The View Oct 2010

OctOber 2010

The bi-monThly

View

from The Tower

First United Methodist ChUrCh oF Winter Park

Caring

Health and

Wholeness Ministry

“To encourage and empower

one another by sharing the

caring light of Christ to

passionately promote wellness

of body, mind, and spirit.”

Supporting Each Other 4

Maintaining Relationships 5

Promoting Health 6

The View from the Tower, October 2010

Rev. Gary RideoutMinister of Congregational Care

I learned a valuable lesson a few years ago about being a good caregiver. I went to visit a gentleman from our church who was in a physical rehabilitation center after undergoing major surgery. I walked in with an agenda – to let him know that I, as a representative of the church, was genuinely con-cerned about him and his recovery. I wanted to convey the

message of God’s comfort, mercy, and love during his recent health struggle. So I walked into his room, pulled up a chair next to his bed and began prying him with what I thought were questions and statements that showed I was truly concerned for him. “How are you feeling today? How is your rehab going – do you feel you are getting better? This must be a tough time for you. We at the church want you to know that we are thinking of you and praying for you.” If he doesn’t feel cared for after all this, well, he must be beyond hope. But every gem from my repertoire of “caring statements” was met with grunts and expressions of disinterest. He seemed to be more interested in watch-ing golf on TV than being attuned to my presence. Here I was “being there” for him, but he was ignoring me. How rude! Until a still, small voice inside of me said, “Gary, you are not being there for his sake. You are being there for your sake.” If I truly wanted to be present with him, I would be enjoying what he was enjoying – an exciting US Open golf tournament. So I tossed aside my bag of caring tools and my scripted agenda, and I watched the US Open with him. What he needed was someone to be in the mo-ment with him. And in that moment, he just wanted someone to watch golf with him. That was the best way I could be present with him as he lay in that hospital bed. And I have to admit, it was a sacred moment. Being present with another in their moment. Author Henri Nouwen described what this was all about in this way: “A friend who cares makes it clear that, whatever happens in the external world, being present to each other is what really matters. In fact it matters more than pain, illness, or even death.” I am so blessed to be at a church filled with people who know how to show God’s love for another by being present with another. I have been inspired and have learned much from what the caring people of First United Methodist Church of Winter Park have shown and demonstrated to each other. These caring acts are done in relative obscurity, performed in small ways and achieved with great love. The Caring Ministry of this church is filled with people showing over-flowing love by sending cards to those ailing, making phone calls to those facing struggles, providing a meal to someone to lessen the load they are enduring, or giving rides to doctors’ appointments and church for those who can no longer drive, reaching out with expressions of love by delivering flowers, serving com-munion, making home visits, visiting those in the hospital, or just taking someone to lunch who rarely gets to leave home. Wherever a need arrives, there always seems to be someone there to meet that need. We certainly are a church that is committed to extending compassionate care to those in need, as our vision statement says. For those of you who want to know the joy of being there for someone in a moment of need, come be a part of the Caring Ministry.

Be in the moment with someone

Members of Gathered in His Name come to the Marcy Chapel several mornings a week to pray. Pictured are Ann Legg, Lee Cross, Carol Welker, Robbi Walker, Sulli Stinchcomb and Janet Hays.

Gathered in His Name is a committed group of intercessors who meet regularly in the Marcy Chapel for a time of prayer. They also coordinate seminars on prayers and conduct prayer vigils. The group also sponsors a monthly prayer and healing service which is an intimate and informal service held in the Marcy Chapel consisting of meditative prayer, healing prayer, and pray-ing for each other, along with the sharing of communion.

Prayer and Healing Service

sunday, november 21 7 p.m.

Marcy Chapel

Caring for others by gathering to pray


Kathy Marshall, Congregational Care Assistant Kathy has assisted the Congregational Care Ministry for the past two years. Previous to that, she worked part time as a general office assistant in the church office for five years. In January of 1999, Kathy transferred to this church from Tuskawilla United Methodist Church. Her grandfather was a Methodist missionary in Chungking, China, on the Yangtze River in the early 1900’s. Her father and uncle were born there. Kathy studied at Southern Methodist University in Dallas for two years but transferred to and graduated from Florida State University with a BS in psychology and sociology. She has lived in Winter Park for 27 years. Her joys are her three children, her grandchild (plus one on the way), Murray and Randall (the cats), the Tampa Bay Rays, the FSU Seminoles, baking and reading. Though she grew up on Long Island, she always been a Floridian in her heart.

Rev. Gary RideoutMinister of Congregational Care

Gary grew up in Evansville, Indiana, where the highlight of his Hoosier life was as a teenager, providing room service to Elvis Presley. (It was a cheeseburger and he tipped him 50 cents).

After graduating from Indiana University with a de-gree in computer science, Gary became a Texan. He lived in Dallas and Houston, working in various computer jobs, including a stint at NASA where he worked on the space shuttle flight simulator, crashing it on his only attempt at flying it.

After almost two decades in Texas and receiving a master’s degree at Southern Methodist University, Gary

moved to Florida where he has resided for 16 years. While still working in the computer field in Jacksonville, he felt a leading into the ministry which started his new path in life by enrolling at Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He earned a master of divinity degree and a wife, Jayne, whom he met at Asbury. Jayne is also a pastor at the church serving as Minister of Discipleship. They have two daughters, Natalie and Meredith. Gary has been the Minister of Congregational Care for the past 11 years. He has a passion for nurturing lay people so they may use their gifts in serving others with compassion and mercy. Gary leads the congregation to becomes one in Christ, so they may bear one another’s burdens.

congregational care Ministry staff: caring for the congregation and helping them care for each other

Betsy McKeeby, Parish Nurse Betsy has served as our parish nurse since November 2003. Her background as a registered nurse has primarily in-cluded work in coronary care and cardiac rehabilitation with an emphasis on helping people achieve a healthy lifestyle after they have learned of a heart diagnosis. Growing up as a Methodist preacher’s kid in East Tennessee, she graduated with a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She has additional coursework in adult education, clinical pastoral education and parish nursing and is certified in cardiac and vascular nursing by the ANCC. Betsy has three grown sons. She and her husband, Jim, reside in Lake Mary.

bears care too Over the last two years, the Bears That Care ministry has had 800 teddy bears picked up from the church and given to someone who needed cheering up. It is amazing to hear the stories from those who have given bears about the reactions of the recipi-ents. There was even a request to have two bears shipped to North Carolina, as some-one there had heard of the ministry. Bears That Care is sponsored by one of our Girl Scout Troops, under the leadership of Tracy Ball. On Sundays you will find bears throughout the sanctuary and in baskets in the Matthias Family Life Center. During worship, the bears hear the scriptures, songs and prayers, and then can be taken to someone in need of comfort, including those home-bound, ill, or in grief. Bears do not need to be placed with church members.

Kathy Marshall, Rev. Gary Rideout, Betsy McKeeby


Caring, Health and Wholeness is . . . supporting each other as we go through life’s challenges or crises

Care Card Ministry Each week, a group of dedicated and caring indi-viduals perform a vital ministry from the comforts of their home. They are the people of the Care Card Team. Each member of the team sends out cards to those who are ailing, recovering after hospital stays, or dealing with the loss of a loved one. They may not even know the person to whom they are sending the card, but they take the time to send it anyway out of the love of Christ. Just recently the Care Card Team sent cards to the son of a church member who was re-covering from surgery up in Tennessee. Here is what his mother wrote: As you know my son has just arrived home after two surgeries and five weeks in the hospital. I want to acknowledge what a “Home Run” the get well cards sent by members of the church were for him. I received a call from him and he was clearly pleased and awed by the kindness extended to him through all those cards. He is still weak and confinedto home and the cards brought some sunshineinto his days.Thank you for the kindness.

stephen Ministry Stephen Ministry has been a vital ministry of First United Methodist Church of Winter Park for the past 10 years. It is a ministry based on the idea that all Christians are minis-ters. Its mission statement is “Christ Caring for People Through People.” Members are trained to help provide Christian care and support by lending a listening ear and a caring heart for those who are journeying through life’s struggles and together discovering the power of God’s healing love and grace. Currently, we have 14 Stephen Ministers at the church who have been helping people going through tough times and are ready again to be a caring presence for anyone who is facing such a struggle.

Brain Fitness Club The Brain Fitness Club, hosted at our church, is a program based on a progressive model for nurturing memory wellness. The emphasis behind the program is to enhance or maintain cognitive functioning for individual suc-cess for its participants while at the same time being fun and providing times for fellowship with other members. The participants have suffered strokes, cognitive impairment, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease - but is specifically designed for those in early stages of a memory disorder. The collaborative program incorporates students from the University of Central Florida to provide an individual plan of care for each member. The Brain Fitness Club meets twice a week on the third floor of the Matthias Family Life Center.


Caring, Health and Wholeness is . . . building, enriching, and maintaining relationships with others

care team MinistryThe heart of Caring Ministry is the Care Team. A care team is a group of committed and compassionate lay

people, led by a Care Team Leader, who serve togeth-er to meet the needs of a group or individuals in our

church or in the community who have been identified as needing special attention.

Working together, each team can be a source of care for whatever needs their care receivers may have, whether it is practical support such as providing transportation, serving meals or running errands;

emotional support such as visitation and phone calls; and spiritual support, including offering communion

to those who are homebound. “Whatever it takes” is the inspiration for the care

teams towards those they are caring for. A care team becomes an extended family for those in their group and have been known to throw birthday parties for

their special friends.

Care team members help Elmer Brown celebrate his 94th birthday.

Pat Troutman prepares to serve communion to one of our homebound members.

Terry Bradshaw, one of a team of bus drivers who provide transportation for our members who no longer drive, is on the way to pick up members from The Mayflower and Winter Park Towers.


Caring, Health and Wholeness is . . . promoting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle for the whole person

Parish nursing, now called faith community nursing by some, is a spe-cialized practice by registered nurses who want to extend healing beyond hospital and medical walls. It was started in the 1980’s after recognition that the quality of people’s health was determined by events that occurred outside of a hospital. Maintaining and improving physi-cal health is a significant expression of our Christian mission. The parish nurse works with those in the congre-gation and community to provide education to prevent or control dis-eases, advocacy for health concerns and referrals to other supporting agencies as needed while support-ing a person’s faith during times of difficulty. Life in all its fullness is seen as a gift from God, and each person has the opportunity to share more easily and witness His love when we are well. This broad view allows each congregation to focus on different pri-orities based on the needs it identifies.

Health and Wholeness Ministry focuses on maintaining health and supporting people when there are health issues. Whole person health is concerned with the physical mental and spiritual aspect of each person. The parish nurse works with others who have this passion to touch as many lives as possible. Health and Wholeness Ministry Opportunities:l Our Whole Community is a group of central Florida churches who are shar-ing together to improve the health of the Winter Park community. A community garden with individual garden boxes has been built behind the Winter Park Pres-byterian Church by some of our members and others in the community to grow vegetables and herbs for themselves and to share with others through the Food Bank. Ruth Behrle says, “Spending time working in the garden, relaxes and fulfills my mind and feeds my spirit.” The community garden project is expanding to the DePugh Nursing Center on Morse Blvd. Volunteers are needed to help with construction. Garden boxes will be available after completion. More information is available at ourwholecommunity.org.l We are hosting the 2010 Week of the Family Interfaith Women’s Breakfast featuring presenter and entertainer Retro Bill, on Friday,November 5, from 9:00 to 10:30. He will talk about how families can help their children avoid internet dangers. Those attending are asked to bring children’s diapers for those who are in need. Information is available at weekofthefamily.org. l The ministry supports the of residents of the Oaks Apartments with meals and social interaction on a quarterly basis. This is a way to share good examples of nutritious easily prepared meals while getting to eat in a new positive environment. l A medical supply closet at the church has equipment such as walkers and wheelchairs for use by anyone for as long as needed. l Exercise programs are offered at the church for no or low cost include Light and Easy exercise – for

people of all abilities. Sylvia Coe said, “ I was surprised to find you could work up a sweat doing these exercis-es while having a blast with Pat Troutman.” Several types of Yoga classes are available. Jazzercise is offered multiple times during the week. More information is available on the church website fumcwp.org under Health Ministries. l Boost Your Brain class met for five weeks in September teaching principles de-

veloped by Dr. Gary Small. Volunteers are needed to help continue this program. If you are interested in participating in future programs, let the parish nurse know.

What is a parish nurse?

Contact Parish Nurse Betsy McKeeby at the

church office (407-644-2906, ext. 237)

on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The View from the Tower October 2010

We will be loyal to the United Methodist church and support it with our:

PreseNCe: August (average attendance) Worship: 734 Sunday School: 231 September (average attendance) Worship: 804 Sunday School: 353

PrAyers: . . . of healing for members of the church family who are ill.. . . of sympathy and comfort for the family and friends of Mimi Sands who died August 31 and Tommy Howard who died September 24.. . . of thanksgiving and celebration for the birth on August 9 of Jack Greenlee Royck, son of Joek and Jessica Roycik, and the birth on Septem-ber 21 of Lucas Anthony Roy, son of Derek and Kristi Roy.Gifts: Read the first quarter financial report online at fumcwp.org.Make a difference by keeping your generous giving up to date.

serviCe: Thanks to the 22 donors who gave blood recently at the church blood drive. They have saved lives. Milestones were reached by first time givers Greg Gilleo, Christina Morse, Christopher Rehmet, and Kristina Sonstroem; and by 17-gallon giver Robby Lewis. Mark your calendars for the next church blood drive on December 5.

Thanks to Stacey Cox who graciously shared her gift of calligraphy to personalize each of the Bibles given to our third graders during the 11:00 worship service on October 10.

Thanks to Holly Cooper, Holly Wilton, Susan Tayloe, Erin and Colin Murphy for their help with placing our vision statements on the walls in the Wesleyan Building and Matthias Family Life Center.

recently baptized

Madeline Grace Hood, daughter of Eric and Brehan Hood was baptized August 8.

For more information on baptism or to schedule a

baptism, contact Administrative Assistant Julie

Fisher at the church office, 407-644-2906.

Kinley Paris O’Shaughnessy, daughter of Tim O’Shaughnessy and Tiffany Walters, was baptized August 22.

Madelyn Noelle Strong, daughter of Ryan and Natascha Strong, was baptized September 5.

William Jonathan and Aubrey Hanes Reynolds, children of Paul and Kristen Reynolds, brother and sister of Kresley, were baptized September 19.

Grant Michael Lutrell, son of Ryan and Michelle Lutrell and brother of Amelia, was baptized September 19.

The View Oct 2010

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Transcript of The View Oct 2010