Our Vision Statement: People alive in Jesus Christ ... · in their home in Sugarloaf Shores. Don is retired after 45 years in an aluminum foundry, and Mary is a retired banker. With

A`I

Passion If you want to be good at something,

you have to do it with passion. Passion is

the difference between enthusiastic action

and simply going through the motions.

Passion is the fire in your belly that causes

you to get up in the middle of the night

thinking about what needs to get done.

Passion is a gift of God. Without

passion you quickly lose your first love and

become like Christians in the church in Ephesus. At one time the Church in Ephesus was a great

soul-winning church. The Ephesian church was involved in starting many new churches. Forty

years later when John received the revelation from the Lord, the church in Ephesus was active

with many programs but no longer winning people to Jesus. Without passion, helping and

changing lives is no longer a top priority.

Without passion, you have the right words and formalities but have no power to make an

impact for God. Without passion, serving the Lord becomes more work and going through the

motions than a ministry of passion and power in the Holy Spirit. Without passion, teaching

Sunday school, helping the youth group, singing in the choir, volunteering in church becomes a

chore. Without passion, local churches become inward and drift into just playing church.

Without passion, you become more focused on maintaining than on growing and helping.

The Key West United Methodist Church Newsletter

Our Vision Statement:

People alive in Jesus Christ, growing through dynamic worship,

nurturing programs and loving service to others."

April 2015

Email: [email protected] Website: http://keywestumchurch.org

PHONE NUMBERS: 305-296-2392, 305-296-PRAY

FAX NUMBER: 305-296-4702

What are you passionate about? Exercise, sports teams, your carreer? Baseball, golf,

fishing, boating? Worldly passions are not bad things - God gives them to us to enjoy life. But

they cannot be our only passions. We need to focus on God-driven passions which God puts in

our hearts.

What is your Godly passion? There is a story about a man stranded in a deserted island.

He worked hard to survive. Once he was able to build shelter and find good sources for food,

he worked real hard to get as comfortable as he could before he got rescued. He waited and

waited. One day there was a rain and lightning. The lightning struck his nice hut. It burned the

hut down. The man cried, “Why, oh why did you do this to me God?” What he did not know

was that there was a plane flying by, and the smoke from the fire alerted the plane that he was

there. Eventually the man got rescued. Sometimes God has to let our “Hut” catch on fire to

help us get GET OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONES, to notice what our Godly passions are.

Passion is found in our greatest commandment in Mathew 22:37-39 Jesus replied:

“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as

yourself’ ”. What is doing something “with all your heart and with all your mind” about

but……. passion?

Are you living with passion in your life? Do you love anything with all your heart and

mind? Do you love God and his people with passion? Life should be lived out with Passion. If

a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or

Mozart composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all

the host of heaven and earth will pause to say, “Here lived a great street sweeper who did his

job well.” If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.

In His Grace,

Pastor Ruben

Church Council will meet on April 20, at 5:30pm in the J.O.Y. room. All members of the Council should plan to attend. All others are welcome!

A donation has been made to the Scholarship Fund in memory of Shecky Archer by the Monroe County Retired Teachers group.

GENERAL PRAYER CONCERNS: Friends and family of Sherri Berman, Todd Woodlee, Tanya West, Jack Darst, Mary Ann Causley, Lou Pineda, Wilma Krabill, June Young, Lois Griffin, Bart Francis, Jean Chandler, Connie Costlow, Tamma Wells, Judy Greene, Larisa Ritchie, Francine Stange, Wayne Goldstein, Wilma LeRoy, Rose Sedely, Rachelle Diaz, Jerry Williams, Lacie Maninga, Jack & Noreen Collins, Meggan Meggs, Peggy Cornell, Greg Smith, Kirsten Cote, Ron Cherry, Vickie Hughes, Kaylee Ortueta, George Rowland, Pam Szolga, Amanda Siglin,

Liam Reddy , Steve Dickey, David Carone, Ally Sonstein, Catherine Duncan, Brian Belanger, Cathy Jackson, Tom Love, Joyce Papaycik, Wayne Rankan, Verna Marble, Thea Hyde, Candace Seizer, Bob Lytikainen, Daniel McLeod, Caridad Beavers, Mary Anne Matchett, Brad Eggebraaten, Katherine Brown, Zona Harman, Linda Rysman, Katherine Doughty, Pat Wells, (NOTE: If you would like someone put on the list, please contact the church office.) MILITARY AND CIVILIAN PERSONNEL IN HARMS WAY: Michael Kopitzke (Army), Stephen Hill (Marines); OUR SISTER CHURCH IN CUBA: Entronque d Herradura, La Iglesia Methodista NURSING HOMES: Dorothy Edwards Miami, FL)

OUR MISSIONARIES SUPPORTED BY SECOND MILE MISSION GIVING: Rev. Fletcher Anderson.

March 29 Annual Easter Egg Hunt and Picnic 12:30 to 3pm Ft. Zachary Taylor State Park

April 3 Good Friday Service 7pm in Sanctuary April 5 Sunrise Service at Smathers Beach 6:30am (Entry Steps #11) 8:30am and 11am Traditional worship (No 6pm service)

HELP WANTED!

IS GOD CALLING YOU to help your Church and make a little extra money at the same time? We are looking for a creative and loving person to work 3 hours a week in our nursery! The pay is very competitive and the blessings are many! See Pastor Ruben or Adriana Velasco if you are interested or know someone who is.

1ST Ava Mullins Mary Olsen Brenda Taylor-Brye

2nd Colby Saunders

4th Shirley George

8th Matthew Dowling, Sr. Mark Foster

9th Brian Haring

10th Patrick Birmingham

11th Robert Pabian

12th Nancy Dowling Kalli Melilli Virginia Miller

13th Donna Hulme

14th Brandi Ortiz

15th Hillary Lee Terrance Moore, Jr.

3rd Roger & Sheila Miklos

4th Charles & Claudette Getter

12th Carl & Patti McMackin

15th Ricardo & Bethany Flores

19th Kendal Harden

22nd Deborah Corbin Douglas Jones

27th Brandi Weathers

28th Todd Klem

29th Devon Bittner Dale Bittner, Jr.

Cilia Vidal

30th Carlos Perez

16th Katy & Michael Werner

20th Phillip Sr. & Maria Pierce

22nd Michael & Michelle Heaviland

We welcome new members!

Brittney Clukey Brittney is the busy mother of Makenna (age 3) and Penelope (15 months) and the wife of Tyler who is in the Navy, with whom she moved here with from Kings Bay, Georgia. She is the bright, cheerful face that you see in the Church nursery on Sunday mornings. Her family includes two dogs, Abby and Copper. Brittney shared with us that she’d like to have 10 kids, but her husband says, “No Way!” We love you Brittney, and are thankful that you picked us to be your church family!!

Donald & Mary Olsen Joining us from Rockford, Illinois, Don and Mary have come to enjoy the Keys lifestyle in their home in Sugarloaf Shores. Don is retired after 45 years in an aluminum foundry, and Mary is a retired banker. With 5 children raised, they are now enjoying 5 grandsons, ages 6 months to 13 years old. Things Mary enjoys are music, great food, gardening and travel and the Green Bay Packers. Donald likes house projects, fishing and keeping Mary happy. They share a love of NASCAR and Swedish cooking.

Gayle Seropian Gayle first visited Key West in 1973 and has come back annually ever since! Retired for 5 years now, and moving from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Gayle and her husband enjoy supporting many of the local cultural organizations. She also enjoys how daily exercise makes her feel either running, biking and/or golfing. Gayle has a neice and her family in Key West and 3 step-children who live in Hawaii, Oregon and Florida. Gayle and her husband were married in 1993 at the Audubon House and Tropical Gardens.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

JOIN US AT FT. ZACHARY TAYLOR STATE PARK

For the Annual Easter Egg Hunt SUNDAY, March 29, 2015

12:30pm – 3pm

EVERYONE WELCOME!

Look for us at the Picnic tables to the extreme left of the beach area,

facing the water, (same place as last year).

SHOW THIS INVITATION AT THE GUARD SHACK FOR FREE

ADMITTANCE TO THE PARK.

IF YOU CAN, PLEASE BRING

YOUR OWN EASTER BASKET AND A

PICNIC FOOD ITEM TO SHARE

Debbie Allgire Debbie joins us as a “snow-bird” residing in Bowling Green, Ohio when she is not here. Being a “semi-retired” RN, she is able to help transport cats for Siamese Rescue of Virginia. In free time Debbie enjoys handwork such as crochet and simple sewing projects and also showing Siamese and Tonkinese cats in TICA and CFA (pedigree cat organizations). She has one son, Steven, and two grandchildren, Savannah (age 6) and Liam (almost 2) . Debbie and her husband have enjoyed 33 wonderful years of marriage. When they travel, they usually have at least one cat along!

CUBA UPDATE FROM

FLETCHER IN 2015 (Sent from: 1400 Petronia St., Key West, FL

33040)

Dear friends and loved ones

in many places: My cycle of travel to Cuba was interrupted in

August/September 2014, as I spent a month in a

physical rehabilitation center in Key West,

working on issues of strength and balance. I did

benefit from the therapy, and I know I was lifted up by the prayers of brothers and sisters in

many places. Thank you, thank you!

I did visit Cuba again in November 2014 and for a teaching period in January-February 2015.

Also, I spent the month of December, 2014, with my foster family in Peru, where I had the

privilege of officiating at the wedding of my granddaughter Ada Luz to Luis Alberto.

I expect to visit Cuba once again in May, for final exams and graduation of some 25 students;

then probably again for teaching in September/October.

Since January 2014, the Cuban government has relaxed longtime requirements for its citizens to

exit the country. This has led to a major movement of emigration, especially to the United

States. The church and the seminary have been affected by this movement, along with other

sectors of society. I can hardly blame Cuban Christians who seek to make a better life for

themselves in new surroundings. At the same time, we rejoice to see that the good Lord

continues to raise up vital leaders for church and seminary, dedicated to building up the church

and carrying forward the revival in Cuba.

In the growing Methodist Church in Cuba, there are many projects needing support. Just now, I

am especially interested in the fledgling congregation in the populous Havana suburb of Regla,

At present this congregation occupies very precarious quarters, but now they have a chance to

acquire an ample building of 200 square meters in the center of their community, which would

provide space for worship, classes , and projections of service to the community. The challenge:

the asking price is 18,000 dollars.

The pastor at Regla is Reydel Rodriguez, now beginning seminary studies after earning degrees

in the health care field: nursing and psychology. (Reydel is the one who wants to compile my

biography as his seminary thesis!) He is accompanied by his able and consecrated wife

Margarita and their five-year-old daughter, Rebeca Ada. Reydel is finishing up three years of

service as the coordinator of the 6,000 Methodist youth of Cuba.

Who of you out there would be willing to help respond to this need in Cuba? God bless you!

In the bonds of Christian affection,

FLETCHER ANDERSON Telephone in Key West: (305)295-9476

e-mail in USA: c/o Dr. Calleja, [email protected] In Cuba: [email protected]

Fond Farewell

It has come time to say a very fond farewell to Pastor

Ruben Velasco and Office Manager Nancy Loether.

Pastor Ruben’s first Sunday here was July 1, 2007. With his beautiful wife and adorable children, he became the shepherd of our flock. We will cherish the memories of the love we have shared the past eight years. The Pastor and his family will be moving to a new church at the end of May, most likely in the area of South Miami. May God bless the Velascos as they begin their next chapter.

Nancy was hired in October, 2003 and has done a fine job of Financial and Office Management for those many years! She accomplished the transition of bringing the office into the digital age, allowing a more efficient and accurate process of financial management . Now, she and her husband Emil have sold their house in Sugarloaf, and will become official “snowbirds”. They plan on enjoying the warm weather months at the “lake house” in Wisconsin with four generations of beloved family members. When the fall starts to turn into winter, they plan to head back to the Keys, probably in a large RV to enjoy retirement at its finest.

Words can not express all that these two amazing individuals have meant to the life of Key West United Methodist Church and their absence will be keenly felt. We wish them and their families many blessings as they walk with the Lord down paths that lead to love in Christ. We will miss you.