In May of 2010, I had the privilege of traveling to the African country of Angola for a short mission trip. Our Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church has a partnership with the East Angola Conference of the UMC, and we have had missionaries serving in Angola for many years. Part of our mission emphasis for July will be the Florida/East…

I am pleased to share that all of the required documents have been signed and delivered to make our merger with The Open Door UMC become official as of July 1, 2019. Thank you for your prayers, support, and presence at meetings to facilitate this process. God is guiding us all into a new chapter of ministry together, and I am honored…

I am especially grateful to Pastor Dave McGaffic for his preaching at Grace on Pentecost Sunday. We love and appreciate you, Dave! It was good for me to have the opportunity to preach at The Open Door UMC and to get to know some of the members there a little better. Merger is a process that takes time, and we are relying…

A pastor friend of mine says that the church may have an “Ascension deficit disorder.” By this he means that we typically ignore the meaning and significance of the Ascension of Jesus. After the resurrection, many witnesses encountered the risen Jesus during a forty day period. At the conclusion of the forty days, several biblical accounts describe Jesus’ departure from earth into…

Memorial Day weekend is considered the beginning of summer. The pace of life slows down as the end of the school year approaches. On the Sunday of Memorial day weekend, most churches offer some way of recognizing those men and women who have given their lives in service to their country. Of course, we must never confuse patriotism with Christian discipleship. However,…

In worship this Sunday, May 19, we will recognize our graduates from high school, college, and professional programs. We will also celebrate the fact that our preschool continues to thrive, as there are 38 graduates of our VPK program this year. The preschool has its VPK graduation next Wednesday, May 22, at 10:30 am in the sanctuary. We also look forward to…

Did you know that the modern holiday that we know as Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908 at a United Methodist church in West Virginia? The church, St. Andrews United Methodist Church, now holds the International Mother’s Day Shrine. Recognizing and honoring Mother’s Day in church is always a little tricky. While we want to honor the wonderful mothers in our…

During the next four Sundays, our messages at Grace will focus on the life of the early church as described in the book of Acts. After Jesus’ resurrection, there were many transforming events in the lives of communities and individuals. The Holy Spirit empowered the early disciples to perform miracles similar to the miracles of Jesus. Those disciples in the first century…

After this year’s Holy Week, all I can say is “Thank you”, again and again, to all of you who worked tirelessly to make the various events and services run smoothly. From our hard-working staff members, to all those involved in music ministry and technical support, to ushers and greeters and Stephen ministers and communion preparers and servers, I believe everyone’s efforts…

The scripture for Easter Sunday is Luke 24: 1-12. Of course, this is Luke’s version of the resurrection of Jesus. The two men (angels) who appeared in the tomb asked the women who were looking for Jesus, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” This one question is filled with meaning. When we celebrate Easter, we are celebrating life…