Attorney Manny Moreno addressed the group about wills and estates. 10.15.26 - "Everyone needs a plan. You don't need to be old, you don't need to be rich, or sick...you just need to have someone you love. That's it." Katie Greenwell, the Children's Ministry Coordinator at Memorial, spoke frankly during the last Wesley Dinner Club about how having plans in place now for her children, her assets, and their health directives has made a big difference in her life. She talked abou

Dear Friends in Christ, Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! As we enter the month of October, I am grateful for the many ways God continues to work through our churches, clergy, and faithful members across the Northeast District. Every day, I see evidence of the Spirit at work through acts of kindness, ministries of compassion, faithful worship, and the commitment of congregations to serve their communities. October gives us three important

September 2026 - The inaugural Memorial's Morning of Service was held on September 19th as the Hands-on Mission opportunity for the month. Groups from the Memorial family went out to serve alongside four different mission partners in our community. One group worked with Hosanna Helpers, by doing some needed yard work and repair work at a local home. At the Purple Dove, the shop supporting the work of Micah's Place, a team helped sort items for resale. Another gro

August 2nd, 2026 - Teachers representing 3 local counties picked up free classroom supplies on Sunday, during Memorial United Methodist Church’s annual Free Teacher’s Supply Fair. Many area teachers spend their own money on classroom necessities and Memorial wanted to ensure that teachers could focus entirely on teaching & inspiring children without the stress of worrying about missing essentials on the first day of school. The congregation donated thousands of the most reque

July 31st, 2026 - On August 10th, the Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten program (VPK) at Lamb will resume after a short hiatus. VPK is a free state-funded program in Florida designed to prepare 4-year-olds for kindergarten. VPK runs with the county’s school term. “We are excited to be offering a VPK program again, “ Pastor Rachel said. “Lamb has always been known for providing an exceptional education to our preschoolers. We often hear from kindergarten teachers that they can tell

July 24th, 2026 - On Tuesday, July 21st, Love Showed Up at The Arc Nassau when nearly 30 members of Memorial made a visit to our friends, shared a cookout lunch with them, and then some very exciting games of Bingo! Each year, one of Memorial's Hands-on Mission Opportunities is to share some fund with our friends at The Arc. Volunteers brought side dishes and desserts to serve alongside the burgers and dogs cooked on the grill by our Memorial grillers! All ages of volunte

Let me begin by welcoming all of you to a new Conference year. Some of you have welcomed new pastors, while others are rejoicing in the return of your appointed clergy. I welcome Revs. Angie Long to Memorial in Fernandina Beach, Arlinda Burke to Isle of Faith, Mike Mosley to Asbury in Orange Park, Will Clarke to Trinity DeLand, Elvis Soto to St. Paul in Jacksonville, Daiane Soto to Highlands, Tamyra McLaughlin-Seavers to Avondale, Carolyn Westlake to the two-point charge of C

Each year, Diane Hamrick, takes a group of volunteers over to Kenya to serve alongside Kenya Partners at the schools and medical facilities in Nakuru. Memorial member Mary Negron has wanted to attend with Diane for many years and finally the timing was right! She was drawn to work with Kenya Partners because she had never been to Africa, she loves working with kids, and "they asked me to teach origami!", she said happily. She knew it was a good fit! Mary was part of a recent

Memorial United Methodist Church announces a pastoral transition as part of the United Methodist Church’s longstanding system of itineracy, in which pastors are appointed to serve congregations for a season before being called to new ministries. After eight years of faithful service, Rev. Dr. Mark Charles, known as “Pastor Charlie”, will conclude his appointment at the end of June. As the longest-serving senior pastor in the church’s 204-year history, he led Memorial through

Speaking with Rev. Dr. Mark Charles at the May Wesley Dinner Club were Desiree Dinkle from The Council on Aging, Oliver Causon from Nassau Sober Living, Barbara Beck from Micah’s Place, Carlene McDuffie from Affordable Housing, Inc., Jennifer Pault from The Arc Nassau, Molly Cressy from Nassau County Schools: McKinney-Vento Program, Zen Carver from Nassau County Homeless Coalition, and Sandy Phipps from Angels Unaware/ Gracie’s Kitchen. A recent survey showed that residents o

Clergy in attendance (back row), Fr. Eric Stelzer -St. Michael's, Rev. Dr. Mark Charles - Memorial, Rev. Granardo Felix- Trinity, Rev. Ben Mandrick - Prince of Peace, (front row) Pastor Gabriel Zavala - First Baptist, Rev. Dawn Mayes - First Presbyterian, and Rev. Sarah Minton - St. Peter's. The 2026 senior class of Fernandina Beach High School will be graduating on Monday, May 18th. Before they move the tassel on graduation day, they celebrated together at the annual inter

“I feel like I have a heart again.” These were the words an inmate spoke to Kairos volunteer Justin Rimondi during a recent weekend of ministry at Columbia Correctional Institution. Twice a year, men from Memorial participate in this impactful ministry, reaching into a place not many people want to go: prison. Kairos is a lay-led, interdenominational Christian ministry in which men—and women through Kairos Outside—volunteer to bring Christ’s love and forgiveness to prisoners

"Did you know that Memorial's mission reach extends over four continents?" Pastor Rachel asked the group from the Wesley Dinner Club who gathered Thursday night. "These mission partners allow us to grow our own missional impact. Thought this United Methodist Connection, we can expand where we care. We can see the image of God in the diversity of the people we reach, and we can share the love of Jesus Christ to more people." Pastor Rachel was referring to the six internation

" All of this coming together to create such a real, tangible change in the trajectory of an entire family is something only possible through God..." When asked to sum up the favorite part of her trip, Lucinda Lautz said, "The whole experience was my favorite part of the trip!" On March 14th, 2026, Memorial's annual weeklong mission trip to Porch de Salomon in Guatemala began. Missionaries gathered at the airport in Guatemala City from various parts of northeast Florida. The

Rev. Samantha Aupperlee "We get to be the light to the world. We are, together, the body of Christ." These were the words that Rev. Sam Aupperlee used to encourage the those at the Wesly Dinner Club to stay engaged with mission and connection through the United Methodist Church, Rev. Aupperlee was one of the guests Pastor Charlie invited to speak at the latest Wesley Dinner Club. Also joining Rev. Aupperlee, were Memorial member Jim Mitts, who serves as the Disaster Response

Navana played the flute. Sixty-four members of the Community Band were in Maxwell Hall giving a tremendous performance on Thursday night (March 11th, 2026). The all-volunteer band was on hand not to simply present a concert but to raise money and awareness for the PET Project/Mobility Worldwide. Seven people from Memorial's played in the band, including Navana Kern and Pastor Rachel. Another member of the church family involved in the band is Jack Burk. And he does not just p

Mary Negron, Memorial Member and President of the United Women in Faith for the North East District Each spring, the Children's Week Florida welcomes school children to Tallahassee from around the state to tour the Capitol building and meet legislators. Also in attendance during the week are teachers, social workers, faith leaders, nonprofits, and businesses advocating for the health and safety of children. They come to learn from one another and to also meet with legislators

If you look in sills of the stained-glass windows of the Sanctuary during Lent, you'll find some beautiful stone relief depictions of the stations of the cross. These are prayers markers on loan to Memorial from First United Methodist - Baton Rouge (Louisiana). These 10 prayer markers were commissioned for First UMC in 2014 and designed and created by liturgical artist Deborah Luke, who is a Baton Rouge native. Two sets were made and dedicated on Palm Sunday in 2016. Of the t

You may have heard Pastor Charlie call the United Women in Faith at Memorial a "force for good" during his recent sermon on the State of the Church. And he was right! During their most recent UWF Brunch on January 31st, the women offered up their own "State of the UWF" and celebrated their accomplishments as a chapter, recognized new offers, handed out awards to member of our congregation who are living out the mission of the UWF. Over 85 people, most representing the 136 m

As an act of collective pastoral care for our community, a group of local pastors offered a time of vigil and prayer Thursday night. Around 250 people gathered peacefully on the steps of Memorial to recognize their shared hurt by praying, singing, and finding comfort together. The vigil was led by clergy from Memorial, First Presbyterian Church, New Vision United Church of Christ, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Greater Fernandina Beach Church of God, and chaplains from Bapt