Midweek Moment

Sunday was AWESOME! I am so grateful to all who prayed for this event, helped with the planning, and to all of you who came and offered yourselves and your time. We had 84 people show up to participate in our first, and hopefully annual, Church Has Left the Building event! This was our chance to show this community that Jesus loves them and so do we!

We went to Ocala Health and Rehab and sang with the residents and served them Holy Communion. We went to Arnette House and cleaned up the garden in the center of their complex. We went the Women’s Domestic Violence Shelter and had a party with the kids, donated children’s books for their place, and brought the moms coffee. We went to InterFaith and did a makeover for three different rooms; one of which was going to house a young lady that is ready to give birth any day now. We went to our Fellowship Hall and packed 200 hygiene kits to give to UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) and a few local ministries.

I shared with everyone at lunch that this day was a long time coming. It was something that had been placed on my heart about a year ago and something I felt strongly that we should participate in. As I was driving back from checking in with the folks at Arnette House I was overwhelmed with a sense of why we did this Church Has Left the Building event. It was really very simple…because God asked us to.

Think about it; we have been blessed in tremendous ways here at Druid Hills UMC! Our giving is up, our attendance is up, and new ministries are blossoming. God has entrusted much to our care and we needed to be faithful to that trust. We needed to give back to others in the name of Christ and that is exactly what we did this past Sunday. Your testimonies during lunch were heartfelt, genuine, and very moving. I know the Holy Spirit moved within us in some very mighty and powerful ways and for that we can all be grateful!

Thank you again for praying for this event, planning for this event, and then making this event a reality. It could not have happened without each of you participating!

Blessings on each of you!!

Here are the pictures that were taken at our various ministry sites, where allowed. Enjoy!

 

Bible Challenge 04/26 - 05/02

Greetings All!

This week we finish up the last few chapters of Joshua and will also enter into the book of Judges.

The book of Judges picks up the history of Israel after Joshua's death as God begins a new work in the leadership of the people through a series of leaders called judges. You should recognize a few names here: Deborah (chapters 4-5), Gideon (chapters 6-7) and Samson (chapters 13-16). Samson's tale is one of romance, intrigue and what happens when we put what we want above what God wants for us.

Here is the schedule:

26 (Su) - Joshua 14-17

27 (M) - Joshua 18-21

28 (Tu) - Joshua 22 - Judges 1

29 (W) - Judges 2-5

30 (Th) - Judges 6-9

01 (F) - Judges 10-13

02 (Sa) - Judges 14-17

May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing, the understanding and most importantly the living out of His holy word. Amen.

Friday Fives

1. Sunday Worship - This Sunday, April 26th, we will host our first, and hopefully annual, Church Has Left the Building event. Instead of gathering for a worship service, we will go out and serve instead at:

• Arnette House - cleaning up overgrown landscaping 
• InterFaith - room makeovers
• Ocala Health & Rehab - singing and serving Communion to the residents 
• Women's Domestic Violence Shelter - have a party with the children (Women volunteers only, please) 
• Pack hygiene kits here in Fellowship Hall

I want to encourage you to be in prayer about about this event as volunteer so this community can feel the love of Christ, through us, as we go and serve our neighbors. Remember we will gather at 9AM for a brief service before we disperse to go into the community and it will be followed by a lunch in the Fellowship Hall at 11:30AM. I hope to see you all there!

2. FAD Night - FAD (Faith and Discipleship) Night is in full swing and we would love to have you be a part of this time of fellowship! FAD Night is a time for us to share a simple meal together and then break off into our groups; children, youth, and adults.

FAD Night runs each Thursday from 5:30pm-7:30pm. To RSVP for FAD Night, so our wonderful cooks can plan, please call the church office, sign up at the Connection Table, or email the office by clicking here.





3. Bible Study - As FAD Night has started again, so has another Bible Study opportunity as we go Scriptural once again with the Immersion study of the Book of Acts. Journey inside the pages of Scripture to meet a personal God who enters individual lives and begins a creative work from the inside out. For those unfamiliar with Immersion Studies, they are shaped with the individual in mind. Immersion encourages simultaneous engagement both with the Word of God and with the God of the Word to help you become a new creation in Christ. Immersion, inspired by a fresh translation--the Common English Bible--stands firmly on Scripture and helps readers explore the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual needs of their personal faith. More importantly, you’ll be able to discover God’s revelation through readings and reflections. This will be a continuation of the study we began in February as we will begin with chapter six in the book.

This class will be offered each Thursday at 10am and again in the evening as part of our FAD night, in the Fellowship Hall, and will run till April 30th. I hope you all will take advantage of this opportunity to come and be immersed in the Word of God!





4. Stop Hunger Now - As a response to us meeting our Advent Conspiracy Challenge in 2014 we are going to participate with Stop Hunger Now and hold a meal packaging event here at Druid Hills. We have set up Saturday, June 6th, from 9am-12pm as our time and day for this event. We will circulate signup sheets soon for you to register and claim your spot. We will package around 10,000 meals for starving children around the world and we need your help to make this happen. Besides, it is a whole lot of fun! Be on the look out for the sign up sheets and get involved!

5. Welcome Pastor Brian and Family! - This past Sunday it was announced that I will be moving in July and my time as pastor at Druid Hills will be coming to an end. So with that I am excited to introduce to you our new pastor and his family; Brian Sanderson and his wife Faith, son Bryce, and daughter Abbey.

Please keep them in prayer as they make the transition of saying goodbye to the church they serve now and prepare themselves for ministry with you. I also want to invite you to reach out to them and welcome them into the Druid Hills family. I am excited for how the Holy Spirit will work through Brian to lead this congregation as well as for the opportunity you all will have to get to know his family.



Have a great weekend and I will see you Sunday!

Midweek Moment

This will be my last newsletter article as the pastor of Druid Hills, as your pastor. As I shared this announcement with you in worship this is a very bittersweet time for me. While I will greatly miss being here and living out the mission of Jesus Christ among you, I am also looking forward to fulfilling my goal of serving alongside Debbie. I have shared this goal of serving alongside Debbie with many of you, and when we were approached this year that an opportunity was available for us to be together, we accepted it. With this new opportunity opening for us and with two of our boys starting new schools next year, we made the decision that this is the time for us to make this move.

When I arrived here six years ago I was a brand new pastor. You were, and will always be, my first appointment. I was excited about the possibilities. I was eager to get to know you and see what we could do together for the Kingdom of God. I was full of hope that my time here would foster deep relationships and you all would accept me and my family and make us part of your family. As I look back over my time here and reflect upon those initial impressions I can honestly say it all worked out better than I ever could have imagined!

You all opened up your lives to me and allowed me into those special places. You have allowed me the honor to officiate in your baptisms and weddings. You have permitted me into those sacred moments that take place at the end of your loved ones lives and we have stood there together. We have laughed together, cried together, tried new things together, but most importantly we have grown together.

I am so proud, honored, and humbled to have been your pastor. You all have amazed me, shaped me, guided me and loved me. You gave me courage to try new things and strength to listen as the Holy Spirit guided us. You helped to take a new pastor and affirm the gifts of God within me and because of you I feel ready for this next chapter of ministry.

This next chapter will unfold with the people of Community United Methodist in Fruitland Park as Debbie and I seek to help them live out God’s call upon their lives. I would humbly ask for your prayers for my family as we enter into this transition. This will be the first move our children remember and you all will be the first church family they will remember. Please know that as I ask for your prayers, you all will be in mine. I pray your vitality and your heart for outreach continue. I pray your expectations for the future will be exceeded and as you press on you will feel the power of God with each and every step.

Over the last six years our church family has grown, our outreach has blossomed, and because of that Druid Hills has very exciting years in its future. The wonderful thing about the church, about this church, is that it belongs to Christ. While I will no longer be the pastor of Druid Hills, Christ will still be your leader. And so with Christ as your source and guide, you are in good hands; hands that will never leave you nor forsake you.

My dear friends, I will always remember you, will always be in prayer for you, and I am so excited to see what marvelous things you will do in the future. While I will not be with you physically, a part of my heart remains and never forget in the name of Jesus Christ, I will always love you.

Blessings,

April 19, 2015: The Way of GenerosityLuke 19:1-10

Bible Challenge 04/19 - 04/25

This week we finish up the last few chapters of Deuteronomy and move into the book of Joshua. This moves us out of the Pentatuech and into the next grouping of books of history, sometimes called the "Former Prophets."

While considered a "prophet," Joshua is also a historical book. It not only tells the story of Joshua's life and leadership of Israel, but also the story of the people of Israel from the death of Moses until the death of Joshua - as they move into and work on conquering the Promised Land. Some very famous stories are found here including the fall of Jericho which features one of Jesus' ancestors (Rahab).

Here is the schedule:

19 (Su) - Deuteronomy 20-23

20 (M) - Deuteronomy 24-27

21 (Tu) - Deuteronomy 28-31

22 (W) - Deuteronomy 32 - Joshua 1

23 (Th) - Joshua 2-5

24 (F) - Joshua 6-9

25 (Sa) - Joshua 10-13  

May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing, the understanding and most importantly the living out of His holy word. Amen.

Friday Fives

1. Sunday Worship - With Lent behind us and Easter within us it is a natural time to turn our attention to how that journey will impact each of us. Over the next several weeks we are going to turn our attention to the gifts God has placed in our care as we look at how we are called to use them. I hope and pray that as we look to the way of caring for this creation and using what God has given us wisely each of us will come away with a new perspective and be re-energized as we continue our walk with Christ. Invite a friend and I hope to see you all there!





2. Church Has Left the Building - We are taking another step in our outreach ministry on April 26th as we host a Church Has Left the Building Event. Instead of gathering for a worship service, we will go out and serve instead.

There are several opportunities for you to sign up as a volunteer:

• Arnette House  - cleaning up overgrown landscaping
• InterFaith  - room makeovers (This option is full)
• Ocala Health & Rehab  - singing and serving Communion to the residents
• Women's Domestic Violence Shelter  - have a party with the children (Women volunteers only, please)
• Pack hygiene kits here in Fellowship Hall 

There are signup sheets at the Connection Station for you to pick a location, see a description of what we will do, and the name of contact person from our congregation to answer any questions you might have. There is only one week left to sign up and we need you to volunteer to make this a success! I want to encourage you to be in prayer about where you might volunteer so this community can feel the love of Christ, through us, as we go and serve our neighbors.




3. FAD Night - FAD (Faith and Discipleship) Night is in full swing and we would love to have you be a part of this time of fellowship! FAD Night is a time for us to share a simple meal together and then break off into our groups; children, youth, and adults.

FAD Night runs each Thursday from 5:30pm-7:30pm. To RSVP for FAD Night, so our wonderful cooks can plan, please call the church office, sign up at the Connection Table, or email the office by clicking here.





4. Bible Study - As FAD Night has started again, so has another Bible Study opportunity as we go Scriptural once again with the Immersion study of the Book of Acts. Journey inside the pages of Scripture to meet a personal God who enters individual lives and begins a creative work from the inside out. For those unfamiliar with Immersion Studies, they are shaped with the individual in mind. Immersion encourages simultaneous engagement both with the Word of God and with the God of the Word to help you become a new creation in Christ. Immersion, inspired by a fresh translation--the Common English Bible--stands firmly on Scripture and helps readers explore the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual needs of their personal faith. More importantly, you’ll be able to discover God’s revelation through readings and reflections. This will be a continuation of the study we began in February as we will begin with chapter six in the book.

This class will be offered each Thursday at 10am and again in the evening as part of our FAD night, in the Fellowship Hall, and will run till April 30th. I hope you all will take advantage of this opportunity to come and be immersed in the Word of God!





5. Stop Hunger Now - As a response to us meeting our Advent Conspiracy Challenge in 2014 we are going to participate with Stop Hunger Now and hold a meal packaging event here at Druid Hills. We have set up Saturday, June 6th, from 9am-12pm as our time and day for this event. We will circulate signup sheets soon for you to register and claim your spot. We will package around 10,000 meals for starving children around the world and we need your help to make this happen. Besides, it is a whole lot of fun! Be on the look out for the sign up sheets and get involved!



Have a great weekend and I will see you Sunday!