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Thursday, August 20, 2009 - New Student Week

Dear Friends, Please send prayers Purdue's way!  The freshmen are here!  It's BGR week...Boiler Gold Rush or as we like to say, Boiler GOD Rush.   It's a week set aside for orientation, making friends, settling in, finding their way around...and lots of chances to party and get in trouble.  The incoming freshmen need lots of prayers and encouragement to help them connect to God and a church family on campus.   It's been hard connecting with freshmen this year.  We didn't get many religious preference cards back where students mark what kind of campus ministry they might like information about.  We've had a few folks send us student names from their churches. Then BGR had a very disappointing turnout of students at the call-out for Religious Life on Campus.  Usually there are over 100 students at each of the two sessions.  All the campus ministries turn up to share a little about their ministry.  This year, less than 20 came the first day and about 5 the next day.    We began to worry, "what is up with the freshmen spiritual health???"  Then, hundreds of students wandered like glazed-eyed sheep through the sultry Armory on for the BGR campus activities fair.  All of the campus ministries were there, and we gathered together for prayer before it began.  Maybe that's what did it.  Lots of students stopped for information about Wesley and seemed excited to hear what we are about.  We'll see if any come for Friday Fellowship and for our Welcome Back Worship Sunday at 4:30.  If you know of any Purdue students, please encourage them to attend.  We'll have Trinity's band playing, Pastor Lana preaching on "Flip-flops welcome here," and supper prepared by Black and White Catering.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 - Wesley Bikers forJesus need prayers and pledges to help African Pastors get bikes!

Bikers For Jesus Needs Your Prayers and Pledges- August 2009 A group of twenty-two cyclists are making their way up the lower penninsula of Michigan this week to benefit pastors in Africa!  Pastor Glen Robyne and ten students from Wesley Foundation United Methodist campus ministry at Purdue University have been joined by five members of West Lafayette First UMC (one driving sag), two friends from Illinois Great Rivers Conference, four Wesley alumi and Pastor Christian Kakez-A-Kapend (currently attending Perkins in TX and our past intern from DRC)!  They are bicycling over six and a half days traveling from South Bend, IN north along Lake Michigan to Mackinac Island, MI.  They started their trip on August 8 and will return on August 14.  We are seeking pledges for the miles that we are riding--about 425 miles. Half of the money received will go to the ministry and mission of the Wesley Foundation at Purdue student ministries and the other half will go to purchase bicycles for African church workers.  Specifically we are supporting Friendly Planet Missiology in trying to get bicycles to pastors in remote parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo! This is a mission of Rev. Bob Walters and Taylor Walters Denyer (father and daughter mission team). In fact, Bob is cycling the DRC at this time, and you can try to keep up with him at their web and blog sites (see below). Our hope is to take a student mission trip to help deliver these bicycles ourselves to Congolese pastors in May of 2010. Please consider making a significant donation (possibly per mile that we ride:  e. g. 10 cents a mile x 425 miles = $42.50) for these important ministry/missions.Click here for an online pledge form. Thank-you and God bless you, Rev. Lana J. Robyne    For more information on Friendly Planet Missiology: http://friendlyplanetmissiology.org http://friendlyplanetnews.blogspot.com/   Company Overview: We are the father/daughter team of Bob Walters and Taylor Walters Denyer working out of the United Methodist Church's new and improved Indiana Conference as artisans of leadership development, community development, church development, and peace building. Mission: Friendly Planet Missiology trains United Methodist pastors and church leaders in community development and peace building. Willing to go anywhere in the world, we are usually found on a bicycle in the North Katanga Episcopal Area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Thursday, April 23, 2009 - Grand Alternative Still Going Strong

We had an early kick-off to Grand Alternative events this past Sunday!  Over 70 students from Wesley, Chi Alpha and the Baptist Student Foundation came in from the rain for a Praise Party together at Wesley.  Each group's band played a praise set for our combined worship, and Rev. Shawn Zambrows (BSF) gave an uplifting devotion.  We had a great supper afterward, most especially thanks to Grant Langbein and his parents cooking out in the rain!  It's wonderful to see a program still going strong and spreading our influence all over campus for the past 11 years!  Note the article from Purdue below. Purdue's Grand Alternative to offer substance-free events   WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Dozens of substance-free activities will be offered through April 26 for Purdue students as part of the annual Grand Prix celebration.   The 2009 Grand Alternative is sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Students, Wesley Foundation, Student Wellness Office and the Division of Recreational Sports, along with a grant from the Drug-Free Coalition of Tippecanoe County. The Grand Alternative was conceived in 1998 when Steve Cain, a campus minister at the Wesley Foundation, initiated a communitywide coalition of student groups with the goal of celebrating the Grand Prix safely and without alcohol. Grand Alternative got its official start in 1999 with a grant from the Coalition for a Safe and Drug-Free Tippecanoe County. Many campus organizations, offices and departments will be taking part in this year's Grand Alternative, which will feature a wide range of events, including games, concerts, movies, sports events, fundraisers, parties and dances.  All Grand Alternative events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. The following is an up-to-date and complete list of activities and sponsors. - Friday (April 24). 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Chinese Calligraphy. Purdue Memorial Union. Sponsored by the Chinese Calligraphy Club. - Friday (April 24). 1-8 p.m. Boilermaker Block Party. Hillenbrand Lawn. Sponsored by the Phoenix Club. - Friday (April 24). 1-8 p.m. DJ Showcase. Slayter Center. Sponsored by the Beat Society. - Friday (April 24). 4-8 p.m. Windsor's Grand Alternative Carnival: Welcome to the Jungle. Windsor Main Circle. Sponsored by the Windsor Residence Halls Club. - Friday (April 24). 5-9 p.m. Greek IV Picnic. Pickett Field. Sponsored by the Greek InterVarsity. - Friday (April 24). 7:30-9 p.m. Graffiti with Lights. Stewart Center, Room 214AB. Sponsored by the Queer Student Union. - Friday (April 24). 7:30 p.m. Battle Zone. Matthews Hall, Room 210. Sponsored by the Zeta Sigma Chi Multicultural Sorority Inc. - Friday (April 24). 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday. Studio H. Ross-Ade Pavilion, Shively Club. Sponsored by Radio Station of Harrison Hall. Cost is $5. - Friday (April 24). 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday. Battle of the Bands. Recreational Sports Center. Sponsored by the Purdue Student Union Board. - Saturday (April 25). All day. Women's Golf: Big Ten Championships. Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. - Saturday (April 25). 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Grand Prix Race. Grand Prix Track at Cherry Lane and McCormick Road. Sponsored by the Grand Prix Foundation. - Saturday (April 25). Noon to 5 p.m. Unity BBQ. Vawter Field. Sponsored by the Black Student Union and the Black President's Forum. - Saturday (April 25). 6-8 p.m. Open Mic Night. Matthews Hall, Room 210. Sponsored by the Multicultural Society for Excellence. - Saturday (April 25). 7 p.m. The Original Root Beer Kegger. Christian Student Center, 115 Waldron. Sponsored by the center. - Saturday (April 25). 8:30 p.m. to midnight. Free bowling and billiards. Purdue Memorial Union Rack and Roll Bowling Alley. Sponsored by the Tourism Association. - Saturday (April 25). 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday. Rootbeer Riot! Stewart Cooperative House, 800 Northwestern Ave. Sponsored by the cooperative house. - Saturday (April 25). 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday. DecadeZ Costume Party. Recreational Sports Center, South Gym. Sponsored by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. - Sunday (April 26). All day. Women's Golf: Big Ten Championships. Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. - Sunday (April 26). 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Grand Prix Duathlon. Recreational Sports Center. Sponsored by the Triathlon Club. - Sunday (April 26). 3-8 p.m. Harrison Hall Luau. Harrison Hall front lawn. Sponsored by the Harrison Hall Cavalier Club. For more information about Grand Alternative events, visit http://www.getinvolved.purdue.edu/Community?action=getOrgHome&orgID=877   Writer: Christy Jones, 765-494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu   Source: Carol E. Ben-Davies, assistant dean of students, 765-494-9028, cbd@purdue.edu   Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Thursday, March 26, 2009 - PSST: Fruitful Ministries

Greetings in the name of Christ from Wesley Foundation, the United Methodist Campus Ministry at Purdue! This is an e-mail sharing our pastoral staff and students’ joys and concerns with you, our PSST, Prayer and Spiritual Support Team.  Please keep reading, keep us in prayer, and keep in touch with us!   JOYS: FRUITFUL MINISTRY!  For the rest of the semester, we are looking at the themes from “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations.” So we’ll be sharing how we are doing with these in various PSST reports to you, our Prayer and Spiritual Support Team.  This week we have three fruits to lift up:   ·        Risk-taking Mission:  (brief report from Glen) Our Mission Team of thirteen returned safely Saturday night from a week at Mountain TOP in Tennessee! We two days of work improving the Cumberland Pines camp facility. Along with twelve students from Auburn and Messiah College we accomplished many projects including building a one-story wall around a large work barn, renovating the outdoor worship center, and building and setting in concrete eleven outdoor benches.   We also had a group of men dry-walling the women's shower house and a group of young women painting the men's shower room!  The next two days were spent out in the community helping residents with many needs including stairs to a deck, the cement foundation for a work-shed, and some home renovations.   We took a day on the way down and on the way back to enjoy God's creation at Mammoth Cave, Fall Creek Falls, Savage Gulf/Stone Door, and Greeter Falls Natural Area.   We also took time to meet local residents active in pottery and evangelical outreach.   All in all it was a tremendous week of service and renewal, which included worship, devotions, and fellowship. Since I had to work on finishing my D.Min. thesis, I was always around to offer a listening ear and counsel not just to our team, and I’m thrilled that several of our students who risked a lot to come on the trip had a life-changing time. ·        Radical Hospitality:  The Chinese Alliance Church (CAC) moved in to Wesley during Spring Break!  This was an answer to many prayers to be able to minister cross-culturally, share our space more, and expand our family. It was just about a month ago we were approached to see if we would be willing to lease space at Wesley for this group. We have been very busy working together sorting out schedule details and getting the building ready.  Not only that, our students are excited and planning events to get better acquainted.  To start with, our mission team and a few other “left-behind” students went to worship with them at University Church the Friday night at the start of Spring Break. We want this to be more than just a leasing relationship.  We want to grow deeper in our faith through cross-cultural interactions and show them such radical hospitality that our home becomes their home too.   ·        Passionate Worship:  Pastor Lana’s mother was able to join us this past Sunday to play for a hymn sing.  It may surprise you, but yes, students do love to sing old-time hymns…we just don’t have any who play piano.  So when Lana’s mom comes to visit, we shamelessly take advantage.  The music was made even more awesome with the CAC’s grand piano in our Great Hall!    ·        Next Week: Intentional Faith Development and Extravagant Generosity CONCERNS:  GRIEF AND LOSS We’ve had several students lose loved ones this semester.  Please keep them and their loved ones’ families in your prayers. ·            Deana Fandrei lost her grandfather right before our Dulac Mission Trip in January.  ·         Carmen Whitlock lost her father to cancer early in the semester. ·            Ben Hallett lost his grandfather the week before spring break. ·            Sarah Burkholder lost her grandfather at the start of spring break.  ·            Emily Stafford mourns the loss of Bev, her Sunday School teacher and very special mentor who was like a grandmother to her.  ·            Other students ask to keep their grandparents in prayer as well as they face life changes and health concerns. Please also keep Glen in your prayers as he works hard to finish his D.Min. thesis on cross-cultural campus minstry...hopefully he'll graduate May 11 of THIS year!   God bless you, Revs. Lana and Glen Robyne Co-Directors of Wesley Foundation at Purdue (& First United Methodist Church) 435 W. State St.          West Lafayette IN       47906              www.WesleyFoundation.org Wesley office: 765-743-5066              Glen's cell: 765-586-0125      Lana’s cell: 765-586-0124   Follow the links below to find out more:        www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=2200254343&ref=ts for a photo report of the Winter Dulac mission trip, try this link from Animoto: http://animoto.com/play/kgpPyBmNa0YyToxguMpHng   $(Tracking) $(Tracking)

Thursday, March 26, 2009 - PSST: Fruitful Ministries