here - First Fort Lauderdale

301 E. BROWARD BLVD
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33301
954-527-6800 WWW.FBCNET.COM
DR. LARRY THOMPSON,
SENIOR PASTOR
Since the beginning of our church
in 1907, members of our church
have been sending their own kinds of
postcards to those of us who now call
First Baptist Church our spiritual home.
Photographs from every generation
mark God's power and presence in
every decade: the images of our first
founders, to the boom and challenges
of the 20s and 30s, the patriotism and
optimism of the 40s and 50s, the
emerging innovations of the 60s
and 70s, the bold expansion of the
80s and 90s, and the increasing
opportunities of the 21st century.
When you look into the eyes of
those who have walked this journey
before us, I hope you'll remember their
confidence that we who would follow
them would carry the same flame of
faith and allow it to burn even more
brightly in our day. We give thanks for
these postcards from our past, and we
look forward to the future as God
continues to reveal His image in our
church and in each one of us.
Mrs. W. H. Covington was one of
the seven original founders of First
Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale.
Dr. Thomas S. Kennedy, husband of one of our
founders, became the city’s first doctor in 1901.
The Kennedy Homes on Broward Blvd. are
named for him.
In 1911, Valentine and Louisa Blosch moved from Oklahoma to
Fort Lauderdale and became active members at First Baptist Church.
In 1913, their son David and L.H. Calkins drove this wagon to
Miami to pick up the pews that had been purchased from the North
Methodist Church. It took two days: one day to travel to Miami and
load the pews, and one full day to return to Fort Lauderdale.
Larry
Thompson,
Senior Pastor
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Rev. W.W. Woodson 1907–1911
Rev. J. Calvin Clark
1911
On June 1, 1912, a fire destroyed many of the buildings on Brickell Avenue, including the Wheeler Building where the
church was meeting. The congregation met in several other places while members raised money for a church building
of their own. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Oliver donated the corner lot at Las Olas Boulevard and Third Avenue.
Broward County Historical Commission
Since the turn of the century, visitors
from all over the world have been
sending home postcards of the sights
which make Fort Lauderdale so special.
Fort Lauderdale Historical Society
Postcards have always had a unique
place in the history of South Florida.
On July 14, 1907, the following
people met in this schoolhouse
to organize the First Baptist
Church of Fort Lauderdale:
Rev. A. C. Sturgis (a Florida
Baptist worker for the lower
east coast), Mr. and Mrs. J.A.
Braddock, Mrs. Lucian Craig
(Susie Bryan, sister of Eva Bryan
Oliver), Mrs. W. H. Covington,
Mrs. T.S. Kennedy and Mr. and
Mrs. A. W. Shackleford.
One of seven founders of First Baptist Church,
Mrs. T. S. Kennedy is shown in the yard of her home
with her mother, Mrs. Dent, and her two sons, William
and John. William and John both became county judges.
When William was born, the entire adult Seminole
tribe came to see the new little “white papoose.”
Newspaper photo of the church’s first building at Las Olas
Boulevard and Third Avenue. Mr. W. H. Covington went to the
homes of the Olivers, the Kennedys and the Stranahans to get
$100 from each family to pay for the cement to make blocks
for the church building. Rev. Steven P. Mahoney preached the
first sermon in the new building (“packed to the limit”)
on December 7, 1913.
Rev. S.P. Mohoney
1912–1918
Rev. Bert A. Atchison 1918–1921
In the springtime, the community would honor its newest members
and their mothers. Mrs. Frank Oliver, the sister of one of First
Baptist’s original seven founders, is third from the left on the back
row holding one of her five children. She came to Fort Lauderdale
in 1900 and became the first non-Indian bride. She was later
chairman of the committee that named Port Everglades.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars
Post 1966 was named for
member Robert L. Agee,
who died aboard the USS
Tampa sub in 1918.
The American Legion Post 36
was named for member
William C. Morris, who gave
his life in France.
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Background image © Florida Photographic Collection
First Baptist Church hosted the first
citywide Daily Vacation Bible School in the
summer of 1926, with all the local churches
in Fort Lauderdale participating. The “DVBS”
lasted two weeks, and children from ages
4 to 14 were involved. Pastor R.T. Russell
is seen at the left edge of this photo (and
at the far right in the photo below).
In 1926, Sunday School classes at
First Baptist Church were organized
into age-graded departments.
Because of crowded conditions,
adjoining homes and business
buildings were used so that
the growing classes could
be accommodated.
Fort Lauderdale was struck by the worst hurricane to date on September 18, 1926. First Baptist Church
became a relief station with cots and hot meals. As many as 15,000 homes and businesses were
destroyed or severely damaged and more than 460 people lost their lives.
Rev. Milton Bales was pastor from
1923 until 1925. Under his leadership,
the church added the west wing seen
on the left side of this photo from 1927.
This addition included a social hall,
a kitchen and Sunday School rooms very similar to the current Community
Life Center built in 2006-2007.
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Rev. Bert A. Atchison 1918–1921
Rev. J.M. Bouterse
1921
Rev. J.N. Walker
1921-1923
In 1928, the Fort Lauderdale State Bank closed
its doors, but the congregation with God's help was able
to overcome this difficult time. The 1920s provided good
times and more difficult times for Fort Lauderdale, but
First Baptist Church stood strong and became a beacon
of hope for so many who were making South Florida
their new home. (The Orange Blossom Special opened
up new travel for tourists and homesteaders alike.)
Rev. Thomas Hansen came to be our pastor in
1927, the first of two tenures he would enjoy at
First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale. He led a
beach baptism on Easter Sunday 1928.
Rev. Milton Bales
1923–1925
Rev. R.T. Russell
1925-1927
Rev. Thomas T. Hansen 1927-1929
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“Looking in retrospection over the 24 years since the establishment
of the First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale, we are conscious of
the steady growth which has blessed it through the years. Through a
great fire, the boom, hurricane, bank failures and the depression, losing
heavily in all of them, still we, as a church, have struggled on, apparently
drawn closer together through adversity. Proudly we can point to the
fact that not since the establishment of the church has a single Sunday passed without some sort of service
being held, even the morning after the big fire, and the morning after the hurricane were no exceptions.
All departments of the church are forging ahead, and a fine spirit of harmony prevails. We have one of the finest church
plants in the city, centrally located, and efficient and loyal congregation; we have a pastor who is admired and respected
by the citizenry, one who is on call at all hours, who labors untiringly and ever ready to help the sick or needy. All in all, we
have gained steadily, and in looking back of the years that have gone, we can truly say with the Psalmist:
‘The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.’ ”
Ethel Bras Herbert, historian (1931)
By 1935, First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale had
become a central part of the city. This photo of the
church’s Las Olas location was taken just a few years
after it celebrated its 25-year anniversary.
Ulric J. Bennett, who served as the chairman of deacons
for a term, became the Superintendent of Schools in 1930.
There were so many teachers in his Sunday School class
that some said it looked like a faculty meeting.
In 1935, the church received a visit from a
delegation of Seminole Indians. Our church
agreed to be part of a mission to Oklahoma
to raise funds for a church building for the
Seminole reservation west of the city.
This picture shows First Baptist’s pastor,
Rev. Frank Keene, with the congregation.
In April 1934, Senior Deacon
Valentine Blosch and his wife
Louisa celebrated their golden
wedding anniversary. They were
guests of honor at a reception
held for them by the church. Six
children, fourteen grandchildren
and four great grandchildren
were able to attend the
celebration.
Riding an open panel bus, members of
the youth group travelled to John B. Stetson
University in DeLand for the annual Baptist
assembly and encampment in 1934.
The assembly had been held in
Hollywood two years earlier.
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Rev. Frank Keene
1930–1939
The church mortgage was burned on January 8, 1939. The property was valued at
$35,000. First Baptist helped start another new church in Fort Lauderdale,
Emmanuel Baptist, on the same day it celebrated retiring the mortgage.
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Floyd Pinder & Paula Davis
were wed in our church in
1945. Like many during this
World War II era, Floyd
was married in his military
uniform. The banner on the
wall reflected the number of
church members serving in
the war, with those who had
been lost remembered
with a gold star.
On April 23,
1944, Deacon
George Bryan
called upon the
church to build a
new sanctuary to
meet the growing
needs following
World War II.
The church bought four lots on the
corner of Broward and NE 3rd
for $20,000. Mr. & Mrs. Bryan
donated the next four lots.
During the summer following the
United States’ entry into World
War II, the church held a patriotic
celebration to honor those who
were serving and to memorialize
the many who had already fallen
in the conflict.
Courtney Stewart designed the church’s new sanctuary in a contemporary Gothic
style, with clean lines and exposed concrete block walls. Twenty years later, the
church would add a red-brick facing, a new front entrance, and a tall brick steeple
tower with a stained glass window.
Members of the church
gathered in 1946 to pray
on the site of the new
church. Fort Lauderdale
was growing and the church
needed additional land to
expand along with the
community. To meet this
need, land on the northern
edge of the city at Broward
Boulevard was acquired
for a new location.
The minimalist interior of the new church reflected the architectural style of the
time. Rather than pews, the church had theatre seating.
(Since then, the interior has been remodeled three times:
as an expanded sanctuary with balcony, as a fellowship
hall, and now as the Velocity Student Center.)
On the roof of the new building at
Third and Broward, Pastor Hoke Shirley
represents the many volunteers who
helped construct the church. In the
horizon stands two of Fort Lauderdale’s
key landmarks: Park Temple Methodist
Church and the Governor’s Club Hotel.
Children in hand, the entire church
family marched on August 31, 1947,
from the church’s original Las Olas
location along Third Avenue north to
the new location on Broward Boulevard.
As they marched, musicians played
“Onward Christian Soldiers.”
8
Students gathered on Fort Lauderdale Beach for a
cookout in the mid-1940s. The next generation of the
Smiley family, which joined in 1925, is well-represented
here as three cousins: Johnny, at the top of the photo
in the plaid shirt, Verlie (Smiley) Remillet and
Mary Jo (Braddy) Eakin.
Rev. Robert E. Lee
1940–1944
Rev. Hoke H. Shirley
1944-1948
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Pastor Thomas Hansen (second from left) met
with Frances Hatfield, Herbert Hinton, Larry
Church, Nell Seaver (church secretary),
Fred Halferty and Gene Whiddon
to discuss long-range plans.
First Baptist provides programs for every age group and
life stage. From children attending their first Vacation
Bible School to graduating seniors to costume parties
for the “adult training union”, the church has always
been a social and spiritual center for the community.
Building committee chairman M.O. Worthington,
builder W. M. Tyson and architect Courtney Stewart
inspect the education building built during the 1950s
to provide a Fellowship Hall.
This expansion provided classrooms, office space, choir
meeting space and more -- all tied in to the sanctuary at 3rd
and Broward which had been built only a few years earlier.
Youth Week activities included a Sweetheart Banquet
and the selection of a king and queen. King Jack Aycock
and Queen Frances Sturgisstand with their court.
“Prince” Jim Geiger, standing next to Jack Aycock,
was chairman for our Centennial Celebration in 2007.
The church’s new nursery featured viewing windows to
allow parents to see their children. (Our new Community
Life Center childcare facilities have similar windows, which
are visible in the eastern hallway of the main Sanctuary.)
When the new Education Building was dedicated
on December 6, 1953, it featured 21 pianos for
the classrooms. Fifteen of those pianos were
delivered simultaneously by Floyd Davis of the
Davis Piano Store. Mr. Davis said the delivery
probably represented the largest one-time
delivery of pianos anywhere in the nation
up to that point in time.
Senior Pastor Thomas Hansen and his wife,
Edna, were honored by the church on the
occasion of their 30th wedding anniversary.
Minister of Education John Pelham
discusses a new curriculum with cradle
roll superintendent Mrs. Grace Munroe
(front row, on left) and other workers
in the preschool ministry.
10
This group photo of
Vacation Bible School
was taken in front of the
gothic facade of the 1947
sanctuary before red brick
was added in the 1960s.
Rev. Thomas Hansen
1950–1962
The 1950s marked the arrival of two families which
enhanced the church's partnership with the Gulf Stream
Baptist Association and the Florida Baptist Convention,
for which Dr. Hansen served as president. Al and Tanna
Dawson served for 26 years as the Gulf Stream's
director, and Genus and Carolyn Crenshaw (pictured)
began nearly 50 years of service to the Seminole Indians.
First Baptist Church celebrated its Golden
Anniversary in 1957. A program of music for
the Golden Anniversary celebration included
the anthem, “The Holy City,” performed by
the combined choirs and led by Mrs. Geraldine
Curphey and accompanied by Mrs. Helen Cannon.
11
In 1960, First Baptist Church honored
Dr. Thomas Hansen and his wife Edna
with a Governor’s Club reception on
the occasion of their 10th anniversary
in the pastorate at the church. The
congregation also provided a journey
to South America for the Baptist World
Alliance in Rio de Janeiro. Known as the
“dean of the preachers,” Dr. Hansen
saw four thousand people baptized
during his 41 years of ministry.
Through a Missionary Prayer Lift,
members of First Baptist Church
selected a name and prayed daily
for thousands of Southern Baptist
Foreign Mission Board missionaries
around the world. Families selected
photographs from a map in the lobby.
At the beginning of December,
the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering
goal was announced. On the board seen
here, each light represented a set amount
of money, such as $125. The church hosted
John Haggai in a tent crusade on Sunrise
Boulevard, the present site of the Galleria
mall. Then Pastor Hinson announced
a round-the-world tour which included
the Holy Land and Europe. Little did the tour participants know they would be
traveling to Jerusalem just after the now-legendary Six Days War during which
Israeli paratroopers liberated the Western Wall of the Temple Mount, one of
the most sacred sites in Judeo-Christian history.
By December 1962, First Baptist had found a new pastor:
Rev. William M. “Bill” Hinson, who had been serving just
south of Fort Lauderdale at Wayside Baptist Church. The
new pastor was a South Florida native, born in Miami. He
was a standout All-America football player for Miami
Jackson High School before departing for Texas
to attend college and seminary.
As the nation transitioned in so many
ways during the 1960s, church leaders
were on the forefront of creating a
church which embraced the future.
As the 1960s closed, First Baptist's
expanding student choirs began an
international tradition, travelling to
South America to minister through
music and humanitarian assistance.
During the mid-1960s, a major expansion was
announced to place a steeple at the corner of
the Sanctuary, remodel the 1947 Gothic-style
interior, and add needed educational space.
(Notice the parking along Third Avenue and
the steeple-less exterior.)
As First Baptist expanded rapidly in facilities and
attendance, the church’s leaders were aggressive
and creative at staying relevant for a new generation.
Seen here, left to right, are Clint Marlowe, Broadman
Ware, Pastor Bill Hinson and Don Dendy.
12
First Baptist Church in the late 1960s.
Dr. Thomas Hansen
1950-1962
Dr. William M.“Bill” Hinson
1962-1977
13
As the U.S. Bicentennial Anniversary approached
in 1976, Pastor Hinson developed a friendship
with President Gerald Ford. On behalf of Broward
County, Pastor Hinson joined President Ford in
the Rose Garden of the White House to present
a proclamation in honor of the nation.
Check out that newsletter nameplate
again... The “Paul Harvey Baptist Church”?
Now, for the rest of the story:
Pastor Bill Hinson famously lost a friendly
golf wager in which he put up the First
Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale and
radio commentator Paul Harvey put up
his personal jet. The jet, surmised Pastor
Hinson, would be a great asset for
international missions!
Extending the influence of
First Baptist to Washington,
D.C., a delegation from Fort
Lauderdale travelled to the
nation’s capital to meet with
federal and state officeholders.
Instead, Paul Harvey won the golf match
and the church. Even though Harvey
proved to be a benevolent landowner,
a year later the church was returned
to its rightful congregational owners
in a rematch.
Pastor and Mrs. Hinson
represented the United
States as Ambassador at
Large during the 1976
Olympics at Innsbruck.
In April 1977, Pastor Hinson announced he had been called to a new
pastorate in New Orleans. As First Fort Lauderdale’s longest-serving
pastor, Dr. Hinson established the church as an innovative, progressive
spiritual center for South Florida and the world.
In the spring of 1978, 30-year-old O.S. Hawkins arrived from Ada, OK.
to become First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale’s 15th pastor and
begin a ministry which would leave an indelible imprint on the 1980s and
the early part of the 1990s. O.S., his wife Susie, and daughters Wendy
and Holly started their ministry in South Florida on May 23, 1978.
After the close call, Pastor Hinson laid down his clubs
for a while and focused instead on his Barbershop
Quartet with other staff members.
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Dr. William M.“Bill” Hinson
1962-1977
Dr. O.S. Hawkins
1978-1993
15
First Baptist
became a pilot church for
a new outreach approach
called Evangelism Explosion.
Through this initiative, more
than 500 members were added
each year and the 1980s
became a time of explosive
growth, especially for
the church.
The Feast of Plenty became a Thanksgiving tradition in 1981.
With so many homeless coming to Fort Lauderdale for milder
climates and so many people living in nursing homes near the
church, First Baptist decided to host an event to allow thousands
to enjoy a holiday meal. At first, the Feast’s guests would fit into the
church’s parking lots. Later, the Feast expanded to Broward Boulevard.
The Feast of Plenty continued
to expand throughout the 1980s.
The message of the Feast
remained the same:
“When you give a dinner or a supper,
do not ask your friends, your brothers,
your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they
also invite you back, and you be repaid.
But when you give a feast, invite the poor,
the maimed, the lame, the blind, and
you will be blessed, because they cannot
repay you; for you shall be repaid at the
resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:12–14).
The Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant
premiered at War Memorial Auditorium
on December 15, 1984. During that first year,
the three performances were free and a note
was made in the program suggesting the
Pageant might even become an annual event.
Over the years, the Pageant hosted special
guest performers like Sandy Patti
(at the right) and Johnny Cash.
In 1987, the members of First Baptist
Church of Fort Lauderdale voted to
build a new Worship Center. By 1990,
the new center had been built, partially
funded through capital initiatives called
“For Such a Time as This” and “Finish
the Work.” The original plan called for
a brown steeple, to match the original
steeple at Third and Broward.
Master plans also included an
education center at the right.
First Baptist celebrated its
diamond anniversary in
May 1982. The church
had a grand one-day
celebration, with
Dr. Bill Hinson returning
to speak, members
dressing up in old-fashioned
attire and commemorative
funeral fans. Then, as now,
barber shop quartets were
particularly popular.
With Fort Lauderdale’s Spring Break popularity,
the beach provided many opportunities for ministry.
The church hosted singles conferences, did television
interviews on the beach, hosted Arthur Blessit as he carried
the cross across the sand, and even
had a lifeguard as a minister.
Building Committee chairman
Gene Whiddon worked for
decades to assemble land in
downtown Fort Lauderdale so
the church’s future expansion
would be assured. The church’s
massive church organ is
named in his memory.
First Baptist benefitted from the teaching ministry of Pastor
Hawkins’ wife, Susie. By 1985, we had three worship services,
thanks in part to a crusade led by evangelist Billy Graham.
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Dr. O.S. Hawkins
1978-1993
17
In 1996, internationally known worship leader Don Moen asked
First Baptist to record a new praise album, Let Your Glory Fall.
The album featured songs like “Hallelujah to the Lamb,” which
became an anthem for the church’s multicultural expansion.
Fort Lauderdale’s Christmas Pageant
broadcast, produced by the PBS, won
two Emmy Awards from the Academy
of Television Arts and Sciences.
Each year extended the international
reach of the program, which appeared
on Navy aircraft carriers, in closed
countries like Saudi Arabia and China,
and in hundreds of cities in the U.S.
When the Worship Center opened on April 15, 1990,
more than 10,000 people attended multiple
Easter Celebrations.
Dr. Larry Thompson became the
church’s 16th senior pastor in August
1994. He had developed the popular
Watchman Prayer Ministry model,
which joined hundreds of church
members in round-the-clock prayer.
(More than two thousand churches participated in
the program.) Pastor Thompson was joined by his wife,
Cynthia, and two daughters, Taylor and Jennifer.
With the arrival of the Internet and fast overseas travel,
First Baptist’s mission to the world expanded exponentially.
The church began ministries to homeless street children in Moscow
and partnered with Nour and Carolyn Sirker to build schools and
medical clinics in Nicaragua. In Nicaragua, our high school choir
performed for President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro.
Centered around the Word of God
for nearly a century, church members
committed themselves to personally read
through the entire Bible every year.
Future Florida
governor Jeb Bush
joined Pastor
Thompson and
U.S. Congressman
J.C. Watts for
the retooled
Bottom Line
business luncheon. Bush would return
to the church to speak as governor several years
later and Congressman Watts -- an ordained
minister -- became a frequent pulpit guest.
(The Bottom Line featured many popular guests:
Miss America Heather Whitestone, Miami Dolphins
Coach Don Shula, Masters golf champion
Bernard Langer, Mayor Jim Naugle, business
titan Wayne Huizenga and others.)
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First Baptist
was featured
on the front
page of USA
Today during
the 1994
holiday
season.
The article
detailed the
church’s
success in
attracting
Christmas
visitors.
Dr. O.S. Hawkins
1978-1993
Recognizing that South Florida was quickly becoming the
multicultural center of the world, a team called Signature 2000
embraced Pastor Thompson’s vision to make First Baptist
a worship center for people of every tribe, every tongue
and every nation. Soon, the congregation included
members from nearly 70 nations and
Morning Worship Celebrations
were translated into seven
languages.
The church's pacesetting
international initiative was featured
in The Commission Magazine.
Dr. Larry Thompson
1994-present
19
The events of September 2001 called the nation to a sober, reflective time. In the days
following September 11, the church stayed open twenty-four hours a day with ministers
on call to respond to those with spiritual questions.
With nearly 50,000 in attendance each
season, the Fort Lauderdale Christmas
Pageant was voted as “Downtown’s Best
Holiday Event” by GoRiverwalk Magazine.
Members of the church demonstrated
a long-term commitment to mission
partners in Russia and Nicaragua by
returning to each of the two nations
at least once a year. The church also
had missionaries at work in Italy, Korea,
Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, the Caribbean,
Ireland, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, China,
Thailand, Hungary, Greece, Austria,
France and other nations.
First Baptist’s global reach
extended to Central Asia,
as members adopted a
closed country spanning
two continents as a focused
evangelism destination. Pastor
Thompson and the ministry
team led a marriage retreat
and several teams walked in
prayer along the streets of
the capital city.
In the new Worship Center’s first “First Family” wedding,
Pastor Thompson and his wife, Cynthia, saw their youngest
daughter Jennifer married in a grand celebration.
First Baptist’s first baptismal services
were held in the New River and the
Atlantic Ocean, so it’s only natural
that the church would return to the
ocean for special Good Friday
beach baptism celebrations.
The Feast of Plenty experienced transformation from
a fall event to a springtime festival. In addition to the
traditional meal, the new event offered medical care,
job placement, children’s games, makeovers, and other
long-term solutions for life difficulties. Eventually,
the Feast became the Celebration of Hope as the
cornerstone event for the new Community Hope
Center, which is a year-round ministry.
First Baptist Church and Pastor Thompson were recognized by the National Conference
for Community and Justice for its innovation in transitioning from a traditional downtown
congregation into a multicultural gathering of the nations where those
from every background were welcomed and embraced.
Pastor Thompson and First Baptist were also recognized
on his tenth anniversary as senior pastor, Mayor Jim Naugle
proclaimed August 8, 2004, as “Larry Thompson Day” in
the city of Fort Lauderdale. Pastor Thompson’s first book,
Hidden Heroes, was published a year later.
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Dr. Larry Thompson
1994-present
Brooklyn Tabernacle, pastored by Jim Cymbala, brought more than 200 choir members
for a combined concert event with First Baptist’s Sanctuary Choir.
A year later, the Student Worship Ministry toured
New York City, performing at fire stations and
in public plazas while getting from place
to place on the New York subway.
21
Committed to advancing “Forward by Faith,”
our family of faith committed more than seven million
dollars for construction of a new Community Life Center.
Children, couples, single adults and city officials joined
hundreds in dedicating the land at a groundbreaking
ceremony. (Hazel Vaughan represented a small group of
people who were present for all three Broward Boulevard
groundbreakings: for the original Sanctuary,
for the Worship Center, and for
the Community Life Center.)
Nearly a thousand families painted ceramic tiles of testimony which were positioned on a Wall of Witness,
leading from the Worship Center to the new Community Life Center.
First Baptist’s new Children’s Center was opened debt-free on Easter 2007. Edwin Sapp, who helped lead
the 1947 march from Las Olas, joined Pastor Bill Hinson’s grandson Will in representing the generations
of faithful believers who allowed God to make the impossible possible.
Elements of the Forward by Faith
expansion included the Velocity Student
Center, Treasure Cove for preschoolers
and AdventureLand for children.
The completed expansion will include
downtown’s largest banquet
center and a wireless Global Cafe.
(As a preview, the church’s Grand
Centennial Banquet was held in the
nearly finished banquet center.)
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Dr. Larry Thompson
1994-present