WholeLife Church has stood on North Orange Avenue in Orlando for a century, but the congregation now worshipping at 2800 North Orange Avenue is anything but traditional in spirit. Marking its 100th anniversary in 2026, the church describes itself as a community that welcomes every gender, background, ability, and stage of faith, with two Saturday worship services and a wide network of small groups, youth programs, and outreach ministries that reach across Central Florida and overseas. The motto - "a church without walls, loving people into whole life with God" - hangs over a campus that includes adult Sabbath school classes in everything from parenting to the writings of Ellen G. White, plus dedicated space for a K-12 school, an Adventurer and Pathfinder clubhouse for children, and weekly respite care for families of kids with special needs.
A Century on North Orange Avenue
The story of WholeLife Church begins with a hospital. In 1893, the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists organized in Orlando, and in 1908 the conference opened the Florida Sanitarium and Hospital at the corner of West Central and Terry. A handful of hospital employees began holding Saturday afternoon worship on the sanitarium's day porch in 1922. On September 24, 1926, the Florida Conference formally organized those hospital services into a church meeting in Winyah Chapel. That date is recognized as the birth of what is now WholeLife Church.
Growth came quickly. By 1948 the congregation had outgrown Winyah Chapel and built a new sanctuary at 800 Lake Estelle Drive, a building that today is part of AdventHealth University. After decades at the Lake Estelle site, the church voted in 1990 to exchange property with Florida Hospital for the 2800 block of Orange Avenue, broke ground in 1991, and on May 22, 1993, moved into the new facility and adopted the name Florida Hospital Seventh-day Adventist Church. The third floor of that building was completed in 2000, the mortgage was burned in 2001, and the church added a 247-seat early-childhood center called Loch Haven Children's Academy in 2002.
In 2018, when Florida Hospital became AdventHealth, the church began searching for a new name. After a year-long process, the congregation voted on December 7, 2019, to become WholeLife Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the change was publicly launched at the 2020 Church Retreat. The new branding reflected a deliberate pivot that had begun in 2009, when worship times and style were redesigned to fit the surrounding community and the congregation adopted the mission and vision that still guide it today.
Pastor Andy McDonald arrived in 1984 and served as senior pastor for 37 years until his retirement on March 27, 2021. In March 2021, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and the City Council declared March 26 "Pastor Andy McDonald Day" in recognition of his service. The church's centennial arrives with the congregation looking forward as much as back: in 2026 it launched a 10-year vision called Amplify 2036, with the goal of becoming "a vibrant network of 100 churches and microsites" by 2036.
Sabbath Mornings at WholeLife
WholeLife gathers twice every Saturday. Worship services are held at 9:30 AM and 12:00 PM, with adult Bible classes filling the hour between them from 10:45 AM to 11:45 AM. The services are described by the church as "Biblically based, culturally relevant, and Christ-consumed," incorporating ancient liturgical elements alongside modern ones. Scripture may appear as a creative video or dramatic presentation, music is led by a jazz band, orchestra, or contemporary worship team, and the preaching aims to be relevant and Christ-centered. The church's own welcome materials note that "we don't care if you're a lifelong Christian or got lost in traffic and wound up here by mistake," and visitors are invited to come as they are - dressed in anything from casual wear to business or business casual.
Children have their own Sabbath rhythm. WholeLife Kids meets at 10:45 AM every Saturday for ages birth through 8th grade, with rooms grouped by age: Cradle Roll (0-2) in Room 205, Pre-K (3-4) in Room 202, Kindergarten through 2nd grade in Rooms 303-304, 3rd-5th grade in Rooms 306-307, and middle school in Room 301. A Family Foundations parenting small community meets at the same hour in Room 305.
The WholeLife Kids Choir, accepting children from Pre-K through 6th grade, runs from August through May in step with local school calendars. Child dedication is available for parents who would like to mark the occasion publicly.
Services are livestreamed online, and a recording of each week's message is available afterward. The Giving page also lists podcast options: "This Is WholeLife," a weekly conversation hosted by pastors Ken Wetmore and Melanie Bockmann alongside Randy Magray and Lucas Moraes, airs every Wednesday, and "Speaking of Grace," a direct audio recording of the previous Saturday's sermon, airs every Tuesday.
Bible Classes for Adults
Adult Sabbath school is treated as a primary part of the morning rather than an afterthought. Eleven different options meet between the two services. "The Firm" gathers in Room 101, "Open Forum" in Room 105, "Quest" is held in the Children's Academy, and "Perspectives" and "Characters" round out the English-language lineup. Two language-based classes offer the same hour in translation: a Portuguese-language group in Room 108 and a Russian-language group in the Children's Academy.
A Family Foundations class for parents runs alongside the others in Room 305, while Grace Place in Room 105 follows the Seventh-day Adventist Quarterly Lesson in a more traditional format. Throughout the week, additional groups such as the Hispanic Bible Study, the Ellen G. White Reading and Discussion Community, and the online Thrive book group give members more chances to study together. The Table, a Zoom-based small community, meets at the same Saturday-morning hour for those who prefer to join from home.
Youth, Young Adults, and Overflow
WholeLife runs an active high school ministry called simply "Youth," described by the church as a "Christ-centered community" focused on meaningful discussions, safe space, and fun activities. Its Instagram presence (@wholelife_hs) carries the latest updates.
Young adults, ages roughly 18 to mid-30s, meet as "Overflow" at 10:45 AM on Saturdays in Room 301. The name comes from the idea that following Jesus creates a life that overflows to those around it. Overflow's music and video series of the same name is released through WholeLife Worship Music.
For grades 5 through 12, WholeLife co-sponsors the Orlando City Pathfinder Club, a church-centered spiritual-recreational program whose meetings and adventures are open to both WholeLife members and the wider Central Florida community. Younger kids, ages 4 to 9, can join the WholeLife Adventurer Club, part of a worldwide organization with more than one million children. The Adventurers program is built around four basic relationships: My God, My Self, My Family, and My World, and runs an inclusive environment where children of all abilities participate.
Buddy Break: A Day for VIPs
One of WholeLife's most distinctive ministries is Buddy Break, a free monthly respite program designed by Nathaniel's Hope for families of children with special needs. Held on the second Sunday of every month, the program serves "VIP kids" ages 2 to 18 along with their siblings, while parents receive a few hours to rest, recharge, and breathe. VIPs make friends, play games, create crafts, enjoy music, and hear stories in a setting where they are fully accepted and celebrated; every child is paired with a trained buddy volunteer.
Buddy Break is built on the conviction that one in ten children under the age of 14 has some kind of special need, and that the families of those children often face isolation, fatigue, and high rates of stress and divorce. By providing trained volunteers and a structured, joyful afternoon for the kids, WholeLife offers what it calls a "practical cup of cold water" in Jesus' name. The church trains every buddy through a mandatory orientation so that volunteers without prior experience can serve with confidence.
Small Communities: The Heart of Connection
Beyond Sunday and Saturday programming, WholeLife's small communities function as the primary vehicle for relational ministry. The church has built more than two dozen of these groups, each meeting on its own schedule and centered on a shared interest. Some are Bible studies, others are hobbies or service projects, and almost all maintain a WhatsApp group for ongoing conversation.
Faith- and study-focused groups include the Bible Study Community, the Ellen G. White Reading and Discussion Community, the Perspectives Saturday Community, The Quest, the Hispanic Saturday Community, the Brazilian Saturday Community, the Russian Speaking Community, Grace Place, and the Family Foundations parenting group. Hobby and recreation communities include Softball, the Paddle Club, the Cycling Community, Tabletop Titans, the Makers Community (woodworking, sewing, art, tech, and other hands-on pursuits), the Fine Arts Community, and Vroom Vrooms, a motorcycle group led by Randy Magray.
Other communities reflect WholeLife's commitment to support and inclusion. The Moms with Little Ones group connects mothers of children ages 0-5. The Prayer Shawls Community knits comfort items for those in need while praying as they serve. Faith & Forks combines monthly meals with supportive conversation. The Gym Night Community meets Tuesday evenings from 6 to 8 PM for pickup volleyball and basketball. Heavenly Hands gathers weekly to learn American Sign Language through music, and a Special Needs Parents Support Group offers a grace-filled space for parents walking that journey together.
For those who prefer to participate online, Thrive meets virtually to explore books, articles, and videos together, and The Table meets over Zoom every Saturday morning from 10:45 to 11:45 AM EST. New communities are encouraged: members with an idea can submit a small community startup form to begin one.
Justice Ministries and Family Promise
The WholeLife Justice Team coordinates the church's community-facing work, with a stated mission "to create opportunities for relational engagement within our community in order to bring greater equity both locally and globally." The team's board oversees partnerships with local organizations including iDignity, Family Promise of Greater Orlando, Angie's Forever Angels, and YoungLives of Orlando.
The most visible of these partnerships is Family Promise. Four times a year, WholeLife opens its building to host families with children experiencing homelessness, providing overnight hosts from 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM, supper delivered by 6:00 PM, and meal hosts who sit with families from 5:45 to 7:00 PM. Volunteers staff the week, and the church has built a track record of providing thoughtful, last-minute accommodations for families with special dietary or emotional needs.
The Justice Team also maintains a Community Resources Directory that points members and neighbors to Whole Health Hub for financial assistance and medical care, The Sharing Center for emergency food and clothing, Family Promise for families facing homelessness, and One Heart for Women and Children for food pantry and thrift services. WholeLife Church itself offers a one-time Community Assistance fund for members and non-members who have exhausted other resources.
Stephen Ministry: Confidential, One-to-One Care
WholeLife runs a Stephen Ministry program, an organized lay-caring ministry in which trained members provide confidential, Christ-centered, one-to-one care to people experiencing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, relocation, or other life difficulties. Stephen Ministers meet with their care receivers once a week for about an hour and walk alongside them for as long as the need lasts.
Training to become a Stephen Minister is itself a Christ-centered experience that equips participants with listening, caring, and relating skills. The team at WholeLife recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of Stephen Ministry worldwide, and applications are open for those who feel called to serve in this way. Care receivers can reach the Stephen Ministry leaders through the church office.
Global Reach: World Vision and Amplify 2036
WholeLife's international work centers on its partnership with World Vision. The church currently supports two "Chosen" child-sponsorship campaigns, in which sponsored children have the opportunity to choose their church partner. Senior Pastor Ken Wetmore and his wife Rachelle visited Guatemala in July 2023 to see the direct impact of WholeLife members' sponsorship, a trip that the church highlights as evidence of what $39 a month can do in the lives of children and families in need.
The Global Leadership Summit (GLS), which draws attendees from more than 110 countries and 55 languages each year, is hosted locally at WholeLife, with both public registration and a discounted host-site rate for church members. WholeLife also sends a team each year to walk in the World Vision 6K Walk for Water.
Looking ahead, the Amplify 2036 vision calls the church to grow into "a vibrant network of 100 churches and microsites" by 2036, amplifying its culture of spiritual growth, wholeness, and inclusion. The vision is shaped by a "Vision Square" framework that pairs mission and values with a four-step growth pathway - Connect, Worship, Invite, Serve - and five growth marks for individual life: deepening one's relationship with God, embracing others in their journey, participating in community, giving resources generously, and living holisticly. Values are summarized in five words: inspired, inclusive, involved, intentional, and innovative, ending with "we are ALL IN."
Leadership and Beliefs
Senior Pastor Ken Wetmore, his wife Rachelle, and their adult children Kyla and Eric joined the WholeLife family in June 2021. Ken grew up in North Carolina, met Rachelle at Southern Adventist University, and earned a Master's Degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University. Before entering the pastorate, he spent years in public relations and broadcast news and served as youth director for the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference and communication director for the Georgia-Cumberland Conference.
Worship Pastor Melanie Bockmann joined the staff in 2022 with her husband Tim. A graduate of the University of Washington, Fuller Theological Seminary (MDiv), and Vanderbilt University (MA and PhD in Religion, with a major in Homiletics and Liturgics and a minor in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality), Melanie leads the creative team that imagines services oriented toward "a limitless God." She also serves as a preaching coach for the church's many gifted preachers and is currently working on her fifth book.
Communication Director Randy Magray, originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin, has been a WholeLife member since 2016 and began hosting the church's podcast in that same year. General Manager Lucas Moraes, a Brazilian-born media and marketing strategist, oversees WholeLife Productions, the church's in-house creative team for video, audio, and broadcast. Pastor Andy McDonald remains active as Pastor Emeritus after 37 years of service to the congregation.
WholeLife describes itself as a Seventh-day Adventist congregation in the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, part of a worldwide denomination that observes Sabbath from Friday evening to Saturday evening. The church's "I'm New" page lists its core beliefs in everyday language: that the Bible is the Word of God, that Jesus is the Son of God, that God loves each person and has a plan for their life, that God is concerned with the quality of human life, and that God desires a personal relationship with each person. The full doctrinal statement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is linked from the Mission & Vision page. WholeLife also points visitors toward Orlando Junior Academy, a K-12 Adventist school it supports, and toward Camp Kulaqua near High Springs, where the church gathers annually for its legendary two-day retreat.
Visiting WholeLife
The building at 2800 North Orange Avenue is open for Sabbath services on Saturday at 9:30 AM and 12:00 PM, with adult Bible classes and children's programs at 10:45 AM. Visitors are welcome to dress casually or in business casual, to come alone or with family, and to join as many or as few programs as they like. The Information Center attendant can direct first-time guests to the right Bible class and to the WholeLife Kids rooms for their children's ages. The church office is open Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, closed Sunday and Monday. Anyone with a question can email church@wholelife.church or call 407-898-0451. Those unable to attend in person can watch services live online and listen to recent sermons at their convenience.