12.01.25

Note from Jessica Scott
Associate Conference Lay Leader

Happy new year, friends!

How is it with your soul?

I promise I’m not confused. Advent is the beginning of our Christian calendar and Sunday marked the first day of our new year.

As is always the case this time of year, there’s lots happening. Parties and parades and pageants, oh my! Cantatas and cookies and cocoa, oh wow!

It’s easy to jump directly into celebrating the arrival of Jesus and skip right over the preparation and waiting. I get it. There’s so much fun, so many shiny lights, so many treats and fun to be had!

But this time of preparing is about more than planning the perfect Christmas Eve services or live nativity. It’s more than the annual cookie exchange or finding the perfect gift for your neighbor.

This week, I encourage you to consider how you’re preparing the way for the coming savior in your own life. Are you participating in the Conference-wide devotion and study, Awakened to Grace? Are you incorporating prayer into your family time with the all new Family Prayer Podcast?

However you are preparing in this busy season, I hope you find time to simply be still and notice all the ways that the Holy Spirit is moving in your life.

In hope,

Jessica Barber Scott

Associate Conference Lay Leader

Around the Conference

VIDEO: The Essential Work of United Methodism Today
Did you miss the evening of conversation with Rev. Hamilton and Bishop Berlin in Lakeland on November 12? You can watch video from the event or even listen to the full audio here.

Family Prayer Podcast launches December 1!
Join Pastor Dan in the fictional town of Grace Harbor on a very real journey in gratitude, intention, and prayer. Check out the nee podcast by Dan Wunderlich here.

FLUMC News: Wesley Students Find New Calling at Retreat
Students from the campus Wesley Foundation ministries at UCF, Miami/FIU, Stetson, and Bethune-Cookman University recently attended what participants agreed was a transformative three-day retreat in Daytona Beach, focusing on the intersection of faith and social justice. Read Joe Henderson’s article here.

Biblical Justice Course Registration Launched
What does justice look like in the heart of God? How does the Bible call us to live justly — in our relationships, our communities, and our world? Join us for Biblical Justice, a Beloved Community class, led by Rev. Dr. John Baggett and Mirhonda Studevant, District Co-Lay Leader. In this online class, you’ll learn how justice weaves through the entire biblical story. For more information and registration, click HERE.

Around the Connection

UMNews: Ohio United Methodists aim to plant 100 churches
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung of the East and West Ohio conferences has set a goal of 100 new faith communities planted by 2029. Read more of the Jim Patterson’s article HERE.

A Story of Connection to the Sand Creek Massacre
From the General Board of Church and Society: In remembrance of The Sand Creek Massacre, Sue Woodard of Michelson United Methodist Church, Grayling, Michigan, shares her family's association with the Massacre and their journey towards reconciliation, healing, repentance and peace. Read the full post HERE.

Food pantry digs deeper to overcome challenging year
This year has seen cuts to USDA funding, rising food costs, and a prolonged government shutdown that delayed SNAP benefits. These challenges have led to more demand at food pantries, and higher costs to operate these vital ministries. Read the UMNews article HERE.

Laity Space is the online information hub for the laity of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church.