Wilderness Trail

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We are taking sixty 6th-12th graders and eight adults to hike 45 miles in the Grayson Highlands on a portion of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. This experience gives our students and adults the opportunity to leave behind distractions and focus on serving each other while we hike and explore the gift of God’s creation. It is a challenging, but extremely rewarding trip. We covet your prayers for our travel and our experience from July 27th- August 4th.

7th Year Hikers
Drew Branch
David Feliciano

6th Year Hikers
John Netherland
*Emily Capes
*Pam Moore

5th Year Hikers
Connor Bond
Jason Felicano
Stephanie Sharp

4th Year Hikers
TRAILBLAZERS!
Max Colbert
Megan DeBari
Luke Evans
Julie Hermann
Brady Kirby
Katie Moore
Thomas Pierce
Victoria Sharp
Travis Swann

3rd Year Hikers
Ben Carr
Matt Carr
Michael Dubose
Chandler Hoskins
Holder Hudson
Austin Keller
Andie Netherland
Gordon Pierce
Richard Trawick
Wilson Trawick
*Richard Colbert
*Denise Kirby

2nd Year Hikers
Alex Anderson
Mary Bond
Nate Bradley
Rowan Carroll-Christopher
Amanda Farr
Rebecca Farr
Rachel Girouad
Mark Hibyan
Anna Jackson
Cody Luker
Abby Morse
Blakely Noble
Chad Ratliff
Michael Stavely
Garrett Summitt
Cody Titus
Christopher Varnson
Robert Varnson
*Will Moore
*Walter Pierce

1st Year Hikers
Conner Cole
Alex DeBari
Anna Del Gallo
Elise Griffin
Ali Rae Hunt
Mitchell Lipham
Tori Marsh
James McGhee
Mallory Noble
Haley Roberts
Anna Safko
Chloe Schweigert
Hugh Sherrill
Katherine Varnson
Carmen Vickory
Rachel Warren
*Sandie Hudson
*Michael Roberts

*adult chaperone

Response to the Deepwater Oil Spill

What can the church do in response to the Deepwater Oil Spill?

It can be difficult to discern how exactly the church can respond to the devastating, man-made disaster wreaking havoc on the Gulf of Mexico. We are unsure of what we can do and we feel a responsibility to act and respond to what is happening. But what do we do? To that end we offer some perspective of how the we, the church, can respond.

We can pray…

Prayer always has been and will always be a central part of the Christian tradition. Given the nature of the environmental catastrophe currently happening in the Gulf of Mexico and the fallout that will come from it, we need to pray as a local and global community of the church. We pray for God’s intervention with the contamination of oil in the Gulf of Mexico and the damage it is causing; we pray for God’s guidance in finding a working solution to the uncontrolled spewing of oil; we pray for God’s wisdom in how to be better stewards of oil as a finite resource; and we pray for God’s protection that we might not suffer through such an event again. We invite you to be apart of the prayers for the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, all the creatures who live in it and all the people who depend on it to support themselves and their families.

Below is a prayer that we offer to you as you ask God’s intervention and blessing in the wake of such a tragic situation.

Holy God, Creator of Earth and of your children,
Creator of soil and sea and sky and the tapestries of the stars,
Forgive us when we treat this beloved planet as if we own it and can use it as we wish.
We have been too careless. We have failed to nurture the fragile life you entrusted to our keeping.
Our lifestyle of wasteful over-consumption has been insensitive to the effects we caused around the world.
We want to express our love and care for all creation.
We know that we must learn more about the problem and take effective action.
Here we stand wondering and confused because of the bounty that you have given us.
Here we stand Creator God, and we ask you to help us to care for the earth as our responsibility.
Help us to do what we know we must even at the cost of reducing our lifestyle so that others may live.
Please help us O God. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

~Adapted from prayers from the Uniting Church in Australia, Miriam Therese Winter and the Book of Common Prayer

We can act…

There are still ways we can actively reach out in response to the crisis. In Genesis, God invites humanity into a partnership to care for creation, to nurture and protect it as a king would their subjects. The second great commandment that Jesus calls all Christians to follow is to love our neighbor. When we remember these teachings from Holy Scripture we cannot help but be moved to act.

We encourage all members of the community to be vigilant and active in reporting oil that washes up on shore, wildlife that has been harmed through the oil spill or preventative measures that appear to be damaged, vandalized or working improperly. We urge all members who have had their livelihoods impacted to be proactive in filing a claim and hopefully reduce the severity of their situation. We gratefully support those persons who believe they can take a more active approach in responding to the physical situation of the oil spill and encourage those persons, whether in a volunteer or professional capacity, to work with city, state and federal forces who are already working to restore the Gulf of Mexico.

Resources in response to the oil spill.

Report Oiled Shorelines 1-866-448-5816, leave message of exact location of oiled finding.

(Important: Do not touch any substance you suspect to be oiled or oil-related. Call in the exact location for teams to investigate.)

Report Oiled Wildlife 1-866-557-1401, leave message. Messages checked hourly.

Florida Emergency Information Line 1-800-342-3557

Florida Oil Spill Information Line 1-888-337-3569

Report Boom Vandalism 1-800-320-0519 or #DEP on cell phone

Volunteer Information: 1-866-448-5816

BP Claims Hotline and Spill-Related Damage

File a claim online or call 1-800-440-0858, 8A-8P, seven days a week.

If you are not satisfied with BP’s resolution, call 1-800-280-7118.

BP Services 281-366-5511

To register as a consultant, contractor, vendor, or submit ideas on alternative response technology, services, productions or suggestions.

BP Vessels of Opportunity – register boats available to assist with response 281-366-5511

Master Vessel Charter Agreement

Vessel Requirements Checklist

*Copied from “Escambia Disaster Response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill,” http://www.escambiadisasterresponse.com/ on June 2 2010.

We can change…

This event in the history of the Gulf and our nation should give us a moment to pause and ask, “How are we being good stewards of God’s creation? How can we be better stewards?” These questions are not easy to answer, but we owe it to God to wrestle with the questions. There are things we can all do to improve the quality of the Earth, including:

• Recycling everything that is available to recycle in your community

• Using compact-fluorescent bulbs in your home

• Considering the amount of electricity you use in your home

• Using reusable water bottles instead of buying cases of plastic water bottles

The point of change is not about “being green” for the sake of being green. It is about doing something that improves your relationship with God’s creation. We ask all of humanity to prayerfully and with God-centered intentions consider how they might be better stewards of the earth and change the way they live.

For further insight on how you can change your lifestyle check out http://www.togethergreen.org/ActionCenter/Default.aspx.

ICON Praise Choir

We are excited to announce the start of the new ICON Praise Choir.  The ICON Praise Choir will periodically help lead worship during the ICON service.  Rehearsals will take place twice a month on Monday nights at 6:00 P.M. in Wesley Abbey.  If you enjoy singing and would like to get involved in the ICON music ministry, the praise choir is for you!

If you are interested please complete the form below:

Youth Summer Activities 2010

Weekly Summer Schedule:

Sundays:
9:45-10:45: Sunday School (on going)

Mondays: (begins June 21, see details inside)
2:30-5:00: Mission Mondays
5:00-5:30: Dinner and Fellowship
5:30-9:30: RIOT!

Wednesdays: (beginning June 16)
6:00-7:30: UMY (United Methodist Youth)

2nd Fridays of the month: (June 11, July 9, August 13)
7:30-10:00: Hangtime

Youth Summer Kick-Off

Wednesday, June 9th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. All Youth AND their families are invited to fellowship at Sidelines restaurant on the beach. Come and hang out with us!

Special Summer Dates

Wednesday, June 9: Sidelines Family Night, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Monday – Friday, June 14-18: Mid High Week, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 17-Saturday, June 26: Choir Tour
Friday, June 18: Toy Story 3 Movie Night, around 7:30 p.m.
Monday, July 5: Independence Day Holiday- NO ACTIVITIES!
Thursday, July 8: Tubing at Adventures Unlimited
Sunday, July 11- Saturday, July 17: Senior High Confrontation Point Trip
Tuesday, July 27 – Wednesday, August 4: Wilderness Trail
Thursday, July 29: Lock in at YMC
Thursday, August 12: Big Kahuna’s

Mission Monday and Monday night RIOT! Schedule

June 14: NO Mission Monday or RIOT! due to Mid Hi week/VBS
June 21: Manna Food Bank and Bowling
June 28: Beach Clean up, dinner at Surfburger and Beach night (could change)
July 5: NO Mission Monday or RIOT! due to July 4th holiday
July 12: Car wash for Manna; Game and Movie night at YMC
July 19: Children’s Hospital and Corn Maze
July 26: Random Acts of Kindness and 80’s movie night at Homes of Youth
August 2: Plan party for Milk and Honey and Electronic game night
August 9: Party for Milk and Honey and MYSTERY night!

Children’s Ministry Summer 2010

The Children’s Ministry at First United Methodist Church has a wide variety of activities and programs for your children to participate in this summer. Check out some of the exciting events planned!

Sunday Mornings
Sunday from 9:45-10:40 on the 2nd floor of the Education building
This Summer our Sunday School theme is: Totally Green. Each week children K-5th grade will celebrate God’s creation and our role in it. We’ll hear from speakers on how we take care of God’s earth and each other. We will visit centers that include a science lab, ecological crafts, green games, a prayer room, cooking and some other “green” activities.

Family Nights
June 23rd, July 14th, August 11th
Let’s get together for a fun night of fellowship with our church friends! Families are invited to come for dinner, then join us for a movie night, a water play night and a family skate night! Watch your email for more information. Dinner is from 5 – 6 PM and Family Night will begin at 6:15 unless otherwise specified.

Fitness Camp
July 12 – 18, 9 – 12 noon, Church Gym and Wesley Abbey
Ages K-5th graders
This year we will offering a new camp experience – Shapin’ up Fitness Camp. We’ll be focusing on healthy habits and attitudes for kids regarding their bodies, food and exercise. We will begin each day with a jumpstart, fun games, play icebreakers games to get to know each other, move and groove, have physical fitness training and a time of Bible Study. We’ll even have a few science experiments to make our point! Registration forms will be available by May 23rd.

Shapin’ Up Children’s Fitness Camp Registration Form

Kids Camp Night
July 23rd Time; TBD
K – 1st and 2nd graders
Gear up for Camp Smalledwin, our “almost” night at camp. We’ll play games, do crafts, have water fun…just like camp!!! So mark your calendars and watch for details.

Kids Camp Night – Camp Smalledwin Retreat 2010 Registration Form

2010 Worship Arts Camp
August 9 – 13th, 9-12 noon
For K-5th graders
Come join us for this amazing week of creativity and praise! Children will have lots of fun playing together and having the opportunity to create. We will have classes in dance, art, music, drama and much more! Watch for more info.

Preschool Play Days
July 9th and August 6th, 9 – 12noon
Come join Ms. Lisa and friends as we play, sing and enjoy a morning of Preschool fun. More details to follow.