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Photo by James A. Smith Sr.

Florida Baptist Convention legislative consultant, Bill Bunkley (r), hosts a group of visitors to the State Capitol in Tallahassee from his home church, Idlewild Baptist Church in Tampa.

Pro-life bills advance in Florida Legislature Senate committee approves ‘more liberal’ slots bill Published April 11, 2005: TALLAHASSEE (FBW)—Pro-life forces won major victories when two Florida Senate committees advanced parental notification and abortion clinic regulation bills April 6. Meanwhile, committees in the Florida House of Representatives and Senate have adopted widely divergent legislation to implement voters’ approval of Amendment 4, permitting slot machines at pari-mutuel facilities in South Florida.
Hemphill calls Florida Baptists to seek God's Kingdom Published April 14, 2005: JACKSONVILLE (FBC) — With 10,000 Southern Baptist churches reporting no baptisms, 51 percent of all churches baptizing five or less persons and two-thirds of all churches either plateaued or declining, the local church is in need of revitalization, said Southern Baptists' national strategist Ken Hemphill.
Southern Baptists saving lives, sharing love after earthquake Published April 14, 2005: GUNUNG SITOLI, Nias, Indonesia (BP)—Five days after a major earthquake rocked Nias, Indonesia, Singaporean relief workers recovered a survivor from the rubble in the capital, Gunung Sitoli. They were using tools provided by Southern Baptists.

Opinion

Guest Editorial

Coincidental happenstance? Certainly not Guest Editorial: EVANSTON, Ill. (BP)—If a sparrow cannot fall from the sky without God's knowing it, how much more does He attend to the operations of taxis and their riders? And God is not just an observer; He coordinates the circumstances so that there simply are no coincidences.

Point of View

God's winning game plan for sexual purity Point of View: I hate giving up walks. Nothing infuriates me more than starting an inning by giving some guy a free pass to first base, except maybe walking someone with two outs in the inning. If you walk two or three batters in one inning, you aren't going to last long. You might be able to work out of a self-inflicted jam once in a while, but most of the time you can't. They always come back to haunt you.
Ladies: 'Let's do lunch' Point of View: It was greatly anticipated. Ladies bought tickets weeks in advance, scrambling for the best seats. They enthusiastically invited new acquaintances and unsaved friends. Our quarterly ladies' luncheons were one of our best church outreach programs. What makes a ladies' luncheon an outreach? I'm glad you asked!
Learning how to eat well while eating out Point of View: It is a rainy Wednesday evening and that means a longer drive from my job at GuideStone Financial Resources in uptown Dallas to my home in South Arlington during rush-hour traffic. There won't be enough time to eat a healthful dinner (because I don't do "fast-food") before driving to my church in Fort Worth, Texas.
A matter of life and death: From Darwin to Hitler Point of View: In all our contemporary conflicts over the teaching of evolution in schools, there's one question that nobody asks: To what does the embrace of Darwinism lead?

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor: Letters to the Editor may not reflect the views or opinions of the Witness. Letters may be mailed, faxed or submitted using our online form. Only letters marked clearly for publication, signed with address will be considered for use. Letters are subject to editing. Please limit letters to 250 words.

Florida

Florida News

Hemphill calls Florida Baptists to seek God's Kingdom: JACKSONVILLE (FBC) — With 10,000 Southern Baptist churches reporting no baptisms, 51 percent of all churches baptizing five or less persons and two-thirds of all churches either plateaued or declining, the local church is in need of revitalization, said Southern Baptists' national strategist Ken Hemphill.
Pro-life bills advance in Florida Legislature Senate committee approves ‘more liberal’ slots bill: TALLAHASSEE (FBW)—Pro-life forces won major victories when two Florida Senate committees advanced parental notification and abortion clinic regulation bills April 6. Meanwhile, committees in the Florida House of Representatives and Senate have adopted widely divergent legislation to implement voters’ approval of Amendment 4, permitting slot machines at pari-mutuel facilities in South Florida.
In life and in death, Terri Schiavo inspires "culture of life": GULFPORT (FBW)—Though the simple human story encompasses birth, life and death, it is the Christian belief of the resurrection which declares 'death does not have the last word' that comforted family members and friends of Terri Schiavo, a woman whose life tragically ended March 31.
Terri Schiavo's death may be catalyst for review of end-of-life laws: NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—The passing of Terri Schiavo likely won't be the last of the debate over end-of-life issues. In fact, it may only be the beginning.
State convention president issues personal evangelism challenge Baptize 100,000 in 2005, Wicker urges pastors: POMPANO BEACH (FBW)—Hayes Wicker, president of the Florida Baptist State Convention, challenged south Florida pastors April 4 to evangelize and baptize the lost, to "get behind what God is doing in Broward County," according to Rob Peters, pastor of First Baptist Church, Weston. Area pastors, staff and church leadership gathered at First Baptist Church, Pompano Beach, to share lunch and encouragement.
Marriage amendment workshops scheduled throughout Florida: JACKSONVILLE (FBW)—Orlando attorney John Stemberger, president and general counsel of Florida Family Action will be the featured speaker at workshops throughout Florida in April and May on strategies and arguments for promoting a Florida amendment defining marriage between a man and a woman.

Florida News Briefs

Workshop trains short term volunteers to teach English overseas
Former Florida pastor shares tools for transitioning with church leaders
Prevent the abuse of minors; learn to develop safety and security policies
Senior Adult Minister's Conference in Brandon May 16 at Bell Shoals church
Rally teaches value of global missions
BCF annual evangelism conference set

Florida Focus

Florida Focus: A one-time announcement of special events is a free service provided by the Witness to Florida Baptist churches. Please send materials at least three weeks before the date of the event, to Florida Baptist Witness, 1230 Hendricks Ave., Jacksonville, FL 32207, fax 904-346-0696 or submitted using our online form. Items received after deadline may appear in our exclusive on-line version.

National

International News

Southern Baptists saving lives, sharing love after earthquake: GUNUNG SITOLI, Nias, Indonesia (BP)—Five days after a major earthquake rocked Nias, Indonesia, Singaporean relief workers recovered a survivor from the rubble in the capital, Gunung Sitoli. They were using tools provided by Southern Baptists.

Features

Sports Ministry

Hoops & life: Glorieta manager re-charges team: PECOS, N.M. (BP)—For most high school basketball teams, reaching the regional tournament is good enough to consider the season a success. But the Pecos High Panthers coached by Leroy Ortiz is no ordinary basketball team, and this was certainly no ordinary season.
Growing Kids Through Golf: Children learn principles of golf, Christianity: LONGWOOD (FBW)—Volunteer coaches in churches across the nation are using biblical principles to teach children to shoot straight in golf and life. Growing Kids Through Golf, headquartered in Longwood, offers not only golf lessons but also Christian mentoring relationships.
GuideStone wellness walk/run slated for SBC: DALLAS (BP)—GuideStone Financial Resources (Annuity Board) will sponsor the third annual Living@YourBest Wellness Walk/Run during the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Nashville, Tenn.
Baylor, Union win national basketball championships: JACKSON, Tenn. (BP)--The Union University Lady Bulldogs won the 2005 NAIA National Basketball Championship with a 67-63 win over Oklahoma City University in the title game March 22 at Oman Arena in Jackson, Tenn.Ñwhile in Indianapolis Baylor University won their first-ever Big 12 NCAA women's basketball championship, beating Michigan State University 84-62 April 5.

Bible Study

Family Bible Study

April 17: Controlled Speech James 3:2b-12; 4:11-12; 5:12: Wiley Richards is a retired professor of theology and philosophy at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.
April 24: Humble Living James 4, 1-10, 13-17: Wiley Richards is a retired professor of theology and philosophy at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.

Explore the Bible

April 17: Lead Others to the Lord Jeremiah 28:1-17: Steve Smartt is pastor of Moultrie Baptist Church in St. Augustine.
April 24: Accept the Lord’s Forgiveness Jeremiah 31:27-34: Steve Smartt is pastor of Moultrie Baptist Church in St. Augustine.