May 30th, 2025 | Pastor Rachel

Dear Beloved Friends,  

We have experienced a season in the life of our church in which there have been many hospitalizations, illnesses, and experiences of sorrow. This Sunday, Pastor Charlie and I will lead a service of healing in each of our worship services. This may be something new for you, but there are numerous biblical accounts of prayers for healing and healing that took place amongst the miracles of Jesus and his disciples. We recognize that healing is a part of our Christian tradition and was a common understanding of the early Christian church. It is also a common practice for clergy to anoint the sick with oil.

As Discipleship Ministries explains: 

Although we can pray for the sick in any place or situation, to have a service in the church implies that, as God’s people, we are called to be a healing community. As United Methodists, we do not believe that it is necessary to have a person with a healing gift to do a healing service. All healing comes from God, not from human power. God gives gifts to the church and blesses the church as God wishes. 

This is a time where we can come together as a congregation to pray for one another and to ask for specific healing. Should you wish to receive a special blessing and anointing with oil we will have a time at the end of the sermon for that as well. Pastor Charlie and I will offer that blessing and anointing. If you are unable to attend and would like a blessing, please stop by the Partin Center or call to arrange for one of us to visit you. I encourage you to be in prayer for one another as we enter this time together as a community.  

With grace and peace,  

Pastor Rachel  

Good News: Local Clergy Help FBHS Grads Celebrate Baccalaureate

Clergy participating in the event included (Left to right) Rev.. Stelzer, Rev. Felix, Rev. Mandrick, Pastor Rachel, Mother McElwee, Rev. Higbee, Rev. Mays, and Pastor Charlie.

On Thursday, May 22nd, Pastor Charlie and Pastor Rachel participated with a group of ecumenical clergy from five other local churches to help celebrate the 2025 Fernandina Beach High School Graduates at their Baccalaureate service.

Pastor Charlie delivered a message of encouragement and hope while reflecting on scripture from Psalm 139 and Ephesians 2.

Pastor Charlie delivering a message of encouragemnet to the grads.

“Graduates, a lot is changing in your lives right now, and much more will change in the future. What does not change is that God is with you, God loves you unconditionally, and God created you to do good works in the world. So go do them...Follow God’s way through all the changes. Do the good works God has prepared for you to do and be a force for change that makes the world a better place.”

After Pastor Charlie's message, each local clergyperson, including Pastor Rachel, offered a few words of encouragement and prayers to the graduates. At the conclusion of the service, the clergy remained available to offer personal prayers and blessings to the graduates and their families.

Shelby Lyle, Landon Shields, and Zeke Binette led the grads with worship music.

A committee of FBHS seniors led by Andrew Lasserre helped plan the annual service with Rev. Charles. Shelby Lyle, Landon Shields, and Zeke Binette led the grads and their families in hymns and worship songs.

Mother McElwee offers a personal prayer to a grad after the service.

Other local clergy taking part in the Baccalaureate event were Rev. Eric Stelzer from St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Rev. Dawn Mays and Rev. Julie Higbee from First Presbyterian Church, Mother Rachel McElwee from St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Rev. Ben Mandrick from Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, and Rev. Granardo Felix from Trinity United Methodist Church.

This group of local church partners have also worked together to offer other interfaith events with our community including prayer vigils for the people of Ukraine and victims of violence and also ecumenical worship opportunities such as combined Lenten and Advent services, Longest Night services, and the annual Downtown Community Palm Processional.

May 23rd, 2025 | Rev. Dr. Mark Charles

I received some sad news this morning - my Dad’s oldest brother, Billy,  passed away peacefully during the night. It was news that we knew would come through at some point in the weeks or months ahead, but even so it was and is still a shock. My Uncle was a good, kind man who consistently made time for and took interest in his extended family. As a young boy, I was always excited to hear that he was coming to visit, and as an adult man that feeling remained. He would always ask how we were doing and about what was going on in our lives. He was curious and inquisitive, and it was clear that he always took great joy in getting to be and catch up with his extended family.

Taking that kind of time to be and catch up with family is important, right?  And that applies to church family as well as our blood relatives or chosen family. Gathering to visit and eat together makes space for those connections with one another to flourish.  That’s why our annual Memorial Day @ Memorial celebration is a Sunday in the year I look forward to.

This coming Sunday, we will worship together as one church family in a 10:00am service at Maxwell Hall. Then we will serve together as one church family when we put together 203 flood buckets as part of the Florida Annual Conference-wide Buckets Of Hope campaign. When that work is done, we will gather right there on our church campus and take time to visit with each other and eat together (please bring your own chairs for outside/there will also be some seating inside). It is going to be a special morning of worship, service, and fellowship together. Please plan to be there.

One other special moment that will take place in worship this Sunday is the presentation to Pastor Rachel of a new set of robes, in celebration of her upcoming ordination. It would be fantastic to fill Maxwell Hall and celebrate this significant moment in Rachel’s ministry journey. Don’t miss it!

Family matters, Memorial. Gathering together for worship, service, and fellowship as one church family is an important annual marker in our life together. I can’t wait to see you all there.

Blessings

Pastor Charlie