TV viewers of Central Florida have known it as “Sunday First Edition” since 1992. It is the Sunday morning broadcast of First Orlando’s worship service and has been reaching people for Christ for a decade and a half. The broadcast will continue to do that, but with a new name and look. “Sunday First Edition” has become “Passionate Living,” which, according to Senior Pastor David Uth, better mirrors the purpose of First Orlando.

Posted April 7, 2008

In his current sermon series, “Psalm 139: Who Do You Think You Are?” Pastor David Uth sets out to answer that question as the Lord would answer it based on His Word. “When you get done reading the psalm, you come away with this unbelievable picture of who you are,” he said. “And that’s why I titled the sermon ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ Chances are, who you think you are is not who God says you are.” One of the keys to understanding who you are, Pastor David explained, is understanding who God is. “Psalm 139 is about God, but in His relationship with us. You’ll never fully understand who you are until you understand who He is and how you relate to Him.”

Posted April 3, 2008

Following a two-year hiatus where they earned a well-deserved rest after 25 years of superior service, First Orlando’s “Singing Christmas Trees” are back. You’ll be able to greet them once again this coming Christmas season. “When we announced the Trees’ retirement back in 2005, we never said they were going away,” said Jeff Lawrence, First Orlando’s Pastor of  Music & Worship. “When we did the farewell in ’05, people thought they were gone for good and that we would never bring them back. But that’s not the case. Everything is right where we left it and now it’s ready to go.”

Posted April 2, 2008

Let the competition begin! They’ve been memorizing Bible verses and passages for more than two months, and now the kids of First Orlando are ready to take on other like-minded students from different churches and schools. The competition kicks off with the Church Drill on Wednesday, April 9, at 7 p.m. in the Harbor (E1-323). Following this in-house event, First Orlando students will compete in the Associational Drill on Saturday, April 12, at 9:30 a.m. in the Harbor. Survivors of the Associationals will move on to the State Drill, Saturday, April 26, 8 a.m. in Faith Hall.

Posted April 1, 2008

There is one fear, I am convinced, that teenagers have more than any other — the fear of rejection. It is, far and away, the overriding dread of adolescence, a virtual rite of passage. Perhaps that’s because it is the most powerful of all teenage worries, responsible for more angst than report cards, acne and after-school detentions combined. Most students successfully navigate all other fears, and are, perhaps, mercifully spared a few. But many run aground on the rocks of rejection.

Posted March 31, 2008

I was having a conference with the mother of one of my 11th-grade students, discussing the academic status of her daughter, Teresa. Teresa was a mannerly, obedient child who was a joy to teach, but her academic accomplishments were certainly not stellar. Her grade-point average was a C-minus, solidly within the meaty part of the bell curve, and had remained there for years. After discussing her daughter’s mediocre scores on a variety of recent assessments, the mother startled me with the following statement. “My husband and I both feel that God has blessed Teresa with a brilliant mind,” she stated confidently. “We just know she’s going to make a fine attorney some day.”

Posted March 26, 2008

About 600 people enthusiastically worshipped at First Orlando's brand-new satellite campus at Ocoee High School. In all, there were 452 people in worship, 51 in the Children's Ministry, 19 in preschool and more than 60 volunteers. After arriving by helicopter, Senior Pastor David Uth opened up the Sunday, March 23 service by proclaiming: “This has been a dream of ours from years ago, and now the dream is real. We are worshiping in Ocoee. I just want to say thank you for being here and welcome you to what is going to be a great journey as we celebrate the risen Lord right here every Sunday.”

Posted March 25, 2008

The singing came from my youngest daughter’s bedroom. Curious, I cracked open the door and peeked inside. Unaware of my presence, she continued. Her dolls were all facing forward, neatly seated on two rows of chairs that had been scavenged from around the house. She raised both hands, signaling for all doll eyes to be focused on her, tapped her makeshift baton on her music stand, and cleared her throat authoritatively. Surveying her “orchestra” to ensure that no eyes had strayed, she suddenly brought both hands down with a mighty downbeat, while simultaneously booming out the well-known opening four notes of Beethoven’s Fifth.

Posted March 17, 2008

Being on the ground floor of a brand-new endeavor can be exciting. The Ocoee satellite church of First Orlando provides you with just that opportunity. “If you are interested in a short-term home-mission project, we have one for you,” said Christy Chapman, who along with her husband Gregg will be serving as the Preschool Team Leaders at the new Ocoee venue. The new venue, called First Orlando at Ocoee, is looking for individuals to commit to volunteering at least once or twice on Sundays in March, April or May. “We need 20 individuals each Sunday to be fully staffed,” Christy said. “It is going to take us a couple of months to get enough parents signed up to cover our needs. So, we are asking for help in the short-term.”

Peace Nihorimbere knows firsthand the horrors of genocide. In 1972, when she was just 13 and living in the African nation of Burundi, her young brother was killed in the tribal violence between the Hutus and Tutsis that engulfed both her nation and neighboring Rwanda. Later violence claimed other members of her family. Peace will share her inspiring story — as well as the incredible work the Lord is doing in Africa — this Thursday, March 13 at 7 p.m. at River of Life Church, 8323 West Sand Lake Road in the Dr. Phillips area.

Posted March 12, 2008