FUMC of St. Cloud April Newsletter

FAITH ALIVE

April 2021 ~ First United Methodist Church of St. Cloud Newsletter

From the Desk of Pastor Cathy

Dear friends,

I am so grateful to Jaynee Yocum for volunteering to be the Editor of our Faith Alive Newsletter! We hope and believe that this monthly Newsletter will keep you informed and up to date on all our events and people in the church! God is working and we are celebrating all that is happening in our midst! In Isaiah 43:19, God says, “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19(NRSV)

Our sermon series, Jesus the God Who Knows Your Name will conclude on Easter Sunday with Returning King! On Sunday, April 11^th, Eric Currie, Associate Vice President Enrollment Services of Asbury Seminary Orlando will bring the message “Open the Eyes of our Hearts” from Ephesians 4:15-23. Our next sermon series will be “Words of Life” based on the Ten Commandments and the book by Rev. Adam Hamilton. We need the reminders of the Ten Commandments in this day and time.

The Holy Week schedule includes Maundy Thursday service at 7:00PM on April 1^st with Holy Communion and Hand Washing; Good Friday service at 7:00PM with Stations of the Cross; Easter Sunrise service at 6:30AM at the St. Cloud Lakefront near the Crabby Bill’s park (bring your own chair); 8:30AM Traditional Worship Service and 10:00AM Blended Worship Service in the Sanctuary. There will be special music by Scott Weyrauch at all three Easter services.

Please bring your flowers on Easter Sunday to decorate our cross. We will see the visual transformation of the cross which reminds us of the resurrection and the transformation God brings in our hearts. When our children were growing up, every year we would get a photo with the children in front of the beautiful Easter cross! I’ve included a couple of pictures for you here.

The Florida Annual Conference will be held virtually again this year on June 11-12^th. The 2020 General Conference of The United Methodist Church has been postponed to August 29-September 6, 2022 and will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

We are pleased that the Osceola County Health Department will be at our church the week after Easter to give COVID vaccines. The exact date will be confirmed later, so please stay tuned. This will be Johnson & Johnson vaccines, so only one “jab”. If you are 40 years of age or older, you may come and receive your vaccine. Please call the church office (407) 892-3128 and ask for James. He will put your name on the list.

Is God calling you to go on a mission trip to Louisiana to help with rebuilding in late summer or early September? If so, please contact Larry Finch at (407) 466-8103. Also, UMCOR and the Florida Conference has come up with a hybrid pilot program in order to keep training ERTs. To become certified, you will have to choose one classroom (Zoom) option and one hands-on site option. You can find the current options and register at https://www.flumc.org/training.

Thank you for all you do! One of the best things about being a Pastor is that I get to have a front row seat on all that God is doing in the lives of God’s people!

It is my greatest joy to be your Pastor!

Pastor Cathy

Rusty, Cathy, Ben, & Sara Thacker; Celia & Celeste Thacker; Mike, Myra, & Collin Christian; Gracie & Savannah Overstreet (Easter 1990)

Cathy, Sara and Ben Thacker

(Easter 1983)

Upcoming Events

April 1 - Maundy Thursday Service (Communion and hand washing), 7 PM
April 2 - Good Friday Service (Stations of the Cross), 7 PM
April 4 - Easter Sunday Services
6:30 AM at the St. Cloud Lakefront Park near Crabby Bill’s (bring your own chair)
8:30 AM Traditional Worship Service in the Sanctuary
10:00AM Blended Worship Service in the Sanctuary
April 17 - Boy Scout Spaghetti Dinner - 3:00 PM
April 18 - Newcomer's Lunch - 11:00 AM
May 2 - Confirmation Sunday
June 11-12 - Florida Annual Conference
June 14-19 - Youth Week @ Warren Willis Camp, Leesburg

Regular Meetings

Sunday
Traditional Church Service - 8:30 AM
Serendipity Sunday School Class - 9:00 AM
Blended Church Service -10:00 AM
Elmer's Kitchen - 2:00 - 3:00 PM
Monday
Power Hour Prayer Group- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Smooth Stones Bible Study - 2nd and 4th Monday, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM (Bonnie's)
Tuesday
Bible Study with Pastor Cathy - 7:00 PM
”Please join using your computer, tablet or smartphone. https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/994508909
You can also dial in using your phone. United States: +1 (646) 749-3122
Access Code: 994-508-909
Wednesday
Children's Choir Rehearsal - 6:30 PM
Adult Choir Rehearsal - 7:00 PM

Please Note: Our Church Services can be viewed LIVE on our Facebook page or on our YouTube Channel. Click on the links at the bottom of this newsletter to find these videos.

PRESCHOOL NEWS

Our school has been blessed with 58 students this year!

We celebrated early literacy and the literary works of Dr. Seuss with a week-long “Seuss-a-bration.” Each day the children were assigned something different to wear. We had lots of cats with hats running around the campus. Wacky Wednesday was the week’s favorite followed by Green Eggs and Ham. Pastor Cathy and Joyce joined in the fun.

In Chapel this month, the children learned about David and Goliath. Each child was given the opportunity to battle the Giant themselves by throwing bean bags at a 6’9” paper giant. They learned that God is our source of strength and we do not need to be afraid because He is always with us.

Our VPK Pre-K classes celebrated the 100^th day of school by parading around the campus. Each child was given a poster board to take home and add 100 items on. The children then marched in their creations for the parents and families to see.

Thanks to Cares Grant funds awarded through the Early Learning Coalition and The Office of Early Learning, we were able to purchase a new 10x20x8 commercial canopy for our playground. Our large tree had to get cut down in the fall due to disease. The canopy will provide much needed shade from the hot Florida sun.

Enrollment is now open for the 2021-2022 school year. We offer a Preschool class for children who are age 3 by September 1^st and completely potty-trained. Our VPK Pre-K class is offered for children who are age 4 by September 1^st and is free with the Certificate of Eligibility. Additional information regarding our programs can be found at www.firstumcpreschoolstcloud.com or https://www.facebook.com/firstumcpreschoolstcloud.

Smiles,

Ms. Denise

Introducing Jo Thacker

Jo Thacker is a member of First Church St. Cloud and serves as Chairperson of the Trustees Committee. She was recently featured in the February 26 issue of Orlando Business Journal as one of their 2021 Women Who Mean Business. Jo has been a partner with the Nelson Mullins Broad & Cassel Law Firm since May of 2011. She began leading its real estate team about three years ago.

Jo Thacker is a sixth-generation Osceola County native. Growing up she went by Laura Jo. During her first ten years as an attorney she worked with her father, Murray Overstreet. She is a third-generation attorney. When asked who she turned to for business advice Jo stated that her father was always the one she turned to seeking his guidance, wisdom and patience. By watching him at work she learned many things, including how to treat others. Her biggest challenge has been juggling her law career, raising a family and giving back to the community.

Jo and her husband, Clarence have three grown children, Celia, Celeste, and Henry. Her two daughters are also attorneys. Jo’s family is very important to her. Jo has been involved in the Osceola County community all of her life. She served as Osceola County Attorney for 13 years. She continues to work closely within Osceola County and serves in leadership roles in many civic and charitable organizations. One charity dear to her heart is the Howard Phillips Center for Children and Families. She has been involved with the Silver Spurs Rodeo as a volunteer going back to her childhood. She has had many roles at the rodeo over the years; working concessions, selling tickets, serving as a board member, and in 2016 was honored as the second woman to be named Silver Spurs Rodeo Big Boss.

Excited

About

Celebrating

Him

The children voted on a name for our Children's program. We will be the B.E.A.C.H. Club (Be Excited About Celebrating Him.) We would love to repaint the upstairs to give it a beach look. The children are very excited.

Children's News

We are excited on the growth of our Children's Ministry. We have been averaging around 8 children per week and even had 12 one Sunday.

The children's ministry staff would love to have our students attend the Warren Willis Summer Camp in Leesburg this summer. We would like to offer this to the children from our church. The cost for this camp is $430.00 per child. It would be great to have church members sponsor a child for the camp. They are all eligible to apply for a camp scholarship, however not all children be awarded one and rarely is the entire amount covered. We are designating June 14th-19th as the week our church will attend, although they may choose another week to attend.

We will be having an Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday during our Children's Church time. The children will follow out after the Children's Moment and will hunt for eggs on the playground and then go upstairs in the Children's Room for an Easter Celebration.

I love being a part of First United Methodist Church of St. Cloud. Thank you all for your support and love.

Blessings,

Rijean

Youth News

We are very happy to announce that there are seven students in our Confirmation Class; Jessica Clement, Olivia Siegel, Wyatt Scarlett, Logan Smith, Samuel Watson, Bailey Rojas, and Jakeema King. Please pray for these amazing young people as they learn what it means to become a Christian in the Methodist Church. Confirmation Sunday will be on May 2nd.

2021 Confirmands: Bailey, Wyatt, Logan, Samuel, Olivia, & Jessica

(Not Pictured: Jakeema)

Confirmands serving at Elmer's Kitchen

Your safety is our No. 1 concern!

We will continue to monitor the latest guidance from the CDC and new COVID cases. We will re-evaluate in-person worship should anything change. For now, we ask that you continue to practice these essential guidelines:

Please maintain at least six feet of social distance. Family units may sit together.
Masks or cloth face coverings are required at all times.
Monitor your symptoms - Stay home if you feel sick.
Temperature Checks will be taken at the door.
Every other pew will be closed.
No congregational singing.
No passing of the offering.
There will be no meet and greet.
Ushers will seat and dismiss you.
Deposit your attendance sheet and offering in the basket by the door when you leave.
Please dispose of your bulletin as you leave or take it with you to reference upcoming events.
The Sanctuary is sanitized after every worship service.