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"Stations of the Cross" Art Display on loan to Memorial Through Easter

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 two sets, one hangs permanently in Aldrich Chapel at First UMC. The second set was created to share with other churches for purposes of study and reflection.

A Stations of the Cross payer walk typically depicts the events in the life if Jesus from Palm Sunday to Easter. You are encouraged to take some time and visit the stations in the Sanctuary. A resource book is available to use as a guide as you travel your journey through contemplative prayer.


The markers will remain on loan to us through this Easter season.

 

 
 

February 20th, 2026 | Rev. Rachel Williams

Beloved Friends,

 

               I have come to love Ash Wednesday nearly as much as high holy days like Easter and Christmas. Our liturgical calendar is gloriously punctuated by days to remind us of our human-ness, our beloved-ness, and our interconnectedness as children of God. The imposition of ashes on each forehead is a symbol of our mortality and our need for repentance and God’s grace. And I find it to be a means of grace to place that small, smudged cross on each of your foreheads. To look in your eyes and say, “remember from dust you came and to dust you shall return” is a holy moment, a recognition that though we are as small as dust, we are a part of something cosmically great. This start of the Lenten season is an invitation to turn toward God and seek transformation.

               There are many opportunities for you to do just that in the next forty days. First, commit to attending worship as many Sundays as you can as we focus on who Jesus is as depicted in the Gospel of Luke. This “Wholly Jesus” series will also continue through our Wednesday night dinners and classes. You may not usually attend dinner or class, but my encouragement to you during Lent is that you consider making this your weekly practice. I am partial to the meal itself because you cannot find a better dinner for $15 a person (or free for children and youth!). This is also a time to engage in dialogue with other members of the church with whom you may not normally connect. Especially in times of discord in our world, building our skills of communication and extending grace and generosity to others are transforming.

               Another way to engage in community building is to join us this Sunday at 3 pm in Maxwell Hall for a time of worship and song with the Claflin Choir. I attended last year in a packed sanctuary, and the Spirit was at work! Invite your friends, your family and your neighbors. You surely will not want to miss this concert.

               Finally, I want to emphasize our desire to build connections in new ways by welcoming Dr. Anna Wright to our staff team to oversee our congregational care. Dr. Anna’s experience in medicine and spiritual direction are gifts for our community. Her presence allows us to expand our visitation to t

hose who are sick, in hospital or homebound. She will serve alongside Pastor Charlie and me. Surely, Pastor Charlie and I will continue to be present with pastoral visits, but Anna brings some much-needed support in the midst of our pastoral duties.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to her by calling the church office. Let us walk this Lenten journey together, turning toward God to discern how we are being drawn ever closer.


With grace and love,

Pastor Rachel

 
 

February 13th, 2026 | Rev. Dr. Mark Charles

Dear Church,

 

Back in late 2018, Dr. Joan came to me and asked if I would like to visit the Institute for Worship Studies in Jacksonville with her. She explained that this had been the school where she completed her doctoral studies. I jumped at the chance to spend some time and get to know my new colleague. The day we made the visit, we got to spend time with the director of the Institute, and during our conversation he started to talk about beauty as a means of grace. That conversation has stayed with me ever since, and I was mindful of it when we started to make plans for the worship series we will close out this coming Sunday - Beauty: A Pathway to the Divine.

 

The message of the last number of weeks has been very simple: there is beauty all around us every day, and this beauty has God’s fingerprints all over it. Beauty is a means by which we experience God’s grace. I hope that this series has helped you notice some of the beauty in your life - the beauty of creation around you, the beauty that can be experienced in even the most difficult of seasons, the beauty of God’s saving and transforming work in your life, and, as we will learn about this Sunday, the beauty of the everlasting and imperishable hope of the promise that God is making ALL THINGS new.

 

As one series ends, a new one begins and we make the shift into the season of Lent, which is a time of intentional focus and devotion as we journey to the cross.  This year, we are going to make our way through the gospel of Luke, hoping that we will get to know Christ once again and that our faith will be deepened. Pastor Rachel and I will preach from Luke’s gospel each Sunday, but we want you to be reading along with us, and have developed a

that will take you through Luke’s gospel during the 40 days of Lent.  An exciting part of this journey is that we will be joining with other United Methodists in the Florida Conference. Our friends at Riverside Park UMC and at First United Methodist Jupiter-Tequesta will also be joining in this reading plan, and there will be opportunities for online fellowship and discussion with our friends from these churches, too. 

(You can download the reading plan below)

 

Let’s observe a holy Lenten season, turning our hearts, minds, and lives towards Christ once again.

 

Blessings

Pastor Charlie


 
 
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