First United Methodist Church, 72 Lake Morton Drive, Lakeland, Florida 33801
Worship
The purpose of First United Methodist is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We strive to accomplish this by being a worship plus three church.

Worship plus three is how we define our ministries. We believe worship is of prime importance and is our foundation. In addition, we are to invite others into a relationship with God, grow in our own relationship with God and our neighbor and serve others as a continued sign of God’s work in our lives.
Sunday, September 15

Sermon Series: Our Turn
Sermon Title: Therefore, GO
Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20 (click here to read)

8:15am Traditional, Sanctuary
11am Traditional, Sanctuary
9:30am Contemporary, Fellowship Center
Rev. David McEntire will preach.

11:20am Contemporary, Fellowship Center
Rev. Andy Whitaker Smith will preach.

Click here to see Rev. Andy Whitaker Smith share scripture and questions for contemplation in preparation for Sunday worship.
Hospitalized
(as of September 9)
Larry Durrence, Josh Graham, Doreen Klein
and William Mahoney.

Baptism
Elijah Dennis Guy, September 8
Son of Heather Guy

Wedding
Kaitlyn Zieman and Cade Donker, September 7

Reflections on the Heart of Florida Walk to Emmaus

The Walk to Emmaus is an ecumenical three-day spiritual retreat experience sponsored by the Upper Room. On an Emmaus Weekend you sing, reflect, pray, worship, share Holy Communion, participate in small groups, experience God’s grace in community and see Christian love in action.

The Walk was transformative in my journey with Christ. I went on my weekend in 1987 at a crucial time in my life and experienced God’s love in a powerful way. It has been my joy to serve on other weekends over the years and see how many draw close to Christ, commit to grow in the faith and become servant leaders.

Jesus met the followers on the road to Emmaus and opened their eyes and hearts. Please accept this invitation to meet Jesus on the Walk to Emmaus.
-Rev. Betty Batey

We have many men and women in our congregation who have taken the Walk and would be glad to sponsor you. For more information, contact me, Rev. Betty Batey ( email here or 863-686-3163), or visit the Heart of Florida Walk to Emmaus website here .
Coming Soon!
Look for the 2019-2020 Music and Fine Arts Series brochure inside the October issue of First Connections magazine. We hope you'll consider becoming a Fine Arts Patron or Sponsor and join us for upcoming events. This fall we will implement online event ticketing and as a result tickets will be available exclusively through the church website. Contact Karen Buie ( email here or 863-687-9856) with questions Monday through Friday from 8:30am – 4:30pm.
The last week of September is Deaf Awareness Week . We are thankful for our amazing interpreters who every week extend the hand of welcome to people who are Deaf or hard of hearing in our community. 

Deaf Awareness Week originated in Rome, Italy in 1958 through the efforts of The World Federation of the Deaf . This international observance is a way to honor the history and heritage of Deaf and hard of hearing people, affirm diversity, educate society about deafness and celebrate Deaf culture. The Apostle Paul emphasized to the church in Corinth (and us) that the body of Christ needs all of its members ( 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 ).

Like other denominations, The United Methodist Church recognizes the need for Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to be better represented in the life of the church. Make sure you thank our interpreters when you see them, especially Becky Petrie who oversees this ministry. For more information about Deaf Ministries at First United Methodist, click here .
Invite
Meet our newest members from September 1!

Left to right: Martha Wilt,
Gail Stevens; Back row: Jean Anne Reed

Jean Anne Reed: Jean Anne has recently moved home to Lakeland from the Tampa Bay area. She enjoys “Do It Yourself” projects and arts and craft projects. Coming back to the Lakeland area, renewing friendships and making new friends are things she is looking forward to. Jean Anne considers the congregation here her church family. A genuinely friendly welcome was extended to her the first time she visited church. Jean Anne says that serving the Lord and being in ministry with her church family and community is her mission and plans to devote herself to serving through the many opportunities available here.

Gail Stevens: Gail considers herself a native Floridian returning home. She enjoys reading, exercise, traveling and hiking. Gail uses her God-given gift of compassion working as a patient care coordinator. As a result of an internet search, First United Methodist’s website led her to a Sunday service. She is inspired and motivated by the sermons and has been completely taken by the friendly sincere welcoming atmosphere. Gail is excited to be a serving disciple of God.
 
Martha Wilt: Martha is one of six children. Before retiring she worked in the mortgage and credit field. Martha enjoys puzzles, books, sewing and hand crafts. She provides quite a service to the community as a “pet sitter” while people work or travel. Here at the church she is developing a closer relationship to God through her Sunday School class and the sermon messages.
Harold and Sue Maready : Harold is a native Floridian who enjoys fishing and baking cakes. Currently head of the Vanguard School in Lake Wales, he will be retiring this time next year after devoting fifty years to education. His wife Sue is a retired elementary school teacher who dedicated thirty-five years of service to education. She enjoys decorating, organizing and planning activities and trips. They have one daughter and a brand new twelve-week-old grandson. They are both looking forward to working in the church after retirement and serving God by helping others is their passion. This church is exactly what they were looking for because of the personal connections they will make and variety of opportunities for involvement.
  Ted Wilhite : Ted was born into a military family and traveled around the world before serving in the military himself. While a student at Clemson University, he ran track and cross-country and played football. After moving back to Florida in 1971, he was a senior executive with a number of commercial banks and was on the Board of Trustees at Bethune Cookman College. Ted is currently on the Board at the USF Global Center for Strategic and Diplomatic Studies. His wife Celie is a Pastor at Bayshore Presbyterian Church and a Senior Circuit Court Judge. Ted and Celie are patrons of the Imperial Symphony Orchestra, the Polk Museum of Art and members of the Spivey Society. Because of Ted’s involvement with the Florida Annual Conference, he has known Rev. David McEntire since before joining the church and has great respect for him. Ted plans to serve by leading a men’s Bible Study here at the church.
Hannah Hodges: Hannah is a graduate of the University of Central Florida. She is a tenth grade Language Arts teacher for the Florida Virtual School. In her spare time, she enjoys crocheting and watching superhero movies. Hannah was introduced to this church by her parents and finds it has a sense of community. Hannah is looking forward to the different ways she can serve others.
Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me
Because the faith of a child is such a wonderful adventure, we are going to look through the imagination of a child. Join us for an original presentation from Genesis entitled “Faith Like a Child” tonight at 7pm in the Sanctuary. This multi-media presentation will feature drama, instrumentalists, Chancel Choir, dance, visuals and the story of God’s glorious creation. The event is presented by our Music and Fine Arts Department.

United Methodist Women's Book Club
Join the discussion on September 24 at 1pm in the Parlor to discuss Escape from the Green Mansion by Christine Taylor. This book is in the Education for Mission category. You may order Kindle and other versions here.

United Methodist Women
All women of the church are invited to the October General Meeting on October 14 at 10:30am in the Fellowship Center. The program will include a speaker from The Villages at Noah's Landing, a residential environment empowering people who have developmental disabilities to live, laugh and love. RSVP by October 9 to UMWReservations@firstumc.org - lunch is $4/person.
“Future generations will hear about the wonders
of the Lord.” Psalm 22:30

SheGrows helps women link lives to grow a deeper faith. First United Methodist is pleased to host the Lakeland SheGrows Conference on Friday, September 20 at 6:30pm in the Fellowship Center. The goal of SheGrows is to show women the power of linking lives with older and younger women to grow their faith by breaking down some common misconceptions of what mentoring means. Biblical examples and personal testimonies are used to ignite a passion to connect with other women in cross-generational relationships. SheGrows is not a system or program on how to mentor, rather it’s a three-hour event to spur women to begin mentoring relationships and show them how to do it.

Women of all ages are encouraged to come. Take advantage of a final ticket flash sale on Sunday, September 15. Tickets will be $10/off, making them just $29/each. If you’ve already purchased your own ticket, will you consider purchasing another for those who have requested scholarship assistance? To purchase tickets, click here . Questions? Contact Warren Pattison ( email here or 863-686-3163).
Grow

Sunday School at 9:30am:

Nursery through PK4 check in on the ground floor of the C Building. Kindergarten through fifth grades check in on the first floor of the C Building.
  • Nursery 2 through fourth grade: Sunday the children will learn how to welcome others based on Mark 10:50- 52.
  • Fifth grade: Sunday the children will learn about Moses wandering through the wilderness from Exodus 16:4-5.

Sunday evening : Children PK3 (fully toilet trained) through fifth grade are invited to join us as we continue Mission Possible with a lesson on Helping Hands. Programming is 5-7pm, dinner is $3/person.

Wednesday: Children PK3 (fully toilet trained) through fifth grade are invited to join us for classes 6:30-7:30pm about Practical Bible Exploration with hands-on activities.
Sunday morning: In-depth Bible Study and discussion at 9:30am in Room F-1.

Sunday Night : One United Youth Worship in Room F-1 from 5-7pm. Ice breakers, community building, meal and fellowship! Next week we will work collaboratively on a missions project during a Missions Night.

Wednesday Night ReCharge : 6-7:30pm in the Youth Game Room. Come hangout in a relaxed space for a mid-week break!

Serve with One United Youth at Talbot House : Meet us at Talbot House each Thursday at 5:15pm to serve. For more information, contact Brett Foster ( email here or 863-687-9750).

Canoe Trip on Saturday, September 21, from 9:30am-4:30pm . We still have a couple of spots left. We will depart the church at 9:30am. Bring your lunch and $20 per person. If you are interested, contact the Youth Office (863-687-9750) or Stephanie Keen ( email here ).

PHOENIX Wednesday evening dinner and classes Meal service begins at 5pm. Tickets are $6/adult, $3/child under 12 and $20 max per family. Classes and groups follow at 6:30. More info is available here .
Join us On the Road for a new sermon series and community groups . On the Road is a five-week community group resource written and produced by our pastoral and program staff. We’ll look at stories that help us remember many of the walks Jesus took in his ministry – intentionally journeying through communities, encountering strangers, experiencing rejection and showing us how to love one another.
We’ll be starting new Community Groups for On the Road, gathering in homes or local businesses to share life together through scripture study, prayer and friendship. We’re asking you to host a Community Group during this series. It’s really simple. We’ll provide you with an easy-to-use, high-quality video resource. Your commitment is to gather a few friends, neighbors and co-workers from the community and meet together weekly in a small group setting. You don’t need to be a Bible expert or a teacher – the videos we provide will do the teaching. You provide a safe and comfortable setting with a place to watch the video and have a conversation. We’ll give you some questions to start the discussion, and the Holy Spirit will guide you as you grow together in love. We encourage you to host a group to connect with people in fellowship and study. Sign up this Sunday at the table in the Welcome Center. For more information on hosting or connecting with a Community Group, click here . Contact Warren Pattison ( email here or 863-686-3163) with questions.
Social Principles Book Club
Interested in exploring how to apply your faith and how God might be calling you into action? Do you enjoy reading the stories of others and being in dialogue with fellow Christians? The Social Principles Book Club is a multi-week study of The Social Principles of the United Methodist Church that utilizes real-life illustrations of contemporary issues. The format is discussion-based and collaborative. Christi Wright will lead the conversations on topics including immigration, poverty and more using the books Enrique’s Journey and Evicted. The class will meet on Sundays from 5:15-6:45pm in Room C-204 through November 24. Books will be available in ' "Our Giving Tree" Bookstore and Gift Shop. More information, registration and info on childcare is available here.

Bibliodrama
Experience the Bible in exciting new ways through Bibliodrama. Combining a close reading of Biblical texts with searching, imaginative questions, Bibliodrama offers people of all ages and levels of knowledge an opportunity to experience a method of creative study that will change the way you read the Bible. Pastor Ian Campbell will lead a workshop on Bibliodrama on Saturday, September 28, 9am – 1pm. Lunch will be provided. The workshop is free due to a generous grant but registration is required. Sunday School teachers, small group leaders and parents are particularly encouraged to attend. More info and registration is available here or contact Warren Pattison ( email here or 863-686-3163).

Share God’s love through American Sign Language
Our free classes in Beginner’s American Sign Language (ASL) are back. Join us on Mondays from 6:30-7:30pm for Basic and 7:30-8:30pm for Songs in Sign. Contact Becky Petrie ( email here or 863-944-5404) or complete the form here .

Adult Sunday School
Visitors are always welcome to attend any of our Adult Sunday School groups. If you would like more information, contact Warren Pattison ( email here or 863-682-1912).

  • BYKOTA Class, Room C-207: The class welcomes you to join them for Bible study, fellowship and friendship. Following their exploration of Genesis, Dr. Doug Hallman is teaching an original series on Exodus titled "Go Down Moses."
  • Genesis Class, Room C-202: The class welcomes you as they explore faith and life together.
  • The Homebuilders Class, Chapel: The class started in 1945 and is taught by Rev. Brian Tiffany. September’s theme is “God the Creator."
  • The Koinonia Class, Room C-205: The class welcomes all who desire to grow in their love of God and neighbor. You are invited to join them for a life application Bible study led by Rev. Terry Heck.
  • The Searchers Class, Room C-206: This class is perfect for all who are searching for a deeper connection with God in Christ. Sunday they begin an exploration of the many callings we have in our lives, using Kathleen Cahalan’s book The Stories We Live. Karl Olexa leads.
  • The Sendero Class, Room C-204. This class continues their exploration of Peter Scazzero’s book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. Rev. Wesley Crist leads.
  • Storyline, Room C-201C. This is an intentionally intergenerational class for young adults and other adults. The group desires to explore how the stories of our lives intersect and weave together in God’s story. Adults of all ages and stages of life are welcome. They are currently looking at Will Willimon’s book Fear of the Other: No Fear in Love. Michael Pippen leads.
  • The Vanguard Class, Room C-203. This class invites you to join them as as Bishop Bob Fannin teaches on the theme of “God the Creator.”
Serve

kidsPACK –  The latest statistics reveal that there are more than 4,500 children registered as homeless in Polk County Public Schools, with nearly 760 of them in Lakeland. Our mission is to assist these children with food on the weekend and give them hope. For the 2019-2020 school year we will continue with meal assembly on the first Wednesday of the month. Setup begins at 9am each packing day. At 4pm we pack and wrap the weekend food cells for weekly delivery.

Occasionally we need substitute drivers to assist volunteers who regularly deliver to our assigned schools. If you can assist with packing or delivery or have questions, please contact Nelson Kimball ( email here ) or Skip Stevenson ( email here ).
September is the Ryan's Case for Smiles Miles for Smiles National Pillowcase Challenge for kids with cancer.  Last year our goal was 100 pillowcases and we donated 121. Lakeland Regional Health is one of 10 hospitals in the Tampa Bay Area that receives these pillowcases. We have set a September goal of 150 cases. Kits will be available in E-20 on Wednesday, September 18 from 6-7pm. Join us for fellowship and to learn how to make these much needed and loved pillowcases. For further information, contact Sherry Harter (863-446-3866) or Cindy Doer (863-944-4955).
The One Blood Bloodmobile will be parked along Walnut Street this Sunday from 9am - 1pm. Please plan to donate and help save a life.

The United Methodist Women are seeking donations of jewelry and purses for their Jewelry and Purse Sale on Sunday, December 8. Donations are accepted at the Missions Depot each Monday from 10am - 2pm or may be dropped off at the Church Administrative Office. Contact Carol Meyer for more information (863-665-0482).

How Can We Help Victims of Hurricane Dorian?
Our hearts are broken by the deaths and destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian. We encourage you to pray for grieving survivors and first responders and consider making a financial donation through UMCOR – United Methodist Committee On Relief (click here) . Operational since 1940, UMCOR has been highly rated by Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities. As we learn additional ways we can help with recovery we will let you know. If you have questions, contact Forrest White, Director of Mission Ministries ( email here or 863-686-3163).
Silent Auction
Artist Ron Bell regularly adds to the 11:20 worship service by expressing and interpreting the message through his artwork. In conjunction with "Our Giving Tree" Bookstore and Gift Shop, Ron’s Easter artwork will be available for purchase through a silent auction through Sunday, September 22. Winners will be notified after September 22. Ron shared that during the lowest time in his life and after decades of alcoholism and his mother’s death, the Salvation Army gave him a second chance at life; helping him see his self-worth, and also helped and encouraged him to develop his relationship with Christ. He has asked that proceeds from the sale be shared with the Salvation Army.