Annual Conference 2022 Resolutions Due Jan. 31

According to the Standing Rules of the Florida Conference, Par. 206 2(d), “All submitted resolutions must be received by the Conference Secretary by Jan. 31 to be considered at the regular Annual ...

New Year, New Hope for Rural America in the Fight Against COVID

Rural communities are among the hardest hit as another wave of the pandemic rolls across America and Omicron renews COVID’s assault on the unvaccinated.

Register now for Florida Advocacy Days virtual workshop

Florida Advocacy Days is nearly upon us. We feel a sense of excitement and urgency to advocate as we continue through the pandemic and look forward to doing this work with you.  Children’s Week and ...

Remembering Jay Weaver of Big Daddy Weave

Jay Weaver, 42, co-founding member of the Christian rock band Big Daddy Weave, died of complications from COVID-19. He was a lifelong United Methodist.

"We don't want to build a castle. We want to build a kingdom."

The Small Church Leadership Podcast lets pastors of those churches know someone understands what they're going through.

Two new District Superintendents are ready for the challenge

District superintendents play a vital role in the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. They are the liaison between the local churches and the Conference office. They are encouragers, ...

Apportionments and End of Year Payments

Apportionment payments for 2021 must be received in the lockbox at Regions Bank or paid online by Monday January 10, 2022. This is not a postmark date but is the last day by which monies must be ...

United Methodists reach settlement in Boy Scouts' Bankruptcy Case

United Methodist leaders have reached a settlement in the matter of the Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA) pending bankruptcy proceedings. Upon final court approval, the settlement would absolve any claims of sexual abuse that may have occurred in congregation-sponsored Scouting programs.

Dr. Mary Bethune's legacy: Finding diamonds in the rough

The ripples of Mary McLeod Bethune's life continue today in the lives of students and ministers inspired by her incredible story. Placing her statue in the U.S. Capitol is a fitting tribute.

Worship Warehouse offers free music for churches

Congregations struggling to find resources to supplement virtual services can access free music videos covering a number of styles along with other resources in this new site in the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church.

United Methodists respond after devastating twisters

UM churches are mobilizing quickly to provide food, emergency shelter and other relief while also dealing with their own needs.

Florida Conference to aid relief effort from Kentucky tornadoes

How can you help? For now, Kentucky needs your prayers and donations of money.

Bishop Ken Carter Announces Appointment of Michael Beck as Director of Fresh Expressions Florida

Beginning January 1, 2022, Rev. Dr. Michael Beck will lead Fresh Expressions Florida as its newly appointed director.

Kenyan orphans find hope in vocational education

Four Florida UMC congregations have partnered with Inua Partners in Hope to teach nearly 900 orphans and vulnerable young people in Kenya various job skills.

Today Justice Has Prevailed

The death of Ahmaud Arbery and the involvement of Greg and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William Bryan is such a tragedy on many levels.

After COVID-19 shutdown, Institute of Preaching is back in session

The Institute, back after the COVID-19 shutdown, works with individual pastors with tips and training about effective preaching methods.

Setting criteria for a 2022 General Conference

Organizers are pressing forward with plans to hold what many expect to be a pivotal General Conference next year. At the same time, they acknowledge that the pandemic may once again thwart those plans.

To be United Methodist: What is Advent?

Nov. 28 is the first Sunday in Advent, the time of preparation and anticipation of the coming of Christ into the world.

Annual Conference 2022 – Get Ready to See One Another!

Get ready to see one another!   The Florida Annual Conference 2022 session will be back to an in-person event and will be held on June 9-11 (a general schedule will be released in the new year) on the...

Training available for Florida Advocacy Days

  Florida Advocacy Days Bill Information & Training Session November 30, 2021 | 7- 8:30 p.m. Hello Advocates, Florida Advocacy Days is a vital partnership between the 11th Episcopal District ...

"They know I am there for good"

Melissa Stevens, inmate number G30701 to the Florida Department of Corrections, didn't know anything about Rev. Kris Schonewolf the first time they met. Until that point, it had been just another day...

Bishops offer framework for inclusive church

2021 – 2022 Native American Ministry Grant Available

Native Americans play an important role in The Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. That role is expanding with scholarships and grants to provide training for greater leadership ...

Rediscover the Heart of Methodism in free online course

The Duke Divinity School is offering a free online course called "Rediscovering the Heart of Methodism." The course is designed as a four-week experience for small groups, classes, and leadership ...

Annual gala to benefit Casa Vida

This was 2nd Annual Gala Casa Vida 2021 an event to raise funds for the ministry of the Unity Methodist Mission in Wahneta. Thank God the goal was achieved with the great effort of an intense team of involved leaders of the Board, sponsors, friends and supporters, together with the great support of the mother church St. John's UMC, an example of generosity supporting the missions.

The time to "Turn It Up" is fast approaching

Registration is under way for Turn It Up, the 2022 United Methodist Women Assembly at the Orlando Convention Center on May 20-22.

Equipping people for service is a goal of the new Leadership Academy

A little over a year ago, seven people from the Black Methodists For Church Renewal on a Zoom call were discussing church leadership in the pandemic. As churches grappled with reduced budgets and ...

Statue of Mary McLeod Bethune will soon make history at the U.S. Capitol

Educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune will soon make history as the first Black person to have a state-commissioned statue in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall. Bethune was a pioneering Methodist who advised U.S. presidents and founded what is now Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida — one of 11 institutions supported by the United Methodist Black College Fund.

UMC leaders share important information for churches sponsoring Scout troops

While the United Methodist Ad Hoc Committee continues to engage in mediation related to the bankruptcy case, the Committee and the BSA have issued a joint statement which addresses how United Methodist congregations that sponsor Scouting programs should proceed in the meantime regarding expiring charters or facility use agreements.

"Is the community different because we're here?"

At Temple Terrace United Methodist Church, the answer is yes. The church is different, too.

Hispanic Heritage Month reminds all of their profound impact on the UMC

The impact of Hispanics on Florida is profound. As of the 2020 US Census, they make up 25.5% of the state's population. Add Latinos -- the term used to describe those who hail from Latin America - ...

31 Ways to Honor Your Pastor for Clergy Appreciation Month

Creative ideas to show your appreciation with gifts your pastor can actually use!

As the garden grows at New Life UMC, so does its community involvement

Rev. Dr. Latricia Scriven had ambitious plans when she was named the pastor of New Life UMC in Tallahassee in 2019. In many ways, it was a dream assignment for her. When she was a math professor at ...

Five ways to celebrate Hispanic heritage month

Hispanic Heritage Month is a time when all United Methodists in the United States can celebrate diversity and the positive contributions of their Hispanic/Latino brothers and sisters to their communities and congregations.

Application period for Ware Grants opens Sept. 24

The leadership team at Branches United Methodist Church knew something was missing. Rev. Tony Baurichter said their meetings had become too predictable. Devotional. Prayer. Discussion. Dismissal. Team...

General Commission on UM Men set "Give Day" for Oct. 18

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders us and let us run with perseverance the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, ...

Finding light in the darkness of 9/11

Prayer for the 20th Anniversary of the September 11th Attacks

Heavenly Father, we commend to your mercy and grace all who died in the September eleventh attacks and all who have died in the past twenty years while laboring to end terrorism.

Twenty years later, the memories of Sept. 11 remain vivid

Anyone old enough to remember the horror of Sept. 11, 2001, certainly remembers where they were when the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center fell. For me, though, watching the destruction live on ...

Disaster Recovery Updates

Hurricane Ida, Afghan Resettlement, Haiti Earthquake & COVID Vaccination Clinics

"What should have been a science class became a politics class"

A message from Bishop Carter as COVID-19 rages: There is resistance to a vaccine. No blame or shame here, just lament. I care about you.

"You absolutely could feel Jesus in the room"

Florida United Methodist churches and volunteers stepped up to provide aid and comfort at the site of the Surfside condo tragedy.

Foundation awards $100,000 grant to address college mental health crisis

Standing with Haiti amid quake and storm

Prayer & Support for Haiti after 7.2 Magnitude Earthquake

We are asking congregations to lift the Haitian people in prayer and donate to relief efforts.

Big Pine UMC uses Hearts, Hammers & Hands to help its community

The Florida Keys have been romanticized in literature and song over the years. Still, residents of that little slice of paradise at Florida's extreme southern tip know it as something much more than ...

How to facilitate hybrid worship

As the pandemic has continued to ebb and restrictions lessen, churches have been returning to in-person worship services. But at the same time, church leaders throughout the country are also encountering a new reality: hybrid worship.

Baseball icon Jackie Robinson's Methodist faith

When dealing with the difficulties of being the first Black player in Major League Baseball, Jackie Robinson had a little-known ally helping him stay stoic and perform well through the ordeal. He had faith.

Discussing Christian nationalism — carefully

A new resource on Christian nationalism is meant to assist United Methodists to talk about the issue. It provides a format that includes how to set up the room, structure the conversation and keep things civil.

God’s Faithfulness in a Wilderness Season

A sermon taken from John 6 and Exodus 16 and preached by Bishop Ken Carter at First United Methodist Church in Lakeland, Florida on August 1, 2021.