Walking into the Wesley Fellowship building on a frigid Wednesday night, the first thing that hits you is the warmth — both temperature-wise and decor.

The voices of the Mosaic Gospel Choir bounce off the wood-paneled, A-frame ceiling. Downstairs, cozy couches with vibrant pillows and floor cushions beckon visitors to kick back with a cup of coffee brewing in the corner.

The welcoming space, sitting across from the University of Colorado on Folsom Street, is everything Wesley Foundation Director and Pastor Rev. Roger Wolsey wants for his campus ministry serving CU and Naropa University students.

The Methodist-sponsored foundation has undergone a progressive transformation since it was founded in Boulder in 1917, and its members plan on celebrating these changes and each other on Sunday for the church’s 100-year anniversary concert and potluck supper.

“Our approach to Christianity might be different than others,” Wolsey said. “We’re as much humanistic as we are Christian, and we’re fine with that.”

Wolsey became the campus ministry’s pastor 13 years ago and watched as student members voted in 2007 to become a reconciling ministry — one that is “overtly” welcoming to LGBTQI members.

A mural painted on the outside of the building depicts cultural icons such as Martin Luther King Jr., the Dalai Lama and Mahatma Gandhi.

“Anyone walking by would realize this is a different kind of church,” Wolsey said. “A church that might have a more humble perspective because they value the wisdom of all religious lineages. When you come in, you experience more of the same.”

Every Saturday of the fall and spring semesters at 1 p.m., community members are invited to meet at the Wesley Chapel to make sandwiches and snacks, which are then distributed to the homeless along Boulder Creek.

University of Colorado students Kieran Serbu, left, and Christopher Brown study for their Italian class together in the Blue Book Free Cafe in the Wesley
University of Colorado students Kieran Serbu, left, and Christopher Brown study for their Italian class together in the Blue Book Free Cafe in the Wesley Fellowship Campus Ministry on Thursday. (Paul Aiken / Staff Photographer)

“This is not a ‘churchy’ thing,” the foundation’s website says. “It’s open to people of all, or no, faith/religious backgrounds … No preaching. No converting. Just peanut-butter N’ lovin’.”

The church holds free yoga classes, meditation time and has free coffee, tea and cocoa from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, along with spaces to kick back and study.

“We go out for pizza and beers together, as a church,” said parishioner and CU alum Adam Johnson. “We’ve gone caroling before and ended up at the Bohemian Biergarten. Somehow, we end up imbibing the spirits. What other church does this?”

Johnson and CU alum Kelly Fuge showed up early for choir practice and ended up giggling together, noting how they’re the “punks” of Christianity.

“There are a lot of people who refer to God as ‘she’ around here,” Johnson said. “It’s always been very warm and inviting and felt like a nice space to convene and recuperate and a good space to express my soul.”

Fuge, who graduated CU in 2014, started coming to the Wesley chapel as a student in search of yoga classes. The tight-knit community has kept her coming back. After graduation, Fuge joined the gospel choir and invited her mom, Marie Leslie, so the duo could have something to do together.

The two belted out “This Little Light of Mine” during practice for their Sunday concert along with about a dozen other choir members and a couple of musicians, too.

The concert will begin at 5 p.m., followed by a potluck and a special message given by Karen Oliveto, the bishop of the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church.

“Over the past few years, there’s been a national trend away from organized religion and maybe Christianity, specifically, and a lot of that has to do with people assuming that all Christianity is fundamentalist, judgmental or exclusive,” Wolsey said. “What we do is offer real life proof that not all churches are the same. There are forms of organized religion that are very welcoming and inclusive and love people just as they are. We have that kind of environment. Come on in. You’re welcome.”

Article originally published The Boulder News