If you are the parent of a high school senior and have not yet started thinking about college, the time to start is right now. The Annual Christian College Fair can help. This year’s fair will be making a stop at The First Academy on Monday, September 15 from 6-8 p.m. at the Student Center. Representatives from about 35 Christian colleges — including Gardner-Webb University and Baylor University — will be on hand.

Posted August 20, 2008

Not quite a full-time resident of Central Florida but would still like to call First Orlando your “home away from home” church? The “Associate Member” designation allows you to do just that.

Posted August 20, 2008

It’s a new study and new focus for Men’s Fraternity. Now in its third year here at First Orlando, this year’s study, which begins September 9, is simply called “Shine.” “This is really going to be a study that encourages men of all ages — married or not, or have children or not — to recognize the principles that we all must build in our lives,” said Pastor David Uth, who will be leading the sessions.

Posted August 19, 2008

Fear is a word that crops up quite often in Scripture. It usually takes one of two forms — one has a positive connotation and the other a negative connotation. The former can be found in verses such as the following:
• “Fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth” (Joshua 24:14).
• “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).  

Posted August 18, 2008

As you visit Welcome Centers A & B beginning this Sunday, you will notice a map in each location with the heading “Global Status of Evangelical Christianity.” It is something Pastor David Uth wants you to stop and take a look at. “The maps are an incredible reminder of the amount of lostness in our world and concentrations of lostness,” he said.

Posted August 14, 2008

Now it’s easier then ever to invite guests to First Orlando. Our new, convenient “You’re Invited” cards make inviting friends, family, neighbors and people at your workplace as simple as handing someone a business card. “What we want to do is give people a very easy and practical tool that will serve as a conversation starter,” Education Pastor Jack Fiscus said. “For instance, if you’re in a restaurant, ask your server if he or she has a need you can pray for before your meal. That simple question says, ‘I’m concerned about you’ and will draw people in.”

Posted August 14, 2008

First Orlando’s Global Impact Ministry has long held to the concept of reaching out to people around the world as well as across the street. “Operation Education” fulfills the “across the street” part. “We had more than eight bins of donations, which is more than last year,” said Leigh Ann Grubbs, the Missions Assistant at First Orlando. “The items we collected will go to Richmond Heights Elementary School and the First Life Center For Pregnancy.”

Posted August 13, 2008

After the children of Israel fled Egypt and had wandered in the wilderness of Sinai for 40 years, they finally entered Canaan — the Promised Land. An estimated 3 million souls strong, the Israelites conquered the pagan cities of Jericho and Ai then went on to capture much of the remainder of Canaan, a swath of land hugging the eastern Mediterranean that approximates modern Israel.

Posted August 12, 2008

When it comes to newcomers to the faith or those who simply want to know more about Christianity, it’s all about the basics. That’s the thinking behind a new Christian educational initiative soon to be implemented by First Orlando called Starting Point. “Starting Point is for anyone who is not sure about church or God; a new believer wondering what the next step is; or what is referred to as the ‘rechurched,’ those who grew up in the Church, left, and have returned,” said Starting Point Pastor Jeff Thompson.

Posted August 8, 2008

Jim Nassar has taken a whopping 23 First Orlando mission trips to the Amazon and has led 15 of them. And just about every year he says that the one he just returned from was the best of all. This year’s July 23-August 3 excursion was no exception. “It was great in every way,” said First Orlando’s IT Director. “And it really was the best trip ever. I say that every year — but this time I mean it.”

Posted August 7, 2008