Day: July 30, 2018

As members of our vibrant family, we are uniquely privileged and tasked by God to be good stewards of the planet and care for our environment.  While small actions may often seem insignificant, as passionate seekers working together as a community of caring Christians our seemingly small faith actions can impact our world and make a difference and demonstrate our responsibility of loving our neighbor.

This summer when fresh fruits and vegetables are plentiful at the grocery and at local Farmer’s Markets, try eating at least one meatless meal a week.  By using locally grown produce for your meatless meal you reduce the energy costs of food production including transporting goods to market, food processing and grocery store costs (www.epa.gov). Not only does eating more locally grown vegetables versus meat have a positive impact on the environment, it is also healthier.

The Health Ministry will be sponsoring several cooking classes in the fall on Cooking Healthy with Vegetables. Stay tuned for more information and dates!

Every Wednesday morning strains of ukuleles and singing come from our parlor into the courtyard.  For the past three years members of the First United Methodist JOY Uke Club, have gathered for weekly practice as a vibrant family.  The group is largely made up of church members but the JOY Uke Club is an inter-faith group including a member from another Methodist Churches.  The group sings hymns, 60’s folk songs, patriotic songs, military songs for the veterans in the audience, porch songs, and some contemporary music.  Several times each month, the group sings in various senior living communities and health care centers in the Winter Park area as part of our mission to bring joy to others through music and song.  Through song, the group shares the Word of God.  It is wonderful to behold individuals in the audience who appear not engaged, to all of sudden sit up and mouth the words when they hear “Amazing Grace”. Music touches their souls and takes them back to the happy times in their past.

This summer the JOY Uke Club assisted in teaching the ukulele to middle school age youth at the Winter Park Library.  Several times a year the group performs for gatherings in churches and other places in the community including First United Methodist of Winter Park. If you have a passion for singing and playing the ukulele and would like to join the group, contact Rev. Gary Rideout at garyr@fumcwp.org.

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.” Psalm 98:4

By Grady McClendon

The Food and Hospitality ministries at FUMCWP are so much more than just feeding people.  Their services also offer volunteer opportunities for a wide range of church family members’spiritual gifts and even generations!

They supply our church with a broad array of delicious meals, refreshments for receptions, and even the snacks for hundreds of Vacation Bible School children and volunteers.  They also prepare and staff our Sunday Coffee Fellowship, our Welcome Tables and the “Our House Tours” given once a quarter.

Our Food and Hospitality Ministry recently hosted The National Christian Hospitality Conference for church hospitality directors and administrators, which offered an extraordinary look at the scope of services our church and its Ministries can contribute.  For 200 visiting professionals, Randy and his corps of volunteers and church staff shared our amazing facilities, all anchored by our commitment to biblical hospitality.

One of the true gems of the Food and Hospitality Ministry is “Wednesday Night Live,” an evening of fun, faith and friendship featuring a sit-down dinner in our gym on Wednesday evenings during Fall, Winter, and Spring. About 100 people dine together weekly on multi-course meals, sharing fellowship with all ages, before adjourning to small groups and other activities.

Once again, these dinners require a team of dedicated volunteers, including the Kitchen Ministries team of cooks and servers!  Our church’s setup team provides set-ups and tear-downs for transforming our gym into a cozy dining room!

Kitchen Ministries is also involved in an amazing community outreach that provides delicious “home-cooked” lunches several times a year for Winter Park’s Police and Fire departments.  This is our way of thanking those professionals who “take care of us” on a regular basis! They were also involved this summer in providing healthy lunches to underprivileged Children enrolled in a summer Studio 150 dance camp funded by a grant from Florida Hospital.

As we bring our biblical hospitality more and more into our community, the more of your spiritual gifts are needed. If you would like to continue your path of discipleship by joining our team just contact Randy at randyp@fumcwp.org.