In December, the women had a Christmas party with 21 ladies present. They do this every year with good food, games, and fun. But the party is more than simply celebrating the holidays together. Years ago, they established a tradition of collecting new socks to donate to The Clothes Closet. We received the following letter (pictured above) from The Clothes Closet a few weeks ago: Dear Pastor Parry,...  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

This past Saturday, around 20 people from our church came to worship, eat, and plan how God can use us this year. The day's theme was Overflow: Planning for Loving Others in Abundance. I enjoyed being the empower in the room, not the teacher or the leader. I got to answer questions and permit people to try new things. As my previous Bishop used to say, "It's better to try something a fail than not...  Read More

God is often at work through the ordinary: ordinary people, ordinary objects, ordinary grace. Through the ordinary, God communicates epiphanies, salvation, revelation, and reconciliation. It is through the mundane that we hear God’s quiet voice. In this series, we're looking for Jesus in objects we find every day. Many of us have done the “lent thing” before. You might give something up each year ...  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

Sometimes you must try a church for weeks or even months before you feel like you can decide if it's your "forever spiritual home." Other times, you walk in and know right away.That's what happened to Christy and Woody. I met with the couple a few weeks ago as they shared their story and experience about our church and why they wanted to join. They started to attend Fleming Island UMC in December,...  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

It's hard to believe January is almost finished. As February arrives, we have Valentines Day (2/14), then Ash Wednesday (2/22), which starts our season of Lent. If you've always wondered about Lent, this article is a great place to get you started.During Lent, I always seek out a book that will deepen each person spiritual that I can incorporate with my preaching. This year, I've chosen Lent in Pl...  Read More

February 5, 12, and 19, 2023 Do you do This? This opens doors and solves problems. This inspires others to do This, too—it’s the good kind of contagious. When they tell our life stories, we want them to put This at the top. We are hardwired for This. This is who we are, and This Is What We Do. It's easy to simply come to worship. It takes work on our part to connect with God. If you're connecting ...  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

The pastor I grew up with, Rev. Dr. George Mathison, or Brother George as we called him, is known by a few things:His dedication to prayer - He gets on his knees early every morning and prays for people. He will often call you and tell you he's praying.His tennis game - One of the things he loves most now about retirement is that he doesn't have to bow-out of tournaments to go preach on Sunday mor...  Read More