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News from
the Gulf Central District
December 2008
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 Greetings!,
It was a balmy day in 1985 when the group I was
with entered the tiny Lutheran church in a poor barrio
in San Salvador, El Salvador. El Salvador means
"The Savior" in Spanish. The surroundings were
humble, even crude. It was standing room only,
with crowds gathered at the doorway and at the
windows. Here, in the pitiful excuse for a church,
the reality of incarnation truth came alive for me in a
very vivid and special way.
The Civil War
was at its peak, death squads reigned, and fear gripped
everyone in neighborhoods like this. Yet, in the
midst of a poor, oppressed, and terrorized people, in
the midst of these meager and inadequate surroundings,
the church was alive...throbbing with life and
spirit. Christ was there! His presence was
so real you had the feeling you could reach out and
touch him.
And then I
realized...this is what the shepherds and wise men
discovered at the manger in Bethlehem. They found
reality, power, truth and miracle, all shining through a
simple event in the midst of totally inadequate
surroundings and the ever present fear of Herod and
Caesar.
My prayer for us this Christmas
would be that we might not be so straight-jacketed by
sophistication or so wrapped up in the swirl of the
holiday hustle and bustle, that we miss the simple
wonder of God's reconciling grace in the Babe of
Bethlehem. May the old and yet ever new miracle be
yours this season.
Grace and
Peace,
John Powers
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District Vision, Mission &
Prayer Adopted
 At a recent
meeting of the Gulf Central District Leadership Council
the following was adopted as the Vision, Mission and
Prayer of the District. Vision:
"We are a kingdom of God focused district making
disciples of Christ for transformation of the
world" Mission: "equipping
ministries to bring healing and
wholeness" Prayer: "...by your Spirit
make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in
ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in
final victory, and we feast at his heavenly
banquet." |
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Prayer Requests
Pray for Doug Brown who works with
the Street Ministries and Cooperative Ministries. Send
cards to: Doug Brown, 14824 54th Way N, Clearwater,
FL 33760-2605.
Continue to keep
Dwight McQueen and Fred Bonsteel in prayer due to health
issues.
Keep David Misener and family in
prayer. David's Father passed away recently.
Pray for Jim Morgan (Union Street, Clearwater) on
the recent death of his mother, Violet Morgan
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"Feeling
gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a
present and not giving it."
--William Arthur Ward
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A Minute with Maggie . .
.
By the time you read this newsletter, all the
Charge Conferences will be complete. However, not all of
the information has made it in to the District
Office. Please DO NOT forget
Form #22: The Local Church Officers (spreadsheet
can be emailed to me). This form is very
important! Please don't forget it!
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There are a couple of our Ministry areas
that need assistance:
Jim Russo Prison
Ministries
PO Box 768, Bradenton FL
34206
941-746-3717
UM Cooperative
Ministries
1625 Union St Clearwater FL
33755
727-442-6881
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Our next Clergy Meeting will
be February 5 from 10 am to 2
pm at St. Paul's UMC in Largo.
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The Conference Office will receive 2008
Apportionments until January 15, 2009.
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New Officer Training for Finance,
Trustees, Staff Parish Relations, Lay Leaders and
Missions will be held on the following dates:
February 9 at First
UMC, Bradenton
February 10 at Heritage
UMC, Clearwater
February 12 at First
UMC, Spring Hill
Please encourage you leadership to come and
attend.
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As always . . . if you have any
questions, please call me at the district office
727-585-1207 or or email me at flumc-gc@flumc.org |
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Church and Pastor Profiles
Review
The church and
pastor profiles should be reviewed and updated annually
by all churches and all clergy in the Florida
Conference. Church Profiles are reviewed and updated by
SPR Committees. Pastor Profiles are personally reviewed
and updated by the pastor. Profiles will be available
on-line after noon on Monday, December 1st and should be
completed no later than Jan. 23rd. Though you may
not anticipate a move, it is important that both the
pastor and church profile be current and up to date by
the appointment-making session of the
Cabinet. These should be an honest reflection of
the pastoral ministry and the profile of the church.
Look for the button link to the profiles start page on
the home page of the Florida Conference Website shortly
after noon on Monday. |
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December Birthdays &
Anniversaries
Birthdays Anniversaries
4 - Alex
Knight 9
- Craig & Dionne Hammond
Lin
Osborne 16
- Cliff & Suzan
Melvin
5 -
Cristina
Stube 17
- Robert & Heather
Roseberry
6 -
Melba
Whitaker 28
- George & Joyce
Douglas
9 -
Brandon
Wise 29
- George & Nan
Hubbell
Dave
Clouse
14 - Jackie
Wooten
Steve
Price
15 - Fred
Ball
16 - Bob
Green
19 - Bill
Bailey
26 - Claire
Teague
29 - Kelly
Smith |
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Hispanic/Latino Academy for
Spiritual Formation offered December
4-7
The Three Day Hispanic/Latino Academy for
Spiritual Formation is called Rios del Espiritu (Stream
Spirit) and had been created to serve the Spanish
speaking clergy and laity. It starts Thursday, December
4 at 3:00 pm with registration and ends Sunday, December
7 at noon with lunch. The cost is $275.00 per person
(same room for spouses / double room with same gender).
Location is at the Life Enrichment Center in Fruit Land
Park, Leesburg, Florida.
The theme for this three day retreat is
"Strengthening our Christian values in the midst of a
challenging society." Through these three days,
participants will be allowed to explore a deeper
understanding of their relationship with God, the source
of our spiritual strength.
If you want to know more about this great
opportunity please contact Ruth Villafaña, event
registrar, at (305) 609-5640, or at her e-mail; rgv531@aol.com. Some scholarship funds
are available. This academy is conducted in
Spanish. The Florida Conference has an English speaking
academy lead by Ann Anderson and you may contact her at
andersonanns@comcast.net. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Rios
del Espíritu es un retiro de tres días que utiliza el
modelo de la Academia de Formación Espiritual de Cinco
Días del Aposento Alto. Durante los últimos dos años la
Conferencia Anual de la Florida ha estado ofreciendo La
Academia Espiritual de Cinco Días para personas de habla
hispana. Este año hemos decidido explorar el modelo de
tres días para así lograr alcanzar a más personas
laicas. El tema para este retiro de tres
días es "Fortaleciendo nuestros valores cristianos ante
los retos de la sociedad actual". A través de estos tres
días usted tendrá la oportunidad de explorar una
relación más profunda con Dios, la fuente de nuestra
fortaleza espiritual. Si desea saber más
acerca de esta gran oportunidad, favor de comunicarse
con la Hna. Ruth Villafaña, encargada de la
matrícula. Pude comunicarse con ella al teléfono
(305) 609-5640 o a su correo electrónico: rgv531@aol.com Hay fondos disponibles
para aquellas personas que necesiten
becas. |
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Clergy Pre-Retirement Seminar
January 5-7, 2009
 The Florida Annual Conference Office of
Human Resources in cooperation with The Florida United
Methodist Foundation is sponsoring a pre-retirement
seminar "R-10 and Counting" for clergy and spouses who
have 10 or fewer years until retirement. The
seminar will be held January 5 - 7 at the Best Western
Resort Hotel, 2000 Hotel Plaza Blvd, Lake Buena Vista,
FL 32830. The three-day
seminar is designed to cover a full range of issues
facing retirees including planning for and funding your
retirement, living arrangements, relationships,
wellness, myths and realities and estate planning.
Speakers include Rev. Tom Marston, Rev. John Peterson,
and Christian Burns of the Foundation, Rev. Mark Connor
of the General Board of Pensions, Estate Planning
Attorney Carla Bryant and others to be
announced. The seminar is limited to 25
participants, with couples counted as one
participant. Fees are: Couple:
$175, Single: $125 All
participants will receive scholarships underwritten by
the Preacher's Relief Board. Fees include
accommodations for two nights, four meals and workshop
materials. Registration information
is available at http://mail.flumc.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Lq-gz8NqCw10KFkDIPnvyYNwdqr1R3f6EnzEJDYdqXaV8xstkwoi01kKjyYAoa3pz6jfApOFOJ-cK8OIGlYSz9_sX4abiZinLV1UWyHp8M4=.
Registration deadline is December 8, 2008. Please
make checks payable to the Florida United Methodist
Foundation. For information, call: (866) 363-9673
toll-free; (863) 904-2970 local; Email: Foundation@fumf.org. |
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35th Annual Secretaries Seminar -
February 27 - March 1
"Being in the Know"
Life Enrichment Center,
Leesburg
Meet church administrative staff and church
secretaries from around the Florida Conference.
For persons new to the UM connectional system, this
could be a good opportunity for you to learn and network
during a great weekend of learning, sharing,
and fun. "Being in the Know" Learning sessions
include: "Know Your Neighbors: Mission In-Site",
Know about Your Stress: Shade and Fresh Water",
Know Your Mission: Sager Brown, "Know Your Website",
"Know Your Books: Church Finances". Cost:
$150pp double/$180pp single. You should receive
registration details in the mail soon. For
registration contact: Louise Urquhart
863-688-3114.
Registration deadline: December 15,
2008. |
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| Donated Items available . .
.
Yahma-Electone, two manuals-24 foot pedals, 46
stops, roll top, complete with bench and sound system.
Excellent condition. MUST BE WILLING TO PICK IT UP IN
THE BRADENTON, FL AREA. Rich and LaCreda Okerman would
like to donate it to a church or a Christian
organization. Please call 941-758-9496.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We have boxes of "glass" communion cups to donate
(totaling at least 500 cups) Call Marty at
Trinity UMC/Bradenton if you are interested
941-747-3704. |
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A word from the Church
Mouse:
"I AM Too blessed to be stressed!"
The shortest distance between a problem and a
solution is the distance between your knees and the
floor.
The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to
anything.
Love and peace be with you forever, PS:
GOD LOVES YOU
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"Hitchhikers Guide to Evangelism"
workshop change
 "Hitchhikers Guide to Evangelism" workshop
changes venue The "Hitchhikers Guide to Evangelism"
workshop, scheduled for Feb. 28, 2009, has changed
locations and will now be held at the Lake Magdalene
United Methodist Church, 2902 W. Fletcher Ave. in Tampa.
Onsite registration opens at 8:30 a.m.; the workshops
begin at 9 a.m. The previous location was Hyde Park
UMC in Tampa, but the Gasparilla Marathon runs past
the church all that morning and would prohibit easy
access to the church.
Sponsored in part by the office of
Congregational Transformation of the Florida Conference,
the Hitchhikers Guide to Evangelism features Bill Easum
and Bill Tenny-Brittian, two renowned leaders in the
field of teaching understandable, practical and
effective evangelism. The sessions begin with a reminder
that culture has changed and the church is largely
operating as if the community is what it used to be.
From there, the conference will explore how effective
evangelism is changing (and must change) to reach the
growing population of unchurched and never churched
people.
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Church Auditors
needed
The Florida Conference is looking for retired or
partially-employed people interested in performing
church audits on an as needed basis. This person
would travel to a church and review the necessary
records, complete a questionnaire, and mail the
questionnaire, year-end financial statement and other
necessary back-up documents to the Conference and who
would then prepare a report based on the information
they have
gathered. Requirements: Accounting or
auditing background; available to work two days a week
for at least 26 weeks of the year; have transportation
available to travel within the district they live in;
and be able to work on own with little or no
supervision. The positions pays $20/hour
plus expenses. Training will be provided. To
apply, send resumes to Wendy McCoy, director of Human
Relations for the Florida Conference, at wmccoy@flumc.org. |
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District
Calendar
of
Events |
Dec. 2-4: Cabinet
Meeting
District office closed
December 24 - January 5
2009
Jan
14-15: Cabinet
Jan 19: Dr
Martin Luther King Day offices closed
Feb 5: Clergy
meeting
Feb 9: District training
event at First Bradenton
Feb 10:
District training event at Heritage,
Clearwater
Feb 12: District training
event First Spring Hill
Feb 16:
Presidents Day offices closed
Feb
25: Ash
Wednesday
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MERRY
CHRISTMAS! |
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