From Lost to Found: West Point UMC’s Legacy of Welcome for Wesley Students

As part of A Legacy of Welcome: The Campaign for Wesley Foundation, we are honored to highlight the congregations and individuals whose generosity are helping shape the future of Wesley Foundation at Purdue University. Among them is West Point United Methodist Church, a small but deeply mission-minded congregation in Westpoint, IN, less than 10 miles from Purdue. 

With an average worship attendance of just over 30 in a town without a stoplight, West Point UMC has committed a transformational $75,000 gift to support Wesley’s annual fund and new building. For this close-knit congregation, the decision was the natural next step in a long-standing relationship built on shared ministry and mutual care.

“When you build the kind of relationship that we’ve had for many years—feeding students at Wesley, welcoming them to worship, getting to know them—that connection is what makes a huge difference,” Pastor Kristin Bisciglia of West Point UMC shared. “When Wesley said, ‘Hey, we need help. We’d like to create this new space,’ West Point really did not have to think hard or long about it.”

At West Point UMC, mission is not simply a program, it is woven into the fabric of who they are. The congregation provides financial support, prepares and serves meals for students twice a year, and invites students to worship, including their annual outdoor service in the park. This partnership moves both ways: when the church needed extra hands at its fish fry to support the local volunteer fire department, Wesley students showed up to help.

“In a world that talks about how our young people are disconnected from church, I think one of the biggest things we have to do is invest in places like Wesley Foundation that do such a great job of engaging with young people,” Pastor Kristin said. “If we don’t invest in this, then we’re really not investing in our future congregations as well.”

As a congregation located near campus—and with several Purdue alumni among its members—West Point UMC understands firsthand what students experience. On a campus of more than 57,000 students, it is easy to feel anonymous. The vision for Wesley’s new building, especially the addition of residential spaces, resonated deeply with the church’s commitment to thoughtful stewardship and forward-thinking leadership. Student housing will not only provide connection; it will help ensure the long-term sustainability of Wesley’s ministry for generations to come.

“College is a great time of exploration, but it's also a time that can go one of two ways​​—you can feel independent or you can feel lost, especially on a campus the size of Purdue,” Pastor Kristin reflected. “By expanding into a larger building with more living and communal spaces, Wesley provides that connection point for more students.”

For West Point UMC, this is about more than bricks and mortar. It is about people.

“If we think of college students only as their academics, we’re missing out on a huge part of growth,” she said. “In the whole realm of being at college, students face spiritual dilemmas, emotional dilemmas, and mental health challenges. Wesley recognizes that students are more than their academics. At Wesley, you are seen as a whole person. That takes you from lost to found.”

Lost to found. That is the heart of A Legacy of Welcome.

West Point UMC’s gift is more than financial support. It is an investment in students who are searching, questioning, growing, and becoming. It is a commitment to ensuring that more students arrive on Purdue’s campus and find not only community, but belonging.

To join West Point UMC in building a lasting legacy of welcome for generations of Wesley students to come, we invite you to support A Legacy of Welcome: The Campaign for Wesley Foundation today.