Bible Studies, COVID, and Ministry Opportunity

Posted on by gulfviewadmin

My dear brothers and sisters,
I’m going to deal with our COVID information first. We are still doing our Zoom Bible Studies on Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. and Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m. We are also growing in our Thursday morning Men’s Fellowship Time at 9:30 a.m. Please contact the Church Office for login information for these events. In keeping with our COVID precautions our United Methodist Men are meeting on Zoom this coming Monday, the 18th, at 6:00 p.m. Please contact the church office @ gulfviewofc@gmail.com to join the meeting. The Jubilee Sunday School class will not be meeting until further notice. Additionally, there will be no fellowship time or treats offered after service on Sundays. All of this is due to the high COVID numbers that are being reported in our area.

For those that are local we have a second source of COVID vaccines being distributed. Publix is now offering the vaccine, so if you go to their webpage you can sign up for one of the available times. If they are full keep checking back as they will be releasing new appointments weekly. Our Bay County Health Department is also offering the vaccines by appointment only. Follow the link on our website: gulfviewatthebeach.org, to sign up. For now you must be 65 years of age or older to access these appointments.

Ministry opportunity! We are accepting names for the Prayer Wheel. This is our church’s telephone fan out system to elicit prayer on an urgent basis. When a prayer concern comes over the Prayer Wheel we not only have people praying for the situation but we also are informed as a church about what is going on in our congregation. Be in the loop! Become part of the Prayer Wheel by contacting the church office @ 850.234.2889.

A new group has formed in the church. This group has assumed the task of guiding our internet exposure by our website and our service broadcasting. If you have any thoughts on how we could be more efficient with our internet tools we would like to hear from you. Please contact the church office @ 850.234.2889 .

We are quickly approaching the season of Lent. I will update you all on special services as the time gets closer. In the meantime, continue all the safe practices, diligently seek out vaccine appointments and hold on to the hand of the One who loves us the most.
Much love,
Pastor John

A New Year

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My dear friends,
   It is with a hurting heart that I share the news that Dr. James Stephens has gone to be with the Lord this past weekend. I ask prayers for his wife, Linda, and the family on their journey ahead. 
   We have resumed church operations after our Christmas break. Our Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening Bible studies are in full swing. Our Men’s Fellowship Group is meeting at 9:30 a.m. Thursday morning. All these meetings are on Zoom and login information for these groups can be attained by calling the Church office 850-234-2889.

   We have placed a link on our website: 

gulfviewatthebeach.org

 that you can use in your browser to sign up for vaccine distribution in Bay County. For the time being this is only open to residents 65 and older. For the three of you in the Church that are under 65, you will have to wait your turn. 

   MINISTRY OPPORTUNITY! We need someone who is willing to change the letters on our marquee sign in front of the Church. The sign is changed every few weeks and more often if we have a special event. This is just one more way you can serve the Lord. Contact the Church office for more information. 
   A new group, known as the Internet Outreach Committee, is having their inaugural meeting on Tuesday, January 12th at 2:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. This group will be exploring ways to use the internet in becoming more effective in our outreach. If you are interested in this ministry just come to the meeting. Mask safety and distancing will be observed. 
   As we make the transition to our new Presidential administration let us remember to pray for our leaders and our nation that we might emerge from this pandemic stronger than ever. May God keep us safe.
Love,
Pastor John

Christmas is Almost Here

Posted on by gulfviewadmin

My precious friends,
At the time of this writing we are a week away from Christmas. What a year it has been. Let us delve into Church events first. The Tuesday morning Bible Study and the Wednesday evening Bible Study are both suspended until after the new year. They will resume January 5th and 6th respectively. To participate in these well attended studies, contact the Church Office for Zoom login information. The Thursday morning Men’s Fellowship and Prayer Group is also suspended until the 7th of January. For those of you who made New Year’s resolutions to be closer to God in 2021 those are important dates to note.

There has been so much going on at Church that we’ve made frequent use of our One Call Now System. Some might even say too frequent. However, because of our limitations during the COVID-19 pandemic it is still our best communication’s tool. If you are not subscribed to this I would encourage you to enlist so that you may receive communications. These notifications will not be so frequent after the Christmas holidays. If you have unsubscribed in error feel free to call the office and get your name back on the list. Don’t forget you can receive these communications by voice, by text, by email or any combination of these as you choose.

Christmas Eve Service will start at 5:00 p.m. outside the front of the Church. We will sing several Christmas hymns and then move inside the Sanctuary for Scripture, Sermon, and Holy Communion. Finally, we will return to the front lawn of the Church where we will celebrate the Candlelight Service with the singing of Silent Night. Inside the Church masks are mandatory regardless of your circumstances and social distancing will be observed.

The Church Office will be closed on Thursdays and Fridays (December 24, 25, 31, and January 1).

As many of you are aware the COVID numbers have gotten worse in many parts of the country. We have had some of our own Church folks tested positive in the past few months. If there comes a time when we have to suspend Church services again, I will make that decision with the advice of the Senior Leadership at Gulfview but we will work as hard as we can to continue our virtual ministry. Communications will be sent through the One Call Now System in that event.

We would like to welcome aboard Katie to our Audio/Video Team. Katie comes to us with great skill and expertise and we are blessed to have her.

Speaking of technology we are very excited to announce the launching of Gulfview’s new website. The address is: gulfviewatthebeach.org and I encourage you all to visit the site and share your feedback. We are still doing some minor tweaking and the official launch date is January 1, 2021.

And finally this will be the last email update for 2020. In my humble opinion we have 80% of this pandemic behind us and we only have a few months to go before life starts to resemble our old familiar routines. For the last leg of this journey as we have for so many months, keep your focus on Jesus for the Lord will not let us fall. Merry Christmas brothers and sisters and may God bless us all in the year ahead.
Love,
Pastor John

December Events

Posted on by gulfviewadmin
Christmas Cross 2020
Christmas Cross 2020

Good morning everyone,

First I would like to start off with sharing some sad news. Tom Pollard passed away last weekend. Tom was not a member of our Church but had gotten into our hearts with his faithful attendance. The Celebration of Life for Tom will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, the 12th at the VFW Post, 17680 Ashley Dr., PCB. 
In this Advent Season like most we have a lot of events going on. This Saturday, the 12th from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon, the UMW are hosting a “Christmas Shoppe Outdoors”. There will be crafts and homemade gifts available and the first 20 customers will receive a special gift. This event will take place in the front of the Church. 
Gulfview has been involved over the years with the Panama City Transitional Recovery Mission at Highland Park UMC. This Sunday we are taking a Love Offering after the service to brighten the Christmas of the five women residents and their children. Let’s get together and help these families in the spirit of love.
Our new Church picture directory is now available! You can pick up your copy at the Church Office or you can request a digital copy to be sent to you by PDF format upon request. Our thanks to Bonnie Brant for her photography and to Jo Ann Stone for her coordination on this project. Also, huge thanks to Kris, our Admin Assistant, who put a lot of hours into the organization of the directory. 
Our Tuesday morning Bible Study continues at 10:00 a.m. with a study into the Revelation according to John. Our Wednesday 6:00 p.m. Bible Study will be examining the Christmas Story in Luke. Both of these are available on Zoom. Please contact the Church for the login information. 
Our Christmas Eve Service is well into the planning stage and promises to be very memorable. More information to follow on this next week. 
As our Virtual Ministry evolves we are suffering a few growing pains and we have come to the point of a little tweaking. Starting this Sunday, our in house Worship and our Virtual Ministry will start at 10:00 a.m. Those watching may not hear when the Congregation speaks but that is intentional. Please be patient with us as we continue to grow in this new area.
We’re closing in on the end of a stressful nine month period. We only have a few more months to go before our anxiety of this pandemic starts to subside. Continue fighting the good fight until we finish this course and keep the faith. 
Love,
Pastor John

 

Free Chinese Food Tuesday

Posted on by gulfviewadmin

We Lost a Dear Friend

My dear friends,
  • As many of you know already, we have lost a dear friend and Gulfview family member. Marie Keli went to be with the Lord on November 14th. There is no local service scheduled at this time. Many of us were very close to Marie and she will be greatly missed. Prayers for her family are requested. 
  • Today the 19th of November is the last day that you can order your free Chinese food to be picked up at the church on Tuesday, November 24th at 5:00 p.m. All ordering is done by midnight tonight. Just a reminder that you can go to the Jin Jin King dinner combo menu to make your choice. This free food is sponsored by the United Methodist Men and anyone who is a friend of Gulfview is welcome to order whether you are a member or not. To order please call or email the Church Office as soon as possible. 
Jin Jin King Congregation Dinner 2020
Jin Jin King Congregation Dinner 2020
  • This Saturday, the 21st, between 9:00 a.m. and noon we will be receiving items to support our men and women in uniform. Please refer to the missions tab of the old website for the list of needed items. The drop off will be at the front door of the church and everything will be handled safely. Please help support our Armed Services. 
  • Speaking of military support, we have a wonderful opportunity for ministry that has emerged. The airport Military Welcome Center is looking for volunteers to help with hospitality for traveling military members and their families. The scheduled shifts are four hours in duration and they are very flexible. No skills or special training are needed. All that’s required from volunteers is a smile and a safety elbow shake. Free parking for volunteers is provided. Contact Mary or Dave Raney through the church office.
  • This Sunday, the 22nd of November is Holy Communion Sunday. The elements will be served safely in the Sanctuary but if you are watching at home you are encouraged to have some bread and a drink nearby. We will all partake of communion together near the end of the service. 
Home Communion
Home Communion
  • Also on Sunday, the 22nd, at 1:00 p.m. we need volunteers to bring out the Christmas decorations so that the decorating party will have them available when they come in at 2:00 p.m. The 1:00 p.m. volunteers could assist in putting up the tree so that it is ready for decoration. There is one position available for advice giver so even if you can’t physically move anything, your presence is a gift to God. 
  • Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. Bible Study will continue next week with the study of the Revelation according to John. Wednesday evening Bible Study is cancelled for Wednesday, the 25th. These studies are continuing on Zoom until further notice. Also, the Men’s Prayer Group will not meet on Thanksgiving day.
  • The Church office will be closed Wednesday, the 25th through Sunday, the 29th. This coming Monday and Tuesday, the 23rd and 24th, the Church office will be closing at noon. 
  • Looking ahead we have a Church Council meeting schedule for the 7th of December at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. As a reminder this meeting is open to all members but only those on the council are permitted to vote. 
  • This will be the last email update for two weeks as there will be none coming on Thanksgiving Day. In that light, my prayer for you all is that you have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. God has blessed us abundantly and we have much to be thankful for. Stay in prayer and stay safe.
Love,
Pastor John

Communion Prayer

This Sunday, the 22nd of November is Holy Communion Sunday

 

Directory Coming Along Quickly

Posted on by gulfviewadmin

Happy November!

It was a frosty 50 degrees outside this morning so winter has reached paradise. We have much to cover so let’s get at it.

Our directory is coming along quickly. The information in this directory will be available to our church family, but because information is so important we wanted to ask everyone to tell us as soon as possible if you would prefer not to have your picture or information displayed.  Please contact the office if this is the case.  As a reminder, if your information has changed during the past year please contact the office with the update.

This Saturday, the 7th of November from 9:00 a.m. to noon, the United Methodist Women of the church will be receiving food donations for needy families of West Bay Elementary School. They welcome all non perishable items but are mostly asking for Thanksgiving dinner items. Please no frozen or refrigerated items at this time. Drop off will be at the front of the church, and monetary donations are most welcome.

Veterans’ Sunday will be celebrated in our service November 8th where we will recognize Veterans of all branches. Let us never miss an opportunity to say thank you to a Veteran for his or her part in maintaining our freedom.

This Sunday, November 8th after church Scott Flowers is offering a service to everyone. The weather is getting colder and Scott is offering a free tire pressure check in the south parking lot. I don’t have to tell you how important it is to maintain a good tire pressure so please, for your safety, take advantage of this ministry.

Free Chinese Food! The United Methodist Men are offering free Chinese Food dinners to all members and their families on Tuesday, November 24th. This dinner will be provided from Jin Jin King on Front Beach Rd. Feel free to go online and look at their dinner combination menu. The ordering will be done over the next few Sundays at the church or you can contact the church office by email: gulfviewofc@gmail.com or call Kris at 850-234-2889. Pick up will be at 5:00 p.m. at the front door of the church on the 24th. If delivery is needed that can also be arranged when you order. Because of our limited delivery volunteers please choose the pickup option if you can. Deadline for ordering is Thursday, November 19th.

Bible Studies this week Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. The topic is: The Revelation according to John. Wednesday Bible Study is cancelled for this week. Also, all men are welcome to the Thursday morning gathering at 9:30 a.m. All of these meetings are conducted on Zoom. Contact the office for login information.

I will be taking a week of vacation time from November 9th through November 15th. Rev. Jim Ketzel will be the guest preacher on the 15th. For pastoral care in my absence, please contact the church office.

Have a great weekend my precious friends.
Love,
Pastor John