Valley Wesley students pose for a picture after a trip to Wesley Theological Seminary

Alternative Spring Break 2011: WASHINGTON D.C. March 13-18, 2011 Eleven Valley Wesley students and Rev. Rob Rynders spent their spring break in the Nation's Capital attending a seminar on "Human Trafficking," put on by the United Methodist Board of Church and Society. Valley Wesley joined students and leaders from the Northern Illinois University and Winthrop University Wesley Foundations to learn from various speakers and organizations about the 27 million human beings (mostly women and children) who are currently being coerced into forced labor and/or sexual slavery around the world. Seminar participants also met with legislators, including our own congressman, David Schweikert and a representative from Senator Jon Kyl's office to advocate on behalf of trafficking victims and to encourage our legislators to support legislation that combats human trafficking worldwide. Participants visited the offices of International Justice Mission, a Christian non-profit organization that supports and advocates for trafficking victims and also works with governments around the world to reform and train their law enforcement agencies to combat trafficking in their own countries. To learn more about IJM and to find vast resources on the topic of human trafficking, please visit their website. Overall students had a meaningful and transformative time in Washington through the seminar program, visiting historical sites, monuments, and museums, connecting with other students from around the country, and most importantly by connecting their faith to issues of human rights and justice. This trip would not have been possible with all of those who supported these students with their prayers and financial donations and, for that, all of us at Valley Wesley are very thankful.

The State Press has released an article about our residence hall project, you can read it here.

Faith-Based Intentional Living Community to Open in August 2011

 

Construction will begin soon for a "first of its kind" residence hall at Arizona State University. Located at the intersection of S Forest Ave and E University Drive, “Wesley Hall” will be one of the most conveniently located student housing options at the Tempe campus.

 

Upon completion, the facility will be operated by the Wesley Foundation, the campus ministry of the United Methodist Church. Rev. Rob Rynders believes that this project, “is an exciting step for our ministry, which we hope will result in a strong sense of community for ASU students who are seeking a more challenging and fulfilling college living experience. Wesley Hall will provide a safe and open environment where students will be encouraged, not only to engage in conversations about faith, but to explore ways to live it out in their communities and in the world.”

 

The facility is being developed in a partnership between Tempe First United Methodist Church and Newchapter. “We have spent the last two or three years developing this model of student housing and cannot imagine a better campus on which to roll it out”, says Nat Rassi, President of Newchapter. “The facility offers the perfect environment for students who love the atmosphere and energy at ASU, but who want to add spiritualexploration to their Sun Devil experience.”

 

The 89-bed facility, which will have 4 stories above grade plus a garden- level basement, will be open to all ASU students, including freshmen. There will be three Community Assistants and one live-in Community Director, allowing first-year students an exemption from the University's policy requiring residency in ASU housing.

 

Wesley Foundation member and ASU student, Cara Coleman, believes that “this residence hall is an amazing way for students to live out their faith within the ASU community. For students, this is an exciting project to be a part of and something we have been looking for.”

The Wesley Foundation is a ministry serving the students of Arizona State University. Tempe First United Methodist Church serves a diverse congregation and the Tempe community through worship, spiritual formation, and a number of outreach ministries. Newchapter finances, constructs and maintains Student Living Centers for student organizations.

 

If you’d like more information about this project, please visit http:// asuwesleyhall.com or to schedule an interview with Rev. Rob Rynders please contact him at rob@valleywesley.com

 

We are very excited to announce that author, activist, and speaker, Shane Claiborne is coming to speak at an event hosted by Valley Wesley on Saturday October 9, 2010 from 7-9 p.m. at Tempe First United Methodist Church (215 E.University Dr., Tempe, AZ 85281)! Tickets are $15 for regular tickets (before September 17) and $5 for college students.  All proceeds will go to support The Simple Way. Tickets for the event can be purchased online below or in person from the Tempe First UMC church office by calling 480-967-3376. From his website: Shane writes and travels extensively speaking about peacemaking, social justice, and Jesus. He is featured in the DVD series "Another World Is Possible" and is the author of the several books including The Irresistible Revolution, Jesus for President, and Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers. Shane speaks over 100 times a year in a dozen or so countries and nearly every state in the US. Shane has given academic seminars at Vanderbilt University, Duke University Pepperdine University, Wheaton College, Princeton University, Goshen College and Harvard University. Shane also speaks at various denominational gatherings, festivals, and conferences around the globe. Shane's work has been featured in everything from Fox News and the Wall Street Journal to CNN and National Public Radio. Lean more about Shane at http://www.thesimpleway.org/shane/ Out of respect for the environment we are encouraging folks to walk, bike, take public transportation, or carpool to the event. If that is difficult for you to do we hope that you would be able to pick another day where you go without oil for a day or participate in an individual or group project that benefits the environment. This could be as simple as carpooling to work or school, switching to energy efficient lighting or planting a tree. If you want to do something a little more technical, but really fun, Shane even suggests "converting your car to run off used veggie oil (http://awip.us)." Shane will also be preaching at Crossroads UMC in Phoenix on October 10 at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. There is no cost or tickets required. http://www.crossroadsphx.com/ If you have any questions, please contact Rev. Rob Rynders at rob@valleywesley.com

On October 26, 2009, tragedy struck the ASU Tempe campus when 59-year old graduate student, David Solnick, took his own life in front of Design School professor Mookesh Patel. The incident occurred in Patel's office in the Design School South building shortly before noon, while a number of students were in the building. While neither Mr. Solnick or Dr. Patel were connected with our ministry we were still impacted by this tragedy with the Design School being located directly across from our campus ministry building at Tempe First UMC. As I was returning to my office from an errand at the main church office that day, I noticed a few emergency vehicles parked on Forest Ave., however, I did not think much of them since that was a common place for emergency vehicles to park if there was a medical emergency on that part of campus. After returning to my office, I soon realized the noise of a helicopter hovering. After a number of minutes., I realized something more serious must be going on. I exited the building and saw more emergency personnel and police officers had gathered, along with a number of news vans. At this point I also realized that police tape had been put up, blocking access to the walkway between the North and South Design Buildings. At that moment I recieved a Twitter update from the State Press, the University's newspaper, that mentioned a shooting had occured on campus and it was suspected a student had committed suicide. As I approached the crowd gathering near the taped off area to try and get more details, a random student approached me and asked, "So is class canceled for the day?" I replied, "Well, I think a student just committed suicide in there and I'm pretty sure everyone is dealing with that right now." The student replied, "yeah, I guess class is canceled then" and he walked off. The following day, with the help of Tempe First UMC staff members, we setup a prayer chapel in the Fireside Room of the Wesley building, whose doors open to Forest Ave., in direct view of the Design School buildings. We left the doors open and placed signs outside indicating that the building was open for prayer and that a pastor was also available. A number of students walked-in that day to silently pray and reflect and to read from the Bible. Our temporary prayer chapel also drew the attention of news crews who had returned to follow up on the story and I gave interviews for channel 3 and channel 5 news. I also met with two of our Wesley students who are a part of the design program at ASU. While neither of these students knew Mr. Solnick they were both shaken by this tragedy. For one student, this brought back fears of campus shootings, such as those that occurred at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois universities. As I reflect on this tragedy I am unable to remove the knot from my stomach thinking about something like this happening on campus, especially right in front of a professor, in the middle of the day, in a building full of people. I cannot imagine what Dr. Patel must be going through. I cannot imagine having to go back to class or work in that building. I cannot imagine what the family and friends of David Solnick are going through. Perhaps what disturbs me the most though is the comments made by the student outside of the Design School shortly after the shooting occurred. Maybe it was just a fluke, but I can't help but wonder why this student was so desensitized to these events. Is the pressure on students so intense that they are more worried about missing class than they are about a tragedy that just occurred inside the building they are standing in front of? Or have we been so desensitized to violence that another university campus shooting no longer rattles us? Or was there a sense of denial and emotional defense? Was it something that is so tragic and unbelievable that maybe the only thing we can do is worry about our homework so we don't have to process it and deal with it face-to-face? This is where our faith becomes important. As God mourns this tragedy, God calls us to mourn. We hope and we pray that something like this never happens again but we also pray for all those affected, especially the family, friends, and co-workers of Mr. Solnick and Dr. Patel. We pray for the students, staff, and faculty who must return to that building each day with who are constantly reminded of what happened there. We especially pray for all those who may be struggling right now with depression and thoughts of hopelessness. May God help us reach out to those persons in love and compassion. May God open all of our hearts and minds to facing the tragedies and sufferings of the world so that we may respond, even if that response is to simply feel compassion, sympathy, and loss. As the Gospel story illustrates, our faith is not one that ends with tragedy, suffering, and indifference but with transformation and hope.