Category: Blog

As we are living into our vision of being a vibrant family, there are several on-going conversations within our church. One of those conversations is about the South Street property, Trinity Christian Academy (TCA), and the Foundry Orlando.

South Street Property. We know the original agreement with the Florida Conference regarding the South Street property stated that the property reverts back to the Conference should we choose to not use the facilities. The South Street facility is aging and in need of serious renovations. Earlier, a feasibility study found that to maintain the building, there are over $400,000 worth of repairs necessary. With this in mind, our Trustees recommended, and Leadership Council approved, that we leave the South Street property due to the amount of resources required to maintain it.

Trinity Christian Academy. Earlier this year, we announced the relocation of the TCA preschool ministry to the facility that formerly housed Reeves UMC. Even though that church is now closed, TCA is still transferring to this location for the start of the fall school year. This property transfer allows for more classrooms and an overall increase in facilities – all for less cost than the school was paying at the South Street location. With the location change, there is an increase in registration for the fall school year and many age groups are waitlisted for enrollment already! For more information on TCA, click here.

Foundry Orlando. We know that our former South Street ministry is continuing under the new name of the Foundry Orlando. This new approach to serving youth in the Orlando area aligns with our church’s vision of being Christ-like servants. Next week, we are presenting a proposal to the Florida Conference about the location, future resources, and long-term sustainability of the Foundry ministry.  For more information on the direction for the Foundry Orlando, click here.

Continuing the Conversation. We are currently exploring ways to strengthen TCA by broadening ministry opportunities at the Reeves location. Now that Reeves UMC is closed, Pastor Patti Thue is assisting us in the smooth transition of TCA to the Reeves facility. She is currently working on behalf of the East Central District of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. Our church vision, that launched in January 2018, offers our ministries a refreshed direction for growth and service.

As we strive to live into our vision, we remember our call to be like Jesus, serving those in need.  Our own Panua Partners in Hope ministry in Naivasha, Kenya, has been working diligently through the year to be good stewards of God-given resources as we serve orphaned and vulnerable youth.  In the US and Kenya, Panua has seen amazing transformation take place in the lives of challenged youth in Naivasha, and in the hearts of our prayer partners here in the US.   Panua’s stories of hope and success continue to inspire us all. 

The Panua Executive Board is pleased to present our 2017 annual report.  We are humbled by the continued progress of our Panua youth – persevering through difficult & hopeless days, to see that God is truly at work in their lives and is offering transformation.  Please click anywhere on the image below to view the report in its entirety and see how God is transforming lives in Naivasha, Kenya and here in the US.

Kinfolk + Covenant House BBQ Picnic
By Caroline Miller

I started officially interning with Kinfolk in August 2017 as their volunteer outreach coordinator. This has been a great opportunity for our church’s young adults to serve non-profits in the Orlando community. When I started my other internship at Covenant House Florida in January working with their transitional housing program, Rights of Passage Apartment Living (ROPAL), I noticed that there was not a lot of opportunities for the ROPAL youth to engage socially with each other. After speaking with Jon and my supervisor at Covenant House, we came up with the idea of having Kinfolk host a barbecue picnic for the youth.

After much collaboration, we organized to meet at Mayor Carl T. Langford Park in Downtown Orlando. We grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, played corn hole, and just had an enjoyable day together. The youth who were able to come had not had the opportunity to even meet each other, and two of them came to find they were neighbors! It is so important for this youth to have a system of support during this stage of their life, just like the support I have been so fortunate to have with our Kinfolk ministry. It could not have been a more beautiful day. Overall, it was a successful example of the message Kinfolk is built on, our lives truly are holier when they are shared together.

Last Sunday, our Green Team had a table in the courtyard to celebrate Earth Day.  To follow up, this ministry will be sharing Green Tips so that we can all be better stewards of the environment. 

Eco-Friendly Green Tip for Gardeners

Using pesticides and weed killers may be the easiest and most obvious way to keep your garden under control, however, these harsh chemicals can cause substantial damage to the environment. In addition, these chemicals pose a danger to our wildlife and insects such as butterflies, hummingbirds and bees. Here are a few alternatives to the harsh chemicals:

• Apply natural fertilizers, such as your own garden compost, to help your plants grow vigorously and therefore more resistant to pests and parasites. Winter Park offers free backyard composters for residents.
• Use plants that have been specifically bred to be resistant to common diseases and problems.
• Remove weeds by hand rather than dousing them with weed killers.
• Plant your garden densely, which makes it harder for weeds to get a foothold in your soil.

RESOLVING CONFLICT RESOURCE GUIDE

Materials:

• The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict, The Arbinger Institute
• A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix, Edwin Friedman
• Ted Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” Chimamanda Adichie
• YouTube, “Friedman’s Theory of Differentiated Leadership Made Simple”

Our Church Family:

• Share your prayer concerns at fumcwp.org/prayer.
• Join the prayer group Gathered In His Name. This group meets the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month in the Marcy Chapel at 8:15am.
• Join a Connect Group to grow in greater community and relationship with people in our church family! Click here to get connected.

RESOLVING CONFLICT SERMON NOTES

Week 1: Understanding Shalom and Peace

• Jesus welcomes us and our stories in all of our mess and brokenness so that we may look at others as valued human beings whom God loves. In this truth we find a heart of peace.
• What are some ways in which you have treated someone as an object (an issue, an agenda, a particular viewpoint, sin, etc.)? How can you move to be a peacemaker by welcoming them in the fullness of their story? What does it look like to move from trying to be right to becoming a peacemaker in your life?

Week 2: Recognizing a Heart of War

• When we choose to see others as objects, conflict rises in our own hearts. A heart of war is created. We bring our own agenda to the situation, which makes it easy to move from misidentifying another’s issues to justifying our assumptions of them.
• How do you change the context of the conversation from accusatory to supportive? How do you recognize when you are either vilifying or honoring others?

Week 3: Moving to a Heart of Peace

• When we have conflicts in our relationships, defensive reactions come to the surface that act as barriers to moving us forward. This creates in us an immediate response of a heart at war. This is the way of the world. As Christians, we are called to another response in our relationships – a heart of peace, that allows the flow of God’s grace in surprising ways to bring understanding and unity.
• Is my motivation Christ-like in bringing understanding or is my motivation to be right? How can I step away from the conflict and view it in a different, more Godly light?

Week 4: Becoming an Agent of Peace

• We perpetuate conflict when we look at external circumstances, instead of naming our own inner turmoil. We all have passions, beliefs and needs. They can be a uniting force, by encouraging us to look for our similarities instead of letting them divide us.
• How do I choose to love my neighbor as myself? How do I embrace unity, and not uniformity?

Celebrating the Risen Lord

We recognize that we are a vibrant family built on God’s grace here at First UMC of Winter Park. As gracious hosts, we understand that we are to pursue intentional relationships with all people, knowing that everyone is at a different point in their faith journey.

Earlier this month we celebrated the Risen Lord throughout our Holy Week services. In addition to the Holy Thursday and Good Friday services, our campus held 5 Easter morning services. Pastor David and Pastor Jayne led our congregations Easter about the Powerless & Victorious nature of our Savior. Listen to both Pastor David and Pastor Jayne’s sermons here as a reminder that He is Risen! 

With over 2500 worshippers in attendance Easter Sunday, we are grateful for the hospitality of our church family. We know it takes the service of many workers to prepare our campus for Holy Week. Thank you to all who provided flowers and served in a variety of capacities!

Family Ministry: Important Announcement

We are excited to announce a new approach to the discipling of the Children of First UMC Winter park, called Family Ministry.  Family Ministry is a church-wide strategic plan to help families launch their children into a lifetime of Christian Discipleship.  This plan includes the spiritual, educational, physical, and emotional growth and engagement of children, youth, and their parents. We will provide this support through the following areas:

• Provide support to children, youth and their families as they transition through both development and spiritual milestones of preschool, elementary, middle and high school students.
• Develop strategies for each ministry to welcome and support new families to the Family Ministry by partnering with our weekday preschool, new membership, and new parents through activities and communication.
• Connect families to the greater church body through intergenerational worship, youth, and young adult ministries.
• Create opportunities for the enrichment of parents as the spiritual leaders of their homes through serving events, parenting classes and seminars, and connections at spiritual milestones.

To accomplish these tasks, we are launching a search for the Director of Family Ministry.  Please be praying that we find the right person to lead us in this new exciting direction.   Click here for more information about this position.

We thank you for your prayers and support.
– Rev. Jayne Rideout