The Good News: Seeing Our Apportionment Dollars in Action at Annual Conference

(Part 3 of a special series on Florida Annual Conference) The consensus of the Memorial members after leaving Lakeland at the beginning of June was that Annual Conference is three and a half days jam-packed with worship, celebration, business, and reports! Not only were they "Awakened to Grace" by the worship music and speakers, but they were inspired by the reports from different committees and ministries, helping them see not only the results of the work of many volunteers but also our apportionment dollars in action!

We heard a report on the Florida Conference's Camps and Retreat Ministries.                  

Warren Willis Camp

Rev. Corey Jones, the Director of Camps and Retreat Ministries reminded the conference that camps are, "holy work, not only summer fun." Warren Willis served over 1300 campers last summer! And work is currently being done to upgrade some of the aging infrastructure and facilities. Long-range plans are in place to enhance the facility and experience for youth and adults and that is able to happen because of the support of our local churches. But it's not just in summer when the camp and retreat are being used, and it's more than just a "place". Rev. Jenn Stiles-Williams reminded us that "Property only matters

when it serves our mission and vision." She spoke about some of the year-round

programming going on at the camp and retreat center. "Warren Willis and the Life Enrichment Center are places for all to encounter God’s love and an authentic Christian community. The heart of this work is about people."

A report was also given on campus ministries across Florida. Currently, there are seven

Representatives from campus ministries shared thier experiences to the conference.

vibrant Wesley foundations and two United Methodist-Related institutions in the Florida Conference (Bethune Cookman & Florida Southern.) We got to hear from some of the students who are impacted currently by these ministries and learn that they feel a deeper connection to God and their peers through these ministries. We also got to hear some of the members of those groups lead us in worship music.

The praise band from Residing Hope led us in worship music.

Perhaps one of the most inspiriting reports was the one from Residing Hope. The work that they do with some of the most vulnerable young people in our state is truly remarkable. Hearing the stories of the residents at Residing Hope, which is supported through the donations from local churches, was truly encouraging and inspiring. One of the joys of the day was seeing the praise band from Residing Hope lead worship with music! The band consisted of residents from the facility. The work of the camps, Wesley Foundations, and Residing Hope were just a few of the reports shared teaching us about the work done through the Florida Conference and the United Methodist Church which are supported by our apportionment dollars and our financial gifts. It made us very proud to be United Methodists and grateful for these outreach ministries.

June 20th, 2025 | Rev. Dr. Mark Charles

On Tuesday evening, Margaret and I returned home to Fernandina Beach after a great trip to Ireland with our amazing group of fellow travelers. We had a wonderful week that involved covering 1250 miles in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland as we traveled from place to place taking in some of the very best sights that the island of Ireland has to offer – Rock of Cashel: an historic seat of political and ecclesial power in Ireland whose buildings date back as far as the 4th century, the Book of Kells: a 9th Century manuscript of the gospels, and Gracehill: a 17th Century Moravian settlement outside Ballymena in Northern Ireland. 

Each place was stunning and majestic in its own right, and as I walked around them I could not help but be reminded of the resilient nature of the gospel and of the enduring legacy of the teachings of Jesus. In the best and worst of times since the introduction of Christian faith on the island of Ireland, those teachings have offered hope and help shape communities and wider society.

They still do.

The times we are living in are fraught with distress and difficulty on many levels. It is easy to look around ourselves and wonder what we ought to do and how we ought to be if we are to bear faithful and effective witness to the enduring hope and resiliency of the gospel. It is our adherence to the  teachings of Jesus that will help us in our task, which is why we have shaped our latest series of sermons on Luke’s telling of those teachings better known (from Matthew’s Gospel) as the Sermon on the Mount. As Christ followers, it does us good to listen to Christ’s teachings and allow them to shapes us as Christ’s people who will bear faithful witness in our community and world.

I hope you will take some time to read through these teachings as we find them in Luke 6, and that you will make a point of listening to the sermons Pastor Rachel and I will be preaching in the weeks ahead. They have so much to say about who Christ calls us to be in todays world.

See you Sunday!

Blessings,

Pastor Charlie

The Good News: Annual Conference Speakers Challenged Us With Calls for of Inclusion & Relational Work

Part 2 in a series of articles about 2025 Florida Annual Conference.

When Memorial members who attended Annual Conference were asked what moments had the most impact, many of them mentioned the dynamic guest speakers whose messages challenged those assembled. They wanted to make sure those messages were shared with you.

Rev. Dr. Rodrigo Cruz currently serves as the Assistant to the Bishop in the South and North Georgia Conferences. In 2016, he was moved to launch a multi-ethnic movement of faith called "The Nett Church", in Gwinnett County, Georgia (Where the "Nett" comes from). Nett grew to stand for: Nations to Experience Transformation in Jesus Together. Their goal was for the diversity of the church on Sunday mornings to reflect the diversity of the school systems from Monday through Friday. (Pastor Charlie mentioned The Nett Church in his sermon the Sunday after Annual Conference.)

Rev. Cruz led both a teaching session called "Vitality in the Multicultural Setting" and then also a Bible study. His experience, his call from God, and his message were something that had the whole Annual Conference engaged. One person commented, "I could have listened to him all afternoon!"

Rev. Dr. Rodrigo Cruz

“I cannot open to the thought of the idea that we die, somehow we'll be segregated in heaven. So if we don't believe that there will be segregation in heaven, why on earth do we have it while we’re alive?...In other words, if you cannot see God through somebody else's lenses, you will not be able to see the greatness of God. You'll only be able to see a fraction of who God is. You see, you cannot really comprehend God's care, value, and worth.”

- Rev. Dr. Rodrigo Cruz

Both of Rev. Cruz's sessions have been edited together and you can watch them HERE. You can also read a story from the Florida Conference on his sessions HERE.

The Conference was also led in a study by Rev. John Yambasu who is a graduate of Emory University’s Candler School of Theology and serves as a supply pastor at Salem

United Methodist Church in Covington, Georgia. Yambasu is a certified candidate for the order of Elder in The United Methodist Church with the Georgia Annual Conference. He spoke about hearing the call from God and truly being a connectional, relational United Methodist Church and paralleled that to the words in Acts 2: 42-47 and brought a cross-cultural perspective to his Bible study, shaped by his experiences in West Africa and his upbringing in Sierra Leone. You can experience his Bible study HERE.

On the last day of Annual Conference, during the Service of Licensing, Commissioning, and Ordination, Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, currently serving in the Virginia Conference, gave the message. "Bishop Sue", as many refer to her, is a Florida native and elected to the position of Bishop in 2016. Her message was a challenge to us all through the lens of the Annual Conference theme "Awaken to Grace". She told a touching story about an encounter with a homeless man at one of the churches where she served. He eventually became a staff person at her church and something he said one day made her see God's love or us all in a new way.

“I have learned something in ministry," Bishop Sue said. "If I have a choice of siding with the powerless, the hidden, the ridiculed, the mocked, or those who are ridiculing and mocking, if I want to find Jesus, I go by the one who's being ridiculed and mocked."

Bishop Sue spoke on Ezra 3:10-13 about the story of the exiles coming back to Jerusalem comparing some of what they experienced to what the church and our nation is experiencing. At times like this she says, "I've never felt like that it was so hard to be the church, but so important to be the church."

She also shared the vast progress and changes that have taken place in the Florida Conference during her life. And noted that nostalgia for the past is good as long as you don't let it stop you toward wonder for the future. She compared it to the idea of spending Christmas Eve reminiscing about the people who were not there anymore and ignored the children. She reminded the group that the work continues for our churches and our Conference to embrace new things and challenged us to remember that "we are all made in the image of God, and the church building forward has to acknowledge that and defend that with every ounce of its energy." You can watch her message HERE.