State Board fills three positions, authorizes move for Miami FBCH

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FORT MYERS (FBC)-The State Board of Missions authorized the Florida Baptist Children's Homes to sell its Miami campus, filled three Convention staff vacancies and agreed to a specialized partnership with Kentucky Baptists during its Nov. 13 meeting in Fort Myers.

The Board met in conjunction with the Florida Baptist State Convention at McGregor Baptist Church in Fort Myers.

The Miami campus of the Children's Homes, located in South Dade County adjacent to Wayside Baptist Church since 1958, is being sold due to its changing neighborhood and escalating property value, which is estimated between $5 million and $8 million.

The current facility is situated on a 6.2 acre tract and consists of three residential cottages that accommodate between 27 and 30 children. The past five years has brought tremendous growth to the area in the number of houses, townhouses and apartments, creating traffic issues and safety concerns for the children. Homeless people sometimes mistake the campus for a park where they can sleep.

"Each year the desirability of the location as a children's home is diminished," said Jimmy McAdams, Children's Homes' president. "If the current property can be marketed for an amount adequate to fund the cost of a new campus at a more desirable location within the county, it appears that a move would be wise."

"We are motivated by a sense of stewardship," noted McAdams. "Our commitment is to stay in Miami-Dade and to find a more desirable location for ministry."

The agency attempted to sell the property in 1997, receiving approval of the Florida Baptist State Convention, but the sale fell through due a variety of reasons, including zoning restrictions at the time.

This proposed sale was approved contingent on five conditions: the campus must be relocated to a more desirable location within Dade County; Wayside Church will receive the first right of refusal on purchasing the property; proceeds from the sale will adequately cover relocation costs; negative impact on residents, staff and community must be minimized; and status reports on the move must be provided regularly to the State Board.

Board member Steve Ray, who serves as moderator of the Miami Baptist Association, explained that as he spoke his colleagues, "I did not find one pastor in the association who would disagree with this move. The pastors in our association are greatly in favor of this action."

In personnel action, the Board named convention employee Richard Wheeler as director of Office of Leadership Development; Douglas Watkins of Orlando as associate director of the Sunday School Department; and Mark Mayhew of Pensacola as African-American Church Planting regional director for Northwest Florida.

Wheeler, 39, will assume a position left vacant with the election of Bob Bumgarner as director of the Church Development Division. Wheeler, a native of Melbourne, had served as associate director in the Sunday School Department since 2003.

Prior to coming to the Convention, Wheeler was associate pastor at Mandarin Baptist Church in Jacksonville from 2000-2003, entering the ministry after a ten-year career in the banking industry. He was awarded the master of arts degree in Christian education and the doctor of education from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.

Watkins, who will fill the position previously held by Wheeler, has served as director of church growth and development at the Greater Orlando Baptist Association since 2003.

Formerly a missionary appointed to Brazil by the International Mission Board, Watkins, 47, was minister of education and administration at First Baptist Church in Winter Garden from 1991-1994; and minister of education at Westside Baptist Church in Titusville from 1987-1991.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Watkins holds the bachelor of arts degree from University of Central Florida in Orlando and the master of arts degree from Southern Seminary. He will assume the position effective Dec. 1 and maintain an office in Orlando.

The 44-year-old Mayhew, a Daytona Beach native, has served as director of Christian Education for the Park Place Baptist Church in Pensacola since February. His ministry also has included serving as pastor of the Second Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Panama City, Saint Walden Missionary Baptist Church in Dothan, Ala., and Friendship Baptist Church in Marianna. He received the bachelor of arts degree from the Baptist College of Florida in Graceville in 1997.

The partnership with Kentucky Baptists will provide resources and assistance from Florida Baptists' Hispanic congregations to Kentucky Baptists ministering to the estimated 300,000 Spanish-speaking immigrants-documented and undocumented-who have migrated to the Bluegrass state. No direct financial assistance is being requested from the Kentucky Baptist Convention. Expenses of the partnership are expected to absorbed in the current program budgets

In other action, the Board renewed a nine-year partnership agreement with the Western Cuba Baptist Convention for an additional four years; and an 11-year partnership agreement with Confraternite Missionaire Baptiste d'Haiti for another four years. Both partnerships will continue to be underwritten by gifts to the Maguire State Mission Offering.

The Board also renewed the contracts of legislative consultant William Bunkley of Tampa as a Florida Baptist representative/lobbyist and Fred A. Martin and Associates of Tallahassee to provide legislative monitoring and information services.

In their post-convention meeting, board members elected new officers for 2007: Wayne Briant, pastor of Southside Baptist Church in Sarasota, president; Don McLaughlin, pastor of Parkway Baptist Church in Tallahassee, vice president; and Gail Adams, First Baptist Church in Terra Ceia, recording secretary.