The Florida Conference is home to hundreds of local churches, ministries, clergy and lay members dedicated to making a difference in the world. Check out the stories below to see how they are sharing ideas and making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
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St. Luke’s UMC helps families opt out of poverty
Families who live at or near the poverty line are empowered to achieve individual goals relating to economic stability as well as to help solve community problems.
Men in service
KUMC's iServe mission helps our neighbors and church members who need assistance with projects in and around their homes on several Saturdays each month.
Outreach helps thousands of low income taxpayers
VITA is designed to help residents receive all the tax credits they qualify for.
Creation caretaker leads the way
For most of her life, Laurilee Thompson has attended First United Methodist Church of Titusville, where she has served as an authority on Creation Care. Thompson's passion to preserve God's creation has inspired real action in Brevard County. In addition to running her family's 33-year-old local restaurant, she took a significant leadership role as 2016 Chair of the Brevard County Tourist Development Council.
Israel-Palestine missionaries share stories
Brenda and Alex Awad found an appreciative audience for their experiences living and ministering in the Middle East.
SOS! at FUMC Spring Hill
SOS! means "Serving Others Selflessly!" at First UMC Spring Hill.
'The Little White House' in Brandon
New shelter in Brandon provides for area homeless women with opportunities for community involvement and contributions.
First Eustis provides random acts of kindness
So far, they have completed three significant home improvement and clean-up projects for people in the community.
First Sebring in mission for the long haul
"We knew in an instant this was the beginning of a friendship and partnership that was going to be very long-term."
Asbury UMC in Maitland Updates Lakeside Chapel
Pastor Scott Harris of Asbury UMC in Maitland is the first to admit that a recent photo of him in command of a jackhammer is something of a joke, but in reality the hard work of rebuilding the ...
Not a homeless shelter – a village
Approaching the one-year anniversary of Open Arms Village in Ocala, we checked in with them to find out what happened once warm bodies started filling their beds.
Chili cook-off connects to community
What better way to connect a church with its neighboring community than by serving steaming hot cups of chili? That’s exactly what happened when the North Naples UMC reached out to its neighbors inviting them to enjoy a chili cook-off on Feb. 20.
Bluegrass packs 'em in, grace keeps 'em coming
A small church on the Caloosahatchee River mixes bluegrass and the Bible to create a popular Saturday night worship experience.
Shores after-school program recognized
The 3-year-old Shores UMC after-school program receives a Lockmiller excellence in education award from the Florida United Methodist Foundation.
Feed those in need, physically and spiritually
An outreach effort to help people struggling with physical needs blossoms into requests for spiritual nourishment as well.
Little boy with a big heart
A preschooler models Christian compassion and generosity when his teacher battles cancer.
Churches to host 'Night to Shine' for special needs
Three Florida Conference churches help shine God's love on special participants with a Tim Tebow-sponsored prom.
Bitten by anti-malaria bug: Mandarin UMC
The infection started with the church youth and spread far enough to save more than 1,600 lives.
Pub Theology ministry fills niche
A beer garden may strike some as an odd place to find worship and spiritual discernment, but for one church, it's where the people are.
Hyde Park teacher receives Lockmiller award
A preschool teacher who has taught at least four generations of youngsters and inspired parents as well is honored by the Florida United Methodist Foundation.
Church celebrates 170 years of Methodism
A small country church celebrates its founding in 1845, during the frontier days of Florida.
Local churches make news for Christmas Day outreach
At least two Florida Conference congregations make news for providing feasts and gifts to those in need on Christmas Day.
FSU Wesley embarks on rebuilding
Demolition of a chapel dating to the 1970s will make way for a new 15,000-square-foot, multipurpose structure for the campus ministry.
Alternative market keeps Christ in Christmas
John Wesley UMC celebrates a big milestone in the program that emphasizes giving over getting at Christmas.
Wesley windows inspire poetry
Jill Bergkamp, a poet and children's ministry director, reflects on "reading" the stories told in stained glass.
Blessings of Bethlehem still bountiful
Nearly 1,000 turn out for "Bethlehem in Monticello" – and that doesn't count camels Jeremiah and Amazing Grace.
ToyMakers makes TV news
ToyMakers of East Lake, an outreach of East Lake UMC, Palm Harbor, makes and distributes tiny wooden toys to children in need.
Packed with prayers, shoeboxes go global
The kids at Wellspring UMC got the Christmas gift ministry rolling, and the whole congregation got behind it.
Congregation steps up to new worship style
It's Native American Heritage Month. Wesley Memorial UMC learns a new worship style with help from Florida group, Sacred Thunder Drum.
Pumpkin bread baked with care – for community
First UMC, Lake Wales, supports a faith-based community care center with Thanksgiving treats and more.
Church puts 'dry' back in drywall
Community UMC, Fruitland Park, is among volunteers who turn out to rescue the home of a Korean War veteran.
They were here: helping tiny lives endure
A mother's heartbreak leads to a Memory Box mission to ease parents' pain when newborns don't survive.
Community festival models Christian unity
Two churches – one United Methodist, one Baptist; one Anglo, one African American – team up to give the community a special day of fun and fellowship.
This spud's for two: the mother-child connection
Trinity UMC's baked potato fundraiser in Gainesville helps inmates stay in touch with their children through the Mommy Reads ministry.
Wesleyan in word and deed: Hank Lunsford
A devoted disaster recovery volunteer, he lives by John Wesley's words: "Do all the good you can."
In the spirit of World Communion
Church members unite to welcome 40 new members on World Communion Sunday.
Truckin' 'em in for family night
A Tampa congregation books food trucks to treat families to dinner and a movie – at church.
Church outfits kids with new shoes, full bellies
Trinity UMC, DeLand, matches a Florida Conference Lockmiller grant to launch 'Sneakers 4 Kids.'
In their own backyard and beyond
Members of this Sebring church are on a mission to make disciples, change the world.
Opting for Table service
Spiritual nourishment at The Table in Brandon is convenient without resorting to fast food.
'Prayer bears' spread God's love, lift spirits
Stuffed bears carry the prayers of a Florida congregation to those in need. It's a low-cost ministry for churches of all sizes.
Orlando Serves recruits community volunteers
First UMC, Orlando, seeks to sign up neighbors helping neighbors in this expansion of the SundayServe concept.
Message in a bottle
After seeing children at a bus stop in sweltering heat, a congregation launches a campaign to provide them with bottled water.
With this BMW, who needs horsepower?
Brevard Mission Week at Suntree UMC, Melbourne, turns youth camp into a loud proclamation of Jesus' love.
Music, God's universal language
A Tallahassee church's quest for an organist leads to answered prayers for both the congregation and a musician from the Ukraine.
Open hearts, open worship
Inverness congregation turns the loss of its church sanctuary into new ways of sharing Christ's message with the community.
Church blesses community with free, remote blood pressure checks
Satellite Beach UMC partners with community organizations to give paramedics a way to remotely monitor patients' blood pressure – for free.
Church starts its own clergy debt relief program
Killearn UMC, Tallahassee, comes up with its own version of "Passing the Torch," a Florida Conference program aimed at helping recent seminary students reduce education debt.
Strawberry fields forever? Not for these kids
Volunteer tutors led by Nancy Plate of St. Andrew's UMC, Brandon, help children of migrant farmworkers tap into education for a better future.
'Pied' in the face
VBS students at Grace UMC, St. Augustine, celebrate extravagant generosity in the form of llamas for people in need.