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Connecting Points East Central District
Florida United Methodist Church
February
2008 |
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Marilyn Beecher
Church & Community Worker with the East
Central District FL-UMC |
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Lee Schneider from Covenant UMC, Port Orange has agreed
to serve as the new District Disaster Coordinator. Lee is a
retired police officer having served with the Volusia Sheriff's
office and other departments in the Daytona area. He also has
been on the Conference Early Response Planning Team. We
welcome Lee to this new role.
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Dear Michelle,
A friend of mine recently took a new job
as a "Fairy Godmother in Training." Who knew you
could train to be a Fairy Godmother? I love
the fanciful title and wish I could wave a sparkly wand
and make all the children I see happy.
Unfortunately, once you are off the grounds of Disney
World, it isn't quite that easy. It is not always
easy for congregations to know how to reach out to
children beyond their membership.
Several Churches have asked me how they
could start a summer ministry with children. It turns
out (could this be a "God thing?") that the Conference
Camping Staff has been talking about assisting churches
in reaching out to children through summer day camp
programs. Day camps can provide a good lunch,
recreation, expressive opportunities, and field trips
into the community. More importantly, they can
provide a safe place for children to belong, a chance to
learn about Christ and to know that the Church in their
neighborhood cares about them.
Please check out the information below
about a special training for churches interested in
doing summer day camps and see how your congregation
might help to make the summertime a time of growth and
nurture for children.
In Christ's service,
Marilyn
Beecher |
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Summer Day Camp Training
Event
Saturday, March 8th
@ 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
First
UMC of Pine Hills and Berea Haitian Mission
1400 North
Nowell Street, Orlando
No cost
to participants. Lunch will be provided and each Church represented
will receive the American Camping Association's Day Camp From Day
One and an eight week summer camp curriculum La
Frontera.
This
conference will provide practical training for those church members
who are called to develop summer day camping programs at their
church or site for children in their community at low or no cost to
the families being served.
The
program includes nuts and bolts of starting and growing a program,
curriculum, working with different ages, medical issues, liability
issues, registration forms/permission slips, personnel and much
more.
To
register: Call Jeannie Jacques 800-282-8011
For more
information: call Melinda Trotti 800-282-8011
x755
(Funding
provided by the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church
Office of Justice and Spirituality Ministries and the Camp and
Retreat Ministries). |
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United Methodist Children's Week Gathering
March 30 - April 1
During this week, United Methodists have the opportunity to visit
the state capitol and speak up for children in partnership with
other children's advocacy groups such as United Way, Children's Home
Societies, teacher's organizations, and many others. The
program includes learning about issues that effect children in
Florida, talking with state legislators, and sitting in Legislative
sessions to see the Legislature in action.
The schedule includes:
·Sunday from 6:00 pm: Worship, dinner,
orientation;
·Monday: Breakfast, worship, roundtable discussion,
issues summaries, visits with legislators and banquet;
·Tuesday:
Breakfast, worship, special presentations at the Capitol, children's
panel (leave by 5:30 pm).
Registration and lodging - due March 1
Registrar: Marie
Sharpe, tennessee1010@aol.com, 407-678-8785 or
407-342-4529
Program and Meals Fee:
$25,
Lodging: $110 plus tax
for two nights at LaQuinta Inn, 2850 Apalachee Parkway,
Tallahassee. You must call by March
1st to 1-800-531-5900, Conference Block #0641GRJVJD.
Up to 4 persons in a room. Hold with credit card.
For more information about all the Children's Week
activities [click here] |
Cherish Our
Children
Children's Week in Tallahassee
Needed: Children's Handprints for
the Capitol Rotunda.
The hallmark of Children's Week is the thousands of
construction paper handprints that adorn the Rotunda. The
children of your Church can participate!
Instructions:
Handprints should be stapled onto string or
ribbon vertically in lengths of 8, 10 or 12 feet for hanging.
Hands will be hung vertically from the ceiling to the floor.
Small artwork or posters (8x11" or 11 x 14") can be hung with the
hands.
Send artwork by Thursday, March 27th to: Children's Week,
c/o Kids Incorporated, 1170 Capital Circle, NE, Tallahassee, FL
32301. |
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Local Church Disaster Plan
Our District Superintendent, Dr. Wayne Wiatt,
is asking all EC Churches to send a copy of your Local Church
Disaster Plan to the District Office. You can snail mail to 2125
East South Street, Orlando, 32803 or email to marilynrb@peoplepc.com
The Conference Disaster Recovery Ministry
will be doing a survey in the next few weeks. If your Church
does not have a disaster plan, please be thinking about these three
questions:
·What is your plan to protect your Church
property?
·What process do you have to care for the most
vulnerable members of your congregation?
·What plan do you have
to serve in the community after a disaster?
If you don't have a more detailed plan, this is a great
starting point. |
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Disaster
Trainings
The Conference is
now doing two different kinds of disaster
training:
Community
Arise: This is Basic Disaster Ministry
training. It teaches how to identify and address unmet
needs of all survivors especially those most vulnerable, how
to provide emotional and spiritual care as well as physical
rebuilding to assist in long-term recovery of those in
need.
Early Response Team Training: Early
Response Teams (ERTs) are specialized, self-contained teams who
enter a disaster zone at the invitation of local emergency
management. In addition to providing a caring, Christian presence,
ERTs remove debris and provide temporary repairs to make a dwelling
safe, sanitary and secure. ERTs are registered with the Disaster
Recovery Ministry of the Florida Conference and Disaster Recovery
coordinates team placement with emergency management officials to
get help where it is needed most after a
disaster. |
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Feeding Programs Need
Help!
Feeding programs and other community service
groups are seeing many new faces. Christian Service Centers,
Catholic Charities and Jewish Family Services are a few of the
groups reporting double the number of requests for food and
rent/mortgage and utility assistance from a year ago.
Check with the programs in your neighborhood
to see how you can help. Here are two great ways to make a
difference:
Halifax Urban Ministry - Serving
throughout Volusia County, they give out about 200 breakfast bags a
week in the Daytona area. Often people pick these up on their
way to work and it is both breakfast and lunch. Needed are
granola bars, Little Debby's cakes, juices, other breakfast
items. Ongoing needs: diapers, hygiene products, peanut
butter and canned meats. 386-252-0156 215 Bay Street,
Daytona Beach [website]
Greater Orlando Food Outreach -
provides food assistance to low income families in the Orlando
area. They need diapers, canned meats and other
staples. They also have a Thrift Shop and need donations of
clothing, footwear and small household items. Call
407-849-0079 located at 150 Michigan Street, Orlando [website]
United Methodist Children's
Home - 2008 Day-On-Campus March 15th. Special Invited
Districts: East Central & South West. Campus Gates Open at
8:00am and the Program begins at
10:30am. |
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Upcoming
Training Events
For more information about any of
the training events, contact:
Pam Garrison
800-282-8011 x149 pgarrison@flumc.org
Early
Response Training
Feb 29 - March 1 @ 4:30 pm
Riverside
Retreat Center, LaBelle
To register [click here]
Community
Arise
March 29 from 10 am - 4 pm
Pine Ridge Fellowship UMC,
Deltona
(Registration coming soon)
Early
Response Training
October 24 - 25
Warren Willis Camp,
Leesburg
Registration will be online starting in
September | |
