Issue: 4  
August 30, 2015 
In This Issue
Quick Links
Palmwood Church is On Social Media!
Want to connect with Palmwood Church? Check us out on Facebook at Palmwood Church and also on Twitter at @PalmwoodChurch

We'd Love to Hear From You!

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Thanks for your interest in Palmwood Church!  Here is our latest update. We so appreciate your partnership with us.
 
Covenant Intercessors Needed
Committed Prayer Warriors for This Kingdom Work
prayingb.jpg There are many things our core team and our ministry need as we launch this new work in Central Florida, but the single greatest need is true, daily intercessory prayer. We know that many of you are praying for us regularly. That said, we are seeking a few folks who will sign a covenant with us annually to pray strategically for our team and ministry every single day. For those who make such a covenant, we will provide  confidential prayer updates as needed so you know how best to pray. What's more, we'll also covenant to pray for you!

Are you interested in becoming such a partner? Contact John Kimball for more information at [email protected] or (321) 348-0020.
 
Meet the Team
Lauren Kimball
Lauren Kimball - Office Administration Lauren Kimball has been serving as Administrative Assistant at Palmwood Church, helping with some of the office and organizational work and maintaining our donor records as Financial Secretary.

Lauren is a graduate of University of Northwestern - Saint Paul and has her degree in Elementary Education with Minnesota State certifications in both Elementary Education and Middle School Mathematics.  Shortly after arriving here in Florida, she was able to receive the same certifications for the State of Florida and began a job as a tutor at Winegard Elementary School in the Orange County Public School system.  Winegard is a Title One school in the city of Orlando, and Lauren serves several families for whom English is not their native language.

After a few months in the school, one of the fourth grade teachers announced she would be taking maternity leave and Lauren was hired to take her class for the rest of the year.  Over the summer Lauren was hired full time with OCPS and now has her own fourth grade class!  She's building wonderful relationships with the other teachers and administrators and has many tangible opportunities to live out the love and grace of Jesus each day!

Lauren has also volunteered with Palmwood Church in our work with Hope Helps, Inc., a local charity that cares for the needs of the less fortunate in Seminole County.  She helped with the Back to School Bash earlier this month.

Lauren hopes to lead one of our Life Groups this fall and we're hoping it might include some of the folks she works with at Winegard. 

Parnerships
HOPE Helps, Inc. - Serving our Jerusalem and Judea
Volunteers for Kids of HOPE Back to School Bash
From the time of our planning in 2013, the Palmwood Church team set out to begin tangible expressions of ministry as soon as we got settled in Oviedo.  We have felt the clear call of Jesus to minister to the poor, widows and orphans, and the Greater Orlando area is filled with needy people.  Many of these folks lost careers, homes and hope when the economy tanked in 2008.  Orlando was the hardest hit City in the nation because almost its entire economic support was tourism.

The Olsons and Pastor John have gone through HOPE Helps' volunteer  training.  Pastor John has taken on a weekly food pick-up route for their food pantry.  And John, Lauren, Denise Brinkley and her older boys all helped with the Kids of HOPE Back to School Bash, serving over 400 kids with free school supplies, clothing, eye exams and more.  In fact, the whole church family filled a box with supplies for the event!

Even though Palmwood Church is planning her public launch in the Spring of 2016, the team is even now making an important impact in Oviedo and Seminole County for Christ!

 

Moving Toward Launch
Planning a Public Launch for Spring 2016
The Palmwood Church Core Team - Easter 2015
After taking time to find jobs in the area, settle in our homes and work through several personal and ministry challenges, the Palmwood Church Team is now strategically moving toward a public launch next Spring (we're praying about Resurrection Sunday).  We are in the process of incorporating with the State of Florida, setting up the needed structures for the early season with an eye toward full structures as we grow, and are actively doing ministry in the region as we make connections for the kingdom.

We have developed a plan to use our neighborhood Life Groups to build vital relationships with our friends, neighbors and coworkers.  We hope to have five Life Groups running by the end of Fall with a goal of establishing relationships for discipleship and specialized ministry and mentoring by the beginning of Lent.  We will use a special Lent study in conjunction with matching sermons to build our Life Group Communities toward Holy Week with the hope that this will provide a great foundation to publicly launch the church on Resurrection Sunday (March 27th).

You can join us in this plan in three vital ways: 1) PRAY! Ask the Lord of the Harvest for many fruitful divine appointments and for even more laborers for the harvest here in Oviedo; 2) GIVE! Our greatest financial needs right now are for increased salaries and the ability to make lease payments on the needed worship space as we grow into next year; 3) COME! Why not plan a trip down to see the work first hand?  We would love to include you in some ministry opportunities, and perhaps even to entice you to join the work!

For more information, contact the church at [email protected] or (321) 348-0020.

 

Thanks for your prayers and support.  Please share this update with others by clicking on the "Forward Email" link below.

We would love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected].
 
Sincerely,
 
John Kimball
Palmwood Church