Shining the Light Ministries, our mission partner in Nicaragua, provides agriculture training and support to low income families in the area around Leon. Their focus is in three areas: Gardens, Poultry and Sewing.
Here is an excerpt from their latest newsletter:
2021 4TH QUARTER REPORT
We want to thank God for allowing us to finish strong in 2021. We are grateful that He continues to give us the opportunity to serve our people through Shining the Light Ministries and Asociación Brillando La luz de Cristo en Nicaragua. Over the last 3 months we have been able to see God’s fingerprint on all the projects that have been going on here. Even though our country is still facing a very difficult time with Covid-19 and the election results, we continue to be able to work together alongside local churches, partner ministries, and our communities in and around León.
Read the complete newsletter.
Abe Brown Ministries’, one of Hyde Park’s mission partners, works to break cycles of incarceration by helping renew the minds of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated citizens, motivating them to change their behaviors and achieve purposeful lives as a compassionate demonstration of the Love of Jesus Christ.
Larry’s Success Story
At the age of eight, Larry moved with his family from Rochester, New York to Apopka, Florida. It was there in Apopka that his troubles started. He and his six siblings were raised by their single mother, and he found himself spending a lot of time with older guys in his neighborhood. Initially, he hung out with them to play pool, but it later progressed to selling marijuana with them. By 7th grade, he started skipping school so that he could sell drugs on the corner to make quick money. Larry then dropped out of school and found himself involved with a crew of guys who would burglarize homes and steal cars. After 9th grade, he returned to high school so that he could play basketball and run track. Even then, he continued burglarizing homes and was arrested twice, but let go with no consequences. By the age of 18, his actions finally caught up with him when he was arrested after his fingerprints were connected to two burglaries. Larry was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years, and was released on March 9, 2021 after serving 38 years in prison.
Read More about Larry’s story
Celebration Impact – 2021 Annual Report
There has been a definite, discernible spirit of joy at the church since the beginning of September. More of our on-campus, in person ministries have resumed, including age-level discipleship ministries and the debut of our new worship schedule and contemporary worship space. Engagement in our online service continues to be strong, and we continue to make a difference through local and global missions.
We are getting back together, and moving forward together. And it is a joyful thing.
We have also discovered what it means to go “All In” in loving God and others with everything we’ve got. Our daily
activity cards and emails have showed us how to grow deeper in love and wider in service to God. Now, we get to take the next step in our journey, and go “All In Together.”
That’s the theme of this year’s Generosity Campaign, and it couldn’t come at a better time. I’ll say it plainly and directly: this may be the most important generosity campaign in recent memory. With so much positive momentum around us, the success of this campaign could determine just how much we will flourish next year as a church, or how hard it will be to make decisions about our ministries and programs.
More than ever, your participation can make a huge difference. So here are three ways that we each can go All in Together:
1. Pray. Our campaign this year features a 28-Day prayer journey, in which you can subscribe to receive daily emails that will feature a focused way to pray for various ministries and programs of the church. Go to hydeparkumc.org/dailyemails to subscribe.
2. Celebrate. We will be sharing many brief but powerful stories of lives that have been impacted by God through this church and your generosity. Experience the impact of their stories in the daily emails and other communications, and give thanks to God!
3. Give. Be sure to fill out and turn in your Estimate of Giving Card, either in person or online at hydeparkumc.org/eog by Commitment Sunday, November 14. We invite you to take a step of faith and give at the level that God is calling you to give. Both God and the work of this church will be honored by your gift!
Also, take a look at the enclosure titled Celebration of Impact. Because of your generosity, we can celebrate the many ways we have Made God’s Love Real together this past year!
Let’s seize the moment, one filled with joy and expectation, and claim the bright future God has for us. Let’s go All In … Together!
Grace and Peace,
The Rev. Magrey deVega
Senior Pastor
Shining the Light Ministries, our mission partner in Nicaragua, provides agriculture training and support to low income families in the area around Leon. Their focus is in three areas: Gardens, Poultry and Sewing.
Here is an excerpt from their latest newsletter:
2021 3RD QUARTER REPORT, ROGER GONZALES FUENTES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
At this time, we want to thank God for the opportunity that He has given us to serve and help our people in Nicaragua. During the past 3months we have been able to see God’s work through everything.
Right now the world is still facing a very difficult time, especially here in Nicaragua because of Covid-19. In León we have hit the highest number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, hospitals are full, and pharmacies are running out of medicine. Since my last report, we have faced some challenges with COVID in our communities and in our personal lives. Pastor Angel and Gerald had COVID back in September. Praise God that they have made a full recovery, but we have also lost some loved ones due to COVID. Even though this is a hard time, we are still believing and trusting in the Lord.
Read the complete newsletter.
Hyde Park’s mission partners, Pat and Melenda Edmiston are missionaries with Wycliffe – Partners in Bible Translation, a nondenominational mission organization dedicated to translating the Scriptures and teaching people to read and write in their own language.
Dear Hyde Park Family,
God’s Word is powerful and it changes lives dramatically. We read Earl’s testimony in our devotional this week.
Earl had so much money that he never needed to work and yet he was empty. He took all kinds of drugs, even hard core heroin and ended up in the hospital. Someone thought to give him a New Testament while visiting him there.
He was thrilled because the thin paper was perfect for rolling marijuana joints. Earl rolled his way through Matthew, Mark and Luke, but when he came to the Gospel of John, he began to read. The Holy Spirit opened his mind and heart and he encountered Jesus. His emptiness gave way to Joy.
The young psychologist in charge of his case, was very beautiful and had been a model. One day she said to Earl, ‘Look, I have it all – success, beauty and endless qualifications – yet I am not fulfilled. Your life is a mess, yet you seem to have something – a peace and a joy. What is it?’ With his new found faith he took her to the Savior. Later they were married.
Earl and his wife are believers today; their lives, radically changed by the Word of God in the book of John.
A few days ago, Pat finished translation-checking the Gospel of John with a language team in a very dangerous area of Southeast AsiaI Every night they go to bed knowing that their home might be stormed and they could be dragged away.
They finished John 16:33 where Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” At that point, they shared that in spite of the insecurity that they are facing, it has not robbed them of the peace that they have in knowing Jesus.
How precious is that?! We are thankful to be in Bible translation ministry.
Thank you for continuing to partner with us financially and through your prayers. Together we are making an impact.
In His Love,
Pat & Mel
Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary (BMTS), our mission partner, is the largest United Methodist seminary in Europe, and serves students from eight countries who study in three languages: Estonian, Russian and English. Their newsletter is titled Prayerchain, it begins with a message from Külli Tõniste, Rector. Here’s an excerpt:
Focus
Dear friends,
The new academic year at Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary has started with hard work. This devotional, that our faculty Hindrek Taavet Taimla shared during a prayer time, captures our feelings and helps to focus on what is most important.
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” -John 4:23,24
As we come to face some very technical and heavily academic (and administrative) work, we should not see it apart from a life of worship. We don´t divide our theological studies or research as secular and our church life as spiritual. At the Seminary, we learn how to love God with our whole mind. There also does not have to be a divide between the heart and the mind. In fact, the BMTS motto in Latin is Mente et Corde (‘with mind and heart’). Therefore, let us make our work desk an altar and every paper – be it as void of life as the accreditation report that our staff has to prepare the for ministry of education – let us make it an act of worship, because just as at the altar, God is seeking to meet us there!
Read their newsletter
Do you love football, playing games, food, or all of the above?
Then join us on Sunday, Oct 24 from 4-5:30 p.m. for our Merge Family Tailgate!
We’ll have all the fun of a tailgate!
All the yard games you can handle? Got em!
Pizza? Got it!
The Bucs vs the Bears? Got it!
So bring a chair, and your whole family if you want to, and have a great time with some great people!
Email Mac Charalambous with any questions!
Mission Smiles partners with local churches and ministries to provide dental clinics in various neighborhoods throughout Tampa Bay, bringing the hands of Jesus to those in need.
They provided this report of their visit on Oct. 3, 2021:
Mission Smiles served 17 guests and performed 30 extractions. The dollar value of dental services and volunteer hours provided to the community was $14,675. See the full report.
Shining the Light Ministries, our mission partner in Nicaragua, provides agriculture training and support to low income families in the area around Leon. Their focus is in three areas: Gardens, Poultry and Sewing.
Here is an excerpt from their latest newsletter:
PASTOR GREG’S REFLECTIONS
Greg Lentz, our associate director, shares more reflections of his recent trip in Nicaragua:
As I look back on my most recent trip to Nicaragua, I find that the Lord provided many opportunities to engage with the pastors and people of the communities.
This was my third trip – and with each adventure I find that God has given me a greater love and desire to serve with the wonderful staff of Shining the Light Ministries. I still feel very new to the ministry and every time I travel to León, I learn more about our God and the people that He has called us to serve.
Read the complete newsletter
Hyde Park’s mission partners, Dave and Julie Eberhard serve as missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators.
Read an excerpt from their latest newsletter:
Yea! Brazil!!!
Although Dave has been doing his teaching of missionaries and training of community leaders online for the past year and a half, in the last days of August he was finally able to make his first international trip since COVID started. This trip had several purposes. Dave was able to:
1) Teach the Sociolinguistics class at the CLM school in Brasilia, Brazil. This is a year long training institute for Brazilian missionaries that Dave has taught at before, so it was good to be back and see old friends and be of help in preparing young Brazilian Bible translators for the BT needs around the world. There were 13 students – with one being a Surui indigenous student and another a Balanta speaker from Guinea Bissau. Several of them at the end of the course told Dave they want to specialize in sociolinguistics in the future, so he took that as a positive sign that the course made an impact. Another encouragement was that this is the first time that the majority of the students are looking at doing some sort of language related work outside of Brazil – a very positive sign since Africa, Asia, and the Pacific is where most of the translation work is.
Read the complete newsletter.
