6-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11
School is starting soon and we are excited for all the fun that the fall brings!
Join us for a time of celebration with food, an info session for the upcoming year, inflatables, games and more!
All ages are welcome with age-specific areas for Children and Youth. RSVP HERE
25 service hours available for the week!
Questions? Email ctemple@hydeparkumc.org
We believe it is important to invest in our students by providing financial support for higher education from eligible high school, college and seminary students. Below is a list of scholarship opportunities provided by Hyde Park United Methodist and by other United Methodist agencies.
There are currently three Hyde Park United Methodist scholarship opportunities available: one is for high school seniors, one for college students (associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree or vocational certificate) and one for divinity students. The deadline for applying for any of the Hyde Park scholarships is March 31, 2023.
Buy your Gasparilla Pirate’s Fest Parade (Jan. 28) parking tickets here. All proceeds support our PrimeTimers ministry.
Support our friends in need with a little gift of Manna. Merge Youth are excited to start selling Manna bags again on the last Sunday of the month. Each bag is just a $5 donation. Get yours Jan. 30 at the Manna table between 10:30 and 11 a.m.
Enjoy the Children’s Gasparilla Parade with your family Jan. 21. Parking lots will be open at 10 a.m. All of the money raised will support Merge Youth Scholarships for camps and missions.
Starting Sunday, September 19 Merge will be moving to Sunday mornings! We’ll still be meeting in the Magnolia building, but our meeting time will be from 9:30-10:45 a.m. This doesn’t mean that Sunday Night Merge will be going away, it will just look a bit different. Staring Sunday, September 12 we’ll be having Merge on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month from 4- 5:30 p.m. The second Sunday will be called Serving 2nd and will be focused on service opportunities and outreach! The fourth Sunday will be known as Fun 4th and will be a fun night that will be great to invite friends to! Our first Fun 4th will be on September 26 and will be Merge Messy Night!
All of these changes came from feedback we received from the parent survey that went out in July. That feedback was taken, shared with the Merge Adult Council, and we started to plan what a Merge that better serves you could look like!
We hope you’re as excited for these changes as we are, and we can’t wait to start them all with you!
If you have any questions, please email our Assistant Youth Director, Mac Charalambous!
We’re so glad you could be here today!
Jesus loves us and he showed his love for us by the way he lived, and died, and then rose again.
We invite you to “Walk With Jesus” from stations 1 through 7.
At each station, you will find a three-step invitation to immerse your family in a Holy Experience.
Step 1: A reading about what Jesus went through during Holy Week.
Step 2: A sensory experience to take part in to bring your family closer to Jesus.
Step 3: A response, or a way that we too can follow Jesus every day.
We encourage you to use this time to connect further to God and your family.
Stations
Reading: When Jesus came to Jerusalem, people were so happy to see him. They were excited; a parade was coming! But this wasn’t just any parade – the celebration was for Jesus! As Jesus passed by riding a donkey, the people shouted, “Hosanna!” and they waved palm branches.
Experience: Make a celebration cross out of a palm leaf, just like the crowds used with Jesus.
Watch this video to learn how to make your Palm Cross.
You may also choose to grab a scarf and wave it around while dancing and shouting “Hosanna.”
Response: Just like the crowd of people praised Jesus, we can still praise Him today. We can follow Jesus by praising Him!
Reading: Later that week, Jesus and his friends had a party with a big meal. When his friends sat to eat, Jesus did a surprising thing. He got up and washed his friends’ feet. The roads they walked on were dusty, their feet were dirty, and Jesus wanted to something helpful for his friends. When Jesus finished, he told his friends that they too could show love by helping others.
Experience: Make a Get-Well Card to help bring joy to people in the hospital. Talk to your family about other ways you can help serve people in your community.
These cards will be given to the Pastor of Congregational Care to deliver during hospital visits.
Response: Jesus asks us to serve others. We can do this by helping our family, our friends and other kids like you. We can follow Jesus by helping others!
Pastor Sally will lead you through this station.
Reading: At his last supper with his friends Jesus took some bread and broke it and said, “This is my body given for you. Do this to remember me.”
Then he took the cup of wine and said, “This is my blood that was shed for you. Do this to remember me.”
Experience: Eat and drink your Communion elements to remember Jesus at the Last Supper. Take a moment here to reflect; enjoy the music, say a family prayer at the kneeler or light a candle.
Response: God loved us so much he gave his only son. Our world needs that kind of love. We can follow Jesus by loving all the people in the world.
Reading: The Bible tells us that Jesus knew something bad was going to happen to him. So, Jesus went to a garden with some of his friends to pray. Jesus was sad that day when he prayed. He knew what was coming and he was telling God that he loved Him and would do what he wanted even though he didn’t want to.
Experience: Jesus prayed for help to sort through all the emotions he was experiencing. We all have times when we feel overwhelmed, sad, or frustrated. Discuss what brings you joy, comfort, peace, patience, etc. As a family choose one word from that discussion. Using the tiles, write out the word, and add it to our prayer puzzle. Then pray for each other.
Response: We can talk to God anytime, anywhere. When we pray, God hears everything we say to him. We can follow Jesus by praying!
Reading: When Jesus came to Jerusalem, people were so happy to see him! But soon, those people were angry and wanted to hurt Jesus.
Two of his own followers made bad choices that would end up hurting Jesus instead.
The first one, Judas, betrayed Jesus and made a deal with a mean man. Judas was given money to point Jesus out to the angry people so he could be arrested.
The second one, Peter, hid while Jesus was arrested. When people saw him and asked him three separate times if he was friends with Jesus, he said no each time.
Soon after, the angry people took Jesus to a hill, where he was nailed to a cross. The sound of the hammer hitting the nail echoed through the hilltop. Eventually Jesus died on the cross.
Even though Jesus never did anything wrong, he gave up his life so that his followers, you, and every other person, would be forgiven for any bad choices they might make.
Experience: Take a hammer to pound on a nail in the board. Think about or pray for people that need love and forgiveness.
Response: We have all made mistakes or had our feelings hurt. Jesus knew what was going to happen and forgave his friends. We can follow Jesus by showing forgiveness to everyone!
Reading: After Jesus died, his body was brought to a tomb, which was kind of like a cave. His body was wrapped in linen strips with herbs and spices as was the Jewish custom. Then a huge, heavy stone was rolled in front of the entrance.
Experience: Take an organza bag and collect the objects laid out at this station. Pluck the herbs from the plant. Snap the strongly scented cinnamon stick. Rip a piece of cloth and paint it with scented oil. Lastly, put in a stone to help remind you of how the tomb was sealed.
Response: This was a custom done to respect and honor a person when they passed away. We can follow Jesus by showing respect to all people!
Reading: Very early on Sunday morning, three days after Jesus died, some of the women went to the tomb. They found the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty.
Jesus was not there! They were so upset. Who would take Jesus’ body?
Then an angel appeared and told the women, “Do not be afraid. He is not here; he has risen from death!”
They left the tomb and went to tell Jesus’ followers the Good News!
What was meant for death has brought new life.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!
Experience: Create a family tile together. As you make your design you can say (or even sing) praises to God; for Jesus, for His unending grace, and his unconditional love of everyone. These tiles will be connected together to create a cross that will be on display in the Wesley Center.
Response: Jesus died on the cross because he loves us so much and then he came back to life to live in our hearts forever. We can follow Jesus by telling others how much Jesus loves them!
Thank you for joining us to “Walk With Jesus”!
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
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:
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:
FAQ:
