We hope to see you on October 20, 2024 for Stewardship Sunday. We have a special message and music planned!

Hi Lakeside family,

On Sunday October 20, 2024, during our 10:30 worship service, I am inviting you to participate in Stewardship Sunday. Each year during the fall we ask the church to make a pledge for the coming year. On pledge Sunday we will have a special time of offering in which we will invite families to bring a pledge card and drop it off in the basket as we sing and rejoice together. If you did not grow up making pledges, you may wonder "Why should I pledge?" Pledging is both spiritual and practical. 

A pledge is a plan of commitment to God and the church. Like prayer, scripture reading, fasting, and dedication to service, the practice of giving regularly and intentionally helps us grow in faith and mature spiritually. It serves as a continual reminder of God’s claim on our lives. It requires us to put our own needs and wants into proper perspective, to set aside our own interests for the sake of God and others. Generosity is a tool God uses to shape our hearts. Through the spiritual discipline of giving, our hearts become one with God’s heart and our faith grows. Pledging helps us embrace the spiritual discipline of regular, faithful giving.

Practically speaking, a “pledge” is an estimate of your giving for the coming year, which in turn, funds everything we do as a faith community – from paying the salaries of our clergy and staff, to supporting our outreach ministries, our pastoral care, our worship, our education programs, our music and our facilities. When you pledge it blesses the church and allows the church to bless others. For instance, we give apportionments, or an offering, to The Texas Annnual Conference (which we are a part of) and our local UMC district each year.

Because of apportionments and local connections, giving to Lakeside funds many organizations both Methodist and non-Methodist. This includes support for scholarships and universities like Bethune-Cookman University in Florida which was started by Mary Mcleod Bethune, who identified as "a Methodist woman in mission."  We also support local organizations by hosting, praying, and partnering in service. Your gifts are an investment in our shared future, not only of Lakeside, but of the many others who will be blessed by our mission to welcome all neighbors home to grow in their faith and serve Jesus.

I hope to see you on Stewardship Sunday 2024!

Grace and Peace,

Rev. David Johnson

UMCOR is the United Methodist Committee on Relief. They are on the ground providing aid through local congregations and regional volunteers in several states after Hurricane Helene. They will stay for Milton. They also are involved in long term relief efforts around the world which includes solidarity grants and other efforts. Follow the READ MORE link to watch a video about the work after Helene. 

Follow this link to donate to UMCOR Recovery efforts on the East Coast.  bit.ly/umcorusdr

Follow this link to see a HOW-TO Video  which explains how to process payments with the Square App on our Ipad. 

Follow this link to sign-up for a time slot.

We hope everyone will join us for Trunk or Treat.  Please use the sign up link below to RSVP.

Come out to visit the Summerwood Pumpkin Patch at Lakesideu UMC. We have different types of pumpkins (gords, swans, large, small) plus it supports the church and its ministries. 

Please submit the names of those you would like to honor on All Saints' Day by October 27th to Jennifer at church@thelakesideumc.org.  Each family will light a memory candle in remembrance of those who have passed.

We still have some spots available in the older 2's to young 3's class and our 4 year old class for enrollment now.   

Continue our New Testament through the year plan with these readings for the summer. You can download the summer reading list here or pick one up after worship this Sunday. 

This year we meet at Faith UMC for a cluster charge conference which includes several churches in our region.

The charge/church conference is to review a congregations progress, set goals for the coming year, approve the pastor’s compensation, elect congregational leaders approve candidates for ministry and approve building programs. A charge conference is the church council, appointed clergy, retired clergy associated with the congregation and the district superintendent or the superintendent’s representative. A church conference is all of the above people and the congregation’s professing members.