Friday Fives

Statue of King David just
outside his tomb in Jerusalem.

1. Preaching Series - This Sunday we are continuing our preaching series entitled, Lessons from the Life of David. As one of the most beloved characters in Scripture, David can be a great source of hope. David is not portrayed as a perfect, obedient servant. But rather, we get to see his humanity play out from the time we meet him as a young, all the way to his death. We can experience how David separates himself from God, through his thoughts and actions, and identify with those situations in our own lives. But we also get to see the grace of God shine forth as David is continually redeemed and forgiven. These life lessons will allow us to find ourselves in David's story and see how God's grace was not just for David, but it is for all of us. This weekend our focus will be on slaying the giants in our lives as we focus on those things that can and do distract us from God. I encourage you to invite a friend and I hope to see you there!





2. Annual Conference Volunteers - Annual Conference is in Lakeland this year on June 13-15. In order for this event to take place we need volunteers. People are needed to serve as greeters, ushers, at guest services, in the expo hall, and the meal packaging stations. If you would like to volunteer or would like more information about this event, please click here. I hope you will consider serving our Conference in this area.

3. Sources of Information - If you are looking for good information about our church, its activities, and/or our denomination, you can always go to our church website. On our website we have the weekly bulletin, monthly newsletter, pages about our ministries and outreach groups, and we have just added two new pages about Relay for Life and our Connectional Life. If have never been to the website, just click here. If it has been awhile, come back and see what's new. This is a great tool to keep us all connected, so click on over and discover something new!





4. Aid for Moore, OK - Continued help for the people of Moore, OK is still needed. Therefore, please keep praying. However, if you feel lead to do more, I want to invite you to consider donating to UMCOR. UMCOR is the United Methodist Committee on Relief. They are a branch of our connection that places people in those communities to bring aid to those affected. One of the many great things about UMCOR is that when you give to a specific relief effort, 100% of your money goes to that area. It is not used for administrative costs, only for relief supplies and assistance. As soon as it was realized that the tornadoes had caused significant damage, UMCOR sprang into action, setting up a donation account, and immediately sending funds to help. They are working right now to send people to the area of Moore once assessments have been made and the needs of that community determined. If you would like to donate to UMCOR, you can make your donation to the church and designate it Disaster Response, United States (#901670). We will then mail one check for all the monies collected and send it off. You also have the ability to donate online if you choose by clicking here, or by calling 1-800-554-8583, or you can make a $10 donation by texting the word RESPONSE to 80888.

5. Bishop's Offering - Bishop Ken Carter has selected three programs to equally share in the proceeds given at Annual Conference this year; Stop Hunger Now, Wesley Foundation at FSU, and Leadership development for young clergy of color. I invite you to consider giving an extra gift to this cause. You can do so by placing your gift in the offering plate, designate it Bishop's Offering, and we will cut one check and give it during Annual Conference this year. If you would like more information, there is an insert in this weeks bulletin or you can visit our Conference Website by clicking here.





Have a great weekend and I will see you Sunday!