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What's Happening ?

Please click into our calendar for up to the minute information on the happenings at Gulf Cove UMC.
Interested in our news and events, just click on the newsletter button below.

Easter Festival and Egg Hunt

Please join us on Saturday , March 30th from 11AM – 1PM for our annual Easter fun for kids!

It’s free, it’s fun and everyone is welcome!

FOR WHERE TWO OR THREE GATHER IN MY NAME, THERE AM I WITH THEM. -MATTHEW 18:20

Our first two quarters of Dinner for Six have been so very fun.  It’s great to get to know each other and share some wonderful meals.  Do we have ANY bad cooks in our midst?  Well, if you’re a bad cook, no worries.  We enjoy food from any of the great supermarkets in the area as well.

Our next session will run April, May and June.  You can sign up by using the attached form or simply fill out a form at Church.

Sign up between now and March 27th.  The groups will be assigned and notified by March 29th.

If you are one of our beloved snow-birds and want to sign up for this fall when you return, please use the registration form and simply put your return month & information in the comments section on the form.  We’ll hold your name until that next session is ready to go.  Or just watch this website for the appropriately time session and sign up then.

Please be our guest on March 24th for any of our 3 services as we celebrate Palm Sunday.  Our services will at 8 AM, 9:30 and 11 AM.  The 8 AM and 11 AM will have traditional music with our 9:30 service having contemporary music. 

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week.  This also marks the last week of Lent.  Let this wonderful and meaningful week start here.

Join us as we begin this journey remembering the life of Christ and resurrection.

Please join us for our Maundy Thursday service on March 28 at 5:00 p.m. 

This will include a potluck meal.  Bring a simple dish to share if you are able, and if you cannot, please come anyway.  There is always plenty of food for everyone!

 

Good Friday

We invite you to our Good Friday Tenebrae Service on March 29 at 6:00 p.m. 

In this ancient service, darkness will be increased by gradually extinguishing candles, to symbolize the coming darkness of Jesus’ death. 

Latin for “darkness,” Tenebrae is a religious service featuring a unique triangular candelabra called a “hearse.” In it are fifteen candles, fourteen darker natural wax candles and one white candle. The fourteen candles represent Jesus’ followers, the white candle represents Jesus.

Please join us for this meaningful service.

Happy Easter!

We at Gulf Cove UMC wish everyone a spiritual and healthy Easter. 

You and your family are invited to our Easter Services on Sunday, March 31. 

Our Sunrise meditative service will start at 6:45 a.m..  Please bring a chair and bug spray for this outdoor service as we greet Easter morning.

The Easter Service message will be indoors at 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. with traditional music.  Join us for this joyous morning.

Our  9:30 a.m. service will have contemporary music.  The spirit of the season is upon us. 

All services can also be viewed online by going to the church’s web home page at https://GulfCoveChurch.com.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

June 10th thru June 14th — 5:30 to 8:30 PM

The VBS theme this year is “Scuba – Diving into Friendship with God”.  Our opening ceremony will start each evening at 5:30, followed by a free, light dinner for each VBS participant and their family members.  After dinner, the kids will go deep into an amazing undersea adventure where they’ll experience the ever-flowing, never-ending love of God.  At Scuba VBS, kids will be immersed in the Word and discover what living water is really all about!  The kids will learn daily Bible points and key Bible verses, and watch inspiring Bible stories.  

Don’t worry, you don’t have to pay for anything, but donations are gratefully accepted.  However we are limited to 60 children, so register early!

Vacation Bible School 2024
Come, Join the Fun!

Calling all bargain hunters and craft junkies!!

It’s time for our Barn and Craft Sale.

The sale will be April 12th & 13th from 8AM – 2PM.  

This is always a treasure trove of goodies and you don’t want to miss it!  Come early and bring a friend.

We will be accepting donations at the Barn on Thursday mornings before the sale.  No electronics or mattresses, please.  

Direct Barn questions to John Furtado at 941.830-0121, and Crafts questions to Kathy Grawcock at 260.226.0240.

As part of God’s family, and Gulf Cove’s family, your gifts, talents and time are important to us!  

We have lots of opportunities to be involved on the attached form.  Please consider these needs and your gifts prayerfully and join the fun.

This is a great way to meet people, plug into your passions and grow our ministry.

Just fill out the form and drop it in the offering plate on Sunday or drop by the office Monday through Thursday.

Don’t hesitate to ask questions.  Remember, you can sign up and treat it like a trial period. 

FLAMINGO FLOCKING ~ The Youth and Jackie Guerin, our Youth Director, are bringing back this youth fundraiser

This is such a fun way to help support our youth.  You don’t have to be a church member to be a flocker or a flockee!

 

 

Closet of Hope Re-Opens!

After a long recovery from Ian, we are happy to be re-opening our Closet of Hope.

We re-open beginning Saturday, 4/6/24!  We will be open the 1st and 3rd Saturdays from 10AM – 1PM.
Also, the Mothers Helping Mothers Relief Trailer will continue to serve on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month.  They are also open from 10AM – 1PM.

Pardon Our Dust!

Hurricane Repair Update Dec. 2023

Since the last update 7/18/23, due to conscientious work on the part of our consultants, BC Peabody, FEMA and the state of Florida have agreed that Houses of Worship coverage will include all areas used in “ministry”. This includes the sanctuary, the education wing, and the portables at GCUMC. The barn, Oaks Cove and the shed are excluded from funding by FEMA. We are very grateful for the work done on behalf of all the churches impacted and requesting FEMA assistance.

 

To date, we have completed inspection by a facilities inspector and a contents inspector. The results of these inspections will go through 2 more FEMA departments for approval before any monetary amount will be recommended. Presently we are using the preliminary reimbursement from our insurance to make repairs. Once FEMA determines the amount to “obligate” to GCUMC, we will be able to start the procurement of a General Contractor.

 

Hopefully you have noticed that the 3 remaining portables have been re-roofed and insulated with spray foam. The Trustees will select a date in the January to finish the dry walling, flooring and ceiling replacement and painting of all 3 portables. The exterior repair will be done when we are able to hire our General Contractor.

 

Last week the Barn and Oaks Cove also received new roofs. The barn had been leaking with each rainstorm. Oaks Cove was not leaking, thankfully. The remainder of Oaks Cove will also be completed by our General Contractor.

 

Most importantly our main building’s roof is under contract! CMM roofing will be installing a “roof hugger” system. This is placing a metal roof over our existing roof. It will allow us to continue using the building while work is being done. The hugger system and gables materials are to be delivered to CMM 12/15/23. The color “interstate blue” has been selected and the custom metal has been ordered. The engineering permit is nearly complete. We hope this will all be started in January.

 

Ways you can help?

  1. Pray for prompt continuation of all aspects of this process.
  2. Contact our Trustee Co-chairs: Jim Brown – 712-299-2084 or Richard Jacoby – 484-560-3412 or write your name, phone number and skills on sign-up sheet in back of sanctuary for assisting in finishing the portables interiors.
  3. Continue to give generously of your time, talents, gifts and service to furthering GCUMC’s mission and repair in order to further God’s work in our community.

Thank you for your patience and assistance during this extensive project.

 

Joan Priest – Leadership Board Chair 

 

Online Services and Sermons​

We all know that feeling when you realize the Pastor’s sermon is talking about what you are going through. As Pastor Mike starts his sermons…”may the words that come from the tip of my tongue be words we need to hear today.”