As we begin the new semester and the new year, we wanted to reflect on all the amazing things we accomplished in the year 2023 as we look forward to the wonderful things the Wesley Center will do in 2024!
We Launched our #HugHamline Campaign!
Pictured here is our prize winners from the Back-to-school Pizza Party!
As the Wesley Center, we are inviting United Methodist churches to build relationships with our Hamline community through our #HugHamline campaign. Hamline University is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and was founded by Methodists in 1854 before Minnesota was even a state.
Our first visit was on November 30th from Faith United Methodist Church. We started the day by inviting our visitors to our weekly communion service. Chaplain Kelly then gave a tour of the Hamline campus highlighting the Wesley Center and the Food Resource Center. We ended the visit with a lunch with students (religious and not religious) and Wesley Center staff to talk about life at Hamline. It was a wonderful experience for both the students and the visiting church to have good conversation and fellowship. Faith UMC generously donated $805 to the Food Resource Center as part of their visit.
This money was used for the Food Resource Center to host a back-to-school pizza party with a raffle and goodies to make their presence known to students this upcoming semester. The FRC is also now able to supply hair supplies for all different hair types upon request as supplies last.
The Wesley Center and the Food resource center are so grateful for Faith United Methodist Church's donation and we are so excited to extend this program further and welcome more United Methodist churches to our campus!
The Food Resource Officially Became a Part of the Wesley Center
Starting in the spring of 2023 the Food Resource Center (FRC) officially became part of the Wesley Center. The FRC and the Wesley Center have always been close collaborators but now the FRC has been institutionalized in the Wesley Center, so Hamline can continue working together to tackle food insecurity and work for food justice.
Staff Accomplishments!
Nur Mood was promoted to Associate Director of the Wesley Center.
Chaplain Kelly Figueroa-Ray was commissioned on May 31st as a provisional Elder in the Minnesota Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.
The Wesley Center welcomed Hamline Alumni Julien Halabi as our new Basic Needs AmeriCorps VISTA.
Chaplain Kelly Figueora-Ray & Rabbi Esther Adler presented at the American Academy of Religion (AAR) conference in San Antonio, TX.
From March 6th-8th Spirituality Scholars held House, Home, and Belonging Week. These events included documentary viewings, acts of service, and educational events.
In 2023 Christian Campus Ministry (CCM) was launched. CCM put on a Good Friday service with Hamline Church and took students to two conferences: CCDA and The World Student Christian Federation Annual Conference.
The Islamic holiday of Ramadan occurred from March 22nd-April 20th. To help the Hamline community celebrate Ramadan, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) held several Iftar events and created a Ramadan display in the Anderson Forum. The org collaborated with St.Kate’s Muslim student Association, and at the end of the semester they held a big iftar night for the entire community. The club also had informational tabling in anderson where they talked about Ramadan. The Muslim Student Association wanted to welcome people in the community and show them the virtues of Ramadan
The Jewish Holiday of Sukkot was celebrated from September 29th-October 9th. To help students celebrate Jewish Student Life (JSL) put up a Sukkah and held an event called Pizza In the Hut on October 6th.
In the Fall of 2023, Spirituality Scholars became the Multi-Faith Alliance (MFA)! A group of six students meets weekly with Associate Director Nur Mood and Rabbi Esther-Adler to discuss interfaith literature and plan interfaith events on campus. The MFA started offering weekly religious and spiritual meetings and held a huge Winter Fest event.
Respectful Conversations Event
On November 13th, the first Respectful Conversations was held. This event titled “Co-Creating At Hamline, What would it take for you to feel like we are all in this together?” was designed by administrators, students, alumni and faculty for administrators, students, alumni and faculty to have respectful conversations surrounding difference of opinions at Hamline.
New Logo and Newsletter!
In 2023 the Wesley Center officially started mainstreaming our brand new logo after soft launching it in 2022. We also brought back our consistent newsletter, bringing subscribers monthly content about what is going on at the Wesley Center, with featured stories by students.
2023 Wesley Awards
On April 27th, 2023 we held the annual Wesley Awards. This ceremony is where we recognize all the recipients of Wesley Awards, acknowledging staff, students, and faculty who have demonstrated a commitment to Hamline's core values and have made a positive impact on our community.
In August the Wesley Center debuted HamlineConnects, a new way to find/track volunteer hours! All students, staff, and faculty can create an account and look for volunteer opportunities off and on campus.
During spring break of 2023, two Catalyst Alternative Spring Break trips took place. The two trips were:
Indigenous, Immigrant and Refugee populations in Phoenix, Arizona
Lobbying and Hunger & Homelessness in Washington, D.C
Students spent their spring breaks making a difference in their communities and serving towards their trip goals!
The 2023 Mahle Lectures series again focused on the theme of Reckoning, Repair, and Reconciliation. We had guests like the Irreducible Grace Foundation, Joe Davis, Dr. Darlene Fry, Dr. David Evans, and Dr. Tobin Miller help facilitate and host these conversations.
The next two-year focus of the Mahle Lectures is Interreligious Peace Building Through Study.
Save the date, April 16th at 5:15 pm. More details to come!
We here at Wesley Center want to thank all the staff, students, faculty, alumni, and community members that help make the Wesley Center the place that it is. Without your support we would not be able to provide our several programs, our internships and jobs, and a space for students to use as their own. We appreciate any volunteering, financial contributions, and your continued support as we embark on the year 2024.
- The Wesley Center