Author: devadmin

Kenya Mission Team A, Day 1

Eight team members gathered at the Orlando Airport this morning, greeted by the amazing Carol Smith with prayers for a truly blessed departure and mission trip experience. We were met with smooth check-ins, easy TSA clearance, and seamless boarding (except for one small hiccup of a temporarily misplaced cellphone…um, Ivor. Oops, was that out loudJ)

We each received an envelope filled with personalized notes expressing love and prayer for our journey and the mission God has planned for us. He has brought each one of us to this place at this time. We might not know our role or how the trip may impact us or those in Kenya, but we are centered on having open hearts and loving spirits.  

We settled in, side by side, for the 14-hour marathon to Dubai.  The “Sleep Winner” of that flight drifted off for a whopping three hours.  We have nearly four hours to spend in the Dubai airport. We are tired and overfed on airplane food, but cheerful and full of anticipation. 

On July 1^st, members of our Act II Ministry held a “4^th of July” barbecue for the residents of The Oaks assisted living facility. All the guests brought side dishes to accompany the BBQ feast. It was a great opportunity to interact, socialize and build community. Our Act II ministry was honored to serve as gracious hosts to our Winter Park neighbors!

The purpose of the Health and Wholeness Ministry is to promote the physical and spiritual health of our vibrant church family. Through information, resources, health screenings, classes, educational programs, and special events this ministry aims to inform our congregation and community. The activities and resources are relevant for all ages to promote wellness so we are able to answer God’s call to serve Him and lead an abundant life. Through health and wholeness, we become prepared to fulfill our purpose by worshiping, praying, reading scripture, studying the Word in community, and serving others.

Some of the activities and programs this past year have included:

• A workshop on clean cooking with the Insta-pot.
• Regularly offered presentations by health experts about topics frequently faced by adults of all ages.
• A Wednesday night series on the Daniel Plan, where participants committed to becoming healthier through  food, fitness, faith, focus and healthy living activities with friends.
• Neighbor to Neighbor, which pairs members of our vibrant family to connect before and after a storm.
• Soul Collage Workshop, where each participant created collages using photos that uniquely defined each individual. The soul collage experience deepened each person’s understanding of their dreams and inner soul.

It was 3 years ago that the current CFCD team came together. It was inspired by Pastor David’s vision of a church that thrives when people get involved. The goal is to create a reproducible pathway to discipleship. This photo was taken at the final meeting for the pilot group, hosted by Rev. Jayne Rideout. Over the next several months, the team will be analyzing the data from the pilot and collaborating with the leaders to create the people, process and place components of the Center for Creative Discipleship.