Front Page

College students head to the mission field

JACKSONVILLE (FBC) – While most young people are planning vacations or finding summer jobs, many Florida college students will instead scatter to the four-corners of the world—from West Africa to Western South America, from Oregon to Florida and from the Caribbean to Hawaii—to serve as summer missionaries. Their terms of service range from one month to ten weeks.

Photo by Bill Bangham

The plight of 6,000 Africans dying of AIDS each day—and of 12 million AIDS orphans—is cited by Troy and Tracey Lewis of Dallas in recounting their call to missions during an appointment service in Nashville, Tenn.

International missionaries walking through open doors

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—God’s Spirit is moving in the most remarkable ways in Southern Baptist hearts, as well as among people overseas who hear the story of Jesus for the first time, International Mission Board President Jerry Rankin said during an April 27 service at Two Rivers Baptist Church in Nashville, Tenn.

Pace church launches NAMB’s NET evangelism training

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--Kevin Goza has long understood the importance of training church members to be comfortable in sharing their faith. Like many pastors, though, he knows that the number of people willing to receive training often depends on the length of the commitment.

Opinion

Editorial

Florida Baptists: Follow our leader; feed Haitian Baptists
Editorial
JAMES A. SMITH SR.
Executive Editor

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary action – and ministry.

Point of View

Salvation, justification, union define Christian life
Point-of-View
JOHN SULLIVAN
Executive Director-Treasurer,
Florida Baptist Convention

For the next two weeks, we will examine the doctrine of the Christian life, exploring how the Bible defines the Christian experience. This doctrine describes God’s work of grace in the life of a believer.

‘Celebrate His Glory’ theme of 2004 FBSC annual meeting
Point-of-View
J. THOMAS GREEN III
president, Florida Baptist State Convention

The theme of our 2004 Florida Baptist State Convention is Celebrate His Glory. I urge you to meet with Florida Baptists November 8 and 9 in Jacksonville. We give thanks for 150 years of the Florida Baptist State Convention through celebrating the glory of the Lord. The sessions will include inspiring worship, anointed preaching, challenging reports, and needed business matters.

BREAKPOINT: The truth comes out about the ‘ghastly’ nature of partial-birth abortion
Point-of-View
CHARLES COLSON

Warning: The descriptions in this commentary are graphic.

You may recall that after President Bush signed the partial-birth abortion ban into law, pro-abortion groups immediately challenged it in court. Those cases are now being tried in New York, California, and Nebraska. But abortion advocates may have gone too far this time, because in those courtrooms the ugly truth about partial-birth abortion is coming out for everyone to hear.

Letters to the Editor

Letters

Bibliocipher

Bibliocipher

Florida

Florida News

‘Operation: Beans, Rice and Water’ yields food for the soul in Haiti

JACKSONVILLE (FBC)-Feeding over 15,000 Haitians and adding 14 new converts to God’s family within its first days, “Operation: Beans, Rice and Water” has given hope to the desperation faced by Haiti’s hungry and spiritual nourishment to starved souls.

STAND leaders decry ‘just do it’ philosophy; prepare for June 4 rally

ORLANDO (FBW)-Organizers of the upcoming STAND [Students Taking a New Direction] Rally in Orlando hope to unmask the “just do it” philosophy of today’s culture in the massive event June 4. The God-sized task of teaching sexual abstinence to America’s youth is a passion for two Southern Baptist laymen who have years of experience in public service.

BCF recognized for low tuition rates, high number of ministerial students

GRACEVILLE (BCF)—Baptist College of Florida (BCF) trustees approved a 1.7 percent increase for the college’s 2004-2005 operating budget, accepted revised curriculum plans for various majors, and voted to approve the donation of property to a local church during their May 7 meeting on BCF’s Graceville campus.

Tampa BCM applies evangelism strategy from Big Apple

TAMPA (FBW)-South Florida college students have discovered evangelism strategies that produce results in New York City also work in Tampa.

Henna hands leave lasting reminder of Kids Klub encounter
First Person

On the first day of Kids Klub, a women with two children clinging to her outer coat and one in a stroller hurried down the sidewalk towards the registration table. I recognized the eight-year-old girl with her as one we had invited to Kids Klub at a bus stop. Now came her mother and her siblings!

Historical Vignette: Charles Roy Angell, ‘pastor’s pastor'

C. Roy Angell served as pastor of Central Baptist Church in Miami from 1936 to 1962. He was probably the best known Southern Baptist preacher in his day to serve in the state of Florida.

Florida News Brief

Retired history teacher honored for 50 years Sunday School perfect attendance, a total of more than 2,600 consecutive weeks

Florida Focus

Florida Focus

Training Update

Training Update

National

National News

Mass. issues ‘marriage’ licenses to same-sex couples

BOSTON (BP)--Same-sex “marriage” was legalized in Massachusetts May 17, marking the first time in U.S. history that a state awarded marriage licenses to homosexual couples.

Q&A: What happened in Mass. & could it spread nationally?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--With Massachusetts now the only state legally to recognize same-sex “marriage,” the movement to legalize it nationally begins. Following is a list of common questions, with answers.

National News Brief

J. B. Graham retires from post at Baptist Convention of N.Y.

EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y. (BP)--After 50 years of ministry, including 38 years of denominational service, J.B. Graham has announced his retirement as executive director-treasurer of the Baptist Convention of New York.

2004 SBC Annual Meeting

Floridian named to SBC Tellers Committee

INDIANAPOLIS (BP)--Jacksonville resident Wayne Reed has been named as a members of the Tellers Committee for the June 15-16 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis. Reed and others were named to the committee by SBC President Jack Graham.

Feature

Mission News

Passion for missions flamed by women a century apart

Jacksonville (FBC)—Ann bounced down dusty roads in a horse and buggy. Sarah breezes through cloudless skies in gleaming airplanes.

State’s first international missionary harvested souls

JACKSONVILLE (FBC)—Had he followed his father’s footsteps, Frank Fowler could have prospered as a plantation owner in Melrose, harvesting crops of oranges in Santa Fe County’s rich groves.

Parent told freeway driving more unsafe than missions

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--The American church will suffer if it doesn’t begin directing more of its resources to fulfilling the Great Commission, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson said during a live broadcast from the seminary’s Fort Worth, Texas, campus May 11.

NAMB appointees with Florida ties include Tampa BCM worker

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (NAMB)-Ten missionaries with ties to Florida have been appointed by the North American Mission Board.

Media Montage

A Whole Night for the Whole World

RICHMOND, Va. (BP)—A network of youth ministries and missions organizations has issued a call to prayer challenging student groups across the world to spend a night in prayer for 2.1 billion teenagers, most of whom have never even heard the Good News of God’s love.

Former feminist pens survival manual for mothers & daughters

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—Don’t be fooled by the innocent-looking cover for the new Broadman & Holman book, Your Girl. Inside, author Vicki Courtney has penned a battle plan to train women—young and old—how to live godly in today’s permissive society.

GMA anti-piracy campaign: ‘It’s wrong’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—With a new survey suggesting that Christian teens have attitudes toward music piracy that are similar to those of non-Christian teens, the Gospel Music Association has launched a campaign with a simple message:

SOUND BITES

Bible Study

Family Bible Study

May 23: Improving Sibling Relationships
Genesis 27:41; 32:3-5, 9-11; 33:1-5, 10-11

Wiley Richards is a retired professor of theology and philosophy at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.

May 30: Being Friends
Proverbs 17:17; 18:24; 27:5-6, 9-10, 17; Philippians 4:13; 10, 14-16

Wiley Richards is a retired professor of theology and philosophy at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.

Explore the Bible

May 23: Consistent Behavior
Titus 2

Steve Smartt is pastor of Moultrie Baptist Church in St. Augustine.

May 30: Good Deeds
Titus 3

Steve Smartt is pastor of Moultrie Baptist Church in St. Augustine.