New Wesley Foundation leadership aims to be inclusive

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Pictured from left to right: Pastor Brennan Peacock and Pastor Cole Moore.

New leadership at Troy University’s Wesley Foundation is working to create a community-driven ministry. The goal is to create a welcoming environment for everyone, even those who are members of the LGBTQ+ community, are neurodivergent or are from a different faith background.

The Wesley Foundation has always been a part of the United Methodist Church, but since the church split and many churches disaffiliated in favor of the Global Methodist Church, the Wesley’s leadership went through changes. Now, Pastor Cole Moore, who is in his last semester of seminary, has been the Wesley director since September.

“Ultimately, we want to help people in their Wesleyan theology, but before even that, we want people to feel loved, appreciated, cared for and respected, so we don't foresee this being a place where only United Methodists come,” Moore said. “We foresee this being a place where even people of different faith backgrounds can come feel welcome and not feel like they are going to be told that their faith is the wrong one – because I feel as if we're all on our spiritual journeys, and I think we have so much we can learn from each other.

“There are certainly times and aspects of society where people think that in Christianity, our goal is to come and to tell people they're going to burn in hell, but that is the farthest thing from the truth.”

The Wesley United Methodist Church is a new church plant in Troy that meets in the Wesley Foundation building every Sunday at 3 p.m. and works in tandem with the student ministry. The church is led by Pastor Brennan Peacock, who has 20 years of church leadership experience and is on the board of directors for the Wesley Foundation.

“The church is a reconciling congregation, which means we're going to be inclusive and affirming, and the congregation has that as part of their core values,” Peacock said. “We are inclusive and affirming in leadership and relationships, and we're committed to ensuring that there is a safe, secure space for our people.

“We are excited about the possibilities, but we're also in uncharted waters, but sometimes that's where you have to be.”

Peacock is working towards establishing a PFLAG chapter in Troy, a group of LGBTQ+ members, parents, families and allies, who will work towards making the community more inclusive.

The Wesley holds free dinners on Thursday nights at 6 p.m. followed by a devotion. On Monday nights, beginning at 6 p.m., the foundation serves as an ‘open house’ where students can come to study, use the kitchen, watch TV, play games or enjoy fellowship with each other. During Spring Break, the foundation plans to offer free food to international students on March 20.

Moore’s vision is for The Wesley to serve as a community center to meet any student needs.

“Students can come in and do what is in their heart, if they have a heart in a ministry or an outreach piece within the community, or if they have a heart in games like Dungeons and Dragons,” Moore said.  “I am a big proponent of community; I feel that all of the things we will do have a religious component in the sense of community.”

He also said there will be leadership opportunities for students and a space to have hard-question discussions about theology.

“A lot of students around this age could be wrestling with that desire to try ministry, and maybe their theology isn't fully formed,” Moore said. “We want to be a place that offers the opportunity to wrestle with theology and ask the questions that you can't ask at certain places, or maybe you feel too intimidated to ask at certain places.”

Peacock says he has been pleased with how well the church and foundation have been able to partner together. He said having a church provides different opportunities for outreach and mentorship.

“Having the church present creates some continuity and maybe some institutional memory and some sense of connection for many generations of students to have a positive and reinforcing presence of the church alongside them,” Peacock said. “Even if the church grows to the point where we need to find different space, the core ministry of this church is always going to be in relationship with the students and support of the Wesley Foundation.”

Moore and Peacock agree that the mission of The Wesley is to spread the news: Jesus is for everybody.

“Church has missed an opportunity, historically, to be in ministry, especially with those who have been pushed aside and told that they don't belong, told that they don't fit in, and told that who they are somehow means there's not a way for them to get to God as they are,” Peacock said. “I think that's what I see in the scripture and in theology is that God is working to bring people to God.

“God is working to break down barriers. God is working to draw the circle wider, and I think that's part of our work – to make sure everybody knows they can belong.”

For more information, visit The Wesley Foundation’s website or The Wesley United Methodist Church’s website.