About

One of our core beliefs is that ALL people matter to God.  It’s not what a person can do or can’t do that determines their value and worth as a human being—their value and worth is rooted in the truth that God created them in His image and He loves them unconditionally!

For this reason, the Special Friends Ministry at First Baptist Orlando seeks to positively impact our local community by being a place of welcome and inclusion for children and adults with special needs and their families.  We want to be His presence, His hands, His words, and share the love of Jesus Christ with them!

We seek to accomplish this through our Children’s Life Groups, Adult Life Groups, Buddy Break, On-Demand Training for parents/staff/volunteers, and Friends@FBO.

This year at First Baptist Orlando, we’ve had the pleasure of being a place of welcome and inclusion for 73 children and/or adults with special needs.

Mike Woods is the Director for the Special Friends ministry at First Baptist Orlando.  He received his Masters Degree in Conflict Management from Trinity College and Theological Seminary.  He is a certified Crisis Prevention Instructor and a Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst.

 Christ-follower, husband, dad, blogger, and peanut-butter lover!  Mike is passionate about faith and special needs.

Mike is happily married to his lovely wife Linda and is the father of three wonderful boys, all three of whom are on the autism spectrum (yes, three!).