Greetings! Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ. My name is Jason Leighton, and I’m the new Campus Minister for GreenvilleWesley. I want to share with you some of the wonderful things we have planned this year, but first, a little bit about myself for those who may not know who I am. I’m a Sound District native, having grown up at Northwoods UMC in Jacksonville, NC. I played football, became an Eagle Scout, and served the local community in youth and church leadership roles under the guidance and love of those at Northwoods. I also attended East Carolina University and participated in the Wesley Foundation, where I received my call into ministry. Following my call, I moved to Ohio to attend seminary at The Methodist Theological School in Ohio. After seminary, I returned to ENC, where I served two churches in our district, Cherry Point UMC and Calvary Memorial UMC, before coming to GreenvilleWesley.
Wesley has a rich history of serving college students at ECU and Pitt Community College, a tradition I hope to continue by building on the work of those who came before me, like Rev. Scott Wilkinson and Rev. Jeremy Benton. Today GreenvilleWesley is a leaner and more mobile campus ministry; having sold our facilities on 5th St. a few years back, the ministry has been able to offer a greater focus on its students. We not only host our regular Wednesday night service in downtown (Uptown) Greenville at a local place called Nucleus, but we have also been able to have a more significant presence directly on campus. From hosting gorilla-style cooking classes in the student center to pop-up worship services, and regular small groups at local restaurants like Krispy Kreme, we continue to look for meaningful ways to be present in the lives of the student body.
This year is no different; we will host our annual kick-off next week as students begin their first week of classes. Each day we host an event or offer a service to show some love for the students and welcome them to campus. For instance, Monday, we’ll be hosting a game night at the student center, Tuesday, we’ll be passing out free water and Gatorade as students walk to class in the heat. Wednesday is our worship night, though this week, worship will be held on campus at the bottom of College Hill, and then on Thursday, we’re offering free games at a local bowling alley. Each of these opportunities serves as a way for us to connect with and support students as they acclimate to life on campus. We hope to offer them a space where they can be themselves while exploring and growing in their faith as they gain the education needed for their future and become the disciples of Christ God called them to be. Our work, though, doesn’t end there.
This year as students return to what will hopefully be a regular if not familiar year on campus, we look forward to helping them grow in their faith. Through regular worship, a spiritual retreat in September, ministries feeding the hungry, campus outreach to fellow students, and building on our connections with the local church. But this doesn’t happen without you! The work and ministry of GreenvilleWesley doesn’t happen without the support of local churches and the people in them. Be it the giving of your time, gifts, or talents; you help to bring the light of Christ into the lives of these students. I can’t tell you how many lives have been changed by the existence of Wesley at ECU and other colleges. But here are a few; Joy Van Staalduinen, Ben Van Staalduinen, Tyler Moore, and I serve as clergy in our Conference in part because of Wesley and you! Carrie-Lee Farnham is discerning a call into ministry and prepping to attend seminary because of Wesley and you! Luke McKeel, Matt Poole, Josh Brown, and many others have all served the local church in different capacities because of GreenvilleWesley and you!
The list can go on and on; I imagine many of you would be able to add other names as well of those who’ve been fed by campus ministry. As much as I desire to continue that tradition, I also want to bring you along with me. I invite you and your church to be a part of GreenvilleWesley. Here are a few ways you can get involved. Host a Wesley Wednesday; remember Wesley Singers? Scott would lead students in singing at your church on Sunday mornings then afterward, we’d share a meal in the Fellowship Hall. Well, I can’t sing a note nor play an instrument, but we can still share in worship together. By hosting a Wesley Wednesday, your congregation will have the chance to experience what worship is like for college students and what about their faith is important to them.
You’re also welcome to join us for worship on Wednesday nights in Greenville. As a college student, I remember how much I loved the meals on Wednesday nights because local churches provided them. It was often the only “home-cooked” meal I would have during the week. Though you don’t have to provide a meal, you are welcome to come and be present. But maybe with the distance, these options aren’t viable; that’s ok too. If you’d still like to contribute, you can be part of the Wesley 100, a group of people who donate $10 and up regularly to the ministry of GreenvilleWesley because they believe in our work. If you’d like to help support GreenvilleWesley, I invite you to click the link below and let us know how.
GreenvilleWesely has been and remains an excellent place for college students to experience the love, grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ. We have an exciting year ahead of us. I hope you will be a part of it!
https://forms.gle/xCFXSEbGPtidfy7Y9
Blessings,
Pastor Jason 