Back to the Basics:  Forgiveness and Confession

“Make allowance for each other’s faults
 and forgive anyone who offends you.
Remember, the Lord forgave you,
 so you must forgive others.”
- Colossians 3:13 (NLT)

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ ~

We have reached the midpoint of Lent – about three weeks in – and this is always when I get tired of the Lenten pilgrimage.  The spiritual disciplines that I was enthusiastic about on Ash Wednesday have lost my attention and now Lent feels like it will never end.  So, after listening to a devotional about forgiveness and confession, the basics of Lent I would say, I decided to refocus my attention and time to just these two activities that are challenging.

So, on Tuesday morning, I gathered with the women who join me at the beach weekly for our Fresh Expression of Church.  The Jesus story on Tuesday was about Peter’s question to Jesus asking how many times should a person forgive another – seven times?  Peter thought he was being very generous by saying seven and then Jesus replied that a person should forgive seventy times seven ... in other words, countless number of times.  The story struck a chord with all of us.  Why is forgiveness so hard?  Then when we talked about the Colossians scripture above, the word “anyone” stuck out for me ... very clear and all inclusive.

On the topic of confession, today I gathered with a group from our District on Zoom for our Lenten Prayer Gathering (12noon on Wednesdays).  I shared about my losing interest in the Lenten pilgrimage and the return to the basics, one of them being confession.  After introspection and offering our corporate and individual confessions, we heard these words of Good News:

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.
This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.  So we praise God for the glorious grace he
has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.”  Ephesians 1:5-6.

One of the pastors leading, Pastor Mike Zdorow, asked us to sit with that word ... that this adoption of us into his family gives God great pleasure.  That’s a beautiful word picture.  That gave me the boost I needed to continue the Lenten pilgrimage, doing the basics of confessing and forgiving knowing that God loves me so much and the journey is worth it.  It is transformational.

How is Lent going for you?  Have you dug deeper over the last several weeks, asking God to clean out the cobwebs, if you will, in your heart?  Are you surrendering more and more of who you are to Jesus?  I hope so.  And if not, it’s never too late to start again!

Finally, I am VERY excited about a District opportunity with CROS Ministries on Saturday, April 29^th to do some “gleaning.”  Read below for the details.  I will be there and I hope you and a group from your church will too.  Email me with any questions you may have:  ds-ac@flumc.org.

May God bless you and may the Holy Spirit guide you on your Lenten pilgrimage +

Grace and peace,
Dionne 

 
Gleaning is the collection of crops either from farmers' fields that have already been mechanically harvested or from fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest, due to low market prices. Partnerships with local growers allow us to access the fields with volunteers to recover the produce that would otherwise go to waste. The fresh produce is distributed to food pantries and meal kitchens through distribution partners. 

We invite you to join us for a day of gleaning.

Saturday, April 29, 2023 from 8:30 - 11:30 AM in Palm City, FL

For more information about Gleaning and the Impact Report, click on the links below. 

Gleaning Brochure   l   CROS Ministries Impact Report

To sign up to join us for a day of gleaning, please complete the registration form by clicking here. 

All who join us must complete a waiver. Please click here to download and print the waiver. 

You are invited to join our weekly Lenten Prayer Study “A Pilgrimage of Prayer” continue on Wednesdays through April 5, 2023 from 12:00 Noon - 1:00 PM on Zoom, and the next six Wednesdays of Lent.  It is a powerful time of interactive prayer, studying the Lenten scriptures with themes such as repentance, temptation, and fear.  Discover how this 40 Day Pilgrimage will deepen your walk with Christ and prepare you for Passion/Palm Sunday, Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. Invite a friend to partner with you in this discipline of prayer for Lent 2023.  We hope you will join Dionne, our District Superintendent, and others!

For details and to register to receive the Zoom link, click here. 

Times: 12:00 - 1:00 PM

Dates: 
Wednesday, March 22
Wednesday, March 29
Wednesday, April 5

NEW DATES - November 6 - 16, 2023

Imagine walking where Jesus walked and praying where Jesus prayed! Dionne personally invites you to join her and others on a pilgrimage of faith journeying to the Holy Land 11/6 - 11/16/2023!

**We originally were scheduled for April  2023 but realized more people would be able to participate if the trip was later in the year. 

There will be an Informational Zoom Meeting on Monday, March 27, 2023 at 6:30 PM where additional information will be provided. This will include payment play, what to expect, and a time to answer your questions. To register to receive the Zoom link, click here. 

Everyone is welcome - it is not necessary to attend a United Methodist Church in our district! Join Dionne and others for this life-changing experience. Be in prayer and anticipate how God will move +

For details about the tour of the Holy Land, click here. Information includes dates, cost, and what's included. 

Click here for full brochure.

If you are a pastor who would like to lead a group from your church, please contact the AC District Office at flumc-ac@flumc.org to receive the recording of the informational meeting for clergy. A customized brochure with your name and tour host number will be provided upon request. The group you will be leading will need to provide the information so you get credit. 

Please contact Bob Brown at eobobbrown@gmail.com or 386-314-4779 if you would like to lead a group. He can also assist you with details of the trip and lead an informational meeting at your church.  

• March Reports are due by March 31, 2023. Click here for the reports that are due which include:
  • Fiscal Responsibility and Management Policies - Finance Committee
  • Employee Conduct Policy Adoption - SPRC Committee
    • Clergy Form
    • Employee Form
    • Adoption Agreement
  • Annual Report to the District Housing Committee / Parsonage Checklist - Board of Trustees
  • Fund Balance Report for the Year End 2022 - Treasurer
  • Child and Youth Protection Policy Review and Annual Renewal - SPRC Committee
• Monthly MVS Reports - due no later than the 10th of each month
• Annual Assessment of Ministerial Effectiveness and Goal Setting for All Clergy - Due no later than May 31

For a full list of annual reports due, click here. 

annual conference 2023 - Abound in Hope

On Wednesday, March 15 at 11:31 AM, an email was sent from the Conference regarding Annual Conference 2023.

For details about the in person Annual Conference in June, click here.

Includes: Annual Conference 5K, General Schedule, Group Meals, Hotels, How to be a youth member, Hybrid Expo 2023, Kids Camp, and Pre-Conference Workshops.

If you are serving as a local church Lay Member to Annual Conference, please contact your church office to ensure they have your correct email address and contact information in the church dashboard.