Posts with the category “missions”

Volunteering at The Kitchen of Clay County this morning... 5 members of the More 2 Life small group were out of town, but 8 church friends stepped in to volunteer for the first time with us!  We had a great time making and serving 87 soup & sandwich lunches to those in need....  Read More

Hurricane Idalia popped up out of nowhere as a tropical storm and becoming a powerful hurricane as it came through the Gulf of Mexico. Our Madison Youth Ranch proved to be right in Idalia's path so most of our staff and all of our children were moved to our Enterprise campus. We were relieved, humbled and grateful to learn that though losing power, suffering some downed trees and some minor damage...  Read More

August 26, we participated in the 3rd parking lot food drive with Sacred Heart Catholic Church. This food drive was started to honor one of their members, Jack Graves, and has become one of the largest drives the Green Cove Food Pantry has. What I love about this event is that we get to spend time with our neighbors next door. This time around, I was able to volunteer for the entire event. I lear...  Read More

It's always exciting to receive new members to our church. If you haven't had a chance, check out the recent postings that share our new members. What's even more exciting is when those new to our church family jump in and share their gifts, talents, and passions with the church family. As I write this, I'm listening to one of these new members pounding away as he repairs a closet in the church....  Read More

Members of the Missions and Worship Teams volunteered at The Kitchen of Clay County, Middleburg location, this morning.  We served  137 soup & sandwich lunches as well as prepackaged breakfast,  lunch and dessert items courtesy of Waste Not Want Not and their partners.  This is a great way for students to get community service hours.  We had 2 students from Paxon High School volunteering with us t...  Read More

Summer Fun on Friday at the Children's Home means zip lining on our high ropes course! Not only is it fun for the youth, but it's also a big boost to their self-confidence. For some it's a major accomplishment conquering their fear of heights. And their friends cheering them on from the ground is a big plus. This young man really struggled to find the courage to step off that platform. And as soon...  Read More

In worship Sunday, Eddie announced that we donated items to the Children's Home. Pictured is Rev. Brian Carr, the Director of Church Relations for the Florida United Methodist Children's Home. Brian stands excitedly beside our donation pile of paper, school supplies, and suitcases. These items are things they desperately need. We collected the paper last quarter when they shared this need wit...  Read More

The women of Fleming Island (with some of their male counterparts) banded together to cook, make sandwiches, and serve our community. With only 7 sets of hands, this quick working group of ladies served soup, sandwiches, and pulled pork to our community through the Middleburg location of the Clay County kitchen. Their results? 150 lunches served!Did you know that older children and youth are welco...  Read More

Four members from Lake Deaton United Methodist Church in the Villages spent eight straight days from June 9-16th biking across Kansas to raise funds for the Children'sHome!One of the four, Wendy Wright, attended our Day on Campus event in Enterprise back on March 25th where she discovered that folks described the Children's Home with single words like: Sanctuary, Healing, Blessing, Love, Hope, Opp...  Read More

The Enterprise Museum hosted a student art exhibit during the month of May which featured artwork created by students from the Legacy Scholars Academy on the Enterprise campus of the Florida United Methodist Children's Home. The artwork by artists from sixth through twelfth grade featured traditional art mediums, such as watercolor and acrylic paintings, as well as 3D sculptures and multimedia ins...  Read More

Today was a great day for Volunteering!  Members of our Men's Ministry began their day at 8:00 am painting at one of the Habitat for Humanity homes in Green Cove Springs.   At 10:00 am, members of the More 2 Life small group & friends met at the Middleburg location of the Kitchen of Clay County to prepare and serve 106 soup & sandwich lunches to those in need....  Read More

What an amazing day!  Thank you for being love in action and being part of the change for affordable housing,  where every volunteer helps to build strength, stability, and independence! According to the Independent Sector, the average national value of a volunteer is estimated at $31.80 an hour, although we know that the heart of a volunteer is priceless!  Your contribution of service helps exten...  Read More

Holy week began on Palm Sunday with everyone gathering first at the regular chapel and then walking together to the outdoor chapel waving palm branches and shouting Hosanna all the way out back remembering and reliving Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem!An escape room was created for both staff, our youth and children which included different, historic moments of Holy Week: Jesus’ triumphant...  Read More

This month is our second 5th Sunday month. What that means is it's our second opportunity to invest in the Florida United Methodist Children's Home.This week, Val and I had the opportunity to meet with Rev. Brian Carr, who is the Children's home's Director of church relations. This was my first time meeting Brian, although Val and Eddie have met him before on trips to Enterprise, FL. Brian shared ...  Read More

This month's group at Clay County's Kitchen was a combination of the Missions Team and the Worship Team. These two laity groups are small buty might. Each team helps plan their respective ministries and organize much of what our church experiences. Ever few months, they join together to serve at the kitchen. With just a few hands, and a lot of joy, they served 151 fresh soups and sandwiches to peo...  Read More

It had been four long, frustrating years since our last Day on Campus in March of 2019 due to the lingering Covid pandemic. Even though we hosted virtual Days on Campus in 2021 and 2022, there is nothing quite like actually being here on the lovely shores of beautiful Lake Monroe in person with our loved ones. We were so excited to welcome more than 450 guests to our Enterprise Campus on March 25t...  Read More

Our second parkinglot food-drive, done with Sacred Heart Catholic Church, was another wonderful Kingdom Day! We had volunteers from both churches and from the Green Cove food pantry serving along side eachother. Here's what the food pantry shared on their Facebook Page:Thank you to all who came out today and donated at the Jack Graves Memorial Good drive! Special thank you to Fr. Sebastian and Dea...  Read More

One of the most anticipated days in the life of the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home is our annual Day on Campus. Each year, it provides us with the opportunity to both thank our faithful churches and ministry partners, as well as highlight all of the wonderful things God is doing through the ministry here. Even though the global pandemic kept us from meeting together personally the last t...  Read More

What a great way to spend a Saturday morning helping others in our community! Members of our Pace Island Small Group volunteered at The Kitchen of Clay County, Middleburg location, today preparing and serving 132 lunches to those in need....  Read More

Thank you! Once a quarter, we take the time to give a special offering for the United Methodist Children's Home here in Florida. Your gift makes a difference in the lives of children right down the road.I thought the best way to say thank you, is to share some things from the Children's Home's last Newsletter. Here's a word from the President: Reflecting over the past year, most things have gotten...  Read More

In December, we joined with Sacred Heart Catholic Church next door for a joint parking lot food drive. My heart was so warmed with Deacon Rich contacted us about joining forces to serve those around us in this way. It was such an amazing day, filled with Muti-generation service, and cross-denomination Kingdom work. Last week, I got the opportunity to take a field trip over to the Green Cove Food P...  Read More

As 2023 provides a fresh start, we are excited to start the new year with a Fifth Sunday Offering. The Fifth Sunday Offering began in 1906 as a way to raise funds to build an orphanage and continues to show the deep connection between the Children’s Home and local churches around the state. The Fifth Sunday Offering remains the backbone of all the support we receive here at the Children’s Home. As...  Read More

I had the pleasure of helping pack our thanksgiving boxes for a bit. (My box is on the left side in the back. 😃) I was blown away by everyone's generosity. Through our church's generosity, we collected around 600 items, with a value of around $1,500. These items filled 13 boxes, and 2 additional snack boxes for the school to keep on hand.Each box was filled was the following items: Cornbread MixSt...  Read More

We have been so grateful for the outpouring of support through our annual Christmas gift card drive. This drive gives us an opportunity to show God’s love through gifts – during both a season in which gift- giving is especially celebrated, and a pandemic in which good news and generosity are desperately needed. If you would like to give gift cards for the Children's Home, it's not too late! You ca...  Read More

The Florida United Methodist Children's Home (UMCH) is a mission that's special to the hearts of many Methodists. Our church's representative is Eddie Coppage. That means Eddie stays connected with the home and how they need support. Val and Eddie take so much joy in going to visit the home and taking our donations.The UM Children's Home has two campuses that includes residential homes, therapeuti...  Read More

Sometimes if can feel like if we could only do more....or that one small act can't change the world. This week, in our reflection on what we've done this year as a church, I'm reflecting on how many "small" acts actually add up to be a large one. That's what we're looking at this week. This a wonderful reminder that no matter what we contribute, every thing makes an impact.The total of all of thes...  Read More

It's been the goal of our missions committee to find ways for us to serve our community, building relationships with others and those within our church at the same time. There were some things that missions took off their list for organizations to support this year, feeling it didn't meet their goal. However, in June, they added the Clay County Kitchen because it hit although the marks.We've had o...  Read More

October was a busy month, but we have so many things to celebrate. Many know this, but I wasn't in favor of doing the pumpkin patch this year. Why? Because I was worried it would over-tax our congregation's time. Why am I telling you this? Because I was wrong and I'm glad to be wrong.I'm a firm believer in sharing my opinion and then stepping back. The church council rallied together to bring the ...  Read More

Can you believe that Christmas is almost here? We are all excited as we approach Christmas once again and get to celebrate with the pageantry, the plays, the carols, the parties, the nativities, the Christmas trees, the worship services, the gifts, and of course the gift cards! Our annual Christmas gift card drive is now beginning which gives us the opportunity to demonstrate the amazing love of C...  Read More

School is back in session at Legacy Scholars Academy (LSA) which was founded in 2015 as a partnership school with the Volusia County School District. LSA serves middle and high school students on the Enterprise campus which includes youth living in family foster homes. LSA was designed to meet the academic and social and emotional needs of the students. The school utilizes Yale University's R.U.L....  Read More

Another team volunteered this morning at The Kitchen of Clay County, Middleburg UMC location. Preparing sandwiches, dipping up bowls of soup, taking orders as people drove up and then bagging up and delivering their lunches to their cars was a very rewarding way to spend a Saturday morning. We served 80 lunches today!...  Read More

On Monday, Aug. 8, Eddie & Valerie Coppage delivered the school supplies and a check to the Children's Home. The following message was shared on the the Children's Home Facebook page: Our wonderful friends at Fleming Island UMC collected a lot of Back To School items for our children, as well as a sizable check! This will certainly help to make sure the children have all they need to start the new...  Read More

The Florida Coalition for Children (FCC) recently recognized Enterprise house parents, Mike and Maritza Velez, with the Nurturing Well Being Award at FCC's Annual Conference. This award is granted to an individual, couple, team, or organization who is highly regarded by their peers and community for their extraordinary compassion in nurturing the well-being of those they serve. Mike and Maritza ha...  Read More

We are four weeks into our Summer Fun program and half-way through summer break. Each week our youth have the opportunity to participate in: swimming, team sports, arts & crafts, theatre, dance, music lessons, and ropes course. Teenagers ages 15 - 17 years old are enhancing their life skills by volunteering or working, cooking, gardening, and attending college/career readiness workshops. Marie Maz...  Read More

The Kitchen Is Open!   Every week, the community comes together to nourish both body and soul of anyone who is hungry.   FIUMC small groups will staff The Kitchen’s Middleburg location on the third Saturday of each month serving hot soup, salads, fruit and sandwiches.   On July 16th the More to Life small group will be preparing and serving lunch.   Be sure to save the upcoming dates to your calen...  Read More