July 25th, 2025 | Rev. Rachel Williams

Dear Friends,  

I know to most of us it seems like summer just got started (at least that’s what the calendar says), but for our school-aged families and our teachers the fun is starting to wind down. Don’t tell the kids, but we are down to our last three weeks before school resumes in the fall. Parents, grandparents and caretakers, you might be excited to see everything go back into routine. I know I am excited for the start of school because it means that all things fall are right around the corner.  

We have the opportunity to have a great kickoff to fall, starting with the Teacher Supply Fair on August 3rd at 12:30PM. I know you have heard the spiel for a few weeks now, but this is one of the greatest ways that we can offer love to our neighbors in the county. The impact of this fair is far-reaching, as we know that these supplies will then be used to teach classes filled with dozens of kids. Very few of these folks will ever attend church here, but this act of community support is a way for love to show up to literally thousands of people.

So, if you are preparing for your own back-to-school time, or if you run by the store and see school supplies on sale and tax free, consider picking up a few more supplies to start the year right for our educators.  

And speaking of classes, be on the lookout for more details about how you can be involved in classes here at the church this fall. We are excited to be bringing back a few old favorites and new additions to our Wednesday night program as well as continued study throughout the week. I look forward to all that’s in store this fall! 

With Grace and Peace,  

Pastor Rachel  

July 18th, 2025 | Rev. Dr. Mark Charles

Dear Grace-filled Family,

I hope you've been as challenged as I have by our recent worship series on Jesus's Sermon on the Plain from Luke 6. It's been a powerful journey, reminding us that following Christ often calls us to the harder, more counter-cultural aspects of discipleship. We've wrestled with what it truly means to love our enemies, to turn the other cheek, and to find joy in unexpected places. These aren't always easy truths, but they are foundational to living a Christ-centered life.

This week we start a new series that’s going to help us practically live out these challenging aspects of following Jesus. We'll be exploring the timeless wisdom of John Wesley’s Three General Rules of Methodism: Do No Harm, Do Good, and Attend to the Ordinances of God. This series will invite us to unpack each rule individually, considering what they mean for us, the people called United Methodist, in our daily lives. Beyond understanding their historical and theological context, we will be asking how these rules calls the 21^st century church to be a beacon of light and hope in our communities and world, especially amidst the difficult times we are living in. These rules offer a strong and relevant framework for building a robust and responsive faith life.

I'm excited to get into this series on Sunday morning as we take a deep dive into what it truly means to "Do No Harm." It's a crucial starting point for any disciple seeking to live faithfully in the world.

See you Sunday!

Blessings,

Pastor Charlie

July 11th, 2205 | Pastor Rachel Williams

Dear Friends,  

In one of my all time favorite movies, You’ve Got Mail, Tom Hank’s character, Joe Fox, sends a message to Meg Ryan’s Kathleen Kelly saying, “Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.” Nora Ephron sure knew how to turn a phrase.

Now, I’m no Nora Ephron, so I hope this doesn’t come as RomCom sacrilege, but I want to offer an adaptation of that line for our own context: “Don’t you love Fernandina Beach in the summer? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send a whole bouquet of dry erase markers to Memorial if I knew their name and address.”

That’s right, we could make our own quote just to talk about the upcoming Teacher’s Fair on August 3^rd in Maxwell Hall. And here’s the good news! You DO have our address! And we have an Amazon Wishlist, found HERE, that you can use to help source our supplies! (Order through Amazon and have them delivered directly to Memorial!) If you haven’t already donated, and would like to do so, please consider making a supply purchase between now and August 2^nd. You can have those supplies sent directly to the Partin Center, or you can drop them in one of the bins in the worship space.

Our teachers work incredibly hard to (did you see all Nassau County Schools had an “A” rating for last year?!), and they should not have to fund school supplies out of their own pockets. This is a way that we can show our support for the people who spend day in and day out caring for our community’s children.  

Another way you can show your support is by helping out at our partner school, Yulee Primary, on July 25^th from 8AM to noon.  A team from Memorial will be there to help freshen up campus before teachers, staff, and students arrive for the new school year.

With school starting back in exactly a month, let’s help our teachers, students, and parents prepare for a successful start to the new school year!  

With love and peace,  

Pastor Rachel