Won't You be My Neighbor?

Dear Friends,

Your generosity has blown me away! Many of you have already given to our Helping Hands fund, and this week we blessed Tampa General Hospital with treats for their Chaplains to distribute to the hardworking staff on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Let's keep it going! Consider making a gift online or mailing your gift in today. Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and we are partnering with TRIBE and Seminole Heights United to bless teachers at our partner schools, Seminole Heights Elementary and Memorial Middle School, along with the teachers at Seminole Heights United Methodist Preschool. The church is not closed! Remember, WE are the church. Livestream worship is on Facebook on Sundays at 10:30am here. If you don't have a way to access Facebook, you can call in to worship. Dial (844) 855-4444 and when prompted, enter access code 134223. You can still be part of the Good Neighbor Project. Get to know your neighbors – safely – by placing a doorhanger on their doors with your contact information on it. Let them know you are available to talk, pray, or help however you can. Download the doorhanger here. If you don’t have a printer or can’t print, you can order twelve doorhangers delivered to your door for only $2.50 here. Contact the church at (813) 236-5931 or office@semheights.com if you need help getting doorhangers. Friends, these are hard times. It’s important for us to show grace instead of judgment. It’s ok to experience fear and grief and despair. God is with us even when we feel all of those things. When you are ready to do something, to make a difference, join us! Join us in sharing God’s love in our community. Blessings, Pastor Tiffania

Good Neighbor Project

Dear Friends,

We hosted a great virtual Easter celebration this weekend – if you didn’t get a chance to see it, you can watch online here.

We are living in strange times, and all of us at Seminole Heights United Methodist Church are feeling it, too. Our Preschool is remaining closed, and we will continue to host online worship for the next several weeks at least. Our church building is closed except for essential staff maintaining physical distance.

This is a big change and adjustment for everyone. Not being able to see each other changes everything in our daily lives, not least of which is church.

But as the song says, “The church is not a building… the church is the people.” We are the church! And it’s important for each of us to live out that reality in our current times.

So you are invited to be the church.

This week, our church is launching the Good Neighbor Project. We’re asking everyone to get to know your neighbors – safely – by placing a doorhanger on their door with your contact information on it. Let them know you are available to talk, pray, or help however you can. Download the doorhanger here. If you don’t have a printer or can’t print, you can order twelve doorhangers delivered to your door for only $2.50 here.

Let’s be the church! Our church is also committed to giving any funds donated to our Helping Hands fund to help healthcare workers and first responders on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis. Consider making a gift online or mailing your gift in today.

Friends, these are hard times. It’s going to get harder before it gets easier. It’s ok to experience fear and grief and despair. Know that God is with you even when you are feeling all of those things. When you are ready to do something, to make a difference, join us! Join us in sharing God’s love in our community.

Blessings, Pastor Tiffania

Coronavirus Update March 16

Dear friends, After much prayer and under the direction of our Bishop, we will suspend all activities at Seminole Heights UMC at least through the end of the month. We will still worship online. Instead of two live streams, there will be one live stream on our Facebook page which you can find here at 10:30am on Sunday mornings. This includes all community groups, church groups, meetings, children’s programming, and youth programming. Seminole Heights United Methodist Preschool will close by Monday, March 23 at least through the end of the month. Twelve step groups will still meet and will abide by social distancing recommendations. And though our church building and preschool will be closed, we still have many full-time staff who rely on your gifts to make ends meet. Please continue giving, either by sending your gift to the church or by giving online here. Giving online is safe and easy, and even if you think “we” don’t need your gift, consider that it might benefit you to give as a spiritual practice. During this time of uncertainty, I would encourage all of you to continue to care for one another. We need to come together in some new ways – through phone calls, notes, video chats, texts – so that we continue to “be the church” together. Let me know if I can be of assistance, and I appreciate all that you do for our church and community. Blessings, Pastor Tiffania