January 2008 Newsletter

December 2007 Newsletter

WELCOME FROM THE DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT

Welcome to the web site of the Northwest District of the Wesleyan Church. I am pleased to invite you to browse through the options available. Our District covers the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho and includes the Vancouver area of British Columbia. We currently have 25 churches. These churches are found in the big cities like Seattle, Portland, or rural communities like Raymond, Hermiston and Weippe.

You may be unfamiliar with the Wesleyan Church. Let me give you a brief introduction to who we are. Our origins began with John Wesley in England during the 1700s. His pursuit of God and a holy life became the foundation of the Methodist movement. His heart-warming experience at Aldersgate with the Moravians changed his life and the lives of millions. Our roots are in the Methodist Church that was formed by John in North America. Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury were the original leadership appointed to this country. The Methodist Church was the fastest growing church during the 1800s. The circuit-riding preachers were there as the frontier was being settled.

The difficult and dark days before the Civil War saw the beginnings of our denomination. The slave trading and abuse of the slaves led our leaders to cry out for reform. The voice from the North asking the Methodist Church to put pressure on the South to release the slaves fell on deaf ears. Orange Scott was a publisher and abolitionist who was silenced by the Methodist Church. He with 15 other pastors and congregations from New York broke away and started the Wesleyan Methodist Connection of America in 1843. Our beginnings was a response to a social need not just to be a church. We became the church after the Emancipation Proclamation ending the Civil War. We have continued to be advocates for people with their rights and freedoms. We have promoted women in ministry believing they can be called by God and gifted by the Holy Spirit for ministry. We currently have 250 women preparing in our colleges for ministry.

In 1968 the Wesleyan Methodist and the Pilgrim Holiness Churches merged forming the Wesleyan Church. We currently have 1700 congregations in North America and another 2,333 around the globe. Total membership worldwide is 306,000 with attendance at 323,000. Our International Headquarters is located outside Indianapolis, Indiana at 13300 Olio Rd, Noblesville, Indiana. Phone (317) 774-7900. Web page: www.wesleyan.org.

The Wesleyan Church is proud of its heritage and message. We are people who believe the Scriptures as the Word of God. We believe Jesus is the Christ, the only Son of God.

We believe the way to God is through His son’s death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. We believe through our acts of repentance and faith we can have a new beginning with God.

We in the Northwest recognize the individualistic nature of our culture. There is a spirit of independence that was necessary in the establishing of the frontier. Yet, we find that people are the same the world over. People need to be known and cared about by a group of like-minded individuals. Thomas Merton said, “no man is an island unto himself.” Our churches are in their respective communities to touch people like you. Check out our locations and visit some Sunday to see if we are like-minded for you and your family.

Sincerely,

Dr. Karl Westfall
District Superintendent