From the Pastor….

“Celebrate Jesus” Is Coming in June, But the Celebration Starts Now

What better time to celebrate Jesus, who he is and what he has done, than Advent and Christmas, when the whole world is geared up to at least think about this part of the Christian message – that God sent his Son into the world to be the Word made flesh. June in Florida, with the heat, humidity, downpours and thunderstorms doesn’t seem like a time to celebrate anything (except air conditioning!). However, anytime is always a good time to celebrate Jesus. And that’s just what we will be doing here at Christ United Methodist Church from June 20-27. A team of 7-15 “missionaries,” clergy and lay, young and old, male and female, black, brown and white, will come from all over Florida and beyond to join with us in a week-long outreach blitz of Lehigh Acres. Together we’ll walk the streets, knock on doors, handout small gifts, take prayer requests, and invite people to a community-wide event at our church. We’ll meet our neighbors, finding out what who they are and what their needs are. And we’ll do what we can to respond to their needs and let them know that we truly care about them because of the love that Jesus has put in our hearts. We’ll take risks and get out of our comfort zone for the sake of our neighbors who need hear about and experience the love of God in Jesus Christ.

Some may wonder where the program and name “Celebrate Jesus” came from. It started in 1984 with some Methodist Churches around North London. They called it “Share Jesus” because the objective was simply that, to get out and share their faith in Jesus Christ with their neighbors. In 1998 “Share Jesus” was brought to the Orlando area where eight United Methodist churches hosted a model mission. Most of the visiting “missionaries” came over from England to help. The experience was so positive that the next summer is was done as a full-scale district-wide mission in Jacksonville. Eighteen churches participated, with over 300 people serving as missionaries for that week, including over a dozen from the U.K. Thousands of people were reached with the message and love of Jesus Christ, and several churches experienced lasting renewal as they reconnected with their surrounding communities. The next year the US leadership based in Orlando decided to incorporate under the new name, “Celebrate Jesus,” reflecting the fact it is more than just sharing our faith, but also sharing the joy and excitement that Jesus Christ brings in to our lives. Since then Celebrate Jesus has held 13 regional missions in Florida including Deland, St. Petersburg, Leesburg, West Palm Beach, Lakeland, Melbourne, Sarasota, Gainesville, Orlando, Tampa, Tallahassee, and Key West.

We will be hosting a Celebrate Jesus Mission in June, but we don’t need to wait until then to start celebrating Him. We will be having a number of special events during Advent/Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus. On December 6 there will be the Community Christmas Craft Show and Preschool musical program. On the 17th of December we will be hosting an outdoors Community Carol Sing, on the front lawn of the sanctuary at 7:00 pm. On the 21st the Choir will present its Christmas Cantata during the morning worship hour. That afternoon, all are invited to join in caroling to our shut-ins, ending at the parsonage for refreshments and fellowship. Then of course we will have our Christmas Eve Candle-light Service at 7:00 pm. In all these ways and more we will start celebrating Jesus now. Let the celebrations begin!

Pastor Carlos