On June 12, WholeLife Church officially welcomed their new senior pastor, Ken Wetmore, his wife Rachelle, and their children Kyla and Eric. The church held a fun-filled welcome reception for the Wetmore family that evening in the Orlando Junior Academy gymnasium.
After 37 years of service and leadership to the church family and surrounding communities, March 27, 2021, marked Pastor Andy's final Sabbath as WholeLife Church's senior pastor. The day was filled with celebration and memories, and culminated in the afternoon with a program dedicated to honoring his years of service.
On March 26, during the reception for Pastor Andy's retirement, Orlando City Commissioner Robert Stuart presented an official proclamation from Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and the City of Orlando declaring March 26, 2021 as "Pastor Andy McDonald Day" in recognition of Andy's service to the Orlando community.
On March 13, after many months of search by our search committee, along with Faith Search Partners and the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the church announced that Pastor Ken Wetmore had accepted the invitation to join WholeLife Church as the new senior pastor, with an anticipated start date of June 12, 2021. Pastor Jeff Cinquemani served as interim senior pastor until Pastor Ken's arrival.
With the official search for a new senior pastor actively underway, on February 11 Pastor Andy sent a letter to the congregation announcing the date of his retirement as March 27, 2021.
On October 3, the church began meeting in-person again with modified protocols and reduced capacity due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
On March 14, in response to the emergent global COVID-19 pandemic, WholeLife Church cancelled all in-person services and classes and began meeting online-only. This continued through September.
On February 27, during our annual Church Retreat, WholeLife Church officially launched its new name and branding.
On December 7, after nearly a year-long process, the church voted to change its name to WholeLife Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Florida Hospital and Adventist Health System announced they were changing their name to AdventHealth. Because of this, Florida Hospital Church began its search for a new name.
Added a full-time Justice Ministries staff member.
A new church logo (FHC) and revised service times were revealed on May 1.
The first offsite Worship Cafe was opened.
The in-house Worship Cafe was opened on October 6.
The style and times of worship services were changed to better fit the community and church needs. The new mission and vision were adopted to propel the church into its next phase while attracting new members from the community.
A full-time Children's/Family pastor position was added to the staff.
Downtown Community ended a 9-year run. The church voted to develop Loch Haven Children's Academy, a 247-capacity early childhood education and care.
The mortgage was burned on the last Saturday in December.
The third floor of the new facility was completed.
On May 22, the church move to 2800 North Orange Avenue was official. With the move came a new name: Florida Hospital Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The church broke ground on a new facility on September 29.
The church voted to exchange the property at 800 Lake Estelle Drive with Florida Hospital. In the deal, the church received the 2800 block of Orange Avenue.
After hiring an architect, the church realized the plans for additions and renovations were double the original estimates. The project was abandoned, and the church began to rent space from the John Knox Presbyterian Church.
The congregation voted to expand and renovate the church facility.
The membership voted to merge with Kress Memorial Church, but the merger was not completed due to a vote from the Kress membership.
Florida Sanitarium Church officially became The Seventh-day Adventist Church at Florida Hospital.
The church sanctuary was redecorated.
A transept for additional seating and the education wing for children's classes were built as an addition to the Lake Estelle facility.
The membership grew to 146, and a new sanctuary was built at 800 Lake Estelle Drive. Today, this building is part of AdventHealth University.
On September 24, the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists organized the hospital services into a church, meeting in Winyah Chapel.
A group of hospital employees began Saturday afternoon services on the "day porch" of the hospital.
A property lot was purchased for $250, and an $800 frame sanctuary, measuring 25 x 36 feet, was constructed at the corner of West Central and Terry Street. The church, appropriately named Central Church, also featured a school. The Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists purchased a 72-acre property for $9,000. On October 1, the building opened as Florida Sanitarium and Hospital.
The Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists organized September 22, with three ordained ministers, two licentiates, and 139 members.
On March 30, a group of 14 members was organized in Orlando, which at that time had a population of 2,500. The congregation increased to 25 people and met in the member's home before renting the Armory Building on Court Street.
A small group worshiping in Sorrento became the first Seventh-day Adventist believers in Central Florida.