Scrap, Shelve, or Stoke – Preparing for Christmas!

“Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot – 
yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him –
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.
He will delight in obeying the Lord.
He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision by hearsay.”
- Isaiah 11:1-3 NLT

Dear Sisters and Brothers of the Atlantic Central District ~

Happy Advent!  I hope you sense God’s presence as you prepare your hearts for the coming of the Christ Child this Christmas. On Wednesday at 12:00 noon, many from our District met on zoom to hear from the Holy Spirit at our Advent Prayer Study (to register and join us for the next three Wednesdays, click here).  It was a powerful time of scripture, music, and prayer led by four people from the Atlantic Central District.

When Pastor Chris Tabone from First UMC of Port St. John led in prayer for us how we use our time and our daily choices.  He challenged us to call on the Holy Spirit’s counsel and examine our daily activities with the questions: 

• What needs to be scrapped, shelved, or stoked?
• Where is OR is not the Kingdom of God breaking in?
• How are we ordering our days?

These are great questions.  Advent is the time to examine ourselves so that we do not miss what God wants to do in and through us as we walk to the manger.  For me, it means re-energizing or stoking a couple of things – my daily spiritual disciplines, intentionally spending time connecting with family, friends, and pastors, and making time for exercise.  Scrapping or Shelving – that is a little harder for me.  I have some ideas and am asking my husband and a few trusted friends to weigh in on with their opinion!

As we look toward 2023, please take some time and read through all the opportunities:

• District Holy Land April 2023 Trip  l  See below for details
• Laity Training  l  See below for details

If you have any questions about any items, do not hesitate to reach out to our Atlantic Central District team at flumc-ac@flumc.org or 772-229-0255.  We are here to serve you!

May Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love of this Advent Season surround you +

Grace and peace ~
Dionne

You are invited to join the AC District Year of Prayer by participating in the prayer gatherings on Zoom. During Advent these will be held on Wednesdays from 12:00 - 1:00 PM. These gatherings provide a meaningful time of devotion, reflection, and prayer. We hope you will join us!

Register to receive the Zoom link by clicking here.  

Bishop Tom Berlin

Bishop Tom Berlin

Bishop Berlin is a native of Winchester, Va, and a graduate of Virginia Tech University and the Candler School of Theology. 

As he noted on his website, he has served as the Lead Pastor of Floris United Methodist Church in Herndon, Va., since 1997. It is a multi-site congregation with vital mission partnerships in Northern Virginia and around the globe.

SEJ delegates chose him as the first of three bishops they elected this week.

“You all have been such a great blessing to my life and to be elected as a bishop is a singular honor,” Berlin said after his election.

He added, “Thank you. It is oddly humbling to stand before you and to accept this special assignment.”

UM News reported that “Berlin increasingly has taken on denominational leadership roles in efforts to help The United Methodist Church cross its deep divisions over LGBTQ inclusion. The Council of Bishops appointed Berlin to serve on the Commission on a Way Forward that developed proposals for the special 2019 General Conference intended to resolve the decades-long debate.”

He and his wife, Karen, have four daughters.

For more about Bishop Berlin, click here. 

Holy Land 2023 Trip

For details and registration information, click here.

Deposit due by January 9, 2023

Spiritual Leadership Conference 2023

Rise From the Ruins
Cost: $59.00 for the AC District
Grace Church Cape Coral

Register as an individual and use code 'acdistrict' to receive the discount.

For details and to register, click here.
For brochure, click here.

Dinner Church / Messy Church Trainings

Register as a team or as an individual. Lunch included. $10.00 per participant. Click here for details. 

February 18, 2023  l  Indian River City - Titusville

March 2023  l  First -Port St. Lucie

For more information about the training opportunities below, click here.

To register for the training opportunities below, click here.

Apportionment payments for 2022 must be received in the lockbox at Regions Bank or paid online by Monday January 9, 2023.  This is not a postmarked by date but is the last day by which monies must be received in the Conference or our bank lockbox to be included in 2022 apportionments receipts.  Any payments received after that date will be applied to 2023 apportionments.  Any payments received between January 1 and January 9 must be clearly marked as to which year they are to be applied.

All apportionment payments should be accompanied by a completed Remittance Report. Click HERE for the report or Click HERE to pay online.

Complete the Remittance Form with the following information:

• Church Name
• GCFA Number
• Preparer contact information
• Allocation amounts for each fund

Any amounts due for Ministry Protection and Health and Benefits at the end of the year will continue to show as outstanding on your statement in 2023. To ensure proper processing of these payments and avoid errors, payments should contain the following information on the check, check stub or statement:

• Church Name
• GCFA Number
• Invoice Number (include all letters and any 0's)
• Allocation amounts for each invoice

When mailing payments to Regions take note of the billing address for each of these types of payments. The last 4 numbers after the zip code are different for each and very important to include to ensure your payment is processed properly.

To be considered a 100% connectional church in The Florida Annual Conference Journal, 100% of 2022 Apportionments must be received by January 9, 2023, and all outstanding Ministry Protection and Health and Benefits obligations must be received by December 31, 2022.

Church Profile  – reviewed and updated annually. 

These forms are to be reviewed and updated annually by all church SPR Committees and all clergy in the Florida Conference. All church SPR Committees must update online annually and may begin after December 1. The Church Profile deadline requires it be completed online no later than one week prior to the pastor’s DS consultation, if having. The final date to update the Church Profile is January 31, 2023. 

If someone other than your SPRC Chair listed in your church dashboard will be completing the Church Profile, please contact the AC District office as soon as possible.

Pastor Profile – reviewed and updated annually.

All pastors in the local church must update online annually and may begin after December 1. If you are currently appointed to Extension Ministry and want to be in the Local Church for the 2023 Appointment Season, please email Rev. Dionne C. Hammond and copy her office. The Pastor Profile deadline requires it to be completed online no later than one week prior to the DS consultation. Though you may not anticipate a move, it is important that both the Pastor Profile and Church Profile be current and up to date at the first appointment-making session of the Cabinet. The reports should be an honest reflection of the pastoral ministry and the profile of the church. The final date to update the Pastor Profile is January 31, 2023. 

Click HERE for the detailed instructions for accessing both the Church and Pastor Profiles. Follow the step-by-step instructions to access the appropriate profile. The final date to update Profiles is January 31, 2023.

Deacon

Clergy serving as Deacons in a local church or community setting continue to be linked to the annual conference though a number of means.  Each Deacon is directly related to a charge conference and may fulfill certain roles in that context.  And each Deacon gives an annual account of their ministry. Click HERE to go to the Office of Clergy Excellence page for the Deacon Annual Report.

Extension Ministry Clergy

Clergy serving in appointments beyond the local church continue to be linked to the annual conference though a number of means.  Each extension ministry clergy is directly related to a charge conference and may fulfill certain ministerial roles in that context.  And each clergy in an extension ministry appointment gives an annual account of his/her ministry. Click HERE to go to the Office of Clergy Excellence page for the Extension Ministry Annual Report.