The Church Jesus Built In North Florida Has A New Pastor And New Opportunities

In These Last Days Of World Crisis...

Fifty six years ago, Feb.20, 1963, my wife, Bettie, and I arrived from Texas to Tallahassee, Florida with our six children, all of our possessions and a couple hundred dollars, to start a new church. I drove the rental truck and Bettie drove our station wagon. She was rear ended in Panama City, but drove the damage on to Tallahassee. We didn't need that complication but the money we got from the other driver's insurance company helped get us established and rent a house.   "All things work together for good to them who love God, for them who are the called according to his purpose."   Our first goal was to knock every door, and visit every business five days a week, create a mailing list and mail out an update every week. We had rented a small city community center and had 51 present on Sunday, March 17, 1963, our first service. God planted a single seed there, that Sunday, with human hands, and we called  it Temple Baptist Church (Now North Florida Baptist Church). Why the change? It was God's will to better identify an expanding ministry. 

I remained as founding Pastor for the next 29 years and, like a simple tool in God's hand, I was present to see Him build a truly great ministry which reached thousands of lives. Besides a wonderful church, the Lord led us in building three Christian schools k-12, in three different counties. Those three campuses plus a small school at our Children's home, have now graduated thousands of young people, most of whom went on to college. Our church also built a large Rescue Mission down town, and the now city operated Food Bank Of Tallahassee, a 24 hour TV Station, a Prison Ministry, a world-wide Mission program including our own Mission Station in Mexico which has spawned five more churches there, one of which has about a thousand members. One of our Ministries, which is closest to my heart is the Lighthouse Childrens' Home. It sits on about ten acres and has its own school, a gymnasium, two large thrift stores, a car lot, and, housing for the children and directors. I must mention one of the greatest assets of all these ministries there ... in the person of the long time head and driving force of the Children's home, former police officer Billy Hudson. The Childrens' home is now an independent operation, and so are the two outlying schools and Food Bank. Our son Robert Paul (Bob) is also a vital part of the Childrens' Home ministry.

A more recent ministry, of the church, created since I retired, is an Online Academy available to children or adults anywhere.

I write this history of the Temple Baptist/North Florida Baptist Church not to boast, it was not I who built that great ministry but God in the lives of the hundreds of members who were faithful, made the sacrifices and were   "Called of God according to His purpose"   in that holy endeavour. 

"Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake." Psm.115:1

Now, the latest news from the church. A new Pastor is now in the pulpit of the church and will celebrate his first year as Pastor in March. Twenty seven years ago, he was a small boy, a student of our North Florida Christian School and attending Temple Baptist Church which is now North Florida Baptist Church. His parents were teachers there and one of the finest couples I have memory of.  The new Pastor's name is Fayez Ayoub. Pastor Ayoub is God's man to lead that ministry to its greatest heights in all of its 56 years and who is a product of wonderful parents, the ministries he now leads, and solid experience in several other ministries.

If you live near Tallahassee, even if you aren't interested in joining, please visit the church, meet old acquaintanceies and hear Pastor Ayoub. For more information about the church go to this website: 

http://www.nflchurch.com/ministries.html  

Rayburn Blair & Bettie