A tremendous thanks to the entire church family for your outstanding support of Biker Sunday 2015.  It was a day of great worship, fellowship, and celebration, and we received many messages of thanks for the warm welcome you once again extended to the Biker Community.  The Central Florida Drill Team, for instance, reminded us that they always schedule our event as the first performance on their schedule for the year because they want to begin with an uplifting spiritual focus.  New connections were made during worship, and many bikes were blessed on our grounds and prayer teams shared with dozens of riders as those blessings were offered.  Biker Sunday helps communicate an essential part of our congregational DNA, that ALL are welcome here.

 Special thanks to those who donated financially and in-kind to make this day possible (some $675 in funds and some $1,500 in supplies and services).  Thanks to the dozens of you who devoted your time, and all of you who extended the warm welcome for which Peace is famous.  Special thanks to our Outreach leaders, Pat and Doreen Ambrose and Ken Carter, as well as Mitch and Rhonda Edwards, Melanie Pipkin, Jana Hart, John Norman and the amazing Boy Scouts of Troop 128.

This is the last week to sign up to participate or sponsor our second Peace Youth DIVAS AND DUDES 5K run on next Sunday, March 8th, starting at 8:00 a.m.  Beginning at Osprey Park in Hunter's Creek, this is one of the primary fund raisers for our Youth Summer Mission Trips, as well as other youth mission efforts such as the Spring Break Mission Trip and monthly 4M projects.  Recruit friends and neighbors to join you in running OR WALKING!  You can sign up through our website.  Registration is only $25.00 per person.  You can also make an INDIVIDUAL SPONSOR DONATION directly on our website.  If you need more info, contact Race Director, Bonnie White at 407-855-8776 or [email protected].  Find out more about how Peace youth are changing the world at www.peaceyouth.net.

Simply Relevant is a relational study that encourages new friendships and allows women to discover how relevant God's Word is to our lives today-no matter who you are and where you are in life.  Six sessions guide you in discovering all about God's grace-how richly, extravagantly, and surprisingly he indulges us with his love and grace.  What better metaphor for GRACE is there than CHOCOLATE?  Each month there will be bible lessons for real life, decadent snacks, fun activities, prayer, and girlfriend time.

 Simply Relevant will be held the third Wednesday of every month beginning at 6:30 p.m.  March 18, April 15, May 20, June 17, July 15 and August 19.  If you liked "HeartSpa" last summer, you're going to love this creative study by the same authors!  To RSVP contact Jana Hart at 407-438-8947 [email protected] (Childcare will be provided)

 "Taste and see that the Lord is good."- Psalm 34:8

The Peace Missions and Outreach Team has undertaken a unique opportunity, beginning this week, to work in partnership with the All Pro Dad ministry in sponsoring a father-child monthly breakfast at a local elementary school.   On the last Thursday of the month, we will team with the ecumenical ministry (led by former NFL coach Tony Dungy) All Pro Dad to bring fathers and children together for a 45-minute breakfast to promote family involvement at Wyndham Lakes Elementary School. 

 You can learn more about this national program by visiting allprodad.com.  We have begun this initiative as a spin-off from work Casa de Paz is doing in partnership with several schools in our area, and we hope we can be a part of expanding it to more schools in our neighborhoods.  If you'd like to learn more or get involved, contact Eddie Pipkin at [email protected].

The year is off to a great start in terms of the Peace family supporting a wide range of outreach and mission opportunities.  Thanks!  In addition to your faithful support of Biker Sunday (mentioned elsewhere in this newsletter) you have responded with generosity to the Habitat for Humanity project to help build a house for Brian and Victoria Arndt to the tune of $2,646 (and our Emerging Missions fund has pledged a match to this worthy cause of $5,000, so you still have time to be a part of this effort - visit our web site for more details).  Meanwhile, the Love Letters performance on Valentine's Day raised more than $856 for Imagine No Malaria (another year-long focus), you've gifted more than $3,000 to support the 45s international church exchange, and you even partied in the portico to the tune of $320 in barbecue votes towards our Eagle Scout Ga-ga Ball Court project.  All of this special giving is in addition to your regular faithfulness to support the ongoing ministries of Peace UMC week after week.  You honor God through your faithful discipleship.  Let's celebrate the worthy work that we do together.

Our playground equipment is over ten years old, and showing signs of age.  We are hoping to replace it once we can raise the funds, but unfortunately that will take many years. There is an exciting opportunity for our school to win a free playground, but we need your help!   Go to togethercounts.com and click "Healthy Playground Makeover Sweepstakes."  You will need to put in our zip code (32837) and then choose Peace United Methodist Preschool and vote for our school!  Voting ends on March 19.  You can enter once a day per e-mail address.  Once you enter the first time, you will only need to fill out your e-mail address the next time you enter, so be sure to vote every day and ask your family and friends to vote, too!    If you go on our Facebook page, you can share the link with all of your Facebook friends.