One of the great hymns of the Christian faith clearly defines “God’s extravagant grace”—a grace that surpasses all of our sins.

Florida Baptists have been called to share God’s grace with a spiritually lost and hurting world. It is a mission field that starts in one’s backyard, extends across the state—to the city streets and country roads—and to the uttermost parts of the earth.

It is no accident that Florida Baptists live and serve God in this diverse state of opportunity, but an integral part of His divine plan to lead others into his Kingdom. God’s extravagant grace is available to every person in the state and Florida Baptists have been given the responsibility to take that grace to every corner.

In 2 Corinthians 9, the Apostle Paul shares principles of grace giving that begin by truly accepting God’s grace and giving oneself to the Savior. When that happens, Paul said, generosity becomes a part of the Christian believer’s new-found nature. Out of the blessing of God’s extravagant grace comes a passion to give sacrificially.

Grace giving, Paul said, is a means of supplying the needs of the saints, demonstrating obedience to God and glorifying Christ by revealing the commitment of His people.

Florida Baptists exhibit grace giving through their response to the Maguire State Mission Offering. The growing missionary needs in Florida cannot be met solely through Cooperative Program funding sources. The Maguire State Mission Offering complements Florida Baptists’ commitment to Jesus’ Great Commission.

The offering is designed to further the Florida Baptist Convention’s commitment to evangelism, church starting and church development by underwriting 22 mission and ministry projects designed to provide the hope and grace of Jesus Christ.

The Maguire State Mission Offering has a missionary purpose—helping new congregations through no-interest church site loans; supporting pastors in partnership states and countries; and spreading the Gospel through evangelistic ministry. The offering enables a mission enterprise that develops Christian believers through youth and family camps; helps churches in Florida communities; ministers to migrant farm laborers; and helps rebuild lives in the aftermath of disasters.

Florida Baptists—recipients of God’s extravagant grace—are being called to exemplify God’s bountiful blessings by being generous to others, knowing that such giving produces a thanksgiving to God.

These prayer reminders were created to help you know some of specific needs which exist among the community of believers known as Florida Baptists. Each of these areas of work will receive funding from the Maguire State Mission Offering. And while financial assistance is crucial to their work, the prayers of Florida Baptists are even more vital.

“Without this church, many people would be lost and going to hell,” concluded Pastor Jedaias Azevedo. “I cannot imagine Orlando without the Primera Igreja Batista Brasileira de Orlando.” With nearly 35,000 Brazilians living in metropolitan Orlando, the First Brazilian Baptist Church is reaching fellow country men and women with the Gospel of Christ. Most of the church’s 400 members have been reached with the Gospel after they left their homeland and migrated to Florida. Immigrants are particularly open to the Gospel, said Azevedo, because they arrive in Florida knowing few people and are limited by the language barrier in meeting new people. Finding a warm and welcoming Portuguese-speaking congregation like the Brazilian church provides the immigrants—most of whom are young—with an instant “family” and new purpose in life when they accept Christ. The Brazilian church first started meeting in a home and moved to several locations as they grew. For several years Downtown Baptist Church in Orlando gave them a permanent meeting place. But as they continued to grow, the Brazilians felt they needed a place to call their own where they could have a location to train and disciple their newly converted Christian flock. Azevedo found a 40,000 square foot office building and warehouse located on 2.5 acres of land in an industrial park in central Orlando. The facility offered meeting rooms for classes, offices and children’s ministry, as well as a large meeting room that could accommodate 400 persons in worship. Additionally, a large warehouse, if remodeled, could provide meeting space for a thousand persons. Using their own money, home equity loans from the congregation and a $75,000 interest-free Church Site Loan from the Maguire State Mission Offering, the congregation gathered enough money to secure an additional loan from a bank to manage the $1.7 million cost of the building. “God put all the pieces together,” said Azevedo. “Having our own property, we felt like a family who was moving into their new home.” They have added 45 new members since moving into their new building. “Thank you, Florida Baptists, for our church and for making this dream a reality,” said the pastor. Pray for the Primera Igreja Batista Brasileira de Orlando and the other 19 Florida Baptist Brazilian churches as they try to reach the state’s Brazilian population with the hope and grace of Jesus Christ. Pray that the Orlando church can develop new leaders to disciple and train their new converts. Pray that they can continue with their vision of a light unto the nations that come to the Orlando area.

A fresh wind is blowing in Cuba. One can see it in the eyes of the young Baptist pastors assuming leadership positions within the Western Cuba Baptist Convention and catch it in the excitement of an earlier generation who sacrificed their freedom for the faith of those who would come later. “I have never seen revival taking place any more than I witnessed in Cuba,” said John Sullivan, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention. He recalled his February visit to the island nation where he preached at the annual meeting and served as a source of encouragement. Seventeen newly constituted churches were voted into the convention during the meeting held at Calvary Baptist Church in Havana, all of them served by young pastors, Sullivan reported. Now a total of 181 churches, 240 missions and 1,385 house churches are drawing Cubans to the gospel proclamation. “I think they are right on the verge of the greatest breakthrough they have ever had,” said Sullivan. “The young people are the ones leading the revival.” As the young Cubans demonstrate their passion for revival, they do so with respect to the foundation created by the Baptist generation that went before them, Sullivan said. “These young people saw these early preachers who were persecuted, put in prisons and paid such a price that it impacted the people of the day. It has given a sense of encouragement to the young adults.” Florida Baptists have been in partnership with Baptists in Western Cuba since 1996. This involvement affirmed a commitment made over 112 years earlier when in 1885 the Florida Baptist State Convention sent the first Southern Baptist missionaries to the Caribbean nation. The partnership, which will be funded by a $120,000 allocation in the 2006 Maguire State Mission Offering, focuses on evangelism, church starting and leadership development. Working in a hand-in-hand partnership with Cuban Baptists, Florida Baptists are fanning the flames of revival in that island nation. Pray that these young leaders will continue to have the courage to spread the gospel message of hope and grace. Pray for the daily sustenance of the Cuban Baptists. Pray for the student-pastors in the theological seminary as they are trained to lead a new generation to Christ.

Beginning at 5 p.m. every Tuesday evening, a multicultural crowd gathers on West Central Avenue in downtown Winter Haven—just under the shadow of the First Baptist Church. They are waiting for the weekly opening of The Haley Center, the only faith-based free medical clinic in Polk County. “I don’t know what I would do without this place,” said patient Lisa Lowery, who suffers from gran mal seizures. “I owe everything to the Haley Center. They have been a real blessing. I probably wouldn’t be here today because no one would see me without insurance.” A picture of Jesus hangs in every room of the Haley Center. The clinic was started by First Baptist as part of their strategic plan to minister outside the walls of the church, said Pastor Walter Davis. Since opening in December 2005, the clinic has a patient file of 230 persons. At least 25 percent of the residents in Polk County do not have medical insurance. “The vast number of these are working people but not making enough to qualify for insurance,” said Davis. “They were overwhelming area emergency rooms.” The Haley Center, a collaborative effort by the church, county, local medical community and Ridge Baptist Association, receives funding from Florida Baptists’ gifts to the Maguire State Mission Offering. The clinic is named for three-year-old Haley, the daughter of youth pastor Curt Amlong, who was born with Downs Syndrome and still struggles with numerous medical conditions. Convincing his congregation to take on the responsibility was not difficult, said Davis, “Our church saw God provide space; God provide money; God provide volunteers. They saw God was in it.” Pray for the Haley Clinic and the nine other church-based health care ministries operated by Florida Baptist churches and associations which provide hope and grace in Jesus’ name. Pray for the volunteer doctors, nurses and staff persons who give their time to provide a healing touch in Jesus Christ’s name. Pray for the patients that come to the clinic for treatment that as the volunteers share Christ’s love in word and deed, they too will meet the Great Physician.

While attending Florida Baptists' GA/ Acteens camp at age 15, Anna Morris felt God calling her to a life of ministry and missions. "God said, 'it's not all about you,'" she recalled. "Look at all these people who are hurting and don't know about God." Now as a second grade teacher in Hattiesburg, Miss., the Ocala native returns every summer to the camp where she has served as a counselor for eight years. "There is a huge emphasis here on understanding missions and what God can do with your life if you agree to it," she said. "Because I was here, my call to missions was very nurtured. I was given mentors and people to disciple me." The 22-year-old, who has served on short-term mission projects in eight countries, is now waiting for God to show her the next step in her calling. Meanwhile, she is developing the next generation of Christian believers and inspiring them. For nearly 15 years, the Maguire State Mission Offering has underwritten Florida Baptists' mission camping experiencesóGA/Acteens, Mission Adventure Camps for Boys, Hispanic, Haitian and Korean youth camps, as well as a camp for the deaf and hearing-impaired. Of the 2,500 youth who attended these camps in 2005, 439 made professions of faiths and 852 made spiritual decisions. Without funds from the state offering, many Florida Baptist youth would not be able to go to camp. Pray for Anna Morris and other camp counselors as they develop Christian believers and prepare a new generation of committed Christian Baptists. Pray for the young people who attended Florida Baptist camps this summer that God will call them out for missionary service.

Loneliness and isolation plague international students attending U.S. colleges. Facing language and cultural barriers, they are nonetheless intrigued by the American culture and yearn to learn more about the American way of life. When befriended by American students, internationals will express an interest and eventually become open to responding to the Gospel’s message of hope and grace. This summer, six summer student missionaries supported through the Maguire State Mission Offering served as interns with Friends of Internationals, which is affiliated with Baptist campus ministries. The five students—three at Florida State University, one at the University of Florida and two at University of South Florida—built relationships with international students on campus for the purpose of earning the right to share Christ’s love. Nearly 6,500 international students are enrolled at the three schools—2,000 at USF, 3,000 at UF and 1,500 at FSU. Most of the students are highly educated, working on post-graduate degrees and doctorates, and represent an array of world faiths. USF students Colleen Sullivan, 22, an elementary education student from Fort Lauderdale, and Megan Boatwright, 21, a journalism student from Venice, spent the summer planning and leading activities that appealed to the internationals and their curiosity of the American culture. Their activities included transportation to the airport, churches and stores; lunch and dinner meetings; Bible studies; beach and camping trips; a softball clinic; conversational English classes, picnics, holiday outings and prayerwalking through the campus. “It’s a one-on-one investment, just like Christ did with his disciples,” said Colleen. “Then, by developing a one-on-one relationship, we earn the right to share Christ with them.” Pray for the work of Friends of Internationals which provides unconditional Christian friendship to internationals from a variety of world faiths. Pray for the three Tampa-area churches—Idlewild, First Temple Terrace and Bell Shoals in Brandon—that provide ministries to reach international students with the gospel message of hope and grace. Pray for the Colleen Sullivan, Megan Boatwright and the other four student interns as they continue to reach out to internationals on campus during the school year.

In an instant, lives are changed forever. When the fierce wrath of a hurricane, tornado, fire or other disaster bears down, individuals are left surrounded by rubble—the rubble of the life that was, the life that will never be quite the same again. Stepping into the midst of the rubble and chaos, Florida Baptist disaster relief volunteers make a tangible difference by serving hot meals, cutting damaged trees, repairing roofs, doing whatever can be done to help. Through these practical actions of providing hope and grace, lives are once again changed—for eternity. “Disaster relief is an effective and natural way to show God’s love to a world not used to seeing love. Our goal is to show Christ’s love in a practical way with no strings attached,” said Fritz Wilson, Florida Baptists’ director of Disaster Relief and Recovery Department. Volunteer Larry Alloway, a member of Grand Island Baptist Church, has experienced the truth of Wilson’s words. In March of this year, Alloway led a group of six volunteers from Lake County Baptist Association to help rebuild lives in New Orleans, nearly a year after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. “Witnessing is very natural because people are so receptive,” he said. On that one trip, 59 people made spiritual decisions, including a single mother and her three children who lost all their earthly possessions in the hurricane. Portions of the Maguire State Missions Offering earmarked for disaster relief will be used to repair and replace relief support equipment. The funds also are used to provide food assistance and building materials to assist victims. Pray for the strength and safety of the 2,800 trained Florida Baptist disaster relief volunteers who demonstrate a desire, commitment and ability to minister to physical and spiritual needs through disaster relief. Pray for those who were victims of a natural disaster that they will come to know the hope and grace of Jesus Christ in the midst of life’s storms. Pray for Fritz Wilson and other convention staff who provide immediate response when disaster strikes.

This month, 50 pastors from across the Caribbean island of Haiti will have forged a new trail in ministry preparation when they graduate from a certificate program designed to enhance their pastoral ministry skills. The first-time classes are part of a collaborative effort by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and the Florida Baptist Convention to provide theological training to pastors in the impoverished third-world country. The students studied theology, Christian education, Baptist doctrine, preaching, evangelism, Old and New Testament and elements of leadership—courses designed to make them more effective in reaching, discipling and ministering to their flocks. Classes were taught in Port-au-Prince by a combination of New Orleans Seminary professors; Florida Baptist Convention staff; and Florida pastors; including Tommy Green, pastor of First Baptist Church of Brandon; and Larry Bazer, pastor of First Baptist Church of Melbourne. “Anytime you can train a pastor and make him feel like he is a better pastor, he becomes a better pastor,” said Craig Culbreth, director of the Convention’s Partnership Missions Department. “The health of a church will rise and fall on leadership. So the best way to create healthy churches is to create healthy pastors.” Florida Baptists have partnered with Baptists in Haiti for more than a decade to provide the hope and grace of Jesus Christ. The work initially started by Haitian pastors in Florida has flourished growing to 601 churches with 36,300 members. In 2005, the congregations baptized 3,237 new believers in Christ. The mission work in Haiti is supported by gifts to the Maguire State Mission Offering, which underwrites church starting and evangelism efforts and theological training. Pray for the 50 pastors who made a commitment to improve their ministry skills to more effectively reach their community for Christ. Pray for daily sustenance of pastors and congregations. “Haiti is a difficult place to even exist,” said Culbreth, “much less to be a Christian.” With an annual average income of $300 and 70 percent unemployment, raising a family and holding down a job is a challenge for all. Pray that Haiti pastors will see their communities impacted by the hope and grace of Jesus Christ.

Today, pray for the 2,744 churches and 49 associations in the Florida Baptist State Convention. Pray Florida Baptists will continue to share God’s extravagant grace with their neighbors, co-workers and others along life’s journey. Pray that God will strengthen and grow Kingdom-building ministries that delivers the Gospel message of Jesus Christ through evangelism, starting new churches, and strengthening existing churches. Pray for Florida Baptists’ 615 language churches that worship in 21 languages and represent more than a hundred nationalities. Pray that God would use these congregations to reach the world’s people who have come to the shores of this diverse state. Pray for individual Florida Baptists as they contribute to the Maguire State Mission Offering that they will understand that generosity is an extension of the Christian believer’s new found nature. Pray that they will realize that from the blessing of God’s extravagant grace comes a willingness to give sacrificially to meet needs with eternal consequences.

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