Jesus said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.” John 21:6 NIV

As we learn to fish on the right side of the boat, here are few examples of how we can cast our nets of influence to build strategic relationships with persons who are not yet “connected” to family of faith:

10. Invite a friend to the “Safe at Home” Rally at Pelicans Park.

9. Take some friends to Thursday Evenings in Seville.

8. Enroll a friend for a July Discipleship Option

7. Commit a random act of kindness.

6. Give the gift of a Christian book.

5. Host a block party in your neighborhood.

4. Arrange a recreational outing, such as a fishing trip, tennis outing, or a golf outing with an unconnected friend.

3. Interview a non-Christian.
a. What is the biggest spiritual need in your life?
b. On a scale of 1-10, how well is your life measuring up to God’s plan or intention?
c. What would it take to get you to make following Jesus your number one priority?

2. Invite a friend to Wednesday Night Dinner and Midweek service.

1. Bring a friend to worship or Bible study.

The Summer of 2007 is filled with opportunities for worship, Bible study, missions, and recreation. Our First Baptist Family celebrates your faithful participation during the summer months.

Here are a few notes and highlights related to recent and upcoming events:

1. We applaud the 405 champions who participated in Game Day Central last week.
2. Thank you Chapel Choir for sharing the awesome music from the “North to Niagara Tour” last Sunday evening.
3. This week we welcomed home the mission teams who have been serving in The Sudan, Russia, and Kenya.
4. Pray for our student mission team who will be departing Saturday to serve in Costa Rica.
5. Pray for those who are serving on extended international mission assignments: Andrea Burks serving in Indonesia, Andy Stubblefield serving in North Africa, and Samir Ibrahim serving in North Africa.
6. Pray for others departing on mission trips this week: Christina Hook serving in Uganda, Carol Rankin serving in Romania, and Fran Crumpton serving in Russia.
7. Our Summer Blood Drive is scheduled for this Sunday, June 24. The Northwest Florida Blood Mobile will be on our campus beginning at 7:30.
8. Remember the “Safe At Home” Rally this Sunday afternoon. The game begins at 5 o’clock followed by a Christian concert and a message by evangelist Scott Dawson.
9. On Sunday nights in July we are offering multiple Discipleship Options. Register now to be a part of one of these discipleship groups.
10. Mark your calendar for our Baptism at the Beach scheduled for four o’clock Sunday July 29 at 501 Panferio Drive.

Our message this Sunday, “More Than Three Little Pigs,” comes from the gospel story about Gaderene who was delivered from his demons. Invite a friend and join us as we consider faith-based ways to confront the legion of adversaries in life.

Willie Nelson’s hit song, “On the Road Again,” will become reality for many members of our First Baptist Family this summer. Some will be on the road for tours, camps, conferences, and mission trips. This summer our groups will travel to places like New England, Kentucky, North Dakota, Costa Rica, Russia, Kenya, the Sudan, Asia, and Northeast Africa.

While we are planning for a great summer of services and activities at First Baptist, I hope that everyone gets a refreshing break at some point during the summer. When you are traveling, whether visiting friends or going on a family vacation, seize the opportunity to participate in services of worship wherever you travel.

There are many different options for participating in worship while on the road. Your travel schedule, your destination, and your own spiritual interest may determine which option you choose:
*Attend another church. Most churches in resort or tourist areas welcome visitors to “come as you are” so you don’t have to worry about taking along formal clothing. You may be more comfortable attending another Baptist church, but traveling presents a good opportunity to visit churches from other faith traditions and to learn more about our spiritual relatives who worship a little differently.
*Visit an historic church. Especially when visiting a large city or a foreign country, attending mass at an ancient cathedral or worship services at an historic chapel may prove to be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
*Attend a campground service. You will find that many campgrounds, RV parks, National Parks, and State Parks offer very informal worship services at pavilions or outdoor amphitheatres.
*Try tuning in to a worship service on the radio, television, or internet. Although I am not fond of a lot of religious programming, I have discovered that broadcasts and podcasts of local church services can be “the next best thing to being there.”
*Have your own family worship service. The family may sing together, take turns reading scriptures and sharing prayers and testimonies. This kind of service can take place right in your condo, at your vacation home, or at your camp site.

Participating in worship while on the road can enrich both your trip and strengthen your personal faith. Skipping worship just because you’re on vacation or a business trip can rob you of meeting new friends and meeting God in new places.

On those weekends you are traveling this summer, seize the opportunity to participate in worship wherever you travel. And on all of those other weekends when you are home, we will look forward to great experiences in worship here at First Baptist.

Summer Sunday evenings at First Baptist are filled with concerts, Bible study options, and special events. Here is a schedule of events for the Summer of 2007:

June 3 VBS Kickoff and Go Fish Concert
June 10 Ice Cream Fellowship
June 17 Homecoming Concert by Chapel Choir
June 24 “Safe At Home” Rally at Pelicans Park
July 1 Discipleship Options
July 8 Discipleship Options
July 15 Discipleship Options
July 22 Discipleship Options
July 29 Baptism at the Beach/Discipleship Options
August 5 Celebration Winds Concert
August 12 Merritt Singers Concert
August 19 Anniversary Reception
August 26 Worship Team Concert

As we begin the summer of 2007, I want to share some words of encouragement and vision about the months ahead.

In recent months it seems that we have been saying “goodbye” almost every week to treasured friends who have enriched the mission and ministries of First Baptist Church. In recent months, many beloved church members have “graduated to glory.” We have also said “goodbye” to an extraordinarily large number of families due to military transfer and vocational relocation. We have said “goodbye” to veteran Sunday School teachers, mission leaders, children’s choir workers, deacons, and committee members. Some seats of participation and shoes of responsibility that were full just a few months ago, are now vacant.

As we say a heart-felt “goodbye” to those who are leaving us, we have the privilege of saying an enthusiastic “hello” to those who are joining us. Each week we are blessed to have new friends and families who are visiting with us. Many of these new friends have or will choose to make First Baptist their church home. Welcome them to our worship services. Welcome them to your Bible study group. Welcome them to your table of hospitality and friendship.

While it is no secret that the post-hurricane economy has presented many challenges to area families and businesses, your giving has been steady and consistent. Even in a season such as this, gifts toward our ministry action budget are on target and you have given additional gifts of over $950,000 to the ROC. Your faithful stewardship reflects your love for God, your love for the church, and your excitement about the future.

On June 3 we begin our Summer Sunday Morning Series, “Fishing from the Other Side of the Boat.” In addition to our worship opportunities on summer Sunday mornings, we have special events, discipleship opportunities, and concerts scheduled on Sunday evenings throughout the summer. Wednesday evenings are a time of feasting and fellowship, and also a great occasion for introducing new friends and neighbors to community life at First Baptist Church.

There are many exciting opportunities for you to be involved in activities, mission projects, and ministries this summer:
*Be a faithful participant in worship all summer.
*Choose to get involved in the ministries, mission projects, and activities that nurture your emerging spiritual passion.
*Invite a friend, neighbor, or colleague to join you for worship and Bible study.
*Pray for a storm-free summer.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:5 NIV

Sunday is Founder’s Day. During our worship services we will be recognizing those members of our Heritage Club, those who have been members of First Baptist Church for 50 years or more. We are grateful for veteran Christians who have served the Lord faithfully across the generations, setting a good example for us as they let the light of Christ shine in their lives.

In our worship services this Sunday we will focus on treasuring our past and embracing our future. Our heritage and our future are both conceived in Christ, but the two are not identical twins. At First Baptist we can embrace our future by listening to the Spirit’s creative leadership for our day and by looking for God to act with surprising grace in our church, in our community, and within our culture.

In a few days, we will be receiving our new church directories, a collection of your family portraits that form a composite of our church family. This Sunday we will be asking, “Who is in God’s Family Portrait?” as we explore Acts 11:1-18. I think we will discover that God’s family will be more diverse and more inclusive than we have previously known. In fact, life in God’s family is more colorful, more adventuresome, and more meaning-filled than you or I could ever imagine.

Speaking of family, Britt Young, has deep roots in our FBC family. Last Sunday, Britt celebrated his 5th Anniversary as our Minister of Students. Thank you Britt for the many lives you have positively influenced during your tenure here.

Even during the months of ongoing construction, the Lord is growing us as a family of faith. Invite a friend to come explore family life with you at First Baptist this Sunday.

Spring is here and summer is on the way. For many of us, the warmer seasons mean an increase in activities. If we are not careful, we can become physically exhausted and spiritually empty. How can we manage our calendars and set our pace so that our lives do not merely consist of frantic and frenzied busyness? Consider these suggestions for regulating your pace:

*Designate daily quiet times for prayer, meditation, and reflection.
*Determine to say “no” to some good things in order to say “yes” to some better things.
*Decide to be where you are mentally and spiritually, rather than mentally jumping ahead to your next stop or your next appointment.
*Discover the sights, sounds, opportunities, and people you would otherwise bypass if you zipped by in a hurry.

Time is a God-given gift to be invested wisely and never wasted trivially. But one of the wisest investments of time is to re-think and revise how we spend it. In Ken Gire’s book, Windows of the Soul, he offers a “A Prayer for Solitude” that expresses our desire for the right pace and the right perspective:

Help me, O God,

To be a still axis in the wheel of activities that revolves around my life
Deliver me from distractions, which are many,
and lead me to a quiet place of devotion at your feet.
Teach me how to pause at more windows.
I know I won’t see everything,
but help me see something.
So much passes me by
without attention, let alone, appreciation;
without reflection, let alone, reverence;
without thought, let alone, thankfulness.
Slow me down, Lord, so that I may see the windows in roller rinks
and the overarching grandeur of your image
in the Sistine Chapel of the soul…

May the Lord grant us a place to serve and a pace that will keep us serving, learning, and growing for the rest of our lives.

A few weeks ago we welcomed Dr. Minh Lam as the new pastoral leader of our Vietnamese Fellowship. In a short period of time, Dr. and Mrs. Lam have been embraced by our English-speaking members and our Vietnamese-speaking members.

In addition to leading in worship, discipleship, and evangelism with our Vietnamese Fellowship, Dr. Lam also works with our team of ministers in providing pastoral care and participating in hospital visitation.

This Sunday evening at six o’clock in the sanctuary our Vietnamese Fellowship will join with our English speaking congregation for a unique experience of worship. Dr. Lam will be preaching. We will share the Lord’s Supper and celebrate the baptism of some of the newest members of our church family. Bring the whole family as we participate in this global experience of worship.

On Sunday morning, we will continue our series Following in the Footsteps of Jesus as we ask “How Do You Recognize the Voice of God?”

Invite a new friend to join you as we gather for Bible study and worship.

Almost every week we are welcoming a new baby into the world and into our church family. There are little bundles of blessings all over our congregation.

During our worship services last Sunday we shared in yet another time of Parent-Child Dedication. As a church family we affirmed a covenant to partner with the parents of our newborns who are committing to raise their children “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

We also have a growing number of families interested in foster care. If you have an interest in providing a temporary home for children in transition, please contact Don Minton or Jean Ingram to get more information on foster care opportunities.

A few years ago a book was written proposing that It Takes A Village to raise a child. While I agree with the primary thesis, I am convinced that It Takes a Congregation, a healthy and vibrant spiritual community, to raise a child to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

With this growing population of infants and toddlers comes the growing need to for faithful volunteers and workers in the nursery, in Bible study groups, for children’s activities, for summer camp, and for Vacation Bible School. Consider making a commitment to serve in children’s ministries where you can make a difference in the life of the next generation.

Confrontation with the resurrected Christ creates within believers’ hearts a wonder and joy, a feeling that surpasses all emotions! It does not just happen with a fast prayer, but it comes through meditation, studying scripture, prayer and allowing Christ to instruct us.

–Denton Lotz

Dr. and Mrs. Denton Lotz, retiring General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, will be our guests this Sunday morning. Dr. Lotz, a long-time friend of our First Baptist family, will be sharing an update on Baptist work and witness around the globe.

The Baptist World Alliance is one of our many cooperative mission partners. The BWA strategically networks with diverse Baptists around the world in providing training and resources for doing missions and evangelism. The BWA is a fellowship of more than 200 Baptist conventions and unions comprising a membership of more than 36 million baptized believers and a community of more than 110 million Baptists worldwide.

Our First Baptist Family is involved in doing missions locally and globally. As summer approaches, pray for our career missionaries and our volunteer mission teams. Get involved in one of our many local mission opportunities. And consider signing up for one of the upcoming international mission trips.

Other notes:
1)“Experiencing Spiritual Breakthrus” is scheduled for April 20-21.
2) We continue to appreciate your patience and cooperation during the construction phase of the ROC.
3) Remember that we will celebrate Founder’s Day on May 6. Members of the Heritage Club will meet for lunch in Chipley Hall following the mid-morning service.

Invite a neighbor to join you as we gather for worship and Bible study this Sunday.