
(Published May 27, 2020)
Thanks for joining us again this Wednesday with Wesley!
Pentecost is upon us this Sunday. This is the day that we celebrate the birth of the church and welcome new members into the congregation. Typically, on Pentecost, a friend and I memorize the Acts 2 scripture and prepare our Biblical storytelling for worship decked out in red head to toe. In a previous congregation, the children and I would opt for a tactile retelling of the story and we would start up fans as the winds blow and drop fake red flower petals into the congregation from the balcony above to demonstrate the flaming tongues.
However you celebrate Pentecost, you do so with a firm grasp on the Biblical text. You can do a lot with the story— there’s a rush of violent wind, divided tongues of fire, and speaking in different languages— it’s a great story to tell with a group of people. It wasn’t until my first year of seminary that I learned to think anything else about the text other than which stories were cool to read in worship, and which were harder to draw people in. That all changed in my first year with my professors of Hebrew Bible and New Testament, who added so much context to the first century world that I no longer felt two thousand years removed from scripture. Instead, I felt (and still do feel) that I can read the Bible with as much awe and care with which its first readers did.
I would love to share this love of scripture with you in an evening webinar with two Wesley professors: Dr. Denise Hopkins and Dr. Carla Works. These professors have inspired so many students here to follow scripture faithfully and prophetically. Please register for our event, “Engaging the Text,” next Thursday, June 4th from 6:00-6:45pm (EST) and you will get a glimpse of what makes Wesley classes so special. Hope to see you there!
Have a blessed day!
Peace,
Elizabeth
Online this summer at Wesley: "Telling a Biblical story creates a totally different experience for the listener, and for the teller, rather than simply reading that same story does… In this COVID-19 reality, it makes sense to explore how digital storytelling could – and maybe should – be an essential part of any ministry that proclaims the Good News " says Dr. Tracy Radosevic, who will lead an online class "The Power of Biblical Storytelling" (RA-175-OL) this summer at Wesley.
Dr. Radosevic has told the story of the Gospel and trained others to do so at workshops around the world for the past 30 years.
View her video invitation to her summer course: https://youtu.be/Fexqof4sV3k

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As all are coping with the new realities that have come with a global pandemic, Wesley Community members are finding ways to reach out and support medical workers, first responders and those who minister in this time of COVID-19.
Today we hear from a member of the Wesley Community that wears many hats: the Rev. Raedorah C. Stewart, Faculty Director of the Wesley Writing Center, D.Min. student and artist. She is currently sewing what she calls "Masks of Love" for chaplains, medical workers and first responders. {Read more}

Save The Date! "Engaging The Text" with Dr. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins and Dr. Carla Works, June 4, 2020, 6:00-6:45 p.m. Eastern
You won't want to miss this special webinar on biblical interpretation this June 4!
Be part of the conversation with internationally recognized scholars and Wesley faculty members Dr. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins, The Woodrow W. and Mildred B. Miller Professor of Biblical Theology, and Dr. Carla Works, Professor of New Testament. The discussion will focus on how exegesis and eisegesis have shaped Christian theology around the world. Register for this unique opportunity on Thursday, June 4, 2020, 6:00 p.m.-6:45 p.m. Eastern to obtain Zoom access info: http://ow.ly/HpwV50zQmiO See you there! #WesleyFaculty#advancingtheologicalscholarship
Fall 2020 Course Highlights (*Recommended courses for first-year students, †fulfills requirements for UM students)
NEW COURSES JUST ANNOUNCED FOR FALL
- CM -247-OL On Visiting the Sick: Methodist Responses to Disease and Pandemic (Online)
- RA-260-OL Jewish Art From the Bible to Today Culture (Online)
- PW-125-B Foundations of Preaching (Baltimore)
- ST-229-HB Theologies of Resistance & Liberation: Martin Luther King, Jr. & Mohandas K. Gandhi (Hybrid-Baltimore and Online)
Email us if you have questions or are ready to apply: admissions@wesleyseminary.edu
Fall 2020 Course Highlights (*Recommended courses for first-year students, †fulfills requirements for UM students)
- *†BI-101-OL Introduction to Hebrew Bible 1 (Online)
- *†BI-171-HB Intro New Testament: Gospels (Saturdays)
- BI-485-0 Grounded in the Living Word: Pastoral Practices and the Hebrew Bible (prereq: Intro to Hebrew Bible) (Tuesday evenings)
- *PC-111-HB Pastoral Care + Counseling in Context (Monday nights)
- *CF-133-0 Teaching and Learning in Christian Education (Thursdays)
- *CF-205-0 Spiritual Gifts for the Contemporary Church (Tuesday evenings)
- CF-290-HB Cultivating Mental Health through Spiritual Practice (Hybrid: Online/Weekends)
- *†CM-273-OL Evangelism + Emerging Generations (Online)
- *†CH-101-OL The Church in History: Early Church To Reformation (Online)
- CM-130-0 Reviving Dying Churches & Communities (Thursday evenings)
- *†CM-248-0 United Methodism: History, Doctrine And Polity I (Tuesdays)
- *†PW-125-0 Foundations of Preaching (Thursday evenings)
- RA-144-HB Scripture in Literature (Hybrid)
- *RA-176-0 The Rest of the Story: Parables and Parallel Stories (Thursday evenings)
- RA-196-0 Liturgical Dance Theory and Practice (Wednesday evenings)
- ST-242-0 The Black Theology of James Cone (Monday evenings)
- *†WR-201-0 World Religions As Resource for Christian Theology & Church Ministry (Thursdays)
Email us if you have questions or are ready to apply: admissions@wesleyseminary.edu
Delivered every Wednesday, The Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary offers a free e-newsletter, Leading Ideas, including articles by thoughtful, cutting-edge leaders on subjects you care about — navigating change, reaching younger people, financing your ministry, communicating effectively — to help you be the leader God is calling you to be.
Explore: Communicating in a Crisis
Communicating in a Crisis
Church consultant Mike Bonem says leaders need to step up their communication in this season of anxiety and uncertainty. It is important to be transparent, hopeful, and focused on the mission.
{Read More}
ARTISTS IN QUARANTINE
Twice a month, the Luce Center for the Arts and Religion will feature an artist "and explore the inner workings of the their practice in quarantine." Currently featured is artist David Baird. "His sculptures, paintings and monoprints were featured in the exhibition Between the Lines: Biblical Speculations, held last summer in the Dadian Gallery at the Luce Center for Arts & Religion." Click here for information on the exhibit
Your pathway to a degree by way of Baltimore, MD
Avoid a move or commute! Students can combine weeknight hybrid courses in Baltimore with online classes, or weekend hybrid online courses on our main campus in Washington, D.C. to move toward a degree program at Wesley.

Update from the Faith and Public Life Immersion (FPLI)
The Faith In Public Life Immersion or FPLI, has had a wonderful week so far. We started off on Monday with introductions and a guest speaker /alumnus of Wesley Seminary and NCSS , Jane Adams with Bread for the World. The students have had a full week of guest speakers that have helped them see ways that faith and public life can be done in real and tangible ways.
FPLI is a course that combines readings, classroom discussion, and academic writing assignments with visits to policy experts, advocacy groups, and public officials. It is open to both graduate and undergraduate students who want to learn more of the intersection of faith and public life about current issues in American public life in a one week time frame.
Due to the pandemic, all the visits and the class have been online via Zoom. However, the teachers, Professor Mike McCurry and Dr. Kris Norris have assembled a great set of people to help the students learn. Ranging from staff from the UMC General Board to Interfaith leaders, to political leaders and planners have spoken with our students this week. Most notably today, the class welcomed Bishop Leah Daughtry, former DNC Convention Chair, pastor and Wesley Alum; and Sister Simone Campbell of Nuns on the Bus.
Blessings,
Rev. Rochelle Andrews
Please pray with us: Oxnam Resources
Within our Oxnam Resources exists a Prayer Wall where you can pray for others and request prayer. Please join us in prayer this and everyday as we seek God for wisdom, comfort, healing, and the blessedness of God's kingdom and will to be done.
Please remember that during this time, We are praying for you and with you. Be safe and healthy, Beloved Community.
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