Chartered August, 13, 1895
Wesley United Methodist Church was chartered August, 13, 1895 by the evangelical spirit and vision of pioneer Issei Christians and the struggles and hopes of immigrant families who had come to farm rich soil of the Santa Clara Valley.
With a simple and sincere faith these early Issei gathered to worship God, to have fellowship and to nurture each other in Christian love. In 1913 their sacrifices and labor built the first modest church structure at this site. With the help of Christian community workers, they began Church School for their children. From the church's earliest beginnings, its women organized to provide care and support for almost every aspect of church life.
After World War II, spurred on by a steady growing congregation, Wesley Church burgeoned by programs and ministries and new facilities. The Choir was born; lively youth fellowships developed; the congregation continued to reach out with missions programs for world hunger, for abused or homeless women and children, and for refugees.
In 1951, church members built a Chapel with an entry tower, followed by a Church School building in 1959 and its second floor addition in 1964. By 1974, the congregation has purchased more land for a parking lot and had completed a large, much-needed Fellowship Hall. In 1989, the Sanctuary and offices were built and the Chapel remodeled. We have dignified and beautiful worship spaces for our English language and Nichigo congregations.
Today, Wesley Church actively serves and ministers to our community, drawing people together from all parts of the Santa Clara Valley to worship, Christian education, and fellowship. We rejoice with the energy and activity of our youth groups, Church School, and fellowship groups. We find Christian nurture in Bible Studies. The activity calendar is filled with youth and adult retreats, picnics, camping and sports, small group discussions, and special speakers, Aki Matsuri and Mocchitsuki. As Christian and United Methodists, we are called to witness the world, and Wesley Church continues to reach out with social concerns and missions programs.
Wesley United Methodist Church seeks to glorify God through and diversity of programs - and all testify to the vitality and commitment of the congregation to addressing the needs and concerns of our church, ethnic, and world community.
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