Students of our Leadership Courses Come to Our Home Weekly

I have just finished a four week stretch of teaching in our summer schools. For three weeks, I taught principles of leadership in our new Leadership Training Intensive (LTI), which is a 6-week leadership course and functions as a foundational course in leadership. This will be followed by a 3-week Discipleship Training Intensive (DTI), which is a leadership course in facilitating a discipleship process in the lives of those being lead, particularly in our Discipleship Training School. This intensive will be followed by a 24-week Internship in Disciple Making.

During these leadership courses, we have the leaders in training come to our home weekly for a time of fellowship, and generally we watch a movie that depicts good, bad, and ugly leadership and we follow this with a discussion about what they saw, what Biblical leadership principles were being violated or applied, what did they learn, and how will it affect their future leadership. I’d like to think they like coming to our home to hear the wisdom I’ve learned over the years, but I must admit that Darla’s hospitality and snacks are a very big draw J.

We have had a sense here at YWAM Orlando, that we need to strengthen our core here at YWAM Orlando, which is “Transformational Discipleship” in all its forms. These new leadership courses are a part of adding strength to our apostolic discipleship community.

Youth Groups Come to YWAM Orlando

Dinner time in the Arena

Summer is also a time when we host youth groups from around the country. While they are here at YWAM Orlando, they receive teaching and training. In addition, they have missions experience by either reaching out in Orlando or by going to some foreign location to carry the life-giving message of Jesus.

Volunteers Create Great Meals for our Entire Community

Our first team was here for a week and consisted of 189 people. They were tremendously fruitful, both on campus and in the city. They left us on a Sunday morning, and then, later that afternoon, our second team of 79 arrived. This summer should soon be filled with more youth groups.  

Pastors and Church Outreach Leader

Morning Worship at YWAM Orlando

Word By Heart School

Our daughter, Kristen, helped to lead our second Word By Heart School here in Orlando. These schools are amazing as the students are immersed in one of the Gospels for the entire school. They learn the cultural and historical context of the stories from the Gospel, and as a result, the students are able to dramatically quote, word-for-word, about 90 minutes of the Gospel. They do this without rote memorization, but rather, like an actor, they are immersed in the characters. This results in a compelling telling of the Gospel with such authority that it seems like you are hearing an eye witness account of these events. Not only this, but students find their lives are changed dramatically from spending so much time meditating on the person of Jesus.

Mother's Day

Family Time

During an intense ministry schedule, we make sure to take time for family. This month, Darla and I celebrated our 36^th wedding anniversary – we are tremendously grateful for our marriage. We also had the privilege of honoring Darla as a mother as well as celebrating her birthday. 

Base Council Prayer & Planning Retreat in Our Home

Council Retreat in Our Home

Each year, we have a prayer and planning retreat with our YWAM Orlando leaders in which we review our last year, consider before the Lord our present spiritual condition, and prayerfully plan the next year. This year, we held our retreat in our home. This home has been such a wonderful blessing for family and ministry!

Maintenance Building Dedication

What a joy to dedicate our 23^rd building at YWAM Orlando! This maintenance building will help us to better steward our campus and eliminate rental costs each month. We are so very grateful for all who gave of their time and resources to complete this important building on our missions training launch pad called YWAM Orlando!

Loren Cunningham’s Visit to Orlando

Loren Cunningham included Orlando on his nationwide trip recently. It was a wonderful opportunity and privilege to host Loren and his team for a weekend this month. It was a very full and very fruitful weekend. We were blessed to have Loren share with our community on a Saturday night, and I had the privilege of traveling with him around Orlando, meeting with key leaders in the body of Christ. While in Orlando, Loren presented us with a beautiful artistic display of the Christian Magna Carta. We hung this where we meet with leaders as a reminder of our commitment to disciple nations - what a treasure!

Loren presents Christian Magna Carta to Michael & Darla