Volume 2, Issue 5 May 2020

Our purpose is to make new

disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the

world.

suggested a level of destruction and resultant poverty in their native king-dom – and those rumors turned out to have underestimated the damage still evident throughout the land. Even when plans were drawn up to rebuild the temple, there was hesitancy and opposition, for the resources simply were not there to construct anything approaching the glory of that sanctuary originally built under the leadership of the great King Solomon. “Surely,” some folks argued, “God will not return to such a small and unworthy building.”

Perhaps we are feeling a bit like those people from so long ago and living so far away. After many weeks away from Wesley, we too may have concerns about returning. Some of us have been gone only since February – and perhaps have kept in touch through Facebook and e-mail and phone. Others have felt exiled from our church for many more months or even years. “How can I now return? It’s been so long. Will I even know anyone? Will they accept me? What will it be like?”

Others among us may be fearful of a return because of the continuing dan-ger of infection. “Will it be safe? Could I get sick? Could I sicken someone else?”

Still others may dredge up memories of past glory and resist returning to Wes-ley because it doesn’t seem to reflect the glory of God in ways it did in years past. “We don’t have enough people. We don’t have enough money. Our building continues to age. We have lost all of our young people. It’s just not the same.”

Yes, we have as many excuses for not returning from our exile as did the Isra-

The Old Testament Book of Haggai often is ignored by those who read and study scripture, and it’s possibly unknown by many. After all, the entire book takes up only about a page and a half in most Bi-bles – a page and a half! What could such a short portion of scripture possibly offer to us, especially in this time of uncertainty and concern?

My answer is: “a lot!” Even though Hag-gai is so very brief, it tells of an important time in the history of the Jewish people. Decades earlier, the armies of the Babylo-nian empire had overwhelmed the forces of the Kingdom of Judah. They had de-stroyed the cities, ruined the crops, killed many thousands, and taken other thou-sands into bondage and service to the emperor. Even Jerusalem, the sacred city of David, the central site for the chosen people of God, had been ruined, the holy temple had been destroyed, and in the streets there was nothing but death and devastation (see Lamentations).

Then, in the era of Haggai, the exiled peo-ple were allowed to return to their home-land. Some refused to leave Babylon or other nations to which they had been exiled or fled. Life had been normalized in such places and going back to a home that they had left long ago – or had never really known – was not seen as a useful venture. Even those who decided to re-turn to Judah, to Jerusalem, packed up with hesitance, for they were not sure what they would find, what they would do, how they would live. Rumors had

elites of Haggai’s era. But return they did in that time so long past. Despite the negativity and the dire circum-stances found upon their return to Jerusalem, the people did begin to rebuild – to rebuild their homes, to rebuild their lives, and indeed to re-build the temple. When the smaller size, the lesser grandeur of the new temple was criticized, Haggai remind-ed the people of the word given to him by God: “The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.” In other words: do your best to rebuild your lives and remember – “It’s not about a building that I care,” God says, “it’s about my people. Wherever you gather, the glory will be mine. The grace will be mine. The love will be mine – poured out for you.”

So, when the time is right, let us re-turn, together, to our beloved church, remembering that it is not so much about a building but about the peo-ple, and most certainly and im-portantly about the presence of our God among us. May it be so. Amen!

Rev. Jerry Bass, Interim Pastor

Note: Rev. Jerry Bass, retired United Methodist clergy and former Wesley UMC pastor will be filling in for Pastor Jeff while he is on paternity leave through May 24. If you are in need of pastoral care during this time, please contact Jerry at 701-775-5696 or jerry.bass@gra.midco.net

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Wesley Witness Newsletter

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WESLEY WITNESS NEWSLETTER VOLUME 2 , I SSUE 5

Join us in Prayer —

For those in Care or Assisted Living Facilities: At Valley 4000: Vivianne Dahlen and Kyle Whitcomb’s mother Bev At Valley Senior Living: Joan Bristol At Good Samaritan, East Grand Forks: Velma Fruetel At Mapleview Memory Care: Del Kindem At Edgewood, East Grand Forks: Daryell Ferguson

For those in Their Own Homes: Marlo Gade, Shirley Hoff, Iris Root, Carolyn Strand, & others.

Special Prayer Requests: For Craig DeMaster who is recovering from surgery For Lorna Mougey, Helen DeMaster’s sister, who is in the hospital For Mark & Jan Hoffmann’s son who is moving to Colorado For Neil Rowe recovering from cancer surgery on his arm For all of our “snowbirds” who are returning or have returned For everyone affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for medical staff and leaders and government leaders. For Pastor Howie Baird, former Wesley pastor, and family, who is in the hospital this week getting ready for a bone marrow transplant in the days ahead. He has a CaringBridge page for updates. There is also a Gofundme page to help with medical expenses at https://www.gofundme.com/f/howie-baird-found-freedom-then-the-battle-began For David Truax, Kyle Whitcomb’s cousin, who is going through radiation treatments for thyroid cancer For Del Kindem who is having kidney problems For Holly Lathrop’s grandfather, Louie, and their family Prayers of Thanksgiving for Dale Emery who is home and feeling better For Pastor Jeff and Holly for the birth of their daughter, Jordyn Grace, on April 27 For Natalie Buck who is graduating from seminary at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, and will be serving as an EUS-2 Global Missionary Fellow with the United Methodist Church in Philadelphia

If there are people, joys, or concerns that you would like to have included in this monthly prayer list, please email details to the church office at gfwesley@midconetwork.com. Please obtain permission to share.

1 Brianna Myrold 2 Rachel Steckman 3 Duane Sandwick 5 Carol Bischoff Janet Christianson John Nordlie Diane Ferguson 8 Greg Wicken Taylor Just 9 Sandy Dittus Tuesday Just Megan Spaeth Elizabeth Jossart 10 Dorothy Lindberg Cody Aarvig 11 Isabella Whiteside 12 Helen Emery 13 Sharon Stewart Erin Clow

13 Kristen Clow Ethan Reed Izaiah Lathrop 14 Linda Juntunen Osten Richter Johanna Dittus Bailey Just 16 Kayleigh Blake 18 Emily Beaton 21 Jim Juntunen Elena Rash 22 Lonnie Lamberson Bill Kerzman Vanessa Guseman 23 Bob Boyd Erin Hager 24 Melissa Nordlie 25 Brooke Van Looy 26 James McConnell

5 Ben & Barb Holien 20 Greg & Anne Bryson 26 Jacob & Jamie Rash 29 Joel & Michelle Iiams

Congratulations, Graduates!

Congratulations to these high school graduates: Hannah Blake Seth Helling Emily Murphy Abbi Sturges If there are other high school or college graduates, please let us know so that we can recognize them in the June newsletter.

26 Kathy Tretter John Galegher, Jr. Natalya Reed 27 Krystal Ipsen 29 James Johnson 30 Denise Ellis Ethan Rash 31 Sheila Galegher Craig Goetz Matthew Yaeger

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WESLEY WITNESS NEWSLETTER

VOLUME 2 , I SSUE 5

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! In the late 1860s, before Mother's Day was an official holiday in the U.S., Ann Jarvis started mother's clubs that served poor and sick mothers and their children. Later Mothers' Friendship Day was founded to build peace after the Civil War ended. In the 21st century, women play increasingly important roles in church, society and families; women who mother deserve to be honored. It's important to remember that not all women who mother have children, yet their moth-ering helps others just as much. A woman's worth should not be measured by whether or not she has children. Many women without children have been inspiring leaders, mentors and surrogate mothers to young people in ways that helped transform them into mature adults. There are women who have sought adoption and been moth-ers in ways that biological mothers could not. Women, especially United Methodist Women members, serve others with faith, hope and love in their homes, their communities and the world with their time and through Gifts to Mis-sion every day. From here on out on Mother's Day, pause in gratitude for the treasured women in your life, including yourself. Cele-brate all those who mothered you, those who support you now and those whom you nurture. May it be a day you commit to be more compassionate and ferocious in your love for others. (from United Methodist Women web site) In May 1908, Anna Jarvis organized the first official Mother's Day celebration at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. There was also a Mother's Day event at one of Wanamaker's retail stores in Philadelphia later that same day. There is now an International Mother's Day Shrine in Grafton, WV at the site of Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church. The building is among the heritage landmarks of The United Methodist Church. Listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places since 1970, and a National Historical Landmark since 1992, the shrine seeks to "preserve, promote and develop through education, the Spirit of Motherhood, as exemplified by the lives of Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis and Anna Jarvis, and the institution of Mother's Day that they established." Usually, at Wesley UMC, we honor mothers and other women in our lives by making a donation in their honor or memory and those names are listed in a booklet. The donations are designated for ministry with children and youth. Since we are not able to do that this year, please feel free instead to make a donation to a cause of your choice that helps children and youth.

How are you doing? Let’s keep in touch! During these times, it is more important than ever to stay in touch. To continue to foster community, it is our goal to reach out, to say hi, and to ask how the church can help during these times. If you are in the church directory or visited us in 2020 and provided your number, you are already on our list. If you haven't recently provided us with your phone number and would like to receive a phone call or know of someone who would, please send a name and phone number to the church office at 772-1869 or gfwesley@midconetwork.com. If you would like to volunteer to call others on behalf of the church, please let the office know!

"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now springs forth, do you not per-ceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

2020 The Upper Room

As some of you may know, we provide printed copies of the bi-monthly devotion books called The Upper Room. We usually ask for a small donation, as you are able, to cover our subscription cost. If you would like a printed copy, just call the church office and we can arrange for you to pick up the May/June issue for free. There are regular and large-print copies.

Also, during this time while COVID-19 is front and cen-ter in our world, The Upper Room has notified churches that they are making some free resources available to individuals and churches. The list of those resources can be found at upperroom.org/covid-19. There are some interesting articles, prayer resources, videos, a Prayer Wall, and other devotional items.

Please be sure to check it out!

Are you continuing to join us in prayer at 4pm each day?

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PAGE 4 WESLEY WITNESS NEWSLETTER VOLUME 2 , I SSUE 5

Celebrating 150 Years in Mission!

Please help us help others by saving and donating following items:

· Pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House (basket in the kitchenette)

· Everyday Essentials UPC labels (box in the kitch-enette)

· Box Tops for Education (download the app on your phone or tablet)

· Toiletries for Shelter House (basket in the Fellow-ship Room)

· Empty ink cartridges (box by the church office)

Keep collecting to bring to the church when we resume activities!

The purpose of the United Methodist Women: The organized unit of the United Methodist Women shall be a community of women whose purpose is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to expand

concepts of mission through participation in the global minis-tries of the church.

Apps make life easier. With GivePlus Church, our mo-bile giving app, you can make giving easier. Use your smartphone to give anytime, anywhere!

With GivePlus Church, you can give to any of our church funds whenever it is convenient for you. Talk to the church office or visit our website to learn more. Thank you for your continued generosity!

Quilting

We had hoped to resume meeting on Wednesdays sometime in May, but will

now plan to wait until June when we will change to our summer meeting time at

9:30 am. When we do get back together, we will have our facemasks and practice physical distancing

rules. Our quilters are still working on quilts to be donated to our

local shelter house, but doing so at home or one person at a time at the church.

For questions, call Helen DeMaster at 701.772.3584

Join us when we

resume meeting in the fall.

For now, keep reading —

Book for May— Between Shades of Gray By Ruta Sepetys

For more information contact:

Pat Henry at patheny@gra.midco.net or 701.775.5904

For more information about National United Methodist Women organization, go to

unitedmethodistwomen.org. Congratulations to Pastor

Jeff, Holly, Noah, and Izaiah as they welcome their baby girl to the

Lathrop family!

Jordyn Grace was born about 5:30pm on Monday,

April 27.

What a blessing!

You can make a contribution to

Wesley UMC with a text message.

We thank you for your support!

Simply send a text message to

701.401.5690 with the amount of your donation. You’ll re-ceive a text with a

link to register.

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PAGE 5 WESLEY WITNESS NEWSLETTER VOLUME 2 , I SSUE 5

Wesley UMC Servant Leadership Team Minutes, March 18, 2020 (approved April 1, 2020) Wesley UMC Servant Leadership Team meeting (on line by ZOOM)

Present: Pastor Jeff Lathrop, Berniece Holm (chair), Brad Reissig, Beth Valentine, Mark Guy, John Martin, Judy Christy, Rick Asche; Absent: Kyle Whitcomb, John Galegher

Jeff thanked everyone for connecting with technology by Zoom for this meeting. He then opened with a word of prayer.

Jeff summarized the new White House and CDC guidelines for social distancing for only meeting in groups of 10 or less for the next 8 weeks. And so, his recommendation was to cancel all church activities effective immediately through April 5 and hope to meet on Easter to celebrate and come back together as a church. He noted that the Bishop’s recommendation was for churches to cancel at least through the end of March and then reevaluate on April 1. He also noted that UMC General Confer-ence in Minneapolis was postponed from the May dates, with no new dates announced yet.

Jeff also noted that this cancellation could have a financial impact on the church and referenced an email that he had received from John Galegher as treasurer. John had proposed some suggestions for cutting costs during this time such as turning off the heat, not having cleaning done, and cutting staff pay.

Some conversation about those suggestions included – supporting cancelling activities through April 5, but wondering what the rationale for cutting staff pay, etc.; and that it could cost more to start things back up afterwards such as needing more clean-ing, starting heat again, staff getting caught up; that cutting staff does not seem like a good first order of business; that staff needs to be available if things come up and to facilitate communication with the congregation;

John M. asked about snow removal and said that he would contact Shane’s and let them know not to worry about that for Sun-days. He also said that he would contact Service Master and see what our contract says and if we could cut back to every other week for a while or have them do different kind of cleaning such as disinfecting surfaces.

Jeff also suggested that we could talk to Wesley Endowment Foundation to request some supplemental funds if needed through this time period.

Someone also suggested that we emphasize using online giving more at this time. Jeff indicated that he had a letter almost ready to go out to the congregation and that information about giving was included. He also said that he had talked with Marge and Kellie and was planning to do worship on Sunday morning at 10:30 via Facebook live and will also post it to our web site later in the day. He can also include an announcement about on-line giving.

Berniece reminded us that we also need to be aware of people whose employment is changing and the stress that brings. Jeff said that something about that would also be included in the letter. Rick suggested that we could also include a self-addressed envelope so that people could send in their contributions as well.

Beth asked if there was anything we could/should be doing to extend our ministry outreach to the community to connect with people. Jeff mentioned that is difficult even in nursing home and hospital visits as there are more restrictions now. Rick men-tioned the GFK Community Support COVID-19 Facebook group as a way to keep up with needs and information in the com-munity.

Beth made a motion to close down church activities for three weeks through April 5 as recommended by Pastor Jeff and to revisit the situation on April 1. Seconded by Brad and approved.

Next meeting – Wednesday, April 1, 7:00pm on-line through Zoom.

Meeting adjourned at 7:30pm.

Minutes submitted by Judy Christy

Post-meeting note from Judy Christy: Pastor Jeff and I talked about church office hours and decided that I would cut back on hours worked to save a little on payroll expenses. I will plan to be in the office from 9am to 1pm, Monday through Thursday, working only 16 hours/week for now. We have also turned down the heat in classrooms and other rooms where we can while they are not in use.

Wesley Servant Leadership Team meeting minutes, April 1, 2020 (Virtual meeting by Zoom) Approved April 15, 2020.

Present: Pastor Jeff Lathrop, Berniece Holm (chair), John Galegher, John Martin, Beth Valentine, Brad Reissig, Rick Asche, Mark Guy, Judy Christy; Absent: Kyle Whitcomb

Pastor Jeff shared a brief devotion and opened the meeting with a prayer. Approval of meeting minutes – Meeting minutes from February and March had been previously emailed to the Team. Rick A. moved to approve the minutes; seconded and approved.

Open issues –

Update from Bishop Ough - Pastor Jeff reported that Dakotas Conference Bishop Ough has recommended that churches in the Dakotas not hold n person events or worship until May 15, allowing that date is subject to change. Wesley closure update - We can evaluate as we move along and can update as needed through the month of April. We will need to update signs and make sure they include a phone number for questions, and encourage people to sign up for text up-dates. We will plan to go month to month and reevaluate on May 1, and also at our April 15 meeting. There was a question about outside groups that are meeting at the church. AA has indicated that they will follow the closure dates of the church, as will the Nepalese congregation. Judy will contact the other groups.

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(April 1 Servant Leadership Team minutes, cont’d) Budget Synopsis – John G. reported that a deposit covering the previous two Sundays had been made. Some bills/checks have been paid as needed totaling about $2000. That there is presently about $8,000 in the General fund bank checking ac-count. We should be Ok for April bills and payroll (about $8,000/month). Bills are usually about $14,000. There is usually about $2900 in donations per month by electronic means. John will also include an article in the April newsletter. There was a question about whether we are still paying for the cleaning service for the building. John M. reported that he had talked to Jeff from ServiceMaster and that they will allow us to get out of our contract if needed. It was generally agreed that we should postpone their services for now. John G. thought that we had already paid for March, but will not pay for April. Question about snow removal as well- so we need to make sure that the sidewalks are done with upcoming snow forecast? John M. will also talk to Shane’s Landscaping (snow removal company). We are also trying to cut back on electric usage, etc..

John G. encouraged all to continue to support Wesley financially through this time.

New Business- Palm Sunday/Communion Drive-thru - Pastor Jeff reported that we had been approved by the city to hold a drive-thru com-munion this week for Palm Sunday. It will be at 2:00 pm at the roundabout drive at the front of the church. We have ordered and received sealed cups of juice and Jeff will get bread to cut up and will put it in Ziploc bags with the juice cup. People will also receive a palm branch to take home and wave in their neighborhood while praying for their neighbors. Jeff will promote it on Facebook, web site and text message. Beth suggested that we also include a Breakthrough Prayer card. Jeff also mentioned that he had met with a group of other clergy in Grand Forks to discuss the COVID-19 crisis and what they were doing and what needs there are in the city. The group plans to keep in touch through a Facebook group. Easter Sunday – The members of the Praise band voted to not have worship at Wesley on Easter partly to not interfere with the Bishop’s TV message at 11am. Bishop Ough will be presenting a televised service at 11am on WDAZ/WDAY, as well as on other stations across the Dakotas. Thanks to Pastor Jeff and the musicians for providing online worship on Sunday mornings. There have been good comments about it. Strategic Plan - Berniece mentioned that we should keep looking at the Strategic plan and asked for ideas on each task and if or how we can invite others to be involved in the process. Another thing to think about is who knows about us and how do they know. Do we need to do some daydreaming of ideas? Also, how do we fit in the community such as with Winship school and what other places can we fit in with. And what kind of outreach do we need to look at? How can we support missions and agencies more at this time?

Staying connected – Berniece suggested that maybe we should put together a phone calling group to make calls and keep people connected to the church and see if there are needs. There will also be people coming back to Grand Forks after being away for the winter. We would need to recruit people to create a list of people to be called and volunteers to do the calling. John G. agreed that this might be a critical task right now.

Pastor Jeff reported that we have had good response to Facebook Live worship.

Jeff also mentioned a partnership opportunity with Winship school – a group has been putting together food packages for stu-dent’s families and is delivering some to families that cannot get to the school to pick them up. They are in need of volunteers to deliver food. Look for more information in the newsletter. Rick asked if anyone knew if Meals on Wheels was still available. Mark G. said that he understood that it was still going and needs volunteers. Berniece said she has talked with Nancy Schaper and she is still volunteering in delivery of meals. Beth V. and Mark G. volunteered to coordinate a “calling tree” program. Judy will help and send them membership directory information. A couple others volunteered to make some calls. John G. suggested that we give people an idea/script when making calls so that there is a common message. There was a question about whether Parkwood or other Senior Living facilities provide an opportunity for residents to watch our worship service or other services on TV either live in the morning or from the web site later in the day. No one was sure about this- maybe something to check into. Jeff thanked John G. for hosting out Zoom meeting so that we did not have a 40-minute time limit. When asked, he also gave a brief update on the arrival of baby Lathrop –they are scheduled for a C-section in Fargo on April 27.

Jeff closed with a prayer.

Next meeting will be by Zoom on our regular day and time –Wednesday, April 15, at 7pm. Meeting adjourned at 8:55pm.

Minutes submitted by Judy Christy

Sunday School Update

The “Library” adult Sunday school class is still keeping in touch with each other during this time. They are not providing a lesson right now but are using this time to connect through Zoom as a way of support for each other, some conversation, devotion time, and prayer.

If you would like to join their online discussions, please send an email to Dave Christy at dwc07@gra.midco.net. He will then send you the link to the Zoom meeting. They are happy to have others participate and connect.

Kids—Please know that we miss having Sunday school class with you. We will resume in September!

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PAGE 7 WESLEY WITNESS NEWSLETTER VOLUME 2 , I SSUE 5

OFFERING RECEIVED 2019 2020

Prepaid $3,000.00 $20.00 Pledges January $20,027.00 $16,932.10 February $14,153.50 $14,539.08 March $23,416.60 $18,777.50 April $19,536.00 $15,877.00 May $14,807.42 June $19,513.81 July $12,010.50 August $16,315.32 September $19,276.38 October $15,445.46 November $15,784.15 December $28,233.41 _____________________________ _______ Total $224,369.15 $66,125.68 Total Annual Goal: $253,000.00

SUNDAY WORSHIP ATTENDANCE—on Facebook Live April 5— 56 Good Friday— 24 April 12— Easter message by Bishop Ough on TV Wed., April 15— 13 April 19— 44 Wed., April 22— April 26— 42 Wed., April 29— 10

Your 2020 Wesley UMC Servant Leadership Team is: Jeff Lathrop………...Pastor Berniece Holm..…....Chair John Galegher……..Treasurer John Martin ………..Trustees Kyle Whitcomb …… Trustees Open………………..Trustees Rick Asche…………Staff-Parish Relations Mark Guy…………...Staff-Parish Relations Judy Christy………..Program Ministry Beth Valentine……... Brad Reissig ……..... Open………………..Program Ministry Open ………..………Program Ministry If you are interested or feel called to participate in the ministry and leadership at Wesley, please talk to Pastor Jeff or any of the people listed on the Servant Leadership Team.

As the Treasurer of Wesley, I say Thank you.

Thank you to the people who previously set up recurring electronic contributions. These regular ongoing contributions help smooth out the bumps in Wesley’s cash flow. This has been a huge benefit to Wesley for the recent period as we have not met in person for close to two months, yet these contributions continue.

Thank you to several individuals who joined the electronic contribution group recently. Your commitment helps ensure that ministry will continue at Wesley.

Thank you also to those dedicated members of Wesley who have continued to send or drop off financial contributions to the church. This demonstrates to me the level of commitment members have to our church.

Even with the above mentioned support, financial donations to Wesley have declined some recently. Some relief came in the form of the Paycheck Protection Program. Wesley’s leadership team approved applying for these loan funds and we received funding in late April. These dollars will help to cover payroll expense for the next two months.

I look forward to being able to see the friendly mask-covered faces of Wesley members, from a safe distance, relative-ly soon. Please continue to be well, and please continue your financial support of Wesley. This health situation will pass, and we will continue together to make new disciples of Jesus Christ in order to transform the world.

John Galegher, Jr. Treasurer

A note from the church office — If you would like to receive “almost weekly” email updates or the monthly Wesley Witness newsletter by email, please send me an email letting me know that. If you already receive these updates, or the e-newsletter, no need to let me know again unless your email address has changed. Thank you! Judy Christy, Office Manager

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W E S L E Y U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H 1 6 0 0 4 T H A V E . N . G R A N D F O R K S , N D 5 8 2 0 3

Phone: 701-772-1869 Fax: 701-772-1940 E-mail: gfwesley@midconetwork.com Check out the Newsletter online at: www.gfwesley.org Worship Schedule: See Calendar for worship times Office hours: Mon.—Thurs. 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Church Staff: Pastor: ………………………………….……...……..Jeff Lathrop Choir Director/Organist:..……………..Marjorie Myrold Office Manager: ……...……………………..……Judy Christy Cleaning Services: ..……………………..……ServiceMaster The Wesley Witness A publication of Wesley United Methodist Church. Published 12 times each year to keep members and friends informed of programs of the church and to report news about the Wesley church family.

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Would you like to receive Wesley updates by text message including closings, cancellations,

other announcements concerning the life of the church, and a link to the mobile order of wor-

ship each week.? It’s easy to join the text group

On your cell phone, text @txtwesley to 81010

For the continued safety and health of everyone, Wesley Church is still closed for now. We are working on plans to worship again in person, but that will be no earlier than May 31. See some changes and guidelines on this page. And we will keep you informed as we go along.

Be sure to join us for online worship on Facebook Live at 10:30 on Sunday mornings.

The recorded service will also be available each week on our web site under the Messages tab.

COVID-19 Update

Over the past couple weeks our “normal” has changed, and it will continue to change as we learn more and the situation around us changes. While the earliest we would be able to return to in-person worship is May 31st – and it could very well be later – we have already started thinking about what our “new normal” would look like when we resume.

We just wanted to let you know what a few of those measures will be. First, we will ask that everyone maintain social distanc-ing. This means that, unless you live with them, you must stay and sit at least six feet away from others. To enable this, we will have modified seating arrangements and ask that you don’t congregate in the building before or after worship. Second, we will ask that all worshipers wear masks; some will be provided for those who don’t have one. Lastly, we will have “contactless” worship. This will mean no passing of the peace or offering plates (though we still appreciate your contributions and will have plates available in the church for those who want to give!). We will also, for now, not distribute bulletins but instead have announcements available online and post-ed on the screens in the sanctuary. Other measures will be taken as well, but these are the ones that will most directly impact worship, and so we wanted to let you know now. If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please let us know! You can contact anyone on the Servant Leadership Team directly or send your thoughts to the church office.