Danny Morris Mission Journey Blog

Ginny Diaz Celebrates A One Year Healing Anniversary

2011-06-06T11:11:00.002-04:00

Ginny has served at the Central Florida Shiloh Baptist Association over ten years

May 24, 2011
Today we celebrate a one-year anniversary of Ginny’s diagnosis with Myelodysplastic Syndrome. It was one year ago that her hematologist indicated that it was necessary for her to go on chemotherapy to have any improvement related to her deficient blood count. She was told that with her condition she possibly only had a year to live. Her blood count was expected to decrease each month.

We celebrate with her that she has passed the one-year mark and has not had to have chemotherapy. Her recent lab reports have indicated that her blood count has improved during the last few months.

What happened? She considers it a miracle. Early after her diagnosis one year ago her family, friends, our office staff, and our pastors began praying for her. God revealed to her a special diet that would be important, “The Halleluiah Diet.” She has been guided by this Biblical vegan diet. Ginny has found improvement in her condition and has been able to maintain a healthy daily schedule. She has only missed a very few days of work during the past year. Her health condition seems to be improving each month.

We celebrate with her. The staff celebrated with her and took her out for a wholesome lunch. Joyce brought her flowers to let her know that we are so grateful God provided this miracle in her life.

Keep up the miracle and may her healing be complete during the coming year.

DOM Report

2010-10-20T10:44:00.001-04:00

Greetings and Gratitude,

I am so very blessed. I would like to thank our Moderator, Vice-Moderator, and Association leadership for all you do. Thank you to the Program Committee and all the participants who have made this year and today’s program a true blessing. I especially thank Ginny Diaz, our Administrative Assistant, and Julie Goff, Associate, for their labor of love producing the reports and their preparation for this meeting. Thank you for your continual prayer for Ginny as she battles a very serious illness. Your prayers mean so much to her and the Lord is blessing her continually.
It is a joy to have several pastors in my life. I feel like I have a multi-pastor staff. My actual membership is in Plant City FBC but I have a servant-membership in the churches where I have helped with revitalization. I am thankful for Pastor Michael Lewis because of his focus on prayer ministry and evangelism. His faith and vision includes providing training and teaching for others through his personal teaching and his teaching with Evangelical University and Seminary. I am thankful for Pastor Benny Keck and the other pastors on the Strategy Planning Committee as they give their support to the Lord and to you in the work of the Association. I am grateful for men like Pastor Mike Fredette (Liberty), Kevin Wynn (FBC Durant), and Hal Sexton (Parkway) all who have taken on the ministry of restoring congregations. In fact, I could name each of our pastors because I am blessed to have thirty-four of you. You are my heroes. God bless all of you.

New Association Promotion Brochure

A new brochure is available for you to explain the purpose, vision, and ministry of the Association. The center section lists the five things the Association offers. This current report you are reading gives a little more detail of those brochure items. We have used an additional title of Central Florida’s Shiloh Baptist Association to help define who we are and where we are located, distinguishing us from other Shiloh Baptist Associations in the SBC. I have used “Dr. Dan” as my name in the publication because it seemed too formal to call me Dr. Morris. My wife, Joyce, has nicknamed me that because it helps her distinguish between the other three Dan’s in her family; her late husband, her son, and my son. I really like Dr. Dan better than her original names of big Dan and little Dan and because my role is kind of like a church doctor. However, through my years and my studies I have learned just enough to realize how much I do not know. I want you to know you can call me what you like. I am your friend and just appreciate you so much when you do call me.

Association Vision

Our Association elected a Strategy Planning Committee to study the future vision, goals, and ministry plans of our Association. The process invited us to explore the use of our property, the possibility of partnership with adjoining Associations, and other evaluation points that will continue through 2011.
In this terrible economy, many denominational agencies, including our Association, have had 20 – 30 percent reductions in their budgets. The result for our Association is fewer resources in the coming years to accomplish our mission. In these changing times, a supportive nature and partnership is needed between the association and its member churches to discover how we can join together to maximize God’s resources given to us. We are discovering there is a greater need for the local Association or partnership ministry and support of local churches joining together.
I am very grateful and affirm the good work of the Strategy Planning Committee and their leadership. As we make these transitions, I look forward to offering a greater support and encouragement ministry to our churches. It is great to have such a competent team of leaders representing laity, ministry, and businessmen all from the variety of our churches to assist us in this endeavor. It is my joy to support them and encourage them in their ministry.

Personal

It is hard to believe that I will be 65 this December 18. I know I don’t look or act my age. It is a joy for me to serve the Lord and his church these 45 years as an ordained pastor with 10 of them as your Director of Missions. God has provided a blessing this year because I am able to get new health insurance that will save the Association budget approximately $1,000 per month, a needed thing this year when we are having to adjust our budget.
All of this brings on the question: “When are you planning to retire?” Well, I talked with Joyce about it and she indicated support for me listening to the Lord and following His will. God has blessed me with a wonderful supportive wife at a time I never dreamed possible. I listened to my physician, Dr. Robert Baskins, when he came to our minister’s meeting and spoke on how to live a long and healthy life. One of his points stated was, “Do not retire because research reveals that you won’t live over two years. You may change jobs or do transition, just don’t retire.” Some of my friends have said, “You need to retire while things are going good.” Maybe my friends are trying to kill me. I have prayed seriously about it and I have sensed the Lord saying “you stay close to Me daily and I will reveal when I want you to make a transition.” I have asked the Association leadership to be prayer partners with me. God has called me to continue ministry with you another year and has asked me to work harder and with less compensation. I appreciate your continual prayers as we follow God’s leading.

As you know my gifts and experience have been in church renewal and revitalization. I am developing a group of volunteers to bless our Association and getting the input of the most experienced men we have nationally in this area by writing a user manual. The volunteer organization is called Foundation Builders Ministry, and the user manual is called, “A User’s Guide to Church Renewal and Revitalization – A Renovation and Transformation for Pastors and Laity.”

Evangelism

This year we set a goal to have a 10% increase in our baptisms. We have five churches that have not turned in their ACP so the numbers will go up. We have a total of 555 which is already an increase by seven from last year. The previous year we had a decline. Did you meet the goal? What is your current percentage?
Fifteen of our churches reported having ten or more baptisms this past year:
Durant FBC (2), Turkey Creek (11), West Thonotosassa (12), Bethany (13), Knights (14), Midway (14), Springhead (16).
Five of our churches reported having twenty-five or more baptism: Liberty (25), Church on the Rock (33), Shiloh (34), FBC Dover (31), Plant City FBC (213).
Through our partnership with the SOS ministry we have had hundreds of professions of faith at the Strawberry Festival, car shows, church special events, community outdoor events, and various activities in Central Florida.
Let us set a goal to have at least a 10% increase in our baptisms this year. In order to do that, we have to pray and be obedient to God and His Word. Pastors and church leaders need to start doing some intentional vision, goal setting, and action plans to provide an impact with the Great Commission.
We have some God-given opportunity like nowhere else. Pastor Benny Keck and Pastor Michael Lewis have offered to train and to mentor any of our pastors in FAITH Evangelism. We have one of the SBC teachers of the materials right here in our city. Pastor Michael is teaching courses through the Evangelical University and Seminary and offers an opportunity every Tuesday evening for training. Pastor Benny offers the training every Monday evening and invites you to participate. These men have offered to guide you and your church in FAITH evangelism training and will help you customize it to your church setting. If I were pastoring and looking for an evangelism strategy I would jump on this offer. Personally, I am on my third semester of participating in Faith with Pastor Michael Lewis. I am amazed at how easy Faith is and how people I never thought could or would share their faith have learned to do so, and how God uses the opportunity for ones to come to a saving knowledge of Christ week after week. It does demand the passion, faithfulness, and focus of time and your ministry. I believe prayerful intentional evangelism is one of the essential keys to renewal and revitalization of a church.
We are so privileged to have the National SOS Ministry Evangelism organization and founders; Tom and Carolyn Curtis, here in our Association. As we speak, they are in Indiana training and facilitating hundreds coming to Christ in their personal event evangelism ministry. We are so blessed that God called them several years
ago to take leadership of our Strawberry Festival Evangelism booth. Since then we have had 100’s of people each year to make decisions for Christ. Several of our pastors have invited them to do the training at their church. Ministers and laity are encouraged to get in on one of the training events and participate in this year’s Shiloh Baptist Association booth. This year Liberty Baptist Church offered free parking to all the workers and added an additional booth at their church parking lot. Pastor Mike Fredette has been going to the Plant City downtown car show and using this approach to reach numbers of people with the gospel. He was there last Saturday night. Several have used this approach at the car show, yard sales, or at the Harvest Festival events. This is a great opportunity for church members. Ivan Cardwell is one of their Associates. He will be giving a report in our Evening Session.
The Florida Baptist Convention will be having one of their annual Evangelism conferences in Plant City in 2011. Also, David Burton is organizing a GPS evangelism outreach project that we may want to take advantage of. It is something our pastors may look at during the coming month. If you want to participate, the association will make materials and training available through the Association.

South Florida Baptist Association Partnership

Dr. Robert Roberts, Director of Missions of South Florida Baptist Association, members of our Strategy Planning Committee, and I have discussed the possibility of developing a partnership with the two Associations. Leadership, including our Moderator and Vice Moderator elect, has met on two occasions during the past two months to discuss the possibilities. Dr. Roberts, myself, and leadership from both Associations agree that we can explore a partnership with a desire to bless each other and better strengthen our churches. Just for clarification Dr. Roberts, our Association leaders, and I do not have interest in merging the Associations. We are only looking at partnership possibilities.
South Florida Baptist Association is about twice our size (80 churches), however there are some fellowship, support, events, and ministry we can do together that will be a blessing to them as it would be to us. We desire to partner because we are neighbors and need to share ideas, resources, events, and fellowship. We believe we can work together in some areas and be more effective than if we work separately. It may model some of the ways that churches effectively work together in the Association during these changing financial and cultural times.
Our Association leaders have agreed to meet together monthly and explore possibilities. Following the dialogue and exploring various opportunities we hope to develop a covenant agreement similar to what our Association had with the Richmond, Indiana three-year partnership covenant. We realize that South Florida Association has good strengths in Pastoral/Evangelism Conferences, Women Ministry/WMU ministry, and other ministries. We have good strengths in Renewal/Revitalization Ministry, SOS Strawberry Festival Evangelism, FAITH Evangelism, Men’s (Point Man) Brotherhood Ministry, and other ministries. Together we may strengthen our churches and more effectively grow the Kingdom. Other adjoining Associations include Tampa Bay, Orange Blossom, and Pasco Association. Churches closer to these areas are recognizing certain specialized ministry opportunities and may desire to network in order to get in on events or conferences they offer. We are developing healthy relationships with them to hopefully make you feel comfortable and enable you to take advantage of those opportunities. Of course we cherish our Association’s fellowship and unique relationship and ability to be a personal ministry of support to each other. We are local churches working together and affirming God’s inerrant Word with an emphasis together to impact the world with the Great Commission. We are actually one church with a diversity of locations and mission points where congregations are meeting. Obviously, a major reason we can feel comfortable sharing a partnership with adjoining Associations is because we have these strengths. Our vision, goals, and action plans will be to develop those further this coming year.

Urgent Prayer Requests Related to Major Actions Being Considered in the Property, Finances, Mission and Ministry

2010-09-21T10:33:00.003-04:00

Shiloh Baptist Association Executive Committee elected a Strategy Planning Group. Their immediate task assigned relates to making recommendations concerning Association property and next year’s financial planning. Additionally, they are to review and recommend future Vision, Mission, and Ministry Action Plans of the Association.
Pastors and laity business men along with our newly elected officers including Finance Committee and Administrative Committee leadership are on the committee. Pastor, Benny Keck, FBC Dover is Chairman, and Mr. Coleman Davis, layman, Plant City FBC, and owner of Badcock Furniture, is Co-Chairman.
Other members include: Rev. Kevin Wynn (Pastor FBC Durant), Rev. Bob Dygert (Pastor Knights), Mr. David Sullivan (Plant City FBC and vice-president Platinum Bank), and Mr. Bill Burnette (Dover FBC and CEO of Harold’s Farm Supply).
Additional support from Finance Chairman, Rev. Joe Bowles (Pastor Shiloh Church), Rev. Darrell Jones (Pastor Cedar Grove and newly elected moderator), Mrs. Ginny Diaz (Clerk-Treasurer) and Rev. Mike Fredette (Pastor Liberty Southern Baptist Church, formerly Westside, and currently doing effective Foundation Builders Ministry revitalization).
This last week’s initial meeting concluded:

The Association will have to do major adjustments to next year’s budget. Possibly as much as 20 to 30%.
Churches’ mission giving to the Association has decreased by 20% in the past three years. The Free Rider Fellowship Church is purchasing property for their church. They are moving out of our building in December. Financial support for further use of the building is depleted.
The consensus of the Strategy Planning Group in the last meeting was:
a. Recommend the selling of the building (to one of our churches or place on the market for immediate sale). A plan to pay off our $235,000 liability and hopefully have available funds for the mission of the Association.
b. An official request of our mortgage company, Florida Financial Services, has been made to allow us to pay interest only until the property is sold.
c. A search has been authorized to seek relocation of our offices at a small affordable cost. Three of our churches have offered space. Truth Christian Bookstore has offered free meeting space and the building owner has a passion for us to use an adjacent office suite at whatever the Association can afford. They want our presence downtown to be a visible witness to offset the Church of Scientology and other anti-Christian influences.
d. A meeting is planned with Dr. Robert Roberts and the leadership of South Florida Association (80 churches of Lakeland/Polk County) to see about planning together this coming year. The hope is that we can offer more services and have a more relevant ministry support to our churches while decreasing our expenses. This would allow Central Florida churches consisting of West Polk County (South Florida Association area) and East Hillsborough (Shiloh Association area) working together. This would include doing more things like the Central Florida Sunday School Training Event being held at Dover First Baptist, this Saturday, September 25, 2010.
e. This would allow me as your DOM and pastors and laity of our churches to focus on a Foundation Builders Ministry to save churches through a revitalization strategy planning process, a crucial ministry of our Association over the past seven years. South Florida Association has emergency funds to provide immediate small loans to churches; something we have not developed.
f. Survey our pastors and laity to discover more effective resources, support, and ministry to strengthen pastors and laity of our Central Florida – Shiloh Baptist Association churches.
g. Clarify our identity through our name, vision, mission, and ministry for these times, culture and area served.

WHAT IS HAPPENING? HOW DID WE GET IN THIS SITUATION?

1. There is an aging and loss of membership and attendance in Southern Baptist life. The last ten years has recorded a loss of 10 to 15% in membership and attendance

2. The past three years of terrible economic conditions on families and individuals has brought the average church offering down 10 to 30%. Cooperative program giving is down 25% this year from a couple of years ago.

3. The Florida Baptist Convention has cut their staff and mission support by 25%. When I came ten years ago they were leading the SBC in starting new churches. They offered a partnership start-up support fund and grants up to $50,000 to purchase property for new churches. When we were doing revitalization at Berea, Florida Baptist Convention was the major contributor to help save the church with crucial repairs and expenses to keep the church alive. Today, they have no money for grants. They are limited or have nothing in this emergency fund.

4. The Southern Baptist Convention affirmed a report from a committee related to Great Commission Resurgence in the Orlando 2010 Convention. The major emphasis I heard in the last two conventions was really how to effectively do more with less resources, finances, and people. Reorganizing seemed to be necessary to do Great Commission missions. Humanly, we can’t do the same with 25% less financial support. Nationally, they need and want to do a greater per cent in the international missions.

5. A recent survey related to pastors or clergy across America indicates a crisis is at hand: (Survey by Duke University, George Barna, and Fuller Institute)
a. Discouraged and Depressed – many are on anti-depression medication.
b. They and their family’s health and emotional spiritual life is breaking.
c. More and more churches have to cut their salaries and depend on bi-vocational support.
d. Aging congregations, shrinking budgets, and unmanageable conflicts are adding to the stress of pastors, laity, and their families.
e. Many are saying if I could I would change vocations.
f. Seventeen hundred monthly are leaving the ministry
g. They are dying younger than ever before

6. Laity are more discouraged and are dropping out of churches.

7. The aging congregations are dying off or becoming unable to volunteer and fund the property and ministry of the church.

8. New churches are starting and old ones are renaming themselves leaving the name Baptist out indicating a lack of interest or loyalty to the denomination by the younger generations.

Conclusion:

I am grateful for your support and appreciate the work and good leadership of our Strategy Planning Group. I encourage you to continue your support and do the following:
1. Pray for Divine guidance in the important and necessary transitions in your Association. Become prayer partners with other pastors, laity, and churches across our Association. Gather with me in prayer, October 18th, afternoon or evening at Cedar Grove Baptist Church at our 60th Annual Shiloh Baptist Association Meeting.
2. Continue your financial support and increase your involvement in the Association. Give your prayerful input to the Strategy Planning Group. Their names and contact information will be available to each church office.
3. October is pastor appreciation month. Do something. Give your pastor more time off and every seven years give him a rest of a three month sabbatical. Be patient, forgiving, and understanding in all things. Celebrate the coming month as pastor appreciation and give him a special love offering and a day of celebration. If you treat him good and he leaves just know that you did God’s Will and God will bless you. If he stays know that you have changed the direction of care for pastors and you will have modeled the way for renovation and transformation of pastors in our Association needing care.
4. Pray and help your Association make this painful transition.
5. Join me in the work of Foundation Builders Ministry. Let us save a local church and provide opportunity for hundreds to be baptized, discipled until the Lord comes.

Thank you for your love, support, and great faithfulness. We love you.

Danny L. Morris

Evangelical Seminary & University

2010-08-11T11:54:00.001-04:00

The Evangelical Seminary and University provides a foundation Biblical and theological education for local bi-vocational pastors and leaders of local churches who have not had an opportunity to obtain seminary education. I believe students will want to especially focus on classes that will help them in their ministry.
The specialty area of Evangelical Seminary is the courses and special training in Evangelism. Our president, Dr. Gary Williams, and Vice-President, Mr. Bob Westlake, are excellent Bible scholars and teachers of God’s Word in basic courses each semester. Dr. Michael Lewis, Plant City FBC pastor and national SBC Lifeway trainer of FAITH Sunday Evangelism, offers a course with applied leadership training each semester in personal evangelism. Other local pastors (Dr. Benny Keck, etc.) and missionaries-pastors (Dr. Danny L. Morris, etc.) offer courses not only providing Biblical scholarship but also providing coaching, mentoring, and encouraging in their ministry. Excellent Bible scholars are teaching God’s Word and providing good foundations for pastors and laity in their preaching and teaching of God’s Word. These courses and study with ESU are sometimes noted to be more valuable than internet courses or courses from accredited schools. Following the study with ESU the students will have a more excellent Biblical background and a more excellent ministry to bless God and His people. It builds a great foundation for clergy and laity to serve God effectively.
Technology is enabling a number of schools to do internet or virtue courses. Accredited courses and degrees may be obtained through this method; ESU recognizes the values of those courses and may offer some in the future. However, they affirm that there is no replacement for the mentoring provided through the personal touch offered through a local relationship. Personally, I believe it is essential to have this personal and applied ministry education process.
Three years ago I began serving as a trustee in the founding of the Evangelical University & Seminary. The financial undertaking and my commitment to SBC seminaries and colleges made me a very reluctant participant. I saw the school as a competitor to these other schools. I saw that churches may have to cut their giving to Cooperative Program and local Association. Funding the school would not only be difficult but diminish further the mission giving to existing organizations.
The school is not accredited with any accreditation organization. However, the University is in process of application for accreditation with the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE). There is not an assurance of a date or that such accreditation will be secured. If or when the University is accredited, the courses or degrees will not be retroactive to the accreditation. Students are not assured that any class will be accepted by or transferable to other schools or that the degree will be recognized by any other education institution. The courses and degrees granted are recognized as advanced Biblical and theological education exclusively under the guidelines of the trustees and faculty of Evangelical University and Seminary.
Some have asked since it is not accredited and is more comparable to a Bible School or Institute why call it a University? Perhaps the school has taken some liberty in that issue because of the passion and vision of what they want to become. It is more a goal of becoming a University than it is being a University. However, it is licensed with the state of Florida to grant degrees and has granted both bachelor and master degrees. This by some standards allows the name. The school has taken advantage of that liberty but acknowledges its limitations to their students.
Others have been concerned as to the theological beliefs of the school, the conservative ethical values, and whether or not the school would affirm the Southern Baptist faith as expressed in the Baptist Faith and Message. Would it be a hyper-Calvinist view or an Arminianism theological view? The trustees and the faculty have addressed each of these issues. The trustees and faculty declares a central view of the Calvinist/Arminianism deliberation and focuses on the Biblical Evangelist mandate that God’s son gave in the Great Commission. The trustee affirms the conservative Biblical evangelical views as indicated in the Baptist Faith and Message and expressed in the 2010 SBC resurgence of the Great Commission.
Evangelical University & Seminary is a school that serves the bi-vocational and small churches of our area. It’s goal is to provide a solid conservative Biblical and Theological Education to the hundred’s of men and women who are within the West Central Florida region. It provides Biblical and theological education for lay teachers, pastors, missionaries, church planters, and students in preparing for the ministry. It has a heart for the bi-vocational pastor who has accepted God’s call but cannot afford to leave a job, move their family, and go a distance to earn a degree to prepare for the ministry. Among Southern Baptist churches 81 % of our churches are small churches with 125 average attendances in Sunday school or Sunday Morning Worship. Only 1 % have 1000 or above in attendance. That means of the 45,010 SBC churches 30,000 of them are small churches. (Source: Bivocational & Small Church Leadership Network BSCLM web page: www.bivosmallchurch.net)
Historically, these churches and bivocational pastors are the most productive and essential to reach the lost. These churches cannot afford a fully funded (full time) pastor. Those able may pay up to $35,000 annual salary. However, more and more are finding necessary to call a bivocational with an annual salary of around $10,000.
Many of the pastors have accepted the call after they have established their family, home, career, and could serve the churches if they have affordable local education. Personally, I understand the issue. Three of the churches I served over a fifteen year period were small churches where I was a bi-vocational pastor. Four of the small struggling churches I have served over the past seven years have been bi-vocational churches. If I had not had a Baptist College in my home town of Campbellsville Kentucky, Southern Baptist Seminary within 80 miles of my home, and parents willing to help me as I bi-vocationally worked through the educational process, I would have not been able to fulfill the calling God extended.
Evangelical Seminary and University has now had three years of providing that opportunity. Every month I am finding churches in our Association or beyond blessed by that wonderful opportunity provided to their pastors and leadership. I praise God for the trustees, faculty, churches, and supporters making the school possible. I rejoice at the report given at last week’s board meeting that the school is becoming self sufficient. Obviously it is a challenge to pay faculty or to pay them sufficient wages. The school is blessed to have a spirit of volunteerism as they continue to grow. Also, the school will need a tremendous amount of additional funding over the coming years and a foundation of stability to get accreditation from ABHE. However, the trustees and faculty are passionately committed to following the guide-lines and developing such foundations to provide the quality of the education for the current students and the future students.

Director of Missions Report

2010-06-25T09:33:00.002-04:00

I have had the opportunity to attend a Florida Director of Missions Conference, A National SBC Director’s Conference, and be a messenger at the Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando, Florida. Those opportunities came while having the privilege to meet with pastors, visit and proclaim the gospel with several of our churches, here are some observations and encouraging words for pastors, church leaders, and Christians today.

Church leaders and researchers from our local churches and in various areas of our Baptist and evangelical network are seeking ways to turn the trends around and seek a new prosperity, evangelism, discipleship, and transformation of the local church.

The SBC in the national convention affirmed the answer to be in a resurgence of Great Commission focus as the local church focuses on Biblical evangelism and mission giving that prioritizes reaching persons and people groups all over the globe with gospel of Jesus Christ. They deeply challenge tradition and doing things as usual. Instead, they emphasis radical change and deep passion exclusively toward the Biblical goal of reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

LifeWay Resources is producing books and materials with the Romans 12 emphasis declaring that effective and growing churches changing lives and communities are in their term “transformational” churches. A term that will be used abundantly in the months and years ahead. A name they have picked up to declare what it takes to be an effective Godly church and a truly Christian disciple in today’s culture setting. The way we do things are challenged in the traditional church setting and the way we measure our mission and ministry demands new score cards that involves a deeper or more extensive way of measuring what we are doing.

National mission leaders and the network of new church planting indicates that to effectively reach the communities and to have thriving churches the pastors and church officers have to become and apply effective leadership. They must become aware of who they are in Christ Jesus, identify their visionary passion calling, and intentionally apply their calling in the setting of the people groups and culture where they live, and the times we live. A vital foundation is that Christians and the church members allow the Holy Spirit to be the empowering, creative, and personal leadership to define the church and its intentional mission in today’s world.

As Baptists even though we have the same faith and message, we observe that local churches will continue to be diverse and no longer are going to be seen as similar in buildings or institutional structures. They will not only have different “score cards” but will be viewed differently by one another and their communities. There is a greater emphasis on defining the Church as Biblically viewed in the New Testament by our Lord. This is a definition that doesn’t claim it to be an event, a place, or a building rather it is a people and more theologically defined as the people who are the body of Christ on mission. As some of the leaders declare it is redeemed missionary-evangelistically Christians who are “live and sent” into a lost and hurting world.

As difficult and sometimes discouraging as it may be to live during our transitional times I find that it has tremendous opportunity to follow our Master. Let us not let the world or the religious societies or religious politics define us; rather let us let our Lord Jesus Christ and His calling consume us.

Grace Ministry Gathering to Share Ideas

2010-03-10T09:03:00.006-05:00

Grace Ministry Gathering to Share Ideas

Notes and Pictures from Meeting
Monday, March 1, 2010

Organization, Purpose and Agenda: This meeting was organized by Shiloh Baptist Association, Danny L. Morris, Director; hosted by Northside Baptist Church, Wayne Roberts, pastor; and the meal prepared by workers from Restoring Hope Global, Ron & Julie Dixon, directors.

Its purpose was to network, share ideas and share needs. Hopefully, the group can develop a more effective approach to work together to be a blessing to the community.

Pastor Wayne Roberts and Pastor Ron Dixon desired to have an across the community participation in the development of a new Plant City Life Recovery Center.

All pastors and church leaders participated with desire to have guidance and assistance in helping with the increasing needs of individuals in crises. Some came to improve their current food/clothing pantry while others sought information to develop a plan. Other just desired to know what churches and organization in East Hillsborough were doing related to these community needs.

Evangelical pastors and churches desired guidance related to how they might effectively be an evangelistic witness to provide the “Bread of Life” while they are attempting to help with the food/clothes/household items or shelter of individual or families in their community.

People Present: Wayne Roberts, Paul & Linda Pickern, Jerry & Cynthia Taylor, Marianne Lovelace, Rev Benny Baker, Marianne Parks, John Parker, Mary McCarter, Bob & Terry Dygert, Rose Marie, Libby Combee, Jason Leland, Julio Santana, Tom Mull, Ron Dixon, Hal Sexton, Chuck, Edmondson, Nancy Chaney, Earl Smith, Dave Robinson, Tim Johnson, Margaret Djekovic, Tracy Crocker, Skip Athey, Wintely Ingram, Erik, Jim Morgan, Jennifer Currence, Danny Morris, Julie Goff

Ideas and Ministries Discussed:

ALL PRO PASTORS
Paul and Linda Pickern are looking to share with pastors and churches who can partner together in our community. We help pastors make trusted Friendships with encouraging accountability. Paul can be reached at 813-967-5144.

BREAD OF LIFE MISSION
Julio Santana’ program is emergency food and clothing. He provides food and clothing for 25 people each Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. His plan does not allow the same family to come weekly unless it is an emergency. He or his assistant, Alicia, may be reached at 754-2840.

HELPING RAINBOW, INC.
Rose-Marie (Bilingual Spanish) indicated they offer case management service to the public in the process of extending free HIV testing and other services in Plant City and Polk County. They offer mobile case management. Rose may be reached at 813-474-2437.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY HOMELESS COALISION
It is an organization in the county partnering with Hillsborough County businesses and individual to end homelessness. Tracy Crocker and Margaret Djekovic may be reached at 813-223-6115. Their web page is www.homelessofhc.org

HOPE OUTREACH CHRISTIAN MINISTRY
Wintely Ingram indicated that they are looking for information to start a food ministry to meet the needs of families with the community. Also, they will be feeding community program feeding program for children. Wintely may be reached at 813-404-8514.

PLANT CITY LIFE RECOVERY CENTER
Pastor Wayne Roberts asked that we all pray that the Plant City Life Recovery Center will happen in the near future. It is a vision that he and Ron Dixon share related to those who are in life crises. It does not exist at this time. However, anyone who would like to help make it possible should fill out a card or contact him. Pastor Wayne would like to partner with the Homeless Coalition and other life crises ministry organizations and come under one umbrella and work together. The definition of the “Homeless has changed” explained Tracy Crocker, Homeless Coalition, the government definition of homeless is now “Not having a place to live of your own and having to move in with others or relatives. The crises center would be more than an optional place to provide shelter for the homeless. It would help with the over all crises of life. The crises might include issues of drugs or other needs.
Tracy Crocker shared a personal story. Her life testimony indicated how she understood the need for a Life Crises Center because she found herself in a needy place. Previously she had always thought it was only others who faced those life crises. Now, she said it is possible that it could be any of us.
One of the homeless men just a few weeks ago made a profession of faith and is now a Christian sharing in this event as an act of helping others.
Pastor Wayne Roberts and Pastor Ron Dixon are working on a business ministry plan to develop a Life Crises Center. Any one interested in helping is invited to participate with them in the planning. Those filling out the card will be contacted.

TAYLOR’S OUTREACH MINISTRY
Cynthia and Jerry Taylor have the Food Bank Ministry Monthly Outreach through out the United States.
They mainly have food and non-food items. They are a food bank ministry for nonprofit organizations.
They are open Mon-Tuesday 7 am – 1 p.m., Wednesday – Families Only 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., and Fridays 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.
We make pallets (18 banana boxes) available to non-profit organization at $95.00 donations nonfood (ex house wares, feminine products, adult diapers available at $55 donations amounts.
Jerry Taylor, “Taylor’s Outreach Ministry,” (see directory) indicated that their operation had food. Their food bank has food donated from Publix and other food items is purchased from various sources. There is a modest cost because they need to cover their operation costs.
Jerry Taylor stated that Publix donates food to Taylor Outreach Ministries. They are willing to partner with any church or organization desires to help people.
Jerry Taylor may be reached at 813-263-9917 and Cynthia Taylor at 810-7032

RESTORING HOPE GLOBAL
Their ministry and workers provided the lunch and preparation for the event. Ron Dixon indicated that they had food for distribution. They help as a food bank and help the needy directly.
Their ministry includes an evangelism ministry and they celebrate the numbers who have come to a profession of faith in Christ while their physical needs were met.
Ron Dixon asked the question, “How do we get our food banks to partner with the local churches”?
We give out food door to door on Tuesday’s. We helped 70 families monthly through community outreach and feed 100 families.
Pastor Ron Dixon and his wife, Julie, or their assistant Jeannie White provided an on going ministry for the needy. The workers cooked the meal for today meeting. They can be reached at 813-737-4656 or 813-299-1583 or info@restoringhope.us or revron@restoringhope.us .

LELAND FAMILY MINSTRIES/ METH FREE PROJECT
Jason Leland operates an addiction recovery program, food bank, and a clothing warehouse. They are open Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Jason Leland may be reached at 863-660-5399.
Libbie Combee indicated that they have drug education of additions and recovery programs. They are starting a drug awareness and resource program in Plant City. Also, they are starting an Addiction Recovery Groups in Plant City. Libbie Combee may be reached at 863-519-0000 or cell phone 863-602-9202

MEET THE NEED ORGANIZATION
Meet The Need connects churches and ministries in a community so they can communicate their needs and work together to meet those needs. Meet The Need (at www.MeetTheNeed.org) is the system behind Feed the Bay, Metropolitan Ministries, BSBC Connects (Bell Shoals), iServe (Idlewild), The Crossing, and the local missions activities of many other churches in Tampa Bay. After 8 years of development, Meet The Need is now available to all churches in the Tampa Bay area as they prepare to grow nationwide. It is designed to mobilize churches and church members to do much more to serve the community in Jesus’ name by taking nearly all of the administrative burden off of the church's staff.

Because all of the churches and ministries using Meet The Need are on a shared “platform”, Meet The Need ensures that families are only in the system one time. Therefore, it coordinates all assistance efforts by ensuring families are not getting the same help from multiple churches or ministries. Note that families cannot post their own needs – they must work through a local church or ministry or call Meet The Need’s Help Line, which Meet The Need shares with the Joy FM. Ministries who are recommended by local churches are able to post their own needs into the database. Then, members of local churches can sign up through their churches’ web sites to meet the needs of local families or ministries based on their skills, interests, items they want to give away, etc. Because it is a common system shared by many local churches, Meet The Need makes church members aware of the needs in the community and coordinates how the Body of Christ works together to meet all of those needs.

For more information, Jim Morgan can be reached at 813-230-0189 or jmorgan@meettheneed.org. Jennifer Currence can be reached at 813-361-9352 or jcurrence@meettheneed.org.

OPERATION TRANSFORMATION
Tom Mull showed a package that his organization is able to provide equipment and training to a church to feed hungry people. It is a sealed package that feeds families in crisis and can be shipped to people in any country. He is willing to provide the equipment and training for anyone desiring to provide this ministry. Tom may be contacted at 813-477-0068

Churches Reporting their Grace Ministries:

BETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH & FOOD PANTRY COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Marianne Lovelace, Director of Bethany’s Food Pantry, indicated that they have a great demand on their church food closet called Food Pantry Community Outreach.
They were serving around 20 families weekly. Now they are serving around 60. They are open the 2nd and the 4th Saturdays of the month from 8 am to 11 a.m. Food and clothing are donated. Marianne Lovelace may be reached at 813-293-1951.
Mrs. Lovelace indicated that they have seven of their people present. One of their needs as John Parker indicated was to find out what others are doing and see how they might improve.
Rev. Benny Baker, a retired pastor and a member of Bethany, indicated that he sits in a chair in the entrance of the Food Pantry. Each week by invitation only he is available to share the Gospel with those interested. He indicated that several have made professions of faith. One this last Saturday came to the Lord. They are receiving physical food but most of all the “Bread of Life.” They have had three to be baptized and become members of their churh..
They continually need to affirm the validly and integrity of their ministry to their congregation as it relates to an effective church ministry. Also, they look to assure the church and the governmental agencies to validly of the use of the USDA or any other foods.

CHURCH ON THE ROCK
Tim Johnson was present from the Church on the Rock. He indicated that they provide financial assistance with needy church families and those connected to them from the Food Assistance for emergencies and ongoing needs. Tim and the Pastor, Jeff Howell may be reached by calling 813-752-3740.

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Pastor Earl Smith indicated that they have a Jericho Road Fund people with emergency funds such as electric bills and help meet financial needs. They have a SHARE food program where ones sign up on the 2nd Saturday and distribute or pick up food on the 4th Saturday.
He indicated that they have an excellent kitchen and they would like to offer a hot meal program through their kitchen. Pastor Earl can be reached by calling 813-754-3519 or e-mail at revearl@hotmail.com.
Nancy Chaney, Minister Congregational Care indicated that they are a Plant City Food Bank partner. She indicated that their major source of food is the Plant City Food Bank.
Nancy can be reached by calling cell 813-763-2297.

GRACE & TRUTH FAMILY BAPTIST CHURCH
We have a Grace Ministry and we are seeking ways to help individuals and families. Pastor Skip may be reached at 813-478-4800.

SPRINGHEAD BAPTIST CHURCH
Chuck Edmondson asked the question “Is there a central food bank in the Plant City area?” Their church, Springhead Baptist does the “Angel Food” where you pay $30 for a box of food valued around $60. However, they could use more. (The Taylor’s and the Dixon’s responded.) Pastor Church indicated that they wanted to help more but they were not sure what they were able to do. Pastor Chuck can be reached by calling 813-752-4879 or e-mail edmondson@tampabay.rr.com.

PARKWAY BAPTIST CHURCH
They are open and seeking how they might assist with the community needs. Pastor Hal Sexton may be reached at 813-737-1212 or e-mail hdsexton@yahoo.com with a web www.parkwaybaptist.org

PLANT CITY FOURSQUARE CHURCH
Pastor Dave Robinson reported that they give out food on Monday and Thursday mornings 9:00 a.m. They call their program “Manna Ministries.” They have had some shortage of food. They provide help one time each two weeks. Pastor Dave can be reached: Church 813-759-0523, Home 813-567-5835, and cell 941-713-2648.

KNIGHTS BAPTIST CHURCH
They have a clothes closet with shoes, clothing, household items and toys. They are open the first Tuesday of each month. Pastor Bob Dygert and his wife, Terry, can be reached at 813-752-4972.

WEST THONOTOSASSA CHURCH
Mary McCarter, Food Ministry Director and church sectary, feed people 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month from 9 – 10 am. They would like to know other food services and the list of those who can help with housing, clothing, and food. Presently, they are in need of a bread supplier. Mary may be reached at 813-986-2924 or e-mail maryandjim2@verizon.net.

Other Churches Not Represented:

MOUNT OLIVE BAPTIST CHURCH
Mount Olive Baptist Church, Plant City has meals available on Tuesdays and Thursdays for those in need. The lunch is provided by the Metropolitan Ministries and is served in their fellowship hall. Dr. Roy Liburd is pastor. The church contact is (813) 754-3834 or e-mail liburd@ij.net.

(Add other Churches)

Conclusion:

The meeting was very helpful and successful. Follow-up meetings will be set by various organizations or pastors needing additional information and participation. Another gathering would be good to be planned in late May to continue the dialogue and add to the network information. A suggested date to consider would be the week of May 24th. A directory of persons, churches, and ministry organizations will be placed on the Shiloh Baptist Association web page: www.shilohba.org. Also, notes of the meeting will be posted on the web page. Any corrections to the directory or meeting notes updates, revisions, or questions may be addressed to the Association by using the e-mail address dmorris@shilohba.org or mail@shilohba.org.

New Vision and Evangelism Training

2010-02-26T10:30:00.002-05:00

Our Association leadership met during December and guided us to set a goal to turn the trend of loss around by increasing our baptisms, church membership and church growth during 2010. We are providing action plans for our churches to reverse the trend.
First, we are focusing on encouraging each church to develop, involve more people, or sharpen the skills in evangelism. We have the advantage of having two pastors who have experience in FAITH Evangelism strategy. Michael Lewis and Benny Keck are effectively leading their churches and have experience in the previous churches where they have served. Monday, February 22, 2010, they made a presentation to twenty-one pastors and lay persons. It was well received. So much so that some of the pastors wanted to accept the offer to have an Associational FAITH training program to enable pastors and laity to be trained. We are searching for a week-end during April – May that may be available for the trainers and the pastors. This will enable any of our pastors and a leadership team to receive training right here at home. Be sure and plan to participate in this event. We will be announcing it soon.
One of the great things about this training is participating in actual witness visitation. Since the excitement and effective teaching is more caught than taught, it will be a far more effective approach to evangelism. Even if you do not choose to use the strategy of FAITH in your church the participation and training of your people in the witnessing is very valuable.
Second, we know that Vacation Bible School is one of the most effective events to both discover prospects as well as reaching children and adults with the gospel. Therefore, we want to encourage every church and mission to do a Vacation Bible School this year. If you are unable because of space or workers please call the Association office and we will help discover workers and a location for you to have a Vacation Bible School this year. We offer training for trainers Feb 27, Plant City First Baptist, 8:00 am-1:30 pm. Then we offer training for all our workers April 8, Mt Olive, 7:00 p.m. The following churches have set dates for a VBS:

Church VBS Director Dates Phone #

Shiloh Baptist Church Nancy Willis July 25-29 752-8345

Lindsey Murray

Eastside Baptist Church Sally Mallalieh June 14-18 754-2681

Northside Baptist Church Bobby June 20-25 752-2779
Elizabeth Lane

Mt Olive Baptist Church Ella Jackson June 13-17 737-1362

Bethany Baptist Church Kelly Schulte June 13-18 752-9209

Celebration Church Carolyn Leone June 21-25 661-8625

Crossroads Baptist Church June 21-25 737-1121

East Thonotosassa Church Scott Coldwell June 13-18 986-4346

Knights Baptist Church Larry Smith June 13-18 752-4972
Rhonda DeShong

Turkey Creek First Baptist Linda Herman June 20-24 752-7890
Church Lynn Roberts

West Thonotosassa Church Mary McCarter June 13-18 986-2924

If you are not listed please call and let us know your plan. If you need assistance call the Association office 813-752-6740. We encourage every church to have a VBS this year. Let us know how we can help you have one. Also, if you are interested in sharing supplies or resources please call the Directors of VBS before and after your schedule and see how you might share reducing the expenses of both churches.

Third, we have set some greater goals with SOS in the Evangelism Booth at our Strawberry Festival. Bro. Mike Fredette, pastor at Liberty Baptist Church, has enlisted some of his people to work in the booth. Each year his people park cars in their lot to provide ministry funds for their church. This year they are offering free parking for all workers in the SOS Evangelism booth. Workers are invited to be trained to witness enabling us to have each time slot filled by our witness workers. This year we are encouraging churches using FAITH or some other effective visitation approach to follow up on the hundreds of decisions immediately. This should bring a greater effectiveness in the evangelism-discipleship as it relates to the local church growth. If you have not been trained to participate we hope you will take advantage. Remember, as Billy Graham crusades always indicated, “The churches with workers participating are going to be in the best position to increase from the harvest.” The list of hundreds of decisions will come to us for every church who will participate in follow-up. Pray for a great harvest at the Strawberry SOS booth and the Campers-On-Mission booth.

Fourth, we are encouraging pastors and churches to partner in efforts to reach the community for Christ. These are times that demand a greater working together. It may be churches of similar size and pastors in partnership to reach people in their extended community. On the other hand it may mean one pastor servicing two churches like in the early missionary days. Then again it may mean a larger and a smaller church sharing partnership together to provide resources and people to reach the infinity group or the ministry needs of a church on missions in a challenging community in need of Christ. It may mean a young possibly new church planter working hand in hand with a pastor of an existing established church to effectively reach both the new culture and the traditional culture. There may be several other missionary approaches to reach the people in today’s American culture. As most North American Mission leaders are saying, “We all have to be more of a missionary today.” Today our “professional ministry” needs to transition into “missionary ministry.”

Fifth, there is a greater need for encouraging, equipping, and restoring pastors today. There are hundreds of pastors leaving the churches each month across America. The stress on marriage and family is intense. The most common reason given is that the church or church leaders do not want to accept the leadership direction of the pastor. A blessing for the pastors is for them participating in a covenant group similar to the groups encouraged by Paul Pickern of All Pro Pastors. These groups have four pastors meeting weekly often from different Evangelical denominations to develop trusted friendships and keep each other accountable for their relationship as a man, husband, father, as well as their personal relationship with God. Another equipment and organization is a local school such as the non-accredited Evangelical Seminary and University in its mission to provide Biblical and theological training to pastors in service without formal education opportunities. This school seems to be moving toward more evangelism and church growth enrichment for ministers and lay persons. Today, there is a greater need for applied evangelistic ministry rather than accredited seminary diploma.

Sixth, churches, pastors, and laity have a greater need for financial adjustment and planning. All of us including the church have to do more with less. Learning the skill of placing God first, providing effective volunteerism and improved combination of shared ministry work is most important. This stewardship of time and money declares a greater need for focus on the Great Commission through intentional evangelism. One example is the intense and greater need to help the benevolent needs of people with food, clothes, and shelter with the primary purpose of sharing the gospel of Christ. We will continually have great needs in this area. Our first priority needs to be evangelism and provide the needed support to the Christians willing and committed to the Great Commission.

Seventh, one of the most important needs today is the applied ministry process or strategy planning with a church we call “Church Revitalization.” The term combines church renewal with foundation building through prayer, obedience to God’s Word, and a fresh Great Commission commitment for long term church growth. The plan begins with an evaluation of the needs of the church through, prayer, renewal of the evangelical Great Commission vision, a survey, and strategy planning process. It concludes with an implementation of action plans to actually fulfill the Great Commission. Our Association, Convention, local school, and all of our resources are needed to focus on training of ministry teams to assist in this endeavor. Pastors, staff, and persons assisting in this effort are truly God’s “Foundation Builders.” Churches do not have to be in crises to participate. Some may have the vision to be proactive and seek the strategy planning and request the guidance of the “Foundation Builders” The workers are trained to facilitate the process with a church in any area of need from church planting, church renewal, church restoring, and church in crises.

These Transitions Calls for A Fresh Approach and A New or Additional Name

Name: Director of Mission

It seems that the mission of those in position such as Association Director of Missions is more of “Missionary-Pastor.” People in our community understand both of the words in that title. Some other Associations in Florida are using the term; “Executive Director” others are using “Director” and in earlier times the title, “Superintendant of Missions.” Obviously, the name Director of Missions is a term identifying the role in the SBC and Florida Baptist Convention. That title will remain until there is a national change. However, on the local level the best title for this role seems to be “Missionary-Pastor.” That may be more accurate as a role for effective service to you and our Lord.

Name: Shiloh Baptist Association

We recognize that our Association may need to update our identity and it takes on a fresh missionary work. We were named “Shiloh Baptist Association” 59 years ago when the geographical area we covered was known as the Shiloh region. One of the earliest churches established in 1866 was Shiloh Baptist Church. Later, 1910, the church moved to Plant City and changed their name to Plant City First Baptist Church. The Shiloh Baptist Association was established in 1950. Then in 1969 Plant City First and churches of the Association started a new church that is now known as Shiloh Baptist Church.
Some of the suggestions made by pastors and others in round table discussions related to name included these ideas:
1) Often the name of Associations relate to the geographical area it covers, a new or additional name may be very helpful for identity. Since these are times of change it may be most valuable to consider this update as we update or renew our mission work.
2) One of the round table discussions expressed that the name “Shiloh Baptist Association” should remain in the incorporated documents as the original name to provide historical and legal identity. Many churches and other organizations may have this name in their constitution or legal documents. Leaving the original name may be most helpful.
3) Several pastors and laity are indicating that a name change or additional name as a promotion name may be most helpful because it helps to clarify our identity, location, and mission. It may clarify a fresh mission that we have today.
4) Several expressed changing or adding a new name may be of little value unless we actually are changing and renewing our mission to be relevant. Since these are times of change it may be most valuable to consider a name update.
5) Several names have been placed on the table to be considered as an additional name for the operation of the Association. They include: Greater Plant City Baptist Association, Hillsborough-Polk Baptist Association, East Hillsborough Baptist Association, and West Central Florida Baptist Association. There may be others you have that have not been listed. If you have one please place it into consideration.
6) The best names describing our location seem to be East Hillsborough Baptist Association or West Central Florida Baptist Association. One expressed that the use of a county name may express that we are some how involved in the government. If that is true the name of preference might be West Central Florida Baptist Association.
7) Before we proceed further with the name consideration, we want to review our mission today and see if that brings a new understanding to what we call ourselves. As a part of that consideration we want to do a survey and additional round table discussions in our Association.

Grace Ministry Gathering to Share Ideas

2010-02-11T08:35:00.003-05:00

You are invited to a lunch Monday, March 1st, 11:30 a.m., Northside Baptist Church, 1700 N. Franklin Street, Plant City, FL 33563. Please RSVP or e-mail me back or call me at 813-752-6740 or 813-468-0133 to let us know that you are coming or sending someone. If your name is at the bottom we already have you registered.
If you are unable to come you need to have someone with your organization to come and represent you. You are welcome to bring someone with you. Bring any printed information about your organization and share ideas you have.
The purpose of this gathering is to build a better network and understanding of those doing “Grace Ministry” (helping people with food, clothes, shelter, and other needs here in Greater Plant City and Hillsborough County).
These are difficult days for many people. The unemployment has caused a greater number of people in need of support related to food, clothing, and shelter.
One of our pastors voiced what all of us as evangelical Christians should be concerned about: “There are many who will give food, clothes, and toys at Christmas, but we want to be among those who give a witness of Christ.” Obviously, that is the greater need and the greatest gift of all. We want to have the best way to care. However, we do not want to just help with the physical necessities without being able to share the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Several are asking the questions: Who is doing it here in Hillsborough and Polk County? What is a good approach? How can we help one another? The Gathering is an effort to get ones together who do some type of “Grace Ministry.” The purpose is sharing their ideas and needs. There are about 25 churches and ministries in our area.

Names Registered to attend:

James Smith, South Florida Hospital
Roy Liburd, Mt. Olive Baptist Church
Earl Smith, First United Methodist
Nancy Chaney, First United Methodist
Wayne Roberts, Northside Baptist Church
Mary McCarter, West Thonotosassa Baptist Church
Joe Kelley, Greater Heights Worship Center
Julio Santana, Bread of Life Mission
Wayne Thorn, The Hiding Place Ministry
Ron Dixon, Reform Ministry Global
Danny L. Morris, Shiloh Baptist Association
Skip Athey, Grace Baptist Family Church
Cliff Brown, A City Not Taken, Mission
Wayne Clayton, Hopewell Church

Call 813-752-6740 to add your name:

Danny L Morris

FAITH Presentation/Training

2010-02-10T10:43:00.002-05:00

Let us Get Serious
About Increasing Our Baptisms and Church Membership by 15% This Year.
A Special Presentation by Dr. Michael Lewis and Dr. Benny Keck

F.A.I.T.H. training is designed for you. Visit Plant City’s First Baptist Church Website for more information: www.fbcpc.com
You are invited to come to a special presentation to apply it to your church, Monday,
11:30 a.m. , February 22, 2010
Shiloh Baptist Association Conference Room
Call 813-752-6740 Today to Make a Reservation!
Our goal is for each church to grow by 10% to 15% this year. One of the proven ways you can do this is by adopting an outreach plan in your church called, “FAITH Evangelism.”
You are invited to come and participate in a presentation related to church growth by our own pastors: Dr. Michael Lewis, Plant City First Baptist and Dr. Benny Keck, First Baptist Dover. These are two of our pastors who are providing leadership to grow their churches primarily through reaching the lost.
Pastor Benny has been here almost ten years. Pastor Michael has been here less than a year. What do they have in common? They each have a passion for winning the lost to our Lord Jesus Christ and they have experience using “FAITH Sunday School Evangelism,” as the effective approach. Dr. Lewis is a Southern Baptist nationally known trainer and featured in the FAITH Training DVD’s of Lifeway. One of the things he shared with me was that if a pastor uses the FAITH approach just on his Sunday School enrollment he can increase his attendance by 10%. We are so blessed to have both of these men in our Association as well as other soul winning pastors. These two have offered to make a presentation and share how we can grow our churches by reaching the lost. What a privilege! Through a special arrangement with our Association you can get materials and this excellent training for you and laity as a complimentary service. You do not have to go miles away to get the best personalized training in the Southern Baptist Convention.
This fall I participated in twelve weeks of outreach with FAITH on Tuesday Evening at First Baptist Church. I was able to do this with a three member team even when I participated in work at other churches during the Sunday Services. It was so exciting and a blessing of God. It was something that was as much caught as it was taught. It was a joy to make the visits with a three member team and come back and hear the reports. Joyce and I often attend Sunday School at Plant City First Baptist. A few weeks ago when I was coming out of the class David Barbee came to me with tears in his eyes and said, “I want to thank you and your team for coming to my home and leading me to Christ. I will never forget that moment and the day I was baptized. I am eternally grateful to you for coming.” What a joy! Then my eyes were filled with tears of joy. It was at that moment that I responded to God’s call to say I was going to participate in each semester of Faith Evangelism as much as I possibly could. I may do it on Tuesday Evening with Dr. Lewis and/or on Monday Evening with Dr. Keck. They invite you to come and participate in in-service training. If you would like I or one of the trained leaders will be glad to come and join you and your church and help develop a team to go out on one Evening of your choice.
Come to the special presentation and discover the way you can apply the plan to your church. If your name is not already listed below, call us 813-752-6740 and make a reservation. You can bring friends. Make a reservation by Friday, February 19. The following persons have made reservations:(1) Erle McMichen, Sonlife Baptist Church pastor
(2) Wayne Weeks, Eastside Baptist Church pastor
(3) Ken Simpson, First Baptist Church Bloomingdale pastor
(4) Roy Liburd, Mount Olive Baptist Church pastor
(5) Danny L. Morris, Shiloh Association, Director of Missions
(6) Waylon Carlisle, Alafia Baptist Church pastor

Haiti

2010-01-20T08:52:00.000-05:00

Florida Baptist Assessment Team Arrives in Haiti

A two-person Florida Baptist Convention assessment team arrived in Port-au-Prince, Sunday, Jan. 17, and is in the process of determining how Florida Baptists can meet needs and provide assistance to the residents of the earthquake-damaged city.

The team consists of Dennis Wilbanks, associate, Partnership Missions Department, and Joseph Gaston, director of the Language Haitian Church Development Department. While in the Haiti airport, Gaston, a native of Port-au-Prince, led a Haitian woman to faith in Christ.

Wilbanks directed the Convention’s disaster response in Haiti after five previous hurricanes. In preparation for the response, the Convention has purchased 21 tons of rice to be transported to Miami and readied for shipment to Haiti.

Wilbanks reported that the Convention-owned mission house is severely damaged but may be useable.

“This will be among our first rebuild priority because it will allow us to facilitate construction teams and clean up crews much more quickly,” said John Sullivan, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention.

The house, located in Port-au-Prince between the airport and city, will be the base of operations for the Convention’s relief efforts. The mission house sleeps nearly 50 volunteers at a time and provides food and safety for mission teams traveling into Haiti.

“We anticipate having a word this week about our churches in Port-au-Prince, as well as our pastors’ homes,” he added. “These are our brothers and sisters serving Christ in this difficult nation.”

Wilbanks will be working with seven national missionaries serving in Haiti as employees of the Florida Baptist Convention who have been reported to have survived the earthquake. They are believed to be assessing damage within their churches and communities.

“These men have been trained in disaster relief by the Florida Baptist Convention,” said John Sullivan, executive director-treasurer. “They know their country, their people and have experience responding in the aftermath of hurricanes. We are grateful to God that they are safe and are there to minister to the Haitian people.”

Craig Culbreth, director of the Convention’s Partnership Missions Department, who has traveled to Haiti 60 times in the past 11 years, and Fritz Wilson, director of the Disaster Relief and Recovery Department are scheduled to travel to Haiti on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

Florida Baptists’ 15-year partnership with Haiti Baptists has resulted in the starting of 892 congregations across the nation.

Financial contributions are being received to secure food and humanitarian assistance. Florida Baptists and their churches can contribute directly to the Florida Baptist Convention. Every dollar donated will be used to purchase food and to provide humanitarian resources. All administrative costs are being underwritten by the Cooperative Program and Maguire State Mission Offering.

Gifts can be sent to the Florida Baptist Convention at 1230 Hendricks Ave., Jacksonville, Fl 32207, designated “disaster relief.” Contributions by credit card can be made through the Convention’s website: www.flbaptist.org.

Updates on the Convention’s response efforts in Haiti will be posted on the website: www.flbaptist.org.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-21T11:01:00.005-05:00

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! As your Director of Missions, I want to thank you for your support of the Association and our ministry together in 2009. I look forward to our life together as we move into this new year. My prayer and vision is to help facilitate at least a 15% kingdom growth in East Hillsborough county during 2010. I pray for you and your church in the goals you have set.

Several of the goals we began to work toward in January, 2009 have been accomplished. We have had churches like Parkway (formerly Berea) that has turned around with the revitalization efforts implemented by the Association in partnership with the Florida Baptist Convention. We are organizing pastors and lay persons to be Foundation Builders to help in the continual revitalization needs of this nature as we move into 2010. please, consider helping us.

As this year ends, we celebrate the completion of the “Missionary-Minister’s Apartment” in our facility. Our desire is to offer it for use as a place of rest and care for ministers and missionaries. As a part of the Association, we would like to give you the opportunity to express ways in which you, your staff or ministry could use the facility. Thank you to each and every volunteer and church for your support in completing this project.

Two years ago we shared that we had a $50,000 note that we had paid down to $32,000. I am glad to report that this year that note is down to $20,000. As you and your church plan the 2010 budget, we encourage you to consider renewing your help and possibly increasing it so we can get that note down at least another $10,000.

Like many of our churches, we have had to adjust our budget this year because of the economy, however, we are planning to adjust and do more with less. Thanks for your continual support. Please let me know how I might better minister to you in the New Year.

On behalf of all of our Association family and staff, we wish you and yours a wonderful and prosperous New Year.

2009-11-04T09:07:00.000-05:00

Several years ago I was the pastor of a main line Southern Baptist Church in the same Association where two of the larger churches were served by Pastor Ken Kemphill and Pastor Max Brunson. You know them as nationally known SBC pastor personalities. I know both of them well and know they are just as human as you and I. Often I and other main line Baptist pastors were hurt when members left us and went to the larger churches. I made a prayer determination that I would be a friend and seek to learn whatever I could in my relationship with these pastors and churches that would strengthen me and the ministry of the church where I was pastor. It took a great deal of prayer, spiritual discipline, and working hard at keeping a Kingdom vision. I found that Holy Spirit synergy was the more effective approach than thinking negative competition thoughts about the larger churches. I spent more time declaring the mission and positive ministry of the main-line Baptist Church where I was pastor and limited time thinking negative thoughts about the larger churches. I don’t have all the answers to that issue. However, I do realize that the real reason our over all churches are declining is not a simple answer as members are moving from the smaller to the larger churches.

I want you to know that I am here for what I call the “main-line” Baptist church, the church planters, the smaller membership church, and the struggling churches seeking to survive in today’s changing culture.. I am hear to develop friendship support with all pastors, revitalization for churches and pastors in need, spiritual support groups with pastors and church leaders. Currently, I am helping three churches in some form of revitalization and participate with those in the Sunday and Wednesday Worship services. In one sense I am a not voting member at large at each of our churches. I have been participating in a Tuesday Evening FAITH evangelism with Michael Lewis. It is sharpening my skills in personal evangelism. I have had the joy of leading two to Christ. I am convinced that some plan is essential for each of our churches to grow. I am open to come along side of another pastor and church during the first of the new year and offer services to develop an evangelism outreach program on site of that specific church. One of our main line churches may invite me to assist and we might invite other surrounding pastors and church laity to participate with them going out into their community following the training.

Our churches and pastors are going through a tremendous transition. It is much more difficult to build bridges with one another and deal with the changing church culture. Some of you have indicated that you and your church are going through budget cuts and even some with pastor and staff salary reduction. That is not easy and I know that in some cases it will lessen your giving to missions and to the Association. That is why that I sent out a notice for our Administrative/Stewardship team to review our needs in December before the New Year begins. My human wish would be that the larger churches and the few who are doing well with their budget would make increases to the Association. That does not seem to be their passion. God’s call is for us not to lean on them but on Him and to be faithful realizing that God’s real call is for us to really do and be missionaries.

In the coming weeks I will be talking with you and taking notes of how we might make the kind of transitions that would be a great advantage for our pastors and churches. It is important to me that I be a greater blessing to you and your ministry. Also, it is important that you give open and honest information with me that would help us move toward being a greater Kingdom builder together.

We are one church as the body of Christ but we are on mission together in different demographics, people groups, and mission points to fulfill God’s Kingdom. It is important that we strengthen our smaller churches and new churches focused on ministry and mission points reaching people that the larger church can not reach.

In closing, I have felt a serious God calling need for us to become more acquainted, connected, and work together with other evangelical pastors and churches and evangelical outreach groups in our community. One of the ways I am recommending to do that is by developing prayer together and considers forming a International Evangelism Network. It begins here at home and reaches around the world. Actually the world and the international leaders have come to us. Thinking about that along with today’s technology it is only fitting that we think “International.”

2009-09-17T10:42:00.002-04:00

I love to be known as a Friend, An Encourager, A Coach, and A Counselor with pastors. Building relationships and developing fellowship among pastors is a major part of my job as Director of the Shiloh Baptist Association.

I was ordained in one of the larger rural churches in central Kentucky, 1965. The church celebrated it’s one hundred and seventy-fourth anniversary last month. I was blessed by having one pastor who served from 1929 – 1965. He baptized my dad and mom when they where in their young years and he baptized and ordained me and then retired a month later.

I have served as pastor of seven churches in four different states and have been an intentional interim of three churches. My ministry duration at each church has been five to fourteen years. I came to the current position as Director of the Shiloh Baptist Association nine years ago, in 2000. There is a great congregation of uncounted hundreds looking down from heaven who have served with me.

My earned doctor’s degree from one of our highly accredited seminaries and the forty-three years of pastoral experience have given me credentials. I have served in small churches and larger ones. I have served in rural and suburban-city churches. Congregation members have shared with me that, “You are the greatest pastor we have ever had,” and “I believe you need to leave.”

My three children and six grandchildren have grown up in the family of a pastor. They each have a good walk with God as a result of God and their parents, sometimes in spite of the pastor-father and the church-congregation. I have had great enthusiastic excitement as well as discouragement to depression. My wife Brenda, and mother of my children, who shared thirty-seven years of that journey with me, knew what it was to be in the “fish bowl.” She modeled the way until God called her home six years ago, in 1993.

Brenda sometimes said, “We don’t have friends, we have church members.” Another, thing she said, “I wish we could sometime have the time and money to go off on a vacation other than our parent’s home.” Sometimes she would respond to family or friends who said life’s not fair by stating, “True, life is not fair. Get over it.” Not from scripture, but demonstrated by Jesus on his missionary journey to Calvary.

My wife, Joyce, has been on the journey with me for two years. She is a friend of pastors. Her saying is, “Keep it simple.” “Don’t think on it.” “What can you do about it?” “I can’t be bothered with that.” Her favorite prayer is “The Serenity Prayer.”

Here is what I have learned, “Pastor, you need a friend. You need a group of at least four to seven friends. Friends who will love you and not be judgmental. You need friends who will make a covenant with you, meet with you regularly, and develop a close trust and accountability.

I became a friend with Paul Pickern because he shared this passion for not only Baptists but all of our evangelical pastors. I applaud his passion and calling. I have asked him to address our Annual Baptist Meeting related to his pastoral care ministry. One of the strengths that our SBC churches has historically had has been the fellowship of pastors. Current cultural diversity and scheduling have weakened that fellowship opportunity. Now, All Pro Pastor’s is strengthening the fellowship.

It is my joy to be a part of a weekly support group and work across the denominational lines of this pastor care organization.

God used Paul to further expand my horizons and to enlarge my professional and a personal vision. I am expanding my professional and personal friendship to include all of you (all denominations) as God-called ministers.
I have coined the name “Foundation Builders” to include all of those in our Baptist and other denominational / non-denominational fellowships to team with Paul and offer support and encouragement to pastors and church leaders. I affirm Paul’s vision in the pastoral care support groups. I love being a part of my group and encourage you to “take a risk, don’t wait.” Volunteer or enlist to get in a friendship support group. Do it today!

Remember, you’ll never have a friend until you enlist and be a friend. The friends you enlist may not be perfect, so you and I may fit right in.

I leave you with this, “A friend is a person who says something good about you behind your back.”

Berea Baptist Church Update

2009-08-21T10:10:00.006-04:00

The church continues to move forward in health and growth. Their highest attendance for the regular Sunday Morning worship service occurred last Sunday with 65 in attendance. There were several visitors this past Sunday. Some of them come just by driving by and seeing the church and sign. The pastor and revitalization leadership team requested that I make a presentation to the congregation Wednesday evening, August 19, 2009 related to the promotion name that they have added to Berea Baptist. It is not a name change of the organization but the name they are adopting for the purpose of affirming the new day and the future. The plan includes changing the sign in front using this new sign and image. The bank account and all legal documents will include both Berea Baptist Church and the added name. This strategy was approved by the congregation last year but put on hold until the new transition with the new pastor had happened. The church will have an opportunity to affirm this action in a special business meeting, Wednesday Evening, August 26, 2009. The added name being presented is “Parkway Baptist Church”.

They look forward to printing promotional materials, letter head, business cards, stationary, and visitation brochures with the new name following the August 26, 2009 affirmation by the congregation.

Their finances are doing good. They do need approximately $5,000 to replace an A/C unit and they will also need an additional $1,500 to replace the letters on their church sign.

Update on Berea Baptist Church

2009-08-04T11:33:00.001-04:00

Berea Baptist Church Leadership and Revitalization team met Wednesday Evening, July 26.

The pastor, Hal Sexton, reported that he had been there three months. The team indicated a very good evaluation of his leadership. The church has grown with twenty-one new members during that time. They had the highest Sunday Morning attendance that they have had during the eighteen months of revitalization. They have been able to pay the pastors’ salary, all their bills, and mission support and have a small amount of money in the bank. They report a great response in attendance and contribution of support for the recent Exchange Life Conference. The discipleship ministry touched those within the membership and ministers and laity from outside the church. They have a praise of God’s blessing.

The group recognized that they need to come up with support to purchase a new AC/Heating unit for their fellowship hall. Currently, they have air conditioning, however, as winter arrives they will not have heat. The church needs help from friends of Berea and assistance from anyone who can replace the unit during the next three months.

A discussion was made about completing the adoption of a new promotion name to add to the official Berea Baptist Church name. The revitalization and leadership team continues to affirm since it is some a new day and that people need to look ahead to the future that new name would be very good for the community to see. The church has gone through a positive transition and has a new pastor and new leaders. They affirm their Berea history and the Southern Baptist affiliation as they seek a new name. They have discussed three names: The Church On the Parkway, Parkway Baptist Church, and Parkway Worship Center. They have set Wednesday, August 5, to come back together and recommend a name for the congregation to affirm. The congregation voted and approved to adopt a new name in the fall of 2008. However, they waited to have a the new pastor to help guide the process.

Westside Baptist Church

2009-08-04T10:34:00.008-04:00

Bro. Jimmy Jones resigned from Westside Baptist Church. He is seeking a job and God’s next calling related to ministry. We want to pray for him. He and is wife and to sons are visiting Countryside Baptist Church. Let us keep him in our prayer as they go through this time of transition.

Westside Baptist Church is without a pastor. Bro Cliff Halford (813-754-4959) is the only deacon they have at this time. There may be another one coming back and possibly one in training. Financially, the church is very limited and does not know how much they can pay a pastor. They owe some back taxes and have a June income $3,515.06 deficient of their monthly expenses. July will probably not be as good. The attendance is down to 15 to 30 in Sunday Morning Worship. There are two or three men who have expressed a call into the ministry. They are serving in the church. Their influence seems to be significant on the small congregation.
Sunday Evening, August 2, one of these young men, Mike Fredette (813-755-5534) was elected as the associate pastor. Their reason was that they needed someone available who is in charge to sign legal document or represent the church in any matter. Mike has a computer business and is an investor and has rental property. His wife is a childrens teacher. His schedule is flexible. He and his wife took the children on a camping trip this week. Mike has negotiated with IRS to make monthly payments on approximately $16,000 back taxes owed. Michael makes the announcements and oversees the worship services. He and his wife do the children’s church. This past Sunday they had approximately 15 children in the services. Some of the children are picked up by the bus.
There is another young man, Bryan W. Mattair (813-754-4260) to preach both services next Sunday, August 9. Bryan is single and in search of a job. He is working with the children of the church and has an interest in preaching. The church secretary is Tracey Bailey. She does not have regular office hours. She works the day shift in the Emergency room of the South Florida Baptist Hospital.
John Campbell preached Sunday Evening, July 25. According to Bro Cliff Halford he brought a message very relevant to the needs of Westside. I preached this Sunday, August 2, the message focused on Matthew 7:24-28 related to being a foundation builder. Sunday Evening I brought a brief message on staying focused with the vision of Jesus, Phil. 3:12-14. I made presentation Sunday Evening on the services of the Association with the network of support from the Florida Baptist Convention and the North American Mission Board to assist them during this time.
The plan would include them doing the following:
1. Delay their selecting of a pastor search committee until a time of foundation building with an intentional interim and a foundation building team helps build a stronger church and prepares the church for calling of the pastor.
2. This program would be implemented over the months of August – October. Then evaluate to see where the church is related to their needs for additional development. The team evaluation would determine if the church is ready to select a pastor search committee. Then the team would work with the committee to coach in the pastor search and in a church and pastoral covenant as the pastor is called to the church.
3. One of the considerations would be the possibility of inviting the HopeWeaver congregation to join the Westside congregation and the two church leaderships develop a united philosophy of ministry.
4. The Foundation Builders team would have three representations from the Westside Baptist Church and three represented from the Foundation Ministry Team especially selected to meet the needs of the church. Danny L. Morris would serve as chairman and director of the Foundation Builders Ministry. The team would make a recommendation at the end of the three months related to the next pastoral ministry. Various ministers may be used in the pulpit during this first three months period to assist Dr. Morris. These would be ones the congregation would like to hear and ones with special ministry to assist in the foundation building.
5. The job description of the intentional interim would be approvedl in a written covenant with the church and pastor candidate.

The church leadership (church council) will set a schedule to meet with Danny Morris related to the details and the presentation to the congregation for approval. Some of their leaders are away on vacation and children’s camp and will not be back until next week.

Shared Vision

2009-07-13T09:30:00.002-04:00

I believe the Lord is providing some new opportunities for pastors and laity. Dr. Michael Lewis, pastor of First Baptist Plant City, has shared with us that he wants to be a partner with our churches and pastors in our Association. He has presented us with this vision and is willing to encourage every pastor and partner with us in training every member. Let us lead our churches to touch each home and be a witness to every person in East Hillsborough County. Here is the partnership vision statement we need to adopt:

*Every Pastor Encouraged
*Every church revitalized
*Every leader trained
*Every family reached
*Every life touched and changed with Gospel

We would like to invite you to a lunch, Wednesday, 12:00 noon, July 22, at FBC Plant City. We'll have a round table discussion on this shared vision. Our Association would like to invite you to attend this special event. This will be one way to discover and act upon God’s plan to turn our church growth around.

During these years of ministry I have focused on the revitalization of churches. Two of the churches the Lord guided us to help in our Association were more like emergency revitalization. God blessed us and our team as we applied the important principles and concepts needed. I will describe later some of the concepts and ways we have had good success.

Research in Shiloh Baptist Association reveals that over the past eight years our total church membership and Sunday school attendance has declined. The total church membership in 2009 , with 37 churches included , was 19,424 compared to 17,951 in 2009; a decline of 1,473 members. The average Sunday School enrollment/attendance decline from 10,523/4,343 in 2000 to 8,721/3,851 in 2009. This represents an 11% decline. Jim Robbinett, Director of the Church Revitalization Division with the Florida Baptist Convention indicated this decline is a trend across the state.

The Lord has touched my heart with the need to ask ministers and laity to pray for revival and revitalization. I invite every pastor and key lay leader with ideas and interest to join us in prayer for a great revival.

Let us fulfill the Church’s Biblical purpose in today’s highly technology focused culture with a focus on evangelism and revitalizing of churches. Let us seek God's presence and execute a plan in our community of churches.

2009 Southern Baptist Convention Observations and Personal Reflections (Part 2)

2009-07-01T08:43:00.002-04:00

Debate over the proposed Great Commission Task Force and an Internet document named the "Great Commission Resurgence Declaration" had been the pre-convention talk, with some Southern Baptist leaders backing it and others expressing concern. The 8,700-plus messengers at the annual meeting overwhelmingly supported the task force with a motion that gave Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt authority to appoint a panel. He named the 19 members on the final day. The actual document that had begun the discussion never was proposed or brought to a vote.

The convention was meeting in Louisville to assist the Southern Baptist Seminary as they celebrated the 150th anniversary of their founding. The Seminary had a grand program on Campus on the concluding day of the convention. The seminary provided tours and a chapel presentation led by their president, R. Albert Mohler Jr. This year for the celebration, despite the loss of revenue from the cooperative program and the decline of other revenue sources, they built a luxurious new building, making the campus view a show case of beautiful Virginia architecturally designed buildings and areas of lovely rolling landscaped grounds in the aristocratic Eastside of Louisville, Kentucky.

In other Convention news, as summarized by Baptist Press news the messengers:
`-- received an update about the GPS (God's Plan for Sharing) evangelism initiative, which aims to see every SBC church planting other churches by 2020.
-- passed a resolution that calls the election of President Obama a step toward nationwide racial reconciliation but that heavily criticizes him for some of his policies.
-- passed a resolution encouraging Southern Baptist families to prayerfully consider adopting or fostering children.
-- approved an Executive Committee recommendation to cease the "cooperative relationship" with Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, over the issue of homosexuality.
-- re-elected Johnny Hunt to a second one-year term as president.

But the Great Commission Task Force was the leading issue, not only in the minds of messengers but also for several of the meeting's preachers. Evangelist Billy Graham, 90 years old, even sent a personal greeting to messengers in which he said he had read about the "call to a Great Commission resurgence" with much interest.

The task force had the backing of Hunt, who is one of the 19 members and who named Arkansas pastor Ronnie Floyd chairman.

"I feel like the Southern Baptist Convention is in what we call a defining moment," Hunt said at a press conference following his re-election. "We are defining our priorities and ... we're saying to our 43,000 churches: The Great Commission needs resurgence. We need to fund our missionaries. We need to have more money for church planting. We need to be more intentional with the GPS.

"Hunt said he has "no desire whatsoever to touch the structure" of the convention. He also said he hopes to see-- through the study and the possible implementation of a proposed report
-- Cooperative Program giving increase and what he called "overlap" within the denomination lessen.

"Sometimes, the overlap has proved to be very healthy," he said. "But other times, the overlap is maybe taking some dollars [away] that could be placed somewhere else to cause us to go further in piercing the darkness with the Good News.

"R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, made the task force motion from the floor while speaking as a messenger from Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky. Frank Page, president of First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C., spoke for and supported the motion.

"This is not an effort to reinvent the Southern Baptist Convention," Mohler said, adding, "There is a generation ready and waiting to be challenged to do something great for the cause of Christ. I say we take this opportunity.

"In addition to Hunt and Floyd, the task force includes: Page; Mohler; Jim Richards, executive director, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention; David Dockery, president, Union University; Simon Tsoi, first vice chairman, International Mission Board; Donna Gaines, Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, Tenn.; Al Gilbert, pastor, Calvary Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, N.C.; J.D. Greear, pastor, Summit Church, Durham, N.C.; Tom Biles, director of missions, Tampa Bay Association, Executive Committee member; Danny Akin, president, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; John Drummond, St. Andrews Baptist Church, Panama City, Fla.; Harry Lewis, North American Mission Board; Mike Orr, pastor, First Baptist Church, Chipley, Fla.; Roger Spradlin, pastor, Valley Baptist Church, Bakersfield, Calif., Executive Committee member; Robert White, executive director, Georgia Baptist Convention; Ken Whitten, pastor, Idlewild Baptist Church, Tampa, Fla.; Ted Traylor, Olive Baptist Church, Pensacola, Fla.

RESOLUTIONS
The Obama resolution -- which passed nearly unanimously -- says messengers "share our nation's pride in our continuing progress toward racial reconciliation signaled" by the president's election. But the resolution says messengers "decry" Obama's assistance to "pro-abortion" groups. It also expresses "strong opposition" to Obama declaring June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Month. The resolution also calls on Southern Baptists to pray for Obama –- something they did immediately after its passage, with Hunt leading the prayer.

The pro-adoption resolution notes that the world has upwards of 150 million orphans and it calls "on each Southern Baptist family to pray for guidance as to whether God is calling them to adopt or foster a child or children." It also encourages "pastors and church leaders to preach and teach on God's concern for orphans.

"Southern Baptists ceased their relationship with Broadway Baptist Church following a year-long study by the Executive Committee that began with a motion from the floor at last year's meeting. The congregation has at least two same-sex couples in the church and was embroiled in a controversy in early 2008 as to whether the couples should be pictured in a church directory. Supporters of the Executive Committee recommendation said that while the convention fully supports ministering to the homosexual community, the church -- by its actions -- was in violation of Article III of the SBC Constitution, which states that churches "which act to affirm, approve, or endorse homosexual behavior" are not in friendly cooperation. Some of the church's openly let homosexual members serve on church committees. Executive Committee members had suggested a statement from the church condemning homosexuality would have been beneficial; the church, though, decided not to go that route.

In other convention news:-- Geoff Hammond, president of the North American Mission Board, told messengers that the SBC's associations and 42 state conventions "have signed up" for the GPS challenge and "joined hands" together with the goal of seeing every SBC church, by 2020, planting other churches. Messengers were given a paperback book by Hammond titled, "God's Plan for Sharing: North America: Your Mission Field."

"We are about to embark on the largest, most extended, farthest-reaching national evangelism initiative that we have ever seen," Hammond said.

-- Thanks to a gift from the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and an offering from the SBC Pastors' Conference, the International Mission Board received more than $100,000 to help fill the gap from its Lottie Moon Christmas Offering shortfall. The Lottie Moon offering fell $29 million short of its goal and $9 million short of its previous year's total.

During the IMB report, messengers heard from missionaries who serve in closed areas of the world; their identities were masked to protect their safety. IMB President Jerry Rankin said more needs to be done to reach a lost world.

"Are we saying that 5,000 missionaries are enough ... to evangelize the rest of the world while we support over 100,000 pastors, church staff and denominational workers in our own country?" he asked.

-- Executive Committee President Morris H. Chapman told messengers that a fervor for missions trumps doctrinal divides and that Southern Baptists will unite for the sake of lost souls.

"The victories of faith in the life of the convention did not happen because men and women loved doctrine," Chapman, president of the Executive Committee, said during the morning report June 23. "They happened because they loved Jesus.

"Chapman mentioned some of the issues that have been debated in recent days, noting first that the convention must "maintain a careful balance between cultural adaptation and Gospel proclamation."

"Some of the church growth methodologies that masquerade under the guise of Bible exposition are increasingly known for the crude themes and the vulgar language of their strongest advocates. The sacred desk is no place for the carnal, the sensual and the sensational," he said.

-- The annual Crossover evangelism outreach that precedes the annual meeting yielded more than 1,000 decisions for Christ. Approximately 3,000 volunteers from 107 churches participated.

-- John Mark Toby, pastor of Beacon Hill Baptist Church in Somerset, Ky., was elected first vice president, while Stephen Rummage, pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Fla., was elected second vice president. John Yeats, director of communications for the Louisiana Baptist Convention, was re-elected SBC recording secretary, and Jim Wells, director of missions for the Tri-County Baptist Association in Nixa, Mo., was re-elected registration secretary. Mac Brunson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., was elected to preach the 2010 convention sermon in Orlando, Fla.

-- LifeWay Christian Resources presented the inaugural HCSB Award posthumously to Fred Winters, the pastor of First Baptist Church in Maryville, Ill., who was shot and killed while preaching. Winters' widow, Cindy, appeared on stage and received the award. Their two daughters also were present. The award will honor individuals who have shown a high commitment to the preaching or teaching of the God's Word.

"I am tempted to say I bet Fred wishes he were here to see all of this, but since I know where Fred is, I am certain that he is content to stay put," Winters said.

-- The SBC Pastors' Conference heard from Charles Colson, Mike Huckabee and David Platt, a 30-year-old pastor who previously was unknown to many attendees but whose passionate sermons were well-received. Platt, lead pastor of the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala., also delivered a theme interpretation during the annual meeting.

Next year's annual meeting will take place June 15-16 in Orlando, Florida.

2009 Southern Baptist Convention, Observations and Personal Reflections (Part 1)

2009-06-30T11:15:00.005-04:00

Joyce and I were privileged to join with more than 8,700 messengers attending the 152nd session of the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting on June 23-24 at the Kentucky Exhibition Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Others attending from our Association included: Dr. and Mrs. Michael Lewis and Dr. and Mrs. Bill Clark, messengers from First Baptist Church, Plant City. We did not have opportunity to visit each other in the sea of messengers and various opportunities and responsibilities of the week. Michael Lewis serves through 2009 on the Administrative Committee of the SBC.

Mrs. Lewis served on the committee to organize a minister’s wives luncheon and program. The luncheon event was held Tuesday, June 23, with 1700 minister’s wives attending. Joyce and my daughter, Lisa, were able to be among the 1700 attending the lunch.

My eight-nine year old uncle, W.H. Morris, attended as a messenger from his Louisville, Kentucky Baptist Church, He is a faithful deacon and a tremendous inspiration.

We had the joy of staying at their Louisville residence with my daughter and son-in-law, Steve and Lisa Yates, during the convention week. Steve is completing his PhD in ministry and administrative leadership. He plans to go to work with Southern Baptist Lifeway, and may move to any of the nationally located 150 stores. We are grateful for answered prayer as he begins this job, Wednesday, July 1, by having an eight week training at the Louisville Lifeway store.

We concluded the week spending some time with my mom who lives in a retirement home in Campbellsville, Kentucky. She continues to weaken physically and suffers from loss of memory and other mental abilities. It is wonderful that she knows us and enjoys our visits and has good care.

Here at home, Pastor Hal Sexton shares that members of Berea Baptist Church (James Redman Parkway) were able to hear and watch parts of the Convention on the I-Max screen. An opportunity provided by the new technology of SBC internet. Bro Hal indicated that he looked forward to having the entire convention available in the coming years.

Our Association has a copy of the audio CDs of the Convention and Key Note preachers of the Convention. Pastors and church leaders are welcome to check them out of the Library here at the Resource Center.

Pre-convention events began for us on Sunday as we attended the two day National Director of Missions Conference. I estimate that there were approximately 300 of the 950 national Director of Missions attending. Key note speakers included Dr. Ken Hemphill and Dr. Thom Rainer, president of Lifeway. Their messages focused on building relationships, developing fellowship, offering forgiveness, and doing Kingdom priorities as servants exampled in the New Testament Church. The second day included break-out seminars on subjects such as: competence and future directions of Director of Missions, Prayer Ministry, Changing models affecting Association ministry, and new services offered by NAMB for the Association. It was an enjoyable time of fellowship and opportunity to network with leaders across our country.
The major goal of our Convention this year was finding ways for Southern Baptists to “work more faithfully and effectively" together in fulfilling the Great Commission. They, like all of us, have to look at doing more with less. The messengers to the convention's annual meeting affirmed asking a task force to examine the denomination for one year and report back to the 2010 meeting in Orlando Florida.

Welcome Dr. Michael Lewis

2009-06-12T11:28:00.004-04:00

This week we are inviting our Association pastors to come to a fellowship at South Florida Baptist Hospital to meet First Baptist Church of Plant City's new pastor, Dr. Michael Lewis. The fellowship will be on Wednesday, June 17th at 7:30 am.

Dr. Lewis came to Plant City from Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, Texas. The church membership at Great Hills is approximately 5,500, averaging 1,993 in worship and 1,730 in SS. He also served as Vice Chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee and on the Southern Baptist Convention Committee on Committees, and the Southern Baptists of Texas Committee on Order of Business.

Education:

Honorary Doctor of Divinity, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary; Master of Divinity, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Bachelor of Arts, Major in Bible with minor in pastoral ministry, Columbia International University.

Evangelism and Missions:

Michael has led mission teams to India, Mexico, Africa, Brazil, and Romania. He has been committed to leading one international mission trip each year. Michael is featured as the FAITH pastor in the new filming of the LifeWay revision of FAITH Evangelism and Discipleship. Michael has preached at many conventions and conferences around the United States and in Romania.

Family:

Michael and his wife, Liliana, have three daughters - Charity, Faith and Hope. Liliana is a graduate of Columbia International University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Bible and Elementary Education. She enjoys homeschooling her three girls.

A New Opportunity for Renewal & Revitalization for Pastor and Church

2009-06-09T08:49:00.007-04:00

Hal Sexton is pictured here with his wife, Denise, and their four children, Emily, Melanie, Gracie and David. He comes to a church which began a revitalization process twenty-one months ago. Pastor Hal recently served ten years as pastor of West Thonotossasa and resigned to take a renewal sabbatical. God has called a pastor and a church in which both are in a renewal or revitalization process. It will be exciting to continually report what God will be doing in their lives as God guides in their renewal process.

One of the things Pastor Hal has brought to our attention that made such an impact on his renewal was the "Exchanged Life Conference" led by John Woodward of Grace Fellowship International out of Pigeon Forge, TN. Hal and Denise attended this conference during his sabbatical and found it to be life changing. Pastor Hal and Berea are bringing this conference to our community on July 17 & 18. It sounds very exciting as it is set to bring joy and renewal to the lives of God's ministers and their families. We pray the Holy Spirit would use this time to bring renewal to all of us. (Information about the conference is on a brochure prepared by the Sextons and is available on our web site, http://www.shilohba.org/ .

A Vision to Reach East Hillsborough County
I invite all of our churches to join in the launching of the vision to witness to every Resident of East Hillsborough County and beyond by members of the churches of our Association.

Let us join with the vision of witnessing to every resident of East Hillsborough County and beyond! Dr. Michael Lewis announced to his congregation Sunday evening that launching the Sunday School Faith Evangelism emphasis begins in August. Michael has been one of the leading pastors in the SBC using the FAITH evangelism approach. A few of our pastors are using or are trained in FAITH. Dr. Benny Keck, pastor FBC Dover, has used it continually in his leadership. Their church has effectively grown and reached new people for Christ over his nine years as pastor. Michael shared with me that he would love to have all pastors interested in beginning the program in their church to come to a getting acquainted lunch, on Thursday, July 23, at FBC Plant City. Doug Williams will be guest for the lunch. Michael and Doug will be leading a FAITH Training event July 23 - 25th. He invites any pastor interested to come and be trained in FAITH. This is an exciting local opportunity to get to know and use this evangelism approach in our churches. I remember when Pastor Bobby Welch, FBC Daytona, launched this new evangelism method at his church and made it available for pastors in the 1990's. It was most costly to travel and get the training. Now it has been brought to Plant City. Even Bobby Welch, former president of our SBC and founder of FAITH Sunday School Evangelism will be coming, August 16th at 6:30 pm to challenge people in the Sunday School Evangelism. What an opportunity for our churches to share the vision of witnessing to every resident of East Hillsborough County and beyond!

Vacation Bible School

We are excited that several of our churches are having Vacation Bible School this month. This week Bethany, Northside, West Thonotosassa. We are preparing for a mission VBS in our Association building. We had a work day this past Saturday from 9:00 am - 6:30 pm., and next Saturday, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm our Mission Church, Free Riders Fellowship, will have another work day getting ready for VBS.

Why is VBS so exciting even with all the tremendous work involved? Southern Baptist research has revealed that Vacation Bible School is the most strategic outreach tool for our churches to reach children and young families for Christ. In 2008, 2.8 million people were enrolled in VBS. Eighty-eight thousand decisions for Christ were reported. Thirty-seven thousand were enrolled in Sunday School. Twenty-six percent of baptisms were the result of Vacation Bible School.

A part of my journey is to get pictures and reports from the different VBS's going on in our churches. Thanks for helping by e-mailing pictures and updates to me at dmorris@shilohba.org .

A New Form of Communication

2009-06-04T09:32:00.005-04:00

Today I began a new form of communication, creating a journey blog as a social networking tool of Shiloh Baptist Association and its friends. It's really new for me and I appreciate your encouragement and suggestions in this new endeavor. Change is important today! pastor Michael Lewis is using the theme, "It's a New Day" as a sermon series and the beginning of his FBC Plant City pastoral ministry. That theme applies to all of us each day, whether or not we are beginning a new job or establishing a new relationship. It is important to affirm the value of change. I am reminded that there is going to be a lot of change when God calls me to heaven.

Every day is a new day and we are called to action with each new day's opportunities. Joyce and I have adopted the Serenity Prayer as a devotion thought for our lives in our journey.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. -- Reinhold Niebuhr

We are committed to be a friend and give added partnership support to the pastors, church leaders, and all of our churches. Our passion is to improve our mission work each week. If you have needs, suggestions, or information for our web ministry or Blog, let me know. You can email me back.

Our Ministry Assistant, Kim Smith, has left us and accepted a position as Dr. Michael Lewis' Pastoral Assistant at FBC Plant City. We are blessed to have Barbara Grainger in that position each morning from 8:30 am until 12:30 pm. Her major responsibilities, beyond receiving calls and greeting people, includes newsletter publication, promotion of special events, coordinating our calendar events with Florida Baptist Convention, keeping updated information on the pastor and church profiles. Barbara is knowledgeable of graphics and media and will have an added responsibility to help us and our churches with the web ministry, promotion of events, and monthly newsletters. This should advance our partnership-mission work. She will be a blessing in this time when we need to change and improve our communication. This does not change Ginny Diaz's role as our Administrative Assistant, it just adds a new dimension to, and advancement in our team mission work.

Since May 17, Joyce and I have enjoyed getting acquainted with the preaching and leadership of the new pastor, Dr. Michael Lewis, of FBC Plant City. It is one of the few times we have had the opportunity to be in regular attendance. Pastor Michael has a spiritual passion combined with energy to live and preach God's Word making it relevant in today's culture. He has shared with me his desire to partner with us in our Association. He does not see any church as small or any pastor as less important. He spoke to me about the SBC Ezekiel program which encourages a partnership of churches to provide assistance to revitalize our churches with special needs. He spoke of the value he placed on having peer group meetings with fellow pastors. He encourages the value of pastors meeting regularly in a covenant fellowship relationship. His sermon notes, video support, audio mp3 from each Sunday morning and evening messages are available on FBC Plant City web site. He shares his morning prayer/devotion time on blog with members and friends who subscibe to it.

Pastor Hal Sexton has had a good beginning since coming on May 20th as the new pastor at Berea Baptist Church. It is great to see Berea's revitalization and most of all to see Hal's revitalization after taking a 3 month sabbatical following his ten year pastorate at West Thonotosassa. He and Denise took advantage of some special retreats during this leave. I was really impressed with his determination. One of the retreat events that was most meaningful to him was the Exchanged Life program and he will be bringing this to Berea and our community on July 17th and 18th at Berea Baptist Church. We will post more information about this conference on our web site as well as email a brochure to our churches.

Our program committee is beginning plans to think about our Annual Meeting. We want it to be something that is relevant for our pastors and our people as they invest their time in attending. This year it will be held on October 19, 2009 at Eastside Baptist Church. Some of the ideas for the program have been suggested as follows:

Key persons to make presentation of the changing church culture here in America and how it is affecting us in the East Hillsborough County area. The knowledge of the new religions influencing our local culture and suggestions related to our missionary response. This would appropriate suggested responses that we as pastors and churches might respond.
A key person to present the changing legal issues that is affecting our families and our churches. This would include a call to affirm our testimony and our witness in a changing and uncertain time.
A preacher to proclaim our response to these needs of our times with a "Great Awakening and Spiritual Revival"
Invite the new pastors to participate in the program this year.

There may be other important issues or topics that you and your people are most interested in having a messenger of God address. If you have a topic or a suggestion, please email that to our office. Even if we are unable to get it on the October Annual Meeting program, we might address it at another time to give support. Let us know.