The Open Door

I recently had the privilege of represent-ing Georgia Baptists at the 150th Anniversary of the Florida Baptist Convention. The Convention was organized on November 20, 1854 in the Clifton Mansion home of Richard Johnson Mays in Madison County, Florida. It was very interesting, as I prepared my remarks, to see the close relationship between Georgia Baptists and Florida Baptists across the years. The following excerpts from my message will illustrate those close ties.

In the early years of Baptist work in our part of the country, state boundaries were not as significant as they are today. The Florida Baptist Association that was organized in 1843 at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Jefferson County, for some years was a member association of the Georgia Baptist Convention.

As Jerry Windsor, Secretary-Treasurer of the Florida Baptist Historical Society and professor at the Baptist College of Florida has said, "The idea of the Florida Baptist Convention was born in Georgia. On November 22, 1853, the Florida Baptist Association of churches met at Olive Church in Thomas County, Georgia. In that meeting a resolution was passed unanimously that stated it was 'proper, expedient and practicable to form an association to be styled The Florida Baptist State Convention.'"

In the third year of your organization as a state convention, you met in Thomasville, Georgia for your annual meeting. We are flattered by that piece of history and feel good about the environment of harmony and goodwill that causes state lines to disappear.

Silas Mercer and his wife had five sons and two daughters. One of those sons, Jesse, of West Florida Baptist Association fame, holds a position of great significance in the history of the Georgia Baptist Convention having founded Mercer University and having served as an early publisher and editor of The Christian Index that is the oldest continuously published religious newspaper in the nation.

One of our finest youth events, "Super Wow," is hosted annually at the civic center in Fort Walton Beach. One of the largest percentages of attendance at the Jerry Vines Evangelism event at First Jacksonville every year is from the churches of the Georgia Baptist Convention. We truly are family in every way and we love the relationship.

Recently, when you were introduced to Charley, Fran, Ivan and Jeanne, four very devastating hurricanes within a short period of weeks, Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief teams were quickly on site to offer assistance. We know you would do the same for us.

In the Florida Baptist Witness, Vanessa Rodriguez reported: "Tucked in the arms of a Georgia Baptist volunteer, 13 month-old Andrew sleeps away a cold, unconcerned and unaware that his home was demolished by Hurricane Ivan's heavy-handed blow through Pensacola on September 16."

Barbara Curnutt, Executive Director of Georgia Women's Missionary Union traveled to Pensacola with six other WMU volunteers from Georgia to offer whatever help they could in the aftermath of the hurricane. Their focus of ministry was upon the children. Barbara Curnutt said, "The number one issue for parents is meeting the needs of their child, and if a parent feels their child could be placed in a safe, loving environment it could free them to deal with traumatic issues and help them take care of their homes and even their future."

Another article in the Florida Baptist Witness, by Managing Editor Joni Hannigan bears the headline: "'Brunswick Stew,' Georgia Baptists bring relief to Gulf Breeze residents." The article reports "A few miles away, at Gulf Breeze Elementary School, principal Karen Murray said the Georgia Baptist Disaster relief operation had been in place since September 21 - serving well over 1,000 meals a day and sending out chainsaw and clean-up crews to help clear away debris.

"'They're angels,' said Murray of the volunteers, 'They're angels in the food they prepare and the way they minister to the people when they just talk to them. They have the sweetest attitudes I've ever seen of people.'"

Our history as Florida Baptists and Georgia Baptists is interwoven like a beautiful tapestry of ministry and mission. Because of you, Georgia Baptists are better and we pray that our involvement with the Florida Baptist Convention has been a blessing to you and will continue to be in the future.