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East Central District
Newsletter February
2008 | |
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Dear
Michelle,
This past Saturday in Madison,
Florida, I attended the first of four events this year
scheduled to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the
founding of our Florida United Methodist Children's
Home. In 1908, the Florida Annual Conference
adopted a resolution to establish a Methodist Home for
Orphans. A vision that began a hundred years ago gave
birth to what is now our United Methodist Children's
Home in Enterprise--one of the finest UM Children's
Homes in the Nation.
My journey back to Madison
County was more than fulfilling my responsibilities as a
District Superintendent and Trustee of the Children's
Home. My Journey was a journey back "Home" to the place
of my birth, and a powerful reminder of my spiritual
roots.
Scores of people came up to
"re-introduce" themselves: Glenn Smith, the grown son of
my old School Bus Driver by the same name. (We
reminisced about his Dad's paddle that was always stored
over the rear-view mirror and occasionally put to use!);
Mrs. Mercer, my third grade teacher; countless students
from my Mother's Senior English Class; the Mayor, Jim
Catron, who knew my Dad; and, numerous friends and
acquaintances.
Journeys, both spiritual and
physical, help define who and whose we are. From my
Baptism to my Confirmation; singing my first solo in
Church; assuming a leadership role in Youth Group;
answering my call to ministry. Each step along the
journey helped shape and mold me into the man I am
today.
The Lenten Season calls us to
examine our lives as we journey together with
Christ. Wesley's Three Simple Rules remind us how
we are to live along the way:
(1) Do No
Harm
(2) Do Good
(3) Stay in Love
with God
I found myself this weekend
remembering all those persons who have lived their lives
by these precepts. Those who have loved me, taught me,
corrected me, and challenged me! I pictured the faces of
all the Saints who lived their lives before me by
following Wesley's Simple Rules. I gave thanks for the
many times they helped guide me along the Journey.
During this Lenten Season, I invite you to remember,
reflect, and renew as you find Joy on the Journey!
I Love Being Your District
Superintendent,
Wayne
P.S. Read down this letter to
find a prize, last month it might have escaped your
eyes. Dinner for Two could be at your table, with the
right kind of recipe, if you are able . . . (Entries
extended one more month!)
2 Timothy 1:7 "For God did not
give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of
love and of
self-discipline. |
 Online
E-Learning Available
Have you checked out the E-Learning
Training available for your local church on our
Conference website?
Training is available for Staff/Parish
Relations Committees; Finance Committees (includes
Stewardship); Trustees; and Membership
Secretary's. There is also an online Bible Study
available [Click
Here] | |
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Clergy Team Meeting
Thurs., Feb. 28, 2008
St. Luke's UMC Orlando
9:30AM - 2:30PM
(lunch provided)
Agenda: Presentation by the United
Methodist Foundation on Stewardship/Fundraising in the
Local Church, including introduction to the Bishop's
Capital Campaign by Bill Barnes; District Information
and Updates for Clergy; Lunch; Special Presentation by
the Conference IT Department regarding the new
Conference-wide e-mail system for Clergy.
And YES, this is a
mandatory meeting for all appointed clergy. Plan on
staying until 2:30pm, we may get out earlier, but
schedule your calendar accordingly. (Call me for make-up
information if you have a conflict.)
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Due February 15
Every church is required
to fill out their forms online and submit them to the
Conference before Friday, Feb. 15 at 5p.m. (Click
Here) | | |
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| Natural Church
Development |
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Empowering
Leadership
by Linda Mobley
According to the research done by
Natural Church Development, one of the 8 Characteristics
that vital, growing churches have in common is that
their Leadership is EMPOWERING. What does that
mean?
If you are a Leader:
·Know what your
gifts are and are not and surround yourself (READ MORE . .
.) |
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A Weekend of
Learning! |
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EC District Leadership Team
in conjunction with Lay Speaking Ministries
presents:
A Weekend of Learning!
March 7-8, 2008
[CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS]
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| Scholarship Deadline
Nears |
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Sinclair
Scholarship
At
this time every year, the Florida United Methodist
Foundation accepts applications for the Sinclair
Scholarship. The Application deadline for the 2008
scholarship is March 25. The award is available
exclusively to United Methodist youth who will be
incoming college freshmen in the fall of 2008. To
qualify, candidates must be planning to attend a Florida
or United Methodist college or university. Applications
are evaluated on the basis of academic achievement,
church and community service and financial need. Youth
leaders are especially encouraged to apply.
For more information visit (the website), or call the Foundation, toll-free, at
(888)
363-9673, Ext.
103
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| Enterprise
Corporate Account |
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The East Central District now has a
Corporate Account with Enterprise Leasing which can be
used at any of their locations worldwide, by any of our
Churches and Leadership, both Lay and
Clergy.
Booking a reservation is
easy:
- Call the branch directly;
- Book online at www.enterprise.com. At the bottom of the first page, enter
your corporate account number 42A7202. When
prompted, enter the first three letters of your
organization's name F - L - C (FL Conference UMC);
- Call our toll-free, Corporate Account
line at 800-593-0505
The Enterprise Business Rental Program
will give you a worldwide discount along with other
benefits. We hope this is helpful in renting vans, cars,
etc., while on mission trips and other church sponsored
events. Call Pam Price, our Financial Administrator in
the District Office if you have any
questions. | |
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| Communications Road
Show |
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 Sat., Feb 9th Peace UMC,
Orlando
9:30AM-3PM
The Florida Conference
Communications Staff will be holding four workshops
called the "Communications Road Show" as training for
local church members, held in a local church, with six
topics at each location.
Workshops will focus on improving print
materials (like church newsletters, brochures, etc.),
crisis communications for clergy, data management 101,
starting a Web site, improving your Web site, and
starting a podcast.
Registration materials are online at
(Click Here). The workshops are free; $10 for
lunch. |
| Couples Spiritual
Retreats |
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Life Enrichment Center
Register now for one of two Couples
2008 Spiritual Retreats at the Life Enrichment Center in
Fruitland Park. The retreats will be held Feb. 29
through March 2, and March 14 through 16. Full
information is available on the United Methodist Men's
Website [click here] along
with registration and contact information. You may also
call the Men's registration office toll-free at
877-815-3692. |
| UMVIM Training |
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April 11-12,
2008
Riverside Retreat in LaBelle,
FL
Oct. 17-18
Lakewood United Methodist Church in
Jacksonville, FL
To register [click here]. Check-in begins at 4 p.m. the first day
and ends at 5 p.m. the second day. Cost of the training
is $50 per person and includes one night accommodations,
three meals, and all training materials.
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| 2008 Apportionment
Reports |
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Now
Online [CLICK HERE]
Enter your GCFA # in the GCFA box and
then hit review report. Up comes your 2008
Apportionment breakdown. If you have any Problems with
these instructions, call the District Office. If you
have problems with what is on the report, call the
Conference, Ivette Valentin at ext. 108.
ALSO, If you need to look at a current
2007 Apportionment sheet, you can do that by [clicking here]. The updated reports
are usually posted by the 15th of the
month.
Pam Price, EC District Financial
Administrative
Assistant |
| Brian MacLaren Book
Tour |
 "Everything Must Change" is the
title of Brian MacLaren's latest book and he is doing an
eleven city tour with a workshop of the same
title.
Plan to attend the one coming up to our
area, February 29 - March 1st, at First Baptist Church
of St. Petersburg. Go to [the website] for more information and registration.
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| First Conference of "The
Methodist Way" |
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 "Passionate Worship: Divine
Inbreaking," will be held at Trinity United Methodist
Church in Gainesville, April 11-12, 2008, and
repeated at Church of the Palm Beaches in West Palm
Beach, April 14-15.
Both locations will feature four
presentations based on the different movements of
worship plus 21 breakout groups featuring topics such as
basic worship planning, worship as spiritual formation,
worship in the emerging culture, care and feeding of a
praise team, and connecting worship to the outside
community. There will also be opportunities for you to
meet with other worship leaders and pastors to have a
time to network and share resources.
We are encouraging pastors, worship
leaders, worship teams and anyone else who is involved
in making worship happen at their local church to attend
this conference. Registration is online at [click here]. If you have questions,
please contact the Office of Connectional Ministries at
800-282-8011, Ext. 183. For more information on The
Methodist Way, visit (the website).
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2008 DISTRICT EVENT CALENDAR
Feb 9: "Communications Road Show" Workshops at
Peace UMC
Feb 15: Deadline for Year-end Statistical
Reports online
Feb 16: Conference Table - "Young Adults:
Reframing the Questions" at Harvest UMC
Bradenton
Feb 28: Mandatory Clergy Meeting
@ St Luke's UMC from 9am to 2:30pm
Feb 29-March 1: "Deep Shift" with Brian
McLaren Event @ First Baptist, St. Petersburg, FL
Feb 29-March 2: Spring Confirmation Retreat @
Warren W. Willis Youth Camp (RETREAT IS FULL)
Mar 1: Central Florida Wesley Campus
Ministry Gathering, 7:30 pm @ University Carillon UMC
Mar 7-8: Lay Speaker Training @
Stewart Memorial UMC, Daytona Beach
Mar 8: UMW Mission Team Meeting -
TBA
Mar 15: Children's Home Day on Campus,
Enterprise, FL
Mar 30-Apr 4: Five Day Academy for Spiritual
Formation
Apr 4-6: UMW SE Jurisdiction, Hampton,
VA
Apr 11-12: Passionate Worship Event in
Gainesville
UMVIM Team Leader Training @ Riverside Retreat,
LaBelle
Apr 12: UMW Spring day apart at First UMC,
Port Orange
Apr 14-15: Passionate Worship Event in West
Palm Beach
Apr 23-May 2: General Conference of The
United Methodist Church, Fort Worth TX
Apr 27: Announcement Sunday
May 28: Pre-Conference Training - The
Methodist Way, Lakeland, FL
May 29-31: Annual Conference to be held in
Lakeland, FL
Jun 17: Conference Table - In Defense of
Creation II
Jul 1: Moving Day
Jul 16-19: SEJ Conference in Lake
Junaluska
Jul 22-25: UMW School of Christian Mission
week
Jul 25-27: UMW School of Christian Mission
weekend @ Florida Southern College - Lakeland
Oct 17-18: UMVIM Team Leader Training @
Lakewood UMC in Jacksonville,
FL |
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Igniting Ministry Door Hangers
Available
To order door hangers, send an
e-mail to Caryl Kelley in the Florida Conference
communications office, at ckelley@flumc.org.
Orders will be filled on a first-come, first served
basis, and must be placed in increments of 100. There is
no charge for shipping and handling. Each door hanger
has space on the back where churches may affix their own
printed sticker with local church information; worship
times,
etc.
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