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Jan. 22,2024 - Jan. 28,2024
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Below is a recap and summary of promise 3, the covenant with Abraham.
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Promise 1 Adam: God promises provision of all we need in exchange for our participation in caring for creation. We choose our own way.
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Promise 2 Noah: God promises to always provide sun and moon, seedtime and harvest, IN SPITE OF US. We choose our own way.
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Promise 3 Abraham: God promises to bless all the nations of the world through the nation of Israel. We choose our own way. God promises his offspring will become a nation and HE promises a land. He even sets the borders of the land.
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The key layers we added this week. First, God chooses Abraham from all the people and desires to bless him. This reveals the nature and desire of God to provide. Second, the consequence for disobedience is banishment. Adam and Eve are banished from the garden. Cain is banished from the family. Ham is banished from the tribe and eventually the entire nation of Israel is banished from the land God promised Abraham. The most important addition in thinking had to do with our identity. We were created by God as slaves. We tend the garden. We work. He provides. We take a walk with Him daily, and all are content. God expects obedience without a need for understanding. Adam has a need to understand and so falls into sin. The need to understand is a form of ownership. We want to own God’s justice and decide what is fair and right. Our souls’ created identify is as slaves to God (Christ). When we go our own way, our souls wander about looking for something to attach ourselves to, something to identify as who we are. If we are not found in Christ, we are out of sorts, diseased, wrongly attached, and our souls know it.
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The primary issue we still face today is with God’s promise to give Abraham the land and there are already people living on the land, Ham’s descendants, who must be displaced for the promise to be fulfilled. This understanding of land ownership and displacement is overwhelmingly the number one issue the nations face. Still is. God orders it. He promises it. This is a dilemma we will pursue in the coming weeks. Think “manifest destiny.”
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I love being your pastor,
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Please join us this Friday, Jan. 26th!
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As a Christian and as a church, we have two weapons to fight oppression:
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Please join us as we pray that our new future pastor is Godly
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and biblically grounded in the truth;
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for Pastor Ernie as he transitions into a new phase of his life;
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for new church leaders to answer God's call and
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lead us into the future in accordance with God's will;
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for Wesley to stand strong against the forces of culture
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that are tearing down Christianity;
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for the Wesley family to become true disciples of God's truth
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and have a lasting impact in our community;
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Personal prayer requests will be addressed at the close of the meeting.
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This year let us all vow to "do better".
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Join us as we prepare our hearts for the upcoming Valentines Day!
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Thank You to all who brought in small heart boxes of chocolates
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and Promiseland kids for the sweet cards they made!
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If you are able to join us Sat., please reply to this email or
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All are welcome to join us for an organizational meeting for our HOPE ministry at Wesley. We will focus on building relationships and preparing for our Spring events.
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Lent will begin on Ash Wednesday, February 14 at 7 pm. We all have ashes created from last year’s Palm Sunday branches placed on our foreheads to help us remember the significance of the cross.
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In Lent, the baptized are called to renew their baptismal commitment as others prepare to be baptized. To this end, we are offering a
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Covenant/Communion Service
Sunday, February 18
10am morning service
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Below is a sample of commitment cards that will be available.
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For those wanting to be baptized,
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Pastor Ernie will be scheduling a time later in the Spring
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for a special baptismal service.
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Please join with the United Methodist Men and Promise Keepers of Wesley Memorial for an evening of uplifting, God-honoring, worship and encouragement in St. Petersburg on Feb. 23, 2024. We would like to take advantage of the group rates so please indicate your desire to attend as soon as possible to - Herman Small (813)927-1606 -
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Steve Hibbens (813) 601-0947 - Dan Parker (863) 581-4865. The event starts at 6:30pm and we can carpool from Wesley Memorial at 5:00pm sharp.
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Promiseland will have their Spring Festival in conjunction with the W.O.W. Spring Craft Fair. If you are able to help with the Spring Festival, please contact
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Silver Saints will celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a lunch, devotion, games and service project. Wear your green and come join in the food, fellowship and fun!
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This event is open to the community so bring a friend!
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If you have not yet registered for the Church Directory, please contact the office at [email protected]. You do not have to be a member. We want everyone who is a regular attender in person or online to be in the directory. You must register with the office first before you are able to sign in. If you have registered, please sign in to review your information. Please note you are able to edit your own profile with your password, so please change or add any info needed. We hope to have directory printed in the future. In the meantime, if you want a printed copy, there are instructions on how you can print out a personal copy. If you have any issues, feel free to contact the office for assistance. We encourage you to download the app on your phone as it is a quick and easy way to keep the directory at your fingertips.
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CUBA MINISTRY
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Happy to report that things are going smoothly this year and we are now at 209 children per week. With that, comes a lot more need for inventory. If you are able to help with a monetary donation or food donation, we would appreciate the support.
Juice boxes or pouches
Applesauce or fruit cups – small individual cups
Nature’s bakery fig bars or Nutrigrain bars
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You can bring the items to the church during normal business hours or of course bring with you on Sunday to church. Monetary donations can be put in offering in a marked envelope specifying Pack- A- Sack . If needed, you can reach out to Jamie directly to arrange a pick up at 813-967-3800 or [email protected]
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We couldn’t do this without each and every one of you
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and we are grateful for your continued support.
Please be in prayer for all the Pack a Sack children
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and in prayer for our current needs.
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FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY,
PLEASE BRING IN SMALL STUFFED ANIMALS!
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NURSERY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
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We need four volunteers, each available one Sunday a month during the worship service, to provide back up when the nursery has both infants and toddlers. Contact the church office if you are able to help. [email protected]
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Wesley, you are such a faithful church! We thank you for your generous and giving hearts! You can Text To Tithe your offerings for Wesley Memorial UMC at this contact number - 813-699-4304. Within a few minutes, you’ll be sent a text with a link to register. Click on the link and enter your cardholder name and credit or debit information. Once your registration is complete, you will receive a text verification and a receipt of your donation via email. You can even text “repeat” to make it a recurring donation. Give + Text is one of the fastest and easiest ways to give.
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Or by standard mail by sending cash or check to
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6100 Memorial Hwy, Tampa FL 33615
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Office hours are Monday - Thursday 9am-3pm.
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We are here to help you with any of your needs.
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Church Contact Information:
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This week Pastor Ernie talked about how his statement last Sunday that we are slaves to God left some people with pause. We don't like to think of ourselves as slaves because of our cultural perception of that term. Pastor Ernie assured us he will be talking more about this on Sunday. You can listen to Coffee with Ernie every Tuesday morning on Facebook at 7:30am or you can watch later.
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Click link below for the most recent episode.
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Post your prayers and praise requests here and pray and comment for others!
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Please make visiting the prayer wall a daily practice!
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A Prayer for Wisdom
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Dear Father God, As we begin to take steps toward our purpose, we ask that you give us wisdom. As your Word promises us, we ask in faith that you will give us wisdom in every small and large decision as we step into our purpose. We thank you that we don’t have to rely on our own understanding, as we know that your wisdom will guide us to our exact purpose. Thank you that we can come to the throne and ask anything. We ask for your guidance, and we thank you for the gift and power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, amen.
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Be sure to subscribe to our You Tube channel!
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Jan. 28, 2024
10:00 am Worship Service
"Covenant of The Law"
Exodus 20:1-17
Pastor Ernie Post
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Please help the church save money on paper and printing by checking in virtually on Sunday Service and receiving a bulletin. The QR code will be posted on the outside and inside of sanctuary entries, in the pews, and at the coffee station. Give it a try and see if it works for you. Paper bulletins will still be available if preferred.
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*Please note: When registering for check in, it is only required to input one contact - cell phone OR email (although both are preferred.) All other requests are optional and can be bypassed by simply pressing the done button.
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Additional Note: The bulletin can also be found on the Church website (wesleymemorial.net) in the Contact drop down menu . It is updated every week by the end of Thursday for the following Sunday.
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If your phone is not pulling up current bulletin via the QR code on Sunday, it is likely you need to clear your cache (search history). To do this, open your search app, tap the three dot bar at bottom, tap history, then clear browsing data. Make sure cookies and site data has a check to the right as well as cached images and files. Then at bottom click "clear browsing data". Refer to google as some phones may differ. It is a good idea to clear the cache on your phone occasionally to keep your phone operating at its best.
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*******Even if you prefer a paper bulletin, you can still sign in online in lieu of using a connect card. That still helps the church with printing costs.*********
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FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
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