September 14th - Park Street Baptist - St. Petersburg

Park Street Baptist is honored to host the September meeting here in St. Petersburg.  We have planned a meeting that we trust will be an encourgagement to you.  Our theme is "Reaching Each Generation."  I have asked three preachersfrom three generations to speak for us.  Brother Leroy Eldridge from Temple Baptist Church in Titusville will represent the old guys. (Sorry Leroy)  Brady Brinson is our middle aged speaker.  By some standards he would be considered one of the young preachers at 44.  He is the son of E. J. Brinson and is just starting a church on the south side of Lakeland.  Tom Hunter represents the young preachers.  Tom is the pastor of Plantation Baptist Church and is doing a great job.  Plan on coming for a great time of fellowship and encouragement.

Schedule:
10:00 - Officer's Meeting
11:30 - Tom Hunter
12:15 - Lunch
1:00 - Business Meeting
1:45 - Brady Brinson
2:30 - Leroy Eldridge

Directions:
Google Maps Directions
Park Street Baptist Church
3901 Park St. N.
St. Petersburg, FL 33709

From I-275 exit onto 54th Ave N.  and go West. Go 5 miles and 54th will end at Park Street.  Turn left.  The church will be down just past Tyrone Blvd. on the left.

If  you get lost call Pastor Dan Jeffers at 727-432-9958

Liberty Baptist Church - August 10

Take a break, come and enjoy some fellowship, food, and good preaching.

Pastor Green and his staff and church family are preparing for a great day!  
 Church Website

 
Schedule:
10:30 - 11:00 a.m. - Officers Meeting
11:30 - 12:15 p.m. - First Session with Steve Bender, Associate Director BBFI
12:15 - 12:45 p.m. - Lunch
12:45 - 1:30 p.m. - Business Meeting
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. - Ladies' Meeting with speaker Barbara Adair Schultz
1:30 - 2:15 p.m. - Second Session with Joe Brothers - Pastor of Mountain View Baptist Church, Canton GA
2:15 - 3:00 p.m. - Third Session with Dr. John Reynolds - Pastor of Volusia Co. Baptist Church, Orange City FL

Directions:
2451 Dora Ave
Tavares, FL  32778
352-343-0060

Google Maps Directions

News & Prayer Request from IBB Homestead

My name is Hector Dueñas Jr, I am the pastor of IBB Homestead Church. My wife Dixie and I are bi-vocational servants and our church needs your prayers. We believe that we are under spiritual attack from our common enemy.

We are facing poverty
Our church like many on the land has been affected by the current recession and many of our members are out of work. However, our church ministered to the spanish speaking migrant and hispanic farm worker community. This community has faced a steep increase in deportation, and general racial hostility toward them lately. Many are now scared to apply for work. I know of at least one person that has been feeding his family (he his wife and their infant) for over a year from what he is able to catch fishing in the local canals. Homestead was categorized as the poorest city in the US recently (statistically our families have a combined household averaging $14K a year) but with the recent changes many are leaving our community and the situation seems to be getting worse.

We are facing sickness.
There is an outbreak of the Flu virus in our community. We just had someone from Homestead die from the Flu. There is at least one person in almost every single household that is coming down with Flu-like symptoms. We believe that at least 10% are confirmed with the N1H1 virus (including my own daughter and her mother). Another gentleman from South Dade Baptist Church (who hosts our church) has been given less then a 2% chance of surviving the deadly virus. Many of our migrant families are actually scared to go to seek medical attention for fear of deportation. Our combined churches seem to be experiencing a steep spike in the number of individuals with Cancer, as well as the number that have been placed on hospice for other illnesses.

We are facing hostility
For reasons that we cannot explain, many of those who are more established. Many of those that no longer work in the fields, those that in many cases have their own business, are finding themselves being investigated. Some have had personal property confiscated during these investigations. This legal actions are outside all of those that are loosing their homes during the crisis that our nation is facing. In fact recently, much media attention was given to a school for the children of the mexican farm workers which was closed in the middle of the night by the local authorities. This is a community without a voice, I say this because whenever one of them raise their voice in concern, they and their families disappear in the night (they are deported).

We are facing a spirit of division
In the last year we have seen our attendance drop in half (from 120 to 60 including children), mostly from people who were happy with our ministry but that were leaving looking for a economic opportunities elsewhere. Recently we have seen some of our leaders within our church leave as well. Most have left for larger churches with actual buildings (we are a church without walls), for a while those that left were actively trying to evangelize from within our membership, but sadly most of them are now finding themselves not attending any church services.

We remain hopeful.
Though are attendance does not reflect it. we have saved and baptized over 30 individuals this year so far. Also, during this crisis God has opened doors for us to meet with high ranking members of of the Homestead government, and our faith that God will see us through this has never been stronger. Today is my 14th day of fasting and prayer as I continue to humble myself before the Lord asking for his strength, wisdom and grace to help us through this. Many in our church are also fasting and praying for God to perform a miracle and bring life back to us (a revival). We plan to increase our outreach efforts and what ever happens, we will give the glory to God.

Pray that God gives our family the strength to continue to work all day and minister all night, until he sees fit to bless us with the resources to focus on ministry 100% of the time.
Pray that God continue to open doors with our local government, and agencies so that we can work to end some of recent hostility against a people without a voice.
Pray that God, bind our common enemy who we know is behind the rise in sickness and poverty and the spirit of division that we are facing.

Thank you,
Hector Dueñas Jr.
Pastor IBB Homestead Church

Communication and Student Ministry

As Youth Pastors, how we communicate to students is obviously very important. We want to communicate the Truth of God's Word in such a way that our students will understand how to take that next step in their relationship with God and be motivated to do so. It can be very easy for us to become focused on one audience of people we communicate to- the students in our youth groups.

The fact of the matter is that the students are just one audience of people to whom we communicate. God has commissioned the parent to be the most important and effective person in the spiritual lives of their children. God has put us under the authority of the Pastor that we work with. In many cases, we find ourselves ministering alongside other people on a church staff. There are people that work with us in our youth ministries- youth workers/counselors, musicians and interns. In many instances we work along side other youth pastors and youth ministries for effective annual events like camps and conferences.

We have heard it said that communication is the key to a marriage relationship. I would like to say that the way we communicate to all of these different audiences does have an impact on the final outcome of making disciples of the next generation. As ministers of the gospel, we are most effective when we clearly communicate to all of these audiences. Our words must match our behavior, but we still need to use words! To effectively reach and disciple the next generation, we must have all of these different audiences in our lives on board with the direction we are going. This is impossible without regular, clear, God-honoring communication.

Last month at the FBBF youth pastors meeting, Justin Brownlee, student pastor at Palm Springs Drive Baptist Church, explored some great principles, ideas and incites as to how to communicate effectively to all of these audiences. It was an encouragement and a help to all of us that were there. We are so blessed to have an opportunity each month to spend time with other student pastors who are in the trenches of youth ministry with us. If you missed it, you were missed. Don't miss out on the opportunity next month at Liberty Baptist Church in Tavares.

July 13th Meeting - Palm Springs Drive Baptist Church

A man fell off a cliff, but managed to grab a tree limb on the way down. The following conversation ensued: "Is anyone up there?" "I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?" "Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe, but I can’t hang on much longer." "That’s all right, if you really believe you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Just let go of the branch." There was a long silence, then… "Is anyone else up there?"

I’m not sure if there is a pastor who hasn’t used that story as an illustration in one of his sermons. I know I’ve used it many times. One of our favorite things to do as pastors is to encourage people to have faith. And one of our least favorite things to do is to have to exercise it ourselves.  Spurgeon said,  “Brethren, be great believers. Little faith will bring your souls to heaven, but great faith will bring heaven to your souls.”

The theme of our meeting is “Great Faith.”  Come be encouraged and enjoy the fellowship. Dress is Casual. 

Speakers
David Janney – Orlando Baptist Church
Jason Henderson -  Grace Pointe Church

Schedule
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. - Officer’s Meeting

11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. – First Session
12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Lunch Break
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. - Business Mt., Ladies Mt., Youth Pastors Mt.
2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. - Second Session

Address
Palm Springs Drive Baptist Church
601 Palm Springs Drive

Altamonte Springs, Fl 32701

407-831-0950

www.psdbc.net

Directions

June 8th - Eastpointe Church - Jacksonville

Pastor Hale, Connie, and the great church family of East Pointe are inviting you to spend the day with them on June 8, as we enjoy our FBBF meeting.
Jesus established His church on the backs of strong leadership.  He had the ability to enlist, engage, entrench MEN into the work of the Gospel.  If there were ever a time to address the needs of the church today, it is in the area of winning the hearts and minds of strong men to continue the work of Christ.  on June 8, we look forward to being challenged and encouraged in the ministry of Building men for the Kingdom of God.  To do so necessitates a fresh look into the Word of God.  We hope you will make plans to come to Jacksonville, FL and experience the hospitality of Kevin and the church family of Eastpointe.

Guest Speakers
Ron Sears - First Baptist Church, New Castle, Delaware
Mark McGaughey, Executive Pastor of Eastepointe Church

Schedule
11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. - First Session
12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Lunch Break
1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Business Meeting
1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. - Second Session
2:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. - Break
2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Third Session

Directions
Eastepointe is located 1/2 mile north of Atlantic Blvd. on Kernan Blvd. East of Arlington

207 N. Kernan Blvd
Jacksonville FL 32225
(904) 220-2377

Website: www.epcjax.com
Email: info@epcjax.com

Believe in Miracles

On the second Sunday of January, the body of IBB Church in Miami was challenged with three words:  Faith, Obedience and Generosity.  At the end of the message it was announced that on the last Sunday of March they would be receiving a Miracle Offering  (a one time sacrificial gift) and one year commitments they called Beyond.

To put it all in perspective, the monthly general budget for IBB is $60,000 – however, it has been almost 2 years since the monthly budget had been met.  This reality, coupled with lingering construction debt had severely limited their ability to carry on the ministry as they desired.

In the two months leading up to the offering there was a palpable excitement in the air.  As the pastors visited each of the 25+ small groups that meet weekly around the community, they encountered a very positive atmosphere with good questions and testimonies of God’s faithfulness in difficult times – both past and present.

On March 29^th IBB had a combined, bilingual service to allow the entire church body to be present at the same time worshipping the Lord with their presence, their hearts and their offerings.  Early in the service the Miracle Offering was received with special participation from everyone from the Tots through the adults.

After the message the totals were given which surprised even the most optimistic among us:  Miracle Offering – over $ 93,000; Beyond Commitments – over
$ 117,000.  What a miracle!!!  In these days, in this economic climate, with so many losing working hours and even jobs.

Two side notes:  In a marriage counseling session the next day, the husband admitted that during the invitation prayer on Sunday, he had expressed his doubts to God as to whether his marriage could even be saved.  But then he added:  “When I heard the totals for the Miracle Offering it was as if God were saying to me – ‘If I can handle this offering in these times, I can certainly handle your marriage!’”

And by the way, the General Offering for the day was double the budget amount and even without this extraordinary Sunday, giving is up from this time last year.  That alone is a miracle!