Friday Fives

1. Preaching Series - This week we will continue our preaching series focusing on the ways we can find joy through the practice of simplicity and generosity. This Sunday we will look closely at the biblical principles of money management and discover how they apply to our daily lives. We will also look head-on at some of our human tendencies to accumulate possessions and wealth and discover methods we can use to consciously change our ways. I invite you to join us for this extremely informative and practical message. You also will receive several tools that will help you in your own financial planning. Bring a friend and I hope to see you there!

2. Jordan Family Fundraiser - Following is a message I received from Paul Daniels, the pastor at Citra First UMC: The Citra Community is putting on a Fish Fry and Fundraiser for the Jordan family of Citra this Saturday, November 13th, at 11:00am at the First Baptist Church of Citra. The family had a house fire Monday evening/Tuesday morning that took the lives of their five children, ages 6 to 15. The mother and grandmother escaped with some burns, while an aunt was rescued by neighbors, though severely burned. The 80 year-old home burned too rapidly to save the children. The Fund Raiser at the church is located right on highway 301 in Citra, so you can’t miss it. The Life Blood South Blood Mobile will also be present to collect blood for the family member in the burn unit at Shands Hospital, Gainesville. A Trust Fund is being set up for all donations. Please lift this family, the community of Citra, and the efforts of our community to help out in your prayers.

3. Bible Study – We have finished week four of our Bible Study based on what we as United Methodists believe, as we spoke about the nuts and bolts of our faith. Primarily we spoke about how we use our funds to reach out across the world, the four areas of focus, the importance of connection, and what ministries we support. Next week we will wrap this study up by looking at the process one must follow to be a United Methodist Pastor as well as answer any questions the class might have. It is never to late to join. We meet on Thursdays at 11am and 7pm in Fellowship Hall. Just come on over and jump in. Hope to see you there!

4. Salty Service - A few months back I asked everyone to consider joining up together in groups to venture out and visit some of the residents in the many assisted living and rehab facilities around our church. There are many people there that get no visitors, and we are so good with fellowship, I see a need and a spiritual gift that can easily be paired up. I wanted to give everyone an update on how this budding ministry is progressing. We have three members that have reached out and began weekly visits to three different facilities. We also have a group of people that have formed to begin visits with a fifth facility. We have several contacts at area facilities, all we need is volunteers. Many people make light work. If you are willing to spend just a few hours a month visiting with people and sharing the love of Christ please contact the office and we can help you get connected. Please consider reaching out to the people in our area and let them know we care and in the name of Jesus Christ that they are loved.

5. Charge Conference – This Tuesday, November 16th, at 7:15pm, in the sanctuary, is our annual Charge Conference. We are having an individual Charge Conference, presided over by our District Superintendent, Rev. Annette Pendergrass. This is our opportunity to show Rev. Pendergrass how proud we are of our church and the ways we are reaching out to this community. It is also your chance to see the how the church functions and be exposed to the polity of our denomination. It should last about 45 minutes and I would like to invite and encourage everyone to attend.