Florida Provisional Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church to Form on September 1, 2023
Dear Florida GMC Family,
JACKSONVILLE, FL – On September 1, 2023, the Florida Provisional Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church will officially form. By the first quarter of 2024, the Florida Conference expects to include between 125 – 140 churches. Together, these churches will work to make disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly. The Rev. Jay Therrell has been appointed President pro tempore for the conference, leading it on a day-to-day basis.
“Today is a day that we have longed for. We are overjoyed that theologically conservative Methodists will be connected to share the saving Good News of Jesus by meeting people at their point of need and offering them Christ,” said Therrell. The Transitional Leadership Council of the Global Methodist Church gave its permission for the Florida Conference to form at one of its recent meetings. For almost nine months, a leadership team (called a Transitional Conference Advisory Team) has been working behind the scenes to launch the annual conference. This dedicated group of 20 leaders from across the state have sacrificed their time and energy incorporating the new entity, discerning its vision, mission, and purpose, and helping empower people for its leadership teams.
“This has been a labor of love helping to get the new Florida Conference off the ground,” said Ms. Monteen Pillay, a member of the leadership team and new Conference Lay Leader. “This team has joyfully gathered for months to pray for God’s guidance and then do our best to implement it so that we can continue to be a strong Wesleyan voice sharing the hope of Christ.”
The Florida Conference will begin with four districts, each led by a presiding elder who will also serve a church. The North District will be led by the Rev. Mike Fordham, senior pastor of Killearn Church in Tallahassee. The Central North District will be led by the Rev. Patti Thue, senior pastor of Grace Methodist Church in Lake Mary. The Central South District will be led by the Rev. Corky Calhoun, senior pastor of Georgianna Church in Merritt Island. The South District will be led by the Rev. Tim Carson, senior pastor of Estero Church, just south of Fort Myers. (Reverend Carson will begin on November 1.) Also joining the Cabinet will be the Rev. Nako Kellum who will serve as the Conference Administrator. Monteen Pillay rounds out the team as the Conference Lay Leader. Julie Bullerdick will support the team as the senior administrative assistant. “The Cabinet of the Florida Conference is an extraordinary team of leaders who have a deep faith in Jesus and are committed to shepherding, connecting, and equipping our churches and clergy so that every leader can be effective and every church vital,” said Therrell.
The Florida Provisional Conference of the GMC is committed to being a lean and nimble organization. There will be no conference office. All its officers will work remotely so they can travel frequently among the churches and serve alongside them. “We are committed to keeping as many dollars as possible in local church treasuries because we trust local churches will use them to make disciples,” said Therrell. “We will keep a small footprint that doesn’t require a lot of institutional dollars so we can ensure that we stay a movement and not become a bureaucracy.”
The Florida Conference will have its first gathering in Florida on Saturday, September 9, 2023, called Homecoming. It’s at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida. J.D. Walt, Sower-in-Chief of Seedbed, is the keynote speaker. GMC Bishop Mark Webb and other speakers will join him and lead breakout sessions on worship, missions, discipleship, and children’s and youth ministries. Registrations are still open and can be made at homecomingfloridagmc.rsvpify.com.
At Homecoming, the dates and location for the convening annual conference (meeting) will be announced. The convening annual conference will take place in January 2024. “We look forward to a new way of doing the annual conference. The business session will likely be just one hour with the rest of the time focused on worshipping, equipping, and prayer. We will have exciting speakers, and we look forward to a massive ordination service,” Therrell said.
The Florida Conference extends from the Florida Keys to the Apalachicola River and includes churches across the state. The Conference is diverse with Latino and Korean congregations and presently has five new church plants with more coming. “The Global Methodist Church in Florida is committed to a culture of multiplication where we emphasize starting all types of new congregations to reach people for Jesus,” said Conference Administrator Nako Kellum.
The website for the Florida Conference is www.floridagmc.org and it also has a presence on Facebook.
Local Churches in the Florida provisional conference
The following churches are in the following districts (Please note: only churches that have completed disaffiliation are listed. Many more will be added on September 1, 2023.)
North District (Mike Fordham, Presiding Elder)
Bridge City Church (Jacksonville)
Callahan Methodist Church
Cherry Lake Methodist Church
Faith Community Methodist Church (Jacksonville)
Greenville Methodist Church
Killearn Methodist Church (Tallahassee)
Lakewood Church (Jacksonville)
Lake City First Methodist Church
Salem Methodist Church (Havana)
Waukeenah Methodist Church
Central North District (Patti Thue, Presiding Elder)
Alachua Methodist Church
Black Creek Methodist Church (Middleburg)
Crystal River Community Church
First Church (DeLand)
First Methodist Church of Dunnellon
Grace Methodist Church (Homosassa Springs)
Lake Helen Methodist Church
Pierson Methodist Church
Tavares Community Church
Trinity Community Church (Fleming Island)
Welaka Methodist Church
First Methodist Church of Williston
Central South District (Corky Calhoun, Presiding Elder)
Belle Isle Community Church (Orlando)
Dundee Methodist Church
Georgianna Church (Merritt Island)
Living Hope Church (Clermont)
Living Rock Community Church (Winter Haven)
Lutz Family Church
New Hope Church (Brandon)
Oneco Hope Methodist Church
Roseland Global Methodist Church
SpringLife Church (Spring Hill)
St. John Methodist Church of Sebring
Sylvan Abbey Church (Clearwater)
Tampa Korean Methodist Church
First Methodist Church of Vero Beach
South District (Tim Carson, Presiding Elder)
Alva Methodist Church
Amazing Grace/Sublime Gracia Global Methodist Church (Port St. Lucie)
Christ Venice Church
First Methodist Church of Clewiston
Edgewater Church (Port Charlotte)
Estero Church
Iglesia Cristiana Vida (Hialeah)
Marathon Community Church (Marathon Key)
First Methodist Church of Moore Haven
New Beginnings Community Church (Sarasota)
Port Charlotte Global Methodist Church
South Florida Global Methodist Church
the cabinet of the florida provisional conference of the gmc
The Rev. Jay Therrell – President pro tempore
Ms. Monteen Pillay – Conference Lay Leader
The Rev. Nako Kellum – Conference Administrator
The Rev. Corky Calhoun – Presiding Elder, Central South District
The Rev. Tim Carson – Presiding Elder, South District
The Rev. Mike Fordham – Presiding Elder, North District
The Rev. Patti Thue – Presiding Elder, Central North District
Ms. Julie Bullerdick – Senior Administrative Assistant to the Cabinet