June Meeting in Ocoee

This is just a quick "shout-out" to my fellow youth pastor's about the June Fellowship Meeting. I'm excited about hearing David Melton and Chip Keller speak, and I hope you are to.
We've really had some encouraging meetings over the past few months and this one will be no different. At our next meeting we will talk about

• summer interns and how they can help your youth group
• ways to get way more done than you thought you could!

See you there!

Ben

Notes from Tom Wagoner

“Every day people who are hurting reach out to you to get a piece of God.”

“Every pastor faces leadership problems and attrition problems.”

Phil. 2:13 – God is working in me.

Eph. 1:3 – God has already blessed me.

I Thess. 5 – God will get it done.

I Cor. 3:21 – All things are yours.

Romans 8:32 – When we got Christ, we got everything.

I John 4:17 – You are as God’s representative in this world.

1 John 2:18 - 20 (KJV) ¹⁸Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. ¹⁹They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. ²⁰But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

1. The word is not enough.

- The letter kills but the Spirit gives life.

A. It is personal – YOU

B. It is a promise – HAVE

C. It comes with power – UNCTION

- A sign of God’s returning favor.

- A symbol of prosperity.

- A source of joy.

D. It is given by a person – THE HOLY ONE

- A Spirit of Adoration

- A Spirit of Appreciation

- A Spirit of Accommodation

Steve Jones - Melbourne

Steve Jones graduated from Baptist Bible College in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Pastoral Theology. His Wife Merrilyn graduated from BBC with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. Pastor Steve and Merrilyn have been married for 16 years and have 3 awesome boys, Derek 14, Cody 10, and Samuel 5. They have been in ministry since 1995. Steve pastored the Fundamental Baptist Church in Pleasant Hope, MO from December 2000 until January of 2003. Previous to that Steve was the Couple’s Pastor at Noble Hill Baptist in Brighton, Missouri where he served for two years. He was the Youth Pastor at Central Baptist in Lewisville, Texas where he served for four years. Steve is currently the founder and Pastor of the ClayHouse Baptist Church in Melbourne Florida. Pastor Steve’s passion is to help people fall in love with God’s Word and to see them grow to maturity.

www.clayhousechurch.org

www.clayhousechurch.blogspot.com

FBBF Church buys 8 acres in Paradise

Breaking News from Key Largo. Pastor Steve Vetter and the people of Key Largo Baptist Church have acquired some of the most coveted real estate in the world. Here is Steve's report:

I found this 8 acres on Florida Bay & the Overseas Hwy 17 months ago, the price was $2 million. Although we had less than $100k in our building fund, we walked the property, claiming it for God’s kingdom work. We figured,” Why should all the prime bayfront property be owned by the millionaires, hotels & bars, why not a church?” We continued to pray & raise money, meanwhile the asking price soared to $3.3 million. Bottom line, when we finally put in our bid last month, the real estate market had changed dramatically. We ended up acquiring the land for $1.3 million. Two similar parcels on the bay, less than a 1/4 mile away are selling for $7.4mil & $9.8mil. God is so good! Our church raised about $800k in 15 months so we could buy this incredible property that will enable KLBC to expand both our facilities and our ministries to the upper Keys. Now that we own it, we will be busy raising $$ to build. Our existing church property is worth over $3 million, and already have had several companies, ( Fed Ex, McDonald’s, Tom Thumb) inquiring about it, because it is a prime location at the foot of the new bridge as you enter Key Largo. Your prayers for us are greatly appreciated.

Having grown up in Key Largo while my dad pastored this same church, I can truly say that this is a Monstrous blessing from God. I am so proud of Steve and the great job that he is doing there in the Keys. I truly believe that this blessing comes as a direct result of Steve and Cindy's faithfulness to not let the current property determine the size of their ministry.

See Photos here.

*Editors Note: If you have a story of how God is working in your church, please send it to me at pastor@cbclife.net

Before the Lamp in the Tabernacle Went Out

A lightbulb in a firehouse in Livermore, CA, has been burning continuously since 1901.
In 1901, when the tiny bulb was first screwed into place inside a so-called hose cart house, it cast its light on a simpler era.
Back then, horse-pulled carts carried water to fires. The bulb burned day and night, hanging at eye level from a 20-foot cord. Its job: to break the darkness so firefighters responding to calls wouldn't have to fumble to light the wicks of their kerosene lanterns. Manufactured by the Shelby Electric Co. of Shelby, Ohio, the bulb soon outlived its maker, which closed in 1914.
Later, in the main firehouse, it illuminated more modern rigs as horses were replaced by gas-fed engines.
It didn't always receive kid-glove treatment.
Climbing atop their engines, firefighters returning from World War II and Korea often would give the bulb a playful swat for good luck. The next generation -- the Vietnam veterans and the younger kids -- used it as a target for Nerf basketball practice.
Then, in 1972, a local reporter checked records and interviewed old-timers to trace its history. Firefighters suddenly realized they had a treasure.
"The good-luck slaps and target practice stopped," Bramell recalls. "We figured, 'Wow, maybe we should take care of this bulb.' "

John Gliona - LA Times / Photo by Robert Durell

I cannot read a story like this without thinking of the many pastors and churches of the FBBF whose lights have been faithfully burning for many years. Some, who do not know their value, may "take shots" at them in their ignorance and jest, but as Cheif Bramell said that they suddenly realized they had a treasure. And "We figured, 'Wow, maybe we should take care of this bulb.' "

What You Missed in Tavares

Getting to a Fellowship meeting is not often easy. They seem to always come after a particularly grueling weekend, and giving up that much needed day off can be tough. This website hopefully will allow you to stay up with the action even when you are not able to attend. It is my hope that by telling you what you missed, you will be more inclined to make the drive.

Here is the rest of the story....

• I found out that Dan Jeffers from Park Street walked in on a burglar on Saturday. The guy apologized for breaking in, said "it will never happen again", before leaving with an undisclosed amount of cash. (great illustration on the true meaning of repentance)
  

• I heard that Russell Johnson is now opening up their building for corporate conventions and training events for companies like UPS. Local foot traffic several time a month.
  

• I learned that Gavin Searles, had a Judas take the money bag and run. The bank has frozen their account, but not until some damage was done.

• I learned that our church planter Sterling Young drives a Cadillac. This particular Caddy, however has 300,000 plus miles on it.

• I watched as $4,000 was raised in 5 minutes from some very generous pastors to help Sterling get a car that he can rely on.

• I sat on the back row with a whole bunch of Youth Pastors who love God, love kids, and are working together.

I for one don't want to miss Tim's meeting. Do you?

By the way, I found this while Googling a picture of Gavin Searles. Lake County Sheriff's Office Photo Wow! I never knew.

The Burden of Ministry - Dennis Anderson

Here are some thoughts I wrote down from Dennis Anderson's message at the FBBF meeting on Monday.

Habakkuk 1:1 - 2
¹The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.
² O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear?

• Every pastor has burdens
• We have to choose to complain or continue

Habakkuk 2:2
²Then the Lord answered me and said:
"Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it."

1. Write the vision

• An unwritten vision is just a dream

2. Make it plain

• Don't over complicate the vision
  

3. So people can run with it

• It must be portable and transferable

Bonus: Independent is an adjective (Dennis did not say this directly, but I did not write down the exact quote, just what I translated it to in my head.)

Notes from Milad's Testimony

Milad is an Iraqi national born in Baghdad. He received Christ as his personal Savior and pastored an underground church in Iraq. Below are some notes from his testimony.

• It all started in Iraq: Eden, Ur, Nineveh, Babylon...
• Muslims do everything "for" God. Our message is that everything has been done.
  
• (He showed pictures of Suni Muslims cutting themselves and even their children)
• Saddam killed at least one member of almost every family in Iraq
• Saddam killed over 1 million Kurds
• Americans say war was a mistake, As an Iraqi, I say it was the greatest thing
• 95% of Iraqis are so happy for the liberation
• The news only shows Baghdad and Mosul
  
• Iraqis celebrate Christmas with trees and lights but they don't know why
• Public schools have invited him to come and teach about Christmas and the Reason
• He is able to distribute Bibles to the public school students and on the street
• Iraqis have more freedom of religion now than America does
  

Principles for Finding Leadership

I was really excited about how our fellowship meeting went yesterday. The speakers were excellent, and Pastor Green and his church did a wonderful job hosting. I thought it was cool to be able to see money raised for new church planter who needs a reliable car, and to be in prayer for those who are struggling. That's really why we do what we do! Great stuff.

Greg Watts, youth pastor at Liberty, spoke to the youth pastors in our meeting about character qualities that we should look for in potential leaders, and did a great job. Here is the outline:

 

Principles for Looking for Leaders...FATR

Luke 5

 

Look for leaders who are:

• Faithful
  
• Available
  
• Teachable
  
• Responsive
  

 

Sheldon Carmichael gave us some great ideas for some devotional resources, and we got to know some of the new faces that were at the meeting. Also we are planning an Back-to-school All-Nighter for September sponsored by the FBBF.

 

I'm really excited about how our fellowship meetings are going this year, and especially for the interaction and participation I have seen from our youth pastors. It's pretty exciting to get together, knowing that we will get some resources, be encouraged and build relationships with each other. If you have not been able to come to one of the meetings- it is worth it! I know summer can be pretty busy, but make plans come in June!

May 5th - Liberty Baptist, Tavares

Pastor Tim Green and Liberty Baptist Church is happy to host the May 5th Florida Baptist Bible Fellowship Meeting. Here is the line up:

First Speaker:
Dennis Anderson – International African Mission
First Baptist Church Rochester, NY
Kafulafuta Mission in Zambia one of the oldest missions in Zambia







Second Speaker:
Iraqi National - Milad (Last Name Withheld) Reaching Muslims for Christ
Will be living in Jordan and crossing into Iraq


Read his May Newsletter





Third Speaker:
Tom Wagoner – Dunn, NC
Central Baptist Church

Please note that due to the National Meeting in Springfield, this meeting will be on the First Monday, not the second Monday.

Directions

Begins at 11:30 A.M