Jennifer & Nathan Bush

Continue reading »]]> May 2012 Newsletter

Pastor’s Pen
What a great April we have had! The Holy Week events and services at PWUMC were moving and sacred to many, and I hope you were among those who took advantage of them. We then rejoiced together on Easter morning with two lively services to celebrate the Risen Lord. There were 626 people at those services! It was wonderful to behold!

And since Easter, our programs and services have continued to be uplifting and life-giving. We have had baptisms and special observances and have continued to gather in the spirit of Easter people. This is as it should be. Our aim is that this spirit not wane but grow even stronger as we go forward.

May is filled with good things for you from your church as well. See the rest of the newsletter for more. We conclude our Wednesday night suppers and activities for the season on the 9th, so please plan to join us on the 2nd and 9th and help us finish in grand style! There will be special emphases and opportunities for service to others all month, so again please read further in the newsletter about these and offer your involvement for Christ in ways that will touch our brothers and sisters within and outside of the church.

The United Methodist Church world-wide is in the midst of its General Conference, which runs April 24-May 4 in Tampa. This is the body of delegates elected by each annual conference across the world that meets every 4 years to determine the direction of the denomination for the next 4 years and beyond. We are privileged that Pat Luna of our membership is a delegate from Alabama-West Florida and we are proud of her. She was elected by her peers last year as a delegate to the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference, which meets later this summer in North Carolina, but as such she is eligible to be an alternate delegate to the General Conference and she will be sitting in for some of the sessions. We wish her and the whole UMC well in these critical days. Our prayers ascend to God for His will to be discerned and carried out.

By the way, the Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference convenes in Mobile on June 3. I will be your clerical member and Ernie Gehrdes will be your primary lay member of that conference. Carol Harry and JoAnn Gehrdes will have alternate member status and will sit in on some sessions for you. This lasts from June 3-6. Be in prayer that this time will be constructive and redemptive in nature, and will strengthen Methodism throughout central and south Alabama and the Panhandle.

Blessings upon each of you. I love being your pastor! Thank you for allowing me the honor and responding so beautifully to what we are trying to help God do here. Much love, Spencer

Continue reading »]]> We wrapped up another great year at Wildside this past Sunday with a super fun Water Day. We sincerely apologize if you have shaving cream stains on your car seats . But, while Wildside is officially over until next school year, we do still have 2 Wednesdays left before we put a bow on this school year at Point Washington Youth and begin to transition into our summer schedule.

Our final Big Wednesday is this week on Wednesday, May 9. We will have all of our Wednesday activities; including Open House from 3:30 to 5:00, Church Dinner from 5:00 to 6:00, Middle School Small Groups from 6:00 to 7:00, and High School Small Groups from 6:00 to 7:30 with final pick-up for everyone by 8:00. Our Middle School Small Groups will be doing an interactive study where they will teach each other some of Jesus’ parables by acting them out for one another and then discussing their meaning. It should be a lot of fun. The High School Small Groups will wrap up their study of David by examining David’s interaction with the prophet Nathan and students will discover the importance of being accountable to other believers. Small Groups are so important in the spiritual lives of our students and I hope that you will do all you can to get your child here by 6:00 for their group.

Our final event of the school year will be next Wednesday, May 16. We will have a Beach Party at Grayton Beach from 3:00pm to 7:00pm. There will be snacks (but not dinner), games, a bonfire, and fun and fellowship. Students are welcome to bring skim boards, surf boards, beach chairs, sports equipment, etc. This will be a time of fun and fellowship and students are welcome to come late or leave early…whatever works best for your schedule. Parents are also welcome and are encouraged to bring a chair and hang out. We will meet near where the lake and the gulf meet. Just come to or drop your child off at the public beach access that is at the end of the road that is on the east side of the Red Bar and look for a canopy with our blue “Point Washington Youth” banner.

If you have any questions about either of these events or anything else concerning the Youth Ministry at Point Washington UMC, please call Paul Barnett anytime at 850 461 4213.

Continue reading »]]> REMINDER TO YOUTH PARENTS:

Continue reading »]]> Hello Parents,

As the school year begins to wind down, here at Point Washington Youth we continue to stay busy with many meetings and events designed to help students develop a deepening relationship with Jesus and connect to a community of Christ-followers that care for and encourage one another. Below you will find a list of this week’s activities with descriptions and attached to you find a newsletter with every youth activity that will occur in the month of May. Please download and print the attachment so that you can put it somewhere in your home where you will see it often, so it can remind you of the things we have going in May. May is a month of transition for the youth program from our spring programming to our summer programming, so you will need to refer to it often to be aware of the changes.

THIS WEEK:

Big Wednesday—Wednesday, April 25—We will have Open House from 3:30 to 5:00, where students can come early and hang out in the gym and in the youth rooms. Students can play basketball> or volleyball, play video games, do homework, relax, or just hang with their friends. We will have Church Dinner from 5:00 to 6:00. If you child plans to eat dinner, please send them with $5. This week is an Italian feast prepared by chef Scott Grubb (former owner of Spicy noodle)…mmmmm. Small Groups are at 6:00 (see below) and pick up is between 7:30 and 8:00

Small Group Special Event—Wednesday, April 25, 6:00pm—This week we have a very special event during our Small Group hour. All of our groups will stay together for a special presentation from a missionary to Thailand. The missionary will describe his ministry in Thailand as well as share a message and take questions from the students. This will be an awesome time for our students to see and hear from someone who is doing big things for God as he lives out Jesus’ great commission from Matthew 28:19-20. Students will surely be challenged to live a life of serving others in Christ’s name, no matter where they find themselves.

Wildside Youth Fellowship—Sunday, April 29, 6:00pm-8:00pm—This week we will have a wonderful time of fellowship through dinner, freetime, fun games, a service project for our Prison Ministry,and I will continue with my talk series, “The Story”. This has been a great series for us all semester; giving a complete overview of the important events found in the New Testament. This week we will finish examining the life of the Apostle Paul. Wildside is a great place for your child to bring their unchurched friends as it a very welcoming and fun environment for all students.

Y? Outreach Event at Good News UMC—Tuesday, May 1, 6:00pm-9:00pm—The local youth ministries have joined together to have an awesome outreach to the high school and middle school students of the South Walton area. This event will include a concert by the talented Christian rap group, King’s Offspring (from Orlando), food and games, and breakout groups answering some of the toughest questions today’s teens have. All of our Point Washington UMC students are encouraged to attend and bring all of their friends!

ON YOUR RADAR:

Youth Leadership Monthly Meeting on May 4 from 7:00pm to 11:00pm

The rest of the semester for Big Wednesday:
April 25—Normal activities and hours, 3:30 to 8:00
May 2—Normal activities and hours, 3:30 to 8:00
May 9—Normal activities and hours, 3:30 to 8:00
May 16—Year-end Beach Party at Grayton Beach, 3:00 to 7:00

The rest of the semester for Wildside Youth Fellowship:
April 29—Normal activities and hours, 6:00 to 8:00
May 6—Wildside Water Day, 5:00 to 7:00 at the church

I hope that this information helps you to stay current on everything that we have going on at Point Washington Youth and helps you to interact with your child about what they are learning and how they are growing spiritually. If you ever need anything at all from me, please e-mail or call (461-4213) anytime.

I am praying for your child and your family.

In Christ,
Paul Barnett
Director of Youth Ministries
Point Washington UMC
850 461 4213

Continue reading »]]> Hello Parents,
There are only 4 more weeks of our regular school year programming at Point Washington UMC Youth. Below you will find when we meet this week and what will be taught, as well as all of the dates for the rest of the school year’s Wednesday and Sunday meetings. We plan on finishing out the year on a high note, so make sure that you child is involved in as much as possible.

THIS WEEK:
Big Wednesday—Wednesday, April 18—We will have Open House from 3:30 to 5:00, where students can come early and hang out in the gym and in the youth rooms. Students can play basketball or volleyball, play video games, do homework, relax, or just hang with their friends. We will have Church Dinner from 5:00 to 6:00. If you child plans to eat dinner, please send them with $5. This week is a New Orleans style meal prepared by Memori Spence…mmmmm. Small Groups are at 6:00 (see below) and pick up is between 7:30 and 8:00

6th Grade Small Group—Wednesday, April 18, 6:00pm—Our 6th Grade groups will continue with their “Something Bigger” Bible Study, with a lesson on Job from the book of Job.

7th-8th Grade Small Group—Wednesday, April 18, 6:00pm—Our older middle school group will continue with their “Something Bigger” Bible Study, with a lesson on Jonah from the book of Jonah.

9th Grade Small Group—Wednesday, April 18, 6:00pm—Our 9th Grade group will continue with their Bible Study, “King David” by studying the story of David on the run from King Saul found in 1 Samuel 24.

10th-12th Grade Small Group—Wednesday, April 18, 6:00pm—Our older high school group will begin their new study, “King David” with a lesson from the story of David facing Goliath found in 1 Samuel 17.

Paintball Outing—Saturday, April 21, 8:30am-2:00pm—All students in High School and Middle School are invited to join us for another one of our Paintball Outings. We will meet at the church at 8:30am and return by 2:00pm. Cost for everything is only $25, which includes gun and mask rental, Co2, Entry, 500 Paintballs, and lunch. If your child has their own gun and mask, cost is only $15. Call me to sign your child up (461-4213). Space is limited.

Wildside Youth Fellowship—Sunday, April 22, 6:00pm-8:00pm—We had a wonderful Wildside meeting this past Sunday and I know that that will continue for the rest of the school year. This week we will have a wonderful time of fellowship through eating a great dinner (Taco night, courtesy of Barb Lovell), freetime, fun games, and I will continue with my talk series, “The Story”. This has been a great series for us all semester; giving a complete overview of the important events found in the New Testament. This week we will be examining the life of the Apostle Paul. Wildside is a great place for your child to bring their unchurched friends as it a very welcoming and fun environment for all students.

ON YOUR RADAR:
The rest of the semester for Big Wednesday:
April 18—Normal activities and hours, 3:30 to 8:00
April 25—Normal activities and hours, 3:30 to 8:00
May 2—Normal activities and hours, 3:30 to 8:00
May 9—Normal activities and hours, 3:30 to 8:00
May 16—Year-end Beach Party at Grayton Beach, times TBA
The rest of the semester for Wildside Youth Fellowship:
April 22—Normal activities and hours, 6:00 to 8:00
April 29—Normal activities and hours, 6:00 to 8:00
May 6—Wildside Water Day, 5:00 to 7:00 at the church

I hope that this information helps you to stay current on everything that we have going on at Point Washington Youth and helps you to interact with your child about what they are learning and how they are growing spiritually. If you ever need anything at all from me, please e-mail or call (461-4213) anytime.
I am praying for your child and your family.

In Christ,
Paul Barnett
Director of Youth Ministries
Point Washington UMC
850 461 4213

Continue reading »]]>

The Light House family retreat will be in town for the summer. They have asked PWUMC if we could help with preparing breakfast for the families each week, on Saturday when they are headed home.

The menu will be Grab and Go, fresh fruit, muffins, bagels, sausage biscuits, yogurts and other quick and convent items.

We are asking for help with preparing the muffins and biscuits the night before. As well as prep on Saturdays mornings like making coffee, washing the fruit and any other last minute needs.

This is a great family mission and will open a door to service for our children. Please check out their website and get to know more about this great organization. If your family would like to donate your time or make a monetary donation to help with cost please contact Brett Nunn or Marri Helen Taylor.

http://www.lighthousefamilyretreat.org/