Those National Medals are Sweet!

It was HOT in Greensboro but it was a clear day for jumping. The original field was supposed to be 188 jumpers at the National Elite level. Only about 50 boys showed up to jump.  

The starting height was 1.72m. Wesley came in at 1.77m and cleared it on the first attempt.

He cleared 1.82m on the first attempt also. 

And he cleared 1.87m on the first attempt. 

At this point, there was a six way tie for first place, including Wesley! 

The next height was 1.92m. Wesley's PR is 1.93m. He missed the first two attempts and cleared the height on his third attempt. 

Only 9 jumpers moved on to the next height, 1.97m. Wesley missed all of his attempts but he was SO close. Only two boys cleared the height. Since the top 8 boys medal, our Wesley came in 5th place overall!!!!!!! We stayed for the medal ceremony, which was very nice and got some good pictures of Wesley and his sweet looking medal. 

To celebrate, we went to dinner at Mellow Mushroom and then crashed out at the hotel. 

Road Trip to Greensboro

Daryl and Wesley met me in Lakeland on Thursday afternoon and we roadtripped up to Greensboro, NC for Adidas Track Nationals. We made it to Truist Stadium at NC A&T University for packet pickup and his nationals bag. 

Afterwards we checked into our hotel downtown and went for a walk to find some dinner. 

It was Juneteenth and we happened to walk past the International Civil Rights Museum at the original Woolworth's building where the sit-ins started on February 1, 1960. 

Right in front of our restaurant Dear Dad, there were artists finishing up a beautiful Black Lives Matter mural in the road. 

Dinner was awesome! I had blackened salmon with spinach and sweet potato fries while the guys had birria quesadillas. 

 

All Work and Now Play

This was my last week of work before starting renewal leave for the summer. It started with preaching at First UMC Bradenton before they voted at a church conference about pursuing property redevelopment. 

Me with Pastor Robin and two members of the congregation who are in their 90s and who are big advocates for the property redevelopment. 

Me with Pastor Robin and Pastor Haley from nearby Emmanuel UMC. First Bradenton will temporarily share space at Emmanuel during redevelopment. 

Then I drove out to Nocatee near Arcadia to say goodbye to the Cortes family. They've been leading a mission there and they are moving to Miami to be near family. 

During the week at First Sarasota, the halls were ringing with music for the church's Mira Mar Music Camp. 

And I got to go to lunch with Jonathan McCurley, a colleague who is home temporarily from his missionary assignment in Japan. 

The last day of the week was spent in the conference office for meetings. So glad to see Latricia at one of them. I took a walk around the nearby lake before heading out at the end of the day. 

 

Sebring to Bradenton to Camp

This week started with worship and preaching at Spring Lake UMC in Sebring. I’m so grateful for this small but mighty congregation whose impact reaches far beyond their size through their commitment to mission and outreach.

Throughout the week, I spent time at both Harvest UMC in Lakewood Ranch and Trinity UMC in Bradenton for meetings and a little mobile office time. Both churches were hosting VBS, and it was wonderful to see the creativity, excitement, and energy filling their campuses as children learned and grow in faith.

The week wrapped up at Warren Willis Camp in Leesburg, where I had the opportunity to speak with the summer leadership team during orientation week. What an incredible group of young leaders! Their passion, enthusiasm, and servant hearts are inspiring, and I know our campers will be in great hands as the first camp sessions begin next week.

 

St-Pete and Clearwater Trips

Tuesday Daryl and drove to Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater to see a comedian/magician we both follow online - Carisa Hendrix as Lucy Darling! So fabulous

And then on Wednesday, Wesley went to the Rays game in St Pete with some school friends. These were their $10 seats and they were on TV.

 

Annual Conference: Faith Rising

It was Annual Conference last week in Lakeland. Things got started on Wednesday. I recorded a video about labyrinths. The official kickoff was a Next Generation Worship Service in Branscomb - the youth and young adults were awesome! Several of our district youth led in the service. And then afterwards I went to speak to our youth delegation. 

Thursday morning was the clergy session at First Lakeland that I was in charge of. Then I ran over to catch the end of the laity session where two of our district folks were certified as lay ministers. Then it was time to celebrate at the clergywomen lunch where the speaker was from the Commission on the Status and Role of Women. 

A few more of our district folks were helping on stage as Timekeeper and Parliamentarian. And some others as speakers. 

Then in the afternoon I had the privilege to give the BOM report before we recognized retirees and the ordinands. 

On Friday I was back up on stage to give the Cabinet report and lead the church discontinuances motion. 

Then later I got to come back out on stage to give a big check for $100,000 to the president of Gammon Theological Seminary for scholarships. 

A few more of our district pastors and youth made it up onto the stage as well. 

Lunch was spent with the local pastors and these were the ones present from the South West district 

I found a few more of our district clergy and laity in Honeyman Pavilion during one of the breaks, along with two of our candidates for ministry from a church in Naples. 

We elected a new co-lay leader for the Annual Conference - our first deaconness and a member of the Haitian community. 

Dinner was back at First Lakeland with the MFSA crowd (Methodists for Social Action), where one of our district pastors honored the anniversaries for clergywomen and deacons. 

And then it was time for the Memorial Service, led by three different district pastors. Trinity UMC Bradenton also offered their lay support to welcome all the families. 

Saturday morning we debated a resolution brought by one of our district laity and had another pastor back up on the stage as well. Then we set the appointments by having each superintendent kneel and be prayed over by the bishop.  

Then it was time for the ordination service. I got to lead the Nicene Creed and also the offering moment. 

It was so much fun after to celebrate with colleagues and friends for all of the licensed, commissioned and ordained pastors.