June 22, 2023
Dear Hyde Park Family,
I am extending an invitation for you to join me on a very special trip next year. I have been asked by Educational Opportunities to be the guest lecturer on a 10-day cruise exploring the Journeys of the Apostle Paul, from September 21 to October 1, 2024. (Note, that is next fall, not this fall.)
As one who has never been on a cruise ship, let alone traced many of the cities of Paul’s missionary journeys, I am excited to be asked to offer this program, and even more thrilled at the prospect of having people from Hyde Park join me. Our Primetimers senior adult ministry has already agreed to make this their major trip for 2024.
We will be aboard the Odyssey of the Seas cruise ship with Royal Caribbean International and travel to cities in Italy, Greece, and Turkey. Along the way, I will offer three lectures about the life, ministry, and travels of the Apostle Paul as he shared the gospel and planted Christian communities throughout the first century Greco-Roman world.
Here are some details on our itinerary:
September 21-22: Depart from the U.S. and arrive in Rome
September 23: Naples (Pompeii)
September 24: At Sea
September 25: Mykonos
September 26: Athens and Corinth
September 27: Ephesus
September 28: Santorini
September 29: Chania and Crete
September 30: At Sea
October 1: Return to the U.S.
For further details on what we will see in each of these cities, and for information about the optional pre- or post-tour time in Rome, visit the Educational Opportunities website. The cost starts at $3,999 per person, which is an all-inclusive cost for the cruise as well as international airfare.
We will have an information session including a representative of Educational Opportunities on Sunday afternoon, August 27, at 2pm at the Hyde Park campus.
If you are interested in finding out more or would like to be on our contact list to receive updates along the way, send us your information here.
Or, contact me or our Pastoral Administrative Assistant Kim Harcrow (kharcrow@hydeparkumc.org) with any questions you may have.
Grace and Peace,
Senior Pastor, Hyde Park United Methodist
MIDWEEK MESSAGE RESUMES IN AUGUST
I will be taking my customary break from writing the Midweek Message for the next several weeks over the summer and will resume it in August. Stay tuned for the latest news and information through our Hyde Park eNews, Facebook page, and weekly worship announcements.
SECOND CHANCES DOCUMENTARY FILM
Be sure to join us on Thursday, July 13, at 6pm at the Hyde Park Campus for a screening of the film Second Chances: A Story of Struggle and Recovery. This documentary film chronicles the positive impact of our Portico campus on the lives of people in our community and was an entry in this year’s Gasparilla Film Festival.