Lenten Education Forum

9:45 a.m. Sunday, March 21st in the Henry Roberts Activity Center

Annette Valetto will be sharing the life and death of Christ through her paintings.  This is an awesome experience you won’t want to miss.

LEP Summer Fun Camp

The Learning Enrichment Program (LEP) provides a Summer Fun Camp during the following weeks:

June 21st – 24th
June 28th – July 1st
July 12th – 15th
July 19th – 22nd
July 26th – 29th

Camp will be Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.  No extended care will be available for the summer.

You may register for each week individually. Registration begins March 15th at 9:00 a.m. in the hallway between the education building and the activity center for those families currently enrolled in one of our programs.  Registration for church members begins March 17th and open registration begins March 19th.  Each session is $70 per child ($80 for infants).  Payment will be due in full April 20th, 2010.  If you cancel two weeks prior to a session, we will refund 50% of the tuition; after that, tuition is non-refundable.

For more information, please call Lynda Rabon or Camie Couillard at 438-6761.

Bloodmobile at First UMC

The Northwest Florida Bloodmobile will be at First United Methodist Church on Sunday, March 28th.  They will be in front of Wesley Abbey. You may call the church office to reserve a time slot, or just come anytime between 9:30-12:30.  We encourage all who are able to give blood.  Bring a photo ID with you.  You may also receive a free cholesterol screening after 72 hours of each donation.  Help save a life.

Learning and Living Scripture

Copies of Rev. Geoffrey Lentz’s and Henry Neufeld’s new book, Learning and Living Scripture, are available for sale in the front office for $13 each.  This book will help you learn to integrate prayer and scripture reading while also being faithful to the historical meaning of the text and its use throughout history by the community of faith.

Letter from Haiti

On February 9, 2010 we received this letter with pictures from Pastor Sean Christensen, a full time missionary living in Haiti.

Dear First UMC of Pensacola,

My name is Pastor Sean Christensen.  I am a full-time missionary living in Les Cayes, Haiti.  I teach at a Bible college called the Institut Biblique Lumiere, training Haitian pastors, but lately my ministry description has widened quite a lot in response to the earthquake.  Methodist Habitat for the Bahamas has been bringing in various supplies into Cayes since the quake and they brought in some boxes from your church just a couple days ago with Ziploc bags full of personal hygiene items.  My family distributed 70 of your bags to the patients at the hospital on our missions campus this evening.

Thank your for your love, prayers and faith in action for the people of Haiti.  We are one body in Christ working together and it was a joy to give away your gifts.  They were very gladly received!

Yours in Christ,

Sean & Heather Christensen
www.seanchr.com

First UMC Providing Hope for Haiti

First United Methodist Church has partnered with UMCOR and Bahamas Methodist Habitat to help provide relief for Haiti after the devastating earthquake on January 12, 2010. As of February 5th, you have provided thousands of dollars for relief, collected more than 1250 health kits and have even helped deliver supplies and evacuate refugees by providing aircrafts through Bahamas Habitat.

Bahamas Habitat is US-based Methodist nonprofit organization supporting housing & disaster relief work in the Bahamas. Because of the Bahamas proximity to Haiti, Bahamas Habitat quickly became a crucial partner in providing relief to hard to reach areas affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Since January 12 they have been delivering donated supplies and transporting refugees from Haiti. Gene Schmidt, member of First Methodist and husband of Susie Schmidt, has made numerous flights to and from Haiti in the past 10 days using aircraft that he owns——– as a recreational pilot. On January 22, WEAR Channel 3 reporter and First Methodist member, Dan Thomas traveled with Gene on one of his trips to Haiti. Video reports from this trip are available below:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/video/video.php?v=1339905374817&ref=nf

How You Can Continue to Help

To continue delivering supplies to Haiti via Bahamas Habitat, financial donations are greatly needed to help cover the cost for fuel needed to travel to Haiti. The lack of fuel has caused many supplies destined for Haiti to remain in warehouses. The approximate cost to fuel one round trip to Haiti is $2000. We have set up a designated fund at the church to help provide funds for this crucial part of the relief effort. If you would like to donate, you may do so by visiting the church office or by placing a donation in the offering plate on Sunday. (Please indicate HAITI FUEL on check or envelope) You may also donate online here. (Use the OTHER field and write HAITI FUEL in the blank provided)

Thank you for all that you are doing for those in need.

Related Links:

http://www.bahamashabitat.org/wordpress/

Detroit Conference VIM Team Safely Airlifted from Haiti

WEAR TV3 News Report on Gene Schmidt

Letter from Haiti

2010 Administrative Committee Meetings

Finance
Monday, January 25  5:30 p.m.

Trustees
Monday, February 1  5:30 p.m. Read more

Spiritual Formation

The Academy

Next Edition of the Academy begins Sunday, January 24th
This class led by Kaye Westmark is entitled Momentum and is open to all adults and high school students.  The focus will be on holistic living with emphasis on:

1.      Momentum: Mass in Motion
2.      Devotion to God
3.      Readiness for Life Long Learning
4.      Investing in Key Relationships
5.      Visioning for the Future
6.      Eating and Exercise for Life

You are welcome to join us any Sunday at 9:45 a.m.

Lenten Covenant Group

Lenten Covenant group will begin Sunday, January 17th at 4:30 p.m.
We will meet on the first floor of the Perry Home. This Sunday afternoon 10 week group will use the topics: “Feeding on the Word” , a focus on the bible, and “Deepening our Prayer”, a focus on prayer.
Karen Evans will lead this group and participants will be asked to covenant to be present for the 10 weeks.  This group is designed for those who have never studied the bible or prayed, as well as those who have. If you are looking for a way to go deeper in your faith, this is it!

Thinking Outside the Box

New Discussion Group begins Sunday, January 17th at 9:45 a.m.
Interested in “Thinking Outside the Box” ?  Looking for solid intellectual inquiry?
Want the freedom to express your doubts and questions about religion?
Interested in the historical roots of the New Testament?  Then join Tim and Karen Evans
for this discussion group on Sunday mornings at 9:45 on the second floor of the Perry Home.

Thank You From Milk and Honey Outreach Ministries

On behalf of the staff of Milk and Honey Outreach Ministries, I want to thank everyone for the generous response to our request for support for food boxes during this past Thanksgiving holiday season.  Because of everyone’s kindness and generosity, we were able to surpass our goal and were able to provide food boxes and turkeys to 25 families.  Because the families express their thanks to us, we want to try to express their appreciation.  Because of the great response, our congregation has met the need of our community. 
Thank you again,  Sonya Culliver, Executive Director, Milk and Honey Outreach Ministries. This was truly a Meaningful Thanksgiving for our children and their families!

United Methodist Women News

A very special and huge “Thank You” to all members of the United Methodist Women and other members of the church who generously gave of their time and talents to making this year’s Christmas Creations such a huge success.  Besides the uncountable hours spent by members preparing for and working during the event, we want to thank the following persons who gave special gifts to help us meet our goals:
       
Marian Guthrie for creating the beautiful angel painting used for our poster.  
Cena Harmon for creating the exquisite ”I Believe…” quilt that was given away to a lucky patron.
Carolyn Elzey and her kitchen crew for making the 150 pies for the Gingerbread House.
Dale Wheelis and his superb kitchen crew who prepared an absolutely delicious luncheon for 180 guests on Saturday.
Many women, children and youth in our community will be helped with the proceeds from our
efforts.
 
  We are pleased to announce that we have the following items still available for sale in the front office: {All of these would make wonderful Christmas Gifts}

      Angel Note Cards (Pkg of 8 w/envelopes) $5.00  
      2nd Annual Christmas Creations Poster  $15.00
      2009 Angel Apron  $10.00
      Angel Food Cook Books $15.00  (limited supply)
 
NOTE:  If you have purchased a cookbook during the last year, we have printed a page of corrections to ingredient lists and/or directions for a few of the recipes.  Please stop by the front office to get one for your book and for those you have given as gifts. 
       
Pam Dannelly and Jo Strayer, Co-Chairpersons

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