Our annual Peace School Supply Gift Card Drive is back!  As a new school year is quickly approaching, we again have the opportunity to bless many young people and their parents in this very tangible way.  Because supply lists vary so greatly from school to school, we are once again collecting gift cards and monetary donations.  We will distribute the gift cards to families with children associated with our congregation, our Meals Assistance Program, as well as the folks at H.O.M.E. in Kissimmee.  Our partnership with H.O.M.E. means we will be helping them again this year with back-to-school shoes, and we will use proceeds from the gift card drive to support that ministry.  If you bring in actual gift cards, please bring in as many as you want to contribute, but keep the denominations lower, like $10 to $20 and from major retailers like Target and Wal-Mart. You can also make a donation on our Peace website by following this link.  Help give a child a great start to the new school year!  Thank you for your support!

In the month of August the United Methodist Women resume "Mission Team Meetings" for planning and organizing our Unit and we restart our small groups-Circle of Hope and Susanna Wesley Circle.  Circle of Hope meets every 3rd Thursday of the month from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Their current book study is I Bought a House on Gratitude Street by J. Ellsworth Kalas. On the 4th Tuesday of the month, the Susanna Wesley Circle meets from 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.  Their study is Life Lessons: The Book of James by Max Lucado. Both Circles meet at Peace in the Youth Room.  The UMW is for all ladies of the church, anyone who would like to grow in spirit, get involved in Christian social action and be educated with missions around the world and in our own communities.  Our global focus is caring for the needs and concerns of women, children and youth.  Saturday, October 10th will be our next Program Luncheon, mark you calendar now! There will be a speaker, fellowship, and a delicious pot-luck luncheon. Come get involved!

Peace Out (our Youth Relay for Life Team) will have their famous Breakfast Burritos on the Church Portico this Sunday, August 2nd in between worship services.  All donations benefit Relay for Life. Come support our amazing Youth Relay Team! www.peaceyouth.net

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You! If you are age 21-80 you can learn your risk for developing 6 different chronic diseases. Nearly $3 out of every $4 spent on healthcare is for treatment of chronic disease. Better lifestyle habits can help prevent 80% of heart disease and 90% of type 2 diabetes!  The 6 for Life Health Assessment measures your risk of developing 6 chronic diseases, including heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, diabetes, COPD and lung cancer.  A customized report will determine which risk factors contribute most to your disease risk and are within your control to change.  Finger-stick blood tests along with biometric measurements are included with this assessment.

Peace will be hosting a Life Line Screening preventive health event on Monday, August 10, 2015. Protect your health by registering today for the 6 for Life Health Assessment for only $79. Call 1-888-653-6441 or visit www.lifelinescreening.com/community-partners to schedule your appointment. 

Come join us for our final Heart Spa fellowship and study of the summer season on Wednesday, August 19 at 6:30 p.m. Missed a previous evening of the study? No problem! Each session is designed to stand alone. Our theme will be "God's Grace Is Reason to Celebrate." There's no homework to do in advance. Just come enjoy our Grace celebration. This is also a great event to invite friends to experience. PLEASE RSVP  to Jana Hart by contacting the Church Office at 407-438-8947 or [email protected].   (Childcare will be provided) 

Griefshare is a 13-week support group open to anyone who is dealing with the death of a loved one. It's a friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life's most difficult experiences. You'll gain access to valuable resources to help you recover from your loss and look forward to rebuilding your life. You don't have to go through the grieving process alone. Our next class session will begin on August 20th, meeting on Thursday nights from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. in the Youth Room.  You don't need to be a Peace member to take part in this class. It's a great opportunity to invite people you may know who are dealing with grief. For more information about this ministry, contact Gloria Barber at 407-276-4025 or [email protected].

Our Peace Prayer Shawl Ministry is resuming!  Anyone who likes to knit or crochet is invited to join this ministry. Prayer shawls are given to people who are ill or hospitalized, suffering chronic conditions, undergoing chemotherapy, or simply in need of comfort and prayer.  For more details, please contact Rev. Bob Schall, 407-239-8668.

According to Janet Bristow and Victoria Galo, the founders of Prayer Shawl Ministries, "the making of a prayer shawl is a spiritual practice which embodies our thoughts and prayers for the receiver.  It is a gift freely given with no strings attached.  Made in prayer, as prayer, for prayer, the shawls are passed on hand-to-hand and heart-to-heart."

While there is a spiritual dimension to faithful stewardship that cannot be measured, there are some indicators to help measure the giving patterns of the congregation. Our "bottom line" would indicate that we are in very good health, but year-to-date contributions to the operating budget are down by over $20,000 when compared to last year. Fortunately, expenses are also proportionally down, largely due to the mortgage payoff. All ministry leaders have done an outstanding job of controlling expenses and managing within the funds available. In addition, we are also reaping benefits from the LED light replacements which have resulted in utility costs savings averaging around $200 per month.

Each year we undergo a detailed financial audit. The auditor was very complimentary of our records and the minor adjustments that have been made based on feedback from last year. Thank you to Gloria Barber for her professional expertise in managing our finances. We also want to thank our weekly money counter volunteers - Janice Adams, Jackie Shadrake, Marianne Barnes, Shirley Johnson, and Bonnie White - for their important contributions to this process. Congratulations on a job well done!

SOM Update: Restroom Remodel

As mentioned in the last update, the next SOM project is a remodel of the main hallway restrooms. The Trustees have begun working on plans with architects and designers. Ideally, we would like to have this project completed by Christmas, but your help is needed to make that possible. The project is estimated at $65,000 and we currently have $31,675 in the SOM fund. As good stewards, the Trustees will not start the project until we have secured the funds needed to complete the work. As planned, we will transfer about $7500 each month (up to $50,000 total per year) from operating funds into SOM, but this would still delay the start of the project for several months. The Trustees also hope to maintain a "reserve" balance for replacement of the church AC units.

We need your help in closing the gap by honoring the pledges you have already faithfully made to the SOM Campaign. There are $18,794 of 2014 pledges that are still outstanding and $19,648 pledged in 2015 that has yet to be paid. If you are able to submit some or all of your 2015 pledge now, it would enable us to get started sooner so we can enjoy the new bathrooms by the holiday season. For questions about your pledge status, or the Finance report, please contact Gloria Barber ([email protected]). A full list of the SOM projects and their current status is available at the Peace website www.peaceumcorlando.org.