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.

BREVARD

First Baptist Church, Cocoa, has called Rhonda Cole as minister to children, teens and their families. The Cary, N.C., native graduated from North Carolina universities: Campbell College in Buies and Duke University Divinity School in Durham.

First Baptist Church, Merritt Island honored Robert Rowell Jan. 29 on his retirement after 26 years as minister of education and associate pastor. In his career, Rowell served churches in Texas, Alabama and Mississippi and North Jacksonville Baptist Church. He was director of the Brotherhood Department of the Florida Baptist Convention 1974-1977. Rowell and his wife, Delores, will continue to reside in Merritt Island.

FLORIDA

Thomasville Road Baptist Church in Tallahassee will host a 10K race and one-mile fun run/walk March 4 at 8 a.m. Proceeds from the event will be used to remodel a residential cottage on the Tallahassee campus of Florida Baptist Children’s Homes, and also fund the Debbie O’Brien Scholarship fund for FBCH residents. For more information, or to register, call 850-386-4288 or go to www.thomasvilleroad.org.

GREATER ORLANDO

Riverside Baptist Church in Orlando has called Mark Williams as pastor. He most recently served as minister of youth at First Baptist Church, Sanford. He is a graduate of Baptist College of Florida. Williams, and his wife, Veronica, have three sons.

HOLMES

Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Bonifay will celebrate homecoming Feb. 19. The 11 a.m. worship service will feature comedians and instrumentalists Tim and Mary Alice Lovelace. A covered dish lunch will be served at noon. For more information, call 850-547-9642.

JACKSONVILLE

Hillcrest Baptist Church has called Timothy C. Patterson as pastor. He previously served as pastor of First Baptist Church, Glen St. Mary, since 1991, and had served churches in Knoxville, Tenn., and McAlester, Okla. He served as president of the Florida Baptist Pastors’ Conference in 2003, and presently serves as trustee of the North American Mission Board. He is a graduate of Criswell College, Dallas, Texas; Southwestern Baptist theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas; and Southern Baptist School for Biblical Studies, Jacksonville. He and his wife, Sabrina, have two adult children.

Lowell Eugene Oakes, 58, former chairman of the deacons of Murray Hill Baptist Church, died Jan. 20 after a short illness. An employee of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, Oakes was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and served his church as Sunday School teacher and choir member. He is survived by his parents, L.A. and Joyce Oakes; his wife, Beverly Ann; three sons, Robert, Jonathan and Michael; and two stepsons, Sean and Jason Killingsworth.

Courtesy photo