Family Life Center ribbon-cutting ceremony
WINTER HAVEN, Fla.—April 3 dawned sunny and clear after a week of storms that brought cooler temperatures. It was a perfect day for Faith Baptist Church to dedicate its family life center.
That morning the church held its annual April Faith Day Praise Service of remembrance and worship. It included baptisms, speeches, music, and a sacrificial offering. Dorothy Malcolm, a charter member, spoke on what God has done. John and Becky Corbett spoke on what God is doing. John says, “What we see today that FBC is a place where Christian leaders are cultivated from a very young age.” He also says, “The greatest successes we’ve enjoyed as a church have been when we’re focused beyond the walls of this building.”
Pastor Nathan O. Osborn III spoke on what God may do, outlining his vision for the ministry Faith Baptist can have in Winter Haven: a Christian school, a seminary, growth of its community outreach called Faith Extreme, a high-rise for seniors, growth of the Faith’s 100 missions program, and a Christian resource center/bookstore/coffeehouse.
Following the worship service, the congregation went outdoors to watch the Osbornes’ son, Nathan IV, parachute into a roped-off area and present a key to the chairman of the deacon board. Other members of the church were his jump crew.
Afterward, 30 widows—all dressed in pink—cut the ribbon. Georgia Stickney says, “Each one of them was honored to have this opportunity to praise the Lord for what He has done.” Georgia says there were two special highlights for her: to hear and see the widows’ excitement as they participated, and that Johnie Osborne and Doris Tassell were able to watch their grandson parachute onto the grounds. “This allowed them the opportunity to see his accurate and awesome precision in landing right on target. What a memory for them and all of us as a church family,” says Georgia.
The Voices of Faith, a choir of teens and young adults, sang “My God Is a Mountain Mover” at the beginning of the dedication service. Pastor Osborne, members of the deacon board, and members of the building committee glorified God and shared their appreciation for the men and women who worked on the project.
James Barfield, chairman of the deacons, says, “Our church and our pastor have long held the view that if the Lord would have us to build, He would provide the resources.” James continues, “In the midst of this terrible economy—and Polk County has been exceptionally hard hit because of the heavy concentration of construction-oriented jobs—in the midst of that the Lord provided a brand new building, 100 percent paid for, that we’re able to open as a testimony not only of how great God is but also of the vision our pastor had. Now we are able to bring a hurting community into this building and minister to them.”
- Read the Baptist Bulletin‘s full interview with James Barfield
Pastor Osborne says, “We want to go beyond this place and take the gospel to the entire community—all to the glory of God.”
- Read about a portion of Faith Baptist’s community outreach endeavors at newschief.com
