From the Pastor's Desk

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 t...

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...

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...

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...

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.....

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...