Discipleship Weekend
offers church resources
“Spirit Powered” 2001 Discipleship Weekend, Sept.
21-23 at the Life Enrichment Center in Leesburg, offers a wealth of resources for local
church leaders and pastors.
Participants can choose three workshops from more than 40
on a variety of topics including children, youth and adult ministries, leadership,
evangelism, technology and missions. There are also personal enrichment classes and
introductions to long-term classes.
Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker and the Rev. Janet Lynn Wolf, an
elder in the Tennessee Conference and peace with justice activist, are the keynote
speakers.
The Cokesbury Action Team and Florida Conference Resource
Center will be featured at the event’s Expo Hall.
The program fee is $40 for all participants and does not
include housing. Scholarships are available through the Florida Conference. For more
information, contact Birk Mullinax in the Florida Conference Discipleship Ministry Team
office at 1-800-282-8011, extension 141, or BMullinax@flumc.org.
Conference makes labyrinths available
The Florida Conference now has two portable labyrinths
local congregations may use. One is available through the Discipleship Office at
863-688-5563, extension 140 or 141. There is a user fee to cover shipping expenses and
eventual replacement of the 36-foot square canvas imprinted with the labyrinth. It comes
in a carrying case with instructions and guidelines. Consider using this prayer tool in
your church to enhance the prayer ministry of your congregation.
The second one can be borrowed by calling the Rev. Patricia
Brown at SpiritWorks at 407-657-5836. There is a user fee with it, as well.
African pastor speaks at rally
The Rev. Chris Chikoore, an elder in the Zimbabwe,
Africa, Annual Conference and pastor at Lakeland’s St. Mark United Methodist Church,
is the keynote speaker at the Florida United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM)
Convocation Rally Sept. 7-9 at the Life Enrichment Center in Leesburg.
The weekend convocation is open to everyone, and
participants can choose from among six workshops on global missions and mission
opportunities.
The cost is $75, which includes meals and lodging. For more
information, contact Louise Lee, registrar, at 941-936-7965.
New guild forms for Web support
Clergy and laity involved in designing or maintaining a
United Methodist church, district or conference Web site are invited to join the United
Methodist Web Ministries Guild, a new ministry designed to offer technical and spiritual
support to those actively involved in Internet ministries.
The guild is now in the formative stages, developing
bylaws, guidelines and an expanded mission statement, and is looking for volunteers to
help in those efforts. It is also forming an e-mail discussion group and technical forum
to help United Methodist Web ministers stay informed and share information.
Donald Youngs, the Florida Conference’s Web manager,
is serving as the chairperson of the guild’s leadership formation team.
For more information on the guild, visit http://www.cfumis.com/umwmg. The site has an
on-line volunteer sign-up form and a link to subscribe to the e-mail list.
Lutherans offer training in pastoral
care
Lutheran Counseling Services, part of the American
Association of Pastoral Counselors, is offering training for pastors and caregivers who
want to enhance their skills in doing brief, supportive counseling and pastoral care.
The 17-session course begins in September and runs through
May. It is held in the Lutheran Counseling Services’ office in Winter Park, north of
Orlando. Each three-hour class includes an academic presentation on pastoral care subjects
and methodologies and group consultation dealing with specific cases.
The training program qualifies participants for membership
in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors as a pastoral care specialist.
For more information, contact Lutheran Counseling Services
at 407-644-4692 or 1-800-444-2482.
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