Visit Wesley's campus and learn about other denominations' worship services. Our weekly chapel services and community events offer the chance for you to see how other denominations are evangelizing in an environment that requires respect of other religions. Please join us in exploring new ways to extend hospitality and the transforming love of Jesus Christ in the 21st century.
Table of Contents
- Litany for Theological Teachers- Prayer for Peace and Justice
- Lay Ministry Courses Now Available
- Upcoming Events
- Grad News and Notes
- About eCalling for Graduates
- About Wesley
Litany for Theological Teachers
Almighty God, you have made your truth known to us over many generations, and have called some to the task of bearing that truth and interpreting it afresh for those who come after. We who are gathered here have come to take our various parts in that service, so that your word may be heard and your church throughout the world may be sustained and renewed. Merciful God, hear us as we ask for the gifts we need to serve you as we ought.
For all who teach and all who learn, that they may do so in all humility and openness, remembering that all insight comes from you:
Lord, give us quietness of spirit.For all who struggle and are overburdened with work and studies and more responsibilities than they can carry, that they may find in you peace and grace to meet their need:
Lord, give us strength.For all who feel keenly the weaknesses and failures of this community, and long for what we ought to be:
Lord, give us patience and persistence.For all of us as we are tempted to speak when we should listen, to advise when we should support, to be right when we should be helpful:
Lord, give us gentleness.For all who wrestle with questions whose answers elude them, and who are tempted by doubt and despair:
Lord, give us your light.For all who seek to know and to speak your truth in world captivated by falsehood:
Lord, give us wisdom.And now, Lord, we offer our prayers for your universal church in whose service we labor. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, correct it; where it is grown slack, reform it; where it is faithful, strengthen it; and where it is divided, reunite it, for the sake of your Son who died and rose again that it might be established, pleasing in your sight, forever.
AMEN.
Prayer for Peace and Justice
May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that we will live deep in our hearts.
May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people and the earth, so that we will work for justice, equity, and peace.
May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer, so we will reach out our hands to comfort them and change their pain to joy.
And may God bless us with the foolishness to think that we can make a difference in the world, so we will do the things which others say cannot be done.
AMEN.
Lay Ministry Courses Available
People of the church are becoming biblically and theologically better grounded through Wesley's Equipping Lay Ministry program. The people who take these classes enthusiastically say helps them to "continue spreading God's love and gospel...to the ends of the earth." Also, they say they are using that what they've learned in class in their daily spiritual walks. There's still time to sign up for a class this fall. Learn more at www.wesleyseminary.edu/elm.
Courses beginning in October include:
- Pastoral Care with Older Adults
- Prayer for Ministry
- Small Group Bible Study Leadership classes
- Church history classes
- Biblical Storytelling
Upcoming Events
Dean's Forum on a Graduate's Israel-Palestine Ministry Experiences - September 26Hear Tim and Chris Seidel from the Mennonite Central Committee Peace Development Workers speak about their ministry experiences in Israel-Palestine on Tuesday, September 26 at noon in the Kresge Building, room 106. Tim Seidel earned his Master of Theological Studies from Wesley and Master of Arts from American University in international peace and conflict resolution in 2003. For more information, call (202) 885-8630.
Open House and Informal Reception at Wesley's Library – October 2
You're invited to learn about the electronic research tools, take a free research tutorial and meet the library staff on October 2 from 4 to 6 p.m. This open house and informal reception are a part of Theological Libraries Month, sponsored by the American Theological Library Association. For more information, call the library at (202) 885-8695.
Fall Faculty Lecture by Dr. Traci West – October 3 and 4
Tuesday, October 3, from 2 - 4 p.m., and Wednesday, October 4, from 9:30 - 11 a.m., Dr. Traci C. West, associate professor of Ethics and African American Studies at Drew University, will give two faculty lectures. Dr. West will speak on marriage, racism, sex, poverty, family and Christian ethics in Wesley's Oxnam Chapel. She will also speak from 12 - 1:30 p.m. on October 4 in Elderdice Hall in the Kresge Building. For more information, call (202) 885-8630.
Clay Bodies, An Art Exhibition - now through October 6
The Dadian Gallery of the Henry Luce III Center for the Arts and Religion at Wesley presents Clay Bodies. This exhibition of works by Charles McCollough and Rosemarie Schiller features figurative sculpture in conversation with scripture and the natural world. In Genesis, we read that God formed the first human from the earth, blowing the breath of life into the nostrils of its clay body, turning it into a living being. McCollough and Schiller's work in clay embodies the fragility and wonder of human life. For more information, visit www.luceartsandreligion.org.
Azusa Street Celebration - October 17
Wesley's former associate dean for community life, the Rev. Estrelda Alexander, M.Div. '95, will be preaching at Wesley's weekly chapel service in Oxnam Memorial Chapel on Tuesday, October 17 at 11 a.m. This chapel service will be a celebration of the revival that birthed the Pentecostal movement a century ago.
Wesley Days - October 18 and November 14
Do you know someone exploring a call to ministry? On October 18, from 5 to 8:30 p.m., and November 14, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., individuals interested in the seminary can tour our campus and learn more about our degree programs. For more information or to RSVP, contact the Office of Admissions at (202) 885-8659.
Community Builder Breakfast Presentation – October 20
Join us on October 20, 7:30 to 9 a.m., for the Community Builder presentation Missional Evangelism by Dr. Scott Kisker, Wesley's professor of evangelism. This lecture will address the symbiotic relationship that mission and evangelism has been and will continue to be to the renewal of the church in this informative discussion. To RSVP, call (202) 885-8636 or email jrutledge@wesleyseminary.edu.
Seeing God, A Juried Art Exhibition - October 23 through December 15
Reception and Artists' Talk - October 23
The Dadian Gallery will host Seeing God, a nationally juried exhibition of fine prints. The Dadian Gallery, along with the Washington Printmakers Gallery, has invited printmakers to consider what it means to see God. The results of this invitation are an exhibition of the ways contemporary artists of varying religious backgrounds envision the sacred in their work. Please join us for an artists' reception on October 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. For more information, call (202) 885-8630.
Weekly Worship Services - Tuesdays and Wednesdays
If you are in Washington, D.C. on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, we warmly invite you to worship with us at Wesley. During the academic year, we hold a weekly worship services on campus in Oxnam Memorial Chapel on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. and Wednesdays at 6:15 p.m. Upcoming services include:
· Tuesday, September 26, 11 a.m., a Service of Word and Table, planned and led by the United Methodist Women of the Washington/Baltimore and Virginia Conferences of The United Methodist Church with Lois Dauway, Women's Division, assistant general secretary for Christian Social Responsibility, preaching
· Wednesday, September 27, 6:15 p.m., Vesper Service led by Wesley's Unitarian Universalist Association
· Tuesday, October 3, 11 a.m., a World Communion Service of Word and Table, with Mike Feely, the executive director of St. Andrews Center and pastor of East Lake United Methodist Church and Iglesia Metodista, Chattanooga, Tennessee, preaching
· Wednesday, October 4, 6:15 p.m., Vesper Service planned and led by Plumbline
· Tuesday, October 17, 11 a.m., a Service of Word and Table, the Rev. Estrelda Alexander preaching.
Grad News and Notes
For and About Wesley Alums
Please send information you'd like to share with other Wesley alumni to Ann Keeler, director of alumni relations, at Graduates@wesleyseminary.edu.
Wesley Maxwell Lawton, M.T.S. '96, died peacefully September 16 at Washington Home Hospice in Washington, D.C. Maxwell came to Wesley as an artist. He was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 1992 and used his art to share his faith with people with AIDS and about AIDS in the faith community. One of his many paintings was created for Archbishop Tutu's cathedral in South Africa. There will be a memorial service later in the fall at Wesley's campus - the date has yet to be determined.
Benjamin Pratt, D.Min. '83, will present a lecture on the moral and theological content of Ian Fleming's James Bond tales at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., November 5 from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
Bruce Calvin, M.Div. '82, completed an internship in the Art of Spiritual Direction at Mercy Center of Burlingame, California.
The Rev. Taek Kim, M.Div. '00, and his wife Jaime were delegates to the 2006 World Methodist Conference at Kum Nan Methodist church in Seoul, Korea. More than 3,000 Methodist delegates representing 132 countries gathered for a week of worship and discussion around the theme God in Christ Reconciling. Taek Kim is currently serving Walled Lake United Methodist Church in Michigan. His wife Jaime is the National Program Coordinator for ACCESS in Dearborn, Michigan.
Lee Porter, M.T.S. '97, went on an Interfaith Peacebuilders Delegation to Israel/Palestine in July despite attacks in Gaza, northern Israel, and Lebanon. The Jewish and Christian delegates listened to Israelis and Palestinians who are actively working for reconciliation between the groups. The delegates also toured settlements surrounding Palestinian East Jerusalem. For more information about Lee's experience in the Middle East, please contact her at ameliep@comcast.net.
Sue Walters, M.T.S '04, has discerned a calling to hospital chaplaincy. After volunteering at George Washington University Hospital with Rabbi Tamara Miller and taking three units of CPE with the Rev. Jim Nenninger at Sibley Memorial Hospital, Sue is working toward APC board certification. She is currently serving as a part-time staff chaplain at Sibley Memorial Hospital.
Link to Wesley's Website
Please consider adding www.wesleyseminary.edu to your church or organization's website. This will help increase Wesley's ranking within key search engines as well as make it easier for lay leaders to find valuable resources and help individuals exploring a call to ministry.
About eCalling for Graduates
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