Wesley Foundation Update Website

Intentionally Developing Spiritual Leaders

The Wesley Foundation at the University of Iowa intentionally develops spiritual leaders.  We do this through various vehicles and opportunities, and at the center of our leadership development ministry is the Peer Ministry Program.

Peer Ministers at the University of Iowa learn to lead by leading. Campus ministers invite four to five students each year to be part of an intensive spiritual leadership program. These students work together as a team and dialogue about meaning, faith and service.  The campus ministers are part of the team and mentor individual students in weekly sessions. It's a big commitment for students, but they report the rewards are great as well. Students learn about themselves and what they believe, building community and sharing faith in action.

Courtney Ball and Clint Twedt-Ball are brothers who each served as a peer minister while a student at the University of Iowa during the 1990s. They are now the co-directors of Matthew 25 Hub Ministry in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Matthew 25 is an innovative, relationship-centered ministry serving low-income neighborhoods. The ministry has been very active in rebuilding community after the devastating floods of 2008. Examples of Matthew 25 programming include: The Block by Block Program, which rebuilds flood-impacted neighborhoods one block at a time, both structures and relationships; a neighborhood Tool Lending Library; free music lessons for elementary students; Book Buddies to tutor first graders in reading skills; and Cultivate Hope, which focuses on local gardening and local food in lower income neighborhoods.

When asked about their years in peer ministry at Wesley they said: "Our time at Wesley, especially those years we spent as peer ministers, set the stage for much of the work we do now. At Wesley, we learned about the importance of deep relationships in community, about the connection between faith and justice, and we were free to explore how God was calling us to live out our faith. We also had the support and guidance of caring pastors, who encouraged us to grow into leaders."

The following is a testimonial from Lydia Kubik, a graduate Social Work student.

I grew up in a conservative Christian environment and was disenchanted with the emphasis on fundamental theology. I felt that religion was based on appearances and judgmental attitudes.  As a college student, I had a virtually nonexistent spiritual life. In 2006, when I transferred to UNI from another college, I recognized that I wanted to have a better relationship with God, but the memories of church services and religion prevented me from taking any steps to do.

For a class volunteer project, I contacted Wesley about the Spirited Volunteer program they ran. I called Dave to get information about it. What I remember most about that phone conversation was that Dave was an incredibly easy person to talk to. I felt that Dave was nonjudgmental and compassionate. Although I had never met him in-person, I felt that he truly cared about my well-being, and I found myself sharing with him about my desire to have a stronger spiritual connection with God. Dave invited me to the worship services at Wesley where I felt welcomed by all.

 Wesley provided a positive and affirming environment where I felt safe to explore and grow my relationship with God. The Wesley Foundation accepted and understood the various spiritual stages at which the other college students and I were. Although I grew up a Christian, it was at Wesley that I learned what it meant to be one.

The worship services were particularly meaningful to me as Dave made them applicable to the needs and issues that we faced. While I have gone to church for most of my life, Dave was the first minister from which I felt comfortable to ask for guidance.

In addition to being a spiritual haven, Wesley also provided me with an uplifting and supportive social network. Some of my fondest college memories are of the times I spent at the Wesley Foundation with people who quickly became my friends.

I am currently a graduate student at UNI, and I continue to feel blessed by the Wesley Foundation. When I look back on the last several years of my life, I know that Wesley had a pivotal impact on my life. Because of Dave inviting check out Wesley over three years ago, I received so much support and knowledge which has led to my relationship with God being increased exponentially. I will always be grateful to the Wesley Foundation for its part in shaping who I am. 

The Wesley Foundation at Iowa State University is doing a variety of studies this semester.  If you happen to be in the Ames area, be sure to check out one of these studies or worship experiences.  Here is a glimpse into what is happening this semester.   

God as Seen on the Silver Screen

faithspring, our alternative worship service,  continues with the sermon series God as Seen on the Silver Screen. Each week of the series will focus on one of the ways that God has been or is being portrayed in movies.

The faithspring offering for this week will be going to help those affected by the earth quake in Haiti.  faithspring is on Sunday Nights at 5:30pm -6:30pm in the Annex (130 S. Sheldon).

Each week after the service there is a FREE Sunday Dinner.

Christ Clips this Week to Watch Doubt

Christ Clips is an opportunity each week to get together with a group of people, watch a movie and discuss what the theological ideas are.

The movie for this week is Doubt.  Set in 1964, Doubt centers on a nun who confronts a priest after suspecting him of abusing a black student. He denies the charges, and much of the play's quick-fire dialogue tackles themes of religion, morality, and authority.

Christ Clips takes place each week at 8:15pm in the Student Lounge. We provide the popcorn.

DreamThinkDoBe

Dreamthinkbedo (DTDB) returns on Tuesday, January 26th in the student lounge.

DreamThinkBeDo is an engaging new catalyst for conversation among young adults searching for what's next for followers of Jesus.  It's an overview of progressive Christianity designed just for young adults, featuring the insights of more than 25 theologians, preachers and teachers at the top of their game.  They come to us via dvd.  We listen to a few minutes of their thoughts, then jump in to share and discuss. 

The Phoenix Affirmations

The Phoenix Affirmations is an extremely thought-provoking and important little book. It contains 12 "affirmations", statements of faith, which were written by a group of Pastors in the Phoenix, AZ area. They were frustrated with the tendency of people to group all Christians together and with a conservative Christian voice often being the only one covered by the media.

We are offering two sections of this discussion group. One will meet on Mondays from 12-1pm in the M-shop at the Memorial Union (beginning Feb.1). The other will meet on Wednesday nights from 7-8pm in the student lounge (beginning Feb. 3).