Pastors E-Letter 11/6/20
As I write this, I realize most of us have been distracted with the election and political discourse this month. I am comforted in remembering that throughout Scripture, the world at large has been chaotic, unjust and painful. And yet, God continues to pour God’s Spirit into us. God has promised repeatedly to be present with us. We never walk alone. And as God has promised to be with us, God has called us to action. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” Because of the gift of God’s Spirit in us, we are freed to love our neighbor in extravagant ways. And in uncertain times, embracing our freedom to love feels, to me, like the best way to live out our faith.
In the midst of any uncertainty, we as United Methodists realize God’s call to continue Christ’s work in ourselves, our congregation and our community. Sometimes that need feels overwhelming and our own resources seem small in comparison to the need. However, our Bishop, Kenneth H. Carter reminds us, “Do for one what we would do for many.”
One of my favorite parts of serving as your Director of Outreach Ministries is witnessing firsthand the intersection of great need with deep generosity. To learn more about all of the wonderful organizations we serve with, simply go to www.suntreeumc.org/community and explore all of the opportunities to share our generosity with others in the community.
Here are just a few of the ways we continue to live out our faith and hope in Jesus the Christ this season:
We have re-instituted the Mission Boxes near our worship spaces, and are announcing the highlighted mission each month. You can always learn more about these missions at SuntreeUMC.org/serve.
In a community resource assessment, we were delighted to discover our church neighbors on either side of us: Advent Lutheran Church and St. Paul’s Anglican Church, both offer food pantries. Rather than triplicate their efforts, we decided to close our own food distribution service and instead partner with these churches. We have donated food pantry items to them monthly. We are in need of a congregation member to deliver food pantry items to these churches on a regular (bi-weekly or monthly) basis. Contact
to volunteer for this.
For the upcoming holiday season, we are again gifting Thanskgiving Missions Baskets for families in need. Each family receives a basket filled with a turkey, ingredients and recipes for side items to make a complete, fresh Thanksgiving meal. We plan to serve 50 families (over 200 servings!) with your generous donations.You can find the list of items to donate at SuntreeUMC.org/community. The deadline for donations is November 15th.
We also minister to the families who struggle to provide Christmas gifts for their children. We will be collecting gifts for our local Brevard children through Gifts from the Heart. You can donate new, unwrapped Christmas gifts beginning November 22nd outside the worship areas or at www.giftsfromtheheartshop.org
Finally, in December, we are so excited to host "The Nativity Experience: a Journey Through Bethlehem"- a live, drive-thru, event to share the miracle of Jesus Christ with our community! We need the help of everyone to make this a success. You can sign up to “adopt a tent” where you can decorate your area and act as Biblical era vendors in a marketplace; pose as shepherd or Wise men, or help with design, or set up and tear down all the elements that will transform our outside campus into a Biblical era space! The Nativity Experience is also presented to benefit Zoe Empowers: a vital and remarkable ministry which empowers orphaned and vulnerable children in poverty stricken countries to develop businesses as a way of self-sustainment and community up-lifting. Go to SuntreeUMC.org/nativity for more information and to sign up!
Even in the midst of a season filled with division and uncertainty, service is one thing that can truly bring us all together. I pray that you continue to lean into God’s calling and pursue a life filled with pursuit of holiness, both in personal spiritual growth and in outward forms of service and generosity.
Many Blessings,
Staci Plonsky