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Operation Christmas Shop a Success |
 When she first thought of the idea for Operation Christmas Shop, Myrtzie Levell wasn’t quite sure how successful the program would be. This year, Operation Christmas Shop replaced the immensely popular Adopt-A-Family program. In fact, Adopt-A-Family was so popular that it had grown to unmanageable proportions.
Posted December 21, 2007 |
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Support Group Comforts Special-Needs Caregivers |
 Being the parent and/or caregiver of someone with special needs is not an easy thing. First Orlando understands this, which is why it formed the Special Needs Support Group. “Lots of times, caregivers don’t have an opportunity to express what their needs are,” said Gail Brown, who heads up the Special Needs Ministry at First Orlando. “Through the support group, we give them that opportunity. We listen to their needs and try to help them work through their various situations.”
Posted December 20, 2007 |
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First Orlando Most Generous When Giving to Missions |
 If you want to determine the heart of a church, look where it spends its money. For First Orlando, its heart beats loudly for world missions. This truth was recently substantiated by the Florida Baptist Convention (FBC), which honored First Orlando with two plaques that read: “Presented by The Florida Baptist Convention. In gratitude to God we recognize First Baptist Church Orlando, Florida, as the leading church among all Florida Baptist Convention churches in dollar amount given through the Cooperative Program for the year 2006 among churches with 1,000 or more average Sunday School attendance. $1 million given.”
Posted December 19, 2007 |
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Ministry Helping the Needy of First Orlando |
 Sometimes, we get so focused on reaching out to those outside the church that we forget about the needy who sit right next to us every Sunday. The Benevolence Ministry at First Orlando is all about helping those people. “About half of what we give [$170,000 for 2007] goes to housing, a quarter to utilities and a quarter to various needs such as medical and food vouchers,” said Pastoral Care Pastor Greg Brooks, who heads up the ministry.
Posted December 18, 2007 |
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Discovering Your Word for the Year |
 We have heard for quite a while now about the “word” that Pastor David Uth is urging the people of First Orlando to ask God for. So, what exactly does he mean? “To ask the Lord to give you a word for the year is a way of recognizing that God is always working and moving and doing something in your life,” Pastor David explained. “He obviously knows your future and what’s going to happen, but He also knows what He wants to do in your life—how He wants to use you.”
Posted December 17, 2007 |
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Salvation Army Looking For Volunteers |
 The Salvation Army needs 300 volunteers—100 per day—over the course of a three-day period, and you can be one of them. The Salvation Army is looking for volunteers to work two-hour shifts beginning at 8 a.m. to help parents choose Christmas gifts for their families. Volunteers can work any one of three days beginning Tuesday, December 18 and ending Thursday, December 20.
Posted December 13, 2007 |
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Preschool Ministry Volunteers Needed for Christmastime |
 “The biggest thing we are experiencing right now is the large number of visitors attending our church to see ‘The Coming,’ ” said Ruth Anne Davis, the Preschool Recruitment Leader at First Orlando. “The Coming” is the church’s four-week spectacular celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. So what kind of challenge do all those visitors bring with them? “We’re getting an extra 75 kids a week to care for,” Ruth Anne said.
Posted December 13, 2007 |
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Virtue Returning to Sing at Disney |
 Being selected to sing at Downtown Disney during the Christmas season is no small feat. But that’s exactly what happened to Virtue, First Orlando’s children’s praise team for kids in 3rd through 6th grade. “It was a real honor to be selected,” Erin Bond, Director of Children’s Music & Arts, said at the time. Well, guess what? Virtue has repeated the feat and will be singing at Downtown Disney again this year.
Posted December 12, 2007 |
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Don’t Just Sit There, Get Out and Vote! |
 The statistics reveal the sorry truth. U.S. voter turnout for the past 17 years produced these pitifully low numbers: 2006: 41.3% of eligible voters; 2004: 55.3%; 2002: 37%; 2000: 51.3%; 1998: 36%; 1996: 49.1%; 1994: 38.8%; 1992: 55.1%; 1990: 36%. Unfortunately, numbers of believers turning out to vote are almost as bad.
Posted December 11, 2007 |
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Heavenly Humbug |
 My father was a fan of Charles Dickens. He loved the celebrated author’s panoply of colorful characters because they represented the full range of human temperament. As a pastor, my father would sometimes draw sermon illustrations from the likes of a hypocritical Uriah Heep (David Copperfield), a duplicitous Fagin (Oliver Twist) or a remorseful Jacob Marley (A Christmas Carol).
Posted December 10, 2007 |
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