LAKELAND — He was named ambassador to the United Nations by former President Jimmy Carter, worked with Martin Luther King Jr. in the fight for civil rights, served three terms in the House of Representatives and was mayor of Atlanta, Ga., for two terms.

Now, Andrew Young is chairman of GoodWorks International, a consulting group providing services to corporations and governments operating in the global economy, and president of the National Council of Churches USA.

On May 31 Young will join nearly 30 other local and national speakers and Florida United Methodist churches at the Dare to Share Jesus 2000 Florida Annual Conference Event to share his personal faith story during a new training component of the annual meeting.

Themed "No More Playing Church," the new segment offers Florida United Methodists an opportunity to learn how their churches can be vital congregations reaching people who do not know Jesus Christ.

The training begins in the afternoon May 31 and continue throughout the next day, ending Thursday evening. Little conference business will take place during the training session, enabling clergy and lay delegates to attend.

"We have great classes, great leaders. It will create a real sense of inspiration and of hearing, if we truly open our hearts to the Holy Spirit," said the Rev. Thom Shafer, pastor of Temple Terrace United Methodist Church in Tampa and co-chair of the design team coordinating the training. "The Holy Spirit will bring clarity and vision to the Florida Annual Conference."

Shafer says one of the training’s greatest benefits is the opportunity for clergy and laity to learn together. "It’s not the pastor and laity going by themselves to learn," he said. "It’s a very shared experience for both. They have the opportunity of hearing spiritual leaders talk about the mission and vision of the church."

Young and the Rev. Jessica Moffatt, senior pastor at Bixby United Methodist Church in Bixby, Okla., will be the featured speakers at the training session’s opening celebration rally.

Moffatt served for 14 years at Asbury United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Okla., and developed a "unique relationship between the church and the community," according to the Rev. Roger Swanson, Florida Conference director of Operation Evangelization and member of the event’s design team.

"Her ability to lead a congregation in ministry to hurting people is extraordinary," he said. "She is one of the few, but growing number of women in the United Methodist Church serving a large church."

The Rev. Dick Wills, senior pastor of Christ Church United Methodist in Ft. Lauderdale, will begin Thursday afternoon’s activities by sharing the story of his ministry and leadership at Christ Church and ways that church is striving to be a vital congregation in the 21st century.

Local and national speakers will then lead seven workshops on key ministries and focus areas considered crucial to becoming a vital congregation.

The session’s workshops focus on personal faith and the importance of sharing it, led by Dr. Tim Bias, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church, Peoria, Ill.; hands-on mission, by Tyrone Gordon, senior pastor of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, Wichita, Kan.; sharing Jesus through worship, by Sally Morganthaler, director of Worship Concepts Inc., Colorado Springs, Colo.; and coordinating effective small groups, by Tammy Kelly, executive director of Gingamsburg United Methodist Church, Tipp City, Ohio.

Tom Bandy, a church consultant in congregational change, will help churches develop their vision; Steve Harper, vice president/dean of Asbury Theological Seminary Florida, will focus on choosing leadership opportunities based on spiritual gifts; and Dan Benedict, worship resources director for the General Board of Discipleship, will lead a workshop on converting churches into true places of spiritual growth.

The training event ends Thursday evening with a celebration led by Cuban Methodist Bishop Ricardo Pereira and the praise band from Cuba’s Marianao Methodist Church.

"We’re going to experience the new and real revolution in Cuba, and that is…the spirit of God coming alive in the hearts of people in Cuba," Shafer said.

A Ministry Expo featuring representatives of 14 Florida churches sharing their churches’ successes in reaching out to people in their communities will also be held Thursday morning.

"It’s an opportunity to talk with churches that have experienced transformation and be able to see that these churches are ‘just like us,’ " Shafer said.

Registration information and materials will be mailed to all clergy and lay delegates to the annual event, as well as a number of leaders of each Florida Conference church. Churches are encouraged to bring groups.