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Stetson Baptist Church, at 1025 W. Minnesota Ave. in DeLand, has announced new Sunday-service times due to the coronavirus. 

A traditional service is offered at 8:30 a.m., while modern services take place at 9:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. 

Preschool, children and adult small groups meet at 9:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. 

Youth small groups meet at 11 a.m.; youth large groups meet at 6 p.m. 

Interested people can watch livestreamed services at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on www.stetson.church. Call 386-734-1991. 

Not our own 

This Sunday, Jan. 17, at First Presbyterian Church of DeLand, Pastor Michael Bodger will lead congregants at services offered in person, recorded and livestreamed. 

The sermon, “We Are Not Our Own,” will consider 1 Corinthians 6:12-20. This is a profoundly serious declaration that states, 

 “Everything is permissible for me (Verse 1),” but not everything is beneficial and that “… your bodies are members of Christ himself…..bought at a price (Verse 20).” 

Contemporary life holds many facets, with varied careers, leisure activities, group associations, life choices, financial concerns, and cultural influences, enticing believers to fall prey to many errant ways of the world. 

Daily decisions often fall short of God’s view if we fail to allow the Living God to serve as our guide. In his letter to the wayward Corinthians, Paul tells us moderns that we can live in a manner pleasing to God only by submitting to the greater guidance of the Living God. We believers clearly do live through God’s spirit … not our own. 

Opportunities to worship together this Sunday are recorded on the www. fpcdeland.org website and Facebook. If you choose to attend in person, please observe COVID-19 protocol, as all who visit the First Pres campus are doing. 

In fellowship hall, the contemporary service begins at 9 a.m.; in the sanctuary, the traditional service begins at 11 a.m. At this time, only the 11 a.m. service is being livestreamed through the website. The church celebrates the Lord’s Supper every Sunday and invites all at home to join with their own elements. 

To discover Bible-study opportunities, live and Zoomed on Sundays or weekdays, consult the church website for specifics. 

Also, Presbyterian Women have seven circles meeting monthly, and the 33rd Annual Gathering on Saturday, Jan. 23, will be via Zoom. You can find more specifics and registration details in the church office and at www.pwcfp. com, with a Jan. 20 deadline for the Central Florida Presbytery event. 

On the church campus, the Children’s Ministry is studying “Digging Into the Life of Jesus” at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. in the art room. With clear identification of each family, parents can drop off their children before attending worship. Trained volunteers eagerly will teach these gatherings, with masks required. The Scripture-based topics will involve various people and events in Jesus’ life, such as Simeon and Anna, John the Baptist, and the evidence of Jesus’ wisdom. 

‘Artivism’ for human rights and eco-justice 

First Unitarian Universalist Church of West Volusia in DeLand is continuing to host virtual services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays. Those wishing to attend are encouraged to join over Zoom from 10:15 to 10:25 a.m. for greetings before the service begins. 

On Sunday, Jan. 17, blending poetry, visual arts and music, Dr. Rajni Shankar-Brown will discuss the spiritual interweaving and radiant promise of artivism (arts and activism) to promote human rights and advance justice around the globe. This presentation will include poems from Dr. Shankar-Brown’s recently published collection of poetry, Tuluminous (2020), along with a kaleidoscope of voices and examples of past and present artivism. 

The Zoom ID for Sunday Services is the same every week: Zoom ID: 927 1881 9188. 

Regular group meetings continue on Zoom: The Book and Poetry clubs each meet monthly, the Covenant Group meets every two weeks, and the Men’s Group meets weekly. 

The church can be contacted through www. uudeland.org to learn more. 

Unitarians are an open-minded, openhearted spiritual community where all are welcomed to learn together. 

1st Congregational Church activities 

First Congregational Church of Orange City, United Church of Christ, has returned to worship in its sanctuary, with CDC guidelines in place. Masks are required. 

Services will be at 10:30 a.m. There will be no fellowship hour. 

Those who cannot attend in person, are invited to worship on Zoom. 

Contact the church office at 386-775-2462 or email to firstucc_ocy@yahoo. com to request the link, and check your email for the invite. 

The project for the month of January will be collecting items for hygiene and baby-care kits for the church’s disaster program. 

A hygiene kit includes one hand towel (16 inches by 28 inches), one washcloth, one wide-toothed comb, one nail clipper, one bath-size bar of soap in a wrapper, one toothbrush in its original package, and six Band-Aids. The estimated cost is $10. 

A baby-care kit includes six cloth diapers, two T-shirts (no onesies), two washcloths, two sleepers, two diaper pins, one sweater or sweatshirt, and two receiving blankets. All items must be new and under 12 months in size. The estimated cost is $40. 

There will be a container in the library area for your donations or, if you prefer, mail a check to the church, and church members will do the shopping for you. Please mark on your envelope the kit that your donation is to apply to. 

Journeying toward spiritual wholeness 

Mosaic Unitarian Universalist Congregation, while not meeting face to face, is meeting online at 11 a.m. every Sunday. The Jan. 17 service is titled “An 8th Principle?” 

An eighth Unitarian Universalist principle has been proposed: “Journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountability dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.” The congregation will consider this principle in a sharing circle. 

Visit www.8thprincipleuu.org to learn about this initiative, and visit mosaicuuc.org for more information on this Sunday’s service. 

The Rev. Tracy Lunquist will lead the service. Everyone is welcome! 

For instructions on how to join the virtual service, email to mosaicuuc@gmail. com. 

‘From Carefree to Commitment’ 

On Sunday, Jan. 17, at First United Methodist Church of DeLand, the sermon series “Forward … God’s Call to Move” continues. This Sunday, Pastor Owen Stricklin will deliver the message “Forward From Carefree to Commitment.” He quotes St. Paul saying, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal.” 

Continuing in his own words, Pastor Stricklin says, “Here at First Church we covet to strain toward what is ahead. It almost sounds like a difficult challenge; and it well might be. However, we keep our eyes on the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. We believe in taking risks for Christ, we witness miracles, we believe in the power of prayer, we sacrifice and we press on toward our goal to ‘intentionally share Christ’s love and salvation as God Directs.’” 

Those who wish to see live Sunday-morning services may continue to view them on the internet. 

An in-person contemporary service is held in the Life Enrichment Center at 9:30 a.m. The traditional service in the sanctuary is held at 11 a.m. Masks and social distancing are required. A drive-in service is held at 8 a.m. at Building 6. 

Those viewing online should go to the church’s website at Firstchurchdeland.org.