April 17th, 2026 | Rev. Rachel Williams

Beloved Friends,

               Today, I am going to take the opportunity to share about one of the many support systems I have that makes it possible for me to do full-time ministry, and that is the Lamb Early Education Center. Many of you may not know this story, but the week that I accepted the appointment to come to Memorial was the same week that I found out I was pregnant with Aidan. It felt too early to tell staff. It felt too early to tell anyone, but as we dropped off Austin on his first day at Lamb I told Renee and Cindy, our wonderful director and associate director, that I would need an infant spot in the summer if one came available. Since he was five months old, Aidan has thrived at Lamb, as did Austin during his time at the school.

               Lamb has been a ministry of the church for over fifty years, but it often flies under the radar of the congregation unless you have a child or grandchild attending. Nearly a dozen staff currently care for thirty-nine children with the encouraging news that we should be adding a new class in the fall. As we kick off the summer, starting with Teacher Appreciation Week from May 4th to May 8th, my hope is that we as a church congregation can continue to celebrate and support the wonderful work that Lamb does every weekday, nearly fifty-two weeks a year.

One way we can do this is by bringing in gift cards to the church office before May 4th to support our teachers. Another way is to talk with me about ways you can offer in-kind donations or volunteer with Lamb. Finally, one of the greatest ways to share about the goodness of Lamb is to hear stories and share those stories with anyone who might be looking for a community for their children. We have loving staff. We have a wonderful curriculum. And we are looking forward to some fresh and new happenings over the summer. I hope you will eagerly join us on this journey!

With grace and peace,

Pastor Rachel

April 10th, 2026 | Rev. Dr. Mark Charles

Dear Church,

Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

I am still so energized with the joy and energy of our Easter Sunday celebrations last week. From the beauty of sunrise at Main Beach to the beautiful music and spirit-filled worship in both the Sanctuary and Maxwell Hall, it was a fabulous morning together. Seeing our church family gathered in such numbers, joined by many guests and neighbors, was a powerful reminder of the hope of the resurrection.

Thank you for being part of such an amazing day.

But, as I always say, Easter isn't just a day on the calendar - it's a season we are called to live into! The tomb is empty, and we can now live out our call to engage in community and to share the Good News,

Our regular rhythms of connection and service are starting up again with renewed energy. I want to invite you (and encourage you) to be a part of things by jumping back into our life together. Here's a few ways to do that:

• Wednesday Night Dinners & More: These dinners and classes are the heart of our mid-week connection. Join us for a meal and stay for a study as we nourish both our bodies and our souls.

• Wesley Dinner Club: Mark your calendars for Wednesday, April 16th! This is always a special time of fellowship and deep connection. This month we'll be joined by representatives from our six international mission partners.

• Shrimp Festival Volunteering: As our community prepares for the Shrimp Festival, Memorial has a massive opportunity to offer hospitality and raise some funds for our Youth Ministry. We need your help to make it all happen—let’s ensure Christ’s love "shows up" for our neighbors during this busy weekend!

This Sunday morning, we begin a new worship series that continues our Lenten theme, “Wholly Jesus.” While we spent Lent looking at the totality of Christ's life and ministry in Luke's gospel, this Easter season we are going to focus specifically on his post-resurrection encounters.

We’ll be looking at the men and women who met the risen Christ and found those moments to be hope-filled and transformative. These stories remind us that the same Jesus who met them on the road or by the seaside meets us in our everyday lives today, offering us that same radical hope and new beginning.

I am excited to see where the Holy Spirit leads us in this season of resurrection. Let’s cling to Easter hope and joy as we study, serve, and fellowship together in the weeks ahead!

Blessings,

Pastor Charlie

The Good News: #LoveShowsUp to change lives in Guatemala

"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 group's leader, Linda Twiggs, had organized this mission for over a year with three meetings for interest and commitment. She and her husband Don (both long-time members of Memorial) have been taking groups from Memorial to Guatemala for 13 years!

Memorial's team included 24 people from northeast Florida, 14 who were members of the church. They joined a site team totally 48 people from Colorado, Iowa, and Georgia. It was the largest site team Porch de Salomon had ever welcomed.  

The majority of the team had been many times with this mission being an annual pilgrimage of service. Seven of the14 team members from Memorial were going to Porch de Saloman for the very first time, including Lucinda Lautz, United Methodist Deaconess and Memorial's

Mission Liaison. She shared some of her observations with us.

The group was there to help build a home for a mother and her children and also provide medica care in the local clinic. As Lucinda shared, the work they did was an important part of the trip, yet the connections will stick with her the most. "It is the relational connection that develops over the week with the beautiful people of Panajachel, Guatemala and the surrounding areas, the strangers from other places in the US that become dear friends, the friends that you came with that you laugh, groan and pray with over the week and beyond, " She shared. "Memories that become part of your personal faith journey development. That's how love shows up."

And the donations and gifts from the congregation at Memorial helped make this trip even more successful.

"During the whole mission we witnessed the generosity of Memorial support.  Our donations helped with having a Guatemalan pharmacist at the clinics to educate clients about medication they were receiving," Lucinda said. "It also helped with translators who worked with the health professionals seeing the patients." The requested focus this year at the medical clinic sites was pediatrics.  Over 350 children were seen with about 50 adults also receiving care. Water filters were purchased to help families be less likely to have waterborne diseases and improve dental care. Transportation to clinic sites and the construction sites are daily, with travel times being approximately 2-3 hours per day.

"Memorial's donations of vitamins, over the counter medicines, and underwear were needed and so appreciated, and so were the financial donations. The construction site for the home for the beautiful, hard-working family we were helping build has material costs. Plus, a very good foreman and Guatemalan crew who focused on correct and precises building practices. All this and so much more were supported by Memorial's love," she said.

Brendan Twiggs, grandson of Linda and Don, has accompanied his grandparents in the past to see their work in Jaurez, Mexico. After a recent time of mission working and volunteering in Lviv, Ukraine, Brendan was able to also attend this most recent trip to Guatemala with his grandparents. He wrote this about his experience in his recent blog post:

"This week was way too much to put into words and I cannot tell you how much love and respect I have for all the work my grandparents do here. I’ve heard about this mission since I was a kid but never could have imagined how special it is until seeing it firsthand. Lviv feels so much like home and I’m so comfortable in my routine with the work I do there, I realized that I’ve stopped fully appreciating the impact volunteer work has on real people and God’s hand in it. Spending this week building a house for and with a beautiful family here, along with seeing the impact my Grandma has had in this community, has changed that. All week, Juana (the incredibly strong woman who’s so deserving of this house and so much more) along with all three of her kids worked along side us to build this home (in her name) that will change all four of their lives. This wouldn’t be possible without her father-in-law, Miguel, breaking social norms and stigmas to gift her the land. Or the incredible work of Greg and Rachel at Porch de Solomon. Or the donations of time and money from churches like Memorial. Or my Grandma putting in the work year after year to make sure teams continue to come here. Or even three-year-old Edwin laughing as he carried his small buckets of rocks or riding with his brother, Felix, in the wheelbarrow with a couple cinderblocks- giving us the energy to play with the work and not get tired as we put in our biggest day. 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 and I never would have seen this if not for my Grandma and Grandpa." (You can read his full blog post HERE.)

   If you are interested in joining the next trip to Porch de Salomon in Guatemala, mid-March 2027, contact our Mission Committee (missions@mumconline.com) . Brooke Rimondi who will be our team leader and new champion for Porch de Salomon.  Linda and Don Twiggs are planning on going again as part of the team, as well.