Go, Tell. 3rd Saturday Community Connection

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1 Orange City United Methodist Church Newsletter - Winter 2014 Go, Tell. Just as Mary was instructed to Go, Tell when the tomb was empty, we can go and tell others about Jesus in the way that we Reach, Serve, and Love like Christ. 3rd Saturday Community Connection The OCUMC campus is bustling with activity on the 3 rd Saturday of each month! That is the day our entire church family extends the love of Christ in a special way by connecting with our community friends through our newest outreach ministry. In just four months, we have served over 100 members of our community. The need is great. 3 rd Saturday Community Connection (3SCC) combines all the outreach ministries offered in the past with many new ones. Everyone in our local community is given this opportunity to come at one time (10:30 am 1 pm) to one place (the Fellowship Hall aka Community Connection Center) to receive some core services: free groceries (Martha s Cupboard) along with fresh vegetables & fruit; a delicious hot meal; free haircuts; kids activities; money-saving coupons; free clothing/shoes, blankets; blood pressure screenings provided by the local fire department; prayer support along with information about our church. Every month offers a new monthly feature. This feature has included free flu shots (courtesy of Walgreens), informative sessions regarding Hospice (from VITAS), and free Tax Aide (courtesy of AARP). At our Christmas Celebration, everyone walked away with a token of Jesus warmth & love in the form of new socks! All who attend are given a short survey asking about their most pressing needs. The 3SCC team then makes an effort to address those needs through the monthly feature. Future offerings will be in the areas of education, employment services, health, and dental care. Everyone in our church family is needed to volunteer participate fellowship as we Reach, Serve, and Love like Christ. Invite your friends and neighbors. You will be amazed at how blessed you feel as you help to bless others. See you on the 3 rd Saturday of every month! About our 3SCC symbol: We chose to use the USB connection symbol that represents plugging in or connecting any device into a network or computer. It is used for many purposes. Just like we serve many purposes or needs at the 3SCC. The cross represents the church. The house represents the community. The arrow (the connecting point) is pointed upwards to God. We are moving upwards toward God as we are connecting the community and the church.

2 PAGE 2 GO, TELL. Where there is no vision, the people perish - Proverbs 29:18 This past year has been an incredible time at Orange City UMC. We ve seen the development of life-changing ministries as well as deep growth in personal spiritual lives as God has moved mightily through our community. I have been so very blessed to be able to be a part of this congregation that is Reaching, Serving, and Loving like Christ every day. And so now, as we look forward to the next year I have been pondering what 2014 will bring. A couple of years ago, the structure of the church leadership introduced the Executive Council. The Executive Council is comprised of the pastor, the Church Council Chair, and 3 Liaisons, one representing Reach, one for Serve, and one for Love. This Executive Council has been responsible for discerning God s vision for the church and then bringing it into reality. Two years ago, we focused on Loving like Christ which led to the creation of the Discipleship Team. Last year, we focused on Serving like Christ, which prompted us to begin the 3rd Saturday Community Connection. This year, we anticipate exploring how we can grow in our Reaching like Christ. Reaching like Christ refers to how we can proclaim the good news of salvation in Christ and invite others to join us on this journey that we call faith. We are excited to see where God will take us in this adventure, so I invite each and every one of you to join me in praying for God s vision and guidance so that OCUMC can be the brightest beacon of hope that we can be. Together, we can share that hope with those who are lost, hurting, or held back from living the abundant life that God has prepared for them. Glory to God for all that he will do through all of us in this coming year! -Pastor Drew One week could change a life The cost of attending a week at Warren W. Willis Summer Camp is $395 per student this year. Each child who attends has the opportunity to fellowship with other Christians, dig deep in their small group reflection time and worship through song! For many of them, it is a lifechanging experience and they come renewed and on fire for Jesus! If not for the generous donations we receive year after year, many of our children and youth would not be able to attend. Last year, our church received $2250 that was divided among 17 children and youth! This year, we are planning on sending just as many kids during week 7, which is July th. Any amount helps and will undoubtedly make a difference in a child s life. We ll be collecting donations up until February 16 th, the same day as our Bake Sale Fundraiser for Summer Camp. Please prayerfully consider donating. You can put your donation into the offering plate, designated for Summer Camp or you can mail your donation to: Orange City United Methodist Church Attn: Stephanie Parks 396 E University Ave Orange City, FL 32763

3 PAGE 3 Our Financial Stewardship (pages 3, 4, 5 & 6) The 2013 Financial Stewardship report on pages 4 & 5 has three parts: 1. The Operating Funds - This group of funds is used to manage the money associated with the basic operations of the church facility and our basic local ministries. This is the portion for which we establish an annual spending plan (budget). 2. Designated and Restricted Funds This group of funds is used to keep track of money designated for specific purposes outside of the ministries included in the Operating Funds. 3. Endowment Funds This group is used to manage bequest money in accordance with the terms of the gift or in terms of the plan established for the gift by the Charge Conference. General Fund Supports All Our General Fund can be considered what we spend on ourselves to provide the infrastructure that enables our other ministries to carry on. There are four basic parts of this work. The Personnel program provides the stable expertise for supporting our congregation as they do ministry and grow in discipleship. Pastor and Administrative Assistant (full time), Children and Youth Director, Choir Director, Worship Leader, Accompanist, Nursery workers, Treasurer, and Maintenance Person (part-time). The Property program provides operation and maintenance of the physical plant that supports all we do locally, including ministries in which we do not actively participate (or do not provide program materials support, such as Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, WAVA Hall seniors groups, and Council on Aging. Program materials are provided through our general giving to support our in-house ministries with special materials and services. Vacation Bible School materials are one specific example. And then there is the Administrative Program, which provides general support to all of our in-house programs with things such as postage, copies, and office supplies. We have a residual mortgage ($161,934) on 12/31/2013) from construction of the Education Building. We receive some designated money for the mortgage; the balance to cover the monthly payments comes from the general contributions. The Operating Funds group also includes funds for managing securities given to the church and for managing parsonage expenses that we share with the Children s Home. Our Church Tithes We are a tithing church. Ten percent of all money not designated for specific ministries is transferred to the Benevolence Fund and used to pay our apportionments and support other causes that may be approved by the Church Council. A DETAILED SUMMARY OF OUR FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP IS PROVIDED ON THE NEXT TWO PAGES.

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6 PAGE 6 GO, TELL. Local Ministries Supported Our congregation generously supports our local ministries through designated giving. These ministries include Martha s Cupboard, Manna Ministry, Mail Call Ministry, 3rd Saturday Community Connection, Pet Pantry, Garden Ministry, Pastor s Discretionary Fund, and Prison Ministry. ( $8,565 in 2013). Additionally, some of these ministries, such as Martha s Cupboard, receive in-kind contributions in addition to money. Other Ministries Supported Our congregation generously designates money to causes beyond our own local work. In general, these contributions appear as liabilities in our bookkeeping they are passed-through to the designated cause, such as Florida UM Children s Home, UMCOR, Habitat for Humanity, Stop Hunger Now, One Great Hour of Sharing, Native American Awareness, UM Student Day ($8,254 in 2013). Memorial Garden Upgraded The Susan Foxworth Davis Memorial Garden special maintenance needs are funded by special contributions largely associated with the cremains interred there. The interment area has recently been upgraded with pavers. This provides accessibility for people who are mobility challenged. Scholarship Funds Managed We manage two scholarship funds in accordance with the provisions of the bequests. A generous bequest by Frank Logan provides the funding for a scholarship for support of Christian vocation education. The Mary Henri Peterson Music Scholarship also is available, but the funding for this is much more limited. No awards were made in Hopefully, we can get sufficiently reorganized in 2014 to support awards this year. UMCmarket Together Supporting Our Church Support our church for FREE while shopping online! Sign up to the church s new fund-raising program UMCmarket. This program has been approved by the United Methodist General Council on Finance and Administration. Through this program a percentage of your shopping will be donated to our church. Get started! Go to and join by entering your address and a password of your choice in the box down to the left. Find your church! Enter Orange City in the middle box to join your church. Time to shop! The more people that know about UMCmarket, the more our church benefits. So, spread the word! Start making micro-donations to our church TODAY every time you shop online. UMCMARKET IS DEVELOPED IN COOPERATION WITH THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH S GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION. We pray that our stewardship of what God has entrusted to Orange City United Methodist Church through your stewardship has been pleasing to Him.

7 PAGE 7 Cherub s Choir Register your 2 1/2 thru kindergarten child now for Cherubs Choir. The songs, games and movement develop: coordination tactile learning reasoning musical concepts awareness of God's love The nine week Spring term began on February 2nd and ends on April 13th (with two weeks off March 2 and 9). Lessons follow a structure so that the children quickly begin to feel familiar with the setting and activities. Regular attendance is greatly encouraged. Cherub s Choir is directed by our Choir Director, Tammy Miller. Creative Services Let Us Help You! Contact Creative Services if you need help promoting your class, event or ministry. You can pick up a copy of the Announcement Request Form to fill out in the church office. Or you can download, print and submit the form from the church website Please let us know if the form meets your needs. The Purpose of this Newsletter: It is the goal of the Creative Services Team that we move forward to communicate with each other and the world to build the Kingdom of God. Just as Mary was instructed to Go, Tell when the tomb was empty, we are now asking you to Go, Tell others about Christ in the way that you Reach, Serve, and Love like Christ. Missions Project for middle and high school students! 30 Hour Famine is February 22-23rd and involves games and lots of juice! Weekly Meeting of Connect Student Ministries Wednesday nights from 6-7 pm in the Youth Building, 6-12th graders hang out, play games, eat food and have fun together! Come join us! Contact the Director of Children & Youth Ministries Stephanie C. Parks Cell: sparks@stetson.edu Facebook: Connect Student Ministry at OCUMC

8 396 E University Ave Orange City, FL (386) office@ocumc.org Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Mid-FL, FL Permit No ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Inside this issue: & Special Worship Services Ash Wednesday Worship March 5th at 7 pm in the Sanctuary Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner - Fundraiser March 8th at 5:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall BBQ Vittles for the Whittles - Fundraiser March 16 from 4 to 7 pm in the Fellowship Hall Pet Blessing March 22nd at 10 am in the Orange City Dog Park Good Friday Tenebrae Worship April 18 at 7 pm in the Sanctuary Easter Worship April 20 at 9 am & 11 am in the Sanctuary Annual Egg Hunt April 20 at 10 am on the church lawn 3rd Saturday Community Connec- Message from the Pastor Summer Camp Fundraiser Financial Stewardship 2013 Stewardship Report UMCmarket Together Supporting Cherub s Choir Spring Term 30 Hour Famine & CSM Midweek