Coming Events for Senior Adults

Silver and Gold Luncheon
Thursday, February 23, at 10:30 a.m. in The Wright Place
This luncheon is open to all young, middle and older senior adults in our church!  We meet once a month for fellowship, fun and food!  Our featured guest in February will be Max Soelzer, an accomplished vocalist and musician.  Max has been with us once before and he literally had folks dancing in the aisle.  You will not want to miss this month’s fellowship!  Also, take advantage of getting your blood pressure checked.  The luncheon cost is $5.00 and registration is needed in the church office by Tuesday, February 21.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Friday Night @ The Wright Place
Friday, February 24th from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Join us for the next Friday Night Corners on February 24th from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. in The Wright Place.  It will be an evening of great music, fun activities and delicious food.  Admission is only $5 (to help cover the cost of food).  We look forward to seeing you there.  Call the church office for more information.

Inspirit 2012: Rekindle, Relax and Renew
April 12-14 at Blue Lake United Methodist Assembly
A ministry event designed for adults age 50 plus
(Sponsored by Alabama West Florida Conference / Older Adult Task Force)

Festival of Wisdom and Grace: From Transition to Transformation
July 30 – August 2 at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center in Lake Junaluska, NC
(Sponsored by Southeastern Jurisdictional Association for Older Adults)

Preschool Registration Dates

On Wednesday, February 15, our preschools will hold registration for children of members who have joined the church.  Please call the respective director for time and location of registration and availability of spots.

Learning Enrichment Program (LEP):
LEP is our half day program with hours from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with days roughly based on the public school calendar.
Director – Lynda Rabon, 438-6761

Noah’s Ark Learning Center:  
Noah’s Ark is our full day program with hours from 7:00 a.m. to 5:50 p.m., with eleven holiday closures.
Director- Cathy Potter, 438-3508

Internet Safety Forum

Sunday, February 19th
from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in Wesley Abbey

Detective Chris Wilkinson from the Pensacola Police Department will be leading this forum on Internet Safety, Cyber Molestation and how to protect yourself and your family.  You do not want to miss this.  Even if you think you already know everything there is to know about internet safety.

Women’s Retreat

Saturday, February 11th

Women of our church are invited to a day retreat on Saturday, February 11 at Miracle Camp. Make reservations in the church office. The cost is $10 which will include a lunch. Mark your calendars and plan to participate in this Christian experience.

Financial News

As we begin the New Year, I want to make you aware of changes taking place in the church office. Beginning this month, we are sending all contributing members of the congregation a monthly statement. All other donors, visitors and nonmembers, will receive a receipt or written acknowledgement of their gifts. Everyone—contributing members, visitors and nonmembers alike—will receive a final statement at year’s end. We hope to eliminate some of the confusion caused by quarterly statements and streamline financial operations at the same time.

The new monthly statements will include a summary of year-to-date giving by fund and a single, pre-addressed envelope in which to make the following month’s contribution. You can place the envelope in the collection plate on Sunday, drop it by the front office, or return it to us via the postal service. We are trying to get away from weekly envelopes altogether; they are expensive to manage and we have found that many people discard most of them, opting for one envelope a month anyway. We will continue to stock the pew holders with giving envelopes for individual use.

I also want to take this opportunity to remind you that we accept electronic transfers, bank drafts and credit card donations. Obviously, we are trying to make the act of giving to your church as simple as possible, while maintaining proper decorum and good records for your benefit. Speaking of records—I want you to know that access to giving records is limited to a small number of people in the finance office. We will honor your privacy, and, under no circumstance, will we share your address, phone number or e-mail address with other organizations or community agencies.

One final note–it may take several months before the weekly envelopes stop arriving at your house. The envelope vendor requires a long and profitable lead-time before they can be stopped. Please ignore them and use the monthly notice and envelope that we’ll be sending in the mail.

If you have questions regarding your pledge, or method of giving, please call me or Ann Agee Busbee at 850-432-1434.

Juvenile Justice Reform and Warren Williams Update Email Group

If you would like to join the hundreds of concerned members of our church and community and receive email updates on the well being of Warren Williams plus information and suggestions on how we can make positive changes to the juvenile justice system in Florida and the US, please email Rick Branch or Jane Reich and ask to be added to the list.

Wilderness Trail Family Hikes in Florida

Are you interested in hiking in Florida this Winter?  Wilderness Trail is a 501(c)3 North Carolina tax-exempt nonprofit organization that uses backpacking as a tool for discipleship.  Each summer over 60 of our youth travel to Virginia and North Carolina to hike 40+ miles of the Appalachian Trail.   For the first time, Wilderness Trail has three hikes scheduled in Florida this February and March.  The hikes will take place in Ocala National Forest and Blackwater State Forest along the Florida National Scenic Trail.  You and your family are invited to participate in these memoriable hikes.

Available Dates:
February 17-19
March 2-4
March 16-18

Who Can Participate?
Ages 5 and up! Families, college, and youth all welcome!

Registration Fee:
$75 per participant, equipment rental included

Please Note:
No Experience Necessary.  You don’t need to know anything about backpacking in order to participate with Wilderness Trail; we provide everything and instruct in all areas.

Learn more about Wilderness Trail and register for winter hikes at WTrail.com.

Ushers Needed

We have a special need for 3rd Sunday ushers at the 11 AM sanctuary service!  Please call or email Rick Branch if you are available to help in this important ministry.

Prayer Shawl Ministry Conference

Our very active Prayer Shawl Ministry meets every Tuesday morning in the Stringfield Room of our Library. The items they create are blessed with prayers from our congregation and are given to individuals who are in special need of prayers. Debra Tallman, Director of Senior Adults, is the staff person to this ministry.

A special treat for Prayer Shawl Ministries across the Conference is a workshop at Blue Lake on February 29-March 2. The speaker for the conference is Roberta Bondi, retired professor at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. She has written extensively on prayer and is an accomplished knitter. She loves the knitting process so much she cards and spins her own wool!

Try to fit this workshop into your schedule even if you do not knit. Beginning knitting, tatting, crochet and “broomstick crochet” will be taught and you will be blessed by the Christian fellowship as Dr. Bondi leads participants into a deeper prayer life.