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New Sermon Series: That Didn’t Age Well!
Loving the God Who’s Said Some Really Terrible Things
A character named Jean Grey is arguably one of--if not the--most powerful character in the present day world of Marvel Comics and movies. In the most recent X-Men movie, she was capable of controlling the minds of thousands of people at once, vaporizing enemies with a thought, flying across limitless distances, and throwing entire trains around with ease. Not a bad resume for a job as a superhero.
The character made her first appearance in the first ever issue of "The X-Men," published on July 2, 1963. It was the first time the world met this team of five students from a school for kids with special abilities who use their powers to fight crime.
Financially, X-Men #1 has aged well. If you bought a copy for 12 cents back in 1963 (and still have it), your investment has increased in value almost 25,000,000%. It is one of the most valuable comic books in the world, with a copy in good condition estimated to be worth about $30,000.
In other ways, however, it has not aged well at all. In X-Men #1, Jean Grey has the ability to move things with her mind, but doing so leaves her exhausted and in need of protection from the boys--usually requiring one of them to carry her back to the school after the battle. Her main job, while the boys were talking strategy, was to sew their uniforms! Her internal dialogue--always visible in comic books in a "thought-bubble" above the character's head, of course--was almost constantly about which of the boys she had a crush on.
Over time, the authors of the Marvel Comic and Cinematic Universe realized the sexist portrayal of the character, and thus they gave us the powerful character Jean Grey is today.
Sometimes, things written long ago find a way to endure the test of time and remain every bit as relevant today as when the pen first produced it. In other cases, those words, thoughts and ideas from another era need some help being understood in this one. The Bible contains examples of both.
For the next four weeks, we will consider some of the ancient stories from Scripture that make us often scratch our heads and wonder what God was thinking. Please join us for our new sermons series starting this Sunday: That Didn't Age Well: Loving the God Who's Said Some Really Terrible Things.
October 25: Why did God Seem so Violent?
November 1: Why did God Seem so Sexist?
November 8: Who's Actually in Charge Here?
November 15: What has God Been Doing All This Time?
All of Us
Dear Members and Friends of Heritage United Methodist Church,
I write to you today because your Administrative Council recently approved a two-part motion that will go into effect over the next couple weeks, starting Monday morning, October 26.
Background
The theological identity of the United Methodist Church—and Heritage along with it—has undergone some important, positive changes over the last few years. In short, two different movements, Christian Fundamentalism and United Methodism, became intertwined in churches over the last century, and over the last five years, they have pulled apart. To read a summary of this, go to the previous article in the blog , “A Brief History of the Last Eight Years.”
The Administrative Council’s decision considered many factors, including these recent developments as well as data revealing that many in our surrounding population don’t want to be a part of the church because they think we’re “hypocritical,” “judgmental,” and “homophobic.”
A New Reality
The segment of our population that might have been most amenable to joining Heritage in the past has changed. We are going to most likely have success by inviting those living outside of the church. Perhaps they left the church in frustration over any number of theological reasons, or as the result of some other experience of the church that chased them away. Whatever it was that put church involvement in their rear view mirror, this is the segment of the population most likely to be well served by Heritage and our fellow United Methodists.
The third description mentioned above is that churches are “homophobic.” According to the Barna research linked above, around 3 in 4 Americans in the Millenial or GenX generations believe that churches are anti-LGBTQ.
That doesn’t mean that our only hope for attracting new members is the LGBTQ community. Of course these neighbors would be welcome, but LGBTQ persons comprise less than 5% of the surrounding population—we need a broader reach than that!
However, odds are that the other 95% do have an LGBTQ friend, or brother, or sister, or child, or grandchild, or neighbor, or coworker. Their belief is not only that the church isn’t welcoming to an LGBTQ person, but that the church believes it’s wrong to approve of a friend or relative or coworker when they come out of the closet. It is this perspective that creates a barrier to so many of our neighbors, and the way we will get to meet them is by offering something different than they’ve seen from churches in the past.
It will take intentional communication to say that we are eager to welcome our LGBTQ neighbors, as well as their friends and relatives and coworkers, because currently they don’t believe they are welcome.
For this reason, your administrative council has voted to communicate it. On Monday morning, October 26, this video slide will appear on our church marquee.
Eventually, we will be offering a Heritage t-shirt with the same message available for sale on the forthcoming new merchandise page on our website.
There’s a good chance that some outside the church will find this newsworthy, and seek you out to discuss it. I would advise you to just listen, and thank them for sharing their opinion. Remember that we are United Methodists, and we do not live in a “battle” posture.
We’ll also share the video on social media, and I hope you’ll share it on your accounts to spread the word that while some people may have felt unwelcome at churches in the past, that won’t be the case if you come to Heritage.
I thank the Administrative Council for their leadership and courage in taking this step. God has raised up the right people to be this church in this season, and I can’t wait to tell everybody everywhere that they’ll feel right at home at Heritage!
I am so glad to be the church of Jesus Christ with you!
Sincerely,
Pastor Matt
A Brief History of the Last 8 Years
Sorting Us Out
Over the last few years, there has been an exodus of Christian Fundamentalism from United Methodist churches. Christian Fundamentalism emerged in early 20th-century American Protestantism as a response to Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species, which introduced the theory of “Evolution,” as well as the developing fields of literary and historical Biblical criticism in mainline seminaries and institutions of higher education.
This movement employed an early slogan that said, “We’re looking for people who are willing to go to battle for the fundamentals,” which are:
the inerrancy of Scripture,
the virgin birth of Jesus Christ,
the substitutionary atonement of Christ on the cross getting us to Heaven when we die,
the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and
the authenticity of Christ’s miracles
*(These fundamentals are often accompanied by a belief that the details of how the world will end are made clear in the Bible as well.)
Christian Fundamentalism became intertwined with United Methodism over the last century, but in recent years, the two have been sorting themselves out.
In some instances, whole churches have joined other denominations, and in others (such as ours) large portions of the congregation left to join churches more in line with Christian Fundamentalism. The loudest presenting issue was over allowing same-sex weddings to happen in our churches, but that’s not really what it was about. It was about pulling apart these two incompatible expressions of faith in Jesus Christ so that they could both lean into who they are and serve the people they are best poised to serve. I expect that, while the departure was difficult, in the end it will be beneficial to both.
Heritage’s turn back toward its United Methodist identity is not meant as an indictment of other expressions of faith in Jesus Christ. It is simply an acknowledgement that United Methodism offers a valuable, important contribution to the worldwide conversation about who Jesus was and the difference he continues to make today, and that expressing both views effectively under one roof is simply not possible.
United Methodists would not profess that we have it all right and others have it all wrong. Surely when we meet God face to face no one will stand in the presence of the Almighty and declare “Hah! Just as I expected!” However, we have seen the fruit of the Holy Spirit borne in the Wesleyan expression of faith that lies at the core of United Methodist history and belief, and feel that it should be preserved and proclaimed as a valid way to welcome people to faith in Christ.
In contrast to Christian Fundamentalism’s strict literal interpretation, theologically precise boundaries, and the oppositional “battle” posture often used in its teaching and preaching —United Methodism approaches faith through the historic "Wesleyan Quadrilateral," balancing Scripture with tradition, reason, and lived experience, while placing primary emphasis on God’s grace, social holiness, and engagement with those both inside and outside of the Christian faith.
An Example from Noah’s Ark
Excluding insects, sea life, and animals that could survive in water, there are about 36,000 species of land vertebrates known to us—mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. In a Fundamentalist framework, kids are taught, if they’re asked whether two of every species—over 70,000 animals–lived for months and months on a large boat, they’re supposed to say “yes.” If the professor argues about it, they’re supposed to argue back. They’re supposed to see that professor for what they are–a false teacher undermining the Scriptures.
Those kids were sent to college with a difficult task. You cannot present evidence or logical arguments to defend everything that Scripture says. In the United Methodist Church, we don’t believe Scripture to be true because we can prove it. We believe Scripture is true because we’ve seen it. I can’t prove that Jonah was really swallowed by a whale (or “great fish”), but I can testify that when God sends me to serve someone I don’t like very much, it always goes better for me when I do than when I don’t.
Coming Soon!
What is Happening in the Sanctuary
Larger Stage
More room for worship leaders, musicians and larger ensembles. The altar will fit on the platform, allowing the opening processional to continue up the stairs onto the platform without having to scatter to the left and right to go around it.
An Opened-Up Platform Area
Removing the walled-off area creates a more open and flexible worship space.
A New Cross Backdrop
The fabric surrounding the cross will be replaced and upgraded. While preserving the cross and the stained glass.
Piano & Organ Pit
A dedicated area will create better integration of these instruments into worship.
A New Organ
Replacing our broken, outdated, 40-year-old organ with a new, upgraded model.
Wheelchair and Equipment Lift
Making the platform accessible to everyone!
Freshened Sanctuary
A collection of updates and upgrades throughout our worship space.
This is our current floor plan, showing the risers and where the platform ends. The pews shown in red will be removed or relocated. Note: Plaques will be respectfully relocated.
The new floor plan brings the platform area to 1,138 sq. ft. Currently, we have 718 sq. ft., including the area used by the risers.
Other Important Information:
All of these improvements will be finished by September 20.
All Sunday services will continue to meet in the sanctuary while these upgrades are underway.
These enhancements are made possible by funds raised from the sale of Building D. The process is overseen by the Building Committee nominated by your Nominations Committee and elected by your Administrative Council at their Spring meeting.
Some of the work will require the relocation of some of the plaques celebrating memorial donations throughout our history on the side of the platform. They will be relocated elsewhere in the sanctuary, with their new locations listed in the Happenings @ Heritage Newsletter once the work is completed.
Thank you so much to our building committee members!
Ashley Allen
Liz Amber-Conkle
Josie Barr (youth)
Ryan Danhour
Brian Detwiler
Ella Luck (youth)
Jennifer Luck
Michael Pate
Jim Workman
Judy Yarian
Leadership at Heritage UMC
At Heritage United Methodist Church—and at all United Methodist churches, the clergy and laity work in partnership to attend to our mission—setting vision and direction, and designing and executing the strategies that will make that vision a reality. The theology and practices governing our work together is collected in a resource called the United Methodist Book of Discipline.
Every year Heritage elects some members to serve in specific leadership roles. The following is a summary of these roles, and what each has traditionally entailed at Heritage, though each year the leaders are encouraged to make the role their own!
You Are Here
We are a part of the Gulf-Central District, one of six that make up the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. An annual conference is led by a bishop, and a district is led by a superintendent. Heritage is under the leadership of Bishop Tom Berlin and District Superintendent Emily Hotho.
Each district is divided into “charges,” which are served by a United Methodist clergy person—either a Licensed Local Pastor, a Commissioned Provisional Elder, or an Ordained Elder. (Episcopal clergy can serve UMC churches, and vice-versa, should the need arise, as there is a “full-communion” agreement in the works between the two denominations.) Usually a charge includes one church, but it can include more than one served by the same pastor, called a multi-point charge. This usually occurs when two or more nearby churches are too small (around 25 members) to afford a pastor and/or staff members by themselves. Heritage United Methodist Church is a single-point charge, and our pastor is an ordained elder, Rev. Matt Horan.
Nominees are elected to one three-year term of service, and can be renewed once. In 2026, these are the official nominated leadership positions and groups at Heritage.
Charge Conference
Each fall, around October or November, there is a meeting of the elected leaders of each “charge,” at which time some specific items of business are conducted called Charge Conference. These include setting clergy salaries, nominating members for certification as a clergy candidate, buying or selling church property, approving major renovations, taking on debt, setting budgets, electing lay leadership teams, and other major decisions affecting the life of the church or churches of the charge.
All people elected to specific lay leadership roles or as at-large members of the charge conference are voting members. Clergy are not voting members, as they are members of their Annual Conference, and not of their local church. Staff members may be elected to serve on the charge conference, but are not automatically members by virtue of their staff role alone.
The district superintendent may call the charge conference as a “church conference” instead. In that case all members of the church are voting members.
There must be at least two Sundays between the announcement of, and the date of, any official meetings of nominated leadership groups in order for those in attendance to be a quorum. If the announcement meets this standard, whoever is in attendance shall be considered a quorum, and they will be allowed to make binding decisions related to their area of responsibility. If the meeting is not called far enough in advance, the whole membership of the group will be considered present, and any voting threshold will have to be met as a percentage of the whole.
For example, should a decision require a simple majority, and there are 10 members of the group, and a decision needs to be made by electronic means, it would take six “yes” votes to pass, even if the chair only received four responses.
Heritage Leadership Board (HLB)
For those familiar with the United Methodist Church’s past forms of leadership—the HLB assumes responsibility for the work formerly done by the Staff-Parish Committee, Finance Committee, and Board of Trustees. They meet monthly, or as needed, to provide leadership alongside the staff in matters such as human resources, budgeting, and facilities management.
Administrative Council
A charge conference may only be called with approval by the district superintendent, yet it is valuable for the members of the charge conference to meet periodically to hear reports, participate in brainstorming or focus-grouping, ask questions, talk together about the mission of the church and its strategy for accomplishing it, and receive information that they can then share with their circles of influence in the church for adoption of new initiatives when needed. Thus at Heritage we keep this group empaneled the whole year, and they meet quarterly on a 4th Monday night in the winter, spring, and summer, with the fall meeting being the charge conference meeting itself.
As the top mission-tending group in the church, should there be a change made to the church’s missional or strategic alignment, the Administrative Council is engaged in developing and implementing such a change. Then, the ongoing execution of this alignment would become the responsibility of the HLB.
Lay Leader
The Lay Leader is the counterpart to the pastor as clergy and laity serve in tandem to accomplish the work of the church. The Lay Leader serves as chairperson of the Administrative Council, and serves as a voting member of the Heritage Leadership Board. If they have a family member on staff or elected to the HLB as an at-large member, the Lay Leader will be a member of the HLB with voice but no vote.
In 2026 your lay leader is Jake Authier.
Lay Delegate to Annual Conference
Every year there are an equal number of clergy and laity delegates sent to the June meeting of the annual conference. For every pastor appointed to a church, there is one lay delegate sent to annual conference. During years when Heritage has had an associate pastor, there were two lay delegates sent. In 2026, your lay delegates are Tim Barnes and Janet Range. Next year there will be one lay delegate from Heritage.
The Lay Delegate(s) to Annual Conference are voting members of the HLB. If they have a family member on staff or elected to the HLB as an at-large member, the Lay Delegate will be a member of the HLB with voice but no vote.
Financial Secretary
Ensures the accurate recording of all contributions coming into the church. They are a voting member of the HLB unless they are a staff member or have a relative on the staff or HLB as an at-large member. Pat Bluhm serves as your Financial Secretary.
Membership Secretary
Ensures the accuracy or the membership roll of the church. They are a voting member of the HLB unless they are a staff member or have a relative on the staff or HLB as an at-large member. Pat Bluhm serves as your Membership Secretary.
Treasurer
Maintains accurate records of budget and expense information and projections, and supervises Heritage’s annual financial audit. They are a voting member of the HLB unless they are a staff member or have a relative on the staff or HLB as an at-large member. Neil Yarian serves as your Treasurer.
Missions Team
A council of people who represent our various local, denominational, and international partnerships, creating ways for the congregation to remain aware of and participate in them. These include school partnerships (Countryside High School, East Lake High School, Leila Davis Elementary, and McMullen-Booth Elementary), Maddie Williams Community Center, Pack-a-Sack, Foster-2-Foster, Zoe Empowers in Rwanda, Victorious Heritage Methodist Church in Cuba, hurricane relief efforts, Wesley Foundations, and ministries in partnership with the Florida Conference / other UMC churches. The missions team meets as needed, and members usually serve as a liaison between the missions team and one of our partnership organizations.
Justice Team
A new team being formed this fall that will discern and implement Heritage’s advocacy and work on behalf of those hurt by the long-term, systemic sins of our society. More information will be shared with the congregation as our areas of focus become clear.
Rev. Sara McKinley
When a United Methodist Elder or Deacon (clergyperson) retires from appointed ministry, they are required to affiliate with a local church. While we have several retired clergy who regularly attend Heritage, they are all from Annual Conferences up north, and so their affiliations are there even though they’ve retired to Florida.
At a recent meeting the Heritage Leadership Board had the privilege of accepting an application to affiliate with Heritage from Rev. Sara McKinley. I’ve known Sara for several years, and I can tell you that it is a tremendous gift to have her join us! You already know her if you’re in the choir, as she began singing with them right away. Whether you’ve met her yet or not, you might not know the wide array of experiences she’s had throughout her legal, international business, and ministry career that took her around the world before bringing her to the Florida Conference.
Sara recently retired as the Senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church of Naples where she served an interim appointment for 18 months. Previously she served as the Director of the Office of Clergy Excellence for the Florida Conference of the UMC in Lakeland for 8 years. There she was responsible for overseeing the recruitment, credentialing, formation, continuing education and support of the approximately 600 clergy of the Florida Conference of the UMC. Prior to her work in Lakeland, Sara served as the Senior Pastor of First UMC Gainesville (4 yrs), and First UMC Coral Springs (5 yrs) and as the Associate Pastor for 9 years at Plantation UMC.
Sara was born in England, raised in Africa, worked in the Far East, traveled extensively throughout the world, and then chose to live in the United States. Before her call to ordained ministry she worked in the juvenile court system in Worcester, MA, for 3 years; in international corporate business in the U.S and the Far East for 9 years, including three years managing a multi-million dollar plastics injection molding company in Hong Kong and overseeing the construction of a class 100,000 clean room for medical molding in Singapore; and co-owned a graphic design business in Florida for 12 years.
Sara earned her Bachelors degree in social psychology from the University of Bristol, England; her Masters of Business Administration in organizational development and human resource management from Clark University, Worcester, MA; and her Masters of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University, where she graduated valedictorian. She is the proud mother of her son, Andrew, who is married to Genevieve, and is grandmother to four adorable grandchildren, James, Owen, Luke and Olivia.
You will get to know Sara even better this summer, as she will be preaching at Heritage on June 14th, June 21st, and July 26!
The Red Acolyte
Our acolytes are a year-round institution at Heritage from serving during worship to helping the pastors preach to video sketch comedy. Their biggest event of the year, however, is the Good Friday service, during which they are responsible for the solemn act of clearing all of the colorful or shiny items from the platform, giving the congregation a visual reminder of the darkness that accompanied Jesus’ death on the cross.
For the last couple years acolytes have emerged to serve as leaders of our acolyte team, helping to coordinate and guide the younger members as they perform their parts of the service. Ben N. and and Ryan G. did this two years ago, staying out in the hallway and sending the acolytes back in one at a time when it was their turn.
Last year, Pastor Betsie and Mrs. Lauren took over the hallway portion of the process, allowing the lead acolyte to stay in the room the whole time. To make her stand out as the one the other acolytes were to look to for guidance, she wore red vestments instead of the usual blue that acolytes wear at Heritage.
Grace A. was the acolyte last year who emerged as one of our most experienced and knowledgeable, and was chosen to be the first “red acolyte” last year. This year the new tradition will continue, as Olivia H., who has been an acolyte for several years and has become so good at helping other acolytes learn the various parts of the job, will serve as our red acolyte this Friday night, at 7pm, during the Good Friday service.
The Christ Candle
If you were here for our Palm Sunday service last Sunday, you may have noticed the Christ Candle being brought up, placed on the altar table, and lit by the acolytes. The Christ Candle is one of the various symbols we use in Christian worship to teach and reinforce our shared history and theology.
Appearances of the Christ Candle in worship are intentionally rare. We are not living in the era of the presence of God in Christ beside us–we are now living in the era of the presence of God in the Holy Spirit within us. This is symbolized each week by the acolytes processing the flame in, leaving the candles lit for the duration of the service, and then carrying the flame out of the sanctuary at the end, reminding us that the Spirit goes with us when we go out from the service of worship.
However, throughout the Liturgical Calendar of the Christian year, there are times when we tell the story of the presence of Christ, and the Christ Candle helps us remember and visualize these moments of presence.
The Liturgical Calendar begins on the first Sunday of Advent. The Christ Candle makes an appearance that day, as we are in a season of preparation for his arrival on Christmas. It is located in the center of the advent wreath, but it is not yet lit, helping us feel the anticipation that Mary did–she was pregnant with Jesus, but he had not yet arrived. We light the Christ Candle for the first time in the Liturgical Calendar year at the Christmas Eve service, because it represents that Jesus Christ is born.
We keep the Christ Candle lit through the season of Christmas, which, as the song teaches us, is twelve days long, ending on the day of Epiphany. The Christ Candle is not displayed during the seasons of Epiphany or most of Lent. Then, on Palm Sunday we process or introduce it in some way as a symbol of Christ's presence during Holy Week as he famously arrived on the back of a donkey.
At the end of the Good Friday service, we process it out of the sanctuary as a symbol of the light of Christ being extinguished at his death on the cross. On Easter Sunday morning during the processional hymn we process it back in as a visual symbol of his resurrection and physical presence once again. We then display it in worship until Ascension, as the next Sunday–Pentecost–is the day we celebrate the arrival of the Holy Spirit within us.
The Christ Candle is not displayed again until Advent, with the exception of funerals, at which it is displayed as a reminder of our sure hope in the resurrection of the body at the return of Christ.
New Sermon Series After Easter
On April 12th, Heritage will begin a six-week church-wide experience called Awakened to Grace. Content from the study will be featured in our small groups, worship services, weekly guides given out every Sunday with daily practices that will bring the whole congregation along every day, and even a smartphone app. The study was written by Florida Bishop Tom Berlin, leader of the more than 400 churches here in the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, of which Heritage is a part. Click here to learn more about Bishop Berlin.
Seal of Approval
Bishop Berlin is “Certified Awesome” by 100% of Pastor Matt’s daughters.
Hundreds of churches inside and outside the Florida Conference have done Awakened to Grace, but at Heritage there will be an extra element that very, very, very few churches have had. On the first weekend of the sermon series, the sermon will be preached by its author, Bishop Berlin himself! We are excited to have him join us for the entire morning here in Clearwater.
We’ve asked Bishop Berlin to sign copies of his books for our church members if they’d like, and he will do so in between the 9am and 11am services. Click here for a complete listing of the many great books and small group studies written by Bishop Berlin, and order today to make sure you have your book before his visit with us on April 12.
Lent @ Heritage 2026
Dear Members and Friends of Heritage United Methodist Church,
If you were here for last night’s Ash Wednesday service, you heard the traditional liturgy that opens the service:
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:the early Christians observed with great devotion
the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection,
and it became the custom of the Church that before the Easter celebration
there should be a forty–day season of spiritual preparation.
During this season converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism.It was also a time when persons who had committed serious sins
and had separated themselves from the community of faith
were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness,
and restored to participation in the life of the Church.
In this way the whole congregation was remindedof the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ
and the need we all have to renew our faith.
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church,to observe a holy Lent:
by self–examination and repentance;
by prayer, fasting, and self–denial;
and by reading and meditating on God's Holy Word.
To make a right beginning of repentance,and as a mark of our mortal nature,
and bow before our Creator and Redeemer.
I write to you today, on this first day of Lent, to reiterate that invitation–to observe a holy Lent by self–examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self–denial; and by reading and meditating on God's Holy Word.
First, if you missed the service and did not get to hear Rev. Janean Briseno’s brief sermon last night, go back and listen. It was a great word of welcome into the season. She shared ancient yet timeless wisdom from the early days of the church that still reveals the core motivations that lead us astray into temptation and sin today. Then she gave several practical opportunities that allow us to make Lent a time of true repentance, reconciliation, and hope for the future.
Second, the Florida Conference Office of the United Methodist Church provides quick devotionals each day. While they aren’t a replacement for putting aside some time for your own reading and reflections on Scripture, they are available for those days when you are on the go and missed the opportunity.
Maybe you’ll give something up as a Lenten fast, or start a new discipline that could take root in Lent and continue beyond, but I offer these two opportunities to ensure that we embrace the importance of this 40-day season at Heritage. Repentance over our sin is the starting place from which we reach the new heights of peace and joy that transform our lives, and transform the world!
Sincerely,
Pastor Matt
Sermon Series | No Place Like Home
Overview
No Place Like Home is a sermon series designed to start off 2026 with messages of challenge and inspiration in hopes of motivating Heritage members and friends to increase their level of commitment to our mission and strategy through their prayers, presence, financial giving, service, and witness.
The series is based on the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 1-4 and 8, connecting the congregation with Heritage’s strategy of becoming a gathering place, a growing place, and a loving place by walking through the introductory stages of Jesus’ life and ministry.
January 11: A Gathering Place | Matthew 1:18-2:11 | By Matt Horan
Joseph gathers Mary and Jesus into his family, and they later welcome the Magi despite the potential costs. Neither of these were easy, but they were gatherings that changed the course of history.
January 18: A Growing Place | Matthew 3:1-4:11 | By Matt Horan
Jesus submits himself to moments of growth and development despite being the son of God. If Jesus had room to grow, surely we all do as well.
January 25: A Loving Place | Matthew 4:12-25 | By Matt Horan
Jesus clarifies his message, gathers his team, and begins his mission to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God and offer care and community to those for whom the kingdoms of this world had been bad news. This will be a week to clarify our message and our mission, and challenge our team to work to accomplish it.
February 1: A Place for Everyone | Matthew 8:1-17 | Sharing Stats and Stories
This week will be a challenge to evangelism as we see Jesus engage with a diverse cross-section of people–a leper, a centurion’s servant, Peter’s mother-in-law, and many other sick and demon-possessed people. Testimonies and statistics from the difference we made in 2025 will predominantly convey the message this week.
February 8: A Place for You | Matthew 8:18-27 | By Heritage Leadership Board Members
Closing messages from members of our leadership board will challenge the congregation to make new commitments for 2026 to help engage in our strategies for accomplishing our mission. The Scripture this week is a story about the cost of following Jesus, and a story of the extraordinary things seen when we follow Jesus.
No More Donations
The view from the end of the Drive-Thru Nativity
By Inyoung Curry
This year’s Drive-Thru Nativity felt different to me from the very beginning. There were updated signs, new scenes, and it was just the second year of the reversed traffic pattern; yet none of those were the most jarring difference for me.
I volunteered at the very end of the line on the first night, directing traffic and thanking people for visiting the Nativity. The driver of one of the first cars that came out stopped, held out some money, and asked Pastor Matt, who was standing on the other side of the exit, “Is this where we give donations?” I was surprised to hear his response.
“Oh, thank you, but we’re not taking donations anymore. We just want the Nativity to be a gift to our neighbors, so thanks for joining us. Please come back anytime.”
I was stunned. Churches always need money. Ministries run on it. Outreach depends on it. As someone who has been part of the church my whole life, I quietly wondered if not taking donations was… “wise.”
As that first car pulled away, I asked Pastor Matt in disbelief, “We aren’t taking donations at the end anymore?”
His reply: “We don’t want the experience to feel like a transaction. We just want people to leave having received a gift without feeling like they ‘settled up’ at the end.”
I watched him say the same thing over and over again, trying not to think about how much money was not being given to the church that could fund the many ways that we make a difference at Heritage. We took turns being on the “talking side” of the exit, and soon it was my turn to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and refuse their donations over and over.
Everyone was surprised. Many were confused. Some were insistent. At first, as I said them the words felt strange and unnatural. As the night went on, however, something shifted. With every car, I realized that it felt right—it felt good!—to say it.
Standing there in the cool night air, watching families smile and children point toward the live animals, I felt the weight of the realization. How often do we get to experience something beautiful and be assured that it’s free? Free of guilt? Free of obligation? Free of wondering if what we paid was enough?
Each “donor” left with the same message: Your presence is enough. Taking the time to come, to slow down, to receive the gift of the baby Jesus born in a manger—that’s enough.
In that moment, standing at the end of the line, I realized I wasn’t just directing traffic. I was helping tell the end of the Christmas story the way it’s supposed to end. A Savior given freely. Love given unconditionally. Joy given to the whole world on a silent night long ago—with no repayment required.
Winter of Oz
Coming up November 16th & 23rd, we’ll explore the Scriptures with a little help from the songs from the Land of Oz! Then, on the afternoon of November 22nd, we’ll be renting out a local theater for Heritage to go to the movies together and see Wicked: For Good, the conclusion of last year’s movie portrayal of the Broadway musical. Stay tuned for details!
November 16: Good or Popular?
Luke 1:26-38
Mary, the mother of Jesus, chose the good over the popular. Do we always have to make that choice? Is there a way to both be good and be popular too? Is choosing the good worth the risk to our popularity? The Wicked Witch of the West had to make some similar choices herself.
November 23: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Romans 8:18-28
It’s no surprise that “a prayer” can mean talking to God just as much as it can mean that chances of success are slim. At the last minute the quarterback tosses a “Hail Mary.” At the buzzer a basketball player tosses up “a prayer,” taking an unlikely desperation shot from half court. Or maybe things are so hopeless that you “haven’t got a prayer.”
What hope do we have? Do we vaguely hope that something good might come our way from “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” or is there something solid on which we hang our hopes?
Church: The Musical
October 19: Amazing Grace
Luke 15:11-32
Does God really have enough grace to cover everything that is wrong with me? We’ll hear the story behind the writing of one of the best known songs in human history, and learn whether God’s amazing grace can even save a wretch like me.
October 26: How Great Thou Art
Psalm 8:1-9
How do songs like How Great Thou Art go from notes on a page to a spiritual experience that moves our souls? Follow the journey of this a moderately popular hymn that bounced around Eastern Europe for a few years before someone heard it while visiting Ukraine, introduced it to the right people, and turned it into an experience that regularly brings groups from church sanctuaries to huge stadiums into the presence of God.
November 2: When the Saints Go Marching In
Ephesians 3:1-21
We will explore Paul’s letter to the Ephesians on All Saints Sunday with a little New Orleans flair as our Louisiana native worship director, Jason Langdon, pulls together the gifts of our many talented musicians to show a couple different sides of When the Saints Go Marching In, which, somehow, did not make it into the United Methodist Hymnal. We’ll try and make up for the oversight on November 2nd!
Take a Knee Today
Image Credit: Google Gemini 2025
By Rev. Matt Horan
Coaching soccer has been one of my life's favorite things. I often miss it.
One of the unwritten rules of youth soccer is that, when a player on the other team gets hurt and the game is stopped for people to come out and help them, our team "takes a knee," kneeling down wherever they are on the field. Once the player is back on their feet or being helped off the field, our team stands back up, and our players and parents on the sideline clap for them.
Soccer is a contact sport, and sometimes the play is physical. Sometimes there are shoulders and elbows and slide tackles in the desperation of trying to get the upper hand, and sometimes those may evolve to harsh words or even frustrated shoves. Yet even if that opponent has been elbowing our team the whole game, the rule is the same. If they get hurt, we take a knee.
I'm not naïve enough to think that the practice of our politics and youth soccer have a lot of overlap these days. I know that, in the course of our political interactions, elbows are thrown every day that land really painfully.
Today there will be a funeral for Charlie Kirk at a football stadium in Arizona. There are plenty of speakers scheduled to speak at the service who have thrown painful elbows in the past, and they will be eulogizing a man who also threw painful elbows of his own. I hope not, but I know there's a pretty reasonable chance that elbows will be thrown by one or more of these speakers during the service today. They could end up providing plenty of opportunities for angry posts, comments, blog articles, videos, etc. from people who disagree with the politics of Charlie Kirk or one or more of today’s speakers, and it is your right to create them should you so choose.
Last Sunday I reminded my congregation of the lyrics to "Let there Be Peace on Earth." They say "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.," and so I have a suggestion for today. I suggest, regardless of what is said at Charlie Kirk’s funeral, we all take a knee, letting it pass without comment. Our social media interactions don’t change people’s mind anyway, so taking one day—or even just one event—off probably won’t cost your side much, regardless of which one it is.
In fact, maybe that player being helped off the field--the one that elbowed you in the nose earlier in the game--will see their opponents taking a knee. Maybe we'll have a moment of seeing each other as something other than an opponent, but as people who are capable of caring about one another.
It would probably be just that--a moment. However, perhaps we'll discover that it was a good moment. Who knows? We might even discover that we liked it, and that it just might be worth trying again sometime.
Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me… and when it comes to commenting on today’s funeral, let’s all just take a knee.
--MH
More Like Jesus
This past Sunday, Pastor Matt began each service with a statement about the violent death of Charlie Kirk. Please take time to listen to the statement and pray for our nation with us.
Sermon Recap: Hungering for What Matters Most
This past Sunday at Heritage United Methodist Church in Clearwater, Florida, Pastor Matt Horan continued our walk through the Beatitudes, and the focus was on one of the most powerful lines from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
This one hit home. Hunger and thirst are things we all understand—they’re daily, urgent, and necessary for life. Pastor Matt reminded us that Jesus intentionally chose those words to describe our desire for God’s righteousness. It’s not a casual craving—it’s a deep, soul-level need.
While Pastor Matt preached, I thought of when I am running errands with my husband at Sam’s Club or Target and I see something that I have to have. I NEEEEEEED it. My husband will say, “No, you don’t neeeeeed it. You want it.” But I just know that I can’t live without it. Of course, I know it is a want and not a true need and we have a good laugh about my dramatic declaration of need that is really a want and move about our day. But it did make me think about whether or not I treat God’s righteousness as something I have to have, that I’m desperate for, that I NEEEEEEED. Many of us can probably relate to having an extreme desire for something that is not really a need.
Righteousness, Pastor Matt explained, isn’t about being self-righteous or trying to look “holier than thou.” It’s about longing for God’s goodness, justice, and truth to take root in our own hearts and in the world around us. It’s about seeking His will, even when the world tells us to chase after wealth, comfort, or status.
Here is what stayed with me: “they will be filled.” When we chase after the things of the world, we’re never satisfied. There’s always something more to buy, more to achieve, more to prove. But when we hunger and thirst for righteousness, Jesus says we’ll find the kind of fulfillment that truly lasts.
Here is my challenge, and I’ll call you to the challenge along with me: Are you desperate for God’s righteousness? Do you NEEEEEEED it? Sitting in the pews, I thought about what I’m hungry for. Am I craving success? Approval? Comfort? Or am I genuinely hungry for God’s ways to shape my life? That’s the challenge of this Beatitude—our appetites reveal what we’re truly seeking.
At Heritage UMC, we don’t just talk about these things on Sundays—we encourage one another to live them out. Whether it’s through serving in the community, supporting missions, or simply being people of grace in our workplaces and homes, we’re learning how to hunger and thirst for righteousness together.
If you’ve been searching for something more—something that fills your spirit instead of leaving you empty—I encourage you to lean into this promise. Jesus’ words are true: those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. And there’s no better place to explore that than here at Heritage United Methodist Church in Clearwater, Florida.
THAT WAS GOD
So….Where is God?
Ever had one of those moments when you wake up in the middle of the night with the distinct feeling that God is telling you to do something completely out of your comfort zone? That’s exactly what’s been happening to me at about 3:15 - 3:30 a.m. every night for the past couple of weeks. God was making it clear that I have a testimony that needs to be shared.
I’ve actually been asked to tell my story several times before, but I’ve always declined, being basically a pretty private person, plus also knowing getting up in front of people would overwhelm me emotionally.
For those who don’t know me, I’ve been attending Heritage since about 1987, became a member in 1990, and have been on staff since 2004. I’m currently the Office Manager. If you attend the 9am service and wonder why I’m always sitting right smack dab in your way when you are trying to get in and out of the sanctuary, it’s because I have a hard time getting up the sanctuary incline, and when I do, I’m afraid that if my legs or wheelchair brakes give out I’ll go flying down the center aisle like an Olympic snow ski jumper, face planting right into the altar! OK, maybe a bit dramatic, but a great visual! Actually, I prefer staying behind the scenes, being front and center is not my thing.
But… here I am, sharing my story.
On Thursday, August 30, 2007, I was splitting my time between being the assistant to our Associate Pastor, Steve Ezra and working with Janean Briseno in the Children’s Ministry area. I left work to go home for a lunch break. While heading east on State Road 580—just past McMullen Booth Road—a car tried to pass me in the right lane. What the driver didn’t see was that a stalled truck was blocking that lane, so to avoid a collision, they swerved left—straight towards me, running me off the road.
Their car forced mine past the left lane, across the center median, through the three westbound lanes, and into a telephone pole and chain-link fence. My car was crushed. It took first responders an hour and a half to cut through the fence and car using the Jaws of Life to extract me. I was airlifted to Bayfront Medical Trauma Center with life-threatening injuries.
Here’s what I was facing:
10 broken ribs
A broken clavicle
A punctured lung
A broken right femur and fibula
A crushed left pelvis and femur
A medically induced coma
MRSA infection
19 surgeries
Multiple hospitalizations
And a lifelong sentence of being wheelchair-bound
So, where was God in all of this?
EVERYWHERE.
When my car hit the telephone pole, both of my hands were pinned between the steering wheel and dashboard. I couldn’t turn off the ignition. I fully expected the car to explode—but it didn’t. It stayed running until First Responders arrived and shut it off. That was God.
I truly believed I would die before they got me out of the wreckage, but I felt no pain. No fear. Just complete calm and peace. That was God.
Anyone familiar with that intersection knows how busy it is. But at that moment? No cars were coming in the opposite direction. None. Zero. Zilch. Nada. That’s not just luck. That was God.
About 85 percent of my body was broken, sprained or had major contusions, but I had absolutely no facial, head or spinal cord injuries. That was God.
All my lifelong injuries are on my left side, allowing me to drive and have a pretty normal life. That was God.
Word spread fast, cards, letters and prayers came pouring in—from churches and small groups across the U.S. and even the world. Many people I’ve never met nor have any idea how they heard about my accident reached out to me. That showed me the incredible power of prayer. That was God.
I’ve felt love and support from my Heritage family every step of the way—through cards, letters, texts, meals, prayers, compassion, encouragement, and constant kindness were continually offered. That was God.
And I’m especially thankful for my co-workers. They've allowed me to keep doing a job I love by helping me get in and out of the building every single day and none of them have ever complained or made me feel awkward. Poor Janean Briseno has done this almost daily for 18 years or…9,360 times! After retiring from a very rewarding 35-year career, God placed me in the perfect “retirement” job—right here where I needed to be in this stage of my life. That is no accident. That is God.
While I was recovering my daughter started having leg issues that could not be diagnosed until she collapsed and was it was determined that she had Gillian-Barre Syndrome. Within 48 hours she became paralyzed from the neck down. Basically, living in a broken body, unable to do anything for herself. I had just started driving again so I was able to be at the hospital with her for each meal and to help her with basic needs until she could re-learn how to do the simplest tasks we all take for granted. At the same time, her twin sister was also diagnosed with the same disease and was starting down the same path, facing the same challenges.
The timeline of my recovery, starting to drive again after a year and a half and then my daughter’s illnesses all fell in perfect alignment to allow me to be there and help my girls in their time of excessive need. The timing of these events was no mistake. That was God.
A couple years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy, spending the night in the hospital. It turned out my roommate was one of my old friends and co-workers from when we were young moms with babies & young children. We ended up spending the entire night reconnecting and talking about our families, old friends and good times. It kept our minds off the stress and seriousness of our situations. That was God.
My daughter had recovered most of her functionality and returned to living a pretty normal life. Four years ago, she came home from work — happy, excited about how things were going, laughing about the goofiness of the day. She ate dinner, relaxed, and had no idea what was about to happen. None of us did.
She died during the night. I found her.
There is nothing more horrific for a parent than outliving their child. And yet — this may sound strange — finding her was a blessing I’m forever grateful for. She looked like she was peacefully sleeping, still holding the TV remote in her hands. Knowing she would have surely dropped the remote if she had suffered any pain or trauma, that image gave me absolute peace and comfort.
She passed the way we all wish to go — without a long, terminal illness, without fear, without anxiety, without pain or trauma. She simply went to sleep and peacefully went home to Jesus. My heart is irretrievably broken that she is no longer here, but at the same time, I have an overwhelming peace knowing she is with Jesus — and she is good… oh, so good. How did I make it through this with such peace and comfort? That was God.
We all face storms and challenges in life — many of them completely out of our control, but we’ve also been given the miraculous gift of faith, and with it, the ability to choose our attitude in the midst of those moments. And… who gave us those gifts? That was God!
Sermon Recap: Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
This Sunday at Heritage UMC in Clearwater, Pastor Matt Horan continued our journey through the Beatitudes, and let me just say—if you weren’t in church, you missed both powerful truth and a mental image of Pastor Matt in a Speedo. (Yes, that happened. And no, there are no pictures in the church calendar, thank goodness.)
We learned that in both Matthew and Luke’s accounts of the Beatitudes, Jesus flips the world upside down. What society calls enviable—wealth, status, success—Jesus replaces with poverty, hunger, and mourning as the places of true blessing in God’s kingdom. It’s not the power of this world that saves us; it’s our complete dependence on God.
Pastor Matt explained that being “poor in spirit” is where the Christian life begins. It’s the moment we realize we can’t measure up on our own. We don’t start following Jesus because we’re impressive—we start because we’re desperate for His grace. Like swimmers waiting for the race horn, our spiritual poverty is the air horn that launches us into the water. Only some of us, Pastor Matt joked, are still standing on the diving blocks Googling “how to win a relay without swimming” while checking Instagram likes. (Guilty as charged.)
But then comes the hard part: mourning. Matthew places it right after poverty of spirit: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Mourning doesn’t sound like blessing—it feels like loss. But Pastor Matt showed us that it’s not just mourning for loved ones; it’s mourning our own sin, recognizing the ways we’ve hurt ourselves, others, and our world. That grief isn’t meant to crush us—it’s meant to transform us, to make us desperate for something different, something better.
He used the story of Oskar Schindler—yes, the Nazi spy-turned-savior—to show how one man’s grief over his part in the horrors of the Holocaust turned into action that saved 1,200 lives. That’s the power of mourning: it awakens us, convicts us, and can make us hunger for righteousness.
And Pastor Matt didn’t let us off easy. He repeated it several times (for those checking their phones or registering online for the Top Golf tournament): If you are more bothered by the sins of others than by your own sins, you are not following Jesus Christ. Ouch. Convicting. True.
Walking out of Heritage UMC today, I felt both challenged and hopeful. The Beatitudes remind us that the blessed life isn’t the easy life, and it certainly isn’t the Instagram life. It’s the upside-down, grace-filled life of following Jesus—starting with humility, continuing with repentance, and leading us toward righteousness.
If you missed the service, you can check it out HERE.
Sermon Recap: Turning Things Upside Down
Walking into worship this Sunday at Heritage United Methodist Church in Clearwater, I thought I knew what to expect. A warm, fuzzy start to the sermon series on the Beatitudes. But, boy was I wrong. Since it’s back-to-school season, he compared this sermon series to getting “schooled” by the Bible. Some lessons, like in real school, aren’t easy to hear. But they help us grow. And like Pastor Matt always says, “Life with Jesus doesn’t make it easier, it makes it better.”
What struck me most this week was how Pastor Matt described the way Jesus takes the world’s values and flips them completely upside down. He told stories about losing his keys and even a childhood library meltdown with a pacifier — funny moments that actually helped me see how Jesus sometimes has to “dump out the bag” so that the most important things come into view.
That’s exactly what happens in the Sermon on the Mount (or Plain). Jesus lays out a vision for God’s Kingdom that sounds so backwards compared to the way life usually works. He says the blessed ones — the ones in the most enviable position — aren’t the rich, the powerful, or the admired. Instead, it’s the poor, the hungry, the mourning, the meek, and those who are persecuted.
As Pastor Matt reminded us, that’s hard medicine to swallow. Honestly, it’s way harder than the Ten Commandments. But it’s also freeing. Jesus isn’t saying we’re blessed because life is easy — He’s showing us that in God’s Kingdom, the lowly, the hurting, and the overlooked are actually the closest to His heart.
Luke calls this justice — not fairness, but real justice, where needs are met based on what people lack, not what everyone else already has. Matthew shapes the same teaching a little differently for his audience, emphasizing the spiritual side: poor in spirit, hungering for righteousness, being merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers. Sometimes two versions of the same story in the Bible don’t exactly match. But As Pastor Matt reminded us, “Remember–we do not believe the Bible because every detail is locked down just right in journalistic or historic perfection. We believe the Bible because we can testify that its advice has led us to make choices that bore the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We believe the Bible because so many people have risked their lives to get it to us, and spent years of their lives carefully preserving and communicating it.”
Together, both versions remind us of this: God’s Kingdom values are not about climbing higher, but about humbling ourselves, trusting God, and caring for one another.
This week, I’m going to wrestle with what it means in my life to stop chasing the world’s version of “the good life” and instead lean into God’s idea of blessing. Like Pastor Matt said, maybe this is exactly where we’re supposed to be: right where God can do the most with us.