Florida United Methodist Review Online -February 2, 2001

Special session called to elect new bishop
     The Southeastern Jurisdiction’s College of Bishops called a special session of the jurisdictional conference Feb. 26-28 in Lake Junaluska, N.C. for the purpose of electing and consecrating a new bishop to replace the late Bishop Cornelius L. Henderson. Although Henderson was serving the Florida Conference at the time of his death, the newly elected bishop will not necessarily be appointed to Florida, according to Bishop Lindsey Davis, president of the college of bishops.
     The delegates to the conference will also consider recommendations from the finance committee about how to pay for the unbudgeted session, which is expected to cost $250,000.   Full Story

Worship Shared Across the Miles

Photo by Linda Mobley

ORLANDO - Christians in Orlando and Korea worshipped together Jan. 13 through a satellite uplink from Taft United Methodist Church here. The Gabriel's Choir, orchestra and dance team from Greenhills Presbyterian Church in Pine Hills here led a worship service at the Taft church that coincided with Sunday morning worship in Korea.
     Dr. James Merithew, the church's lay leader and organizer of the event, said he originally invited the Korean congregation to provide a musical performance for Taft's monthly community supper.
      "Because it was being held here, in a United Methodist church, they decided to make it a thank-you to America for sending missionaries to Korea 150 years ago, the first of whom were Methodist missionaries," Merithew said.
     The 280 local worshippers were joined by several hundred more in Korea via the satellite uplink. "I got to watch the Holy Spirit move...at 7 p.m. when someone in Korea called a member of the Greenhills congregation sitting next to me and said, 'I see you,' " Merithew said.

Common table turns ear toward real people

The Florida Conference’s Common Table, a forum of elected leaders discussing how best to utilize conference resources to fulfill the conference’s mission and vision, have decided to ask lay and clergy leaders of local churches what they think. The Rev. Jim Harnish, chairman of the Conference Council on Ministries, said members of the Common Table want to know what people in the conference believe are the critical issues confronting the Florida Conference at this point in history. Replies can be e-mailed to the Common Table at CTable@flumc.org. Full Story

Members take message beyond the pews

During the past five months, St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Orlando has more than doubled its worship attendance, grown its children's ministry from one child to more than 15 and has begun new Sunday school classes to help new attendees become more familiar with church life.
This growth is the result of a Saturday morning ministry through which members of the church go out into the community to collect and follow-up on prayer requests, distribute prayer plants, and share their faith. Full Story

Haitians talk to God first each year
While many cultures place importance on the first kiss or meal of the New Year, Haitian Christians consider their first conversation to be of great importance. That’s why many Haitian United Methodists in the Florida Conference spent New Year’s Eve in worship services and the first few minutes of the New Year praying to God. Full Story

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News at a Glance

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Opportunities

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North Carolina has urgent need for volunteers

Notices

Bishop announces appointment changes

Counselor considered for Counseling Network

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