Local & National Mission Partners
Part of being a part of the story is realizing that we're not in the story alone. The kingdom of God is about so much more than just First Presbyterian Church of Orlando--it's about the whole body of Christ working together to build His Kingdom, not ours. Therefore, we serve in partnership with those serving in the urban areas of Orlando, those in the greater United States, and also those serving all over the world. The following are organizations and individuals having an impact for Christ both in Orlando and throughtout the United States.
Want to get involved with any of these partners? Contact us by email or by phone at 407.423.3441 x1474 and we'll tell you how you can be a part of the story.
Campus Crusade for Christ
CCCI is an interdenominational, worldwide ministry committed to helping take the Gospel of Christ to all nations. Their goal for this decade is to help give every man, woman, and child in the entire world an opportunity to find new life in Jesus Christ. Pray for each FPCO member who serves Campus Crusade, that they will know renewed strength and commitment for their mission. www.ccci.org
Melissa Crabtree, World Headquarters Melissa works as the Assistant Director of the Department of Human Resources with Campus Crusade for Christ. She assists in setting the direction of ministry, training new staff, and senior staff development. She equips staff members serving in the field to be able to share their faith individually and build spiritual movements.
Needs: Pray support as well as additional financial support.
Jim and Angela Davis, Mississippi State University Jim Davis is a child of FPCO, and he and his wife Angela have formerly served in Pisa, Italy with Campus Crusade for Christ. While they are still sending and resourcing that ministry in Italy, they are currently are based at Mississippi State University, where their focus is the reach students and build them up in their faith and send them out to do the same with others. This past year they saw 40 new believers, and also took about 40 students to share the gospel in Italy.
Needs: Prayer for the students to see Jesus for who He really is as well as additional financial assistance.
Tom and Karen Mills, Worldwide Challenge Magazine Tom and Karen are with Campus Crusade for Christ, working with Worldwide Challenge magazine. Tom is a photographer for the magazine, and helps to spread the news of what God is doing all over the world in the spreading of His kingdom. He also has a ministry and witness among press photographers, to both educate and encourage them in their knowledge and relationship with God.
Needs: Prayer for travelling safety, health and ministry as Tom travels all over the world.
Children’s Home of Central Florida
The mission of Children’s Home Society of Florida (CHS) is to provide solutions to build and support healthy families for Florida’s children. Founded in 1902 to meet the needs of orphaned children, CHS has evolved to provide a continuum of care for children and families struggling with many challenges. Annually, CHS of Florida serves 10,000 children through 20 programs including emergency shelter for abused children, supervised family visitation, at-risk parent education, special needs adoption, foster care, case management, mentoring and a full range of outpatient counseling services for children and families.
Needs: Prayer as well as volunteers to participate in the following: care for children at the emergency shelter, serving as a Mom Mentor with the pre-natal group, board membership. Practical needs would be gift cards and groceries during holiday times.
Christian Service Center
The Christian Service Center was founded in 1971 by First Pres and other local churches to provide the hurting of our community with programs to meet their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. We at FPCO remain actively involved with our time, treasures and contributions. Pray for those Christian Service Center serves, that God will give them strength, courage, and wisdom. Pray for the staff and volunteers who offer a helping hand and heart to others. www.christianservicecenter.org
Needs: Prayer for the hungry, broken and poor in Central Florida; Pray that God will providestrength, hope and love through their struggles. Non-perishable food items and new or gently worn clothing (especially for men).
Coalition For The Homeless of Central Florida
The Coalition for the Homeless is the largest homeless services provider in Central Florida and the largest provider of residential services to children in the area. Last Fiscal year, the Coalition provided meals, shelter and supportive services to more than 4,600 homeless men, women and children. Since 2000, they have served over 45,000 homeless in the community and to the heart of the Coalition’s work is our mission to meet the needs of those who are homeless in the community and to serve as a catalyst for community collaboration to end homelessness. To this end, we provide services that meet the immediate and long-term needs of homeless people. Individuals and families may first come to us seeking emergency services; however, they get much more than a safe place to sleep and nutritious meals to eat. The Coalition provides access to services which help introduce stability, health and independence into lives that have been dominated by crisis and dependency.
Needs: Volunteer support through the Meal Service Program
Exodus International and OneByOne Ministries
Both of these ministries work together to mobilize the body of Christ to minister grace and truth to a world affected by sexual brokeness. Exodus and OneByOne are dedicated to equipping and uniting churches, agencies, and individuals to effectively convey support and understanding to individuals facing the realities of a homosexual loved one. They offer counseling to individuals, parents and churches who want to learn how to educate and minister to their loved ones and congregations about sexuality. OneByOne focuses specifically on making these resources available within the PCUSA.
Good News Jail & Prison Ministry
Our purpose is to provide Christian chaplains in correctional facilities both nationally and internationally. Good News International trains national chaplains to work within the correctional facilities of their country. They share the Gospel, lead Bible studies, and minister through humanitarian aid to inmates and to their families, as many inmates in international areas lack the basic necessities to survive in the prison. www.goodnewsjail.org
Jeremiah Jenkins is a missionary FPCO supports locally and individually, and who is part of the Advancement Team with Good News Jail and Prison Ministry. His team develops funding methods and resources for all the chaplains in this ministry. He also teaches at the Orange County Jail, and leads students on powerful jail mission trips.
Scott Lee is also someone FPCO supports locally and individually. He is the primary minister to the major donors of Good News. He manages the key investor relationships that are crucial to the overall funding of many parts of this ministry.
The Gathering, USA
In 1978 men from First Presbyterian Church of Orlando began hosting appealing and effective meetings to reach men for Christ by mobilizing Christians to invite their friends to a non-threatening outreach in a non-religious setting. The organization was officially formed in 1987 in Orlando. Since then, laymen from a number of cities have been trained to set up and run Gatherings of Men in their own cities. In 2000, The Gathering of Women was launched to expand its ministry to women. The Gathering continues to enjoy a very strong relationship with the FPCO. Please pray that through their outreach many more men and women will join in Christian Fellowship. www.thegathering.org
Health Care Center for the Homeless
HCCH is located on the west side of downtown Orlando, providing medical and dental care to the homeless and the uninsured poor at no charge. Medical and dental staff who tend to the needs of this segment of the population, treating medical conditions of all types. The HOPE team is an outreach arm of the HCCH, working with the homeless living on the streets and in the woods of Central Florida. Pray that the homeless will feel the healing hand of Jesus Christ in their lives.
Needs: Prayer for needs of clients overcoming many obstacles and for staff to provide the best possible care. Donations of canned food, socks, underwear, and hygiene kits are always needed as well as bus passes for clients to make appointments.
Heart of Mercy Church
Heart of Mercy Community Church of the Nazarene is located on Mercy Drive and serves the nearly 28,000 residents of that neighborhood. Pastor William Andrews and his wife, Rosie, lead a wide-ranging ministry offering discipleship and worship to their members, while also providing ministry to the many other needs which exist in their community. FPCO has been privileged to join with this church to build relationships, break down racial barriers, and seek the will of God as He grows His church together.
Hi-Tech Tutoring Center, Inc.
Hi-Tech Tutoring Center’s goal is to provide quality individual/small group tutoring, mentoring and Christian counseling so that students who reside in the Urban area of Orlando will have a safe haven to learn while parents are at work. Ernestine Mosley, the founder, has poured out his heart and soul into this ministry. The children are taught to believe in Christ, His Word, and how to pray and walk with Him. www.hitechtutoring.com
Needs: Prayer for Ernestine Mosley, for the children who attend, and for the volunteers. Volunteers to teach and share the love of Christ by mentoring students. Donations of school and office supplies are always welcome!
The Impact Movement
The Impact Movement, started under Campus Crusade for Christ, now runs independently and exists to bring the truth of Jesus Christ to the campus, community and the world by producing leaders of African descent who are spiritually focused, financially responsible and morally fit.
Needs: Prayer that the Spirit of the Living God can break the spiritual stronghold that has taken hold within the black community. Needs include q video camera, 12 chairs for community room, paper, card stock, ink for printers, or printing services.
Living Hope International
This organization provides comprehensive services to women, 18 years and over, giving them the opportunity to recover from alcohol and chemical dependency, abuse, or a dysfunctional lifestyle. Please pray for the president, for the staff, and for the women and children that are reached by Living Hope, that their transition be complete and successful. www.livinghope-ministry.org
Needs: Prayer for residents at New Beginnings Home and the Out patient program women and men that they will find jobs and be reunited with their families. Teachers and tutors for the residents, facilities and lawn maintenance person. Donations for items such as toilet tissue, paper towels, laundry detergent, napkins soap, deodorant, tooth paste, garbage bags, and RIDX would be appreciated.
Polis Institute
Christians are called to hold out the gospel in both word an deed as inseparable components of true evangelism. POLIS trains groups to participate in the work of neighborhood transformation in distressed areas and to incorporate holistic principles of serving others into their current outreach programs. Dignity Serves is a curriculum that has been created for use in church small groups to effectively move people to serve others in ways that are respectful bringing dignity to all parties and honor to God.
Needs: Prayers for a concerted Christian community development initiative in Orlando and surrounding areas. Volunteers are needed for coordinating and follow-up for service projects.
Presbyterians for Pro-Life & True Life Choice
Presbyterians for Pro-Life seeks to be a prophetic witness to the Presbyterian Church USA, upholding the sacred value of human life and the family. www.ppl.org
True Life Choice (TLC) Women’s Center provides information on abortion alternatives to women who find themselves with an unplanned pregnancy. Every woman is shown love and compassion for the situation in which she find herself. We pray with them, share the gospel with them, and give them information regarding all their options, and provide referrals to agencies that can assist them with clothing, food, baby items, and adoption information. www.tlcwomenscenter.org
Needs: Prayer partners to come and prayerfully intercede on site. Donations of new and gently used baby clothes, maternity clothes, formula, diapers, cribs, car seats, etc. would be greatly appreciated. We have volunteer needs for receptionists, client educators, mentoring Moms, board members, committee members.
Young Life
Young Life has a long history of reaching adolescents with the Good News of Jesus Christ and helping them to grow in their faith. We are primarily an evangelistic outreach ministry to the un-churched high school and middle school students in Orlando.
Needs: Prayer for the un-churched adolescents and their families here in Central Florida. We are also in need of volunteers to work directly with kids.