Taking the "Son" to the Sunshine State
Besides thoughts of citrus fruit and balmy climates when you think of Florida, you possibly imagine tourist attractions, retirement communities, and immigrants. While the state of Florida recently received notoriety in the last national election and the recent space shuttle disaster, the heavenly focus is upon two families who are seeking to establish churches to reach the lost for Christ. This report shares with you what the Lord is doing through them as each has the same goal of establishing a new, fundamental, independent Baptist church in very diverse areas of Florida.
Orville Blake comes from Nevis Island and Turks Caicos Islands, West Indies, where he served as a missionary, an assistant principal, and assistant pastor. His family moved to Plantation, Fl, near Fort Lauderdale, to start a church that would work primarily with Caribbean immigrants. However, the Lord directed him to assume the pastorate of a small, struggling church that was started about eight years ago by a former missionary to Jamaica, who has since died. As Brother Blake puts it, the Lord has given him a "jump start" with this group of people who wants to see the church go forward.
Donald Jones served in the US Navy where he came to know Christ as his Savior. After he retired at the non- commissioned rank of Petty Officer, he enrolled in Bible college. For ten years, he was a missionary to the US Marine servicemen at Jacksonville, NC, and for four of those years he also pastored. He and Pauline came with BHM for church planting and are beginning to see a nucleus for Lehigh Acres Baptist Church.
Though both ministries are in southern Florida, that is about the limit of any similarity between them. Fort Lauderdale is a crowded and fast-paced city. The area continues to see a vast influx of immigrants from the Caribbean and Hispanic populations. For all practical purposes, it is an inner-city ministry with pockets of Haitians, Jamaicans, and even Jews, as well as other nationalities in various neighborhoods. When you travel directly west of Fort Lauderdale, you come to Lehigh Acres, near Fort Myers and the Gulf of Mexico. It is a fast-growing area that retains its small-town atmosphere and is a place where "snowbirds" make their annual migration. However, things are changing as young families are moving into the area and the population is expected to grow nearly 50% over the next three years, with a new subdivision of 5,000 homes in the making.
Lehigh Acres Baptist meets in a rented real estate office, which is on the main thoroughfare. Here, the church is restricted to just Sunday services. At present, the congregation is too small to consider a building fund, but Brother Jones hopes in the future to get a more suitable place for expanded meetings. For Sundays and Wednesdays, Open Door Baptist in Fort Lauderdale is presently in a rented-chapel facility that is on a very busy four-lane road, across the street from a local school. While it is a great place to meet as a young church, it is not advantageous for growth. Brother Blake is leading the church to raise money for its own property. Of course, the availability for good locations for either church is limited and considerably expensive.
The greatest need for both ministries includes the work of visitation in their communities. Don and Pauline essentially do all the work of canvassing the area for their starting church. With their Sunday services and home Bible studies on Thursday nights, their people are beginning to invite others to join in with them. When Cathy and I were there for the better part of a week, we helped with their door-to-door visitation and saw some encouraging prospects. Since Brother Blake has an established church group, he is able to lead them in visitation efforts. The people are helping with the phone calling and visits in the neighborhood. A man is coming to help teach the children, they are beginning Sunday School, and they plan to have men and ladies' classes.
Here is where you can help both ministries. Besides your specific prayers for them, consider going with your church group to help with mass visitation. The choice is yours: you can reach many foreign nationals at Fort Lauderdale, or you can also reach many Americans in both places. If you and your church are interested in such a mission endeavor, please contact BHM for assistance and information. Furthermore, are you one of those who are or will be a "snowbird" to Florida? Since you would undoubtedly want a church that you could support and one where you could be wholeheartedly involved, please consider Leigh Acres Baptist Church.
There are financial difficulties for both families. Orville and Seraphine Blake have three young boys, ages, 12, 11, and 3, whom they homeschool; and both work part-time jobs to cover the expenses not met through mission support. This greatly limits the time that can be spent visiting and building up their church. By contrast, Don and Pauline Jones are in the grandparent stage and lack needed funds to supplement their mission support and help their church in its beginning stages.
In conclusion, "And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all" (1 Corinthians 12:5-6). Differences and diversities surely summarize the two BHM church-planting ministries in southern Florida. However, both are equally the work of the same God, which is bringing the Lord Jesus Christ to those in darkness. Spiritually speaking, Florida is a very dark place except for those like the Jones and Blakes who are taking them the Light of the world. Please remember to pray and support them as the Lord enables.