Wesley Covenant Service

Dear First Family,
 
This weekend we are taking a break from our teaching on the Practice of Prayer for a special service we do each year called the Wesley Covenant Service.
 
Created by the founder of the Methodist movement, an Anglican Priest named John Wesley, the first of these Covenant Renewal Services took place in London in 1755 with over 1800 in attendance.
 
In Wesley’s own words, this service was, “a means of increasing serious religion.” 
 
For us, it is an annual opportunity to renew our commitment to live as God’s covenant people together. You can find the prayer that is at the center of this historical service at the bottom of this email. 
 
I hope you will make a special effort to be in one of our weekend services to participate in this time of remembrance and renewal. 
 
I also want to invite you to our Annual Meeting which will be held this Sunday at 3pm in our chapel space. Our Lay Leadership will be providing a report of the incredible work God has been doing in the life of our church over the course of this last year and I have a few things to share with you as well as we look to the year ahead. 
 
Following the meeting, at 4pm in our chapel, we will also be having another information session for anyone interested in our Wesley Heritage Tour this October to England with a trip extension opportunity to Scotland. You can also find out more by visiting www.fmcm.org/wesleytrip. 
 
Finally, if you have not already done so, I want to encourage you to download the Lectio 365 app. Starting on February 10th, we will begin using this app for our main devotional resource as we pursue our goal of empowering one another to develop and deepen in our daily habit of prayer. 
 
Until then, I want to encourage you to explore the reflections and guided prayers that are available in both text and audio format three times a day (morning, midday and evening) for all seven days of the week.
 
Google App Store, Apple App Store
 
I look forward to seeing you this weekend, 
 
Pastor David
 

Wesley Covenant Prayer
 
I am no longer my own, but yours.
put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing, put me to suffering;
Let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you,
exalted for you, or brought low for you;
 
Let me be full,
let me be empty,
let me have all things,
let me have nothing:
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
 
And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours. So be it.
and the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.