Bishop Carter Announces Full-Time Appointment Changes

Bishop Kenneth Carter and the appointive cabinet of The Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church, in consultation with the clergy and authorized lay leaders of the local churches, announce the following projected appointment changes, to take effect July 1, 2022. This act of ministry is in fulfillment of paragraphs 425-429 of the 2016 Book of Discipline. For a reflection on the core values employed in the process of clergy appointments to churches, Click HERE. Click HERE for the complete list of Full-Time appointments.

Let us lift these clergy, their families and the local churches in prayer, in the hope that we will more fully participate in our mission— “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world” (Book of Discipline, ¶ 120)

July Appointments in the East Central District

Azalea Park UMC/Faith UMC, Orlando - Matt Findley
Bear Lake UMC, Apopka - Wade Eshelman
Edge Memorial UMC, Groveland - Linda Johnson
First UMC, Auburndale - CJ Hill
Osteen UMC - Ben Collins
Solid Rock UMC, Orlando - Theo Jackson

EC Clergy receiving appointments out of the East Central District

Clark McClain - First UMC, Brooksville
Jeff Taylor - Faith UMC, Hudson
Sarah Wise - Grace UMC, Venice Associate

Retiring
Jim Mitchell
Cruz Edwin Santos
Walker Walker

Right Start for all Moving and First Time Clergy is May 26 over Zoom. Click HERE for Right Start details.
New Pastor Orientation Luncheon | Thursday, July 21 | 10:30am - 12:30pm | College Park UMC | Click HERE to register.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Webinar

Clergy and employees of not-for-profit organizations engaged in faith-based work may now qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. However, time is of the essence. More favorable temporary rules expire October 31.

Wespath is hosting a webinar that will provide more information about who qualifies, the application process, upcoming deadline and where to find practical guidance on next steps. The webinar will be offered twice.

Click on the date below that you would like to attend and register today!

Monday, May 9 3:00pm EDT

Wednesday, May 11 1:30pm EDT

Learn more at Wespath.org/r/PSLF

Church Debt and What to Do About It!
May 24 7:30pm

Discipleship Ministries is holding a free webinar on Tuesday, May 24 at 7:30pm EST. Presenters are Ken Sloane and Joe Park. Nineteenth century preacher Henry Ward Beecher said, “A church debt is the devil’s salary”, which probably seems a little extreme today. Many of our churches would not be in the buildings we are without some debt. We do know that money that is spent to retire debt (or in some cases, to simply pay the interest on debt) is money that could be used to expand mission and ministry. On this day that remembers John Wesley’s experience of having his “heart strangely warmed” on Aldersgate Street, join Ken Sloane and his guest Joe Park of Horizons Stewardship as they discuss church debt and what to do about it.

Annual Conference 2022 - Get ready to see one another!
June 9 - 11

Click HERE for the AC2022 webpage. The webpage will be updated as information is available. Annual Conference is free and open to all. However, only clergy and lay members to annual conference who are present may vote. All the information below is on the webpage and more!

Youth Information is online! Registration and payment is due by May 25. Registering as a Youth does NOT make you a voting lay member to annual conference. All youth are welcome to attend as Observers. If youth want to vote, they also need to submit their names to be considered as a District at-large Lay Member to Annual Conference. Click HERE to submit your name.

Pre-Conference Orientation Webinar on Thursday, June 2 at 6:00pm. There is no registration. Click HERE to attend.

Pre-Conference Workshops are open to all, not just voting members - We invite you to join us for these virtual pre-conference workshops: 

• Refresh Church | Tuesday, June 7, 9 – 10 a.m.: In this post-Christendom, post-pandemic season, are you ready to REFRESH your church? We will discuss strategies of being relevant, adaptive, and resilient, refocusing the church vision for what we are called to do. There is no easy fix for refreshing our churches. If you are willing to be introspective, prayerful, and open to new possibilities, please register.
• Clergy Care | Tuesday, June 7, 11 a.m. – Noon: Resources for clergy well-being.
• Building Anti-Racist Churches | Tuesday, June 7, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.: In the United Methodist Church, our baptismal vow calls us to “resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.”  The sin of racism is one of these evils and injustices. Dismantling racism is part of our discipleship. We invite you to pray about how God is calling you and your church to be engaged in dismantling racism, not for a moment, but for a lifetime. This workshop will give an overview of the basics of anti-racism, give practical steps churches can take to become anti-racist, and provide real examples of churches that are engaged in the work of anti-racism.

Workshops are limited to the first 300 registrants. Click here for more details and to register today!

Get AC 2022 updates delivered straight to your phone!
Text "flumc22" to 844-635-1026 to subscribe.
Normal text messaging rates apply. Text "STOP" to opt out. Text "HELP" for help.

United Men's Ministry (United Methodist Men)

Nashville, TN - April 4th, 2022 - The General Commission on United Methodist Men (GCUMM) is introducing a “modern way” of doing men’s ministry. Greg Arnold, General Secretary & CEO, said we are approaching men’s and scouting ministry with a much larger and more modern vision. The Commission has re-imaged how men’s and scouting ministry can be effectively offered, packaged, and distributed to the church and world around us.

Launching a new program and brand, “United Men’s Ministry”, along with several innovative products is quite an ambitious undertaking during a time of uncertainty within the UMC. “Our vision is to offer a credible resource which meets men and youth where they are. Discipleship has been the focus of the church for 2000 years and cannot take a back seat to the current administrative discussions of the church.”

Arnold says, “The older chartering model has been showing a steady decline over the past several years and placing its effectiveness in question. We’ll continue to offer the chartering model of service according to our book of discipline mandate, however, we’re adding these
new and exciting ways to serve the men, youth, and families of the church.”

UNITED Men’s Ministry is an innovative online resource providing an easy-to-follow package of resources including leader coaching, online learning, support, topical studies, connection, and more. Each subscribed church will receive a “kick off kit” packed with items when signing up for UNITED Men’s Ministry. The goal is to help churches launch, grow, and sustain effective men’s ministry.”

The UNITED Men’s Ministry product is designed to help any local church easily provide a consistent men’s ministry. The model is wrapped around a process rather than dependent upon a program. UNITED is layered with the framework of a well developed discipleship
pathway, small group support resources, and leader’s materials. All of which are deeply rooted in the Wesleyan tradition and presented in a fresh approach.

Every church leader who feels their men's ministry effort could use a restart, and upgrade, or a boost is encouraged to visit: UnitedMensMinistry.com to get in on the launch, happening May 1st, 2022. Simply register on the website for the launch event and join the movement.

Contact:
gcumm@gcumm.org
1000 17th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37212
Ph: (615) 620-7266

Need a great mission project for use with any 2022 VBS curriculum?

Check out Zoe Empowers International Dream Hunters!

Zoe Empowers is a leading UMC mission for empowering orphans and vulnerable children to move themselves out of poverty and never need charity again!

Download this free, kid-friendly, interactive, add-on mission component for use with ANY VBS curriculum!  The curriculum includes a leader’s guide, fun daily skits, on-site videos in 4 countries, and ideas for crafts and games. Take a look and discover why Zoe Empowers recently won the 2021.ORG Impact Award for Ending Hunger and Poverty!

Warren Willis Camp

Check out Warren Willis camp opportunities!

Summer Staff - Summer Leadership Team is a group of young people who dedicate eight weeks of their summer to serving Christ and the young people of Florida.
Summer Camp - June - July
Creative Spirit Camp - July 4-9
Confirmation Retreats - October 7-9
Work Camping - October - April
Plan your own church retreat - Who doesn't love Warren Willis Camp? Why not plan your own retreat?

Resources Worth Sharing

Free Printable Scripture Wall Art: https://www.thedesignhippo.com/6-free-printable-bible-verses-scripture-art-prints/
ChurchFront: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrIM5tV0JUY5bVxKjwjd8Kw

Podcasts: Those suggested are available wherever you get your podcasts (Spotify/Itunes). Just so you know, some are UMC and some are not. We can certainly learn from others while keeping our UMC Wesleyan theology. Look at the podcast’s list of episodes for topics that hit home for you. Listen. Then, check out some of their other episodes. 

• MyCom Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/76ChjaUI6V59giN7GO5mKg?si=b207a271620d45d1
• Igniting Imagination: https://www.wesleyaninvestive.org/igniting-imagination-podcast
• Worship Leader Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Lg7THyr8M7Ja3OI9ws1mT?si=ZgwI9UgHTICHMh9rLKhgAw
• Worship Leader Probs: https://open.spotify.com/show/0pMOPC5i5PQn4ZPHPbu647
• Small Church Ministry: https://open.spotify.com/show/69HBLQ78ru3Dzu1huvmfHN
• Small Church Leadership: https://open.spotify.com/show/0alWnRai63g1G7X6trBPjB

Rev. Brian Carr Joins the Leadership Team at the Children's Home

We are excited to announce that Rev. Brian Carr will be joining our Leadership Team as the new Director of Church Relations. Rev. Carr currently serves at the First United Methodist Church in Port St. Lucie. He has been an ardent supporter of the Children's Home in his capacity as a United Methodist minister and has generously served on our Board of Trustees. Rev. Carr will be resigning from his Board position to join us as of July 1st and retiring from the Florida United Methodist Conference as of June 30th. While on our Board he has been a part of the Church Relations subcommittee, a part of the strategic planning process, and also been active with our Development Committee.

Originally from Mullens, West Virginia, Rev. Carr grew up in a loving, faith-filled, often-laughing family. He received his B.A. degree from Marshall University in Spanish. "The best thing that happened in college was a personal encounter with Jesus Christ which left me forever altered," he says. He has served much of his life in the service of Christ: three years as a missionary in Mexico, four years as a Youth Director and is now in his twenty-fourth year of Ordained Ministry with the United Methodist Church after graduating from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.

After the huge privilege and blessing of serving on the Board of Trustees of the Children's Home where he got an inside view of the tremendous work done here in ever-challenging times, Rev. Carr said, "I'm delighted and honored to even be considered to serve with the beloved Florida United Methodist Children's Home."

Click HERE to visit the Florida United Methodist Children's Home website.