Friends, 

November is usually the month set aside for us to give thanks and express our gratitude for everything that we are so very blessed to have. While that is a great thing, I truly wonder what the world would look like if we subscribed to this mantra not just in November but all year long. As Christians, we are called to share the Good News of Jesus! 

 "and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal." - Luke 9:2. 

Too many times, we end up being very inward focused and forget to be thankful for those that God has placed around us. Sometimes they are fellow Christians; but, sometimes they are someone new who doesn't know Jesus. When we stop being inwardly focused and become outwardly focused, we can see those that God has placed in our path for the very reason of sharing the Good News of Jesus! 

I know I am thankful for those that I have connected with over the years. Many of whom I have developed very close relationships and friendships with and I know that if I had stayed inwardly focused, there would have been so many missed opportunities. I have joked and said that He has literally shoved people in my path at the most strategic times in my life. It has happened at the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. He continues to astound and amaze me with this practice. 

I ask that you consider being thankful all year long. And share your gratitude of others with them directly. You would be amazed at how far a kind word and a message of thanks will warm the hearts of others. 

Happy Thanksgiving and Blessings to you and yours during this season,

Pam

The District Office is closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on November 26 and 27, 2020 for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Pam will be on vacation from November 19 through and including November 30, 2020. If you need immediate assistance, please contact Durwood at ds-ne@flumc.org. Pam will return to the office on Tuesday, December 1, 2020 and will respond to all emails and phone messages at that time. 

 

Our Virtual Super-Charged Conference was a great success. We have over 220 folks online with us for the event. The chat room was blowing up with great comments and affirmations of the messages that were shared. We appreciate all of you who took part in the event. 

For those of you that missed it, feel free to watch  -   

Thank you to everyone who took part on Saturday! We are in the process of finalizing the attendance sheets and once final, will send your signed charge conference packet and minutes to the senior pastor and church office admin.

We are all set for our Virtual District Youth Retreat on Saturday, November 14. If your youth is participating, please have them pre-register in Zoom to receive the final link via email. This is an added security measure to prevent hackers from hijacking the account during the event. 

Also, your youth should have received their swag box over the this past weekend from their youth leader. If they have not received it yet, please contact your youth leader as soon as you can. 

We are posting devotionals for this week on our website. Click here to read the first two devotionals.

We had a great turnout for the SPRC Training on Tuesday. We have uploaded the presentation to our District Resources page (scroll down to SPRC section.) We did record the webinar and are working to get that file uploaded as well in the next few days. 

Join FLUMC Creation Care Leaders for Eat, Pray, Grow: an hour of online eco-inspiration over lunch.

On November 17 at 12:00 PM, the FLUMC Creation Care Task Team will share creative ideas on how we can go green during the holiday season of excess to reduce our impact on God’s creation.

At Eat, Pray, Grow meetings you can:

• EAT your lunch during the call.
• PRAY for creation and receive spiritual nourishment and hope.
• GROW in Creation Care leadership with access to tools, training, and Florida specific advocacy.

Request the Zoom link by contacting Cara Fleischer, FLUMC Creation Care Task Team Chair, at Cares4Creation@gmail.com.

For information on Creation Care and Climate Justice in the North east District contact Sarah Flint at earthsteward@harmonyhq.com or 904-206-3023.

 

Announcing the North east District’s own representative to the Florida Conference Creation Care Task Force!

If your congregation has a creation care ministry, or is interested in starting one, please reach out to Sarah Flint. She is excited to hear about what you are doing, and to share information about the events and resources from the Conference. You may reach Sarah at earthsteward@harmonyhq.com or 904-206-3023. If you use Facebook, look for their task force and follow our group at “Florida UMC Creation Care Connection.”

November/December Meetings:

• Church Admin (each Wednesday at noon) Will not meet on November 11, November 25, December 23 or December 30.
• Youth Pastor/Director/Minister (first Thursday of each month @ 10 a.m.) Next meeting is December 3 via Zoom. Contact Pam for Zoom link. 
• Children's Ministry (third Wednesday of each month @ 11 a.m.) Next meetings are November 16 and December 18. Contact Pam for Zoom link. 
• Clergy Coaching Calls (each Tuesday at 2 p.m. and each Wednesday at 3 p.m.)
  • November 17 & 18 - Conversation around Clergy Health.
  • November 24 & 25 - No calls this week. 
  • December 1 & 2 - Conversation TBD.
  • December 8 & 9 - Conversation TBD.
  • December 15 & 16 - Conversation TBD.
  • No calls the rest of the year. 

If you are currently in one of those positions at your church and they would like to be connected to take part in these monthly meetings, please contact Pam in the District Office - flumc-ne@flumc.org or 904-396-3026.

 

 

Committee on Native American Ministry (CONAM) invites members of Churches within the Florida Conference to complete an Application to Serve.

“…Every local church at Charge Conference shall designate by nomination and election a minimum of one person per charge (without regard to race or ethnic origin) or a designated member of an established church committee to represent the need for better awareness of Native American contributions in the local church. These names are to be submitted to the District Superintendent at Charge Conference to be given to the Annual Conference Committee on Native American Ministries” (UMC, Book of Discipline, paragraph 654).

MISSION STATEMENT

• To communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Native American people in a culturally relevant way;
• To disciple Native American people in a culturally affirming way;
• To encourage Christ-centered worship in a culturally redemptive way;
• And to facilitate a Native American presence in the wider church in a culturally appropriate way.

Perhaps you are an Native American representative within your local church, or you would like to help promote interest in Native American Christian Worship within your District. Consider serving on the Florida Conference Committee of Native American Ministry.  If you have been nominated by your District Leadership (Nominations) Committee to serve in a particular area of ministry or, if you have a calling to serve, a spiritual gift, or an area of expertise which you are open to sharing in this way, please make that known by completing the application form at https://www.flumc.org/applicationtoserve. 

For more information on the process, please see Paragraph 302 in the Florida Annual Conference Standing Rules.  Contact Dr. Roger Antworth – Chairperson at (904) 277-0691 or MrRoger123@bellsouth.net.

Since June 2018, Wespath has partnered with Paychex to help provide an option for our churches who might be looking to move payroll-processing and tax-compliance solutions to an outside vendor.

• Paychex knows how to suppress the Medicare and Social Security taxes for the employer’s portion
• Paychex knows how to complete the W2 for the clergy appropriately.
• Paychex understands the clergy housing allowance, housing exclusion, healthcare stipends, taxable earnings, non-taxable earnings, deductions as pre-tax, after-tax or Roth deductions for the United Methodist Personal Investment Plan. 
• Paychex will automatically send your UMPIP deductions each pay period to Wespath for you.

Paychex has more than 45 years of experience, and currently serves more than 1,000 United Methodist Church ministries. The company has expertise managing withholdings, payroll via direct deposit or check, tax compliance, and timely deposits and filings, in addition to providing custom reports for financial review and facilitating UMPIP contributions. Plus, UMC organizations receive a discount of 35% on Paychex services!

Paychex invites you to visit their virtual booth to learn more about the services they offer.

Click here to view a video featuring Jeff Kohl, the head of the partnership with Wespath, explaining what services are available from Paychex.

How to Get Started Saving 35% on Paychex Services

• Online—go to https://pages.paychex.com/wespath and fill out the contact form.
• By phone—Call the UMC's Account Supervisor, Jeff Kohl, at 1-800-313-0767 and provide code 5704 for a 35% discount.

If your organization is already using Paychex but has not completed a benefits integration with Wespath, complete and return the Addendum.

 

• ​Conference Disaster Response Coordinator
• Assistant to the Operations Manager @ Warren Willis
• Office Administrative Assistant @ Murray Hill UMC
• Methodist Children's Village Opportunities

  • Have you been waiting for God to open a new door for you? Maybe this is it! Methodist Children's Village (MCV) has two opportunities for new team members. We are looking for a cook M-F 7am-1pm and a 4-year-old teacher M-F 12-5pm. Teaching position requires 45 DCF training hours. For both roles, we are hoping to find someone with a strong work ethic, positive outlook, friendly demeanor, and a willingness to learn. Training can be provided for the right person. If either of these positions fit your interests and skills, you're invited to call Executive Director Kelly Paterno at 793-1681 or email paternovillage@bellsouth.net. 

    Volunteer Opportunities: MCV also has ongoing handyman, seamstress, and landscaping needs and we always welcome volunteers with these skills who want to use their time for a great purpose.

If you have an open position at your church, be sure to submit an ad on our Classifieds page.

 
November 2020

• November 10, 2020 - SPRC Training Webinar
• November 11, 2020 - District Office Closed for Veteran's Day
• November 14, 2020 - Virtual District Youth Retreat
• November 26-27, 2020 - District Office Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday