Confirmation 2023

The Confirmation experience is an exciting time of faith discovery, reflection and commitment.

Register by clicking here.

Make-up sessions: TBA

Confirmation Packet (Calendar and Expectations) – Download Confirmation Packet PDF

Covenant to sign – Download Covenant PDF

About Confirmation

Confirmation is the time when a personal decision is made to confirm the vows that were made for us at our baptism.

At Hyde Park United Methodist this happens as a group of students, typically in grades 7-8, come together for a few months to explore who Christ is, what it means to know and be loved by God, and how we live out our faith as United Methodists. If your student is in grade 9-12, they are welcome to participate.

The Confirmation ceremony is a public affirmation of them claiming their faith for themselves. The Confirmand is taking responsibility for living as a member of the body of Christ and for living out God’s purposes in their life.

It is our hope that each student will commit to a real and personal faith, and begin to cherish the rich heritage we have as United Methodists. This includes the building of relationships with peers and adults who will support them in their faith.

Confirmation is not simply a “rite of passage.” Nor, just a class to complete. It is a step in a life-long journey of faith.

Please speak with your student(s) about the value of this experience as you make the decision for them to participate.

Requirements:

Attend classes and ceremony (see schedule below)
Personal devotional, journaling and homework assignments
All students must be baptized before they can be confirmed. If your student has not been baptized, they will be on the day of our Confirmation service.

Classes will be held 9:30-10:45 a.m. on Sundays during our regular Merge Youth time. Students are put into small groups with two adult small group leaders.

Confirmation 2023 Schedule is as follows:

Weekly classes: 9:30-10:45 a.m. Sundays – Starts Jan. 22
Ceremony: 11 a.m. Sunday, April 30 in the Sanctuary (during Traditional service)

FAQ:

What if our family are not church members? That’s okay.
What if my student misses a session? We ask that students do not miss more than two sessions, and the content will need to be made up. Make up times will be available.
Will there be a virtual option? No.

Peace Prayer

An Advent Prayer for Peace
by the Rev. Magrey deVega

O God, you made us in your image to be in relationship with you and others, yet we acknowledge the frailty of those relationships. We are imperfect. We have not always been kind. At times we have been more prone to anger and bitterness, than love and forgiveness. We are an imperfect reflection of your perfect love. We know you hear us as we pray for peace. That you might fill us with peace, and use these prayers to create peace in the world.

We pray for peace for every marriage. We pray for homes filled with chronic miscommunication, endless disputes and unfulfilled expectations. Offer new ways to see and hear, with empathy and new understanding. Bring light to each person’s faults and lead them to confession and repentance. Rekindle an awakening to boundless, unconditional love.

For peace in every marriage, Lord in your mercy, you hear our prayer.

We pray for peace in the relationship between parent and child. For young families, in a constant state of adjustment and transition. Grant them endurance and creativity. For parents and children who are struggling with miscommunication, or shared expectations, or wounded by past scars and ongoing resentment, grant them new insight and the power of reconciliation. For families in transition, with grown children charting their own paths and discovering their own freedoms, bring them together across their distances, through joy and laughter and love.

For peace in every relationship between parent and child, Lord in your mercy, you hear our prayer.

We pray for peace for the dysfunction that is in every family. For families dealing with the haunting influences of addiction, or the long shadow of mental illness, grant a new spirit of courage and compassion, a boldness of truth, and generosity of love. For families that are marked by deep fault lines of past hurts and misunderstandings, pour out your spirit of confession and forgiveness.

For peace in all our families, Lord in your mercy, you hear our prayer.

We pray for peace for couples who are struggling with infertility, especially during a season marked by the birth of a holy child. Comfort them, weep with them, and grant them hope and fulfillment in surprising and creative ways. For those who face this season alone – widows and widowers, single adults and divorced, the elderly and homebound – help them discover their completeness, their uniqueness and their joy.

For peace in the midst of loneliness, Lord in your mercy, you hear our prayer.

We pray for peace for those who are grieving. For those who remember loved ones who have died, whose grief skews this season of peace into a time of sorrow, comfort them with your presence, and remind them that in you, the bonds of love will never end. And for those facing their own mortality, living in the shadow of their own death and disease, help them to embrace eternal life now. To live with an embrace of each moment and the gift of each breath, and the courage to receive both joy and the pain, sickness and health. May your love be made real in our care for others.

For peace in the face of grief and fear, Lord in your mercy, you hear our prayer.

O God, you are Immanuel. You are the presence among us in every moment. Through these prayers, open us up to that presence, fill the broken and empty parts of our lives, that in your grace, life might begin to fit together again. And use these prayers to create peace, in a way that only your transforming love can do.

May this season of Advent truly be one of preparation, that our hearts, minds and souls may be awakened to peace.

In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Creating an Advent Wreath

Whether you’re familiar with the Advent Wreath or it’s a new concept for you, Hyde Park is taking a new approach to an favorite tradition this year. It’s likely that the use of Advent Wreath in the Christian tradition began in the home as a focal point of devotion. It was then adopted in regular worship services during the season of Advent, the four Sundays prior to Christmas. Because we will be celebrating Christmas in online worship services, we are providing ways for you to create an Advent Wreath for your own home.

Different Types of Wreaths

A coloring version is available at illustratedministry.com. Our Children’s and Youth Ministry will be distributing these materials during our Advent Kit Pick-Up Event on Nov. 29 and Dec. 2. Find more information here.

To make a traditional wreath, use a circular oasis and either artificial greenery or real greenery. The advantage of the artificial version is that you can use it again in future years. One made with real greenery requires periodic watering to keep the greenery fresh. Regardless of how you make it, the fundamental aspect of the wreath is a circle with four candles, representing that Jesus is the light of the world.

Resources

United Methodist Resources: umcdiscipleship.org – Search “Advent Wreath”
Crosswalk.com – Search “Advent Wreath”
Pinterest has many resources – Search “advent”

Experience Christmas at Hyde Park United Methodist with all our events and worship services.

Buy or Make Manna Bags

We have some Manna Bags that are for sale if any family would like to pick some up. Please contact Emily, email, if you’d like to purchase and pick them up for $5 each.

If you would like to make your own Manna Bags at home, these are the items that we use to make them:

Fruit Gummy Pack (small): Kellogg’s Fruity Snacks Variety Pack (2.5 oz., 36 ct.)
Beef Jerky/Slim Jims: Slim Jim Original (120 ct.)
GO GO Apple Sauce: GoGo SqueeZ Applesauce, Apple Apple (3.2 oz., 28 ct.)
Salted peanuts or mixed nuts (2 oz pkg): Planters Snack Nuts Variety Pack (1.75 oz. Pouches, 24 ct.)
Small waters: Member’s Mark Purified Bottled Water (8oz / 80pk
Cheese and peanut butter crackers: Lance Sandwich Crackers, Variety Pack (1.41 oz., 40 ct.)
Vienna Sausage: Armour Vienna Sausage (4.6 oz. can, 18 ct.)
Breakfast bar: Nature Valley Oats ‘n Honey Crunchy Granola Bars (49 pk.)
Plastic fork and spoon w/napkin: Member’s Mark White Plastic Cutlery Packets (200 ct.)
Gallon Freeze Ziplocs: Ziploc Storage Slider Gallon Bags (120 ct.)
Hillsborough Homeless Coalition Street Survival Guide (.pdf)
Jesus Loves Me card
Sanitary Wipes
Socks

Mission Moments

Our mission partners and outreach programs are making a difference in our community and around the world! Listen to the stories and testimonies of how God is working in the lives of those touched by these programs.

Love INC of Metro Tampa

Love INC mobilizes churches across Tampa Bay to transform lives and communities in the Name of Christ. Hyde Park United Methodist is proud to partner with Love INC and 15 other churches, as we unite in purpose and actively live out our faith by lovingly serving people in need in our communities.

Through its Help Center, trained volunteers provide a structure to use our God-given talents to serve him in the most effective way. Resource navigators receive requests, assess guests needs, respond with wisdom and discernment, and make referrals for services – connecting needs with resources.

For more information, contact church liaisons, Mary Britain, 813.361.4159, and Cindy Lieving, 813.395.2607, or agency liaison, Ann Doyle, 813.222.5683.

Cornerstone Family Ministries is making a lasting and positive impact in the lives of economically disadvantaged children and their families in the Tampa Bay community by nurturing young bodies, developing young minds, and fostering hope through Christ.

Community Garden Movement: Cornerstone teaches children and families how food grows and where it comes from through gardening, making the connection between nutritional food and healthy bodies. The garden provides a safe, socially distanced space for volunteers to provide the community with fresh produce. Volunteers are welcome any Tuesday or the second Saturday, 9-11 a.m. Learn More

Care Packages for Kids: Cornerstone has received funding to provide nutritious care packages for kids. Help is needed to assemble the gallon Ziploc bags and deliver them to the sponsored child care centers. Get Involved

Little Dresses for Missions

Little Dresses for Missions is making God’s love real one stitch at a time. Volunteer seamstresses from our church provide dresses for girls in developing countries, sending a message that that they are loved and worthy. More than 4,000 dresses have been distributed around the world and nearly 2,000 masks provided to Tampa hospitals and Hyde Park United Methodist’s partner school, Dunbar Elementary.

Pray for the continued good health of the volunteers, who have temporarily suspended their activity during the pandemic. When onsite activities resume, the group appreciates donations of girls’ undergarments to accompany the dresses. To learn more visit our church website or email dhpainter1039@gmail.com. You can also support Little Dresses through Gifts for Good campaign.

Hillsborough House of Hope

Hillsborough House of Hope was founded by Hyde Park’s own Margaret Palmer to provide a Christian home where women transitioning out of a correctional institution learn a new purposeful, productive way of life that allows for success. Each woman receives a plan tailored to her objectives. The House affords a safe and encouraging environment until the women secure employment and a permanent residence. Under full-time supervision, each woman has her own room and helps with chores. After six months, each woman leaves with what it takes to be a purposeful, productive community member.

To learn more, visit our website or email Serena Finn, mission liaison. You can also support Hillsborough House of Hope through Hyde Park’s Gifts for Good campaign.

Abe Brown Ministries

Abe Brown Ministries demonstrates the love of Jesus Christ by helping offenders and ex-offenders achieve productive and fulfilling lives. The video of Michael Jackson’s testimony shares the impact Abe Brown Ministries has had on his life.

For more information, visit our website or email Amy Morantes, mission liaison. You can also support Abe Brown Ministries through Gifts for Good campaign.

Feeding Tampa Bay

Food is more than just a meal on a plate. When we share food around a table, we can begin to break the cycle of hunger and imagine new possibilities. Consistent access to nutritious food enables students to excel, parents to focus on their livelihoods, and seniors to maintain a healthy life.

Feeding Tampa Bay is in need of volunteers and your help can make a huge impact. Shifts are in the morning 9 a.m.-noon or the afternoon 1-4 p.m. Click here to learn how to serve. You can also support Feeding Tampa Bay when you attend Hyde Park’s Fall Family Fun Night, where you can drop off non-perishable items. Details

For more information, visit our website or email Don Aiken, mission liaison. You can also support Feeding Tampa Bay through Hyde Park’s Gifts for Good campaign.

How to Help Your Kids and Teens Deal with Anxiety

How is everyone doing in your house? No, really! How is the worry and anxiety level in your home this week?

Do you know what the most common mental concern is in the United States is? It is Anxiety Disorder. It effects 40 million adults. It also is the most common mental struggle for children and teens. Nearly 32% of adolescents have suffered from serious anxiety at some point.

According to statistics and studies, if you have a child or teen in your home, there is a 1 in 3 chance they are struggling with some form of anxiety. Thanks to phones and social media, teen anxiety disorder is on the rise. It is not surprising, but that does not mean we as Christians need to brush it off as lack of faith or spiritual weakness either.

We want to offer you some helpful, loving advice and guidance. We do not want to ignore this growing problem that may be also impacting your family. We want to encourage you to take the time with our child to talk about how they are feeling. Find out what is stressing them or what might be bringing on worry before it turns into something more.

Not every feeling of anxiety and worry is sin or evil. We know that there are many things that can affect your children and their feelings of anxiety. We do have a powerful God with powerful promises. As you pray over your child this week, whether they are struggling with anxiety or not, consider a few of these verses.

Luke 12:22-26: May my child not be worried or anxious about the superficial things of this world.
Psalm 27:1: God, allow my child to realize that they can run to you in moments of anxiety and you will protect them.
Psalm 118:6-7: Guide my child as they go through their day today. Allow them to not worry about what other people say, think, or do.
Philippians 4:6-7: Lord, give my child peace in their heart and their mind.

Watch this great video resource as soon as you can. We hope this helps you and gives you a bit of time to reflect on your child/children’s mental, emotional and spiritual health. Take the time today or this week to sit down face-to-face as a family and check in on each other’s worries and anxiety levels.

We are available to talk, pray, or just listen to you and/or your child. Helping a child or teen with anxiety is a challenge Click here for age-appropriate resource for your child or teen for tips and practical ways you can help. If you are seeking professional advice or help, please also let us know. We would love to suggest some local adolescent professionals in our area. We are praying for you! Let us know how we can pray specifically for you and your family.