Pictured above: Herve Alce, worship leader at New Life Baptist Church in Miami, and his team led an energetic worship for the Black Multicultural State Fellowship at Springhill Church in Gainesville. (Photo by Herbert Beck)

GAINESVILLE — The decibel meter was peaking at Springhill Church in Gainesville this weekend for the 2026 Black Multicultural State Fellowship. 

The pews filled with shouts of praise during the opening worship session as Herve Alce, worship leader at New Life Baptist Church in Miami, and his team led an energetic, fiery set of music. 

The annual gathering always brings the “heat,” and the theme captured it well. 

“Ignite: Fan into Flame” from 2 Timothy 1:6 sparked the list of speakers with many illustrations to equip and encourage attendees.  

“We’re excited to have the family here, and we are proud to be selected to host it here,” commented Adrian Taylor, pastor at Springhill. “We are Florida Baptist and it’s a unique family fellowship and friendship that we all share together. It’s really like a big family reunion with the Lord as an integral part of it.”

The fellowship included times of worship, preaching, and a long list of breakout sessions.  

“It is a tremendously awesome time. The opportunity to come in a more regional fashion was great because there were people who came this year who have never attended before,” noted Erik Cummings, black multicultural catalyst for the Florida Baptist Convention.  

Worship service speakers included: 

• Zelvis Applin, pastor at South Hills Church, Tampa 
• Jerome Symonette, pastor at Restoring Grace Community Church, Fort Lauderdale
• Stephen Rummage, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention, Jacksonville
• Lonnie Wesley III, pastor at Greater Little Rock Baptist Church, Pensacola 

Worship sessions took place Thursday evening, Friday evening, and Saturday morning, and a large amount of time was scheduled for breakout sessions during the day.  

Over 100 attendees were able to choose among 16 sessions.  Topics included: evangelism, music, preaching, age-group ministries, AI, Next Gen, generosity, and more. 

During the lunch break on Friday, the men were hosted by the Baptist Collegiate Ministries on the campus of the University of Florida.  Eddie Gilley, BCM director for the Gainesville area, shared what God is doing within a 1-mile radius of its building on campus.  

“Pastor Adrian Taylor and the Springhill volunteers have been phenomenal on every level and every way,” said Cummings.  “We are grateful and thankful for just his willingness to allow this event to come to his place of service.”