Children's Home is now Residing Hope
This month is a month with 5 Sundays, which means we're collecting for the Residing Hope (formerly Florida United Methodist Children's Home).
For over a century, the Children’s Home has been guided by an unwavering commitment to serving children and families throughout the state of Florida with compassion, integrity, and faith. Since our beginning in 1908 as the Florida Methodist Orphanage, we have expanded over the years into a diverse organization serving abused, abandoned, and neglected children. That expansion has brought the realization that we have outgrown the Children’s Home name and needed something that better represented the purpose we serve and the care we provide.
For over a century, the Children’s Home has been guided by an unwavering commitment to serving children and families throughout the state of Florida with compassion, integrity, and faith. Since our beginning in 1908 as the Florida Methodist Orphanage, we have expanded over the years into a diverse organization serving abused, abandoned, and neglected children. That expansion has brought the realization that we have outgrown the Children’s Home name and needed something that better represented the purpose we serve and the care we provide.
Here's a word shared from Residing Hope:
As we work our way through the Lenten season, the light diminishes as we approach that week when Jesus would be betrayed, arrested, tortured and crucified. Hope seems to be extinguished as the sun hides in eclipse and darkness descends as Jesus breathes his last tortured breath.
Then, Easter morning dawns and hope explodes across eternity as Christ rises and the tomb is empty. Our hope has a name and we celebrate JESUS! We see that hope revealed in seemingly hopeless situations here at your Children’s Home.
Jeremy was removed from his home due to parental drug use and abuse. After being adopted by relatives, he came here to address behavioral concerns. He had a role in our recent Christmas play, volunteered regularly in our chapel and played in a local football league. He was with us for a year, successfully completed his therapeutic treatment program and was reunified with his adoptive mom. Hope realized!
Laurel experienced abuse and was removed from her home. She loves music and singing and wrote and recorded her own original song while she was here. She was successfully placed with her grandparents after being with us for about 8 months. We marveled that her grandparents would travel over three hours every week to visit her while she was here! Hope restored!
This hope continues to happen as a direct result of your generosity, both through the Fifth Sunday offerings and throughout the year. Thank you for your partnership in bringing this ministry of hope and healing to so many children and families. May the hope and joy of Easter be with you.
Ways you can support the Residing Hope:
- Donate through the offering basket and note UMCH on the gift
- Donate through our Online Giving and Select UM FL Children's Home
- Save your old luggage. Any time you have luggage that you don't need, bring it to the church. We can send it to the children, who usually arrive at the home with their belongings in a bag.
I have one more story to share. Watch as Gage talks about what brought him to Residing Hope (formerly Florida United Methodist Children's Home) and much it has helped him.
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