Easter Sunday 2021 Brunch
04/21/2021: Wesley Foundation Merced’s Campus Ministry celebrated Easter Sunday with Brunch for Wesley House residents, together with some UC Merced faculty members, to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus, who was/is a symbol of hope for everyone.
Interfaith Tabling Event 2021 @Merced College
08/25/2021: Wesley Foundation Merced’s Campus Ministry held its first-ever Interfaith Tabling Event at Merced College, collaborating with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Beth Shalom Meshiac, and Faith in the Valley Merced. The students, faculty and staff, and other members of the Merced College community feasted over the snacks, swags, and other resources from the interfaith tables, which could sustain them during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Interfaith Fellowship Service and Potluck
07/21/2022: Interfaith Fellowship Service
Wesley Foundation Merced Campus Ministry had an Interfaith Fellowship Service, which celebrated the milestones of Wesley House’s residents. The Campus Ministry was deeply grateful for the generosity and support of some members of the Wesley Foundation Board of Directors (Ms. Donna Hall – Secretary, Mr. Patrick McCarthy – Member, Rev. Ella Luna Garza – Member, and Pastor of United Methodist Church of Merced), interfaith collaborators (Mr. Shahid Sohail – Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and Alane Quien – Moreh, Beth Shalom Meshiac). Their in-person presence and delicious foods for the potluck, satisfied the cravings of the residents and warmed their hearts.
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28)
Chicken Barbecue Dinner Fundraiser
10/15/2022: Chicken Barbecue Dinner Fundraiser
Volunteers from the Wesley Foundation Merced Board of Directors, United Methodist Church of Merced, and the Wesley House worked together in assembling dinner packs for Wesley Foundation of Merced’s Chicken Barbecue Dinner Fundraiser. Proceeds from this Fundraiser will benefit college students at Wesley House and the Wesley Campus Ministry.
(Photo credits: Prof. Jennifer O. Manilay, PhD)
Interfaith Tabling Event @MC 2022
12/07/2022: Wesley Foundation Merced’s Campus Ministry set up an Interfaith Tabling Event at the Merced College Quad, in collaboration with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Beth Shalom Meshiac, Fresno Buddhist Temple, and the Merced Bahais. Merced College students who visited the Interfaith Tables, benefited from the event’s food, friendship, and fun, while taking a break from their Midterm Exams.
Bridging the Gap (BTG) Retreat-like Training 2023
04/11/2023: Wesley Foundation of Merced Board of Directors; and Rev. Jojo V. Gabuya – Campus Minister, Wesley Foundation of Merced. @ UC Merced Conference Center, 04/11/2023.
Bridging the Gap (BTG ) Retreat-like Training participants/college students gathered together with the BTG Presenters: Rev Ella Luna-Garza – Pastor, United Methodist Church of Merced; Dr. Kelly Bentz – President, Wesley Foundation of Merced; Ms. Andrea Tafolla – Associate Director, UC Merced Community Engagement Center; and Prof. Janee Young – Communications Professor, Merced College. Also present were Ms. Martha Acevedo – Member,
Merced College Communications Department Professor Janee Young, presented the topic “Why Build Bridges” to the participants of the BTG Retreat-like Training.
Dr. Kelly Bentz presented the topic, “Listening” to the BTG Retreat-like Training participants.
Rev. Ella Luna-Garza presented the topic, “Approaching Conflict Constructively” to the BTG Training participants.
Interfaith Collaborators, Rev. Kaz Nakata – Minister, Fresno Buddhist Temple; Mr. Shahid Sohail – President, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community; Ms. Martha Acevedo – Member, Wesley Foundation of Merced BoD; Rev. Jojo V. Gabuya – Campus Minister, Wesley Foundation of Merced; and three UC Merced PhD students met and mingled after the BTG Retreat-like Training.
Snapshots from the BTG Retreat-like Training
Welcome Party @ Wesley House
04/15/2023: Residents/students at Wesley House welcomed new residents and celebrated each one’s milestones. They ate, dined, and shared stories with their guests, who were members and officers of the Wesley Foundation of Merced. Some of the residents prepared food and entertained their guests with their soulful songs.
Wesley House Residents Meet UC Merced’s Community Engagement Center (CEC) and the Vice Chancellor/Chief Diversity Officer
08/01/2023: UC Merced Community Engagement Center (CEC) Associate Director Andrea Tafolla presented the CEC’s Pathways for Public Service and Civic Engagement to the students and residents at Wesley House and some members of the Wesley Foundation of Merced Board of Directors on August 1st, 2023. CEC Director Vernette Doty, supported Associate Director Tafolla in describing the CEC’s outreach programs and events for students.
Vice Chancellor and Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Delia Saenz graciously supported her UC Merced colleagues and met and mingled with the Wesley House residents and guests.
Ms. Donna Hall, the founder and the Secretary of the Wesley Foundation of Merced Board of Directors, happily served and shared food to the guests.
Party Time at Wesley House, where the residents met and mingled with the UC Merced’s CEC Director Vernette Doty Associate Director Andrea Tafolla, and the Vice Chancellor and Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Delia Saenz. Also present were some Wesley Foundation Merced Board of Directors, and other students from UC Merced students/invitees.
Barbecue Chicken Dinner
10/07/2023: This year, Wesley Foundation Merced’s well-loved Barbecue Dinner was a great success! Thanks to the hard work of the Foundation’s Board of Directors and students/volunteers from Merced College and UC Merced.
Halloween Party @ Wesley House
10/28/2023: The first-ever Halloween Party at Wesley House was a blast. With one of the new residents leading the organizing and planning of the event, from the meal prep to the fun and games, the Party brought happiness and joy to the residents. They were eager to carve and make Jack o Lanterns, which they decorated on the front door of Wesley House.
Advent and Gratitude Day Celebration
12/03/2023: “Advent is a season of preparation before Christmas,” when Christians “celebrate the human incarnation of Christ”. (Oxenreider, Shadow and light: a journey into advent, 2020, p. 10)
Advent.
“A time of waiting, watching, listening.
A time of remembering, anticipating.
A time of renewal and wonder.”
The beginning of a new year.
It was meaningful to see all Wesley House residents who were celebrating an interfaith version of Advent together with the President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Merced. The day was capped with a Gratitude Day celebration, which allowed the residents and the guests to express their gratitude for health (body, mind, and spirit), academic success, and others.
Reducing Harm from Addiction and Overdose: An Interfaith Engagement
03/28/2024: Reducing Harm from Addiction and Overdose: An Interfaith Engagement
Wesley Foundation Merced Campus Ministry successfully held this event at AG130, Merced College. Wesley Foundation Merced Campus Ministry collaborated with the Central Valley Opioid Safety Coalition whose Substance Use Navigators (SUNs) Cha Ia Vang, Joseph Pool, and Stephanie Garcia presented treatment and recovery options for addiction and overdose, and discussed issues and problems related to this information. Jackson House Outreach Coordinator Matthew martin also bravely shared his recovery experience to the participants who were mostly students from Merced College and UC Merced.
Interfaith collaborators from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Merced, Fresno Betsuin Buddhist Temple, Faith in the Valley, and the United Methodist Church of Merced collaborated with the Campus Ministry in offering an Interfaith Prayer Service and in instilling hope among the participants who or might know of someone who needs help in getting treatment for addiction/overdose.
Reducing Harm from Addiction and Overdose: An Interfaith Engagement – Zoom