First Connections | April 2021

APRIL 2021

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

My Easter Story LAKELAND, FLORIDA

Celebrating Easter

by Cindi Harrell

Ah! Easter

by Martha Lou Luce

Easter With My Family

by Tim Marsh

WORSHIP

INVITE

GROW

SERVE

CONTENTS 1 Celebrating Easter by Cindi Harrell ��������������������������� . 2 Ah! Easter by Martha Lou Luce ����������������������������������������� 3 Easter With My Family by Tim Marsh ����������������������������� 4 Easter from our Children ���������������������������������� 5-6 Prayers and Praise ����������������������������������������������� 6 Connect 4: Putting the Pieces Together by David McEntire

a publication of First United Methodist Church, 72 Lake Morton Drive Lakeland, FL 33801, 863-686-3163 • www.firstumc.org #1stLKLD

first: things first!

Connect 4:Putting the Pieces Together

In 2013 the Strategic Planning Committee finalized a five year plan for our church, offering ideas which quickly gained traction.

Innovative ideas, such as the Lay Leadership Academy, were launched and strengthened our church and ministry. In 2019, a new Strategic Planning Committee was formed with the committee seeking input from our congregation. “Where is God leading us?” “What should be the priorities of our church over the next five years?” These were the foundational questions we kept asking.

Finding those answers involved lots of prayer and lots of conversation. Stories were shared, hopes and insights were sought. The pandemic did not stop the process, though there were challenges. Eventually consistencies began to emerge. Four strong themes were voiced again and again. God was, once again, showing us that hopeful future. The four themes or pieces which describe the focus for moving forward are “Connect, Equip, Reach and Disciple.”

We recognize the call to be in community, to connect with others as we are the Body of Christ and in this body we are connected, “one to another.” In relationship we strengthen each other by equipping one another for the work which Christ calls us to. Teaching, mentoring, and providing opportunity help equip each of us for the work of the Kingdom. As we are equipped, we are called to reach out to others, especially to those who have yet to experience the love of God in a meaningful and inclusive way. This outreach is to be to all persons, meaning our church is seeking to be deliberate in welcoming people from all walks of life. This then means that we must be prepared to help one another grow in our understanding of God’s love and call upon each life. Discipleship is the means by which we go deeper in our understanding of our faith and calling.

Each of these four parts are connected and they are each pieces of a greater whole; God’s direction for this church.

After Easter we will begin sharing more about this vision, including a four part preaching series in which we begin to connect the parts through scripture, study, prayer and sharing. Proverbs 15:24a reminds us, “For the wise the path of life leads upward…” I want to encourage you to join us as we seek God’s path and move upward in our ministry and mission.

Grace and Peace, David McEntire

Celebrating Easter by Cindi Harrell Easter has always been a special day for my family. For the first 15 years of my life, my family celebrated the same way every year. We would participate or help at the Easter egg hunt in the park of our small town (population only 800 people). On Sunday, we went to church and then had lunch at my grandparents’ farm.

If we were lucky, we would have beautiful weather but that wasn’t guaranteed. It was Iowa after all.

After we moved to Florida, the celebrations changed more as my parents, brother and I didn’t have other family around. However, we always attended worship at First United Methodist Church on Easter and throughout the rest of the year.

I moved away from Lakeland for 15 years but since I returned I’ve helped at the Easter egg celebration at First, and it has given me some special memories.

Frequently, I didn’t have my son for Easter or the Easter egg celebration so it was a special time that I could serve while other parents enjoyed the time with their children. When my son wasn’t with me for Easter, we would have our own Easter egg hunt on a different day.

Our favorite place to have it was in Munn Park, right outside his grandparents’ house. I remember one year, when he was still very young, he wanted to hide eggs for the adults. Yes, I am sure it was a sight to see five adults in Munn Park looking for Easter eggs!

My favorite Easter worship service at our church is the sunrise service on the patio. I love being outside and seeing the light break the darkness of the night on that special morning. I have been attending the 8:15

worship on the lawn for the last six months during the pandemic. I am thankful that I can have an experience similar to the Easter sunrise service every week on our beautiful front lawn overlooking Lake Morton. (I am glad that it isn’t at sunrise every week though!)

I never know whom I will be sharing Easter lunch with each year but I always seem to have it with friends I’ve met through this church. They are a blessing to me not just on Easter, but throughout the year. I have had lunch with them in their homes, my parents’ home and even the Terrace Hotel. Last year was definitely different but I will always remember it. After several weeks of not seeing anyone in person, I drove around town on Easter afternoon to see my parents and several friends from church (of course we stayed more than 6 feet apart!). It was just what I needed after a quiet morning worshipping by myself on-line with my church family.

Two years ago on Easter, I even stepped out of my comfort zone and actually shared a message at the 11:20 service. I tried to put myself in Mary Magdalene’s position and imagine how I would have responded to seeing an empty tomb. It was a time of reflection and allowed me to share my story. I am thankful for a church that gives me the opportunity to grow in my faith in ways I never thought possible.

I am thankful for the many wonderful memories of Easter, and I am especially blessed to worship the risen Lord on this special day each year.

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Ah! Easter

by Martha Lou Luce

It’s springtime, new life is springing forth in the yards, in the trees, in the birds’ nests, on the farm, at the lake, everywhere. But wait – there’s more.

It’s Easter. For us it is a time of celebration, remembering and recommitting. As a child, Easter was a time for celebrating – the Easter Bunny came and brought an Easter basket. That was so exciting. Before the Easter Bunny came, we had a lot of work to do in preparation. There were eggs to boil, cool and then dye.

There were four of us kids in my family and we all had a turn. Mother, of course, boiled the eggs and prepared the dye. We chose the colors and, as we got older, we learned new ways to decorate them with crayons before dipping them in the dye. There were new clothes to buy, new shoes, perhaps a hat and, of course, gloves.

While we were out shopping for our shoes and outfits, we saw all the cute Easter baskets and the candies that could go in them. Oh my, what would we have on Easter morning? For sure, there would be: a chocolate Easter Bunny that Daddy would have decorated much as the bakery decorates a cake; chocolate eggs; marshmallow eggs; jellybeans; and maybe a plastic egg with a treasure hidden inside. While we were busy doing all the preparations and the anticipation was building, Mother and Daddy did something else to make this a special time. Each Sunday evening, we would gather in the living room and Mother and Daddy would read stories out of our children’s Bible. There was time for discussion and prayer afterwards. We children knew Easter was a special time in our lives, a time of celebration of God’s love for us. We came to understand that Easter was more than the baskets of candy, the chocolate bunnies so lovingly decorated by Daddy, or the one new outfit we were able to have, but the love of God the Father and the sacrifices He made through Jesus.

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Fast forward to junior high and United Methodist Youth Fellowship . We were living in Miami at the time, active members at First Methodist Church of South Miami. We had wonderful counselors and pastors. They were very dedicated, not only to our having fun and fellowship, but also to making sure there were opportunities for worship just for us. On Easter Sunday, we met at the church well before the sun came up and went to Crandon Park for a sunrise service on the beach. It was so early that there was only a hint of light rising over the ocean as the waves broke on the shore. We sang Easter hymns, someone read the scripture, another offered prayer, someone else shared the Easter message. There was time for quiet watching as the breeze blew and the sun came up. You had the feeling that Christ was there with us, inviting us to follow Him. You could just feel Him walking among us. Remembering those Easter morning sunrise services still brings cold chills and a real sense of peace. It was a time of remembering what Easter is about.

Fast forward again into adulthood. When our children came, we were excited to share the traditions of Easter from our childhood and the Easter story. There were the clothes to buy or make, eggs to color, the anticipation of the Easter baskets and Easter egg hunts, Bible stories to share, the special Easter meals with Grandma and Grandpa. There were the rare occasions when my parents were able to come down and join us for Easter.

The message has been the same: God is love and God sent His Son to show us how to live; and even though Jesus died, He rose from the dead. There is a new beginning. There is spring in our lives.

Easter with My Family

by Tim Marsh

Easter is a special season for my family and me. We enjoy celebrating a feeling of freshness that reminds me of Christmas without the commercialization.

We have typical traditions and have always enjoyed the annual Easter egg hunt for all the kids at Grandma and Papa’s house. The grandkids have grown through the years, but look forward to this activity. Every now and again, someone finds a neon plastic egg from a previous year and we inspect the contents curiously and attempt to recall its origination. These are beautiful memories that help me to appreciate my countless blessings.

Our Easter egg hunts have also served as a platform for debates on how to manage the event. We have some adults who desire to set a limit so everyone walks away with the same basket of eggs. Then we had other adults who see this as an opportunity for the kids to learn about fairness, generosity and healthy competition through their own trials and errors. I’ll let you guess which camp I was in.

In years past, we assembled at Florida Southern College (FSC) for a lunch after church with aunts, uncles and grandparents. Those Southern kids eat well! I will say, though, that I’m partial to buffets. Several people from my family have taught at or attended FSC. On Easter Sunday, the campus is quiet and our group, dressed up in our Easter threads, most likely stood out a bit. We might bring just a little familiarity to those lingering kids who are still on campus through the holiday. There is always the peaceful hope of the season that we remember by just being in one-another’s presence.

Easter 2020 was different, challenging and still very much a blessing. I had committed to help plan and run the Easter events with the First United Children’s Ministries. Having just completed another round of college, I was excited to have additional time to spend in ministry areas. Of course, this would be one of many events to be cancelled. We stayed close to celebrate with loved ones, who would later become my wife and stepdaughters. Our oldest, MaKayla, helped put together Easter baskets. She has a knack for crafting! They were beautifully arranged with a focus on equity, but containing little trinkets that would be special for each person. With so much change, it was refreshing to be able to celebrate together with simple familiar traditions.

1 Peter 1:3: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Hope is alive! Hope is eternal, as it could not even be contained by death! A glorious sunrise! I think it had to happen this way for us to have an absolute.

Without the resurrection, it seems there would always be a gap in our faith, some pitfall where the promise doesn’t deliver, but it does and always will!

Hope is very much our foundation for opening our eyes in the morning to face a new day of struggles and challenges. We find hope in many places that just nudge us enough. I love Easter as the true foundational hope is revealed in the resurrection of Jesus. Through him, we can even overcome a physical death. This same hope is carried out through the forgiveness that was given to us and we pass along to those who have wronged us, the promise of this very moment and the hope that can be found in knowing that the next can be better.

From my family to yours, we wish you a very Happy Easter! I pray that you find hope today in knowing that Jesus died for your sins and was resurrected to bring new life. We miss all of you whom we have not seen in a year now and look forward to just being next to you again while we search for how Christ’s ministry can play out in our lives.

God-bless you

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Easter from our children: I had the opportunity to get several children to participate this month in our First Connections.

Here’s what they had to say: Avery Roberts (age 10)

To me Easter means Jesus rises from the dead. My favorite verse of the Bible is “He is risen.” It’s important to know that Jesus rose from the dead because he rose up to Heaven and that he cares about you so much that he died on the cross to save to us and rose from the dead because he loves us. My favorite thing to do at Easter is spending time with family especially when we went to my cousin’s house. I was able to go Easter egg hunting there, with all my cousins. This year with Covid we will not do it like in the past year. It will be just us and will be good. We still get to hide each other’s eggs and celebrate.

Eli Roberts (age 12)

Easter is when Jesus rose from the dead after he died on the cross for us. It’s important because He is always there for us and he cares about us no matter what. We celebrate Easter by going to church together really early in the morning to attend the Easter service. I remember, one time during Easter service when I was little, drawing a picture of what I thought it looked like when Jesus died on the cross. My favorite thing to do is going to Nana and Papa’s house with the entire family. Papa shared the Easter story and prayed and then we would have a good time together, going egg hunting and eating. My favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Wes Lehman (age 10) Question: When did you first realize how important Easter is?

Wes: I first realized how important Easter is when I accepted Jesus into my heart.

Question: What does Easter mean to you?

Wes: To me it means that we should appreciate the fact Jesus sacrificed his life to forgive our sins and it doesn’t just mean the Easter bunny and tons of candy.

Question: Do you have an Easter that was more special than the others, if so, what made it so?

Wes: I don’t really have a special Easter, but my favorite tradition is egg dying because it is just like an hour out of my mom and my day to just hang out and talk while having fun.

Luke Pippen (age 11)

We celebrate when Jesus died on the cross. It’s important because he came back to life! It showed us peace and harmony. On Easter Sunday my family gets dressed up and goes to church before the sunrise. Our favorite hymn to sing is “The Old Rugged Cross.” After church we get our Easter baskets and have an Easter egg hunt before dad cooks on the grill.

Ashlyn Lisenby (age 11)

To me, Easter means that we should have hope in the world because it is when Jesus rose from the dead.

I first knew Easter was special in the Christian life when I learned how Jesus was hung on the cross to forgive all of our sins, then rose on the third day. We celebrate Easter by doing an egg hunt and having a special dinner together with family. “I keep my eyes always on the Lord with him at my right hand. I will not be shaken”Psalm 16:8 Daniel Cleveland (age 10) Question: What do you think of when you think about Easter?

Daniel: Jesus rose from the dead. It’s a miracle that Jesus was resurrected.

Question: Do you observe Lent?

Daniel: We pray the Lord’s Prayer on the way to school each morning as a family. Also, I read Scripture verses to my teddy bear from Ms. Cristi.

Question: What took place at your favorite Easter day and why was it so special?

Daniel: It’s not my favorite, but I have a little scar at the end of my nose which happened on Easter 2012 when I cut it while I was in the kitchen with my mom and brothers making Empty Tomb Rolls.

For the recipe for these delicious Empty Tomb Rolls, go to: https://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/empty-tomb-rolls-2/

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These rolls can represent the tomb where they placed Jesus. You fill them, but after cooking them when you open them to eat, they are empty. Just as the tomb was.

Easter from our children (cont’d) The Kindgom of God

Prayers and Praise Births Jaelyn Marie Jones, February 3 Daughter of Mario & Heather Custred Jones Jasper Clark Woodsby, February 8 Son of Clark & Emily Tavrieds Woodsby Leona Mae Meradith, February 15 Daughter of Mike & Lauren DeWitt Meradith

In Memoriam Herb Scribner, December 26 Samuel Sisson, January 22 Phyllis Sproule, February 7 Warren Carr, February 9 Virginia Cox, February 11 Ross Finney, February 14 Jean White, February 15 Gil Walton, February 17 Paul Alley, February 23 Sharon Kirkland Lennon, February 27

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Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Lakeland, FL Permit No. 30

Published monthly by First United Methodist Church 72 Lake Morton Drive, Lakeland, Florida 33801, 863-686-3163

PASTORAL AND WORSHIP TEAM

Rev. David McEntire Senior Pastor Rev. Melissa Stump Associate Pastor Rev. Andy Whitaker Smith Associate Pastor Nicole Wood Pastors’ Administrative Assistant Matthew Corl, AAGO Organist/Assoc. Director of Music & Fine Arts Karen Buie Music & Fine Arts Assistant/Youth Choir Coordinator Dr. Waite Willis Worship Leader, 9:30am Service Jeremy Hearn Worship Leader, 11:20am Service Susan Willis Worship Leader Assistant, 9:30am Service Cindy Cleveland Assistant Worship Leader,11:20am Service Diana Russell Kids PRAISE Coordinator

INVITE TEAM Diana Russell

Director of Newcomer Ministries

GROW TEAM Warren Pattison Director of Adult Ministries Cristi Moore Director of Children’s Ministries Cherry McClellan Director of Preschool Ministries Alice Hazel Christian Education Administrative Assistant Stephanie Keen Youth/Neighborhood Administrative Assistant

SERVE TEAM

Sean Hults Forrest White Rev. Betty Batey Rev. Dale Golden Vicky Pitner Jennifer Cross

Director of Neighborhood Ministries Director of Mission Ministries Minister of Visitation Minister of Visitation Connections Ministry Coordinator Connections Ministry Facilitator

MINISTRY SUPPORT TEAM Harriet S. Mayes Justin Long Maggie Trask Shawn Joyner Lea Ellen DeWitt Karrianne Heide-Cagle Vesta Foster Carole Christensen Mike Stasiak

Church Administrator Creative Director Communications Assistant Media Coordinator Church Administrative Assistant Financial Assistant Financial Services Financial Services Kitchen Manager

Worship Services

Church Reopen: We will continue with the lawn worship at 8:15am. Bring a lawn chair and observe social distancing.

The 9:30 and 11am services (also livestreamed) will take reservations with the 9:30 service limited to 125 and the 11am service limited to 150. Both with safety protocols in place. www.firstumc.org/reservation All services will observe safety protocols to include (but not limited to) the following: 1. Wearing masks 2. No congregational singing 3. Social Distancing 4. No physical contact Both the 9:30 and 11am are livestreamed at: www.firstumc.org/worship-now or Facebook.

First United Methodist Church: www.firstumc.org Worship Now: www.firstumc.org/worship-now/ Online Giving: www.firstumc.org/give Recent Bulletins: www.firstumc.org/bulletin News: www.firstumc.org/news Sunday Preparation: https://www.firstumc/worhipprep/ Fred Murphy Angela Bowne Chalcin Charles Shane Tidale Carol Chastain Renise Charles Mwidimisi Munnisi Tom Kelly Daniel King

Director of Facilities Facilities Administrative Assistant Maintenance Techician Facilities Specialst Custodian Custodian Custodian Kitchen Support Kitchen Support/Facilities Support