Florida Baptist pastors’ wives honor Karen Green, focus on holiness
ORLANDO—Hundreds of Florida Baptist ministers’ wives gathered Tuesday, Nov. 12, for their annual luncheon during the 2024 Florida Baptist State Convention meeting held at First Baptist Church in Orlando.
Rachel Uth, wife of First Orlando’s David Uth, and Cindy Bradley, catalyst for the Florida Baptist Convention’s women’s missions and ministry/mission education, welcomed the women and announced a new initiative for ministers’ wives across the state.
“We really do want to come right beside our pastors’ wives,” said Bradley. “We’re excited to announce that beginning in Spring 2025 and Fall 2025 we will have churches host a dinner in each region specifically for pastors’ wives. We hope this helps wives form connections in each region.”
Karen Green honored
In the passing of the proverbial baton, Michele Rummage, wife of Stephen Rummage, newly elected executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention, presented Karen Green, wife of Tommy Green, recently retired Florida Baptist executive director-treasurer, with the Clyde M. Maguire Award.
This award, named in honor of the late Clyde Maguire whose husband, John, served as executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention from 1945 to1967, is given annually to a Florida Baptist minister’s wife who has demonstrated faithful use of the gifts God has given her in support of her husband’s ministry and in her own ministry.
“I am very honored to follow Karen Green. I have big shoes to fill,” said Rummage. “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
During the luncheon, Archalena Coats and other Florida Baptist regional catalyst wives gathered on stage to honor Green for her years of faithfulness and coming “right beside” ministers’ wives across the Sunshine State. In desiring to “honor someone very dear to our hearts” and to send Green off in the “greatest way possible,” Coats referenced the camaraderie of the Golden Girls.
As echoes of the Golden Girls theme song, “Thank You for Being a Friend,” filled the room in a 30-second sing-along, laughter and wet eyes soon followed. Complementing the song was an acrostic specialized specifically for Green by Coats.
“Kindness flows from her heart, she is always serving others, righteousness is in her actions and faith in her soul, she is empowered in grace, and now as she retires her legacy will remain a beacon of love,” said Coats.
“I can’t begin to tell you how much you all mean to me,” said Green. “It has been a joy to serve you … Ministry is so much easier and such a joy when you do it together.”
A holy calling
Focusing on the luncheon’s theme, A Holy Calling, Liz Traylor, wife of Ted Traylor, senior pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, used humor and rhetorical questions to call the women to pursue holiness in their service alongside their husbands and in the local church. Warning those in attendance about the temptation of a “delusional sense of omnipotence” and “unrealistic expectations,” she urged pastors’ wives to keep their eyes on Jesus—and not on “all the things that we think need to be done.”
“There are a whole lot of things we do and a lot of things we think that need to be done at church,” she said. “But God’s not impressed with all the things we can do for Him; He just wants us.”
She also reminded attendees that the answer for “all of life and godliness” is the Word of God—urging women to read and study their Bibles, pray and pursue holiness.
“Open and read the Bible and allow it to teach you how to be holy,” she said. “We can all quote Hebrews 4:12. But how many of us actually pick up the Bible and allow it to teach us and to slice us?”
When afflictions and suffering come—because they will come—Traylor said to lean on God’s Word even more.
“If it had not been for the Word of the Lord, we probably wouldn’t be in ministry today,” she said. “There are some things that you will only learn through the darkness, suffering and the hidden things.”