We are often reminded in God’s Word of our call to care for and serve others in the name of Jesus Christ – to consider others more than ourselves. At First Baptist Church, community ministry remains a priority, and our people demonstrate compassion and generosity. I challenged our people to invest more heavily in current ministries and take on new challenges – I was not disappointed. Through their commitment, our community has benefited from their love, care, and concern. Our plate was full in 2024. We were able to minister to our community in meaningful ways. From serving our local school to helping families stay in their homes, we put others first. From serving as a warming shelter for people experiencing homelessness to assisting our community recover from two devastating hurricanes, we put others first. From giving and going to meet the needs of those in Guatemala to helping ensure children in our community had basic school supplies as they went back to school, we put others first. We have used opportunities like these and others to foster relationships and build bridges for gospel conversations. After a fruitful and, at times, chaotic year, a few observations.

First, it can never be about us. You must be willing to be taken advantage of to effectively reach your community for Christ. I have often shared with our people, and in community ministry conferences I’ve led, that we must never serve our community from the starting point of compensation. Many find this troubling. Some believe every person we help through community ministry should be in a pew the following Sunday. That would be nice. We would love the opportunity to have further conversations, follow-ups, and connections. The hard truth is that most of the people we serve in our community will not attend First Baptist Church for various reasons. If our service and love are taken advantage of, that is beyond our control. Has our service and giving been taken advantage of throughout this year’s ministry opportunities? I know it has. Throughout this year’s ministry opportunities, have we suffered offense through the actions and responses of those we were helping? Absolutely. I have learned that we are only responsible for “why” we do ministry. It’s about the one who, through our serving (backpack giveaways, Family Fun Days, etc.), hears the truth of the gospel and takes their next step toward Christ. If we give and serve with the sole motive of obedience to Christ and being a blessing to our community, we have nothing to worry about. The possibility of being taken advantage of is real, but it should not stop us from service.

Second, there is tremendous value in planning. The adage is true, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Our missions and ministries leaders understand planning and preparedness. This past year, I have sat with ministry leaders and our missions team for countless hours, ensuring details were covered in our missions work. Some ministry opportunities require very little planning. Others require a great deal. It is counterproductive to arrive at a ministry site and not have the food, supplies, and volunteers needed to serve. While we understand the need for flexibility in ministry, that does not negate the need for prior planning. Being prepared shows the community you care. Being prepared demonstrates to the recipients of your ministry they were thought of in advance. We were busy with meaningful mission work this past year, and I expect nothing less this coming year. I have learned that we would have been less effective without proper planning.

Lastly, we are better together. 2024 was a year of partnerships. As Southern Baptists, working together is a familiar concept. We can do more together than we can do alone. We partnered with our county emergency management department to provide service as a cold weather station to our homeless/at-risk population. We continued a partnership with our local elementary school to provide mentors for children and encouragement for staff. We partnered with our local service agencies and school district to offer a family-friendly back-to-school event. For the first time, our local Baptist association came together for a partnership event, Serve Taylor. This day saw churches from across our association serving their local area through various ministries and outreaches. Tragedy opened the door for deepening existing partnerships. Hurricanes Debby and Helene devastated our county in August and September. The latter caused catastrophic loss to our coastal communities. Coupled with the lingering effects of Hurricane Idalia at the same time last year, our region was suffering. Without hesitation and almost overnight, Florida Baptist Disaster Relief Ministries was here to serve in helping our region recover. We were privileged to partner with them and served twice as a command site for clean-up and recovery operations. Our Florida Baptist Convention has been a crucial and faithful partner in our work this year. There is no possible way we could have accomplished any of this on our own. We need others to fulfill our purpose and vision in our community. We desire to come alongside others to help them achieve theirs as well. I look forward to what 2025 holds for First Baptist Church.