Filtering by Category: Poverty,Religious Freedom
• Poverty •
Church network seeks to guide homeless families to self-sufficiency
When homeless people come to Altamonte Chapel, the congregation welcomes them to worship and offers the help it can: a meal, a ride, maybe some new clothes. But the small church doesn't have the resources to get them off the streets permanently.
• Poverty, Interfaith Dialogue •
Iconic pastor comes to Apopka on a mission to eradicate homelessness - The Apopka Voice
By Reggie Connell/ Managing Editor of The Apopka Voice Hurricane Irma slammed into Apopka last week with unexpected fury and jarred the community to its core. Streets flooded, trees fell, and the vast majority of residents lost power at their homes, but when the wind and rain subsided, Apopka came together and began the process of recovery from the devastation that Irma inflicted.
• Poverty •
Seminole County Leaders Discuss Solutions To Homelessness
Community leaders met Thursday to talk about ways to help the homeless in Seminole County. The Symposium at Harvest Time International brought together leaders from government, the faith community and the non-profit sector. Central Florida Commission on Homelessness CEO Shelley Lauten said one of the challenges is making it easier for the homeless to get access to care.
• Poverty •
Intersection: State of Homelessness in Seminole County
The Central Florida Commission on Homelessness has taken a housing first approach, trying to get families into homes so they can get the services they need. How's that strategy playing out in Seminole County? County Commissioner John Horan and Shelley Lauten and Joel Hunter from the Commission on Homelessness discuss the way forward.
Northland church Pastor Joel Hunter trades pulpit for nonprofit to aid homeless
Joel Hunter has been one of Central Florida's foremost religious leaders, synonymous for more than three decades with Longwood's evangelical megachurch Northland, A Church Distributed. But within the next couple of months, Hunter, 69, plans to step down from the calling he once thought he would devote the rest of his life to and start a new ministry for the poor and homeless.
Pastor Joel Hunter steps down as megachurch leader to minister to the poor and homeless
Joel Hunter has announced that he is stepping down as a senior pastor in Orlando megachurch Northland Church to go beyond the walls of the house of worship and minister to the poor and the homeless.
• Poverty •
New Census Shows 29 Percent Increase In Central Florida Homeless Population
This past January, Homeless Services Network of Central Florida, along with the most expansive participating number of organizations and volunteers to date, conducted Central Florida's annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. The PIT Count, an actual physical count of homeless individuals, serves as an annual gauge to capture the number of persons or families in a community who meet the federal definition of homeless, as defined by the U.S.
• Interfaith Dialogue, Poverty, Reconciliation •
Churches recruited for battle against homelessness
Charles Pitts, a retired Lake Mary executive, was attending service athis Longwood church late last year when his pastor launched a recruiting mission for foot soldiers in the battle against homelessness. "I knew immediately I wanted to join," said Pitts, 72, who has lived at both ends of the rags to riches spectrum.
• Public Square, Religious Freedom, Reconciliation •
China-US Church Ministries Symposium Kicks off in Orlando China Christian Daily
Co-held by CCC and Christian Leadership Exchange (CLE), the China-US Church Ministries Symposium kicks off in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A, on February 13, 2017. - China Christian Daily, CCD
• Interfaith Dialogue, Poverty •
"If we’re not able to be interrupted for someone who needs us then we probably need to take another look at how much we love Jesus."
- Dr. Joel C. Hunter
Dr. Joel C. Hunter is the Pastor of Community Benefit at Action Church, a multi-site congregation based in Winter Park and his one-minute daily devotionals can be heard worldwide on Z88 radio. He is the Chairman of the Central Florida Pledge campaign; a call to action for residents of Central Florida who are tired of hateful discourse and want to create a safe and inclusive community for all. The pledge asks residents to commit to treating all people with kindness and respect, especially those with whom they disagree. To learn more: https://www.centralfloridapledge.com/
He is a nationally and internationally known advocate for the poor, the marginalized, and those dealing with disabilities. He served a three-year term as the Chairman of Central Florida’s Commission on Homelessness. And, after 32 years as the senior pastor of Longwood, Florida’s Northland Church’s congregation of 20,000, he spent five years leading a non-profit in networking with churches and local charities to locate available resources and benefit the struggling in our community. Orlando Magazine highlighted his efforts naming him as the #1 most powerful voice for philanthropy and community engagement. And listed him among “Orlando’s 50 Most Powerful” six years in a row.
Approaching today’s challenges in a biblical and balanced manner, Dr. Hunter is neither partisan nor politically oriented, but often relates to public officials in a pastoral role; he served as a spiritual advisor to President Obama during his eight years in office.
Dr. Hunter has served in leadership roles of the World Evangelical Alliance, serving more than 600 million evangelicals, and the National Association of Evangelicals, serving more than 40 denominations and thousands of churches.
Married for 51 years to his wife, Becky, he is the father of three sons, grandfather of seven, and great-grandfather of two.
