Friday Fives

1. Preaching Series - This week we are concluding our preaching series entitled, Characters of the Old Testament. This first part of the Bible, is filled with a whole host of people, some of which are very well known, such as Abraham, Moses, Job, and King David to name a few. Others are not too well known, like Balaam, Jochebed, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and Mephibosheth. Each week, for the last three weeks, we have looked to these lesser known characters as we unpacked what part of God was revealed in the life of these people. This week we will turn to Mephibosheth, as we look to see the grace of God revealed through Mephibosheth's encounter with King David. I invite you to come, and bring a friend, as we all hear the Word of God proclaimed together!





2. Pulpit Swap - I am excited to be able to tell you that on July 29^th we will once again engage in our Fifth Sunday pulpit swap with Belleview UMC. I invite you to come hear the gentle spirit and inspired wisdom of Pastor Debbie as she shares with you from God's word.

I am confident that you will be blessed and transformed as you experience the Holy Spirit through her. Invite a friend and come be a part of movement of the Holy Spirit.





3. Become a Reading Pal - The United Way of Marion County has partnered with the Marion County School System and the Early Learning Coalition to provide low reading score students a “Reading Pal”. What is that you might ask? A Reading Pal is a volunteer who has been provided specialized training who goes into the classroom for one hour per week on designated weeks. This volunteer will read to the student, do a prescribed activity and upon completion of reading the book; the child will take the book home to build their own personal library. As an in-school volunteer you will be assigned to a targeted school near your home. For additional information and to register please contact Jan Hathaway at 732-9696 ext. 212 or at jhathaway@uwmc.org.





4. Guardian ad Litem - There are more than 1,800 children in the Marion, Hernando, Lake, Sumter, and Citrus counties, who have been removed from their homes for alleged abuse, abandonment or neglect, who are now part of a dependency court proceeding. These children need someone to speak up for them.

A Guardian ad Litem is a volunteer appointed by the court to advocate for a child. The volunteer works as part of a team witha volunteer supervisor and program attorney. He/she becomes familiar with the child and the child's case and makes recommendations to the court to help ensure a safe, caring, stable and permanent environment for that child.

If you would like to volunteer, please call Lynn Sennett at (352) 274-5231 or e-mail her at Lynn.Sennett@GAL.FL.Gov. You can also get more information from their website, www.guardianadlitem.org. The next training for this program will begin Tuesday, August 7, 2012, at the Oxford Assembly of God, 12114 N. US Hwy. 301, Oxford, FL.





5. New Member Class - On Sunday, August 19^th at 12:45 P.M., I will host a new member class in my office. If you have been attending Druid Hills for at least three months and would like to take that next step in becoming a member of this church this class is for you! To register for this class, either call the church office at 629-5688, or email me at daryl.allen@flumc.org. This is a one session get together where we will discuss what it means to be a United Methodist, what it means to be a member of Druid Hills UMC, and offer you a little background on the history of this church. If this is of interest to you I hope you will make plans to attend.





Have a great weekend and see you Sunday!