GREG
UCHIMURA
VIDEO TECH
THE WEEKDAY WORD…
UPDATED: August 28, 2025
Awakened to Grace
This week Eli, Judah and I have been listening to some advanced episodes of the Family Prayer Podcast, a new podcast coming for families to listen together and develop spiritual practices like gratitude, intention, and prayer. Because the official podcast launches in Advent this year, some of the topics are about how excited we are about Christmas, and for Judah, even though it isn’t quite September yet, Christmas couldn’t come soon enough!
Speaking of Christmas and the advent season…
The Florida Conference made an announcement of a new journey for us to take together that is going to start during advent. Our Conference theme is “Awakened to Grace,” and we are being invited to spend a year intentionally finding ways to become more aware, more inspired, and more responsive to God’s grace already around us.
The resources will include:
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A daily guide for spiritual practices
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Worship resources to enhance congregational life
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Children, youth and family resources
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Opportunities for connection to the work happening throughout the Conference
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And more!
You can watch the Bishop’s video about this initiative here: Awakened to Grace Initiative
Want to Go Deeper?
Sunday School has resumed, and we will be taking this opportunity following the service at 10:45am to dive more deeply into the book of 1 Corinthians. There is so much depth in these verses that we cannot explore in the Sunday sermon. Sunday school will be a great opportunity to ask more question about these verses.
This week we will be diving into 1 Corinthians 8. Bring your bibles, a pen, and a notebook as we search for the many treasures in this passage.
Buckets of Hope Challenge
You did it! Emmanuel set a goal to raise enough to build 20 Buckets of Hope to serve our neighbors who experience hurricane damage. Current forecasts are projecting an active season, and these buckets, along with those made by other UMC churches, will be delivered to people in need.
We still need your help to assemble our buckets!
After church on September 7th, we will fill our flood buckets with all the necessary supplies. Join us in McKay Hall as we work together to make sure each bucket is ready. This is a great activity for everyone to help with, as there is something that everyone can do. Following the hard work, we will celebrate by “bucketing the pastor” in our courtyard.
Thank you for your care and generosity this hurricane season!
Residing Hope
This Sunday is the 5th Sunday of the month, which means that we will be collecting money for Residing Hope, a United Methodist ministry caring for abused, abandoned and neglected children. This residential program makes a huge difference in children’s lives, and connects them to God’s love.
The SPARK youth group at Residing Hope has recorded 3 original worship songs, which are available to listen to online. If you want to connect to the impact of your giving, consider checking out the link below:
In Christ's Love,
Pastor Haley
Emmanuel United Methodist Church
941-792-3497
5115 Cortez Rd. West, Bradenton, FL 34210
