Author Archives: beckyclarkfl

A Message from Pastor Craig: 1-11-2026

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The pharmacist told me he would have my medication in about 15 minutes. What do you do with 15 minutes? Go back home? Take a walk? Go to Taco Bell? Fifteen minutes…

I wandered towards the front of the store and happened to walk by the magazine rack. “That’s what I’ll do, I’ll sit and read their magazines!”  They didn’t have a single car magazine, so I had to see what else they had to offer.  A million women’s magazines…. no.  National Geographic and Time special magazines—Jesus is big at Christmas time. But as I paged through them, they seemed just like last year’s edition, same old questions and same old responses. 

And then, I found one I had never seen before.  It’s called, descriptively, Conspiracy Theories. What has this world come to that we heed the siren call of conspiracies to such an extent that they can produce a magazine about it!?  “Conspiracy Whatever Theories” is the way they present it.  Yes, the Epstein File redactions have made it into the collective consciousness so much that we associate a black marker redaction with conspiracy theories. Every page had varying degrees of black marker lines in it – those black lines graphically elicited the paranoia very simply and effectively.

And the conspiracy theories?  Let me list a few.  Was 9/11 an inside job?  Was the pandemic real?  Are contrails really poison in the sky?  (I was in Cuba many years ago and a pastor’s wife quietly told me that when jets leave those long cloud trails, it means that they are spying on you—that was a new one!). Did NASA actually land on the moon?  They elaborated on at least 20 conspiracy theories, so many my medicine was ready before I could learn whether the Clintons left a trail of bodies in their careers or not.

Christians are well acquainted with conspiracy theories.  Many skeptics have questioned the virgin birth, claiming it had to have been Joseph. God couldn’t do that! The Sanhedrin accused the disciples of conspiring to hide Jesus’ body while claiming He had risen. God  couldn’t do that! The feeding of the five thousand wasn’t a miracle of multiplication of bread and fish, it was a miracle of sharing. God couldn’t do that!  And as we start reading through Isaiah this month, many a conspiracy theorist cannot believe that a prophet could so accurately predict what foreign powers would do to Israel in the future.  God couldn’t reveal that to a prophet!  The book had to have been written after the events to get them right! I read just last week about a carbon dating test done in 2025 that suggested that the Dead Sea Scrolls version of Isaiah predates the last prophesies of Isaiah, hundreds of years after he died. Hmmm. Who’s conspiring now?

Conspiracy theories have their place. I think journalists and police need to pursue them routinely. You never know sometimes.  But when the questions rise to the level of magazine subscription levels, skepticism leads to disillusion at best, and madness at worse. Miracles demand faith, no doubt (so to speak). I believe that Jesus’ was a virgin birth. I believe that God raised Him from the dead.  Why?  Because listening to those stories explain why Jesus has transformative power in my life and in the life of others that I know. The reality is that Jesus makes a difference in your life. Prayer asking for intervention makes a difference. Heeding His teachings has changed civilizations and history itself.  How could that happen? Well, because Jesus was Emmanuel (Emmanuel means “God with Us”) on Earth and His presence and power today can only be explained by His eternal life received at the resurrection. And any hope that I have for an eternal zoe in the future is based on
Jesus receiving his bios back 2000 years ago.  (If you were in church last Sunday, or know a little Greek, you will know what I refer to here.)

I want to embrace the stories of the Bible. The conspiracy theories on the other hand?  Not worth the paper they were printed on.

Back from the pharmacy,

Craig

These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.  John 20:31

Children’s Sunday School

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Sunday School for children Pre-K3 through 5th grade begins following the praise music during the 9:30AM worship service. Please check-in your child in the Gathering Place before the service begins. Following the praise music our screened and background-checked teachers will escort the children to the 2nd floor of the LEC building. Following the service, please pick up your child in the LEC building.

Worship with Us

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Our 9:30 Contemporary Service, is a large, informal gathering. This service meets in “The Gathering Place,” our multipurpose worship, fellowship and recreation space. Most Sundays include engaging worship music by our praise band and singers. You will also be able to hear a relevant sermon in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. We hope you will join us for a truly fun and meaningful worship experience!

Our 11:00 Traditional Service is held in our Sanctuary. Most Sundays include hymns accompanied by piano and organ, special music from our Chancel Choir, a time of prayer and an engaging sermon. Our 11:00AM gathering is a wonderful time of passionately expressing our love for God in a time-honored traditional format.

Our professional nurseries are available during all our worship services. Sunday School for children begins following the praise music during the 9:30 AM  Worship Service.

palm sunday 20243

Youth Group

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Youth Group is for Middle and High Schoolers. We meet most Sunday nights from 6:00pm – 8:00pm in the Youth Center. Join us for fun, food and fellowship!

As always, if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. My cell is always the quickest way to reach me. My number is (561) 504-5931. Otherwise, my church email is family@fumcbocaraton.org and my church phone number is (561) 395-1244 x130. 

Cindy Walls, Director of Family Ministries

The Haiti Initiative

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The HAITI INITIATIVE was created in 2013 with a donation from the William and Vivian Joel endowment fund left to the First United Methodist Church to be used in support of the Haitian people.

Since its inception, a board oversees funds that have been used to house, feed, empower, employ and educate the Haitian community in Haiti and South Florida.

Initially, the board worked with members of the local community in the Pignon area of Haiti to support schools with teacher training, help repair orphanages, pour concrete floors and build new homes.

In recent years, our efforts in Haiti have focused on a rural area called Donne, where we have built a new school that serves over 100 students. We support the administration of the school, pay the salaries of the faculty and staff and feed the students a daily meal. We have also financed the installation of a well for clean water at the school and started a garden initiative for the students and the community. Our goal is to make the Haitian people in the area more self-sufficient.

Check out this new informative video about our school in Donne, Haiti! Thank you to all who gave donations which go directly to the support of the school.

In South Florida, we have developed relationships with Haitian schools and churches in our community. Through food, clothing, toys and furniture drives, we have supported local Haitians in our area.

Our mission has been sustained by church members’ sponsorships, cash donations and partnerships.  Through local food drives, mission trips, contacts in the Pignon region and the Internet we will continue to support the Haitian Community in Haiti and South Florida. For more details and pictures, please CLICK HERE. For more information, please contact Dan Bertotti.

If you would like to help support our needy Haiti friends, click here to make a monetary donation. Thank you for your dedication and God Bless You!

Child/Youth Protection Training

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Certification Training

Please click the arrow to the right of the image below in order to advance through the training slides. (If you need to move backwards, click the arrow to the left of the slides.)

After you complete the training, please take the multiple-choice test below the image and click the “submit” button to send in the test. You must have a score of 80% or better in order to be certified for the year.

(The background check has to be done every 3 years. Please click here to download the Background Check Forms.)

  • Please complete the test below and click the submit button when finished.

To complete the following test, please fill out the required information starting with your name. After you finish making your selection for the last question (number 10), please click on the “Submit” button.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

What criteria must be met to be considered a screened adult?(required)

I have keys/door codes to the church buildings but I don’t work with children so I don’t need to be screened or attend training.

Neglect is considered a category of abuse.

If a child has unexplained burns, bites, bruises or broken bones, we know they are being abused.

Chapter 39 of the Florida Statues mandates that we must report suspected or known abuse to the Department of Children and Families

I walk by a classroom and see an adult strike a child. I should…

It is OK to hug a child or youth back if they initiate the hug.

All classroom activities and child and youth programs require the following number of adults supervising:

All drivers of church vehicles, as well as personal vehicles for church trips, must be approved through the process established by the Florida Conference, take part in the annual CYP Training and pass a criminal background check.

It is OK to take pictures of children and youth at church and post them on my social media accounts.

Arlene G. Sparks – Director of Music

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Known throughout the country as an outstanding educator, conductor, and choral technician/artist, Arlene Graham Sparks is the Director of Music at First United Methodist Church, where she serves as the Director of the Chancel Choir and Traditional Music.

Originally from Iowa, Arlene received degrees from Cottey College for Women (A.A.), The Florida State University (B.Mus. in Voice Performance and B.M.E. in Choral Music Education), and The University of South Florida (M.M. in Choral Conducting). She has done additional graduate course work at Westminster Choir College and has studied with such noted choral directors as Robert Shaw, Joseph Flummerfelt, Sir David Willcocks, and Weston Noble.

Arlene recently retired from public education after a decade as Choral Director at Coral Springs High School and lastly a 26-year distinguished career as the Founding Director of the Vocal Department at the A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts. While at Dreyfoos, her choirs achieved top accolades such as invitations to perform at ten American Choral Directors’ Association Conventions – including two National Convention appearances – one in 2005 at the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and most recently, in 2015 at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. Her choirs also took four international tours – competing and placing first in competitions in Verona, Italy and Llangollen, Wales. She has conducted All-State and Honor Choirs across the country, and has twice been named Music Teacher or Educator of the Year. Arlene helped all of her students learn to sing in a vibrant healthy manner and obtain skills in music literacy; many went on to pursue music in our country’s finest music schools across the nation, including her son, Andrew Christopher – a Voice Performance/German Language double-degree graduate from Lawrence University in Wisconsin.

In addition to her career as a choral educator and conductor, Arlene is a voice instructor and performer. She enjoyed several seasons as the vocal instructor/performance coach for the Von Trapp Children. Her soprano voice and choral leadership is admired throughout south Florida in the many churches she has served such as Royal Poinciana Chapel and Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach; The First Presbyterian Churches of North Palm Beach and Pompano Beach; St. Paul’s Episcopal and St. Gregory’s Episcopal; and Christ Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ in Ft. Lauderdale. Arlene also has completed the rigorous four year course work to receive the Education for Ministry (E.F.M.) certification through the University of the South.

A lover of quality music and a talent for creative programming, Arlene has a passion for the art of traditional worship and its deep rooted history. She has been propelled throughout her life by the scripture woven throughout our sacred anthems such as Psalm 104:33 “I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being”, and the wisdom and theology found throughout the pages of our treasured hymnals. She believes in praising God with the best we have to offer – with thought-filled texts and uplifting and inspiring music from our great church composers. Arlene is excited about this opportunity in her life, and is looking forward to humbly sharing her God-given gifts by enriching the lives of the congregations at the 11 a.m. Traditional Worship service at FUMC-Boca Raton.

Welcome to REALM

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Our church has an online community called REALM. We are very excited for all the features and benefits REALM has offer. These include but are not limited to:

  • Online Directory
  • Managing your online giving
  • Communication through online discussions
  • Personalized news feed of upcoming events and photos
  • An easy-to-use App for your cell phone

We invite you to join us anytime by creating a login here. After you create your login, you can login anytime through this link. Once you login, please update your contact information through “Edit Profile” where you can also add a picture of yourself.

To download the app, use your App store on your phone and search “ACS REALM.” The app is called “Connect – Our Church Community” by ACS Technologies.

Having problems accessing your account?  Please call the church office at 561-395-1244.