First United Methodist Church
72 Lake Morton Drive
Lakeland, FL 33801
www.firstumc.org
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This Sunday the congregation of First United Methodist Church may not be physically together but we can show our faith together. Place a palm on your front door, mailbox or somewhere your neighbors will see and remind them this is the day that commemorates the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem.
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Palm Sunday
Sunday, March 5
Join us this Sunday at 9:30am and 11am on our
website
This Sunday, Palm Sunday, we will be celebrating Communion. We encourage you to gather the elements in your home, a piece of bread or cracker and juice (or water, if juice is not available).
We will consecrate the elements during the online services and you will know when to take them. We pray this is a blessing to you and your loved ones as we know the grace of God extends to wherever we are. You do not have to be a member of our church or a United Methodist to join us for communion. All are welcome at God’s table.
Worship is of prime importance and our foundation. Even though we are practicing social distancing we can worship together. Words to the Affirmation of Faith, hymn and praise songs will be projected on the screen so you can participate from wherever you are. Please join us on Sunday.
Contemporary at 9:30am and Traditional at 11am
Rev. Andy Whitaker Smith will deliver the message:
Have This Mind
Scripture:
Luke 19:28-40
Waite and Susan Willis will lead the music at 9:30am
Matthew Corl will lead the music at 11am
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Visit our
website
for a list of Holy Week services and activities.
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Hospitalized
As of March 30
Jane Billings, Margie Brownlee,
Chuck Schiedegger and Tricia Warren
Memorial
Dorothy Zvara
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Bible Study and Activity Resources
We have Bible study and faith formation resources for all ages available
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Instead of meeting in our sanctuary to pray during the season of Lent, we will offer a Facebook video to view images, read prayers, and post comments together. Join us Wednesday morning at 10am on
Faceboo
k
. Or on our
website
. All are welcome.
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Join us for "Going Deeper" at 5pm Sunday nights. One of our pastors will lead an interactive conversation on the morning's sermon, offering some additional thoughts and welcoming your comments and reflections. Catch on Sunday nights at 5pm on
Facebook
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Streaming Bible Study Videos for All Ages
Amplify Media
and
Right Now Media
are streaming video services for Bible study and faith formation. You might think of them as Netflix for Bible study. Amplify Media streams resources from the United Methodist Publishing House, including Deep Blue Kids (our children's Sunday school curriculum), youth studies and adult studies. They feature authors like Adam Hamiliton, Amy Jill Levine, Jim Harnish, Justin Coleman and many more.
Right Now Media has video resources and Bible studies for all ages from a wide variety of authors. There are animated videos for kids, studies for youth and a variety of categories for adult studies including general Bible study, women, men, marriage and parenting.
Complete this
form
to request access to Amplify Media and /or Right Now Media. We will add you to the service(s), and you will receive an email from Amplify and/or Right Now to set up your account.
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Summer Music Camp
Rising 1-6 grades are invited to join our Summer Music Camp, July 27 - 31. We will meet from 9am - 3pm for a week of drama, arts and crafts, singing, acting, dancing, set making with lights and sound, devotions, percussion class and much more that ends with a full musical production of the story of the Good Samaritan.
Cost for this memorable and exciting week is $110/child. A snack and lunch are provided daily, along with a pizza party on Friday before we perform our musical. The performance is free and open to the public at 6pm, Friday, 31 in the Fellowship Center. More information or to
register your child
Space is limited for each grade level so register now. No experience is necessary to participate. Auditions for speaking parts will be held on June 26 at 12:30 in E3 (children's choir room. For more information contact
Diana
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While we are away from each other and the church building,
please
visit here
for spiritual and faith formation.
For children's opportunities and questions, contact
Cristi Moore
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Children's Ministry
This Sunday
- Nursery 2 - grade 4: Palm Sunday using scripture from Mark 11:1-11
- Grade 5: Staying Awake from scripture Matthew 26:31-56
To continue our discipleship and learning during this time when we cannot meet face to face, we will be hosting Zoom 'Lunch Bunch' everyday for fellowship, devotion and prayer from 12 - 1pm. Contact
Cristi
to find our details.
Please note: That even though ministry does not look like it normally does, our Child/Youth Protection Policy is still in place. Each 'Lunch Bunch' Zoom meeting will have at least 2-3 screened, non-related adults on the call. Additionally, it is important that you know all fo the calls will be recorded. In order to help us keep compliant with CYPP, we ask you not to post photos of the 'Lunch Bunch' calls that show name or images of other children on the call other than you own child.
- Monday: all ages
- Tuesday: Kindergarten and grade 1
- Wednesday: Grades 2 and 3
- Thursday: preschoolers
- Fridays: grades 4 and 5
We will also be hosting a Wednesday Parent/Guardian Connection via Zoom from 8-9pm.
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Youth Ministry
Stay connected to 'One United Youth' through
email and remind
. IF you wish to be added to the contact list, contact
Stephanie Keen
Middle School Hangout
Tuesday - 3pm
High School Hangout
Thursday- 3pm
Confirmation Class
(No Class During Holy Week)
Wednesday- 6pm
One United Youth Group
Sunday- 5pm
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Sunday School for Adults
The following classes are meeting via telephone conference calls or video conferencing technology. For more information on how to connect with these classes, email
Warren
.
- BYKOTA Class is studying foundational texts of the Bible, led by Rev. Doug Hallman. Meets via Conference Call to(863) 250-1152. Class starts at 9:30am Sundays, call is open starting at 9:20am.
- Genesis Class is completing the Lent study of Restored, led by Barbara Whetton. Meets via Conference Call to (863) 250-0724. Class starts at 9:30am Sundays, call is open starting at 9:20am.
- Homebuilders is our longest running Sunday school class. Rev. Brian Tiffany teaches from the Standard Lesson Series Bible Study. April’s theme is “God Promises a Just Kingdom” with lessons from Isaiah, 1 Corinthians, and Esther. Meets via Conference Call to (863) 250-1141 or online. Class starts at 9:30am Sundays, call is open starting at 9:20am.
- Searchers Class is participating in our Lent study of Restored, led by Gwen Pipkin. Meets via Zoom. Contact Warren here for Zoom information. Class starts at 9:30am Sundays, call is open starting at 9:20am.
- Sendero Class is studying The Ten Second Rule by Clare De Graaf. Barry Zimmerman leads. Meets via Conference Call to (863) 243-6668. Class starts at 9:30am Sundays, call is open starting at 9:20am.
- Vanguard is using the Adult Bible Studies series, led by Robert Thorn. April’s theme is “Salvation.” Meet via Conference Call to (863) 250-1038 or online. A supplemental video for the lesson is available. Class starts at 9:30am Sundays, call is open starting at 9:20am.
Online Adult Studies - click on the titles to take you to the studies
- Restored Lenten Study: Our community groups and classes may not be meeting face-to-face, but you can participate in the online study of Tom Berlin’s book Restored, which corresponds to our Lenten sermon series. Whether you’re a few weeks in or just beginning, you’re welcome to join this self-paced study.
- Prayer and Worship in Our Homes: The Early Church understood the importance of drawing near to Christ when the act of physically coming together became problematic. In an age of COVID-19, our inability to draw near to one another should not affect our ability to draw near to God. This free, multi-part course is designed for Christians to use this time of separation from one another as a time of drawing near to God.
- Bridging the Political Divide with Parker Palmer: Learn how to walk through our divisive political climate with grace and peace. Author and activist Parker J. Palmer shares inspirational and practical knowledge on how we might approach deep political division.
- Make Me an Instrument of Peace: A Guide to Civil Discourse: How many of us have ever prayed, ‘Lord make me an instrument of your peace,’ then found ourselves in complex and polarized situations that made peace seem impossible? This course is for you. No matter how far apart two sides are, there are effective strategies to bring people together, this course shows us how.
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Please lift up in prayer our local, domestic and international missions partners,
as we await the time when we are able to serve alongside them once again. If you have any questions about missions or serving please contact
Forrest White
, Director of Mission Ministries. Words from Mother Teresa’s Nobel Prize lecture in 1979 seem especially true in these days:
“Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do,
but how much love we put in the action that we do.“
Philip O'Brien
During this time of uncertainty, even though the school is closed, we can still donate books so that when the children return the library will be stocked.
click here to donate
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