Bill. Bring People to Jesus to Know Him and Make Him Known!

Transcription

1 Bring People to Jesus to Know Him and Make Him Known! Hi there! Wasn t the Devotion great today?! HAPPY! Thanks for living as an exceptional Christ-follower! Thanks for all you do to help us focus all our resolve and resources on Bringing People to Jesus to Know Him and Make Him Known! through all our people, programs and property! Thanks for helping us push aside every lesser thing so we can bring the full-force of Indian River City to his GREATER THING! I hope you have an extra great experience with Jesus today! These are certainly exciting days in the life of the exciting Indian River City Church! I hope your personal excitement is increasing as we work together to build a brand new future for ourselves and those who come after us through our SANCTUARY RENOVATION PROJECT! Today you are reading one of our 2018 SPECIAL EDITION NEWSLETTERS! WHY?! GREAT QUESTION! Thanks for asking! WWWWWEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLL...Our Church Council meets quarterly for the purpose of helping us stay focused on our calling to Bring People to Jesus! Amazing things are happening throughout our ministries & missions that we want you to know about! Every three months our Ministry & Mission Leaders share what God is doing in the life of our Church! Beginning with our Children s Ministries and going through our Students, Adults, Care, Outreach & Hospitality and Worship Ministries, we hear about people who are being impacted by what happens here! Their stories describing the difference that helping others Know Him! makes in the individuals, couples and families from the youngest to the oldest helps us know the great Good News about God! Our hope is that these stories will ignite a fresh fire in you and me and inspire us to help Bring People to Know Him and Make Him Known! through our ministries and missions in fresh new ways! We find that the people God works through are people just like you and me! We are normal people coming to Know Him! and experiencing God s joy when we spend ourselves to Make Him Known! One of my greatest thrills is helping folks like us become more fully-devoted followers of Jesus! Serving is first and foremost an act of generosity! The Bible says, There is more happiness in giving than in receiving! (Acts 20:35 ) Generosity increases our personal and collective happiness! The generous use of our time, talents, treasure and things really makes a HUGE difference in the health and happiness of our Church and Community! When we all practice generosity, joy overflows all over everyone and everything! We best experience significance in life, when we serve alongside others on TEAMS! Ministry and Mission simply means doing good to other people! Significance comes when we start thinking about others more than we think of ourselves! We cannot be selfish and significant at the same time! Thanks for joining me and lots of others in giving yourself generously to the cause of Christ! For us to become more like Jesus we must resolve to know nothing except Jesus Christ while we re here! (1 Corinthians 2:2) Let s keep focusing ourselves on that one thing! We can more easily identify all the lesser things that are stealing our time, talent, treasure and things from God s GREATER THINGS! Let s give all we are and all we have to Bring People to Jesus to Know Him and Make Him Known! Now that s...radical! Bill

2 Children s Ministry News Bringing Children to Jesus to Know Him and Make Him Known! VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL on June over 350 children attended with 200 volunteers. The Mission Project: Growing God s Love in Haiti! Growing our own seed plants from packets, collecting donations for our food pantry and collecting coins for Haiti, so they can reap the harvest of fresh food. SUMMER WEDNESDAYS SR56 between children participated to hone their Bible skills and look for how God works in their lives through adventure, action, connection and fun. ZIP SATURDAYS was a hit! Kindergarten - 4th graders met from 5:45-7:45 PM for games, fun, friends and forever life lessons. Also provided a safe and welcoming place for the Foster Family Outreach. SUMMER BLAST Transformers on July 9-13 had close to 400 children over 200 volunteers. Mission project: Together We Rise children collected coins to help foster care children get sturdy, good quality duffle bags filled with coloring books, crayons and stuffed animals for the difficult times of transition. SCHOOL S IN WEEKEND August 18 & 19 all classes were cleaned, organized and ready for the weekend classes. Happy to continue to use David C Cook s Bible in Life curriculum throughout all ages. THE BIG LAUNCH kicked off Wednesday Night on August 22 with SR56, Zip for Kids, and First Steps Nursery with a Treasure Hunt theme with 91 people. Kona Ice and Quarterback Challenge rounded out the evening. MOM S MORNING OUT 2018/2019 roster is completely filled with a waiting list. The program continues to flourish and fills before open registration due to Miss Melissa s outstanding direction. WEDNESDAY NIGHTS ZIP for Kids for Kindergarten through 4th graders Wednesdays, 6:30-8 PM in Wesley Hall, the Loft. SR56 for 5th/6th Graders Wednesdays, 6;30-8:00 PM in Wesley Hall, room 217. First Steps Nursery for parents & guardians who remain on the campus for infants - VPK age in room 14. SATURDAY NIGHTS First Steps Nursery in room 14 for childcare for infant through VPK age. ZIP Squared Saturdays 6-7 PM for Kindergarten - 4th graders in Wesley Hall, Loft. SUNDAY MORNINGS Sunday SR56 for 5th/6th graders from 9:30-10:30 AM & 11 - Noon meets in Wesley Hall, room 217. K/1 for Kindergarten/1st grade meets in room 17 at both 9:30 and 11 AM. Preschool & VPK meets in room 11 at 9:30 & 11 AM. First Steps Nursery for 6-weeks through 2 year olds meets in room 14 from 9:15 AM through services. TRUNK OR TREAT Provides a safe family environment for children in our church & community on Halloween, Wednesday, October 31, 5:00-7:00 PM in west parking lot. People park their vehicles in the west parking by 4:30 PM, decorate them and pass out candy (pre-packaged wrapped) from their trunks. Please only child friendly decorations. Children go from trunk to trunk collecting candy and enjoy games. Chick-Fil-A meals and Kona Ice will be available for purchase. Lots of packages of wrapped candy would be greatly appreciated. We have around 1,500 children. Please bring candy to the church office during the week or to worship service and place in the marked basket. For information, contact Linda Benson, x19. FACEBOOK! Our Children s Ministries page is updated at least 5 times a week with current events. We are close to 500 likes and it is a super way to stay connected. Please stop by at For more information about anything in Children s Ministries, please contact Linda at for additional information.

3 MAY - Recognized our 12 high school and 14 college graduates at the 11 AM Worship service. Participated in the Beach Baptism with the confirmation students and others in the church at Cherie Down Park. Celebrated our 2018 Confirmation students during the 11 AM Worship service. JUNE - Free Music Lessons were provided by Sharrett and the worship band for the youth. Movie Night at Satellite Theatres and Valentinos was enjoyed afterwards. Tickets provided to youth who helped with VBS. Held a Beach Day on July 13 and played volleyball, soccer and enjoyed the waves. Four teams participated in a Basketball Competition to win basketballs, candy or shirts in Wesley Hall. Several youth attended Camp Anderson the week of June JULY - Had a Dodgeball Competition with students wining candy at the end. Provided Youth information about Youth week and upcoming events during Summer Blast. Youth Week on July youth participated at the Prison Book Project stamping and packing books for the prisons. Three teams of youth created interesting dished at Chaotic Cooking. Photo Scavenger Hunt had youth travel around Titusville and take photos. Youth weathered the storm and enjoyed Blizzard Beach and discovered the water is really cold. Ended the week at the Battle of the Bands at New Life Church and helped setup, did drink runs, gave testimonies, and help with feeding the teens. EVERY SUNDAY, 9:30-10:30 AM Middle and High School Students meet upstairs in Wesley Hall to learn about the history of the Bible and how it can be applicable to their lives. FunDay School is October 28, 11 AM - Noon in the Refuge High School room, 215. WEDNESDAYS, 6:30-8:00 PM for Middle and High School students in Wesley Hall, gym. October 3 - You Are Loved - Make a Sundae October 10 - You Are Forgiven - Chick-Fil-A (After Hours) October 17 - You Have a Purpose - Pizza Night October 24 - Costume Party, 6:30-9 PM Bring a Dessert October 31 - Trunk or Treat, 5-7 PM in the West Parking Lot THS SPIRIT NIGHT Friday, October 5, 7 PM meet at Village Inn after the game. PUMPKIN UNLOADING - Monday, October 15, 3-7 PM (Pizza afterwards) FRO-BACK-FRIDAY CRUISERS October 21, 5-7 PM FLAG FOOTBALL for Middle and High School Sunday, October 21, 2-4 PM at the Gibson Center GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Sunday, October 28, from 1-3:30 PM at Fox Lake Park For more information on these activities, please contact Domenick Mucci, Student Ministry Leader, or studentministryrefuge@gmail.com.

4 T e r f The Kids Place News The Kids Place (TKP) has 37 employees and 270 children on our campus weekly. The Toddle Inn, Preschool & School Aged Programs are all doing well. Toddle Inn & Preschool are full, School Age is almost full. Campus Security additional security cameras have been added to the campus. Michelle Knight is the new School Age Director. Michelle has been on the team for almost 15 years. Preschool Roof working with the church and maintenance team to replace the leaking roof. Planning to use the contractor, Shawn Boone, who replaced the Toddle Inn roof last year. The existing metal potion of the roof needs repairs before we move forward with replacing the shingled portion with metal. New $5900 AC Unit was installed in Preschool room 30 to replace the mini split unit. Mold test done in three of the preschool l rooms (26,28 & 30) due to odor in rooms. The test came back negative for mold. Working to solve the odor issue. Annual Back to School Training was held with Steve Baggett and his team from Ties That Bind. It was a wonderful day of team building and bonding. Pumpkins arrive on Monday, October 15, 3 PM for unloading. Pumpkin Patch will be open for business on Tuesday, October Sign up online to work a 2-hour shift at For more information on The Kids Place, please contact Heather Quidort, The Kids Place Director, x5, hquidort@ircumc.com. FALL BAZAAR & BAKE SALE Tech for weekend services, Wednesday night, funerals, Kids Place, VBS and Summer Blast. Recruited 7 new tech volunteers Sanctuary Renovations the Worship & Tech met with others discussing needs & upcoming process. Worship Team led music for Servant Air Ministries in June Taps played at all services July 4th weekend Choir & Golden Tones resumed August from summer break Jacob Settle, youth on drums/percussion since 2013, is headed to Oceans Edge School of Music New Youth Band, 1dentity, started August 22. District Training Event on August 25 provided music & Tech. For more information about Worship Ministry please contact Sharrett Henderson at x25. United Methodist Women s Annual Bazaar & Bake Sale is Friday, November 9, 9 AM - 7 PM in Wesley Hall. There will be handmade crafts and items and awesome baked goodies. All proceeds from the bazaar and bake sale go to local mission projects. Come join us and do some holiday shopping. MOPS SPAGHETTI DINNER MOPS Spaghetti Dinner is Friday, November 9, 5-7 PM in Wesley Hall, Studio 153 during the Fall Bazaar. Proceeds support ministry activities and scholarships. For more info contact our MOPS coordinator Darcia Bair at Darcia9581@hotmail.com or U

5 Care Ministry News Bringing People to Jesus by Bringing Jesus to People! Visit 6 people in Nursing Homes on a weekly to bi-weekly basis. Communion is actively taken to 15 homebound people on a monthly basis. Parrish Hospital on average six people are visited on a weekly basis. Mail average 12 cards a week encouraging members of the congregation who have indicated they needed prayer or lost a loved one. Anniversary cards sent to those who have big anniversaries. Members responding that it is very much appreciated. Prayer Team about fourteen prayer warriors meet and pray on a weekly basis for the cares of the congregation and community. Women Alone averages 50 women from Indian River City Church, other churches, and the community are participating each month. Sharon McClleland continues to bring enriching and informative speakers to this group of ladies. SUPPORT GROUPS Grandparents Raising Grandchildren meets the 1st Friday of the month from 9:30-11 AM in the choir room. This group is now open to anyone who is raising a child that is not their own. The next meeting is Friday, October 5. The Dementia Alliance Support Group meetings are the 2nd & 4th Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM in the choir room. This group is open for people who are caregivers or related to a loved one or person suffering with progressive Dementia. In meetings they talk through challenges, share feelings need and concerns, and learn about resources available in the community. The next meetings are October 9 & October 23. Family Caregiver Training #2 - the second training for people who are caregivers for people with Progressive Dementia will be on October 4, 11, 18 and 25 from 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM in Wesley Hall, room 124. Family Caregiver Training #1 is a prerequisite to this class. PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY The Daytime gathering averages twelve people and the Evening gathering has about 10 people. Some people attend both gatherings. So far this year; 141 shawls & throws were created along with many hats and 88 Shawls and Throws have been gifted others. Since the ministry began in May 2012; 1,549 Shawls & Throws have been created along with many hats. The ministry has gifted 1,370 shawls and throws to many people. They have been very busy creating and knitting to make Jesus known to others. Daytime meeting is October 17, 10 AM and Evening meeting is October 23 6:30 PM. Both meetings are held in Wesley Hall. The Prayer Shawl Team dedicated 30 throws to abused children in Lake City s Chances for Children on Sunday, July 15. They will be delivered by Charlene Robinson and BACA (Bikers against Child Abuse) in October. An additional 18 shawls and throws were handed out through the congregation after the Sunday worship services. HELPING HANDS FUND Indian River City Church has distributed since the beginning of this year, a Total of $10, to: our Community: $1,701.04; on the Campus: $ and to the Congregation: $7, For more information about the Care Ministry please contact Lisa Baggett at lbaggett@ircumc.com and/or X 24.

6 R Adult Ministries FALL BIBLE STUDIES & CLASSES The Fall season began on Wednesday, August 22 with the church wide Big Launch Event where six adult classes/studies had a total of 115 adults in attendance. The Siford s 20 s - 30 s group began meeting Saturdays on campus in Wesley Hall, room 211. The group meets on the 2nd & 4th Saturday each month. October meetings are October 13 & 20 at 5:45 PM. For more information contact Kayla at ksiford@gmail.com. Disciple Fast Track Bible Study is being offer this year for the first time. The 12-week Fall study is Remember Who You Are in the OT Prophets had 23 people in attendance for the orientation. LIBRARY The church website now has updated the link to the IRCUMC Library content. The link is located under Resources on the church website or you go directly to The small group curriculum can also be accessed through this link. Just type in Small Group Curriculum. Year to Date statistics: Patrons/Visitors - 1,233, Check outs - 514, and Book Chat attendees October Book Chat is discussing Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers on Friday, October 19, 11 AM in the library. Keep up to date wit Library news on their FB page at IRCUMC Library. For information contact Linda at misslinda4wv@gmail.com. LADIES OF CHRIST This new Women s Ministry is open to ladies of the all ages held it Fall kickoff meeting on Tuesday, August 21, in Wesley Hall, Studio 153 with 33 ladies in attendance. The vision and purpose is to encourage women on their spiritual journey by knowing and growing in their relationship with Christ and enabling them to become Jesus to others in their homes, church and community. They will live out their purpose through monthly meetings, Bibles Studies, serving in the church and community and hosting events. October meeting is Tuesday, October 16, 6:30 PM in Wesley Hall, Studio 153. MENS MINISTRY The July 4 Family Picnic was hosted by Men s Ministry along with Men at Work and 160 people of all ages enjoyed the indoor picnic. The Men at Work grilled the Hamburger/Hotdog Supper for the Big Launch Event. The proceeds went towards their ministry doing handyman repairs and yard work for those in need. Men s Ministry Free Men s Breakfast on Saturday, September 22 was postponed. MOPS (MOTHERS OF PRESCHOOLERS) Began their 2018/2019 year with two Open Houses. The Daytime MOPS on August 20 with 37 mons attending, 9 of those being first time moms. MOPS at Night open house on August 22 with 19 moms attending and 3 first time moms. 40 Moms are registered with MOPS international. MOPS Leadership Team day retreat was July 28 to plan the entire year program. The theme this year is Find Your Fire - A year to tend the fire in our hearts. October meetings for Daytime MOPS are Monday, October 8 & 22 and MOPS at Night are Wednesday, October 3 & 17. For information about Adult Ministry please contact, Dawn Schissler at dschissler@ircumc.com or 321/ x20.

7 Mission, Outreach and Hospitality News Bringing People to Jesus by Bringing Jesus to People! GOOD NEWS CLUB - Imperial Estates Elementary school team returns on October 5 with Christine Luecking leading this ministry. SHARE JESUS WITHOUT FEAR classes began in September and the class expanded from 4 weeks to 6 weeks. NEW MEMBERS - Orientation and Faith Alive classes for membership are offered several times during the year. The class has a new leader, Robin Chesnut. Pat Hurley, previous leader, taught the class for 10+ years. This year the class was modified based on feedback to be a 3-week extended Sunday afternoon class with lunch. The July class joined in August with four new members. OUR MISSIONARIES Kathleen Peterson - Founder of Aaron & Hur International Ministries is expanding into the Hispanic world from primarily Panama and Cuba to now Columbia and Brazil. She has traveled to Cuba, Cost Rica, Columbia and Brazil since May and continues her work helping pastoral families heal and grow in Christ. Fawzi and Haydy Khalil held a meeting in September for all people interestedin the Lebanon Mission Trip scheduled for May 30 - June 8, Ben and Krista Taylor - Ben s ministry is expanding from working with one local church to several in order to reach more college students. They are planning to visit us during the month of June They will leave Poland to visit all their supporting churches. HOSPITIALITY - Traditional Services Usher Changes Randy Picking has stepped down as leader of the Sunday 8AM service. A new lead usher is needed for this service. A team has stepped up to serve the 9:30 AM service. Bobby Guthrie, Steve Baggett and Brett Gadapee will lead the ushers and Naomi Sierra will serve as their communications contact. Thank you to Randy for all his service over the years. District Conference Event - Thanks to the 54 volunteers who helped with parking lot, greeting, registration, snack organizers, lunch launchers and clean up crew. A special thank you to those who did double duty and came back at the end to help with cleaning. Everyone made the day spectacular. Gazebo Decorating Team - Thank you to Mary Braddy and Carol Wenthe who stepped up to serve in this area. COMMUNITY OUTREACH Victory Kid Sports - Fall programs for children 3-12 years old expanded into providing two types of basketball along with the addition of cheerleading. There is a cross section of our community participating. FOSTER CARE HOME & SUPPORT Foster Care information sessions continue to have attendees and in the upcoming year they will be every other month. Community Support our Children s Ministry provided foster families extended hours during the summer on Saturday nights. It was greatly appreciated. COQUINA ELEMENTARY VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION A volunteer orientation was held for all volunteers. We have 14 background checked volunteers available and welcome any others interested in serving on a regular or special event basis. The school is focusing on helping 3rd graders succeed with reading. There are also children who will be forever impacted by spending about an hour per week as a mentor (training is provided). For more information about Missions, Outreach, or Hospitality please contact Jennifer Taylor at x17 or jtaylor@ircumc.com.

8 SENIORS MINISTRY Maan & Heather Aboulhosn 10/02 Frank & Susan Boger Daniel Bratt & Bridgett Cooper 10/06 Tim & Suzanne Richey 10/08 Scott & Jonie Ruch 10/10 Tom & Diane Schaffer William & Julia Stevenson 10/12 Greg & Chris Valdyke 10/15 Jeff & Connie Baldock 10/17 Jack & Juanita Mitchell Phillip & Brenda Swihart Bob & Caroline Willis 10/18 Richard & Jennifer Hudgins 10/19 Scott & Lisa Armstrong 10/20 Jeff & Kim Zirnfus Dale & Cynthia Hirchert 10/22 Steve & Cheryl Pramuk 10/24 Samuel & Lois DiBlasio 10/25 Rick & Barbara Swartz 10/30 Dave & Pat Stockman Joel & Judy Reynolds 10/31 UNITED METHODIST WOMEN United Methodist Women s Spiritual Unit meeting is Tuesday, October 2, 10 AM in Wesley Hall. The program is The World Thank Offering and is a covered dish luncheon. All women are invited. Atlantic Central District Annual meeting is Saturday, October 20, 10:00 AM at Grace UMC in Merritt Island. Registration begins at 9:30 AM. Reservations needed for lunch. Cost $15. Childcare available with advance request. The ladies are working hard on their beautiful crafts for the Bazaar on Friday, November 9 in Wesley Hall. Mark your calendars. For more information about these events contact Becky Baker at This ministry focuses on the spiritual, physical and mental health of its members aged 50 and older. The most prominent activity for this group are 2-7 day bus trips to sites like Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, Savannah and Charleston to name a few. Trip Leaders, Dollie Boggs and Jean Richards, decided to add $10 fee to each travelers which helps fund our Seniors ministry. About $1000 seed money started and $1000 has been added per year to the Seniors Ministry. Also they help pay for Care Giving classes, special speakers on health issues, and fun programs open to all member of the community. Money is available to groups participating in senior activities and includes: Book Chat, Women Alone, Car Care Ministry, Tai Chi, Sit & Fit, Men at Work, The Prayer Shawl Ministry, Men s Ministry and other groups not budgeted for by the church. The ministry sponsors organized activities like Tai Chi which begins on Thursday, October 18, 10 AM in Wesley Hall. Cost is $3 per class. TRIP MIAMI & KEY WEST TRIP, April 30 - May 3, Cost is $430 per person double occupancy includes transportation, 3 nights lodging, 5 meals: 3 breakfast/2 dinners, admission to cruise on Biscayne Bay, to the enchanting Coral Castle and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens, visit to Key West with a trolley tour. $75 due upon signing. For info call Dollie Boggs or Jean Richards WOMEN ALONE Women Alone, a group for women who have lost their spouse, will have guest speaker, Dr. Donna Ivery, on Sunday, October 28, 4 PM in Wesley Hall. For more information contact Sharon McClelland, facilitator,

9 U T e r f As expected, in the month of August, we spent more than we received by ($29,657.13). This reduced our YTD Balance to $5, This was expected because August is typically a month with extra expenses and lower receipts. September is a five Sunday month, so we should be able increase the YTD balance. As we enter this last quarter of the year, I encourage you to continue to listen for God s guidance for your stewardship of your time, talents, gifts and service. Laurie Blair Church Accountant lblair@ircumc.com 2018 ANNUAL CONFERENCE CORNER By Blaine Bryan Twelve churches in the Conference closed on June 30. None in our district. Service of Remembrance was held remembering 29 clergy members and 28 spouses. Indian River City UMC s former Pastor Bob Waddell was included in this year s remembrance. Retirement celebration with 38 retirees were honored including Meg Bellows, former choir director. Several from Indian River City UMC were able attend. The Service for Licensing, Commissioning and Ordination had 24 people licensed to be local Pastors, 1 commissioned as a Provisional Deacon, 19 commissioned as Provisional Elders, 2 people were ordained as Deacons and 16 ordained as Elders Conference will be held at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. Annual Conference is online at Near the top of the page there is a link called AC 2018.