Posts with the category “pastor-s-desk”

Transitions can be unsettling. Whether it’s a new season in your personal life or a change in leadership at church, these moments often come with questions, uncertainties, and opportunities. As our church family journeys through a pastoral transition, there’s one thing we can all be sure of: God is still at work, and each of us has an important part to play.Scripture tells us in 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)...  Read More

This past Sunday, we announced an upcoming pastoral transition at Fleming Island UMC as I step into extension ministry after 10 wonderful years with you. We are excited to welcome Pastor Mike, who brings deep passion and experience to lead this congregation into its next chapter. In this blog, I share ways you can support the church during this time—through prayer, service, discipleship, and giving—and reflect on the joy and blessing it has been to serve as your pastor. Please join me in praying for this transition and all God has in store for our church family.  Read More

Don’t forget—our 3-day journey through Holy Week begins tomorrow! You can participate either online or by using the Home Guide.If you didn’t receive a printed copy of the Home Guide, no worries—you can download it using the link below.Each service will stream at 7:00 AM on our website, church app, YouTube channel, and Facebook page. The services are short and meaningful, lasting about 15–20 minute...  Read More

We don’t often talk about doubt in church. In fact, it’s sometimes treated like a spiritual taboo—a red flag that your faith is unraveling. But what if doubt isn’t a sign of spiritual failure? What if it’s actually a doorway to deeper faith?That’s the heart behind the Doubting God series. Over seven powerful weeks, this series invites us into honest conversations about faith, uncertainty, and the ...  Read More

This past Saturday was absolutely beautiful—sunshine, clear skies, and the perfect day for some good old-fashioned Spring Cleaning We’re so thankful for the 22 amazing church members who came out to help care for our church home, both inside and out. Teams pulled weeds, planted fresh greenery, repaired parts of the sprinkler system, cleaned windows (inside and out), and wiped down walls throughout...  Read More

As we reflect on 2024, it’s impossible to fully count the number of lives impacted through our church’s mission and ministry. But what we can do is tell the story of 64 people—just 64—who showed up with open hands, open hearts, and a fierce determination to love their neighbors.Each act of service this year wasn’t just an event. It was a moment of transformation—a person or family whose life was t...  Read More

Holy Week kicks off with Palm Sunday, so here’s what you need to know: We’ll have two services at 9:30 AM and 11:00 AM. The worship services will be identical. All children are invited to open the services by waving palms. To participate, they need to be in the kids’ area 15 minutes before the service begins so Mrs. Katie can get everyone lined up and ready. If your child normally goes to the nurse...  Read More

Thank You for Your Generosity. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the “Create Your Own Trail Mix” Bar at Bannerman Learning Center. Your donations of dried fruits, nuts, chocolates, and crunchy snacks turned this initiative into a major hit. From pistachios to peanut butter chips, every ingredient came together to create a fun and delicious experience for teachers and staff alike. This...  Read More

On Wednesday, March 5th, we begin our annual 40-day journey to Easter—a season known as Lent. This spiritual climb starts with Ash Wednesday, a service that reminds us of a profound truth: this life is temporary. In the Methodist tradition, Ash Wednesday is one of the few services that centers on our mortality. Even in a Celebration of Life service, our focus is on the resurrection. But on this da...  Read More

Lent is a season of reflection, repentance, and renewal—a time when we prepare our hearts to walk with Jesus through His journey of obedience, surrender, and love. This Lent, I am preaching a series called “To the Cross” because I believe the path Jesus walked has profound meaning for our lives today. As we move through the Gospel of Luke together, my hope is that we will not only learn about Jesu...  Read More

Day of Hope, formerly known as Day on Campus is coming to our Enterprise campus on Saturday, March 8th! We invite all our Methodist friends to learn about and engage with Residing Hope on a deeper level. The name isn't the only thing that has changed to make this event more interactional for you.We are offering five separate breakout sessions in two separate time periods, including sessions on:Tra...  Read More

This Sunday, I began a new series on John Wesley’s Three Rules for Living a Holy Life as a Methodist. In my introduction, I emphasized how critical groups are to our spiritual growth.If you missed the message, you can listen to it here: One of the key themes you’ll hear in every message of this series is this: We need a group of people with whom we can be open and honest, who will challenge us to ...  Read More

Delayed by Hurricane Helene but definitely not forgotten, we are hosting a 10th Anniversary Celebration for our Madison Youth Ranch on Saturday, February 1, 2025. The gates will open at 10:00 a.m. We will have a celebratory program with a catered lunch and very special music and speakers beginning at 11:00 a.m. Ranch tours will be available until 2:00 p.m. Everyone is invited! With your enduring a...  Read More

In this series, we’ll deepen our Methodist understanding of how to love God by embracing the rule to Stay in Love with God. We’ll also explore how to love others and share Christ through the foundational Methodist rules: Do No Harm and Do Good. As we start the year by creating margin, this series will help us re-center on our church mission and strengthen our spiritual roots. When life gets stress...  Read More

In Matthew 7, Jesus tells a powerful story about the importance of building on a strong foundation. Living in Florida, we understand all too well what happens when something is built on sand. We’ve seen the devastation as water washes sand away, leaving destruction in its path. Do you remember why Jesus shared this teaching? “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person w...  Read More

As we step into 2025, I can’t help but reflect on the challenges and trials many of us faced in 2024. Last year was tough for so many, but it also taught us resilience and the importance of staying grounded in our faith. While 2024 focused on discipleship, this year, I believe God is calling us to go even deeper—to make prayer the heartbeat of our lives and our church.This year, we’re committing t...  Read More

As we close out 2024, there’s still time to make your financial gift count for this calendar year—and for your tax records! Your generosity has been vital to the work we’ve accomplished this year, and we’re excited to continue making a difference together in the new year.To ensure your gift is recorded for 2024, here’s what you need to know:Postmark it by December 31st orDrop it off at the Church ...  Read More

Sometimes, it feels like the only way to keep up with all the demands of life is to push ourselves to the limit—running at maximum capacity, and then some. But what if there was a different way? A way to step off the treadmill of constant pressure and rediscover the freedom to breathe, to pause, and to respond thoughtfully to what life brings our way. Imagine living with a sense of balance and pur...  Read More

The Staff-Parrish Relations Committee invites you to join us in showing appreciation to our incredible staff this Christmas season by participating in our Christmas Stockings tradition.You’ll find a stocking for each staff member in the worship center, representing office, children’s ministry, and worship. This is a wonderful opportunity to drop in a note of appreciation or even a small gift. If y...  Read More

Brian found himself homeless until he learned about the Independent Living program at Residing Hope. After a year in the program, Brian is enrolled at Daytona State College and participating in a paid internship. Watch as he talks about the Independent Living program being the best gift he's ever received. Our Heart and Home Resale Shop celebrated its tenth anniversary earlier this fall. Located j...  Read More

Thank You for Making a Difference Yesterday, Val and Eddie made a trip to Enterprise, Florida, to deliver the incredible donations collected over the past few months to Residing Hope. We want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who contributed. Eddie delivered over $1,000 in gift cards, 8 suitcases, 12 reams of paper, and other essential school supplies. These donations are making a meaningful impac...  Read More

This Sunday starts an important season in the church - Advent. It's the start of the Christian year along with a season of preparation and anticipation. The word advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means "coming" or "visit." We're literally waiting on the arrival of Christ. 1) Make a point to set time aside for God every day. The sermon series this year focuses on a different Christmas ...  Read More

The Christmas season is filled with the sound of carols everywhere we go, but have we ever stopped to consider their deeper meaning? As we journey through Advent, these timeless hymns become more than just familiar melodies—they are powerful reflections on Christ’s birth, His promises, and the hope He brings. Join us as we explore the rich stories and scriptural foundations behind these cherished ...  Read More

It was a beautiful day for a ribbon-cutting! We held the grand opening of the True Health Enterprise Wellness Cottage in Enterprise on Thursday, October 17th. The Wellness Cottage, located just off our Enterprise campus, will provide essential pediatric and adult primary wellness care, a financial navigator, and on-site laboratory services for our area. What started off as a simple conversation on...  Read More

Last Tuesday, twenty participants came together for an exciting evening of learning, creativity, and fellowship, as ladies hosted a Charcuterie 101 class. The class was led by the talented Deborah, with the assistance of her sous chef, Deleene, while Michele shared her expertise on crafting beautiful salami rosettes. It was a delightful evening filled with creativity, laughter, and food as partici...  Read More

If you were to ask me what I love most about ministry, I wouldn’t hesitate. Baptizing new believers and teaching the faith, especially in moments like confirmation, brings me the deepest joy. This past Sunday, we had the privilege of witnessing the fruits of our church’s faithful work, and it was incredible While I don’t always think of membership as the primary fruit, I have to say, the conversat...  Read More

Do you ever feel like you’re not enough? Or what you have isn’t enough to make a difference? Sometimes what seems insignificant at first can actually become an Overflow. During this series, we'll explore generosity in a way that encourages giving to express the abundance of God's grace in our lives instead of obligation or religious doctrine. When we live out this model of generosity, our giving b...  Read More

Hurricane Helene left many of us binge watching the weather channel last week and thankful that Florida made it through with minimal damage, especially the Big Bend area. That thankfulness was quickly diminished as the reports came in from Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee.UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) is one of the few organizations allowed into disaster zones a...  Read More

In our Wesleyan Rooted sermon series, I've been talking each week about the membership Sunday we have coming up on October 13. So, you might be wondering why you should join the church. Anyone who has been baptized, at any age, in any Christian denomination (protestant or Catholic) may join the United Methodist Church. Membership is about making a statement, that we're your church home. You're don...  Read More

Our church has had a Pumpkin Patch for many years. Over the years, it has supported our youth, children, and women's ministries. The past couple of years, we've used it as a general fundraiser for the church. It's much more than a fundraiser though. What we've learned over the past few years is that the Pumpkin Patch gives us an incredible opportunity to connect with people in our community. There ...  Read More

After being removed from her biological home because her mother was unable to care for her, Bri came to Residing Hope. Watch as Bri talks about how the support she has received is helping her heal and become successful. That means we are scheduled to have a Fifth Sunday Offering on September 29th! It was started in 1906, two years before the actual founding of the Florida Methodist Orphanage and r...  Read More

The Boomers met this week to start back their "Mailbox Motivations" for the teachers at Bannerman Learning Center. With it being the first of the school year, they went with "No Waffling Around". We want to give a big shout out to Waffle House for donating these coupons for waffles and hashbrowns, along with everyone from the church who donated waffles. The team is placing the frozen waffles in the teachers breakroom so they have breakfast/sna...  Read More

Starting in 2 weeks, September 11th, we're holding groups for all ages on Wednesday nights. We'll do this for 5 weeks during the Wesleyan rooted series. Why? Multiple reasons: Sunday isn't enough. If the only place you're getting your spiritual growth is in worship on Sunday, you aren't getting enough. Sunday is designed to be an amplifier for what we're doing independently and in small groups. It's...  Read More

I'm so excited to be preaching this next series called Wesleyan Rooted. Churches all across the Florida Conference will be participating in this same series some time this fall which was developed by pastors within our conference.This series will help us do all three: love God, love others, and share Christ. For those of us who have been United Methodist for a long time, it will recenter us on the...  Read More

Bishop Berlin shares a word about Residing Hope, its impact, and why it's so vital to our community. Click to watch. We are hosting a 10th Anniversary Celebration for our Madison Youth Ranch on Saturday, October 12, 2024. The gates will open at 10:00 a.m. We will have a celebratory program with a catered lunch and very special music and speakers beginning at 11:00 a.m. Ranch tours will be availabl...  Read More

The Book of Acts tells the story of the early church, where the disciples lived out Jesus's last words to "go make disciples of all nations and baptize them." In Acts 16:15 we read:[Lydia] and her household were baptized, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed. (NLT)This is ju...  Read More

Did you know that teachers rely on parents and donations for many of their school supplies? Those supplies can be anything from Clorox wipes to pencils to the decorations in their rooms. I feel so blessed to have many teachers (and retired educators) in our church who help us stay connected with how we can support our local schools.With school starting, I wanted to share with you who in our church...  Read More

What an amazing week we had at Scuba VBS We asked the kids to share God sightings, so I want to take a moment and share some God Sightings of mine. Last year for VBS, I was one of a couple of adults that did our very best to help some of our new friends find a place during VBS when the music was too loud or the environment was too overwhelming. In the past year, we've made this a priority within ou...  Read More

Three of our youth participated in the Florida Future Chef Student Cook-Off. Our three young men were excited and privileged to learn from the best: Costa Magoulas, the Dean at the Mori Hosseini College of Hospitality and Culinary Management at Daytona State College, Chef Michael Taylor from South Beach, and Chef Perry Li of the Cocky Rooster in Deltona. Our aspiring chefs cooked Sazon Gator with ...  Read More

Many may ask, "What's the point of confirmation?" or "Isn't that a Catholic thing?" If I had to choose one thing that you found a way for your teenager to do, it would be confirmation. It's so important for the spiritual development because it helps them understand what's different about Christianity from all the other belief systems in our world. As our students go through the important process of...  Read More