EIU Wesley Foundation

The Missions Ministry Team has designated EIU Wesley Foundation as our August Missions Project. EIU Wesley Foundation’s mission is to be an inclusive faith community of young adults, living out faith together through ministries of worship, prayer, community, and service. We hold weekly programming for students throughout the academic year, with free supper and events on Sunday evenings and worship and conversation on Wednesday nights, in addition to outings, trips, and service events. As a ministry of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference, the Wesley Foundation receives funding through the IGRC. Unfortunately, the funding from the IGRC will be cut by 18% in 2023. This means your investments in programs for students and in sustaining the Wesley Foundation’s operating expenses are even more important now than in the past. Its ministry continues because you value the spiritual growth of and care for college students. Our congregation’s giving enables that work to happen at the EIU Wesley Foundation. By sharing your gifts, you will be investing in the lives of students and young adults at EIU. If you would like to help support the work Wesley Foundation does at EIU, please make your check out to Wesley UMC with Wesley Foundation on the memo line and mail it or bring it to the church or visit our website at charlestonwesley.org and click on the $ button at the bottom of the page. 

Thank you very much for your support.

Rev. Bradley Shumaker is in his 25^th year of pastoral ministry, serving in the Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference. After hearing his call as a junior at Galesburg High School in Galesburg, IL, he earned his B.A. in History from Illinois State University and his Master of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. While In seminary, Brad served three years as a student pastor of Walnut Grove UMC in Western Illinois.

In 2000, he began serving full time at Faith UMC in Champaign, IL, where he served for 15 years. Over the course of his ministry there, Champaign Faith built a building expansion to accommodate the growing number of young families. IN 2015, Brad was appointed to Coal City UMC where he currently serves as Directing Pastor and Chaplain for the Coal City Fire Protection District.

Brad is married to Erin. They met in high school when their two United Methodist youth groups gathered to talk about the Appalachian Service Project. Over the course of their 25-year marriage, their greatest accomplishments are their 3 sons: Andrew (21), Jacob (19), and Tyler (8). Brad and Erin enjoy trips to Florida, Chicago Cubs baseball, mission work in Mexico, and listening to Margaritaville Radio. If Brad is not at the church, you can find him on a baseball field coaching or watching his son play.