2022-10-16 Beacon

WELCOME

Shalimar UMC

Lead Pastor

Dr. Philip McVay

REACH | TEACH | SEND

Dr. Brad Bradford Worship Pastor

Rev. David Garvin Youth Pastor

Rev. Matt Langford Associate Pastor

Gerald Batton Custodian

Chris Bennett Facility & Maintenance Manager

Pat Brantley Office Administrative Assistant

Abigail Denney Media & Communications

Joy Harris Financial Assistant

Denise Heath Finance

Sarah Hicks Children’s Director

Karen Jadin Preschool Director

Tony Mallini Finance

Heyward McKenzie Chef

Scott Newbold Office Administrator

Katie Pascoe Nursery Director

Leigh J. Rice Respite Director

Dawn Rozofsky

Ben Savage

After School & Camp Director

Worship Ministries Associate

After Hours Emergency Pastoral Assistance

Dr. Philip McVay: (850) 607-1133

Dr. Brad Bradford: (850) 227-4328

Rev. David Garvin: (850) 319-0072

Rev. Matt Langford: (334) 437-3931

Table Of Contents

Our Vision

Tite

We

What’s

Our Mission

Connect

Worship Services

Sunday at Shalimar

Traditions: 8AM & 11AM

Meet us in the Sanctuary as we celebrate through the rich traditions of our faith. Such as hymns led by organ and piano, seasonal vestments, and Traditional Methodist liturgy. Our Chancel Choir leads the 11AM service.

Connect: 9:30AM

Join us in the Sanctuary as we engage in a fourfold services of gathering, praise, ser vice of the Word, Holy Communion with candle stations of prayer, and sending forth. Worship is a blend of contemporary praise songs and upbeat hymns.

Freedom: 11:07AM

Located in the Family Life Center Gym as we come together and worship through modern music, Fellowship time, and listen to an inspirational message in a contemporary atmosphere.

This Sunday in Worship October 16, 2022 Laity Sunday

8AM | TRADITIONS | SANCTUARY

In Person & Online Message by Ken Winzeler Worship Led by Charlie Curry

9:30AM | CONNECT | SANCTUARY

In Person & Online Message by John Scheffer Worship Led by Katie Schenck & The Connect Worship Team

11AM | TRADITIONS | SANCTUARY

In Person & Online Message by Ron Garriga Worship Led by Charlie Curry

11:07AM | FREEDOM | FAMILY LIFE CENTER

In Person & Online Message by Wayne Walker Worship Led by Josh Walker and the Freedom Team

For those who might not know, Laity Sunday is a special day established by the General Conference to be observed on the third Sunday in October.

Laity Sunday focuses on the celebration of the ministry of all lay Christians. In many local churches, Laity Sunday is observed by having lay persons lead all parts of the worship service.

So, if you don’t see any of our Pastors this Sunday (the 16th) everything is okay! We kicked them off of campus this weekend and they will be back Monday morning getting ready for the next Sunday service!

Philip’s Focus

Thankful for Our Laity

Laity Sunday is this weekend October 16, 2022. On this special day, we celebrate the ministry of laity at our four worship services. This will be our first Laity Sunday since prior to Covid. We are thrilled to resume the tradition of Laity Sunday in 2022.

On Laity Sunday, we flip roles but not the message of lay ministry! Make no mistake about it! Laity weekend happens once a year but lay ministry is indispensable 52 weeks a year! Most of the time pastors are up front in worship and our laity are in roles that may not be as visible. Laity Sunday is a time to raise awareness of the ministry of the laity.

This will be the first Laity Sunday coordinated by our new Lay Leader, Kyle Wilson. Earlier this year, I recommended Kyle to our Committee on Nominations to be our new Lay Leader. Kyle is not only young and enthusiastic but is also committed to Christ through Shalimar UMC. He has organized an incredible Laity Sunday with the help of our worship staff.

Kyle has also planned so the pastors will be off and not doing their normal duties. Laity will bring the messages, lead the prayers, and lead worship. The extra planning by Kyle, so that we can be off, is very much appreciated.

In our United Methodist tradition, the laity are essential for a vibrant ministry in the local church. Laity includes everyone in the congregation who are not clergy. We have four clergy persons on our staff. This means well over 99% of our congregation are laity.

On this Sunday, we not only raise the visibility of lay ministry but also marvel at the gifts and talents God has blessed us with throughout our congregation. We are so blessed to have laity who serve tirelessly and freely offer their gifts. The overall atmosphere of the church is created by the excitement and encouragement of laity! We are so blessed by the army of laity that serve Jesus Christ through Shalimar United Methodist!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! To all who give, use their gifts, and enthusiastically serve the Lord through Shalimar! You are the reason our church is so vibrant and a spiritual center for our community! Our pastors are very blessed to partner with you! On this Laity Sunday, I want you to know I am so grateful for you and want to thank you for the difference you are making for Jesus Christ!

Stay Up To Date CHURCH

with what’s happening at Shalimar United Methodist Church.

There will be a combined Charge Conference meeting at Mary Esther Methodist Church on Monday, October 17 at 6pm.

Trinity, Mary Esther, 1st UMC, Destin UMC, and Shalimar UMC will be in attendance there. Anyone is welcome to attend.

On Sunday, October 30, from 5-7pm we are having our very own Fall Festival! The night will be filled with lots of exciting things like Trunk or Treat, costume contests, face painting, and more!

OCT 23rd: MEETING AFTER 11:07 IN ROOM 106

FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO LEARN MORE OR VOLUNTEER

We’re hosting 5th Quarter on Friday, October 21st from 9:30pm-11:30pm. If you are a high school student this event is for you!

Students in grades 9-12 are invited to join us right after the Choctaw and Fort Walton Beach games for a night of fun, food, and devotion.

On Sunday, October 23 at 5pm Lee Orr is holding a meeting about Storytelling. This meeting is for anyone who has stories to tell about what God is doing in their life or in the life at Shalimar United Methodist. These stories will be included in our weekly Newsletter, the Beacon.

It will be in room 212 on the top floor of the FLC.

Some of you may know that October is Pastor Appreciation Month. There’s a couple of ways we would like to show our appreciation for our Pastors this year.

One is prayer. There is a daily prayer list for Pas tor Appreciation Month located at the bottom of our home page, available for you to download. Second is a token of apprecation. Whether that is a note, or a card that is up to you! Baskets will be in the Sanctuary and FLC if you would like to drop it off there.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Sunday, October 16

SS Adults 9:30AM

Youth 9:30AM

Special Buddies 9:30AM

Worship 9:30AM

Worship 11AM GriefShare 3PM

Youth Choir Rehearsal 4PM Special Buddies 5PM Student Worship 5PM

Monday, October 17

Bread House 9AM Threads of Love 10AM Connect Rehearsal 5:30PM

Rehearsal 6PM Charge Conference 6PM Alanon 6PM

8PM

Tuesday, October 18

Joyful Place 10AM

3rd Grade Bible Study 3:30PM

Rehearsal 5:30PM

Group 6PM Men’s Group 6:30PM

Wednesday, October 19

Bread House 9AM Splash of Joy 1 & 2 9:30AM

Wednesday Continued

Blessings for Children 10AM

ReBoot 5PM Fellowship Dinner 5PM

Youth Small Groups 5PM

Kidz Choir & BS 5:30PM

Pastor’s Class 6PM

OTS Small Group 6PM

Young Adult Small Group 6PM Orchestra Rehearsal 6PM Gloryland Rehearsal 6PM

Rejoice Rehearsal 6PM

Choir Rehearsal 7PM

8PM

Thursday, October 20

Joyful Place 10AM

4th & 5th Graders 3:30PM

ReBoot 5:30PM

Alzheimer’s Support Group 6PM

Meeting 6PM Trustees Committee 6PM

Barbershop 6:30PM

Friday, October 21

Bread House 9AM

Celebration 6PM

5th Quarter 9:30PM

Saturday, October 22 Pickleball 9AM

Fellowship Dinner

Wednesday Fellowship Dinner is from 5-6PM. Email office@shalimar-umc.org or Call (850) 561-0721 by noon on Tuesdays to make your reservation!

Adults: $7 Children (3-10): $3 Family: $25

announcements & articles

Dear Church Members,

October is Pastor Appreciation Month, and with that, I’m sure there is a complex mix of emotions for most pastors. Have I served my congregation well? Am I meeting their spiritual and emotional needs? Did I miss seeing a member who needed to be checked on? My wife is out of towndid I remember to feed the dog?

I’ve had a few crises in my own family over the years. Somehow a pastor got word and called to check on me. Most recently I sent word that my mom was in the hospital and not doing well. Within 2 hours Pastor Philip was there praying with my family, which wasn’t my expectation.

It doesn’t matter if it was the pastor’s day off, they come! But when is a pastor not a pastor? I’m sure there are days when pastors and their families feel the stress of “being a pastor.” They don’t complain! God has called them!

Our pastors serve us through weddings, funerals, Bible studies, worship, sermons, baptisms, and confirmation, as well as conflicts and counseling. They help with outreach events, lead musical events and other special events and services. They take it well when we complain about what we don’t like or wish we could have, etc. Our expectations of our pastors are more than Jesus’s, I’m sure!

Let us take a moment this month to say, “thank you” and tell them how much we love them! They pray for us, so we also should pray for them! A basket is located in the Narthex and FLC lobby for cards if you’d like to write them an encouraging word!

Thank you, Lord, for our pastors!

With love, Sandy Kocanowski, SPRC Chair

Pastor Appreciation month is October of each year and it is my hope that you will join the Tuesday Night Prayer Group and the Prayer Ministry team, in a commitment to pray for our Pastors (Pastor Philip, Pastor Matt, Pastor Brad, and Pastor David) each day during the month.

We hope that we can be a part of your prayer journey this October by praying for our Pastors and the SUMC. We are not asking for a certain time, only that you commit to pray daily for each of the pastors and for Shalimar. It is especially important that we be in prayer during this trying time.

You will be provided with a “31 day Pray for Your Pastors Challenge” to aid you in praying daily. The guide is for the 31 days during the month and will be available for download. I know some of you are already praying for our pastors, and I thank you for doing so.

With all that is happening in this world right now, Prayer is more important than ever. What better way to help do our part in changing the world than to start right here at SUMC. It is my belief that Prayer does make a difference so please join us in praying for our Pastors each day during the month of October. This could very well be the best gift you could ever give to our pastors.

I believe the sky is the limit for churches that pray. Join us. Thank you in advance for your support.

James Brantley, SUMC Prayer Ministry Team

UKRAINIAN UPDATE: THE TYSIACHYNI FAMILY

Shalimar UMC began an amazing adventure of friendship and support on Wednesday, August 17, when our Ukrainian Resettlement Team met the Tysiachyni family at the Fort Walton Beach Airport at 11:25 p.m. Your gifts and prayers have helped the family begin life here in Fort Walton Beach. In August and September over $21,000.00 was given to support the family. Samaritan’s Purse, our partner in this endeavor, gave the church $12,000.00 and paid for the family’s travel expenses.

Our first priority was to enroll Timur, the youngest son, in school. We visited Longwood Elementary on their second full day in Florida. Since Timur’s birth certificate was in Russian, we listened in wonder as Kyril, his older brother, translated it into English for the school registrar! A routine physical and a few immunizations were needed, and school supplies were donated by our church’s backpack program. As you can imagine, there was concern on the part of our team and his parents about sending a Russian speaking child to an English-speaking school. But God richly provided!! Timur was assigned to a class with another boy who spoke Russian. He also has an I-pad that translates English to Russian.

Our second priority was beginning the work visa process which takes about six months. Renata Steiner skillfully guided the family through approximately 20 pages of paperwork! And last week, another church member drove the family to New Orleans to complete the biometric (fingerprinting) requirement for their visas. They did find time to stop at Café Du Monde for beignets! Roman, the father, is a commercial truck driver and will soon begin a program at Northwest Florida College to earn his CDL (commercial driver’s license). Viktoriia, the mother, and Kyril, the older son, will also be seeking employment.

Timur will have a built-in way to learn English as he attends Longwood Elementary, but the rest of the family is attending ESL (English as a second language) classes at First Baptist Church Fort Walton Beach. In addition, Roman and Viktoriia are enrolled in an online English program. This program was not in our original budget. Those who would like to give an offering to help with these classes can write down their offering is designated for this purpose by writing UKRAINE in the memo line of their check. The cost is $100.00 per month.

For the first six weeks, Laura Peacock arranged rides for the family to doctor’s appointment, English classes and some of our church activities. Many thanks to all of you who have provided rides!! Almost every week, you can meet the Tysiachyni’s at our Wednesday night suppers. One highlight of the family’s time here was hearing Gloryland sing “God Bless America”. They had seen this in movies but were thrilled to be able to hear it in person at our First Responder’s Appreciation Dinner.

There are so many “firsts” the Tysiachyni’s have experienced: a picnic, visiting the beach, a boat ride on the bay, swimming in a backyard pool and trying local restaurants to name a few. They also visited our 9:30 service and our Night of Worship.

Many thanks go to our team for their creativity, hospitality and work to welcome this family. (Brad Bradford, Scott Newbold, Tony Mallini, Laura Peacock, Beth Russell, Renata Steiner, Karen McVay and Wendy Thomas)

At this time, our main request from our church family is help with the cost of the online English classes for Roman and VIktoriia and with expenses associated with enrolling Kyril in college at Northwest Florida State College.

Each month, Shalimar UMC pays for the family’s housing, utilities and food. Your continuing designated offerings for these expenses are greatly appreciated.

We do not need any clothing donations and the family has furniture and a fully stocked kitchen.

On behalf of our Ukrainian Resettlement Team, I thank each of you for your giving offering that made it possible to give the Tysiacyni family a fresh start in the United States. The LORD our God has made this adventure possible through your gifts and prayers.

- Alice Biggar

MATT’S MESSAGE

Look at how good and pleasing it is when families live together as one! – Psalm 133:1

Team, there are few moments that stand out more clearly of our church truly living into the call to be one, than the first week of October 2022. This idea was shaped by much planning with help from all the pastors and staff. The question we asked was simply, “How can we make Koinonia (our sermon series) come to life?” We thought we dreamed, we debated, and we landed on three services that would embody clearly what it means to be one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world.

World Communion Sunday is not something we came up with but rather a liturgical day that has been celebrated for quite some time. It is a reminder that each of us comes to the table of our Lord which has already been prepared. The bread is broken; the wine is poured. We simply come with nothing but our brokenness and are made whole by Christ’s love. At this moment, we remember that the same love that has been extended to all of us here in Shal imar has always been extended to everyone across the globe. All are in need of love, justifi cation, hope, and assurance, and in Christ that is where everyone, and yes everyone, finds it. We were made one in Christ.

Nights of Worship likewise are not new. In fact, we did one of our own about a year ago. The difference this time was that we wanted to truly bring people together. Our church has a vast array of wonderful people, which is a great thing! We have 4 very distinctive servic es. We have children all the way to adults. We have first-time visitors, and we have lifelong members. So, our challenge, if you will, was how to bring together such a diverse team. The answer: food. Everyone loves food. The more I researched and read I discovered that there were actually “Dinner Churches” that started through sharing meals. There is an entire movement of sorts that has dinner church liturgies and prayers, supper club workbooks and prompts, and even books outlining the scriptural references to food, and particularly meals, being acts of worship. This was all we needed to get started.

From there the community came together. Duchess and Magnolia Grill stepped up, vol unteers came out of nowhere, the staff and clergy made things happen, and then you all showed up and showed out. Team, we had 22 tables of 8, more than we planned for. We had people come for the first time. 8:00 folks and 11:07 folks at the same table. Singing hymns beautifully as angles and singing modern worship tunes in ways I have never heard. Sharing meals with one another and breaking down walls. This is true worship. God ordained it, Jesus displayed it, the early church modeled it, and we participated in it. Sunday night we made one with each other.

Finally, we asked how can we tangibly show that we are in ministry to all the world. We all believe this, but we can’t really fly everyone over to Cuba and back. Rise Against Hunger quickly came to mind. These wonderful people have been hosting meal packaging events for years. I did my first one with them in 2013. They bring everything you need from the sup plies to the bags to the hair nets to the music. They have it down!

I planned on having 90 folks working hard for 2 hours. We ended up with 145 people pack aging 20,088 meals in 1.5hrs. It was incredible. Children running back and forth having a blast and being so helpful. The adults at the weight stations making it happen. Some military folks came over and helped us with the setup and cleanup. It was a glimpse of the kingdom

of God. People working together from all ages and stages of life, centered around one mission, to feed those around the world we will never meet. You think about this bag of rice that we made. It will become a meal for a family. A meal to nourish their bodies and sustain their soul with the shared time together with those around them. Together we were truly one in ministry to all the world.

There you have it! I think what happened that first week of October is what God wants every week. People together united with one purpose. No one came with a cause or de bate to win. People came with hearts ready to taste and see the Lord is good, worship the almighty by breaking bread, and serve with one another to be in ministry to the world. The focus was not on those things that can divide, but rather on the things that unite or more clearly on the thing that unites, Jesus. His love for all is what makes us one! I pray we have many more moments like the ones above, and I even make a motion that we do these events every year so that the first week of October becomes Koinonia week for perpetuity at Shalimar UMC. Can I get an Amen?

- Complete in Him, Matt

DENOMINATIONAL UPDATE

The Denominational Task Force, which was established by recommendation of the Church Council has been working very hard over the past 10 weeks. All members of the task force have committed to the diligent work of finding answers to the questions that you, our congregation, are asking and need clarity on. We have met 6 times for over an hour each meeting. We collect and share resources from all sides of the issue, from Bishops and lay people alike, as well as from those in our conference and beyond. Our sincere hope is to share clearly and effectively with anyone regardless of their denominational or church polity knowledge, so that they can be informed and up to date about the issues that are present before us. Our intent is to share clear, accurate, and true information so that all who hear the presentation might learn more about the UMC, the issues at hand, the paths forward, and the state of our denomination and church.

To continue this effort, it has come time to share our work. Per the direction of the church council, we will make our first presentation on Tuesday, November 15th at 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary at the November Church Council Meeting. This is in no way the only or final presentation but simply the first step in reporting back to the body that gave us our task. At this meeting we will present in length all our findings, resources, and answers to questions that you likely have been asking. At the conclusion of the presentation, it will be offered to the discernment of the Church Council to make any further recommendations to the task force. One such example might be to share this presentation in a wider and broader context. This committee is not working in isolation from one another, nor are we working in isolation from the Church Council. Rather, we are an extension of the church council, which is an elected body that is an extension of our congregation. We want what is best for the kingdom of God here in Shalimar!

Lastly, after our presentation on November 15th our church and task force will be respecting the Bishop’s wishes to suspend any denominational meetings during the season of Advent. This suspension of activities for a season will not affect future options in any way. The Advent season is a time to prepare for the coming of Christ, to focus on reaching out to the community and new visitors, and to seek to serve those who need the church the most. This does not mean that we will not meet again or that this will be our only presentation, it simply means that our time during Advent will be spent bringing more people to understand the love of Christ which has come to be the light of the world. We ask for your continued prayers for our task force work, our members, our bishop, the UMC, and of course for Shalimar United Methodist Church.

Grace and Peace, Your Denominational Task Force

MISSIONS MAKING A DIFFERENCE TEENAGER GIFT CARD MINISTRY CAMPAIGN

Blessings will be received from the church family from Sunday, October 16th through Sunday, November 20th

Checks are to be made to SUMC and on the memo line/for please include “Teenager Gift Card Ministry”.

Gift cards are purchased, and gift bags are prepared during the week of November 21st – November 25th

Deliveries to the teenagers will take place on December 1st and 2nd. All deliveries will have one of our pastors in attendance.

SUMC is making a difference in our community. Each gift card has a message that states, from those who love you at Shalimar United Methodist Church.

In 2016, 26- $100 gift cards were delivered to teenagers

In 2017, 27- $100 gift cards were delivered to teenagers

In 2018, 37- $100 gift cards were delivered to teenagers

In 2019, 73- $100 gift cards were delivered to teenagers

In 2020, 94- $100 gift cards were delivered to teenagers

In 2021, 103- $100 gift cards were delivered to teenagers

We anticipate having well over 100 names again this year. Out of respect, the names of these recipients are not made public. If you know of a teenager in need, please contact Ron Garriga directly or share the teenager’s name and address with one of our pastors.

The Angencies we Work With: Okaloosa County Area School District Opportunity Place Fresh Start Children in Crisis Okaloosa County Foster Children Okaloosa County Homeless Teenagers Teenagers within SUMC

For more information or questions please reach out to Ron Garriga at (850) 240-0955 or r.garriga@cox.net

JoyfulPlace

Director, Leigh J. Rice joyful@shalimar-umc.org

Fall is here and we are enjoying the beautiful weather. If you drive by Cross Corner on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10 & 2, you may just find us on the front porch. If you see us there, please stop to say hello, or give us a honk and a wave.

Our respite ministry is growing, and we have about 10 friends joining us each day. Every morning we all share the things that we are grateful for, our blessings, the special things in life that give us JOY.

Here is just a sampling of the things our friends and volunteers share-

“I am thankful for the loving nature of everyone here” Russ “I’m grateful that I have found purpose in being a volunteer” Jaye “I am thankful to be alive and for all of the friendly people here” Fran “I am grateful for the days when my husband brings me here” Wendy

“I am thankful that I am here and able to rejoice” M “I’m grateful to be here serving others, it is the high point of my week” Susan “I’m happy to be here because all of your smiling faces lift my spirits” Constance “I’m thankful for Jaye and all the music. It brings me JOY” Bea

We always welcome new friends and volunteers. Contact Leigh for more information.

Be Joyful Always!

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