Greetings from

Florida and the Caribbean Islands

December 6, 2023

Here's a quick look midweek to strengthen your faith and connect with your CBF family.

La Poza del Obispo, Puerto Rico

prayer from Daily Feast, Meditations from Feasting on the Word

A dinner in Puerto Rico

and so much more...

Last Friday, Ruben Ortiz and Xiomara Reboyras hosted a Q&A Dinner with Iglesias Bautistas of Puerto Rico.

Iglesia Bautista Ebenezer in Gurabo Puerto Rico hosted this event where CBF Latino Network/FAMILIA and the CBF Thriving in Ministry Cohort for Pastoras in PR gathered with pastors from 23 congregations to continue conversations and collaboration with CBF.

Since the 2021 CBF and Baptist Church of Puerto Rico missional covenant was signed, alliances and ministry opportunities have been emerging.

Most recently, in 2024 pastor Xiomara Reboyras from Comunidad Cristiana Nuevo Pacto in DeLand, FL will lead a 2nd Cohort for Pastoras in Puerto Rico.

These are not simply opportunities but also responsibilities for CBF FL/CI as a region to respond intentionally to what God is inviting us to do in in the Caribbean, specifically Puerto Rico.

Worshipping with

Waters Avenue Church

Waters Avenue Church, led by Pastor Chris Kravitz, welcomed me with amazing hospitality this past Sunday. They are doing church VERY creatively. While they own the building, during the week it is rented out to local nonprofits, including Kinship. Kinship hosts FREE popup food markets Monday through Saturday throughout Tampa. In addition, as I was leaving the worship service, another church was waiting in the lobby to begin worship in the same sanctuary. Members shared, at one time, three different groups were using the same space for worship! #usingchurchspacewisely #helpstopaythebills #letslearnfromthem

Paul Baxley featured on

"Leading and Thriving in the Church" podcast

Alban Duke Divinity school hosted CBF Executive Coordinator Paul Baxley on their new podcast, "Leading and Thriving in the Church." Rev. Prince Rivers, editor of Alban Weekly and pastor in Raleigh, North Carolina sat down with Baxley to discuss what it means to lead faithfully, effectively and sustainably in today’s church.

Find Podcast Here

Following the Star Advent devotion

Following the Star, the devotional series for Advent and Christmas is available at d365.org. This series features scripture, prayer and meditative thoughts accompanied by gentle music. This year’s writers are active members of our three sponsoring denominations.

Following the Star is part of the year-round devotional website and app, d365, a ministry of Passport, Inc. d365 is sponsored ecumenically by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the Presbyterian Mission Agency and the Episcopal Church.

CBF's writers are Kelly Rhodes Adams, Director of Clergy Support Ecosystem at CBF, and Chris Aho, Director of Thriving Congregations at CBF.

Find the Advent devotional series here.

Looking for an ADVENT resource

for your families with young children?

Link

Here's the link for more information. Cost is ONLY $40 per church.

To review a sample devotion, contact Lauren Mills.

Rev. Lauren Mills

Minister to Children

First Baptist Church Marietta

LMills@mariettafbc.org

linktr.ee/fbcmkidsquest

Office: (678) 741-8857

Cell: (770) 598-9043

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

CBF of South Carolina and Florida / Caribbean Islands, together, are offering this inter-generational mission engagement opportunity to families, singles, young, old and everyone in between. Spend this 2024 holiday weekend making a difference and making new friends. "Credit" is available to FL students seeking community service hours.

$100 per person (covers lodging and food) to engage in this joint mission endeavor.

What should I expect? Our SC/FL teams will be working on projects ranging from painting and light household repairs to building wheelchair ramps. There will be projects for everyone and all skill levels. All meals on Saturday and Sunday are covered in your registration fee. There are two lodging options - motel rooms (at an extra cost) and cabins with bunk beds. You can indicate your preference when you register.

Creating Beloved Community in Cuba

Far left: Yarelis Forte. Far right: Asdrubal Forte.

In 2024, it is time

to attend to your soul...

Five Day Academy for Spiritual Formation

SOUL CARE

Cultivating an Awareness of Divine Presence

MARCH 3-8, 2024

Fruitland Park, FL

Read More Here

Scholarship assistance is available to members of

CBF churches in Florida and the Caribbean Islands

CBF's December Book Club

Between the Listening and the Telling: How Stories Can Save Us

Stories tether us to what matters most: our families, our friends, our hearts, our planet, the wondrous mystery of life itself. Yet the stories we've been telling ourselves as a civilization are killing us: Fear is wisdom. Vanity is virtuous. Violence is peace. In the pages of Between the Listening and the Telling, storyteller, author and activist Mark Yaconelli leads readers into an enchanting meditation on the power of storytelling in our individual and collective lives. We tell stories to remember who we are. We tell stories to savor the pleasure of living. Stories can be medicine, and they can transform entire communities.

Book Club Study Guide Here

This year’s theme, “Equipping With Every Good Thing,” is based on Hebrews 13:20-21: "Now may the God of peace … equip you with every good thing to do his will, by developing in us what pleases him through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory forever and always.” The Offering for Global Missions equips the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship with the gifts and passions of 46 Field Personnel in 17 different countries and the United States, spreading the hope of Jesus Christ. When you give to the Offering for Global Missions, you also participate in this mission of Jesus Christ around the world.

This year we have a goal of $4 million. Every gift helps us reach this goal to support the presence of Field Personnel.

Make a gift to the offering here

Get your copy of the

OGM Prayer Guide below

"Writers were invited to share about someone who has made a significant impact on their lives, a spiritual guide so to speak - one who has shaped their faith, their theology or their prayer life." Thanks Meg Lacy Vega for compiling these beautiful Spiritual Guides.

Order Copies of 2023-24 Prayers of the People HERE.