| By Michael Wacht
ORLANDO — President George W. Bush declared
Sept. 14 a national day of prayer for everyone affected by the Sept.
11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and
Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the crashed airplane in
Pennsylvania.
In the Florida Conference, United Methodist
churches honored that request and did much more during the days
following the attacks. They held prayer vigils and healing services
for their communities, encouraged people to give blood and offered
opportunities to donate, and began raising money for relief efforts.
Many services the Sunday after the attacks were revised to focus on
providing comfort and hope.
The Rev. Warren Langer, pastor of Orlando’s
Sanlando United Methodist Church, offered a prayer service Sept. 12
that was attended by nearly 350 adults and more than 75 children.
Mayors from nearby towns who are “known as Christians and willing to
speak” attended and shared their thoughts on grief, regaining
security and God’s assurance, Langer said. The four counselors from
the church’s counseling center and pastors from nearby United
Methodist churches were available to people in the community, and
church members distributed free Bibles, brochures with Biblical
references and care cards. The church’s Kids Club presented “a
Bible study and crafts that helped the kids start to process their own
feelings and the stress of their parents,” Langer said.
In other parts of the conference…
More than 725 Florida Southern College students and faculty attended a
Tuesday afternoon service led by college President Thomas Reuschling
and the Revs. Waite Willis, chairman of the Religion and Philosophy
Department, and Brenda Lewis, college chaplain. The college also began
collecting money for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR),
encouraging students to donate blood and offering counseling.
At the Orlando District’s First United Methodist Church, Winter
Park, children in the Wednesday afternoon “Kid Connection”
ministry made cards for people in New York who were personally
affected by the tragedy. The cards were sent to the Rev. Javier Viera,
a former member of the Florida Conference who is a pastor at Christ
United Methodist Church on Park Avenue in New York City. The church
also opened its sanctuary all day Tuesday and Wednesday for prayer.
The Rev. Keith Hopper, pastor of the Grassington Methodist charge in
West Yorkshire, England, opened his church Friday for prayer for Bush
and the people of the United States. Hopper was an exchange pastor
last year at Ocala West United Methodist Church in the Leesburg
District.
More than 250 people attended First United Methodist Church, Brandon,
Tuesday night for a community-wide prayer service. The church also
continued with its scheduled Saturday satellite simulcast of John
Maxwell’s TEAM program, which included a service of prayer and hope
led by John Maxwell, Bruce Wilkinson, Max Lucado, Jim and Shirley
Dobson, and Franklin Graham.
United Methodist Temple in Lakeland offered printed information on
helping children deal with tragedy to parents and grandparents in the
church and teachers and parents of its day-care and after-school-care
programs. The church also provided assistance with transportation for
a man whose brother was a passenger on one of the hijacked planes so
he could travel to Boston to be with his sister-in-law.
First United Methodist Church, Orlando, held a service Friday at noon
for the downtown Orlando business district. Many Orlando-area pastors
attended and were available following the service to counsel
individuals. More than 450 business people and United Methodists
attended on their lunch break.
Hobe Sound United Methodist Church held a joint prayer service Tuesday
night with nearby Bible College Church, which was tented for termites.
Bible College Church invited Hobe Sound members to a Wednesday night
service.
The Grapevine United Methodist Church in Port St. Lucie held a joint
worship and candlelight service Wednesday with First United Methodist
Church, Port St. Lucie.
First, Port St. Lucie, and a local psychologist are planning an event
for parents and grandparents to offer tips on helping them deal with
questions and concerns from children and youth during crises. At all
Sunday services, white bows on vines were strung on the altar rail to
symbolize the need to “lay down as much anger as we can release at
this time and…physically express hope.”
Members of Union Street United Methodist Church in Clearwater opened
the church Tuesday night for anyone needing to pray and talk.
St. James United Methodist Church, Palatka, opened its church
Wednesday for prayer.
Nearly 200 residents from Inverness attended a prayer vigil at First
United Methodist Church, Inverness, Tuesday night. Dr. Jerry Tice,
director of the Community Christian Counseling Center, held a special
session Thursday to help people deal with their feelings and grief.
The church’s clergy offered to assist the local secondary schools
with counseling for students in grief.
Gainesville’s McIntosh United Methodist Church opened its sanctuary
all week for prayers and prepared a devotion to help people cope.
Tampa’s Riverview United Methodist Church opened its sanctuary for
prayer immediately after the attacks.
First United Methodist Church Kissimmee opened its doors Tuesday after
the attacks and all day Wednesday for a community prayer vigil. The
church is also responding with words of assurance on its telephone
Care-Line.
Tampa’s Hyde Park United Methodist Church opened its chapel for
prayer throughout the week.
St. Petersburg’s Pasadena Community Church opened its chapel for
drop-in prayer, placed its staff counselors on-call and served as host
for an interfaith service Sunday afternoon.
Jacksonville’s Middleburg United Methodist Church opened its
historic chapel, one of the oldest church buildings in Florida, for
prayer all day Wednesday.
Lakeland’s Ridge Manor Community United Methodist Church opened its
doors throughout the day and evening Tuesday and Wednesday.
Harvest United Methodist Church in Bradenton, a new church worshipping
in a local high school, offered an informal gathering of members at
its parsonage Tuesday evening.
Wesley United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg held two services
Tuesday night, but had to cancel services Thursday and Friday because
of Tropical Storm Gabrielle.
First United Methodist Church, Cocoa Beach, opened its sanctuary for
prayer Wednesday and Friday and held a candlelight prayer service
Sunday evening.
For more information about the response from
Florida Conference churches and United Methodists throughout the
United States and world, visit the Florida Conference’s Web
site “Response to Tragic Events
of Sept. 11, 2001.”
Information for this article was obtained from
churches that responded to an e-mail request for information about
their efforts in response to the tragedies in New York, Washington,
D.C., and Pennsylvania. It is not a complete list of events held
throughout the Florida Conference. The information shared was edited
for style and space.
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