Posts with the category “pastor-s-desk”

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

Did you know that as a church, we host events for other organizations and people? In a given quarter, we may host a health screening, birthday party, board meeting, scouts, and a sheriff's meeting. It's been part of the church's goals over the past 2 years to make our spaces available to the community. We work to keep our facilities up-to-date and looking nice. We don't want them to just sit aroun...  Read More

This is going to be a long post, and I'm sorry for that. There are two sections though, so some of you won't care about all of these sections. The first is my reflections after attending Annual Conference this year. The second section is the official report from the Annual Conference, with more technical details. You can jump to which section you want to read. We started conference off with an eve...  Read More

Legacy Scholars Academy's 4th Annual Student Art Showcase was held on May 17th at the historic Enterprise Museum. A large crowd of local leaders and art enthusiasts converged to see and learn about the amazing artwork done by our incredible artists from the Legacy Scholars Academy at Residing Hope in Enterprise under the direction of their teacher Melissa Stilwell. The artwork by artists from sixth...  Read More

I want to share that the year ended strong with the Boomers and Bannerman. They delivered 11 months of mailbox appreciations along with something in the workroom for the teachers. Along with these items, the Boomers also provided breakfast multiple times and an appreciation bar for Teacher Appreciation week that was "grab and go" style. We also started to work with businesses in our community to hel...  Read More

Last week, I took time away to plan the remainder of 2024 in regards to worship. I love spending this time with God and listening to where he wants our church to go. Most importantly, how he wants our energy to be spent. I'm a firm believer that when this type of work is done in advance, it makes it easier to adapt to all the things life throws our way. I have seen this come true so many times in m...  Read More

A Story Arc is one or more consecutive comic book issues that define a story with a beginning, middle, and end.The Bible is not just a collection of stories but a saga that intertwines with our own lives. It's the tale of Yahweh and Adam, the prodigal son and his ever-gracious heavenly father, humanity in its rebellion and God in its grace. This narrative begins with Eden and concludes once creati...  Read More

In 2019, Circle of Friends Services became a division of the Florida United Methodist Children's Home, now known as Residing Hope. This was a very important and vital addition to the growing range of services being provided by the Children's Home at that time. By providing trauma-based therapy to children and families at an earlier point, it was possible to avoid the need for higher levels of care...  Read More

I am so excited about the number of new families joining the church in the past year. These new families have brought many new children, and Katie has done a fantastic job in Kid's Club. I'm trying an experiment to connect our new families with a group called Friends Unleashed. Over the summer, we're going to do some fun weekend outings that are family-friendly so you can bring the kids with you. The...  Read More

May 4th is International Firefighters Day. On Sunday May 5th at their local 12:00 pm, Firehouses and others all over the country will pause to remember the men and women who are no longer with them by sounding off. Since we won't be together at that moment, I encourage you to take a moment to stop and pray for all of those who will be remembering a lost friend or loved one..You might notice if you...  Read More

Everyone wants to enjoy life, but only some know how to put themselves in the right place mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to experience joy in the journey. This three-week message series will explain what fun is, how to permit ourselves to have fun, and how to add more to our lives. This is a sharing Christ series. We'll look at passages in scriptures that talk about worship and joy and ref...  Read More

From Karen: The Boomers met on April 2nd and prepared the monthly mailbox motivations for the Bannerman (BLC) faculty and staff. Hagan Ace Hardware in Green Cove donated flower seed packets. We attached notes to each packet and placed them in faculty and staff mailboxes (pictured above). This week, Pizza Hut of Green Cove provided the staff with pasta trays and breadsticks for lunch, and the Boomers...  Read More

In a short time, people worldwide and news stations alike will be turning their eyes to Charlotte, NC, as the United Methodists gather for the first time in 5 years to handle the general business of the church. More than 800 men and women from around the globe have been elected and are now preparing to represent their Annual Conferences by working with their delegations.The Florida Annual Conferen...  Read More

Over eight days, March 16-23, we participated in 3 events and helped feed people across Clay County. Thank you to everyone who helped, either by volunteering, donating items, or giving financially. A team of us went to Jacksonville to pack food at a table our church sponsored. This event was the 2nd Annual Faith in Action that Hunger Fight has put on. Churches sponsored all the tables. It was so much f...  Read More

I can't fully express how blessed I was by the day of worship we had for Palm Sunday, but I will try. But first, I'll confess. I make decisions based on data and prayer. So, when looking at worship times for Palm Sunday and Easter, I spent a lot of time reviewing numbers from last year, especially our children's. After talking with Katie, we felt it was best to have two services so that a new famil...  Read More

People place boundaries to keep us safe, like a guard rail at a cliff or a glass wall at the lion's exhibit. Sometimes, we see walls and fences as challenging to find a way over or around them. Sometimes, this challenging spirit can be healthy in life, but other times, it can lead us to captivity. Jesus died and rose again so that we would be set free of sin, shame, and death. It's up to us to ens...  Read More

Every month, our Boomers focus on a project to show love to the teachers at Bannerman Learning Center. Here are some pictures from their recent meeting where they were putting together the mailbox motivations. For February, the Children's Ministry helped create Valentine cards. The Boomers took these cards and set up a candy bar in the teachers lounge as a small way of showing the teachers they are loved by others. They al...  Read More

If you've wondered where I've been this week (which is not the office), I've been at the 2024 Exponential Conference. Here's why that should matter to you. The theme this year is: ONE-EIGHTY — Return to Disciple Making. Although making disciples is the clear mission of the Church, when asked, most churches say that making disciples who make disciples is still their biggest weakness. We sense God is c...  Read More

Holy Week is the week of Palm Sunday or the week leading into Easter. As early as the 4th century, we have seen Christians take extra fasts, go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and attend special services as they approach the remembrance of our Lord's most challenging days on earth.To aid in your Holy Week practice, I am preparing a set of pre-recorded services that will be about 15 minutes e...  Read More

Jennifer has been attending our church since 2007. She has been a part of a United Methodist congregation for most of her life; she joined God in baptism at a United Methodist congregation in Pennsylvania. Jennifer has seen multiple pastors come and go here at Fleming Island UMC but felt God lay it on her heart recently to reaffirm her baptism, make a public profession of faith, and make us officia...  Read More

Yesterday started Lent with Ash Wednesday. For those who have been United Methodist (or Catholic or Lutheran), Lent is something you’ve experienced in some way your entire life. For others who may have come from another church or no church background, Lent may be a new thing. It starts on Ash Wednesday and ends the day before Easter. If you exclude Sundays (which are non-fasting days), that equals...  Read More

Last week, we experienced our 3rd mixer event. I came home from a conference last year with the idea to hold a mixer in a neutral location (not the church) with the goal of helping new worshipers meet people and feel better connected to the church. We held our first event April 2023.Last week, we learned we could have too many people on this patio to be comfortable Is that not a wonderful proble...  Read More

Sometimes it feels like when we pray, God isn’t there. Why do we suffer and pray, but God stays silent? We’ll journey through the silence of unanswered prayers through the stages of Holy Week, reflecting on how God can still be present, even in the silence. This is a story of faith, hope, and love beyond all understanding. This is a loving God series. We'll look at how our prayer life is connecte...  Read More

The Kitchen of Clay County has become one of our favorite ways to serve our community. This past weekend, 6 of our members went out to Middleburg to serve those in our community who need some support. We don't ask why they need the meals or check their qualifications. If people show up and ask for food, we give it to them. The team showed up with 5 crock pots of soup and stuff to make sandwiches. 131 servi...  Read More

There are many places where a little can go a long way. This is especially true when it comes to kindness and love. When Karen arrived at our church, she had a passion for helping show love to the teachers at Bannerman Learning Center. As a retired teacher, she knew firsthand how hard teaching is and how important it is for a teacher to feel loved and supported. She wanted the Bannerman teachers to...  Read More

This past Sunday, the above video was shared in worship as a celebration of all God did in 2023 I thought I woud take a moment and expand on these numbers a bit more, sharing some stories behind them. We had 3 baptisms in 2023, 2 new-believer baptisms and 1 infant baptism. This is paired with our 28 new members. Both of the new-believer baptisms were new families who came to us, not from any oth...  Read More

For their December meeting, the Boomers (our older adults), went and toured Bannerman Learning Center. The Boomers are our newest group on campus and chose Bannerman to be their mission focus. Normally, they meet at the church, have brunch together, then put together something to show love to the teachers at the school. On this occasion, we took a trip to the school to learn about their programs. I ...  Read More

Do you ever get tired of just scraping by? Do you and your spouse feel awkward tension when the topic of money comes up? Or maybe you want to know how to steward your money well but don’t know where to start. No matter where you land, we have an exciting, new opportunity for you that can help you create a life without financial stress—starting now. This is a loving others series. We'll help people...  Read More

This month is a month with 5 Sundays, which means we're collecting for the Florida United Methodist Children's Home. Here's a message from the Children's Home: Robert came to us with a trauma history that meant bedtime was a really difficult time for him. He never slept in his bed, preferring to sleep in his closet or on the ground. Staff and therapists worked hard with him to help him feel safe so...  Read More

I'd love for you to join me in reading the Bible through next year, Chronologically. This is my favorite way to read the Bible because you get to see how the books overlap.It can be daunting to try and read the Bible in a year, so let us help. Choose whatever format you like. Do you like to hold a book? You can read the Bible like a devotional book. You just open to the date and there's your readi...  Read More

I met the WIllis Family for the first time at our Back to School celebration. Jessica is a teacher and her husband Winston is in IT. I've enjoyed getting to know them this fall as they've attended worship, their kids have been part of kid's events, and they have found their place within our community.One thing I love about my job is getting to sit down with the new persons and families. Getting a ...  Read More