International Learning Center News

From Mary Lynne Moore, ILC Director

The school year will end Apr. 23 and the summer term will begin June 2. Two teenagers have volunteered to serve as nursery workers this summer but more helpers are badly needed Mon. and Wed., 9-11:30 a.m.

The end-of-the-year picnic will be Sat., Apr. 26, at 13828 NW 174th Ave., Alachua. (From Alachua, turn right on 174th Ave. (It is not a county road but a private driveway.) Follow the driveway signs to 13828. Watch for a Rock Hollow Farm sign on SR 241.) Join students, teachers, and their families from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for food and games. If you’re interested in serving as a minister to internationals locally, join us and get to know some students.

For more information about our association’s ministry to internationals, visit the ILC web site, myilc.org, or call Mary Lynne Moore at the association center.

Monthly Association Prayer Meetings:

Choose a time that’s best for you and encourage members of your church to participate.

• The first Monday night at 6:30 p.m.: corporate prayer

• The first Saturday at 10:00 a.m.- noon: corporate praying for SFRBA pastors, church staff members, and churches

Both meetings are at Ridgeview Church, Gainesville

The reason that the Ten Commandments are short and clear is that they were handed down direct, and not through several committees.

“See You at the Pole” Plans for September

This note comes from Zach Allen, Associate Pastor of Students & Education at North Central Church. If your church youth would like to participate in the “See You at the Pole” event this fall, call him (352-373-3341) or email him.

We are beginning to plan the youth area-wide SYATP rally for Wednesday, Sept. 24. Our first planning meeting will be Monday, May 5, at noon at Westside Church in the Family Life Center.

Last year we had at least 275 kids plus another 50 or so volunteers participate. I believe we had 13 decisions for Christ. It was very exciting and we are anticipating more involvement and interest this year.

To learn about opportunities for youth through the Fla. Baptist Conv., go to flbaptist.org/studentministries.

Relief Help Needed in Nevada

From: Bill and Laura Shepherd, Partnership Coordinators Florida/Nevada, Florida Baptist Convention

I have just received an urgent request from Fernley, Nev. You might remember reading about the flood they had out there. The clean-up, [mud-out] has been completed and there is an urgent need for individuals or teams to help with insulation, sheetrock [up to the 4' level], floor covering and trim work. I am sure there will be other needs also. Fernley is just east of Reno. Teams can stay in the church or there are some RV hook-ups also. You can help by getting the word out to your church members and friends involved in volunteer work.

For further information contact:

Bill Shepherd, Partnership Coordinator

352-475-1595 home

352-316-0629 cell
blfshep@yahoo.com OR

Melanie Lawer, Ministry Evangelism Director, Nevada

775-747-1806 office

775-741-6131 cell

melanie@sierrabaptist.com

Florida Disaster Relief Ministry 2008 Regional Training Events

9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

April 12 Parkridge Baptist Church, Coral Springs

May 3 Calvary Baptist Church, Clearwater

May 31 Oakview Baptist Church, Okeechobee

June 7 North Florida BC, Tallahassee

June 21 First Baptist Church Plant City

Training provided in these disaster ministry areas:

Mass Feeding 

Cleanup & Recovery 

Temporary Childcare

Emergency Communications    

Spiritual Care      

Water Purification

First Time Volunteers: Registration Fee $25 per person

Returning Volunteers: Registration Fee $10 per person

First-time volunteers will participate in our Volunteer Class that is designed to prepare volunteers to be able to respond effectively with our ministry. Information will be shared to help answer the questions that all new volunteers typically have. The class lasts all morning.

After lunch, first time volunteers will be able to choose a Ministry Area Class to get specialized training in the area in which they most likely want to work. (Water Purification is available only for Returning Volunteers.) You can cross-train in other ministry areas by attending another regional training event.

Returning volunteers have several options:

• During the morning, they may choose to get additional training in their primary ministry area in a specialized class or they may participate in our Spiritual Care class.
• Volunteers who are interested in being trained for water purification will attend an all-day class that is open only to returning volunteers.
• After lunch, they may choose to attend another ministry area class to receive training in another specialty, thus expanding their ability to minister.

Quick FAQs:

• Who should attend this training?  (1) Anyone who wants to become a new volunteer in the Florida Baptist Disaster Ministry or (2) Any previously trained volunteer who wants additional training or needs to retrain. (Volunteers must retrain every 3 years)
• Why do I have to be trained to be a volunteer? Emergency management officials now require all volunteers to be credentialed by an organization like ours before they are allowed to work in a disaster response area. Our training is designed to meet these requirements and prepare volunteers to do effective ministry when called upon.
• How do I register? There is no pre-registration. Register at the event site between 8:30 AM and 9:00 AM the day of the event.
• Why is there a fee to attend?  The cost of training a new volunteer is more than $40. The fee is to help us offset some of the costs. Participants will receive DR shirt & cap, ID badge, training material, instruction and lunch for attending.
• What about lunch? Lunch is prepared by trained feeding volunteers on one of our feeding units at the event. The cost of the meal is included in the registration fee.
• What about time zones? The schedule is based on the time zone of the event site.
• Why isn't there an event closer to me? The training season can only be done between March and June because we have to be ready to respond to our most likely disaster, hurricanes, between July and October. With a limited number of weekends available, we have to do regional events. Our goal is to have at least one event within a 2-1/2 hour drive for volunteers to attend. We move the sites to different associations from year to year within specific regions.

For further information or questions on Florida Disaster Relief Training OR building a Disaster Relief Unit, contact the Disaster Relief & Recovery Department, 1-800-226-8584, ext. 3121, OR e-mail disaster@flbaptist.org.

Send LifeBoxes to Soldiers

What if you never received mail or the only mail you received was pornographic magazines?

For some soldiers serving far away from home, mail time is one of the most looked-forward-to times of day. For the ones who only get one of the thousands of magazines sent by porn publishers, it’s a day to remember how lonely they really are. For the ones who get LifeBoxes from their home churches or associations, however, it’s a day for praise and celebration and a continued commitment to their Christian values.

Michael Krause, a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps, received a LifeBox from someone back home. Besides the candy, gum, wet wipes and other personal items, the LifeBox held copies of HomeLife magazine, published by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. This simple piece of mail lifted the tired warrior’s spirit beyond measure. View Krause's personal LifeBox testimony here.

If you or your church is interested in sending LifeBoxes to soldiers, contact our association office. We want to help get out LifeBoxes to our troops!

Baptist Global Response to Mission Needs Worldwide

This is a global Southern Baptist relief and development organization with a heart for seeing the poor and suffering have the opportunity to experience a full and meaningful life. They enable Southern Baptists to respond to people with critical needs in the areas of food security, health crises and threats to their quality of life. These needs may arise from acute (disasters) and/or chronic (hunger, poverty, etc.) threats. To learn more, make a donation, or get involved in helping, click on the link above.

The evidence for Christian truth is not exhaustive, but it is sufficient. Too often, Christianity has not been tried and found wanting--it has been found wanting, and not tried.
  ... Os Guinness (b.1941)

News from the Florida Baptist Children's Homes

From Randy Harrison, administrator for the Fla. Bapt. Children's Homes Jacksonville campus and north central Florida, sent this story recently:

The boys in Meninak Cottage (ages 5 to 11) on the Jacksonville FBCH campus attend North Jacksonville Baptist Church. As the days led to Easter, these little Gentile boys were studying the meaning of Passover, how the Jews worshipped on the Sabbath (Saturday) and how all of that portrayed what we now celebrate as the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

On Easter Sunday morning, Will, a six-year-old from the Jacksonville campus, was so disruptive in church that Mr. George, his houseparent dad, had to sit next to him and supervise him closely. Finally, in exasperation, Mr. George had to remove Will from his class and take him outside where he asked him, “Will, what are you thinking? Today is Easter. You need to be listening so you can learn about Jesus and have Him in your heart.”

“Well, you see Mr. George, I don’t have to have Jesus in my heart on Sunday, just Saturday.” “And why is that?” Mr. George asked him, to which Will replied, “It’s because … I’m Jewish.”

Church News

Groundbreaking Sunday
Oak Park Church, on Archer Road, just west of I-75, will hold a groundbreaking service for their new worship center next Sunday, Apr. 6, immediately after the morning worship service. Danny Austin is pastor.

Living Covenant Church Constitution Service

Tue., Apr. 15, 7-8 p.m.

Two years ago Brian Coleman started a church with a small group of committed people. They found a meeting place in the clubhouse of the Turkey Creek Country Club and have been successful in reaching many people in Turkey Creek and nearby. The size of the congregation has grown, people have been led to accept Christ as their Savior, and their ministry has expanded.

Oak Park Church has been their sponsor church and the association Missions Committee has worked closely with the church, providing moral and spiritual support. For the past two years our association and the Fla. Baptist Conv. have contributed to the church financially to help it get onto its feet. This month that assistance ends but the church is well able to continue as a strong and viable body with bright prospects. If your church will send a representative to this special service, it will mean a great deal to the people at Living Covenant Church and to our association.  Below is an invitation from the pastor.

From Brian Coleman, pastor, Living Covenant Church

I invite you to be a part of Living Covenant Church’s Constitution Service to be held on Tuesday, April 15, at the Clubhouse in Turkey Creek from 7-8 PM.  It has been a long and difficult journey the past two years but we are taking a moment to celebrate the work of God through Living Covenant Church in Alachua and Turkey Creek.

This service is a very important step for our fellowship.  It is an outward expression of the inward reality that we have known for some time now.  It is also an official public declaration that Jesus is alive and at work among us, much as when a man and a woman partake in a special ceremony called a wedding.  It makes public and official the reality of their commitments to each other.  We too are making public and official our commitments to Jesus Christ and Living Covenant Church.

There will be a guest speaker, a time of testimony, the Lord’s Supper, some spirited singing, and a time for refreshments to conclude the evening.  Childcare will be provided.

We are excited as we take these new steps with Jesus, come Discover the Promise of Jesus April 15^.

Any questions? Call Brian at (352) 745-0596. 

Congratulations to Morris Beck

First Christian Academy of First Church, High Springs, is taking résumés for the position of School Director. The current director is retiring at the end of the school year. Must have education or administrative experience and be a born-again believer and active church member of a church of like faith and practice. Bachelors degree is required. If interested or for more information, please contact Eddie Gandy, pastor, 386/454-1505.

The school is also now enrolling students in kindergarten through fourth grade for August 2008. All courses taught at FCA are based on the biblical worldview perspective that God's truth is the foundation of all knowledge. This entire entity operates under the direction of a school board that is elected by First Baptist Church to assist in establishing and implementing policies. Our school includes ten full-sized classrooms with TV, VCR, computer, sink, water fountain and bathroom access. We have a state-of-the-art performance stage in a black box theater with a seating capacity of 340 people. We also have a full-size gymnasium with a seating capacity of 504 people. Our library is equipped with the Accelerated Reader program. Our college prep curriculum has been selected from a variety of sources to provide the best possible education for our students in reading, spelling, creative writing, math, science, Bible, and social studies. Thanks to a special group of volunteers we are also able to provide to all our students: art, physical education, Spanish, chapel, music, library, computer and a science laboratory. Call 386-454-1641 for an interview today. Visit our website: www.fcahighsprings.org

Thanks! Linda Petteway

Director

The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not cover you.

Mission Trip to San Diego, California

September 2-8, 2008

Who: Members from association churches

Where: 2-4 new church plants in the San Diego area

Why: Providing training for

  1) Evangelism

  2) Discipleship

  3) Leadership

AND: encouragement to the pastors and their new congregations

Cost: Approximately $1,200 per person

How many on the team? We need between 10 - 20 people.

Contact Persons:

Wayne Harvey, Santa Fe River Baptist Association

Dale Turlington, Oak Park Church (352) 316-1469

Mike Killian, Lighthouse Baptist Church (352) 372-6090 or lighthousebapch@bellsouth.net

Danny Souder, Strategic Mission Partners (214) 394-5250, dannysouder@netzero.com,

strategicmissionpartners.com.

Good News from Our Churches!

First Church, Lake Butler, has had such numerical growth recently that they now have two Sunday Schools and two worship services each Sunday morning. Five hundred people attended their Easter services, a huge increase over past attendance. They also have a new web site that is attractive, informative, and easy to use: http://fbclakebutler.com. Jason Johns is pastor.

David Patterson, pastor at River Cross Church in Haile Plantation, says “it was pretty exciting to see over 200 people at River Cross for the first time [Easter Sunday] (60+ at the first service and 140+ at the second).” Praise the Lord!!

Eliam Church in Melrose called Rick Ergle as their pastor recently. Rick is a pastor in Texas now but has lived in this area before. His wife is a former member of First Church, Starke, where her family attends and he is a former member at Parkview Church, Gainesville, where he was ordained. The church recently added a page to their web site where you can listen to their pastor’s sermons: http://www.eliambaptist.org/sermons.

Lake Forest Church, Gainesville, has been sprucing up their building with a paint job and a beautiful new sign in front. On Easter nearly 70 people attended, continuing a trend of increasing attendance. Don Farley is pastor.

Ridgeview and Hispana Gainesville churches worshiped together Easter morning with pastor Bill Davenport preaching and pastor Aldo Mesa translating.

The Korean Church, Gainesville, will send a missions to team to Belize next month.

Legacy Church, Alachua, has a missions team in Brazil this week.

New Church in the Association

On Mon., Mar. 17, the association, in its Semi-Annual Meeting at Waldo First Church, voted unanimously and enthusiastically to make The Journey Church of Newberry a member church in our association. Journey isn’t even a year old and is already heavily involved in first-hand missions partnerships and is reaching their community for Christ. Mike O’Carroll is pastor.

Van Needed

PleasantHill Church, Gainesville, needs a large van for their children’s ministry. Willie Mayberry, pastor, says many children are attending the church so they need this ASAP. If you have one or can help, call Willie at (352) 376-8755 or (352) 214-8830 or email him at mayberrywk@yahoo.com.

"If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can satisfy, also we should begin to wonder if perhaps we were created for another world."
- C. S. Lewis

New Church Needs Help

A new yet unnamed church has begun in Micanopy with about 35 people. They need things such as a lectern, a communion set, and other church items. If your church has some extra things they might use, please call Carson Roberts, deacon, at 352/466-3019. Please pray for this group as they seek to follow God’s leadership.

Our churches without pastors:

Island Grove, New Hope, Pine Grove, Mt. Carmel, and Santa Fe are without pastors.

Part-Time Youth Worker Needed

At the North Pleasant Grove Church. Call Pastor Gardner at 352.317.2209.

Music Leaders Needed

Pine Grove Church is in need of a music leader. Please call the church office for more information, 352.376.4052.

Antioch Church, on SR 121 south of La Crosse, needs a part-time music director and a pianist. For more information, call the church at 386.462.2768.

Legacy Church, Alachua, needs a music leader and a pianist. If you know someone who is qualified and interested, ask them to call the pastor, John Jernigan, at 386.454.5529 or email him: trulyamazed@msn.com.

Director of Children and Families Needed

Amazon River Basin Mission Trips Planned

From Derek R. George, President / CEO, Amazon Vision Ministries

Praise the Lord, we have 9 - 12 teams scheduled to work with us in the Amazon River Basin during the remainder of 2008.

However, we need your help. We need some individuals (or small groups of individuals) to join a few of our teams.

We have 5 of these teams who are in need of 3 - 5 additional members to make them viable teams. It has been a beautiful thing to see groups from different parts of the country meet at the boat (or the airport) and begin to work together. As many of you have seen, the teams really gel once the members are together on the boat and the transit to the village begins.

Our primary reasons for being on the rivers of the Amazon Basin are to share the hope of Christ with the Ribeirinhos, to nurture new believers, and to plant Great Commission churches. We do this through evangelism, discipleship, VBS activities, social ministries, medical and dental clinics, and church construction. We have teams working in all of these areas who need additional members. By adding just 1 or 2 clinicians to a team, we can provide the villagers with a much needed clinic. We have Brazilian clinicians whom our American clinicians work with.

We need your help. People in the Amazon River Basin are dying without Christ and are going to spend eternity separated from our Lord.

Following are the dates when additional members are needed:

May 27 - June 5, 2008

July 20 - 29, 2008

August 18 - 27, 2008

September 19 - 27, 2008

December 3 - 12, 2008

Please check the above dates and pray about where God would have you join us. I would be happy to place you with one of our teams.

We also have opportunities if you have a complete team who is ready to reach those in the Amazon River Basin with the Hope of Christ.

In Christ's service,

Free Pews Available

Blackrock Baptist Church, Yulee (Northeast Florida Baptist Association), has some church pews that they would like to donate to a church that could use them. If transportation is an issue, they would be willing to help move them. They are oak with red padding and sizes are as follows:

Nine 10-foot sections

Two 12-foot sections

Four 6-foot sections

Any church that is interested can contact Diane at (904) 261-6220. 

Arbor House 25th Anniversary Golf & Walk Event

Monday, April 21

Arbor House is a Christian ministry to abused women in Gainesville. They welcome everyone to participate in these two events to help Arbor House.

Event Director: Dr. Michelle Massias, (352) 317-5726, michellemassias@hotmail.com

Entry Eligibility:

• Submit 20-40 sponsorship letters to the ministry within 1 week of kickoff
• Sponsor yourself to help mothers and children
• Give your best effort to raise $2,000

Kickoff Details: March 18th, 6 PM, at The Vineyard Fellowship Hall, 3536 NW 8th Ave.

• All team captains and adult participants are invited
• Reminder emails will be sent prior to the kickoff
• Fundraising materials will be distributed at the kickoff
• Yummy food by Celebrations and music by a local band

GOLF EVENT  

Date: Monday, April 21

Location and Schedule: Haile Plantation Golf & Country Club, 9905 SW 44th Ave., 32608

Noon - Golfer Registration

1:00 PM - Shotgun Start

6:00 PM - Dinner & Awards  

WALK EVENT

Date: Monday, April 21

Location and Schedule: Haile Plantation Golf & Country Club, 9905 SW 44th Ave., 32608

3:45 Walk Registration

4:00 p.m. - Walk

6:00 p.m. - Dinner & Awards

Arbor House, Inc., is a 501 C 3; all gifts are tax deductible. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling (800) 435-7352 toll free within the State of Florida. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the State. (#CH2634)

True and genuine worship is when man, through his spirit attains to friendship and intimacy with God. True and genuine worship is not to come to a certain place; it is not to go through a certain ritual or liturgy; it is not even to bring certain gifts. True worship is when the spirit, the immortal and invisible part of man, speaks to and meets with God, who is immortal and invisible.
  ... William Barclay (1907-1978), The Gospel of John [1975]

Book Report

This book was recommended by the Internet Evangelism folks in the U.K. as their “STRATEGIC BOOK OF THE YEAR.”

unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity...and Why It Matters

David Kinnaman, Gabe Lyons (Baker Publishing, ISBN 0801013003)

Every year, there are one or two titles published which draw together truths or research which are vital for the church to understand. This is such a book. Unless we understand how outsiders perceive the Christian faith, and their reasons, we will never be able to reach them. The 'unChristian' in the title actually refers to us, not to outsiders!

Although the conclusions of the book are drawn from Barna research in USA, this is a book with a worldwide application. Viewpoint percentages and cultures may vary in different parts of the West, but many observations are completely valid for Europe and elsewhere.

To learn more about the book, click here.

Opportunities for Seminary-Level Classes
Would you like to take seminary-level classes without moving from the Gainesville area? You can do that through Florida Baptists’ distance learning program. This is from Charles Harvey, program director for the state convention:

This work is growing as the Orlando Hub and the main campus at BCF (Baptist College of Florida) operate as important theological education training centers for Florida Baptists. Here is a glimpse of some of the growth through the Orlando Hub:

• The Orlando Hub has moved to an expanded area at FBC-Orlando where over 1,000 students are attending classes at some degree level out of this Hub.
• New Church Leadership Certificate programs are being added around the state. The one nearest to Gainesville is First Church, Jacksonville, with 150 students enrolled. Four additional sites are being planned for Florida.
• The Pembrooke Foundation of First Baptist Church, Winter Park, has agreed to cover the cost of production of DVD copies for the additional classes taught through the Church Planting Certificate Program during this coming year. This will be a tremendous help to our church planters in Florida.
• New delivery systems are being developed with the help of various groups, students, and individuals. The goal is to make theological education available to every minister or church leader needing training. If you have suggestions, we would appreciate your input. Contact information is 321-230-7660 or jdukes@flbaptist.org.

Check the website baptistcollege.edu for The Baptist College of Florida’s update on campus growth.

The Church Leadership Certificate Program offers unique opportunities to associations in training church leadership. Numerous associations in Florida are taking advantage of this program due to its ease, versatility, substance, costs, and conversion capability into the bachelor degree. Its accessibility for local areas is inviting for many desiring to train their people locally. It is the perfect vehicle for training from a Baptist perspective by Baptist entities. We will work hard to make it work for you. Please call Charles Harvey, associate director, at 407-454-2477, if you would like to discuss the program. We want to help.

Let the Bible Prove Itself

This web site is an excellent source for finding why we can trust and teach from the Bible with confidence.

Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused.

For All Men—For All Churches

Fri., Apr. 4

Christian Men’s Fellowship—4th Anniversary

Building Men of Character and Integrity—Equipping Men to Lead—Supporting the Local Church

Pastors and Other Men of God,

Join us this and every Friday morning from 6:30 - 8:00 a.m. in the fellowship hall at Parkview Baptist Church. This week we will begin a series on The Great Adventure.

Jim Guth, Director, Florida Men of Integrity

(FMI works with the Baptist Men’s department of the Fla. Bapt. Conv.)

Church Contributions to Our Association

Thank you for your partnership!