cross &Flame May 2016 news
What’s Inside
Missions 2 Children’s Ministry 4 From Pastor Alan 1 Music Camps 8 Stewardship 7 Summer Growth Groups 9 Nursery 10 New Members 11
Service Times Sunday 9:30 | Contemporary 11:00 | Traditional
General Conference
On May 10-20, 2016 the General Conference of the United Methodist Church will meet in Portland, Oregon. The General Conference is the highest legislative body in the denomination and meets every four years to discuss and amend the policy of UMC. Those changes are then codified in the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church. The policies enacted by that body can affect anything from how many people can serve on the local church Board of Trustees to setting the mission and vision for the denomination. The General Conference is made up of 864 delegates from across the world. Annual Conference or Episcopal Area (an area overseen by a bishop) elects an equal number of lay and clergy delegates to send to the conference.
Continued on page 6 850.939.2028 | navarre.church 9474 Navarre Parkway, Navarre, FL 32566
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missions toxic charity
In 2011, Toxic Charity was published, and churches everywhere started rethinking how they did charitable work. One of the big things that came under scrutiny in many churches was the short term mission trip. Here are some of the big arguments against why short term mission trips should be avoided: The money it takes to get the people there could be better spent to support local people.
I had the privilege of working with a disaster response group in New Orleans after Katrina hit. Part of the damage that is usually overlooked was that the majority of street signs were destroyed and so directions were difficult to give and to follow. There was a team who was given a house to reroof and they worked on it for a week, never meeting the homeowner who was living with family in another state (which describes 90% of the houses we worked on). On their last day, as they were finishing up, a car pulled in the drive way. It was the owners of the house. The only problem was, the team had spent the last week roofing the WRONG house. They were one street over. Oops. So not only did they do construction on a house without permission or the right paperwork, they also misused thousands of dollars worth of supplies and probably broke a few laws in the process.
• It creates a white savior complex. • It creates dependency. • All we’re doing is putting a band aid on a fatal wound. To be honest, there are dozens of reasons why you shouldn’t do short term mission trips. But for every reason not to go, there is a reason to go and to support missions. Things tend to get complicated, and yes there are bad things that well intentioned groups do that make This is one of those situations where it’s the rest of us cringe. However, never discount really easy to point to the faults in short term missions, talk about potential lawsuits, and what God can do in spite of our short falls. how it hurt the organization because of the
missions
3 worship long after we’re gone. And our team, the twelve people who are paying thousands of dollars do go serve people they don’t even know, will get to experience first hand what happens when you decide to follow God anywhere. Short term mission trips are where I felt God’s call into ministry. Short term missions are where things finally clicked for me and I got beyond just the Sunday School answers. Trips like these have immeasurable impact on the communities where we go and on the people who go, and that’s why I will always support short term missions.
misuse of funds and lack of competency. The end result? A conversation happened. The homeowners had driven back to their house to commit suicide because they had no hope left. When they saw a team of strangers working on their house they were given a small amount of hope. The team was able to get them in touch with multiple people who were able to walk them through a process to get the help they needed- mentally, spiritually, and their physical needs. The teams mistake of working on the wrong house literally saved the lives of two people. This summer, our church is sending a team to Ecuador. We’ll only be gone a week, which on paper means we won’t get to do a whole lot. But you can never discount what God does with these trips. We’ll get to support an encourage people who serve there every day. We’ll meet hundreds of kids and be the hands and feet of Jesus. We’ll help build a church where hundreds of people will get to
There are so many ways that you can support our Ecuador team. The first is just to give financially. The total trip will cost around $20,000 and any financial support you give relieves stress and helps us focus on the important parts of mission work. We desperately need prayer for the team and for the people that we’ll be serving. We need just emotional support. Send them encouraging notes. Let them know that you are praying for them. And lastly, create opportunities for them to talk about what God did on the trip. We’ll want to talk about every detail which will annoy family and friends, but the more we talk about it, the more we process it. The more people see that God continues to work through missions, and that even though there is no perfect trip, God is still God and can use our brokenness for his glory.
Nat han Persell
children’s ministry
4 Celebrating Mothers Celebrating Families
“Many scholars have concluded that you cannot really understand John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, unless you understand his mother Susan Wesley. She was so instrumental in his life that she inevitably affect the movement and its direction. Americans know that Abraham Lincoln led this nation through perhaps it’s time of greatest crisis; but who was it that made Abraham Lincoln the man he was? I know what Lincoln would thought. He said it was his mother. I would submit to you this morning that there is not a person sitting here that in one, five, ten a thousand different ways has not been forever influenced by their mother. I firmly believe that you cannot understand who a person is and what motivates them until you understand their past. And you cannot understand a person’s past without understanding the source of that co-created that person along with God – their parents.” Unknown... www.tonycooke.org “All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.”- Abraham Lincoln “I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.” -Abraham Lincoln We have a date, a holiday on our calendar every second Sunday in May, to remember, and to celebrate our mothers. What comes to mind when we think about our mothers? What memories or insights did our mother’s share with us, or pass on to us that we want to share with our children? Maybe we have already passed on some traditions, recipes,
memorable sayings or stories that have been passed down to us. In Proverbs 1:8 – the Bible tells us “Listen, my son to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.” The Bible also says in both the Old and New Testament to Honor our Mothers and Fathers. (Exodus 20:13, Matthew 15: 4 …) Parents generally have more significant impact on their children than anyone else. Let’s take time this month to celebrate our mother and the significance that they have brought to our lives. Retell the great stories that you hold as fond memories. Parenting is hard wonderful significant work, which goes largely unrecognized unless there is a problem. So how about we celebrate the wonder, the effort, the sacrifices that our parents have and are giving and stop and say thank you, and offer a prayer to God on their behalf.
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Children’s Ministry If you are like me, your parents have already gone to be with Jesus and I am ever grateful for the many ways that they spoke into my life and lives of my children and grandchildren. My parents were not perfect, no parent is, but they left me with a Christian legacy, a thankful, grateful heart, and a truck load of wonderful memories and stories to share with my children and grandchildren.
Camps – Coming to a Neighborhood near you!
Check out our website to find a camp that will be coming soon to your neighborhood. Be sure to pray for those leaders and sign up to help with a camp on a date/ time it convenient for you. Contact Lori at children@navarreumc.org for more information
Special note to moms: Even without being e are taking Vacation Bible School to our intentional, we are creating special moments, neighborhoods! memories, and in time a legacy of our own • April 29, 30, and May 1st – 6-8 pm On that our children will carry. Think about what Campus your legacy is or will be to your children, to • VBS for Our VBS Staff and children. your family. Ask God to give you wisdom, • Other Camps: discernment, energy and courage to set a • Holly by the Sea: Valley Rd. -Hidden Christ-like example for your kids. This would Creek Entrance – (Lori’s House) June 13, be a great conversation and effort to work at 14, 15 9-11 am with your spouse and/or grandparents. • The Den (Lorraine Taylor Camp) June 20, http://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/ 21, 22 9-11 am parenting/foundations/godly-legacy/five• Our Preschool July 6, 7, 8 9-11 am essentials-to-leaving-a-legacy-that-willoutlive-you Additional camps to be booked. (Contact me as soon as possible, to book a camp in your neighborhood) Brochures are available. Please plan to attend one of the training meetings to prepare to help at one of our camps this summer. Contact me with any questions or comments or needs!!
Lori Ferguson
April 9-10 Vacation Bible School Training and Orientation Meeting All leaders should attend one of these duplicate Sessions: • April 9, 9:00-11:00am • April 10, 6:00-8:00pm
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From Pastor Alan
Continued from page 1 During the first week of the General conference meeting, delegates will be busy working through the mountain of petitions which have been submitted from across the the Church and preparing legislation for Conference action during the second week. During the meeting there will be numerous news stories coming out of the Conference, it is important to understand that the General Conference is the only body that can officially speak for the church. The news stories that come from the event may quote any number of clergy, bishops or lay persons, but only the General Conference speaks for the Church. Suffice it to say, please keep our delegation in prayer. They are currently reading through petitions and procedural guidelines preparing for the long hours of meeting. I have listed our delegation below so you can keep them in prayer. On July 13-15 another important meeting will take place. The South East Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church will meet at Lake Junaluska, South Carolina. The primary business which will take place there will be the election and appointment of bishops for our Annual Conference. This year the Rev. Dr. Lawson Bryan, Senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church Montgomery will be put forward as a candidate for bishop.
• • • • • • • • • •
General Conference Delegation and Legislative Committee Assignments
Steve Furr, laity: Church & Society 2 Pat Luna, laity: Judicial Administration Beverly Maddox, laity: Faith & Order Clara Ester, laity: Church & Society 1 Dawn Hare, laity; General Administration Lawson Bryan, clergy: Ministry & Higher Education/Superintendency Larry Bryars, clergy: Financial Administration Jeremy Pridgeon, clergy: Conferences Robin Wilson, clergy: Discipleship John Brooks, clergy: Local Church
Jurisdictional Conference Delegation
• Frank Moore, laity: Independent Commissions (no vote) • Robert Powell, laity • Frank Dunnewind, laity • Tripp Gulledge, laity • Gene Floore, laity • Rurel Ausley, clergy • Cory Smith, clergy • Tonya Elmore, clergy • Emily Kincaid, clergy
Alan Cassady
stewardship Right Thing to Do
Stewardship is an attitude of the mind and heart that expresses itself in action. Acknowledging that as stewards we are managers, not owners, of God’s gifts is the first step. Stewardship calls us to recognize that everything we have is a gift from a loving God and that we are called by God to receive these gifts gratefully, cultivate them fully and share them generously. One cannot give himself tomorrow, it is not promised. If God gives us tomorrow, we answer to how we receive that gift, what we do with it and what is produced from it. What will I do with this and every gift I am given? A father takes his son to McDonald’s and buys him some French fries. The father reaches over and takes one french fry to taste it. The little boy slaps his father’s hand and says, “Don’t touch my french fries”. The father thinks that his son is selfish. The father knows that he
7 bought the french fries and they belong to him. The father thinks,” Why is my son selfish? I have given him much, I only wanted one fry. God has given us much, when we selfishly keep all his gifts we figuratively slap his hand and say, “Keep your hands off my stuff”. The stewardship lifestyle is very counter cultural. People may question why anyone would choose such a path. That is why perseverance is so important in making stewardship a way of life. When you choose the path of stewardship, you may struggle at first with the initial changes required of you to become a better steward. It is not always easy to separate yourself from the demands and possessions of this world. However, by persevering in your stewardship journey you will experience many surprising rewards along the way. Stewardship is the right thing to do: its rewards can’t be kept out. God gives, become a good steward of what he gives and hear the words we read in the parable of the talents, “well done good and faithful servant”.
Mark Cook
music camp
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Music Camp
Music Camp: God’s Unfailing Love, Thursdays July 7, 14, 28 and August 4th Dress Rehearsal August 6th Camp Cost: $ 30.00 Register on line Music Camp Presentation: August 7th at 9:30am and 11:00am – The Gathering Music/Art camp is for children who have completed Kindergarten through completed 5th grade (by June1, 2016). This camp will highlight songs from our Vacation Bible School Camp. It will offer a more intense exposure to those songs including, step, drama, set design, percussion and Bible study. These camp members will offer a presentation at the end of camp that will include children from our Vacation Bible School camps as their back up choir.
summer Growth Groups Sunday Morning Groups The Epic of Eden by Sandra Richter (Code: Epic) Chris Beam & Lloyd McGrady | 9:30 | Taylor Hall 210 | 12 Weeks Does your knowledge of the Old Testament feel like a grab bag of people, books, events, and ideas? This 12-week study helps you understand the history of God’s redeeming grace, weaving together a story that runs from the Eden of the Garden to the garden of the New Jerusalem. It is perfect for someone who is new to the Christian faith or someone who has been in the church their entire lives. This group has optional homework and is based around a video each week to discuss.
Crazy Love by Francis Chan Andrew & Stephanie Swisher and Dave & Stephanie Driscoll | The Den | 10 Weeks It’s crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universe the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minor loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss. Whether you’ve verbalized it yet or not, we all know something’s wrong. Once you encounter His love, as Francis describes it, you will never be the same. Because when you’re wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.
Stepping Out in Faith: A Look into the life of Abraham Bobbie Scott | Taylor Hall 209 | Weeks
9 Wednesday Evening Groups Our Wednesday Evening programing starts with dinner at 5:00, followed by children groups at 5:45 and youth & adult groups at 6:00. All groups get done at 7:00. For details on what we will be serving for dinner, please visit our events page: navarre.church/events
All In! Next Step to Membership by Faith Parry Faith Parry | 3 Weeks This is the place to start if you want to learn more about our church or membership. This group explores the topic of membership in the United Methodist Church and the mission of Navarre United Methodist Church. This group starts every other month. Things start off with an Introduction lunch which meets after church. Pastor Alan will give a brief history of Navarre United Methodists Church and explain what membership in a Methodist church is all about. At the end, you can decide if you want to move on to the 3 week membership class All In! written by Pastor Faith. The lunch is free and childcare is provided. Check the bulletin or navarre.church/events for the next Introduction lunch.
Stepping Out in Faith: A Look into the life of Abraham TBD | Taylor Hall 203 | 8 Weeks This study goes along with our summer sermon series. If you miss the sermon on Sunday, don’t worry, you can listen to it online before you come. Join with us as we dive into Abraham’s journey of faith and see how it relates to our life. The class format includes a short video then open discussion for the rest of the time.
This study goes along with our summer sermon series. If you miss the sermon on Sunday, don’t worry, you can listen to it online before you come. Join with us as we dive into Abraham’s journey of faith and see how it relates to our life. The class format includes a short video then open discussion for the rest of the time.
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nursery Sunday Morning Nursery Schedule Birth through VPK - All Classes in Taylor Hall
Service Time
Classes
Classroom
Teachers
9:30 am
The Little Gardeners (6 wks through 12 mos)
Room 108
Hannah Persell
9:30 am
Ms. Kristin’s Little Cherubs (1 and 2 year olds)
Room 106
Kristin Richard
9:30 am
Ms. Leesha’s Ark (3 years through VPK)
Room 101
Leesha Vander Wilt
11:00 am
Infants through 2 years
Room 106
Kristin Richard
11:00 am
3 years through VPK
Room 101
Leesha Vander Wilt
Summer is coming!
That means more opportunities for fun and family time. But it can also bring challenges to keep your child active, engaged and away from the television. Pam Kanaly, in her article “14 Fun Summertime Activities to Teach Kids about God,” shares some fun summertime activities that will provide valuable time with your child and teach him or her about the character of God. Here are just a few of her ideas: • Make nature bracelets: wrap a piece a duct tape around your wrist with the sticky side up. Take a walk around the neighborhood and stick leaves, small pebbles, sticks, and other treasures onto your bracelet. Talk about God as their Creator. • Make a bird feeder with a pinecone rolled in peanut butter and bird seed. Hang in a tree and watch for the birds. Read Matthew 6:23 about the birds and how
God gives us comfort and tells us not to worry. • Place colored tape on the carpet to make roads for your kids’ toy cars. Mention how God guides us when we call upon him. • Tape a paper towel roll to the wall to let your toddler drop little toys through the shoot. Share how God’s ways are narrow and we must choose to follow him.
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New Members • Get out the colander and pipe cleaners. Let the children connect the pipe cleaner to various wholes. Mention how God is a creative God, too. • Have a campout indoors. Make up songs how God made the moon and the stars and loves for us to campout with him. • Zigzag taped yarn from wall to wall. It makes a great maze for the kids. Tell the children that God has a plan for our lives as we need to stay on his path. Have a cupcake decorating contest. Bake some cupcakes and then set out all different colors of frosting, sprinkles, and other toppings. Pick a couple of people to be the judges and have fun! Quote Psalm 34:8 - “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good.”
To see the article in its entirety and all 14 summertime activities, go crosswalk.com. God is blessing our Nursery Ministry and we are growing! That means we are in need of more volunteers! If you are available to volunteer just one hour of your time per month to minister to the precious children of Navarre United Methodist Church, please contact Amy Yoder, Nursery Coordinator, at 939-2028 ext. 103 or nursery@navarreumc.org. The return on your investment of time will be immeasurable! And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. Matthew 18:5
Amy Yoder
New Members
On April 17, we had two new families join our congregation through transfer of membership.
Greg & Carlita Walker
Miriam & Herbi Padilla
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summer growth groups
Continued from page 9 Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage by Kevin Leman (Code: Marriage) Lori and George Ferguson | Taylor Hall 209 | 11 Weeks “Sex is about the quality of your entire life not just the alignment of your bodies.” Every married couple can be a unique and wonderful gift to each other. This groups is for couples who want to dive into what God has in store for their marriages. Lori and George will be using a book called Sheet Music which will help guide some discussions in class, and encourage some more intimate discussions at home. Come restore your relationship with your partner and with God.
Special Interest Groups
Art and Spirituality Art and Spirituality by Kimberly Heartsong (Code: Art) Kimberly Heartsong | Tuesday @ 6:30 pm | The Den | 10 Weeks Join this group for 10 sessions as they come together for prayer, a Scripture lesson on creativity from the Bible and then explore art and fellowship together. Although it sounds relatively simple, it is powerful to see how God blesses creativity with breakthroughs and relaxation of the human spirit. No artistic skills required. No art equipment required. No fee to attend. Limited to 12 people. Must be 19 years or older to attend. Child Care provided.
Illustrated Bible Journaling (Code: Bible) Kimberly Heartsong and Danna Rodriguez | Facebook Community Join together with others who are interested in bringing scripture to life through art. Bible Journaling takes the essence of Art Therapy and combines it with Scriptural meditation. Kimberly will be leading some workshops on how to get started. You can draw, stamp, scrapbook, or simply journal. Whatever the scripture passage is speaking to you. About once a month, this community will get together to share the art with one another.
Women of Navarre A Lineage of Grace: Five Stories of Unlikely Women Who Changed Eternity by Francine Rivers (Code: Lineage) Debbie McGrady and Hope McCreary | Thursday @ 12:30 | The Den | 11 Weeks Enjoy a comfortable summertime pace. This group will alternate between book discussions and faith journaling topics, with occasional lunches at Navarre Beach Park. A Lineage of Grace by is about five women whom God chose— Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Each were faced with extraordinary—even scandalous—challenges, took great personal risk to fulfill their callings and were destined to play a key role in the lineage of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World. Faith journaling will be introduced and discussed so that a novice or a seasoned journalist will enjoy it. This is a great opportunity to try something new this summer. Read a good book, grow in your faith, and grow in your relationships with other women. Child Care provided.