PALATKA, Fla. (BP) — Southern Baptists are better together. That’s not just a slogan for the churches in the St. John’s River Baptist Association (SJRBA) in the St. Augustine and Palatka area of Florida – it’s a reality that’s fueled their shared mission of spreading the Good News about Jesus.
“God has opened the windows of heaven. I have seen more people saved in the last two years just through witnessing to them than I ever did on the mission field,” said Asa Greear, the associational mission strategist (AMS) for the association. “I can’t explain it. It’s all God.”
Greear, a 46-year ministry veteran, served as an International Mission Board missionary before becoming the executive director/AMS of the association in 2007.
The SJRBA is one of more than 1,100 Southern Baptist associations throughout the United States that Southern Baptist churches will specifically pray for this Sunday, Oct. 20, during the Day of Prayer for Associational Missions.
“The local association is like boots on the ground for us,” said Ted Owens, the founding pastor of Petra Baptist Church in St. Augustine. “We know a lot about the Southern Baptist Convention and the Florida Baptist Convention, but the local association is what connects us to those resources. It’s been there for us during tough times, like the economic collapse (of 2008-2009) and COVID, and we’ve been able to use those resources to keep going.”
The evangelistic movement Greear mentioned began at the Putnam County Fair almost two years ago. The SJRBA organized a weeklong ministry booth where they offered Bibles, Gospel tracts and Christian literature. Volunteers from local churches rotated through the booth, sharing the Gospel using tools like the EvangeCube — a visual aid that helps explain the story of salvation to both children and adults.
During the 2023 fair, 50 people committed their lives to Christ.
A few months later, tragedy struck one of the churches. A deacon’s daughter from Trinity Baptist Church, a young, growing congregation in the association, was struck by lightning while out hunting with her father. The teenage girl had been a dynamic witness for Christ, sending Bible verses to her high school friends and inviting anyone she met to church.
“Because of all that, the kids began to come to the Lord,” Greear said. “They realized that death is imminent, and they weren’t ready. In one meeting, where we had about 600 kids, we saw 65 of them give their hearts and lives to Christ.”
Several other pastors from local churches were at the event to help counsel the youth who attended. Many of those youth were plugged into Trinity Baptist in Palatka, while others were connected to other churches in the association.
Two weeks after the girl’s death, 172 middle and high school students were baptized. Many of those new believers said they were personally impacted by the girl’s testimony.
Greear pointed to a number of ways the local churches are partnering to share the Gospel, including a popular block party trailer that provides resources for churches hosting evangelistic events in their neighborhoods.
The SJRBA also purchases as many as 600 turkeys for local churches to give away during Thanksgiving.
“In our turkey giveaway, we’ve had to pull money out of savings and spend more than we budgeted at times,” Greear said. “But to make an impact locally for the church, we say, ‘Hey, we have turkeys. The churches fill the baskets, take it to this person, and give it to them.’ We’ve actually heard stories of people being saved through that ministry. Churches have told us about people who started coming to church because of these turkey giveaways.”
The association invites North American Mission Board and IMB missionaries to missions connections where churches can get to know them and learn about their ministries.
The SJRBA also helps to support pastors by standing alongside them during difficult times in their ministries, including health problems, church crises and family struggles.
“Just being with pastors – that is such a key,” Greear said. “I believe in associational ministries: walk with your pastors. Don’t be afraid; you’re going to get into their stuff. They’ll tell you if you are, but walk with them.”
For example, when Pastor David Shull had open-heart surgery earlier this year, Greear preached for him for a few weeks and mobilized the other churches to pray for him. Shull says Greear does a great job of “pastoring pastors.”
“It can get a little lonely out here if you’re by yourself,” Shull said. “Being a part of the association means knowing someone has your back when you need help. That’s been a huge blessing for me and my church over the years.”