Government seeks churches' help

As a result of the "Charitable Choice" rules included in the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, state governmental agencies are now allowed to obtain services from non-governmental organizations - including churches. The rules require that states not discriminate against faith-based groups, obligates states to respect the religious integrity of groups that take public money, and protects the rights of recipients to receive help without religious coercion, according to the Center for Public Justice, a non-profit public policy research organization. In Orlando, officials with the Florida Department of Children and Families' and the Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce are looking for ways they can work with and through faith-based organizations to help children and people who will soon come off the state's welfare rolls. Full Story

Evangelism director breathes life into vision "My wife's and my favorite person is the guy that introduced us 43 years ago," said the Rev. Dr. Roger Swanson. "To me, that's evangelism: introducing people to a person and hoping they'll develop a life-enriching relationship." In his role as the Florida Conference's new director of Operation Evangelization and Distinguished Evangelist, Swanson said his mission is to teach churches to develop a congregation lifestyle of evangelism.  Full Story

Revisioning leads healthy church in new directions When members of Oak Grove United Methodist Church in Tampa took an in-depth look at their membership and attendance numbers, they did not like what they saw, said the Rev. Richard Paul, pastor of the church. "The church saw that its focus and area of ministry were changing in scope," he said. Today, the church is redefining what ministry means to them and to their community.   Full Story

Floridians react to Cuban refugee's death On both sides of the Straits of Florida, Methodists are reacting to recent conflicts between the United States Coast Guard and boatloads of Cuban refugees trying to reach the shores of Florida. They're calling on the two governments to work out a new policy to stop the needless deaths..     Full Story

Koreans hope death makes church aware A two-state shooting spree by a member of a white supremacist group leaves a 26-year-old member of a Korean-American United Methodist church dead. Koreans in the Florida Conference say they hope this killing will prompt the United Methodist Church to look closely at the state of race relations within the denomination.     Full Story

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