Highlights MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF CHRIST THE SHEPHERD

MARCH 2010

Upcoming Events

March 6th-UMW Garage Sale

March 13th-UMM Pancakes

March 13th-Maureen Still

March 20th-UMW Soup & Salad

March 28th-Palm Sunday

April 1st-Maunday Thursday

April 2nd-Good Friday

April 3rd-Easter Party

April 4th-Easter Sunday

From Pastor Tim... March 21st is an important date in the life of our cooperative parish. That is the day that the combined Church Council has

set for our vote on which direction you want the cooperative parish to take in the future. Here again are the options you will have on

the ballot and why these are the options.

First, according to our United Methodist Book of Discipline, (the official rule book of the church) only the Bishop and

Cabinet (the District Superintendants) can create or dissolve a cooperative parish. That means any vote we take will be forwarded to

our District Superintendant, Rev. Sharon Austin, as our recommendation to the Cabinet as the course of action we think they should

take. We have been regularly updating Rev. Austin on the progress of the process we have been following.

Second, according to our United Methodist Book of Discipline, no congregation can vote on a merger without being pre-

sented with a plan for that merger. The Church Council determined that in our case any merger plan would have to be comprehen-

sive. That means we would have to project a realistic picture of what a merger of Christ UMC and Shepherd’s UMC would look like

and how it would function. So decisions would have to be outlined as to where would this new church meet, if we were going to sell

one campus, which one, or perhaps both? Would we ask for one or two appointed Pastors, and if one, would we request one of the

current pastors? What would our staffing be? How would we handle the debt issues between the churches? What would our wor-

ship schedule be so that we could accommodate both the traditional and contemporary services we now have? And those are only

some of the big questions, and there are thousands of little ones. The Council recognized that this was going to be both a time con-

suming and painful process for both churches to engage in, so they have decided to break our Dissolve or Merge vote into two steps.

The first step of that vote is set for March 21st.

Therefore, the ballot on the 21st will have two choices. One option is to dissolve the cooperative parish and go back to be-

ing two individual churches. If that vote passes we will forward that recommendation onto the DS and once we have gotten cabinet

approval, will set a timeline and plan for dissolving. Council will be working in the interim to figure out the various issues that will

face us as we dissolve. The second option would be to continue the process and form a committee of people from both churches who

will develop a comprehensive plan for merger. If this vote passes then we will inform the DS of the decision and Council will form

a committee to develop a plan. The estimated timeline for the completion of that task is in time to vote on merger no later than Janu-

ary 2011.

Let me say a word about voting. The Council approved that only mem-

bers of either church present that day will be eligible to vote. Here is why they

voted that way. According to the Discipline, a vote for merger can only be done

in a called Charge or Church Conference, (a Charge or Church conference is a

District Superintendant sanctioned official business meeting of the church. At a

Charge Conference only Council members present can vote, at a Church Confer-

ence any member present can vote.) So, in order to be consistent with what the

rules would be if we were to vote for merger next January, the Council applied the

same rules to this vote, even though a Charge or Church Conference is not re-

quired. We will be receiving new members on March 14th, and anyone interested

in joining should contact the church office before March 7th.

Your job, between now and the vote, is to be in prayer to try to discern

what God’s will is for the cooperative parish as we move forward. I am asking

everyone in the cooperative parish to set aside Friday, March 12th and 19th as fast-

ing days. Please fast from sun-up to sun-down on those days and spend the time

you would usually use for whatever you are fasting from to pray that God would

give us discernment to know His will and the courage to do it. I believe that if we

ask, God will reveal to us the way that we are to proceed.

Do you need prayer or does someone you know need prayer or do you want to pray for someone else's need? We have many ways you may ask for prayer and receive prayer.

· By email - We have over 150 church folks that every week (sometimes more often if a special need arises) receive a email with all the prayers requested by our congregations. If you wish to be included and receive this email please contact Leslie

Grill at leslievgrill@msn.com. · Prayer requests may be submitted directly to Leslie via email or through the website where a prayer request form is avail-able. You may also submit prayer requests by paper. Those slips are available in the pews at LMC or at the welcome center

at SRC. Place those slips in the offering plate. · In addition to those above - prayer requests are published in the newsletter and bulletin. Colleen at the church office is in

charge of these lists. Let’s all be a part of this powerful prayer ministry and stay connected to your church and its needs through prayer. Tap into one or more of the above prayer ministries today.

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24

March Birthdays March Greeters

March Anniversaries

Shepherd Road Campus-9 AM

Mar 7 Gene & April Bloom

Mar 14 Larry & Sharon Skidmore

Mar 21 Nona Dyess & Dean Mott

Mar 28 Steve & Susan Wade

Shepherd Road Campus-10:45 AM

Mar 7 Roger Meadows Family

Mar 14 Larry & Sharon Skidmore

Mar 21 Selina Fontaine Family

Mar 28 Anna Lonas Family

3/5 Edward & Kim Dzvonik

3/10 Lyle & Patricia Kalkhof

3/17 David & Winnie Dean

3/17 Dennis & Pamela Mills

3/28 Rick & Jennifer Hess

3/30 Brian & Heather Sparkman

3/1 Dennis Mills

3/2 Margaret Hill

3/3 Rob Kreh

3/4 Adeline Davis

3/4 Amber Myers

3/4 Sharon Schuette

3/5 Amy Donald

3/5 Landen Kincart

3/6 Linda Ivell

3/6 Rebekah Minter

3/6 Henry Pease

3/6 Kay Starmer

3/7 Lynn Sheetz

3/9 Dianne Collis

3/13 Carolyn Cobb

3/14 Allyson McCullough

3/15 Linda Earley

3/16 Thomas McIntire

3/18 Terry Kurtz

3/18 Cameron Snyder

3/20 Fred Cotney

3/22 David Ivell

3/23 Emily Jones

3/24 Cathy Herr

3/25 Brian Sparkman

3/26 Bertha Blake

3/27 Anne Avery

3/28 Ava Anderson

3/28 Kathryn Ferguson

3/29 Beth Kreh

3/29 Alice Murray

3/31 Lela Maxwell

Interested in joining either Shepherd's or Christ UMC? Join us for lunch on Sunday, March 7th, 12:30-1:30 PM, at the Red Elephant, 5216 South Florida Avenue, to hear about what it means to be a member of each church specifically and the United Methodist Church in general. RSVP to Jane Joyner at JJoyner@scumc.net or 646-3213.

New Members

Important Dates: Reoccurring Events:

Schedule of Events for March 2010:

Sunday 9:00 AM Contemporary Service-SRC

9:15 AM Contemporary Service-LMC

10:45 AM Contemporary Service-SRC

11:00 AM Traditional Service-LMC

11:00 AM Hispanic Sunday School/Worship-LMC

5:30 PM Youth-SRC

Monday 12:00 PM Bulletin Deadline

Tuesday 9:00 AM Staff Meeting-LMC

7:30 PM Contemporary Worship Team-LMC

Wednesday 5:30 PM The FEAST

8:00 PM Hispanic Church Bible Study-LMC

Thursday 6:30 PM Praise Team-SRC

Saturday 9:00 AM Worship Band-SRC

8:00 PM AA Meeting-SRC

Church Council will meet on Monday, March 1st at 7 PM in the Fellowship Hall at LMC. Trustees-There will be a Trustees meeting at 7 PM on Tuesday, March 16th in the Library at LMC. SPRC-Monday, March 8th at 7 PM in the Library at LMC. Finance-Tuesday, March 9th at 7 PM in the Library at LMC. Lunch Bunch-Wednesday, March 10th at 12 PM in the Fellowship Hall at LMC. Mary Martha Monday, March 15th at 9:30 AM in the Fellowship Hall at LMC. Executive Team-Monday, March 22nd at 6:30 PM in Room #7 at SRC. Seekers and Serendipity Monday, March 22nd at 7 PM in the Library & Chapel. SHARE-The signup is Wednesday, March 3rd at 6 PM at LMC and pickup is on Saturday, March 27th at 10 AM in the Fellowship Hall at LMC. Deadlines-Please note that bulletin deadlines are every Monday by noon and monthly newsletter deadlines are generally the third Monday every month also by noon. The deadline for the April newsletter is Monday, March 15th. Please submit any requests by going online to our website at www.scumc.net and going to the commu-nications link and filling out the information sub-mission form. You may also submit a hard copy to the LMC office.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010 6:00P - 8:00P LMC-Fellowship Hall Girl Scout Troop #18

Tuesday, March 02, 2010 7:00P - 9:00P LMC-Library UMW Executive Committee

Tuesday, March 02, 2010 6:30P - 8:00P LMC-Sanctuary Joint Co-op Discussion

Thursday, March 04, 2010 7:00P - 9:00P LMC-Library Stephen's Ministry

Saturday, March 06, 2010 8:00A - 2:00P LMC-Fellowship Hall UMW Garage/Bake Sale

Monday, March 08, 2010 8:00A - 12:00P LMC-Fellowship Hall Cotillion Meeting

Thursday, March 11, 2010 6:00P - 7:30P LMC-Fellowship Hall Girl Scout Troop #551

Saturday, March 13, 2010 8:00A - 10:00A LMC-Fellowship Hall UMM Pancake Breakfast

Saturday, March 13, 2010 5:00P - 10:00P LMC-Fellowship Hall/Sanctuary Maureen Still Concert

Sunday, March 14, 2010 1:30P - 3:00P SRC-Sanctuary Emmaus Reunion Group

Thursday, March 18, 2010 7:00P - 9:00P LMC-Library Stephen's Ministry

Saturday, March 20, 2010 8:00A - 12:00P LMC-Fellowship Hall Soup & Salad Luncheon Set Up

Saturday, March 20, 2010 1:00P - 12:00A LMC-Fellowship Hall Bazaar Workshops/Scrapbooking

Sunday, March 21, 2010 8:00A - 3:00P LMC-Fellowship Hall Soup and Salad Luncheon

Tuesday, March 23, 2010 6:00P - 8:00P LMC-Fellowship Hall Girl Scout Troop #18

Thursday, March 25, 2010 6:00P - 7:30P LMC-Fellowship Hall Girl Scout Troop #551

HELP HELP HELP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Portable:

Youth Room AA ____________ North Door _______

South Door _______ AA 10 __________ NE Room __________

AA 17 __________

NW Room __________ AA 103 _________ SE Room ___________

Bathroom ________

Other keys not identified above: ___________________________________

Your Name (PLEASE PRINT) ___________________________________

Place completed form in the offering plate or turn into Jane in the office.

Thanks for your help

The Board of Trustees

The Trustees really, really need your help. We are trying to find where all the keys have gone. The best we can count, there are close to 50/60 keys out for the Christ campus alone. All keys have letters and numbers stamped in the key on one side, and “do not duplicate” on the other. The portable is the exception. Below is a list of the keys. If you have a key to either campus please put a check mark by the key number that you have. If there is no number on your key please indicate in the space provided what door(s) it opens and print your name legibly in the space provided. We really need everyone’s help in locating these keys. We currently have no extra keys for people who might need them. Each key cost $2.75. If you no longer need your key, please return it to Jane in the office.

Melissa and Tony Lobozzo have adopted a brand new baby girl, Ms. Sophia Grace! We will be having a baby shower for

them on Sunday, March 7th at 12:30 PM the Capron’s home, 6804 Crescent Oaks Circle. Sophia is a BIG surprise and

Melissa and Tony will need a lot of supplies! The thing they need the most is clothes and baby toys.

This seminar shows you how to withstand the inevitable fires that all marriages face. When: March 26 – 27

th: Friday from 7:00pm-9:30pm and 8:30am - noon

Where: Idlewild Baptist Church Register at www.lifeway.com/fireproofevent

It’s a girl!!

Coming in March! Fireproof my Marriage: A 2 day Love Event.

We need your help to make it a success! Beginning March 14th, we will be asking you to bring in donations of the

following items:

TONS of eggs, either empty or filled with candy

Individually wrapped candy (preferably NOT chocolate), small enough to fit into an egg

Bottles of Water

Hot Dogs

Hot Dogs Buns

Individual Bags of Chips

3 door prize baskets (any theme)

Little Debbie Cakes (for the cake walk) Also, on March 7

th and 14

th, we will having volunteer sign-ups. It takes a lot of man power to run

the egg hunt, so be praying about how you can serve! If you have somewhere that we can put flyers up, please let Emily Carson know. Thanks and make sure to invite your friends!!

Our Annual Easter party is Saturday, April 3rd

from 10 AM – 12 PM!

Co-Op Discussions March 3, Vote March 21. Congregational meetings took place on both campuses in January and February. Because of request from both churches we will have a joint discussion of the opportunities and challenges of merging the churches or dissolving the co-op on March 3rd from 6:30-7:45 PM in the LMC sanctuary. On March 21 at 12:15, members of each church are invited to their corresponding sanctuary to vote on either recom-mending to dissolve the co-op, or to develop a comprehensive plan of merger. If either campus votes to dissolve then the Church Council will recommend to our Bishop and Cabinet that the co-op be dissolved this year. If both campuses vote to develop a plan of merger then a committee will be formed, in consultation with our District Superintendent, that will develop a plan of merger. After developing the plan of merger, this committee will present it to both congregations. The Church Council will then call a Church Conference on each campus, to occur no later than January 2011, where the plan will be put to a vote. If the merger plan passes on both campuses then the Church Council will recommend merging the two churches to the Cabinet. If the plan is rejected by either campus the Church Council will recommend dissolving the co-op to the Cabinet. The ultimate decision for merging and dissolving the co-op rests with the Bishop and Cabinet, and our recommendation will be advisory. Below is an unofficial copy of the ballot we will use on March 21. Ballots will be available to all members present at the vote. Nursery will be available.

Co-Operative Parish Discussions

The FEAST News The F.E.A.S.T. will be cancelled on Wednesday, March 31st due to Holy Week. The Spring Semester of the F.E.A.S.T. begins Wednesday, April 7th and runs through May 17th. We will be offering the following classes:

201, followed by 301 – 201 is a class on the spiritual disciplines of time in the word, prayer and tithing and how these habits can lead us to spiritual maturity.

301 will help you determine what your spiritual gifts are and how they work together with your per-sonality and experiences.

Evangelism – Do you want to share your faith but don’t know how? Pastor Jack will lead this study that takes the fear out of sharing our faith and show us how we can become better disciples by sharing the gospel.

Service Study – What does it mean to love your neighbor? Pastor Tim will lead a study on serving our community.

As always, there are lots of fun kids activities during the FEAST, for all kids, from infants through seniors! To register, please go to www.scumc.net.

Date: Menu: Desert List:

March 3rd Chicken Pot Pie S-Z

March 10th Beef tips & Noodles A-F

Date: Menu: Desert List:

March 17th Green Eggs & Ham G-L

March 24th BBQ Beef Brisket M-R

The UMM Pancake Breakfast will be returning to the LMC Fellowship Hall. Mark your calendars and join us on March 13th from 8 to 10 AM. Invite you friends and bring the entire family for a delicious breakfast that YOU don't have to cook or clean up. Donations will be gladly accepted in support of the United Methodist Men.

UMM Pancake Breakfasts

Considering the missional purposes behind the formation of the SCUMC co-operative parish I prayerfully believe that the best way to live out God's mission is to:

□ Recommend to the Cabinet of the Florida Annual Conference to dissolve the cooperative parish and live out our

call as distinct congregations.

□ Take the next step toward merging the two congregations by establishing a committee that will develop a

comprehensive plan of merger. This plan will be voted upon at a Church Conference on or before January 2011.

New To Our Family

I was incredibly blessed as I attended my first worship service at Shepherd’s Community, and had the wonderful opportunity to meet many of you. For those I have not yet had the occasion to meet, let me take a few moments to introduce myself. By the time you read this, I hope I have been able to both meet and get to know you all just a little bit better. My name is Thomas Hanna, and I have a deep heart for what God is doing among our young people. It was as a teenager that Christ captured my heart, and had it not been for a vibrant youth ministry… I do not know where I would be. I grew up in the church, but for me church was always something that you “did.” It was the faith of my parents, not my own. I had led a reasonably sheltered life, in so much as I had not experienced tragedy or any real suffering, but I found myself dis-content. There was no joy, no peace, and I could find no working method of acquiring either. By the end of my freshman year, I had come to a place where I finally realized that nothing else was working, and for the first time this “Jesus thing” I had been hearing about began to become something more than a Sunday chore. I wanted Him. I wanted to BE His. That night, alone in my room, I made a decision and surrendered myself to His love. Soon after that transformational night, things began to change. Whereas before I had never experienced tragedy, suddenly I was overwhelmed by it. It was only a number of months before my grandfather passed away from cancer, and shortly afterwards a friend of mine committed suicide. A few months later, a man I had looked up to as a mentor was killed in an off-road accident, and shortly after that another young man I knew also committed suicide. My world was swirling around me, but yet… I discovered that in the midst of the grief, there was a centering inner peace that remained rooted and firm de-spite the chaotic turbulence I was facing. For the first time, I truly experienced the peace of God in my life. He was here – really here! – and comforting me. A little over a year later, I first felt God calling me to ministry. Since that time, I have pursued that calling. Prior to coming here, I have spent a little over six years leading youth ministry. I am currently pursuing my Masters of Divinity at Asbury Theological Seminary, and am in the early stages of the process for pursuing my ordination in the United Methodist Church. I am excited for the opportunity to serve as the youth director here, and cannot wait to see where God leads us in the journey to come!

Peace in Christ, Thomas Hanna

“And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. They sold their pos-sessions and shared the proceeds with those in need.” The Acts 2:45 Fund has been established to pro-vide for the needs of members of Christ the Shepherd Cooperative Parrish. It is intended to be used for emergency and essential needs of the members in circumstances where the members cannot provide these needs for themselves. Anyone who would like to request emergency funds can apply by using the form on the website (www.scumc.net), pick up a request form at either campus in the sanctuary or the church office on Lake Miriam Dr. If you have any questions about this fund, or you would like to contribute to this fund, please contact Jane Joyner by calling 701-7171 ext 1002 or email her at jjoyner@scumc.net.

Please join me on Friday, March 19th at 7:30 PM at the Lake Mirror Center for the Musical production of An-nie. This is a great family show. Group tickets are $18 for adults, $13 for College Students, and $10 for chil-dren (18 and under). You are also welcome to attend pre-show appetizers at 6:00 PM at my home before the show. Please call or email Sherri Lingle if you will be able to attend. sherri_lingle@yahoo.com; 647-5309. P.S. Garry Lingle is in the show.

9:00 AM Service – April Bloom 10:45 Service:

Heaven’s Helpers – Amy Davis Shining Stars – Amy Donald

Cool Christians – Steve and Ashley McNutt A BIG thank you to our February teachers, Alli Westberry, Gretchen Ceranic and Randy Manzi. You guys are

a blessing to us!! Thanks for all you do!!

Our Kids Worship teachers for March are:

Annie at Lakeland Community Theatre

Acts 2:45 Fund

Update Your Records Erin McDonald has a new address: 1313 Darlene Way Apt. C, Boulder City, NV 89005

Saturday, March 20, at 3:00 PM, we will be scrapbooking in the Fellowship Hall at Lake Miriam Campus. Please join us. Bring your own project or, if you are new to scrapbooking, come learn some new techniques. We have some very qualified scrapbookers to help you. For more information, please contact Cindy Caldwell (644-1497) or Ruth Canterbury (644-2125).

Scrapbooking

The UMW will be having its annual garage sale on Saturday, March 6th from 8 AM until 12 PM at LMC . We will be hav-ing a bake sale. Please donate any household goods, tools, clothing, toys, etc. to this worthy cause. Benefits will go to our many mission projects.

UMW Garage/Bake Sale

The Bazaar Committee will be holding workshops on the following dates at 1 PM in the Fellowship Hall at LMC. March 20, April 17, May 15, June 19, July 17, Aug 21, Sept 18, Oct 16 & Nov 20. If you have any questions call Cindy Caldwell.

Bazaar Workshops

Don’t miss out on being a part of the Inaugural Christ the Shepherd Cookbook. Have you ever gone to a

Church Pot Luck and had someone ask you for the recipe? Now you can share your favorite recipes. At each

church there will be a Recipe Box. Simply drop in your favorite recipes between now and April 1st. If you

would prefer you can also e-mail your recipes to Sandra Roth at rothfamily94@aol.com.

The cookbooks will be professionally printed and bound. Presales for Cookbooks will begin in April and

Cookbooks will be delivered in plenty of time for Mother’s Day. The price of each cookbook will be $10.00

and proceeds will be used for the many children and youth who will be attending Summer Camp at Warren W.

Willis this summer. We anticipate 15-20 campers and camp cost $380.00 per camper.

We are also looking for Business/Community/Individual Sponsors to help off set the cost of the printing and

to assist with registration fees. If as an individual or a business would like to become a sponsor, complete the

form below and place in the offering plate. Business Sponsors will have the choice of a ¼ page ad for dona-

tions of $25.00 - $49.99 add or a ½ page ad for all donations over $50.00.

Company Name __________________________________________________________________________

Contact: ________________________________________________________________________________

Sponsorship □ $25.00 - $49.99 □ $50.00+

Community/Individual Sponsor

________________________________________________________________________________________

Donation Amount_________________________________________________________________________

CHRIST THE SHEPHERD COOKBOOK

This class is for any child whose parents feel they are ready to take communion. The class is for both parents and children. Parents are welcome to speak to Pastor Tim about whether they feel their child is ready. The class is Sunday, March 14th at 12:15 PM at the Shepherd campus. A pizza lunch will be provided, followed by the class. Please RSVP by Sunday, March 7th. If you need nursery, please let Emily know by Sunday, March 7th.

Exploration Communion Class

Shepherd’s Community UMC

2165 Shepherd Rd. Lakeland, FL

(863)701-7171

Christ UMC

745 Lake Miriam Dr. Lakeland, FL

(863)701-7171

Day Camp is gearing up for another fun summer!!

Registration begins March 15th and forms will be available in the Church Office, On-line or from Emily Carson or Sandra Roth. Forms will be available after March 1st. Day Camp opens on Monday, June 14th and will continue through Friday, August 20th Hours of Op-eration: 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Monday - Friday Shep-herd Road Campus Cost: $25.00 non-refundable registration fee, Weekly rates: $100.00 per child. $90.00 per child for church members or 2nd child, $22.00 daily rate is available for campers wishing to attend 2-4 days per week.

Activities include: arts and crafts, weekly themes, Bible lessons, swimming, cooking, outdoor games, movies and more.

For more information contact Sandra Roth at rothfamily94@aol.com