Every day people make decisions,promises based on whether a productis helpful, productive and worthwhile.There are three values that Iconsider important in choosingto read the Witness. They are:

Staying Connected – We are always better to-

gether, and the Witnesshelps us see we’re in this to-gether and there is somethingbigger than ourselves.

Staying Convinced – As morals continue to decay in

our society, reading theologicallysound coverage, celebrating theGospel, and discovering missions helpus stay convinced God’s eternal truth isstill winning the day.

Staying Concerned – Reading the Witness not only gives us

a blessing, but also prompts us to pray forour leaders, our churches, and revival inour land.

Make a decision to subscribe to the FloridaBaptist Witness today.

Ken Whitten, PastorIdlewild Baptist Church, Lutz

Chairman, Board of Directors, Florida Baptist Witness

If you are reading this,you are either part of a specialpromotion or a regularsubscriber of the officialnewspaper of the FloridaBaptist State Convention.

The Witness is pubished26 times a year and is partially supported with funds from the Cooperative Program with the re-maining revenue coming from advertis-ing and subscription sales.

It has been said that reading an old newspaper islike holding history in your hands.

Florida Baptists have been in good hands since 1884when leaders determined a newspaper was vital forteaching theology and polity to an undertrained clergyand laity across the frontier.

Since that time, the Florida Baptist Witness hasbeen recognized as a tool that communicates the mis-sionary commitment and involvement Florida Baptistshave struggled to defend and implement.

Most importantly, with visual impact, through wordsand pictures, in print and online—via newsprint, smartphones, digital pages and video—the Witness has at itscore the commitment to share the Gospel message ofJesus Christ.

Featuring stories of missions and ministry, theWitness inspires, educates andempowers. Profiling pastorsand church members in times

of disaster and triumph, theWitness delivers an ongoing message

that Jesus is alive and embodies hope. Telling timely stories of events with

truth and accuracy, we give readersconfidence to share facts and opinionssteeped in grace.

This summer begins a year-longcelebration of the commitment FloridaBaptists have to telling the Good News!

Enjoy a bit of history on the insidepages of this wrap, and then consider how

you will either stay committed to the journeyby continuing your support of the Witness

through a subscription--or pack your bags and hop onthis leg of the trip by becoming a subscriber.

We hope you join us!

August 8, 2013Volume 130, Issue 15 Inspiration and information for such a time as this

FLORIDA BAPTIST WITNESS

The Florida Baptist Witnessis a light of truth in a darkworld. The Witness brings FloridaBaptists together in a time thatdemands unity. The Witnessexposes the darkness, encour-ages the brokenhearted, andcelebrates our victories. TheFlorida Baptist Witness is a historicalrecord of Florida Baptist fulfillingthe Great Commission.

Shelly Chandler, PastorFirst Baptist Church, BonifayMember, Board of Directors,

Florida Baptist Witness

Debbie BrunsonFirst Baptist ChurchJacksonvilleFormer member, Board of Directors, Florida Baptist Witness

In a day of rapid change, one of the bestways for concerned Florida Baptists to stayinformed is by reading the Florida BaptistWitness. From missions and evangelism toevents that affect us all, this newspaper provides excellent coverage of currenthappenings, as well as news and commentaryto educate and encourage us in our faith.I highly recommend subscribing to the FBW.

An editor from SouthAfricaGideon Jacques “G.J.” Rousseau, one of three regional editors of

the Witness in 1930, was born Jan, 17, 1880 in Steynsburg, SouthAfrica. His father was a teacher, but he was raised in abject povertyin South Africa. He worked at variousjobs as a child and teenager and re-ceived very little formal education.

In October 1899 in the SecondAnglo-Boer War (1899-1902), he wascommandeered to fight against theBritish, he was made a prisoner ofwar and was kept for over two yearson the island of St. Helena. Rousseaulearned English there. He servedaboard Atlantic sailing ships and theremet Christine McConnel, whose fatherwas a Baptist minister with the South-ern Baptist Home Mission Board.

After they married, Rousseau was converted in a revival inAlliance, Nebraska. The family moved to Waco, Texas, where he at-tended college and became a student pastor. Rousseau served as achaplain in World War I, and then became pastor at First BaptistChurch, Norman, Okla., and then First Baptist Church in Marshall,Texas. It was reported his “most satisfying ministry” was serving aspastor of First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida from 1925-1930.

G.J. ROUSSEAU

2002The Witness is the first

Baptist state paper tooffer its entire contentonline for free.

Social MediaAt Twitter

@goFBW readerswill find regularalerts to stories,breaking news

announcements, and periodicfriendly dialogue.

Florida BaptistWitness has a fanpage on Facebookwhere readers mayshow their support by comment-ing on stories, posting photos,sharing announcements andmore! Join our community today.

A circuitous routeIn 1888 W. D. Turnley, an Ocala lawyer, bought the Witness and moved it to Ocala.

It was printed in this building for some of the time it was in Ocala from 1888-1904 whenit moved to Jacksonville. In just a few short years since its inception in 1884, theWitness moved from Lake City to Deland, and from Deland to Ocala, and from Ocalaback to Jacksonville.

1890’s Contents of the Witness in the first

few decades reflected the variousbackgrounds of its editors and contributors—from preachers tobusinessmen—to scholars, mission-aries and housewives. There wereweekly sermons and articles ongeneral agriculture and fruit growing. The editors generallypromised to review current news“in light of prophesy.”

An article on the front page ofthe Jan. 1, 1890 issue warns, inall capital letters, “WHY BOYSLEAVE THE FARM.” Noting the“aversion” country boys have forthe farm, it lays the blamepartially on a “pessimistic” viewof fathers or neighbors engagedin farming—and on education. “Ina word, they are educated to leavethe farm.” The article encouragesreaders to enlighten boys and girlson the benefits of country lifeother than the “plowing andhoeing” so as to “teach them thatfarming is just as dignified andhonorable as any othervocation.”

1900’sAt the turn of the century, a

controversy at Stetson Univer-sity caused such acrimony thatthe school began its own rivalstate newspaper, The SouthernBaptist in 1903. By 1904, bothpapers were printed in Jack-sonville and on May 18, an“amusing incident” occurredwhen the Florida Times Union,which printed both papers, mis-takenly switched editorials inthe two rival papers. After theerror, and with the unlikelyprospect that Florida Baptistswould support two state papers,they merged to become TheFlorida Baptist Witness.

In the Jan. 3, 1900 issue, afront page article, “Teachers atTallahassee: Gathering of thePundits at the State Capital,”describes Dr. N.C. Schaefferas “a brainy man, an origi-nal thinker and brimful ofinformation about schoolmatters He is a finelooking, affable gentle-

man and his lectures were arich feast.”

1920 In the 1920’s the Witness for

the first time had achieved greatereditorial stability and with officespermanently established in Jacksonville, the state newspapergained higher visibility and circulation began growing. Theweekly paper included Baptistnews, church news, and informa-tion supporting the State Conven-tion’s growing program of churchdevelopment resources.

The Witness regularly publishednews from the Southern BaptistConvention and its agencies—andarticles of interest to FloridaBaptists that had appeared inother state Baptist newspapers.The Witness also began to carryextensive coverage of the actionstaken and messages delivered atthe SBC annual meeting and theFlorida Baptist Convention annualmeeting.

2000-2013The turn of the century brought

about a decade of change for theWitness with the advent of anonline edition and three redesignsof its print edition.

Google News regularly includesWitness news, feature and opinionitems in its sources. 2010

The Witness publishes its news,in various formats for the iPad,iPhone and DROID.

Reports &Features

Using vibrant colors and eye-catching layouts to package well-researched and culturally relevantstories around timely themes, theWitness is committed to deliveringto Florida Baptists stories thatteach, inspire and encourage.

1970s-1980s Throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s the Witness reported on the growth of ministries

in churches throughout Florida, the programs of the Florida Baptist Convention andmissions around the world. The Witness also reported on growing tension in the South-ern Baptist Convention.

In the Dec. 8, 1983 issue, a BP story “Baptist Leaders Respond to a Call for ‘Guide-lines,” much ado was made about a suggestion by SBC President James T. Draper Jr., ofFBC in Euless, Texas. Draper suggested a committee be appointed for the purpose ofdrawing up some “irreducible minimums” of things Baptists believe. They included thefull divinity of Christ, substitutionary atonement by Christ for the sins of mankind, jus-tification of God’s grace through faith, and belief in the bodily resurrection of Christ.”

LUTHER RICE at Triennial Convention

August 8, 2013 • Florida Baptist Witness CB

F.B. MOODIE1884-1885

J.C. PORTER1890-1904

W.A. HOBSON1904-1906

C.M. BRITTAIN1909-1912

W.D. NOWLIN1912-1914

ADONIRAM JUDSON HOLT1914-1918

G.J. ROUSSEAU(one of three regional

editors) 1930

W.D. NOWLIN(one of three regional

editors) 1930

EDWARD D. SOLOMON1931-1949

W.G. STRACENER1949-1969

EDGAR R. COOPER1971-1983

JACK BRYMER1984-1994

MICHAEL CHUTE1995-2001

JAMES A. SMITH SR.2001-2013

Florida BaptistNewspapers

In 1848 James McDonald publishedThe Baptist Telegraph and FloridaEmigrant. The paper predated theFlorida Baptist State Convention andserved the only four Florida Baptistassociations, Suwanee, 1835, Florida1843, Alachua 1847 and West Florida1847 with less than 100 churches.

Baptist NewspapersLuther Rice was the publisher of The Columbian Star,

which was the first weekly Baptist family newspaper in theUnited States. Rice began the journal in 1822 but the pub-lication was closely tied to now defunct Columbian College.Luther Rice is known as the man that “changed the scat-

tered Baptist churches into a Baptist denomination.” 1884 AdA.P. Ashurst, one of the first editors of the Witness, in

1884 took out an ad promoting the Witness to prospectiveadvertisers in the Roswell American News Directory. In thead, he called the new paper, “the prettiest paper in the Landof Flowers, as pretty as any in the United States.”

Pastors as EditorsTwo pastors of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville have

served as editors of the Witness. Rev. L.B. Plummer waseditor and manager from October 1887 to March 1888.W.A. Hobson (pastor of FBC from 1900-1923) served aseditor from 1904-1906. Other Florida Baptist pastors alsoserved as the paper’s editor.

JAMES MCDONALD

Editors not pictured

1990sThe 1990’s brought stories of a

raging controversy in the SBC,missionary news from lands faraway, and reports of what FloridaBaptists thought about currentevents.

In early fall 1992, just afterHurricane Andrew blew ashore,the Witness began to tell the storyof Florida Baptist Disaster Relief,a story it has beentelling formore than20 years.

News magazineThroughout the years, the

Witness has responded to specialevents, like the 2010 SouthernBaptist Convention annual meetingin Orlando, with fresh newapproaches to presenting the news-like this special 44-page magazine.

In addition to those pictured, editorsserving the Witness whose photos are notavailable include: 1884, A.P. Ashurst (co-edi-tor); 1885, S.M. Provence and J.H. Griffith(co-editors); 1886, Napoleon Alexander(N.A.) Bailey; 1887, Rev. L.B. Plummer;1888, C.H Nash; 1906, J.H. Tharp; 1909,Frank Edwards; 1911, Erasmus Z. FranklinGolden; 1918, J.W. Mitchell; 1928, P.L. John-ston; and 1930, Lee M. White.

FIRST BAPTIST JACKSONVILLE

The Cranston Press was a single-revolu-tion big-cylinder “drum” newspaper press,built in the late 1800s. It had the woodendelivery fingers in the back, f lipping outthe paper on the same side as the feedingof the paper and was the kind most likelyused to produce the earliest issues of theWitness. The printing of the paper is nowoutsourced after the paper is producedjointly by an offsite designer and themanaging editor.

Printing Press

1950s-1960sSeveral decades into its existence

and with the arrival of Bap-tist Press, the official newsservice of the Southern BaptistConvention in the 1940’s, thecoverage of the Witness wasgreatly expanded.

As Florida Baptists launchedbuilding campaigns and grew, thepaper featured images that re-f lected this new era.

A Feb. 26, 1959 front page BPstory, “Nine Million Mark Surpassedin Church membership,” reflectedthis.

1930s-1940sThe Witness during this period

reflects a continual emphasis onCooperative giving as a way tosupport a growing Southern Baptistmission enterprise.

In the April 17, 1930 issue alisting of 1929 mission work in“foreign lands” shows growthover a 10-year period in numberof churches; self-supportingchurches; baptisms, an mission-aries in Brazil, with 169 sup-porting churches; and 2,795baptisms for a total of 30,864in membership.

That same issue has a letter to theeditor,“Telegram Just Received,”which reads, as is: Yesterday ForeignMission Board voted unanimously tocooperate United Nations Relief andRehabilitation Administration in col-lection clothing for war strickenedpeople of Europe clothing to beassembled by localchurches.

An editor from SouthAfricaGideon Jacques “G.J.” Rousseau, one of three regional editors of

the Witness in 1930, was born Jan, 17, 1880 in Steynsburg, SouthAfrica. His father was a teacher, but he was raised in abject povertyin South Africa. He worked at variousjobs as a child and teenager and re-ceived very little formal education.

In October 1899 in the SecondAnglo-Boer War (1899-1902), he wascommandeered to fight against theBritish, he was made a prisoner ofwar and was kept for over two yearson the island of St. Helena. Rousseaulearned English there. He servedaboard Atlantic sailing ships and theremet Christine McConnel, whose fatherwas a Baptist minister with the South-ern Baptist Home Mission Board.

After they married, Rousseau was converted in a revival inAlliance, Nebraska. The family moved to Waco, Texas, where he at-tended college and became a student pastor. Rousseau served as achaplain in World War I, and then became pastor at First BaptistChurch, Norman, Okla., and then First Baptist Church in Marshall,Texas. It was reported his “most satisfying ministry” was serving aspastor of First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida from 1925-1930.

G.J. ROUSSEAU

2002The Witness is the first

Baptist state paper tooffer its entire contentonline for free.

Social MediaAt Twitter

@goFBW readerswill find regularalerts to stories,breaking news

announcements, and periodicfriendly dialogue.

Florida BaptistWitness has a fanpage on Facebookwhere readers mayshow their support by comment-ing on stories, posting photos,sharing announcements andmore! Join our community today.

A circuitous routeIn 1888 W. D. Turnley, an Ocala lawyer, bought the Witness and moved it to Ocala.

It was printed in this building for some of the time it was in Ocala from 1888-1904 whenit moved to Jacksonville. In just a few short years since its inception in 1884, theWitness moved from Lake City to Deland, and from Deland to Ocala, and from Ocalaback to Jacksonville.

1890’s Contents of the Witness in the first

few decades reflected the variousbackgrounds of its editors and contributors—from preachers tobusinessmen—to scholars, mission-aries and housewives. There wereweekly sermons and articles ongeneral agriculture and fruit growing. The editors generallypromised to review current news“in light of prophesy.”

An article on the front page ofthe Jan. 1, 1890 issue warns, inall capital letters, “WHY BOYSLEAVE THE FARM.” Noting the“aversion” country boys have forthe farm, it lays the blamepartially on a “pessimistic” viewof fathers or neighbors engagedin farming—and on education. “Ina word, they are educated to leavethe farm.” The article encouragesreaders to enlighten boys and girlson the benefits of country lifeother than the “plowing andhoeing” so as to “teach them thatfarming is just as dignified andhonorable as any othervocation.”

1900’sAt the turn of the century, a

controversy at Stetson Univer-sity caused such acrimony thatthe school began its own rivalstate newspaper, The SouthernBaptist in 1903. By 1904, bothpapers were printed in Jack-sonville and on May 18, an“amusing incident” occurredwhen the Florida Times Union,which printed both papers, mis-takenly switched editorials inthe two rival papers. After theerror, and with the unlikelyprospect that Florida Baptistswould support two state papers,they merged to become TheFlorida Baptist Witness.

In the Jan. 3, 1900 issue, afront page article, “Teachers atTallahassee: Gathering of thePundits at the State Capital,”describes Dr. N.C. Schaefferas “a brainy man, an origi-nal thinker and brimful ofinformation about schoolmatters He is a finelooking, affable gentle-

man and his lectures were arich feast.”

1920 In the 1920’s the Witness for

the first time had achieved greatereditorial stability and with officespermanently established in Jacksonville, the state newspapergained higher visibility and circulation began growing. Theweekly paper included Baptistnews, church news, and informa-tion supporting the State Conven-tion’s growing program of churchdevelopment resources.

The Witness regularly publishednews from the Southern BaptistConvention and its agencies—andarticles of interest to FloridaBaptists that had appeared inother state Baptist newspapers.The Witness also began to carryextensive coverage of the actionstaken and messages delivered atthe SBC annual meeting and theFlorida Baptist Convention annualmeeting.

2000-2013The turn of the century brought

about a decade of change for theWitness with the advent of anonline edition and three redesignsof its print edition.

Google News regularly includesWitness news, feature and opinionitems in its sources. 2010

The Witness publishes its news,in various formats for the iPad,iPhone and DROID.

Reports &Features

Using vibrant colors and eye-catching layouts to package well-researched and culturally relevantstories around timely themes, theWitness is committed to deliveringto Florida Baptists stories thatteach, inspire and encourage.

1970s-1980s Throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s the Witness reported on the growth of ministries

in churches throughout Florida, the programs of the Florida Baptist Convention andmissions around the world. The Witness also reported on growing tension in the South-ern Baptist Convention.

In the Dec. 8, 1983 issue, a BP story “Baptist Leaders Respond to a Call for ‘Guide-lines,” much ado was made about a suggestion by SBC President James T. Draper Jr., ofFBC in Euless, Texas. Draper suggested a committee be appointed for the purpose ofdrawing up some “irreducible minimums” of things Baptists believe. They included thefull divinity of Christ, substitutionary atonement by Christ for the sins of mankind, jus-tification of God’s grace through faith, and belief in the bodily resurrection of Christ.”

LUTHER RICE at Triennial Convention

August 8, 2013 • Florida Baptist Witness CB

F.B. MOODIE1884-1885

J.C. PORTER1890-1904

W.A. HOBSON1904-1906

C.M. BRITTAIN1909-1912

W.D. NOWLIN1912-1914

ADONIRAM JUDSON HOLT1914-1918

G.J. ROUSSEAU(one of three regional

editors) 1930

W.D. NOWLIN(one of three regional

editors) 1930

EDWARD D. SOLOMON1931-1949

W.G. STRACENER1949-1969

EDGAR R. COOPER1971-1983

JACK BRYMER1984-1994

MICHAEL CHUTE1995-2001

JAMES A. SMITH SR.2001-2013

Florida BaptistNewspapers

In 1848 James McDonald publishedThe Baptist Telegraph and FloridaEmigrant. The paper predated theFlorida Baptist State Convention andserved the only four Florida Baptistassociations, Suwanee, 1835, Florida1843, Alachua 1847 and West Florida1847 with less than 100 churches.

Baptist NewspapersLuther Rice was the publisher of The Columbian Star,

which was the first weekly Baptist family newspaper in theUnited States. Rice began the journal in 1822 but the pub-lication was closely tied to now defunct Columbian College.Luther Rice is known as the man that “changed the scat-

tered Baptist churches into a Baptist denomination.” 1884 AdA.P. Ashurst, one of the first editors of the Witness, in

1884 took out an ad promoting the Witness to prospectiveadvertisers in the Roswell American News Directory. In thead, he called the new paper, “the prettiest paper in the Landof Flowers, as pretty as any in the United States.”

Pastors as EditorsTwo pastors of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville have

served as editors of the Witness. Rev. L.B. Plummer waseditor and manager from October 1887 to March 1888.W.A. Hobson (pastor of FBC from 1900-1923) served aseditor from 1904-1906. Other Florida Baptist pastors alsoserved as the paper’s editor.

JAMES MCDONALD

Editors not pictured

1990sThe 1990’s brought stories of a

raging controversy in the SBC,missionary news from lands faraway, and reports of what FloridaBaptists thought about currentevents.

In early fall 1992, just afterHurricane Andrew blew ashore,the Witness began to tell the storyof Florida Baptist Disaster Relief,a story it has beentelling formore than20 years.

News magazineThroughout the years, the

Witness has responded to specialevents, like the 2010 SouthernBaptist Convention annual meetingin Orlando, with fresh newapproaches to presenting the news-like this special 44-page magazine.

In addition to those pictured, editorsserving the Witness whose photos are notavailable include: 1884, A.P. Ashurst (co-edi-tor); 1885, S.M. Provence and J.H. Griffith(co-editors); 1886, Napoleon Alexander(N.A.) Bailey; 1887, Rev. L.B. Plummer;1888, C.H Nash; 1906, J.H. Tharp; 1909,Frank Edwards; 1911, Erasmus Z. FranklinGolden; 1918, J.W. Mitchell; 1928, P.L. John-ston; and 1930, Lee M. White.

FIRST BAPTIST JACKSONVILLE

The Cranston Press was a single-revolu-tion big-cylinder “drum” newspaper press,built in the late 1800s. It had the woodendelivery fingers in the back, f lipping outthe paper on the same side as the feedingof the paper and was the kind most likelyused to produce the earliest issues of theWitness. The printing of the paper is nowoutsourced after the paper is producedjointly by an offsite designer and themanaging editor.

Printing Press

1950s-1960sSeveral decades into its existence

and with the arrival of Bap-tist Press, the official newsservice of the Southern BaptistConvention in the 1940’s, thecoverage of the Witness wasgreatly expanded.

As Florida Baptists launchedbuilding campaigns and grew, thepaper featured images that re-f lected this new era.

A Feb. 26, 1959 front page BPstory, “Nine Million Mark Surpassedin Church membership,” reflectedthis.

1930s-1940sThe Witness during this period

reflects a continual emphasis onCooperative giving as a way tosupport a growing Southern Baptistmission enterprise.

In the April 17, 1930 issue alisting of 1929 mission work in“foreign lands” shows growthover a 10-year period in numberof churches; self-supportingchurches; baptisms, an mission-aries in Brazil, with 169 sup-porting churches; and 2,795baptisms for a total of 30,864in membership.

That same issue has a letter to theeditor,“Telegram Just Received,”which reads, as is: Yesterday ForeignMission Board voted unanimously tocooperate United Nations Relief andRehabilitation Administration in col-lection clothing for war strickenedpeople of Europe clothing to beassembled by localchurches.

August 8, 2013 • Florida Baptist WitnessD

Florida Baptist Witness is the official newspaper of Southern Baptistsin the Sunshine State. For nearly 130 years, the Witness has beenpublishing Good News about God’s work in Florida, the U.S. andacross the world! The Witness is affiliated with the over one-million-member Florida Baptist State Convention and reaches leadership inmore than 3,000 congregations across the state. Additionally, manychurches provide it for all their church members.

The Witness is printed bi-weekly and published on Thursdays as an11 X 17 inch tabloid, with a five-column page on a cold web presswith an imprint area 10.25 inches wide and 16.25 inches high. Material for publication is due by noon, 10-calendar days prior tothe Thursday publication date, but because of limited space for advertising, advance reservations are strongly recommended.

INDIVIDUAL SUBSCRIPTIONSOur INDIVIDUAL subscription rate is $24.95 for one year. All

individual subscriptions are pre-paid on an annual basis and arerenewable the following year. Subscriptions can be paid for oneor more years.

GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS Gift subscriptions function like an individual subscription,

however, we send a card to the recipient of the subscription notifying them of your gift. We invoice the giver for the cost. Eachgift subscription is renewable on an annual basis by the initialprovider.

GROUP SUBSCRIPTIONS Our GROUP subscription rate is $11.50 for one year and is

designed for a church to gather 10 or more subscribers togetherto receive the Witness at their home address and be billedthrough the church office.

We offer the option of pre-paid annual, quarterly or monthlybilling. All billing is done through the local church. By utilizingthe monthly billing, churches are able to manage their accountin a smaller monthly amount. Subscriptions continue until thechurch sends a written request for names to be deleted from thegroup. Churches are offered the flexibility of adding subscribersat any time and are then invoiced for the actual number of issuesmailed each week.

CHURCH BUDGET PLAN Our BUDGET rate is $10.00 for a year and is designed for a

church to send the Witness to every active church family. Thisrate is beneficial in reaching the entire congregation with theWitness at a very practical rate. The billing is handled throughthe church office and is generally done on a monthly basis.Churches are offered the flexibility of adding subscribers at anytime and are invoiced for the actual number of issues mailed foreach issue. Like the group subscription, this plan continues untilthe church provides written notification to discontinue the service.

*Churches may also ask about rates for publishing their churchnewsletter in a wrap, or by utilizing a page of the Witness, once amonth, on average, for this purpose.

Witness subscriptionrates & information

INTRODUCE YOUR BUSINESS TOMORE THAN 30,000 READERSwhen you advertise with us. Pastors,church staff, church members, denominational leaders and others can see your ad in every issueof the Witness. Expand your reach even further by advertising onour web site.

To place an ad or if you have any questions, contact John C. Hannigan at 800-226-8584, ext. 3166.

GRACEVILLE (FBW)—It is one o’clockin the morning on April 8, 1965. Thestreets are quiet, people are asleep,and communism has engulfed Cubafor six years. The Caudills hear aknock on the door. Marjorie Caudillknows.

“Herbert, they’ve come to getyou,” she tells her husband.

Herbert Caudill was a missionaryand pastor who moved his familyto Cuba in 1935. He spent 40years witnessing to the Cubanpeople, and like his son-in-law,David Fite, was arrested andserved time in a Cuban prison.

Through three generations, this familyleft a mark of ded-icated service asan example of com-mitted Christian liv-ing that is stillremembered todayby thousands ofCubans and their families who livedthrough those darkestdays of persecution.

The story of theCaudill-Fite family isjust one of thousands ofstories that can be foundin the pages of annualjournals produced by theFlorida Baptist HistoricalSociety since 2002.

An idea that came aboutin 1999, the journals were createdto provide a scholarly report that ac-curately reports events importantto Florida Baptist history.

The journals are alive with anecdotes and facts about FloridaBaptist missionaries, families, pastors,and churches—and the various agencies,ministries and programs of supportedby the Cooperative Program and carried out through the Florida Baptist

State Convention. The 15 journals already in print

cover topics ranging from Florida Bap-tists in Cuba to early Baptist theology—with an issue about the history ofdeacons set to come out next year.

According to Jerry Windsor, secretary-treasurer of FBHS since2002, the society created the journalsthat document stories and preservehistory that otherwise might be lost—with the intention they would “honorthose who honor Christ.”

“We do not want to bea vending machine of information,”Windsor told Florida Baptist Witness.“We want to build a platform onlinethat we can send people to, so theycan discover for themselves.”

The journals are easily accessibleat the website online at http://www.floridabaptisthistory.org/ and at theFlorida Baptist Historical Societywhich has an office on the campus ofthe Baptist College of Florida.

The process of creating the journalsis extensive. Initially, a list of potentialtopics is drawn up and voted uponby a committee. This typically happenstwo years before each journal is published, although might take fouror five years to before they are readyfor publication.

Topics are carefully selected andthe committee tends to choose onevents from at least 25 years ago orso removed in order to mitigate“emotion,” insure the best researchand appropriate interpretation of thefacts, and allow for full discovery.

“That way the history—not the politics—of the events is what comesthrough,” Windsor said.

Next, a team of writers begins research. They talk to family members,

read through old newspapers andother historical documents, go overchurch minutes, and work togetherto organize the final product.

Windsor said the FBCH dependson Florida Baptist Witness—published continuously since 1884and archived at the Baptist Collegeof Florida—as a primary source forall of its work.

Finally, each journal goes throughseveral stages of review and proofingbefore publication.

Windsor said the journals are “avaluable tool” and provide a centralsource that can be referenced andused by churches, seminary student,pastors, writers and others.

“We want to honor those whohonor Christ,” Windsor said.

Florida Baptist Witness intern AnnaBarlow is a member of HillcrestBaptist Church in Pensacola and astudent at University of NorthFlorida.

goFBWHistorical journals ‘honorthose who honor Christ’

By ANNA BARLOWWitness Intern

HOW TO GET YOURNEWS IN THENEWSPAPER:

We know there is somethingspecial about getting a newspaperwith an article about your churchor with the name of someoneyou know in it. Perhaps you arethat someone. Florida BaptistWitness welcomes churches andfolks affiliated with the FloridaBaptist State Convention to keepus informed of news and infor-mation that might be of interestto our readers.

Please note we are a bi-weeklynewspaper with a two-weekpublishing schedule and a verysmall staff. We need plenty oflead time to accommodate anyrequests for news coverage, soplease let us know well in advanceespecially if you have events thatyou would like us to include inour coverage.

Please submit to us informationabout your events and happeningsat your church or in the life ofyour church members. News re-leases should include basic infor-mation about the event andcontact information so we mayreach you to follow up.

There are seven basic com-ponents that comprise Witness: editorials (by ourexecutive editor); lettersto the editor; view-points (opinionpieces by various individuals); newsstories; feature

stories; news briefs; Florida Focus;Bible Study commentaries; classi-fied advertising; and advertising.

Churches may submit one-time announcements of specialevents to Florida Focus as a freeservice. These short announce-ments are due at least threeweeks in advance and may besubmitted online.

We regularly follow-up byemail and telephone. Don’t hesitate to check if you haven’theard from us about an idea.

WEBSITE:Go to our Web site and click onthe Contact Us link on the righthand side and select “GeneralCorrespondence.”

E-MAIL:There is an e-mail address you

are welcomed to use called witness@gofbw.com. The best e-mail address, however, is jhannigan@gofbw.com

Joni Hannigan is the managingeditor. Her number is 904-596-3167.

INFORMATION TO INCLUDE ABOUT UPCOMING EVENTS

■ Who, what, where, when,why, including the address of theevent, how to sign up for theevent, any costs.

■ Photos of the event, in alarge format, sent as jpegs.

■ If you are using e-mail tosend information and send adocument, save it as a Word doc-ument or as a text file.

■ Give some backgroundabout the event, but rememberto keep it short until someone isfollowing up and asks questions.

■ If you think something isworth a story: Put in the back-ground, people we can contact,etc. DON’T WRITE THE STORYYOURSELF.