Family Night of Praise
5:30 p.m. Friday, April 26. Join us for a family-friendly night of worship and fun! Enjoy pizza and a mix of contemporary Christian hits and VBS classics. Bring your family and invite friends for a lively evening together!
Neighborhood Tables – Spring 2024
One-time gatherings to help you connect with people from Hyde Park United Methodist in your neighborhood! Gather with each other over food and conversation. Meet others who live nearby.
When? Gatherings are happening in April and May.
Where? Homes of church members.
What’s the commitment? One evening. That’s it.
Do you need Bible knowledge? Nope! Everyone is welcome.
How does it work?
- ATTEND: Pick the Neighborhood Table gathering you want to attend from the list of available options. The host will be notified and contact you with details. Sign up to Attend
- HOST: Provide a space in your home for others to meet once, along with plates, cups, napkins and cutlery.
Sign up to Host
- 6 p.m. April 16 – Davis Island, Pets in home
- 7 p.m. April 19 – South Tampa, No Pets
- 6 p.m. April 26 – Carrollwood Village, No Pets
- 5 p.m. April 30 – Seminole Heights, Pets in home, Children are welcome
- 6 p.m. May 2 – Hyde Park area, No Pets
- 6 p.m. May 4 – Riverview, No Pets
- 6 p.m. May 16 – Palma Ceia, Pets in home
- 5 p.m. May 18 – Lutz, Pets in home, Children are welcome
- 6 p.m. May 19 – Hyde Park area, Pets in home
Questions? Contact John Barolo to learn more.
VBS
June 24 – 28, 2024!
Dive Below the Surface to Build a Strong Faith
Registration for church families begins February 25 and for general community begins March 10.
Cost: $50 for Preschool – Grade 4 and $75 for Tweens
Schedule: Monday – Friday, 9:00AM – 12:00PM.
* Note: rising 5th and 6th graders have extended programming (until 3 p.m.) Tuesday and Thursday during VBS
Ready to Dive into the Scuba VBS volunteer team?
Adult and youth volunteer registration is now open! Early child registration is available for adult volunteers upon completion of the volunteer form.
Mini-VBS and Nursery care is available for children of volunteers. This is not a drop-off program but reserved for those volunteering. A link will be available once adult registration has been completed.
Volunteer Training: Thank you for serving at SCUBA VBS! Please mark your calendar for our 
mandatory VBS Volunteer Training on Wednesday, June 12 at 5:45 p.m.
Decorations and Construction: If you like crafting, being creative or even using a hammer, join the VBS Construction & Decoration Team on select Thursday mornings (9:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.).
Amazon Wish List: Have a heart to serve but limited time? Check out this amazon wishlist for VBS supply needs!
Have questions? Ask us here or contact the church office at 813-253-5388.
Day 1 – June 24
God Is a Friend Who Is Real.
Day 2 – June 25
God is a friend who loves!
Day 3 – June 26
God Is a Friend We Can Trust.
Day 4 – June 27
God is a friend forever!
Day 5 – June 28
God Is a Friend For Everyone.
What crew is my child in?
A parent email will be sent the week before VBS to all parents of registered children with crew information. This email will also contain pick-up passes which must be shown to your child’s crew leader at dismissal/pick up each day.
How does drop off / pick up work?
Morning drop off: Campers should be seated in the Sanctuary with their crew by 9 a.m. for opening worship each day. Doors open at 8:50 a.m., please escort your child inside the Sanctuary to their crew’s pew and drop off to their crew leaders.
Afternoon pick up: Dismissal will start at 12:10 p.m. each day.* Children should be picked up from their crew pew in the Sanctuary.
*Note: rising 5th and 6th graders will have extended hours on Tuesday, with dismissal at 3 p.m. from the Magnolia building. Dismissal on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday will be from the Sanctuary balcony at 12:15 p.m.
Can I watch closing worship?
All parents are invited to watch closing worship in the Harnish Center. (11 :35 a.m.- 12:10). If you need to get your children before dismissal, please come to campus before 11:40 a.m. and we will locate your child for you.
What does my kid wear to VBS?
Each day your child should wear their VBS T-shirt. T-shirts can be picked up each Sunday in June in the Courtyard from 9 a.m. – noon. T-shirts can also be picked up in the church’s Ministry Office 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday-Thursday, and 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday. Shirts must be picked up by Sunday, June 26. If we have shirts left over, additional shirts can be purchased beginning Wednesday of VBS week (at the VBS info tent in the Sanctuary Courtyard. $5 each).
Please use a black Sharpie marker to write your child’s first name and crew number on the FRONT of the shirt. This will act as their nametag (Using a flat cardboard piece inside the shirt helps when you do this). We also suggest comfortable shorts and closed-toed shoes for their safety.
What if I can't pick up my child - can another parent, friend or grandparent pick them up?
YES, BUT THEY WILL NEED TO HAVE A COMPLETED PICK-UP PASS FOR YOUR CHILD TO PRESENT TO YOUR CHILD’S CREW LEADER. We are accepting pictures of completed Pick-Up Passes on smart phones as well. If your child’s pick-up person does not have a pass, they will be asked to go to our info tent outside in the Courtyard. They will need to show their driver’s license and we will check registration forms to see who has been authorized to pick up your child. If you did not list them as an authorized person to pick up your child in your child’s registration, we will call you to confirm authorization.
Will there be a 'VBS Recap Video' this year?
Yes! Join us for worship Sunday, June 30.
10 Tampa Bay reports on Ashes to Ashes Ceremony
A soil ceremony was held on Ash Wednesday at The Portico. The ceremony honors those lynched between 1892-1934 within the Tampa community. This was the second ceremony held at The Portico. This year the church honored Lewis Jackson. See the full story here.
UMCOR Responds to Earthquakes
Dear Hyde Park Family,
We are a week away from Thanksgiving, and I pray your days ahead will be filled with moments of joy, reflection, and connecting with loved ones.
As the season suggests, may there also be occasions for you to give deep thanks to God and to each other for the blessings that you enjoy. And may your expression of thanksgiving be more than just a special occurrence before an annual meal; may it become a way of life.
So, here are three practical tips you might consider for cultivating a pattern of gratitude in your life.
1. Be as Specific as You Can.
There have been seasons of my life when I have maintained a gratitude journal, in which I intentionally write down two or three things I am grateful for every day.
The best advice I have ever received about keeping a gratitude journal is “the more specific, the better.” It is easy (albeit important) to be grateful for broad, general things, like your family, your health, your job, and other basic necessities. But research has shown that the more details you can give about specific experiences of gratitude, the more aware you will be of such blessings in the future.
For example, in my own gratitude journals, I have noted the following:
· The feeling of my bare feet on a newly cleaned floor, or the feeling of waking up in freshly cleaned bedsheets.
· Walking in the front door and seeing both my dogs wagging their tails in perfect sync.
· The rays of sunshine that poked through the trees as I was walking around my neighborhood, just as I was listening to a beautiful rendition of a favorite praise song.
2. Try the Daily Examen Prayer.
Many Christian communities observe the Daily Offices, a rhythm of daily prayer that aligns with different moments of the day. One of the evening prayers is called the Daily Examen, which is a structured way to review the past day with prayer and gratitude. The following uses the pattern prescribed by St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Begin with a pause and a slow, deep breath or two; become aware that you are in the presence of the Holy.
Thanksgiving:
What am I especially grateful for in the past day:
· The gift of another day…
· The love and support I have received…
· The courage I have mustered…
· An event that took place today…
Petition and Review:
I am about to review my day; I ask for the light to know God and to know myself as God sees me.
· Where have I felt true joy today?
· What has troubled me today?
· What has challenged me today?
· Where and when did I pause today?
· Have I noticed God’s presence in any of this?
Response and Look Ahead:
· In light of my review, what is my response to the God of my life?
· As I look ahead, what comes to mind?
· With what spirit do I want to enter tomorrow?
3. Answer These Two Simple Questions.
Finally, you might find value in regularly answering the very same two questions that my therapist asks me at the conclusion of each of our sessions:
· Since we last met, what is one thing that you are proud of?
· What is one thing you are looking forward to?
I have learned to love those two questions, and it is often my favorite part of my therapy sessions. It has come to the point that I ask myself those questions even when I am not meeting my therapist.
No matter how hard life might become, God has empowered you to accomplish at least one thing that you can be proud of (and again, the more specific, the better.) And no matter how fearful or challenging the days ahead might feel to you, there is always something, even something small, that you can look forward to in the future.
So, friends, as you move into the week ahead, may it be filled with delightful, even surprising, reminders of all that God has done for you, in you, and through you.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Magrey
ESTIMATE OF GIVING CARDS
Thank you to the many, many of you who have enabled us to get off to a strong start in receiving our estimates of giving for 2022. If you have not yet done so, please fill out your estimate by going to our website. Your estimates of giving are the only way our Finance Committee has to accurately plan for all the ministries and programs God is calling us to do next year. Thank you!
Thank You for Providing Shelter: Julie Watkinson
Good day,
I wanted to reach out and thank all our community partners and ask you to please extend my gratitude to your staff and many, many volunteers. You opened your hearts and shelters to provide our most vulnerable population, a hot meal, and a warm place to sleep. This is such a gift, especially over the Christmas holidays. You took time away from your family and loved ones, to help those in need. It sure was cold!
I also want to extend my appreciation to our CWS spokesperson, Vicki Walker, from Hyde Park United Methodist Church, for talking with so many news outlets over the multi-day activation. Her team was also interviewed and even our newest partners joining last week, Church of God of Prophecy, did an amazing job on Bay News 9.
Every volunteer and guest I talked to was so kind and grateful to give, grateful to receive.
Together you provided 1,204 nights assistance to more than 300 individuals. With wind chill dipping in the 20’s and 30’s, that would have been detrimental sleeping outdoors or places unfit for human habitation.
I look forward to working with you and your organizations as needed throughout the winter. Also, wishing each of you and your friends and family, a happy and healthy new year.
Please feel free to provide feedback so, we can continue to support our community partners, and provide the best experience to those both providing and needing a warm place on a cold night.
Kind regards,
Julie Watkinson
Community Relations Coordinator
Department of Homeless and Community Services
Cold Weather Jan 2023
Hyde Park United Methodist is part of a network of shelters that provide warm, secure space for those experiencing homelessness. The program is administered by Hillsborough County government, which monitors weather conditions and issues an alert when the weather forecast shows temperatures will drop below 40°F. Once that notice is issued, our team of volunteers mobilizes to setup and open the shelter.
Hyde Park United Methodist’s Cold Weather Shelter is located at its Hyde Park Campus, 500 W. Platt Street, Tampa, 33606.
Cold weather is expected this week
Potential Cold Weather Shelter Jan 13-14. Sign up here to serve.
Potential Cold Weather Shelter Jan 14-15. Sign up here to serve.
Potential Cold Weather Shelter Jan 15-16. Sign up here to serve.
Read the Cold Weather Shelter Guest Rules here.
Location of the Cold Weather Shelter: Hyde Park United Methodist, 500 W. Platt Street, Tampa 33606
Email Don Aiken, church liaison, for more information or to volunteer.
News from Shining The Light Ministries
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:
THE LONG AWAITED VISIT
In the past 2 years our staff has experienced much of the same trials and sorrows from COVID as we have had here in the States. From the loss of our spiritual Leader in 2020 to almost losing Pastor Angel and most of the staff having COVID. I am very impressed by the perseverance and dedication from all at Asociación Brillando La LuzDe Cristo En Nicaragua. Everywhere I went where there were groups of people and almost everyone was wearing masks. We have been able to keep a supply of masks and sanitizer in the office.
News from Shining The Light Ministries
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.
Celebration Impact – 2021 Annual Report
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