In the Witness this week

FBC photo

John Sullivan, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention (center), greets churchgoers with a local missionary at McCall Baptist in Cuba. Florida Baptists have been in partnership with Baptists in Western Cuba since 1996.

Gifts to Maguire offering surpass $1 million Published January 25, 2007: JACKSONVILLE (FBC)-For the fifth time in the past six years, gifts to the 2006 Maguire State Mission Offering surpassed the $1 million mark as Florida Baptists gave $1,066,103.66 to support mission and ministry causes in the state, the second highest amount in the offering's history.
Senate passes lobbying bill without provision targeting churches Published January 25, 2007: WASHINGTON (BP)-By a vote of 55-43, the Senate approved an amendment Jan. 18 that struck the controversial section of an ethics reform bill that would have threatened churches and pro-family groups with fines if they failed to register their actions with the government when informing people on moral issues.
Page urges students at BCF to be useful in God's Kingdom Published January 25, 2007: GRACEVILLE (FBW)-The "crime of crimes" for any Christian is to be found "useless" in the Kingdom God, Southern Baptist Convention president Frank Page told students at The Baptist College of Florida in a Jan. 16 chapel message. Instead, Page urged the students to make the most of God's blessings.

Opinion

Editorial

Legalized abortion in America at 34 JAMES A. SMITH SR. Executive Editor: This week Americans on both sides of the abortion debate are marking the 34th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that mandated abortion on demand in our land and plunged the nation into a seemingly never-ending political struggle over the nature of human life and the role of government in protecting human life. As pro-lifers consider the state of abortion in America in 2007, we would do well to be reminded of historical examples of other social efforts that may show us the way to success in our day.

Point of View

Alcohol abstinence in the FBSC, part 3 of 3: Abstinence from alcohol represents a changed life JOHN SULLIVAN Executive Director-Treasurer, FBC: This will be my final article on the subject of alcoholic beverages. All of us are influenced by our past experiences and my case is no exception.
Is 'bashing' sub-Christian? Not necessarily MARK COPPENGER Baptist Press: Recently, my Apologetics in Contemporary Ministry class was turning through the premier issue of Salvo, published by the folks at Touchstone. Salvo is a hard-hitting publication, one designed to discomfit sub-Christian and anti-Christian ideologies arrayed against "the faith once for all delivered to the saints."
'Children of Men': Opportunity lost CHARLES COLSON Breakpoint: Twelve years ago, I spoke about a novel by P. D. James titled The Children of Men. I said then, "P. D. James ... seems to be warning us that we might just destroy ourselves from within-if we continue to embrace a culture of death." It was a great book.

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor Published January 25, 2007: Letters to the Editor may not reflect the views or opinions of the Witness. Letters may be mailed, faxed or submitted using our online form. Only letters marked clearly for publication, signed with address will be considered for use. Letters are subject to editing. Please limit letters to 250 words.

Florida

Florida News

Gifts to Maguire offering surpass $1 million: JACKSONVILLE (FBC)-For the fifth time in the past six years, gifts to the 2006 Maguire State Mission Offering surpassed the $1 million mark as Florida Baptists gave $1,066,103.66 to support mission and ministry causes in the state, the second highest amount in the offering's history.
Page urges students at BCF to be useful in God's Kingdom: GRACEVILLE (FBW)-The "crime of crimes" for any Christian is to be found "useless" in the Kingdom God, Southern Baptist Convention president Frank Page told students at The Baptist College of Florida in a Jan. 16 chapel message. Instead, Page urged the students to make the most of God's blessings.
Top 25 churches in Maguire State Mission Offering Giving
BCF's JAX campus enables woman to achieve dream: JACKSONVILLE (FBC)-For six years, Nadine Ansley juggled the care of her aging father, a demanding job at the Florida Baptist Convention and a goal to graduate from The Baptist College of Florida.
Florida DR workers activated after Midwest's severe ice storms Teams travel to Oklahoma and Missouri to aid damaged regions: JACKSONVILLE (FBC)-Florida Baptist Disaster Relief teams have been mobilized to help Oklahoma and Missouri Baptists recover after severe ice storms crippled many parts of the Midwest during the week of Jan. 15.
Ocala DR volunteer urges service 'no matter what age': OCALA (BP)-Judy Price told her husband she wasn't going to travel to Louisiana if her disaster relief unit was called out in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It was too dangerous there, she said. But before she knew it, she was in Lake Charles, La., sleeping in a tent and bathing with a water hose.
Dampier to retire from Beulah association, will remain in Lake City: LAKE CITY (FBW)-Hugh Dampier will retire Jan. 31 after 11 years as director of missions of the Beulah Baptist Association, but he plans to remain in the community where he was born and raised.

Florida News Briefs

PBA names trustee chairman
2007 Ministry Assistant Regional Conference Feb. 16 at BCF
Mom and Me Getaway 2007 set

Florida Focus

Florida Focus

A one-time announcement of special events is a free service provided by the Witness to Florida Baptist churches. Please send materials at least three weeks before the date of the event, to Florida Baptist Witness, 1230 Hendricks Ave., Jacksonville, FL 32207, fax 904-346-0696 or submitted using our online form. Items received after deadline may appear in our exclusive on-line version.

Florida Focus

National

National News

Senate passes lobbying bill without provision targeting churches: WASHINGTON (BP)-By a vote of 55-43, the Senate approved an amendment Jan. 18 that struck the controversial section of an ethics reform bill that would have threatened churches and pro-family groups with fines if they failed to register their actions with the government when informing people on moral issues.
Coaches known for Christian testimony head to Super Bowl: MIAMI (BP)-Super Bowl XLI will feature two teams making their first super game appearance in two-plus decades, two Midwestern teams separated by only a couple hundred miles, but most importantly two coaches who are strong believers in Jesus Christ.
Seniors indispensable to volunteer missions: NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)-An invaluable amount of manpower, experience, insight and maturity would be absent from volunteer missions in the United States and around the world if senior adults were removed from the equation, two mission board officials say.
Interfaith group hopes Dems embrace new 'faith agenda': WASHINGTON (BP)?A group of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh leaders has promised to hold the 110th Congress to a new "faith agenda" that shifts emphasis away from opposing abortion and "same-sex marriage"?issues close to the heart of conservative Christian "values voters"?to issues traditionally associated with more liberal, mainline denominations and interfaith groups.
Acceptance, redemption offered at cowboy church: PECOS, N.M. (BP)-Larry Parks backs a trailer up to the double doors of a tiny white cinderblock building that sometimes serves as a sheriff's outpost. He begins unloading everything Pecos Valley Cowboy Church needs to set up for the morning's service. One item placed on the counter near the entrance collects tithes and prayer requests. It is a memorial and a reminder.
There's a Brand New Church with passion in rural America: BERGMAN, Ark. (BP)-Driving on Scenic Highway 7 through the small town of Bergman, Ark., on a Sunday morning, you can't miss it. Oversized "BNC" banners displayed on the sides of trailers advertise that something different is happening at Bergman High School.

Features

Media Montage

Dekker's novel 'THR3E' in theaters: NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)-Christian novelist Ted Dekker doesn't sugar coat evil in his books. The new movie "THR3E," based on his 2004 award-winning novel, doesn't either.
New commentary offers woman-to-woman exposition of Bible: NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)-Feminists and egalitarian proponents often interpret Scripture through a gender lens, but editors of a new commentary offer a conservative woman-to-woman approach to Scripture interpretation. The Women's Evangelical Commentary New Testament from LifeWay Christian Resources' B&H Publishing Group offers verse-by-verse exposition of the Bible for women, by women.

Bible Study

Family Bible Study

January 28: What hope for society? Genesis 11:1-9; Proverbs 28:2-5; 29:2-4: Wiley Richards is a retired professor of theology and philosophy at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.
February 4: The word from God John 1:1-9, 14-17: Wiley Richards is a retired professor of theology and philosophy at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.

Explore the Bible

January 28: passions leading to godliness Nehemiah 13:1, 4-5, 8-12, 15-18: Mark Rathel is professor of theology at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.
February 4: A tale of two falls and a tale of two feasts Esther 1-2: Mark Rathel is professor of theology at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.