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Letter From the Pastor

Just in case you missed it… 

There are a few exciting things that happened this month that you might've missed which I believe are worth mentioning in this month’s newsletter. At the beginning of last month, the Staff-Parish Ministry Team hired a new Church Administrator. We welcome and are happy to have Lyndsey Melchiono join us in the awesome work we do to change our small part of the world. Lyndsey seems to be getting the hang of things pretty quickly. Hooray! Don’t be shy! Come and say hello! Once again, we are also deeply grateful for Ruth’s time and wisdom in helping Lyndsey get acquainted with the role. 

On February 18, we were also able to celebrate and welcome three new members. It was a busy and exciting morning. We were able to hear a little bit of their biography and are so excited to have them be a part of John Wesley. They are already such a big part of our church that it’s hard to believe that they are new members. Welcome Tracy, Daniel and Dianne. Soon, we may be welcoming more. 

Although I wasn’t able to go to the Youth Winter Retreat this year, I heard it was pretty awesome. We had a good number of youth go. (There is a picture somewhere of Bill, Dorothy and Abby coming out of the Deep Freeze Dive. Check out their video if you haven’t.) We thank Bill Dorfer, Matt O’Connor and Tyrney Roggiolani for serving as chaperones; and to the many parents who continue to support their youth in being a part of JWUMC’s activities. 

EASTER IS COMING! And with it, some of the wonderful events we do here at John Wesley. From Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday, we will take time to remember and to celebrate the love of God through Christ, including a Maundy Thursday potluck, a Good Friday service, and of course our Sunrise Service at Nobska Lighthouse. This can be a good opportunity to invite family, friends and neighbors to any or all of the events. 

I look forward to seeing you all over the next few weeks as we continue our worship series “Wandering Hearts” based on the life of the Apostle Peter. 

Peace and blessings, 

Pastor Rene 

Children and Youth

The Children, Youth and Young Adult Ministry Team is looking for additional members. We have been tasked by the 2023 Strategic Planning Committee to create more opportunities for younger people in our loving community at John Wesley. We hope to recruit members who have an open heart for the younger people in our Upper Cape community and are ready to reach out to them. 

There will be a CYYAMT meeting on Tuesday March 12 at 5:30  

If you would like to talk to me or Bill Dorfner, Director of Children, Youth and Young Adults please email either or both of us. Bill's email HERE or Amy's email HERE

Amy - CYYAMT Chair  

Rethinking How We Connect With Young Families In Our Community

Growing our church family requires us to find ways to not only get people on the grounds, but to connect them to others in our church. That requires us to be intentional about connection, and to continuously look to see how our time, talents, and resources are being used to further the mission of the church. 

As we approach Easter, one of the events our church has held in the past is a community Easter Egg Hunt. As planning time came, some questions we needed to ask were how this event furthered the mission of our church, how we would use the time and talents of our congregation, and if the event truly gave us an opportunity to build meaningful connections with those who came. After many discussions and a recent meeting, it was decided to rethink how the Easter Egg Hunt has been done in the past, and to look forward to new ways to build connections.

This year, we will not be doing the large-scale Easter egg hunt on Saturday. Instead, we will hold an egg hunt for all students and children in between the Easter services. This scaled down event still provides for children and youth to have a fun time looking for eggs, while also providing our families with a chance to connect with others in between our Easter Sunday services. 

I would like to thank everyone who has shared their desire to bring more children and youth into our church family, and am excited about the willingness of everyone to reach out to the families and parents of students. Using our time and resources in new ways will allow for even more opportunities to build meaningful connections. I am encouraged by the discussions and ideas that have been brought forward by members of our congregation as we find new ways to build community and reach others with the love of Christ. 

Amplify Christ, 

Bill Dorfner

Director of Children, Youth, and Young Adult Ministries

Mark your calendars for March 31st @ 10:30 AM

Youth News from the Pier

Bill Dorfner, Director of Children, Youth, and Young Adults

It is hard to believe that spring is just around the corner! Our winter has flown by while we celebrated Christmas, went on our Deep Freeze winter retreat, and completed our 1st fundraiser of 2024 on Super Sunday. We’ve also had a great winter of discussions, completed our Dear Evan Hansen series, added some new A/V enhancements to the youth center, and I am still finding remnants of our Swedish Fish toss!

Just like winter has flown by, our spring is going to move fast and summer will be here before we know it! That’s why we will be moving quickly with our plans and preparation for the summer mission trip to Harrisburg, PA. Mission trips are a ton of fun, but are also an opportunity for us to put our faith into action by sharing the love of Christ with others, while also learning what Christian service is really all about. Throughout the spring, we will be focusing more on what missions are, experiencing opportunities to serve locally, and preparing our hearts and minds for the summer. 

Our summer mission trip to Harrisburg, PA is a long way off, but will be here before we know it. More information will be coming out in the new year, but go ahead and block your calendars off now for July 28-August 3, 2024.

Youth Adult Ministry

It’s time to go on a “Quest”

We are now putting together some events for our young adults at JWUMC. This exciting new ministry is geared toward 18-30-somethings who are in that time of their life where they are no longer considered youth and are finding their way through their "adulting" years as students, job seekers, or wherever they are finding themselves in their early adult years. 

Our Lenten Worship series, “Wandering Heart, figuring out faith with Peter,” continues through Easter. You are invited to view the symbols on the bulletin board in the fellowship hall. The icons represent the themes of the series. Ash Wednesday’s tuning fork reminds us to tune ourselves to be in line with God’s image. The fish on the first Sunday of Lent shows how Jesus seeks us, even when we don’t feel worthy. Think about how each symbol leads Peter, and us, to become closer to Jesus through his grace and mercy.



Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, March 24, as we remember Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Our 9:00 Traditional service will include choir, handbells and chimes. Palms will be available at both the Traditional and Contemporary services.



Maundy Thursday, March 28, we will gather at 6:00 PM and share in a Potluck Dinner followed by a Stations of Peter communal worship service and reflection in the Fellowship Hall. “As a nod to the Stations of the Cross, this service highlights Peter’s role in the crucifixion narrative…we will imagine how we might have acted and behaved had we been there as one of Jesus’ followers and friends.” You won’t want to miss this! Look for the registration table in the lobby or contact the church office to register as we need a headcount for set up. Lianne Carbone and the Welcoming Team hope to provide rides to folks that may need a ride. Contact Lianne or the church office if you need (or can provide) transportation.

Good Friday, March 29, 7:00 PM, we will meet in the sanctuary for worship focusing on the 6^th station, “Jesus is Crucified”. Without Good Friday, there would be no Easter. If there were no darkness, we could not appreciate the light. Come and consider what Jesus sacrificed for you and me.

Easter Sunday. March 31, “He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!”

Sunrise service, 6:15 AM at Nobska Point.

9:30 Traditional Worship featuring brass, handbells, special music.

11:00 AM Contemporary Worship.

Easter Flowers:

We all love to see the sanctuary decorated with colorful spring plants on Easter Sunday. If you wish to sponsor a plant in memory of or in honor of someone, watch out for the “Easter Garden Order Form” coming soon.

 Make checks Payable to JWUMC and write “Easter Flowers” on the memo line. Bring the form and payment to the church office or leave it in the black metal mailbox outside the office door.

DEADLINE FOR ORDERING IS MARCH 25^TH.

Under the leadership of Tracy Jaekel, we have set a goal to develop 24 different videos over the next year. We will soon be opening a website page where the videos will be posted for easy viewing by our parishioners and the community at large.

Please enjoy Welcome to John Wesley by clicking the link below.

HERE

Please enjoy Christmas Eve at John Wesley by clicking the link below.

HERE

A SPEICAL EASTER GIFT -

An opportunity to give additional support to John Wesley for parishioners and visitors as well. Proceeds will benefit Youth Retreat & Mission Trips.



Offering envelopes can be found in the pew racks or the church office.

Welcome to the Welcome Team!!

This team was once combined with the fellowship team, but our leaders decided to make two teams so that Welcome would have more focus. We have been very busy examining what is needed to be sure people come to our church, and stay because their souls are fed. What are people looking for in a church?  

You will see the new Welcome cards in the pews!  This is so that newcomers will be able to introduce themselves to us.  

Our biggest push is to get a Welcome and Information desk up and running in the lobby. We hope that all who enter will be able to see what is happening at JWUMC and easily sign up for the groups or services that speak to their needs and/or provide an avenue to use their gifts.  There will be boxes and cards to fill out for

1. Newcomers
2. Prayer Requests
3. Suggestions.  

We are also working on a "ride" brigade to bring in those who need transportation.  Any offers or ideas are welcome.  

Stay tuned! More to come!

Lianne Carbone

Hospitality ~ Maryellen Geoghan & Christine Quesnel

The Hospitality team has posted a coffee hour sign up sheet on the board as you enter the Fellowship Hall on the left of the entrance.

Although Ministry Teams are assigned by month, we all value any help you can offer. Reach out to a partner to make coffee hour easier on yourselves as well as on the Ministry Teams.

The Ministry Teams have a lot on their shoulders. So many hours of dedication to John Wesley Falmouth.

JW GARDEN

GARDEN PLOTS AVAILABLE

$20 EACH

It’s not to early to start thinking of gardening. Are you interested in having a garden plot?  

They are approximately 12’ x 8’. We have it rototilled for you and it is fenced in and lots of sun for great produce. We have tools available to use. You can plant whatever you want and keep what you need and/or donate any access to the church. All we ask is that you keep it neat and weeded. If you had a plot last year, please let me know if you want to continue with the same one. Thank you.

Contact Sharon

At (508) 457-0950, 508-274-9127 or smulcahy1@comcast.net

Prayer Chain 

It is an email confidential prayer chain list. The prayer requests are sent out, and the team prayer warriors are asked to pray for those requests. We generally keep them on the list for about a month unless they are requested to continue. If you are interested in joining in praying for others, contact Karen Camp at 508-737-1636 or nerakpmac13@gmail.com.

Prayer Team

On the second and fourth Sundays of the month, there is a prayer team to pray for those who would like to have confidential prayers for themselves or others.

If you are interested in joining as a prayer team member, contact Karen Camp at 508-737-1636 or nerakpmac13@gmail.com.

Greeters 

Hello! Welcome! Thanks for coming to JWUMC!  Greeters are the first impression to our church. If you are interested in being part of the welcome, contact Karen Camp at 508-737-1636 or nerakpmac13@gmail.com.

Card Ministry 

If you know if someone who’s ill or could use a “thinking of you” card, contact Karen Camp at 508-737-1636 or nerakpmac13@gmail.com.

Lenten Bible Study: It is never too late to join!

We are continuing the Lenten Bible Study through Holy Week. We are using Adam Hamilton’s book “Simon Peter.” If you are interested in joining one of the groups contact Jennifer Linton at jennifer.v.linton@gmail.com for any questions.

Bible studies - Monday 6pm in the library, Tuesday 10:30am in the Fitzgerald Room and Thursday 3 pm in the library. 

Changing our World for the months of March and April we will be collecting change for Allison who is doing mission work in the Middle East. She is also coming to visit us in April.

The collection of food is ongoing for the Food Pantry. Their numbers continue to rise, and food donations are much needed. For March the most needed item is Apple Juice and Saltine Crackers.

Thank you all for your continued support for our neighbors in need.  

Deuteronomy 15:11 " For the poor will never cease to be in the land: therefore I command you, saying, you shall open your hand wide unto your brother, to the poor, and to the needy".

Bonnie Valade

Birthday Wishes for March: 

Let us celebrate life among our church family. 1st Pastor Renè and Sally Tracy ~ 11th Karl Jurentkoff & Diane Huban ~ 14th Gus Clough ~ 17th Pat Dinsmore ~ 18th Lee Phillips ~ 20th Sue Sievert ~ 26th Lisa Asendorf and 31st Bob McIntire .

It's a great thing to have a birthday, a gift from God. Please give your birthday information by recording it on the calendar on the Fellowship bulletin board.