I am making all things new! Revelaon 21:5 Friday, April 26 10:00 am Registraon Opens 11:00 am Exhibits Open 3:15 pm Celebraon Begins 3:30 pm Workshops 4:45 pm Workshops 6:00 pm Banquet 7:30 pm Opening worship 9:00 pm Fellowship with cookies! Saturday, April 27 8:30 am Fellowship with coffee! 9:00 am Morning Vespers 9:30 am Workshops 10:30 am Workshops 11:30 am Lunch with Suzii Paynter 1:00 pm Closing Worship Childcare is available for children ages birth through first grade. April 26 - 27, 2013 Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church Jacksonville Cost: $30 per person Children 12 and under - no charge Workshop Offerings Being Good News: Telling an Old Story in New Ways Susan Rogers Orange Curriculum: Coloring Outside the Box Lynn Williams Renewing Worship by Reviving Preaching . . . Reimagining Worship with Global/Urban Outlooks Jim Hart Social Media and Ministry: Tips and Tricks for Engaging Online Natalie Aho Take My Moments and My Days: Mindful Living as Prayer & Praise Marjorie Avent Imagining a New Creaon: The Work and Mission of CBF Field Personnel Karen Alford, Wanda Ashworth, Angel Piman Florida Fellowship News Florida Fellowship News Florida Fellowship News A publicaon of the Cooperave Bapst Fellowship of Florida 2013 First Quarter - Volume 23, Number 1 Suzii Paynter Executive Coordinator Candidate Keynote Speaker Rev. Marjorie J. Avent, LPCI, NCC Clinical Therapist, Roper St. Francis Cancer Care & Charleston Wellness Counseling Guest Speaker Chaplains Luncheon Think Again . . . An Invitation to Re-member, Re-imagine and Re-new Friday, April 26 at 12:15 pm Hendricks Avenue Bapst Church Cost - $10 per person CBF Florida’s 2013 Spring Celebration See inside for informaon on the Spring Clergy Conference and for informaon on registraon and hotel accommodaons.
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I am making all things new! Revelation 21:5
Friday, April 26
10:00 am Registration Opens
11:00 am Exhibits Open
3:15 pm Celebration Begins
3:30 pm Workshops
4:45 pm Workshops
6:00 pm Banquet
7:30 pm Opening worship
9:00 pm Fellowship with cookies!
Saturday, April 27
8:30 am Fellowship with coffee!
9:00 am Morning Vespers
9:30 am Workshops
10:30 am Workshops
11:30 am Lunch with Suzii Paynter
1:00 pm Closing Worship
Childcare is available for children ages birth through first grade.
April 26 - 27, 2013 Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church
Jacksonville Cost: $30 per person
Children 12 and under - no charge
Workshop Offerings Being Good News: Telling an Old Story in New Ways Susan Rogers
Orange Curriculum: Coloring Outside the Box Lynn Williams
Renewing Worship by Reviving Preaching . . . Reimagining Worship with Global/Urban Outlooks Jim Hart
Social Media and Ministry: Tips and Tricks for Engaging Online Natalie Aho
Take My Moments and My Days: Mindful Living as Prayer & Praise Marjorie Avent
Imagining a New Creation: The Work and Mission of CBF Field Personnel Karen Alford, Wanda Ashworth, Angel Pittman
Florida Fellowship NewsFlorida Fellowship NewsFlorida Fellowship News A publication of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Florida
CITY, STATE, ZIP: _____________________________________________________________________________________
PHONE: ____________________________________
EMAIL: ____________________________________
Detach this form and mail it by April 15th with a check for the appropriate amount made payable to “CBF Florida.” Designate “Spring Celebration” on the memo line and address it to: CBF Florida - Attn: Marti Edwards - PO BOX 2556 - Lakeland, FL 33806-2556.
Accommodations for the 2013 Spring Celebration Courtyard Marriott - 4670 Lenior Avenue South
Jacksonville, FL 32216 - (904)296-2828
www.marriott.com/jaxch to the hotel website
If you are reading this electronically see below:
linktothedoublebedreservation to the $79.00 blocked double rooms
linktothekingbedreservation to the $79.00 blocked king rooms
Suzii Paynter, newly named candidate for the position of Executive Coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, will be the
keynote speaker for this year’s CBF Florida Spring Celebration. Paynter was selected by a search committee of 10 members, and on
Thursday, January 17, the committee presented her to the Fellowship’s Coordinating Council as their choice to lead the Fellowship
movement into its next chapter.
Pat Anderson, CBF’s Interim Executive Coordinator, said, “Suzii Paynter brings to CBF a long list of qualities that equip her to lead us
with great competence. She is committed to social justice, devoted to Baptist history, and has exemplary leadership skills. I look
forward to great things in CBF under her leadership.”
Paynter currently serves as the director of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission and director of the Advocacy Care Center of
the Baptist General Convention of Texas. CBF’s Coordinating Council will vote on Paynter during its next meeting on February 21-
22, and if approved, she is anticipated to begin her new role as Executive Coordinator of CBF during the month of March.
CBF Florida welcomes the opportunity to hear from Suzii regarding her vision for the overall organization at this year’s Spring Cele-
bration. “I am so pleased that we will be one of the first states to hear personally from Suzii as she steps into her new role as our
national Executive Coordinator,” said Ray Johnson. “I know that we will appreciate Suzii’s sense of humor, her passion for the next
generation of Baptists, and her heartbeat for those who hurt throughout our world.”
Nominations for Edge Christian Education Leadership Award Requested Nominations are now being received for the eighth Findley and Louvenia Edge Christian Education Award. The award will be presented during Friday’s banquet at CBF Florida’s 2013 Spring Celebration, on April 26, which will be held at Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church in Jacksonville.
The names of nominees for this award should be sent to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Florida, Attn: Edge Award Committee, PO Box 2556, Lakeland, FL 33806-2556.
The award is given to an individual (or group), layperson or clergy, who is an innovator and leader in the area of Christian education and/or church renewal.
The award, which honors the lifetime work of Dr. and Mrs. Edge, includes a monetary gift of $500, a copy of Deena Williams Newman’s book, Findley Edge: A Search for Authenticity, and a commemorative plaque.
Indicate the number who will be attending each of the events and calculate the appropriate fee.
Clergy Conference ($40/person or $50/couple) = $
Chaplains Luncheon ($10/person) = $
Spring Celebration ($30/person) = $
Friday Banquet (Included in Celebration Fee)
Lunch with Suzii Paynter (Included in Celebration Fee)
Food and Water for Eastern Cuba: A Personal Narrative By Rev. Xiomara Reboyras-Ortiz
How can one find the right words to describe a situation that is
incomprehensible? The answer to this question seems impossi-
ble for me to find as I try to put on paper my recent experiences
in Cuba. Due to hurricane Sandy and its damages in Santiago de
Cuba, I had the opportunity to visit this country twice during the
month of November. In both circumstances, I went in a disaster
relief effort from CBF Florida and CBF National.
The days after the hurricane were filled with complete despera-
tion for the people of Santiago de Cuba. Thousands of families
lost their homes; 70% of the houses were severely damaged and
very few had the materials needed to rebuild;
there was no potable water and no electricity
for weeks and food was scarce. It was in the
midst of such devastation that I met some of
the most wonderful, hardworking, faithful, op-
timistic and grateful people I have ever met.
In my first trip I was able to take part in a beau-
tiful initiative to feed thousands by providing
community kitchens, churches, and individual
families with food. A truck with eight tons of
rice, beans, garlic, cabbage, onions and other
forms of Cuban cuisine was purchased and the
contents were distributed to those affected by
the hurricane. Entire communities were fed for
days and the church was able to become, once
again, an active presence among the people.
As important as it was to provide the people
with food, equally important was putting together a team to
help families re-build their houses. I had the privilege of visiting
families, seeing the damages, praying with them and sharing
words of hope. On my second trip, I was able to see that many
of those same homes had been repaired. What amazed me the
most was to see how much can be done when efforts are com-
bined and hearts are moved to follow God’s direction in serving
His people.
In my second trip, I was able to travel with David Harding in an
effort to develop a project for potable water in the community
of Maisi, Cuba. Using what was available — a wagon pulled by a
horse — we visited what can be considered the poorest area in
Cuba. When visiting these families and getting to know their
reality and stories, I realized that you are never farther from a
country and its people than when you see them eye to eye.
Their reality, struggles and daily lives are so
difficult that it makes them incomprehensible
for us, but it also makes them heroes.
I cannot express in words the emotions and
feelings this all caused me, but every day I am
more grateful for what I have and for my free-
dom. If being there was hard, being far from
them is even harder because I know our Cuban
sister churches are making a difference in peo-
ple’s lives as they build not just houses, cis-
terns and water tanks, but the Kingdom of
God!
I want to say THANK YOU to all those who
made it possible for CBF to accomplish their
mission of “serving and connecting churches
and individuals in their calling to be the pres-
ence of Christ,” by responding to the Cuban
people in their time of need. In a period of desperation, CBF was
there: serving, loving, caring, praying, feeding, building, and be-
ing THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST.
I will always be grateful for the blessing of serving them and my
Lord, to whom is all honor and Glory!
Florida Fellowship News www.floridacbf.org Page 5
three people, three places
(Partnering with Metro Baptist in New York City, continued from page 4)
Against Hunger, who said in the days following Sandy: "One thing this points out is the disparate treatment given to response to
natural disasters versus response to human-made disasters." After Sandy, we cleaned out our closets, offered our resources, and
pressured our leaders in an almost universal acknowledgment that no one should have to live without housing, food, or basic enti-
tlements after a storm. But what about before?
Metro’s capacity for ministry extends beyond our growing congregation, thanks to those – like CBF Florida – who partner with us.
As we all find ways to respond after the storm, our church members are hoping we can find it in ourselves to ask: What are the
ongoing disasters that still form obstacles to justice and wholeness? Will we give our resources, clean out our lives, and unite our
voices in response?
The truck loaded with food for the people of Santiago de Cuba
Page 6 www.floridacbf.org Florida Fellowship News
Meet Claire Kermitz: A conversation with a young Baptist Leader
Why Cooperative Baptists?
After growing up in a CBF church that has affirmed and supported me, it is hard to imagine not wanting to continue my growth in ministry within the CBF movement. I have grown to love and take hold of the mission of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. For me, it is what being a Baptist is all about.
What’s playing on your iPod these days?
Avett Brothers, Parachute, Matisyahu. . . I will listen to anything from alternative to bluegrass, as long as I can tap my foot and sing along.
Who was instrumental in your being called into Christian ministry?
The love, support, guidance, and mentorship I received over the past two years brought me to McAfee School of Theology. Everyone from the children I worked with at Touching Miami with Love to Susan Rogers at The Well at Springfield, to Anne England, Tommy Shapard, Kyle Reese, Faith McCall, and Brett Foster at my home church of Hendricks Ave-nue Baptist Church. All of these people have played a massive role in my decision and enthusiasm in answering the call.
What was it about your home church that helped you hear God’s calling?
From the day I was born, the people of Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church loved me unconditionally. They gave me space to ask questions and find answers; they exposed me to different faiths, denominations, and cultures. Most of all, the members of HAB do their best to be the presence of Christ, so much so that it became infectious.
What are your plans for ministry when you finish your degree?
Being that I am in my first year of graduate work, I ‘m not sure. During the course of seminary, I am ready to discover new things and get called in different directions. I love non-profits and urban work and I love the local church. Wherever the next three years take me, I am willing!
The best part about seminary for you is . . .
The opportunity to be challenged and to learn as well as the chance to be exposed to different theologies and new ideas.
If you could give any advice to someone who is considering going to seminary, what would you say?
Talk to people, ask questions, take time to discern. The best thing I did was to become engaged in conversation with ministers that I trusted, knowing that they would not give me easy answers and would help me throughout the discernment process.
Bayshore Baptist Church in Tampa, a medium-sized
congregation, averages 350 in worship each week. The church’s
mission statement is: “Loving God . . . Serving Others for Jesus.”
From its inception, the membership found their sense of calling
in honoring the two greatest commandments. Some of the
church’s earliest documents call for the church to be “a place
where personal resources can be received and utilized to further
God's Kingdom and to meet the needs of the less fortunate.”
Aubrey Smith, Chair of the Missions Committee at Bayshore
Baptist Church, said, “One of the ways we seek to love God and
serve others is through the Missions Committee. Church
members come to us with a passion for serving and we
encourage them to pursue their ideas. It spreads that way.”
Bayshore supports and participates in many mission endeavors.
Among its numerous mission efforts, Bayshore has its own
Medical Missionary. Karen Alford, one of CBF’s Field Personnel
to Indonesia, is a member of Bayshore. The church sends regular
support to aid in Karen’s efforts to be the presence of Christ to
some of the world’s most neglected people.
In recent years, church members at Bayshore learned of a need
in their community and responded by creating a new ministry.
First Nesters is a ministry for those who are leaving the foster
care system with little or nothing to take into their adult lives.
The ministry provides essential furnishings and personal touches
and has served 45 young adults to date.
Jane Ford, President of First Nesters, said, “Without families to
help them create their first homes, these young adults were
living in empty rooms, often sleeping on their clothes on the
floor. We want to do something to help them, to give them
some comfort and reassurance as they begin a new and
sometimes frightening transition.”
For more information on Bayshore’s many mission efforts, go to
their website at www.bayshorebaptistchurch.com and click on
mission partnerships.
Small . . . Medium . . . Large: Doing Missions in a Medium-sized Church The second of 3 articles on missions and church size
Deal to Lead the Fellowship’s National Disaster Response Efforts
On January 1, Tommy Deal, former associate coordinator for CBF Florida, succeeded Charles Ray as national disas-
ter response coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Deal will manage field responses during and fol-
lowing events and coordinate a national response in cooperation with state and regional efforts. He brings years
of disaster response experience to the position. Congratulations Tommy!
McCarty Announces Retirement from CBF Florida
Doran McCarty, who served as the Assistant to the Coordinator of CBF Florida, retired on December 31, 2012 after serving in that
capacity for seven years. Retirement is not new to McCarty, who said, “I have retired too many times
to get any ‘high’ from it. I retired from the Northeastern Baptist School of Ministry, Seminary Exten-
sion, Association of Ministry Guidance Professors, McCarty Services and now CBF.”
As the Assistant to the Coordinator, McCarty brought his passion for care of clergy and theological
education to his ministry. He facilitated a peer learning group of ministers in the Jacksonville area. He
visited and counseled pastors and churches during times of stress and transition. “The fellowship with
pastors has been gratifying,” he noted.
“I am very thankful for Doran’s initiative in building friendships and partnerships with our brothers
and sisters in the Bahamas. I know that without his help our work with Cooperative Baptists in the
Bahamas would not exist,” commented Ray Johnson, CBF Florida’s Coordinator. “Doran worked with
our pastors there and with me to develop a meaningful curriculum, and he enlisted a cadre of minis-
ters to teach basic Bible and theological classes.”
When he reflects on the success of the work in the Bahamas, McCarty observes, “Since I had years of working with those who
could not get theological education without the programs of the Northeastern Baptist School of Ministry and Seminary Extension, I
naturally had a heart for the Abaco education process. With the help of ministers of CBF Florida, never was so much done by dedi-
cated ministers and with so few resources. I had no idea that the outcome would be the Baptists in the Bahamas becoming a part
of CBF Florida.”
McCarty is “retiring” again to devote full-time energy to Hammock Community Church where he serves as pastor. In the few years
since he began pastoring Hammock, the church has experienced incredible growth with members driving to the church from as far
away as Hastings and St. Augustine to hear Dr. McCarty preach.
As he considers the future of Cooperative Baptists in Florida, McCarty believes three tasks are most important: start churches that
will become viable financial supporters of CBF, strengthen existing churches, and enrich the lives and ministries of CBF ministers.
“One of my students had been a missionary in Africa,” McCarty remembered. “One year, at their annual meeting, he pushed to get
a program approved even though there was opposition. Later an African pastor told him that his American way was not their way.
He said that whenever a problem arises, they take time out, and the leaders sit under a mango tree and talk the situation through.”
McCarty then concluded, “I hope that CBF will be the mango tree for many ministers and churches.”
CBF FLORIDA FINANCIAL SUMMARY January - December 2012
Thank you for the gifts!
To the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Florida,
Touching Miami with Love ministry, from Laurie
Thrash in honor of Dr. Denton Coker.
To the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Florida
from Judy Pelham in loving memory of her husband,
John Pelham.
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300000
IndividualGifts
ChurchGifts
2012Annual
MissionsOffering
Actual
Budget
Florida Fellowship News is published bi-monthly by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Florida, Ray Johnson, Coordinator, P. O. Box 2556, Lakeland, FL 33806-2556. Postage paid at Jacksonville, Fla. Phone (863) 682-6802; Toll free (888) 241-2233. Fax (863) 683-5797. CBF-Florida’s e-mail address is [email protected]; Web address is www.floridacbf.org. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE: 1-800-435-
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