(From Pastor John Olson) A race to the finish! We came with goals to accomplish numerous projects. Today was the last day at Efata, and our people were up early to finish our goals.

(From Missionary Lisa Kotvas) It has been a great blessing to have the group with us this week. They have all had such sweet attitudes, and been willing to do anything needed – from dishes after meals, to scrubbing a floor, to sanding a wall in the Crisis Pregnancy center, getting it ready to paint.

(From Missionary Rebecca Joy Houghton) All of us here in Efata are happy and blessed with the visit of the Trinity mission team. I enjoy seeing the development of the mural on the playground wall. It is so bright and cheerful! The deaf children love having new people to play with who show them attention and love.

(From Pastor John Olson) What a busy day! Several groups were involved in various projects throughout the day. One group worked on the mural all day for the playground. Another one poured concrete in a special area for the playground. My group was involved in watching the kids for one and one-half hours while Tricia was teaching all the teachers in a workshop.

(From Cody Holland) This trip has been an entirely new experience for me. I know it is very cliché, but it really does make me think that we have so much in America and yet we always want, want, want, and want some more! I absolutely love the kids here!

(From Tricia Olson) What excitement on the eighteen faces that braced in the crisp dawn in front of the church office early this morning! Every member of our team was thrilled to be on on the way at last. We encountered a few challenges throughout the loooooong day, but we have all arrived safely!

(From Pastor John Olson) So many things to share! I could never write all that has happened today. Let me just say one thing. I thank the Lord for our team. Every person has been very excited about this trip, and they have done great today. For many of them, the first day of being in a foreign country has been a real eye-opener. At the same time, they are learning the life of the missionary family.

(by Deaf Pastor John Olson) The trip begins tomorrow! We have packed thirty-seven bags of donated items for Efata. What a blessing! When we began this trip a few months ago, I did not think we would be able to fill thirty-six bags. Instead, God filled over thirty-six bags. That is God!

(by Pastor Tom Messer) In the next two posts, I will bring this series of blog posts to a conclusion. My purpose in these posts has been to encourage independent Baptist church leaders to re-focus or remain focused on the historical position of our movement: a commitment to sound doctrine and a passion for the Great Commission. While your individual experience may be different, it is clear that, as a whole, our movement has been identified as one that devotes unhealthy levels of attention to non-essential or peripheral issues and even projects a divisive and critical spirit. I am not comfortable with that kind of stereotype.

(by Pastor Tom Messer) A New Generation - Because of Trinity Baptist College and Trinity Christian Academy, I have the privilege to be around many young adults and teenagers. I can't begin to tell you how refreshing and energizing it is for me personally to be surrounded by young people who want to serve Christ with their life. Last week I spoke of a transition, which has already begun, and which many of us will likely experience over the next 10-15 years. This is not a move of style, methodology or doctrine, but of something much more natural.

(by Pastor Tom Messer) Unified Leadership - When you look at the independent Baptist churches in our country, it is clear that we have fragmented to the point that a simple description of who we are or what we believe is hard to come by. This was not always the case.

(by Pastor Tom Messer) Over the last several years, pastors have talked with me about my perception of the state of the independent Baptist movement.

(by Pastor Tom Messer) This past week we dedicated our entire mid-week service to highlight our rescue mission ministries to the poor, addicted and homeless in Jacksonville. Trinity Rescue Mission served over 256,000 meals to homeless men, women and children of our city in the past year.

(by Pastor Tom Messer) Last week in Pensacola, I was able to spend some time with a friend, Neal Jackson. Neal has been involved in church work for several years and recently concluded nearly three years of service as the campus church pastor at Pensacola Christian College.

(by Pastor Tom Messer) Here is the audio of the session on Transition I taught last week (the audio quality isn't the best, it was being recorded with a hand-held device they provided). You can follow along with the presentation by scrolling down and clicking through it in my blog post from a few days ago.

After teaching on transition earlier this week, many requested some additional resources on the topic. The audio of this session should be up in a few days. Below is a quick list (in no particular order) for you that I have personally read or that have been recommended to me:

(by Pastor Tom Messer) I'm speaking Monday, November 9, at the Florida Baptist Pastors Conference in Pensacola, Florida. My session is entitled "Transition: Leading the church to adapt for greater effectiveness"

(by Pastor Tom Messer) I have had several followup thoughts and conversations about my message about "Friends" on Sunday night. If you didn't get a chance to hear it, these thoughts may not make complete sense, so you need to download or listen to it first.

(by Pastor Tom Messer) I am always amazed, grateful and humbled by services where it is evident that the Holy Spirit is at work in powerful ways.

(By Daniel Riddick) I walked onto the concert stage Friday night at our church’s annual Freedom Festival. While I was waiting for the “ready” sign from our tech crew indicating that the band was ready to play, I looked out at over 10,000 people and thought, “there is power in community.”

(By Jason Cross) Corporate worship is based first and foremost on our common relationship in Christ. At first glance, this sounds pretty elementary and foundational to Christian doctrine. However, if you’ve ever tried to unify a diverse and multi-generational body in worship lately, you might find that it is easier said than done. Does that negate the truth of our unity in Christ? Not at all. However, the unnecessary conflict (some conflict is both healthy and necessary) exposes the fact that we enter into corporate worship with motives and expectations that aren’t based on our unity in Christ. Also, how we deal with that conflict is a tell-tale sign of where we are in our own relationship with God as well as an indicator of our love for our fellow believer.