JACKSONVILLE (FBW)—In Jacksonville Nov. 9, Jay Dennis, pastor of First Baptist Church at the Mall in Lakeland, stood at a microphone and made a motion before the Florida Baptist State Convention in support of a statewide constitutional marriage amendment. Every Sunday since that day, members of homosexual organizations have picketed his church.

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“We are thrilled to have the protesters here,” Dennis said. “They are an opportunity for ministry that has come to us.”

When the dozen picketers first arrived with signs and rainbow flags, Dennis sent members of the church’s motorcycle ministry to talk with them. Although formidably dressed in their biker leather, the men offered the protesters water and a kind word. The protesters and the church bikers are now constant fixtures outside the church’s mall on Sundays.

Far from the picketers’ aim of deterring Sunday worshippers, church attendance has grown since November.

“People are saying that ‘if the church is willing to take that kind of stand, we want to be a part of it’,” Dennis said.

Dennis is now asking his church members to take a personal stand by signing marriage amendment petitions. Sunday worshippers find a copy of the petition in their worship bulletins, and they are asked from the pulpit to immediately sign the petitions and place them in the offering plates. Since the drive began three weeks ago, Dennis estimated more than 1,000 have been collected each Sunday.

Along with the petition in the worship bulletin is a promotional brochure from Samaritan’s Purse’s Prescription for Hope Ministry to AIDS patients. Dennis is asking not only church members, but also the homosexual picketers to contribute financially to that ministry.

“If we take a strong stand on this issue, we need to demonstrate love to the homosexual community, too,” Dennis said.

Dozens of Florida churches are providing copies of the marriage amendment petition to those attending worship services. Most are setting up tables in their church foyers to promote the amendment and collect signed petitions. Trinity Baptist Church in Apopka, Fruit Cove Baptist Church in Jacksonville, and Jubilee Community Church in Miami are among those in the midst of promotional drives to collect and mail petitions to Florida4Marriage.org, PO Box 521339, Longwood, FL 32752.

Idlewild Baptist Church in Tampa has embraced the marriage amendment petition drive as part of the church’s “Year of the Family.”

Every Bible Fellowship class at Idlewild has been provided enough amendment petitions for every member. According to Reno Zunz, pastor for family care and missions, classes have had varying degrees of response from their membership.

Tables also have been set up in the church lobby for both the petition drive and voter registration. Volunteers separate the signed petitions by the county in which the voter is registered; they maintain folders for Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinnellas counties, and also a “hold” folder for those who registered to vote and must wait 30 days to submit a petition.

According to Zunz, the church has already amassed more than 1,500 petition forms and hopes to have 2,000 before the 90-day deadline passes.

“I know that our pastor [Ken Whitten] is committed to this petition drive, and I believe our people know it is a watershed issue,” Zunz told Florida Baptist Witness.

An inter-denominational organization of churches in St. Augustine held a ProFamily Rally March 15 at the World Golf Convention Center during which the Florida amendment petition took center stage. Amid heckling from protestors, more than 1,000 heard pro-family speakers Alan Keyes and Rick Green.

Keyes ran for the Republican nomination for president in 1996 and 2000 and served as ambassador to the United Nations Economic and Social Council under Ronald Reagan. Rick Green founded Torch of Freedom Foundation and speaks for WallBuilders, an organization dedicated to America’s moral, religious and constitutional heritage.

The ProFamily Coalition, including Calvary Baptist and Moultrie Baptist churches, had planned the rally several months ago, according to organizer David Johns, owner of Wonder of Truth Bookstore in St. Augustine, with the intent of gathering a large group to speak with one voice in favor of Florida families. The petition drive was a welcome addition.

“It was perfect timing for us with the marriage petition,” Johns said. Event organizers provided petition forms for all registered voters in attendance.

Weeks before the rally, the First Coast Metropolitan Community Church in St. Augustine issued an alert on its Web site urging all gay associations in Florida to “crash” the rally, according to Johns. For this reason the event was ticketed, and ticket outlets were tightly managed.

According to Steve Smartt, pastor of Moultrie Baptist Church, the protesters heckled speakers from the rear of the room and a young woman ran down the aisle carrying a banner as Keyes began speaking on the value of marriage, but the protesters were “well-controlled.” He said the event was “organized and peaceful,” and included a wide array of denominations, “from Southern Baptists to charismatics to Presbyterians.”

The ProFamily Coalition began in response to threats against Johns and his business after he placed an anti-“gay marriage” message on his store marquee when a Massachusetts court voted in favor of “gay marriage.” His marquee message read, “Gay marriage is wrong. Vote and pray against it.”

John’s pastor, Mark Conrad of Calvary Baptist Church, asked 60 Christian leaders in St. Augustine to meet to pray during a promised picketing of John’s store. The picket line never materialized, but the coalition of pray-ers formed the basis of ProFamily Coalition.