First United Methodist Church

Spring Serve Day - April 28

10am Worship | Service Projects to Follow

Great Expectations

Brought to you by the Beyond 50 Ministries Task Force of the Florida Annual Conference in partnership with First United Methodist Church Winter Park, Great Expectations for Boomers & Beyond is a conference designed to address the needs of the growing population of those over 50. This unique event will encourage and engage participants with passion and creativity. It also will provide countless ideas and opportunities for growth, as well as pave the way for tapping into the spiritual gifts and talents of older adults as vital disciples of Jesus Christ.

This statewide conference is especially for:

• People 50 years of age and beyond.

• Members of the clergy interested in starting or improving their 50+ programs.

• Laity involved in leading ministries for those beyond 50.

• Anyone who wants to learn more about addressing the needs of this rapidly expanding population.

In addition to outstanding keynote speakers, the conference will have more than 30 fun and informative breakouts, including sessions led by Will Randolph, Director of Aging and Older Adult Ministries at Discipleship Ministries. Although all breakout sessions are open to all participants, some are uniquely designed to help leaders who are engaged in developing programs for older adults. The entire event will focus on what’s next for those in the second half of life and how laity leaders and clergy can best address their needs.

Visit the Great Expectations website for more info and to register.

Elevate + Agua Viva = Success!

View the Elevate blog update HERE.

For a week the students of Elevate had an amazing opportunity to travel on a mission for Agua Viva. Students helped to build a home, worked with an English school, and put on a VBS for the community of Los Chiles. Our team got to experience the beautiful culture and climate of Costa Rica while also being able to make a difference for Jesus Christ. Students learned from the people of Los Chiles, encouraged one another in their walk with Jesus, and a made an impact on a different community.

Panua is a Big Hit at UMC National Youth Conference

What an awesome reception we experienced for Panua at the Go-On Youth 2015 Conference in Orlando last week. God was touching the hearts of youth from all over the country at this UMC conference. It was a great platform for us to spread the word about Panua, Partners in Hope – the ministry partnership between our church and Trinity UMC in Naivasha, Kenya.

Panua’s three-year program transforms the lives of youth-led families through a unique blend of education, emotional/spiritual mentoring and business/vocational training.

More than 500 students and adults participated in workshops presented by Mickey Linn and Michael LeBlanc. More than 2,000 people visited our walk-through Panua Experience. Big thanks go to Bungalow Scenic Studios, Colin Murphy and his crew for making it all possible.

Many thanks to all the volunteers who spent their time helping us share this great ministry with students and adults from across the U.S. God is at work and it is truly a privilege to be part of this church which supports such a special ministry.