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<\/p>\nThose driving northbound on Park Avenue past First Methodist Church Apopka may notice a new splash of tropical colors on the church\u2019s\u00a0southernmost wall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a statement of who we are as a congregation and where we are located in our history, with citrus and with agriculture and with plants and all the different things that go along with Apopka, the\u00a0Indoor\u00a0Foliage\u00a0Capital of the\u00a0World,\u201d\u00a0said First Methodist pastor John Fisher.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The new mural features ferns, oranges and other Floridian plants framing the message \u201cYou are loved.\u201d\u00a0First Methodist congregant and Creative Hub of Apopka\u00a0president\u00a0Melanie\u00a0Jankun\u00a0completed the painting on Feb. 21.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jankun\u00a0said the mural is tied to the church\u2019s 150th\u00a0anniversary celebration, which was supposed to be held in 2020. However, due to COVID, the church will\u00a0observe\u00a0the\u00a0anniversary this June.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt actually started during COVID, and they worked with [Creative\u00a0Hub of Apopka]\u00a0to renovate a building on Second Street\u00a0that\u2019s on the church property,\u201d\u00a0Jankun\u00a0said. \u201cWe have a mural that was done by Eddie Inkfish on the back of one of our sheds that faces the hub house, and so there was always talks for us to do a\u00a0mural at the church, but they weren\u2019t sure where or when or what the message would be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jankun\u00a0said Fisher\u2019s wife, Becky, was the one who decided the mural\u2019s message\u00a0in January 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the perfect message,\u201d\u00a0Jankun\u00a0said. \u201cAs we went through the year and the current political\u00a0climate\u00a0we\u2019re in, and just the divide, it\u2019s just a perfect message to come back to\u00a0\u2014to know that you are loved.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although\u00a0Jankun\u00a0is not sure if another mural at the church is on the horizon, she\u00a0does have\u00a0a clear vision\u00a0for her orange blossom painting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think sometimes our\u00a0community\u00a0\u2014\u00a0a lot of people speak very negatively about it, and I just hate it, because it is such a happy place,\u201d\u00a0Jankun\u00a0said. \u201cI just want to bring that positivity and hope people smile and are happy to see all of this art beautifying our downtown area.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Sarah Merly is an editorial assistant and reporter for The Apopka Chief. She joined the Chief in May 2025 after graduating from Patrick Henry College’s journalism program in Washington, D.C. In her spare time, Sarah loves watching rom-coms, visiting Disney, and throwing parties.<\/p>\n