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All are welcome to join us for worship on Sunday morning with a message titled Do Not Be Afraid from Pastor Kevin at the Longleaf campus and a message from the District Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Simon Osunlana, titled Worry-less, Pray More on the Mandarin campus.
If you are not joining us in person we invite you to participate online at any of the platforms linked at the end of this email. We are excited to worship with you!
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Looking Ahead
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November 22 | Christmas tree lot opens
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November 23 | Reception for Adam Stich’s last day
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November 26-27 | Church office closed for Thanksgiving
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November 30 | Hanging of the Greens (Mandarin)
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November 30 | Potluck – 10:00 AM » both campuses
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November 19 | Wednesday Night Activities
Join us Wednesday nights on the Mandarin campus! See more information on each of the following in their ministry section.
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Dinner – Adult Meal: turkey, potatoes, veggies, dessert, and drink – $6 per person. Kids Meal: smaller portion of turkey, potatoes, veggies, dessert, and drink – $4 per person. Family Max Price (2 adults & 2 or more kids) – $20 per family. Sign up here. Required registrations by Tuesday evening are highly recommended.
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Youth Praise Band – 5:00 - 5:45 PM in the Worship space.
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Youth Choir – 5:45 - 6:30 PM in the Sanctuary
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Adult Chancel Choir – 7:00 - 8:00 PM in the Sanctuary
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Cherub Choir – 6:00 - 6:30 PM in FLC 830
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Children’s Choir – 6:30 - 7:00 PM in FLC 830
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Chancel Ringers Bell Choir – 6:15-7:00 PM in the Choir Room
- Adult Classes
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6:15 - 7:15 PM – Incarnation » Room 842
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6:30 - 8:00 PM – An Unlikely Advent » Room 854
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November 20 | Ladies Luncheon
The Ladies Luncheon will gather on Thursday, November 20 at 11:30 AM in Wesley Hall for a potluck luncheon. All ladies are welcome!
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November 23 | Last Sunday for our Director of Music, Adam Stich
Adam Stich's last Sunday with us will be November 23. After traditional worship that day, all are welcome to attend a reception with a light lunch in Wesley Hall to say goodbye to Adam and express appreciation for his time with us.
Our Staff Parish Relations Committee has formed a group to search for a new Director of Music. If you know anyone who may be interested in this position, you can direct them to information about this position here. We are accepting applications through November 19.
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December | Upcoming Holiday Season Dates
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November 30 | Hanging of the Greens (Mandarin)
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December 7 | A Light in the Darkness » 12:15 PM
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December 13 | Journey Through Bethlehem » 4:00 PM
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December 23 | Longleaf Christmas Service » 6:00 PM » Freedom Crossing Academy
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December 24 | Mandarin Christmas Eve Services
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4:00 PM | Carols & Communion Service » Sanctuary
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4:00 PM | Family Service » Worship Center
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6:00 PM | Lessons & Carols Service » Sanctuary
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6:00 PM | Connection Christmas Eve Service » Worship Center
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December 7 | A Light in the Darkness Community Gathering
Advent is a season of preparation. Sometimes with all the celebratory events and shopping, we can miss out on ways we can prepare for the birth of Christ. One way we are invited to prepare is to bring our hurts, our sorrows, our regrets, our loss, our anxiety, and our worries... and give it all to God. Join Pastor Missy and the Stephen Ministers as we come together in a quiet space for a meal, some peaceful reflective songs and Christmas hymns, a devotion, prayer, and a reflection time. Please register so we can have enough food for all. Register here.
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Christmas Poinsettias
A poinsettia may be purchased in honor or memory of a loved one to decorate the Sanctuary, Worship Center, or Longleaf stage. The cost this year is $15. Place a form and payment in the offering plate (found at the entrance of the church or Worship Center), return it to the church office, or sign up on Realm. Deadline for to purchase is December 15. Poinsettias may be picked up after Christmas Eve services.
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Every Gift Tells A story
“We give because we are so blessed with a great array of worship and giving activities. Specifically, we are participants in the young choirs as a musical director and in the Upward basketball program as a coach, referee and organizer. These activities provide a service to the church and give us a tremendous sense of ‘giving back’ feeling. We get more back than we give, no doubt!”
-Anonymous.
“In one of the old Nooma videos, Rob Bell makes a comparison between households in most of the world that have no car or maybe 1 car and households in the U.S., where we have 2 or 3 cars or more. That really made an impression on me. I found myself thinking, what does ‘give all you can’ as John Wesley instructs us to do look like in my ‘rich’ 2-car household?”
-Jennifer H.
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Military Service Appreciation
At Mandarin and Longleaf we are a church that believes in sharing our stories as a way to deepen and broaden our faith. If you have a military service story, or if you want to share a family member’s story please email them along with a picture if you have one to office@mumc.net. We hope in the future to continue to share these stories when we honor and give thanks to those who serve our country.
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Upcoming Classes & Small Groups
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Nov 14 | Men's Friday Coffee Crew – 7:30 AM » Maple Street Biscuit on Racetrack Rd.*
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Nov 14 | Longleaf Friday Morning Men’s Fellowship – 8:00 AM » Starbucks (495 SR 13N)*
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Nov 17 | Sophia Circle – 5:30 PM » Room 304
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Nov 18 | Men’s 210 Scripture & Coffee Fellowship – 7:00 AM » Dunkin on CR 210*
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Nov 18 | The Christmas Letters Bible Study – 9:30 AM » Room 842
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Nov 20 | Ladies Luncheon – 11:30 AM » Wesley Hall
*New to Mandarin + Longleaf UMC? You’re invited! Looking to meet new people and feel more connected? Join one of our relaxed drop-in gatherings.
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November 17 | Sophia Circle
Meet on Monday, November 17 at 5:30 PM in Room 304 (Bence Wing) to discuss Chapters 12-14 of the book Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People by Nadia Bolz-Weber.
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November 18 | The Christmas Letters Bible Study
Join this 4-week Bible study on Tuesdays at 9:30 AM in Room 842: The Christmas Letters by Magrey R. deVega. This study invites you to explore some of the letters in the New Testament, the Epistles, to hear about the miracle of Christ’s birth from those who first told the story. Register here.
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December 1 | New Book Club – Beyond Words
As Methodists, we believe in personal holiness, social action, and that all creation belongs to God. The Beyond Words book club will focus on spiritual growth (personal holiness) social action, and creation. We will meet the first Monday of the month, starting in December. The meeting will take place on Monday, December 1st. A time will be determined by what works best for the group - sign up to share your availability. All adults are welcome. Register here.
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December 1 – Spiritual Growth » How We Learn to be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith, by Mariann Edgar Budde.
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January 5, 2026 – Social Action » The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams.
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December 11 + 12 | True Beauty Book Club
The True Beauty book club will meet in December after having read the book Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan for a discussion. Upon registration, the location will be emailed to you the week of the meeting. Meeting dates will be:
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Adult Bible Studies Ongoing Small Groups
Check out some of our various small groups. To learn more about groups and see what we're studying, click here.
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Weekly | Classes
Check out our various Sunday School classes. To learn more about times, locations, and what we're studying, click here.
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Upcoming Ways to Serve + Get Involved
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November 22 | UMM Christmas Tree Lot
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ICARE Update
Last week ICARE met for their Community Problems Assembly to kick off the year of events. The current areas of work for this year are Affordable Housing, Adult Civil Citations, and Reducing Murders and Saving Lives. If you are interested in joining a Research Committee, click here to register. They will meet via Zoom on December 1, at 6:30 PM.
| | UM Men + United Women in Faith | | | |
Christmas Tree Lot Staff Needed
The Christmas tree lot opens on November 22. The lot will be open from November 22 - December 7 (closed on Thanksgiving). We need people to volunteer to staff the tree lot. Shifts are 4 hours long, and you can sign up for shifts here. The United Methodist Men sponsor the tree lot and the funds collected are used for campus projects and ministries. Please help if you can; all adults are welcome to help.
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Craft Festival Funds Update
The following are charities that received approximately $13,000 from the Craft Festival:
Bereavement Fund, City Rescue Mission, Cornerstone Family Ministries, Crown Point Elementary School, DLC Nurse and Learn, Dress a Girl (DAG), First Coast Women's Services, Hubbard House, Inspire to Rise, John Hall Charities of Clay County, K-9's for Warriors, Mandarin Food Bank, Pace Center for Girls, Personal Energy Transportation (PET), Residing Hope (Fl. Chitdren's Home), Rethreaded, Seminary Student, Wesley House Family Services, and Wounded Warriors.
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Weekly | Facilities Recreation Schedule
Pickleball:
- Sundays: 1:30-4:00 PM
- Tuesdays: 5:00-7:30 PM
- Thursdays: 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
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Registration now open for 2026 Basketball/Cheer Season!
Registration is open for the 2026 basketball and cheer season at MUMC!
For all the season's details, please see the MUMC website and to volunteer as a coach or referee, please email Chris. Don't forget that Evaluations will be on Saturday, December 13 and that the early registration discounts ends the same day.
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Upcoming Summer Dates
May 31 - June 7 | VBS Set up
June 8 - June 12 | SC Wk 1 + Vacation Bible School and Basketball Camp
June 15 - June 19 | Summer Camp Wk 2 + Youth Mission Trip
June 22 - June 26 | Summer Camp Wk 3
June 29 - July 3 | Summer Camp Wk 4 + Warren Willis
July 6 - July 10 | Summer Camp Wk 5
July 13 - July 17 | Summer Camp Wk 6 + Passion Camp for Youth
July 20 - July 24 | SC Wk 7 + Music Camp (2nd - 6th grade)
July 27 - July 31 | Summer Camp Wk 8
| | For more information, see the Youth at a Glance email. Email Paula to sign up for our weekly Youth at a Glance, sign up for text message reminders here, and visit our website. View weekly activities, the calendar, and full list of events here. | | | | |
Upcoming Youth Dates
November 14-16 | Team Survival Challenge
December 7 | Progressive Dinner
December 13 | Journey to Bethlehem
December 19 | Christmas Lock-In
December 21 | White Elephant Gift Exchange
July 13-17, 2026 | Passion Camp
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July 13 - 17 | Passion Camp 2026
Passion Camp has been a highlight for our students over the past four years, and we’re excited to return in the summer of 2026! To secure our spot, the first deposit of $100 per student is due.
Please note: Balance of camp, after this deposit is paid, can be covered by yams if a family chooses to use their yams in this way.
Please pay your deposit here.
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Thank you!
Thank you for a great pumpkin patch season. We had the best season yet. Thank you for all you did to make this season a GREAT season. Thank you to those who came to help with tear down and Christmas tree lot set up.
| | To learn more about our Children's Ministry, click here. To view weekly activities, the calendar, and full list of events click here. If you have any questions, please contact Angie. | | | | |
Coming Up in Children's Ministry
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Wednesdays | Children’s Choir & Classes – 6:00 - 8:00 PM
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Sundays | Junior Youth – 12:00 to 2:30 PM
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Junior Youth (4th + 5th Grade)
We invite all Junior Youth to join us on Sundays 12:00 - 2:30 PM for food, fellowship, and fun starting this Sunday. Learn more and sign up here.
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What are the Children Learning this Month?
Visit our website to find out what your children are learning this month! Click here.
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Sign your child up for preschool today!
Join a loving community where faith and education grow hand and hand. Openings are available for all ages through VPK. Learn more here or email Kristie O’Keefe.
| | Love God and Neighbor, Build Community → No Limits | | |
Quick Links
To learn more about any of the events you saw above or about more activities offered on our two campuses, click the links below:
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Mandarin United
Methodist Church
11270 San Jose Blvd,
Jacksonville, FL 32223
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Longleaf Church,
a branch of Mandarin United
Methodist Church
1365 Shetland Drive
St. Johns, FL 32259
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