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Barbara Denman
Florida Baptist Convention
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| At Cornerstone Baptist Church, the new worship center is made possible in part because of a loan funded by the Maguire State Mission Offering. FBC photo |
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FORT WHITE (FBC)—Four and a half miles south of Fort White on Highway 47, just a quarter of a mile from where the road crosses the Santa Fe River, lays a piece of wooded property at the junction of Highway 138.
According to some old-timers in this rural setting, this corner lot once was the site of annual gospel sings and revival meetings for those living along the Santa Fe River.
Even now, if you listen closely, you may hear the sounds of Gospel hymns and spoken prayers whispering through the trees—”holy ground, holy ground.”
Today that piece of land is proving itself again as holy ground for the 60 members of Cornerstone Baptist Church as God provides miracle after miracle in the building of their house of worship.
“God is sufficient and alive at work,” said Pastor Marc Pargo as he testifies to His graces.
At first, the congregation struggled to buy land. Doors opened and doors closed. When the congregation began looking at this site, the owner of the property was not interested in selling it. But he eventually agreed to sell it to the church at a time of personal crisis. “He told me if I had called him any other day, he would not have sold it to us,” said Pargo. “The Lord tendered his heart” through the situation.
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| Children study the Bible at Cornerstone Baptist Church, which met in a pole barn for a while. FBC photo |
As construction began on the church, the leadership group soon realized that each of the six men in the core group were experienced construction craftsmen, said the pastor, a brick mason by trade.
Such is affirmation of God’s wisdom, said church member Renee Myers. “The way God has put this church together, from different backgrounds, experience and know how, you know His hand is in this.”
While they had skilled workers to take the lead, they lacked workers to do the job. After a time of prayer, construction volunteers came from across Georgia and Florida, including a team from the Florida Keys, to lend a helping hand to a sister congregation.
Local tradesmen learned of the church’s construction and offered their services at rates below market value. And on several occasions when funds were low, neighbors stopped by and handed checks and cash to the pastor.
“Even the lost people in this community are excited about this church,” said Pargo.
The church also received a $75,000 interest free loan from Florida Baptists’ gifts to the Maguire State Mission Offering. “Without the interest-free loan, we could not have bought this property,” explained Pargo. “New churches cannot get loans from banks. They have no credibility. The banks loaned us money because of the loan from the state mission offering.”
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Pargo had a second motive for utilizing the state mission offering loan fund. “We would rather borrow money from the Florida Baptist Convention because the money goes back into the work. When you borrow money, you are helping the Kingdom.”
A core group of believers planted the church in October 2004 and met in the local Baptist association office before moving to a community center in Fort White. When they called Pargo as pastor, the congregation began receiving pastoral assistance from the Florida Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program. Pargo also honed his church-planting skills through Convention staff-led seminars.
After losing its lease at the com-
munity center, the congregation began meeting under a pole barn on their newly purchased property site. While construction continued moved into the unfinished building and worshipped within a shell structure of exposed rafters and concrete block without doors or windows.
The church building is expected to be completed by the end of September. While Pargo estimates the congregation will be short about $80,000 to complete the building, he said, he was not concerned. Instead he chooses to live by faith and the proof of God’s miracles.
Even while busily erecting the building, church members are reaching out to the community—knocking on doors, distributing fliers, picking up trash and providing coffee and snacks at the local gas station where the day workers meet each morning.
While it may seem rural, the area is experiencing substantial growth, said Pargo. Newcomers to the Fort White have relocated with a desire to escape the traffic and the faster-paced lifestyles in nearby Lake City and Gainesville.
“Go down any dirt road and you will find houses on either side,” said Pargo. “Statistics show that nearly 78 percent are unchurched. The field is white for the harvest. There will be no problem in filling up this church.”
To Florida Baptists who give sacrificially to the state mission offering, Pargo says, “Thank you. The church says thank you. It’s a journey we would have been hard pressed to start out without the support of Florida Baptists. It’s opened up avenues and up our minds to dream.
“We are excited because God has called us out to do the work to have a place to worship and bring lost people to church.”