Finances 2

Generosity 3

Special Projects 4

Maintenance 5

Annual Financial Report 6

Thank You Volunteers 8

New Beginnings 9

Worship 10

Ministry Spotlight 11

Go, Tell.

Orange City Uni ted Methodist Church Newsletter - Winter 2016

Just as Mary was instructed to “Go, Tell” when the tomb was empty, we can go

and tell others about Jesus in the way that we Reach, Serve, and Love like Christ.

We Are Serious About Prayer

The prayer team meets on Wednesday evenings at 6 pm upstairs in the Edu-

cation Building for Sweet Hour of Prayer. We pray over a list of concerns

that are brought to our attention by several means: people fill out prayer

request cards during worship services, at Mail Call Ministry, at the 3rd Sat-

urday Community Connection, or in the church office. Often concerns come

to us through email or word of mouth.

We give thanks to God for answered

prayer, for joys, and we lift concerns

to Him for His help and discernment.

Nothing is too big or too small for our

Father. We pray expectantly and

specifically. We would love to have

more from our church family join us

in this important ministry. Won’t

you come and feel the presence of the

Holy Spirit?

Prayer Blanket Ministry

We had a good stewardship program that concluded on November 8, 2015. Based on the Estimates of Giving we

received, it appears that we have grown spiritually in 2015 and we are confidently looking forward to a great new

year of continued growth. Thank you for your response. Let us continue to grow spiritually and to reflect that

growth in our stewardship of our time, talents, and financial resources.

If you recall, the message was that we give to the work of Christ out of spiritual development, and that we grow

spiritually, this giving of ourselves and our resources increases. Well, the number of Estimates that we received

increased over 2015, and the average per-Estimate amount also increased. Further, the number of Estimate cards

received without an estimate amount continued to decrease this year. With these Estimates, the Church Council

approved a Spend Plan (budget) that continues some vital support for Martha’s Cupboard and 3rd Saturday Com-

munity Connection ($100/month, each). This will help provide a more stable base for these key ministries. The

Spend Plan is a 2.5% increase over 2015, and is just slightly over $300,000.

2016 Stewardship Results

When we meet on Wednesday evenings for Sweet

Hour of Prayer this also gives us the opportunity

to make prayer blankets. We gather together in

prayer for a specific person in need or a celebra-

tion, we pray as we tie knots around these soft

and comforting blankets. You may join this group

that meets once a month, or as needed.

PAGE 2 GO, TELL.

Financial Report Has 3 Parts

The 2015 Financial Stewardship

report on pages 6 & 7 has three

parts.

1. The Operating Funds - This

group of funds is used to manage

the money associated with the

basic operations of the church

facility and our basic local ministries. This is the

portion for which we establish an annual spend plan

(budget).

2. Designated and Restricted Funds – This group

of funds is used to keep track of money designated for

specific purposes outside of the ministries included in

the Operating Funds.

3. Endowment Funds – This group is used to man-

age bequest money in accordance with the terms of

the gift or in terms of the plan established for the gift

by the Charge Conference. The Permanent Endow-

ment Fund Committee is responsible for management

of these funds.

Operating Funds Support All

Our General Fund can be considered what we

spend on ourselves to provide the infrastructure that

enables our other ministries. Our spend plan

(budget) for 2016 is approximately $25,000 per

month. There are four basic parts of this work.

The Personnel program provides the stable exper-

tise for supporting our congregation as they do minis-

try and grow in discipleship: Pastor and Administra-

tive Assistant (full time); Children and Youth Direc-

tor, Choir Director, Worship Leader, Accompanist,

Nursery workers, Treasurer, and Maintenance Per-

son (part-time).

The Property program provides operation and

maintenance of the physical plant that supports all

we do locally, including ministries in which we do not

actively participate (or do not provide program mate-

rials support, such as Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Nar-

cotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, Food

Anonymous, WAVA Hall seniors groups, Council on

Aging.

Program materials are provided through our gen-

eral giving to support our in-house ministries with

special materials and services. Vacation Bible School

materials are one specific example.

And then there is the Administrative Program,

which provides general support to all of our in-house

programs with things such as postage, copies, and

office supplies.

We have a residual mortgage balance ($145, 993)

on 12/31/2014) from construction of the Education

Building. We receive some designated money for the

mortgage; the balance to cover the monthly payments

comes from the General Fund.

The Benevolence Fund re-

ceives designated contributions

and our tithe of the undesignated

contributions to the General Fund.

Our connectional giving

(Apportionments) is paid out of

this account.

The Operating Funds group also

includes funds for managing securities given to the

church and for managing parsonage expenses that we

share with the Children’s Home.

OCUMC Tithes

Your church is a tithing church. Ten percent of all

money not designated for specific ministries is trans-

ferred to the Benevolence Fund and used to pay our

apportionments and support other causes that may be

approved by the Church Council to be included in the

Spend Plan.

We Are The Church

Ministry happens when one person helps another

person. We are each ministers. Without people there

is no ministry. The group of us here in Orange City

are known as Orange City United Methodist Church,

a part of the Church (all followers of Christ). Our fa-

cilities are tools for doing ministry and for training

people to do ministry and for growth in faith. Our

Operating Funds provide for the operation and

maintenance of our facility, for nurturing the spiritu-

al growth of our people, and to help satisfy their spir-

itual needs as a basis for doing ministry in the name

of Christ.

Our ministry to others, as we attempt to Reach,

Serve, and Love like Christ, happens as individuals

with the appropriate gifts are called to specific acts of

service and others are called to support them with

their time, talents, and money. The Designated and

Restricted funds specifically identify many of these

ministries and the amount of financial support given

them largely through “second mile” giving. As noted

elsewhere, Pastor Drew, acting for us, ministers to

the needy through the generous contributions to the

Pastor’s Discretionary Fund.

Endowment Fund Management

The Permanent Endowment Fund Committee is a

ministry that we don’t hear a lot about. It works in

conjunction with the Finance Committee and Trus-

tees to provide management of the money contributed

to the church from trusts, bequests and legacies.

Each has specific instructions on how the funds are to

be used. The primary activity in 2015 was attempt-

ing to find candidates for scholarships.. The commit-

tee also manages the funds set up for the perpetual

care of the Susan Foxworth Davis Memorial Garden

PAGE 3

for cremated remains located on our campus. Expens-

es for maintenance of the garden have been minimal in

2015. There were no new interments in 2015.

The Scholarship Committee operates within the

Endowment Committee, and is responsible for promot-

ing, and advertising the available scholarships,

receiving and evaluating scholarship applications and

recommending to the full Committee the award of

scholarships. We manage two scholarship funds in

accord with the provisions of the bequests. A generous

bequest by Frank Logan provides the funding for a

scholarship for support of Christian vocation education

in memory of his wife Vera Cornell Logan. We had no

applicants this year, and no scholarships were award-

ed.

This year we approached the Methodist churches in

our area to see if they had any candidates that we

could partner with them. None did, so we will be going

back to the colleges and university for candidates. We

really offer an outstanding scholarship to the candi-

dates selected by the schools. All of the recipients in

the past at Candler School of Theology have studied to

become pastors. This year we will be offering $4,000

per year for 3 years for a total of $12,000. We have

enough funds to do this for 8 years without touching

the core value of $140,000. We are exploring the possi-

bility of participating in some way with a District-level

scholarship program.

The Mary Henri Peterson Music Scholarship also is

available for music lessons, but the funding for this is

much more limited. Two scholarships in the amount of

$250 each were awarded in 2015. These scholarships

are helping our youth perfect their musical skills. We

encourage everyone to remember OCUMC and its min-

istries in your will or estate planning. If you are con-

sidering a bequest to the church with special conditions

for use, please speak with the Committee to be sure the

conditions are consistent with our vision to Reach,

Serve, and Love like Christ and the laws under which

we must operate.

Pollock Bequest Support Continues

A portion of the money bequeathed to the church by

John Pollock was used in 2015 for ministry initiative

support and for property major maintenance.

In accordance with the plan established by the

Church Council, this money continued to underwrite

an emphasis on Children & Youth Ministry and Wor-

ship & Music ministries. The Youth and Children por-

tion paid part of the salary of our Director of Children

and Youth Ministries. The Property portion had no

significant expenses in 2015. Part of the benevolence

allocation was used to complete pay-out of our Appor-

tionments for 2015. The balance of the Music minis-

tries portion was used for salary support for the Choir

Director. The Pollock support to the Music ministries

initiative is now complete, and the program now re-

ceives all financial support from the Operating fund

and the Stetson Singers Fund.

Fundraiser Events

We had one fundraiser event in 2015 – sponsored by

the HOPE ministry group. The event grossed $10,009

and netted $8,307 to help fight human trafficking.

This is part of our efforts to Reach, Serve, and Love

like Christ.

Pastor Discretionary Fund Support

Contributions to the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund

are used primarily to help people in need of short-

term assistance of one sort or another. This is an un-

planned fund that operates outside the main church

accounting system and provides a level of privacy for

those being helped. This is one of the “second mile”

causes that we have an opportunity to support. This

checking account is managed by the Administrative

Assistant for the Pastor and conforms to a set of crite-

ria established for the fund. For 2015:

Initial Balance: 2,861

Receipts: 6,324

Expenses: 6,843

Ending Balance 2,642

Generosity Through OCUMC

In addition to the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund, a

number of other causes outside of our main account-

ing system are supported by our people. The money

designated for these causes is neither income nor

expense to OCUMC; it is pass-through directly to the

designated cause. For 2015, these causes were:

SW Volusia Habitat for Humanity 100

UM Committee on Relief (UMCOR) 630

FL UM Children’s Home 1199

Native American Awareness Sunday 20

Human Relations Day 2

UM Student Day 50

PAGE 4 GO, TELL.

The Special Projects Are:

In the main financial report there is a line “Special Ministry Projects” among the Designated and Restricted Funds

– so what are they?

Basically, these are ministries that do not require a lot of money for their operation, but there is a need to have an

accounting of what funds they do have.

Name 1/1/15 Receipts Disburse Transfer 12/31/15

Manna Ministry 323 650 0 0 973

Prayer Blanket Ministry 638 1780 445 0 1973

Garden Ministry 205 0 0 0 205

Nursery Toys 152 0 0 0 152

Library Materials 25 0 0 0 25

School Support 108 90 175 0 22

Pet Pantry 73 0 0 -73 0

Short-term Projects 0 0 0 0 0

Playground 20 0 0 0 20

TOTALS 1544 2520 619 -73 3372

Council on Aging

Our facilities serve as a neighborhood respite care

site for the Council on Aging of Volusia County. This

program provides a place where caregivers can leave

their loved ones for a few hours while they do other

things - or just relax. Additionally, we occasionally

host seniors groups from the WAVA Hall Senior Cen-

ter (Orange City). This affiliation with the Council on

Aging has been going on for a number of years.

Scouting is a ministry

The United Methodist Church actively supports

“youth-serving/scouting ministries” in their many

forms through specific call-out in our Book of Disci-

pline. This usually is accomplished in the local

church chartering or sponsoring specific groups, such

as Boy Scouts (including Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and

Venturing); Girl Scouts (Daisies, Brownies, Juniors,

Cadets, Seniors, Ambassadors), Campfire Girls, and

others.

Although we do not currently have any

of our congregation called to actually

lead one of these groups, we are blessed

to be able to provide a meeting place Cub

Scout Pack 420 (which is chartered to

us), two Girl Scout troops, and a Sea

Scout ship. This is another way in which

we help provide a nurturing environ-

ment for the young people of our area,

12-Step Recovery Programs

We feel called by God to share our facilities with

groups that help persons with various addictions to

manage their addictions. None of our members actu-

ally provide leadership for these groups, but we ena-

ble others who have this calling to do ministry.

Currently, we provide support to 7 different groups.

There are 2 groups of Food Addicts Anonymous, one

more advanced than the other. There is 1 Alcoholics

Anonymous group, there are 3 Narcotics Anonymous

groups, and there is a group for support of families of

narcotics addicts.

Through these groups we help provide hope for

those who may need it. It is one way we become

Christ to people in today’s world.

In Partnership with Habitat for Humanity

“Habitat for Humanity’s vision is a world where

everyone has a decent place to live. Our mission is to

put God’s love into action by bringing people together

to build homes, communities and hope.”

We partner with Southwest Volusia HFH

by providing office space on the upper

floor of the Education Building. In addi-

tion, several members of our congrega-

tion are actively involved with SWHFH,

both administratively and in construc-

tion.

Our Ministries

The Financial Report and the related discussion pretty well summarizes the ministries in which we have direct

participation or financially support. Through maintenance of our facilities, we enable the ministry of others.

PAGE 5

Facility Operation and Maintenance Ministry

A facility the size of ours requires a lot of effort to

keep it in proper condition, whether it’s being used or

not. Just think of what it takes to keep your house

going, then multiply it by about 20. We have a small

army of people who have answered a call to help make

it happen. Some things, by law, we must hire done.

Many other things we can do ourselves. Accomplishing

these tasks provides critical support to all of our other

ministries. Some of the things that come to mind

include:

Lawn and landscape maintenance

Lawn sprinkler maintenance

Office receptionists

Kitchen/food service management

Restroom cleaning

Painting

Carpet vacuuming

Carpet cleaning

Painting (inside and outside)

Floor cleaning

Floor refinishing

Window cleaning

Pressure washing

Computer system administration

Database management

Library management

Audio/Visual systems management

Financial systems support

Annual financial audits

Elected officers

Committee members

Some of these tasks are done by specific individuals

on a log-term basis, some are done by specific groups,

and some are done by individuals on a short-term/

rotating basis. We are blessed to have people with

appropriate gifts, talents, and time who are willing to

answer the call to service. If you are called to serve in

this way, then please contact the church office.

Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 am-1:30 pm

Email: office@ocumc.org

Phone: 386 / 775-3068

Multiple Opportunities Your giving is an act of worship and makes possible

the ministry of changing lives, transforming commu-

nities and renewing the ministries of the church. In

addition to offering given through the offering plate,

there are four other ways to give:

Online

We offer two services to give online through credit

or debit cards or bank account information. You can

give through Vanco or PayPal via the “Giving”

option on our web site (www.ocumc.org).

Giving through Vanco permits giving to any

specific, recognized ministry of the church:

Giving through PayPal permits contributing to

the General Fund.

Electronic Funds Transfer

EFT allows consistent amounts to regularly be

drawn directly from your banking account. To get

started, you can fill out the EFT form available in

the Sanctuary or download it. You also can set it up

yourself and manage it directly through the VANCO

option on our web site mentioned above. For addi-

tional information please contact the church office.

On-Line Bill Pay

Most banks have on-line bill-pay services where you

can set up and manage one-time or recurring pay-

ments to businesses and individuals. This feature

can be used to make contributions to your church.

Mail

Mail in your non-cash offering to the church office:

Orange City United Methodist Church

396 E University Ave

Orange City, FL 32763

Transfer

PAGE 8 GO, TELL.

involved in maintaining the cleanliness

of the Fellowship Hall, Education Build-

ing, Nursery and the Youth Building are

as follows:

Fletcher Gilmore

Barbara Graham

Linda Hull

the Youth Group

The Grounds Maintenance group con-

sists of Bob Goens, Brian Woods, David

Leonard, David Jones. These men have been very

dedicated in keeping the campus lawn and shrubbery

in magnificent condition and beautiful looking. The

lawn is manicured; the hedges are well shaped and

trimmed; the leaves and acorns are removed from the

parking area; broken tree limbs are removed from the

lawn and other trash is picked-up and removed from

the grounds.

Chet Pierce is our volunteer custodian building

painter. Chet along with David Leonard, Bob Goens,

Brian Woods and Bill Koos spent many hours spruc-

ing up the painting on and in our buildings.

Janet Kipp has devoted many hours already and is

continuing to remove the weeds from the children’s

playground and working to keep them from coming

back.

It is amazing how these volunteer custodians fit

into the operation and management of Orange City

United Methodist Church. Our church family is very

thankful for the good work that is being performed

each day of the week. Many of the custodians have

volunteered many hours and some many years doing

work as God’s servants.

If anyone has been inspired to lend a hand in this

area and want to share some of God’s work here at

our church, call the church office and leave a message

for the chair of the Trustees. (386) 775-3068

Orange City UMC is really blessed

following the words of Judges 5:2 by a

number of our church members volun-

teering as custodians. These custodians

perform many jobs in our church plant

and save several hundred dollars per

month in our church budget. Who are

these Volunteer Custodians and what do

they do?

Firstly, our church is very grateful to

have Greg and Alice Darnell who

volunteer their service performing more tasks than

we could probably count. Do we actually realize and

know what all they do? It is amazing how many

areas this dynamic duo cover. Listed below are just

some of the areas:

major project researcher / designer

video, lighting and technology vendor consultation

computers and electronic machine maintenance

Financial Secretary (weekly counting of contribu-

tions and more)

past Pew Monitor

past Finance Committee Chair

Board of Trustees consultant

power tools repair

sprinkler irrigation system maintenance

church lawn fertilizer and weed removal

Sunday School teacher

Brown Bag Bible study leader

memorial garden landscape maintenance

leaky roof repair

Fellowship Hall tile floor cleaner/waxer

cleaning supply ordering and distributing

parking lot light maintenance

electrical timers for building lights maintenance

Bonnie Reddy, a member of the Board of Trustees is

the leader in charge of seeing that volunteer custodi-

ans are in place for cleaning restrooms in Fellowship

Hall and the Youth Building, running sweepers on

carpets and cleaning the Nursery. Individuals

We Appreciate Our Volunteer Custodians

That the leaders led in Israel, that the people volunteered, bless the Lord! -Judges 5:2

PAGE 9

Annual Egg Hunt Plan to fellowship with the church family on Easter

Sunday at 10 am. We will have refreshments, fun,

and fellowship while the children are hunting for

eggs. All those who have an expertise in hiding eggs

are invited to help. Meet in the Narthex immediately

following the 9 am worship service and pick up a bag

of candy filled eggs to hide for the children. The chil-

dren will gather in the Sanctuary for a short story

and then they will be released for the HUNT! We

have some new things planned this year for everyone!

You won’t want to miss out on the chocolate...or the

fellowship and fun!

CSM Sunday & Wednesday CSM stands for Connect Student Ministry that in-

volves 6th—12th grade students. On Wednesdays

they have an hour and a half of fellowship, games,

food, and fun that is mixed in with some Bible study.

Come at 6:00 pm and stay until 7:30 pm! Bring a

friend!

On Sundays at 10 am we dive a little deeper into

God’s word and have an interactive hour with Bible

study. If you are being called to intergenerational

service with the youth then please contact Stephanie

Parks. There are many opportunities to serve in this

ministry from refreshments to chaperones.

Children’s Sunday School Introducing children to the Bible and sharing God’s

love with them is what Sunday School is all about! All

children that attend Elementary school are invited to

gather on the front row in the Sanctuary immediately

following the 9 am worship service. Your parents will

need to sign you in on the clipboard. Then it is off to

Sunday School with games, crafts, stories, and never-

ending surprises...after all, it is Children’s ministry!

Parents are asked to sign their child out when they

pick them up at 11 am. For more information contact

the Children & Youth Director, Stephanie Parks.

What does it mean to create change with

your everyday choices? Something as simple

as the coffee you drink can make a powerful

difference. FAIR TRADE = a trade in which fair prices are paid

to producers in developing countries.

With Fair Trade you have the power to change the

world every day. With one simple choice you can get

farmers a better deal. Fair Trade is not a charity or

handout; it is simply a process of giving a fair ex-

change for a product. Many farmers in developing

countries are not paid fairly for their crops, etc. By

purchasing fairly traded products you are helping the

small farmers earn a fair wage.

We are committed to do our part in

helping the small farmers in developing

countries. Beginning this month we will

only be using Fair Trade coffee through a

United Methodist Committee On Relief

(UMCOR) supported group called Equal

Exchange. Can I get an Amen?!

PAGE 10 GO, TELL.

11 am Traditional Worship 9 am Contemporary Worship

Our worship team that leads the music in the 9 am

service is an awesome group of committed servants.

They spend at least an hour on Wednesday and an

extra hour on Sundays preparing each week, (not to

mention time at home listening and practicing).

Please take some time to say thanks!

Are there certain songs we do that you want to hear

more or less of? Let us know! The name of each song

should be on the last slide. We choose songs to con-

nect us to God, lift Him up, and enhance the service

in a way that brings our hearts together around an

idea. Hopefully the songs each week challenge you to

consider the message in deeper ways and think about

how you will respond to the challenge.

We are always in need of singers and musicians!

We know it takes a while to get up the courage to ask,

but we make sure that you are comfortable and pre-

pared and begin participating at whatever level of

commitment you want. We definitely are looking for

a bassist! (Did you know bass is the easiest instru-

ment to start playing???) Also, are there any guys

that like to sing? God may be calling you to serve in

worship or He may not, but remember: He has a role

waiting to be filled by you.

Have you ever had a thankless job that was only

noticed when you messed up? Unfortunately, that’s

life for a lot of technical/audio people. We musicians

get to do well (and mess up) in front of everyone.

OCUMC is incredibly kind and forgiving when we

mess up. And then of course if we do an especially

good job, there is always an encouraging word. Sadly,

tech team people can go years without being thanked

once! While it is a great way to serve, it is a stressful

gig! Please, find one or all of our tech people and say

thanks!

We also need help to fill out our tech team. You

don’t need any experience with sound or technology,

but you must possess a willingness to learn. We will

help you try it out for a while and see if you like serv-

ing in this way. Drew is a great soundboard teacher!

Perhaps you want to try it out for a month or two, or

even sign up to help every other week? Everything

helps. Running the computer for worship can be as

simple as hitting the space bar OR as complex as

helping put together the presentation software.

Running the sound can be as simple as pushing the

right buttons at the right time OR as complex as ad-

justing the equalizer and effects to enhance the

band’s sound. Come and give it a try!

Nick Melton

Worship Leader

I will sing of your love and justice;

to you Lord, I will sing praise.

-Psalm 101:1

Many years ago, OCUMC began a program whereby

young, talented students who were pursuing a degree

in music, and who could benefit from some extra cash

to help support their academic pursuits, would in

exchange share their musical gifts with our congrega-

tion. Stetson Singers' participation in weekly

rehearsals and services serves a number of purposes.

Our choir benefits by hearing strong voices that lead

with the right notes. Stetson Singers are always hap-

py to sing a solo, they enrich the tone of our choir, and

we are able to sing more challenging anthems that

might otherwise be out of our reach.

As this program developed, it became much more.

We formed relationships with these students...we love

them (and they love us). They benefit from having

"family" close by to pray for them, sometimes feed

them, and to laugh and smile with them. We have

helped to shape lives of young people who are now

opera singers, Broadway performers, church music

directors and organists, teachers, children's ministry

directors, even preachers.

Due to dwindling funds, Stetson Singers is in jeop-

ardy of ending at the end of this school year. I'm

asking you today to consider what music in worship

means to you and your family, the role the choir and

their leadership play in your ability to fellowship with

God through worship, and whether you'd be willing to

partner with the choir to continue the ministry of

Stetson Singers by donating to this account.

When I hear back from these students, and I often

do, the gratitude they feel for Orange City United

Methodist Church and the way that God used us to

help them find their path is overwhelming. In a few

years- we will start hearing back from Ashley and

Haywood about the amazing ways God is using their

gifts, I can only imagine! This is a ministry that we

can continue for many years to come; Stetson's School

of Music and its pool of outstanding talent will always

be right next door, but in order to continue we need

your help. Thank you in advance for your support!

Tammy Miller

Choir Director

3rd Saturday Community Connection

The cross represents the church.

The house represents the community.

The arrow (the connecting point) is

pointed upwards to God.

We are moving upwards toward God as

we are connecting the community

and the church.

PAGE 11

Do you want to connect

with God everyday? Jump in and begin our daily Bible reading plan

that is printed on the back of each week’s ‘Weekly

Bulletin’ that we receive each Sunday. These can also

be found on the church website under the ‘What’s

Going On’ tab.

This plan follows a method of reading the Bible

called SOAPY. The SOAPY method will help you to

hear God speaking into your life in your daily devo-

tional time. It is recommended that you keep a

SOAPY journal where you can write down and reflect

upon the insights you discover each day.

Jump in today!

Church Website www.ocumc.org

Test out the church website. Click on the

website links and look at all the pages. Let

us know what you think. Your opinion is

wanted. Email the church office with your

comments. We want a welcoming and user

friendly website to Reach, Serve, and Love

like Christ.

Mail Call Ministry As we approach our 5th year serving on MCM, I have

reflected over these past years on how much we have

grown, but particularly during 2015. Growth comes in

many forms. We now have about 18 loyal volunteers

who come almost every Thursday. “Thank you Lord!”

Through the donations of mostly anonymous donors,

we have had the means to purchase food for Thursday

meals, provide the contents of a brown bag lunch “to

go” and to supply our guests with many personal neces-

sities. “Thank you Lord!”

There were times that we didn’t think we would see

an increase in our guest list. Little did we know that

the numbers of those we served each Thursday in 2015

would increase by more than 400 from the prior year.

We served 1,394 guests in 2015. “Thank you Lord!”

Last year was truly a testament of faith and trust.

Giving God the glory for all aspects of this ministry has

brought us to the place of deep gratitude for God’s pro-

vision for Mail Call Ministry. “Thank you Lord!”

Our greatest concern for our homeless friends contin-

ues to be, of course, for shelter first, but also for the

many other issues they deal with on a regular basis.

We pray that doors will be opened for this population

with a facility that will not only provide a roof over

their head, but will assist

those with mental health

and addiction issues,

those in dire need of med-

ical care and those seek-

ing employment to name

a few.

Won’t you please join us

in prayer that our county

will come together and do

what is right and just?

Thank you,

Pat Parker Schwartz

Mail Call Ministry

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-Profit Organization

U.S. Postage

PAID

Mid-FL, FL

Permit No. 63008 396 E University Ave Orange City, FL 32763

(386) 775-3068 www.ocumc.org

office@ocumc.org

Upcoming Dates to Save

Feb 10 Ash Wednesday Worship at 7 pm

Feb 13 UMW Valentine Tea

Feb 16 Leadership Council Meeting

Feb 20 3rd Saturday Community Connection

Mar 13 Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 am

Mar 15 Leadership Council Meeting

Mar 19 3rd Saturday Community Connection

Mar 25 Good Friday Worship at 7 pm

Mar 27 Easter Sunday & Annual Egg Hunt

May 7 UMW Rummage Sale

for more info visit church website: ocumc.org

Philippians 3:14 (The Message)

...I’ve got my eye on the goal,

where God is beckoning us

onward—to Jesus.

I’m off and running,

and I’m not turning back.