Florida Baptists celebrate 150th anniversary

Nov 15, 2004

FBC photo

John Sullivan, Florida Baptist Convention executive director-treasurer, explains the symbolic nature of a rock given to all who registered for the FBSC annual meeting.

JACKSONVILLE (FBC/FBW)—Florida Baptists celebrated the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Florida Baptist State Convention by baptizing five new converts from five ethnic groups during its 143rd annual meeting, Nov. 8-9 at the Prime Osborn Convention Center in Jacksonville and electing Naples pastor Hayes Wicker as president.

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Wicker, pastor of First Baptist Church of Naples, was elected to a one-year term as president without opposition. He was nominated by Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist Church, Pensacola, who said Wicker is known both locally and nationally for his preaching.

“I nominate him because he is a servant leader,” Traylor said. “This servant leader serves us well.”

Traylor said Wicker called him in the days after Hurricane Ivan roared through the Panhandle and the Gulf Coast—to ask him how things were going and to pray for him.

“He is one who will serve us well across the state of Florida,” Traylor said.

Since Wicker became pastor in 1992, First Baptist Naples had experienced more than 2,300 baptisms, church membership has increased by 4,300 members, Sunday School attendance has increased by nearly 1,300 and the church budget has grown to $6.2 million from $835,000. In 2003, according to the Annual Church Profile, First Baptist Naples contributed nearly $340,000 to the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program representing 6.29 percent of its undesignated receipts. The church has sponsored four ethnic missions.

Current FBSC president Tommy Green, pastor of First Baptist Church of Brandon, was ineligible for re-election after serving two consecutive one-year terms, the first modern day FBSC president to do so. A bylaw change last year permitted Green’s re-election. Wicker will be eligible to serve a second one-year term.

Elected as first vice president was Mike Landry, pastor of Sarasota Baptist Church. He was nominated by John Cross, pastor of South Biscayne Baptist Church in North Port. Gary Crawford, pastor of Westside Baptist Church in Gainesville nominated Silair Almeida, pastor of First Brazilian Baptist Church in Pompano Beach. Landry received 287 votes to Almeida’s 250.

Newly elected officers of the Florida Baptist State Convention are (l-r) Mike Landry, Sarasota Baptist Church, first vice president; Ronnie Hobbs, College Road Baptist Church, Ocala, recording secretary; Hayes Wicker, First Baptist Church, Naples, president; and Mike Branch, First Baptist Church, Fernandina Beach, second vice president. FBC photo

Elected without opposition was Mike Branch, a layman from Fernandina Beach as second vice president; and Ron Hobbs, minister of music/business administrator at College Road Baptist Church in Ocala, as recording secretary.

The 2,478 in attendance heard from Southern Baptist Convention President Bobby Welch and other well known Florida Baptist pastors as they commemorated their heritage. The theme of the Convention meeting was “Celebrate His Glory.”

Speakers included Traylor, Green and Jim Henry, pastor First Baptist Church of Orlando and chairman of the 150th Anniversary Observance Committee.

In business sessions messengers readily approved with no discussion several revisions to tighten the state convention’s Bylaw 2 by empowering the State Board of Mission to conduct inquiries into churches that are not in compliance with terms of cooperation as defined in Bylaw 2.

That Bylaw defines a cooperating church in terms of annually giving $250 through the Cooperative Program, providing an annual church profile and being committed to the “Baptist Faith and Message as revised in the year 2000 or any other declaration of faith which parallels the tenets of our historic faith.”

Churches are given a three-year window to comply before Board action will be taken. Speaking to the action, John Sullivan, executive director-treasurer said, “If you are going to have a Bylaw 2, there needs to be an expectation that a church is complying with it.”

Messengers also adopted a record $37 million Cooperative Program budget for 2005 with 51.75 percent designated for Florida Baptist Convention causes, 40 percent designated for Southern Baptist Convention causes; 4 percent for pastoral aid and 4.25 percent designated for the church annuity program.

Other business included new partnership agreements with the Nevada Baptist Convention and the Brazilian Baptist Convention, as well as approval of recommendations of appreciation for V.L. Roy Liburd and Wayne Taylor.

Liburd, a native of the U.S. Virgin Islands, retired as regional church planting director for the Middle Florida region of the African-American Ministries Division of the Florida Baptist Convention in August. A graduate of Hannibal LaGrange College and Luther Rice Seminary, he was on staff at the Convention since 1995 and started 75 churches in Florida. Prior to that time he served pastorates in the Caribbean, Missouri and in Florida.

Taylor was recognized for 10 years of leadership to nearly 600,000 Florida Baptists who have served as missions volunteers in local, state and national projects. He developed ministries at three Super Bowl games, began two Raceway Ministries Fellowships in Daytona Beach and Homestead, and supervised 10 US/C2 missionaries, 247 Mission Service Corps volunteers and 289 student summer missionaries.

The next convention meeting will be Nov. 14-15, 2005, at the First Baptist Church in Ocala, as a result of the approval of a recommendation calling for the State Convention annual meeting to be held in a church facility.

Messengers also approved a recommedation that the 2011 annual meeting be in Fort Lauderdale.

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