First United Methodist Church 72 Lake Morton Drive, Lakeland, FL

WORSHIP

Sunday, July 25 8:15am Worship on the Lawn Join us at 8:15am on the front lawn and worship outside by Lake Morton. Rev. Dale Golden to lead

8:15am Sanctuary 9:30am Fellowship Center 11am Sanctuary Blessings/Numbers 6:22-26 Rev. Alex Shanks will be our guest speaker Reverend Alex Shanks is the Assistant to the Bishop for the Florida Annual Conference and has previously served at First Coral Springs and Christ Church in Fort Lauderdale. Alex has been a vital and effective leader in the Florida Conference, also serving as a delegate to Jurisdictional and General Conferences. Alex earned his Bachelor's Degree from Florida Southern College and his Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School in North Carolina. While at Florida Southern College, he served on the staff of our church and on the team at the Warren W. Willis United Methodist Camp. He is married to Angela and they have two children, Jack and Lily Kate. The Shanks family is active in our church and we are very thankful to have Alex as our guest preacher today. 11am Fellowship Center Forrest White and Shelby Hallman will be guest speakers Covid Requirements If you have NOT been vaccinated, we require masks. Social distancing will be observed in the pews in the Sanctuary and chairs in the Fellowship Center. Please help us prevent the spreading of Covid by following these rules!

Hospitalized (as of July 19) Eleanor Gardner, Juliann Holman, Charles Lake, Gay Oulman and Michelle Price Death Melanie Harden, July 13 Wedding Katheryn Campbell & Wesley Swanson, July 17

INVITE

We are excited to present these new members who joined our congregation Sunday, July 18. Please welcome them when you see them in worship services and groups.

Casey Hutchinson and Michael Pagano: Casey and Michael found First United Methodist while walking Lake Morton and came upon the 8:15am Lawn Service. They loved the music and message and felt led to learn more. They are excited to become involved wit the ministries of the church and look forwaard to serving in missions and youth ministry. Casey was a RN in the oncology field before becoming a medical supply representative and Michael was a cardiac catheterization RN before becoming a cardiovascular sales specialist. Casey and Michael are engaged to be married in January.

Front row, left to right: Sherry Hand and Becky Silvestre. Back row: Sam Ramirez Sherry Hand: Sherry was introduced to First United Methodist by friends. As an active Christian, she was happy to find a church home with a myriad of opportunities to serve others. Sheey is involved with 'Walk to Emmaus.' Now retired from a career in Mortgate and Real Estate, she finds time for her hobbies of golfing and cruising. Her love for animals is evident through the care for her two rescue cats and dog. Sherry looks forward to being in ministry at First United Methodist Church.

Rev. Dr. Samuel Ramirez: Over the years, sam has had a variety of career experiences. Holding a PHD in Molecular Biology, he was a professor at UTSA. After earning his PhD in Theology he became a pastor and nor retired, serves as a Chaplain at LRMC. Sam was attracted to first United Methodist because of the numerous ways to serve. He is looking forward to being involved with the Congregational Care Ministry, the Special Needs Ministry and Missions. Rebecca Silvestre: Rebecca was introduced to First United Methodist by her parents, Charlene and Walter Collins. Presently, she is attending Polk State College to earn a degree in Medical Coding and Billing. Becky finds First United Methodist to have a genuine warm, welcoming and friendly ambience. She is enthusiastic about the opportunities available to grow in her faith and serve. Her pan is to become involved with Local and Global Missions as well as the Greeter Ministry.

Followers of the Way Bible Study - Wednesdays, Noon, C-204 Men of all ages: Bring a sack lunch and join us each Wednesday. You may also join online via Zoom. We explore the Bible passage for the upcoming Sunday’s sermon.

Christmas in July - Advent Devotion Book Our Advent study this year is Christmas is Not your Birthday, by Mike Slaughter. You are invited to write on the real meaning and significance of Christmas; the wonder of Jesus and the joy that comes through your relationship with Him. Prayerfully think about contributing your story along with a scripture and short prayer by October 1. For questions, contact Muriel Kuhn, 386-546-7343 or email her with your devotion

GROW

For more information regarding our Children's Ministry, contact Cristi Moore, Director of Children's Ministries See above for our Fall Kick Off Event and our Back to School Bash! Children’s 9:30 Sunday School Reservations Now Open for July 25 Classes are offered for Toddlers - Grade 5. Masks required for adults and children Kindergarten and older. Weekly reservations will be required as class size will be limited for social distancing.         Never Miss Sunday School Again! Here is a great way for your child to keep up with Sunday School when they are not able to attend in person.  You can access this any time during the week here. There are rooms for each age level that include Bible stories, activities, games, devotions and much more.

For information regarding our Youth Ministry events, contact Emily Felgenhauer, Director of Youth Ministry: (863) 687-9750 Youth Group this Sunday, 5-7pm in F1 This coming Sunday we are going to have a Birthday Party! YES! For who, you might ask!??!? Well…. It’s really going to be for everyone! We are going to discover our Birthday Verses that God designed for each of us! Sounds interesting? Good! We encourage everyone to bring their own personal Bibles and to again invite their friends! We’ll have birthday cupcakes to enjoy at the end of youth group…. It’s gonna be a blast! See you Sunday Night! For more information contact Emily Youth Praise Brand Does your youth play an instrument or love to sing? Contact Cindy Cleveland about joining the Youth Praise Band! Planning Ahead: Sunday Aug 22nd (Confirmation Sunday)  We will be celebrating the 2020 Confirmation class in the Sanctuary at 5pm followed by a reception in the Welcome Center immediately after. We encourage all of our youth, volunteers and families to please be present to celebrate our youth and their commitment to Christ and this church. There will not be regular youth programming that evening. See above for our Fall Kick Off!

For more information regarding our Adult Ministry, contact Warren Pattison, Direct of Adult Education, Sunday School for Adults: 9:30am Our Sunday School classes meet in person with the option to join online. Visitors are welcome to participate in any of these classes. For more information on connecting with a particular class, email Warren. BYKOTA (Be Ye Kind One To Another), Room C-207 / Online / Conference Call to (863) 250-1152 Genesis: Room C-202/Online Homebuilders: Room C-201B/Online/Conference Call: (863)250-1141 Koinonia: Room C-205/Online Searchers: Room C-206/Online Sendero: Room C-204/Online Vanguard: Room C-207/Online/Conference Call: (863) 250-1038

Using Activities to Maintain Independence for ADLs   Activities of daily living (ADLs) contain the skills an individual needs to live a safer, more successful, and independent life. ADLs refer to self-care activities, such as dressing, grooming, toileting, eating and bathing. These tasks require skills such as motor planning, sequencing, and even balance. These can present great difficulty for individuals with cognitive and/or physical challenges, and those who provide care for them. Below are some tips to assist you and your loved one with ADLs in an enjoyable way.     Read the morning paper together to reinforce cognitive skills, which are integral to any functional daily task.   Incorporate life skill tasks that reinforce “reminiscing,” not “remembering” for those with memory challenges. For example, engaging a former gardener with sorting seeds. Motor skills practiced will carryover to ADL performance.   Art through paints/coloring is a great way to work on fine motor skills necessary for dressing, (i.e. grasping), managing buttons/zippers, and upper extremity movements.   Art also allows an individual to express him or herself through use of color or shape, and can be a great calming tool as well.   Music and movement (i.e. dancing), is a fun and motivating way to work on standing and weight shifting tasks used when dressing, toileting, and showering.     Taking daily walks outside (or even inside) if able is an invaluable tool to maintaining functional mobility. The benefits of walking are physical, social, and even emotional.   Do a morning stretch together, reaching your arms up as if you are retrieving something from a high cabinet?   Keep family members active and cooperative with these activities by using positive communication throughout. Always “invite” instead of “command.” and remember to have fun!   Purchase adaptive equipment such as weighted cutlery for easier eating, or a grabber reacher.     If you would like more information on our Memory Ministry or need tips on caregiving, please contact Vicky

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