This FREE district wide learning event is designed to inspire and equip laity and clergy. You will connect with other UM's throughout the East Central District and Florida Conference.
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Schedule for the Day
7:45am Registration & Refreshments in the Gymnasium
8:30am Worship Music in Sanctuary
8:45am Welcome from Dr. Bob Bushong
8:50am Keynote: Rev. Dr. Candace Lewis
9:50am Dismiss to class
9:55am Session I (60 minutes)
11:00am Breaks - Snacks available in Gymnasium (15 minutes)
11:20am Session II (60 minutes)
12:20pm Dismiss from Session II
Free child care for children 0-5 years of age is available by advanced reservation only. Please contact Jeanette Dickson at 407-365-3255 at First UMC, Oviedo to make a reservation for your child/children. Childcare reservation deadline is February 4. We will not be able to accommodate drop ins.
NOTE: Courses offered Session I or Session II will cover the same material. Register for one.
Click HERE for a print out of the workshops.
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Rev. Merrill Frailey
Senior Pastor, College Park UMC
Is your church dying on the vine? Are you and your church family struggling to be an effective part of the community you serve in? Does it seem like all you have is a little to work with and just few to support you? Well this is the session for you! Come hear a story of a little church that was given a shovel to dig a grave, but instead it turned into a ground breaking. God still makes all things new when we allow the Holy Spirit take the lead. Let's talk healing, restoration, transformation and fun ideas to breathe new life into your church.
Session I or Session II
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Jim Boesch
Men's Ministry Specialist
Tips & resources for helping to develop and sustain a discipling men's ministry in the local church.
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Bob McLeary
Cokesbury Conference Resource Consultant
Children's ministry in the smaller church has the same amazing potential to grow and thrive as a mustard seed. It's all in how you cultivate it. Energize your children's ministry with innovative strategies for mega-impact with limited resources, people and budget. Table discussions, hand-on interaction, and we will also be reviewing curriculum, resources, and VBS 2019 programs. Bob has 30 years in Christian Education & Ministry in the UM Church, VBS Director, Children's Ministry Director, Children's and Youth Musical Director.
Session I or Session II
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Rev. Dr. Candace Lewis
Gulf Coast District Superintendent
Are you aware of the many people, places and possible assets in your community? Do you want to see your community with fresh eyes and gain a new perspective on the people, places and possibilities already existing in your community? Your church is an asset within its community and your community is filled with assets awaiting to be discovered by the church. God loves each and every person in your community and has entrusted them with assets. Let's learn together how spending at least an hour a day in your community for the next 30, 60, or 90 days can refresh your pastoral ministry and reconnect your church with its current ministry context and community.
Session I or Session II
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Rev. Dan Wunderlich
Senior Pastor, Lakeside UMC
We know God to be the Creator, but God’s creativity didn’t stop at the end of that first week in Genesis. God has used everything from angels to dreams to talking donkeys to Jesus in order to connect with us. And we that gather to worship are made in the image of that creative God. So why are some worship services so boring? Why do some attempts at creative worship seem forced? And why is it often assumed that only “modern” worship can be truly creative? In this session, we will talk about what creativity is, the foundations of effective communication, and how these can be applied to craft creative worship that connects.
Session I or Session II
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Rev. Chris Akers
Executive Pastor
University Carillon - Oviedo
Rev. Rusty Belcher
Senior Pastor
First UMC - Winter Garden
Rev. Aldo Martin
District Methodists United in Prayer
Come learn about the Cuba/Florida Initiative called "Methodist United in Prayer". Hear the stories of revival in Cuba similar to those found in the book of Acts and see how you can experience this revival personally.
Session I
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Rev. Chris Akers
Executive Pastor
University Carillon - Oviedo
Rev. Rusty Belcher
Senior Pastor
First UMC - Winter Garden
Rev. Aldo Martin
District Methodists United in Prayer
Come share best practices with folks that have Sister Churches in Cuba and learn how to strengthen your connection with our brothers and sisters in Cuba.
Session II
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Wil Bailey
Executive Director - Acts One Eight Missions
With over 25 years of experience in Short Term and Long Term mission work around the globe, Wil will be leading two sessions geared towards a better understanding of the Local Church in mission. In this session will focus on issues relating to Cultural Sensitivity when engaging in Cross-Cultural ministry.
Session II
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Pastor Tyler Althof
Executive Director of Connections, The Action Church
* How can we effectively take care of each person that walks through the church?
* How can we equip and empower leaders within the church?
* How do we stay on mission and healthy as a growing and developing church?
Session I or Session II
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Trista Calvin
Development Services Manager, Florida United Methodist Children's Home
Representative Training - Children's Home Representatives, come learn to tell the story! Hear about individuals who have received help directly through the Florida United Methodist Children's Home. The difference it has made in their lives will help you to share with your congregation why the church is involved in the ministry of the Children's Home. We'll explore the ways your church and the Florida United Methodist Children's Home can partner together. The Local Church Representative Handbook and LCR Packet will be distributed.
Session I
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Caitlin Allyn White
Director of Stetson Wesley
Director of Connection and Formation, Collective Church
Ministry Specialist, Fresh Expressions FL
A fresh expression is a form of church for our changing culture, established primarily for the benefit of people who are not yet members of any church. This workshop is for those who want to better understand Fresh Expressions, appreciate its connection with the traditional church, and learn steps to getting one started in your community. Find out what you can do to expand the movement, whether you are a pioneer, supporter, or permission giver.
Session I
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Rev. Dr. Wade Arnold
Senior Pastor, Ocoee Oaks UMC
The mission, and the urgent need, of the church is to make disciples—people who do what Jesus did for the same reasons Jesus did it. This mission was what inspired John Wesley and sparked the rapid expansion of the Wesleyan movement. How do we recover the Wesleyan spirit that is so much a part of our DNA as a church? In this workshop, participants will learn about Wesley’s Band Meetings and Class Meetings as well as contemporary expressions of small group meetings.
Session I or Session II
Mission Relationships Around the World
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Wil Bailey
Executive Director - Acts One Eight Missions
With over 25 years of experience in Short Term and Long Term mission work around the globe, Wil will be leading two sessions geared towards a better understanding of the Local Church in mission. In this session we will discuss having a right understanding of why and how it is important for local churches to think Theologically, Spiritually and Sacramentally in regards to mission relationships around the world.
Session I
Rediscovering the LOCAL in Local Church: Love Thy Neighborhood
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Revs. Meghan and David Killingsworth
Co-Pastors of First UMC, Sanford
As many of us look around at our shifting communities, an ever-changing culture, and a diversity of faiths and community nonprofits, we might wonder what the role of the local church is, in this new landscape. How do we see and engage the neighbors we actually have, rather than the neighbors we want to have? How do we recognize all the Wesleyan forms of God's grace at work in our neighborhoods? How do we recover a parish sense of community in a globalized world? Join us in exploring how we might see, know, love, join, and encourage our neighborhoods while we live out the call of the local church.
Session I or Session II
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Rev. Michele Van Son Neill
Founder & Director, CRAVE
www.cravefla.org is an incubator model for Fresh Expressions
* How do we keep our favorite service or ministry going?
* What are the models of new ministries that ARE working?
* What does John Wesley's church look like in the future?
Session I or Session II
The Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church
450 Martin L King Jr Ave
Lakeland, FL 33815
(863) 688-5563 or toll free (800) 282-8011