Floridians Provide Disaster Relief in Oklahoma By Robert Searl
When Bob Searl, pastor of the North Stuart Baptist Church, arrived for the May 21 st deacons meeting, one of the deacons met him at the door and said, “I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you’d be on your way to Oklahoma by now.” The tornadoes that tore through central Oklahoma May 19-20 struck close to the hearts of the folks at North Stuart Baptist Church. Bob Searl, pastor of North Stuart, and his wife Debbie moved to Florida from Oklahoma after serving the University Baptist Church in Shawnee for almost fifteen years. Debbie is an Oklahoma native, having grown up within a few miles of where the tornadoes struck. North Stuart’s missions committee sprang into action. By the following Sunday, the committee began formulating a plan to send a group to Oklahoma to help with the recovery. Church members were asked to contribute donations to help underwrite the trip. On July 22, twelve volunteers from North Stuart boarded a plane bound for Oklahoma City. The North Stuart team’s efforts in Oklahoma were coordinated through the CBF Oklahoma (CBFO) office. Partnering with the national CBF office and CBF of Georgia, CBFO was able to hire additional staff to help with disaster relief. The Florida team was sent to Emmanuel Baptist Church, a rural congregation near Shawnee that served as a tornado relief center. The team removed brush and debris, and with the help of a youth group from North Dakota, razed an old shed that had sustained heavy damage. Heavy rains drove the North Stuart team indoors on their final workday, but they discovered that the Goodwill Distribution Center in Oklahoma City needed volunteers to prepare for a free distribution of clothing to tornado victims the next day. Connecting with the families they served was the best part of the trip for the North Stuart folks. One family was deeply saddened to lose several 100 year-old trees from their yard during the May 19th outbreak. Although there were no trees available at the time to replant in their yard, the North Stuart church is partnering with University Baptist in Shawnee to replace the trees this fall when the stock of new trees is replenished.
Time to think about Martha! Each year Baptist Women in Ministry encourages Baptist churches to invite a woman to preach on any Sunday in February. The month-long emphasis is named in honor of Martha Stearns Marshall, an 18th-century Separate Baptist preacher. Last year, 201 churches celebrated God's gifting of women! Meredith Stone at College Park in Orlando Here's how your church can participate:
1) SAVE THE DATE!! Reserve any Sunday in February. 2) Invite a woman to preach. Ask a member of your church; contact a nearby seminary and inquire about a student or professor, or ask someone in your community. If you need help locating a preacher in your area, contact the CBF Florida office or the office of Baptist Women in Ministry. 3) Download the certificate from the BWIM website; print it out and present it to the preacher on your church's Martha Stearns Marshall Day of Preaching. To learn more about the Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching, visit Baptist Women in Ministry’s website, www.bwim.info, or scan the tag on the right. Make plans now to participate each February in the Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching. Florida Fellowship News
www.floridacbf.org
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