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Rev. Missy Turbeville *From the December 2025 FUMC of Bartow Newsletter
The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it -John 1:5
If it were possible during this Christmas season, I would gift everyone with the opportunity to see this congregation in some of the ways that I do. It is a beautiful thing to watch you interact during the Passing of the Peace and see people talking and reaching out to one another. It is a joy to witness the way folks stay after church and chat– sometimes deciding to join each other for lunch, other times going their separate ways; the acts of compassion and generosity that I am privy to for various reasons; and the grace with which so many of you navigate your days despite hardship and obstacles that might even give Job pause.
In the last year, we have continued to live into our calling to witness to Christ in Bartow and beyond. We really sought to be there for our brothers and sisters in Cuba. We walked beside multiple families as they grieved, often while we also grieved. We supported our ZOE Empowers Togetherness Group in Rwanda. We almost doubled our goal of 10 flood buckets when we created 17 buckets full of supplies to help those who face the devastation of flooding and storms. We are well on our way to meeting 100% of our apportionments which means women and children in harm’s way will be ministered to; people around the world seeking to be in ministry will find it easier and less expensive to be educated; pastors who need a break will be given opportunities to rest; those caught in disasters and violence will find spiritual and physical support; hungry people are being fed in their bodies and souls; and those who have felt like the world was against them have heard the good news that they are loved by the living God. In these ways and many more, we have acted as the hands, feet, and heart of Christ.
We are now entering the last month of the calendar year and have just begun the Christian year. It is a time of continued ministries and new starts. It is a time of hope, peace, joy, love, and light. Like the gospel writer John, we do not deny that the world is sometimes dark, instead we proclaim and live the good news that the light always overcomes the darkness. We are a part of that light bringing and do what we do in the name of the One who is the light of the world and calls us salt and light. In this time of beginnings and endings, we are challenged to continue and add to the good work that this congregation has been a part of this year.
This year’s March to the Manger is an opportunity to start the new year strong. In past years, the March to the Manger helped us finish paying our apportionments and work to close the gap between our income (your giving) and our expenses (the costs associated with the ministries of this church). For the first time in years, we believe that we will have already met the two goals above and we seek to push into the new calendar and fiscal year from a place of stability. We would like to expand our ministries and we cannot do that without ending well and starting strong.
All we are and aspire to be is in keeping with who we are as Christ followers who seek to witness to the good news of Christ empowered by the Holy Spirit in Bartow and beyond. There are children, youth, and families who need the message of hope that we bear. There are retirees, empty-nesters, and those in nursing homes who need to know the joy that they are not alone and are loved. We have people going through crisis who desperately need peace and support that is physical, spiritual, and emotional. To do these things takes all that we are as we participate with our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness in and as the body of Christ at work in the world.
This year’s March to the Manger will be Sunday, December 21. On the day of the longest night of the year, you are invited to help the light of Christ shine in the darkness as we move to expand our ministries of hope, peace, joy, and love.
With love in Christ,
Pastor Missy
The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it -John 1:5
If it were possible during this Christmas season, I would gift everyone with the opportunity to see this congregation in some of the ways that I do. It is a beautiful thing to watch you interact during the Passing of the Peace and see people talking and reaching out to one another. It is a joy to witness the way folks stay after church and chat– sometimes deciding to join each other for lunch, other times going their separate ways; the acts of compassion and generosity that I am privy to for various reasons; and the grace with which so many of you navigate your days despite hardship and obstacles that might even give Job pause.
In the last year, we have continued to live into our calling to witness to Christ in Bartow and beyond. We really sought to be there for our brothers and sisters in Cuba. We walked beside multiple families as they grieved, often while we also grieved. We supported our ZOE Empowers Togetherness Group in Rwanda. We almost doubled our goal of 10 flood buckets when we created 17 buckets full of supplies to help those who face the devastation of flooding and storms. We are well on our way to meeting 100% of our apportionments which means women and children in harm’s way will be ministered to; people around the world seeking to be in ministry will find it easier and less expensive to be educated; pastors who need a break will be given opportunities to rest; those caught in disasters and violence will find spiritual and physical support; hungry people are being fed in their bodies and souls; and those who have felt like the world was against them have heard the good news that they are loved by the living God. In these ways and many more, we have acted as the hands, feet, and heart of Christ.
We are now entering the last month of the calendar year and have just begun the Christian year. It is a time of continued ministries and new starts. It is a time of hope, peace, joy, love, and light. Like the gospel writer John, we do not deny that the world is sometimes dark, instead we proclaim and live the good news that the light always overcomes the darkness. We are a part of that light bringing and do what we do in the name of the One who is the light of the world and calls us salt and light. In this time of beginnings and endings, we are challenged to continue and add to the good work that this congregation has been a part of this year.
This year’s March to the Manger is an opportunity to start the new year strong. In past years, the March to the Manger helped us finish paying our apportionments and work to close the gap between our income (your giving) and our expenses (the costs associated with the ministries of this church). For the first time in years, we believe that we will have already met the two goals above and we seek to push into the new calendar and fiscal year from a place of stability. We would like to expand our ministries and we cannot do that without ending well and starting strong.
All we are and aspire to be is in keeping with who we are as Christ followers who seek to witness to the good news of Christ empowered by the Holy Spirit in Bartow and beyond. There are children, youth, and families who need the message of hope that we bear. There are retirees, empty-nesters, and those in nursing homes who need to know the joy that they are not alone and are loved. We have people going through crisis who desperately need peace and support that is physical, spiritual, and emotional. To do these things takes all that we are as we participate with our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness in and as the body of Christ at work in the world.
This year’s March to the Manger will be Sunday, December 21. On the day of the longest night of the year, you are invited to help the light of Christ shine in the darkness as we move to expand our ministries of hope, peace, joy, and love.
With love in Christ,
Pastor Missy
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Worship on Sundays at 10:30AM both at the sanctuary and streamed online on our Facebook page.
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