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About Us |
Who We Are |
Wesley Club Campus Ministry of Merced is a radically inclusive, intentional Christian community that welcomes people of all walks of life regardless of sexual orientation, race, gender, nationality and faith to promote living an authentic life in God. Our ministry is to transform lives for the transformation of the world. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
We gather on campuses of UC Merced, Merced College, and at Wesley House for small group Bible Studies, Journey Conversations (deep and vulnerable sharing on life and faith issues to discover who you are and your life calling), Contemplative Meditation Practices, Worship, and Community Service. Together, we become friends of God for the transformation of the world. “The arc of history is long and it bends towards justice.” - Martin Luther King, Jr. We offer “Nine Permissions” to participants as God given human rights for all to live the truth of who they are as God created them to be: The Nine Permissions to Live By 1. You have a permission to be who you are. 2. You have a permission to think freely. 3. You have a permission to be imperfect and make mistakes. 4. You have a permission to ask for what you need. 5. You have a permission to say “No”. 6. You have a permission to speak the truth in love. 7. You have a permission to be great and powerful. 8. You have a permission to laugh (ever loudly at yourself and at human condition). 9. You have a permission to seek your own happiness and be happy |
Our Mission |
Journey Inward, Journey Outward, Journey Together
We are living in a radically altered world in the 21st century by the technological revolution. Our mission is to reach out to students on campuses to provide vital ministry to help shape their faith that will have lasting impact on their lives and our society. We invite people on a journey together to discover who they are and their true life calling. We learn from Christ how to be fully human and fully divine NOW here on earth. Together we support one another in finding their authentic life and living boldly the life of freedom in God in order to transform the world. “So if the Son has set you free, you are Free Indeed!” - John 8:36 The mission of Wesley Foundation is to reach out to students at UC Merced (7000), Merced College (12,000), and Wesley House (7 students living in an intentional community) to bring them into a living relationship with God through fellowship, spiritual growth studies, service and social justice ministries. Our mission is to transform the lives of students for the transformation of the world. Our ministry is to create various opportunities for students to discover the living Christ and living faith in a new way that will be relevant and powerful to withstand the great tsunami of change that is taking place globally through the dizzying speed of technological revolution. The ministry is to create learning opportunities for students to explore and investigate in the company of other seekers to engage critically the following life transforming questions:
In addition to ongoing Bible Study and faith discussions, we offer relevant discussion forums for students to engage in topics that they are facing in today’s world, e.g., coping with the technological world of distractions such as web addiction and porn addiction. We promote awareness on important social issues facing us today such as Islamophobia, race relations, rights of women, LGBTQ community and other minority groups, economic justice, responsible gun control, global warming, and more. We provide a safe place for students to come together to be vulnerably honest with themselves to discuss important life and faith issues that affect and matter to them through a “Journey Conversations” ministry. Wesley Club provides a support system and spiritual guidance to help them discover God’s vision for their lives, courage to live out God’s call, and an opportunity to experience a life of service and nonviolent sacred activism. Promoting Interfaith Dialogue Increasingly our world is becoming small and evolving into a global community. In the Western world and in North America, we are living with diverse cultures of people and religion in the work place, schools, neighborhoods, and society in general. We believe the significant part of the work of Christ was to break down barriers that divide us, increase the bond of common humanity, and to recognize that we are all God’s children. Unless we make an intentional effort to understand each other and learn to live in peace with one another, we will destroy ourselves. For this reason, we believe in the interfaith dialogue with the great religions of the world for the purpose of promoting greater understanding and respect toward one another’s different faith traditions, as well as enriching and deepening our own Christian faith in the process. As the scripture states, we believe God was present with all people since the beginning of creation. "All things came into being through him (Christ), and not one thing came into being without him." - John 1:3 Therefore, we view other world religious traditions as allies rather than a threat to our Christian faith. Promoting Nonviolent Sacred Activism Increasingly in our highly politicized American society people are living in their own “echo chamber.” “Echo Chamber” is living in a bubble by listening only to what you want to hear from folks who hold the same beliefs as you without listening to the other side. Consequently, America is becoming more polarized and fractured. The language of polarization leads to “us against them” rhetoric where one group demonizes the other group. It becomes imperative that one wins and the other loses. Increasingly, people are taking extreme positions that are driven by anger and fear. And the voice of anger and fear tend to be the loudest that drowns out the moderate voices in the middle. A “scapegoating mechanism” is activated which looks for someone or a group to blame for everything (e.g. losing jobs to immigrants and other ethnic minorities). If the polarization intensifies into the extreme, it leads to violence where each side justifies violent acts that destroy the other. We believe our fractured society needs more than ever people who are committed to “nonviolent sacred activism.” We believe that humans are hardwired to wanting to love and help each other. No matter how polarized each side is there is always a “common ground.” Seeking the “common ground” through “nonviolent communication” becomes the key for coming together to work towards reconciliation and common good for society. |
