In the Witness this week

Photo courtesy Baptist Children?s Hospital/Miami

Amillia Sonja Taylor's feet were tiny when she was born premature Oct. 24 at 21 weeks, six days, but she survived. She is the only baby known to survive after being born at less than 23 weeks.

Tiny Miami baby grabs hearts
Pro-life bioethicists say record survival of premature baby may affect treatment of unborn human beings
Published March 8, 2007

WASHINGTON (BP)?The birth and record survival of a baby less than 22 weeks gestation could have, and should have, an impact on the perception and treatment of unborn human beings, pro-life bioethics commentators say.

NAMB search team gives nod to Geoffrey A. Holland as president-elect
Published March 8, 2007

ALPHARETTA, GA. (NAMB/FBW)?The president search committee of the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board trustees March 1 recommended Geoffrey A. Hammond for the agency's next president. Hammond is Senior Associate Director of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia.

Convention's Mark Stephens dies at age 41
Published March 8, 2007

ORLANDO (FBC)?Mark Stephens, director of the Florida Baptist Convention's Theological Education and Distance Learning Department since 2002, died unexpectedly Sunday night, March 4, of an apparent heart attack at his Orlando home. He was 41 years old.

SBC's CP up 6%; suggests rise in cooperation
Published March 8, 2007

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)?With year-to-date contributions through the Southern Baptist Convention's Cooperative Program now 6.05 percent ahead of the same time frame in 2006, SBC Executive Committee President and Chief Executive Officer Morris H. Chapman noted, "This surge in giving through the Cooperative Program can be seen as nothing less than God's extended blessing upon the work of Southern Baptists to extend the Gospel to the world.

Volunteers respond after deadly tornadoes rip through Southeast
Published March 8, 2007

ENTERPRISE, Ala. (BP)?A tornado destroyed a high school in Enterprise, Ala., March 1, killing at least eight students in a string of deadly tornadoes that left a total of 20 people dead in Missouri, Alabama and Georgia.

Opinion

Editorial

The 'miracle baby' and execution ethics
JAMES A. SMITH SR.
Executive Editor

A "miracle baby" in Miami and a report by the governor's commission studying lethal injections provides stark evidence of our society's failure to understand the sanctity of human life. In both cases?one at the dawn of life and the other at the tragic end of life?biblical standards of morality gives the best guidance to our confused culture, if only we would heed them.

Point of View

Lost tomb of Jesus: Indiana Jones meets Dan Brown meets CSI
MARK RATHEL
Special to Florida Baptist Witness

On Sunday March 4, the Discovery Channel broadcasted "The Lost Tomb of Jesus." On the same weekend HarperSanFrancisco published a book accompanying the documentary titled The Jesus Family Tomb: The Discovery, the Investigation, and the Evidence that Could Change History. Both the documentary and book possess entertainment value; however, the book contains numerous entertaining hypotheses not mentioned in the documentary.

St. Marks church 'should have called the Baptists' letterwriter says
JOHN L. YEATS
Baptist Press

An interesting letter to the editor appeared in the March 1 edition of The Times-Picayune, the daily newspaper for the New Orleans metro. The writer, apparently a Roman Catholic, expressed her frustration: "I was appalled to see that St. Mark Catholic Church in Chalmette had not been cleaned out yet. The Archdiocese of New Orleans should have called the Baptists. They would have cleaned it out, no questions asked, as they have been and still are doing at other locations in St. Bernard Parish."

Creating parents with a judicial magic wand
CHARLES COLSON
Breakpoint

Isabella Miller-Jenkins is only four years old, but she is at the center of one of the most important legal battles of our time. A judge will soon decide whether a woman with no biological or adoptive ties to Isabella can legally be declared her mother.

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor
Published March 8, 2007

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

Tiny Miami baby grabs hearts
Pro-life bioethicists say record survival of premature baby may affect treatment of unborn human beings

WASHINGTON (BP)?The birth and record survival of a baby less than 22 weeks gestation could have, and should have, an impact on the perception and treatment of unborn human beings, pro-life bioethics commentators say.

Convention's Mark Stephens dies at age 41

ORLANDO (FBC)?Mark Stephens, director of the Florida Baptist Convention's Theological Education and Distance Learning Department since 2002, died unexpectedly Sunday night, March 4, of an apparent heart attack at his Orlando home. He was 41 years old.

BCF offers two new degrees for worship leaders

GRACEVILLE (BCF)?In direct response to a survey of graduates, worship leaders, and churches, the music faculty of Baptist College of Florida (BCF) in Graceville, will offer two new music degrees.

New Day Orlando conference fee reduced

JACKSONVILLE (FBC)?A two-day conference designed to assist pastors with their own financial needs and show how their churches can implement a comprehensive stewardship ministry will be held March 22-23 in Orlando.

WMU group tackles one issue at a time
Marriage Protection Amendment top priority for Women on Mission

KEATON BEACH (FBW)?Looking into the eyes of 45 children at church Wednesday night?many from broken homes and single-parent families?Betty Bass saw a need to prevent more hurt from impacting other kids. Supporting the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment was one way to do that, Bass told Florida Baptist Witness.

Florida pastor to lead conference on church effectiveness

ORLANDO (FBC)?Discovering a need for "God-sized results," Tim Passmore, pastor of Woodland Baptist Church in Bradenton, wrote Outcome: A Blueprint for Becoming an Effective Church.

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

National News

NAMB search team gives nod to Geoffrey A. Holland as president-elect

ALPHARETTA, GA. (NAMB/FBW)?The president search committee of the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board trustees March 1 recommended Geoffrey A. Hammond for the agency's next president. Hammond is Senior Associate Director of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia.

SBC's CP up 6%; suggests rise in cooperation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)?With year-to-date contributions through the Southern Baptist Convention's Cooperative Program now 6.05 percent ahead of the same time frame in 2006, SBC Executive Committee President and Chief Executive Officer Morris H. Chapman noted, "This surge in giving through the Cooperative Program can be seen as nothing less than God's extended blessing upon the work of Southern Baptists to extend the Gospel to the world.

Volunteers respond after deadly tornadoes rip through Southeast

ENTERPRISE, Ala. (BP)?A tornado destroyed a high school in Enterprise, Ala., March 1, killing at least eight students in a string of deadly tornadoes that left a total of 20 people dead in Missouri, Alabama and Georgia.

GEORGIA: They 'huddled down' & prayed while winds raged

ATLANTA (Index)?At least five Georgia Baptist churches received substantial damage and one associational office was destroyed following the tornado-spawning storms which rolled through three states and into central Georgia March 1. Georgia Baptist disaster relief volunteers are setting up on site to begin a variety of ministries.

Youth building disintegrates 30 minutes after meeting cancelled

COLUMBUS, Ga. (BP)?The evening of March 1 leaders called off a Young Life meeting because of strong winds and heavy rains. Thirty minutes later a tornado hit the building where the group was to meet. It exploded, with half the building disintegrating and the other half flung across the campus of Wynnwood Baptist Church in Columbus, Ga.

Bus headed to Sarasota Christian for tournament crashes in Atlanta, 6 killed

ATLANTA (BP)?Mennonite churches across the country are mourning the deaths of six people and the injuries of 29 others on a charter bus carrying a baseball team from one of their affiliated universities that crashed in the early morning hours March 2 on an interstate in northwest Atlanta.

IOWA: Feeding unit tackles ice, power outages inside state

WAYLAND, Iowa (BP)?Iowa Baptists' disaster relief feeding unit was dispatched Feb. 28 to assist residents in southeast Iowa who had been without electricity since a Feb. 25 ice storm knocked out power across much of that part of the state.

'Lost Tomb' is pure sensationalism, Mohler says

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)?The alleged discovery by archaeologists and genetic scientists of the "lost tomb of Jesus" is nothing more than a made-for-television hoax that will not undermine the Christian faith, R. Albert Mohler Jr. said Feb. 26 on CNN's "Larry King Live."

NAMB appoints seven missionaries with Florida ties

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (NAMB)?The North American Mission Board has appointed seven missionaries with Florida ties.

Denver missionary is winning Russian Jews to Christ

DENVER, COLO. (NAMB)?Little Anatoliy Odnoralov often came home after school with a bloody nose?the result of just another day as a Christian at his school in the North Caucasus region of the old Soviet Union.

International News

Cubans' gifts for missions: More than just an offering

ONTARIO, Calif. (IMB)?When time came for the mission offering, a young Cuban Christian took the patched shirt off his back, came forward and put it in the box.

Features

Annie Armstrong Offering

Denver missionary is winning Russian Jews to Christ

DENVER, COLO. (NAMB)?Little Anatoliy Odnoralov often came home after school with a bloody nose?the result of just another day as a Christian at his school in the North Caucasus region of the old Soviet Union.

Media Montage

Tomlin contributes lyrics to Amazing Grace movie

AUSTIN, Texas (BP)?When Chris Tomlin was asked to write an additional part to the hymn "Amazing Grace"?for the movie about the life of British abolitionist William Wilberforce?he wasn't so sure he wanted to change the popular song.

Bible Study

Family Bible Study

March 11: Jesus Opens Our Eyes
John 9:8-10, 20-25, 30-33, 35-39

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

March 18: Jesus Takes Care of Us
John 10:1-5, 7-15, 17-18

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

Explore the Bible

March 11: Answering the Call to Holiness
1 Peter 1:13-25

Mark Rathel is professor of theology at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.

March 18: Who Are You, Church?
1 Peter 2:1-12

Mark Rathel is professor of theology at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.