Becoming a member of FUMCWP is not a requirement for attendance or involvement, but we believe you’ll find the process both enlightening and enjoyable.
Tune in each Wednesday night at 6pm, as we take a trip back in time to past VBS through the years. Join us for songs, skits, experiments, and more! We will feature a new VBS theme each week.
So, do you know what a group of jellyfish is called? It’s a hive of bees and a cloud of grasshoppers, a consortium of crabs and an army of caterpillars – but what about jellyfish? Turns out – a smack. You are out in the ocean and you suddenly notice that you are surrounded by jellyfish. You have encountered a smack of jellyfish. That’s your fun fact for the day.
Anyway, I was watching this incredible program on TV the other day. It was filled with ontological arguments and existential questions. About the quest of a father to find his son despite overwhelming odds. Finding Nemo is a must-see for those who are serious about their doctrine.
Do you remember the scene with
the jellyfish? Marlin and Dory are
taking a short cut to the gulf-stream.
When suddenly, they find themselves in a smack of jellyfish! Fluffy pink cloud tops and long stinging tentacles
everywhere! To escape Marlin and Dory play
a game. Who can bounce from jellyfish top
to jellyfish top the fastest – without getting stung. They have just about made through the smack when
Dory gets tangled up. And Marlin has to
go back and rescue her and carry her out.
Getting stung over and over as he does.
Turns out, Marlin is uniquely
equipped to deal with jellyfish stings. He
has a special mucus coat that protects him.
Clownfish live in a mutually beneficial relationship with sea anemones. The clownfish cleans the anemone and provides
nutrients. In return, the anemone’s
stinging tentacles provide protection for the clownfish. For this to happen, God
gave Clownfish the ability to develop a tolerance to the anemone stings.
Where am I going with this? Is this the Undersea World of Jacque
Cousteau?
Well, when we become a follower of Jesus, we are given special talents by the Holy Spirit. The Bible talks about them as spiritual gifts. They are abilities like teaching and giving and leadership and serving and encouragement and faith and healing and so on. In Ephesians 4, Paul says that everyone gets them. That they are given to help us grow into the likeness of Christ. That they are meant to reveal the presence of Christ in the world. And he says that they are given for the benefit of the whole body of Christ – the church. He even goes so far in 1 Corinthians as to say we can never tell another person their spiritual gifts are not needed. Everyone has an important part to play. As Christians, we live in a mutually beneficial relationship with other followers of Jesus. Where our spiritual gifts compliment and support each other. Like Clownfish and sea anemones.
This is why sharing the
leadership of ministry between lay folks and staff folks is so important. Because each has different gifts. And those gifts are mutually beneficial. They help us live out our faith. And they help us bring the presence of Christ
to our neighbors. And do so more
effectively. As a pastor I don’t have
all the spiritual gifts. There are
limits to what I can do well. I need to
add my spiritual gifts to the spiritual gifts of others. And work collaboratively.
In other words, delegating the leadership of ministries to paid staff is not only unsustainable financially, it is undercutting the effectiveness of the ministry. And it keeps others from using their God-given spiritual gifts. Which are meant to help them grow into the likeness of Christ.
One last thought that applies to
this. One of the questions I am hearing
right now is about our church’s strategy for local missions. We are absolutely going to continue to
emphasize local missions. It a
fundamental part of being church. There
is no being church without them. So, right
now, we are evaluating our local ministries for how well they help us develop and
remain in relationship with those we are in ministry alongside of. Sometimes church’s get into thinking missions
is about sending money. Or thinking
missions is about going and doing stuff we feel good about doing for
another. When it’s actually about life
together. Embracing and sharing our
unique gifts. Adding our strengths to
theirs in addressing the needs they identify.
You may remember this from our series on When Helping Hurts this past
fall.
For now – be blessed! Whether you are a clownfish or sea anemone
may you discover a deeper likeness of Christ as we minister together. In the name of the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit! Amen.
What a joy it is to finally be here with you! For months now, my husband Ryan and I have been praying about this transition, about finally being here to share in the ministry that you are already doing both here and in Orange City. As you know, Ryan is also an ordained elder and is already hard at work serving the community at Orange City United Methodist Church. When Ryan and I said yes to this move in early Spring, we never imagined it would happen in the middle of a global pandemic, but God is certainly showing us a lot along the way.
One thing I’ve noticed over the last two weeks as we’ve moved to a new home in a new community, moved to a new school for our two children and of course transitioned to two new places of work; I’ve gotten lost a lot. I used to under appreciate just how important that little app is on your phone called Maps, because once you have lived somewhere long enough you don’t need it anymore. However, over the last 2 weeks, I’ve used my Maps APP so very much that I really can’t leave the house anymore without my phone. I’ve used it to get to the important places; you know, to the church, school, home, Publix and of course Jeremiah’s ice cream shop! And over the last few days, I was thinking about how that application on our phone is so indicative of our journey of faith as well. When you type in your destination for instance there’s oftentimes a couple of different ways to get there with varying degrees of arrival times based on traffic patterns or construction. But there’s always the hope that you know you’ll eventually get there even if you make a few wrong turns along the way. I sure am thankful for God’s grace because I don’t know about you, but in my journey of faith, I’ve made some wrong turns and I’ve hit some roadblocks or always followed the speed limit.
We don’t like uncertainty and we don’t like feeling lost or not knowing what is next. We wish that our faith journey and our following Jesus could look a little more like following the directions on our Maps APP, one with a clear path and arrival time. But we miss the journey when that is our focus, and quite frankly, we miss the good work that God is doing in us, through the Holy Spirit on this journey. Sometimes the journey is painful, or unexpected, or frustrating; but we grow along the way. I just finished studying the book of James last month and there are some modern ways of saying this truth that puts the struggles of the journey in perspective.
“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when test and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help.” James 1:2-5 The Message
This journey we are on leaves room for getting lost and making wrong turns, but not for the sake of frustration, but for the sake of the grace of Jesus growing us into mature followers of Him. This is a journey to be embraced and lived into, and not only a destination to arrive at. I hope the next time you use your Maps APP or GPS, you will think about your own journey of faith and how the tests and challenges we are facing today are growing each of us into mature and well-developed disciples. And if you get lost, and you will from time to time, don’t forget to ask God for directions, and keep going.
Tune in each Wednesday night at 6pm, as we take a trip back in time to past VBS through the years. Join us for songs, skits, experiments, and more! We will feature a new VBS theme each week.
John 13:34“Love one another, as I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
Each Tuesday, let’s take time to bless someone. We can bless our family in fun easy ways that will make them feel special and happy! This week let’s bake!
Chocolate Chip Cookies
1C Butter (room temperature)
1C Sugar
1/2 C Brown Sugar
2 1/2 C Flour
2 beaten Eggs
1 Tbsp water
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 C Chocolate Chips
First, wash your hands! & preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Use a hand mixer and cream together the butter and sugars. Add vanilla, eggs and water while mixing.
In another bowl, mix the flour, salt and soda. Gradually mix this into the wet ingredients until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop Tablespoons of the batter on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, take out of the oven and cool.
Monday, July 6
It’s Movie Monday! Join us on Rightnow Media to watch the following selection.
Jesus at the Temple of the Good Samaritan, Episode 9 – The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Do you know what a Samaritan is? Do you think you could be one? Watch this story about the Good Samaritan and see the good deeds that he did.
“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3
I am the
proud mother of two kind and creative adult children. Nicholas is now 30 years
old and Maya is 26.
When we
lived in Harlem NYC, their father and I were fortunate to send Nick and Maya to
a great public elementary school in the Upper Eastside.
When Maya was in first grade, one day she came home excitedly and asked me if she could have a playdate with Emily, a classmate learning with down syndrome experience. As part of a NYC education program, special children like Emily were mainstreamed into classes like Maya’s. But, unlike Maya, she would stay same teacher and teaching assistant for two years, instead of one.
When I
called Emily’s mother to ask if a playdate was possible, to my surprise, she
wept, and said that no student had ever asked Emily for a playdate. Emotional, I confessed that since we lived in
Harlem, children rarely came to our home from the Upper Eastside. I told her, if it were easier for her, Maya
and I could come to their home. She said no that wouldn’t be necessary. Her husband, Emily’s father, would be happy
to bring her over.
She had
some reservations, though, and told me that there were a lot of things Emily
was allergic to and could not eat, especially peanut butter. If she had an allergic reaction, she would
need a shot right away, or else there would be dire consequences. She said she would provide me with the necessary
medicine, just in case. I reassured her
that I would listen carefully and write down everything she told me to do.
When Emily
arrived one afternoon with her father, our home was well prepared. Her father, a kind and peaceful man, brought
her pouch of juice, snacks, and medicine, and informed me that she had already
eaten. I asked him if would like to
stay, and he said no. He wanted to walk
around Harlem, a place he always wanted to visit.
Maya and I
placed a quilt in the middle of our living room floor with some toys and games
for Emily and Maya to play. I also sat
with them a bit to see if they needed anything,
I don’t remember Emily talking an awful lot, but what I do remember the
most was feeling her infectious joy.
Also, for me, it felt like we were all somehow communicating,
telepathically. Emily was so happy to be
with us, and Maya and I were overjoyed to be in her company and to have her in
our home. The love and joy was so
magical that at times it brought me to tears.
I learned
so much from Emily and Maya that day.
Because of who they were as little girls, I experienced, for an eternal
moment, what it means to be a child entering the kingdom of heaven.
“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Tune in each Wednesday night at 6pm, as we take a trip back in time to past VBS through the years. Join us for songs, skits, experiments, and more! We will feature a new VBS theme each week.
It’s Movie Monday! Join us on Rightnow Media to watch the following selection.
Book of Job for Kids
Do you have times when you don’t understand or trust what God is doing in your life? Does it make you not want to believe or be happy with God? Our Bible Character Job was in this same situation. Let’s watch the movie and see what happened with Job. What would you have done? Would you still trust in our God?
“Lord, I want to be a Christian… inna my heart, inna my heart…”
That’s how we sang that old Black spiritual at Howard University, my alma mater.
These days, those words present a personal struggle and a challenge. How to be a Christian? Events of the past few weeks have removed a scab from my people… a scab that has covered wounds that have pained us for over 400 years. My hearts aches.
Growing up, our children experienced numerous incidents of racism: questions regarding their competence in swimming (two of our sons were nationally ranked swimmers)… “Black people do not know how to swim” was the underlying message. Though accomplished academically, athletically and professionally, throughout their lives they have continued to experience racially motivated challenges. While a graduate student at University of Virginia in Charlottesville, my son was threatened by a policeman who placed a gun in my son’s mouth. He was the only Black among a group of white students celebrating the end of the semester at a party in the white students’ apartment. A neighbor had complained about the noise at the party. While a student at West Point, another son and his friends while stopping at a rest stop, were challenged/harassed by state patrolmen, for no apparent reason.
“Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart…”
“Lord, I want to be more holy inna my heart, inna my heart…”
Events of recent weeks present personal challenges. Throughout my life, I have benefited from the encouragement, support and friendship of whites… “Betwix and between…” Knots. We have always lived in integrated neighborhoods, often in neighborhoods where whites clearly did not want us as neighbors. Our children had/currently have white friends. Professionally, my husband’s best friend was a white man who supported my husband when others did not. I currently live in a white residential community. My sons are runners. When they come to visit, my heart skips a beat when they go for a run in my neighborhood… I know there will undoubtedly be questions/concerns whether they ‘belong’ in my neighborhood. One of my daughters-in-law is white. When she and my grandchildren come to visit, there are ‘stares.’
“Lord, I want to be like Jesus, inna my heart, inna my heart…”
“Lord, I want to be like Jesus, inna my heart.”
I need your prayers. You need my prayers, too. Let us pray for one another. Amen
So, the other night I was flipping through the channels on the TV, and I came across a theological masterpiece. It was about a clownfish who wanders away from the Reef and gets captured and taken to a fish tank in Sydney, Australia. Finding Nemo is a must-see for those who are serious about their doctrine.
Anyway, Nemo’s father Marlin is heartbroken. And he goes looking for Nemo. And as he does, he runs into someone very special. A Royal Blue Tang fish named Dory. Dory is very different than Marlin. She is fun and adventuresome. She is happy. And she is forgetful. Marlin on the other hand is serious. Marlin is a deep thinker. And Marlin is focused. They are very different. And yet they are a part of the same ocean. And when they come together, they overcome sharks and jellyfish and a whale and eventually find Nemo. Together they are stronger, greater, more capable than alone. They build up and add to the other.
The same is true for us. We are each unique. And yet, we belong to the same human family. We have different interests and different talents. But we are a part of the same body. We are stronger, greater, more capable than alone. And when realize that, really cool stuff happens!
I think this is the premise behind Paul’s writing to the church at Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 12:12 he writes, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.13 For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”
Paul goes on to say that God has even placed the parts in the body just as God wanted them to be. And therefore, we cannot say to one another – you are not wanted. We don’t need you. In fact, Paul says that those parts of the body that seem weaker are actually indispensable (1 Cor 12:22).
Where am I going with this? Well, one of the things we are going to be talking about over the next month is lay-led ministry. You may have heard that term before. It’s not new. It’s used a good bit in church circles. And yet, it’s rarely defined.
When I talk about lay-led ministry, I mean a shared leadership of the church by both church staff and laypeople. Specifically, its lay people and staff people working together collaboratively to live out the calling God has given to us as a church family. Each having a different part to play in the body. But each being necessary.
It starts with the premise that church isn’t something we DO. It’s a way of BEING. Paul says we are each a PART of one body. In other words, we are not just participants in church programs. We are not just attendees at the church services. We are part of the owners. In other words, it’s not about what I want the church family to do for me. It’s about how will I be a part of the church family.
This is Scriptural. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given – for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7). We tend to stop at the first part of that verse. Each is given a manifestation of the Spirit. We think for our own personal relationship. But Paul says that the reason we are given the Spirit is for the greater good! It’s scriptural. And it’s counter-cultural to our consumer-oriented society. Because it calls for a different set of values. If Paul is telling the truth – being a follower of Christ comes with a huge relationship responsibility. Part and parcel of being a disciple of Jesus is being a part of one body of Christ. A body with many parts.
And this has implications. For one – personally. Rather than trying to figure out how to fit the church into my schedule, I need to figure out how my schedule facilitates life together. And this has implications for leadership. If we are all a part. If we are all necessary. If we are all given the one Spirit for the common good, then leadership doesn’t belong to only one group. In lay lead ministry, the lay people don’t work for the staff leaders. And the staff don’t work for the lay leaders. It’s a shared collaboration.
We are going to talk about this more next week. For now, as we celebrate this Juneteenth holiday 2020, ask yourself – how can we do life together better? If we are greater and more capable together. If we strengthen and build up each other. If in the Body of Christ, we are all necessary and all placed as God wants. How can we better recognize the indispensable nature of each other?
I suppose Marlin could have kept looking for Nemo on his own. But I doubt it. He needed the gifts and presence of Dory to experience the fullness of joy in finding Nemo. I suppose we could have faith individually. But I doubt it. We need each other’s strengths and presence to fully experience the joy of life with God. IN the name of the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Line an 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving extra on the side for easy removal. Set aside.
Add the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter to a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir continuously until the chocolate chips are fully melted and the mixture is smooth.
Remove from the heat and spread the mixture into your baking dish. Spread around into one even layer.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until fully chilled and the fudge is firm. Remove from the pan using the extra the parchment paper or foil on the sides, slice the fudge into pieces, and enjoy.
Monday, June 15
It’s Movie Monday! Join us on Rightnow Media to watch the following selection.
Little Bible Heroes, Episode #5
This retells the story of Joseph that the kids have been learning all month.
