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 Wholeness for our Clergy, Congregations, and Communities |
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| Connecting Points | Outreach Newsletter
July 2010 |
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| Dear Michelle,
The theme at Annual Conference this year was "Eradicating Extreme Poverty". It was challenging to hear the statistics that one in four children in Florida don't have enough food to eat and to look at global statistics that nearly 1.4 billion people live on less than $1.25 per day. It was heart wrenching to hear the report from Haiti and know of the incredible struggle to rebuild after the earthquake.
Some Christians say our faith is found in worship and in focusing on our spiritual lives. Others see faith lived out in the "social gospel". The affirmation of the early Christians was simply "Jesus is Lord". There was no division for them between spiritual life and service to others. Their worship was the core of their life with Christ, but they also cared about the things Jesus cared about...the widow and orphan, the poor, the hungry, the stranger, the immigrant. Throughout Scripture and as Wesleyan Christians, we are called to be a visible witness to the world of the love and care of God. The need is great. Let's work together to make a difference!
O God, May our excitement of life with you  Stimulate us to continually Share our blessings, Sing our love, Build our hopes, Exclaim our thanks, Give away our selves, And , most of all, Praise you forever!
by Pamela Watkins
Grace and peace,
Marilyn |
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News from the Florida Annual Conference
In looking at the issue of extreme poverty, the following two ministries give churches and individuals practical ways to be involved.
Bishop Peter Weaver of the New England Annual Conference | Bread For The World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. God's grace in Jesus Christ moves us to help our neighbors, whether they live in the next house, the next state, or the next continent. Each year, Bread for the World invites churches across the country to take up a nationwide Offering of Letters to Congress on an issue that is important to hungry and poor people. For more information and Biblical resources, go to: http://www.bread.org/what-we-do/ Florida Partnership to End Childhood Hunger is a multi-year, strategic Ten-Point Plan to end childhood hunger in Florida. The Partnership serves as an anchor around which more than 50 organizations are committed to working collaboratively to make Florida the first state in the nation to end childhood hunger. A focus of this program is the summer nutrition program which leverages federal dollars to feed children that are on the free lunch program during the school year. Churches can be sites to feed these children. Now is the time to start planning to increase the feeding sites for summer 2011. For more information and to see if your church would qualify to be a feeding site, contact: Ebony Yarborough, 850-309-1488 ebonyfaith@flimpact.org For other creative ideas and resources to join the fight against childhood hunger, go to our Florida Conference website: http://www.flumc.org/child_hunger/. |
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Disaster Response Ministries
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Participate in the East Central District Supply Challenge
Fill the truck headed for Sager Brown Depot ::: Saturday, August 28 from 10 AM - 2 PM
Invite your small group, Bible study class, Sunday School class, VBS kids, Youth Group and anyone else you think might find building a kit a great outreach project. Invite your friends, family and neighbors to help supply items for any of the following kits: Cleaning Bucket (Value: $55); Health Kit (Value: $12); School Kit (Value: $11); Birthing Kit (Value: $8); Layette Kit (Value: $35); Sewing Kit (Value: $18). Bring any supplies as well as completed kits to the East Central District Office, located at Trinity UMC in Orlando and enjoy a time of fun, food, and fellowship with friends throughout the District. Join the excitement as we celebrate being in mission ministry together while serving others around the world who need our help.  East Central District Office Located at Trinity UMC 2113 E. South Street, Orlando, FL 32803
For additional information about UMCOR go to their [website]. |
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 Fire at Branches UMC
Kim King Torres is one of our Conference missionaries working as a Church and Community Worker at Branches UMC in Florida City. The Church and children's playground were destroyed by fire on Pentecost Sunday. Kim works with programs for migrant farm worker children, youth and families. Through an afterschool program, Bible studies, youth service projects, a food pantry and other ministries, Branches helps children and families know Christ, make positive life choices and serve their community.
They need the following items as they rebuild: Spanish Bibles, school & Craft Supplies, gift cards to Publix, Wal-Mart, Winn-Dixie, guitars, shade tents, lawn chairs, folding chairs, colorful bandanas, snack foods and breakfast foods. Send items to: Branches United Methodist Church, 145 SW 5th Ave., Florida City, FL 33034
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Workteams for Haiti
Two workteams are being formed with volunteers from the EC District to participate in recovery efforts in Haiti:
An UMCOR/UMVIM team will be made up of persons who will lead future teams. The request will be made to work at Grace Children's Hospital. The team will need persons with leadership skills, demolition/construction skills, translators, and at least one person with medical knowledge. Kent Powers, from Sanlando UMC, will lead the team. Cost will be $1,500 per person to include air fare. We are scheduling with UMVIM and hope this team will go in the fall. If you are interested, contact Marilyn Beecher, 407-896-02230 x105 or mbeecher@flumc.org.
Rev. Lynne Austin will be leading a group to work with Grace Children's Hospital in Port Au Prince November 6-13. This team will be focused on emotional care for survivors and care givers. Team members need skills in counseling/pastoral care, music, movement, art or Stephen Ministry. The cost will be $1800 (possibly a little less based on air fare). Contact: Rev. Austin 760-801-3764
If your Church is interested in sending a team to Haiti, we recommend working through Volunteers in Mission ( http://www.umvimhaiti.org/) or through Grace Children's Hospital ( iccusa@internationalchildcare.org, Rachel Mills 800-722-4453). Their projects are priorities for the Methodist Church of Haiti and UMCOR. These groups both have housing available for teams and can provide food, water,transportation and preparation/oversight for the project. Both groups also ask the workteams to hire Haitians to work with them so that we are working in partnership with the people of Haiti and are helping provide jobs for those in the recovery process. Insurance can be purchased through Volunteers in Mission. |
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Other Ministry Opportunities
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Backpacks for Schoolchildren and Youth
 Somebody Cares Tampa Bay provides high quality backpacks and school supplies at very low cost. The backpacks that were used by the Conference Outreach Ministries for the last six years were purchased through this organization. The cost is a suggested $6.00 donation for backpacks only, a suggested $8.50 donation for filled backpacks (containing items such as pencils, paper, ruler, glue stick or tape, erasers, crayons or colored pencils, two-pocket folders and pen). Backpacks can be ordered after June 27th at slightly higher rates and pick up time and date are by appointment between July 13th and August 14th. [Click Here] for the order form and contact information. |
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Military Support Ministry
First UMC, Oviedo has developed ministries to support military troops and their families.
They started when a family member from someone in their congregation was being sent to Afganistan. They "adopted" his unit and things have grown for there. They currently are connected to three different units. Activities include:
- Praying for individual service members and families;
- Writing letters and cards;
- Sending needed items like toiletry kits and socks as well as fun items like squirt guns, frisbees and footballs;
- Participating in a family support group with speakers on Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, family challenges, etc.
- Preparing meals and sponsoring karaoke night at the area VA for vets in the homeless and addiction center;
- Sewing adaptive clothing for injured service members - shirts, pants and even underwear are remade using Velcro instead of buttons or with other adjustments based on the disability of the individual so they can dress themselves and maintain their dignity;
- And possibly the most popular package - sending homemade cookies to the members in the units.
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District
Outreach Calendar |
Aug 21: Child Protection Training, Tomoka UMC, Ormond Beach, 9a-12p
2011
Jan 29: EC District Leadership Training Event, Community UMC, Casselberry, 8:30-12:45a
| SAVE THE DATE! January 29th, 2011
2011 East Central District Lay and Clergy Leadership Annual Training Event
8:30 - 12:45 am at Community UMC, Casselberry |
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