News
News
A Prayer For A New School Year
Dear Hyde Park Family, This week, schools are beginning a new year all across our area. It is a time mixed with anticipation, apprehension and the welcome return of routine. It is also an opportunity for us to pray God’s blessings on our students, teachers, families,...
It’s Good to Be Back!
Dear Hyde Park Family, I returned to the office this week, having relished the gift of a study and renewal leave. My daughters and I shared some wonderful experiences, the insights from which I am eager to share with you over the weeks and months ahead. For now, I am...
Mental Health First Aid Training
The Mental Health and First Aid Training is returning on August 19 in person on the Hyde Park Campus and September 17 on Zoom. This training is designed to raise awareness of the prevalence of mental health issues in the community, reduce the stigma and provide viable...
Facilities and Property Task Force: Congregational Update
July 2022 Update MLC Update: Facilities Task Force Concludes with Recommendations The Facilities Task Force presented recommendations on Thursday, July 7 to the MLC members. All recommendations passed unanimously! We are excited to share the next steps with you. MLC...
Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary News
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...
Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary News
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...
An Exciting Summer Ahead
Dear Hyde Park Family, Starting Monday, June 13, I will begin a six-week period of study leave and renewal. It will be a time away from daily ministry at Hyde Park United Methodist, enabling me to return on August 1 with renewed clarity and energy for the long haul of...
Living The Three
(Note: Read to the end of today’s Midweek Message for a pastoral statement on the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.) Dear Hyde Park Family, People attending our in-person worship services may have noticed that for the past several weeks I have preceded my...
Sparrow Fund Provides a Lifeline
Sparrow Fund Provides a Lifeline If you have ever joined us for Christmas Eve services, you will recall that our collection on that most holy night goes toward the Sparrow Fund. The Sparrow Fund is a discretionary fund established by Hyde Park United Methodist to meet...
Graduating Students
Turner Mooney Plant High School Scotty Mooney University of Florida Luke Davis Jesuit High School Samantha Stites Graduating from Plant High School Ryan Lundahl Sickles High School Chip Roth Plant High School Jake Rickert Plant High School Colin Clark Plant High...
A Word for Graduates
Dear Hyde Park Family, We are now in graduation season here in the Tampa Bay area, as we celebrate high school seniors embarking on an exciting and unfolding future. We will be honoring our seniors this Sunday in worship, as well as praying for graduating students at...
The Work of Art
Check out this article about how Hyde Park UMC and Art have created a place of peace and joy!
Making God’s Love Real through Scholarships
Faithful church members have chosen to leave a lasting legacy of education by contributing to the scholarship permanent endowment fund of Hyde Park United Methodist. This year, our Scholarship Committee had the joy of awarding scholarship money to 18 students who will...
There Once was a Journey
Dear Hyde Park Family, Happy National Limerick Day! I know; today’s observance was likely not on your calendar. It wasn’t on mine, either, until I randomly checked this website yesterday. In case you’re wondering, today is also International Nurses Day,...
HOPE Justice Ministry Celebration
Hyde Park United Methodist is a member of Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality (HOPE), a non-profit organization consisting of 25 diverse member congregations that works to promote justice, fairness and the dignity of people in Hillsborough County....
A Mother’s Day Prayer
Dear Hyde Park Family, In preparation for this Sunday, when we celebrate and honor the mothers and mother figures in our lives, here is a reprise of a prayer for Mother’s Day that I first offered years ago. May it guide us into a deeper appreciation for these special...
Gifts for Good
Spring is an exciting time of year, with Easter leading the way to special events in May and June like Mother’s Day (May 8), Father’s Day (June 19) plus graduations, weddings, and anniversaries. The spirit of Easter teaches us that there is more than one way to give,...
The Original Six-Word Story
Dear Easter People, There is a legend that someone once asked Ernest Hemingway to write a story using only six words. His response? “For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.” Since then, the idea of a “Six-Word Story” has grown in popularity. One article defines it as “a...
Top Serving Opportunities
Are you looking to get connected or even looking for service hours? Here we have a list of our top serving opportunities that you can get involved in! Adult Bible Study Facilitator Serve any day; lead a small group or class for adults; curriculum and training...
Summer Sunday Morning Live
Summer Sunday Morning Live is almost here! Adult and Youth help needed! 9:30a.m. Sundays, June 5 - Aug. 7 During this time, our school year shepherds take a much-deserved break and the only way programming can continue is if parents, guardians and friends step in!...
One Continual Act
Dear Lenten Pilgrims, Epiphany By John Donne, 1572-1631 The whole life of Christ was a continual Passion; others die martyrs but Christ was born a martyr. He found a Golgotha, where he was crucified, even in Bethlehem, where he was born; for to his tenderness...
See You at the Starting Line!
Dear Hyde Park Pilgrims, Don’t finish what you can’t start. That’s a twist on the classic cliché, but it is sage advice for our tendency to jump quickly to Easter without moving through the Passion. Our stores are stocked with plastic grass and chocolate bunnies, yet...
Update on Campus Coffee – Aldersgate Reimagined
Update on Campus Coffee – Aldersgate Reimagined Our very own Portico Café will be making its first appearance in our new pop-up coffee shop on April 24! They will swivel and swirl their coffee cart around the campus to reach more people with conversation and...
A Safe Place for Questions
Dear Hyde Park Family, Last Sunday morning, I spent the 9:30 hour with about thirty of our seventh-grade confirmation students, to walk them through a rehearsal for our Confirmation Service on April 24. I also spent time with the entire youth group, for a special...
Sundays in Children’s Ministries
Check out what we're talking about this week in Children's Ministries! Preschool (ages six weeks - Kindergarten) Hear a story called City on a Hill. Learn about how Jesus can help me show God's goodness. Matthew 5:14-16. Elementary (Grades 1 - 5)...
Praying as the Prodigal
Dear Lenten Pilgrims, In March 2010, during a family trip to Paris, we visited the Rodin Museum, featuring the work of the great sculptor Auguste Rodin. We saw his most famous sculpture, The Thinker, along with many other amazing works. In contrast to the smooth...
Generosity Team Giving Tip
If you are age 72 or older, IRS rules require you to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) each year from your tax-deferred retirement accounts. If you have an RMD on your own account or an inherited account and you do not need the funds, donating directly to the...
Purchase Easter Lilies
Purchase Easter lilies to decorate our worship spaces in celebration of the resurrection. A list of lilies purchased in honor of and in memory of loved ones will be in the Easter Sunday bulletin. The lilies may be taken home after the 11 a.m. services at the Hyde Park...
Cornerstone 42nd Annual Wonder Walk
9 a.m. - noon, Saturday, April 2, virtual and in-person. Cornerstone Family Ministries is one of Hyde Park's mission partners. The Magnolia Building will be a check-in location for the event. The Cornerstone team will be there to greet and provide lunch. Join over 700...
Grace in Every Moment
Dear Hyde Park Family, Last week, I returned from spending a few days in San Diego, where my older daughter Grace is a junior at San Diego State. My younger daughter Madelyn flew over from Washington, D.C., giving the three of us a fun time to reconnect....
The Joy of Working With a Mission Partner
Check out how we are partnering with Love INC here.
Gratitude from Endowment
We are so THANKFUL for the "Leading with Gratitude" event last week which was sponsored by the Richard C. Langford Endowment. This endowment was created in loving memory of him by his family in 2015. The event featured Diana Butler Bass who is an award-winning...
Three More Things You Might Give Up for Lent
Dear Lenten Pilgrims, Five years ago, I wrote a Midweek Message titled “Ten Other Things You Might Give Up for Lent,” which was subsequently picked up and published by Ministry Matters, our denomination’s online publication. You may wish to refer back to it as a guide...
Prayer for Ukraine
Dear Hyde Park Family, As we begin this Lenten journey, we join our hearts and spirits in prayer for the devastation occurring in the country of Ukraine and the trauma experienced by its people around the world. We pray for an end to violence, comfort for the mourning...
Lent
Ash Wednesday is the first day of the Christian season called Lent. Lent originated in the fourth century, and was initially a time of preparation for those being baptized at Easter. The ashes symbolize our humility before God, and our recognition that we are mortal....
If the Transfiguration Happened Today
Dear Hyde Park Family, For today’s Midweek Message, I’m resurrecting (pun intended) a message from 2018, in which I playfully contemplate what the transfiguration of Jesus, observed by Christians this Sunday, might look like in today’s social media world. ...
News from Missionaries Pat and Melenda Edmiston
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. An...
Leading with Gratitude – An Evening with Diana Butler Bass
Save the Date – 4-6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, Hyde Park Campus You are invited to: Leading with Gratitude – An Evening with Diana Butler Bass We invite you to join us for a very special event featuring an amazing author and speaker. We are encouraging all our elected...
A Big Hyde Park Welcome
Dear Hyde Park Family, Those who have been around the church for a while know that two of the great blessings in this congregation are its faithful laity and amazing staff. Because so many of you offer your prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness, we make God’s...
Family Fun Night – Movie Night 2022
Children's Ministries welcomes you to a Family Fun Night Movie Night under the stars! 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25. Sanctuary Courtyard. RSVP here! We’ll be watching Tangled projected onto our giant blow-up screen. Everyone in attendance will...