Posts with the category “pastor-s-desk”

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

As Christmas approaches, the Staff-Parish Relations Committee is inviting you to show your appreciation to our staff. Here's what Nicole shares about it: Merry Christmas from the Staff-Parish Relations Committee! We thought we might switch it up a bit this year for those who wish to show your appreciation for a particular Fleming Island UMC staff with a gift. You will notice there are stockings hu...  Read More

The Florida United Methodist Children's Home has been a part of our church's missions list since our founding. I love hearing all the stories that come from this incredible ministry as much as Val and Eddie love to go visit every year. Last year, we chose as a church to downsize our missions list and focus on organizations that embodied who we are as a church, and those that give our congregation ways t...  Read More

I am not sure what is more exciting then welcoming a new child into the church family. It's a sign of life, regeneration of the church, but also our commitment to the future generations. Sunday, we got to make a commitment as a church to the Coppage family, as Eddie and Val stood with their children, raised in our church, and now their granddaughter, who is being raised in our church. No one has a ...  Read More

During this season of thankfulness, I want to say thank you to everyone who make it possible for us to to serve our community.The Yard Sale and Pumpkin Patch at first glance is a fundraiser. They did both raise the church money but they did more. The Pumpkin Patch allowed us to connect with the community and support a Cub Scout Troop. We also donated all the unsold items to:Veterans of AmericaThe ...  Read More

Have you returned home from a vacation, and felt like you needed another vacation? We make plans, but 9 times out of 10, things don't end up like we expect. This holiday season, we're going tropical and thinking about all the unexpected things that happened to the characters the first Christmas. Grab your Hawaiian shirts, Santa hats, and get ready for a Christmas Vacation! This is a loving God ser...  Read More

I commented Sunday, but being the focus of everyone's attention isn't something I love. I know that seems strange for a preacher to say. I cannot say enough how much I love receiving note cards from you with words of encouragement. Some weeks take more mental work; others take more emotional effort. This week, I was tired from every direction. Sitting at my desk and reading card after card, I felt ...  Read More

We had October 16 marked on the calendar for a few weeks. When I got up that morning, the weather had become chilly, but that wouldn't stop me from baptizing Michael at his home. His family and friends had been waiting for this day. I'll admit I wasn't sad he decided not to get fully into the pool. The following Sunday, October 22, we welcomed the entire family into our church. But one person was m...  Read More

We're 4 Sundays from Advent; it's hard to believe we're at that time again. Advent is the beginning of the church year for Christians. During Advent, we prepare for and anticipate the coming of Christ. One of the ways is through a tradition called the Advent Wreath. Starting November 26th, we'll start worship by lighting a candle and sharing in a reading. Families or groups are invited to participat...  Read More

This month is a month with 5 Sundays, which means we're collecting for the Florida United Methodist Children's Home. In light of that, I wanted to share two stories from the Children's Home so you can see what impact your gifts make. Emily (pictured) is 12 years old and has been living at the Madison Youth Ranch for the past two years after multiple failed foster placements. She had to be removed f...  Read More

Last year, we did our first ever Candypalooza. It was such a hit, our children’s ministry team chose to do it again.On Sunday, October 29th, everyone who wishes is invited to come to worship in their Halloween costumes (please be sure it’s not provocative adults...this is still church 😉). The kids will have a costume parade on their way to Kids Club as we let them show off their characters. After ...  Read More

Did you know that America is one of the top mission fields in the world today? If you search America Mission Field, you'll find millions of articles about why America is the place to be right now to share the Gospel. We don't have to pack up our families, change our jobs, or uproot our lives. So how can we, the Church, think about ourselves as missionaries? That's what this series is all about. T...  Read More

Sunday, I did something...maybe a bit dramatic. I challenged us to cover the church in prayer for 24 hours. It wasn't dramatic to me, but this might be. I'm going to keep challenging us until we reach the goal. Why? Because it takes time for a snowball to get going. You have to form, compact, and get it nice and round. After you get it just right, you can start it rolling. It will become unstoppab...  Read More

I am excited to officially welcome the Owens family as part of our church family Wendy reached out to me in May after visiting our church. She wanted to learn more about us. Shortly after, I sat down for coffee with Wendy and her mom, Sandy. I feel like I've known them forever. They've jumped in and started to volunteer at events. Eric, Sandy's husband (Wendy's dad), loves to spend time with his g...  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

Our go-to response is, "I'll pray for you." Most of us will stop and say a short prayer. But what if there was more? What if there was a way to tap into God's power and pray like they did in the New Testament? Imagine if we as a church tapped into God's power to guide, direct, and transform our community through us. This is a loving God and loving others series. We will focus on how to dial into p...  Read More

If you run into Julius and Shannon, you'll notice that they are both quiet, kind, and love to jump in and help with things. I met them when they first started to attend the church, but they made an impression on me when they asked to help with Vacation Bible School.I didn't know them very well when they responded to an open call for help picking up donated VBS decorations from Highpoint Community ...  Read More

Have you ever wondered who does what around the church? Methodists got their name in the 1800s because we were methodical in our spiritual growth. It's not surprising that we're also methodical in our ways of governing the church and dividing the leadership among many. Every year, we go through a process called nominations, where I gather with some people to pray over a worksheet we need to fill ou...  Read More

God has blessed us with an abundance of new faces over the past 6 months. It causes me to be at a loss for words. I have been praying for God to bring a revival through Fleming Island United Methodist since I found out I would be coming as the pastor in May of 2022. I have prayed over the names of those who worship with us, those who stopped worshipping with us, and our entire community. I have as...  Read More