The Florida Conference is continually looking for people who are willing to serve on various conference ministry teams, agencies and task forces.

Clergy and laity who have a particular area of ministry in which they are called to serve, a spiritual gift, or an area of expertise they are open to sharing are encouraged to apply. A list of conference boards and agencies is available online at http://www.flumc.org. Click on the "Share Your Gifts And Talents Nominations Form" link. There is also an application form that can be completed and submitted online.

Those who do not find an agency that matches their gifts, skills or areas of interest may submit an application to make themselves known to the conference.

For more information, contact the Florida Conference Center at 1-800-282-8011, extension 100.

During the past four years, the Florida Conference’s Council of Bishops’ Initiative on Children and Poverty (BICAP) task force has given grants totaling $375,154 to 104 local churches. The money helps support ministries that are geared toward children and families.

The next round of BICAP grants will be awarded this fall. The grant application deadline is Nov. 15.

Currently, the committee has enough money to award about five grants at its current average of $2,000 per award. The Rev. Barbara Odom, pastor of Lakewood United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg and chairwoman of the task force, is encouraging churches to send any BICAP contributions they have collected to the Florida Conference Treasurer so more grants can be distributed.

Odom is also asking churches to continue collecting and sending donations for the Florida Conference’s Hope for the Children of Africa goal of building an orphanage and school in Mozambique. So far, a little more than $58,000 has been raised toward the conference’s $250,000 goal.

For more information, contact Odom at 727-867-1744, or Larry Rankin, director of the Conference Council on Ministries’ Missions office, at 1-800-282-8011, extension 126, or LRankin@flumc.org. 

Youth who want to be more Godly in every aspect of their lives are encouraged to attend CrossTrainers ’00 Nov. 10-12 at the Warren W. Willis Camp in Leesburg.

Bill Gravell, an ordained Baptist preacher and youth minister from Texas, is the keynote speaker, and Atlanta-based band Sundry will perform its concert "Toughest No Brainer Yet."

The cost is $90 per person. The registration deadline is Nov. 6. All participants will receive a free T-shirt. Requests for a specific size are due Oct. 27.

For more information, contact Kym Langston in the Conference Council on Ministries’ Youth Ministry office at 1-800-282-8011, extension 139, or KLangston@flumc.org. 

"Expanding the Boundaries…" is the theme for this year’s United Methodist Association of Preschools retreat Nov. 3-5 at the Life Enrichment Center in Leesburg.

Dr. Becky Bailey, a professor of early childhood education and development, is the keynote speaker; the Rev. Sami Wilson, a pastor at Cypress Lake United Methodist Church in Fort Myers, is the worship leader; and recording artist Maryann Harman will provide musical leadership.

Workshops include "Planting the Seed of Self Control," "Joyful Worship Time for Children," "God’s Love Aids Development" and others. There will also be a challenge course focusing on problem-solving and teamwork skills.