Pastor's E-Letter 8/30/19
As I am writing this on Thursday afternoon, I know many of you are preparing your home and your possessions for a potential direct impact by Hurricane Dorian here in Brevard County. We here at Suntree United Methodist have also begun preparations for the church building and have a team of volunteers working with those who may need help preparing themselves. We are grateful to all of you for your patience as we watch the track closely and help you prepare.
We wanted to make you aware of a few notes about this as we prepare:
- At this time, we will still have all our services Sunday morning, but after worship we plan to shut down our facility.
- All other activities after worship on Sunday are canceled. We will keep you updated about programming later in the week as we watch the storm’s progress.
Please make your best judgments about being in worship on Sunday. Of course, we would love to see you, but we respect your decision making as you exercise extreme caution regarding this storm.
In the meantime, this storm has me thinking about our legacy as a congregation in our community. In 2004 and 2005, the years when multiple hurricanes crisscrossed Florida, Suntree UMC became known as a place for hot food, power, and ice. Last year, when Irma devastated Key West and power was out here in Brevard County, Suntree again rallied for our neighbors near and far by providing food, space to charge phones, ice, and help after the hurricane.
All this work is what it means to be servant-hearted and is the true embodiment of the vow of “service” that we take when we join The United Methodist Church. When we each use the gifts that God has given us to help one another, we can be a force for true good and transformation in our community. When we vow to serve, we remember that we do not have to go it alone and that with the help of others, we can rest in the safety and security of our community and our God.
We are praying for you as you wait out this storm. If you are evacuating, we wish you safe travels and a safe return to us here in Brevard County. If conditions change or any other pertinent information needs to be shared, we’ll be sure to do that through our e-Letter, Facebook, and website, in order that you might feel informed and connected to our efforts here.
Be safe! See you Sunday,
Allee