The Florida Conference is dedicated to bringing you news stories about United Methodists here and beyond. Whether the news is about the global church or the church on the corner, look for it here. You’ll also find thought-provoking commentaries and opportunities for education and fellowship. Have a story to share? Email webadmin@flumc.org or click here to use our convenient “Submit a story” form.
Florida United Methodists responding well to online worship services
The initial response to a survey about on-line streaming worship services is positive.
Helping children during the COVID-19 crisis
There are effective strategies for helping children through this challenging time.
United Methodist food pantries face trying times
One of the main supply sources for the pantries are grocery stores that donate excess food or offer it at a discount. But with store shelves bare throughout the state, there isn't much spare food to give. That has put a crimp in efforts to serve those who need it most.
Conference churches adapt with successful online outreach services
How did the first week of widespread online worship services go in the Florida Conference? We asked pastors around the state to find out.
A vision to help, and a drive to serve those most in need
Rev. Mary Downey was named the Orlando Sentinel Central Floridian of the Year.
The Holy Spirit and Your Sister Church Await In Cuba
The relationship between Florida United Methodist churches and those in Cuba result in God moments that strengthen everyone.
Preparation leads to empowerment on mission trips
Assistance is available from the Conference to help mission workers have a more effective outcome for their labors.
“We’re here to give them a little light and a little love”
The HUGS ministry at New Covenant UMC in The Villages makes a joyful noise to those who need to hear it most.
Trinity UMC helps make a difference “one person at a time”
In cooperation with the aid organization Porch de Salamon, Trinity UMC fully funds the construction of a house and pays for medical mission services for Guatemalan villagers.
A mission of mercy and a life of service
Pastor Jean-Jacques Agones, with help from Florida UMC churches, brings food, the Gospel, and education to a remote Haitian Island. It can be dangerous work
Conference starts ministry in women's prison
The United Methodist Church committed to bringing the gospel of Jesus to inmates at Lowell Correctional Institution.
Oviedo and University Carillon join community landscaping blitz
There was pressure-washing, marathon style. There was the cutting back of overgrown trees and bushes, enough clippings to fill 75 industrial-sized bags. There were touch-ups and spruce-ups. Just in ...
"I was called to mission work in another country."
Deb Ralph of Oakhurst UMC in Seminole is leaving for a mission trip to Kenya, where she will work in discipleship and assist Bishop Justus Bundi Miriti with the project for disabled children.
Alturas churches serve community ecumenically
The congregations routinely get together to do things, like the upcoming fall festival, which serves as a Halloween alternative. There are the Christmas cantata, the Easter sunrise service at the lake on the property of the Methodist church and the Fifth Sunday sings.
Church partnership bringing arts to its community
Mandarin UMC and the emerging Fine Arts Conservatory team up to fill the gaps in art education, painting, sculpture, theater and music in the community surrounding the church.
Ministry is window into the world of immigrant teens
“Picture My Life’’ is a photography exhibit that is spearheaded by UMCM-Suncoast, a Largo-based organization that addresses poverty through innovative educational programs.
Hispanic Heritage Month celebration and worship resources
United Methodist Communications provides resources for outreach, celebration and worship.
Ecumenical ministry serves nearly 3,000 west coast children
First Sarasota was one of 17 different churches that hosted a Day 4 Hope event over three separate weekends before students headed back to school. Another 23 churches across Sarasota and Manatee counties worked as partners.
‘Hippie Church’ is an open, unstructured and inclusive third place
Rev. George Potter, a substance abuse counselor with Recovery Ministry, thought about starting a fellowship, something open and unstructured, for people who felt excluded or uncomfortable in a traditional setting.
Cornerstone dares to happen so many can dream
Founded over a century ago, Cornerstone Family Ministries is motivated by reverence for the past, goals for the present and dreams for the future of children living at-risk or unchurched.
Students learn about living in meaningful service
“You hear about fighting poverty. Well, there are so many different types of poverty. There’s material poverty, of course. We know that one. But there’s emotional poverty. There’s spiritual poverty. We want students to see poverty everywhere in a way that calls them to minister to it. Sometimes, it’s right in front of you.’’
Fresh Expressions thriving at New Hope, Brandon
Beginning in late May, New Hope added four new ministries to its Fresh Expressions lineup: a food co-op, Basketball Church, Meet and Walk and a student-led Caffeine and Christ that meets at a local Starbucks.
Japan team finds their mission bridges cultural differences
The mission to the Asian Rural Institute in northern Japan had “a different feel. We were immersed in a community of people who were on mission themselves. We were brought in and made part of the family.”
Mission u: on missions with children for children
At the United Methodist Women's Mission u in July, hands-on mission experiences shaped the lives of the young children and older youth who participated in making a positive difference in other children’s lives.
Small churches can make a big difference
Faith UMC, Jacksonville, partners with World Relief Services (WRS) to host a four-week camp for refugee children. This year about 50 children from Asia, Africa and the Middle East attended.
Conference is planting a church in women’s prison
Bishop Ken Carter began discussions three years ago about starting a United Methodist church inside the Lowell Correctional Institute in Reddick, about 15 miles north of Ocala. It houses about 3,000 women, the largest female prison population in the United States.
Opioid crisis series: Clergy embrace becoming foster parents
The Revs. Matt and Beth Johnson in Morgantown, W.Va., answered the call to become foster parents to children living in what Matt called “a rough situation.” After a two-year process, they were able to adopt the brother and sister they were fostering.
Community transformation is long-term commitment
Part of St. Luke's community transformation work in East Winter Garden is named “Door to Curb,” and it helps residents improve the value of their homes and the overall community by enhancing pre-designated homes’ curb appeal.
Feeding Tampa Bay ministry blesses all
Think Proverbs 19:17: Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. Those volunteering for Trinity Café say it goes way beyond that. They, too, receive blessings for their ministry with those seeking a hot meal.
Riverside members’ homes bring ministry to community
Even though it has only about 70 members, many of them just as poor as the surrounding community, Riverside has three buildings on a sizeable lot. They have little money, but they reach out with what they do have—their time, their buildings, a parking lot and even their own homes.
‘On Mission Together’ unites divergent churches in ministry
“Tear down the barriers, and we are one church. It was simply about all of us doing the work Jesus set out for us to do.’’ -Kay Wingard, Covenant UMC Port Orange
Innovation creates an autism-friendly service for children
The Azalea Park UMC kids run the full autism spectrum from high functioning to those who need to wear head protection to avoid injuring themselves. Pastor Andrew Miller said he learned to think in terms of ability level instead of linear age.
Miami Lakes youth mission: the Holy Spirit in action
“I have been on a lot of mission trips,’’ said Rev. Stuart Bodin, pastor of Miami Lakes UMC. “But I’ve never had a better experience than this one. It was remarkable to feel the Holy Spirit in action and experience that level of faith and love.’’
Faith UMC: reaching new people in new ways in new places
Faith United Methodist Church volunteers lead church in Bay Vue Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Bradenton.
CROS Ministries launches mobile food pantry
In its first three months, 860 individuals were served, 28 percent of whom are children. It reaches an array of people in need: the homeless, the unemployed, the elderly and the working poor who experience food insecurity.
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Discipleship Ministries and United States agencies provide a wealth of resources for observing the month in services or classrooms.
Killearn iServe volunteers are ‘Earth Angels’
iServe is a grassroots ministry that gives church members an outlet to assist people with pressing needs in the community at no cost.
Cuban Methodist church sees massive growth
In the past 16 years alone, Methodist church membership has increased by 306 percent in Cuba, the Communist island nation located 90 miles from Florida’s nearest shore.
United Methodists lobby at Florida Advocacy Days
Well over 70 United Methodists from across the Florida Conference assembled in Tallahassee in late March for the annual Florida Advocacy Days.
‘We believe the church exists to give itself away’
Hundreds of church members run or volunteer in dozens of missions ranging from a girls’ orphanage in Haiti to an infant rescue station in Kenya to a group of men who teach boys in local high schools how to tie a necktie.
North Florida churches: a hand up instead of a hand out
“People will learn how to live independently in a holistic kind of way. We’d like to tap into after-school programs and job training. We want to get much more organized and help grow this to new levels.’’
Port Orange ministry takes church beyond walls
The story of how Derbyshire Place and a neglected community named Port Orange came to nourish each other brings to mind a quote from beloved children’s book The Little Prince: “What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well.”
Children's Home slates 'A Day on Campus' Mar. 16
The Children’s Home ministers to orphans, children abused and neglected and some with troubled backgrounds. They are provided with shelter, love, education and a way forward in life.
Southwest district tackles root causes of homelessness
Homelessness is pervasive in the Florida United Methodist Church Conference’s Southwest District, and churches are using diverse methods to help.
Fresh Expressions: Dinner church feeds body, heart and soul
The dinner church approach, primarily driven by lay leaders, reflects John Wesley’s ministry of going into a community to meet the needs of others.
Southeast churches include homeless as family
Churches in the Southeast district practice the love and gratitude of radical hospitality.
Coalition fights central east coast homelessness
According to the Volusia/Flagler County Coalition for the Homeless, a nonprofit agency, the area’s homelessness has decreased by 70 percent since 2012.
Abide 21: Community unites through prayer
Fourteen congregations from Avon Park to Lake Placid, Sebring and smaller communities along the way have joined an ecumenical movement called Abide 21. It consists of 21 days of prayer and fasting from Jan. 6-27.
Homeless ministry grows from humble beginnings
Like most acts of kindness, it began with a small idea. Two decades ago, members of Tampa’s affluent Hyde Park United Methodist Church noticed that homeless people were gathering for shelter under a nearby expressway. They were hungry. Why not give them something to eat?
Cooperative Ministries: a contemporary mustard seed
United Methodist Cooperative Ministries has grown into a five-county organization serving more than 15,000 people each year, working with approximately 20 local churches and other agencies.