Alternative Spring Break Mission Trip 2010 to Los Angeles

During ASU’s Spring Break, a number of students from the Wesley Foundation went on a mission trip to South Central Los Angeles through Sierra Service Project. We spent the week volunteering on a service project directly in the community and learning about local social justice issues. The work was hard, but extremely rewarding and the entire week was enlightening.

Our work focused on Rakestraw Community Center right in South Central where we finished up sanding, painting, and putting in fixtures for several bathrooms. Demolition was another project upstairs, a chance for the Wesley folk to punch some holes in walls with sledgehammers. The surrounding community was incredibly supportive, and friendly, with visits from local residents often to bring food for the crew. The eventual goal is for the community center to re-open for use by a charter school that would fund activities and programs at the center for kids and teens in need of a positive place to go in the neighborhood.

Venturing through LA, we participated in learning about various issues affecting the community. We took a “toxins tour” of Los Angeles, which comprised of visiting lower-income neighborhoods where manufacturing and industry surround their daily lives. There we held a discussion about environmental racism and justice. Immigration is also a key topic in LA, similar to what we see in Arizona. We participated in an open dialogue with members of the community about how, as United Methodists, we can change the lives and be a voice for our brothers and sisters. Additionally our group visited the local district building, the first completely sustainable government building and engaged with constituents about the progress being made locally on a variety of issues.

Overall, the week was an amazing way to spend Spring Break. Trips like these can be difficult, when faced with the struggles many people go through in life. However, the experience is invaluable and everyone who participates walks away with a sense of appreciation and more importantly, feeling empowered by God and the example of Jesus Christ to make a difference in their respective community and the world.

By Cara Coleman, Wesley Student/Intern and Freshman at ASU

New Wesley Foundation Building and Residence Hall Proposal

During these past two and a half years serving as the campus minister at Valley Wesley, student involvement has grown significantly in our ministry.  A number of students attend worship each week, participate in small groups and bible study, in service opportunities and mission trips, and in a number of social activities.  Every day of the week you can find Wesley students in our student lounge studying, socializing, praying, or just taking a break from their day.  Much of this is programmed by myself and our student leadership team.  However, many of our programs have grown naturally or organically through students who have become part of our community of faith.  What I have witnessed year after year is that our students want to be in continual “intentional” community together.  They want to extend their Christian relationships beyond a worship service or bible study, they want to help encourage one another and hold each other accountable.  They want that same sense of belonging that they experience within the “programmed” elements of our ministry.  At the end of each year of ministry, various groups of Wesley students, who have become friends through our ministry, have decided to live together the next school year.

Imagine then, a facility that allows students to be in this “intentional community” beyond our programmed events.  Imagine a facility where students, not only live, but study, hold social events, participate in prayer and bible study, discussions, and service projects.  Imagine a facility where students live in a place dedicated an environment of learning, service, and spiritual formation.  Imagine a facility that encourages dialogue around issues of life and faith, offers leadership opportunities for students, and creates creative space for writing, art, poetry and music.  Imagine a student community drawn together around a covenant of loving God and loving neighbor.

On the night of February 10, 2010, Valley Wesley, Tempe First United Methodist Church, and a student housing corporation called Newchapter entered into an agreement to begin exploring the possibility of building a new Wesley Foundation building and student residence hall on the grounds of Tempe First UMC. This was an agreement that has been in the works since October, 2009. Around that time I was on the College Union website and heard an interview with some of the team from Newchapter and how they wanted to partner with campus ministries to build student housing, providing a place for intentional community and also to help provide an income stream to ministries. What made Newchapter unique was their business model. In most cases, if you want to build a building, you have to raise all the money up front and find the experts to help you build a facility you want. Well, Newchapter eliminates both of these issues. They bring the funding up-front, as well as the expertise in building and managing student housing. This was enough to send an e-mail to Newchapter and get more info. Before I knew it I was having multiple conversations with Ian Clark, their Director of Business Development. Soon we were forming a joint TFUMC and Wesley Foundation committee to explore a partnership with Newchapter. We worked on a number of drafts of a partnership agreement that would allow Newchapter to get to work. After being approved by various committees at all levels of the church the partnership was officially formed following approval by the TFUMC church conference.

A quick side note- Valley Wesley is NOT a ministry of Tempe First UMC, it is a ministry serving the Desert Southwest Annual Conference. TFUMC, however, has always hosted our facilities, including the Baker Center building which was built for The Wesley Foundation in the 1960′s. As the campus ministry declined over the years the Baker building began to be used for TFUMC programs. Wesley is currently housed in another building on the TFUMC campus. TFUMC is crucial Valley Wesley partner and has been a gracious host of our ministry for many years. The new Wesley facility would be built on TFUMC’s property, which ultimately means they must approve of this project along the way.

So what’s next? Members of the Newchapter team have already been meeting with city officials and potential architects. They will also be working on a conceptual design that will give us an idea of where and how big the building will be. That design will need to be approved by the building committee and the church before we will move into a preliminary design stage where it will be determined if the project is feasible or not for Wesley, TFUMC, and Newchapter. If feasibility is agreed upon we will begin the final design and then hopefully the construction stage! We don’t have a lot of details now but I hope to keep everyone updated through valleywesley.com and Facebook and Twitter updates.

One area of the project that is not covered by Newchapter upfront is furnishings and equipment for the facility. This is something Wesley will need to raise money for, a task we believe is very possible. We will cross that bridge though when we get to it.

I hope you will join us in our excitement for what is possible with this project. We don’t know 100% yet if we will actually build a building so keep us in prayer as we sort all of this out. We could not do this without your continued love and support!

Stay tuned….

Rob

Spring Sermon Series: The Lost and the Looking

“The Lost and the Looking”

Feeling lost? Looking for meaning in your life and in the world? Join us this spring as we journey with the stories of the Bible to discover where God is leading us and who God is calling us to be.

January 20- Guest Preacher
January 27- The Story of Adam and Eve
February 3- The Story of Jacob
February 10- Guest Preacher- Rev. Dr. Giles Lindley
February 17- Ash Wednesday- Rob Preaching
February 24- Students Preaching
March 3- Guest Preacher
March 10- The Story of Joseph
March 17- Spring Break
March 24- Jesus’s Stories of Those Who Are Lost: Parables of the Coin, Sheep, and the Son
March 31- The Story of the Last Week
April 7- The Story of Thomas
April 14- Looking For Jesus at the Tomb
April 21- The Story of the Lost Disciples and the Road to Emmaus
April 28- The Story of the Great Commission: Reaching Out to Those Who Are Lost and Looking For God
May 5- End of the Year Banquet (semi-formal)

Responding to Tragedy on Campus

On October 26, 2009, tragedy struck the ASU Tempe campus when 59-year old graduate student, David Solnick, took his own life in front of Design School professor Mookesh Patel. The incident occurred in Patel’s office in the Design School South building shortly before noon, while a number of students were in the building.

While neither Mr. Solnick or Dr. Patel were connected with our ministry we were still impacted by this tragedy with the Design School being located directly across from our campus ministry building at Tempe First UMC. As I was returning to my office from an errand at the main church office that day, I noticed a few emergency vehicles parked on Forest Ave., however, I did not think much of them since that was a common place for emergency vehicles to park if there was a medical emergency on that part of campus. After returning to my office, I soon realized the noise of a helicopter hovering. After a number of minutes., I realized something more serious must be going on. I exited the building and saw more emergency personnel and police officers had gathered, along with a number of news vans. At this point I also realized that police tape had been put up, blocking access to the walkway between the North and South Design Buildings. At that moment I recieved a Twitter update from the State Press, the University’s newspaper, that mentioned a shooting had occured on campus and it was suspected a student had committed suicide.

As I approached the crowd gathering near the taped off area to try and get more details, a random student approached me and asked, “So is class canceled for the day?” I replied, “Well, I think a student just committed suicide in there and I’m pretty sure everyone is dealing with that right now.” The student replied, “yeah, I guess class is canceled then” and he walked off.

The following day, with the help of Tempe First UMC staff members, we setup a prayer chapel in the Fireside Room of the Wesley building, whose doors open to Forest Ave., in direct view of the Design School buildings. We left the doors open and placed signs outside indicating that the building was open for prayer and that a pastor was also available. A number of students walked-in that day to silently pray and reflect and to read from the Bible. Our temporary prayer chapel also drew the attention of news crews who had returned to follow up on the story and I gave interviews for channel 3 and channel 5 news.

I also met with two of our Wesley students who are a part of the design program at ASU. While neither of these students knew Mr. Solnick they were both shaken by this tragedy. For one student, this brought back fears of campus shootings, such as those that occurred at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois universities.

As I reflect on this tragedy I am unable to remove the knot from my stomach thinking about something like this happening on campus, especially right in front of a professor, in the middle of the day, in a building full of people. I cannot imagine what Dr. Patel must be going through. I cannot imagine having to go back to class or work in that building. I cannot imagine what the family and friends of David Solnick are going through. Perhaps what disturbs me the most though is the comments made by the student outside of the Design School shortly after the shooting occurred. Maybe it was just a fluke, but I can’t help but wonder why this student was so desensitized to these events. Is the pressure on students so intense that they are more worried about missing class than they are about a tragedy that just occurred inside the building they are standing in front of? Or have we been so desensitized to violence that another university campus shooting no longer rattles us? Or was there a sense of denial and emotional defense? Was it something that is so tragic and unbelievable that maybe the only thing we can do is worry about our homework so we don’t have to process it and deal with it face-to-face?

This is where our faith becomes important. As God mourns this tragedy, God calls us to mourn. We hope and we pray that something like this never happens again but we also pray for all those affected, especially the family, friends, and co-workers of Mr. Solnick and Dr. Patel. We pray for the students, staff, and faculty who must return to that building each day with who are constantly reminded of what happened there. We especially pray for all those who may be struggling right now with depression and thoughts of hopelessness. May God help us reach out to those persons in love and compassion. May God open all of our hearts and minds to facing the tragedies and sufferings of the world so that we may respond, even if that response is to simply feel compassion, sympathy, and loss. As the Gospel story illustrates, our faith is not one that ends with tragedy, suffering, and indifference but with transformation and hope.

Working With One Another

It’s no secret that the current political climate is enraging people on both sides of spectrum and everywhere in-between. Sure, I have very strong opinions of my own, however, I feel like we are letting our arguments get in the way of the greatest commandment which Jesus quotes in Luke 10:27 followed by the parable of the good Samaritan in which he defines our neighbor as a stranger in need.

During the past week I have been a part of two interfaith leader gatherings. Each month I get the pleasure of having lunch and meeting with all of the religious leaders at ASU. The thing I love best about our meetings is that we don’t focus on what divide us. Instead we focus on projects and initiatives we can work on together. Our common goal has been to promote religious life on campus because we truly believe that our community is better when students are spiritually stimulated. Perhaps most exciting though is a project that will launch this fall. We have partnered with a group called Open Table and ASU in an interfaith effort to help someone who is currently homeless or in poverty. Our goal is to provide students from our faith communities who will serve as resources together to provide resources, training, and support that will not only help someone out of poverty but will allow them to keep themselves out of poverty.

This morning I attended a breakfast hosted by “For Our City,” a group made up of religious leaders in Tempe. The agenda was simple: to share ways with each other in which our congregations are serving the community. We heard about interfaith rotating homeless shelters and meal programs. We also heard about how Tempe faith communities are working together to spread awareness and offer training for Tempe’s emergency preparedness program.

Both of these meetings served as a reminder to stop listening to the nastiness of the political and religious debate that so often blinds us to seeing one another as resources and most importantly, human beings created in God’s image.

If so many diverse religious leaders can come together to help others at ASU and in Tempe then maybe there is hope that all of us can put our arguments aside and truly seek to love all of our neighbors.

Welcome New Students!

All of us at Valley Wesley want to congratulate you on your graduation from high school, completion of community college, or completion of your undergraduate degree and your decision to further your education. You must be feeling a number of mixed emotions as you prepare to begin the next step of your life’s journey. Along with the next step in your educational journey, however, comes an opportunity to continue your spiritual journey. Valley Wesley is the United Methodist Campus Ministry for Arizona State University, community colleges, and technical schools and is open to all college students looking for a welcoming and non-judgmental faith community. We meet every Wednesday night during the school year at First Tempe UMC for a free dinner followed by worship. Many students find this to be the best part of their week. Students who are unable to join us on Wednesday nights are still welcome to attend events and gatherings throughout the week or can join us for worship on Sunday mornings for traditional worship at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., or for contemporary worship at 11:30 a.m.

Through their participation in Wesley a number of students have built solid relationships with each other and with God. In our ministry we believe everyone goes at their own pace on their journey of faith. We offer an atmosphere where you can freely explore your faith amongst others who are doing the same. I would like to invite you to join us for one or more of our many activities that will be happening beginning in mid-August. You can stay up to date on those and all of our activities on www.valleywesley.com. There you can also find information about our fall sermon series, follow my blog, and stay up to date with the latest Wesley news. We will also be having a retreat to San Diego over Labor Day weekend, September 4-7. The cost is only $25 and you can read-up on the details and register here.

Being a part of Wesley will give you a spiritual home while at college and is a great way to build new relationships with other students. You can find us at 215 E. University Dr in Tempe. We are located on the grounds of Tempe First UMC at the beginning of Forest Mall. If you will be parking at the church, simply tell the parking attendant that you are there for Wesley or to see pastor Rob and he will give you a spot free of charge. You can always call us at 480-966-8425 or e-mail director@valleywesley.com. You can also find links to our Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and You Tube pages through our website. Congratulations again on all of your accomplishments, we hope that you will take a moment come check us out when you get to campus. If you do, it just may change your life forever.

Don’t forget to let us know that you are on your way by filling out our contact form here.

Fall Wednesday Night Sermon Series

I am excited to announce the “Origins” sermon series for the fall semester! During these sermon, bible study, and discussion times we will be exploring the origins of our existence, the nature and doctrines of the church, and belief itself.

We will look at what scripture, tradition, reason, and experience say about a number of topics. Nothing will be off limits and everything you thought you knew about your faith will be challenged. Join us as we seek meaning in our lives and in the world through the lens of early and postmodern Christian faith.

We will also be offering an extended talkback time with Pastor Rob following each service and an online discussion forum that you can participate in.

Here are the topics we will be covering (topics and dates are subject to change):
August 26th- Doubt and New Beginnings (Welcome and preview of series)
September 2nd- The Bible: It’s Not a Science or History Textbook
September 9th- Creation: Why Evolution is True (Rob and Rev. Dave Summers)
September 16th- Jesus and Christ
September 23rd- Faith, Belief, and the New Atheists (A look at our reasons for belief)
September 30th- Sin, Your Sex Life, and Not Feeling Guilty Anymore (Rev. Tina Rees)
October 7th- The Trinity: It’s Okay to be Confused About It
October 14th- Worship in the Early Church (Rev. Jenny Smith)
October 21st- The End Times: Why Being “Left Behind” is Good Fiction
October 28th- Paul, The Early Church and an Authentic Call to Discipleship
November 4th- Prophets: Micah
November 11th- Guest Preacher- Rev. Kevin Kloster
November 18th- Prophets: Isaiah
November 25th- No Wesley, Thanksgiving Break
December 2nd- The Birth of Christ and Hope for the World

So what do you think? Leave your comments below!

Wesley 2.0

As we approach the beginning of our third year of full-time United Methodist campus ministry I am excited to officially introduce our new website and promotional materials to you.  With God’s help our ministry has been an amazing success these past two years.  It could not have happened without the foundation that was built by former campus ministers and students.  The original Valley Wesley website was actually created and managed by Brian Indrelunas, one of our recent alums.  His work allowed us to have a presence on the web which alerted more than just a few out of state students of our presence.  I always enjoyed getting e-mails that began with “hey I saw your website and want to know more about your ministry.”  A website might seem like an obvious thing for a ministry to have, however, the volunteer work that Brian and other students put in jump started the Wesley revolution here at ASU.

The brand new version of valleywesley.com that you are currently experience is the result of a year-long effort by student Cameron Kopas who worked extremely hard to bring us into the Web 2.0 world.  Not only does our site have a great new look but it is also equipped with the latest social media features.  The best part is that this is just phase one.  We will be adding additional features and content throughout the year that will make this site useful for prospective and current students, board members, and supporters.

I also want to lift up graphic designer, Rachel Hardy, who created our original logo and is currently re-designing all of promotional materials.  As you can tell she is extremely talented and I look forward to the additional work she will be doing for Wesley.

If you have an idea or a suggestion for the website please do not hesitate to contact either Cameron at admin@valleywesley.com or myself at rob@valleywesley.com.

Summer Reading

Summers here at ASU are pretty laid-back compared to the fall and spring semesters.  I have been using the time to organize the Wesley offices and computer files and planning for the fall semester.  I have also been using the time to catch-up on a bunch of reading.  One book I just finished is called The New Christians by Emergent church leader Tony Jones.  I enjoyed the book and was inspired by many of the ideas, but one quote in particular popped out at me.  Jones is re-telling a story about a church a friend of his worked at and his friend describes a staff meeting in which the pastor is leading a discussion on what they need to be doing to get more young adults to come to their church.  The discussion is disappointing and Jones’ friend seeks his advice.

Jones asks his friend, “Does your church believe in the Holy Spirit?”

“Of course,” she replied.

“Then why in the world would you think that you can do anything to get people to come to church?  Instead, why don’t you worry about being faithful–living out a beautiful Christianity–and see what the Spirit does in your midst?  I think that people will be more attracted to the Spirit than to anything you could ever do to ‘hook’ them.”

This seems like a no-brainer.  If God’s spirit is truly active and present among us then we need to be actively seeking to embrace it and let it guide and lead us.  So many times we are so focused on a goal or an objective that we push God’s spirit aside.  When it comes to getting folks involved in the church we are focused on numbers and demographics and if we don’t meet those goals then our ministries are failures.  Or sometimes we strive to be a certain type of Christian, we want to be holy or ‘spiritual’ and feel like if we try really hard, complete a list of tasks, or subscribe to a specific set of beliefs, then we can get there.  Often times, however, this ends in disappointment or perhaps disaster.  We didn’t meet an attendance goal or we didn’t read the Bible or pray as much as we thought we should have and we label ourselves as failures.

But what if we stopped trying to force the issue and we put aside all the stereotypes of how we are supposed to believe, act, pray, worship, and study?  What if instead we listened to and discerned God’s call for our lives, both personally and as a community?  So let’s start being authentic to how the Spirit is moving among us and practice beauty.  Maybe we can love more, give more of ourselves, act with hope instead of fear, and spend more time recognizing God’s presence in our lives and in the world. Let’s stop trying to lead God with our expectations and instead let God lead us through practicing a more “beautiful Christianity” and see who shows up and what kind of transformation happens in our lives.