About Abide

As a discipleship ministry of the United Methodist Church, our purpose is to develop a sustainable entrepreneurial church model that creates a culture of discipleship while at the same time meeting social needs of its community.

Why?

It is clear in scripture that Christians are called to be in community, much like the early church. We are working to develop a culture of discipleship where spirituality not only invades the everyday lives of our congregants, but goes beyond them into the lives of those they encounter.

Our Three Missions

DISCIPLESHIP MISSION

Provides a space for common believers to engage in fruitful discipleship, grow in grace with God and learn to lead other disciples.

HOUSING MISSION

Supports community rejuvenation through a non-profit building company working to create sustainable places for all people to live.

DISASTER MISSION

"Disaster Ready" at all times to serve where needed, using our experience helping to rebuild the Florida Gulf Coast following Hurricane Michael.

Hurricane Michael Recovery

Hurricane Michael made landfall as a strong Category 5 hurricane on October 10, 2018 near Mexico Beach, Florida. With thousands of homes destroyed or heavily damaged, the plight of families who were not insured (or underinsured) seemed insurmountable.

With a United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) grant and other funding and partnerships, Pastor Chris Ackerman led the formation of the Hurricane Michael Recovery Team supported by the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church.

From 2019-2021 the team helped 250 households recover from the storm. This included 41 houses built from the ground up and repairs made at more than 150 other homes.

A note from our founder:

“The best businesses and organizations and movements are always birthed out of a need to solve a problem. The first problem that Abide seeks to solve is our need for a Jesus kind of discipleship. And the second problem that we aim to solve is the need for a well-funded disaster response and recovery ministry. Abide proves that a different kind of church model is possible, one with a discipleship culture so strong that it begins to transform the non-church world as well."