Welcome to First Orlando's

Language Ministries

For hundreds of years, in an effort to obey Jesus’ command to "make disciples of all nations," the Church has sent missionaries into every corner of the world to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ. Now, there are representatives from every nation of the world in North America. God has brought the nations to our doorstep! Consider the following:

United States:

Minority ethnic groups are growing 600% faster than the population as a whole!
Ethnic peoples are a majority in 25 of the largest cities in North America, making up 61% of Chicago, 73% of New York and 78% of Los Angeles.
More Polish people live in Chicago than in Warsaw, Poland.
More Filipinos live in Los Angeles than in any other city of the world.
The United States is the third-largest Hispanic nation in the world and soon will replace Spain, currently in second place behind Mexico.

Orlando:

35-40% of Orlando is of international origin, and it is estimated that by the year 2020 it will be 50%.
Orlando is comprised of 23% Hispanics and is the fifth-largest Hispanic consumer market in the country.
Orlando is the third-most visited city in the U.S., from people all over the world, after Los Angeles and Las Vegas (New York is fourth).
The top languages spoken in Orlando other than English as a first language is Spanish, Haitian Creole, French and Portuguese.

Many people and new immigrants arrive to the U.S. with two major needs: to get plugged-in and connected in the community and to learn English. We help meet these needs and share the Good News of Jesus Christ in two ways: our Life Groups and our English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.

The PURPOSE of this ministry is to bring unity among the many different ethnicities and languages found in the body of Christ — the Church. Our desire is to create an atmosphere of worship that honors and glorifies God no matter what language you speak. God has called us to worship Him in spirit and in truth and, for that reason, we believe in the importance of maintaining a diverse, multicultural worship experience.

We also place a very high emphasis on the significance of LIFE GROUPS. Life Groups are small groups that meet on Sundays or during the week in an effort to bring community and fellowship on a more intimate and personal level. Life Groups are what make our “big church” small. It is here that we believe you will benefit greatly from and will learn what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. This is why the Language Ministries have established Life Groups that reflect different languages, cultures and traditions. We currently offer Life Groups in the following areas:

To give you an idea of how this works, picture the illustration to the right as the larger circle representing the Church as a whole, and each smaller circle represents each of our language groups. Part of each smaller circle is located within the bigger one. We want our language groups to be connected to the church — the body of Christ — by worshipping with us, serving with us, fellowshiping with us, learning with us, and growing with us. But the other part of the smaller circles is located outside the bigger one. This allows each language group the possibility to experience and retain the traditions and cultures that are unique and important to each group. Our language groups are but a doorway in getting all peoples plugged in to the church, the body of Christ.

I hope you will continue browsing our Language Ministries web page for upcoming events, Life Group information, directions and maps, and how to get involved in one of these language groups. Feel free to contact me (407-514-4406 or joshblackwell@firstorlando.com) with any questions you may have about our Language Ministries or contact each language group’s leader directly for more information.

- Josh Blackwell

Josh Blackwell: International/Language Ministries

What do you do here at First Orlando?
I work with our many different language groups across Orlando. In the greater Orlando area, 35-40 percent of the population is of international origin, and approximately 25 percent of Orlando is of Hispanic origin....

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407-514-4406



“When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:33-34). “… and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations ...” (Matt 28:19). “Don’t begin by traveling to some far off place to convert unbelievers. And don’t try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them the kingdom is here” (Matthew 10:5-8 - The Message).