him one of my business cards.
“Send me a text or email,” I said. “I’ll make sure you’re invited to our welcome events.”
“Do you like hamburgers and brats?”
His face broke into a huge grin.
“Absolutely!”
I told him about Grillin’ & Chillin’ on our front patio, where new students meet one another,
connect with church members, and discover a place where they belong. If he enjoyed that,
We’d happily show him our student lounge and everything else Wesley has to offer.
Then I asked what had brought them to IKEA.
“We’re shopping for his dorm room,” his mom said. “His older brother already has an
apartment.”
I laughed. “Older brothers can be wonderful. Sometimes they’re even amazing. It really can go
either way.”
Everyone laughed.
Then I asked where they were from.
“The Chicago area.”
“Oh!” I said. “Then, mom, you need my cell phone number, too.”
She looked surprised.
“If your son ever stops answering your calls, reach out. I can probably lay eyes on him much
faster than you can.”
I quickly added, “Not in a creepy way! I just have resources.”
She laughed.
“Really? You give parents your cell phone number?”
“Absolutely.”
It has never been a problem.
I care about students, but I also care about their families. Parents entrust us with something
incredibly precious. I want students to succeed academically, grow in their faith, discover who
God created them to be, and know that someone is looking out for them while they’re away
from home. A safety net if you will. Students don’t always need it, but it’s there if they do.
Sometimes a parent simply needs to hear, “Your student is okay.”
We exchanged a few more pleasantries before heading our separate ways.
Then came the real challenge…
Finding Jordan in IKEA.
It took a little while, but when I finally spotted her, she was laughing.
“You really did that?”
“Of course!” Scripture reminds us to “always be ready to give an answer for the hope we have.
As campus ministers, we also need to be ready to invite students—and their families—into a
community where they can belong”.
Sometimes that happens in a church or on campus.
Sometimes it happens in the middle of IKEA.
I’m still smiling as I write this story.
Friends, be ready. Ministry opportunities often appear when we least expect them.
Thank you for giving me the privilege of serving alongside you in the amazing ministry
happening here at Collegiate Wesley.
Blessings,
Rev. Jena Finch-Manchester
The post IKEA, ISU & Me appeared first on Collegiate United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation.
If you’re reading along with our summer worship series in the Psalms, you’ve probably noticed one unusual word that keeps appearing: “Selah.” Probably capitalized; most likely in italics.
I wonder if you’ve tripped over it. That would be understandable. “What is this word, ‘Selah‘?!”
Unlike most words in our English-language Bibles, it’s generally not translated into English. It appears 74 times in the Bible–all but three of them in the Psalms.
The interesting thing is that no one really knows exactly what it means.
The best guess is that it wasn’t meant to be spoken or sung at all. It may have been a musical direction—a cue for the singers to pause while the instruments continued. A breath. A moment to let the words settle before moving on.
Years ago, I played in a praise band where we used the word selah exactly that way. We’d each mark our music at spots where the singing would stop, the instruments would carry the music for a bit, and then we’d have a signal for the singing to come back in. Whether that’s precisely what the ancient psalmists intended, we can’t say. But it feels like a faithful way to imagine it.
That gap made room for a breath. For some reflection. For listening.
Summer has something of selah about it.
In the last week, three church committee meetings have been canceled because there simply wasn’t any pressing business. I keep getting “out of office” replies to emails. People are traveling. Spending time with grandchildren. Tending gardens. Working crosswords. Sitting on porches. Enjoying a slower pace than the rest of the year allows.
(Go back right now and imagine a selah—a breath—at every period in that last paragraph.)
(Aaah.)
Not everyone gets a summer slowdown, of course. Life doesn’t always cooperate with the calendar. Some seasons are filled with work, caregiving, grief, or uncertainty. But even then, we need moments of selah.
We live in a culture that can treat every pause as wasted time. We rush from one responsibility to the next, one headline to another, one notification to the next task on the list. We can begin to believe that our worth depends on how busy we are.
The Psalms offer a different way.
If the singing can stop without the worship ending, perhaps faith is not another thing to accomplish. Perhaps faith also makes room for stopping—for breathing—for remembering God is present always.
God is still God, even when we’re not producing, solving, or striving. Even when we’ve stopped singing.
Perhaps that’s one of the gifts of summer. Not simply vacation, but permission. Permission to take a breath. To notice the beauty around us. To reconnect with people we love. To sit quietly with God without feeling the need to fill every moment.
The music doesn’t stop during a selah. It keeps playing.
Even when we pause, God’s work in the world continues. Grace doesn’t depend on our constant activity. The song goes on.
Selah.
Breathe.
The post Selah: A Breath appeared first on Collegiate United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation.
I heard a retired pastor say something in a meeting several weeks ago that has stuck with me. She’s been retired for a few years, but she still comes to the Ames religious leader group that I attend. She said, as we checked in that day,
“So much of my time now is self-serving.”
Retirement had changed the shape of her days. Most of the demands were gone. Most of her time was spent doing things she chose to do.
But, I wondered, is that self-serving? I can’t remember hearing anyone speak of retirement that way.
This woman’s tone wasn’t just that of calm observation. It clearly felt unsettling to her, as she named that. After a lifetime of serving others, and taking that commitment seriously, having time to follow her own sense of joy or interest or rest seemed strange. Inadequate.
I’ve lived alongside many, many people who have made that transition into retirement, and I’ve picked up very little anxiety about their retirement becoming self-serving time. It’s what they’ve waited for, worked for, dreamed of! More freedom, more flexibility, more days spent as they choose. They may wonder how they’ll spend their time; it’s a big transition!
But I had never heard someone describe retirement as self-serving time.
Of course, many of my retired friends and colleagues—nearly all—end up engaging in a lot of what we might call serving time! They volunteer. They care for grandchildren. They drive friends to doctor visits. They show up for church committees. They deliver meals. They mentor younger people.
Given the chance to spend all their time on themselves (on self-serving), most discover that part of a good life is still found in giving some of it away.
My colleague’s comment made me think about the difficult messages we get about time, and how we internalize them.
I’ve always loved to read, and when I was a girl, we made frequent visits to the library. I enjoyed nothing more than stretching out on the couch with a book and losing myself in whatever story was unfolding in those pages.
But I grew up on a farm, with parents raised during the Great Depression who were thrifty and industrious. There were always things to do—canning and freezing and baking and sewing and more. Rare was the afternoon—or even the hour—when I could immerse myself in a book without my mom appearing and saying, “C’mon, we’ve got work to do.” Or “Those cherries won’t pit themselves!”
To this day it’s hard for me to simply do a thing I enjoy, without guilt or intrusive thoughts of what isn’t getting done. Self-serving time has always carried a bit of stigma for me, or shame, evidently.
Every year at our United Methodist annual conference, we come to the moment in the ordination service where we are reminded that John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, had a similarly fraught relationship with time. Standing in line with centuries of tradition, candidates for ordination are asked—as Wesley famously asked in his time:
Will you observe the following directions?
1) Be diligent. Never be unemployed. Never be triflingly employed. Never trifle away time; neither spend any more time at any one place than is strictly necessary.
2) Be punctual. Do everything exactly at the time.
And those ordinands, like all of us who came before them, are expected to (and reliably do) answer, “The Lord being my helper, I will.”
There is something admirable about that seriousness. Time is precious. Life is short.
But Wesley lived before smartphones, before email, before twenty-four-hour news cycles, before a culture that can make us feel guilty for resting and guilty for working at the same time.
Many of us carry around an internal auditor who keeps track of whether we’ve used our hours “well.” We scold ourselves for spending too much time on social media. We wonder whether we should have been more productive. We measure our days by what we accomplished rather than by what we experienced.
I’ve noticed that impulse in myself.
A while back, I decided to stop feeling guilty about spending time on puzzles. I start nearly every morning with Wordle and Connections, and by evening I’ve usually finished the New York Times crossword (with ample online assistance).
My puzzle habit doesn’t change the world. It isn’t advancing my ministry. John Wesley might say it’s me being “triflingly employed.”
But I love the wordplay. I love that puzzles have actual, correct answers—unlike most of the things I spend time on day by day.
Maybe that’s enough.
Perhaps one of the lessons of maturity, and a lesson that would have been good for John Wesley(!), is learning that not every moment must justify itself. Some time can simply be enjoyed.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about time for another reason.
For the last fifteen months, every two weeks, early Wednesday and half of Thursday was claimed by my husband’s chemotherapy. Infusion appointments became part of the rhythm of our lives. We learned to schedule around them, plan around them, and live with them. Many of you have helped us do that, in ways big and small; we’re so grateful.
Some of you know we’ve been in an in-between time, for nearly six weeks, with no chemo. This week we got confirmation that he’ll shortly be starting a new chapter with a daily pill. No more infusion rooms, for now at least.
It’s good news. We are grateful. Dan has arrived at this moment at just the right time to have access to a new drug that shows promise in extending life with pancreatic cancer. More time than we had expected, even a couple of months ago.
But we’re both aware that we’ll miss the better days that we could look forward to, after the hard days of chemo infusion and recovery. At first there were ten good days. By May that had shrunk to maybe six, and often fewer. Still, those good days were manageably good. The two-week rhythm proved oddly doable, and gave us important time facing this together. With a daily pill, what will that look like?
I may need some self-serving—or husband-serving? marriage-serving?—time that is way less scheduled than it has been during Dan’s chemo months. I may miss the ability I’ve had to plan that time, ahead of time.
All this makes me less interested in sorting time into categories like self-serving, productive, and efficient. What if the question—the promise at ordination and each day—is whether we’re paying attention to the life that is actually unfolding in the hours we’ve been given?
Whether we’re retired or employed, whether we’re in the midst of cancer treatment or child-rearing or starting something new, some of our time will be spent serving others. Some will be spent caring for ourselves. Some will be spent doing things that seem important. Some will be spent doing crossword puzzles.
I hope most of it is drenched with love. For God, for those around us, and yes, sometimes for ourselves. All of it—however much we have—a precious gift.
The post Self-Serving Time? appeared first on Collegiate United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation.
by Jena Finch-Manchester
On Tuesday morning, my phone buzzed with a message from one of my former high school
students asking if I was on campus. “Well…kind of!” I replied. “What’s up?”
She and her mom were visiting Iowa State University for a prospective student tour! I tried to
ask questions about their tour guide, their location or plans. We decided lunch might be the
best opportunity to connect and even the dining hall was kind of vague. I was up for this
adventure! When they arrived at the dining hall, she spotted me immediately, rushed over, and gave me the biggest hug. As other prospective students and their parents walked by, I overheard
someone jokingly ask, “Do we get hugs too?” Had I heard them sooner, I might have said yes!
Over lunch, we caught up on life and talked about everything ISU has to offer. I shared a little
about the Wesley Center and campus ministry, it’s very similar to what we have already done
together. She excitedly told me she would be meeting with the band director later that
afternoon. It was obvious she could already picture herself at ISU. In fact, she admitted she
wasn’t interested in visiting any other schools.
As we wrapped up, I pointed them toward their next stop (with a little help from God and my
still-developing sense of direction!). Before leaving, she leaned in for one more hug and quietly
said, “It will be good to know someone here, and I know how much you care.” Then her mom embraced me and said words I’ll carry with me for a long time: “Thank you for meeting us and loving my daughter as your own child.”
Moments like these remind me that campus ministry begins long before a student ever moves
into a residence hall. Sometimes it starts with a shared meal, a familiar face, and the
reassurance that someone will be here to welcome them when they arrive.
It looks like I may have met one of our first Wesley students for the fall of 2027—and I couldn’t
be more excited.
The post A Prospective Student appeared first on Collegiate United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation.
A few weeks ago, after worship, I noticed a man and a young woman standing outside the church’s patio doors with suitcases, looking a little uncertain.
I was headed their direction when I saw they had found our still-unlocked front doors and come inside.
The man introduced himself and his teenage daughter. We had a pleasant, short chat in which I learned they were United Methodists from Los Alamos, New Mexico. They were in Ames for the Odyssey of the Mind world finals at Iowa State. They showed up here because, Phillip said, he was pretty sure this United Methodist church would take them in. Their ride to the airport in Des Moines had fallen through, and they needed a place to wait for the Uber they had arranged as an alternative.
That was it. They weren’t asking for money. They didn’t need a meal. They just needed somewhere to be for a few hours.
Of course we said yes.
Our fellowship time was winding down by then, but still people introduced themselves, shared conversation, and made it clear these folks were welcome. We showed them the couches, told them where they could find snacks—upstairs in the Wesley Student Lounge!—and let them stay while we all left for our Sunday afternoon activities, or naps.
It wasn’t anything extraordinary. It was simply the sort of thing most of us would do without thinking much about it.
A few days later, Phillip sent us a note of thanks. He said he’s the Director of Faith Development at First UMC in Los Alamos. He framed his thanks by describing a lesson he had literally just taught his teenage students a few weeks earlier. He had taught them that this is the kind of thing the church is called to do. He taught them that as Methodists, “we have thousands of homes away from home…. [A]nytime we see a Methodist Church, clock it, because if you need something, they will be willing to do what they can, when they can.”
Phillip had literally said something similar to me in our brief conversation when we met. In their few days in Ames, he had noticed our building—including our pride flag—and had stored that memory away for exactly the occasion that arose when their ride fell through.
His note continued with thanks for us being “a great example of open hearts, open minds, open doors.” He was grateful not just for the story he would tell his students, but also, he said, for this demonstration to his daughter “that this stuff her dad talks about all the time is kinda true.”
I smiled when I read that.
Because all of us need reminders like that from time to time. We need stories that prove the things we say about kindness, hospitality, community, and love are more than aspirations. Every now and then, we need to see them embodied in ordinary people doing ordinary things.
I’ve been thinking about Phillip’s note this week as we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.
I’m grateful for memories, and stories, that remind us that what we hope is true about ourselves really is—at least some of the time.
We’re a little bit at risk of forgetting that, in this America we inhabit right now. We disagree about so many things. We don’t see our history the same way. We do theology differently. Our politics and our heroes differ.
Across all those differences, it can be hard to remember that we’re still “we the people,” of one nation.
Phillip’s note reminded me of a habit that is woven deeply into our nation’s story when we’re at our best: making room for people.
His phrase—”thousands of homes away from home”—feels important. At our best, that’s exactly what churches do. It’s what neighborhoods do. It’s what communities do. They become places where strangers are welcomed, where relationships are formed, and where people discover they belong.
We’ve seen glimpses of that this summer as visitors from around the globe have arrived for the World Cup and found communities eager to offer directions, recommendations, assistance, and welcome. One of the best things about any community—whether a church, a town, or a nation—is its ability to make room for people.
At our best, that’s who “we the people” are. And, despite all our disagreements, I think it’s who most of us still want to be.
None of us are perfect people. None of us always get it right. But a lot of the time, we’re people capable of opening a door, offering a welcome, and helping a stranger feel at home.
Like we did a few weeks ago. We gave a father and daughter a couch and some conversation. In return, Phillip gave us something. He reminded us that these things we want to celebrate are—in fact—at least some of the time—kinda true.
That’s quite a compliment.
At our best, that’s what most of us hope for: to make the things we say about kindness, hospitality, community, and love a little more true. And every now and then, by God’s grace, they are.
The post We the People, at Our Best appeared first on Collegiate United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation.
by Rev. Jena Finch-Manchester
June is orientation season at Iowa State University. Throughout the month, new students and their parents arrive on campus for a day-and-a-half introduction to life as a Cyclone.
The first day is packed with information: welcome sessions, student IDs, email accounts, safety information, academic expectations, and introductions to faculty and staff. On the second day, students meet with advisors, register for classes, receive their computers, and attend a resource fair filled with organizations eager to help them succeed.
The resource fair is an interesting place. Banks, military representatives, music and theater programs, entrepreneurial services, CyRide, the City of Ames, and many others gather to introduce themselves. Everyone is hoping to make a connection.
During orientation, representatives from various campus ministries take turns staffing the Religious Leaders Association (RLA) table. The goal is simple: help students find a campus ministry where they can thrive.
Recently, I found myself serving alongside a young campus minister from another church tradition. As we talked with students and parents, I realized something important. We were approaching the same task from two very different perspectives.
Many organizations approach recruitment as a collection project. Think about stamp collections, coin collections, or Pokémon cards. Collectors are passionate about their collections. They can tell you all about them. But no matter how enthusiastic they are, if the person they’re talking to is interested in sports, politics, or music, the conversation may never connect.
Connection requires something different.
Connection begins with listening. It starts by asking questions. What are you looking for? What is important to you? What kind of community helps you grow? What are your beliefs, questions, hopes, or concerns?
As campus ministers, we do not all believe the same things. We do not worship the same way. We do not share identical theological perspectives. Those differences matter. Helping students understand those differences is not a weakness; it is a service.
I want students to find the right fit from the very beginning. If a student is searching for an affirming faith community, they deserve to know which ministries are affirming. If a student is looking for a more conservative theological approach, they deserve to know that as well. The goal is not to convince everyone to attend my ministry. I make that very clear. The goal is to help students connect with a community where they can grow in faith and be supported.
In fact, one day, I took information down for a Jewish student, two Hindu students, one Buddhist, and one Muslim student. I will find a contact person and get them connected.
That realization has challenged me in two different ways. First, was to help other campus ministers understand what each ministry is about. Second, it affirmed that our calling is not simply to gather people. It is to know them, listen to them (meet them as is), and help them find places where authentic relationships can flourish. It is to connect.
The same is true in the church.
Are we trying to collect people, or are we trying to connect with them? Do we spend more time talking about who we are than learning who they are? Do we assume that what matters to us automatically matters to everyone else?
I don’t think we are called to be everything to everyone. But I do believe we are called to listen well, love generously, and help people find places where they can encounter God and grow in faith.
I’d love to hear what you think. Are we called to collect, or to connect?
(See what I did there?)
Blessings,
Jena
The post Connect v. Collect appeared first on Collegiate United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation.
Our Elementary Service Trip was a wonderful weekend of service, learning, and fun! Four elementary students and four adults traveled to Des Moines to spend time serving our neighbors and growing together as a community.
During our trip, we partnered with Families Forward, where our students helped in the food pantry by sorting groceries, shelving donations, assisting clients as they shopped, and organizing clothing donations. We also spent time at Meals from the Heartland, where we packed larger meal packages that will be sent to South Africa to help nourish families in need.
We were grateful for the hospitality of Immanuel United Methodist Church in Des Moines, who provided us a place to stay and gather together. Of course, service trips are also about building relationships, so we made time for some fun and connection with a day at Adventureland!
We are so proud of our elementary students for their willingness to serve, their compassion for others, and the joy they brought to every part of the weekend. Thank you to everyone who supported this meaningful experience and helped make it possible.
The post Elementary Service Trip 2026 appeared first on Collegiate United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation.
Preparing for Church Conference on Tues., Oct. 21 at 6 pm
Thanks for the many ways you’ve engaged with the presentations and feedback sessions offered during September. We counted 120 who attended one or more of those sessions, and our Site Analysis Oversight Team has heard and is responding to questions and ideas that have emerged.
We’ve prepared this update as we look ahead to the Special Called All Church Conference scheduled for Tuesday, October 21 at 6:00 p.m. First we explain what will happen that evening, and then (keep reading!) we share about feedback and questions we’ve received so far.
The Church Conference
This gathering will be held in the sanctuary and led by our District Superintendent, Rev. Lilian Gallo Seagren. The Church Conference will be conducted in accordance with the Book of Discipline 2020/2024 paragraphs 246.4 through 8. All members of Collegiate/Wesley may vote. Notice of the Church Conference is being shared through CW Current, our weekly email, as well as by mail.
The purpose of this Special Called All Church Conference is to vote on the recommendation of Collegiate/Wesley’s Church Council and Board of Trustees to approve removal of Wesley Place and the marketing of the Western Properties, and to move forward with a capital campaign and planning toward these Phase 1 and Phase 2 projects:
| Phase 1 projects: Remove Wesley Place, with associated grading and landscaping revision; * Develop two-way entry drive to Lincoln Way; * Construct accessible restroom for Wesley Hall | Phase 2 projects: Repave south parking lot, with sidewalk or curb along creek and improving Hayward Ave. entry; * Develop new south building entrance with associated exterior steps and ramp; * Interior renovations associated with new south entrance, including conversion of offices at SW corner into a single Multipurpose Meeting Room; * Improve signage (interior and exterior) |
We are using the language of marketing to describe what you’re being asked to decide right now concerning the Western Properties. To market these properties is to list them for sale and to explore possible proposals for sale or other disposition. We anticipate this will be a somewhat lengthy process—possibly over the next two or three years, or longer. During that time, our footprint, our parking, and our use and leasing of spaces to tenants remain essentially unchanged.
We are seeking approval to move forward now with the marketing of the Western Properties because doing so will prepare us for next steps if and when we are ready to take them. Our site analysis clarifies the current and future costs of the continued ownership of these properties. We can’t know what possibilities exist and what their economic and programming impact will be until we invite proposals and see what emerges. This step will prepare CW to make the next set of decisions for its present and future.
What we AREN’T deciding at this time
This Church Conference and the items for approval will not include or address the projects described in our information sessions as belonging to Phase 3.
- Construction of an entrance addition at the new south entrance, with stairs and an elevator;
- Additional internal renovations to connect that entrance at the second floor and basement, and the renovation and consolidation of our office area;
- Completion of the west parking lot and west retaining wall, including additional parking spaces along the west drive).
These steps would involve additional discussions, design, and decision-making at a later date.
Similarly, the question of any sale of the Western Properties is not being decided right now. Last winter we identified, through our Conversation Circles and Leaders’ Summit, a consensus that “being able to house non-profits is a ‘nice to have’ but not a ‘need to have’ item.” When and if a proposal emerges for disposition of the Western Properties, the decision about accepting it will come before a future Church Conference. Decisions at that time will be informed by the nature of the proposal, its impact on the properties we retain, and CW’s needs, finances, and priorities as they have unfolded in the time between.
___________________________
An Update Based on Feedback Received. We asked you to get engaged in this process, and you have! We’re grateful for the good and helpful feedback, questions, and constructive ideas so many of you offered at and after the sessions we held during September.. Here’s a summary of the key take-aways, along with some questions and responses.
- Positive reactions. We heard your enthusiasm for numerous aspects of the plan and the circumstances and priorities that generated it, including:
- Better financial picture
- Better signage and wayfinding
- Ease of getting around
- Downsizing footprint
- Movement/Accessibility
- Demolition of Wesley Place
- New, clearer entrance
- Covered canopy
- Parking lot improvements
- Accessible bathroom in Wesley Hall
- Multipurpose room
- Home for CW missions (Clothing That Works and Little Food Pantry)
- What about parking? Some of us remember that Collegiate/Wesley acquired the Western Properties, 25 years ago, primarily to increase available parking for persons attending worship and other events here. The potential sale of the Western Properties raises questions about sufficient parking for our congregation today and into the future.
- The decisions before us on October 21 have no immediate impact on available parking. The spaces we use today in the area designated to be marketed would remain available until and unless a future decision is made to sell that area.
- The work of Phase 1 and Phase 2, if completed as presented, would reduce the number of parking spaces available in the main lot south of the building from 76 to 63, mostly due to added greenspace at the Hayward Ave. entrance. During this time, ample overflow parking remains in the area being marketed. If Phase 3 is completed as presented, additional parking is envisioned along the new two-way drive west of the main building which would bring the total to 80-85 spaces, much of which would be closer to the main building than the parking available today.
- Depending on a potential buyer’s planned use of the property and their parking needs, we may be able to reserve parking spaces on Sundays into the future as part of the terms of a sale of the Western Properties. We’ll know this before approving any such sale.
- Some have suggested revising the boundaries of the Western Properties we are proposing to market, to preserve more space for parking we would own. We are advised that with potential buyers whose needs and priorities may vary, it is preferable to list the parcel as is, and then to explore alternatives as negotiations unfold. A significant change in the initial outline of the parcel would likely significantly reduce the value of the parcel because the smaller area would limit what could be developed there.
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What about greenspace? If the proposals we shared in September are fully implemented, part of the greenspace south of our main building would be used for a drop-off lane and sidewalks that lead to the new south entrance.
- Most of this change would not occur until and unless Phase 3 is accomplished.
- Some new greenspace would be created west of our main building in Phase 1 with the removal of Wesley Place.
- While the loss of some current greenspace would reduce outdoor recreation space, many activities could be adapted to fit the space that remains available. We’re told that our current outdoor space is used in connection with our children and youth programming maybe a dozen times a year, plus during Vacation Bible School.
- What will happen to our non-profit tenants in the Annex? A decision to market the Western Properties raises this question because a potential buyer might raze the existing buildings and current tenants would have to relocate.
- Collegiate/Wesley bought the Western Properties in 2000 to acquire parking and to control what would be built on that property to our west. This acquisition was not made to enable us to house non-profit tenants. The plan to offer the Annex building as a home for nonprofits emerged from circumstance and has served us and the community well for these 25 years.
- As mentioned above, at our Leaders’ Summit last winter, a consensus emerged as to a number of points that included “being able to host non-profits is a ‘nice to have’ but not a ‘need to have’ item.” This conclusion was based on dozens of conversations and a day of intense consideration among a broad range of our CW leaders.
- It is possible the Annex building and these tenant spaces would remain in place even with a sale of the Western Properties. A buyer might not have a plan for that portion of the space, or might wish to continue those relationships.
- We do not take lightly the impact our decision-making about our properties is having and will have on these tenants. We intend to maintain existing leases and relationships as long as they serve our mutual purposes and we will be straightforward in helping tenants understand what we can and cannot do together.
- What will happen to Clothing That Works and the Little Food Pantry? These groups are the two mission ministries of Collegiate/Wesley that utilize dedicated space in the Annex. As such, they are not “tenants” as discussed above.
- As we have explained throughout, any plan to sell the Annex would include ensuring space for these missions.
- We do not have a definite plan for specific locations where these groups would be located if their use of space in the Annex ends. As explained above, we anticipate a period of years before these decisions would be necessary. Needs and capacity change over time, so these decisions are not yet ripe.
- Any new location for these ministries will likely look and operate differently. The space currently used by Clothing That Works (like many spaces in the Annex) is not handicapped accessible. Relocation will provide the opportunity to address these issues, for the sake of both its patrons and its volunteers.
- Are there Eagle Scout projects affected by these plans? Two Eagle Scout projects have been completed and installed in areas where changes or potential disposition are proposed. The first is a Little Free Library located next to Wesley Place, which can be relocated if that building is removed as proposed. The other is an accessibility ramp installed last fall by Caden Olsen on the west side of the Annex, which is likely unable to be repurposed. The ramp continues in service and will be useful so long as the Annex remains. In both cases, the projects served important purposes for the church and community, as well as yielding leadership skills and experience for the scouts involved. We are proud to have been part of these young people’s work toward the Eagle Scout rank.
- Why THESE projects?
- Our consultants, BBS Architects / Engineers, performed an in-depth review of our properties, their condition and use, and our priorities and values, in an effort to answer the question of their best use and any opportunities for disposition or other changes. In addition to identifying routine and ongoing maintenance needs, they identified a number of improvements that would help our properties to better serve us.
- The recommendations shared this fall are the ones that most closely match the values and priorities we articulated through our input process, and the ones that BBS and our leaders believe have the biggest potential to strengthen our ministries.
- The removal of Wesley Place and the creation of a two-way drive onto Lincoln Way will make it easier for people to find us from the west. A more obvious and inviting entrance off of Hayward, with clear signage, will help people know they’ve arrived where they meant to be. The proposed south door (in Phase 2) and entrance addition, with direct access to stairs and an elevator to all floors (in Phase 3), will make entering the building easier and improve circulation, enhancing people’s comfort and independence.. “People want to be able to find their own way,” as Matt Cole, BBS’ lead architect, told us. Having experienced the tension of not knowing, or having to ask, and maybe not finding what they were looking for, people don’t always return.
- Also in Matt’s words, “You speak the language of welcome, and inclusion, and accessibility. Your building isn’t speaking the same language you are.”
- There are projects included in the proposal that simply have to happen—most notably our main (south) parking lot. The 2024 recoating improved the surface temporarily, but multiple potholes suggest underlying ground structures need to be addressed.
- There are other improvements that we will likely want to prioritize when possible, possibly while and certainly after implementing these proposals. One example is to make the chancel area at the front of the sanctuary accessible. The chancel steps are difficult for many, and the choir and organ area are inaccessible to persons with mobility limitations. Undertaking this project will entail a larger consideration of the design and use of space at the front of our worship area which seemed beyond the scope of this project.
- With BBS’ help, our leaders have sought to maximize the impact and timing of current and future funding and obligations through responsible decisions about priorities and possibilities for the good of Collegiate/Wesley.
On a recent retreat day, I found myself led to Psalm 86. Here’s a piece of The Message version of this Psalm. As you read these words, and especially the plea at the end, I’d like you to read it on two levels.
First, are there times when you’ve needed to know someone was on your side? Maybe a “gang of thugs” wasn’t literally coming for you, but circumstances had piled up to the point you weren’t sure where to turn.
And, imagine being someone who lives with an all-too-present threat. Some of us are those people, I’m sorry to say. Many of us have not faced this daily fear of, say, an abusive family member. Or of someone who would take one look at their appearance and decide they should be deported, or belittle their value as “a DEI hire.” As we come toward PRIDE Sunday this weekend, I’m thinking of our queer kin who have known this kind of opposition and challenge. Whether we live this heaviness or only imagine it, do pause for a moment to notice this is thing for too many in our world.
Now read these words with your own experiences and that range of people in mind. Notice that these words are said by the person who has lived this distress.
Psalm 86.11-17, The Message (emphasis mine):
“From the bottom of my heart I thank you, dear Lord; I’ve never kept secret what you’re up to. You’ve always been great toward me—what love! You snatched me from the brink of disaster!… A gang of thugs is after me— and they don’t care a thing about you. But you, O God, are both tender and kind, not easily angered, immense in love, and you never, never quit. So look me in the eye and show kindness, give your servant the strength to go on, save your dear, dear child! Make a show of how much you love me so the bullies who hate me will stand there slack-jawed, As you, God, gently and powerfully put me back on my feet.”
Can you hear these words in your own self, remembering God has been there in those threatening times? I can! The day I came to this I luxuriated in those words at the end, picturing God reaching down, picking me up, and “gently and powerfully” putting me back on my feet. Have you ever needed that? Aaah.
When I think of the people I’ve known and the ones I read about in the news that need to know these words every day, part of me is really glad our holy book says this so clearly. I believe those words about God’s tenderness and kindness; I love that God is always coming after us, lifting us back up. I love thinking about these words bringing comfort, and endurance, to persons on a path that is rough, every day.
And I wonder how many have never known the God these words describe, have long since given up on believing God stands with them against that threat to their life and happiness.
Some years ago I memorized Psalm 118, which contains these words:
“Out of my distress I called upon the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
With the Lord on my side I do not fear.
What can mortals do to me?” Psalm 118.5-6 (NRSV) (emphasis mine)
I remember thinking with gladness of God setting hurting people into “broad places” like the churches I’ve known and loved. Places of healing and community, of love and forgiveness. And immediately that thought was replaced with the awareness that our churches haven’t always been those kinds of places! We’ve sometimes been places of judgment and distance, of not making room, seeing, caring enough to be a solace to a sibling in distress.
We aren’t gathered into churches just for our own healing and connection, as important as those things are. We’re also here to create that space for one another, and for others who haven’t considered the church a place where can even happen. Have you seen that? How are you living that? How are we doing that together at Collegiate/Wesley?
One tiny expression of us being that “broad place” of safety and rescue is what we’ll do THIS Sunday when we move our worship to the ISU Memorial Union and join in the Sunday PRIDE service. We’ll be saying to our LGBTQIA+ kin, with our whole selves, we are with you; we are for you. I’m imagining that morning as a time when we see God, gently and powerfully, put them, and all of us, back on our feet.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Until the day my parents dropped me off at my college dorm for the first time, I was Lee Ann. I hadn’t consciously been thinking about the possibility of becoming “Lee” when I arrived at college. But when I wandered down the hallway to meet some of my neighbors that afternoon and it came to introducing ourselves, I said I was “Lee.” And I have never once regretted it.
It was part of becoming who I am.
I saw my naming story in a reflection by Cole Arthur Riley in Black Liturgies, on the subject of “Selfhood.” She admits her first name is actually Nicole, a name that was supplanted during her childhood by Nikki—which she found too perky and happy to fit comfortably. It was during her own college years that she claimed the name Cole (her actual name without the “Ni”), which her brother had blurted out on the playground years earlier.
“And what I didn’t say then, but realized years later and miles away from him, was that I was home in that moment, flying on that rusting swing set with him, letting our bodies flail and push and do what they had to without anyone else’s gaze stuck to us. His was an honest mistake, but not every truth is found on purpose.”
I was named after my grandmothers, Irma Lee and Anna Mae, as my mom told me again and again, rocking me in the big chair in front of the heat register in the dining room of the farmhouse where I grew up. “You could have been Anna Lee,” she’d say, which sounded beautiful to me. I heard it as one word, “Annalee,” long before I could have imagined spelling it. Annalee sounded more lyrical, more delicate than the prosaic and plodding “Lee Ann.”
I’ve always thought that, if my name had been Annalee, I would have turned out different. “Who I am” would have been different.
Cole Arthur Riley describes all her names converging on her wedding day: The priest calling her Cole. Her father calling her “Nicole, Babygirl.” Her uncle calling her Nick. Nikki making an appearance. She could see all this coming even before the day arrived. “I was worried about having so many sounds of me clanging around at once. Which is to say, I was afraid of myself.”
But somehow, that experience of all those names converging turned into a kind of peace, that could “bind me to who I am when everything goes quiet at night.” She goes on:
“I’m convinced that most of the time you spend “finding yourself” is really just the practice of admitting who you already know yourself to be in the deepest part of you.”
Last Sunday I shared during our prayer time this Howard Thurman quote, from a Spelman College commencement address, that Riley includes in this reflection about her own name, her own selfhood:
“There is something in every one of you that waits, listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself—and if you cannot hear it, you will never find whatever it is for which you are searching and if you hear it and then do not follow it, it was better that you had never been born…. And if you cannot hear the sound of the genuine in you, you will all of your life spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls.”
As our season of Becoming Who We Are draws to an end this Sunday, I hope you’ve been finding some time to encounter these questions. We’ve recalled the Holy Spirit’s lively engagement with our lives—bestowing gifts and passions, calling us to serve in ways large and small, arranging us into communities of faithful people who become together more than any of us could have been or done on our own. How are you noticing things you didn’t know before? How are you opening yourself up to what has always been true, but you weren’t ready to know?
Cole Arthur Riley closes this reflection with these words:
“To be people with any concern for the dignity and liberation of everything, we must become unequivocally familiar with our own faces. We must confront those things we’ve learned to use to obscure our own image. And in divine integrity, we must stay near to ourselves.
“I need you whole. Tell me what your name is. I’ll cradle every syllable as we swing through rust for the clouds.”
____________
“Selfhood,” in Cole Arthur Riley, Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human (New York: Convergent, 2024), pp. 14-16
Uncomfortable enough?A year ago, in our September newsletter, I talked about uncomfortable. We were moving our worship service out of the building to join in the community Pride Worship, and I wanted to acknowledge that it might make you uncomfortable.
It is a bit uncomfortable when we have to figure out a different routine, and where to park, and find our spot in a different location. We have to remember which day this is happening. And how much earlier will we have to leave to make this work?
Last year was the first time we moved our worship. We’re doing it again this year, for the Pride Sunday service at the Memorial Union on Sunday October 12, as we announced last week. Last year our church showed up in force; I hope that happens again this year. Even if it made us a tad bit uncomfortable, it was also good for us. It was and is the right thing, to be part of that gathering that says to our LGBTQIA+ kin, “We’re part of one another.”
We can afford to be a little uncomfortable once in a while, for a good cause. Jesus would likely say we can’t afford not to be. He promised us abundant life (John 10:10); he didn’t promise that we’d find it by staying in our comfort zones! Jesus was more likely to talk about taking up our crosses and following him in spite of every obstacle and consequence (e.g., Luke 9.23).
Collegiate/Wesley stepped way out of any recognizable comfort zone 25 years ago next month when its members adopted a statement of reconciliation that said, in essence: All Are Welcome Here. That decision followed years of conversations, study, and exploration. It put CW at odds with the formal statement of United Methodist doctrine in our book of rules, The Discipline.
It was anything but comfortable. And it was absolutely the right thing to do.
Pastor Jena and I have conversations regularly with people who are here because—unlike some of our neighbors—we are a church that lives out that unconditional welcome you all chose 25 years ago. Just saying it isn’t enough; people can look at our website or hear our words and still wonder, “Is it safe here?” “Can I be who I am here?” They ask because it hasn’t been safe for them in other places they’ve tried. Many of our siblings have been wounded. We get to answer: Yes. Come. We are part of one another.
On Sunday, October 26 we’ll be celebrating the 25th anniversary of CW’s adoption of that courageous reconciling statement. Twenty-five years in which we’ve sought to become a place of thriving and loving and becoming who we are, together. It coincides with the Cyclones’ Homecoming weekend, so we’re inviting our Wesley alums (and anyone else who is free to join in!). What rainbow-colored joy!
So, yeah, sometimes a little discomfort is exactly what we need. I’m grateful to be serving a church that’s gone there, and helped all of us keep going there, again and again. It makes me think the question isn’t, “Does this make you feel uncomfortable?” We ought to be asking, “Am I uncomfortable enough yet?”
Come to think of it, that would be a good question to ask THIS Sunday as you visit our OpportunityFest (after worship) and ask, “What is God calling me to try out? Where might I serve?” If the answer makes you uncomfortable, you’re probably on to something!
Don’t Let It Get You DownAs we’ve been pondering spiritual gifts and how it is that we keep becoming who we are in this season, these words from a song keep coming to mind:
Oh, this could be the part of you that you ain’t never seen before
Oh, this could be the part, the part of you, you wanna be*
It’s from a song by a folk duo called Johnnyswim, which is on my most-played Spotify playlist. It’s a song of encouragement (“Don’t let it get you down!”) combined with the vision that underlies the words I quoted above, which remind me: this thing that I’m learning to do at that moment, that I’m discovering how to do for the first time? Maybe it has something to do with who I am. How I’m made. Who I wanna be.
Do you see how this relates to the conversation we’re having in worship? We get glimpses of ourselves becoming who we are from any number of circumstances. Sometimes they’re things we wanted to try out, things we felt drawn to.
Sometimes we don’t realize an aspect of who we are until we stumble into it. I often say that about my experience as pastor of Women at the Well, the congregation at the women’s prison in Mitchellville, Iowa that I served for nine years. I wouldn’t have chosen that work. I said yes to it because of a confluence of circumstances that told me I needed to. Once there, though, I discovered so much about myself: layers of empathy and compassion that I would have denied I have; an ability to connect with other human beings across layers of difference; the heart of an advocate that hadn’t really awakened yet. There were hard things that often threatened to “get me down,” that sometimes turned out to be wrapped around “the part of me I want to be.”
A week from Sunday we’re holding an OpportunityFest that is intended to help people connect to ministries and possibilities that already exist here at the church, and also to inspire us all to wonder what we’re individually excited about that could connect to our life of faith in ways we haven’t noticed yet. As I said in my message last Sunday, I want us all to leave the places we serve here or in other aspects of our lives saying, “I can’t believe I get to do this for God.”
That is possible when we’ve been open enough, adventurous enough, and perhaps determined enough to find those ways of serving that will, actually, reveal to us who we are. Who we wanna be. How God made us, all along.
Click here and have a listen to the Johnnyswim song I mentioned above. I think you’ll be singing along before it’s done.
*lyrics by Josiah Bell / Abner Pedro Ramirez / Amanda Sudano Ramirez (2016) © Emi Blackwood Music Inc
PRIDE SundayWe’re MOVING our worship for Sunday, October 12 to the ISU Memorial Union, where we'll join a number of Ames faith communities in a combined Pride Sunday worship service. Our schedule for that day is as follows:
- 8:45-9:30 Sunday School for All Ages–ending early so we can get
to worship at the MU! - 9:15-10:15 Our Church Bus will make repeated trips from the
west (Annex) parking lot to the MU. Riders need to be
physically able to board and leave the bus without assistance. - OR, you can walk to the MU from our church with a group of
walkers, departing from our NE entrance at 9:30 a.m. or at 9:40 - 10:00 Worship begins AT the MU We will not gather in our
sanctuary that morning. Worship will be shared online; we’ll
send a link closer to the date. - 11:15-ish Worship ends, cookies are served, and return bus service begins back to Annex lot
Parking is available at the MU ($5 parking fee for up to 2 hours). The Memorial Union utilizes a convenient payment system with pay stations located throughout the building, accepting VISA, Mastercard and Discover. This is your best option if you have any accessibility challenges.
What will worship look like?
All ages! A kid-friendly space will be set up in the worship area.
Time for you to visit one or more stations that reflect various spiritual traditions, including Holy Communion, Anointing, Lighting of candles, Ritual of release, and more.
A message offered by Jean Carlos Diaz, a gay, Puerto Rican speaker, storyteller, and leader in the Twin Cities. He serves as Director of Campus Ministry at Neon / Wesley Foundation at the University of Minnesota. Neon is a student group committed to social justice (for people and the planet) and spirituality (shaped by Jesus and joy).
Music, prayer, and people—precious children of God—who have longed to be welcomed, affirmed, valued, and allowed to serve. (Those people include all of us, BTW.) As we show up together, we claim our solidarity with one another.
Learn more at https://www.pridesundayames.org/.
Join by livestream at THIS link. (You won’t find it at our regular livestream places!)
We can talk and plan, hope and pray, create committees and set goals. But the real question is what happens when the rubber hits the road. What does all this look like, on the ground? Is it just talk, or are we going to do something with it?
Coming into 2025, we knew this would be a rubber hits the road time. We had just initiated a Site Analysis project that we knew would generate a range of insights and possibilities. And it has! This Sunday we come to the roll-out of our consultants’ recommendations. We’ll be deciding, over the coming weeks and months, whether and how the rubber of these ideas hits the road here at Collegiate/Wesley.
That phrase—the rubber hitting the road—has been, for me, intertwined with questions of faith for many decades. A long-ago pastor would use that phrase in nearly every Bible study. We’d read Scripture, and talk about what it meant, and how it connected to the themes of faith. But eventually, before class was over, this pastor would ask, “So where does the rubber hit the road?” He wanted us to get it that it was never enough to just talk about Scripture, or faith, or ideals of behavior or intention; this was no intellectual pursuit. If all this matters at all, it matters enough to affect what we do on the ground, day-to-day.
I think of this often when I’m preparing my message for Sunday morning. Most weeks I’m pretty certain I can share something interesting, truths that are worth hearing. But will it change anything? Will that particular preaching-rubber hit the road of your lives? or even my own?
It feels to me like we’re living through a time when a lot of rubber is hitting a lot of roads, in our nation. Things that have been said or done in our nation are generating consequences in real people’s lives in the form of a young conservative leader, Charlie Kirk, gunned down on Wednesday, in shootings and lockdowns in way too many of our schools, in immigrants rounded up and taking cover, in voting maps redrawn to achieve, or counter, political partisanship, in countless stories of people demonized because of aspects of their identity, their beliefs, or their political affiliation.
In contrast to that pastor’s fear that we would simply entertain ideas without letting them meaningfully affect our lives, this time in our nation demonstrates the opposite risk: the fallout and costs of too-reactive a response to ideas, especially those that express and breed division, hate, and violence. That rubber has hit the road so very heavily in this season. Are you pondering, with me, where we went wrong, no matter which side of the political aisle we claim?
When we get the balance wrong—from inaction on the one hand to over-reactive on the other—it seems to me the fault lies in the failure of relationship. Jesus gave us this one undeniable command, to love God and to love one another. Love involves a kind of trust that we can act, that we can lean one direction or another and remain in healthy relationships with others who lean differently. It involves us seeing and honoring the incontrovertible humanity and goodness of others at the same time we don’t always agree with their actions. It calls us to choose connection rather than dividedness, and to dwell in peace together whenever possible, while still not denying our own truths of who we are and how God is calling us.
I wish we saw more of that in our nation right now. To be honest, I long for more of that to be true even in my own self.
Which brings me back to this time that we’re in as a church. We’ll soon be figuring out whether and how the rubber hits the road in response to the Site Analysis recommendations. We set as a goal for 2025 that we would “work diligently toward making and implementing strategic decisions about our purpose, future, and direction as a church.” That goal has been part of this work all through this year.
We do all this as people who have chosen relationship with one another—through our membership in this faith community that we share, and through our first allegiance to God through Jesus Christ that (I hope!) even more deeply defines us. Collegiate/Wesley has long been a church unafraid of leaving lasting, visible tracks of love and inclusion, as we’ve claimed who we are again and again. I’m praying that our conversations around what comes next will be suffused by all these truths, and our relationships strengthened by all that happens along the way.
An Update on Wesley Student MinistryThank you, Lord!
Since beginning my role on July 1, I’ve learned so much about our ministry with students at Iowa State! Even before that, I attended orientation sessions two or three times a week in June to meet other campus ministers and see what their ministries looked like. It was important to connect faces with churches, and also to understand what each community truly believes. Words like “open” and “affirming” don’t always mean “progressive” or “inclusive.”
This summer, Claire—our student ministry intern—and I traveled to Dallas, TX, for a national campus ministry conference. We networked, shared resources, swapped business cards, and learned a lot about how other ministries operate. Thank you for making that opportunity possible!
One lesson we carried home: our ministry won’t look exactly like anyone else’s—and it won’t look the same as it has in the past. We’ll try new things. Some will succeed, some won’t. But through it all, God will use us to make a difference in the lives of students, faculty, and staff.
To kick off the semester, we hosted three Grillin’ & Chillin’ nights. We fired up the grill, gathered on the patio, and welcomed students. The first week, I thought we had 19 students when the evening was winding down. But 20 sounds better—so I ran across the street, invited a guy who was taking pictures of the church, and he joined us. Just like that, we hit 20!
During ISU Welcome Weekend, we handed out nearly 1,000 bottles of water (with Wesley koozies), energy packets, and granola bars. Our goal was simple: keep students safe, hydrated, and cared for. The football game that weekend was livestreamed from Ireland in Stephens Auditorium, and many students appreciated the snacks!
We also welcomed students back on the first days of classes, cheering them on as they hurried to class or home. A few even stopped for “first day” photos. When a CyRide bus pulled up by the church, we offered treats to drivers and passengers alike. That’s also how I met my new friend, Spencer!
Our second Grillin’ & Chillin’ was full of food and great conversations. That same evening, Pastor Lee, I, Claire, Bibhas, and Carter attended Welcome Fest on campus to spread the word about our ministry. Divide and conquer worked beautifully—thank you, Lord!
Another exciting first: the Residence Life Association (RLA) hosted FaithFest, an event showcasing campus ministries in Ames. FaithFest happened to fall on the same night as our third Grillin’ & Chillin’, but we packed up quickly and still enjoyed a wonderful evening on the patio. Smiles were everywhere as Pastor Lee, Pastor Erika, Claire, and I joined the crowd on the patio.
Yes—Pastor Erika! She is serving as Interim Redevelopment Pastor for the ELCA Lutheran Campus Ministry at ISU and has asked to partner with us. She’ll be present with us a couple of times a month and will encourage ELCA students to participate in our ministry. What a gift to share in this work together!
By the time you read this, ClubFest will be over, but right now our swag is piled in my office and ready to load in the truck. Student Engagement expects more than 10,000 students to attend. Our hope is to spread the word about Wesley, invite students into community, and send them away with a “little Jesus.”
Moving forward, I’ll continue to meet students for coffee on Tuesday mornings in Campustown or on campus, sharing Christ with students, professors, and staff. Bible studies are taking shape, and we are following up with students we’ve met through events. So far, we’ve reached out to about 145 students (100 from events/referrals and 45 from parking connections).
Please remember: you can refer students you know—your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, neighbors, or friends’ kids. ISU is full of connections waiting to be made!
This is an exciting season of ministry. Students are hungry to grow in faith, explore Scripture, and build relationships with God and one another. Please keep this ministry in your prayers.
None of this would be possible without the vision of those who came before us, and the faithful leadership of our church and Wesley Foundation board to continue this ministry. Thank you for your guidance, patience, and support as I learn (and sometimes double-book myself!). Thank you, Claire, for your creativity, connections, and social media work. And Pastor Lee—your wisdom continues to guide me. And of course, Janelle who keeps track of everything and Doug who cares for our equipment and connects me with parking guests! Thank you, all!
Blessings abound!
Rev. Jena – your associate pastor and campus minister
RALLY SeasonFor some years, many churches have used the language of “Rally Sunday” to describe the return to Sunday School. We refer to it here as our Sunday School Kick-off, which is this coming weekend. Whether or not we use the word “rally,” that word describes the spirit of this time. We’re coming back together, getting started again, settling in, moving forward.
This term has military resonance. Troops rally, after a defeat, or in coming back together after they’ve been dispersed. It’s also a health term. Someone who recovers physically, or in spirit—especially unexpectedly—might be described as having “rallied.” Today we hear “rally” and many of us think of standing with others, signs in hand, for the protest of the hour.
I looked up the etymology of this word “rally” and it’s interesting. It’s from an Old French verb ralier, “reassemble,” or “unite again.” Which is itself formed from the prefix re- (meaning “again”) and alier (meaning “to join” or “ally”).
I like that. To rally is to re-ally. To get together again not just physically but as allies, as people trying to do something together. When the Bible uses this term, God joins the effort. You can see this when Nehemiah says, “Rally to us wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet. Our God will fight for us.” (Neh 4.20.)
Looking at what’s before us at Collegiate/Wesley, there’s a lot of rallying going on in this season. We’ll rally this weekend for Sunday School, and on Wednesday evening for supper and for programming for our kids and youth. Our music groups are rallying with their first fall practices already, or soon. We’re rallying as a church as we think about next steps with our properties, with the Congregational Lunch meeting and other presentations you’ll read about in this week’s email. We’re planning an OpportunityFest on September 28 when we’ll be helping you connect (re-ally) with ways of learning and serving that you haven’t considered yet.
Even our next worship series that starts Sunday has an element of rallying. If we can rally in terms of health or good spirits, could we dare to believe that God wants us to rally as we become more fully who God has created us to be? There’s health and wholeness involved in letting go of what doesn’t fit us, and expanding into the shape and purpose that does. We’ll be talking about that in this season.
I can’t help hearing Les Mis, echoing.
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes.
c. Claude Michel Schonberg, Do You Hear the People Sing? lyrics, © Alain Boublil Music Ltd., Chester Music, Productions Bagad, Boublil Alain Editions Musicales Sart.
Our Site Analysis & Next Steps
Including a Congregational Lunch Meeting on Sunday, September 14
As most of you know, we’ve spent a lot of time this year working through a Site Analysis process with our consultant, BBS Architects | Engineers. Many of you have participated in information sessions we’ve offered over the past year, and a series of Conversation Circles and a Leaders’ Summit in February. Over the past few months, our leaders have been weighing next steps and preparing to share with our congregation about what has emerged, and what’s coming next.
So, NOW IS THE TIME. With our church community back together, after summer break and travels, it’s time to gather to move this process forward. YOU ARE INVITED to join in a Congregational Lunch Meeting on Sunday, September 14 where our leaders—along with representatives of BBS—will share the long-anticipated report that includes specific proposals for next steps relating to our buildings and properties, and how we developed them. You’ll learn our next steps to get from here to actual decisions.
Here are the details on the Congregational Lunch Meeting:
Sunday, September 14—11:15am-1:00 pm in Wesley Hall
Boxed lunches will be served, and we can adjust for food allergies or special needs.
Child care is available for kids 6 and under starting at 11:30 (after the lunch).
Please send your RSVP at this link so we can plan all this for you!
CAN’T MAKE IT ON SEPTEMBER 14? Or want more conversation on these proposals?
We’ll hold two additional info sessions with the same presentation (though without our friends from BBS), and all are welcome, whether or not you’ve joined in on the 14th:
- Wednesday, September 17 in the Norman Room, 6:15-7:15 pm (child care available with Wednesday evening programming)
- Sunday, September 21
- Presentation during Forum class, 9:00-9:45am in the Norman Room
- Feedback session after worship in Wesley Hall, 11:30-12:30 pm (child care available for children under 6).
We’ll also have a printed copy of our presentation slides to share with those who cannot attend at the scheduled times, or who were present but want to review this information at their leisure. If you have questions, concerns, or input about what you’ve learned, our leaders will be glad to hear from you at times other than our scheduled sessions. Especially consider contacting Jane Jacobson, our Lay Leader, or one or more of the members of our Site Analysis Oversight Team:
Max Morris, Church Council Chair
Lee Schott, Lead Pastor
Jeff Elver, Finance Chair
Ann Sandine, Council Member
David Orth
Chris Strawhacker
We will be gathering feedback and making any needed adjustments to plans and/or timelines depending on what we hear from YOU. If it seems helpful to schedule additional feedback / listening sessions, we will share those plans in the coming weeks. Our proposed actions will require approval by a church conference—possibly as early as October—with all Collegiate UMC & Wesley Foundation members having a vote, so we want you to be prepared and ready when we get to that stage.
As always, please be praying for our leaders and for our church as we approach these sessions, these decisions, and our ongoing life together as we take actions that will support God’s long, continuing work through Collegiate/Wesley.
2025 June Communicator
Inside you’ll find information about
- Farewell for Pastor Lewis
- Welcome to Pastor Jena
- Trustees’ Spring Spruce Up Day
- What’s coming in Worship
- Upcoming parades – Marchers wanted!
- and more!
Click here to read: 2025 May Communicator
Inside you’ll find information about
- C/W to Welcome Rev. Jena Finch-Manchester
- Site Analysis Update
- Trustees’ Spring Spruce Up Day
- Grants awarded by the Byrne Fund
- Patio Party and Concert
- What’s coming in Worship
- Vacation Bible School
- Other Upcoming Events
- and more!
Spring SocialFriday, May 2nd.
Dinner on the Patio at 5:30 pm and a lovely concert by Bobby Jo Valentine to follow at 7:00 pm.
Spring SocialWe’ll gather for fellowship, food, and folk/pop music on Friday, May 2, starting at 5:30 for our Patio Party and continuing in the sanctuary with a Concert featuring Bobby Jo Valentine, an award-winning songwriter and vocalist. It’ll be fun for all ages, and a great time to bring a friend or connect with someone you haven’t seen for a while. You can help us plan for numbers with an RSVP at this link!
Bobby Jo ValentineBobby Jo Valentine’s music exists outside the lines of any genre, but the music’s thoughtful, spirit focused lyrics and catchy melodies reach listeners across all walks of life. The poetic nature and spiritual focus of his stories and songs has resulted in notable awards and a growing, loyal following around the country. He’s found a voice with original, hopeful songs about the gentle everyday spiritual awakenings of an openhearted life.
Growing up and emerging out of a Baptist Church of strict lines and sharp edges, Bobby Jo Valentine has emerged into a larger, kinder, more welcoming faith…one that is excited to learn, open to growth, and focused on love.
Along with theatres, house concerts, and many other kinds of stages, Bobby is often invited to offer his stories and songs at faith communities around the nation. Among others, he has been invited to perform for The Wild Goose Festival, the international Emerge Conference, and the 2017 General Synod of the United Church of Christ. His music has won Song of the Year twice at West Coast Songwriter’s Association, and his work has appeared on radio, TV, and feature films. He has performed artist residencies, hosted songwriting workshops, and been involved in helping communities of all types use their spaces and voice in more creative and powerful ways.
Bobby currently hails from Northern California, and is ecstatic any time he can discuss the big questions, challenge the easy answers, and inspire people to move closer to love.
You can hear music, watch performances, and get information on catching a show at www.bobbyjovalentine.com
2025 April CommunicatorClick here to read:
Inside you’ll find information about
- Holy Week services
- Site Analysis Update
- Our Money Story – Enduring Gifts
- Patio Party and Concert
- Other Upcoming Events
- and more!
At the close of worship on Sunday, we shared a vital staff announcement: Our campus minister and associate pastor, Lewis Cox, will be leaving Collegiate/Wesley this summer. Here’s how Lewis describes the discernment that led to this change:
It is with a heavy heart and lots of discernment that I shared in worship that I will be transitioning out of my role here as your Associate Pastor and Campus Minister. All transitions are complicated, but especially ones where what is happening next is not entirely easy to explain. The most succinct answer that I have to the “What’s next for Lewis?” question is that I will be starting a year-long Clinical Pastoral Education Residency at Unity Point Hospital in Des Moines. This program, abbreviated as CPE, is one part serving as a Hospital Chaplain (visiting patients, providing pastoral care, partaking in sacraments, leading chapel services) and one part education in pastoral care in a hospital setting.
You may recall we have been celebrating the recent news that Lewis completed the process last February to be approved for ordination as an elder in the United Methodist Church. Here’s Lewis again:
This summer at our state-wide gathering of United Methodists, I am up for ordination as an Elder. Ordination as an Elder is a life-long commitment to Word, Order, Sacrament, and Service, or as one of our students lovingly put it, “it’s like tenure but for pastors.”
Lewis wants us to know these decisions were not made lightly, but only after much prayer, discernment, encouragement, wise voices, and kind words.
This transition will occur in June or July, so Lewis will remain in his current role until then. Our SPRC (Staff/Parish Relations Committee) and the Wesley Board are already at work to communicate about this opening in our staff and to plan for this transition, in cooperation with our Bishop’s Cabinet and our District Superintendent.
As we move through this time of transition, we’d ask your prayers
· for Lewis and all that lies ahead for him;
· for our leaders and staff here at Collegiate/Wesley who will be working through this transition and welcoming our next campus minister and associate pastor;
· for our Wesley Center students and our ongoing ministry to and with the ISU community.
And perhaps most importantly, we ask your prayers for our next campus minister who will, we hope, join our staff this summer, whether they come through the UMC’s appointive process or more informal means. We trust that the Holy Spirit is already at work bringing that about, as we continue our faithful ministry through Collegiate/Wesley.
We hope this finds you safe and warm in the midst of this March blizzard. With travel not advised through our whole area, even though the snow will end and winds relent a bit by evening, it seems wise to allow all of us to stay hunkered down for this day. So we’ll be observing “Ash Sunday” this weekend, with the imposition of ashes that we would have done tonight. *Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday! Spring ahead!*
Today still marks, though, even in our separateness, the start of this season of Lent. Since we won’t be together to share the traditional Invitation to a Holy Lent, I’m sending them here to spur your thought and prayer as we enter this season:
Dear siblings in Christ:
the early Christians observed with great devotion
the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection,
and it became the custom of the Church that before the Easter celebration
there should be a forty-day season of spiritual preparation.
During this season converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism.
It was also a time when persons who had committed serious sins
and had separated themselves from the community of faith
were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness,
and restored to participation in the life of the Church.
In this way the whole congregation was reminded
of the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ
and the need we all have to renew our faith.
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church,
to observe a holy Lent:
by self-examination and repentance;
by prayer, fasting, and self-denial;
and by reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word.
To make a right beginning of our turning toward God,
and as a mark of our morta nature,
let us now kneel (or bow) before our Creator and Redeemer.
a brief silence is kept
Amen.
Today’s devotional is from our lenten worship series, “Everything [in] Between: Meeting God in the Midst of Extremes.” If you’d like to sign up for a daily devotional to be emailed to you, visit: https://cwames.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2772903
Due to the incoming weather forecast and ACSD cancelling classes for Wednesday March 5th we have updates on the following:
CHANGES for Wednesday March 5th:
- Mens Coffee-Canceled
- Clothing that Works-Canceled
- Weekly Meal-Canceled
- Youth/Children Activities- Canceled
Please check in tomorrow (3/5/25) for an update on the Ash Wednesday Service planned for 6:30 pm. We’ll communicate our decision by 3:30 pm.
2025 March CommunicatorClick here to read:
Inside you’ll find information about
- Lenten Worship
- Site Analysis Update
- Our Money Story – Endowment Fund
- Byrne Endowment Funds, Endowment Funds, and G.S. Nichols Scholarships Available
- Wesley Center News
- Upcoming Events
- and more!
Byrne Endowment Fund 2025 Applications We welcome proposals for grant funding to support United Methodist associated groups and individuals in mission work, with an emphasis on international work as well as local missions. These funds are made available by the generosity of Dennis Byrne and his commitment to support mission projects that have at their core efforts acts of justice, compassion and mercy. The grant proposal process is coordinated by the Byrne Endowment Fund Team.
To find this years application click here.
For full consideration, submit grant proposals by Monday, March 24th 2025.
CHANGES for the day, TWO CONVERSATION CIRCLE invitations & Zoom Links
With the snow accumulation for our area and the fact that Ames schools have cancelled school for the day, we’ve cancelled all our onsite events here at Collegiate/Wesley. However, a few activities will happen online. See the details below:
- Men’s 9:30 Coffee: Cancelled
- Conversation Circle at 1:15 pm: On Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84435839579?pwd=1y8ATVJPkH3sbFBqs7dzaLg6pmZDWY.1
- Clothing that Works: Cancelled
- Kids & youth activities & evening meal: Cancelled.
- Choir & bell choir rehearsals: Cancelled
- Wesley Center: On Zoom at 6:00 pm https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88917549646
- Anam Cara: On Zoom with Conversation Circle at 7:00 pm (link being sent directly to group members)
There’s room for YOU in the 1:15 pm Conversation Circle. You’re welcome to join in at the above link. Would love to include your voice in this important effort!
If there’s interest in a 6:30 pm Conversation Circle, WE’LL ADD IT. Please contact Pastor Lee directly and if we get to at least five participants, we’ll make it happen! Be in touch by 3 pm at lee@cwames.org OR 515/423-0771 (text or call) to get in on this opportunity!
Be safe out there today!
Pride Worship September 15Our worship for September 15 is MOVING to the ISU Memorial Union, where we’ll join a number of faith communities in a combined Pride Worship Service. Our schedule for that day is as follows: 8:45-9:30 Sunday School for All Ages–ending early so we can get to worship at the MU! * 9:15-10:15 Our Church Bus will make repeated trips from the west (Annex) parking lot to the MU. + *Riders need to be physically able to board and leave the bus without assistance. * 9:30 FIRST group of walkers depart from the NE entrance–to the MU * 9:40 SECOND group of walkers depart from the NE entrance–to the MU * 10:00 Worship begins AT the MU (We will not gather in our sanctuary that morning.) * 11:00ish Worship ends, cookies are served, and return bus service begins back to Annex lot
Parking is available at the MU ($5 parking fee for up to 2 hours). The Memorial Union utilizes a convenient payment system with pay stations located throughout the building. Visitors may also pay as they are leaving the ramp via the pay station located at the exit. We accept VISA, Mastercard and Discover. This is your best option if you have any accessibility challenges.Worship will include:* All ages! A kid-friendly space will be set up in the worship area. * Time for you to visit one or more stations that reflect various spiritual traditions, including Holy Communion, Anointing, Lighting of candles, Ritual of release, and more. * A message offered by Miss Penny Cost a/k/a Isaac Simonson, reportedly the first Drag Queen in the world to become a Certified Candidate for ordination within the United Methodist Church. Her work resides at the intersection of queerness and spirituality (with a dose of JOY.) Learn more at her website. * Music, prayer, and people—precious children of God—who have longed to be welcomed, affirmed, valued, and allowed to serve. (Those people include all of us, BTW.) As we show up together, we claim our solidarity with one another.
If you prefer to worship online that day, we’ll be posting the link on Facebook and we’ll send it in our communications over the coming weeks. The service will be uploaded to our YouTube channel after the event. Community Pride Worship on Sunday, September 15This year, Ames Pridefest will be held on Saturday, September 14. In Ames, the
LGBTQIA+ community comes together to celebrate Pride in the fall to allow ISU
students to participate. In celebration with the community, 11 Ames religious
organizations have come together to plan this year’s interfaith Community Pride
Worship service for Sunday, September 15 at 10:00 a.m. The service will be held at the
ISU Memorial Union in the combined Sun Room and South Ballroom and also available
by livestream. Last year’s worship service was an amazing time of community. You can
still watch it here: https://youtube.com/live/YCxHCwIRVDo
Why celebrate Pride? Pride events commemorate the uprising after a NYC gay bar
called the Stonewall Inn was brutally raided by police in 1969. At that time, illegal bars
and nightclubs were the only places it was safe to be openly gay in the US. In our
religious institutions, many people have been made unwelcome even decades later. To
celebrate Pride is to renounce harm and affirm the dignity, equality, and inclusion of all
LGBTQIA+ people.
September 2024 Communicator
Click 2024 September Communicator to read it:
Inside you’ll find information about
- Sunday School & Small Group Opportunities
- A New Little Free Library
- Pride Events
- Trustees, Endowment Board, and Music Department Updates
At Collegiate Wesley there are so many opportunities to Invite, Experience, Grow and Serve! Take a look at this Falls Opportunity booklet to view some of the great small groups, clusters, committees, service opportunities, sermon series information and so much more!
You can view the booklet here: Fall 2024 Opportunity Booklet
August 2024 Communicator
Click 2024 August Communicator to read it:
Inside you’ll find information about
- Message from Pastor Lee
- What’s Coming in Worship
- Summary & Photos of H.S. Service Trip
- Photos from July Activities
- Trustees and Garden Committee Updates
- Grant Money available from Endowment Board
- Volunteer Opportunities & Donations Requested
God & Country film & discussionYou are invited to a FREE showing of the 90-minute documentary on the dangerous rise of Christian nationalism in the U.S., God & Country, on Thursday, September 26th at 6:00 pm. at the Collegiate Wesley Annex (130 S. Sheldon Ave.). Complimentary popcorn will be provided. Bring your own drink. Watch the movie trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTQKmR6a9fw. Connie Ryan of Interfaith Alliance of Iowa will lead a discussion afterwards. Share this invitation widely; here’s a link to the God and Country Poster.
A Screening and Discussion of the Film 1946
Join us on Sunday, July 28 as we join affirming congregations in the Des Moines metro for a special showing of and conversation about the film 1946 which chronicles how the word “homosexual” got added to the Bible in that year. It’ll be at 1:30 pm the Varsity, in the Drake neighborhood in Des Moines. Here’s a link for more info and a link for you to buy tickets. Please reply to Janelle (janelle@cwames.org) if you’d like to join the carpool, leaving at 12:30 pm from the Collegiate Wesley parking lot. If you’d like to attend but the cost is an issue, Janelle can help with that as well.
More about the event and Film:
1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture
Sun, Jul 28 @ Varsity Cinema1:30 pm special 30-minute panel discussion with local religious leadersDirector: Sharon Roggio Run Time: 92 min. Release Year: 2022
Starring: Dr. Trevor W. Thompson, Ed Oxford, Kathy Baldock, Pastor Salvatore Roggio, Sharon “Rocky” Roggio
Seeking to uncover the origins of the rabid homophobia of the conservative church, a gay seminary scholar and a straight activist make a shocking discovery: In 1946 an erroneous translation of the term homosexual in the Bible that has been weaponized against the LGBTQIA+ community ever since.
Varsity Cinema, the Affirming Congregations of Greater Des Moines, the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, and Capital City Pride bring you this documentary that reveals how the first use of the word homosexual in the Bible in 1946 was the “mistranslation that shifted a culture.” Join us to learn how this error occurred and how it spread. Then, stick around for a 30-minute panel discussion with local religious leaders who are actively working to build acceptance of LGBTQ+ people with a message of full welcome and inclusion.
The panel will be moderated by Wes Mullins, Executive Director of Capital City Pride.
(The Affirming Congregations of Greater Des Moines: Downtown Disciples, Capitol Hill Lutheran, Covenant Christian Church, the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, Grace United Methodist, Heartland Presbyterian, New Beginnings Christian Church, Plymouth Congregational, St. Andrew’s Episcopal, St. James Lutheran, St John’s Lutheran, St. John’s United Methodist, St. Paul’s Episcopal, St. Timothy’s Episcopal, Urbandale United Church of Christ, and Walnut Hills United Methodist.)
Inside you’ll find information about
-
- Message from Pastor Lee
- What’s Coming in Worship
- Info for Children, Youth & Families
- Photos from June Activities
- Trustees and Garden Committee Updates
- Grant Money available from Endowment Board
- Volunteer Opportunities & Donations Requested
2024 July Communicator
Inside you’ll find information about
- Onboarding Process for Pastor Lee
- What’s Coming in Worship/Livestreamed Worship
- Info for Children, Youth & Families
- Photos from May Activities
- Trustees Update
- Sending to Serve
- Volunteer Opportunities & Donations Requested
2024 June Communicator
VBS 2024We are excited to host vacation bible school this year Sunday, June 2nd – Wednesday June, 5th from 5:30-7:30 pm with a free dinner at 5:00 pm. We welcome current preschoolers through 5th graders for a time of music, crafts, games, science, FUN and more. Come for one day or all four! You are welcome whenever you can be there.
This year we will also have an option for youth 6th-8th grade to participate in a service VBS. Each night there will be a different project for them to complete. Youth are also welcome to be volunteers if they would rather work with the younger participants.
About the theme: As the Campers experience the stories through music, drama and storytelling, games, arts and crafts, science, and even snacks, they learn ways to connect with and trust God. And best of all, they understand they can connect with God at VBS, church, home, and every area of their lives. This unique Vacation Bible School program from Cokesbury Kids VBS invites children on an exciting journey where they learn to trust God no matter what situation life brings, know God is always with them, and feel confident in sharing the good news of God’s love through Jesus Christ.
Camp Callout (Theme Verse): “Whenever I’m afraid, I put my trust in you.” (Psalm 56:3)
If you’d like to sign-up please register in advance here: VBS 2024
If you are interested in volunteering please sign-up at this link: VBS Volunteers
Dennis Byrne Endowment FundWe welcome proposals for grant funding to support United Methodist associated groups and individuals in mission work, with an emphasis on international work as well as local missions. These funds are made available by the generosity of Dennis Byrne and his commitment to support mission projects that have at their core efforts acts of justice, compassion and mercy. The grant proposal process is coordinated by the Byrne Endowment Fund Team. The team meets regularly throughout the year to administer the proposal process.
For full consideration, submit grant proposals by Friday, May 31st
Application Link
May 2024 Communicator* Inside you’ll find information about
+ Pastor Mary’s Retirement Picnic
+ What’s Coming in Worship/Livestreamed Worship
+ Highlight Hallway
+ Info for Children, Youth & Families
+ Vacation Bible School
+ Trustees Update
+ Sending to Serve
+ Volunteer Opportunities & Donations Requested
+ Wesley Center News
2024 May Communicator
April 2024 CommunicatorInside you’ll find information about
- What’s Coming in Worship/Livestreamed Worship
- Vacation Bible School
- Youth Service Trips
- Adult Sunday School Classes
- Our Prayers
- Trustees Update
- Sending to Serve – AIRA and United Way
- Volunteer Opportunities & Donations Requested
- Wesley Center News
2024 April Communicator
March 2024 CommunicatorInside you’ll find information about
- A Message from Pastor Mary
- Coming in Worship/Livestreamed Worship/
- Holy Week
- Info for Children Youth and Families
- Adult Sunday School
- Music at CW / Our Prayers / Easter Tulips
- Trustees Update
- Endowment Board Grants
- Sending to Serve
- Volunteer Opportunities and
- Donations Requested
- Community ID Drive
- 100th Birthday Party Invite
2024 March Communicator
Announcing Reverend Lee Schott
Pastor Mary will retire in June after four years at this church. In the United Methodist church, the Bishop appoints new pastors. Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai and her cabinet considered ten ministers for our church. I am pleased to announce that Rev. Lee Schott has been appointed as our pastor starting July 1, 2024. Her bio is below.
Since July 2020, Lee Roorda Schott has served as pastor of Valley United Methodist Church in West Des Moines, Iowa. She comes to this work from nine years as pastor of Women at the Well in Mitchellville, a church based inside the walls of the Iowa women’s prison. That work planted in her a vision of the church outside the prison embracing persons right in their communities who face challenges like the ones we see so often inside the prison: addiction, mental illness, sexual assault and domestic violence. The church on the whole is impoverished by the absence–and the silence–of those experiences and voices in our midst. Her 2019 book, Foolish Church: Messy, Raw, Real, and Making Room, seeks to cast this vision for the church outside the prison. She is also the author of The Fools’ Manual, a Foolish Church study guide, and Job, a 2011 bible study in Abingdon’s Immersion series.
Lee previously served (2003-2011) as co-pastor of Polk City United Methodist Church, a small-town church near the Des Moines metro. A 2007 graduate, with honors, of Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri, Lee was ordained an elder in the United Methodist Church in 2009.
Lee’s ministry career follows what she had thought would be a career in law. After graduating from college at the University of Iowa, she went east to Harvard Law School and began her career at a law firm in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1995 she and her family moved home to Iowa and she worked as an in-house lawyer at a life insurance company in Des Moines. A lifelong United Methodist, she sensed a call from God after she began praying in earnest at the age of nearly 40. Her ministry has combined a delight in the creativity and wonder of worship with a deep commitment to social justice and how we mobilize the church to be a Spirit-led force to transform the world.
Lee was raised on her family’s century farm near Prairie City, Iowa. This year she and her husband Daniel will celebrate 40 years of marriage. They are the parents of three grown sons who all live in central Iowa. Lee is surrounded by proud Cyclone friends and relatives, including her late mother and her brother and middle son William.
We are excited to welcome Pastor Lee in July and celebrate this remaing time with Pastor Mary.
February 2024 CommunicatorInside you’ll find information about
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- Lent 2024
- Coming in worship in February
- Updates from Music Ministry, Trustees, Nichols Scholarship, Sending to Serve
- Wesley Center News
- and more….
2024 February Communicator
January 2024 CommunicatorInside you’ll find information about
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- What’s Coming in Worship
- The Conference Epiphany Worship service
- New AED’s in the building
- Our Music Ministry
- CAT Survey Update
- and more….
2024 January Communicator
December 2023 CommunicatorInside you’ll find information about
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- Advent & Christmas Schedule
- Updates from Church Council
- Wesley Center Updates
- Advent Special Offering
- and more…..
2023 December Communicator
Cat SurveyCat Survey Link
The CAT or Church Assessment Tool is available to the Collegiate Wesley community beginning today, Sunday, November 12.
Before curiosity kills the CAT, here is some information you may want to know.
- Who should complete the CAT? Every individual who is a part of the CW community from confirmands through our church elders. Each voice at each life stage is important to hear.
- What is the CAT? The Church Assessment Tool is a survey of about 100 questions, mostly multiple choice. It is designed to collect information on what We think are the strengths and needs of our church.
- When will the CAT be available? The survey is open from today, November 12, and closes on December 3.
- How does one complete the CAT? You may complete and submit it online. If you prefer a paper copy, they will be available from the Church Office and following worship on November 19, 26, and December 3.
- Why complete the CAT? The Bishop and her Cabinet requested it to assist them in selecting our next senior pastor. Their selection process begins in early January, hence it is imperative that we complete the survey in the next three weeks. In addition, the Church Council plans to use the data to inform the Visionary Budget project.
- The Bishop and the CW Church Council need to hear YOUR VOICE. This is your opportunity to speak your thoughts, dreams, and concerns about what CW needs for our future.
- We appreciate you taking the time to complete this important survey.
Advent CommunicatorInside you’ll find information about
- A message from Pastor Mary
- Advent Sermon Series
- Worship Experiences
- Children and Youth Opportunities
- Advent Special Offering
- Special Events
- And more!
Advent Communicator 2023
Learning from our Neighbors
Immigrant and Refugee Dinner
Sunday, November 12, 2023
Collegiate United Methodist Church/Wesley Foundation
Wesley Hall
Program
5:00 PM Welcome and Dinner
5:45 PM Program
- Personal stories from immigrants and refugees to the United States
- Small group discussions of what we’ve learned tonight and what we can do to make life better and safer for immigrants in the Ames area
7:00 PM Wrap up, send off, and Adjourn
There is an opportunity for a free will offering to support the efforts of AIRA (Ames Interfaith Refugee Alliance) and ASIP (Ames Sanctuary Interfaith Partners). Checks can be made to Collegiate United Methodist Church and in the memo line write ‘Helping Our Neighbors’.
You Are Invited!The Church Council invites you to attend any of the three informational meetingsfocusing on the future fiscal strategies of Collegiate UMC and Wesley Foundation. TheCouncil will be sharing information gathered by the Visionary Budget Team and outliningfuture steps we are planning to take. There will be an opportunity to ask questions andshare your […]
Inside you’ll find information about
- Holy Week Services
- Wesley Center News
- Nichols Scholarship & Dennis Byrne Fund Applications
- Updates from Finance and Trustees
- Volunteer Opportunities
- and more…..
2023-April-Communicator-4Download
Inside you’ll find information about
- Lenten Series
- Camping Information
- Photos from February Activities
- Celebrating Riley Loonsfoot
- Installation of our new Bishop
- Updates from Finance, Trustees, Endowment Board
- and more…..
2023-March-Communicator-1Download
Inside you’ll find information about
- Lenten Series
- Camping Information
- Photos from February Activities
- Celebrating Riley Loonsfoot
- Installation of our new Bishop
- Updates from Finance, Trustees, Endowment Board
- and more…..
2023-March-CommunicatorDownload
Inside you’ll find information about
• Lenten Series
• Camping Information
• Photos from January Activities & Loonsfoot Baby Shower
• Upcoming Special Events at Collegiate/Wesley
• and more….
2023 February Communicator
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CW’s Start Your Engines – Endowment Grants
Collegiate /Wesley community members the race for 2023 Endowment grants has begun. Later this month the Collegiate/Wesley Endowment Board will announce how much money is available for this year. In anticipation, it is time to start developing your ideas on how the funds could be used to further the ministries of CW. The grants may be used to underwrite new or existing programs/ministries, to support a mission project, or to support capital expenditures.
In preparation, you can go to Grant Application to review the application. If you have questions or problems accessing the form email endowmentboard@cwames.org for assistance.
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Inside you’ll find information about
- January Sermon Series
- Children, Youth, and Family Activities
- Photos from Advent and Christmas Activities
- Updates from Trustees, Generosity, and Endowment Board
- and more…..
- 2023 January Communicator
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To view, Katherine’s newsletter click here
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Christmas Eve Before You LeaveWednesday, December 21st 7:00 pm
Holiday plans taking you out of Ames on Christmas Eve? Have other Christmas Eve commitments and can’t make it to any of our Christmas Eve services? Love Christmas Eve services so much you want an early opportunity to attend one. We would love for you to join us at Christmas Eve Before You Leave. This interactive, intergenerational service will include special music, carols, the Christmas story, and of course candle lighting with Silent Night. Following the service stop by the hot chocolate bar and take some pictures at the photo booth.
Christmas Eve ServicesDecember 24, 2022
“We tell this story every year. We tell this story because it illustrates so clearly God’s desire to be in relationship with us. We tell this story because we, too, are invited to come to the manger and witness the miracle of birth. We tell this story because it brings us hope and good news—hope especially for those deemed powerless, unworthy, or unwelcome. We tell this story because it is a story we need to hear again and again; if we didn’t tell it, what would become of our faith? And so, on this night, we tell this story to pass along this good news and to continue to thread the generations together with hope” Sanctified Art, From Generation to Generation.
Come tell the story with us on Christmas Eve
- 5:00 p.m. Interactive, Intergenerational service: Active, Carols and Candle Lighting.
- 7:00 p.m. Traditional Service: Carols, Communion and Candle Lighting (This service will be live streamed)
- 11:00 p.m. Service of Lessons and Carols, Communion, and Candle Lighting
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Inside you’ll find information about Special Advent Activities Children, Youth, and Family Activities Ways to give this holiday season Advent Worship Information Christmas Eve Service Information and more….. 2022 December Communicator
The post December 2022 Communicator appeared first on Collegiate United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation.
Meet Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai said she feels “elated, deeply humbled and a little bit emotional” after being elected and assigned to Iowa. She asks that the people of Iowa would pray that her family would be well in their transition to Iowa, that God would surprise them and delight them in ways […]
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Click here to view the 2022 Advent Communicator
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November Communicator Click here to view it. Inside you’ll find information about Children, Youth, and Family Activities 2023 Stewardship Food at First Pass Along Party News from ASIP (Ames Sanctuary Interfaith Partners) and AMOS (A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy) November Worship Information and more…..
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We are pleased to announce Lewis Cox will be joining the staff of Collegiate United Methodist Church/Wesley Foundation at the end of this year. In December and January, Lewis will be working part-time with Lauren Loonsfoot to transition her campus minister responsibilities to him. Lewis will become full-time as of March 1 to assume the Campus Minister […]
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October Communicator Click here to view it. Inside you’ll find information about Worship Series for October Children, Youth, and Family Activities Wesley Center News Library News Thank You Notes Byrne Endowment Fund and more…..
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To view, the Fall 2022 Grow in Faith Booklet click here.
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Click here for the 2022 September Communicator Inside you’ll find information about Our Fall Worship Series Staffing Update from Church Council and SPRC Sunday School and Small Group Opportunities Message from the Finance Committee Covid-19 Tactical Team update Byrne Fund G.S. Nichols Scholarship and more…..
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The Byrne Endowment Fund was established by a member of the church, Dennis Byrne, who had a heart for missions and was involved with many different mission trips during his lifetime. The proposals for grant funding are available to support United Methodist-associated groups and individuals in mission work, with an emphasis on international work as […]
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Click here for the 2022 August Communicator
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Click here for the 2022 July Communicator
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Click here for the 2022 June Communicator Inside you’ll find information about Summer Sermon Series Intergenerational Service & Learning Opportunity Byrne Fund Endowment Community ID Card Drive Backpack Project Other Opportunities to Serve/Volunteer
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A Walk in the Woods with Winnie the Pooh and Friends from the 100 Acre Wood Sunday Mornings 9 a.m. on the Lawn. May 29- July 31. Join us for story and reflection on the Gospel According to Winnie the Pooh! Bring your lawn chairs or blankets and gather with us on the South Lawn […]
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Backpack Project Collegiate United Methodist Church is a member of the Ames Sanctuary Interfaith Partners (ASIP). ASIP is coordinating with the Interfaith Welcome Coalition in San Antonio, Texas to provide backpacks to families who are leaving detention to go to their sponsors or families throughout the U.S. The backpacks contain basic supplies to provide comfort […]
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May Communicator Click here to view it. Inside you’ll find information about May Sermon Series Endowment Board Grants Humanitarian Award ASIP Backpack Project Opportunities to Serve/Volunteer
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Register here! We are excited to host vacation bible school this year from Sunday, June 5th – to Tuesday, June, 7th from 5:30-7:30 pm. We welcome preschoolers through 5th graders for a time of music, crafts, games, science, FUN, and more. Can’t make it but still want to be in on the fun? We’ll […]
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April Communicator Click here to view it. Inside you’ll find information about Masking Update Children & Youth Activities Wesley News Opportunities to Serve/Volunteer Trustees/Security Update Coming Up in Worship
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Lenten Special Offering: Books for Kids! Kate Mitchell Elementary Library During the season of Lent we will be collecting monetary donations as well as physical books for the Kate Mitchell Elementary. Earlier this year we were informed that Kate Mitchell was looking for support in updating their library. The main request on their list? Biographies! […]
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Saturday, April 9th, 9:00 am -12:00 am via zoom. Understanding trauma impacts re-entry with special guest Gladys Noll Alvarez, LISW, IMH-E, Trauma-Informed Care Project Coordinator About this event Please join us for this important workshop to better understand Trauma-Informed Care. This is for all Women at the Well volunteers, Reentry Teams and interested individuals. The […]
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The Byrne Endowment Fund was established by a member of the church, Dennis Byrne, who had a heart for missions and who was involved with many different mission trips during his lifetime. The proposals for grant funding are available to support United Methodist associated groups and individuals in mission work, with an emphasis on international work […]
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View the Lenten Communicator 2022 to see all the upcoming seasonal opportunities. Inside you will find A note from Pastor Mary Special Services information Sermon Series information Small group opportunities and Information about our Lenten Special Offering
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Dear Beloved Community, You are likely now aware that in the early hours of Thursday morning, Vladimir Putin addressed the citizens of Russia announcing a “special military operation” and “full-scale invasion” of neighboring Ukraine. With Mr. Putin’s announcement and subsequent ground reports of airstrikes, explosions and gunfire resounding across Ukraine, the worst case scenario of war […]
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2022 March Communicator Inside you’ll find information about Children & Youth Activities 2022 Endowment Grant Information Generosity Updates Wesley News Opportunities to Serve/Volunteer Coming Up in Worship
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Be a Seed Sower with an Endowment Grant On February 6 Pastor Mary preached on the Parable of the Sower. It challenges each of us to be Seed Sowers. The Collegiate United Methodist Church / Wesley Foundation Endowment Board would like to help you sow some seeds in 2022. Grants may be used to underwrite new or existing […]
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February 2022 Communicator
Click here to view it.
Inside you’ll find information about
- Children & Youth Activities
- 2022 Endowment Grant Information
- Generosity Updates
- Wesley News
- Opportunities to Serve/Volunteer
- Coming Up in Worship
- Covid-19 Emergency Fund for Immigrants
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2022 Leadership Teams
Collegiate United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation has a wonderful slate of talented and committed leaders for 2022. Please check out our leadership list and thank our church leaders for their work and commitment.
You can view the list here.
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View the 2022 January Communicator here.
Inside you’ll find information about
- Pilgrimage Opportunity
- Generosity & Finance Updates
- Advent Offering & Giving Tree Updates
- Coming Up in Worship
- Photos from Christmas services
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Click here for the 2021 December Communicator Inside you’ll find information about * Advent Small Groups * Advent Special Offering * Alternative Gift Market/Pass Along Party/Giving Tree * News from Trustees and Generosity * Volunteer Opportunities * and more
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Click here for the Advent Communicator 2021
Inside you will find, information about:
- Small groups
- Advent sermon series
- Special Offerings
- Advent Workshop
- Decorating the church for Christmas
- Christmas Eve Services
- Longest Night Service
- and more
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Poinsettia for the Season
If you would like to help us decorate our sanctuary for the Advent season, please complete this form and leave it in the church office, or put it in the offering plate. The cost for the 6” red poinsettia is $13.50. Your check must accompany your order. The deadline for orders is Sunday, Nov. 21. If you have any questions, please contact the church office. You may pick up your poinsettias after the Christmas eve service, or on Monday, December 27. You can order them here.
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November is Generosity Month!
This year we are celebrating Generosity throughout the month of November. Here are some dates you will want to get on your calendar:
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31 (We couldn’t wait for November, so we are starting one day early.)
- Jeremiah 29:10-12 “The Plans of God”
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7: All Saints Day
- Mark 12:41-44 “From our Poverty”
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8
- Generosity cards will be mailed: please plan to fill these out and bring them to church on November 14.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14: Generosity Sunday
- 2 Corinthians 8:10-15 “The Economy of God”
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21: Gratitude Sunday
- A celebration of the gifts you share with us – and the positive differences Collegiate/Wesley is making with them.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28: First Sunday of Advent
- Our Advent theme this year is Hope.
Thanks to your financial gifts this year, Collegiate/Wesley continues to live into our Purpose: to build an inclusive community that invites all people to experience God’s unconditional love, grow in faith, and serve others. Some highlights accomplished by those gifts include: online worship, in-person worship indoors and outdoors, college student activities (including a retreat), Vacation Bible School, Sunday School classes for children and adults, additional energy efficient windows, learning and fellowship groups, Food at First teams, middle and high school youth groups, vocal and bell choirs, high school mission trip, Wesley Hall renovation, confirmation class, Anonymous groups, Leadership Institute for staff, electronic doors locks, Adventures Preschool, new member classes, new computers and online equipment, and at-home communion.
Our church could not continue this life-changing work without your donations. Thanks for your ongoing financial support!
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November Communicator Click here to view it.
Inside you’ll find information about * Sermon Series “A Future With Hope” * Opportunities to Serve * Jurisdictional Conference * Advent Workshop * Generosity News * and more
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The Byrne Endowment Fund was established by a member of the church, Dennis Byrne, who had a heart for missions and who was involved with many different mission trips during his lifetime. The proposals for grant funding are available to support United Methodist associated groups and individuals in mission work, with an emphasis on international work as well as local missions. At this time our fall application process is open. We are only able to accept applications relating to international projects this fall. For full consideration, submit grant proposals by Thursday, November 11, 2021. You can find the application form here. If you have any questions please contact Lauren Loonsfoot lauren@cwames.org If you are a past recipient and are looking for the project completion form you can find that here.
Current 2021 Recipients Dennis Byrd Endowment 2021 Fund recommendations April 2021
Total money to distribute: $52,873
$17,624 Local/Sponsored by CW (1/3) $35,249 International related ministry (2/3)
Money not distributed:$8,633- International related ministry (we will have another opportunity for applicants in the fall)
Organization: Ames Sanctuary Interfaith Partners (ASIP)
Project:
ASIP set up the DACA Fund for Iowans who have not been able to pay the high government fee ($495) they are charged when they apply for a temporary legal reprieve from deportation (because they were children who fell between legal cracks in current government policy for foreigners seeking refuge in the USA). ASIP recognizes this grave injustice and seeks to provide support to as many as possible by raising and allocating money to qualified applicants. All current funds have been spent and dozens of young adults are waiting for needed assistance.
Recommended funds: $8,631 Category: Local
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Organization: Iowa United Methodist Camps – Wesley Woods
Project:
Beacon lodge is a cabin that houses many at Wesley Woods throughout the year. It is centrally located which makes it perfect for young children and Exceptional Persons with mobility challenges. To create more indoor living space a three seasons porch was converted into an entrance back in the early 2000s. For some reason the project was started but never completed, leaving behind an unattractive facility that is dated and not consistent with the standards of Wesley Woods or Iowa United Methodist Camps. Because some of the floor was removed and not replaced it also presents a tripping hazard to those who have mobility challenges.
We propose to update flooring to the entire cabin making the floor consistent, level and safe from tripping hazards and appropriate for all guests. We also propose to replace the ineffective windows to decrease utility usage, update damaged paneling left over from water damage caused by poorly sealed windows, replace dated mattress covers and upgrade the light
fixtures that will provide a fresh/clean space for occupants. We also would like to add a small television to create a more welcome space for year-round guests. We believe that because of the functional (uneven flooring) and aesthetic limitations (incomplete flooring and lighting, poor mattress covers), Beacon is underutilized and could be one of our stronger facilities
that people would be excited to visit.
Recommended funds: $7,993 Category: Local/CW Sponsored
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Organization: Legal Aid Society of Story County
Project:
Our COURT/SERVICE FEES PROGRAM project has been highly successful, but needs to be replenished. All Legal Aid clients are at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL). Many have no income. For cases including, but not limited to, divorce, child custody, and child support where our clients initiate the legal proceedings, they assume the burden of serving the original
notice on the respondent. This can be as simple as asking the respondent to sign an acknowledgment of service. However, if the respondent refuses to sign, it requires publication or service by a process server costing between $70-$100. This adds additional out of pocket cost to the client. Nearly 90% of our clients are at or below 100% of the FPL; an estimated 40% of them are in such financial hardship that these additional funds create an almost insurmountable obstacle. We cannot proceed with the case until we have these funds. The client risks having their case dismissed in Court if service is not effectuated. Previous limited grants permitted us to assist an average of 10 clients annually. The 2018 grant funds we received to cover client court
costs are running out. We have enough to last for the next 6 months with anticipated client needs and usage. After that, the progress we have been able to extend clients will disappear.
We respectfully request $1000 to continue the Court/Service Fees Program This will extend critical financial assistance to an additional 12-16 vulnerable clients with active civil cases.
Recommended funds: $1,000 Category: Local
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Organization: United Mission to Nepal
Project:
This project will be implemented in Bajhang, Doti and Rukum East districts, three hilly working areas of UMN. Most people in these districts are dependent in the traditional agricultural and have minimal access to government services due to the illiteracy, and lack of exposures.
Due to accidents, burns and congenital deformities, Persons with Disabilities (PwD) face challenges to do their activities of daily living (ADL) independently. ADLs consist of self-care tasks such as dressing, toilet hygiene, showering, taking food and walking etc. With limited independent ADL, PWD are further excluded from community participation. UMN’s 2017 disability study found that PwD and their family members are unaware about the causes and consequences of disability and less than 6% of PwD have access to appropriate medical intervention and assistive devices.
To address these situations, this project will work to increase the access of PwD (under 18 years) to medical rehabilitation services through the supports including
- a) early detection of cases in communities,
- b) counselling and assessments,
- c) diagnosis of the problem,
- d) support for treatment and surgical operations, support of physio-exercises and assistive devices,
- e) education to the guardians of PwD on prevention of disability and care of their diagnosed cases,
- f) and facilitation support to the families to build their housing accessible and disability friendly.
In the case of wheelchair users, these supports will be provided to all aged people.
Recommended funds: $26,616 Category: International
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WHAT: Ames AMOS Action RE: Affordable Housing
WHEN: Monday, October 18, 2021; 7pm – 8:30pm
WHERE: Collegiate United Methodist Church/Wesley Foundation
2622 Lincoln Way, Ames
Enter East Doors to Wesley Hall. Follow signs. (Wesley Hall is located on the east side of the building behind the US Bank kiosk) Masks required.
GENTLE REMINDER: This is an AMOS accountability event focused on affordable housing, not a campaign event, nor a candidate forum. As such, no politicking is allowed, including no campaign materials (be they placards, buttons, t-shirts, etc.). In addition, no questions will be taken from the floor.
WHY:
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Current Funding Levels for Supportive and Affordable Housing Options are inadequate and limited in Ames
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Mayoral/City Council Election Nov. 2
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Need for Action is Now
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Continue Momentum of Previous AMOS Action (See History and Context below)
HOW DELIVERED: In-person (masks required) and Live Streamig. Please register via Registration Google Form (link) so we will have enough seats. In order to receive the link for live streaming, you must register.
HISTORY AND CONTEXT:
Over the last decade, the leaders of AMOS institutions in Ames have been monitoring, organizing, and holding public officials accountable around affordable housing. This issue arose during relational and house meetings in the early 2010s, and has been a constant pressure on individuals and families in Story County to the present day. Whether it was Jan Flora’s paper “High Rents and Low Wages in Story County”, the establishment of the Story County Housing Trust, organizing tenants of the Crestview Mobile Home Park against abhorrent living conditions, pressuring public officials to not only include but increase affordable housing units on the city-owned former middle school site, or working with local leaders and institutions to establish a supportive housing program – AMOS leaders have been at the forefront and at the table to fight for affordable housing in Ames and Story County. On October 18th, AMOS leaders in Ames will once again gather to secure commitment from elected officials regarding affordable housing in Ames. You and as many of your fellow institutional members as possible are invited to attend this opportunity at Wesley Hall on the campus of AMOS dues-paying member Collegiate United Methodist Church & Wesley Foundation. The accountability session will begin promptly at 7pm on October 18th. We hope to see you there!
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