LAKELAND — Two ministries having a strong impact on rural and impoverished parts of Florida are getting a boost from the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD).

United Methodist Cooperative Ministries of Madison, Fla., and Interlachen United Methodist Church both received grants from GBOD and plan to expand their ministry efforts as a result. Cooperative Ministries received $2,285, and the Interlachen church received $2,000.

Launched during the 1970s, Cooperative Ministries receives grants for programs that include providing emergency assistance, such as help with utilities; operates a clothing pantry; and offers low-impact aerobic classes. Churches in Madison County support the ministry.

Jeanine Mordon, Cooperative Ministries’ coordinator, said the grant will enable a hard-working group of older women to teach quilting and cooking to young persons in the Madison area. In particular, Mordon said, the women are concerned the art of quilting will become a thing of the past if not shared with today’s youth.

“It’s a skill that they want to pass on to the next generation,” Mordon said. “They would like to have school classes come out here or small groups of kids. They have had, on a small scale, kids who stop by and start quilting with them.”

Mordon estimates a third of families with children in Madison County live below the federal poverty level. Only 53 percent of adults have earned either a high school diploma or GED.

Beyond plans for the children’s classes, Mordon hopes to see Cooperative Ministries reach the community in other ways, including programs for troubled kids at an alternative high school, programs requested by African-American churches in Madison, and a better partnership with government service providers that eliminates duplication and fosters better communication.

The Rev. A.C. Myers, senior pastor at Interlachen United Methodist Church, describes Interlachen as “a very small, one stoplight town in west Putnam county, very poor,” where 60 percent of residents live at or below the poverty level. Appointed to the church in 2001, Myers took note that the town did not have any facilities for individuals to go for fellowship and recreation, such as a YMCA. Instead, the local McDonalds has been the only hangout.

The grant money will be used to open the church’s fellowship hall on a weekly basis for the people who normally would gather at McDonalds. Myers said the church bought a pool table and will serve coffee and snacks. The outreach effort is targeting a population group of 50 and older because Myers has noticed that no other area churches are reaching out to seniors.

“Church members are very much behind it,” Myers said. “Two of my older members that haven’t really been active in ministry before have really taken off on it. This has become their niche.”

Interlachen’s weekly attendance averages 155 to 160 people per week and has been climbing, Myers said, adding the church is having fun getting more involved in the community, seeking to let people know “they can come into this church without feeling threatened.” Last October the church hosted a harvest block party. It also conducts quarterly prayer walks. Myers keeps a database of those who submit prayer requests and follows up with calls and visits. The church also operates a thrift shop.

In an effort to break down denominational barriers in the area, the churches there also lead joint Easters sunrise and Thanksgiving services, Myers said. “The pastors here, we’re not afraid to trade people back and forth. We tell them, if you can get fed at that church, that’s where you need to be.”

Myers said the church is also reaching out to the county’s large Hispanic population. A monthly church dinner serves between 80 and 90 people of diverse ethnic backgrounds. The cost is $5, but no one who cannot afford the cost is turned away. A monthly community breakfast operates on the same policy.