Author: Wesley Office

Wesley In-Person Worship Suspended

March 14, 2020

This email was sent to the congregation of Wesley United Methodist Church (Winona, Minn.) on March 14, 2020.

Dear Wesley family:

I am writing to inform you that our church council just voted to suspend all worship, gatherings and church meetings at Wesley UMC effective immediately until the time that it is safe to reconvene.  At the end of April, Wesley leadership will evaluate where we are at and if we need to continue this period of suspension.

Be assured, we will not leave you without connection to your church.  During this time, families will be called regularly for a check-in and to see if there are any needs that we can help meet.

This Sunday we will post an online devotional video that will be available on our website and Facebook page.  We will also send you a link to access the worship devotional.  Then, starting next Sunday, we will begin broadcasting on Facebook a live worship/devotional at the usual Sunday service time of 10 a.m.  In addition, Wesley is launching a YouTube channel where we will post the weekly broadcast of our worship devotional for your family to enjoy at a convenient time. We will send you the links, as well as put them on our website and Facebook page, so you can take advantage of these connections.  Our worship will also be broadcast Wednesdays on local TV at the usual time.

Although in-person meetings will not be happening, Wesley will make it possible for groups to connect on the internet through Google Hangouts Meet. More on that later.

Church finances are a big concern to all congregations considering suspending their in-person ministries.  Many of you are already giving through direct deposit or through our online giving service (Vanco) located on our website.  If you are not giving this way and would like to explore this option, we encourage you to contact our Finance Secretary, Edie D. Edie will let you know how set up electronic giving options.

At this point, our church office hours of 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Monday through Thursday will remain in place.

Friends, now is a time for creativity in how we continue to be a family in service to God and one another. It is also a time to pull together to make this work and to learn new ways of communicating the Good News of life in Christ to our neighbors.

In the love of Jesus,

Pastor Robert

Upcoming Opportunities

  • See this post for information about Lenten themes.
  • March 22 is UMCOR Sunday. This offering is taken on the fourth Sunday in Lent and provides major support for immediate assistance in the wake of natural and human-caused disasters and helps support ongoing ministries of food, shelter, health and peace. UMCOR SUnday giving allows 100 percent of designated gifts to be used for the specified disaster response or other ministry.
  • Thursday, April 9. Maundy Thursday Service of the Upper Room, 7 p.m.
  • Friday, April 10. Good Friday service will be held at 7:00 p.m.
  • Sunday, April 12. Easter Sunday worship will be held at 10:00 a.m.

Staying Healthy at Wesley

All of us are concerned about the coronavirus spread as well as the basic spread of the flu.  Wesley will be using best practices during our gatherings to ensure the maximum safety of our congregants.  Here are some immediate steps we will take:

  • Communion juice will be served in individual cups.
  • There will be plenty of hand sanitizer containers (Purell) in different locations in the church.  Please use them.
  • During the passing of the peace, we recommend smiles and elbow bumps over shaking hands and hugging.  This is a tough one, but we should all agree together not to extend the hand and that it is okay to tap elbows or just smile when you greet fellow worshipers.  We will make this public through announcements and printed reminders.  Our pastors will greet you with a warm smile at the end of the service, but no handshake—doesn’t mean we don’t love ya lots, because we do!