Dear New McKendree Church Family,

Be on the lookout for a new worship series coming your way! 

Beginning on September 13/14, our NMUMC family will embark on a series entitled “The Wesleyan Way.”  Over the course of this six-week series, we’ll explore one of the most ingenious aspects of our founder, John Wesley's, theology: the “order of salvation.”  Not only will we focus our attention on our heritage, but we will, more importantly, explore the biblical basis for our Wesleyan ways and how it serves as a framework for our twenty-first-century Christian lives.  

As it turns out, I’ve been working on this worship series for months without even knowing I was doing so.  Over a year ago, I developed a twelve-week “Wesleyan Way of Salvation” curriculum for our Breaking Bonds residents that serves as an introduction to John Wesley and his Methodist vision of Scriptural Christianity.  A few months ago, while teaching during my regular Monday morning time slot, it occurred to me that not only our Breaking Bonds residents, but also our entire church family, would benefit from a refresher on this all-important aspect of our Wesleyan heritage.  While the sermons are far (really far!) from being done, below is an outline of sermon topics/titles and associated Scripture readings:

September 13/14      “Sin: The Root of the Problem”                         Romans 7:14-25

September 20/21      “The Power to Begin”                                          Romans 5:6-11

September 27/28      “The Turning Point Part 1: God’s Grace”        John 3:16-21

October 4/5                “The Turning Point Part 2: Human Faith”        Matthew 12:38-45, 2 Corinthians 5:17

October 11/12           “Sanctifying Grace”                                              Philippians 2:12-13

October 18/19           “Perfect?”                                                                Ephesians 3:12-19

Nothing brings out the geek in me more than John Wesley, our Wesleyan heritage, and the timeless vision of Scriptural Christianity, which remains as relevant today as it was two-plus centuries ago.  Wesley and the theology his 18th-century movement spawned were accessible, applicable to day-to-day life, and culturally unifying.  I believe God is calling us, his 21^st-century Wesleyan people, to live and proclaim that same accessible, relevant, and culturally unifying message into the darkness of our divided world.  However, before we can embody the Wesleyan ways in our lives, we must first invest in learning and appreciating our distinctive heritage.  That’s what this series is all about. 

So, please make every effort to participate in our six-week journey.  And, by all means, invite a friend…invite your friends’ friends!  I thank God for the opportunity to take this journey with you.

Your brother in Christ,

Pastor Bryan Wendling