Spiritual Side: New church service begins called ‘Morning Glory’

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Spiritual Side: New church service begins called ‘Morning Glory’
UNDERSTANDING — Mary Allen, executive director of the African American Museum of the Arts, explains the symbols of a Kwanzaa celebration Dec. 30 at the Dr. Noble “Thin Man” Watts Amphitheater in DeLand. Kwanzaa is an African American celebration of family, community and culture. The event included a libation ceremony, candlelighting ceremony, speakers, traditional food, drummers and dancers. BEACON PHOTO/MARSHA MCLAUGHLIN

Glenwood Presbyterian Church is starting a new service in the new year called “Morning Glory.” The nontraditional casual service is at 8:30 a.m. Sundays, and includes music, meditation and a message. All are welcome!

Special service Jan. 14 to honor Dr. King’s legacy

A Unity Service celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday will take place at noon Sunday, Jan. 14, at Mount Calvary Free Will Baptist Church in DeLand. The service will bring area church leaders together to honor Dr. King’s legacy.

The event will feature music from the MLK Choir and special guest Master Hilton Rawls III, a 12-year-old preaching sensation, whose work as a young preacher has led him to meet the likes of Al Sharpton and others.

‘Here I Am, Send Me’

First Church DeLand invites everyone to attend the three Sunday services Jan. 14. “Here I Am, Send Me” is the sermon title.

When someone asks for volunteers, are we willing to assist? Maybe, maybe not. But when the Lord asks us to do something, what is our answer? Hopefully, we grab an oar and row. Why? Because we have been called by God to do something special. Let us have open ears and hearts so we recognize the call when we hear it.

First Church Academy is opening in the fall of 2024- 25. This will be a hybrid blend of both in-school and at-home instruction. Join for an informational meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22, in the Life Enrichment Center.

“Life on Purpose” is the theme for the Young Adults Ministries. Attendees will work to find God’s purpose in their life as they go through transitional stages, such as post-high school or college, early career or marriage. Sunday Bible Study is at 7 p.m. in Building 6. Dinner is provided.

First Church DeLand is planning a plethora of opportunities for 2024. Families have many exciting activities ahead to be involved in. Youth and young adults will have an active schedule, plus there is a Parish Nurse Ministry, Parents Night Out, weekly grief group, choir, praise team, weekly Bible studies, a women’s group, a men’s group, and so much more! Grab an oar and get involved!

Bahá’ís foster close neighborhood in Bill Dreggors Park

At noon Saturday, Jan. 20, area Bahá’ís will host “Food for Body and Soul,” a community potluck picnic, in the west pavilion of Freedom Playground in Bill Dreggors Park, 230 N. Stone St., DeLand. The theme of the day will be “Good Neighbors.”

Picnic participants will engage in an activity designed to expand their thinking about what it means to be a good neighbor. The December picnic with that theme was canceled because of a threatening weather forecast.

Bahá’ís see humanity as one race and one global family. Conflict and contention are destructive to the global human family as they are to one’s own family.

The Bahá’í writings say, “The utterance of God is a lamp, whose light is these words: Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship. … So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.

“Exert yourselves that ye may attain this transcendent and most sublime station, the station that can ensure the protection and security of all mankind. This goal excelleth every other goal, and this aspiration is the monarch of all aspirations. So long, however, as the thick clouds of oppression, which obscure the daystar of justice, remain dispelled, it would be difficult for the glory of this station to be unveiled to men’s eyes. …”

The “Food for Body and Soul” potluck picnic is normally held at noon in Bill Dreggors Park, 230 N. Stone St., DeLand, on third Saturdays throughout the year. All are welcome.

Who is calling you?

So many things clamor for our attention in this world. The noise can be quite deafening! With so much going on, what do we pay attention to and what do we filter out?

On Sunday, Jan. 14, Pastor Michael Bodger of First Presbyterian Church of DeLand will share his thoughts from 1 Samuel 3:1-10.

Sometimes it’s simply a case of self-preservation to ignore what comes our way. Sometimes, we simply don’t hear it. Even when we do, we can miss or misunderstand the message. The one message that is consistent, that we can either ignore or accept, or simply miss (time and time again), is that from the Living God.

God wants to be in a relationship with us. Not just in relationship though, but for us to live into what that means. Once Samuel understood the message, his response to God was “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Do we understand the message given to us in Jesus Christ, and if so, how do we respond?

First Pres DeLand begins the New Year strong by hosting a Farm Share Food Drive on Saturday, Jan. 20. This is a drive-thru event, and the food is free. Plan to line up in the parking lot by 9 a.m. Food will be distributed until it runs out.

God’s Bathhouse comes to the First Pres courtyard 9-11 a.m. Saturdays, Jan. 13 and 27. This mission benefits those in our community who are in need of a shower. Clean clothes are provided.

‘Man and Superman: Stetson Kennedy vs. the Klan’

Paul Garfinkel will present “Man and Superman: Stetson Kennedy vs. the Klan” at the 10:30 a.m. service Sunday, Jan. 14, at First Unitarian Universalist Church of West Volusia in DeLand.

Garfinkel will discuss innovative social-justice activism as embodied by Floridian Stetson Kennedy’s efforts to find new ways to undermine the activities of the Ku Klux Klan in the American South.

Kennedy’s legacy continues to impact Florida, and indeed the nation, through his lifelong dedication to social justice, Earth kinship, and advocacy of the preservation of cultural traditions.

Unitarian Universalists are an open-minded, freethinking, openhearted, spiritual community where all are welcomed, as everyone learns and explores together in a search for truth. If time allows, discussion may be included after every program.

‘Urban Ecology’

The congregation of Mosaic Unitarian Universalist meets online at 11 a.m. every Sunday. The Jan. 14 service is titled “Urban Ecology.”

Dr. Wendy Anderson will speak about creating spaces and landscapes to support as much biodiversity as we can within our urban boundaries, rather than saying that we live here in cities, and nature is in some nature preserve that is away from where we live.

Dr. Anderson has reported to the Volusia County Council that the “Wildlife Corridor” we need to protect is every square meter between the river and the sea — from north to south and from east to west. She feels we need to find ways to coexist with all the other species who were here long before we arrived.

Jane Bradford will facilitate the service. Everyone is welcome!

— For church locations, worship times, group meetings and contact information, check out the Religion Directory on Page 2B. Send weekly church news and sermon information to margie@beacononlinenews.com.

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Raised in Miami Beach, Margie moved to DeLand after graduating from Florida State University. She has a master's degree in community mental-health counseling, and retired after 12 years in substance-abuse treatment. Having worked at the DeLand Sun News during the 1980s, Margie came to The Beacon in 2002 in search of a second career. She helps the reporters; compiles obituaries, the calendar of events and religion news; and deals with a mountain of emails each day. Margie is the proud Nana to two grandchildren, Sophia and Alex.

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