"2018 From the Steeples to the Streets, 15,125 Going!" to take place the week of March 17th-14th

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1 Page 1 of 13 March 2018, News! Dear Pastors, This recent season of events causes us to pause and reflect upon our need to be visible reminders of God's love and grace and active presence in our lives and our communities. Surely, the recent mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, to be added to the list of other mass shootings, to be added to the daily list of children and young adults in the African American community losing their lives daily should make us take stock as to the difference our presence makes in the lives of others. It is incumbent upon us as pastoral leaders to point our congregations toward both theological reflection and response in both word and action as those being sent by God to be agents of change in the world. One way you can respond is to continue to encourage your congregation to write letters to their elected officials regarding the ongoing gun violence in our communities. Please click here to get the link for the 5000 Letters from Bishop Ken Carter. I believe the season of Lent provides just the right space for each of us to examine our own hearts for the ways we have failed to be the prophetic voices God has called us to be. As Ash Wednesday was a stark reminder of our own mortality and the brokenness in this world, the journey of Lent takes us to the place where we reflect upon our own spiritual condition in order to realign our lives with that of God's intention for us all. As we consider God's project that began with Abraham and came to fulfillment in Christ Jesus, we are reminded that we are the means through which God is choosing to work as if everyone's lives depend on it. Though it is ultimately God's work, surely we are to be held accountable for our part in it. I wonder aloud what our churches would look like if in those in the congregations gathered on Sunday mornings truly embraced this notion of the part we play in God's intention for everyone. I wonder. One way we can catch a glimpse of this is to get out of our pews and walls and head out into our neighborhoods and communities. You have already received information about the "2018 From the Steeples to the Streets, 15,125 Going!" to take place the week of March 17th-14th. I pray the planning team in your church is well underway in planning and recruiting folks from your churches to go to strategic locations around your churches to do three things: Pray, Observe, Encounter/Engage. The NC District Fresh Expression team, as well as myself, look forward to the stories of seeing where God will lead you forth in ministry in the days to come. We are called to go forth-- just as Abraham did. Just as Jesus did.

2 Page 2 of 13 In this season of prayer, fasting and meditating on God's word to us, may you be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and the hope that is ours in Jesus Christ our Lord that we would be faithful to this work. With Gratitude for your Faithfulness and Ministry, June Bishop Ken Carter LETTERS "I call upon the followers of Jesus to speak for those whose voices are silenced, and to speak for our children and grandchildren. What if, across Florida and even our connection, we were able to collect and send 5000 letters?" - Bishop Ken Carter, Florida Annual Conference OUR MISSION 5000 Letters is a campaign by United Methodists in the Florida Annual Conference to contact state and federal government officials, urging them to seek legislation that will curb gun violence in this country. Join us in following Bishop Ken Carter's call to speak for those whose voices have been silenced, for the sake of our children and their future. Please click here to get Bishop Ken Carter video. From the Steeple to the Street March 17-24, 2018

3 Page 3 of 13 Last year, the North Central District went "from the steeple to the streets." Churches throughout our district went out into our neighborhoods and networks to join what the Holy Spirit was already doing there. Multiple fresh expressions were birthed, and people have found a relationship with Jesus Christ through our efforts! It's time to start planning now for the second annual Steeple to the Streets week on March Here are six simple steps to help you get ready: How do we go "From the Steeple to the Streets?" Step 1: Form a Fresh Expressions Team On that team, you want a healthy mix of pioneers, supporters and permission givers. You also want to recruit people from the core leadership of your church, people on the fringe of your core church leadership, as well as people who are not connected to any church, if possible. Having an "insider" or a "person of peace" in the micro-communities you want to engage is crucial. The initial responsibility of that team, is simple: Use a tool like MissionInsite to get to know your community. If you need assistance, find someone within your sphere that can help interpret the demographic data. Pray about where God is inviting you to engage that community. Definitions: Pioneers: Are passionate about mission on the edges Supporters: Are passionate about supporting and releasing pioneers Permission Givers: People who use their role to foster release of pioneers and to influence the system to be more willing to experiment Person of Peace: The "welcomer" who opens the door to a community. They invite you in and give access to the relational network (Luke 10). STEP 2: From your findings decide on one or more places to visit on your chosen date. Examples include your church neighborhood, park, town square, sports complex, coffee shop or local restaurant. Understanding the demographic data about your community is a helpful first step. However, to truly understand your community, you must experience and be a presence within it. There is nowhere you can go that the Holy Spirit will not go before you.

4 Page 4 of 13 Create a "People Map." This can be as simple as a white board and a marker. Pick a "home base" (your house, church, etc.) Draw the locations in proximity that show where different groups of people live, eat, play, hang-out, go to school, etc. Write a short description of them. Prayerfully decide as a team which of those places God wants you to go and engage. If you will engage multiple locations, assign different team leaders for each location. STEP 3: Mobilize your congregation for "From the Steeple to the Streets" Day. From all available communication channels, begin to promote the upcoming day. The goal is to turn out your average worship attendance on this day. Creating a way for people to sign up or register is helpful, you can then divide people into the various "go teams" of no more than 12 people. Some folks may prefer to gather at the home base as your teams go out. Those folks have the essential role of covering the go teams in prayer. STEP 4: On your chosen day visit your identified areas: Pray, Observe, Encounter. Pray: For your community and the people who live there. Taking a prayerful posture of listening as you walk, what is God saying? Observe: Make observations about your community. What is God showing you? Encounter: If you encounter a stranger, smile and engage in a loving conversation to make a connection. Pray. Observe. Encounter. That's it! This is not about passing out water bottles or light bulbs. This is not an outreach event. This is not about getting people to come to your church. This is about getting your church involved in the lives of the people of your community. STEP 5: Innovate, make it your own, "Go Outside and Play!" Make this your own, do what works for your church and community We understand each context is different This is permission, go for it! Fail forward faster STEP 6: Plan a way for folks to report their findings to leadership. This information will become crucial in helping you take the next step of a fresh expression, loving and serving. This could be: Meet back at the church to share their experience Plan a time for "God Sightings" to be shared in worship-even the next Sunday Provide a place to return any information that was gathered from their experience that day For example, we distributed bulletin inserts to all the North Central District churches. At the bottom of the insert is a returnable section: From the Steeple to the Streets Report NAME: What did God say/show you?

5 Page 5 of 13 CHURCH: Where did you go? What's next? Who did you meet? How can we help you take the next step? 15,145 Going! March Please click hereto get the From the Steeple to the Church Form. Rev. Michael Beck Senior Pastor Wildwood UMC South Atlantic Coordinator Fresh Expressions US North Central District Cultivator of Fresh Expressions Friend Follow Local Church Leadership Training Saturday, April 14 First Ocala UMC Family Life Center 9:30 am to noon Disciples of Jesus Christ, for The Transformation of the World! Your request for additional training for church leaders has been heard. Mark your calendars now and make plans with your ministry team to attend the North Central District Church Leader Training. The event will take place

6 Page 6 of 13 Saturday, April 14, 2018 at the First UMC in Ocala, Family Life Center (1126 E. Silver Spring Blvd. Ocala, FL 34470). This training is for members of Trustees, Finance and SPRC Committees. This will provide some practical tools to help in the ongoing work and ministries in your church. Conference staff will be here to provide the latest information and resources for your work. This event is free! No registration required. Classes: -Finance Practices 101 -Tony Prestipino, Treasurer, Florida Conference of the FLUMC. -Boards of Trustees - Brian Donivan, Sr. Specialist, Ministry Protection -Best Practices of Hiring - Marilynn Mollica, Director of Human Resources -Church Council - Rev. Dan Jackson, Director of the New Church Development As a reminder, the following reports are due into the district office by March 31st. Please mail copies of all reports together to the district office: 1135 E. Fort King St. Ocala, FL REPORT COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE Adoption of Employee Conduct Policy SPRC Annual Parsonage Report Trustees Child/Youth Protection Policy SPRC Clergy Employee Conduct Policy SPRC Fiscal Responsibility & Management Policy Finance The following reports are submitted online. Do not send a hard copy to the District. You can locate them on your Church Dashboard under "FORMS." REPORT COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE Disaster Recovery Resource Survey Disaster Coordinator or Trustee Fund Balance Finance The church needs to get a Local Church Employee form signed by each employee to keep in their personnel file. The District does not get them.

7 Page 7 of 13 For instructions and other pertinent information, click on the links above or click on Calendar of Reports accessed on the Florida Conference website. Please submit copies only, originals should remain in the church office. For assistance, please do not hesitate to me at flumc-nc@flumc.org FRESH EXPRESSIONS When Helping Hurts: 8 Steps to Actually Fixing Problems in Life Early in my ministry as the pastor of Wildwood United Methodist Church, one of my "-isms" manifested in a death-dealing way. Caught up in a workaholic drive to grow the church, I neglected my wife, children and my relationship with Jesus (yes, it is possible to work for God and not walk with God). During that time, our church was growing at an incredible rate. More people came to Christ through professions of faith, and more baptisms occurred in a single year than in previous decades combined. In the midst of all that growth, I was experiencing recurrent excruciating pain in my abdomen. I worked through the pain and trusted that God would heal me, especially since I was doing such great work on God's behalf! That was until I ended up in an emergency room, where it was discovered that I had a severe case of pancreatitis. Click here to read more. AROUND THE CONFERENCE

8 Page 8 of 13 Children's Week/Florida Advocacy Days: Hanging of the Hands Children's Week, along with Florida Advocacy Days, invite you and your children to Give Us A Hand! Florida's children are encouraged to create and share their paper hand-art with Children's Week as part of the annual #Giv eusahand campaign. This year there are two ways to participate: 1. From now until January 18, mail to the address below your child's hand-art to be displayed at the State Capitol rotunda during Children's Week! Then, from Sunday, January 21 to Friday, January 26 tens of thousands of paper cut-out hands will transform the State Capitol rotunda into an impactful representation of Florida's children. Please view the Hanging of the Hands flier for more details. 2. You can also share photos of your children's creative process or their final masterpiece via social media! From now until January 18, everyone who shares their hand-art via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #GiveUsAHand Week will be entered to win one of three great prizes and everyone is encouraged to get involved. Contest Categories are: 1. Best Individual Hand-Art, 2. Best Group Piece, and 3. Most Creative. Click HERE to learn more. Questions? or info@childrensweek.org 2018 Annual Conference June 7-9 Florida Southern College Remembering Who We Are Click HERE for the AC2018 webpage. Information will be updated as information is available. Youth are encouraged to participate and experience Annual Co nference. Housing will be on the Florida Southern Campus, and $150 will cover dorm housing (double occupancy) and 8 meals. Click HERE for the AC2018 youth page and to register. Orientation will be at 1:30pm on Wednesday, June 6 with housing check in immediately before orientation at 12:30pm at Reynolds Hall. All youth must check into housing before orientation. Note: This does not make them a Voting Member at Annual Conference.

9 Page 9 of 13 Annual Conference is free and open to anyone who would like to go. However, only Lay Members to Annual Conference 2018 will have a vote. The Thirteenth Annual Native American Gathering April LEC, Fruitland Park The mission of CONAM is... To communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Native American people in a culturally relevant way; disciple Native people in a culturally affirming way; encourage Christcentered worship in a culturally redemptive way; and facilitate a Native presence in the wider church in a culturally appropriate way. Click HERE for details and to register. Register Now: Florida 5-Day Academy for Spiritual Formation Retreat March 11-16, Life Enrichment Center at Fruitland Parkoost Cardio Results by Adding More Carbs Themes: Seeking Sabbath and Sabbath Keeping Instructors: Marjorie Thompson and Rabbi David Horowitz This 5-Day Retreat is... * For lay and clergy persons of all denominations who hunger for spiritual growth. * A time to rest, relax, reflect and renew the body, mind, and soul. * A time for learning new ways to deepen our relationship with God and to live as faithful servant of God's love in the world. * A time for sharing morning and night prayers, evening Eucharist and silence all of which sets the rhythm of the week. Seeking Sabbath invites us to find an oasis that provides refreshment for the body, mind and soul. And in Sabbath Keeping we discover the wisdom of stillness and rhythms to make it become a reality to be embraced and not become another duty to perform. Having a fresh new vision of what God invites us to do brings us into alignment with His intention for our time of rest. Click HERE for more information. Click HERE for a brochure. Click HERE to register.

10 Page 10 of 13 Pastoral Internship for 2018 Are there young adults in your church who want to explore pastoral ministry? If so, please Click HERE for the Summer Internship Application to give them. Do you serve a church committed to shaping the next generation of pastoral leaders? If so, please sponsor a Summer Pastoral Intern for 2018! Here are the quick facts for hosting an Intern: Internship Dates: Monday, May 28, 2018, through Friday, August 3, 2018 Intern Training Day: Friday, May 25, 2018 (students and supervising pastors) Intern Reflection Day: Monday, August 6, 2018 (students only) Hours: 30 hours/week as scheduled with supervising pastor Housing: Provided in congregant's home, if needed Salary: $3,500 ($1,500 host site, $1,500 Office of Clergy Excellence, plus an additional $500 from the Office of Clergy Excellence IF the Intern attends both the Orientation and Reflection Days) Click HERE for the Summer Intern Program Description. If interested, please or mail an intern job description for your church. Contact the Office of Clergy Excellence if you have any questions about the program. Holly Finley hfinley@flumc.org Rev. Sara McKinley sara.mckinley@flumc.org Warren W. Willis Retreat Warren W. Willis is not just for Summer Camp...although that is an amazing

11 Page 11 of 13 time! Click on any of the following links for information on the wonderful programs you and your church can attend. Confirmation Retreat: Feb ; Mar. 2-4; Mar ; Oct. 5-7 College Connection: Jan , 2018 Connect: Oct , 2018; Nov. 9-11, 2018 Created By God: April 20-22, 2018 DARE to Lead: Feb , 2018 Plan Your Own Church Retreat: Who doesn't love WWW? Why not plan your own retreat Life Enrichment Center Want to help create meaningful experiences for your church's families this year? Want to encourage your parents to be more active in their kids' spiritual lives? Be sure they know about LEC Family programs! Dad and Me Weekend - April Grandparents and Me - June Family Camp - June 29 - July 1 & July Mom and Me Weekend - September Questions? Asa Quinn asa.quinn@warrenwllscamp.org Apply Now for UMC FCU Scholarship for College Bound Students The Florida United Methodist Connectional FCU is once again offering scholarships to year-old college-bound students in our conn ection. Four winning applicants, one from each of our four conferences - Florida, North Georgia, South Georgia and Alabama-West Florida - will each receive a $1,000 scholarship. CLICK HERE for complete rules, an application, and full essay submission criteria. Deadline for submission is April 30, If you have any questions regarding the scholarship program, contact us at (Georgia) or (Florida). Apply Now for the Sinclair Scholarship from FUMF

12 Page 12 of 13 The Florida United Methodist Foundation is now accepting applications from first-year, college-bound United Methodist students for the 2018 Sinclair scholarships, and we need your help to spread the word. Applicants must be full and active members of a Florida United Methodist Church, have a record of church and community service, and have a grade point average of 2.5 or higher or academic performance that indicates ability to succeed in college. They must also be planning to attend a Florida or United Methodist college or university this fall. Scholarship awards range from $2,000 to $3,000 and are renewable for up to three additional years for students who remain in good standing. The deadline to apply is March 15. Click HERE for complete details and the application form. Questions? Nadara Brock nbrock@fumf.org or , ext. 7113, or visiting District Calendar of Events March March 17-24: From the Steeple to the Streets March 30: Good Friday Holiday April April 14: Local Church Leadership Training, First Ocala UMC, from 9:30 am to noon. April 20-22: The Thirteenth Annual Native American Gathering, LEC, Fruitland Park. April 29: Announcement Sunday May May 8: Pre-Conference Orientation, St. Mark's at 6:00 pm May 28: Memorial Day Holiday - Conference and District are closed. June 2018 June 7-9: Annual Conference - Florida Southern College, Lakeland July 2018 July 11-15: Mission U - Bethune Cookman University, Daytona Beach July 13-14: Candidacy Retreat October October 20: Super Charge Conference, New Covenant UMC, The Villages, from 9:00 am to noon. (We will celebrate our first Super Charge Conference with all the North Central District churches meeting together at the same time). 2019

13 Page 13 of 13 February 9, 2019: District Annual Training Event - More information will come. North Central District FLUMC, (352) , 1135 E. Fort King St., Ocala, FL SafeUnsubscribe {recipient's } Forward this About our service provider Sent by flumc-nc@flumc.org in collaboration with Try it free today