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

Prayer from Meditations from Feasting on the Word, Year B

What's Up Wednesday

is changing...

Beginning in July, What's Up Wednesday will become CBF FL & Caribbean Coast 2 Coast Connections or Coast 2 Coast for short. Between Florida, Puerto Rico, The Bahamas, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, we have lots of coasts within our region. Send us your favorite coastal photos and we will be sure to share them. Here's what's new:

1. The name
2. Time of Publication - monthly, not weekly
3. More inclusion with our state and regional partners

A meaningful and memorable celebration.

Our 2024 Spring Celebration, hosted by First Baptist St Petersburg was a special time of connecting with one another and a celebration of our mission partners. We heard inspiring stories from Amani Sasa, Together For Hope, Touching Miami With Love and Cultivate Abundance. Filled with inspiration, we enjoyed lunch before gathering for worship with our proclaminer, Rev Xiomara Reyboras. Her sermon, Faith +, the beautiful music led by Francis Angalla and concluding our worship gathering at the table gave us a sense of belonging and purpose. God is using CBF FL and Caribbean in unique and diverse ways.

On a more personal note, we welcomed for the first time a representative from Puerto Rico, Pastor Lilibeth Bosch, to serve on our RA. If you were at the Celebration, I hope you had a chance to meet her. The presence of a representative from Puerto Rico on our Board marks a historic moment, emphasizing our commitment to collaboration across cultures and borders.

More pics coming ...

This summer at General Assembly, we will re:imagine as we live out our faith through our unique Baptist identity. Together, we’ll consider transformation through imagination – our own and that of the Holy Spirit moving through us as a community. With the idea of re:, we’re exploring the idea of “regarding imagination” as well as the transforming quality of re-imagining – revising, reinvigorating,

re-energizing and renewing.

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CBF FL /CI will host a dinner and other opportunities for you to meet your CBF FL/CI family who are present. These events will be shared here as they are planned.

Join us for dinner Wednesday evening. Register for our regional barbecue dinner below.

No flip flops, surfboards and glasses this year, but we DO have another fun dinner planned!

2023 General Assembly, Atlanta, GA

Are you curious about immersing yourself in the life of Amani Sasa and the impact this organization has on people's lives? Wondering how much will the trip cost? What will we do? Where will we stay? Join us on Zoom, Thur, May 30 at 12 Noon EST. Link will be posted next week.

CBF May Book Club

We Aren’t Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry

By Mark Elsdon

Many Christian churches and related institutions in the United States are struggling or, in some cases, facing imminent crisis, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Attendance is down. Funding is harder to come by. People are no longer drawn to traditional church services and programming in the ways that they once were. Often, we feel broke and powerless to do much about it.

This book is an invitation to envision a different way of putting God’s gifts to work in the world. It draws upon a remarkable story of rebirth at a Presbyterian affiliated campus ministry center at the University of Wisconsin, along with profiles of other creative social enterprises, to describe how church property and investment assets can be put to work for innovation, transformation and financial sustainability.

Theologically rooted but practically minded, it provides guidance and tools for church and nonprofit leaders, entrepreneurs and investors of all kinds who are seeking new ways to fund and participate in God’s work in the world.

Learn more about CBF Book Club.

Find the study guide here

Baptist Seminary of Kentucky will become BSK Theological Seminary

Enshrining its commonly used acronym in its formal identity, Baptist Seminary of Kentucky will be known officially as BSK Theological Seminary effective May 15.

BSK trustees approved the change earlier this year, a move that came after two years of discussions involving the board and representatives of the seminary’s students, alumni, faculty, administrators and supporters, BSK President David Cassady said.

Cassady explained the new identity reflects both a “refreshing of our brand” and a “recognition of our heritage.”

“BSK Theological Seminary is a name that allows our identity to thrive and helps posture our school for a growing future,” Cassady said. At the same time, he noted, the name will not sound unfamiliar to those already familiar with the school. “Our identity to this day is grounded in the vision of the progressive and ecumenically minded Baptists who birthed the school and called it Baptist Seminary of Kentucky.”

To learn more about this name change, click here.

Seeking a Bi-Vocational or

Part-Time Pastor

New Covenant Baptist Church of DeLand, Florida, seeks a bi-vocational or part-time pastor to lead a supportive community where all who search are welcome, where all are free to find their own relationship to God, and where it is safe to question what it means to follow Christ. New Covenant Baptist Church seeks to be an open and inclusive community, offering spiritual and educational services and programs in person and online, focusing on love and service to all as we journey together. New Covenant, founded in 2013, is associated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Worship services at New Covenant are traditional and liturgical, with music and the spoken word coordinating to create a cohesive service. Although our attendance at worship averages less than 50, we are actively involved in outreach programs for our community and are hoping to find a pastor who will guide us in this endeavor.

The candidate for this position should hold an advanced degree from an accredited seminary (MDiv preferred). The position will encompass being the spiritual leader for our small congregation of mostly retired professionals. It will involve twenty to thirty hours per week to include preparation and delivery of scholarly, inspiring, and challenging sermons; guidance and leadership to the church; hospital/sick visits; and spiritual care as needed. The pastor should be an honest and trustworthy person who is a visionary and is passionate about connecting with our community.

Interested applicants should submit their resume and cover letter to m13reddish@gmail.com.

2 Vocational Ministry Openings

Congregational Stewardship Officer

The Congregational Stewardship Officer will provide consultation, resources, and support to CBF partner churches in all areas that pertain to and contribute to their financial well-being.

Please submit your resume and response to the questions attached to Human Resources at HumanResources@cbf.net. Please keep the written responses to a maximum of three pages. Applications will be reviewed as received.

Church Development Officer

The Church Development Officer will launch and maintain a successful annual giving program for CBF partner churches (Called Into Fellowship) and oversee other giving campaigns for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Please submit your resume and cover letter to Human Resources at HumanResources@cbf.net. Applications will be reviewed as received.

Click Here for More Information

Pathlight curriculum

Pathlight is a (free) weekly resource helping children to explore the Good News of Jesus through stories, scripture and activities. This new curriculum presents stories of CBF field personnel, chaplains, churches and pastors, and invites children to grow in their relationships with Jesus and their neighbors.

Each Pathlight download offers an easy-preparation teaching guide with a story, discussion questions and learning activities as well as a take-home sheet for students. Pathlight is also available in Spanish.

Stay connected with a quick click.

• Cooperative Baptist Fellowship   
• Touching Miami With Love
• Cultivate Abundance
• Together for Hope
• Karen Alford(Togo)
• Amani Sasa-Missy Ward Angalla(Uganda)
• Baptist News Global
• Good Faith Media
• Baptist History & Heritage Society
• Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Freedom
• Baptist Seminary of Kentucky
• McAfee School of Theology