Remember to Use Amazon Smiles for
Your Christmas Shopping
Help your church by registering as an Amazon Smiles user on the Amazon online shopping portal. Amazon Smiles users can designate that a portion of the cost of each purchase on Amazon will go to the charity of their choice. By making Riverview First United Methodist Church your chosen charity, you can contribute to our church each time you purchase holiday gifts for your family and friends.
Order Your Poinsettias Now
It’s time to order your commemorative poinsettias for the Christmas season. Each plant will cost $10 (in a 6 1/2” pot). Order forms available in the bulletins or in the church office. Please enclose cash or check (made payable to RUMC) in an envelope and place it in the offering plate. You may dedicate each flower in honor of (or in memory of) your favorite loved one.
Journey through the Advent Calendar
Journey through Advent with the Florida United Methodist Foundation. This webpage contains 25 daily reflections for your seasonal advent-ure. Each day features a word and Bible verse chosen by a staff member to reflect the meaning of the season.
Prayer and Connect Cards
If you or someone you know needs prayer, please fill out the yellow Prayer and Connect Card located on the back of each pew. These cards are passed along to the Prayer Warriors of RUMC. Our Prayer Warriors meet every Sunday in Room #8 immediately after the service for 15 minutes of prayer. It is their honor to pray for you and your concerns.
Also, Prayer and Connect Cards can be used if you want the church to know that you are interested in becoming a member, or if you would like to receive more information about our church
If you would like to be added to our church directory, included in our church email blasts, or have your birthday and anniversary included in our monthly newsletter, please complete a Prayer and Connect Card and include in the Sunday offering plate. You can also visit the church office on most business day mornings, or you can contact us by phone or email.
Stop by our Informative White Cabinet
The white cabinet in Crichton Fellowship Hall is “information central” for our church members and visitors. The cabinet contains RUMC news, information and community resources. It includes our calendar of events, church forms, bulletins, prayer trees, sign-up sheets, and more.
8002 U. S. Highway 301 South, Riverview, FL 33578 813-677-5995
Normal Weekly Recurring
Events at RUMC
(Call the church office at 677-5995 for more information about these or other events sponsored by the church.)
SUNDAY
8:00 AM Early Worship Service--Fellowship Hall
9:00 AM Sunday School for All Ages
9:00 AM Children's Choir
10:00 AM Refreshments & Relationships
10:30 AM Worship Service
11:45 AM Prayer Warriors--Rm 8
12:00 PM Hispanic Congregation Service
5:00 PM Adult Praise Band
6:00 PM Youth Band Rehearsal
7:00 PM R.U.S.H. Youth Group—Youth Building
MONDAY
7:00-9:30 PM Southern Company Chorus Rehearsal —Fellowship Hall
7:00 PM Cub Scouts Meet--Classrooms
TUESDAY
10:00 AM--Noon RESTORE Food Bank and Thrift Store Open*
10:30 AM--Metropolitan Ministry Free Luncheon
6:30 PM Boy Scout Troop #83—Fellowship Hall
WEDNESDAY
6:30-7:30 AM AA Meeting—Rm 8
6:00 PM Fellowship Supper—Fellowship Hall
6:45 PM Children & Youth Activities
6:45 PM Hispanic Church Bible Study —Fellowship Hall
7:00 PM Ladies Bible Study—Fran Carillo's Home
THURSDAY
6:30-7:30 AM AA Meeting—Rm 8
10:00 AM--Noon RESTORE Food Bank and Thrift Store Open*
6:30 PM Chancel Choir Rehearsal
7:00-9:00 PM--Adult Education (ESOL and GED)--Rms 7 & 8
FRIDAY
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SATURDAY
9:00 AM RUMC Book Club, 9720 Lorrayne Avenue, Riverview
*RESTORE is an equal opportunity provider and is open to the public.
Ethan’s Merry Christmas
Can you imagine what it’s like for a child to be away from their family at Christmas? Imagine how they feel, not having that cup of hot chocolate in front of the tree and reading a holiday story such as T’was the Night Before Christmas. At the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home, we care for children who have been victimized by abuse, abandonment, or neglect. And while it is better that they are out of that dangerous environment, our children dearly miss that feeling of family. During this season of their life, we become their family. And with your support, we can provide these children with a truly memorable Christmas.
Ethan is one of these children. He came from an abusive home and was very withdrawn as a result of the treatment he received. Ethan was very antisocial, and he avoided speaking to others. He came to the Children’s Home about a year ago when he was twelve years old, and he initially spent much of his time alone in his room.
Through the support of his houseparents and therapist, Ethan learned to express his feeling and to find his inner strength. He also learned that he liked participating in our Spiritual Life program on campus. After a few months, he decided to become baptized during one of the services. His grades started to improve, and he is becoming more social with the other children.
Ethan has come a long way in his time at the Children’s Home, and his story is still being written. He has expressed an interest in music, maybe learning to play the guitar or the drum set. He is definitely looking forward to Christmas.
For many children, the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home has become the loving family that they so desperately need. And isn’t that what we all want—to be cared for and loved? With your support, we can make this a truly magical Christmas for all the children we care for—whether at our Enterprise campus, at our Madison Youth Ranch, or through our community foster care homes.
Please consider your most generous gift to support the over 500 children currently in our care at the Children’s Home during this holiday season. You can donate to the Children’s Home via your weekly pledge envelope or online through the church website. And remember that December has a Fifth Sunday, which gives every RUMC member a chance to participate in our “Noisy Offering” for the Children's Home on Sunday, December 29th.
Justice for Our Neighbors
Twenty years ago this October, The United Methodist Church created a ministry called Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON). Founded by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), it grew out of that agency’s long-standing commitment to refugees and immigrants, dating to the 1940s.
In the 20 years since its founding, JFON has opened 17 offices in 15 states, including two in Florida. And, according to the National JFON website, it had its busiest year in 2018, serving 4,395 new clients from 112 different countries. Among the milestones compiled in 2018: asylum cases increased by three percent, work to help eligible immigrants become U.S. citizens increased by six percent and the influx of unaccompanied migrant children increased by 13 percent. Overall, JFON nationwide has served approximately 20,000 immigrants, refugees and asylum-seeking neighbors since 2014.
In Florida, the need for JFON’s services is acute, according to Rev. Janet Horman, executive director. The primary office is in Cutler Bay, a suburb of Miami, and serves low-income immigrants from Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
“We always see a spike in immigrants after a natural disaster such as the earthquake in Haiti or Hurricane Dorian the Bahamas,” Horman said. “For those who have basic needs, like food and shelter, we partner with Church World Services,” she said. “Our primary support comes from UMCOR and United Methodist Women and from the generosity of local churches and private donors.”
Florida JFON began in 2014 as a mission of the South East District. A Florida native, Horman has a rare combination of skills. She is an ordained pastor in the Florida Annual Conference and has a degree in immigration law. She is the only full-time immigration attorney in the South Florida office, which relies on grants to help it expand its services. It recently hired a part-time staffer for cases in Central Florida. A second grant led to the hiring of an attorney to help with the South Florida caseload.
“Lay volunteers screen applicants to see if they have a way forward. If they do, one of our staff or volunteer immigration attorneys gets involved.” Horman points out that many of the people who come into the U.S. have a better chance of achieving their goals if they have a college degree and/or a green card or work visa.
However, those who are fleeing violence and oppression may not be as fortunate.
“Many are from poorer countries where they may be starving and unable to break the cycle of poverty,” Horman said. Some of the many complexities of immigration law occur when countries have a quota regarding how many immigrants will be allowed to enter within a given time frame or within a specific category, Horman said.
“For example, the door has already closed on Bahamians seeking refuge from Hurricane Dorian,” she said, “and the timeframe for Haitians entering the U.S. following the devastating earthquake will expire in January.”
To learn more about JFON’s work in South and Central Florida, please go to this link.
Although immigration policy is considered a political hot potato by some, the call to care for one another, including the stranger, is a biblical concept and one of the Social Principles of The United Methodist Church. Here is the social principle from the 2016 edition of the “Book of Discipline,” paragraph 162.H, “The Rights of Immigrants”:
We recognize, embrace, and affirm all persons, regardless of country of origin, as members of the family of God. We affirm the right of all persons to equal opportunities for employment, access to housing, healthcare, education, and freedom from social discrimination. We urge the Church and Society to recognize the gifts, contributions, and struggles of those who are immigrants and to advocate for justice for all. We oppose immigration policies that separate family members from each other or that include detention of families with children, and we call on local churches to be in ministry with immigrant families.
Maytha, a Jordanian immigrant takes the oath of citizenship. As a citizen, she will have the right to apply for employment to support herself and her two daughters.
Conference Seeking
Motivated Volunteers
As we approach the upcoming start of the Quadrennium, we have various Conference ministry teams, agencies and task forces that could use passionate, committed individuals who have a desire to engage in ministry at the Conference level. We are seeking those volunteers to share their spiritual gifts and skills.
If you have a calling to serve, a spiritual gift, or an area of expertise which you are open to sharing in this way, your gifts and graces are needed. Please let us know by clicking here and completing the appropriate Application to Serve link below (by District).
The Conference Committee on Nominations and Leadership will review all Applications to Serve, within the coming months, and work through the discernment process as outlined in the Florida Annual Conference Standing Rules Paragraph 302. All who complete and application to serve will be notified of the outcome.
Your Application to Serve is needed not later than 1/10/2020. Should you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email conmin@flumc.org.
