Spiritual Side: Annual Strawberry Festival set for Saturday, March 19

Save the date

It’s time again for St. Jude’s Episcopal Church’s annual Strawberry Festival. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 19, all things strawberry will be available for purchase: strawberry jam and flats of Plant City strawberries (of course), strawberry pizza, themed baskets and lunch. Arts and crafters and business vendors will have booths, and classic cars will be on display.

The church is at 815 E. Graves Ave. in Orange City. Entry is free.

Call 386-775-6200 or visit www.stjudescentralflorida.org for more information.

Rummage Sale going on now at Glenwood Presbyterian

Glenwood Presbyterian Church, 3190 Grand Ave. in DeLand, is currently hosting a three-day Rummage Sale: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday, March 10, Friday, March 11, and Saturday, March 12.

The items offered for sale include housewares, clothes, furniture and shoes, and there is a craft and art marketplace.

Faith Lutheran announces its Lenten schedule

Faith Lutheran Church in DeLand announces its upcoming service schedule for Lent:

On the remaining three Wednesdays, Pastor Bob Berger will share a magnificent video series on the life and mission of Jesus called The Chosen.

Lenten services are at noon and 5:30 p.m. Parishioners are encouraged to bring a lunch for the noon services. The 5:30 p.m. service will include a soup-and-bread meal provided by church members.

On Wednesday, March 16, the service title is “Shabbat”; for Wednesday, March 23, “Jesus Loves the Little Children”; and for Wednesday, March 30, “The Rock on Which It Is Built.”

Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church is at 509 E. Pennsylvania Ave. in DeLand. Call 386-734-2791.

Rev. Linda Yarborough to speak at 1st Christian Church

The Rev. Linda Yarborough is the guest minister for First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of DeLand’s Sunday, March 13, worship service at 10:45 a.m.

Before retirement, the Rev. Yarborough and 12 retired seniors founded, in 1999, a Disciple Church in Wildwood. The church is noted for the ROMEOS, a group of dedicated men who raise a great deal of money to provide scholarships for the Disciples’ summer camps that meet at The Retreat at Silver Springs.

First Christian’s worship service includes music, prayers, Scripture reading, the minister’s message, and open Communion for all Christians.

Essie Miller, Dr. Janet Raney and Sue Brague welcome all bingo players to the church fellowship hall at 7 p.m. Friday, March 11, for an evening of fun and fellowship. Robin Ashton provides child care for families who might need the service.

Dr. Raney meets with the youth at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays. The group is beginning to plan attendance at summer camps held at The Retreat at Silver Springs. The High School Camp is June 12-18; the High School Canoe Camp is July 10-16. The retreat is at 6455 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

Overcoming laziness

“Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy.” — Tchaikovsky

This week, Sunday, March 13, at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., First United Methodist Church of DeLand will be looking at “Laziness” in the ongoing series “The Seven Deadly Sins.”

It is only natural in Florida on a hot summer afternoon to want to just laze around the pool and not do much of anything. But if that is to become our way of life, then we are headed down a slippery slope, so to speak.

Robert Half stated, “Laziness is a secret ingredient that goes into failure. But it’s only kept a secret from the person who fails.” This is especially true when it comes to our spiritual lives as well.

You’re encouraged to attend services Sunday, either in person or online, as everyone looks into this more common deadly sin, and you, along with us, will find God’s plan for helping us to overcome it.

Addressing child poverty

Mosaic Unitarian Universalist Congregation is meeting online at 11 a.m. every Sunday. The title of the March 13 service is “A Call to Action: Addressing Child Poverty and Advancing Social Justice.”

We must persistently and actively dismantle systems of oppression and advance social justice. Economic inequality in the United States is surging, and poverty is disproportionately impact

ing communities of color. Poverty and homelessness continue to have adverse effects on children and youth, as well as on public schools and communities. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated challenges faced by students and families, leaving millions vulnerable and without fundamental human rights.

Addressing poverty and homelessness requires collective efforts, including resource-sharing and equity-centered partnerships.

At the March 13 service, Dr. Rajni Shankar-Brown will, through historical perspectives, current research, intersectional lenses and personal narratives, illuminate socioeconomic inequality and share ideas for civic engagement and community action focused on advancing justice.

Worship leader Jane Bradford will guide everyone through the service. All are welcome.

For more information on Mosaic, visit the website at mosaicuuc.org. For instructions on how to join the virtual service, email mosaicuuc@gmail.com.

Ladies of Liberty, Reprisal

First Unitarian Universalist Church of West Volusia in DeLand will host the Ladies of Liberty, Reprisal on Sunday, March 13, in honor of Women’s History Month. The church celebrates and honors the women of the suffragist movement who worked to gain voting rights for women.

Deborah McShane reprises her cast of talented women to share their talents in this wonderful show presented last year in DeLand.

Those attending in person are encouraged to join 10:15- 10:25 a.m. for greetings before the service begins. Masks are required at this time.

Zoom meetings for a repeat of last week’s program will also be at 10:30 a.m. with an invitation to join between 10:15 and 10:30 a.m. This second-chance meeting for Sunday service is the same every week: 927 1881 9188. ID: https://zoom.us/i/92718819188

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

The Cross, foolish or powerful

The Cross — to our eyes it seems pretty. We wear it as jewelry, shiny gold or silver, on a chain, as a necklace.

During all three worship services Sunday, March 13, the Rev. Harland Merriam will explore “The Cross, Foolish or Powerful” at First Presbyterian Church of DeLand. Exploring the texts of 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 and Mark 8:31-38, the Rev. Merriam will lead those attending to realize that there is so much more to this simple symbol.

In Jesus’ day, the cross was used for torture, to kill. The Romans perfected the cross as an instrument of execution, slow and painful, horrible.

When Jesus says, “Take up your cross” in Mark 8:34, He is not encouraging us to go to the jewelry store and pick out a pretty cross to add to our jewelry collection. Jesus is challenging us to hold nothing back in our obedience to God’s will.

It is a jarring command of Jesus, asking us to deny ourselves, to suffer and even die for God.

Some think of this central reality of the Christian faith, the cross, as total foolishness. Why would anyone do that? What good did it do for Jesus to die on the cross? Not for me.

The Apostle Paul, in the first chapter of his letter to Rome, speaks of the cross as foolishness to some, and yet, when we think about it more deeply, a foolishness that is wiser than human wisdom. The cross is more than pretty jewelry; it is the counterintuitive power of God meeting us at the heart of life.

First Pres continues to follow the devotional Lent in Plain Sight by Jill Duffield. The author uses 10 common-day objects that Jesus would have encountered on His way to Jerusalem. Through ordinary people, ordinary objects, ordinary grace, God communicates to us.

Upcoming Sundays will bring us more common objects, such as coins, shoes, oil, coats and thorns.

Visit the church website at fpcdeland.org for information about other ongoing studies and events. See The Beacon’s Religion Directory for service times and other details. First Pres has a seat saved for you!