2025-11-20 Good News

Dear Wesley UMC Members and Friends, I hope this letter finds you well and surrounded by God’s grace. As we begin our 2025 Stewardship Campaign, I am grateful and hopeful for what God is doing in and through Wesley. Our theme this year, “Enough: Trusting the God Who Provides,” is grounded in the promise of 2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all ti...

“An Advent of Renewal – Slow down, breathe deep, make space for Christ” Advent is supposed to be a season of holy waiting but let’s be honest, it often feels more like a sprint. By the time December rolls around, many of us are juggling shopping, parties, school events, travel plans, extra things at church and more shopping. Even the “fun” stuff can start to feel like one more thing on the list. B...

Rev. John Oda – Senior PastorMark Teagle – Director of Spiritual Formation, Community Engagement and MusicKelli Martines – Director of AdministrationHikaru Bakoshi – Media and Technology CoordinatorVanessa Perry-Mar – Youth DirectorHatty Lin – Children’s Ministry DirectorTerri Thornton – Office ManagerAlan Ngai – Administrative AssistantKelvin Kamachi – Facilities ManagerShane Cantanho – Accompani...

So good to see Rev. Dick Corson, who returned briefly from taking care of Bobbie, to bring us Communion on Nov. 2. He brought us an unforgettable poignant message on “Practice Generosity” as his gift of story-telling moved each of us and planted the thought about the impact a simple act of kindness can bring to people in our lives. We wish he and Bobbie continued healing and strength during her re...

Our Tuesday Food  Distribution Program received a Veteran’s Day Holiday bonus when 10 Lincoln High School Leos showed up to help us along with Derek Miyahara, off from teaching, and a friend of Kazuko’s too. We are grateful for their participation. Thank you Giovanni Paquiz for bringing all these helping hands to our program.......

10年に亘って私たちを牧してくださった山本先生とご家族が2022年6月に日本に戻られて以来、ウェスレー教会日語フェローシップとして再出発した私たちですが、小さな力でも大切にしている事が三つあります。まず日語礼拝、次に聖書研究、そして信徒のフェローシップ。夫々に多くの方々の働きを得て、この2年半の間、ずっと続けることが出来ました。今月の日語礼拝は11月23日（日）、午前10時から石田求先生の「戻りの旅」と題するメッセージで守ります。いつも新しい視点で私たちを考えさせてくださいます。是非ご出席ください。そしてもうすぐクリスマス。今年もアドベント聖書研究を11月20日、12月4日、11日、18日の木曜日午後7時半からZoomで開催し、鈴木央子先生、コリンズ道子姉、塚本三枝子姉がリードしてくださいます。テキストはレントの時に続き、James Moore牧師の「What Do You Want Fo...

The Sunday before Halloween, God’s Garden had a little bit of Halloween fun. Some children came to church dressed in their costumes. God’s Garden teachers decorated their doors for trick-or-treating. The youth decorated the MYF and CAF classroom doors and passed out treats to the children. So many goodies and fun for all!......

Wesley’s Trunk ‘N” Treats Smashes Records by Barbara Hiura What a festive night as all of Japantown literally exploded with activity and our Wesley lot was filled for hours with young and old trick-or-treaters. Once SJ Taiko finished their rousing and energized routine and their noteworthy safety program, throngs of families poured into our parking lot to 10 well-dressed and quite unique trunks an...

This is the fourth year the UWF has used some of the proceeds of the Rummage Sale to purchase household goods like laundry detergent, fabric softener, dish soap, kitchen towel & sponge, toothbrushes and toothpaste, a treat for the children, foil, tape and other small items to give to families that come to the Wesley Food Distribution. Donations of toothbrushes, dental floss and toothpaste were giv...

Wesley Church recently received a $5,000 Beulah Foundation grant to launch a Hearing Assist Project for our sanctuary. The funds will purchase and install a state-of-the-art hearing assistance system which will connect directly to personal hearing aids, ensuring clear sound for older adults and others with hearing loss. This project will enhance worship accessibility, strengthen community inclusio...

This past month Wesley’s food storage room off the Fellowship Hall was renovated into a bright, organized space that will serve our ministries for years to come. The walls were painted.  The floors were patched and replaced with new tile. New overhead lighting was installed so we can actually see what we’re looking for!  New heavy-duty shelving was added, allowing us to store more supplies in a mu...

Wesley’s first Strategic Planning session was held on November 15th in the Chapel.  Wesley has never had an outside consultant lead the church in this process, however 40 years ago, Rev. Peter Chen lead the church through a strategic planning process. Our consultant, Rev. Sam Yun, (who was recommended to us by our District Superintendent Rev. Samuel Hong) will lead us in three sessions with a cros...

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Phillippians 2:4 Earlier this month four United Women in Faith members from Wesley United Methodist Church travelled to Sacramento United Methodist Church to attend their November 1, Rummage Sale.One of the treasured items discovered at the sale was a huge quantity of beautifully hand crocheted granny square...

Would you know what to do if:- It appears that someone is having a heart attack?- At mochitsuki, a participant appears to be choking?- Someone reports smoke in the kitchen?- Water is leaking out from underneath the sink in the restroom? Encouraged by Mark Teagle’s “call to action” in service where he called on all of us to attend the training so we can help ourselves and others at church, On Oct. ...

On November 8th Wesley United Methodist Church partnered with Rise Against Hunger to help fight food insecurity around the world. In just a few hours, 60 volunteers of all ages measured rice and soy, sealed bags, labeled boxes, and packed 12,000 bags of nutritious meals to be shipped overseas. The fellowship hall buzzed with laughter, chatter and the steady rhythm of people serving side by side. T...