Weekly Update// Pastor Chris

 Dear Asbury Family,

 This has been a difficult week for our congregation. I am sure many of you saw the email the other day about Mike Molloy’s passing. Mike was the husband of Laura Molloy, our Children’s Ministry Director, and the father of Tamara Alexander, who directs the music for our traditional service. Our hearts break for Laura, Tamara, and their families (Mike was diagnosed with cancer just a few months ago), and our prayers are with them as they walk this difficult journey.

 Additionally, our prayers are with the Witmer family. Yesterday Earl (Dora's husband) passed away after being in the hospital and then hospice at home for a short time. He died surrounded by family.

  Where do we turn to when facing such difficulty and loss? Here I am reminded of the opening words of Psalm 121. 

 I look up to the mountains—

does my help come from there?

My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth! 

Psalm 121:1-2 (NLT)

It’s not that God authors pain, hardship, and suffering. However, when these realities hit home (and they do for all of us from time to time), God isn't aloof or far away. Rather, he is Immanuel (with us), and he promises to uphold and comfort us. Perhaps the second stanza of the hymn “How Firm a Foundation” puts it best: 

 Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,

For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;

I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,

Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.” 

 If you’d like to send a note to Laura and Tamara, please email them (childrensministry@asburymaitland.org and musicdirector@asburymaitland.org, respectively) or forward your card to the church office.

If you'd like to send a note to Dora, her address is 1051 Gregory Drive Maitland, Fl 32751.

 This Sunday in worship (September 25), we’ll continue our discussion on God’s will with a look at the topic of prayer, specifically unanswered prayer. If you ever offered a desperate prayer that seemingly went unanswered (and I imagine we all have), this is a sermon you won’t want to miss.

See you Sunday.  

 Blessings,

Chris   

 p.s., We also have the great joy of celebrating a baptism at the 9:30am service. Praise God for new life in Jesus!

Weekly Update// Pastor Will

 Hi, Church! 

  Have you ever heard the phrase “Blessed to be a blessing”? I recently heard this and thought it was not only catchy, but also had a good message to it. Blessings are nice, aren’t they? It’s also nice to be able to bless other people. Therefore, it’s a blessing in and of itself to bless other people. As I thought about this, though, I wondered if there was a biblical basis to all this and found out there was. In Genesis 12, God tells Abram (who later became Abraham) to leave his country of Haran and travel to Canaan. There God would bless Abraham and make him the “father of a great nation,” which later became Israel – thus giving us the phrase, “blessed to be a blessing.” I say all that because this past weekend we had the pleasure of having Pastor Erwin Lopez, Director of Central Florida Wesley, preach. Erwin not only shared a great message on Jesus’ healing a woman on the Sabbath but also shared all the wonderful things Wesley has done and continues to do, on and off UCF’s campus. One thing that he shared – that was incredible to hear – is the amount of support Asbury has received from Wesley, somewhere in the range of eight to ten interns, some of whom are still on staff. We are blessed to be able to be a blessing for them, but they have also been a blessing to us. If you were not able to give to Central Florida Wesley, you can still do so! Just make your check payable to Asbury and indicate that it’s for this life-changing ministry. The same applies for any donations made through our website. 

 This upcoming weekend we will take up a different special offering for FJFON, which stands for Florida Justice for Our Neighbors. In a recent email, Pastor Bob Bushong, our District-Superintendent described FJFON as “a hospitality ministry of the United Methodist Church that provides free, high-quality immigration legal services to low-income immigrants throughout the state.” Currently, there are attorneys in Orlando, Miami, and Tampa. However, the need is growing, so during service, we will ask you to join us in giving to this ministry. If you give online, you can give through the Miscellaneous tab and write FJFON in the “note” section. 

 In other news at the church, we have heard from a lot of young parents about a need to get together with other young parents who are going through similar life experiences. Can I get an Amen?!?! In hearing them, we have organized Parents’ Night Out for THIS Sunday (September 18). We are planning to meet at the church campus at 5pm to drop off the little ones. Then us parents off will walk over to Maitland Town Center together and grab dinner. No need to RSVP, just show up at 5pm. The plan is to wrap everything up at 7pm. One other announcement is our Rainbow Readers program with the Boys and Girls Club in Eatonville. This program is a chance to read with some of the children and help them with their reading and comprehension. While this program has been around a while, starting next week, we are bringing the students to Asbury on Wednesdays and reading with them from 4:00-5:30pm. Then the children will join us for Wednesday Night Dinner. Our understanding is that the Boys and Girls Club can provide as many children as we have volunteer readers, but we need to know ahead of time for planning purposes. If this is something that interests you, please contact Carla Smith at kevcar67@gmail.com for more details.  

Lastly, this Sunday kicks off our new sermon series titled “God’s Will: Unraveling the Mystery.” In the inaugural message, Pastor Chris will be looking what it means to say God has a will for our lives. Does God predetermine everything? How does free will come into play? Does God decide in advance who we will marry (if we marry), where we will live, what job we will have, how we will spend our retirement? Or do we decide some of these things? All these questions and more will be answered this Sunday, so don’t miss it! Our two services are the Celebration (Contemporary) Service at 9:30am in the Fellowship Hall and the Traditional Service in the Sanctuary at 11:00am. Both services are live-streamed through Facebook and YouTube if you can’t make it in person. 

 Have a blessed weekend and see you Sunday! 

 Thanks! 

Pastor Will 

Weekly Update// Pastor Will

 Hi, Church! 

  Have you ever heard the phrase “Blessed to be a blessing”? I recently heard this and thought it was not only catchy, but also had a good message to it. Blessings are nice, aren’t they? It’s also nice to be able to bless other people. Therefore, it’s a blessing in and of itself to bless other people. As I thought about this, though, I wondered if there was a biblical basis to all this and found out there was. In Genesis 12, God tells Abram (who later became Abraham) to leave his country of Haran and travel to Canaan. There God would bless Abraham and make him the “father of a great nation,” which later became Israel – thus giving us the phrase, “blessed to be a blessing.” I say all that because this past weekend we had the pleasure of having Pastor Erwin Lopez, Director of Central Florida Wesley, preach. Erwin not only shared a great message on Jesus’ healing a woman on the Sabbath but also shared all the wonderful things Wesley has done and continues to do, on and off UCF’s campus. One thing that he shared – that was incredible to hear – is the amount of support Asbury has received from Wesley, somewhere in the range of eight to ten interns, some of whom are still on staff. We are blessed to be able to be a blessing for them, but they have also been a blessing to us. If you were not able to give to Central Florida Wesley, you can still do so! Just make your check payable to Asbury and indicate that it’s for this life-changing ministry. The same applies for any donations made through our website. 

 This upcoming weekend we will take up a different special offering for FJFON, which stands for Florida Justice for Our Neighbors. In a recent email, Pastor Bob Bushong, our District-Superintendent described FJFON as “a hospitality ministry of the United Methodist Church that provides free, high-quality immigration legal services to low-income immigrants throughout the state.” Currently, there are attorneys in Orlando, Miami, and Tampa. However, the need is growing, so during service, we will ask you to join us in giving to this ministry. If you give online, you can give through the Miscellaneous tab and write FJFON in the “note” section. 

 In other news at the church, we have heard from a lot of young parents about a need to get together with other young parents who are going through similar life experiences. Can I get an Amen?!?! In hearing them, we have organized Parents’ Night Out for THIS Sunday (September 18). We are planning to meet at the church campus at 5pm to drop off the little ones. Then us parents off will walk over to Maitland Town Center together and grab dinner. No need to RSVP, just show up at 5pm. The plan is to wrap everything up at 7pm. One other announcement is our Rainbow Readers program with the Boys and Girls Club in Eatonville. This program is a chance to read with some of the children and help them with their reading and comprehension. While this program has been around a while, starting next week, we are bringing the students to Asbury on Wednesdays and reading with them from 4:00-5:30pm. Then the children will join us for Wednesday Night Dinner. Our understanding is that the Boys and Girls Club can provide as many children as we have volunteer readers, but we need to know ahead of time for planning purposes. If this is something that interests you, please contact Carla Smith at kevcar67@gmail.com for more details.  

Lastly, this Sunday kicks off our new sermon series titled “God’s Will: Unraveling the Mystery.” In the inaugural message, Pastor Chris will be looking what it means to say God has a will for our lives. Does God predetermine everything? How does free will come into play? Does God decide in advance who we will marry (if we marry), where we will live, what job we will have, how we will spend our retirement? Or do we decide some of these things? All these questions and more will be answered this Sunday, so don’t miss it! Our two services are the Celebration (Contemporary) Service at 9:30am in the Fellowship Hall and the Traditional Service in the Sanctuary at 11:00am. Both services are live-streamed through Facebook and YouTube if you can’t make it in person. 

 Have a blessed weekend and see you Sunday! 

 Thanks! 

Pastor Will 

Weekly Update// Pastor Chris

Dear Asbury Family, 

 Amanda’s birthday was last Thursday (September 1), so as a family, the four of us – Amanda, Hannah, Noah, and me – went to dinner that night. On the way home from the restaurant, Noah, who’s four, started listing off (as four-year-olds often do) all the careers in which he’s interested. “When I’m big,” he began, “I want to be a painter and a truck driver and a police officer and a firefighter and a mail person.” Curiosity got the best of me, so I asked him, “What about a pastor….like Dad?” He quickly responded, “No, it’s too much talking!” I’m not sure if he meant pastors in general talk too much or I in particular talk too much. Honestly, I didn’t attempt to follow up! 

 Kids keep us humble, don’t they? They have a way of helping us adults stay grounded and not take ourselves too seriously. As a parent, I am grateful for all the lessons our kids have taught me, if inadvertently, about love, grace, and life and living as a follower of Jesus. 

 It seems that so often God uses the people around us to shape us. This is true of our children, but it’s also true of other people whom we know – including those in the church! The reality is God uses the people of the church to speak into our lives and help us in our journey of discipleship and becoming more and more like Jesus. A few weeks ago, I preached on the importance of church. During the message, I referenced the book of Hebrews, which states, 

24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his [Jesus’] return is drawing near. 

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT) 

 As we enter the fall season -- and, consequently, find ourselves in more of a routine than perhaps we were in during the summer months -- I hope we will intentionally carve out time for Christian community. Remember these are the relationships God wants to use to fill us. 

 This Sunday Pastor Erwin Lopez of the Central Florida Wesley Foundation will be delivering the message. Additionally, we’ll be taking up a special offering to support the ministry of Wesley, which God is using to touch the lives of young people. As always, it’s going to be a great Sunday! 

 Blessings,

Chris 

p.s. Given that this Sunday is the twenty-first anniversary of September 11, we’ll be remembering 9/11 victims and survivors, as well as first responders, during services. September 11 is a day that is forever etched in our memories. 

Weekly Update// Pastor Chris

Dear Asbury Family,

 I know Labor Day weekend is just a few days away, but I hope you’ll still make plans to join us for Sunday worship. (As a reminder, if you plan to be out of town, you can worship with us online; we broadcast the services on Facebook and YouTube.) This week Pastor Will is preaching a stand-alone message on 1 John 4:20-21. The title of the message is “Loving through Our Differences.” Pastor Will is going to talk about Jesus’ command to love. More specifically, he’s going to explain how we embody that love toward those with whom we may disagree. Given the polarization of our culture and the general tension, we sometimes feel around those who see matters differently, Pastor Will’s message is a welcomed one. In addition to hearing Will’s message and experiencing inspiring music, we’ll be welcoming in a new member at the 11 am service. I am excited about what God has in store for us this Sunday! 

 I am also excited that Asbury Live (formerly known as Wednesday Night Live) begins THIS WEDNESDAY (September 7). We’ll gather for dinner in the Fellowship Hall from 5:30-6:30 pm. Following dinner, everyone (including children) is encouraged to stay for a fun and engaging presentation on The Museum of the Bible (located in Washington DC). During this time, we’ll also preview our upcoming fall classes so you can best decide which class you may want to attend. 

 Let me end this email by highlighting a new opportunity for families with children ages 0-10 (which includes my own family!). We’re hosting an event called “Parents’ Night Out.” During the event, parents are invited to drop their kids off at the church building for a fun program and then head over to Maitland Town Center with other parents for dinner. We’re hoping that through this time families will feel a better sense of connection with each other. The inaugural Parents Nights’ Out will take place Sunday, September 18 from 5-7 pm. Be sure to mark it on your calendars and let others know!

 Enjoy the rest of your week. We’ll see you Sunday.

 Blessings,

Chris  

Weekly Update// Pastor Will

Hi Church!

  Remember last week how I mentioned that it was a busy time? If you listened in or attended worship on Sunday, I divulged that life for Alicia and me is about to get increasingly busy come February. I think it was on Father’s Day when Alicia let me know the news, and I couldn’t have asked for a better gift that day. One more piece of information I did not disclose on Sunday was the gender of the baby. Alicia has been feeling a bit more nauseous this time around, so we thought for sure we were having a girl; however, after doing a blood test, we received confirmation on Tuesday that we are having another boy! We had heard how the gender could be confirmed through blood tests instead of ultra-sound these days, and we had that confirmed just this week. While we are excited to have another boy so Liam can have a little brother to play with, we ask for prayers as I’m sure our hands will be plenty full!

 You may also remember last week how I spoke about the Youth Group kicking off. Well, you read about it, so it went great! We kicked off our Wednesday Night program and were blessed to have the United Methodist Men not only cook for us but hang out with us as well! I wasn’t part of every discussion, but it seemed the conversations surrounded the topic of school and starting back. The re-occurring theme was that all the youth bemoaned starting school again while all the adults would give anything to go back! With it being such a success, I hope we will be doing it again soon.

  In other news, Asbury has had a few sorrowful weeks in the loss of some prominent figures of the church. The previous week Dallas Wolford passed, and last week saw the passing of Joe Estill. Our hearts break and go out to both the Wolford and the Estill families. We will be celebrating the life of both individuals in the coming weeks. This Saturday, August 27th, at 11:00 am, we will have a Celebration of Life service for Joe Estill in the Sanctuary. The following week, a Celebration of Life service for Dallas will be on Friday, September 2nd, at 2:00 PM in the Sanctuary as well. While our hearts are full of grief, we take hope in knowing that both Dallas and Joe are resting in the arms of our Heavenly Father.

In service this Sunday, Pastor Chris will be giving a stand-alone message titled, “Is Church Really Necessary?” The following Sunday, September 4th, I’ll be giving a stand-alone message as well, and then the following Sunday, September 11th, we will hear from Erwin Lopez, Pastor and Director of the Wesley Foundation of Central Florida. On that Sunday, we will have a special collection for the Wesley Foundation to whom we owe great thanks. We have had many wonderful interns that have served Asbury faithfully over the years and want to do everything we can to support them as best as possible. We hope you will join us for those services either at the 9:30am Celebration Service, or the 11:00am Traditional service, both of which are livestreamed if you can’t join in person. God Bless and have a wonderful weekend!

 Pastor Will

Weekly Update// Pastor Will

Hi Church!

I don’t know how your week is going, but my week is busy! It’s all good stuff, but still busy. First, we just got back from a trip to North Carolina. Alicia and I returned to our stomping grounds in Durham, NC to Duke University to see one of my best friends marry. It was a wonderful wedding, and great to see some old friends. However, we were ready to come home and see Liam, who stayed back with my mom. Even though it was ‘vacation,’ we felt like we needed a few days to catch our breath once we arrived home.

The second reason it's a bit of a busy week is that we restarted our weekly youth program on Wednesday nights. We still got together on a weekly basis over the summer, but we put a hold on our Wednesday night program to focus on those other events. I’m writing this note on Wednesday morning, so I ask that you retrospectively pray for our evening. Chances are that if you are reading this, it went well! If this section on youth isn’t in the email, you know things didn’t go well!

The third reason that it’s a busy week is that I’m preaching on Sunday. I’ll be wrapping up our series on women in the Old Testament called “Behind the Veil.” I’ll be looking at the story of Esther and how she used her influence for the good of others. We will also hear about United Women in Faith in the services and all they are doing at our church, as well as having three new members join at the 11:00 am Traditional service. As I mentioned, it’s a busy week, but it’s all good things!

I hope you are able to join us as we close out our series at either of our services, the 9:30 am Celebration Service or our 11:00 am Traditional Service, both of which are live-streamed. Have a wonderful weekend and see you soon!

Pastor Will

Weekly Update// Pastor Chris

Dear Asbury Family,

 About five years ago, Amanda was pregnant, and we found out God was blessing us with both a boy and a girl. When we announced that the names of our children would be Hannah and Noah, somebody approached me and said, “Why are you naming your son after somebody in the Bible, but not your daughter?” Please allow me to clear up any confusion – Hannah is named after somebody in the Bible. In fact, we’ll be looking at her story in worship this Sunday (August 14)! I hope you’ll join us for our 9:30am or our 11am service. In addition to looking at Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel 1:1-20, we’ll be celebrating Holy Communion. 

 I want to thank all of you who came to one (or more than one!) of our three Godspell performances last weekend. Wasn’t it a wonderful production? A huge thank you to Tamara and Lance Alexander, Hannah King, Kendra Roark, Bonnie Stout, Larry and Eve Koch, the cast and performers, and all those who were involved in Godspell in some way. (It’s always risky when you name names because you’re bound to leave someone out!) I also want to let you know we collected $2,663 in donations. I am grateful for each and every person’s generosity to our church.

 Since school started back up in our community on August 10, let me close this note with a prayer for the new school year.

 Gracious God, we lift our students to you today.

They’re ready to receive your blessings and they commit themselves to studying and learning in the school year ahead.

We ask for your blessing on each of them.

 Further, we ask for your blessing on their backpacks. They will hold the schoolwork of each student and will be carried from home to school and back again.

As these students carry their backpacks, may they be reminded of the love and care that surrounds them each school day.

 We pray as well for the teachers, administrators, and workers in our schools. May they also be sustained by your blessing.

May they be reminded that we embrace their call to serve students and surround them with our love and care as well.

 We pray in the name of Jesus whom we seek to follow day by day. Amen. 

(adapted from a prayer found on umcdiscipleship.org)

 Blessings,

Chris 

Weekly Update// Pastor Chris

Dear Asbury Family,

While we’re still in the dog days of summer, in many ways, it feels like summer’s over. Probably the best example here is the start of school. Can you believe that another school year starts next week? Both Orange and Seminole Counties are set to begin on August 10. Therefore, at both services this Sunday (August 7), we’ll say a special prayer for our students, as well as for their families, and all our school workers. Learning is such a gift, and we praise God for all the people who make learning happen.

 Speaking of learning, both today and tomorrow, I’ll be in the Lake Nona area attending a continuing education event called the Global Leadership Summit (GLS). For the next two days, I’ll have the opportunity to glean lessons and insights from various leadership gurus. While the GLS is live in Chicago, the event is broadcast at various satellite campuses throughout the world. I’ll be attending the GLS at Wycliffe Bible Translators. Please pray that God uses this time to inspire and grow my leadership. 

 In addition to saying a special prayer for the start of school, we’ll have the opportunity to meet Morgan Dixon this Sunday. Morgan was hired a few months ago as the new director of Asbury Early Learning Center, which is a ministry of our church. Morgan comes with a wealth of gifts, enthusiasm, and experience. I can’t wait for you to meet her on Sunday. She’ll say a few words at both of our services. 

Don’t forget that Godspell (the musical) is this weekend in our sanctuary! Performances will be Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 3:00 pm. Unfortunately, due to copyright issues, we cannot live-- stream any of the performances, so I hope you will make plans to attend in person. Trust me – you don’t want to miss out! 

 Finally, we’ll have the great honor to hear from Pastor Barbara Riddle in services this Sunday. Pastor Barbara will continue our “Behind the Veil” message series (where we are exploring the stories of women in the Old Testament) with a look at Naomi and Ruth. I know the message she brings will be impactful!

As always, there is so much going on in our church! Be sure to stay connected 

Blessings,

Chris 

Weekly Update// Pastor Will

Hi church!

 As most of you know, the youth and I were in Melbourne, Florida last week for Brevard Mission Week (BMW). We went and stayed at Suntree United Methodist Church, the church at which I previously served for almost eleven years. Part of my time at Suntree UMC was getting BMW up and running. I couldn’t remember the first year we started BMW but asked around and found out it was the summer of 2009. We started BMW after much consideration and prayer, and a desire to get our youth involved not only in service in general, but service in the local community. Since then, it has grown into an annual summer service week where multiple church youth groups have come together to help out. This year, we were blessed to be able to join in.

 In total, there were ten worksites with which BMW was involved. Some of the worksites hosted students each day, whereas some worksites only hosted students on specific days. One of the main worksites with which we were involved was Joe’s Club, which is part of the Brevard Alzheimer's Foundation. Joe's Club specializes in elderly care for those with memory loss. Our students were involved in helping care for the facility with simple yard work and helping out with some technological needs that get overlooked on a daily basis at the facility. One of the directors said our students saved them close to $5,000 in lawn care that can now be directed towards the care of the members. Other students from our group got to interact with the members by helping them create scrapbooks, and even dancing with them! On our final day at Joe’s Club, I had multiple employees sing praises of our youth and even asked what churches we were a part of in hopes of bringing their families there!

 Another organization we helped with was Harmony Farms, which is a horse farm that (according to their website) “[provides] equine assisted therapy and activities to disabled individuals of all ages, to improve their physical, mental and emotional well-being.” At this location, our students helped care for the animals and their shelters so they could be ready for the next group of individuals who will love the animals. One more worksite was Harbor City Elementary School, a school that has needs for which Suntree UMC has sought to provide. At this worksite, our students helped clean classrooms and doors, as well as some landscaping. Just like other worksites, our help frees up funds, and efforts can be directed toward those for whom the organization exists. I was able to speak with Joel, the Youth Pastor at Suntree, and in their calculation, with over 100 students and adults helping out for the week, the total hours of service work was close to 1,700. The key verse of the week was Mark 10:45 which says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (NLT). Although we had fun throughout the week, our students understood that this was a week not to be served, but to serve others, just as Jesus did! I’m already looking forward to next year and so are our students.

 In worship this Sunday, we continue our “Behind the Veil” series in which we are looking at women in the Old Testament. Last week we heard from Pastor Chris about Miriam and her shrewdness. This week we will learn about Rahab who hid spies in Jericho. We will also hopefully hear from some of our youth and their experience at BMW. As always, it is shaping up to be a wonderful Sunday, so we hope you can join us! We have our two services, the 9:30 am Celebration/Contemporary Service, as well as our 11:00 am Traditional Service, both of which are streamed on Facebook and YouTube.

 God Bless and have a wonderful weekend!

 Pastor Will

Weekly Update// Pastor Chris

Dear Asbury Family,

It’s good to be back! For the last two weeks, I was on a “staycation,” where instead of traveling and going somewhere, I stayed in town. During my time off, I rested, read, completed a few projects around the house, visited Wekiwa Springs State Park with the family, and watched the new Jurassic World movie with Amanda (the first movie we watched in theaters since January of 2020). We also had the chance to visit with Amanda’s dad, who lives in Texas but was vacationing in Orlando with his family. While I’m certainly thankful for the time away, I missed being with you all and couldn’t be happier to be back. 

 This Sunday in worship (July 17) we start a new series of messages called “Behind the Veil.” In this six-part series, we’ll be exploring the stories of various women in the Old Testament. Even though these faith-filled women lived in a patriarchal culture that relegated women to hidden roles, they found creative ways to subvert that culture and do remarkable things for God. The character with whom we’re going to start is Miriam, who was Moses’ big sister. The title of the sermon is “Miriam: The Original Big Sister,” and the Scripture passage is Exodus 2:1-10 and 15:20-21. I hope you’ll make plans to join us for Sunday worship at 9:30am (contemporary/celebration) or 11am (traditional) as we kick off this new series. As a reminder, you can worship in person or online.

Vacation Bible School (VBS) starts next week! Can you believe it? We have dozens and dozens of kids signed up, not to mention a host of adult volunteers and helpers. Please pray that our kids will have a profound experience of God’s love this year at VBS.

Also, please continue praying for our youth as they serve this week with three other church youth groups in Brevard County. I am sure these students will have great stories to share with us when they return. 

I am so proud to be one of the pastors of this church. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

  Blessings,

Chris   

Weekly Update// Pastor Will

Dear Asbury Family,

This past week, we got the pleasure of hearing from our intern, Lily, as she talked about the three different types of love we read about in the bible - friendship, parental, and self-sacrificial love. I think I speak on behalf of everyone who heard her, that we are so blessed to have her as part of our team, and she continues the long tradition of great interns we have had here at Asbury. For example, our intern last summer, Hannah King, is now on staff as our Technologies Director, and Noah Pullon, another previous summer intern, works with our youth ministries. Even though my time here at Asbury has been short, there is a very clear trend that Asbury really empowers and enables the next generation in ministry.

Although I had done years of ministry at Suntree United Methodist Church, I’ll never forget my summer in 2019 when I was a pastoral intern at North United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. The first major shock of all of this was that we were in a whole new city, but the other shock was being put into a lot of positions that I was not familiar (or even comfortable) with, which caused me to grow exponentially. Now that I am in a position to work with interns, I do everything in my power to ensure they receive as much experience in as many areas as possible so that they can grow as well.

Speaking of new experiences! This upcoming week, starting on Monday the 11th, The Asbury Youth Ministry is headed to Melbourne for Brevard Mission Week or BMW. It’s going to be a week-long experience of serving those in need in the Brevard area, all while sleeping at Suntree United Methodist Church and fellowshipping with other youth. I would ask that you be in prayer for us that God would move in some beautiful ways in our youth. I’m excited about the week, and can’t wait to share all of our experiences with you when we get back!

A few other things are coming up. Pastor Chris’ book study on “The Jesus I Never Knew” also begins on Monday the 11th. If you are interested in that, email Pastor Chris at PastorChris@AsburyMaitland.Org to register or ask any questions you might have. Next up, VBS starts the following Monday, the 18th, and we still need some help if possible. If you can volunteer for the week, head to the website and click “Sign Up!”. Next Up, our TED talks are kicking off next week with our first one on Thursday the 14th. All of that information can be found below in this email. Lastly, I hope you can join us for worship on Sunday as we wrap up our mini-series Life with God. I’ve got a lot to live up to following Lily, but I’ll be talking about Fellowship with God and what that means for us. Of course, both our Celebration (9:30 am) and Traditional (11:00 am) services will be broadcast online via Facebook and Youtube if you cannot make it in person. I pray you have a blessed weekend and we will see you Sunday.

On a final note, my heart breaks for the community of Highland Park, Illinois for the senseless, evil shooting that occurred on Monday. It’s so difficult to come up with the words to say in situations like this, so I cling to the words of Psalm 34, verse 18 which says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” (NLT) I’m praying for an end to these horrific shootings, and that God’s mercy would be made manifest in that community because I know many are brokenhearted and whose spirits are utterly crushed.

God Bless,

Pastor Will

Weekly Update// Pastor Will

Dear Asbury Family,

Hello from the beach!

Can you believe it’s been a whole year? You may be thinking, “what’s been a whole year?” Well, I’ll tell you! It’s been a whole year since I’ve been at Asbury as the Associate Pastor. I remember when I first had a conversation with Pastor Chris and the potential of coming on staff. I also remember getting the phone call from my District Superintendent at about 9 o’clock at night. It was hard to sleep that evening because I was so excited about the opportunity. To think that was all over a year ago is wild to me!

There were certainly some bumps along the road. I remember conversations with Alicia going back and forth about whether we should try to buy or just rent for a while. As you probably know, as soon as a house would become available, it would seemingly disappear within the hour. We felt defeated more than once. I remember one house came along that was for rent that we loved, so we immediately called and submitted an application, all to be told we didn’t qualify. We asked for clarity on why but by the time we got the answer, the house had already been rented. At the moment it didn’t make sense, but looking back, it is easy to see God's hand was at work all along.

It’s also been easy to see God's hand at work at my work here at the church. There’s been ups and a few downs, but overall it’s been an opportunity for me to stretch and grow. I think of the passage in the first chapter in James that says, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (James 1:2-5 NLT) I may be alone in this, but joy is not usually my go-to in troubles. It’s usually my last. But when I think of the moments where I’ve grown and leaned on God a little more, it is usually the more difficult times. It sometimes takes a while, but ultimately I end up being thankful. I hope that whenever or wherever you face trials or troubles of your own, just as James suggests, you are able to see the opportunity for growth and trust in God that much more.

This Sunday, we get to hear from our intern Lily as we hear the first part of the two-part mini-series “Life with God.” In particular, Lily will be focusing on relationships and the different types of relationships we see in scripture and what they all mean for us. I really hope you can join us at 9:30 am (contemporary/celebration) or 11:00 am (traditional) worship service!

God bless, and see you soon!

Pastor Will

Weekly Update// Pastor Chris

Dear Asbury Family,

 We’re approaching the end of our “Credo” sermon series. After five weeks of examining and parsing out the various articles of the Apostles’ Creed (for those of us who may not be familiar, the Apostles’ Creed is an ancient statement of faith that the early Christians crafted), we now come to the last two articles of the creed: the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen.  

 These two articles raise a number of questions for us. For example, what is the resurrection of the body? Are our bodies going to be literally resurrected, or is the resurrection of the body more figurative? What does everlasting life entail, and when does it begin? What happens when those of us who have trusted in Jesus for salvation die? Do we immediately go to be with God, or instead do we remain in (what some have called) “soul sleep” until Jesus returns? These are just a few of the questions we’ll be addressing in this Sunday’s message. I hope to see you (in person or online) for one of our two services.  

By the way, we’ll also have the privilege of welcoming three new members into our Asbury family at the 11am service. It’s going to be a great Sunday!

 Enjoy your weekend, and I’ll see you soon. 

 Blessings,

Chris

Weekly Update// Pastor Will

 Hi friends!
In this week’s email, I wanted to provide an insight into my thought process when writing and preaching a sermon. This thought process might only be unique to me, but I did want to share a little of what goes on!
When I prepare for a sermon, my initial process is to collect as much information as I can about the topic or subject. Of course, I will first find passages in the Bible that speak on the topic or subject, but I will also look to other sources including books, blogs, podcasts, or any other credible source that I trust. If it is a source or author I do not know much about, I will research to find out if it is worth putting my confidence into it. If it is not a topic-based sermon and I’m preaching on a specific text in the Bible, I will try to gain as much insight as possible from commentaries and other sources, including the ones previously mentioned.
After I’ve gained a fair amount of material off which to build my sermon, I’ll try to find common themes in my subject matter. That usually then gives me clarity in what direction I want to take my sermon. I write. I think. I erase. I write some more. I erase and re-write a lot. Eventually I get to a place where I feel like I have a good structure or skeleton. I’m able to even put some meat on the bones if you will. Then the last step is to smooth it all out. Make sure that each point flows well into the next, and even if it does not flow perfectly, at least find a way to coherently go from one to the next.
What this usually means is that there are things that will not make the cut, despite how good they are. It could be a really strong point or analogy or story; however, it would be too clunky to fit it in(the whole ‘round hole, square peg’ thing). I also might cut something even if it fits well because it might be a tad more than necessary. I had a mentor of mine describe it as cooking a meal. He said, “You might have the best ingredients in the world. Although you might want to use all your ingredients, save some for the next meal.” 

Thankfully, I am in a place where I hope to prepare a lot more ‘meals’ for you over the next few years. Some meals you might remember for some time. Others might get you through the day. I had a professor in seminary say they could preach a solid meatloaf sermon. A sermon that will provide nourishment, but you won’t rave about it. I personally love meatloaf and am excited anytime I can partake, but I received their point!
As some of you know from Pastor Chris’ email, this past week was a difficult one for me with the delaying of my commissioning. Despite the difficulty, what has been helpful is the support and encouragement I have received from so many of you. I have received texts, emails, phone calls and hugs, and to that, I cannot say thank you enough. I’m so blessed to be at Asbury and be a part of a family that loves me, as well as the whole staff. I truly say that from the bottom of my heart, so thank you!  

With all that, this weekend’s meal’ is the fifth part of our “Credo” series where Pastor Chris will be preaching on “The Forgiveness of Sins.” Based on the little appetizer he gave us the other day, I know it is going to be a great Sunday! I really hope you can join us for worship, both online and in-person at either our 9:30 am (contemporary/celebration) or 11:00 am (traditional) worship service!
God bless, and see you soon!
Pastor Will 

Weekly Update// Pastor Will

  Dear Asbury Family,

We are approaching the fourth Sunday of our sermon series Credo. This week’s topic is the church, or as we say in the Creed, “the holy catholic church, the communion of saints.” This Sunday, I’m tasked with looking at what that all means. Not only what was the meaning when it was written, but also, what does that mean for us today!

When I was growing up, the church was a second home for me. Sometimes it even felt like my first home. I always wanted to be at church. There were a lot of reasons for this including a large area to run and play, usually good food, and often plenty of ways to get into trouble. It was my kind of place! However, the main reason I loved going to church was that it felt like an extension of my family. There were so many people at the church that I considered family. People who looked out for me. People who cared for me. And the occasional person who scolded me when I needed a good talking to! In fact, the church was so much like a family, that I became more and more protective of it as I got older. I found myself not wanting to spend the night at friends’ houses on Saturday night because I knew that would mean that I would miss church. As you can tell, church meant a lot to me!

Further into my life as my call to ministry grew, it was easy for me to say yes to my call because it was a chance for me to create a positive experience of church for other people similar to mine. I know people have not always had the greatest experience in the church and so it became a large part of my call story. Some people have felt judged or mistreated in the church, so my hope is to do my part in making the church a welcoming place where other people can call it home as well. There are a few different metaphors for the church that are used in scripture, one of which is that of a family, because the church is just that; a group of people who are part of a community that looks out for one another, and so much more!

My hope for this Sunday is that we all will have a deeper knowledge, not only about the Apostles' Creed, but also about the church in general. The church has changed a lot during its existence and continues to do so, but I believe, that if we stay faithful to letting the Holy Spirit guide us, we’ll be alright!

I hope you can join us for worship, either online or in person, at both 9:30 am (contemporary/celebration) and 11:00 am (traditional). Have a blessed weekend and we will see you soon!

Thanks!

Pastor Will

Weekly Update// Pastor Chris

Dear Asbury Family,

 Thus far in our “Credo” sermon series, in which we’re exploring the Apostles’ Creed, we’ve talked about the first two persons of the Trinity -- the Father and Son. In this Sunday's sermon, we come to the third person of the Trinity – the Holy Spirit. The article goes like this:  

                         I believe in the Holy Spirit.

 Not very much to work with, is it? The article in the Apostle's Creed about God the Father has twelve words. The article about Jesus the Son has a whopping sixty-five words. However, the article about the Holy Spirit only has six words, which is somewhere between five and six percent of the entire Apostles’ Creed. Put simply, less than six percent of the entire Apostles’ Creed is devoted to the Holy Spirit, whom Christians believe (and the church has historically taught) to be coequal and coeternal with the other two persons of the Godhead/Trinity. As a quintessential middle child, I can’t help but ask, “What gives?” However, as we’re going to discover in this weekend’s message, the Holy Spirit is OK with receiving less attention than the other persons of the Trinity, particularly the Son.

 I hope you’ll join us for Sunday worship as we learn more. Services are at 9:30am (contemporary/celebration) and 11am (traditional). You can worship with us both in person and online! 

Let me end by saying it’s fitting that we’re talking about the Holy Spirit this Sunday because it's PENTECOST, when we remember the Spirit’s descent and the birth of the church (Acts 2:1-41). Make sure to wear RED (the color that symbolizes the Holy Spirit) when you come to worship on Sunday.

Enjoy the rest of your week. See you soon!

 Blessings,

Chris

Weekly Update// Pastor Chris

Dear Asbury Family,

 I originally wrote the below note on Tuesday afternoon. While I still want to share it, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say a word about the shooting that happened at Robb Elementary School in Ulvade, TX. As of this writing, twenty-one people have been murdered - nineteen children and two teachers. I don’t know what to say. Like all of you, I'm sure, my stomach is sick and my heart hurts. The following Scripture keeps coming to my mind.

 A cry was heard in Ramah—

  weeping and great mourning.

Rachel weeps for her children,

  refusing to be comforted,

  for they are dead.

Matthew 2:18 (NLT)

I’ve spoken to our worship team, and this Sunday in worship we will have candles on the Fellowship Hall stage and Sanctuary altar. The candles will correspond to the number of victims shot and killed. Additionally, we will offer a special word of prayer for their families.

 I’ll end this brief note by saying that today I am hugging our (soon to be elementary-school-aged) children a little tighter. I am also praying for – and pushing toward – a world where horrific mass shootings are no longer the norm. I hope you will join me. 

 Blessings,

Chris

 Dear Asbury Family,

 Last Sunday we started a new sermon series on the Apostles’ Creed. Crafted by the early church, the Apostles’ Creed describes essential, core beliefs Christians have held for centuries about God. Last week we looked at the first article of the creed, I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. This Sunday (May 29), we come to the second article, which is by far the longest section of the creed: 

 And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried;

the third day he rose from the dead;

he ascended into heaven,

and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

 This second article makes up almost sixty-two percent of the Apostles’ Creed. Put simply, almost sixty-two percent of the Apostles’ Creed is devoted specifically and entirely to Jesus, the second person of the Trinity and eternal Son of God, who took on human flesh to be with us. I am probably biting off more than I can chew, but my plan is to explore the significance of Jesus (and what this second article of the creed teaches about him) in my sermon this Sunday. I hope you will make plans to join us for corporate worship at either 9:30am (contemporary) or 11am (traditional). 

 Let me remind you of a few more items. 

 First, this Sunday is Memorial Day weekend, when our nation honors those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. We’ll be sure to honor fallen soldiers at both our two services.

 Second, this Sunday is a fifth Sunday, which means we’ll be taking up a special offering for our Florida United Methodist Children’s Home. I encourage you to give generously to support the work and ministry of the Children’s Home. God is using this organization to forever change lives. 

 Third, we have a New Members Class on Tuesday, May 31 at 6:30pm in the conference room. If you’re interested in attending, please send me an email (pastorchris@asburymaitland.org). If you’re not yet a member of Asbury, I’d love to see you there.

 Finally, Pastor Will is going to be commissioned as a provisional elder at Annual Conference on Saturday, June 11 at 10:30am. The service will take place in Branscomb Auditorium at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. If you’re interested in attending, please contact the church office so we can arrange transportation (407-644-5222). We want as many people there as possible to show our support to Pastor Will. 

 Thanks for reading! Have a great week, and I’ll see you Sunday.

 Blessings,

Chris

Weekly Update// Pastor Chris

Dear Asbury Family,

 Happy Thursday! I am excited to begin a new preaching/teaching series with you this Sunday called “Credo.” Credo is a Latin word that means “I believe.” In this series, we’ll be exploring the most important of our beliefs, which is what we believe about God and the Christian faith.

Our guide for this series will be the Apostles’ Creed. Crafted by the early Christians, the Apostles’ Creed is the oldest statement of the Christian faith outside of the Bible. The earliest appearance of the Apostles’ Creed occurred sometime around 150 AD (the final version came into existence around the 300s AD). The Apostles' Creed was developed to safeguard, preserve, and transmit the faith to future generations.

 The messages in the series will be as follows:

 I Believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth (May 22)

I Believe in Jesus Christ, His (God’s) Only Son, Our Lord (May 29)

I Believe in the Holy Spirit (June 5)

I Believe in the Holy Catholic (Universal) Church, the Communion of Saints (June 12)

I Believe in the Forgiveness of Sins (June 19)

I Believe in the Resurrection of the Body and the Life Everlasting (June 26)

 In the sermon this Sunday, we’ll talk a bit about the Apostles' Creed itself and how it came into being. Then we’ll take a closer at the first line, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth.” So make sure to join us for worship at either our 9:30am (contemporary) or 11am (traditional) services. As always, you can worship in person or online.

  I also want to invite all families with little ones to attend the Asbury Family Carnival, which will be tomorrow on our campus beginning at 5:30pm (if it rains, we will meet in the Fellowship Hall). Please pray that our all families have a fun and safe time as we kick off summer together.

 Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you soon!

 Blessings,

Chris

Weekly Update// Pastor Will

Hi Asbury Family,

 As I thought about what to write, the main thing that came to mind was reflecting on our current sermon series, “Disappointment with God.” As Pastor Chris has mentioned, these three questions sum up our disappointment with God: Is God Hidden?, Is God Silent?, and Is God Unfair? Last Sunday’s sermon was a weighty one asking if God is silent, all while looking at the life of Job. Job is someone who lost everything, but as we heard from Pastor Chris, God was still with him through it all.

 While reflecting on this past week’s sermon, I’ve thought about some of the events that have happened in my own life and how I’ve responded. There were times that I responded better than others. What I found through the difficult times -- similar to what we're discussing in this sermon series -- is being honest with God about my thoughts and feelings, and not shying away from them. Just because we avoid the tough emotions does not mean they simply go away. The same applies to the questions. If we can muster the courage to ask these questions, I think it not only deepens our understanding of God, but it also deepens our relationship as well. Like most things, it will not always be easy, but it will be worth it.

 I hope you are able to join us as we conclude our series and ask our last question: Is God unfair? This is another heavy question that I know some of us have pondered ourselves.

 On a lighter note, today (Thursday) is Hot Dog Day so swing by our lakeside chapel around noon for some food and fellowship! Oh, and friends too! I pray you have a blessed weekend, and we will see you either at our 9:30 or 11:00 services, either online or in-person, for worship this Sunday.

God bless and be safe!

 Pastor Will